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April 21, 2017:

ISN’T THAT A FINE KETTLE OF FISH

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, isn’t that a fine kettle of fish. I have no idea why I just wrote that – it just appeared there like a canker sore. And isn’t THAT a fine kettle of fish – in fact, isn’t that a fine kettle of what is it, fish? These notes are a little fishy, if you ask me. In fact, they’re giving me a haddock. They need a little sole if you ask me. I don’t know, sometimes it’s just fun to write fishy notes, you know, just for the halibut. What the HELL am I talking about?

Yesterday was a very fishy day with no fish at all. I only got about five hours of sleep, then had a nine o’clock breakfast meeting with my pal Gary Stockdale – we met at Du-Par’s and we both had short stacks and a side of bacon. I ate about two-thirds of my pancakes and all the bacon. We had quite a nice time talking of this and that as well as that and this. Then I came home and spent the next few hours working on the opening of the Sherman Brothers musical. I finally finished rearranging, cutting and pasting, and I think it will work really well, once the musical director and I figure out the arrangement of the two songs that intertwine. I’ll present it to the authors next week. So, now I have to gather all my notes for the subsequent scenes, which the author can address by himself.

After that, I picked up a couple of packages, then came back home. I made a couple of salami sandwiches (you know, the Gallo kind of salami – small pieces), and that was my food intake for the day. I then made a first pass show order for the May Kritzerland and I think it looks like it might just work. It’s always tricky, always a balancing act, but the flow seems good and there’s a lot of fun stuff in the show. After that, I sat on my couch like so much fish.

Last night, I watched a Blu and Ray entitled The Scar, starring Mr. Paul Henried and Miss Joan Bennett. It’s a very strange movie but I like it nonetheless, mostly for its fantastic cinematography (by the amazing John Alton). Mr. Henried was never one of my favorite actors – he’s fine in Casablanca, but I just never have enjoyed him in other films. He’s okay here, playing against type, and Miss Bennett is always a pleasure. The direction by Steve Sekeley is pretty good (one suspects a lot of it is Mr. Alton). Sekeley had a very weird career. He began making films in his native Hungary in the thirties, then came to the United States, where he began making films in 1939, B and C bottom of the bill pictures with titles like Revenge of the Zombies, Women in Bondage, Lady in the Death House – well, you get the idea. The Scar came along in 1948 but that was not its original title, which was The Hollow Triumph. He went into TV, doing some grade z series, and then suddenly in 1962 he was back with the film version of John Wyndham’s The Day of the Triffids, probably his most well known film. The transfer is mostly okay, taken from some English element, as it starts off with a British censor card.

After that I began writing the commentary and spent much of the evening doing that – I got just under half done.

Today, I will finish writing the commentary, I’ll eat something light but amusing, I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, then I’m attending an opening night, seeing Doug Haverty in a new play directed by Kay Cole, and then attending their little after party.

I’m not at all sure what the weekend holds, but I suppose we shall just have to wait and see. But next week is pretty crazy – a work session for the Kritzerland show, four casting days for Dial ‘M’ for Murder, and also a casting day for the kids at LACC for the Sherman Brothers musical.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, finish writing the commentary, eat, hopefully pick up packages, attend an opening night and after party, and then relax and perhaps have some – FISH. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your CD player, and your DVD/Blu and Ray player? I’ll start – CD, still listening to this Sibelius cycle. Blu-ray – something sitting on the couch like so much fish. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy that the notes were a fine kettle of fish.

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