haines his way

10/19/2002:
"YIPPEE KAYIYAY"

Well, dear readers, finally the weekend has arrived and I for one say yippee kayiyay. I haven’t said yippee kayiyay in quite some time, have you? Perhaps we should all say yippee kayiyay so we can all have our Gene or Hoppy moment. Why, many many years ago, when I was a sprig of a twig of a tad of a lad I never missed Gene Autrey or Hopalong Cassidy or Annie Oakley (I loved Gail Davis) or The Lone Ranger or Wild Bill Hickock (has there ever been anyone else like Mr. Andy Devine?) or Roy and Dale and Trigger, and I always said yippee kayiyay, just like all of them (well, to be honest Trigger never said yippee kayiyay). Why am I suddenly waxing on about the wild west? Oh, because I said yippee kayiyay, that’s why I’m waxing on about the wild west. I guess that means that today’s notes will have a western flavor with shoot ‘em ups and sarsaparilla and the old corral. These will be a wild bunch of notes, and I shall finish them long before high noon or even low eleven o’clock, they will have true grit as if they were written by the professionals. Perhaps the searchers will be here merrily searching away, perhaps I’ll go to the ATM and get a fistful of dollars because for a few dollars more I can go shopping and buy some of the good, the bad, and the ugly things that there are to buy these here days. Did you know, for example, that once upon a time in the west you could ride the high country in a stagecoach? Why, if you took the 3:10 to Yuma you could see the man from Laramie, who would then shoot his Winchester ’73 in the air, because he hadn’t had company in so long a time. What the hell am I talking about?
Howdy. Isn’t that a western way to start a new paragraph? Last night I watched the western entitled The World of Henry Orient. It wasn’t really a western, but since today’s notes must have a western flavor, like baked beans, we must carry on the conceit. The World of Henry Orient is actually an eastern, taking place in the city that never sleeps, New York, New York. It just came out on DVD in a lovely widescreen transfer. I hadn’t seen it in quite a few years, and it’s actually a film that has aged extremely well. It’s still delightful, the girls, Tippy Walker and Merrie Spaeth are really wonderful and the rest of the cast – well, they don’t make actors the way they used to. Peter Sellers as Henry Orient is terrific and funny, Paula Prentiss as his nervous neurotic would-be affair is so unique and hilarious you wonder if they could even cast such a role today. Angela Lansbury is amazing as Tippy Walker’s absolute bitch of a mother – with this and The Manchurian Candidate, I’m quite sure Miss Lansbury was every child’s nightmare vision of what a mother shouldn’t be. Phyllis Thaxter and Bibi Osterwald (the Broadway musical theater vet) are warm and wise as Merrie Spaeth’s mum and aunt. But for me, the film belongs to Tom Bosley as Val’s father. He and Miss Lansbury don’t appear until two-thirds of the way through the film, but once they do you can’t take your eyes off of them. Mr. Bosley is so great in this movie, so understated, dignified, warm, understanding – it’s just a perfect performance (he’s also great as a nebbish in Love With the Proper Stranger, from around the same time). And his scene where he consoles his daughter never fails to touch – wonderfully written and played by both Bosley and Walker. The score by Elmer Bernstein is beautiful (Mr. Henry Orient’s avant-garde “concerto” is by Ken Lauber – funnily, it’s not as avant-garde sounding today as it was back then. I really recommend this. After I was through watching it I searched the girls on the Internet and here is what I found. Tippy is currently a writer and artist, has never been married, and owns a small storefront gallery near Yale. Merrie worked as Ronald Reagan’s public relations coordinator and has a very successful public relations-related business which you can read all about at spaethcom.com.
What am I, Ebert and Roeper all of a sudden? Let’s all click on the Unseemly Button below before I whip out my six-shooter and fill this section with lead. Besides, don’t I have some excellent questions to answer?

