Well, dear readers, what kind of world do we live in, I wonder, when you go to an event at the Hollywood location of the motion picture Academy (or their Beverly Hills branch), and you are berated by the parking attendant before you even approach the entrance that no electronic devices are allowed. Now, that would be fine if they told you in advance so that you then didn’t have to make a trip back to your car to put the damn thing away. So, there was that. But that is not all. Then you enter the building where you are subjected to a routine that’s just like going through security at the airport – I’m surprised they didn’t make us take off our shoes. I was asked to completely empty my pockets, which I raised a stink about, asking them if they thought I was a terrorist or was going to attack a bunch of composers there for a Q&A with Marilyn and Alan Bergman. Last time this happened in Beverly Hills I lost something very valuable to me and they did not give a crap about it. So, I, like everyone else, emptied my pockets, then walked through a metal detector, then retrieved everything, being very careful this time to make sure I actually had everything. I wonder if there’s a lawsuit in the making here? I mean, who ARE these people. What do they think is going to happen? What’s next – we get frisked at McDonald’s? I mean, where does this nonsense stop? It’s offensive, it’s ridiculous, and I should think it is somewhat illegal. I actually pondered getting very loud about it and then leaving, but I’d been invited and my fried was producing the event, so out of respect for that I didn’t get too loud, although I did make my displeasure known.
The event itself was fun. ASCAP’s Michael Kerker moderated and was a charming host and Marilyn and Alan Bergman were charming and funny and had good stories about how they work and the songs they’ve created. A few clips were shown, and Alan sang three songs. The house was about half full, which was disappointing – I mean, who do you have to be to fill a two hundred seat theater? I saw several people I knew – Hal Linden was there and we had a delightfully delightful chat, I sat with Kay Cole, her ever-lovin’ Michael Lamont, and Shelly Markham, and there were a few others I knew, too. It all went by very quickly and then I headed home. I did ask one of the security people on the way out if they’d like to check my pockets again – they just stared ahead.
I stopped at Gelson’s and got some fruit, cheese, and crackers, then came home and had a little snack of same.
Prior to all that, I’d had a fine little day. I got up too early at nine, did some work on the computer, then found out that we have indeed added a matinee for the Kritzerland anniversary show, so I had to get that word out to everyone. I also found out that we’ve probably lost our guest star due to a schedule misunderstanding, so I’m on the prowl to find a new one and have several e-mails out. Then I went and had a patty melt and no fries or onion rings, then I picked up one package, did some banking and came back home. I did a three-mile jog then sat on my couch like so much fish.
Yesterday, I watched a motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled Shane. I’ve actually only seen Shane about six times in my whole life, first at some point in the 1950s, then on TV, then probably on laserdisc then DVD, although I don’t think I watched either laser or DVD all the way through. Seeing it again after a long hiatus was great – it’s such a wonderful, human film, filled with warmth, dignity, and some truly vile bad guys. The film hits very emotional chords and hits them in very moving ways. It’s beautifully written (the novel was adapted by another western novelist, A.B. Guthrie), and beautifully and simply directed by George Stevens. There’s nothing like a director who knows how to be simple and let his direction be beautiful because it’s serving the story. That’s what directors used to do, even the stylish ones like Hitchcock – everything was in service of the story. Not today – today it’s all about “LOOK AT ME, LOOK AT HOW FAST I CAN CUT, LOOK AT ALL MY CGI, LOOK AT HOW I CAN SPEED UP AND SLOW DOWN THE FOOTAGE FOR NO REASON” and on and on. Shane is just an instant reminder what great moviemaking is all about. Alan Ladd is wonderful as Shane, Jean Arthur is the best she ever was, Van Heflin shows once again what a great actor he was, and Emile Meyer, Jack Palance, Ben Johnson and the other vile boys are all great. And Brandon de Wilde is priceless as Heflin and Jean Arthur’s son. His expressions are so unique and brilliant it’s just amazing to watch him. The score by Victor Young is perfect. The camerawork is perfect. The editing is perfect. As George and Ira wrote, who could ask for anything more. And who COULD ask for anything more than this absolutely luscious transfer, which does a pretty damn good job of replicating what a dye transfer print of Shane looks like. The color is stunning, the clarity is wonderful, the contrast is great, and it’s one of the transfers of the year. I cannot recommend this highly enough. If you at all like great stories, westerns, or just wonderful acting, you will love this Blu-ray.
After that, it was time to go to the Bergman event. And that was my day and that was my night, not necessarily in that order.
Today, I shall get up when I get up, I shall jog, I shall write some liner notes and get them on their merry way, I shall hopefully hear a couple of new masters, I shall hopefully pick up some packages, I shall have a lunch meeting at an Eyetalian jernt, and I shall then relax and watch another motion picture on Blu and Ray, most likely Seconds.
Tomorrow, it’s just writing and doing a bunch of odds and ends, and I’m just not certain what’s going on this weekend – I may have plans, I may not have plans – just don’t remember at all. I’m sure someone will let me know if I have to be somewhere.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do a jog, write, hopefully pick up packages, have a lunch meeting, write and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite films of Alan Ladd, a wonderful actor who’s almost completely forgotten these days. And what are your favorite Marilyn and Alan Bergman songs? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where I shall have to empty my pockets and go through a metal detector before I’m allowed to dream. I tell you, this world is turning INTO a dream – a nightmare worthy of Mr. Orwell, who predicted all this many years ago.