Haines His Way
Archives => Archive 3 => Topic started by: bk on July 28, 2005, 12:04:14 AM
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Well, you've read the notes, you've baked the notes, the notes have baked you, and now it is time for you to post until the half-baked cows come home.
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And the word of the day is: TONNEAU!
Smoke on your pipe and put that in!
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And now - Dino at the piano.
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First Amusement Park: Melbourne's Luna Park. It's still around and about to have a major revamp. I remember the "Big Dipper" and "The Scenic Railway". There were also River Caves (sort of a Tunnel Of Love) and of course a Ghost Train. I think I used to enjoy the Penny Arcade area most - just to get the fortune telling cards etc from the machines.
I've never really liked the "thrill rides".
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I used to drive a small tray truck (useful on our small semirural property) and always planned to buy a tonneau for the back to protect the tray contents and to reduce wind resistance (and save fuel). I didn't ever get around to the purchase.
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I don't really remember the first amusement park(s) that I went to. I vaguely remember some that my family went to when we lived in Germany, but that was when I was 4-6 years old, so my memory's quite faulty. Anyway, the only other amusement park that I can specifically remember going to is Disneyland. I've never been to Disneyworld or any of the Six Flags or Knott's Berry Farm (which I used to think was "Knotsberry Farm" ;)). That's it, really. I guess I've been deprived. ::)
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And now for something completely different:
A couple of weeks ago, I went to Harlequin Productions' website (http://www.harlequinproductions.org/). They're a local semi-professional theater company where, for several years, I played the character of Sidney in their annual "Stardust" shows...book musicals that they've written, set at the fictional Stardust Club during Christmastime and each show was set in a different year in the 1940s. For the most part, they've used actual 1940s music.
Anyway, at their website under "about us" and then "history," I found this picture of ME! It's a point in one of the Stardust shows when I entered in full Carmen Miranda drag in an attempt to distract some gangsters from taking over the club. It's a small picture, but you can tell it's me. I forget which season the show came from, but it wasn't the 1993-94 season where the picture links to. They didn't do a Stardust show that year. Here it is! The two women behind me are Linda Morris (on the left...and she now works at Ashland's Shakespeare Festival!) and Jana Tyrrell. ;D:
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I know this site is fig friendly. No wonder you have fruit DR George. And it's Goodnight from OZ...
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And it's Goodnight from him! (a "Two Ronnies" reference!)
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Nice new avatar, DR JOSE!
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Le Notti Bianche!!!
Visconti!!!
That's my favorite one from his adorable films.
He made a beautiful fictional world with Fog, Rain and Snow in it!
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Good morning DR Elmore. I'll catch up with OzDerek tomorrow for lunch and will pass on all the sundried wishes and greetings. He is becoming more tired every day it seems.
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Good morning, DRTomovoz! I got a dirty joke from DROzderek in my email yesterday and I was hoping that meant he was doing better. Please send him my best wishes.
Well, I officially finished DARLING OF THE DAY yesterday evening. The BIG NUMBER totaled 82 pages of scoring and came to 328 measures. After finishing it, I had to score the two smaller pieces that used the music. At least it's all gong to the copyist now, and I can devote full time for the next week to finishing THE GOLDEN APPLE.
On a note of regret yesterday (A), I had to turn down a job I would have killed for: Patrick Vaccariello asked me to do a new musical about Kinsey, DOCTOR SEX, which goes into rehearsals next month. Since I'm booked with THE GOLDEN APPLE and the Chicago Humanities Festival, I had to turn him down. I recommended my friend Larry Hochman, and I'm still kicking myself for saying no.
DRJose, I'm glad you said yes. In 1973, when I was working at the Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival, I saw every production at Williamstown that season. Except for a dud new musical, NOBODY'S EARNEST, it was the best theatre I've ever seen, including such excellent unknowns as David Dukes, John Glover, John Lithgow, and actors whose reputations I'd known but not seen like Olympia Dukakis. Orton's WHAT THE BUTLER SAW is one of my favorite plays, and the only really good production I've ever seen (out of about 6 or 7) was at Williamstown that summer. Also, my friend Curtis is a really wonderful writer and mensch. He's got the most wonderful musical floating around waiting for option called FOR THE LOVE OF TIFFANY.
