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May 21, 2007:

THE MEAT OF THE NOTES

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, I must write these here notes in a hurry for soon I must scurry to a very early morning meeting. Oh, I could dally and tarry and also tarry and dally and write pithy things in an arch fashion (madras Bermuda shorts and a pink t-shirt), but then I would just be vamping instead of getting to the meat of the notes. Yes, by gum and by golly and buy bonds, I must get to the meat of the notes. Not the fish of the notes, mind you, or the vegetables of the notes, no, I must get to the meat of the notes. Of course, then we must decide if I must get to the beef of the notes or the pork of the notes or the veal of the notes. And if it’s the beef of the notes, for example, is it the tenderloin of the notes or the rib eye of the notes or the sweetbreads of the notes. I could go on with these meat metaphors for hours but then I wouldn’t be getting to the meat of the notes. So, I shall now get to the meat of the notes, or, as I like to put it, notes tartar. Speaking of notes tartar, yesterday was a day like any other day but for the fact that it wasn’t any other day, it was Sunday. I slept in, and then got up, and then toddled off for some breakfast and a walk in the Studio City Farmer’s Market. I then came home, someone dropped by to pick up some CDs, and then Mr. Cason Murphy, Miss Joanna Erdos, and Miss Adriana Patti came over and we had our alumni association meeting. Miss Patti will be serving on our publicity and marketing committee, and we’ve added my friend Mr. Bill Ewing to our governing board. Mr. Ewing is a Hollywood motion picture producer. We had a very nice meeting, talked about our new version of our by-laws, about our upcoming fundraiser show at the Alex Theater, and a whole slew of other items. After the meeting, I finally sat on my couch like so much fish.

Last night, I watched two count them two motion pictures on DVD. The first motion picture on DVD was entitled The Night Of The Generals. I’ve had this region 2 DVD for close to two years, and finally decided to watch it, since I’d never seen the film at all. I really didn’t know what to expect, but I certainly didn’t expect what I got. In fact, I still don’t quite know what I got. It’s a very odd film, but I must say it held my attention for all of it’s two hours and eighteen minutes. It’s sort of a war movie (at least it takes place during WWII), it’s sort of a mystery, it’s sort of a lot of things. The oddest thing about the film is that all of its leading characters, save one, are German Nazis being played by English actors who make no attempt at doing an accent of any sort. Only certain of the German Nazis are meant to be hated, however, while we’re supposed to sort of root for the others, most especially the intelligence officer played by Omar Sharif. A prostitute is brutally murdered at the beginning of the film, and a witness sees that the culprit is a German general (he doesn’t see his face, only his uniform). Mr. Sharif heads the investigation and is determined to bring the general to justice. It turns out that there are three generals who have no alibi for the time of the murder – Donald Pleasance, Charles Gray, and Peter O’Toole. It is fairly obvious who the culprit is simply by noticing the behavior of the three. Of course, none of them will speak to Mr. Sharif, and Mr. Sharif soon finds himself transferred to Paris, to stop him from poking his nose in. Two years later, all three generals find themselves in Paris, and there’s another murder of a prostitute there. We also find out about a plot to kill Hitler (it fails) and there is a romantic subplot with Tom Courteny and Joanna Pettet. There is also a French policeman who is helping Mr. Sharif, played by Philippe Noiret. It’s very convoluted, and it isn’t helped by an odd narrative structure, where we occasionally flash forward twenty years to the murder of another prostitute. Somehow, director Anatole Litvak, keeps the whole thing moving along, and the actors are all terrific, especially Mr. O’Toole as General Tanz, who has no compunction at all about wiping out an entire town of Polish people, and Mr. Pleasance and Mr. Gray as the ringleaders of the Hitler assassination plot. Mr. Sharif is at his best as the probing intelligence officer determined to see justice is done, and Mr. Noiret is his usual excellent self. But, all those English people playing German Nazis is unnerving and surreal. The goofy score is by Maurice Jarre, the beautiful photography by Henri Decae. The anamorphic transfer is nice and sharp, but the color is just a little too much on the brown side – not terrible, but not quite what it should look like. I then watched the second motion picture on DVD, which was entitled Michael Shayne, Private Detective. I’m usually a sucker for these low-budget private eye series films like The Saint and The Falcon and Charlie Chan, but I wasn’t quite prepared for how unremittingly stupid Michael Shayne, Private Detective would be. It’s really awful – just horribly written and directed. But, I like Lloyd Nolan, and the female lead, Marjorie something, was fun. The man who used to play Mr. Honeywell on My Little Margie plays the female lead’s father, and there are some good character actors, but they toil for naught and ring no bells in this poor excuse for a film. For whom the bells toil for naught – it’s the truth. The transfer is fine. I guess I’ll give one more of the Shayne films a chance, just to see if they got any better. And we won’t blame our very own Michael Shayne, Hainsie/Kimlet, for any of it.

Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below, because I don’t think I’ve yet gotten to the meat of the notes.

As I mentioned prior to my getting to the top sirloin of the notes, I have an early-morning meeting at eight-thirty with the head of the LACC Foundation, to discuss various and sundried things, about which I’ll have more to say after I know what the various and sundried things actually are. After that, I’ll visit with the head of the Theatre Academy. After that, I’ll come home and ship a couple of packages, do some errands and whatnot, and pray for several miracles we need around these here parts.

The rest of the week will be consumed with meetings and meals and rehearsals, not necessarily in that order. I’m hoping to have my first set of proofing notes in hand this week, and my LA proofer will also get to it this week.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, have an early morning meeting, then another meeting, then shipping, then jogging, then whatever else needs doing. Today’s topic of discussion: Meat. What are your favorite meats, how do you like said meats cooked, what is the single best meat dish you ever had and where did you have it. But, for those vegetarian hainsies/kimlets, what are your favorite vegetarian dishes and what is the best vegetarian dish you ever had and where did you have it? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I finish getting to the meat of the notes. Tomorrow, I shall get to the potatoes of the notes.

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