Do you know what I feel like saying? I feel like saying yippee kayiyay, because now I get to answer all your excellent questions. So, without further delay, said answers.
Jose asks if there is any particular theatrical event that I wish I’d been witness to? Yes, opening night of Gypsy. What has been one of my favorite nights in the theater? Oh, so many, but I cherish the original production of Follies, a preview of A Chorus Line, Promises, Promises on Broadway. Have I ever been to the Tony Awards? Nope.
William E. Lurie asks what is my opinion of the Gilbert and Sullivan operettas? I’m not all that familiar with them, but the few I’ve seen I’ve enjoyed all right. Not my favorites though.
Steveg asks how I get my CDs and DVDs before their release dates and do I get them for free. I only get CDs before release dates if someone sends them to me – those, of course, are free – otherwise I purchase. I get DVDs ahead of street dates because I’m friendly with the owner of a DVD store and he is kind enough to sell them to me the previous Friday or Saturday.
Ben asks why Scott Schecter, the producer of The Judy Garland Show: The Show that Got Away CD, thanks me in his liner notes at the end of the booklet. I had no idea he’d done it. When I was at Varese and then subsequently at the label I created, I had many conversations with Scott, and we’d planned to do some things together – which never worked out. So, I suppose it’s maybe because of that, although I can’t be sure. Did I ever see Miss Judy Garland live, and if so, where? Well, I saw her live a few times, but not performing (well, she was always performing in one way or another), because I was friendly with Lorna Luft when I was but a wee sprig of a twig of a lad of a youth.
JMK thinks it’s been a banner year for cast album reissues and wonders what would be my next five choices for CD versions of cast albums. Well, we certainly don’t want to give anybody any ideas, but I’d like to have A Time for Singing on CD, I’d like to have Virginia Woolf on CD (I was going to do it, but the royalties were unreasonably high and it would have been a huge loser), I’d like to have A Thurber Carnival on CD (no one would buy it, but I want it anyway), I’d like to have the McGuire Sisters doing Subways are for Sleeping on CD, and on and on.
Arnold M. Brockman thinks it’s time for Hollywood to give South Pacific another go as a film. I think South Pacific is doomed, film-wise. With the horrendous Glenn Close version, that effectively puts the kibosh on anyone doing it again for quite some time. If it were done, who would I like to see in the leads? Very difficult – ten years ago I would have said if Meg Ryan could sing she would have been fine. What other musical movies would I like to see made over? Well, certainly we could use a good Man of La Mancha, a good Fiddler on the Roof (I know some people like it – I find it truly awful) – I’d even like to see Lost Horizon, the Bacharach version, done really well – same score, new script, good director and choreographer, and a great cast. Call me crazy.
S. Woody White asks what leading roles in musicals could be considered “villains” and cites Mama Rose. Oh, I suppose both Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett. In certain ways, even J. Pierrepont Finch, that supreme user and go-getter, as lovable as he is. Let’s see… Is Michael Crawford a villain in Dance of the Vampires? Was he a villain in Phantom of the Opera (depends on which character you talk to, I suppose).
Michael Shayne asks if I will be restoring Where Is A Man to the stage version of Nudie. I’m not there yet, but certainly that is in the cards at this moment. I’m still trying to figure out how to best maximize the character of Eunice – I have certain restrictions in terms of the size of the cast, and am trying to make that work. Will I restore I’ll Kick You With Boots or the plumber scene? No to both. I have created a huge new production number, though, for Act Two, in which the stunt person will take part. However, I will not divulge the nature of the number – I can tell you, though, it’s quite in keeping with some of the more outrageous things. Finally Michael asks just what did co-director Mark Haggard do. Well, we planned the film together, shot-wise, in rehearsals. I solely directed the actors, and mostly did the blocking of the scenes. As the shooting went on, however, he did less and less. And the entire Dancing Dildos scene, from the long dolly shot of the donuts through me getting off the crane at the end of the number, was all directed by me alone – he was totally off the film by then. He also had nothing to do with any of the post-production. The MPAA number on Nudie Musical was 24372 – what is number one in the MPAA numbers, Michael wants to know. I haven’t the foggiest or even the smoggiest.
Philip Crosby asks me to cast the following in already existing musical roles in which I think they’d be great.
Liza Minnelli – Frau Schneider in Cabaret
Lorna Luft – hmmm.
Rita Moreno – Frau Schneider in Cabaret
Sandy Duncan – Frau – well, maybe not.
Bette Midler – Call Me Madam
Goldie Hawn – Bells are Ringing
Tommy Tune – Frau Schneider
Philip asks why a movie trailer is called a trailer. That is an interesting question. It would be easier to answer if coming attractions followed films rather than preceded them. Perhaps original coming attractions of old were cut in a trailer park.
Tom from Oz asks if I enjoyed the biopix of the late 50s, such as The Glen Miller Story, The Eddy Duchin Story, The Gene Krupa Story and The Benny Goodman Story. I was quite a sucker for those kinds of films, although none of those got to me like The Jolson Story did. Whose life story would I like to see depicted on the screen? Ethel Merman.
Jed has some Nudie Musical questions: I’ve mentioned writing a number of new songs for the stage version. Are all the old songs remaining in the show or are some getting axed? And what about Where Is A Man? As of this writing, all the songs that are actually in the film will be in the stage version (with the exception, of course, of Diana Canova’s “audition” song – in the film it’s La Cucaracha – on stage I’ve written something original for that spot). Most of the new songs are plot and character driven things that I couldn’t possibly have done for the film. Harry and Rosie have a song at the end of the first scene, Harry and John have a song at the end of their first scene – things like that. I’ve addressed Where Is A Man in an earlier answer.
William F. Orr asks if once the film of The Faculty got made, was I happy with it and did it reflect my original idea? The concept and the story and structure were pretty much faithful to what David and I wrote in our original screenplay. Kevin Williamson hipped it up, made it an ensemble film, changed every single line of dialogue (not always for the better) and changed every name save for two – Miss Drake remained the same, and he gave the hero our leading lady’s name, Casey. I was happy the film got made and I thought Kevin and Robert did a good job with it. In certain ways, our script had a few more fun elements, and the hero was more of a hero.
Wilby Daniels asks what a “shaggy dog” story is – I’m not even sure, maybe someone else can answer. It’s one of those expressions you instinctively know the meaning of until someone actually asks you to explain it. I suppose it’s a story that seems real but really isn’t.
Ron Pulliam asks about the fee AFTRA tried to get me to pay to reup. Since they said they’d never received my letter of withdrawal, they listed me as “suspended”. I argued that if I’d ever received a letter from them regarding a suspension, I would have done something about it. I absolutely sent them a letter, however. They wanted over a thousand bucks and I simply refused and we went back and forth and then settled on a very reasonable number that made all of us happy.

