Well, dear readers, we’re havin’ a heat wave, a tropical heat wave. Yes, Virginia, we in Los Angeles, California, USA are having a heat wave and let me tell you in this kind of heat wave you can get a neat wave. Yesterday, for example, it was 104 degrees in the San Fernando Valley. That sort of heat really does sap one’s energy and causes a certain sort of lethargy. I sometimes find myself standing in the middle of the floor, not going left, not going right. In this kind of heat, I sometimes find myself procrastinating. For example, I began writing these here notes thirty minutes ago and immediately procrastinated on account of the sapping of the energy and the certain sort of lethargy. A Certain Sort Of Lethargy – isn’t that a teleplay by Paddy Chayefsky? Speaking of Paddy Chayefsky, yesterday was hot. I got up quite early to discover even at eight o’clock in the morning it was hot. I then attended to a few things, then packaged up some packages and got them shipped. I did a few other errands, then toddled off to have a lunch meeting. That meeting was fun and lasted about two hours, after which I came home and sat on my couch like so much wilted fish.
Last night, I watched more episodes of Mannix. The first twelve were lots of fun – not great, but fun. Interesting guest stars, occasional location work, and original scores by the likes of George Duning, Lalo Schifrin, Richard Hazard, Jeff Alexander, and Jerry Fielding. Beginning with episode thirteen and lasting through the rest of the season there are no more original scores – each episode is tracked with music from the first twelve episodes, and not tracked very well, with lots of bad music edits. The show itself seems to lose wind about that time, and there are quite a few episodes that just don’t have the punch of the early ones – they’ve already gotten in a rut, which they’d fix in season two by getting Mannix out of his work place and on his own. However, there are still a couple of fun episodes with good guests – Paul Peterson, William Windom, Paul Mantee, Lynda Day (and boy was she gorgeous), Daniel Travanti, etc. One fun episode guest-starred Jan Sterling as a publicity hungry actress – she was great, and plus we got a brief appearance from Rona Barrett and Army Archerd. I suspected that at some point I’d get to an episode that would make me very happy, and in season one’s final episode it happened – guest star, Miss Leslie Parrish! In short skirts. A long sequence filmed at the Hollywood Bowl. Miss Parrish looked beautiful, as always, and while the episode itself was not very good, it’s one I’ll be able to watch many times. The transfers continue to be mostly good, although there are about five episodes that are off faded elements.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I’m suffering from A Certain Sort Of Lethargy by Paddy Chayefsky.
Have I mentioned that we’re having a heat wave, a tropical heat wave? Today, I shall try to finish proofing music and get the changes in to the guy who’s doing them. I think he only has three songs left, but I’m going to have to re-record two of them, since they’ve had changes made to them recently.
This evening I’ll be attending a reading of the “new” musical, The Times, and I’ll be seeing composer Brad Ross afterwards or perhaps beforewards.
Tomorrow, of course, is already Friday, and I will try to relax because Saturday and quite a few days thereafter, I’ll be rehearsing long hours with Mr. Kevin Spirtas.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, proof, get fixes in, do errands and whatnot, and then see a reading of the “new” musical, The Times. Today’s topic of discussion: I used to love all the movie columnists and gossip columnists, especially Rona Barrett. Who were/are your favorites of then and now – the bitchy, the funny, the vicious? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, as I try to get over A Certain Sort Of Lethargy by Paddy Chayefsky.