By the way, DRJose, the new avatar is great, although I miss the Amelia Earhart glamour of the other.
And now off to copy some scores.
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Moew Best Wishes to DR OZDEREK!
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We had an earthquake which registered 3 (on the Japanese scale) five minutes ago in Tokyo and its surrounding area and, we have, at least, one earthquake registered 3 or 4 (not big but not small) a day somewhere in Japan these days. I spend a little uneasy days :-\
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My first surprising experience was happened in a “haunted house” , when I was seven years old. There’re many horrible spooks in the house, especially for children, but the most surprising device for me was a SOFT SPONGE, which was put under the floor in a very small special area. I mean, when I stepped on the sponge floor… I can’t explain right in English. :-\ Just imagine the moment you step on a Tofu, instead of a floor you thought it’s hard. :o
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Bake a tape? Who would have thought such a thing possible, let alone necessary?
DR HISAKA your explanation of the sponge floor does sound very scary!
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We ran the first act of PIPPIN last night. First act, you say....PIPPIN is NOT a two act play! Well in the revised version sent to us, it can be....and so at the Putnam County Playhouse IT IS!
Didn't look as bad as I thought it would - but the dances certainly need some smoothing out. And that horrible look a performer gets in his/her eyes when the next step is forgotten and the music goes on was seen a few times. I moved around in the audience just to see the people searching for me. A few extra sessions with particular people will be helpful and necessary and have already been scheduled.
I like PIPPIN more than I thought I would. This is the first production of it I have ever worked on, and it is certainly challenging to me as a choreographer. Much more so than, say, SOUTH PACIFIC!
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MR BK, I asked if you were going to be seeing Mr Tony Walton, because a young lady in PIPPIN is a great fan of his.
She is a senior at Cloverdale Indiana High School. And I heard her talking about him with another Player. She has several souvenir books with his designs. She bought these on EBAY. She plans to major in art and design at university.
ANYWAY - I mentioned HHW and that I knew you, MR BK, and that you were a friend of Mr Tony Walton's and she was stunned. She then asked if perhaps she might get Mr Walton's signature. I told her I would ask.
I will email her name & you could send it to me, if it is possible. Thanks!
And that is all for now.
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Riverside Amusement Park.
No longer open in Indianapolis.
The RACER roller coaster was my first experience with such a ride. It scared me more than anything in my life! I was about 8 years old. I didn't ride coaster again for 20 years!
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Oh, I also ate a hot dog which wasn't so good. And I saw three nuns in short habits riding the Tilt-a-Whirl!
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The first amusement park I went to when I was a wee sprig of a twig of a tad of a lad was Pacific Ocean Park (good old P.O.P.) of Benjamin Kritzer fame. I rode the roller coaster (my sister was afraid to). I also rode the sky tram (or whatever is was called) that went out over the ocean. I remmber it vividly and thought I could see the whole country (including my grandmother's house in Phoenix--some view from the Pacific Ocean).
We also went to Knott's Berry Farm, which was still a berry farm with an "Old West" town (goldmining, etc.)
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I actually just heard Eileen Barton singing about baking. I'm sure she'd be baking a tape with today's technology and low-carb awareness. We settled for cake, however.
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Anyway, at their website under "about us" and then "history," I found this picture of ME!
DR George--will you use it as a new avatar?
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There were not many "amusement" parks in Minnesota when I was growing up. I have vague memories of going to Excelsior (which no longer exists), We also went to Paul Bunyan Amusement Park in Bemidji (IIRC). Now they have Valley Fair and Knotts Camp Snoopy at the Mall of America.
I remember going to the Midway at the Minnesota State Fair as a kid. We ate hot dogs and cotton candy and popcorn and candy and toffee apples until our little tummies felt like they would burst. My favorite ride was the Tilt-a-Whirl. I am not a fan of Roller Coasters.
