haines his way

12/02/2002:
"CHOMPING AT THE BIT"

Well, dear readers, we had another splendidly splendid Unseemly Live Chat last night. It was wild and wooly and also wooly and wild, let me tell you that. For example, everyone said what kind of knickers they were wearing. Now, how many sites have information like that? Our very own Leslie Kritzer stopped by again and told us she’d begun rehearsing for Tell Me On a Sunday (she’s standing by for our very own Alice Ripley). Dirt was dished and dished was dirt. I had to leave after twenty minutes, to attend a dinner party, but the chat was still going on two-and-a-half hours later when I returned.
Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it’s back to work I go. They have informed me that I will either finish up on Friday or one week from Friday (I tend to think it will be the latter, but who knows). In any case, then I can get back to writing full time, which I’m looking forward to. I shall wrap up all my various and sundried projects within a few short weeks. Over the last couple of weeks I completed another thirty count them thirty pages of the Benjamin Kritzer sequel and I’ve given them to my pal Margaret to get her seal of approval, or at the very least her dolphin of approval. I must say, the chapters are longer in this book. I’m really only about eighty pages away from finishing, at least that’s how it appears, although you never really know until you write the last sentence. It’s definitely longer than the last book, probably by fifty or sixty pages. I’m quite nervous to go back and read this from the beginning, although as I’ve gone along and gone back and reread and revised things it seems okay to me so far.
Luckie is back at her other home. I had her from last Tuesday until tonight. She was just fine and dandy until today, when she went into one of her “nervous” modes and peed whenever I opened my mouth, even though I was being gentle and kind. However, when the fellow came to get her, she really didn’t seem to want to leave, a first for her.
Well, I have an idea. What do you all think of this: Let’s all click on the Unseemly Button below because honestly we haven’t done that since yesterday and I know we are all chomping at the bit, oh, yes, we are chomping at the bit to do so.

If all goes as planned, we should have Show Music’s very own Max Preeo’s Unseemly Interview up by Friday. If not, the following Friday for sure. It’s going to be a really great interview with lots of revealing factoids and the real skinny about what happened. Not the real fat, mind you, but the real skinny and I know we are all chomping at the bit to read it.
Also, give a listen to Donald’s brand spanking new radio show with special guest Jana Robbins, currently on tour with Tale of the Allergist’s Wife.
If you missed any of this weekend’s revealing notes, be sure to peruse them for many interesting and never-before-written factoids. Also, many fine posts this weekend so catch up on those, too.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must begin my last week or two of work and I must chomp at the bit because those who do not chomp at the bit are simply not with it, not happening, not in with the in crowd, not ginchy, not cool, man, cool. Today’s topic of discussion: Burke and Van Heusen were a wonderful songwriting team, and they both wrote excellent songs with others, too – what are your favorite Burke and Van Heusen songs (and throw in a few written with their other collaborators or alone). I’ll start: No contest – Here’s That Rainy Day. The rest I leave to you, so post away and post often and I shall return with pithy musings in a while.

Replies: 45 Unseemly Comments

Yes it was a wonderful chat last night! LOL...even though I was gone after one hour. And Susan Gordon's take on Sprinkles was amazing and colossal! 8-D
Posted by Jrand55 @ 12/02/2002 07:21 AM PST

Oh yes.. one must never forget Sprinkles... My favorite was Sandra/Laura's.. but that's just my humble opinion...
Posted by Craig @ 12/02/2002 07:32 AM PST

Personally, I loved our new musical numbers inspired by thongs.
Thong's a lot Hainsies!
Posted by With a smile and a thong @ 12/02/2002 07:36 AM PST

Ok... if you haven't had a chance to listen to the new Broadway Radio show with Jana Robbins, do it NOW. Such a talent and I (personally) loved all the music presented on the Broadway Radio Show. Such a talent. Give it a listen!
Posted by matthew @ 12/02/2002 08:58 AM PST

The best part about the chat was definitely the sprinkles! :)
Posted by Jennifer @ 12/02/2002 09:11 AM PST

