Posted by Jrand55 @ 11/14/2002 07:44 AM PST

Hi, Susan, how is everything at Dolls, Inc?

Posted by Jrand55 @ 11/14/2002 07:45 AM PST

I had three actors drop out of my "Reefer Madness" musical a week before opening. They thought they could bring the production down. They failed miserably. Within 48 hours we had replacements, all of them superior to the originals, and we played to SRO audiences for our entire run.

I think my piece of music would have to be Theme from a Summer Place in the Percy Faith incarnation. It still is major "comfort music" to me.

Posted by JMK @ 11/14/2002 07:59 AM PST

Bruce, your mention of stolen hours brings to mind a favorite story I used to read as a child, called:

The Lost Half Hour

The Princess of this small province oversleeps one day and, upon awakening, remarks, "Oh, my! I've lost a half hour!" Whereupon the simpleton of the palace, much to everyone's amusement, offers to go find it for her and sets out on a journey to do just that. Ultimately, he comes to Father Time, that kind old bearded gentleman, who gives him the truant half hour in a jar to take back with him to the palace. When he arrives back, he discovers that, just 30 minutes earlier, the Princess had been kidnapped and the palace burned to the ground by the fearful fire-breathing dragon. Remembering the jar that Father Time had given him, he quickly opens it, releasing the lost half hour, thus turning back the clocks thirty minutes, just in time to save the Princess and the palace from their terrible fate. Of course, she marries the simpleton and they live happily ever after. The End.

Now, wasn't that a lovely story?

Posted by Susan Gordon @ 11/14/2002 08:16 AM PST

Hi Jrand. You asked about Dolls, Inc. It seems that Mr. Franz got his comeuppance, the factory was closed down, and now I have no one to fix my dollies. Whatever am I talking about?

Posted by Susan Gordon @ 11/14/2002 08:36 AM PST

Maybe the cat the matchbox will make you feel better.

Posted by Jrand @ 11/14/2002 08:46 AM PST

Oh dear, I am in a similar quandry to that of BK and "the story" in that my tale of dirt-doing is an ongoing situation, the details of which I cannot divulge publicly. However, with a bit of rewriting, it is possible to give the flavor of the episode.

Once upon a time there was a Nice Couple who were, through no fault of their own, set upon by the people of the town in which they lived. Eventually this Nice Couple moved to another town where the neighbors were (mostly) much nicer, the air was cleaner, the trees taller, and life in general more beautiful.

Upon their arrival the Nice Couple was welcomed by Another, Younger Couple who lavished them with attention and asked to be their friends. The Nice Couple were delighted and immediately set about doing favors for the Other Couple, hoping to cement their relationship. The Nice Couple was aware that the Other Couple was doing many things that the Constable would think were Not Nice, or even Naughty. But that did not bother the Nice Couple.

As time wore on, the Nice Couple began to suspect that the Other Couple had been cheating them and stealing from them. But when confronted, the Other Couple said, "Oh, not us. We are a Nice Couple."

The evidence became clear. The Other Couple took away the Nice Couple's property, openly and blatantly and then said "Moi?", feigning innocence.

So the Nice Couple took their property back.

And the Other Couple got into a rage and made threats and began to attack the Nice Couple. The Nice Couple called the Constable, but the Other Couple said, "Look here, Mr. Constable, that Nice Couple tried to kill us, poor innocent us. Put that Nice Couple in jail so we will be safe."

And so began an continuous nightmare for the Nice Couple. But after a year of attempts to ease the situation, the Nice Couple found that the Other Couple wanted nothing but total revenge.

And so what did the Nice Couple do? Reluctantly, and with a twinge of conscience, they realized that what they must do was to tell the Constable's Überconstable some not-very-nice things about the Other Couple, in order for the Constable to realize who was Naughty and who was Nice.

To be continued. (And ended soon, I hope.)

Posted by William F. Orr @ 11/14/2002 09:58 AM PST

I've been errant and truant for a few days. Is my punishment not being able to understand ANYTHING in people's posts????