Kerry asks on the records I’ve produced which is more expensive and time consuming: using several background vocalists or having the artist record several overdubs? First off, it depends on the track and what you’re after. On Liz Callaway’s The Story Goes On album, the whole idea behind Gonna Wash That Man was that all the vocals would be her. On other albums, we’ve had a group of singers. If the group is good and quick, I prefer that – the whole thing just goes much faster. One person doing their own always tends to be a pain in the behind and seems to take forever. What food that isn’t on my Eileen and Chet Atkins diet will I cheat for? I won’t be cheating for at least a month, so I can’t think about that right now or I shall cheat immediately.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I’m a varmint who must vamoose because the cleaning lady is giving me the evil eye. Before I skeedaddle, I will tell you that early next week the long-promised interview with Mr. Buddy Bregman will be appearing. As I think I’ve mentioned, Mr. Bregman’s interview was originally a novella, so long and unwieldy that it defeated Mr. Craig Brockman and Miss Susan Gordon’s considerable editing efforts. I, however, finally got to it yesterday, and because this is what I do every day these days, find sound bites, weed out the crap from the gems, I was able to go through it, make sense of it and get it down to a wonderfully concise interview in one hour. No Unseemly Trivia Contest today – I’ve decided it’s going to be twice a month – so the next contest is next Saturday. Today’s topic of discussion – what are your favorite movies or shows in which a child or children are the leading characters? I’ll start – The World of Henry Orient, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Rocking Horse Winner, Oliver!, Hand in Hand, The Miracle Worker, and on and on. Your turn – and of course talk about anything else you care to. Let’s not let Saturday slow us down, let’s shout yippee kayiyay and whoop it up here at haineshisway.com.

Replies: 46 Unseemly Comments

The first movie I ever heard "yippee kayiyay" in it was Die Hard with Bruce Willis. Altjough he did add "motherf***er to it. (Not sure if that word should be capitalize or not)
I never waxed on westerns. Just my floor. Although occassionally I do get wax from my ears.
Posted by Michael Shayne @ 10/19/2002 10:13 AM PST

Message to Francois:
Read the tail end of yesterday's messageboard to get my responses to some of your comments.
Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 10/19/2002 10:17 AM PST

Favorite child-leadened shows... Maybe I should have type that "child lead-ened" shows... You know what I mean...
The Secret Garden both on film - although now all the film versions, and on Broadway - at least once Howard McGillin stepped in.
The Little Prince - I did the Cummins & Scoullar version of this show at Olney in Maryland. Quite a sweet show, and some wonderful music. In fact, if I recall correctly, bk included one of the songs on the Broadway Bound CD. -With Daisy Egan from The Secret Garden singing "44 Sunsets". *The song that the Rose sings is, imho, one of the most beautiful pieces ever written.
Oliver - The movie. We used to watch it every year in grade school at Christmas time no less! I think back now, and how adult some of the themes were, and I give credit to my teachers back then for letting us see it. -And, strangely enough, I've never seen a stage production of it.
Cinema Paradiso - Well, at least a third of it stars a child. The re-release of the complete version earlier this year was a total revelation for me. I had always enjoyed the film, and knew that there were some parts edited out, but that extra hour of footage was amazing. My friend who saw it with me actually got mad at the producers for cutting it down in the first place. I was just thankful for the good, thoughtful cry it gave me.
Well, time to get ready to close Evita. It's been a good run, and the students at AU really came through. Then it's immersion time for CARMEN JONES and SOUTH PACIFIC. Hopefully, I'll remember to step outside once and while so my eyes won't start glowing.
Posted by Jose C. Simbulan @ 10/19/2002 10:21 AM PST

The only time I truly remember the exact phrase "yippee kiyaya" being used in was "The Women" in the Nevada sequence when Norma Shearer was seeking her divorce and met up with Lucile Watson and Paulett Goddard (who used it last in the nightclub, directed at Joan Crawford: "Yippee Kiyiya, Crystal...yippee kiyiya")
Watson also had the memorable exclamation "L'amour, l'amour".
Of course, the most recent usage of the cowboy phrase in a film that I recall was Bruce Willis' "yippee kiyiya, m*-f*" in "Die Hard."
Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 10/19/2002 10:22 AM PST

Hi all... been working a lot so haven't had time to check in, but now I have a request. A while ago, one of us mentioned that one of their favorite CD's was the cast recording of "Smile". I know the recording was never released, however, I'd kill to get my hands on it, I'm musical directing it next Fall (2003) and have no clue of the songs... except "Disneyland". Could someone email and perhaps we we can start a dialogue on how I might acquire this hot item. Thanks!!!!! Matt
Posted by Matthew @ 10/19/2002 10:29 AM PST