Only 6 days until BK's birthday. Plenty of time to practice your hora.
Posted by The count @ 12/02/2002 09:40 AM PST

Well, for those of us who weren't there, someone fill us in about the sprinkles.
Posted by bk @ 12/02/2002 09:48 AM PST

I'm still laughing about the sprinkles bit. In fact, I'm getting the evil eye from the librarian because I'm laughing too loud.
Posted by Sandra @ 12/02/2002 09:49 AM PST

The sprinkles thing is really very complicated. I don't know if I could explain it to you, bk.
Posted by someone who knows about the sprinkles @ 12/02/2002 09:53 AM PST

I dunno Bruce.. maybe you should have stayed or stopped by instead of giving into the evil temptations of breaking the diet...
Sandra - you just tell her that the evil eye can't hurt someone who has sprinkle knowledge!
Posted by Craig @ 12/02/2002 10:08 AM PST

On Topic
Ditto on "Here's That Rainy Day" (a great song for a singer to interpret if (IMHO) it's not sung too slowly--otherwise it sounds like a dirge). A favorite of theirs I particularly love is "Like Someone in Love."
Two other favs Johnny Burke wrote with others:
What's New? (Burke and Robert Haggart)
The Moon Got in my Eyes (Burke and Arthur Johnston)
It seems Johnny Burke used "Moon" in a lot his lyrics with Van Heusen:
Moonlight Becomes You
Polka Dots and Moon Beams
Oh, You Crazy Moon
Got the Moon in My Pocket
Posted by Donna - Cabaret West @ 12/02/2002 10:24 AM PST

I have been filled in on the sprinkles - you naughty people. Not nearly as much fun, in my opinion (IMO, in Internet lingo) as the discussion of the knickers or the thongs. We're currently looking into archiving the live chats and I'll keep you posted as to the progress. Also, the Max Preeo interview will most likely not be finished in time for Friday because he wants to take his time and answer all my deep and probing questions with deep and probing answers.
Posted by bk @ 12/02/2002 10:26 AM PST

Here's a thought.. what if there were thong knickers with sprinkles - how naughty! Can we even post such naughty things here at HainesHisWay? Is there a "rating" to this website? Is it PG-13?
Remember what we said last night Bruce - "No Thong's gonna harm you.. not while we're around"
Posted by Craig @ 12/02/2002 10:31 AM PST

I thought of you while I was walking around the mall today, BK. I was in the calendar shop, and I saw one called "Women in Thongs." Let's see, you have a birthday coming soon, don't you?
Posted by Laura @ 12/02/2002 10:40 AM PST

I have to agree with BK on "Here's That Rainy Day" as being the best of the Burke/Van Heusen collaboration. But I'd put "But Beautiful" right up there, too.
Posted by Pam @ 12/02/2002 10:50 AM PST

Love But Beautiful, and no one has mentioned one of my other faves, Swingin' on a Star. They were really great, right up there with Livingston and Evans. Let's have some more choices.
Posted by bk @ 12/02/2002 10:54 AM PST

Hey I got my King Lear paper back today and I got an A. How in sprinkles did that happen? I didn't even read it!
I think this calls for a celebration. Break out the beloved Cherry Coke and Jello No-Bake peanut butter dessert!
Posted by Sandra @ 12/02/2002 10:59 AM PST

Congratulations, Dear Reader Sandra!
Now for that Pair o' Dice Lost paper. Just try to picture Satan played by Jerrry Lewis, and you'll be fine.
Posted by William F. Orr @ 12/02/2002 11:03 AM PST

I'd love to be able to join in the weekly chats, but I will not contaminate my computer with anything from AOL. I downloaded the software before the first chat and it went into my address book and did God knows what with all the addresses until the computer crashed. I re-booted and several AOL programs popped up as part of the startup. I then removed everything I had downloaded and will not try again.
Many sites --- much smaller and not nearly as popular as this one --- have chatrooms as one of the options on the site. That way in addition to specially scheduled chats, people can chat any time they want. Isn't there some way that this could be added to HHW so everyone who wants to join in can do so without using AOL.
Re Burke and VanHusen, I'm not sure if these songs were written by both or only one but (in addition to the aforementioned "Rainy Day") I like "Swinging On a Star", "I Only Miss Her When I Think of Her", "Personality" and the title song from "Thoroughly Modern Millie" (film version).
Posted by William E. Lurie @ 12/02/2002 11:13 AM PST

