Well, dear readers, I’ll write these here notes in a hurry so that I can get them posted and get to bed, because I’ll be up early and getting ready for my trip to New York. As those who’ve read the posts know, I got a call from Mr. Kevin Spirtas telling me my seven o’clock flight from Burbank had been cancelled. I got on the phone with JetBlue immediately – they told me the cancellation was because whatever plane was flying to Burbank form New York and then going back wasn’t making it in. I told them to straighten up and fly right, from the song of the same name. Both other non-stop flights from Burbank were sold out. There was one flight with a stopover, but I would have been on the plane from seven in the morning until ten at night, and there was no way I was doing that. Then there was a red-eye that would have gotten me in at five-thirty in the morning. I told them to straighten up and fly right. At that point I began to fear that I’d simply have to cancel the trip, but I had the foresight to ask about flights out of Long Beach. Happily, there was one at 12:30 and they were able to get me my bulkhead aisle seat, so I grabbed it. I’ll miss the evening sing-through, but at least will be there for all eight hours of tomorrow’s rehearsal. I should get in around nine and hopefully be to the hotel by ten and Joe Allen by ten-thirtyish to have a salad. I then had to rebook the car for Long Beach. It’s not the sort of last-minute stuff I like to deal with when flying, but there is a slight upside to it, in that I don’t have to get up until eight, I’ll be able to jog, and have a leisurely ride to the airport at ten, hopefully getting there by eleven. Speaking of eleven, yesterday was a day in which I did errands and whatnot from the morning through to the evening. I got up early and jogged two miles. I then did some stuff on the computer, and a little work at the piano, then did the morning errands – I have no idea what they were, but I did them. I then decided on Koo Koo Roo for lunch, and I had their roast chicken breast (brushed with lemon and pepper), which had a teeny-tiny wing attached to it. For my side dish, I had some of their ordinary coleslaw, just to have some greens or whatever color slaw is. After that, I bought my travel-sized toiletries, picked up my dry cleaning, and got some petty cash to have on me. I then came home and packed Ye Olde Suitcase and got all my papers and everything ready and into the suitcase. I then had to deal with changing the flight, called the hotel to alert them I wouldn’t be there until ten, and printed out a new boarding pass. After that, I went to Gelson’s and got a very small container of their lobster salad, and I had that for dinner. I think all of that was reasonably non-caloric. I finally sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched a motion picture I’d TIVOd entitled The Good Humor Man. I’d originally seen the film way back around 1955 when they showed it at the Picfair on a kiddie matinee day. It was made a few years earlier, but the Picfair occasionally showed the slightly older films (along with a serial chapter and cartoons). I remember liking it back then, and as I watched it last night I realized what a lost art that sort of film is. The script is by the great Frank Tashlin, who’d been directing cartoons at various studios – and that’s exactly what The Good Humor Man is – a live-action cartoon filled with outrageous and impossible cartoon gags with live actors doing them. Jack Carson is funny in the leading role, and I was completely smitten with his wonderful leading lady – I couldn’t believe it when I reran the credits to see who it was – Lola Albright, she of Peter Gunn. She doesn’t really look like that at all in this film, but she’s gorgeous and funny and charming. The villain of the piece is – wait for it – George Reeves, just prior to Superman hitting the airwaves and forever changing his life. Director Lloyd Bacon wasn’t quite up to the task, especially in the film’s zany, crazy last third – just seven years later Tashlin would be directing his own films, and he would have made The Good Humor Man into a classic.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I must get my beauty sleep so that I am lovelier than ever for all the New York Denizens.
As mentioned, today I’ll be getting up at eight, jogging, and then shaving and showering. The car should arrive at ten and then hopefully all will be well and I’ll be on my way to the Long Beach Airport (I think it’s called the John Wayne Airport now) and then on my way to New York, New York. Please send all excellent vibes and xylophones that the plane takes off on time and arrives on time safely. I’ll post as soon as I’m set up in my hotel room. There’s free Internet and hopefully it will be easy to figure out.
As soon as I’m settled, I’ll be meeting Mr. Kevin Spirtas at Joe Allen for my meal o’ the day. If anyone is up and around, do drop in and say hello.
Tomorrow, my plan, which will depend on how my body feels, is to get up at around eight, do a quick two-mile jog, then take a quick shower, check out of the hotel, and then grab a cab up to Nola Studios for our ten o’clock rehearsal. That will go until six, and then I’ll be going directly to Miss Crista Moore’s apartment, where she’ll give me the keys and show me how everything works. And then I’ll be heading directly to FJL and Skip’s for a hainsies/kimlets get-together. I do hope Skip has some diet-friendly foods because I am being maniacal about this diet and losing weight. Normally on New York jaunts I throw caution to the wind, but this time I’m being very strict.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, jog, go to the Long Beach Airport, fly to New York, get settled in my hotel room, and then hie myself to Joe Allen, probably to have a Caesar salad, or maybe a couple of appetizers. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your all-time favorite slapstick comedies – you know, the kind they have no idea how to make anymore. The fall-down, knock-em-dead, pie-throwing craziest comedies that set you laughing and never let up. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I straighten up and fly right.