Well, dear readers, I had the most interesting conversation with our webhost yesterday – the fellow who runs the company. He told me that he’s been watching our little site and that he is shocked and amazed how much traffic we get every day. We outdo all the other sites he hosts, if I understood him correctly. I, of course, love hearing this sort of thing and it gives credence to our stats, which show close to ten million page views a year. I never know what the traffic is on the main page, but soon I’ll be able to see, but he assures me that it’s pretty great. So, I feel very comfortable in saying that I feel soon we will be the most popular site on all the Internet. I really love our new updated digs and hope we keep growing and that we’ll have everything the traffic will allow.
Here’s another thing I find fascinating. I’ve posted the little newspaper thing from 1964 about my father opening the Tarzana branch of his restaurant the Kiru, thanks to dear reader Mark. Well, he sent me some more articles from the Valley paper and they are just astonishing to me. Where exactly was I when all this was going on? Why didn’t I know about it? I have no memory of ever going to the Tarzana venue. I have little memory of it even being discussed in our house, although I did know about it, but barely. But this thing was getting major publicity out there – with my father’s picture in the paper several times and all kinds of things going on there that I was never ever told about. It was located in close proximity to Valley Music Theatre, a theater-in-the-round, and according to these newspapers the Kiru hosted their opening and closing night parties. Say what? Why wasn’t I there? And it’s not like I wasn’t going to see shows there – in this particular paper you’ll see an ad for their production of Medea – I saw it and yet I don’t recall going to the Kiru before or after, nor do I recall even knowing exactly where it was. This paper also has some wonderful movie theater stuff for your perusal.
Isn’t that incredible. And look at these two with photographs of my father. And how he took over the title billing. Who knew? This stuff just boggles the old noggin’.
And look at this opening announcement down there – unbelievable. Who knew?
Yesterday was quite an okay day. I was up by nine, and began doing the busy work that would consume way too many hours of the day. I had several telephonic calls, and then I went and had some bacon and eggs. After that, I came home and did a three-mile jog. Then it was back to the busy work and I actually got a huge amount done until I was told I’d been given some incorrect information – that meant I had to go back into each document and correct that information and recalculate things.
I talked to the East Coast Singer but it was clear that unless I went to her in Beverly Hills that we couldn’t meet – since I was in the thick of all those corrections I told her she had to come to me but we just decided to do it either today or tomorrow. I ultimately finished about two-thirds of the busy work, so I can definitely finish the rest today. Then I sat on my couch like so much fish.
But before I tell you about the motion picture on Blu and Ray that I watched, let me just post this performance from Sunday’s Kritzerland show – it’s Jenna Lea Rosen doing Where Is Love – a beautiful, heartfelt performance that I really am happy to share. This is some fourteen-year-old girl.
Wasn’t that lovely? I don’t know why the actual video isn’t showing up here as it usually does. Weird. Anyway, last night I got a sneak peek at a new Twilight Time release, Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing, which, of course, we released the soundtrack of on Kritzerland and which happily sold out. I have always enjoyed this film but never so much as last night’s viewing. First of all, they don’t make ‘em like this anymore, and they should, Virginia, yes they should. No, instead they spend three hundred million dollars on The Lone Ranger, which is going to turn out to be one of the biggest losers in Hollywood history according to some reports. No, here we have an actual story, beautifully and simply told, and wonderfully acted by Jennifer Jones and William Holden, both of whom have more star power in their little finger than all of today’s “stars” put together. And that Alfred Newman score, with that beautiful theme by Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster, maybe the most romantic theme ever. Gorgeous photography, beautiful sets and costumes all in glorious Cinemascope, color and stereophonic sound. The best news is the transfer – done just this year – is spectacularly good. It has wonderful detail, great contrast, and, most importantly, absolutely perfect color. Want to know what color of that era should look like – this transfer is the poster child. This is, in case you haven’t figured it out, highly recommended by the likes of me. I’m actually going to make it easy for you – here is a link to order the damn thing.
http://www.screenarchives.com/title_detail.cfm/ID/25260/LOVE-IS-A-MANY-SPLENDORED-THING-1955/
Continuing on our Kritzer musical journey, here is the fifth song from the first Kritzer book, Benjamin Kritzer – this song is the heart and soul of the book and for those who’ve read it you know it encapsulates the very special relationship between Benjamin and Susan Pomeroy, both nine at the time they meet. Writing that half of the book (their story is the second half of the book) remains the most intensely enjoyable creative experience I’ve ever had in my life. I knew when I finished that if I never did another thing, I’d just done something that I considered to be the best thing I’d ever done. While I’ve done other books that I’ve truly enjoyed and written all kinds of other stuff, including the other two Kritzer books, that first book remains for me the most special of them all, probably because it was the first.
I just love that song so much and the vocal is, of course, Guy Haines, and the arrangement is pure Grant Geissman. Tomorrow we move on to the five songs in Kritzerland.
Today, I shall be up and will do a jog, then I’ll chat with the East Coast Singer and figure out our schedule, then I’ll finish the busy work, eat, do errands and whatnot, hopefully pick up some packages and relax.
Tomorrow I have an early lunch meeting, then I’m sure I’ll be meeting with the East Coast Singer for a few hours. The rest of the week is meetings and meals, seeing some stuff, and the last bit of the busy work.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do a jog, do busy work, eat, do errands and whatnot, hopefully pick up some packages, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite early rock-and-roll songs, and yes I consider today’s Kritzer song early rock-and-roll. So, say anything from 1954 to 1960. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy that this here site has everything the traffic will allow.