Well, dear readers, I got the first of the three blurbs I’ve been waiting for. While this year has, in its first month, been a little challenging (but then again so was the entirety of last year), I do know I had a great time writing the latest book, and that helped and continues to help keep everything upbeat. But to get a lovely blurb from someone I adore, who absolutely meant every word he wrote, well, that just is a wonderful thing and would brighten up anyone’s day. So, here is the first blurb:
“I absolutely love this book! Bruce Kimmel has lovingly created a hilarious, nostalgic romp through the bygone world of this totally gross but lovable schlockmeister who, though fictional, is totally real. A truly delicious, laugh-out-loud read.”
Richard M. Sherman, composer/lyricist of Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty, Bang Bang, The Jungle Book
He went on and on about his favorite things and was laughing out loud whilst recounting them. That’s a good sign, I think. I should have blurb two hopefully by Monday and blurb three should be coming on Tuesday, which means the book can get sent off by Wednesday or Thursday.
So, that was the best part of yesterday. The other parts were okay, too. I only got about six hours of sleep, with really weird dreams. Once up, the helper came and got a boatload of stuff to take to Amoeba. Unfortunately, she got a complete nitwit and she wouldn’t give them any of it. He was trying to give her a buck for a mint stereo LP of Casino Royale – search online and see what a joke that is. We’ll either try another store or I’ll just offer the stuff right here at haineshisway.com.
Then I had a short rehearsal with Sami and the musical director for the Robby Awards. Both Sami and I wish we had our usual pianist who did the show, but we don’t. I gave a few notes to both parties and it should all be fine. Then I went and had an omelet and a bagel. After that I came right home. Then I got the blurb from Richard Sherman, then did some work at the piano, had a few telephonic conversations of varying lengths, then sat on my couch like so much fish.
Yesterday, I watched a motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled The Giant Spider Invasion, a kind of rip-off of the stuff Bert I. Gordon does much better. This thing, according to a box-office chart, was in the 50 top grossing films of 1975, grossing $23 million on a budget of $300,000. So, here’s what’s wrong with this picture: The First Nudie Musical was shot that same year on a budget of $150,000 and looks a hundred times better. So, do I believe the $300,000 figure? Not really. Of course, they did have some “names” like Barbara Hale, Steve Brodie, Robert Eastman, and Alan Hale. and we know how movie audiences were clamoring for films starring them. Now, when you factor in that it’s one of the worst movies ever made in the history of film, and also factor in that Bert I. Gordon’s Food of the Gods was released somewhere within a year of it and didn’t come anywhere near $23 million dollars, do I believe that gross or do I think the no-name distributor lied. I think the latter. I’ll tell you why – because in Hollywood if something cost $300,000 and grosses $23 million Hollywood comes calling. Only Hollywood didn’t come calling and the guy continued to make one or two more horrible films. He would also have been wealthy, but if you watch the supplements you can see that that never happened. They do show some chart, but if you search online it doesn’t show up with any actual figures. That was, of course, the year of Jaws, but even a cursory look at that year’s films will tell you that this film made nothing like $23 million. So, why did I subject myself to it? Easy. Leslie Parrish. She was pushing forty at the time of this film and she’s still very beautiful and oh those legs (she spends quite a long scene in just a shirt top). In the supplements you get the idea she didn’t quite know what she was getting into when she signed on and the director says she had a chip on her shoulder. I’m sure she did, given they were making up the script as they shot and the director is not exactly the caliber of the folks she’d worked with – Panama and Frank, John Frankenheimer, Richard Quine, etc. But even as Patrick Bronstein learns, there are fans of even the worst films, and this one has plenty of them. The transfer is absolutely horrible – while none of the esteemed sites who regularly bitch about DNR and edge enhancement has actually used those words about this film (they don’t care for the transfer but don’t ascribe those terms – funny that) – well they didn’t even bother with edge enhancement, they just slathered the whole thing with so much DNR that there is virtually no detail and much of it looks out of focus.
Then I began another motion picture, this on DVD, entitled Hercules. Made in 1957 and released in Italy in early 1958, the film was acquired by Joseph E. Levine, who had it dubbed, paid $120,000 for the US rights, and then did an unheard of thing – made hundreds of prints, did a million bucks in TV ads and opened it at good theaters and it made millions upon millions of dollars. One of those dollars certainly came from me on opening day at the Wiltern Theater. I loved it. I went back several times. Watching it now is still fun – it’s pretty bad, but there’s just something wacky about it and the dubbing is so bad that that’s part of its charm. Steve Reeves makes a good Hercules and the musical score is rousing. I’ll probably watch the sequel at some point today – Hercules Unchained, which I also saw on opening day and loved. The transfer on the French DVD is very colorful and is in its proper screen ratio.
Then I went to Gelson’s and got a little steak for six bucks, came home, put it under the broiler and had me a nice, small steak for my snack – I still think that kept me well under 1200 calories. Then I did stuff on the computer.
Today, I’ll relax, eat, think about who else I want to cast (but not do anything until I either get a confirmation or not from the person I’m waiting on), do a couple of errands and whatnot, and watch stuff.
Tomorrow I have to do a lot of stuff, then I’ll be attending the Robby Awards. Nine things I’m involved in are up for awards, and I personally am up for director and music and lyrics. I’m sure it will be a wild and wooly evening. The rest of the week will also be busy, and, of course, I’m hoping the book can be on its way to the publisher by Wednesday or Thursday at the latest.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, relax, eat, think about casting, do errands and whatnot, and watch stuff. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s free-for-all day, the day in which you dear readers get to make with the topics and we all get to post about them. So, let’s have loads of lovely topics and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have gotten such a blurbilicious blurb.