Well, dear readers, the beat goes on. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, the beat goes on. Which means in a couple of weeks we’ll be back for one final pick-up session for And the World Goes Round, where we will fix the three or four things I’m still not happy with from our original sessions. Once that’s done, we can finally put this thing to bed and I will be happy with everything about it. So, we’re just trying to coordinate all of our schedules and then we’ll book the date.
Yesterday, the beat also went on. I got nine hours of sleep and then I listened to lots more of Mr. Ormandy and Mr. Entremont and even Mr. Entremont and Mr. Bernstein. I must say, the Philadelphia Orchestra recordings best the New York Philharmonic recordings in every instance, although Bernstein’s The Age of Anxiety is an excellent recording. I had some Rachmaninov, some Saint Saens, some Milhaud and some Jolivet. I haven’t enjoyed listening to stuff that’s not work related in so long – this is an utter treat. And I realized I have unopened box sets of Columbia Stravinsky recordings, too, so those may be next.
I had a chicken salad sandwich and no fries or onion rings for lunch, then came home and buckled down Winsocki and wrote the first half of the Kritzerland commentary. Then I sat on my couch like so much fish.
Yesterday, I finished watching the documentary about those exploitation movies shot in the Philippines in 70s and 80s. As I mentioned, the first half was really fun and filled with amusing interviews. It did kind of peter out at the end, much as filmmaking in that country did. There was one series of films I knew nothing about that I do have to seek out – a midget named Weng Weng in James Bondian adventures.
After that, since I’d recently watched that excellent documentary on Bettie Page, I decided to revisit the HBO movie The Notorious Bettie Page, starring an excellent Gretchen Mol as Bettie. It’s not great, but I enjoyed it anyway. Apparently when the real Miss Page saw a screening of it she kept yelling at the screen, “Lies! Not true!”
I then finished writing the liner notes, listened to more music of the night, had a couple of telephonic conversations, had a little low-fat ice cream for my evening snack, and did a two-and-a-half mile jog, too.
Today, I’ll be up at six to announce our two new titles. The first is really exciting and very rare indeed, the world premiere release of the complete soundtrack to Jerome Kern’s Centennial Summer. I don’t believe the movie has ever had a home video release – maybe on VHS although I don’t think so, and certainly never on DVD. A blu-ray was scheduled but pulled – hopefully things will get worked out and it will be released because the film is delightful and the Kern song-score is wonderful, with lyrics by Leo Robin, Oscar Hammerstein II and E.Y. Harburg. What we’re releasing is every note of music from the film – that includes not only the songs, but all of the brilliant Alfred Newman underscore, which was nominated for an Oscar that year. It’s close to eight minutes of pure bliss. Here’s the cover.
Our second release is also wonderful – there can never be enough Neal Hefti on CD and we’ve got one world premiere release and, as a second feature, the first US CD release of another score. The world premiere is Hefti’s delightful score to Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood. It’s filled with great melodies and cues and is one of Hefti’s best. It was also his final film score – he retired after it. The second feature is another Hefti gem, Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma’s Hung You in the Closet and I’m Feelin’ So Sad, the very strange film version of the great Arthur Kopit play. The score, though, is everything you’d want from a Neal Hefti score. Hear are the two covers.
After we announce, I may try for some more sleep. Whenever I’m up, I’ll jog, eat, hopefully print out a LOT of orders, hopefully pick up some packages and perhaps even relax a little.
Tomorrow, lots o’ stuff to do and then a meeting at six. Wednesday I’m seeing a one-person show about one fellow’s love for Doris Day – that’s at the El Portal Theatre. The rest of the week is meetings and meals and seeing another show, I think, on the weekend.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, announce our two new releases, jog, finesse, hopefully print out a LOT of orders, hopefully pick up packages, eat and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite film musicals from Twentieth Century-Fox? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, after which the beat shall go on.