Posted by Allan @ 11/14/2002 10:03 AM PST

William F. Orr--sounds like a Warner Brothers melodrama if ever I've seen one. Are you sure you're not "that" Orr? ;)

Posted by JMK @ 11/14/2002 10:15 AM PST

JMK:

Interesting you should say that. I've told my Joe that, once this mess is over, we have to sew up the movie rights. 8-)>

Posted by William F. Orr @ 11/14/2002 10:53 AM PST

And I've SEEN what you do to your dollies!!! (in-joke)

Posted by Walter @ 11/14/2002 11:02 AM PST

I had a couple of bosses who did me DIRT! But I have taken the advice of my dear nephew -- to let all that negative energy go! So, alas I shall not write about the Nazi in Nylons!

As to what got me hooked on music was my very first album purchase. I was a mere 12 years old and the album was Elton John's Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player. Everything about that album fascinated me -- the music, the lyrics and gee, even the album cover. Ah, just the thought of said album gives me goose bumps.

Wow, this is the most I've ever posted on HHW. Thank Gawd those furballs have cleared up!

Posted by Angela D. @ 11/14/2002 11:47 AM PST

As a regular poster on this here site I have to also say that today's post are stranger than usual. Not that there's anything wrong with that...

The worst thing that anyone did to me was done unintentionally many years ago when I was directing a production of Al Carmine's THE FAGOTT in Buffalo. (By the way, Carmines seems to be totally forgotten today, but from the late 60s to the mid 70s he was off-Broadway's most prolific composer.) I had never worked with most of the cast and discovered that punctuality was not one of their assets. Since nobody was being paid, I had no way of disciplining them other than kicking them out and I had nobody to replace them with. Finally after three weeks of rehearsal and putting up with this every night I was fed up. It was an hour after the scheduled time and only three or four of the nine or ten people scheduled for that night were there. I just walked out. My retribution was leaving them without a director. I guess they managed to get the show on, but from what I heard it was an under-rehearsed mess.

On a similar note, years later I was living in Las Vegas for a short time and applied to direct a show at some ranch outside of town where they did a series of musicals every year. The one stipulation was that it be a family friendly show. I chose the musical version of I REMEMBER MAMA (Richard Rodgers last show) and after selling the hell out of it to a bunch of society women who were in charge (wait a minute - Las Vegas Society Women? - what an oxymoron) this show and I were selected for a spot that summer. Only then was I told that I had to cut the show to no more than ninety minutes and eliminate the intermission! I refused and the show and I were replaced by the family friendly SWEET CHARITY.

Posted by William E. Lurie @ 11/14/2002 11:48 AM PST

Was it the Chicken Ranch?

Posted by Jrand @ 11/14/2002 12:05 PM PST

Strange posts - yes, it's good to have strange posts with interesting stories sometimes, which is why I did today's topic. I'm fascinated by the subject of people who do dirt to people and how people either do or do not get back at them.

Posted by bk @ 11/14/2002 12:07 PM PST

No Jrand, the Chicken Ranch is in Texas.

Posted by William E. Lurie @ 11/14/2002 12:25 PM PST

Can't really remember who really "did me wrong".
Has have any of our dear readers read "The Thief Of Always" by IMHO, the great Clive Barker? That of course was my time stealing reference.
My earliest musical memories from radio were songs like "Sweet Violets" (Dinah Shore) and "Bimbo" (Jim Reeves).For music that that now matters - It was the music from "Kismet". My first taste of musical theatre.
Just thought of a "wrong". It caused me to choose between friendships - Loyalty and trust won hands down. I lost a friend (but suspect the friendship was not worth as much as I had thought). The "wrong" was I suspect only seen by me - but my values are important and I think I am far too forgiving at times.
Why is Allan posting at this time of the day? I shall ponder that question. Next thing you know, Kerry will post in the middle of the day and Francois will appear on a Wednesday.

Posted by Tom from OZ @ 11/14/2002 12:30 PM PST

The worst personal betrayal I ever experienced was when a colleague who was running the major Equity theatre in town hired me to be the development director. After achieving all my goals and then some, she orchestrated my firing on the grounds I wasn't doing my "job as expected." The real story was that she perceived me as a threat (she really didn't know what she was doing) but was savvy enough to make sure I wasn't around.

