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July 5, 2012:

THAT’S A HONEY OF AN ANKLET

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, Independence Day 2012 is done and yet I am still independent. So, in a way, every day is Independence Day and anyone who takes exception to that I will wrassle to the ground and scramble an egg on their nose. Of course, some people enjoy having an egg scrambled on their nose – the phenomenon actually has a name: Scrambledeggnoseaphobia. I’m not making this stuff up, you know. I don’t know what the HELL I’m talking about, do you? Perhaps I’ll just tell the story of The Randy Vicar and the Five-Day Deodorant Pad.

I had a rather restful and relaxed Independence Day. I slept until eleven o’clock, which I really needed to do. I got up, and had an e-mail from my close personal friend, Mr. Stephen Sondheim, who’d read the notes, liked them, thought they were too effusive for his tastes (tough), and had a few fixes and one tiny objection to the way I categorized something. I mad the fixes, added a couple of things so he wouldn’t have the tiny objection, and he was pleased. I told him I was coming to see the event he’s doing next week and he confirmed that he’s put me on the backstage list and gotten me invited to some do they’re doing after. So, that will be fun. After that, I decided not to go to the partay because it had moved locations and I just don’t do well going to houses of people I’ve never met. Instead, I went to Gelson’s and got some foodstuffs. I made a couple of tuna fish sandwiches on onion rolls (so good), and sat on my couch like so much fish, where I ate them all up.

Yesterday, I finished watching a motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled Double Indemnity, a rather brilliantly brilliant motion picture entertainment, directed by Billy Wilder, written by Wilder and Raymond Chandler (from the story by James Cain), and starring Mr. Fred MacMurray and Miss Barbara Stanwyck. Once again, we have a film with extraordinary dialogue, the kind no screenwriter knows how to write anymore. The film is filled with great lines: “How could I have known that murder can sometimes smell like honeysuckle?” “That’s a honey of an anklet” “Yes, I killed him. I killed him for money and a woman and I didn’t get the money and I didn’t get the woman. Pretty, isn’t it?” “I couldn’t hear my own footsteps. It was the walk of a dead man.” And the narration is everything narration in a film should be – no one was better at narration by a character than Billy Wilder. This film and Sunset Blvd. alone would put him in the pantheon of great narration. Fred MacMurray has never been better than he is in Double Indemnity. The way he clips every line is just brilliant. Drinking some ice tea he says, “I wonder if a little rum would get this up on its feet?” And Barbara Stanwyck – what can one say – just one of the best performances ever. Every look, every line reading, the way she moves – what a unique actress she was. Edward G. Robinson is great as the claims investigator with the little man in his stomach who tells him when something isn’t right. Wilder’s direction is, once again, absolutely perfect. All the little bits of business are pure Wilder. The film is so simply shot but every shot serves a purpose and tells the story, and that, kids, is great direction. No need for jerky cameras, swirling steadicam shots, camera moves that serve no purpose, nope, just classic film language done simply. If Wilder were starting out today, he probably wouldn’t even get in the door, either as writer or director. Again, if somehow this film has escaped you, it’s a must-see for any love of cinema.

After that, I watched the last of the Beck films from Sweden – it was excellent. I followed that with a Beck film from Germany, I believe. It was a one-off and while it’s interesting, it really isn’t too great. On its way to me is the TV series of Beck – they’ve done twenty-four (I think) of these TV movies – different actor playing Beck, and not based on the novels, obviously, but I’m looking forward to seeing them. Also on its way to me is The Laughing Policeman, a Beck novel turned into an American film from the 1970s starring Walter Matthau. I saw it back in the day, but I’m curious to see it now.

I also got three more mixes via e-mail: The Right Girl, I’m Still Here, and Too Many Mornings, all sounding wonderful. A handful of things to nitpick, but nothing major. We can hopefully do the finessing and be done by the end of the weekend, which would be great. I took a thirty-minute swim, and then went outside to watch the fireworks that are done at CBS Studio on Radford in the City of Studio. I’ve always had a very clear view of them by standing across the street from my house, but that wasn’t the case last night – they seem to have moved them over to the right and they were almost completely blocked by trees. So, no fireworks for me.

Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I’d love to get another good night’s beauty sleep.

Today, I am planning on a ME day. I do have to pay a few Kritzerland bills, and I do have a few errands and whatnot, and hopefully some packages to pick up, and maybe some liner notes to begin, but otherwise I’m just going to relax.

Tomorrow, I have a lot of stuff to do and the weekend has filled up, as well, at least part of it has. I haven’t really committed to anything in the evenings, but we’ll see what’s happening and if anyone feels like supping.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, have a ME day, pay a few bills, do errands and whatnot, hopefully pick up some packages, write some liner notes, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What was the best Independence Day you’ve ever had? What made it the best, and what is the best Independence Day meal you’ve ever had? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, saying, “That’s a honey of an anklet.”

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