Haines His Way
Archives => Archive 2 => Topic started by: bk on June 10, 2004, 12:00:24 AM
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Well, you've read the notes, you've hurried through the notes, you've curried through the notes and now it is time to post and keep the home fries burning.
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I could live at EPCOT Center. And the best ride park is Cedar Point outside Cleveland in Sandusky, Ohio.
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I don't know why these two popped into my head, but I'll get the favorite-bio-pics topic going with "Serpico" and "Donnie Brasco," two real-life undercover-cop yarns. Why these two, I don't know. Because they both end with the letter "o"? Because they both feature Al Pacino (which also ends with "o")?
In addition to top-notch lead performances, both manage to generate a lot of suspense by getting their protagonists into one-man-against-the-world situations, and heaps of trouble. Suffice it to say that for me they both fulfill a requirement of any good bio-pic: "Would this story be worth telling if it WASN'T (more or less) true?"
As for strange showbiz bio-pics which I nevertheless enjoy, the one that comes to mind today is Jose Ferrer as Sigmund Romberg in "Deep In My Heart." It messes around with the facts (as showbiz bio-pics seem required to do) yet still manages NOT to justify itself plotwise. However . . . [1] Lots of nice music. [2] Gene and his brother Fred Kelly sing & dance together. [3] You simply haven't lived until you've seen the bizarre scene in which Romberg does a backer's-audition-type reading of a new show he's writing for Al Jolson, relating the entire plot, performing all roles and all songs, all by himself and seemingly all in one breath, Jolson-impression included.
(. . . and, bio-pic I'm most looking forward to, however cautiously, "De-Lovely.")
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I quite enjoyed those bio-pics about Gypsy Rose Lee and Fanny Brice.
As I kid I loved the Gene Krupa, Benny Goodman & Glenn Miller stories. Even the Eddy Duchin story I remember as being enjoyable. I also enjoyed "Lady Sing The Blues". I had no idea about the truth or fiction of the stories at the time so it was "entertainment".
I am looking forward to the Spacey take on Darin in "Beyond the Sea".
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Those spinning teacups at Disneyland have always been a favorite of mine. But that Snow White ride is way too scary. (How wimpy am I?)
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Let's hear it for the wimps. I hated every second of Space Mountain. I'm the sort who would rather be home watching Carousel than be riding one.
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I thought "Carve Her Name With Pride" was a wonderful movie. (Virginia McKenna). I couldn't find a listing for it in my Maltins's guide. Maybe it was released under another name in North America.
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Sorry I was E & T last night. I was trying to read the notes/posts but we had a bad thunderboomer (summer in Florada/late afternoon/early evening = thunderstorms) last night and I had to shut down before I could post.
I didn't even make it to my e-mails!
Talk with ya'll tonight (hopefully). I have pictures from the parade for the Lightning to share.
Hi Tom!
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Hi Danise! That could be hours later!
Just finished the last of "Angels In America".
Overhyped and non involving 6 hours of TV.
I felt "Nothing".
As a play it may have worked. For me on TV - NOT.
To each his own.
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Bio-pics? Would "The Miracle Worker" count?
I love just about anything to do with amusement parks--I'm obsessed with them. Unfortunately, I haven't been to one since I moved up here. There's a big one in New Jersey that I'd love to visit, but it's quite expensive and none of my friends like roller coasters (those wussburgers!), so I can't get anyone to go with me. :(
I particularly like the roller coasters where you let your feet dangle under you. I also enjoy the ones that are inside--they're very dark and you have no idea where you're going. I grew up going to Paramount's King's Island just outside of Cincinnati (the very park where the Bradys got Mike's blueprints mixed up with a poster and then ran all over the park--past the reproduction of the Eiffel Tower--only to find the blueprints in the canoe ride) and also Six Flags' Kentucky Kingdom in Louisville, which is actually a great park. I've always heard about Cedar Pointe and have wanted to go there, but it's too far away. Coney Island doesn't do it for me. I'm just sure that ferris wheel is going to tip over one day...
Off to work. I'm at the reception desk again today, so I'll have computer access all day long. Ciao for niao!
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One of my favorite bio-pics (aside from the aforementioned ones about Louise Hovick and Fannie Borach) is INTERRUPTED MELODY about Metropolitan star Marjorie Lawrence. Also, Susan Hayward chained to a roving piano as Jane Froman in WITH A SONG IN MY HEART.
I do enjoy a good amusement park ride, but usually pass on the overly "thrilling" ones......Space Mountain is about the strongest dose of amusement park thrills that I need. Though I did love "Imagination" at Epcot. At least I think that's what it's called. The one with that little green dragon, Figment.
Perhaps you should ask DR Jay about how treacherous Snow White's Scary Adventure can be..... :-)
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Outside of the Disney Parks, I'd say the California Universal Studios is the best (or was when I went there about 20 years ago). And one of the worst is the Florida Universal Studios. In California it is an actual movie studio with added attractions; in Florida it's a theme park where they shoot a couple of tv shows just so they can call it a studio.
If we can include television films, the Judy Garland biopic with Judy Davis is way up there.
And speaking of biography, did anyone see Bette Midler on A&E last night? Interesting clips and Bette looked great in her recent interview, but I really didn't learn anything new. I feel the same about Bette as I do about Babs... she still has the talent but has lost the knack of picking the best material. I don't mind "Wind Beneath My Wings" or "From A Distance", but not whole CDs of their type. I long for the variety that was on her first albums.
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I didn't check last night's late posts so this might have already been mentioned, but have other DRs seen the news from the AVENUE Q producers? Instead of a national tour they will be playing only one place outside of New York: Las Vegas!!! If the Vegas production were in addition to a tour it would be fine, but to keep a Tony®-winning musical out of all other cities for several years (as is the current plan) is not a good idea. Apparently even the writters just found out. I'm sure that it was not announced before so it would not lose the road presenters Tony® vote. I hope that they don't change the show, but knowing Vegas it will probably be cut down to 90 minutes without an intermission (to get people back to the casinos faster) and could add human nudity to the puppet nudity.
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Whew! What a lot of posts last night....and what a lot of information. Running, gay motorcyclists, Anthony's birthday, shakalaka, Hindi Parent Trap, Dominique, Sunrise and....well I could go on and on....
My favorite biopics:
Harlow with Carroll Baker, but not because it tells the truth about Jean Harlow
Frances with Jessica Lange but not because it tells the truth about Frances Farmer
And a couple already mentioned The Miracle Worker, Me & My Shadows.
Lawrence of Arabia, El Cid (was he real), King of Kings
ON THE RECORD one of the worst biopics I have ever seen in casting and writing was the tv movie Jayne Mansfield with Miss Loni Anderson.
Like DRJASON, I grew up going to King's Island in Ohio. They have wonderful roller coasters, including The Beast with at least 3 long drops, a tunnel, and a lean. I also like the log flume as it goes high into the trees and then drops into the water.
But MY favorite ride I have ever seen is the ride my brother Kent took when he was on top of a television table, and it went down the backstairs!
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Favorite amusement parks...well, STUMPS OF MYSTERY in Southern Oregon is rather amusing! LOL! Yes there really is a place called STUMPS OF MYSTERY!
I loved Disneyland and I loved Universal Studios, also. Knotts Berry Farm is fun. I guess that is all I have been to.
PS: To BK from yesterday...I own the Singing Nun's CD! LOL!
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I thought "Carve Her Name With Pride" was a wonderful movie. (Virginia McKenna). I couldn't find a listing for it in my Maltins's guide. Maybe it was released under another name in North America.
It seems it was not given a US release.
IMDB (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051454/) does list it and indicates that the only current source for the mater is a Region 2 Encoded DVD available form UK Amazon - a reviwer at IMDB notes:
"Virginia McKenna does a great job of portraying unsung British war heroine Violetta Szabo. Paul Scofield, perhaps the greatest actor of his generation, is equally magnificent as Tony. Lewis Gilbert allows the tale to unfold without much pomp and fanfare but with crisp direction and solid supporting performances, this merely adds to its power. The resilient score is also worth noting. Every time I finish watching this film, I cry, then I want to watch it again."
der Brucer
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Favorite biopics have already been mentioned: GYPSY and THE MIRACLE WORKER. Not surprising they were both Broadway plays since I'm a Broadway Baby at heart.
Of the composer musical biographies, I like TILL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY. It's SO over the top, but there are certainly wonderful sequences contained within the trite storytelling and that Technicolor is breathtaking. The film has been in the public domain for decades, so many prints out there are dismal and don't represent the film at its best. The MGM-produced laserdisc in their COMPOSER boxed set is the way to go. That's what the movie is supposed to look like!
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Favorite biopics: THE JOLSON STORY and JOLSON SINGS AGAIN. I know they have very little to do with reality, but I was obsessed with those movies when I was a kid. Saw them over and over again on television. Haven't seen them in years - would like to - but perhaps the memory is better than the film - who knows? (That's a rhetorical question.)
Amusement parks. Haven't been to that many. I guess I'd choose Disneyland on a rainy day when it's not crowded. Can't stand the crowds. Favorite ride - don't laugh at me - the Peter Pan Ride - it's magical.
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Well, I loved Disney-MGM in Orlando. Thought the Tower of Terror was one of the most fun thrill rides I've ever been on. We kept going back in and back in to enjoy it, and the Muppet 3-D experience is beautifully done. But all the Disney Parks in Orlando have wonderful attractions. We spent four days there and rode everything thrilling multiple times. The only one I didn't care for was Splash Mountain because you do get soaking wet and have to squish around the park until you dry. Not my idea of fun.
Another theme park I really loved was Busch Gardens in Tampa. They have a couple of roller coasters there that twist you in every conceivable direction, and they are another repeat experience ride for me.
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But MY favorite ride I have ever seen is the ride my brother Kent took when he was on top of a television table, and it went down the backstairs!
My first laugh of the day. Thank you!
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Today's debunking of yesterday's falsehhoods.
DEBUNK ONE
Sandra posted:
I know this doesn't have anything to do with anything, but every time I hear that thing about Lincoln, it makes me think of an argument I got in with my fourth grade teacher. She told us that Lincoln got his picture on the penny because he returned six cents to somebody. I raised my hand and asked why he didn't get his face on a six-cent coin. She said that we didn't have a six-cent coin because coins' values are all divisible by five. I said that the penny is worth one cent and that's not divisible by five. She told me to be quiet.
TRUTH - The teacher was flat ass wrong!
US Coinage has had 1/2 cent, 2 cent, and 3 cent coins (non of which are" divisible by five" (integrally, that is).