One of my favorite films with children is the Leslie Bricusse musical Scrooge. When in heaven's name are they going to release that on DVD, I wonder?
Two bits of TV trivia from last night: Did anyone else notice that Amanda Green wrote last nights Law & Order: SVU? And it wasn't even a musical! And, in the unintentionally hilarious department, Dateline did an interview with Barbara Walters and her adopted daughter Jackie. As they were discussing Barbara's first husband (and Jackie's adoptive father) Lee Guber, Jane Pauley breathlessly intoned: "Lee Guber produced some of the biggest hits in Broadway history," as a series of Playbills flew in and landed on each other. Only problem: the first two were for "Bring Back Birdie" and "Rags." Cue Twilight Zone theme here, please.
Posted by JMK @ 10/19/2002 10:40 AM PST

P.S. I can answer the trailer question--trailers (coming attractions) did indeed used to trail the featured attraction back in the Golden Age of film, hence their appellation. My brother-in-law works for one of the biggest trailer production houses in LA (he's done a number of "biggie" trailers, including Lord of the Rings, etc.), and I once asked him that very question.
Posted by JMK @ 10/19/2002 10:42 AM PST

Correction: The Amanda Green some of us know and love has emailed me to tell me she was not the Amanda Green who wrote last night's SVU. Who knew there could be more than one? :)
Posted by JMK @ 10/19/2002 11:50 AM PST

We love Amanda Green. Now, in what universe do we live in which there are only eight count them eight posts at two-thirty on Saturday. Yesterday we had eight posts in the first fifteen minutes of the notes being posted. Now, I have new people showing up on this site today, and we must show them the stuff we are made of here at haineshisway.com. Let us have a flurry of posting activity and if we do I might just reveal information on some rather excellent CDs I picked up.
Posted by bk @ 10/19/2002 02:21 PM PST

Films with kids
Alice, Sweet Alice because they kill off Brooke Shields in the first reel.
Posted by mds @ 10/19/2002 02:22 PM PST

Ron. My dogs are taking French lessons so I certainly hope the hotel is suitable.Both Magnus & Fosca bark in fluent Dutch but their French is a little "Rusty" (I think that's a dog movie reference from somewhere). Does Miss Vicki speak languages other than Americna "english"?
Are you all aware that Caroline O'Connor will soon be Velma Kelly in New York. We love her. (She (and her legs) are in Moulin Rouge.
Children in movies: Jodie Foster in "The Little Girl Who Lived Down The Lane".
Jamie Bell in "Billy Elliot". The movie I watched last night had a nice child actor too. Bruce Kimmel in FNM.(He must have been very young).
Posted by Tom from OZ @ 10/19/2002 02:42 PM PST

Thanks Alan. But do I have to try Weird Romance in my car? That gear shift could end up anywhere and then no doubt I will cry. Much appreciated. Hope you have a graceful night.
Posted by Tom from OZ @ 10/19/2002 02:59 PM PST

I forgot "Whistle Down The Wind" and "Tiger Bay" - both with Hayley Mills. I also remember enjoying "Paper Moon" but I have not seen it since it was first released. "The Bad Seed" is also worthy mention.
I will check about midnight Califonia time. No doubt I will have another 50 posts to read through.
Where is "freedunit" these days?
I found out yesterday that one on my students (who is now about 25) is in hospital after the Bali terror. Please send Dale and the others who have suffered so much some good vibes. I used to refer to Dale and his mate John as "Chip & Dale". They thought I was referring to them as "Chippendales". They were very funny kids and made teaching a joy.
Posted by Tom from OZ @ 10/19/2002 03:17 PM PST

Ron P.
Meow to Miss Vickie !! Yes, our
hotel "accepts" pets but
charge for them......
I ALWAYS read the posts I
missed the previous day !
ALWAYS !
The "guests" ( Disney lingo,
sorry! ) are not systematically
retired; all ages and all walk of
lives..... I've been told that Fort
Lauderdale is NOT the
Springbreak place anymore.
Cancun is........
Aren't we informative here at
HHW ?
Yes, Tom; Jamie Bell is mighty
fine in Billy Elliot...
Now, what about Bobby
Driscoll in
-Song Of The South,
-Treasure Island,
-So Dear To My Heart....
Talk about TALENT !
Hayley Mills in Parent Trap or
Polyanna.....
and that kid -- whatever
happened to him? -- in The
Navigator....
etc, etc, etc....
Your turn.......
Posted by Francois @ 10/19/2002 03:27 PM PST

Brandon de Wilde in Shane,
and much later, in this
underrated Disney production
of "Those Calloways" .
Posted by Francois @ 10/19/2002 03:39 PM PST

This is going to sound like pure (or impure, which make be a better word) heresy, but I like both versions of "The Parent Trap," with Hayley Mills and and Lindsey Lohan as the twins. I'm also fond of "Pollyanna," with only the one Hayley. (Wonder what happened to the other one?)
In light of others mentioning "Oliver" because of the kid-friendly cast, it occurs to me that this is another musical that has a villian in the lead (Fagin). How we could have missed before is a surprise. For that matter, "Evita" never really establishes Mrs. P. as a heroine, although she is not outright nasty. And Cora, the mayor of "Anyone Can Whistle," is one of the three leads. (Interesting how Angela Lansbury, who everyone thinks of as this sweet, wonderful lady, keeps playing all these horrid characters.)
Posted by S. Woody White @ 10/19/2002 03:43 PM PST