As BK always reminds us, Karma takes care of all things and a few months later she was fired by her Board.

"And I felt nothing....'

Posted by Philip Crosby @ 11/14/2002 12:48 PM PST

JMK
I just went to Footlights' website to look for the CD of your Reefer Madness show. Well, only the other one was there. But as long as I was at the site, I began going through the alphabetic listings and went on a veritable orgy of CD buying--and it's all your fault.

But not to worry, I found your CD. You should let all and sundried know that it is to be found under G for "Going to Pot".

And really, most of the CD's I just bought were ones that had been on my "must buy" list for some time.

Posted by William F. Orr @ 11/14/2002 12:59 PM PST

Geography being what it is....isn't Texas in Nevada?

Posted by Jrand @ 11/14/2002 01:00 PM PST

I'm a little confused. Is there already a Reefer Madness musical out there?

Posted by Brandon @ 11/14/2002 01:02 PM PST

Regarding Reefer Madness, as Dorothy Gale once said in Munchkinland, they "come and go so quickly around here." The "other" version flopped off-Broadway not too long ago -- even with a stellar cast. I never got downtown to see it.

Posted by Robert Armin @ 11/14/2002 01:10 PM PST

There are many, many, many (that is three many's) "Reefer Madness" musicals out there. We did not discover them until we did our copyright search. The funniest thing we found in that search was an industrial film about refrigeration called "Refer Madness." Are you laughing yet? If you want to get my show (the CD is basically a glorified demo, so don't expect huge production values), email me, I can get it for you wholesale (ooh, a Harold Rome reference).

Posted by JMK @ 11/14/2002 01:10 PM PST

The REEFER MADNESS that played about a year ago at the Variety Arts was a case of a very good cast with very mediocre material. Michelle Pawk absolutely stole the show (as she is doing now in HOLLYWOOD ARMS). The problem was you can't spoof a spoof.

Posted by William E. Lurie @ 11/14/2002 01:23 PM PST

Oh, my dear Robert Armin, your quote from Dorothy Gale sent me off on a Google search, and I just had to share what I found with someone. The web site is:
http://www.apfn.org/apfn/oz.htm
and it tells you how L. Frank Baum was a Satanist member of the Illuminati, and the Oz books (and movie--Judy Garland was a part of the conspiracy) are an insidious mind-control plot that involves (among others) Adolph Hitler, Mahatma Ghandi, Elvis Presley, and Charles Manson.

All most educational. What would we do without the Internet?

Posted by William F. Orr @ 11/14/2002 01:25 PM PST

I knew that Charles Manson conspired with the Beach Boys, but I didn't know he fraternized with Elvis, too! Not to mention Adolph and Mahatma!!!! Is there nowhere safe to run?

Posted by Robert Armin @ 11/14/2002 01:29 PM PST

Are you offering a reward for the stolen hours?

Posted by Kerry @ 11/14/2002 01:41 PM PST

The soundtracks of the Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, the Broadway casts of Fiddler on the Roof and Hair, The Nutcracker Suite, the opera Hansel and Gretel, and The Mikado all got me hooked on music. There was a time when I knew the score to musicals lyric perfect. What song did I chose to sing around the house? it was from Hair. I had no idea at the time what those lyrics ment. The song? Sodomy. And come to think of it, I still don't know what those lyrics mean.

Posted by Michael Shayne @ 11/14/2002 01:56 PM PST

Michael:

I could explain it to you, but this is a family-oriented site. And I don't mean the Manson family. (Sondheim reference, sort of)

Posted by William F. Orr @ 11/14/2002 01:59 PM PST

William F:

What explain?
Show!!!