A Library of Coinage (http://www.ccjc.com/coin_information/library/a_library_of_united_states_coins.htm) describes:
Half Cents (1793 - 1857)
The half cent was the lowest denomination coin ever struck by the United States of America. The half cent was authorized for coinage on April 2, 1792. Originally, the weight was to have been 132 grains, but was changed to 104 grains by the Act of January 14, 1793, before coinage began. The weight was again changed to 84 grains on January 26, 1796 by presidential proclamation in conformity with the Act of March 3, 1795. Coinage was discontinued by the Act of February 21, 1857; perhaps because of inflation. All half cents were minted at the Philadelphia mint.
Two Cent Pieces (1864 - 1873)
The Act of April 22, 1864 changed the weight and composition of the cent. It also included a provision for a bronze two cent piece. The weight was specified as 96 grains using the same alloy as the cent.
Three Cent Pieces (1851 - 1889)
Three cent pieces were made by the United States in the later half of the nineteenth century. There were two types coined, that of silver composition and that of copper-nickel. From 1865 to 1873, both kinds were manufactured simultaneously.
der Brucer (who thinks maybe Lincoln should've had a six cent coin!)
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Dollywood's another fun amusement park. I never actually got to see La Parton at the park at any time, but you could just feel her...um...presence. There's a great environmental movie cinema there that shows a film about Dolly's rise to stardom. It's fun...when they talked about her growing up in the Tennessee mountains, flowers actually bloomed in the greenery and butterfly puppets flittered around the theater. It was really cool.
And then there's the roller coaster that's shaped like Dolly...two big humps and that's about it. Of course, I'm kidding...or am I?
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DEBUNK TWO
Sandra (again):
My brother would like to know why Frank Sinatra was called the Chairman of the Board, and frankly (see what I did there?) I would like to know too.
BK offers:
Because he was the Chairman of the Board - the leader, A-Number One, top of the hill. I, on the other hand, am the Chairman of the Bored.
which is clever, cute, and erroneous.
Robin chimes in with:
"Chairman of the Board" -- it's one of those nonsensical euphemisms someone made up...probably because it was more masculine than calling him "Old Blue Eyes" in introductions, etc.
is there a Gong I can wring - wrong again!
Jane tries to help with:
Keith says, because he was Chairman of the “Rat Pack”. Then he said to check out Google where I got a slightly different answer:
He originally recorded for Columbia Records in the 1940s but switched to Capitol Records in the 1950s. At Capitol, he worked with many of the finest arrangers of the era, most notably Nelson Riddle and Billy May, with whom he made a series of highly regarded recordings. By the 1960s he was a big enough star to start his own record label: Reprise Records. His position with the label earned him the long-lasting nickname "The Chairman of the Board".
Keith still thinks he is correct. :)
Well, it seems Jane is right. If Keith wants to the Master of Truth he must either join a certified organized relgion that dispenses THE TRUTH, or learn to use a search engine.
Ask Yahoo (http://ask.yahoo.com/ask/20001023.html) reports:
Chairman of the Board was one of many heroic epithets used to describe Frank Sinatra during his decades as a leading celebrity icon, heart-throb, bad boy, singer/stylist of swing ballads, romantic leading man, and serious movie actor. The Chairman of the Board was also known as The Voice, The King of Crooners, Ol' Blue Eyes, or simply the Greatest Entertainer of the 20th century. In fact, most of the 1998 online obituaries we read used some combination of these titles to pay homage to Hoboken, New Jersey's legendary star and to honor his stature as a showbiz institution.
They refernce a article in the TECH (http://www-tech.mit.edu/V110/N57/sinatr.57a.html) (an MIT newspaper) which reports:
In 1961, Frank Sinatra started Reprise Records. The label eventually recorded such artists as Jimi Hendrix, the Kinks, and Neil Young. It was as the head of Reprise that Sinatra earned his coolest nickname, "the Chairman of the Board."
der Brucer (Jane - tell Keith that Yahoo is much easier to deal with than God)
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For the Canadians in the group, I just read that Brian Linehan had died. I was never a huge fan - I think that James Lipton took fawning lessons from him - but it's sad when someone goes that young.
(For the non-Canucks - Martin Short created one of his most hilarious SCTV characters, Brock Linehan, the obsequious talk-show host, from him.)
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I love Disneyland and love every ride there. But I'm always frustrated that my wimpy kids are afraid of everything.
Once, when DR Sandra was in high school, her orchestra class participated in the Hollywood Music Festival, and I was a chaperone. One of the activities of the weekend was a trip to Six Flags. She and I ditched the group and enjoyed a day on Hollywood Boulevard. BK, if we had known you then, we'd have called and gone to DuPars for pancakes.
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This morning I went for a walk, and this is what I saw:
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I read something a little puzzling this morning. 20th Century Fox announced that its Studio Classic title for August is going to be ZORBA THE GREEK, and the specifications for the release said it will be full frame 1.33:1 aspect ratio.
This can't be right. Wouldn't it at least have been 1.66:1 in view of the fact that most European directors still used this aspect ratio in filming movies that weren't in Panavision or some other wider process. I'm confused and disappointed.
BTW, ALEXANDER'S RAGTIME BAND is their September choice which makes me very happy indeed.
But ZORBA does not.
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MattH you must learn not to be disappointed until the DVD actually comes out. Many Fox titles recently have been reported as being full-frame when they were announced and all have been anamorpic and in their proper ratio. I don't know what they were doing in Greece at that time, but HERE it would absolutely have been projected in 1:85 even if it had been shot for 1:66. Something else was recently announced by Fox as full-frame, and the usual suspects were all up in arms, and the head of Fox video went in and posted and said, "Why do you believe these sites? It will be anamorphic and proper ratio." Hence, we should wait.
Off to film.
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Thank you, MattH. I now have "Alexander's Ragtime Band" running through my head. ARGH!!!
Come on along...
Come on along...
It's Alexander's Ragtime Band...!
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Break legs, BK!
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And a very Happy Birthday to DR Ben's DP (that's Dear Partner) Anthony! I hope they both have a wonderful night out...two nicer people there never were.
Feliz cumpleanos, Anthony!
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If the mere mention of the title of that Irving Berlin ditty does it to you, stay MILES away from THERE'S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS which does the song in an unending series of variations using almost every conceivable accent except Swahili
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BK, I know you make sense, but this was an announcement from Fox's publicity department.
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Good Morning!
YES!! I got up early enough to say, "Good Morning!"
And I have to clean my room today - I couldn't even laugh at all of it when I woke up this morning - and tried to find a clear path to my bedroom door.
Bio-Pics: The aforementioned subjects: GYPSY, THE MIRACLE WORKER, etc... And those totally overblown Ken Russell pics have always held my interest, more or less - sometimes more, sometimes less - THE MUSIC LOVERS is the one that comes immediately to mind.
Amusement parks: I've read about Cedar Point and I do hope to make it there someday. Otherwise, my favorite ride has to be "The Tower of Terror" at Disney-MGM Studios. And the fact that they update the ride on a regular basis really earns brownie points with me. I like "Pirates of the Carribean" better at Disneyland rather than at Disneyworld - it has a bigger drop in CA.
The roller-coasters at the Universal Parks are good too, but, as I learned last fall, just because you can ride all six of them in a row in less than an hour doesn't mean you have to ride all six of them in less than an hour. Oh, but the "Shrek 4-D" movie/ride was/is tons of fun - but I still like the Muppet one too at Disney-MGM.
Locally, Paramount Kings Dominion has some good coasters with "The Volcano" and "The Hypersonic SLC (Super Launch Coaster)" being on the top of my list. However, there always seems to be a line, and they raise the price of admission at least $5.00 each summer it seems. -And I always seem to go on the hottest day of the summer when park attendance is setting a new high. *Plus, it seems like they only really clean the park - and the rides - every two or three years - ugh. And by the end of the season, there is so much gum stuck along the entry-ways to the rides.. eeew... Ah, well.. BUT, I do like the rides, and with the right group of people - or even just by myself (makes it very easy to get to the head of the lines, "Single rider?") it's a fun place to spend the day.
And as for AVENUE Q in Vegas... I'm not really sure how I feel about the announcement. But I'm pretty sure it won't be cut down to 90 minutes. Does anyone know if CHICAGO or MAMMA MIA! were/have been edited down? *The various Cirque du Soleil shows do have intermissions in Vegas, so...
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This morning I went for a walk, and this is what I saw:
DR DearReaderLaura, I always love your photos, but that one made my skin crawl!
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CHICAGO and MAMMA MIA! were not cut down for the Vegas productions. I have mixed feelings about the AVE. Q announcement, too. Apparently they've been offered a buttload of cash to take this deal, so the little show with a lot of heart is going where the cash is. Hmm. I think it's a little unfair to the rest of the country who saw what was the best represented show on the Tonys and developed interest and will now have to travel to either New York or Las Vegas to see it. According to Playbill, these will be the only two productions in the United States...at least for the next few years. Part of me feels it's a very risky move to be a small show, win the Tony for Best Musical, lose your Tony-winning momentum and let people forget about you and THEN tour the country. But...they're making a killing off the Vegas deal, so good for them, I guess. I wonder how the authors feel about it, since the producers apparently didn't ask for their input?
On the other hand, it IS an edgy show that I'm not sure that midwestern audience members would appreciate. And I'm not sure how the show would read in a 2,500-seat theatre, as most of the touring venues are that big. Perhaps they ARE doing the best thing for their show by limiting it to two productions...though I feel they would do well by themselves to a least do a tour of the major cities--Chicago, L.A., Houston, etc.
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I'm surprised there won't be at least an LA version of the show. I think it's a mistake, but perhaps they don't want to deal with people in the hinterlands who saw puppets and assumed it was a G-rated charm show. No offense to anyone who doesn't live in either NYC or LA, but we've had people storm out of GREASE around here.
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I love rollercoasters!
My favorite amusement park would probably have to be Disneyland cause it holds a very special meaning to me.
I usually go to the amusement park here (La Ronde) every year. There is a new ride (something splashy) which looks really fun. I definitely need to find out when the fireworks festival is, so I can go.
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TOD - Favorite Bio-Pic:
Fat Man and Little Boy with Paul Newman playing Gen. Leslie R. Groves
(I'm stretching bio-pic a bit, it is the biography of the first nuclear bomb.)
I have always been fascinated by The Manhattan Project, and the management techniques Groves used to do the seemingly impossible.
Q. Which Fuel to develop - Uranium or Plutonium?
A. Both
Q. Which method of Uranium development, Magnetic separation or Gaseous Diffusion?
A. Both (Mag separation at Berkeley, Gaseous Diffusion at Oak Ridge) - Plutonium was produced in Hanford Washington
Q. We can't get enough copper for the magnets needed to do separation, and the only other electrical conducting metals are gold and silver, and gold is too soft to fabricate and there isn't enough silver out side of the Treasury Depts. stash.