After searching Google i found
the answer to my question,
thank you !!
Meant to say ; Joey Cramer in
Flight of the Navigator.....
Hey, Tom ; Rusty and Rintintin
!! I remember that from the
black& white age of television.
Ron,
I could not be your "fils", only a
slightly younger "frère" !!!
Posted by Francois @ 10/19/2002 03:46 PM PST

Angela Lansbury is, in fiction --
and, I am sure -- in real life !, is
only "sweet and wonderful"
since the second part of her
carreer....
The first part saw her play
those nasty characters....
mainly during her MGM
tenure...
In Murder, She Wrote she was
sweet, wasn't she ?
Just my two euros...
Another saturday night when
most Hainsies and Kimlets
are out !!
I'm trying hard, BK, I'm trying
hard..... with all the customers
at the hotel wantig to have
access to the computer!....
Posted by Francois @ 10/19/2002 03:58 PM PST

Angela IS sweet ; she even
was Mrs Santa Claus !!!!!
Can't get sweeter than that !
Posted by Francois @ 10/19/2002 04:01 PM PST

Francois: Have you ever seen Bobby Driscoll's (billed Robert Driscoll) last film, "The Party Crashers," where he co-stars with, yes, how could it be otherwise?, Frances Farmer (they actually play son and mother). Also in the cast is future uberproducer Mark Damon (as a juvenile delinquent somewhat improabably named "Twig") and Connie Stevens. This was both Driscoll's and Farmer's last film (1958).
Posted by JMK @ 10/19/2002 04:19 PM PST

In addition to Brandon DeWilde who was mentioned above (and our own little penny Susan Gordon) my favorite child star was Gigi Perreau. I'm not sure of the titles of any of her films but thanks to an uncle who worked in Universal's publicity department she was the first movie star I ever met.
In regards to Bruce's review of "Henry Orient", what he failed to mention is that the film was turned into a Broadway Musical called HENRY SWEET HENRY which was not as good as the movie despite a cast that included Don (inventor of the telephone) Ameche, Louise (Mary Hartman, first Mrs. Woody Allen)Lasser and Alice (Promenade, Alka Seltzer commercial) Playten plus a score by Bob (Carnival, New Girl In Town) Merrill and choreography by a pre-Chorus Line Michael Bennett. The CD of the cast album is available thanks to Bruce!
Matthew--- even though there is no cast album, a couple of SMILE songs are available on Bruce's "Unsung Musicals" series:
"Smile" (Title Song) on Volume 1
"In Our Hands" on Volume 1
"Disneyland" OC Performance by Jody Benson on Volume 1
"Maria's Song" on Volume 3
Posted by William E. Lurie @ 10/19/2002 04:43 PM PST

JMK,
Thanks for the infos !
No, I've never seen "The Party
Crashers": so many talents
lost so soon !
Searched "Google" -- thanks
Google ! -- and found quite a
few nice documents on Bobby
Driscoll....
Dave Smith, Disney Studios
Head Archivist has kept in
touch with Bobby's parents
and has sent them many
pictures or documents about
their son over the years......
The Yearling has also been
one of my favorite movies ; I
remember vividly when that
film was shown at my school
when I was a teenager, and I
saw that film again, MANY
years after, in a library
showing somewhere north of
Orlando, Florida..... the whole
story taking place in and near
the swamps of Florida.
I believe BK recorded a song
or two from the musical
version of that story......
Posted by Francois @ 10/19/2002 05:23 PM PST

