Well, dear readers, I must be very careful as I enter very tender territory in this here book I’m writing. The impetus for writing this book was to show how much fun it was to be a young actor in the 1970s. And that I have achieved thus far. But, as I head toward the 1980s, there will be some dark alleys to visit and I have to be very careful in that tender territory not to turn this book into something unpleasant and not fun. I will have to tread lightly in this tender territory, but I cannot avoid going there, because it’s absolutely part of the story, and part of the story is about survival and reinvention and not giving up – so, for me, in the end it’s a positive story. So far I am treading the line with good balance and hopefully muse Margaret will bitch-slap me from here to eternity and hell and back should I cross it. I am definitely moving through time a little faster as I head toward the 1980s because there’s not quite as much stuff to cover, and nothing that has to be as detailed as the early stuff. I will spend a goodly number of pages on The Creature Wasn’t Nice, as that’s something I’ve never really gone into great detail about and it’s a really interesting tale. I was, in fact, a writing machine yesterday, and did twenty pages, something I have rarely done in my ten years of writing books. But I have this need to do so because I think if I slow down I’ll forget things. I go back a lot and finesse and smooth, and I add things that come back to me. Other than writing, all I did was have some lunch at Hugo’s. That was it. Oh, and I picked up a few packages at the mail place and shipped one package I’d forgotten to ship on Friday. I still have to do the two overseas packages, and I’ll get those out on Thursday or Friday. I finished my writing about five-thirty and finally sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched Escape From The Planet Of The Apes on Blu and Ray. I liked it better than the second film, and there are some fun shots of Beverly Hills in the early 1970s. Kim Hunter and Roddy McDowell are wonderful, and some of the supporting cast is excellent. The transfer is stellar. I then began watching a DVD of The Chalk Garden, a film I’ve never seen. I must say, I found the first fifteen minutes entirely captivating and I’m looking forward to the rest of it. The screenplay (from the play by Enid Bagnold) is by one of my all-time favorite screenwriters, John Michael Hayes.
After the movie, I took a shower, did some futzing with what I’d written before, added three things that I’d left out, and then just played on the Internet.
Cousin Dee Dee brought over some more interesting memorabilia she found – two really interesting programs, one from the second production of my musical Start At The Top – the one Michael Burns did. I’d totally forgotten that Leslie Easterbrook (she of the Police Academy films) was in it, as well as a couple of other interesting folks, so I’ll go back and add those little factoids. I also couldn’t remember the name of the theater for sure, so I used the two names I thought it was – one of them was correct and I can now remove the other.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below whilst I tread lightly as I enter the tender territory.
Today, I shall get up early, do as much writing as I can, and then head off to a lunch meeting. I’ve suggested having it at Bird’s and I’m hoping that can happen. After lunch, I’ll come right home and do some more writing, then probably deliver a big box o’ CDs to the local dealer.
Tomorrow I have the long meeting with the co-author of the long musical, but I’ve told him two hours and I’m out of there. After that, it’s strictly writing for the remainder of the day. My new table is supposed to arrive at the furniture place late on Thursday, so I won’t have it until Friday morning, which is three days later than they said I’d have it. Hopefully it won’t be delayed longer than that.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, write, have a lunch meeting, write, pick up a package or three, write, and then watch the rest of The Chalk Garden. Today’s topic of discussion: Who are and were your favorite child actors, and what are your favorite films in which they appeared? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, as I prepare to negotiate the nooks and crannies of the tender territory.