A. We get FDR to authorize the transfer of 100s of tons of silver from Treasury to the Project.
Q. Which bomb type - Implosion or Gun Projection?
A. Both Implosion (Uranium) - Fat Boy -Nagasaki, Gun-Projection (Plutonium) - Little Boy - Hiroshima
A third device, like Fat Boy, was used for the Trinity test. After Hiroshima and Nagasaki the US had no more nuclear devices left!!!
As ghastly as the A Bomb might seem, it is no deadlier than other forms of warfare, just more efficient. The Fire Bombing of Germany and Japan caused far more casualties than did the A Bombs, and they all pale in comparison to the carnage reaped by gun toting Nazis in Warsaw.
If we only had the national will to set up projects like The Manhattan Project, and men like "I don't consider failure an option" Groves to lead them, perhaps we could find a cure for AIDS and Cancer, and move a long way to eliminating world hunger (A Miss America reference).
der Brucer (who opted to spare you the visuals
Fat Man and Little Boy with Paul Newman playing Gen. Leslie R. Groves
(I'm stretching bio-pic a bit, it is the biography of the first nuclear bomb.)
I have always been fascinated by The Manhattan Project, and the management techniques Groves used to do the seemingly impossible.
Q. Which Fuel to develop - Uranium or Plutonium?
A. Both
Q. Which method of Uranium development, Magnetic separation or Gaseous Diffusion?
A. Both (Mag separation at Berkeley, Gaseous Diffusion at Oak Ridge) - Plutonium was produced in Hanford Washington
Q. We can't get enough copper for the magnets needed to do separation, and the only other electrical conducting metals are gold and silver, and gold is too soft to fabricate and there isn't enough silver out side of the Treasury Depts. stash.
A. We get FDR to authorize the transfer of 100s of tons of silver from Treasury to the Project.
Q. Which bomb type - Implosion or Gun Projection?
A. Both Implosion (Uranium) - Fat Boy -Nagasaki, Gun-Projection (Plutonium) - Little Boy - Hiroshima
A third device, like Fat Boy, was used for the Trinity test. After Hiroshima and Nagasaki the US had no more nuclear devices left!!!
As ghastly as the A Bomb might seem, it is no deadlier than other forms of warfare, just more efficient. The Fire Bombing of Germany and Japan caused far more casualties than did the A Bombs, and they all pale in comparison to the carnage reaped by gun toting Nazis in Warsaw.
If we only had the national will to set up projects like The Manhattan Project, and men like "I don't consider failure an option" Groves to lead them, perhaps we could find a cure for AIDS and Cancer, and move a long way to eliminating world hunger (A Miss America reference).
der Brucer (who opted to spare you the visuals
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Wow, thanks for the news about AVENUE Q, I had not heard.
There are building a $40M theatre just for the show, which will open Sept 2005.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/read/2004/jun/08/516984951.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/10/theater/10VEGA.html
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I forgot to list favorite bio-pics...top faves are THE LIFE OF EMILE ZOLA, ISN’T SHE GREAT (Jacqueline Suzanne), and BLOSSOMS IN THE DUST (Edna Gladney).
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I'm having to hurry-curry off to the dentist.
Lost a crown (a crown! a crown! my horse for a crown!). Actually, it wasn't lost, but I must be re-coronated.
Have decided to take tomorrow off and do "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" as a treat!
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DR der(formermotorcycledrag) Brucer: It was not poor DR Robin who made that comment about "chairman of the board" -- twas I.
I hope it was clear why I did not google for more info....the subject of Sinatra bores me to tears.
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There have been a lot of good choices for the bio-pics, so far. I love Gypsy and Funny Girl, I adore With A Song in My Heart, but, my all-time favorite has to be Three Little Words with Fred Astaire and Red Skelton (and featuring a cameo appearance by the real Harry Ruby, himself, as one of the ball players). I only have to think about the movie and suddenly the song Nevertheless is running through my mind for the next week.
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Re: TOD. I agree with JR about Frances, for probably the same reasons: it's a load of crap from a factual standpoint, but at least it helped start my long journey toward the truth about the real Frances Farmer.
Re: Amusement Parks. I wasn't able to check in yesterday and probably should have. We are actually leaving Sunday for a week in Orlando, so I would love recommendations from all you in the know people about the four Disney parks (we have Park Hopper tickets). Please feel free to email me at:
jmkauffman@aol.com
with your various and sundried recommendations. I'm particularly interested in where the best place to park is. Are all the parks connected, a la Disneyland and California Adventure?
Our timeshare is only about 2 miles away (I think--that's what Mapquest says), so we will probably hit the parks in the early morning, go back to our room to escape the midday heat, then return each day until the parks close.
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Another great biopic: Love Me Or Leave Me, inexplicably Percy Faith's only Oscar nomination for scoring.
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Last night, George asked:
Jay, do you know who wrote the score? Here in Olympia, we have the (appropriately named) Olympia Chamber Orchestra and a former conductor was Tim Brock. He composed new scores to several silent movies, including "Sunrise." There was a showing of the film with the orchestra, conducted by Tim Brock, playing his score live with the movie. It was wonderful. I think that there was DVD released with his score.
The original 1927 score, compiled by Hugo Riesenfeld and reconstructed and adapted by Robert Israel, was played. Apparently no sheet music exists for the score to Sunrise, so Mr. Israel transcribed the music from the recording of the score that was made by Fox Studios in 1927.
This score was "compiled" in that Mr. Riesenfeld adapted previously written music. For example, the film opens to Liszt's "Les Preludes." A particularly tender moment in the film is accompanied by Wagner's "Siegfried Idyll."
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One of my favorite bio-pics...is INTERRUPTED MELODY about Metropolitan star Marjorie Lawrence. Also, Susan Hayward chained to a roving piano as Jane Froman in WITH A SONG IN MY HEART.
Ditto.
(Such good taste my Dear Brother has.)
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FUNNY GIRL was a wonderfully entertaining film but a far from accurate biography. Nicky Arnstein was Fanny's 2nd husband, not her first and that's only the beginning.
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Does anyone know if the team of Jones and Schmidt have broken up? Jones is doing lyrics for the musical HAROLD AND MAUDE that's opening at Papermill in January (with Estelle Parsons) with a new composer, Joseph Thalken. Is this a temporary split or have we seen the last of THE FANTASTICKS tam?
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I forgot to list favorite bio-pics...top faves are THE LIFE OF EMILE ZOLA, ISN’T SHE GREAT (Jacqueline Suzanne), and BLOSSOMS IN THE DUST (Edna Gladney).
Wow. You must be the only person, Dear Reader MBarnum, beside me who saw Isn't She Great. The Divine One, as in Bette Midler, even joked in her recent concert/show about how poorly that movie did.
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Does anyone know if the team of Jones and Schmidt have broken up? Jones is doing lyrics for the musical HAROLD AND MAUDE that's opening at Papermill in January (with Estelle Parsons) with a new composer, Joseph Thalken. Is this a temporary split or have we seen the last of THE FANTASTICKS tam?
We have a mini-Jones and Schmidt festival happening in L.A. right now. The 99-seat Equity waiver Knightsbridge Theatre is doing The Fantasticks and the 600-seat Pasadena Playhouse is doing 110 in the Shade.
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I saw it....such a waste of material and performers.
THE MOST POPULAR RIDE IN AMERICA TODAY:
Wear your shorts and t-shirt, and sneakers. No need to wear socks. Guys wear a baseball cap, ladies put your sunglasses on top of your head and bring the kiddies in their didies....yes it's the Ronald Reagan viewing at the Rotunda. See ya there!!!!
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Wow. You must be the only person, Dear Reader MBarnum, beside me who saw Isn't She Great. The Divine One, as in Bette Midler, even joked in her recent concert/show about how poorly that movie did.
I think you are right DR Jay! I myself just loved the movie, but I guess the subject matter just didn't appeal to today's audience...but it had such beautiful songs in it and the costumes and settings were so well done and authentic, I thought. I just thought it was a fun, sweet movie.
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Most people do not know this about me, but I love roller coasters, especially the old-fashioned wooden kind.
My favorite is the one in the amusement park on the beach in Santa Cruz, California. It's a great ride and as you are pulled up toward the first drop, you get a tremendous view of the beach and the ocean. The amusement park there is smaller than the Disney and Universal and 6 Flags parks and has none of the commercialism that one finds at those other venues.
In close second place is the Cyclone in Coney Island, Brooklyn, U.S.A. The added bonus there is that the original Nathan's hot dog stand is close by. (It is recommended that one ride the Cyclone first, and eat at Nathan's second, rather than vice versa.)
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Has anyone heard anything about a theatrical event called Alma--Widow of the 4 Arts?
The flyer for it says "Embark on an exciting theatrical journey which is enacted as a unique piece of synchronous theatre in all the rooms and floors of [the venue.]"
The subject is Alma Mahler-Werfel and her loves and relationships with Gustav Mahler, Walter Gropius and Franz Werfel.
A dinner party occurs during the interval, attended by, in addition to the aforementioned, amongst others, Sigmund Freud, Gustav Klimt, Arnold Schonberg, Errol Flynn, Thomas Mann.
The flyer goes on to mention that this "play" has run successfully in Vienna, Venice and Lisbon.
Anybody know anything about this?
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I am watching HAWAIIAN EYE courtesy MBARNUM.....plus there was an extra surprise DVD in the package which I will watch after the show tonight.....thanks!!!!!
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My favorite is the one in the amusement park on the beach in Santa Cruz, California.
I forgot about that one! It was great fun, and quite scenic. I did it by myself. (DP - that's Dear Partner - hates coasters.) In fact, it was on a trip down the coast to see you and our DM (that's Dear Mother.)
Let's not forget THE SOUND OF MUSIC is supposedly a bio-pic. Also ....gosh, it just went out of my head......
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JR - I thought I was alone in the world in noticing how unseemly the attire was. Regardless of what I think of Reagan, one really should show some respect for the occasion. How times have changed! Can you imagine anyone looking that way to file past President Kennedy's coffin?
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I am watching HAWAIIAN EYE courtesy MBARNUM.....plus there was an extra surprise DVD in the package which I will watch after the show tonight.....thanks!!!!!
Ha! Ha! The extra surprise is a soundtrack to listen to JRand53! So just pop that baby into the nearest CD player!!
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I saw it....such a waste of material and performers.
THE MOST POPULAR RIDE IN AMERICA TODAY:
Wear your shorts and t-shirt, and sneakers. No need to wear socks. Guys wear a baseball cap, ladies put your sunglasses on top of your head and bring the kiddies in their didies....yes it's the Ronald Reagan viewing at the Rotunda. See ya there!!!!
Can I just say that the networks should stop juxtaposing footage of people paying respect to JFK with those paying respect to RR. If nothing else, it just goes to show how slovenly Americans have become. Apparently, gentlemen would not have walked that sad route in less than a shirt and tie, and perhaps a jacket, and ladies would not have thought to leave the house without a dress and hat for an occasion of such import. But the footage of yesterday's mourners in shorts and sandals, as if saying farewell to the late President -- no matter what your opinion of him -- was just another DC tourist attraction. It's just disrespectful. And I am no great fan of his, nor his widow's.