Child stars: Yes, there have been some spectacular child actors. Margaret O'Brien springs to mind among those not yet mentioned. She was incredible in some of her films. And then there was Dean Stockwell whom most forget started out as a child actor, playing Nick and Nora's son Nicky, Jr., in one of the "Thin Man" movies. He was also "The Boy With the Green Hair," the sick child in "The Secret Garden" with Margaret O'Brien (and the garden sequences were in Technicolor while the rest of the film were black/white -- truly an enchanting film), he was loaned out to Fox for "Down to the Sea in Ships" and he portrayed "Kim" opposite Errol Flynn.
Peggy Ann Garner was sensational in "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn."
Jane Withers was a riot in all her films -- but especially those in which she was mean to Shirley Temple.
But my favorite child actor of all time -- the one whose performances rocked my world and made me hate the Academy for not nominating child actors when they deserved nominations -- was Henry Thomas, primarily in "E.T." but also in "Raggedy Man."
Francois: Miss Vickie is a U.S. citizen, but she spent many years in Italia which is where she hooked up with me. She speaks fluent Italian, plus some dialetti I'm not familiar with.
She is the typical blase California cat, not giving much notice to earthquakes at all. Whenever there is a jolt, she utters a simple "miaow?" inquiry to make sure I'm not freaking out, and then she goes gack to sleep. She's not one for prognostication -- gives me absolutely no notice of anything about to happen as rumor has it other animals tend to do.
All right.
I've seen "La Boheme" -- Baz Luhrmann's production at the S.F. Curran Theatre.
It's totally stupendous! Well, it's opera, after all, and the music is everything, but Luhrmann's theatrical sensibilities dazzle the senses without those stylized jolts you've become accustomed to in "Moulin Rouge." The opera is updated (circa 1958), and there are "english subtitles" to help you out. But the cast -- OH MY GOD -- the CAST IS AWESOME. There are two as of now -- Red cast and White cast. A third is on the way. I saw a hybrid in today's matinee -- we had the White cast Rodolfo and Mimi and the Red Cast Marcello and Musetta -- and they were stunning performers/performances -- they are young, fit/trim, vibrant, gorgeously voices, extraordinarly well-miked, natural and compelling. I was in awe during most of Scenes 1 and 2, and had tears throughout most of secnese 3 and 4. The staging is a miracle! The score is beautfully served. As usual, the score has it highs and lows )(there is a tad of tedium in the slower sequences in every "La Boheme" I've heard...several versions) but the cast is so compelling and attractive, you just ignore that!
The ending is a downer for "musical theater" and there is no "finale" but it's just b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l.
I went with a friend who is spending the weekend in S.F. attending operas. She's a kindergarten teacher in Claremont CA and we met through filmus-l. She's a HUGE opera buff and she was enthralled by this "theatrical" presentation. As she put it, this ought to be perfect for folks who hate opera.
We had lunch at David's Kosher Deli directly across the street from the Curran (both are S.F. institutions) and the hot pastrami was a-w-e-s-o-m-e. It was on house-made rye -- Y-U-M!
Now, I'm home. I'm having wine and typing these here notes. I have been moved mightily by the events of this day! A whole NEW world of possibilities seems to have presented itself to me and things may never be the same again.
Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 10/19/2002 06:23 PM PST

Hello-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o?
It's been ONE HOUR since the last p-o-s-t-s-t-s-t-s-t!
Where'd everybody go-o-o-o-o-o-o?
Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 10/19/2002 07:22 PM PST

I've decided to put together a database of all 100 + BK produced albums and the people who sang on them. This will be my fun project for the next while I work on my next writing project.
Posted by Michael Shayne @ 10/19/2002 08:06 PM PST

Ron,
You have to scream LOUDER!
Everyone's gone tonight !
Gee whiz ! Glad you had a
great time at the Opera....
I wonder what an awesome,
sorry, a-w-e-s-o-m-e pastrami
tastes like.....
When you type S.F. do you
mean Science Fiction ? --
please, don't answer that,
don't answer that !!
I must have entered the
Twilight Zone; first Tom says
his dogs speak fluent Dutch,
now you reveal that Miss
Vickie, your cat, speaks fluent
Italian. My, my, pets HERE
don't speak any language
humans do !!! :-)
Henry Thomas; you mean the
guy with the Dumbo ears ? I'm
mean, I'm mean !....
Shirley who?......
BK won't be happy for sure,
but, hey, some of us trying
hard.....at 5:15 in the morn'!....
Good morning! good morning !
it's nice to stay up late !
Good morning to you !
I know, I know; too early for
you, guys, in the US of A.......
I might check back later...
A glass of Royal Khir anyone ?
Well, i just have mineral water
at hand! Pooh!....
Posted by Francois @ 10/19/2002 08:16 PM PST

Pecos Bill was quite a cowboy
down in Texas
And a western superman to
say the least
He was the roughest, toughest
critter
Never known to be a quitter
Cause he never had no fear of
man or beast.
Yippee-ai-ay
Yippee-ai-oh
For the toughest critter west of
the Alamo!
Posted by Eliot Daniel and Johnny Lange @ 10/19/2002 08:27 PM PST

Wasn't Miss Vickie the woman who married the late Tiny Tim on the Tonight Show?
Posted by William E. Lurie @ 10/19/2002 08:43 PM PST

William,
Google tells me you're right....
I know that Tiny Tim was...
strange, but... was she also
a...cat?!
Posted by Francois @ 10/19/2002 09:01 PM PST

No, Tiny Tim wasn't a cat.
Miss Vickie was the bride (so to speak) of Tiny Tim. They later divorced. I believe it was for lack of consomme (or was it for lack of consumation?). Reminds me of the stories of Miss Emily Latella on Saturday Night Live -- about the itsy bitsy, teensy-tiny princess who married the itty bitty, teeny tiny prince. And on their wedding night, the princess discovered that the prince had an eensy weensy, teeny tiny.......
Miss Vickie is also known as Vickie Lee (because of her "southern" heritage) and has been called Vickie Lester (but she's now retired from the cinema).
Francois, I know it was confusing, but actually, the production I saw of Baz Lurhmann's "La Boheme" wasn't the same as going to the "opera." It's a "musical theater" presentation of "La Boheme."
WHY it's different is beyond me as I've never been to an opera, but I have seen them on the telly.
From what I've seen, they've traded off the humongous, middle-aged singers for svelte, attractive, young singers. They've gone from striking poses/tableaux for an effect, to working with incredibly scenery and realistic presentation of the story with song.
This show opens on Broadway around November 22.
Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 10/19/2002 09:23 PM PST