Thanks Kerry & Ron. Messages received. Guess I have to leave it up to Michael to sort out now.
B & VH Songs
"Aren't You Glad You're You" ans "Swinging On A Star" are delightful.
If I wrote down all the Cahn/VH great songs I would be taking up too much of my internet time!
Good to hear about the "A" for Lear DR Sandra.
"Women In Thongs" sounds like a C grade Ida Lupino movie.
The Eurovision Thong festival is to be held in May in Latvia. I guess you needed to know that. OK It is a song festival.
Posted by Tom from OZ @ 12/02/2002 11:49 AM PST

The sprinkles are top secret! Whoever revealed the plot is in big trouble :)
Jennifer, who figured BK would think we were crazy Sprinkleheads
Posted by Jennifer @ 12/02/2002 11:51 AM PST

Donald,
Another wonderful Radio Show has made an afternoon of grading papers tolerable. Enjoyed hearing you chat with Jana. I saw her as Mazeppa at the Papermill and purchased her CD there, after recognizing her from the Babylon 5 episode, where she played an ambassador.
Keep brightening my afternoons. Can we please have a new radio show every day? Or maybe two? I know, I know, as soon as Bruce hires you a staff.
Posted by William F. Orr @ 12/02/2002 12:31 PM PST

Favourite Burke & Van Heusen songs are 'But Beautiful', especially as sung by Billie Holiday, and 'Like Someone In Love'. I also like 'Humpty Dumpty Heart' a little-known song featured on Justin Hayford's album 'Rare Find'.
But my all time favourite Van Heusen song, written with Johnny Mercer, is 'I Thought About You' - just lovely (even as sung by Michael Feinstein, Tom!).
By the way, I had exactly the same error message as Michael when I emailed Tom from my personal email, but from my work email it's fine. Bizarre - I know not from technology.
Posted by Allan @ 12/02/2002 12:34 PM PST

TV Alert
If you get the cable channel TRIO, tonight and every night this week at 7:00 pm and 10:00 pm EST (4:00 pm and 7:00 pm PST) they will be showing episodes of "East Side, West Side", a 1964 series starring George C. Scott, Cicely Tyson and Elizabeth Wilson. This series is part of their "Why Good Shows Get Cancelled" series which will include several episodes of Ernie Kovacs later in the month. "East Side, West Side" was one of those quality series that was too good for the average television viewer who was too busy with "Beverly Hillbillies" and "Gomer Pyle" to bother with a realistic show about a New York social worker. I remember it and am looking forward to seeing if it is as good as I remember. If you have TRIO, give it a try.
Posted by William E. Lurie @ 12/02/2002 12:35 PM PST

I can't believe somebody caved.
We were supposed to be able to have our fun with "sprinkles" all day without spilling them, so to speak!
That broke the agreement we made, so no more of those for me!
No...no more untrustworthy agreements on the chat line.
Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 12/02/2002 12:40 PM PST

Well, it's happened. My history teacher said "hee-uh" 100 times today. It was a close call, though. She got all the way up to 99, and then the lecture was over. As we were all leaving the room, she said, "Oh, and the extra credit is due next week... [pause] ... hee-uh."
Isn't that exciting? Isn't that just too too?
Oh, and in case anyone is wondering, I started reading Paradise Lost today and the whole poem is just as confusing as that part William F. Orr remembered. All 10,563 lines. Oy...
Posted by Sandra @ 12/02/2002 12:57 PM PST

