Well, dear readers, well, dear readers, well, dear readers, all I ever write is well, dear readers, have you noticed that? Just once why can’t I write dear readers, well or even readers well, dear, but nooooo, it’s always well, dear readers, day in and day out since November of 2001. Damn them, damn them all to hell. Well, it felt good to get that off my chest. That is very heavy and it’s really not pleasant when that is on my chest, so you can only imagine how good it felt to get that off my chest. Can I just ask one question: What the HELL am I talking about? Perhaps it’s the eight ounces of tuna pasta salad I polished off last night that is causing me to go in and out of lucidity. Speaking of lucidity, yesterday was a very long day filled with many adventures. For example, I got up. That was an adventure. I telephonic device started ringing around nine and never stopped the entire day. “I telephonic device?” What the HELL does that mean? Shouldn’t I have written “the” telephonic device, or, at the very least – I, telephonic device? Where was I? Oh, yes, I telephonic device kept ringing all the livelong day. The morning began with a two-hour work session. After that, Mr. Nick Redman came over and we headed out to a far-away land to pick up his auction item that he won two weeks ago. I spoke to the auction house about consigning a few things for their December auction, and I’m making them a little list of stuff I think they’d do well with. We then had a bit of lunch, then headed back home. I had to do a few errands, and then I came back, and the phone just kept ringing and ringing and the e-mails kept coming and I just kept talking and answering e-mails for hours. Finally, around six-thirty, the phone was quiet and the e-mails abated and I sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched a motion picture on DVD entitled That Darn Cat, starring Miss Hayley Mills, Mr. Dean Jones, Miss Elsa Lanchester, Mr. William Demarest, and the divoon Miss Dorothy Provine, along with Mr. Roddy McDowell and a host of other folks. I’d never seen it before, and I’ve never picked up the Disney DVD as it’s full frame, but this was sent to me by a friend and it’s 1:85 and anamorphic. It’s a delightful ninety-minute movie bloated into a 116-minute movie. Disney’s movies during the 60s, even the slightest of the live-action films, were always too long. At ninety minutes this would have been just great – at 116 it’s entertaining but wearying. Miss Mills, however, is so wonderful and charming, just someone the camera loves, and Mr. Jones was quite adept at these Disney films – a totally believable, lovable leading man. Miss Lanchester is a treasure, as is Mr. Demarest, and Miss Provine is especially good. The only real sour performance note in the film is sadly Ed Wynn, who is just so over the top and unfunny. The score is faux Mancini/Pink Panther, and it does a fairly good job of aping that style. I don’t know what the Disney full frame transfer is like, but this one is excellent. Interestingly, the film is quite adult at times and has a few things they wouldn’t go near today, which doesn’t speak well for today. It was, of course, remade into a totally putrid film of 1996, I believe.
Why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I’ve another really long and full day tomorrow and those of a certain age do need their beauty rests.
Today, I have an early morning meeting at LACC to see if there are any props or costumes I can borrow for the NYMF version of our show. I’m sort of flying blind on the costumes, as we’re still looking for a replacement costume designer. I’m certainly going to try to get the wardrobe worn by the LA folks who are doing the NYMF show, and maybe a couple of other things, like the General’s uniform. And, I’m praying they left Alet’s wigs as they were, although I’ve been warned they probably didn’t. I may find a little dough for the gal who designed Alet’s tall wig to do it again so we can ship it (carefully) to New York, New York. I have a list of props that our set designer would like to borrow – there aren’t many.
After the meeting, we have auditions for our fundraiser show – the ensemble of eight, plus a twelve-year-old boy. That will take a couple of hours, then I’ll sup, and then I’ll come home to deal with telephonic messages and e-mails. I’m hoping that Tuesday will be a good news day, because we need some good news.
Well, dear readers (there we go again), I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, have a meeting, have auditions, have some supper, have some telephonic calls and have some e-mails. Today’s topic of discussion: Travel. What was the first time you were on a plane, a train, a boat – what was the experience like, how old were your, and where did you go? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst we do not end these here notes with well, dear readers – better to end them with I, Telephonic Device.