Well, dear readers, the long weekend has begun and it’s almost over. I hate when that happens. Still, I do expect to have a nice relaxing weekend, and then on Monday I’m seeing the new Indiana Jones motion picture at the DGA. The very weird May weather continues unabated. Where just three days ago we had temperatures in the 100s, we now have chilly weather and sporadic rain. Go know. One day I have to use the air conditioner, the next I have to use the heater. My home environment is feeling completely schizophrenic right about now. Speaking of schizophrenic, yesterday was one of those days that came and went. I got up, made some important telephonic calls, confirmed the two actors I wanted for the leads in my informal Nudie Musical reading, although working out the schedules has been a bit daunting. We were going to do it on the 16th of June, but now it may be the 9th, which is the night before we do the reading for the musical I’m mentoring. We’ll see if that works for everyone, and if it does I really have to get my butt cheeks in gear to cast the rest of the roles. And I still have to get a couple of people for the musical I’m mentoring, since at least one of the people we had before will be out of town. Either date is fine with me and I hope to lock it down this weekend. I then proofed a little, did a bunch of errands, and then finally had to eat an early dinner, as I was quite hungry. I’d read about a little jernt I’ve driven by many times, called A Taste Of Chicago in the Bank of Bur. It’s owned by Joe Mantegna and his wife Arlene and it brings some of their favorite Chicago dishes to the Valley. I ordered one of their specialties, the beef sandwich, but I had the variation that included a sausage with the beef. It comes with sweet green peppers, but that gal asked if I wanted some other kinds of peppers and I said as long as they’re mild, sure. They were not mild. I had to systematically remove each and every one before I could continue. The beef part of the sandwich was spectacular. The sausage, while excellent, was simply too spicy for an Old Jew. Next time, I’ll just go with the beef and sweet peppers and that will be grand. I also had to sample their Chicago pizza – I had a slice with sausage, and boy was it good. They have lots of pastas, too, and other sandwiches, plus their ribs are highly touted, so there’s lots to try and I’m sure there’ll be a return trip soon. So, Joe and Arlene, if you happen to be reading this – GOOD JOB! I then came home and sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched a motion picture on DVD entitled Charlie Chan in City in Darkness. It’s a terrible movie and unlike other Chans, no fun at all. It has a hack director, terrible writing, and actors who all appear to be in different films. It takes place in France just before the beginning of World War II. Against that backdrop, we have a mystery, but the mystery is the most perfunctory I’ve seen in any Chan film. The seventy-four minute running time seems interminable, which is no mean feat. And if I thought the number two son character and actor was annoying, in this film he’s replaced by a bumbling French policeman, almost Clouseau-like and so irritating that one keeps hoping that one of the characters will just shoot him. The most interesting thing about the film is that it features an early performance of Leo G. Carroll (as a Frenchman – and billed as Leo Carroll). Mr. Leo G. Carroll was always one of my top favorite character actors, and I always was thrilled when I found he was in whatever movie I was seeing. My first conscious memory of him was, of course, as Cosmo Topper, but then I began to see him in all manner of other roles, like the lead in Tarantula, as a government agent in North By Northwest, and then on TV in a whole slew of older films. The transfer is excellent and there are the usual short and completely worthless featurettes.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because not only is my home environment feeling schizophrenic, I’m feeling schizophrenic because Guy Haines is currently singing on my iPod.
Today, I shall finish proofing, I shall ship a couple of packages, and then I have no other plans. Miss Alet Taylor is attending The Brain this evening, but since I now have to be at the theater tomorrow morning at ten for a put-in rehearsal for the General Mills cover (our actor is missing all performances next weekend and this is a much bigger role than Rod, with a lot more dialogue, so I have to make sure the new actor is on the right track), I suppose I won’t go down tonight and sit with her. I also have to put in the winner of a contest – they had a money-raising contest and whoever won gets to play the role of the Farmer in the show. It’s just three lines and lasts about forty seconds, but he still has to know how to get on and off and he has to learn the little bit of blocking he has. And, of course, the Wechters are coming to the show tomorrow, and I should be there so I can introduce David to the company. So, tonight I think I’ll just sit on my couch like so much fish and watch a motion picture on DVD.
I still have to print out the Nudie Musical script, to go over it, make more changes if necessary, and then I have to re-learn all the songs from the film, most of which I haven’t played in over thirty years. And I still have to finish adjusting the finale of the musical I’m mentoring, and I need to be done with that by tomorrow.
Perhaps we’d all better put on our pointy party hats and our colored tights and pantaloons, perhaps we’d all better break out the cheese slices and the ham chunks, perhaps we’d all better dance the Hora and the Twist, because today is the birthday of our very own dear reader Jeanne. So, let’s give a big haineshisway.com birthday cheer to our very own dear reader Jeanne. On the count of three: One, two, three – A BIG HAINESHISWAY.COM BIRTHDAY CHEER TO OUR VERY OWN DEAR READER JEANNE!!!
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, proof, print out a script, work on a finale, ship a couple of packages, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: We haven’t done this one in ages – who are your all-time favorite character actors and actresses – the ones you see over and over again and always love. The ones who never achieved stardom, but were great in everything they did. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I try to curb the home environment’s and my schizophrenic behavior.