I just had to get that off my chest.
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JR - I thought I was alone in the world in noticing how unseemly the attire was. Regardless of what I think of Reagan, one really should show some respect for the occasion. How times have changed! Can you imagine anyone looking that way to file past President Kennedy's coffin?
Guess we were posting at the same time, DR Panni.
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Yes DRPANNI & STUART - that's the way it is today. It is sad how such a change can happen in one generation. I had to stop watching C-Span...and DRSTUART is right...it's just another tourist attraction.
OH a CD! Thanks MB! I certainly would have been surprised if I was expecting a picture on my screen! Thunderbirds are GO!
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There is NO - I repeat NO - such thing as Dress Jeans!!! If I hear one more person in Indiana talk about wearing his dress jeans to a funeral, wedding, or graduation...I SHALL SCREAM (a Lionel Bart reference)! :o
If you have Real Player - here a link to what I am talking about....I am appalled (as Agnes Moorehead once said)!!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/mmedia/nation/061004-6v.htm (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/mmedia/nation/061004-6v.htm)
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Page Three Salute! ;D
(http://www2.animatedgif.net/flags/flagsusa/usflagwithfireworks_e0.gif)
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Amusement parks. Haven't been to that many. I guess I'd choose Disneyland on a rainy day when it's not crowded. Can't stand the crowds. Favorite ride - don't laugh at me - the Peter Pan Ride - it's magical.
But of COURSE it's magical! And one of the best rides conceived.
I think they've taken down the Alice in Wonderland ride. A pity, I always liked it, particularly the ride down the leaves at the end. Don't know what they've replaced it with.
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I loved "Iris" with Kate Winslett and Dame Judi Dench. "Life with Judy Garland: Me & My Shadows" was wonderful, also. And also with Judy Davis, "Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story." A couple of weeks ago, I went with my niece to the Seattle Storm women's basketball game and Gretta (sp?) herself was at the game and did a little contest to win money for an AIDS charity in the area. She won!
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Time for THE HUNGARIAN OF THE DAY!
[DRUM ROLL]
MICHAEL CURTIZ - (b. Manó Kertész Kaminer, 12/24,1898 Budapest, d. 4/10/1962, Hollywood)
Began acting in and then directing in Hungary in 1912. He shot 38 productions there and was one of the most productive artists at the beginning of the era of the silent film.
After WWI he continued his filmmaking career in Austria and Germany and other countries in Europe. Moving to the US in 1926, he started making films for Warner Bros. and became thoroughly entrenched in the studio system. His films during the 30's and 40's encompassed nearly every genre imaginable and many are considered to be classics. Credits include: 1935's Captain Blood, 1936's The Charge of the Light Brigade, 1938's Angels With Dirty Faces, 1938's The Adventures of Robin Hood, 1938's Four Daughters, 1940's The Sea Hawk, 1942's Yankee Doodle Dandy AND Casablanca, 1943's This Is the Army, 1945'S Mildred Pierce, 1946's Night and Day and 1954's White Christmas. He even directed one of Elvis Presley's best films, King Creole in 1958. He died of cancer in 1962.
Trivia: Member of the Hungarian fencing team at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics.
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And of course, GYPSY!
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Very favourite bio pic: LUST FOR LIFE
Other favourite bio pics:
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA; THE JOLSON STORY & JOLSON SINGS AGAIN: SERGEANT YORK; WILDE (with Stephen Fry); IRIS; PRICK UP YOUR EARS (about Joe Orton); a wonderful Fredric March movie called ONE FOOT IN HEAVEN about a midwest preacher named William Spence, INHERIT THE WIND; THREE LITTLE WORDS about Kalmar & Ruby...I'm sure there are others I'm forgetting...
Though they're not always the best films, I find them interesting history...ANNE OF A THOUSAND DAYS; CROMWELL; KHARTOUM, MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS...
Probably more considered historical than biographical, but it is a true story: ZULU and its follow-up, ZULU DAWN.
I'm not a big aficianado of Amusement Parks. Hate Roller Coasters and fast-moving rides in high places. When I worked for Universal and Disney at different times,I could always get free passes to take the family or visiting friends to the Universal Studios Tour and Disneyland...And they're as good as it gets. I always enjoyed Pirates of the Carribean. About my speed. And the Country Bear Jamboree with Big Al singing Blood on the Saddle. Now gone, I believe. Everything's all gotten a little slicker and bigger and emptier...just like the movies.
Jason, Kings Island wasn't in Cincy until after I had pretty much left. I remember Coney Island fondly...though I expect it was pretty tame compared to most things today. It remember THE LOST RIVER which was a Tunnel of Love ride, with a high incline at the end and then swooped down and you got splashed with water. About as adventurous as I ever got. I also still have a bunch of movie star cards I bought for a penny apiece in some slot machine in their arcade. The most memorable thing about Coney to me was: living on the Kentucky side, we used to park on the river bank and take a water ferry across to the park on the other side.
Panni, I remember Marty Short's hilarious Brock Linehan. Was Brian Linehan really like that?
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And speaking of biography, did anyone see Bette Midler on A&E last night? Interesting clips and Bette looked great in her recent interview, but I really didn't learn anything new. I feel the same about Bette as I do about Babs... she still has the talent but has lost the knack of picking the best material. I don't mind "Wind Beneath My Wings" or "From A Distance", but not whole CDs of their type. I long for the variety that was on her first albums.
You must have missed Bathhouse Baby, released in 1998. She definately sang the gamut on that one.
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I wonder if MRBK is ready for his closeup?
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If the mere mention of the title of that Irving Berlin ditty does it to you, stay MILES away from THERE'S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS which does the song in an unending series of variations using almost every conceivable accent except Swahili
Actually, DRMattH, the movie "There's No Business Like Show Business" offers the variations on the song "Alexander's Ragtime Band," not the title song. First up are Merman and Daily with a German kitsch variation, then comes Donald O'Connor with a Scots-in-kilts-with-pipes-blaring variation, followed by Mitzi Gaynor's French take on it; Johnny Ray does a piano/torch variation and it ends with chorus and a bandleader and band marching on stage as the all-star cast belts out the final verse.
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Not ONE vote for the Jolson biopics - THE JOLSON STORY and JOLSON SINGS AGAIN?? Dear Larry Parks and Evelyn Keyes (who was taught some "interesting" things by another famous Hungarian, Charles Vidor), Barbara Hale, ETC..
These are swell films, kids!
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Dollywood's another fun amusement park. I never actually got to see La Parton at the park at any time, but you could just feel her...um...presence. There's a great environmental movie cinema there that shows a film about Dolly's rise to stardom. It's fun...when they talked about her growing up in the Tennessee mountains, flowers actually bloomed in the greenery and butterfly puppets flittered around the theater. It was really cool.
And then there's the roller coaster that's shaped like Dolly...two big humps and that's about it. Of course, I'm kidding...or am I?
Can't say about Dollywood itself, but what has happened to the countryside around Dollywood is heinous! Yes, we are returning to that grand HHW word, because it is appropriate. The blight on the countryside around Dollywood is HEINOUS!
Other country stars have plowed down acres of trees to build themselves giant palaces for their own stages. The highway is lined with motels and hotels, each a worse blight on the environment than the last. Cheap entertainment venues spoil the vistas, delighting in their ugliness.
Well, that last may be a stretch, but the impact because of traffic and sewage and everything else is deplorable.
Bleh, I say, and say again, bleh.
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Oh - I take back my rant (and my mink) - I just saw FS Pogue's post.
I must now stop posting for a couple of hours or I just won't get my work done.
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Panni, I remember Marty Short's hilarious Brock Linehan. Was Brian Linehan really like that?
In a word - Yes.
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Michael Curtiz, also remembered for such epic lines as "Bring on the Empty Horses" and "You think I know F@#! nothing, but I know f@#! everything!"
One of my favourite Curtiz stories. He was known to have a chorus girl or extra service him at lunch time on the set. Others knew of this. One lunch hour, Mr. Curtiz was leaning back in his chair as a pert young thing was down on her knees before him, toiling away to accomodate his urges. He happen to glance up into the grid of the empty sound stage and found it not so empty. Several of the cast and crew had gathered there to watch the spectacle. Mr. Curtiz immediately started to thrust the girl away from him, going: "No! No! Bad girl! Bad girl!"
But my favourite Curtiz is told by William Wellman. After going to a preview of PUBLIC ENEMY (which was a smash) with Wellman, Daryl Zanuck, and Mike Curtiz, Jack Warner wanted Wellman to cut the last scene where Cagney is left on his mother's door step, dead and all trussed up. "It'll make everybody sick." Wellman said: "And Zanuck fought for it and I fought for it...And my fellow director [Curtiz] was smoking a cigar. And Warner turned and said, 'Mike, don't you agree with me?' Mike said, Yes. Zanuck hauled off and knocked the cigar right down his throat. I'm not kidding. That's what made pictures in those days. They don't do that anymore. And, by God, it scared Warner and we had no argument about it, it stayed n the picture. He hauled off and let him have it."
Curtiz also directed a great bio-pic, YANKEE DOODLE DANDY.
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She's back!
Great Curtiz stories, FS Pogue.
I came back because I'm feeling a little guilty in simply saying that Yes, Linehan WAS Brock Linehan. So here's a bit from one of today's obits which is more respectful and somewhat closer to the truth:
"...Stars were surprised, flattered or even horrified, for example, by Linehan's questions about obscure aspects of their careers.
"I'm starting to sweat with the amount of info he's got on me," actor Dustin Hoffman once said in an interview.
Though he asked probing questions, Linehan was rarely adversarial, believing that the secret to good interviewing was in preparation and the ability to listen.
Broadcaster and producer Jane Hawtin had worked closely with the late interviewer, and credited his success to a mix of talent and hard work conducting meticulous research.
"I think that when you had that Brian Linehan moment – where the guest would say 'How did you know that?' – I think that's what he worked very hard to achieve," Hawtin said Friday.
...With his growing reputation, Linehan was satirized by comedian and fellow Hamilton son Martin Short on the comedy series SCTV. Short's "Brock Linehan" character was a smug interviewer with inaccurate research and meandering questions.
Flattered by the send-up, the real Linehan held no grudge against Short, saying in 1997: "Marty didn't mock me. Marty satirized me."
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While sitting in the dentist's chair, listening to the piped-in radio music, Carole King's "So Far Away" began playing.
"Tapestry" and all its songs haunt me -- carrying me instantly back to the first time I heard the songs, and many other occasions in which they were present. There is sadness, and beauty, in this rarest of great albums.