Vicious you !
I know the way I phrased it
wad leading to that but the
"she" was referring to Miss
Vickie...
Now, where's my lawyer?
Oh, I get it ! A musical theater
version of La Bohème......with
the Chippendales, Tom's
ex-studients.... Very
interesting!!!
Thanks for the report by the
way, BTW in internet lingo.....
Posted by Francois @ 10/19/2002 09:49 PM PST

VICKIE LESTER !!
-- double take! --
Why... that's Judy in A Star Is
Born!!
Always knew there was
something catty about this
lady!! Gay Puree!!.....
Posted by Francois @ 10/19/2002 09:56 PM PST

Sorry for the late post. I left the house at 7:45 AM to meet Dear Readers Laura and Sandra for coffee and bagels (A Coke in Sandra's case and orange juice in my case). I then went to work and then met friends for dinner afterwards. So this is the first I've been home since today's notes were posted.
Kids in movies: Most definitely "The World of Heny Orient"- a truly charming film.
Jesse Bradford in "King of the Hill." He was absolutely brilliant. He should have won something for this award.
Henry Thomas in "E.T."
Dean Stockwell in "The Boy with Green Hair" was great. The propaganda part of the film does not hold up well, but his performance does.
And this is a guilty pleasure: Patty McCormack in "The Bad Seed."
Posted by Kerry @ 10/19/2002 10:04 PM PST

Gay Puree, in which, as
everyone remembers, Robert
Goulet sang "Le Chat, C'Est
Moi" -- a.k.a. "Mimi And My
Chatdow" -- was later redone
by the Disney Studios and
retitled, as everyone knows,
"The Aristocats", in which Eva
Gabor sang with the voice of
Robie LESTER.
Wew!! We've come full circle!
Naturellement, les Aristocats!
Posted by Francois @ 10/19/2002 10:04 PM PST

Ron: So glad you enjoyed BOHEME. Do you happen to know if you saw Daniel Webb as Colline? I went to grad school with him and did several shows with him. I'm excited to see him when he makes it to NYC.
I also got to see/hear some simply fabulous opera today. I finally saw Placido Domingo in the Met's production of ANDREA CHENIER. I don't like the opera but at least I can say I've heard Placido live. He was fa-bu-lous! Here's to nearly 70-year old men who are still singing!
Child actors in movies:
To Kill A Mockingbird
Freaky Friday
Bugsy Malone
The Goonies
Adventures in Babysitting
A Mo update: He's starting to get worse. His doctors have increased his dosages of morphine on a weekly basis and now he is saying that he feels like a person is sitting on his chest most of the time. I'm afraid he may not make it to Christmas. I hope I'm wrong. Please continue to keep him and Alex (and myself if you can fit me in) in your thoughts and prayers. Thanks guys...
Posted by Jason @ 10/19/2002 10:05 PM PST

Thank you, Kerry!
Jesse Bradford in "King Of The
Hill". Yes, yes!
Very moving unappreciated
film!!
Like "Man In The Moon".
Love those films!!
( Hey, calm down Frenchie
man, it's 7:10 am here! )
Posted by Francois @ 10/19/2002 10:07 PM PST

sorry to hear the bad news,
Jason;
We'll keep you and your
friends in our thoughts!.
Posted by Francois @ 10/19/2002 10:34 PM PST

Back earlier than a thought. I went to see my older sister so I could borrow her copy of "Back In The Swing" with Anthony Warlow. My sister is an absolute fan. Her friend Kay was Mr Warlow's hairdresser at one stage. (Kay has now retired to sunny Queensland). I am sure you all needed to know that. Was Miss Vickie named after the other Miss Vickie Ron!
Some Tiny Tim records live in my collection. I love bad taste. I have "Tiptoe Through The Tulips" and "Micky The Monkey" I was goiung type I had "Great Balls Of Fire" but knowing some of the posters here I thought that would be misinterpreted.
How brave of you Michael to undertake such a task. No doubt you will forward us all copies of the data base produced. (and I'm only half joking).
Jason. Our thoughts are certainly with Mo anmd indeed with you too Jason.
I forgot about "Bugsy Malone" which I really enjoy. (I named a dog after Bugsy once - my other dog was Talullah - Blousey just did not sound right. Not everyone can lay claim to the fact that Bugsy & Tallulah are buried beneath their oak tree. Once again I am sure you all needed to know that.
My list for "checking out" continues to grow. I have the Cd of the musical version of Henry Orient bu have never seen the film. And speaking of Peter Sellers. I could never understand the hype over (to me) the truly woeful Forest Gump when Peter Sellers had done such a brilliant job with "Being There" which covered the same territory of the innocent adult. Just my couple of "euros" worth.
Forgot to mention my viewing of FNM. How and why would anyone bother with Austin Powers movies when they could all buy FNM and see satire made in its own time.I had no idea I would see Ritchie Cunningham there for an audition. It was fun.
Posted by Tom from OZ @ 10/19/2002 10:39 PM PST

I knew I could count on you, dear readers, and now we are no longer unseemly, post-wise. I'm just back from a cute production of The Wizard of Oz, which I'll talk about tomorrow. Also, I will have other things of import to discuss, as tomorrow's date is an anniversary of sorts, and I really feel I can't let it go by without some kind of comment. I'm quite certain that tomorrow will be a merry searchers day, too, oh, yes, I'm quite certain of that.
Posted by bk @ 10/19/2002 10:51 PM PST

