Well, dear readers, this week has flown by, like a gazelle Emily Bronte doing the Twist with Kipling. Oh, a High Spirits reference. I feel these here notes could use more High Spirits references, don’t you? Here’s one now.
Wasn’t that a fun High Spirits reference from 1965? Not only a six degrees of High Spirits reference, but we also got a T.C. Jones reference directly above it, and who doesn’t need a T.C. Jones reference every now and then? The marvelous T.C. appeared in what I consider to be one of the greatest hours of television ever – An Unlocked Window on The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. Where was I? Oh yes, this week has flown by like a High Spirits reference made late on a Thursday evening as the crow flies. If I may, doing High Spirits at the Bluth Brothers Theater in Culver City was a wonderful experience. We were sold out every single performance and the reaction to the show was fantastic. Sadly, it and The Wizard of Oz would be the end of Bluth Brothers Theater. I believe the reason was they were losing the space. I remember vividly the closing of the theater party where lots of numbers from past shows were re-created, including Go Into Your Trance from High Spirits. But for the three years they did shows, they were the absolute best. Don Bluth, our musical director and scenic painter had his job at a little studio called Disney as an animator and would later go on to have his own studio and make his own classic animated films. He’s still around. Fred Bluth, leading man and director, would go on to become Toby Bluth and would direct around LA, especially productions of Peter Pan. He also was a fantastic artist in his own right, and illustrated books and animated, too. In fact, my second to last commercial, shot on Montana in Santa Monica, right across from the Aero Theater, had animation. And was I surprised when the animator showed up to explain to us what we’d be seeing. I think he was equally surprised to see the person he used to call “Junior Genius” – that was Toby. We later had a falling out because I hired him to do the cover for Michelle Nicastro’s Toonful album and he just strung us along for so long I finally wrote him a really nasty note. We didn’t speak for years, but I ran into him at a signing show where he was signing a book, and we patched it up. The last time I saw him was when I gave Kritzer Time to him at his office in Toluca Lake. I don’t know if he ever read it and he passed away not too long after. I did a total of three shows there – The Unsinkable Molly Brown, High Spirits, and The Wizard of Oz, three of the happiest memories of my teen years.
Yesterday was a not unpleasant day. I finally fell asleep at four only to wake up thirty minutes later. I went back to bed at six or thereabouts and slept until two, so somehow I got eight hours of sleep. Once up, I had a telephonic conversation, I went to the mail place and picked up the package containing a big boy jar of Pepcid, I went across the street to Gelson’s and got stuff to make hamburgers, came home and made two hamburgers and ate them – they were very good and very calorie-friendly.
Then I wrote the opening sequence of episode six, which was about six pages, I think, and which, I hope, is fun – it’s mostly set up for the sequence that will follow it, but sometimes doing set ups can be as much fun as what you deliver. Then I sat on my couch like so much fish and began watching a Spanish limited series called Alba. It’s pretty good so far, but it’s thirteen episodes and it’s already becoming repetitious and drawn out, as many of these series do. We’ll see how long I stick with it. I also placed an order for DoorDash’s DashMarket – they occasionally send you half-off coupons and it’s really worth it when you can use those – I bought more Diet Coke, some Sprite Zero, some honey roasted cashews and some Milk Duds for today. The whole thing was slightly cheaper than if I’d driven to the market to get the stuff. And now, all I want to do is sing the wonderful song You’d Better Love Me While You May from – High Spirits – you know, this show.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I’ll check to see if the Indiegogo funds have shown up – they were disbursed yesterday but they say it could take three to five days to show up. I’m hoping it’s sooner than later. I’ll finish writing episode six, I’ll make the other two burgers, I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, and then I’ll watch, listen, and relax.
I’ll write on the weekend, might try and have a nice dinner somewhere, and I’ll hopefully get some relaxing in. Then next week is all writing and beginning to organize the Indiegogo perks, although we can’t ship until the funds they withhold come in.
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, check on funds, write, eat, hopefully pick up packages, and then watch, listen, and relax. 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, a Beethoven cycle I’m still uploading. Blu-ray, Anatomy of a Murder. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have reminisced about High Spirits, because we could all use some high spirits right about now.