Dear Reader William Lurie, I am so jealous now of anyone with TRIO. I remember East Side, West Side as being a wonderful series....especially the episode "Who Do You Kill?" which featured--IIRC--James Earl Jones and Diana Sands as parents of a baby bitten by a rat who could not get a cab to take them to the hospital. What TV SHOULD be, and sometimes--but not often enough--is.
And don't get me started on Ernie Kovacs. A true pioneer. One of the greats. Back in the Laugh-In days, whenever anyone called that show "innovative" I strongly (only occasionally rudely) urged them to watch Kovacs, who did it all way before.
Posted by Pam @ 12/02/2002 12:59 PM PST

Well, I didn'tmake it for the sprinkles or the thongs, heck I didn't even make it for the tongs, or the Fu Manchu; BUT, I did make it to the chat, and though there were only six of us, we had quite time talking about "poofs." There were so many poofs, that I thought I had wandered into a Russian bordello by mistake.
Posted by td @ 12/02/2002 02:40 PM PST

I am nauseous. I have eaten nauseating food which has caused nauseousness in my very own stomach. I feel like barfing but I shall not barf because to barf is unseemly, especially in mixed company. Too add insult to injury, I am currently in the editing bay working on a piece within the episode I'm working on (SEX) which is about aphrodisiacs in food, and I'm watching all these nauseating closeups of people eating oysters and sausages with grapes and it's adding insult to injury, oh, yes it's adding insult to injury and vice versa.
Now, we've had enough of a lull so let's resume the pithy postings.
Posted by bk @ 12/02/2002 02:52 PM PST

Poor BK. Close your eyes and think of England.
Posted by Jrand55 @ 12/02/2002 03:12 PM PST

I have thought of England and now I am thinking of bangers and mash and therefore am more nauseous than ever.
Now, just where in tarnation IS everyone. We must start our Monday and new month off with a bang and mash. We need more posts for my mental delectation.
Posted by bk @ 12/02/2002 04:20 PM PST

Bruce,
Just what do you expect?
You ask people to name their favorite Burke and Van Heusen, then you mutter some crap about "Here's That Rainy Day",
when every right-thinking American knows that there's only one answer--"The Road To Morocco". How many songs can you mention that boast containing "Dorothy Lamour" in the lyric?
One. That's all. We all know it.
But everyone but me is too polite to mention it.
Hence, the dearth of posts.
What can I tell you?
Posted by mark rothman @ 12/02/2002 04:42 PM PST

The first (actually, the only) time that I'd been to New York was in December 1995. It was a trip with a local children's theatre group that goes every other year and anyone could go. We flew into whichever airport we flew into, rode the bus to our hotel (on 48th & 8th), dropped all of our luggage into our rooms, walked to Times Square to the TKTS booth and looked at what shows were available at a discount that night. We all wanted to go as a group and someone asked "What's SWINGING ON A STAR?" Someone else said, "I'm not sure, but I think it's a musical." Then for whatever reason, we all decided to go to this show that no one knew anything about. It turned out to be a revue of Johnny Burke songs and it was fabulous! The performers were great, the Crosby/Hope/Lamour "Road To..." medley was so well done and the overall show was excellent. It was one of the highlights of my trip to New York!
Two of my favorite Johnny Burke songs are "Pennies From Heaven" (which I've performed over the years) and "His Rocking Horse Ran Away" (which I haven't). I don't know who co-wrote the songs, though.
Posted by George @ 12/02/2002 04:57 PM PST

Favorite Burke & Van Heusen song: "Here's That Rainy Day". -Of course, there are probably a bunch of other songs I like by them, but probably just don't know that they wrote them.
-And isn't "Here's That Rainy Day" Johnny Carson's favorite song?
Well, we start the three "10 out of 12s" tomorrow at 11:00. I'll check in when I can.
*And for those of you who buy Le Creuset cookware - I went to the outlet mall today, and while in the Le Creuset shop, the saleslady informed me that they are discontinuing the Citrus and Black colors, so... Well, since they had overstock on some of those items, they were placed on the Factory Seconds shelf - even though they they are first quality products. So, besides being marked down to the seconds price, there was an additional 30% taken off at the register for the holiday sale. Thankfully, I did show some restraint and only bought two pieces.
Posted by Jose C. Simbulan @ 12/02/2002 06:38 PM PST