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In close second place is the Cyclone in Coney Island, Brooklyn, U.S.A. The added bonus there is that the original Nathan's hot dog stand is close by. (It is recommended that one ride the Cyclone first, and eat at Nathan's second, rather than vice versa.)
I assume because the hot dogs are known for their stomach-calming qualities.
8)
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Curtiz of course also directed MILDRED PIERCE and spent some time ranting and tearing the shoulder pads out of Joan Crawford's dresses, saying she would not wear a "movie star" wardrobe in that picture. Crawford watched him calmly and then replied: "I bought those dresses at Sears Roebuck."
I haven't seen the JOLSEN/SINGS AGAIN movies in years, didn't buy the DVD's....maybe I should give them another look.
Speaking of Hungarian Charles Vidor...I think he directed a biopic I loved...Dirk Bogarde as Franz Lizst in SONG WITHOUT END!
And would THE LION IN WINTER be classifed as bio - or historical?
Susan Hayward was terrific as Jane Frohman in WITH A SONG IN MY HEART and Eleanor Parker as Marjorie Lawrence in INTERRUPTED MELODY...both mentioned by other DR's. Hayward was also heart-breaking as Lillian Roth in I'LL CRY TOMORROW.
And Dorothy Malone as Diana Barrymore and Errol Flynn as father John in TOO MUCH, TOO SOON.
And James Cagney as Lon Chaney Sr in MAN OF A THOUSAND FACES.
Whew! Once you start, they all start flooding back.
Sissy Spacek as Loretta Lynn in COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER with Beverly D'Angelo as Patsy Cline - and of course Jessica Lange as Patsy proper in SWEET DREAMS.
Oh....and George Hamilton as Hank Williams in YOUR CHEATIN' HEART. And I also am looking forward to IT'S DE-LOVELY and BEYOND THE SEA! My fingers are crossed!
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I agree RLP - TAPESTRY stands alone among albums....
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Time for THE HUNGARIAN OF THE DAY!
[DRUM ROLL]
MICHAEL CURTIZ - (b. Manó Kertész Kaminer, 12/24,1898 Budapest, d. 4/10/1962, Hollywood)
One of der Brucer's favorite directors!
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And of course, GYPSY!
No, Gypsy was directed by Mervin LeRoy, not Michael Curtiz.
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I thought GYPSY was directed by Rosalind Russell....she says so in her book.
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And the Country Bear Jamboree with Big Al singing Blood on the Saddle. Now gone, I believe. Everything's all gotten a little slicker and bigger and emptier...just like the movies.
Yes, the Country Bear Jamboree was displaced by a Winnie the Pooh ride, or something.
Of course, the Country Bear Jamboree displaced the Indian Village, back in it's day.
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Well I would be remiss if I didn't mention a TV bio movie that I looked forward to....and then didn't like at all. You know, if they say it in the movie....that's the way it happened for everyone who wasn't there, or doesn't care enough to check the facts (see, FRANCES)....but - A DREAM IS A WISH YOUR HEART MAKES: THE ANNETTE FUNICELLO STORY was a mishmosh.
Annette herself narrates the story - I think the voiceover was taken from the audio version of her book. She plays herself at her daughter Gina's wedding.
Linda Lavin is good as her mother Virginia...and Andrea Nemeth is okay as Annette, the younger...but Eva LaRue (Callahan) as the teen and older Annette is so vapid.... If Annette had had the charm and charisma LaRue displays she would never have enjoyed the success she did. LaRue is nothing...no personality...nothing.
And for the last scene the real people suddenly step into their characters so we don't see LaRue or Lavin or the others, but the real Funicello family - even ex-husband Jack Gilardi (Gina's father) is on hand along with second husband Glen Holt.
It is a disservice to Annette and her career and her fans who have supported her for years, and to whom she has always been grateful. Sad...sad....sad.... :'(
Eva is NO Annette!
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There is NO - I repeat NO - such thing as Dress Jeans!!! If I hear one more person in Indiana talk about wearing his dress jeans to a funeral, wedding, or graduation...I SHALL SCREAM (a Lionel Bart reference)! :o
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/mmedia/nation/061004-6v.htm (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/mmedia/nation/061004-6v.htm)
LOL. I wear jeans almost everywhere. I can dress jeans up to make them acceptable for most occasions, but I assure you, never for a wedding or funeral, nor do I believe a graduation. I can understand wearing them for a three hour graduation when you are sitting, on bleachers, outside and it’s a cold damp windy day.
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"Call Me Anna" was a fun, if not completely accurate, biopic. Anything Patty Duke suits me fine. I know she wrote the book and everything, but for some reason--call me crazy (or even Anna)--I have this nagging feeling that it was maybe JUST a little bit tweaked. But, what do I know?
Pogue: In what part of Kentucky were you raised? I'm assuming the Northern KY/Cincinnati area...? And when did you leave said place? The only Coney Island I'm familiar with is the one in Brooklyn. And yes, whoever said that Nathan's hot dogs are the best reason to go there was completely correct. Oh, and the $5 side show. "Come look at the freaks...before they're antiques..."
S. Woody White: "Bathhouse Betty" is a great album, but it still doesn't quite compare to her earlier stuff. "The Rose" (the soundtrack, not the song) makes my throat hurt just listening to it, but DAMN! she had some soul. I prefer the old 40's-style numbers she's famous for..."Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," "Stuff Like That There" and "Miss Otis Regrets."
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DerBrucer, to be fair to Keith, he was the one who told me to look it up before I posted his opinion. :)
DearReaderLaura, sometimes your walks look very dangerous and you are so brave to photograph them for us.
JRand thank you, I was trying to remember the name of I'LL CRY TOMORROW.
Bruce did you have fun today?
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Sandra posted:TRUTH - The teacher was flat ass wrong!
I knew it!! Thank you for clearing this up, der Brucer. If only I had known you when I was in fourth grade.
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Dave in the Valley, Cedar Point-the best roller coaster park I have ever been to.
Tomovoz, Space Mountain is my all time favorite ride. The last time we went to Disneyland it was closed for renovations. >:(
Jason I’m not a fan of the Six Flag Parks I have been to. Have you gone to Hersey Park? That isn’t as far from you as Cedar Point. It was there that I went on my first “loop” style roller coaster. I couldn’t let the boys go alone as they were too young. The first time we began the drop to go into the loop I yelled, “oh shit”. The next time our five year old said I wasn’t aloud to swear if I went with him. By the tenth time I had my arms over my head and was addicted to the ride. :D
I have always loved fast spinning rides. Gosh, I took our two year old on rides when I was pregnant. I went with my children, while Keith waited, on the corkscrew roller coasters. But alas, I don’t enjoy the parks anymore since I hurt my neck. The last time I went on the big roller coaster at Cedar Point I, am not exaggerating here, thought my neck was going to fall off. We have a photo of me and I do look terrified. I kept it sitting out for years to remind me not to go on the rides again. A couple of years ago I did go on some of the rides at Disneyland and did okay and would have gone on Space Mountain. I even went on Big Thunder Mountain. :)
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There is NO - I repeat NO - such thing as Dress Jeans!!! If I hear one more person in Indiana talk about wearing his dress jeans to a funeral, wedding, or graduation...I SHALL SCREAM (a Lionel Bart reference)! :o
Whatever are you raving about? Of COURSE there are "dress jeans."
They're the ones with creases down the legs.
:D
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Ah now I'm feeling guilty. I don't want BK to come back from his movie acting and find no posts.
So here are some!
Btw, like DR Jane, I am anxious to hear about your movie adventures.
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LOL LOL LOL....RLP....I have no response to that.
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I saw it....such a waste of material and performers.
THE MOST POPULAR RIDE IN AMERICA TODAY:
Wear your shorts and t-shirt, and sneakers. No need to wear socks. Guys wear a baseball cap, ladies put your sunglasses on top of your head and bring the kiddies in their didies....yes it's the Ronald Reagan viewing at the Rotunda. See ya there!!!!
Is there a parking lot for the trailers?
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I thought GYPSY was directed by Rosalind Russell....she says so in her book.
Just like she says it's "her" vocals on the soundtrack?
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DR Jane: I have not been to Hershey Park, though a good friend of mine from undergrad school worked there last Christmas. He said it was great.
I can't do spinny rides. They make me vomit on the ground. I puked all over King's Island after riding the spinning barrels. And I do mean ALL OVER King's Island.
I want to go to the Six Flags in New Jersey because they have a new coaster--Superman. You strap yourself in while standing up, and then the car tips until you are lying on your stomach and you ride the coaster as if you were flying like Superman. Looks like a hell of a ride!
Now I want cotton candy...
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Most people do not know this about me, but I love roller coasters, especially the old-fashioned wooden kind.
My favorite is the one in the amusement park on the beach in Santa Cruz, California. It's a great ride and as you are pulled up toward the first drop, you get a tremendous view of the beach and the ocean. The amusement park there is smaller than the Disney and Universal and 6 Flags parks and has none of the commercialism that one finds at those other venues.
In close second place is the Cyclone in Coney Island, Brooklyn, U.S.A. The added bonus there is that the original Nathan's hot dog stand is close by. (It is recommended that one ride the Cyclone first, and eat at Nathan's second, rather than vice versa.)
Ah, Jay, you have discovered my weakness. Nathan's Hot Dogs with chilli and cheese.
Sheer Heaven!
[/size]
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Get out your other pair of dress jeans...Ray Charles has passed away. He was 73.
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Has anyone heard anything about a theatrical event called Alma--Widow of the 4 Arts?
The flyer for it says "Embark on an exciting theatrical journey which is enacted as a unique piece of synchronous theatre in all the rooms and floors of [the venue.]"
The subject is Alma Mahler-Werfel and her loves and relationships with Gustav Mahler, Walter Gropius and Franz Werfel.
A dinner party occurs during the interval, attended by, in addition to the aforementioned, amongst others, Sigmund Freud, Gustav Klimt, Arnold Schonberg, Errol Flynn, Thomas Mann.
The flyer goes on to mention that this "play" has run successfully in Vienna, Venice and Lisbon.
Anybody know anything about this?
Actually, it is two pieces of theater. The first is the one described in the flyer. The second, is...........................
........................... one for Mahler!
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Keith just walked in and told me the sad news of Ray Charles. I see Jason posted already.
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I just heard there were signs on the doors at Carnegie Hall announcing the cancelation of Audra's concerts this week. Does anyone know what happened? I assume she is doing RAISIN instead, but I wonder what happened to the concerts?
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Re: roller coasters, DR Jane reminded me of something.
Do any of the women here find that many of the coasters seem to crush them?
I never feel small until I ride a roller coaster, and find myself banging back and forth since they seem to be made for bigger people.
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Which Ray Charles... the Blues Singer or the Choral Director (who sometimes billed himself as "the other Ray Charles")?
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Is there a parking lot for the trailers?