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DRGEORGE - your photo of course reminds me of the I Love Lucy episode in which Lucy Ricardo dressed up as Carmen and mimed one of her records - with disastrous results....or maybe Jerry Lewis in Scared Stiff!
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How do you know when a baked tape is done?
TOD: My first amusement park was Clementon Lake Park in Clementon, NJ. My mom and dad took us there a couple of times every year as far back as I can remember. Early on, my favorite rides were the Cup and Saucer, the Merry-Go-Round and the Cannonball Express train ride. WHen I got older and a little more daring, I would ride the Jack Rabbit wooden rollercoaster, the Whip and the Tilt-A-Whirl. I also liked the Mirror Maze (the path of which I had memorized down pat) and the Whacky Shack (with it's Tilted Room and the Magic Carpet ride--you sat on this decrepit sofa which would collapse onto a wide industrial conveyor belt that would carry you down a slope to the floor below. There is no way they would allow that kind of ride today.)
The only thing that I would not go on was the Salt And Pepper Shaker. Not just because it was the scariest ride in the park, but also because a former version of the ride had once broke and killed all of its riders. Now I have no idea whether this was true or not--you have to wonder why the park owners would call the new ride by the same name after such a tragedy--but the legend carried a lot of weight when I was a kid.
Also, Clementon Lake Park made the only cotton candy that I liked. I doubt that it was any different from anyplace else, but it was the only cotton candy that I would eat.
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The first amusement park I went to was in England. I don't remember the name, but I didn't ride any of the rides - I was afraid. I was only 6!
The first American amusement park I went to was (Paramount's) King's Island in Cincinnati, OH. Yes, the Brady's King's Island. I can't tell you how many times I ran around that park, retracing the steps of *the* Marcia Brady.
Anyway, my friend, Brian, convinced me to ride the Racer - one of those huge wooden coasters with two tracks: one backwards and one forwards. We got to the top of the hill and I decided I did NOT want to finish that ride, but it was a little too late, so I distinctly recall holding onto the safety bar for dear life through the whole ride. I didn't even scream for fear of tossing my cookies, which I eventually did on the Spinning Barrels ride.
Since then, though, I've been an avid fan of roller coasters and I'm desperate for someone to go with me to Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey to ride the coasters. Any takers?
My First Roller Coaster:
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The entire New York compendium of Hainesies are here...and nobody's talkin'.
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Jose, yesterday you mentioned that a sort of long running show was going to announce its closing soon... can we make guesses?
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My first guess would be MOVIN' OUT. Second guess: FIDDLER ON THE ROOF.
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Page Two Dance!!!
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Good Morning!
What a beautiful morning!
-And to think that 82 degrees actually feels "cool"?!?!?
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Jason, I second your guesses.
Jose, just wink if we are right.
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King's Island was my first as well. The way I'd describe it is it was like walking inside a television set with all your favorite cartoon characters in there. It was Hanna-Barbera Heaven. The Banana Splits were there, Fred Flintstone, the Hair Bears, Huckleberry Hound. There actually was a ride that was a giant TV set that you rode in on a boat and there were Gulliver and the Little People and Yogi Bear and numerous other animtronic characters in there.
On the scary side, there was a train ride that got robbed while I was on it by an outlaw with a gun, which freaked me out. Of course my dad played along to make it even more scary.
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Like the new avatar, DR Jose. You put it up last night after I went to bed, so it was a great surprise this morning when catching up on last night's posts.
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First amusement part for me was the Pavillion at Ocean Drive Beach in South Carolina. A much smaller and less famous beach than Myrtle Beach, but our cousins had a house there, and that's where we went for many years for a week each summer.
Anyway, they had a much smaller amusement park than Myrtle Beach did, but they had Tilt-a-Whirl and Scrambler and a ferris wheel, all of which I loved and rode constantly. I must have been 6 or 7 at the time of my earliest memories. I also loved their arcade where I used to play this baseball oriented-pinball machine all the time. Good times.
