Well, dear readers, guess what we have? Yes, you guessed correctly, we have a few more videos for your mental delectation. First up, we have our very own Robert Yacko singing Finishing the Hat, a song he sang many years ago as the first actor to play Georges in Los Angeles in the Long Beach Civic Light Opera production of Sunday in the Park With Georges. It’s always, at least for me, very moving when actors revisit stuff like this years later.
Next up, we have Jenna Lea Rosen doing the show closer, You There in the Back Row, a song by Cy Coleman and Barbara Fried. Jenna did a beautiful job with it.
And finally, the last of today’s videos (just a couple more coming tomorrow), the delectable Madison Claire Parks as Daisy Mae and the handsome Evan Buckley Harris as Abner Yokum, together again after their wonderful performances in my production of Li’l Abner – this will give you a taste of how they were.
Yesterday was a day very much like a Wednesday. I was up by nine-fifteen after almost eight hours of sleep. I had a lot of e-mails to answer, several to send and a lot of things to download, having to do with some upcoming Kritzerland projects. I am behind again, and really have to catch up on these, and we’ll probably be releasing two titles at once for the next two releases. After that, I met Mr. Barry Pearl for lunch at a deli he’s recently found that he likes very much, called Uncle Bernie’s. I was dubious, oh, yes, I was dubious, but it actually was pretty good, maybe the best we’ve got in the Valley and certainly a big step above Brent’s, which a lot of people who know nothing of deli food, love. I had a little too much food, but, you know, one wants to sample a lot to get the full effect. We began with some kishka. The kishka itself was very good indeed, but the gravy, which I tend not to use anyway, was not to my liking at all. I had a sky high lean pastrami with cole slaw and Russian dressing – I’d say it was just under Nate ‘n’ Al’s pastrami, which is a high mark. It’s not hand carved like Langer’s, but it had very good flavor and I was very happy with it. We also split some potato pancakes – again, not as heavenly as Langer’s, a bit heavier here, but really tasty. I’ll probably become a regular there, even though it’s a bit of a drive to Encino. They do a bang-up business, I have to say.
After that, I picked up no packages, then came home. I had a telephonic conversation, sent some more e-mails, and spent yet more time uploading things to the computer. Then I finally sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night I watched a motion picture on Netflix entitled Eye for an Eye, starring Miss Sally Field, Mr. Ed Harris, and Mr. Kiefer Sutherland, directed by John Schlesinger. The film was made in 1996 – I missed it completely and had, in fact, never even heard of it. I must say it is a completely horrible movie – lazy writing, almost like a parody at times, with some wretched supporting performances, as if they completely blew their cast budget on their four leads (the fourth being Joe Mantegna). Once upon a time Mr. Schlesinger had been a really good director, but at this point in his career he was really making some clunkers, this being the absolute nadir. You’ve seen the story a million times, but again the screenplay here is so terrible that you just sit there with your mouth agape wondering how someone got paid to write it and then how it got made. A complete waste of time, despite the earnest performances of Miss Field and Mr. Harris.
I then finished watching the first half of The Great Race on the new Blu and Ray release from Warner Archive. As I said yesterday, the film, which I saw on its opening day at the Pantages Theater in a 70mm blow-up, has never been one of my favorites. Back then, I was pretty much a sucker for any comedy, and the bigger the better. The Great Race had all the ingredients – I know this is heresy, but I just didn’t find Jack Lemmon funny in this, which was, back then, a first. I liked Tony Curtis and Natalie Wood and thought Peter Falk was fine. Yes, there were some classic Blake Edwards moments along the way, but by the time it got to the big pie fight, I was exhausted from it. Watching the first half, I don’t really feel any differently – I still like the Blake gags (he was a great visual comedy director) and I still like Mr. Curtis and Miss Wood, and I still don’t find Jack Lemmon that funny in it. But the transfer is lovely so I’m enjoying it for what it is. And the Henry Mancini score is terrific, as is the brief appearance of Miss Dorothy Provine.
After that, it was more uploading and that was that.
Today, I have a bunch of writing to get done, then I’m meeting a few people at the House of Pies at two o’clock, then I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, then write some more then relax.
Tomorrow I see Teddy in the morning to get coifed and then go directly to the Sandy photo shoot, which is at her new residence in Beverly Hills. I think I have a show to see at some point this weekend but I can’t remember what it is – hopefully someone will remind me. But mostly we have to lock up our final two cast members and guest star for the October show, our fiftieth, and I need to finish choosing the songs and getting everyone their music.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, write, eat, hopefully pick up packages, write and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite things to eat at a Jewish deli? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have found a new and more than decent deli in the San Fernando Valley.