Jason: Yes, Daniel Webb was the Colline in the production I saw this afternoon. His Scene 4 solo sung to his coat, which he decides to sell to assist Rodolfo with Mimi's medical expenses, is excellent!
You might enjoy reading the Chronicle review (there is also a picture of the cast with Musetta in her red dress, including Webb) at this URL:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2002/10/17/DD86562.DTL
After re-reading the Chron's review, I've come to the conclusion that today's cast is a hybrid and may be the "third" cast being taken to Broadway. Our Rodolfo was an excellent tenor named Jesus Garcia and his Mimi was Lisa Hopkins.
The photo at the URL shows Ben Davis as Marcello and Chloe Wright as Musetta (in addition to Webb and Daniel Okulitch as Schaunard), but identifies them as the "Red" cast. The review indicates different people portrayed Marcello and Musetta.
Whoever or whatever, the cast of today's show was superb and the voices were sensational. Not a false or strained note to be found! Just superb!
Francois: What a pity you don't have a DVD player. Warner Brothers issued the restored "A Star is Born" a couple of years back. It's a gorgeous transfer with spacious stereo and lots of intriguing extras.
Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 10/19/2002 11:03 PM PST

P.S. That photo with Musetta shows the cast members I saw except the two at the top -- that's the "Red" cast Mimi and Rodolfo. Everyone else was in whatever color cast I saw!
Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 10/19/2002 11:04 PM PST

P.P.S. No, Miss Vickie (Lee)(Lester) was named "Victoria" by her original family. I acquired her when she was three and living in a three-cat household where she was decidedly the underdog to two larger toms, plus an unfriendly human male who disliked her intensely. She was her mama's kitty. Her mama, however, knew I had a male for which I was seeking a companion. She Vickie joined my household, made my male cat miserable for a few months, and then everything/everyone settled down. My male cat (love of my life) came to me when he was four weeks old. His name was Dickens. He and Vickie were living with my parents while I lived in an apartment that didn't accept pets. Sadly, he was struck and killed by a car before two months before I moved to my current apartment where my cat(s) were welcome.
Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 10/19/2002 11:10 PM PST

Good morning, everyone. Quite a night here in the Old Dominion. I closed Evita at AU earlier tonight, and headed back down I-95 about 10:30 towards Richmond. Well, after listening to some music on the local NPR station, I decided to turn to the all news station to see if there was any traffic on the way south. There was. There was another shooting, this time in Ashland, VA, which is 15 miles north of Richmond. They kept saying there would be slow spots, but I hadn't encountered any at that time yet.
Well, I started noticing a cluster of cars on the road ahead of me, and then saw three cars at the front with flashing lights. It turned out to be one of the FBI tactical teams on the way to the crime scene. So, actually, I ended up making some good time to Ashland, at least, since we were all "following" the police cars. But once I did reach Ashland, the traffic came to a standstill. The northbound traffic was a parking lot for about a ten mile stretch - very eerie to see that. Thankfully, the backup only added an hour to my time, and I was more than happy to deal with the inconvenience considering the circumstances. I made it home safely, and here I am catching up on today's notes...
So, I just had to "share" this news with everyone. I got a bit freaked out on the drive back. It was amazing to see police pulling over white vans and trucks. It was appalling to see other drivers flashing their high beams so that they could pass people, when there was no way they could really pass anyone with the police cars up ahead. And then all those idiots who would try to cut around on the shoulder, only to be stopped by the police.
-And my parents flew to the Philippines earlier this week for a family funeral, and with the current situation over there...
Needless to say, it's not been the best "mental health" week for me... or anyone else in the DC Metro area... Or Bali... Or Australia.
On the brighter side of things, the show went very well. As I've said before, the students really came through. The director/choreographer and I treated the production as a "production" not a student production, and they rose to the challenge.
Well, once again, thanks for letting me share. I'm OK, just a bit frazzled, and with the late hour here, it's been a bit hard to find anytone to share with, to de-stress with.
Jason, my thought are with you and your friends, Mo and Alex.
It is truly wonderful knowing that there is wonderful circle of friends here on the web who do care. Who care enough to care.
Thank you.
Posted by Jose C. Simbulan @ 10/20/2002 12:38 AM PST

Good morning everyone. Francois (sorry, I've forgotten how to do the cedilla, despite my cedilla-fest some days ago) - what time do you get up?? Or were you on the night shift?
Kids in films - I think the little boy in 'Whistle Down The Wind' is hilarious. The bit where he wants to name his cat 'Spider' is great. Not an actor, apparently, just a local kid.
And the kid in The Sixth Sense is very good - in a spooky sort of way.
Posted by Allan @ 10/20/2002 01:32 AM PST

Someone give Bruce his
wake-up call! 10am and no
notes... most unseemly.
Posted by Jed @ 10/20/2002 09:58 AM PST

I just saw The Yearling again and LOVED it as much as ever. What ever happened to the youngster who played Jodie?
Posted by Lilly (Lovee Dovee) @ 08/19/2003 11:04 AM PST

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