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Yes, it's much cooler today here, too. And we're on a downward trajectory for the rest of the week. By Sunday, it's supposed to barely get into the 80s. Quite a change from the last week.
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I have definitely decided on CALL NORTHSIDE 777 for my DVD movie today.
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DR George, how did you like RENO 911! this week?
And did you know the actress playing Trudy Weigel is pregnant in real life. Supposedly she's pretty far along, but they've done such a good job hiding it that I didn't even notice. A friend told me this morning that's she's due in August.
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As for amusement parks... I think the first one I ever went to was Disneyland. We stopped there for a day en route to San Diego during one of the family visits from Seattle. They still had the whole lettered-ticket system, and I can sort of still remember the look on my parents' faces each time we asked to go on another ride. I'm not exactly sure what that look was, but it was a look - as they held the little ticket/punchcard. -Was it a ticket/punchcard?
I remember the Pirates of the Caribbean and It's A Small World... And Thunder Mountain Railroad... BUT, I did not ride the Teacups.
Otherwise, when we lived in Ledyard, CT, we frequently would go to those travelling midway parks. Sometimes they would just travel from one county to the next, basically down the road, and we would end up "following" them. -And I seemed to have a knack for winning free passes to them via radio call-in contests - WRNL in New London!
...And it would always take me a bit of time to get out of the Fun House. But my favorite "effect" was the Haunted House ride. There was that first pass through the dark tunnel, and you would feel furry fingers grazing your head. A very simple effect, but very effective. At least to a nine year old.
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It's 84 outside right now, but that's still quite a bit cooler than this time yesterday.
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Rodzinski: I remember that boat ride! When I was there, though, it was a Smurf thing. All things Smurf. And it was also a Scooby-Doo ride at one time. I think it's defunct now.
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;)
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I believe that my first amusement type park was Happy Hollow in San Jose. I remember riding in the train and a petting zoo.
I also remember a particularly assertive goat chasing around my younger sister, attempting to devour her dress.
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Well.. I have to hang out here for a little while waiting for some contract stuff to arrive via FedEx... So...DR elmore... I'm not sure when I'll be able to make it over to help you out with Golden Apple stuff.
Hmmm... I guess I could get a head start on packing... Hmm...
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It's funny. We have Paramount Carowinds just over the SC line, about 15 miles from my house. It's a BIG theme park with lots of rides and live entertainment, and I haven't been there in over 20 years. Amazing that something like that is so close, and I don't ever go,
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We spent a week in Orlando a few years ago, but we did all of the Disney theme parks during that week and never went to Universal Orlando.
So, the next time I go to Orlando, I must give a couple of days over to Universal.
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All these theme parks and resorts now are so sophisticated. I'm old enough to remember the old county fairs fondly that had a few rides, some sideshows, and lots of things like agricultural exhibits and baking contests and the like.
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I also remember a particularly assertive goat chasing around my younger sister, attempting to devour her dress.
OHH!!!!
That's one of my vivid memories from my first trip to Busch Gardens Williamsburg - The Old Country. They had this petting zoo. They had this candy machine of sorts set up so that you could buy handfuls of kibble by the quarter. Well, the goats were always on the lookout for free food! However, I remember one of them started to chew on my shirt... then it started to chew on the water gun I had just bought... I remember trying to get away from it... And I was very sad (crying) that I had lost my water gun... However, my Dad eventually shooed the goat away... and got my water gun back - which was still in it's wrapper, but the goat had chewed up the paper "hang tag".
Needless to say, I had no interest in the petting zoo after that experience.
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BK, I see that the original running time for WHITE NIGHTS was 107 minutes but that TV versions now run 94 minutes. Is the Criterion version the complete original release version or has that one been lost to time?
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We spent a week in Orlando a few years ago, but we did all of the Disney theme parks during that week and never went to Universal Orlando.
So, the next time I go to Orlando, I must give a couple of days over to Universal.