Posted by Michael Shayne @ 11/14/2002 02:01 PM PST

Dirt has been done indeed. One of the worst examples of that happened some years ago. My partner and I had a restaurant featuring entertainment. We worked very hard for about a year and a half (with a lot of really great people who also worked very hard and wanted to be a part of it) to get the thing ready (not taking any money in the interim so as to use it for the restaurant). After being open about six months (in its new incarnation), we went to work one day to find the doors locked by the sheriff. The two brothers who financed the thing had not paid the bills and ran off with our money and the other backers' money. They did the same thing with a couple of other places across the country, so we were not the only ones. We ended up very broke and very bitter.
The outcome? We did not have to do a thing. Karma took care of it all. The brothers were sued by some of the backers in another state. The older brother had everyting put in the younger's brother name, and the older brother disappeared. (The whole family was right out of "The Little Foxes.") So the younger brother ended up in prison for awhile. Both brothers ended up bankrupt and died of AIDS some years later. It was nice to witness the laws of retribution in action, and although I hated them, I don't think I would have wished that on them. There is still the younger sister of that family; last I heard she had put her father in a home somewhere so she could sell his home and investments from under him and skip town. The Little Foxes indeed. Where's Lillian Hellman when you need her?

On to brighter topics: the music that inspired me as a kid:

Theme from "A Summer Place"

The cast albums of "Annie Get Your Gun," "South Pacific," "Flower Drum Song" and "My Fair Lady."

Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops version of "Jalousie"

Posted by Kerry @ 11/14/2002 02:07 PM PST

As for people who have done me dirt I have put it all in the past. I do not dwell on it. Old saying those that as you climb over as you go up the ladder will be the same people you will find as you go down.

Posted by Michael Shayne @ 11/14/2002 02:11 PM PST

Wow, say I. I've just been proofing Miss Donna Lynne Champlin's interview (up tomorrow) and it's great, full of wonderful stories about everything.

Posted by bk @ 11/14/2002 02:14 PM PST

I, too, remember singing "Sodomy" at the top of my lungs not knowing what the words meant. I didn't even know what some of the words were. So, Michael, if you find out what this stuff means, let me know.

Posted by Kerry @ 11/14/2002 02:45 PM PST

Don't forget to check out the Broadway Radio Show to find out how to enter to win 4 CDs from Decca Broadway....plus, the new radio show for Sunday features Mr Mark Bakalor with his 12 favorite showtunes (and a little suprise for your listening pleasure).....tune in!

Posted by Donald @ 11/14/2002 03:02 PM PST

Thanks for the info about the Reefer Madness musical. I found the official Reefer Madness musical website on the internet. The site is http://www.reefermadness.org They have video and sound clips from the musical there as well from the New York cast and the Los Angeles cast. I haven't yet seen the movie of Reefer Madness, although I have always wanted to but the DVD is $6.99 at the store so I will probably pick it up. Thanks again for the info.

Posted by Brandon @ 11/14/2002 03:04 PM PST

Re: The Song from Hair

Sodomy.

I was trying to be "tongue in cheek" when I said that I still did not know what the lyrics meant.

It took me a quite numbers of years afterwards I was banned from singing it in the house (and my local house of worship) to find out what they were. But that's another story for another topic.

Posted by Michael Shayne @ 11/14/2002 03:18 PM PST

I would love to comment on Michael's last post but this is a family friendly site.
I'll just leave it to Frank Mills.

Posted by Tom from OZ @ 11/14/2002 04:07 PM PST

I remember (Sondheim reference) watching the movie version of "A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum" while growing up in Colorado. At that time I had no idea who Stephen Sondheim was! When I was in middle school (after moving to Washington state), I went to the library and got the cast recordings of "Ain't Misbehivin'" and "Sweeney Todd." I didn't make the connection between "Forum" and "Sweeney" until much later. It wasn't until I'd discovered "A Little Night Music" (my 3rd Sondheim musical) that I started researching who this Sondheim guy was, which is how I discovered that he wrote "Forum." It was quite a revelation. Eventually I found (and bought) everything that he'd written and have been listening to his (and everyone else's) musicals ever since.

On the other topic: as far as I know, I ain't been wronged...as far as I know.

Posted by George @ 11/14/2002 04:52 PM PST

Temporary Madness: Tales From the Temporary Office Worker Files ...

One day, while I was on a temporary assignment as a receptionist/telephone operator, the Office Manager--a short, slick, sleazy, bald-headed man (think Danny DeVito)--slithered up to the desk and told me that I would be teaching the switchboard to someone new because the former receptionist would not be coming back. I thought this strange as I had only seen her the day before and she told me she was going on a two-week Hawaiian vacation.