I am sure there is, DRWEL....and hotdog and popsicle vendors as well. Wish I had the Wax Lips concession! ;D
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The singer of blues.
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I'll wear my dress sunglasses, DRJASON.
Ain't it the truth DRRLP....according to her book, RR did everything but crank the camera. And I think it was Morton DaCosta (director of AUNTIE MAME) who refused to do a jacket blurb for the book because of the ...well...inaccuracies contained therein.
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MMMMMMMMMMMM..... :P
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Hayward was also heart-breaking as Lillian Roth in I'LL CRY TOMORROW.
And of course as murderess Barbara Graham in I WANT TO LIVE! At least I believe that this was a true story, and therefore qualifies under today's TOD.
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As true as many of the others, DRSTUART!
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Came to check out the action while I take a short break. Very sad about Ray Charles. 73 is too young. Especially for a singer of the blues. The blues just get bluer as you age, man. I love the old blues guys and ladies.
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Douglas [oops/spoo!] Donald (yes, it's Donald) Trumbull has died. He was 95 (!!!).
http://www.showbizdata.com/contacts/picknews.cfm/35804/SPECIAL_EFFECTS_MASTER_TRUMBULL_DEAD_AT_95
That will teach me to take what someone else said at face value before reading the link.
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...Before I get corrected, I know that RC didn't sing only the blues -- I was just picking up on Jason's description.
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Douglas Trumbull has died. He was 95 (!!!).EFFECTS_MASTER_TRUMBULL_DEAD_AT_95
They're dropping like flies!
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I killed a fly today.
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They say (whoever 'they' may be) that you hear about deaths in groups of three...first Reagan, then Ray Charles and now Mr. Trumbull.
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Actresses Irene Manning and Trudy Marshall also passed away in the last few days...overshadowed somewhat by RR's passing I imagine.
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Shakalaka Barnum: I'm a little embarrassed to ask this, but...who were they?
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Shakalaka Barnum: I'm a little embarrassed to ask this, but...who were they?
Both were film actresses during the 1940s. Irene Manning also worked quite a bit on Broadway.
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Actually, DRMattH, the movie "There's No Business Like Show Business" offers the variations on the song "Alexander's Ragtime Band," not the title song. First up are Merman and Daily with a German kitsch variation, then comes Donald O'Connor with a Scots-in-kilts-with-pipes-blaring variation, followed by Mitzi Gaynor's French take on it; Johnny Ray does a piano/torch variation and it ends with chorus and a bandleader and band marching on stage as the all-star cast belts out the final verse.
DR RLP, my response was to Jason's comment about "Alexander's Ragtime Band," and the Irving Berlin ditty I'm talking about is that. I would think you'd know me well enough to know that I would know which song was repeated endlessly in that famous musical. Reread what I actually wrote. I said the song was IN the movie THERE'S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS, not that it was the title song itself.
And it's Johnnie Ray if we care to pick nits. :P
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Irene Manning also starred in YANKEE DOODLE DANDY with James Cagney...
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Quick, Panni, before someone else spills the beans!
Name the movie from which this lyric comes:
(Solo):
"Ooh, what I'll do, to that mad Hungarian!"
(Orchestral punctuation: ta-DUM-dah-DUM)
(Chorus)
"Ooh, what she'll do, to that wild barbarian!"
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Come on along...
Come on along...
It's Alexander's Ragtime Band...
Come on along...
Come on along...
It's greatest in the land...
Thanks, guys...just when I got it out of my head...
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Jason, don’t be embarrassed. You saved me from asking.
Jennifer, if it hadn’t been for Keith I would have flown out of the roller coaster at Pacific Ocean Park. I prefer the roller coasters with the shoulder bars that hold your entire body in. And yes, I do feel small in many of them. On the other hand I was able to fit, barely, into the children’s rides when my boys were babies. I must prefer the ride a bit big than have my knees in my chest.
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Oh, lord! The Cyclone! I hadn't thought of it in ages. I must have been 8 or 9 when my uncle let my brother take me on it at Coney Island. I was scared to death and screamed my lungs out, but came off of it thrilled I had done it and survived.
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Thank you Michael. I figured I would know her once a movie was named.
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And Trudy Marshall was the mother of actress Deborah Raffin...
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The COuntry Bear Jamboree was still at Disney World in Orlando, at least it was 2 years ago when I was there.
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On my way to STATE FAIR...the show not the event! Pray for Rosemary's Baby!
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DR RLP, my response was to Jason's comment about "Alexander's Ragtime Band," and the Irving Berlin ditty I'm talking about is that. I would think you'd know me well enough to know that I would know which song was repeated endlessly in that famous musical. Reread what I actually wrote. I said the song was IN the movie THERE'S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS, not that it was the title song itself.
And it's Johnnie Ray if we care to pick nits. :P
If that's your story, then you stick to it.
I read: "If the mere mention of the title of that Irving Berlin ditty does it to you, stay MILES away from THERE'S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS which does the song in an unending series of variations using almost every conceivable accent except Swahili"
To me, this says, "Well, if THAT Berlin song drives you nuts, then stay away from 'TNBLSB" which does the song...." "The" being totally connected to the song TNBLSB, not ARB...at least, not the way I read it.
The structure led me to believe you were talking about "There's No Business Like Show Business."
I'll swap you clarity points for misspelling Ray's last name!
:P
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Last night, George asked:
Jay, do you know who wrote the score? Here in Olympia, we have the (appropriately named) Olympia Chamber Orchestra and a former conductor was Tim Brock. He composed new scores to several silent movies, including "Sunrise." There was a showing of the film with the orchestra, conducted by Tim Brock, playing his score live with the movie. It was wonderful. I think that there was DVD released with his score.
The original 1927 score, compiled by Hugo Riesenfeld and reconstructed and adapted by Robert Israel, was played. Apparently no sheet music exists for the score to Sunrise, so Mr. Israel transcribed the music from the recording of the score that was made by Fox Studios in 1927.
This score was "compiled" in that Mr. Riesenfeld adapted previously written music. For example, the film opens to Liszt's "Les Preludes." A particularly tender moment in the film is accompanied by Wagner's "Siegfried Idyll."
Thanks for the info!!
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"Ooh, what I'll do, to that mad Hungarian!"
(Orchestral punctuation: ta-DUM-dah-DUM)
(Chorus)
"Ooh, what she'll do, to that wild barbarian!"
...Hmmm, RLP - Conan, The Musical?....
It's not Zoltan Karpathy in MY FAIR LADY... I know I'll kick myself, but I give up.
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...However, let it not be said that this is not an educational site. I Googled the phrase "Mad Hungarian" just in case something popped up -- and what I found instead of a lyric reference was the recipe for a drink called (natch)
THE MAD HUNGARIAN:
Ingredients:
* 2 shots Rum (Captain Morgan's)
* Fill with Root beer (Mug or A & W)
Mixing instructions:
An easy mix of rum and root beer, on the rocks, or without. The rum is a definite 2 shot minimum, as that it blends seamlessly with the root beer. The Captains can be substituted with Malibu rum for a more island flare.
I'd like to hear from the first person who tries it!
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I'm ready to go home. It's only 5:32, but I am definitely ready to get out of here. I have to be back at 9 in the morning. :P
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If it were just about anything other than rum I'd be happy to oblige, Panni, but just so happens to be my least favorite drink.
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If that's your story, then you stick to it.
I read: "If the mere mention of the title of that Irving Berlin ditty does it to you, stay MILES away from THERE'S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS which does the song in an unending series of variations using almost every conceivable accent except Swahili"
To me, this says, "Well, if THAT Berlin song drives you nuts, then stay away from 'TNBLSB" which does the song...." "The" being totally connected to the song TNBLSB, not ARB...at least, not the way I read it.
The structure led me to believe you were talking about "There's No Business Like Show Business."
I'll swap you clarity points for misspelling Ray's last name!
:P
Believe what you want. I know what I intended and said so. My original post that you quoted from was written after I read Jason's comment about "Alexander's Ragtime Band." My post ended up on the next page instead of directly under Jason's post where its intention was obvious.
But you believe what you want.
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Panni, I tried your Mad Hungarian. But since I don't like root beer, I substituted a Cherry Coke. And since I don't drink alcohol, I substituted some more Cherry Coke. It's very good.
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...However, let it not be said that this is not an educational site. I Googled the phrase "Mad Hungarian" just in case something popped up -- and what I found instead of a lyric reference was the recipe for a drink called (natch)
THE MAD HUNGARIAN:
Ingredients:
* 2 shots Rum (Captain Morgan's)
* Fill with Root beer (Mug or A & W)
Mixing instructions:
An easy mix of rum and root beer, on the rocks, or without. The rum is a definite 2 shot minimum, as that it blends seamlessly with the root beer. The Captains can be substituted with Malibu rum for a more island flare.
I'd like to hear from the first person who tries it!
Hmmm... I may have to try this. Sounds like something perfect for a summer evening. Oohh! And I bet it freezes well for frozen shots (in ice cube trays or Dixie cups).
This actually sounds like a sister drink to a Dark & Stormy which is rum and Ginger Beer (or a really good, "spicy" ginger ale - it needs the bite!). Unfortunately, the restaurant just two blocks from me that used to stock ginger beer for this drink closed a few months ago. Ah, well...
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Panni, I tried your Mad Hungarian. But since I don't like root beer, I substituted a Cherry Coke. And since I don't drink alcohol, I substituted some more Cherry Coke. It's very good.
LOL!! ;D
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Panni, I tried your Mad Hungarian. But since I don't like root beer, I substituted a Cherry Coke. And since I don't drink alcohol, I substituted some more Cherry Coke. It's very good.
Sandra, you crack me up! LOL!
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Good afternoon!
Well, the cleaning has begun! Finally!
Now, we'll just have to see when it will actually end...
Since I started cleaning my bedroom, I've actually done some more cleaning in the kitchen... I've done two loads of laundry... I cleaned out the garbage can in the kitchen... I vacuumed the apartment... I washed some dishes... I sorted and purged some toileteries, over-the-counter drugs and various hotel soaps, lotions and shampoos... As for the bedroom... I'm hoping to get some more of it done after I'm done posting here. I know I won't get it completely clean and organized, but I hope to at least get all the stuff I brought back from DC put away.
Oh, and I had lunch too - the leftover Chinese from last night. And I even had some "dessert" - some more Edy's Espresso Chip Ice Cream.
Very sad to hear about Ray Charles' passing. I caught the announcement on NPR... I had to really make sure I heard what I heard. It caught me off guard.
As for the dress code for Reagan's viewing... I was commenting about this to some friends last night. Even the footage from California earlier this week was driving me up the wall. Especially the parents who were going on and on about making sure their kids knew who this "great man" was, but then there is the whole family in non-matching red, white and blue sneakers, socks, shorts and t-shirts(!!) - some even had on tank tops and "wife beaters". ?!?!?!?
