Well, dear readers, I have breaking bombshell news for you – it is the final day of March. We marched right into March and now we March right the HELL out of March and into April, and it is my fervent hope and prayer that April will be a month filled with health, wealth, happiness, creativity, and all things bright and beautiful. We’ll have more to say about April in April, one short day from now. I’ll try to write these here notes in a hurry because I’m getting to them late. So, let me just say that I managed to watch two motion pictures last night. The first motion picture was entitled Shield for Murder, starring Edmond O’Brien and John Agar, a kind of noir, directed by O’Brien and Howard Koch. It’s short and is pretty good. It’s based on a book by William McGivern, who had a LOT of his books made into films – and really mostly excellent films at that – including The Big Heat, this one, Odds Against Tomorrow, Rogue Cop, Hell on Frisco Bay, Caper of the Golden Bulls, A Choice of Assassins (a French movie from France) and Night of the Juggler, as well as one of his short stories, made into Nightmare in Chicago. A very good writer and Shield for Murder is worth watching. I watched it on Screen Pix. That was followed by Nightmare, a film I’ve started many times but never got through, mostly because the quality of the videos was so terrible. This transfer certainly wouldn’t win any awards and it’s open matte so there’s a log of extraneous head room in every show. It’s based on a story by Cornell Woolrich and its plot is classic Woolrich, not done especially well in this 1956 low-budget affair starring Kevin McCarthy and Edward G. Robinson. Interestingly, this was the second movie made from the Woolrich tale – the first, from 1947, was called Fear in the Night and the interesting part is that the same writer/director, Maxwell Shane, made both films. Shane was neither a good writer nor a good director – a couple of minor noir films, then some television – nine credit in all. As a writer, his biggest TV credit was the anthology show Thriller, for which he wrote a single episode. The actors are fine, but the script just doesn’t make the grade and it’s an impossibly cheap-looking movie. I’m sure the Woolrich short story was aces. The most interesting things about the film, of which there are two, are that arranger/conductor Billy May is in it as Billy May – not a bad actor either, and then there are a couple of songs, one of which is by some young upstart trying to emulate his father and writing a song by himself that amazingly ends up in a movie – not a bad start at all but the young upstart would soon partner with his brother and – well, you know. The young upstart, at that time, went by the name of Dick Sherman.
Yesterday was another day that began with a volley of truly obnoxious texts and boy did I have to bite my tongue because had I not there is no telling how vicious I would have been. I only got maybe five hours of sleep. I had a few long telephonic conversations, did a quick Gelson’s run because I was in the mood for chips and veggies and onion dip and that was my afternoon repast. Kind of gross but I enjoyed it. Later, I had a Philly cheesesteak sandwich and that was pretty okay. I did a few things on the computer, got wind that there might just be a much needed modern major miracle that could show up today and let us pray it does, we got an interesting e-mail on the project with David Wechter, which I can’t talk about but it was definitely interesting, I ascertained that there were a couple of packages, both not really of interest, and there was some mail but I decided to just wait for today to go gather it all up.
Then I watched the two movies. I had the sandwich, played on the computer and YouTube, then decided to go to Vudu and rent Once Upon a Time in the West – naturally, I own it on Blu-ray, but that Blu-ray contains a transfer done a very long time ago – it’s okay, but the color isn’t quite right and, well, there’ve been lots of advances in the past 15 years. But word leaked out that it was coming in 4K from Paramount, which meant a brand-new transfer. Naturally, I was wary, oh, yes, I was wary about the damn color so for $3.99 I checked it out and it is, in a word, one word, spectacular-looking, having that real prints by Technicolor look. I was very pleased and I’m sure I’ll watch the whole thing now that I’ve spot checked it. Of course, I’m not seeing it in 4K since I don’t have a 4K TV, but even in 1080 it looks absolutely faboo (oobaf, spelled backwards).
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll hopefully hear about a major miracle, I’ll go to the mail place, I’ll eat two count them two sandwiches – one chicken salad, one egg salad, and I think there’ll be enough to do that on Saturday, too. I’ll do some Sami things, hopefully see the finished dust jacket design, write a quick set of liner notes and get those to the designer and then to the printer, listen to the Vernon Duke III master and approve, do whatever else needs doing, and then watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow is April and not only April but April 1, a foolish day of being silly and foolish. I don’t have any plans, really. Sunday is more of the same, then next week I’ll see the finished designed book and give that one more proofing but with eyeballs other than mine own, then that can finally go to the publisher. We’ll also put up the book for pre-orders and I may announce another CD title, too. We’ll hope to hear from Amazon about Sami but I’m insisting that we have a Plan B because we cannot wait forever. So, a busy week upcoming and coming up.
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, hopefully hear about a major miracle, go to the mail place and hopefully pick up two important envelopes, eat two sandwiches, do some Sami stuff, hopefully see the dust jacket, write liner notes, listen to a master, 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, Morricone’s Once Upon a Time in the West. Blu-ray, nothing. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to be marching the HELL out of March.