Well, dear readers, all I can say is, “Hello, I must be going.” What am I, Groucho Marx all of a sudden? But, you see, I have just arrived back at the home environment and it is already one o’clock in the morning and I must therefore write these notes in a hurry, like a gazelle having a bi-polar hissy fit. She of the Evil Eye will be here bright and early so I must not tarry nor must I dally. I must write like the wind, with no sentence, phrase, or word wasted. So, let me get right to yesterday and tell you that it was a day. I got up, I jogged, I answered e-mails, I shipped, I ate, I sat on my couch like so much fish, and I did other things that I now no longer have any memory of. Isn’t that exciting? Isn’t that just too too? There, you see, not a sentence, phrase, or word wasted.
Yesterday, I did manage to finish watching two count them two motion pictures on DVD. The first motion picture was entitled Tight Spot, a minor film noir directed by Phil Karlson, starring Miss Ginger Rogers, Mr. Brian Keith, and Mr. Edward G. Robinson, with the villainy supplied by Mr. Lorne Greene. The real problem that keeps the film from being better than it is is, sadly, Miss Rogers, who is too old for her role, and who “acts” way too much and too cutesy. It’s a grating performance and the movie never rises above ordinary because of it. I think it would have been a near classic noir if, instead of Miss Rogers, you had Miss Gloria Grahame or Miss Jan Sterling, or even Miss Marie Windsor. The direction is fine, and Mr. Keith is always a pleasure to watch. The score by George Duning is another plus. I then finished watching the other motion picture on DVD, Mr. Fritz Lang’s deliriously strange Rancho Notorious, a film that I find very entertaining. It stars Miss Marlene Dietrich, Mr. Arthur Kennedy, Mr. Mel Ferrer and others. It’s classic Lang, has one of the strangest songs ever put in a western (The Ballad of Chuck-a-Luck), and some mighty interesting characters. Both this and Tight Spot are region 2 DVDs – Tight Spot’s transfer is fine, but Rancho Notorious looks pretty terrible, with faded colors throughout.
What am I, Ebert and Roeper all of a sudden? Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below, whilst we sing “Hello, I must be going.”
I tell you, I’m flying through these here notes, like a gazelle in a padded bra or a gazelle in a padded cell – one of the two.
Last night, I attended the opening of two one-acts at LACC, both modern war plays, under the umbrella title of Theatre of Operations. The student actors all did very impressive work, but I’m afraid the plays were not to my liking – but I’m just not a fan of this type of theater. The production was well directed, and, as I said, the kids did very well indeed. Afterwards, I went out with Miss Adriana Patti – we went to Du-Par’s and had too much food.
Today I must leave the home environment early and do stuff that needs doing, including some Xeroxing, some delivering of books to Bookfellows in the Dale of Glen, and various and sundried other things. I then intend to do not much of anything else except watch motion pictures on DVD, for I picked up early copies of Peeper, Deadfall, and The Magus, along with Reds.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, jog, drive about in my motor car, eat, watch motion pictures and do whatever the HELL else I feel like doing on a perfectly perfect Saturday. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite Marx Brothers lines – which I know will mostly be Grouchoisms, although Chico had some pretty great ones, too. And Harpo, of course, had “honk, honk.” I’ll start. “If I were any closer I’d be in back of you.” Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we?