Well, dear readers, is it not amazing, perhaps even amazingly amazing, that today is the last day of November, and that tomorrow will be a little month I like to call December, that last month of 2024 before 2025 is upon us? And, of course, it is my fervent hope and prayer that December will be a month filled with health, wealth, happiness, creativity, and all things bright and beautiful. I tell you, this month has flown by, like a gazelle dancing the night away at Studio One in 1975. Yes, the gazelle is as old as I. Is anyone as old as I? Yes, the gazelle. I did watch a motion picture documentary last evening entitled Studio One Forever about the iconic West Hollywood disco and its upstairs cabaret room, The Backlot. I’ve known about this documentary for a few years now, as I know a couple of its participants, including Bruce Vilanch. My little history with the club began in 1976. I saw Chita Rivera there and then Charles Pierce. By the time I saw Charles, Nudie Musical had come out and the Dinah and Her New Best Friends was on the air. So, I was on a list that got invited to things – I was invited to quite a few shows at the Roxy, too. It was a time. My favorite memory of back then was having someone come over to my table and tell me that Mr. Pierce loved me on the Dinah show and asked if I’d come back to meet him. We all loved his act – he was a wonderful showman, especially his brilliant impersonation of Bette Davis. I was brought back to his dressing room after, and he was the sweetest man and so lovely to me. I saw him several times after that, including seeing him in the commissary at Laird Studios (now The Culver Studios) – we were shooting The Creature Wasn’t Nice and he was doing a part on some TV show, and we had so much fun chatting over lunch. I also saw Donna McKechnie do an act – that was either just before or just after her short-lived marriage to Michael Bennett. The jernt attracted tons of A-listers = Cary Grant, Liza, of course, James Stewart, Kirk Douglas, Gregory Peck all came to see performers there. I didn’t go there much after the 1970s and the vibe seemed to change. My other fond memories of the times I was there were the outrageous men’s bathroom with its circular urinal and seeing folks like Richard Deacon whooping it up there. The documentary has several of its regulars going back to see the club, which has been rumored to be pegged for being demolished. Their memories, accompanied by some great footage and photos is every affectionate and sweet – for gay people it was like heaven, a place where they could let it all hang out and be themselves without any fear of anything. Of course, lots of drugs and randy behavior, too. Bruce Vilanch narrates some of it and is on camera quite a bit. Most of it was shot three or four years ago, but we do get some updates at the end. And as you’d expect, the final third of the film deals with the devastation of AIDs – that entire section is very moving. At one point, they show a photograph of 105 happy, smiling people and one of the older gents says that out of that 105 only two are alive today. Making appearances are Chita Rivera, Melissa Rivers, Thelma Houston, Julie Budd (she played there regularly and I’m pretty sure I saw her), Roslyn Kind, Sam Harris, Freda Payne and quite a few others. They have a reunion concert at the end where a thousand people showed up. The building was indeed torn down, but very carefully preserving all of it because the plan is the put it up again and make it part of a new complex including a hotel. We’ll see how that goes. Anyway, if you want to take a journey back to a time we’re never going to see again, it’s streaming for three bucks on Prime.
Other than that, it was pretty much a ME day. I got eight hours of sleep, got up, answered e-mails, then I moseyed on over to the mail place, but the mail hadn’t been sorted through yet, so I just picked up the little package that was there. I then went to Gelson’s hoping to get some creamy tomato soup and a salad. Alas, no creamy tomato soup (I got minestrone instead) and the salad bar had no lettuce that didn’t look three days old. Instead, I got two slices of turkey and some stuffing. I came home and ate one and a half slices of turkey, the stuffing, and the soup. It was all okay but not what I’d wanted. That was it for food. I did a little exercising around the house, had some telephonic conversations, and that was about it.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I’ll have another ME day, I’ll figure out what I want for food – perhaps the other Gelson’s will have fresh lettuce and creamy tomato soup – I’ll hopefully pick up two important envelopes, I’ll eat, and then at some point, I’ll watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow is another ME day, the last for at least two weeks. I’ll get my head prepared for the visit to the eye surgeon on Monday morning – I really don’t want to do that drive but I must, I suppose. I’m just not sure of how to get there, what the easiest route would be, so that makes me nervous. I don’t think I have an option about taking the 405 freeway there at rush hour, so I’ll probably allow myself ninety minutes to get there. I hate not knowing where I’m going. I do know the area well, but it’s on a weird thing where two streets that run north and south suddenly converge. I don’t know which to take, frankly, but I’ll try to find out today or tomorrow. Then we’re into the Kritzerland rehearsal week, with rehearsals on Tuesday and Friday, stuff to do on Wednesday and Thursday, stumble-through on Saturday and then the show on Sunday.
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, have a ME day, figure out food and eat, hopefully pick up two important checks, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: How are you planning your holiday season – trips, visits, parties? Let’s hear it. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, bidding November a fond farewell, and looking forward to December.