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July 22, 2012:

FRIENDSHIP

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, I have always had an uneasy relationship with several words in the English language. One of those words is “friend.” Words, of course, have meanings, but those meanings can have different meanings to different people. Anyone who’s read my book Kritzerland knows why I have an uneasy relationship with the word “friend.” It started way back then and the events in the last half of the book will explain why. I know the difference between friends and good friends and best friends. But time and again I have run into situations in my life where people I thought were friends begin behaving in strange ways, with no explanation, not even an attempt at explanation. In the old days when that would happen, I’d hang on trying to figure it all out – sometimes I’d be successful and most times not. It happened recently and I just walked away immediately because at my age I will not stand for people doing 180s on a friendship. But I have a handful of friends who I truly adore and who are very important to me. I had dinner with such friends last night – David and Barbara Wechter, and son Daniel. Those who’ve read There’s Mel, There’s Woody, and There’s You know the story of my friendship with David. It’s a friendship that’s going on twenty-five years or more. We’ve had a rough patch or two, mostly due to tensions in the workplace, but mostly it’s been a rewarding friendship. We’re cut from the same cloth. Barbara is a beautiful and very smart woman, and their kids, Zach and Daniel, have inherited their parents’ good manners and charm. But at dinner we all realized that we hadn’t done a group dinner in years. David and I e-mail and chat, but his career has been so fruitful in reality television, and that world is so demanding, that it precludes us from seeing each other as much as we’d like. I’m hoping we can do something about that starting right now – because friendship, at least the kind of friendship I value, is to be nurtured and watered and cared for. In fact, it is my goal to do this with a handful of my best friends, because best friends are to be treasured, not ignored or put aside. I feel friends need to make the time, even if it’s a quick meal, or a drink, or whatever. Fair weather friends – you can have them if you want them. I don’t need them or want them. I am as loyal a human being as I can possibly be – anyone who’s ever struck up a friendship with me knows this. It’s either a plus or a minus in a human being and there are times when I’m not sure which wins out. I would hope it’s a plus, but then something happens and I just sit, scratching my head, baffled. In any case, friendship, friendship, it’s a perfect blendship, while other friendships have been forgot – ours has not. Cole Porter knew what he was talking about.

My goodness, that was long, wasn’t it? That was just endless, wasn’t it? Perhaps I should write some notes? Yesterday was a very nice day. I got up after nine gloriously glorious hours of sleep. David Wechter called and we decided on our place to sup. After that, I wrote a little more of my contextual commentary and did the second third of it. Then I picked up the Blu and Rays of Junior High School along with one other small package. Then I continued writing the commentary and finished it. I’ll finesse it over the next couple of days, but it’s great to have it out of the way. I then listened to a potential upcoming project but I’m thinking the quality is just not going to be good enough – I haven’t made a final decision yet, and it’s one I really have to think hard about, because it involves a beloved composer and a beloved film. Then it was time to sup.

I met the Wechters at Stanley’s. I tried something new – salmon in a pasta with light tomato cream sauce, onions, and peas, and it was really yummilicious. I’d have it again. And I had a small Caesar. For dessert, we all shared their yummilicious chocolate chip cookie dough pie with ice cream and whipped cream. I only had three small bites. The conversation was sparkling and David seemed delighted with the Junior High School Blu-ray packaging. After that, I came home and sat on my couch like so much fish.

Last night, I watched a motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled High Noon, starring Mr. Gary Cooper and Miss Grace Kelly, directed by Mr. Fred Zinneman. This is a film I never tire of – for me, it’s virtually perfect (talk about someone whose friends are fair weather), with its story basically playing out in real time. There’s never been a film like High Noon. Everything about it is unique, and that includes its great score by Dimitri Tiomking, including the song Do Not Forsake Me (Oh My Darling) sung by Tex Ritter throughout the film. This was a film that was part of very early TV packages – I think I first saw it on TV around 1955 and I fell in love with it and watched it whenever it was on. I’ve owned every video incarnation of the film and now I own the Blu and Ray. I’ve read good and bad thoughts about the transfer, including a total pan by my friend Robert A. Harris. But on my 55-inch TV, I have to say it looks very good. It’s sharp, with a lot of detail, and the contrast is excellent. For those watching on much larger set-ups, I have no idea how it looks. If for some crazy reason you’ve never seen High Noon, it gets my highest recommendation as a film, and I have no problem recommending the Blu-ray.

After the movie, I finessed a bit of the commentary – we’re still trying to find our guest star – it seems to be a busy month for folks. But I had a little brainstorm at dinner, and David is going to make a call tomorrow and if that should work out, it will be amazing. Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I could use another really good night’s beauty sleep.

Today, I shall finesse commentary, listen to some potential upcoming projects, hopefully listen to a new Kritzerland master, but mostly relax, eat, and watch motion pictures.

This week is very busy with all sorts of things – meetings, meals, seeing several shows of all sorts, talking to a potential camera person for the upcoming Outside the Box shoots, and continuing to plan for our two-year anniversary show.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, finesse, listen, relax, eat, and watch motion pictures. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s free-for-all day, the day in which you dear readers get to make with the topics and we all get to post about them. So, let’s have loads of lovely topics and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where I shall sing several refrains of Friendship, happy to have a handful of truly great friends.

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