DR MattH - If you do make it back to Orlando.... You will only need a day to make it through Universal Studios Orlando. Possibly two, but if you get up early and get there when the park opens... It's a lot smaller than the commercials make it out to be. It's mainly rides down there, and since there's no working moving studio attached to it - like there is in LA - people mainly go there for the rides. However, the City Walk area is very nice. Some decent restaurants, and the pricing is very "locals friendly" - not marked up too much, if at all. But, again, the park itself is really not that big - especially in comparison to Disneyworld.
And the last time I was there, I found it sort of strange that the park closed at 7:00pm. ???
And I highly recommend the branch of Emeril's down there. However, stay away from his Asian-fusion place at the adjoining resort.
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Greetings from Cleveland! I arrived here in good time, the computers are not busy here at the Foundation Center, and my meeting doesn't start for half an hour.
DR Jose - congratulations on the Williamstown job and compliments on your new avatar!
DR Ben - I did see your post from last night and will convey your greetings to Cindy; we have an appointment this afternoon to go over plans for a presentation we're giving together in November.
TOD - Boblo Island, downriver from Detroit. You boarded a delightful riverboat at the foot of Woodward in Detroit and cruised to the island for a day of fun. Or, you could take a "Moonlight Cruise," which was just the boat ride down and back - no amusement park. Boblo is no more, I understand, but those of you who've mentioned Kings Island will be glad to know that the one near Cincinnati is thriving and has just announced that they're bringing back Winterfest after several years of not doing that.
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I think I had heard that it became Smurfs after awhile. Or maybe I heard Pac-Man too. At the time I went to the park, it was the pre-Smurf mid '70s.
Other memorable Kings Island rides:
Instead of tea cups, you could ride in big beer kegs in a pseudo-Bavarian section of the park.
There were giant wooden shoes you could "fly" around in
A giant roulette wheel you could ride on
The Racer, which I was too little to ride
A log flume
A Safari of some sort
Jose, did you ever go to Kings Island's sister park KINGS DOMINION in Virginia? I went there once when I was little and I remember "Yogi Bear's House" which was supposedly built by Yogi and had weird slanted floors and caves and such.
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Yes, Visconti's filmography is not a succession of masterpieces, but he certainly did do some awesome films. Have you said before that THE LEOPARD is your favorite of his or ROCCO & HIS BROTHERS? I can't remember.
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Thanks for the tips, DR Jose. We stayed at the Holiday Inn that's very close to Universal when we were there last time, and I'm thinking that one of those days that we went to the Magic Kingdom could have been given over to Universal.
However, I think the plan was that we WOULD go back just for Universal at some future date, but that was four years ago, and we haven't made it back yet.
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Rodzinski: I think it was the Bavarian Beer Barrels in which I vomited.
And who could forget King's Island's "scale" reproduction of the Eiffel Tower?
I just looked at pictures of their new looping wooden coaster, the Son of the Beast. WOW! I wanna ride that! The Beast is a great, great, great coaster, too. Maybe I'll go to King's Island when I go home in August...
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BTW, I haven't seen WHITE NIGHTS, but being such a fan of Jean Marais, I must put it on my must-see list.
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Matt H-
County Fairs are still alive and well. TPunk and I have been lucky to find different ones the last couple years. We were mesmerized by the goat judging at the Ulster County Fair upstate last year.
And we went to a fair in Pennsylvania the year before. I am hungry for funnel cake just thinking about it.
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And who could forget King's Island's "scale" reproduction of the Eiffel Tower?....Maybe I'll go to King's Island when I go home in August...
DR Jason - for Winterfest they'll turn that Eiffel Tower into a giant Christmas tree. Is "home" close to Cincinnati? Maybe we could meet for coffee or Graeter's ice cream or something.
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DR Jason - for Winterfest they'll turn that Eiffel Tower into a giant Christmas tree. Is "home" close to Cincinnati? Maybe we could meet for coffee or Graeter's ice cream or something.
I'm originally from Louisville - about 2 hours from Cincy.
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Gotta go to class now and learn all about corporate grantmaking. I'll be back later...