Favorite Burke & Van Heusen song: "Here's That Rainy Day". -Of course, there are probably a bunch of other songs I like by them, but probably just don't know that they wrote them.
-And isn't "Here's That Rainy Day" Johnny Carson's favorite song?
Well, we start the three "10 out of 12s" tomorrow at 11:00. I'll check in when I can.
*And for those of you who buy Le Creuset cookware - I went to the outlet mall today, and while in the Le Creuset shop, the saleslady informed me that they are discontinuing the Citrus and Black colors, so... Well, since they had overstock on some of those items, they were placed on the Factory Seconds shelf - even though they they are first quality products. So, besides being marked down to the seconds price, there was an additional 30% taken off at the register for the holiday sale. Thankfully, I did show some restraint and only bought two pieces.
Posted by Jose C. Simbulan @ 12/02/2002 06:38 PM PST

Hmm... Double-posted again?!?!?!
Could it be the sprinkles?
-And I have absolutely no idea what that could mean. Hopefully, the chatters from last night will think that is funny.
????????
Posted by Jose C. Simbulan @ 12/02/2002 06:40 PM PST

Hee-uh, Dear Reader Sandra, is to a southern person what, um, like, you know is to folks in other areas of the country.
She either meant she wanted the papers "here" meaning on her desk, or she inflected and meant "hear?" meaning she was hoping y'all were paying attention!
: )
Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 12/02/2002 06:41 PM PST

Oops...almost forgot one of the most important uses of "here" -- when you say it twice, with indignation "Here! Here!" Make it a little nasal. It means what the goldurned heck is going on!
Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 12/02/2002 06:42 PM PST

Everyone out there must be swinging on stars. It has been two hours since I last checked in and not much more to read. Thanks BK, Mark & George.
I love Chrsitmas songs and have far too many CDs by far too many people - some who should not have tried! I could not resist another today. "Ringo Starr Wants To Be Santa Claus". What am I doing? Of all the many, I still go back every year to the wonderful voice of Karen Carpenter.
Posted by Tom from OZ @ 12/02/2002 06:44 PM PST

And looked what happened whilst I was typing. A prawn again. Welcome back Ron. Hello Jose.
Posted by Tom from OZ @ 12/02/2002 06:45 PM PST

As the Divine Miss M used to say when she mentioned Karen Carpenter and the audience laughed: "Miss Carpenter has a lovely voice... it's her drumming that sucks!."
Posted by William E.Lurie @ 12/02/2002 06:50 PM PST

Yes,
Here's That Rainy Day" is a great song. Vera Lynn had a beautiful verrsion, and my Lyn Larsen plays a wonderful instrumental version.
Of other Burke-Van Heusen songs, I, too like "Swingin' On A Star." Other favorites (and these all seem to be Van Heusen without Burke) are "My Kind of Town," "Deep in a Dream," "Call Me Irresponsible."
And, although I was there for some of the chat, I too missed out on the sprinkles and thongs. Maybe that's a good thing.
Congrats toSandra on her King Lear paper. Question: Did you understand what you wrote? :>)
Posted by Kerry @ 12/02/2002 08:38 PM PST

Kerry, no I did not understand what I wrote, but the teacher did and that's all that counts.
Posted by Sandra @ 12/02/2002 09:59 PM PST

Poor BK. It must have been the thought of the Women In Thongs calendar I mentioned earlier that made him feel ill.
I just returned from a three-hour church board meeting. Isn't that just too-too? It was just sprinkles!
Posted by Laura @ 12/02/2002 11:03 PM PST

On an off-topic subject, I was just visiting BroadwayStars.com and it has the MOST amusing ad banner for this very Web site. Extremely clever. Congrats to BK and, I assume, Mr. Mark Bakalor.
Posted by Philip Crosby @ 12/03/2002 06:16 AM PST

Ask BK: Got a question? Ask Bruce Kimmel...

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