And, gentlemen(?), PLEASE take off your baseball caps!!
CRIPES!!!
(I don't know if that's a real word, but I think it fits right now.)
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Jason, I grew up in an upper middle class suburb called Fort Thomas or about 15,000 (growing to about 25,000 before I left)...about five-ten from downtown Cincy. In fact, my parents' home has a great view of the river and the Cincy downtown skyline. When I lived there, there were no black people living in Fort Thomas. I'm not sure whether there are any living there to this day.
Coney Island in Cincy used to be the place to go for amusement parks in my youth...it was, in fact, the only place to go. I think it still exists in some abbreviated format...though Kings Island pretty much killed it. I believe the big, big pool is still around -- Moonlight Pool. And they may have concerts and stuff there too. Perhaps, elmore knows more about its fate. In 88' we held part of our class reunion there...the Sunday picnic, but I don't remember a lot of rides and stuff left...just the pool and a lot of fairground-like booths and arcade...
I left to go to school in Lexington in '68 and, after '73 when I went to Texas to act, I was pretty much gone for good. I still get back every couple of years to visit...my mother and a brother still live in the area.
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Sad news that we have lost Ray Charles. 73 is not old these days. So much he has given to the world. His "Modern Sounds In C & W" is always listed in my top 14 albums of all time.
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My favorite bio-pic: Ed Wood.
It also functions as a (nortoriously inaccuarate) bio-pic of that Famous Hungarian, Bela Lugosi.
But, inaccuracies aside, I still love the movie.
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The time is now 5:59 p.m. Time for me to shut this computer down and get the hell out of Dodge!
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Charles Pogue mentioned PRICK UP YOUR EARS earlier in one of his posts, and I noticed that it's coming out on DVD next Tuesday. Definitely a fascinating biography of a interesting and unusual person. But it IS pretty graphic about all aspects of his life and death.
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My favorite bio-pic: Ed Wood.
It also functions as a (nortoriously inaccuarate) bio-pic of that Famous Hungarian, Bela Lugosi.
But, inaccuracies aside, I still love the movie.
Forgot about that one...loved the soundtrack, too!
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As to amusement parks...
...I have a nervousness about heights. It's not a phobia, really, because I love looking out windows of skyscrapers and down at the people below. Just so long as I have SOME way of having my feet on the ground.
That said, perhaps my nervousness gives me an added "kick" to the rides. Or maybe it's a confrontation of my low-level fear of heights...but I adore rollercoasters....!
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Panni, I tried your Mad Hungarian. But since I don't like root beer, I substituted a Cherry Coke. And since I don't drink alcohol, I substituted some more Cherry Coke. It's very good.
I've gotta tell you, Sandra, you are one of the funniest people! Smart funny - which is my favorite kind.
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I loved (and sadly forgot about) "Ed Wood" and "The Sound of Music" also!
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Some sites on the Cincy Coney, which apparently is thriving. They're calling the pool the Sunlite Pool. I could have sworn growing up it was the Moonlight Pool. Although there was a Moonlight Gardens, so perhaps in my dotage, I'm merely confusing them.
www.coneyislandpark.com
www.history.amusement - parks.com/cinconey/loc4.jpg
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That last site URL should have no spaces between the hyphen:
www.history.amusement-parks.com/cinconey/loc4.jpg
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Whew! Reached PAGE SIX!
Now I don't have to hang my head in shame... (http://www.click-smilies.de/sammlung0304/aktion/action-smiley-057.gif)
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Read more about Brian Linehan, who had only a Grade 10 education, by checking out the Toronto Star obituary (link below). Here's the first sentence:
It happened during an otherwise ordinary commercial break on City Lights, Brian Linehan's groundbreaking Citytv interview show. Aging movie star Anne Baxter turned on the affable Mr. Linehan and snapped, "All this nostalgia is very nice, but I'm here to sell my new book. Get on with it!"
//www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1086387009529
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Thank you, thank you. I'll be here all week.
And now some encouragement for Dear Reader Jose as he cleans his room. You've all seen the "after" picture of my room. Here's a look at the "before" picture. And yes, those are cans of Cherry Coke.
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I think Sandra's "Before" mess has put us into Cinerama.
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DR Panni: The movie is "That Lady in Ermine" (20th Century-Fox, 1948) which starred Betty Grable and Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
DR MattH: Despite your sarcasm, I apologize for having interpreted your sentence the way I read it, rather than the you hoped everyone would read it
Of course it's my fault entirely...no way could you be wrong about how I should have read it.
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That was Dan-in-Toronto's link.
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No Cinerama here.
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Okay, enough of this frivolity - you're on your own for a short while, gang. I must write brilliant dialogue.
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I think Sandra's "Before" mess has put us into Cinerama.
It's doing more than that...it's putting us into insulin shock!
Are those EMPTIES?????
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OK, so it's not really my room. But it's SOMEBODY'S room, which I think is pretty amazing. The only empty Cherry Coke can I have in my room is one I drank without opening. Just another of my many useless talents.
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"Prick Up Your Ears" - a great bio. Bought it and watched it a few weeks ago. Had also forgotten to mention the wonderful "Lawrence Of Arabia". Thanks you DR's. I guess "Gods And Monsters" was a fiction (can't remember) and also "Midnight In The Garden Of Good and Evil". I am quite capable of checking these so please don't post links or two page articles. I'm just not interested enough to do it.
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FUNNY GIRL was a wonderfully entertaining film but a far from accurate biography. Nicky Arnstein was Fanny's 2nd husband, not her first and that's only the beginning.
***
Does anyone know if the team of Jones and Schmidt have broken up? Jones is doing lyrics for the musical HAROLD AND MAUDE that's opening at Papermill in January (with Estelle Parsons) with a new composer, Joseph Thalken. Is this a temporary split or have we seen the last of THE FANTASTICKS tam?
No, they have not broken up. Harvey is in Texas doing stuff he wants to do and gave his blessing to Tom on Harold and Maude.
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Back from the shoot which was easy and very nice. They ended up having a proper teleprompter, so there was no pressure, lines-wise, and I had a very good time and was very at ease. It helps that my newscaster will only be seen in the film matted into TV sets.
Douglass Trumball, the FX man was and is nowhere near ninety-five. So, either his father died or he died and they're off by about thirty-five years. Mr. Trumball, as I recall, was VERY young when he did 2001.
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These are the best choices for bio-pics. Bravo.
MattH: I understand that the Zorba release appears to have come from Fox, but so had the other one - they just frequently slap something on there just to have it. Unless the original film was like some of Ingmar Bergman's early sixties' efforts and shot in 1:33 and just mis-projected here, it will be widescreen and anamporphic. No one has a better track record in this regard than Fox in the last two years.
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I come back and everyone thinks that's a reason to stop posting? Is it something I said?
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Since there's a bit of a lull, let me announce that I'm in the local paper! The Olympian did an article about the anti-trust lawsuit with the big record producers (price fixing) and Timberland Regional Library (http://www.trlib.org) (where I work) got 2,850 free CDs! There are issues, though. The biggest being multiple copies of CDs. Who (at all) needs 90 (yes, ninety!) copies of The Three Tenors?? We only have 27 branches. Who needs 30 copies of Lee Greenwood's "American Patriot" CD??
Anyway, if you want to read the article on-line and see a picture of me (different than my "Before and After" picture...it's after the "After"), CLICK HERE (http://www.theolympian.com/home/news/20040610/southsound/70545.shtml) to read the article.
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And notice the original Broadway cast recording of Bloomer Girl on the left? I put that there!
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OMG DR Sandra: I totally believed that was your room. And I was in shock. Wow, I cannot believe that anyone would leave all those cans there. Crazy!
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Nice pic, George.
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And the really amazing thing is that somebody left all those cans there, took a picture of it, and then posted it on the Internet. And if that really had been my room, I don't think my mom would have let me post that picture.
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Nice pic, George.
Thanks!
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And one for Mahler.
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DONALD Trumbull died....not Douglas, are originallly stated.
Ooops.
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And the really amazing thing is that somebody left all those cans there, took a picture of it, and then posted it on the Internet. And if that really had been my room, I don't think my mom would have let me post that picture.
It's strange what people are proud of.
I live in a large apt. complex, and there's a security camera in the lobby, near the elevators. Not too long ago someone had left her shopping cart near the elevator while she parked her car. Meanwhile, a woman waiting for the elevator spotted the shopping cart, saw there was an 8-pack of toilet paper in it, and swiped it. Of course the theft was caught by the camera, and the management office phoned the thief and asked her return the merchandise. The odd part about the story is that the woman who had swiped the toilet paper began telling people in the building about the incident.
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DR Sandra - Thanks for the, um, "motivation". Even if that is not your room... WOW! The one thing I've never kept in my room is "food" stuff - cans, wrappers, napkins, etc. I guess that comes from being the son of food-service parents.
I remember when I was in college, one of the percussionists I would accompant kept a "collection" of all the beer cans he "emptied" throughout the semester. He would stack them up against one wall in his apartment. Some semesters, that "stack" became another wall. It was quite impressive. -And at least he rinsed out the cans before using them as bricks.
Well, time to get back to the laundry. BUT I did at least make a path to the closet and got my hanging stuff put back in the closet.
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Any time, Dear Reader Jose.
My brother did that one summer with all his empty soda bottles. It started off as a pile in the corner but eventually took over his whole room. I wish I had a picture of that!
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Off to see Stones in his Pockets. Keep the home fries burning.
I haven't had this busy a day and evening in a 'coon's age.
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Any time, Dear Reader Jose.
My brother did that one summer with all his empty soda bottles. It started off as a pile in the corner but eventually took over his whole room. I wish I had a picture of that!
Now that your Dear Brother likes Frank Sinatra, you should convince him to make a guest appearance here. Yours would be the first family with three, count them three, posters at HHW.com, the almost most popular site in all of internetdom.
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Since there's a bit of a lull, let me announce that I'm in the local paper! The Olympian did an article about the anti-trust lawsuit with the big record producers (price fixing) and Timberland Regional Library (http://www.trlib.org) (where I work) got 2,850 free CDs! There are issues, though. The biggest being multiple copies of CDs. Who (at all) needs 90 (yes, ninety!) copies of The Three Tenors?? We only have 27 branches. Who needs 30 copies of Lee Greenwood's "American Patriot" CD??
Anyway, if you want to read the article on-line and see a picture of me (different than my "Before and After" picture...it's after the "After"), CLICK HERE (http://www.theolympian.com/home/news/20040610/southsound/70545.shtml) to read the article.
You're famous! Congrats to you, Dear Reader George.
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Page Seven Dance!
This is actually me doing a fencing move of my own creation called The Tap-Dancing Gazelle.
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And the big finish!
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And the big finish!
Oooooohhhh. Would not want to find myself in a dark alley with you and your foil.