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I still have a mini Eiffel Tower from King's Island made of metal. How I did not accidentally stab someone to death with it as a kid, I do not know, as it has a very sharp point.
Maybe Matthew's photo isn't in France at all!
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Greetings all.
TOD:
My very first amusement park was truly a kiddie park that was located on Flatbush Avenue, at about Avenue R. It was called Buddy's (or Buddies). I remember a very kiddie-friendly "roller coaster" that was not terribly intricate or scary. It had some sort of Dumbo/"helicopter" ride, a small carousel, and one of those boat rides where five or six small boats are attached to spokes, and go around in circles. There may have been a teacup ride of sorts, but even then, I knew not to go on them. They still make me nauseous. Attached to the amusement park was an arcade, where I got in my skee-ball thrills. I forget what else they had in there, as skee-ball was my favorite.
HersheyPark might have been the first "real" amusement park I went to, on the last family vacation (OK, it was only a long weekend) that I remember taking. Former DR/DB (Dear Brother) Jay tried to coax me onto the Super Duper Looper (or something like that), but I begged off. I like coasters, to some degree, but have never been crazy about being upside down.
Other theme/amusement parks followed: Coney Island, Great Adventure, DisnelANd and Disney WORLd, Universal (CA and FL), and the coaster that I mentioned recently, when the DP and I drove from SF to the County of Orange. (Was it Santa Rosa? the one that is right on the water...)
Rochester has a charming old-fashioned amusement park, SeaBreeze, which is right on the lake. The JackRabbit is their old wooden coaster. It's fun. And, of course, Six Flags has a park not far from here, but we have not been.
I have always been partial to log flumes.
DR George: Sorry, I don't remember a Courtney Bennett.
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I figured county fairs were still around. I just don't take much opportunity to leave the big city. Glad to know some aspects of life are still going strong.
Funnel cake. Now there is something I haven't thought about in awhile.
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I'm up, I'm up.
Jrand: I'm sure Tony W. will be delighted to sign something for the girl. She should buy After the Ball - it's his cover design and perfect for signing, you know. :-) Also, tell her to visit kritzerland.com to read the Ten Questions with TW and also view the photographs and the video, both of which he's in.
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MattH: La Notti Bianchi runs its full app. 103 minutes - 107 isn't correct (is that what they say on the imdb - they're frequently incorrect). The set design on this film is unbelievable - the entire film, the town, the shops, the canals, everything, was built and shot at Cinecitta.
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Oh yes county fairs are still around. And I don't ride those rides because THEY do make me sick.
The Mooresville fair is called Old Settlers Day - and a rocking chair is given to the oldest man and woman attending on Senior's Day.
Hmmm....the roller coaster at King's Island is called the Racer. I had to think. The roller coaster I rode at Riverside was called THE FLASH!
The Beast is a great coaster - and The Son of the Beast promises to be one as well. Of course there is THE BAT which only lasted a season or two, where you hung suspended while being coastered. And there is also a stand-up coaster that is pretty exciting.
The log flume is pretty boring and the last hill is not worth the wait - but we did go to the top of the Eiffel Tower once....and waited forever for an elevator to take us back down.
If I would stop doing four shows between May-September, maybe I could go to King's Island for a day of fun and sun...burn!
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Oh I had some baclava at King's Island that was very good!
No Hanna Barbera characters anymore. And those Klingons that are walking around are MEAN!
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Ah I will tell her about AFTER THE BALL this evening MR BK - and if she wants to purchase it, perhaps MR WALTON will show up sometime before it is sent out.
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Oh what the hell. I just ordered AFTER THE BALL and included her name in the message.
She has worked so hard, I might just give it as a gift! LOL
Thanks. PIPPIN runs through August 20, but if I don't have it by then, I'll be sure to get her address. Thanks, MR BK.
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DR Rodzinksi - I go through phases with King's Dominion - now Paramount's Kings Dominion. I'll either end up going at least five or six times in one summer - Should have bought the season pass! Or I don't go at all for a few summers at a time. In any case..
