Well, dear readers, I must write these here notes in a hurry, for she of the Evil Eye will be here both bright and early and early and bright. First of all, I don’t really know how it happened, but I slept close to eleven and a half hours before being awakened at 11:55. I could not believe it. I haven’t slept that long in many, many years. I guess I needed it after the four hours of sleep I got the other night, but in reality, it made the entire yesterday feel somewhat off, and I was, I must say, a beat behind the entire day and evening. I had a headache for a lot of the day and I just couldn’t seem to get any rhythm going or to get with it. I did some work on the computer and prepped our new release announcement for Monday and then I went and had a sandwich and onion rings. After that, I picked up a couple of packages and no important envelope, which I hope will be here today. Then I came home and despite the many hours of sleep I’d had, I was oddly fatigued and tired as well as oddly tired and fatigued. I did some more work on the computer, and then I sat on my couch like so much fish and watched a motion picture on DVD.
Yesterday, I watched a motion picture on DVD entitled Rope of Sand. I’d never seen it before, but it’s quite a good little programmer that overstays its welcome by about fifteen minutes. It stars Burt Lancaster, Peter Lorre, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, and introduces pretty Corinne Calvet (who plays a small role in Kritzerland). You really can’t go wrong with a cast like that, and frankly I would watch Mr. Claude Rains in anything – one of the greatest character actors who ever lived. Lancaster is excellent, Lorre is his usual sly self, and Henreid is dastardly as a sadistic police person. Miss Calvet is lovely looking but very hard to understand. The transfer is nice.
It was then time to mosey on over to Theatre West to see a play entitled “Goodbye Louis…Hello!” The play is by sitcom writer Allan Manings (One Day At A Time and others like that). Mr. Manings passed away last year and I believe this is the first production of his final play. It’s not a great play or even a good play, although its heart seems to be in the right place. It’s about an old comic who’s moving to Arizona, his kids reaction to that, and also his relationship with his best friend, another old comic named Benjy. The drama of the piece comes from the fact that we and the other characters come to learn that the old comic once testified behind closed doors for the House Un-American Activities. That whole part of the play seems a bit contrived and is very predictable about who he named. The characters of his son and daughter are not well written. The only scenes that really work are the card games between the two old comics, especially Benjy as played by Steve Franken, a comic actor who understands how to be subtle and underplay but still get his laughs. The director of the show didn’t really help anyone, as his staging is quite awkward and unfocused, especially in the play’s climactic dramatic scene. I’m glad I saw it, if only for Mr. Franken’s lovely turn.
I then came home, answered e-mails and took some more aspirin. Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I must be up and out of here early, and I have a long day ahead of me.
Today, I must be up and out of here early. I have a lot of work to do with the helper, and after that I must go to the AFI for a reunion of the cast of David Wechter and Michael Nankin’s short film musical, Junior High School. I really will probably feel out of place, since I don’t know any of the cast, but I need to be there and will. That lasts from two to five. After that, there may be a dinner get-together and if I’m feeling up to it, I guess I’ll attend. If not, I’ll go home and plotz.
Tomorrow, I’ll be with Mr. Grant Geissman to do all the little book fixes, after which he’ll send all the stuff to the publisher. I’m hoping that won’t take more than ninety minutes – it’s really not all that much stuff, and what there is is very simple to fix. Monday, we announce our new title at six in the morning and then we’ll be shipping out 1000 Pirates CDs shortly thereafter. The helper forgot to remind me to order boxes, so she’ll have her work cut out for her, as I just ordered them today and they won’t be her until sometime Monday afternoon. So, we’ll do everything we can and then she’ll have to do the rest when the boxes arrive.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up and out of here early, I must do a lot of work with the helper, I must attend a reunion, and I must sup. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite performances of Mr. Claude Rains and Mr. Peter Lorre? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland where I will most assuredly not have anywhere near the big sleep that I had the night before.