Well, dear readers, what if Schmidt and Jones had written these here notes? And it might go something like this.
Hear how the midnight hour approaches,
See how the late-night posts wind down.
See how dear George eats a burrito,
While BK writes another noun.
Now is the time when people disappear,
Now is the time when new notes are quite near
So, never fear…
Soon there’ll be some notes,
Every midnight.
Soon there’ll be some notes,
Wait and see.
Soon there’ll be some notes,
And you can read them, too.
Soon there’ll be some notes,
When they’re written.
Soon there’ll be some notes,
Don’t you fret.
Soon there’ll be some notes,
Thousands of notes for you.
You’ll find that there’s so much fish,
You’ll find a movie review.
Don’t groan – for that’s not allowed,
Although dear readers do
When you’ve read the notes,
You’ll be with it.
When you’ve read the notes,
You’ll be cool.
When you’ve read the notes,
Well, dear readers, you’ll agree…
There’s no notes like notes from the likes of me.
I knew they could do it, didn’t you? Otherwise, I am sitting here like so much fish, listening to the sounds of silence, since I haven’t listened to any music for over a week now. I did manage to watch the new Blu and Ray of Who Killed Teddy Bear? a new 4K transfer off the camera negative and completely uncensored. It remains one of the weirdest movies ever, and for 1965, a homoerotic fetishists dream. You want Sal Mineo – you GET Sal Mineo, a LOT of Sal Mineo. To be fair, you also get Juliet Prowse, but somehow, it’s not quite the same. You also get Jan Murray as a bitter cop out to catch every deviate in New York, and who doesn’t mind his ten-year-old daughter listening to tapes about said deviates, not to mention all the lurid books and magazines that adorn his desk. I cannot recall any other Jan Murray movies and there’s a reason for that. This film is called “sleazy” by most who’ve seen it, and it certainly earns that moniker. Back in 1965 when it had its brief theatrical fun, there had never been anything like it – I don’t think there’s been anything like it since, frankly. Elaine Stritch is excellent as a Lesbian club owner. But aside from Mr. Mineo’s white underpants, and tight swim trunks and tighter jeans, and the endless shots of his torso, especially during the working out at the gym scene, which contains some rather blatant imagery, the star of the film is New York in 1964, when the film was shot.
We see a Times Square that simply doesn’t exist anymore. Other than the legit theaters, there is nothing at all left of the Times Square of the 1960s and 1970s. Nothing. Not one movie theater, not one store. There’s a then and now extra on the Blu-ray and you can see just how true that is. It certainly was the Times Square of the year I lived there back in 1969. It’s worth it alone for those scenes and there are a lot of them. The director, Joseph Cates, brother of Gil and daddy of Phoebe, was known more as a producer with tons of TV specials to his credit, and a Broadway producer of What Makes Sammy Run? which was running when the movie was shot. This uncensored version restores three minutes that have been lost for many years, and the main titles are not blurred as they are in most of the home video releases. It’s a fascinating movie with a really good title song, which I recorded with Tami Tappan. The new 4K transfer is splendidly splendid and the set includes a 4K UHD.
Otherwise, I got eight hours of sleep, had a blood test, picked up a small package, had lox and bagels for food, and later some shrimp cocktail shrimp as a snack. And here we are.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I’ll probably have the rest of the lox and bagels for food, I’ll check with the mail place and go if there’s anything to get, but mostly I’ll have me a ME day and watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow will be exactly the same. Next week is all Drat! The Cat! prep and a lunch with an old friend.
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, eat, check with the mail place, have a ME day, and watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite title songs from movies? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy that my late friends Harvey and Tom wrote today’s notes.