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01/19/2002:
"THE CRACK OF DAWN"

Photo of Bruce Kimmel

bk's notes II

Well, dear readers, here I am, once again up at the crack of dawn. Have you ever been up at the crack of dawn? You know, I think I shall stop right here. I think I shall not touch the crack of dawn with a ten-foot pole. I think I shall move right along. Today is the day for our handy-dandy Unseemly Trivia Contest, and David Levy has a good question for you - however, I think it's a bit to easy, so I'm adding a bonus question, and you must get both answers correct to be the Highest Winner. Aren't we devilish here at haineshisway.com? Has anyone noticed that I am up at the crack of dawn?

Last night I watched a very interesting motion picture from days of old. It was called Bright Eyes, and it starred that cute and bubbly, Miss Shirley Temple (I'd managed to score advance DVDs of Bright Eyes and Dimples). I'd never seen Bright Eyes before and I was thoroughly captivated. And, it was not at all what I was expecting. I was expecting all cuteness and cuddliness and frankly I thought I would most likely vomit, but that was not the case. Bright Eyes is actually quite a strange and in some ways dark little film. Yes, it has "On The Good Ship Lollipop" in it, but that's the film's only song (and it's great). But, in this film, Shirley's father was killed in a plane crash, her mother is hit by a car, she lives with a conniving, scheming and abusive rich family (Jane Withers as Joy, the daughter of said family, plays her character to a fare-thee-well, and you simply want to flush her down the toilet). But, Shirley keeps her chin up, and everything works out well in the end. I liked James Dunn as her pilot pal, Loop, too - good actor. It is fun to see the conniving, scheming rich family get their comeuppance at the end.

Say, I'm not supposed to be giving away the store in this first section. I'm supposed to be teasing. I'm not supposed to give away the store until the next section. So, let's all click on that damnable Unseemly Button below, because that is simply the thing to do, giving-away-the-store-wise.

Did anyone notice I almost gave away the store in that first section. It's still the crack of dawn, by the way. Well, let's get to our handy-dandy trivia question and bonus question, shall we?

There have been several versions of Miss Anna Leonowens' story. Anna and The King, The King and I, an animated The King and I, and the recent Jodie Foster film. What are the names of the two books that Anna Leonowens wrote?

And here's our bonus question: What Tony-award winning Broadway performer (between the years 1970 and 1995) got her start by dubbing another actresses' singing voice in a film? Name the performer and the film. Bonus points if you can name the Broadway musical star who dubbed Jean Paul Belmondo's voice in the classic French film, That Man From Rio.

Wow, that's a lot of trivia. Well, dear readers, the reaction to Showering My Troubles Away, from Psycho! The Musical, was tremendous. We had many requests for me to print more songs from this lost score. So, here is the finale. If you have never read the book or seen Mr. Hitchcock's film, let this serve as your spoiler alert. Skip this next section immediately if you haven't read the book or seen the film. You have been warned.

This number apparently played to a mostly empty house, as ninety percent of the audience had left after the shower number. So, this is a momentous occasion really. Here is Hinky Meltz and Ernest Ernest's chilling song for the end of the show. Norman Bates is sitting alone in a room, after the truth about him has been revealed. He is wearing a blanket to keep him warm. Or is it Norman?

NOBODY HERE BUT MOTHER Music by Hinky Meltz Lyrics by Ernest Ernest

NOBODY HERE BUT MOTHER,
NORMAN HAS GONE AWAY.
NOBODY HERE BUT MOTHER
AND MOTHER IS HERE TO STAY.
MOTHER IS GENTLE
ALWAYS UNFAZED
SHE WOULDN'T HURT A FLY.
NORMAN WAS MENTAL
NORMAN WAS CRAZED
HE HAD TO SAY GOODBYE

NOBODY HERE BUT MOTHER
THERE'S NOT MUCH MORE TO SAY
NOBODY HERE BUT MOTHER
AND NOW EACH DAY IS MOTHER'S DAY.

That is just so intensely moving, isn't it? Especially at the crack of dawn. I so want to have sport with the crack of dawn, I'm just itching to have sport with the crack of dawn, but that would be unseemly and I just have to be strong and keep my paws off the crack of dawn.

Tomorrow I shall discuss another of my favorite musicals, this one written by my close personal friend, Mr. Stephen Sondheim. I will also have a report on the Hollywood Memorabilia Show I will be attending as soon as the crack of dawn gets out of my face. There will be a plethora of Hollywood Stars at the show, including my very own blurber, Mr. Gary Owens. If you're in the Los Angeles area, the show is at the Beverly Garland Hotel on Vineland, in North Hollywood (or NoHo, as the trendy would have it). I'll be wearing my very own haineshisway.com cap, so if you see me, say hello. If you haven't gotten your very own haineshisway.com products, just click on the Unseemly Guy Haines Products button and you will be whisked away to Productsland.

- Bruce Kimmel



Replies: 6 Unseemly Comments


Maybe one of our local theater historians would know the definitive answer to this one. I seem to remember reading somewhere that, if Psycho! the Musical had made it to Broadway, they had wanted their next project to be based on The Birds, but Dame Daphne de Maurier demurred, fearing it would cause too much of a flap.

Posted by SWoodyWhite @ 01/19/2002 10:21 AM PST


And now for something completely different.... a What If Bruce Kimmel asked me to be a blurber:

"Benjamin Kritzer is a book I have never read. I've never read it because Bruce hasn't let me. That's ok.. I'm not bitter about it. The way I see it is: Benjamin Kritzer is a book title that is two words and is a man's name. Oedipus Rex is also a book title with two words and is a man's name. Oedipus Rex is classic literature, therefor Benjamin Kritzer must be too -- It's only logical." - Craig Brockman, Unseemly Reader

Posted by Craig @ 01/19/2002 11:27 AM PST


Since several dear readers have made guesses for part two of the trivia quiz which involve animated films - we are talking about dubbing another actress's voice in a live action film. To Craig - thank you for your unseemly blurb, it is a very nice blurb indeed, with one small error which I will not bother to correct at this time. At another time I will bother to correct it, have no fear. I simply cannot make such a correction unless it is the crack of dawn.

Posted by bk @ 01/19/2002 05:10 PM PST


As Craig's father and a graduate of Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie Mellon)Drama Department I will indeed tell you the error...Oedipus Rex is a play and not a novel.

Posted by Arnold M. Brockman @ 01/19/2002 07:57 PM PST


Ok.. it appears as though "Father Knows Best". I could be sarcastic in tone and say since I haven't read Dear Mr. Kimmel's book, I cannot say without a doubt that it is NOT a play, now can I? But instead of backpeddling... I will go forward and alter my fictitious blurb with the substitution of Nicholas Nickleby...

Posted by Craig @ 01/19/2002 08:21 PM PST


As Finian said "It's the crack of dawn or the crack of doom" It's the crock of gold that counts.Og spelled backwards is Go.God bless Burton Lane and Yip Harburg for one of my favorite Broadway Musicals-Finian's Rainbow.

Posted by Arnold M. Brockman @ 01/20/2002 05:38 AM PST





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