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March 28, 2011:

THE BIG SCORE

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, I must once again write these here notes in a hurry for I must arise at six in the morning to announce the new Kritzerland title. So, without any preamble or even postamble, I will simply say that I had a surprisingly good time at the paperback show. I got there around ten-fifteen. It didn’t seem as crowded as usual, but I made my way around each room and said hi to various and sundried dealers I know. I don’t really “do” paperbacks much anymore, but I enjoy looking at them all the same. At eleven I sat down at the table and put copies of my book out. I was seated next to Laura Freas, an artist, and widow of the great Kelly Freas. She’s also a classical music disc jockey on KUSC and a couple of other classical stations, under the name Laura Brodian (not sure if that’s the spelling). The big surprise was that I actually sold some books. I also met some very nice people, including one nice gentleman who had a DVD sleeve from The First Nudie Musical for me to sign. He also had his two adorable kids with him and I took a photograph with them. The hour breezed by and then I traversed the rooms again, finding what turned out to be the deal of the day – apparently no other dealer noticed it, or they got there just a bit too late (actually three dealers descended on this guy at one time, but I’d already taken the item – I think he didn’t put it out until just before I saw it – why is anyone’s guess, but I know it wasn’t out the first time I traversed the room). They all were very curious and wanted to see and examine it, which I let them do. And I probably could have doubled or maybe even tripled my money right then and there, but I didn’t. The item was a copy of the screenplay for The Cincinnati Kid, in its original MGM cover. That ordinarily wouldn’t have been THAT much cause for such interest, but this is quite a unique copy and possibly the only one in existence – the writer listed on the cover is Ring Lardner, Jr. and the director is Sam Peckinpah. There are many penciled in dialogue changes and other types of notes (I haven’t actually gone through them to see what the content is). A few days into filming, Mr. Peckinpah was fired and then replaced by Norman Jewison, at which point two other writers came onto the project – Terry Southern and Charles Eastman. So, a very interesting artifact from a great movie.

After that, I came directly home, answered e-mails and then sat directly on the couch like so much fish, at which point I finished the rest of my tuna pasta salad whilst watching a motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled Kansas City Confidential. I didn’t think I’d ever seen it, but I realized about ten minutes in that I had. It’s an efficient little noir but nothing more. It actually starts out as a gritty little robbery film, but then the second half is something else and not that interesting, although I was charmed by the charming Colleen Gray. Mr. John Payne is a bit of a stick, but it was fun to have a supporting cast that featured the very young Jack Elam, Lee Van Cleef, and Neville Brand as bad guys so inept that they should have just called them Larry, Moe, and Curly. The transfer was off a 35mm print – not brilliant but not a disaster.

I then got the two bonus tracks from the mastering guy and was quite taken aback by how bad they sounded, especially the end title music, which just sort of abruptly faded out after a minute and ten seconds. I’d found that odd when I’d watched the DVD, the fact that for an 80s film there weren’t any credits at the end save for the cast. Well, it was odd because I got the Blu-Ray from France last Thursday and that release has complete end titles with five minutes of glorious music in DTS Master Audio. The problem was, of course, it’s a multi-region disc and I don’t know anyone else who has a multi-region player who could rip the music for me. In talking to the mastering guy, he asked if there were analogue ins and outs on the player and my CD burner – I looked (with him on the phone) and there were. So, I got a pair of RCA cords that I had and wired directly from the player into the burner and what do you know – it worked. I was able to get the main and end titles in pristine sound, which I then burned to CD, loaded into iTunes as AIFF files and then put on our iDisk. The mastering guy grabbed them, made them sound exactly like the rest of the CD and problem solved. Not only problem solved but even better we were able to use the end titles in the proper album sequence rather than as the second bonus track. That gives the CD sequence a proper ending (the final track as presented on the Varese LP and CD – a different ending track on the CD – both had inconclusive endings and were not a real finish – Now we’ve got a real finish). Then the film version of the main titles becomes our one and only bonus track. So, this CD has about six minutes more music than the previous CD and the sound is so much better on ours. A must-have release now.

After that excitement, I watched a motion picture on SonyHD channel entitle The Pickle, a film of Paul Mazursky. Mr. Mazursky had previously made an “homage” to Fellini’s 8 ½ with his film Alex In Wonderland. And here he does it again, only this film is truly terrible. It’s obviously extremely autobiographical, but not in a very interesting way. The situations are fine, the actors are fine (lots of cameos), but the film within a film is truly terrible – it’s supposed to be terrible, although it ends up being a big hit – but in reality it’s just TERRIBLE, period), the score by Michel Legrand is fine, but there’s just no there there. Danny Aiello dresses exactly like Mr. Mazurski, and the two have a scene together in a projection booth – and they look like each other, too.

Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I must get these here notes posted so I can go get as much beauty sleep as possible.

Today, I’ll be up at six to announce, and then I hope to print out a LOT of orders all during the day and night. I may try and go back to sleep after I announce. Then I’ve got some errands and whatnot to do and I’m praying that the missing part from Saturday’s delivery will arrive via Fed Ex – it’s really important that it does. Then I’ll eat something light but amusing, after which we have our first Gardenia rehearsal – as always, I’m very much looking forward to that.

Tomorrow, I must finish the new liner notes, I must begin the contextual commentary for the Gardenia, I may or may not have a lunch and/or dinner meeting, and the rest of the week goes along in a similar vein, with more meetings, more meals, and another rehearsal.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, get up at six and announce, I must hopefully print out a LOT of orders, I must do errands and whatnot, I must hopefully pick up some packages including the important Fed Ex package, I must eat, and I must have a rehearsal. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite pirate movies and sea adventures? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland whilst thinking of my big score.

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