Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much fish, just finishing up listening to Bronislau Kaper’s wonderful score to Green Mansions and what a score it is. The film has an interesting history, score-wise – the brilliant classical composer Heitor Villa-Lobos was hired to write it. He did but knew nothing about film scores or timings or writing to picture. He turned in a score that had wonderful music but that simply didn’t work for the film, so Mr. Kaper was hired and delivered a score in a short period of time, using some of the Villa-Lobos music, but mostly his own. Villa-Lobos released his score on United Artists, where it was called Forest of the Amazons. Film Score Monthly released the Kaper score in gorgeous stereo. Kaper was a wonderful film composer, not much talked about these days and yet he should be. His score for MGM’s film Lili is a delight. His score for the 1962 Mutiny on the Bounty is glorious and kind of a masterpiece. His score to Auntie Mame is one of the most perfect scores for a comedy film ever. He wrote the classic On Green Dolphin Street song, as well as the song, Invitation – both were recorded by many singers and both were very popular with the populace, as was his song from Lili – Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo. Some of his other scores that I love, some atypical, are Them, The Naked Spur, The Swan, Somebody Up There Likes Me, Lord Jim, and A Flea in Her Ear. And that’s only a small sampling. He was a great melodist, and he deserves more attention than he gets. My little Bronislau Kaper caper happened in late 1976. I’d changed agents and was now represented by the Gersh Agency. Nudie Musical hadn’t quite been released yet – I already has written what I hoped would be my follow up film, Sailors, a send-up of all those MGM sailor musicals. I’d written the script and about ten songs for it. Gersh loved the idea and put me together with another client of his, Oscar-winner Saul Chaplin. Saul loved the idea of it and I think liked the script, and asked to hear the music. And so, a meeting was set up and that meeting took place in Beverly Hills, not at the home of Mr. Chaplin, but at the home of Bronislau Kaper. And so, I sat with Saul Chaplin and played my songs on Mr. Kaper’s grand piano, quite the thrill. I only wish Mr. Kaper had been there so I could have told him what a fan I was. Prior to listening to Green Mansions, I watched the third film in the Die Hard series, Die Hard with a Vengeance. As you know, I hated Die Hard 2, and I have to say that this one was equally terrible. It at least has two fun performances by Jeremy Irons and Samuel L. Jackson, and Willis is fine, as always, but they can’t save what is a horrible script that is so preposterous that it’s preposterous. It’s just one explosion after another, one action sequence after another, directed by John McTiernan, who’d done the original film and whose work on this second sequel had none of the qualities of the first film. Bigger and louder does not equate to better. They at least tried to make the villain better than the first sequel and to tie it to the first film – Jeremy Irons plays the brother of the Alan Rickman character from Die Hard. But it is just so relentlessly idiotic, and yet people rave and rave and rave. And I have to say, for a film that expensive, the special effects are some of the worst I’ve ever seen, just completely inept. I think that will conclude all the chances I’m giving the sequels, even though there are two more.
Yesterday was another stressed out day in certain ways, and in other ways it was just irritating. We sure could use some little miracles around these here parts and soon, so do send your most excellent vibes and xylophones. I was in bed for eight hours, but probably only slept seven hours, which was fine. Once up, I answered e-mails, had telephonic conversations, found out the helper’s mom has Covid (fully vaccinated and probably contracted in or on her way back from her vacation in New York), so once again we’re so behind in shipping it’s not even funny. I am waiting on answers I need so I can tell people what’s what and the two releases that are ready to now ship need to be picked up. But she’s not back (she quarantined at her daughter’s house) until Thursday. So, she’s got a boatload of stuff to do, and it has to get done. Thankfully, it’s a mild thing. Then I found out that the storage payment hadn’t gone through, the same damn thing that’s happened twice before. I make the payment online, it shows as paid, it shows as a zero balance, and yet it hasn’t gone through. It’s just way too frustrating and no one ever has any answers about anything. I’m now told to talk to the actual site manager – she PMd him to get hold of me and I e-mailed him – no response. He’ll get another e-mail this morning and if I were him I’d answer it or he’ll be answering to me in person because I will simply drive out there and give him holy HELL.
For food, I just did Taco Bell again – quick and easy and I just wasn’t in the mood to even think about what else I might like to have – but that will be the end of Taco Bell for a couple of weeks. Whilst driving there I saw the remnants of a very bad accident at Moorpark and Hazeltine – I’m not sure how many cars were involved, but two motor cars looked like they’d been at a demolition derby. I believe someone ran a red light.
I ate the food, which was fine, had more conversations about casting and I’m beginning to wonder if I can actually do these two things in a row, especially as I’m being told that there’s no room to rehearse. If you’re trying to do something in three days, there should be room to rehearse. I mean, this first one is a week from next Monday, on the eighteenth. And that one’s complicated because it involves music that needs to be learned and sung. And then it’s right into Doug’s play, which happens the day after the singer’s act – so it’s not just Doug’s play, it’s that. I did have a nice chat with the play’s author, who’s a novelist by trade. By that point, I was all in and so I sat on my couch like so much fish and watched the awful movie.
After the movie, I did a quick Gelson’s run and got some ingredients for food I can make here – more tuna, an onion, some low-fat low-calorie refried beans, and of course I went to buy more Chocolate Dips Very Cherry. You do remember me saying in yesterday’s notes, that the minute I posted about it and included the photograph, that they’d then be sold out. They’ve had these in plentiful supply ever since I discovered them many weeks ago. Well, for those who think I’m being foolish thinking that these things are not a coincidence, this is what I was greeted with last night.
So, maybe not so crazy after all, huh? I came home and made a bean and cheese tortilla thing and that was good. And the rest you know.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, hopefully we can lock our two casts down so we can make a schedule, I’ll hopefully pick up packages, I’ll eat, and hope no one gives me any grief about anything, because my entire self with either explode or implode and that will be that for the likes of me. And then, at some point, I’ll watch, listen, and relax.
The rest of the week is more of the same, another Zoom with David Wechter, working with Kerry O’Malley, working with the singer and our musical director, and then seeing Kerry’s duo act.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up when I’m up, do whatever needs doing, hopefully lock our two casts down and do a rehearsal schedule, hopefully pick up packages, eat, hope for no grief, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Ask BK Day, the day in which you get to ask me or any dear reader any old question you like and we get to give any old answer we like. So, let’s have loads of lovely questions and loads of lovely answers and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have reminisced about the Bronislau Kaper caper.