Well, dear readers, I may as well get to the point. Of course, in order to get to the point I’d have to know what the point is. Since I have no clew as to what the point is, perhaps someone can tell me who I’m supposed to get to it. That’s the point, really, isn’t it? Whilst I would like to get to the point, and while I should get to the point, I don’t believe I’ll be getting to the point because I do not know what the point is. In other words, it’s notes as usual, despite my wish to get to the point. Where was I? Oh, yes, the point and how I’m not getting to it. Well, we’re off to a fine start, aren’t we? We’re off and running, aren’t we, like a gazelle doing the splits. Speaking of the splits, yesterday was a fascinating day. For example, I got up. That was fascinating. I then had to answer various and sundried e-mails, and then suddenly it was time to go to lunch with dear reader Jeanne. I drove down to The Grove, and purposely got there thirty minutes early, so I could have my sunglasses straightened out. They’ve been misbehaving lately, and they needed a good talking to. However, before I even had a chance to begin walking to the sunglasses store, dear reader Jeanne appeared. She’d gotten there early, too, and had just happened to be where I was walking. We were originally going to eat in the Farmer’s Market, but since she was early, we ended up going to The Cheesecake Factory before the lunch crowd arrived. Actually, the lunch crowd never did arrive, which was quite surprising. We had a very nice lunch, she a Caesar salad (full size), me a Caesar salad (half) and a lunch-size portion of my favorite, farfalle with sun-dried tomatoes, roasted garlic, pancetta, peas, and chicken. It was really yummilicious. After lunch, Jeanne accompanied me to the sunglasses store, where they straightened out my sunglasses but good. We then said goodbye, and I came back home. I then did about fifty pages of corrections. I then went out to the garage and, for reasons I no longer remember, began going through some boxes. I’ve got about five hundred books out there that I don’t have room on my shelves for – I found a couple of really rare things that I brought into the house. I also found some more Bay Cities CDs and, for those of you who were posting yesterday know, I offered them to you dear readers. After that, 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 Hell And High Water, a film of Samuel Fuller, starring Richard Widmark and Bella Darvi. I’ve always liked Hell And High Water – it’s very entertaining in that Sam Fuller way, and I’m a fan of Mr. Widmark. Miss Darvi wasn’t a very good actress, but the other character actors are all excellent. The transfer is terrific, and the Alfred Newman score sounds great. I then watched the second motion picture on DVD, which was entitled Can-Can. When I was a week sprig of a twig of a tad of a lad of a youth, I saw Can-Can at my beloved Stadium Theater, not in ToddAO obviously, but in Cinemascope and stereophonic sound. Even as a youngster, I was pretty bored of Can-Can, even though I pretty much loved every roadshow picture. I was hoping I’d like it better nowadays, but I’m afraid it’s still the bore that it’s always been. I know people have affection for these old, big roadshow films, but Can-Can has a bad script, bad choreography (by Hermes Pan, who ruined more fifties, sixties and seventies musicals than anyone), and static direction. Add to that, Mr. Sinatra refusing to do anything but be Mr. Sinatra (which in the case of this film isn’t a good idea), and you have a film that just meanders for all of its two-hours-and-twenty-six minutes. Shirley MacLaine is okay, Louis Jourdan is always charming, Maurice Chevalier is always more than charming, but the whole affair just lays there like so much lumpy fish. The transfer has been getting very good reaction, but I’m afraid I can’t agree. It’s wonderful that they went from the large format film elements, and it has provided a fairly sharp transfer, and the film does look a million times better than it ever has on home video. The titles look amazing and one is led down the garden path, thinking the entire transfer will look like that. Sadly, it doesn’t. There is almost constant color fluctuations throughout, and the transfer seems to get worse as it goes along. Oh, there are some fine-looking sequences, but overall I’d have to rate this as a disappointment. The sound, on the other hand, is robust and full. The making of “documentary” is awful, peopled with two “film historians” who are both annoying and grating. A few of the dancers make an appearance, but it’s just one of those silly, simplistic and pointless extras.
What am I, Ebert and Roeper all of a sudden? Why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below and maybe we’ll even be able to get to the point in the next section.
Nope, no point in sight or, since we are on the Internet, no point in site. Today, I shall be leaving early to go to the Alex Theatre to do a walk-through with their tech people. I’ll be joined by Mr. Cason Murphy and Miss Joanna Erdos. After that, Mr. Murphy and I will lunch and begin to prepare our show budget, after which we will both attend a meeting with the president of LACC. After that, I’m going to attempt to get seats for the Academy screening of The High And The Mighty. I’ll get there nice and early, buy tickets, have a little food, and then see the film.
Tomorrow, I have a rehearsal with Miss Joan Ryan, and then I may or may not be supping with Miss Julieanne Pogue. I think the weekend is basically mine – I’ll finish the corrections, but I think that’s about all I have to do.
Now wait just a darned minute – let’s all put on our pointy party hats and our colored tights and pantaloons, let’s all break out the cheese slices and the ham chunks, let’s all dance the Hora and the Hully-Gully, for today is the birthday of errant and truant dear reader Jeanne. So, let’s give a big haineshisway.com birthday cheer to the errant and truant dear reader Jeanne. On the count of three: One, two, three – A BIG HAINESHISWAY.COM BIRTHDAY CHEER TO THE ERRANT AND TRUANT DEAR READER JEANNE!!!
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do a walk-through, lunch and budget, have a meeting, buy some tickets, and attend a screening. Today’s topic of discussion: The 70s was, perhaps, the greatest decade for the singer/songwriter. Who are your favorite 70s singer/songwriters and what are your favorite albums and songs by them? I’ll start: almost all of Randy Newman, but especially his debut album and Sail Away, two authentic masterpieces. Nilsson. Rupert Holmes’ debut album, Widescreen. Carly Simon. Carole King. Tim Moore. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I endeavor to, at long last, find the point.