Well, while I was in the middle of teaching the new person, the regular receptionist came into the office to pick up her paycheck. She took one look at the scene and asked me, "What's going on?" I told her and added, "I think he's trying to get rid of you behind your back." Instantly, I saw this very nice girl narrow her eyes, extend her height an additional two inches and march straight into the Manager's office. Voices were raised. This very nice girl was a tiger! The mealy-mouthed, chicken sh__ manager whined and whimpered and, although I couldn't see him, I imagined him cowering in a corner. I was so proud of my gender that day! She didn't back down and called his bluff! Wowee!

I don't remember what happened to the girl or the manager but I do remember the effect this episode had on me. I immediately called the temp agency and told them I refused to stay there another minute and be a party to such deviousness! The agency (to my utter surprise) agreed and stuck it to the company with some sort of breach of contract for not revealing the true nature of the job!

Posted by Donna @ 11/14/2002 07:00 PM PST

I remember (there's that Sondheim reference again) some of my first music being theatre and movie music. I saw Jeanette McDonald and Nelson Eddy movies and Jeanette in San Francisco and Judy on the trolley. I remember being mesmerized by one of the first film musicals I saw by myself in a theatre, West Side Story. As I've said before, I wanted to be a Jet when I grew up! "Strange how potent cheap music is" (Coward reference).

I am counting the days (a full 7 if you only count weekdays) until I begin my blissful 21 day vacation (21 work days not counting weekend days)! Hooray! Cheese, Ham, Pointy Hats, Horas and CAKE all around. From Wednesday November 27th through January 1st I will not be in my little office chair. I actually may not be here as often though since I won't be at a computer that is on for 8 hours. I will be volunteering at Broadway Cares for about two weeks helping to put together gift bags for people with AIDS. I'll be going up to Bridgeport, CT to see Anthony (my partner) in Babes in Toyland and we will be going out to Long Island for Christmas, celebrating with an authentic Christmas pudding with hard sauce. Ooooohhhh, I love it. I had it the first time in London in 1984 and have made it a point to have it whenever I can find it. There are two shops in the Village which sell authentic English crackers (the noisemakers, not food) and Christmas puddings and hard sauce, Tea and Sympathy Take Away and Myers of Keswick. I've gone every year for the past 3 years to indulge myself. It's wonderful. Don't know why but I'm in such a merry holiday mood and it's only November 14th. It shall continue, I hope through the end of the year! As I said before, Cake all around. You can never have enough cake, right Kerry?

Posted by Ben @ 11/14/2002 07:26 PM PST

Dirt? You want dirt? Hmm...

Well, I have been wronged, and, I will admit that I have wronged people - and, trust me, whatever karma had to catch up with me, caught up with me. But all in all, any dirt that has been directed at me has been minor.

The "dirtiest" thing to happen to me in the recent past occured last summer. I took a part time at a local amusement park managing a virtual reality game franchise stand. Well, after a week on the job, I was promoted to Manager status. After two weeks on the job, I was offered the Park Manager status. After two more weeks, I was offered the Regional Manager status - which I did not accept. Basically, I was the only true adult working who's parents weren't driving him to work, and who showed up to work on time. Well, after spending hours each week planning the next week's schedule, inevitably some last-minute shuffling had to be done. Well, towards the end of my term there, there was one week where I had three of my employees just decide to stop working. They all quit within a four day span. So, since I was now The Manager, I had to fill in those shifts. I actually worked 7 14-hour days in a row (on my feet, in the summer, outdoors), and on that pay period's paycheck I had accumulated 114 hours! Thankfully, my resignation was already in place, and I left that job with nary a trace of regret.

So, Phil... Nice little bit of intrigue regarding the local theatre scene in Richmond...

Posted by Jose C. Simbulan @ 11/14/2002 07:36 PM PST

Ben: Sounds like a lovely little - well, not so little - vacation you have planned for yourself. Enjoy! *I can't wait for mine in March - two weeks!

I forgot the music part of today's topic in my last post...

