Well, dear readers, I am so tired it’s not even funny although I just laughed because I’m so tired so apparently it is funny and look what just happened we’ve got us one of those damnable run-on sentences that has just taken on a life of its own and is like a train rushing down the tracks without a brake just rushing headlong down the page with nary a punctuation mark in sight or even a punctuation steve it’s just crazy and there’s no telling when a period will show up or a comma or a colon or a semi-colon or a demi-semi-colon or a demi moore or a hyphen or an em dash or. Whew, I thought that the entirety of these here notes was going to be one long thing like the Samuel Beckett novel, How It Is, which sounds like a good title for today’s notes. Thank you, Samuel Beckett, who, if you must know, has been waiting for godot for a very long time. Thus far, I feel these here notes are very Beckett-like, don’t you?
The reason I’m so tired that it’s funny is that I only got three hours of sleep before arising at six in the morning to announce our new title. Normally, I go back to sleep for a while, but that just didn’t happen. I just tossed and turned a little and then for a change of pace I turned and tossed, but no sleep came. Then I got up, printed out orders, did some work on the computer and read a few chapters of Dark Market. Then I moseyed on over to Talesai for a lunch with our very own Mr. Nick Redman and a film composer yet to be named. I mean, he was named by his parents but I cannot name him yet without giving away the title we’re doing, although the fact that a film composer was signing some booklets let’s out all the dead composers. So, for example, you won’t be getting a signed Victor Young booklet, much as we’d like to have you get one of those. We were there for about two hours – all booklets have been signed and we had a really fun lunch and lots of stories were told and lots of upcoming titles were revealed.
After that, I picked up a couple of packages. Two of them contained the same item but different copies. I have been desperately searching for the May 21, 1938 issue of the New Yorker for over two years, to no avail. Well, when it rains it pours, and two count them two copies came up on eBay and I snatched them both up (pretty cheaply, I might add). Why was I so desperately looking for that particular issue? Well, I’ll tell you why I was so desperately looking for that particular issue, for why should I keep such things from dear readers like yourselves. You see, that is the issue that has the very first appearance of the James Thurber cartoon I own (the original art) and I really wanted that first appearance – I have every other appearance of it in all the various and sundried anthologies, but this is the best. And for your mental delectation here it is, the original page that contained the first appearance of one of the great Thurber cartoons and one I’m proud to own the original of.
Isn’t that kind of spiffy? The whole issue is filled with wonderful ads, theatre reviews (You Can’t Take It With You was in its second year on Broadway), movie reviews and some rather astonishing sixteen-room apartments for sale for under ten thousand bucks. I would like to go back in time, purchase one, and then come back now as the owner. Of course, some of the buildings probably don’t exist any more and that, of course, would be the Twilight Zone twist. Where was I? Oh, yes, then I printed out more orders, sent one singer his music and mp3s. I’m happy to say that save for our guest star, IF we end up having one, we are cast and what a cast it is: Will Collyer, Ashley Fox Linton, Sally Mayes, John Sloman and Shannon Warne, with John Boswell back musical directing and even the helper is singing in a trio.
After that, I went to Gelson’s and got some Chinese slaw and some cucumber salad, as I really hadn’t eaten that much at the Thai jernt. I did a three-mile jog, then sat on my couch like so much fish, where I filled myself with Chinese slaw and Japanese cucumber salad. It was a whole Asian Fusion thing.
Last night, I watched a motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled Drums Along the Mohawk, directed by Mr. John Ford and starring Mr. Henry Fonda and Miss Claudette Colbert. It’s never been one of my favorite Ford films, but in my film collecting days I did own a 16mm Technicolor print of it. But I haven’t really seen it since then, which would have been in the late 1970s. Even though I own the humungous Ford at Fox DVD set, I just never watched Drums Along the Mohawk. So, imagine my surprise to find that I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. The acting is terrific, Mr. Ford always knows just where to put the camera for his simple but perfect compositions, and the story held my interest in a way it never had before. What helps, of course, is that it’s a terrific transfer – a brand new transfer, actually. I don’t know if this is one of the films where the Technicolor negatives are gone, but whatever they’ve gone from, they’ve delivered up a lovely Blu-ray – color just what I remember from my Technicolor print, very sharp with nice detail, and good, clear sound. Highly recommended by the likes of me and it can be ordered right here: http://screenarchives.com/title_detail.cfm/ID/25712/DRUMS-ALONG-THE-MOHAWK-1939-FEATURING-BECOMING-JOHN-FORD-2007/
After that, I read another five chapters of Dark Market. It’s very compelling reading, but there are a lot of names to keep straight and the author’s storytelling continually branches off into new stories and it’s a little difficult to follow at times. I’m not in love with his writing style either, but boy, the story itself is horrifying in its implications and how easy it is for these young punk cyber criminals to do their dirty business, making obscene amounts of money. I’m more than a third of the way through now.
Today, I shall be up by ten, I have an eleven-thirty early lunch meeting, then I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, then Sandy and Lanny arrive and we’ll begin working on the new launch show for her album as well as running the Ira Gershwin show she’ll be doing at the Metropolitan room in a week or so. I’m sure we’ll go hang out at a restaurant so I’ll only eat a ham and swiss at the early lunch so I can have something fun later. I’ll try to do a jog in the early evening.
The rest of the week is rehearsals with Sandy (she leaves on Friday, I think), and a meal meeting every single day – including a lunch with Jason Graae on Thursday.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, hopefully print out some more orders, I must have an early lunch meeting, I must hopefully pick up some packages, I must work with Sandy and Lanny and also Lanny and Sandy, we’ll go somewhere to eat, too, and then I’ll read and relax and maybe watch a motion picture entertainment. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite films of director John Ford, and your favorite films of Henry Fonda and Claudette Colbert? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland where I shall dream in run-on sentences like in Samuel Beckett’s non-punctuated novel, How It Is.