Yes, I remember Yogi's House. It was actually kind of "scary" in the sense that if one did not have good physical strength and balance, it could actually take quite a bit of effort to get through it.
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DR Jason - Maybe when I get back from Williamstown....
OHH!!!! Maybe I can have my birthday out at Six Flags!!!! That would be cool!!!!
Or since my birthday falls on a Friday this year, maybe we can all meet at Splash!!
;D
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OK - FedEx just got here, and now I need to run around getting things copied and faxed...
Laters...
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Yes, I remember Yogi's House. It was actually kind of "scary" in the sense that if one did not have good physical strength and balance, it could actually take quite a bit of effort to get through it.
Life is like, I have found, DRJOSE! 8)
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MattH: La Notti Bianchi runs its full app. 103 minutes - 107 isn't correct (is that what they say on the imdb - they're frequently incorrect). The set design on this film is unbelievable - the entire film, the town, the shops, the canals, everything, was built and shot at Cinecitta.
No, I almost never use the IMDB except for cast listings.
I got the info from Leonard Maltin's 2005 MOVIE GUIDE.
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I'm expecting some packages at some point but not sure they're coming today. Media Mail is unpredictable. Today's mail hasn't come yet.
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Time for me to scratch around in the kitchen so see if I can uncover anything there to have to lunch. Be back later in the afternoon.
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I grew up a block away from Coney Island, but don't really have much memory of going on rides there. Disney World stands out in my mind as the first place where I really enjoyed amusement park rides. Not my all-time favorite, but certainly the kitschiest and most unusual ride I was on at Disney World was one called JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM. It was part of the Millennium Village sectionof Epcot, which was up for just about a year, and was similar to the Back to the Future and Hanna-Barbera rides at Universal, only not as high-tech.
In Journey to Jerusalem, you sat in a vehicle which rose, pitched and turned and actually felt like you were part of what was going on on a large screen. Parchment from the Torah guided you through the history of Jerusalem, and (amazingly) you felt like you were flying with that parchment. Lots of fun, a little campy, but this former Yeshivah boy loved it and wished it hadn't been dismantled after 2000.
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Maltin is also frequently incorrect - his minions simply gather information from whatever sources are handy, which are many times wrong. I'm sure they use Variety a lot, and it's shocking how wrong Variety and Box-Office running times are - it causes much confusion. There were no less than seven running times listed for Nudie Musical through the years, none of them correct. My favorite was the one that listed a running time fully fourteen minutes longer than the film. The most frequent incorrect running time was 97 minutes, because they'd gotten that time from the version of the film that included the "plumber scene", which was cut just weeks before the film's release.
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It's hard to be special
It's hard to be big
While feedin' the turtle
And walkin' the pig.
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MR BK did you get the order?
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Chicken sal san - hold the mayo, hold the lettuce, and hold the chicken.
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HEY I MADE MY 10,000TH POST AT HHW!!!
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HEY I MADE MY 10,000TH POST AT HHW!!!
Congratulations! I hope to reach such great heights someday! :)
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DR HISAKA your explanation of the sponge floor does sound very scary!
I thought the notion of a tofu floor much scarier.
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I know my family went to Disneyland when I was 4 or something like that and I don't remember much about it. I do remember attending the opening season of Marriott's Great America (which is now Paramounts Great America) which opened in 1976 - very apprpos, I believe. It has grown over the years with some great coasters, however, now it's taken the "water" route and has a huge water complex now with rivers and slides and such. My favorite is anything Disney. All time favorite is Disneyland in CA (nothing can hold a candle to the original) and I've been to DisneyWorld and Disneyland Paris. But Disneyland in CA is my ultimate fave.
My thoughts about DR Jose's "hint" about a sort-of long running show would include the shows mentioned by DR TPunk with the addition of "Hairspray".
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It was easy for a verbose person such as myself, DR TPUNK.
True DRRLP. Even a marshmallow floor would be scary!
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HEY I MADE MY 10,000TH POST AT HHW!!!
In the words of my forebears: mazel tov!