-
Did anyone here ever heed Geogia Gibbs and "do the Hucklebuck"?
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Thank you, Jay. That is the best compliment a fencer can get.
The first time I tried that move, the poor lady I was fencing didn't know what hit her. You have to see the whole thing to get the full effect, but the name "The Tap-Dancing Gazelle" really does fit it. You end up about ten feet away from where you started, and I'm still trying to figure out how I end up on one leg like that at the end.
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I am off to the the-a-tuh, Dear Readers. M. Butterfly is the play. Needless to say, I shall file a report either when I return tonight or tomorrow morning.
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Did anyone here ever heed Geogia Gibbs and "do the Hucklebuck"?
I waited for Chubby Checker to teach me how. That does not mean I am a chubby chaser Ron. I had lost interest by the time Brendan Bowyer tried it again in the mid sixties. I didn't even play with Georgia's Hula Hoop.
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...However, let it not be said that this is not an educational site. I Googled the phrase "Mad Hungarian" just in case something popped up -- and what I found instead of a lyric reference was the recipe for a drink called (natch)
THE MAD HUNGARIAN:
Ingredients:
* 2 shots Rum (Captain Morgan's)
* Fill with Root beer (Mug or A & W)
Mixing instructions:
An easy mix of rum and root beer, on the rocks, or without. The rum is a definite 2 shot minimum, as that it blends seamlessly with the root beer. The Captains can be substituted with Malibu rum for a more island flare.
I'd like to hear from the first person who tries it!
Immediately after? Or after the first two or three?
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Thunderations, we're having lots of thunder here in Rehoboth. Marty is hiding somewhere, poor pup. (Kelsey, on the other hand, is happily on der Brucer's lap.)
Back in a bit, after dinner.
-
Here's the thing...
The Significant Other and I decided to curl up and watch a sci-fi flick entitled Stargate, starring Mr. Kurt Russell and Mr. James Spader. It was terrible. Just terrible.
-
Just got home and on my telephone answering machine was a lovely message from 1930s actress Mary Carlisle. I had written to her to see if she would like to do an interview. Unfortunatley her message to me was that she has never done and interview and doesn't believe she will, despite the fact that friends are always urging her to do so! But it was nice to hear her voice and at age 89 she still sounded quite spry!
Too bad about the interview as she appeared in so many films in the 1930 and 40s...big and little movies...and worked with so many of the greats! I would love to have gotten it all down on paper!
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Portland History Buffs might want to check out this site. www.history.pdx.edu/guildslake
Rum and root beer sounds better than rum and ginger beer. They both sound better than Sandra’s cherry coke.
Sandra, I do love your funny cherry coke stories even if I don’t want to drink the stuff. The after photo is absolutely hysterical.
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Wow!
I'm surprised no one mentioned this lady who attended the Tonys and who just looks ravishing on this pic!
http://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/news/photos/imagepages/2004-06-06/200406061086587621761.html
Miss Peters does not seem to age -- what's her secret?-- and this other lady is Musical Theater herself!
http://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/news/photos/imagepages/2004-06-06/200406061086583629090.html
.... and Kristin looked terrif' in red!
http://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/news/photos/imagepages/2004-06-06/200406061086582028116.html
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Unless the original film was like some of Ingmar Bergman's early sixties' efforts and shot in 1:33 and just mis-projected here...
Which gives a whole different spin to the phrase "Opening wide"...
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Cool site Jane! I will have to check that out!
Some time back I saw a book someplace that had vintage photos of various parts of Portland as it looked in the 1920s, 30s, 40s, etc. and then had identical pictures taken currently for comparison...it was quite interesting to see what had changed and what had remained the same. I think there is one on Salem like that too.
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Just got home and on my telephone answering machine was a lovely message from 1930s actress Mary Carlisle. I had written to her to see if she would like to do an interview. Unfortunatley her message to me was that she has never done and interview and doesn't believe she will, despite the fact that friends are always urging her to do so! But it was nice to hear her voice and at age 89 she still sounded quite spry!
Too bad about the interview as she appeared in so many films in the 1930 and 40s...big and little movies...and worked with so many of the greats! I would love to have gotten it all down on paper!
Mike!
I wouldn't mind doing an interview with you, you know!
You can even call me Mary if you like! ;)
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OMG DR Sandra: I totally believed that was your room. And I was in shock. Wow, I cannot believe that anyone would leave all those cans there. Crazy!
And that's in just one day!
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And the big finish!
Which, of course, would look much better on ice skates! (Think of it, you could compete in both the summer and winter Olympics!)
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You know, S. Woody, I've been thinking for quite some time that somebody needed to start a roller-fencing league. Can't you just see that?
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George, you look very serious, as if you are concentrating very hard on the CD’s. Nice pic and story-thanks for sharing :D
JoseSPiano I was relieved when you said he rinsed the cans first. I was envisioning armies of ants marching around his room. ;D
Sandra you look so cute.
MBarnum glad you liked the site. My son sent it to me. His name is listed twice in the credits.
François de Paris nice pictures. I still haven’t had time to watch the Tony’s. I think it might not happen now. I have so little free time these days, it is either post or watch.
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Here's the thing...
The Significant Other and I decided to curl up and watch a sci-fi flick entitled Stargate, starring Mr. Kurt Russell and Mr. James Spader. It was terrible. Just terrible.
So, have you ever watched the television series based on the film?
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Wow! -- again! --
Look, look, look.... at that!
http://www.rhinohandmade.com/browse/ProductLink.lasso?Number=7852
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Speaking of Sci-Fi shows, FARSCAPE is filming a four part miniseries. It should air in October. I for one am looking forward to it.
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Thank you Jane. It's not easy to look cute when you're attacking someone with a sword.
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You know, S. Woody, I've been thinking for quite some time that somebody needed to start a roller-fencing league. Can't you just see that?
Synchronized fencing, on wheels and to organ music! Sounds like fun!
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The sword is part of the charm. I think it would be great fun to watch you in action.
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Thanks, Jane!
If only I were the photographer who took those pics!
You say:
"I have so little free time these days, it is either post or watch."
Better than if you had to... wast or potch!!!!!........
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Speaking of Sci-Fi shows, FARSCAPE is filming a four part miniseries. It should air in October. I for one am looking forward to it.
Considering how the series was cancelled with too many loose ends left dangling, a miniseries conclusion is well deserved. I, for one, want to know how our leads are going to be put back together, after having been blasted into jewel bits during the last cliffhanger.
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Francois, when I click on your last link, I get the following:
"Your email message has been idle and this link has become inactive. To access the link, close this window and return to your Message. Then click the browser's Refresh button or close your message and reopen it."
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Considering how the series was cancelled with too many loose ends left dangling, a miniseries conclusion is well deserved. I, for one, want to know how our leads are going to be put back together, after having been blasted into jewel bits during the last cliffhanger.
LOL-what an ending. ???
Goodnight.
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George, you look very serious, as if you are concentrating very hard on the CD’s. Nice pic and story-thanks for sharing :D
Thanks, but I wasn't concentrating, really. When the photographer came, we (I and a co-worker Kerri, who is a bit upset that her picture wasn't in the article) started opening up the boxes of CDs. The photographer just started taking pictures. She said to "act natural" and don't "pose" and don't look into the camera. She was there for more than 20 minutes and took so many pictures. We had no idea which picture(s) she would use. That was the only one published.
And, for my very first BookWorm (ever) score:
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DR RLP, no sarcasm written or intended. I wrote exactly what I wanted in response to Jason's comment about "Alexander's Ragtime Band." If you misinterpreted what was written, I hope my follow-up message straightened out what was written by me or was at least meant to be written. But my message that you had trouble interpreting did not exist in a vacuum. My original comment about "ARB," Jason's response, and my follow-up were all intended to be read as a correspondence.
We're (or possibly I'm) beating a dead horse. If the comment wasn't clear to Jason, he didn't let me know. If it wasn't clear then, it certainly must be clear now after all of this.
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Nothing makes me madder than inept engineers at the local CBS station who forget to flip the high definition switch when programs begin. And, of course, at this time of night, there is no way to lodge complaints or get things righted. The switchboard is shut down and all you get are recorded messages telling you when business hours are.
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oops.....spoo!
This should work better!
http://www.rhinohandmade.com/browse/ProductLink.lasso?Number=7852
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Let's all take a d-e-e-p breath and relax.....
Whwhwhwhwhwhwhwhwhwhwwhhw......
Exh-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-l-e.......
Again!
Let it out!
There now, aneurysm averted!
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BK, I think the message board portion of THE DVD PLACE must be shut down. I tried to go there tonight to access messages, and I kept getting error messages. I got the home page just fine, but couldn't get to the message board.
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Der Brucer (who has fallen asleep on the couch) remembered another bio film, one that has been discussed quite merrily here in the previous weeks:
Star.
Or, to quote one of the lyrics...
Has anybody seen our ship?
The SS Orange Skin Tones?
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The bees were an interesting find. I notified the director of the preserve, and they will keep an eye on it.
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Oh...I meant to point a couple of spots for MR BK to watch for in STONES....I enjoyed the play very much.
DRGEORGE is a newspaper Star!!
Phil Bosco is an ass. Pass it on.
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And to all a Goodnight.
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Now that your Dear Brother likes Frank Sinatra, you should convince him to make a guest appearance here. Yours would be the first family with three, count them three, posters at HHW.com, the almost most popular site in all of internetdom.
I dunno, Jay, Jed once said that Ann was like a sister to him, and since Jed is my son, I guess that makes Ann my daughter. Therefore, technically we are the first family to have three posters!
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Jan de Hartog would have Four Poster(s) if he knew this site!
I do believe it, I do!
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I dunno, Jay, Jed once said that Ann was like a sister to him, and since Jed is my son, I guess that makes Ann my daughter. Therefore, technically we are the first family to have three posters!
Yay! I have a cyber-family! I feel so loved ;D
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This is mainly for DR José who thinks highly of Lambert Wilson's singing skills! ;)
Mardi 22 Juin 2004, 20h00
Amphithéâtre Cité de la Musique, Paris
Stephen SONDHEIM, Chansons
Maria-Laura Baccarini, soprano
Maria Friedman, soprano
Lambert Wilson, ténor
Bruno Fontaine, piano et arrangements
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I have returned from M. Butterfly at the East West Players in Little Tokyo. It was good! Mr. Arye Gross and Mr. Alec Mapa took the lead roles. I hadn't seen the play since its original Broadway run, and marveled once again at how it turns the story line of Madama Butterfly inside out. And that it was based on a true story.
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Sandra: You are entirely too cute, even with an epee.
MattH: I'll check it out and let you know what I find.
Back from the Taper and must write tomorrow's notes. Back shortly.
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Oooh. I didn't realize it's almost midnight. I must post once more today before I turn into a pumpkin.