Well, dear readers, I didn’t get to sleep until three but I slept a VERY long time and that was a good thing. Of course, sleeping that long causes discombobulation and I’m afraid I was SO discombobulated that I forgot I had a barbecue to attend at Barry Pearl’s. I wouldn’t have been able to be there very long anyway, but I felt bad not making an appearance. Otherwise, I got myself together, picked up one little package, printed out some more orders, and sat on my couch like so much fish.
Yesterday, I watched a motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled The Prowler, a 1950 film directed by Joseph Losey and written by Dalton Trumbo. It’s an odd little film which some cineASStes proclaim a masterpiece for reasons that have to do with enjoyment of proclaiming things out loud. It’s not a masterpiece, but it is interesting and very well done. I prefer Mr. Losey’s next film, which I wrote about the other day, the remake of M. That, to me, is much better than The Prowler. The screenplay by Mr. Trumbo is always intriguing and interesting and the actors are just great, especially the film’s two leading players, Van Heflin and Evelyn Keyes. I watched one of the extras about the film, with several proclaimers like noir expert Eddie Muller (why he’s a noir expert is anyone’s guess – he just seemed to be born a noir expert) and writer James Ellroy, who really should never be photographed talking as you just want to hurl your shoe through your TV at him. Not everything is a masterpiece, that’s what I want to say to these proclaimers. Some films are just fine films and it should be left at that. The film was restored by UCLA and looks fine.
Then I got ready. Doug Haverty arrived and we went downtown. He knew a secret place to park and I couldn’t believe it – I never knew about it, it was easy, and it was free. I now know about it and it’s going to be my little secret so that those prying eyes don’t go ruin it for everyone. We took a walk, looking for a suitable place to eat. This area of downtown in simply unrecognizable from what it was forty years ago or even ten years ago. It is built up, it is clean, it is safe, and it is trendy. We walked a block from Disney Hall and found a steak house. I asked to see the menu – the steaks were $89 each, so I handed the menu back and we walked out and straight over to the California Pizza Kitchen, where we had an excellent meal that cost less than ONE steak at the other place and we had a LOT of food. We began, of course, with the spinach artichoke dip, and we both had the halibut and split a small Caesar. The halibut is a new dish and it was great. I was really full.
Then we walked back to Disney Hall. Our tickets were arranged by Richard Sherman and we were in “his” row – fifth row, best seats in the jernt. I’d never been before and it’s very peculiarly laid out. Richard saw me and came right over and hugged, as did Elizabeth. He had a lot of family there, and Leonard Maltin and his wife and daughter were there, too. Maltin told me he loves our Victor Young CDs. Pal Howard Green was there from Disney and he had with him the Brit gal who just played Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz in the UK – she won some big contest, maybe a TV show thing, put on by Andrew Lloyd Webber. I suggested immediately she come do a Kritzerland show.
Now, this was a strange evening. It’s an all lawyer or judge thing – a seventy-piece orchestra comprised of lawyers, judges, paralegals and folks in the legal profession. The conductor is a lawyer. The 100 member chorus are all lawyers and legal folks. And most of the soloists are lawyers – one was Michael Maguire, who won a Tony for Les Miz, but who is now a lawyer. The only non lawyer singer was Anthony Crivello, who I haven’t seen since we did Do I Hear a Waltz. His wife was one of my first assistants in New York in the heyday of doing all those albums.
The first half of the evening was several Aaron Copland pieces, a Ferde Grofe piece and some other stuff. One could tell what one was in for when they were tuning up. While the evening was fun and heartfelt, the playing was what it was and there’s really nothing more one needs to say, really.
The second half of the evening was devoted to the Sherman Brothers. It’s always fun to hear those songs. And the Richard himself got up and conducted the finale, which was, of course, It’s a Small World. He just turned eighty-eight a few days ago and he’s still spry, with it, and so much fun. Having done two really great Sherman Brothers Kritzerland shows, some day I would love to take a world-class orchestra and make a beautiful evening, with a clear point of view, great performers, some staging, and just put on the Sherman Brother show to end them all. As Sophie Tucker used to say, One of These Days.
After the show, things were too crazy so we just left, went to our very special parking thing – no rush, no lines of cars, we just got in the car and were on the freeway about fifteen seconds later.
Today, I have no plans other than working for a couple of hours with Kay Cole, unless the CD master arrives, in which case I’ll listen and approve. I’ll eat something light, and then just relax and watch some motion pictures.
This coming week we have to finish casting the Kritzerland show and then I’ll assign the songs and get everyone their sheet music. And I’m also beginning to figure out the big six year anniversary show. I have meetings and meals and I have to see a couple of things, and next Saturday I’m speaking to a group of musical theater lovers, so that will be fun.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, work with Kay Cole, eat, and relax. 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 attended a concert that had legal written all over it.