101 Strings, Montovani Strings, Reader's Digest Boxed Record Sets... I remember listening to my parents records growing up, and I particularly remember Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. However, my favorite was an RCA Living Stereo (I think) collection of various pop singers singing songs from Broadway. Barbra Streisand singing "I Got Plenty of Nuttin", and Edie Gourmet(sp?) singing "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" still stick in my head. -All backed up by Andre Kostalonetz(sp?) and His Orchestra, of course.

Posted by Jose C. Simbulan @ 11/14/2002 07:43 PM PST

With that line-up, Jose, it would have had to be a Columbia Records collection.

Posted by Sony Police @ 11/14/2002 09:11 PM PST

I've got dirt with a Stephen Sondheim reference:

Closing matinee of a production of FORUM in which I was Hysterium, our Miles Gloriosus (who shall remain nameless for obvious reasons) pulled a really despicable, painful, unprofessional and totally uncalled for piece of personal business onto the stage.
As I lay upon the bier, Mr. G. in his fit of despair PUNCHED me in a very sensitive area (since this is a family site, that area shall also remain namelss). I should add that sais punch could easily cause any red-blooded male extreme distress to even think about...
His reason? He was motivated by unrequited lust for me, and the person I was dating was in the audience and enjoying himself. Mr. G. and I had never even once "done anything" together, I repeat, not once even remotely in the romance line, so needless to say, the punch was totally unexpected as well as painful. For the remainder of the show, i changed my entrances and exits (think about all that that entailed in FORUM) as well as quickly moving my personal belongings to a different dressing room to avoid any further contact with that hideous actor. But, believe me, I remained perfectly calm and in character - though I probably ran a little slower in the chases - until the final bows.
My revenge? None. I attended the closing cast party with my suitor, had a great time in a swimming pool, and never spoke once, nor came anywhere near the actor.

Posted by td @ 11/14/2002 09:23 PM PST

Guess what! I just got back from my fencing class, and there was a reporter there from a magazine called Women in Sports. She was doing a story on fencing and she interviewed me and my friend Naomi and took pictures for a future issue. Isn't that just too too? I am jiggy with excitement!

Posted by Sandra @ 11/14/2002 09:39 PM PST

I've reread Ms. Susan Gordon's wonderful story from earlier today. I've had to after reading all those tragic tales of folks who done other folks wrong!

I am relieved to report that nothing "dirty" has ever been done to me directly other than the typical stuff of lustful youth and betrayals of hearts and stuff of that nature.

I've learned to spot the flighty, the over-solicitous, the leeches and the insincere. I honor commitments and don't take it to heart if others don't. I simply don't mess with those who cannot keep their word. They can't help it, apparently. If I'm stood up, I manage to have a wonderful time on my own, meeting other great people while I'm at it.

The best thing I ever learned was that my happiness never has to be dependent upon anyone but myself!

It's always great to share it, but I never force my happiness on anyone.

: )

Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 11/14/2002 10:36 PM PST

Dirt has indeed been done to
me, but any stories would
require lengthy explainations
of various details of my life...so
I shall refrain.
As for what got me hooked on
music...it's tough to say. Both
of my parents are musicians,
so I can't remember a time
when music wasn't there. But
my mother tells a story of me
when I was just a toddler. She
was driving over the Cascades
with me in my car seat...and all
at once she heard me singing
"The hills are alive with the
sound of music" from the back
seat. Oddly enough, I was in
tune. So I guess "Sound Of
Music" would be the first
music that made an
impression on me.

Posted by Anya @ 11/14/2002 10:48 PM PST

Once upon a time, there was a nice lady. She always tried to be nice, honest, helpful, friendly, and patient. She had been spending a lot of time trying to help someone put the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle together. She was very persistent and very patient. One day, a young man came along and with one fell swoop, he swept all the puzzle pieces onto the floor and ruined the puzzle forever. The nice lady was very disappointed when she found out what happened, but the owner of the puzzle said, "Oh, but I love him!" The nice lady wished someone would come and kick the young man's butt to the Netherlands, and she decided never to bother helping anyone with puzzles ever again. The end.

Posted by . @ 11/15/2002 12:09 PM PST