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I don't think Hairspray will be posting a notice soon. It's still doing very strong business. It's one of the top 10 grossing shows every week. According to the League here are this past week's top 10
Week Ending July 24
1. Wicked, $1,307,492
2. The Lion King, $1,207,509
3. Monty Python's Spamalot, $997,746
4. Mamma Mia!, $973,281
5. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, $843,629
6. The Producers, $821,264
7. The Phantom of the Opera, $817,182
8. Hairspray, $773,383
9. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, $723,666
10. Beauty and the Beast, $716,364
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Got the order.
I shall now be on my way to deliver the tape to be baked.
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Maltin refuses to acknowledge the existence of THE BOATNIKS.
And, I watched the end of a pre-code movie on Fox the other night called BORN TO BE BAD, which only featured Cary Grant and Loretta Young. Not even in Maltin's book.
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That's nothing - I'LL BE BACK BEFORE MIDNIGHT did $6236.50!
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Got the order.
I shall now be on my way to deliver the tape to be baked.
Thank you!
How dya do how dya do howdya do! ;D
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Who knew BK was a "wake and bake" kind o' guy?
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I had a very VERY interesting dream last night. I had a dream that our esteemed host, bk, asked me to house sit for him, mostly to take care of his dog. It was all very strange. The house was in the woods in towards the coast near Santa Rosa, CA, and it was very creepy. It was an interesting house as the "common room" had a huge glass/plastic (hard to say because it was a dream) roof that you could look up and see the stars. Also, it was raining.... which made it more spooky. I remember falling asleep on the couch, and waking up to a huge gathering of HHW people. Of course, I didn't recognize any of them, but they were having a grand time.
The whole dream was just really strange. Just had to share!
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Maybe we better get Madame Ethel Mertzola on this dream, DRMATTHEW.
She's always underestimated her transmitter!
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I am at the Salem Public Library catching up on yesterday's and today's posts...I have 32 minutes remaining! :o
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I dislike having my computer at the repair place.
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They will like getting your ransom money that you will have to pay to get it back!
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Orygun is full of county fairs. As a kid I attended the Jackson County fair each year with my best friend David. I recall one ride (which we were in line for) and as it was whirling around someone on the ride vomited...and the vomit went flying everywhere!
It was quite a scene and the people in line scattered rather quickly. Needless to say we did not return to that ride.
The first ride I remember would have been when I was about 4 or 5 and my sister and her boyfriend took me to the Medford Shopping Center where there was a carnival going on. We went on the ferris wheel and she bought me a Matchbox car....a green 1968 Pontiac station wagon, I think it was.
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We have an amusement park in Portland called Oak's Park, which I have never been too...in southern Oregon we have both THE HOUSE OF MYSTERY and STUMPS OF MYSTERY. I have never been to STUMPS OF MYSTERY.
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Jason, in your latest blog post Shakalaka Technician made me laugh out loud!!!
So, Mr. Barnum, how do you feel about your computer still being in the shop? ;)
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Ha! You're still reading that blog?!? I just updated it a few minutes ago - how did you know to look for it?
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I will have to read that one DR Jason! LOL!
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Well, I don't know if I will be able to log on again before I leave for Burbank tomorrow...so if not, then you all have a fun HHW weekend, and I will return on Monday night!
BK, don't forget to bring the Guy Haines CD to the Courts show for me to buy!!!
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Jason, that's why Bill Gates invented Browser Bookmarks ;)
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Good Afternoon!
1... 2... 3...
Breathe!
Whew!
The amount of stuff I got done in the past three hours - and the number of blocks I walked up and down Broadway - is almost mind-boggling! And now...
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Well...
I happened to get a call from a friend of mine who I went to school with and who's been living in DC the past couple of years. Of course, we haven't seen each other since school. Well.. It turns out he came up to NYC this morning for the day - just because - he found he had a free day, so he came up. Well.. We're going to get together in a few hours for a mini-reunion.
:)
Alas, that means I will be able to meet up with DRs Ben and Ant, but I hope to do so tomorrow.
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Well, I need to get ready to head out again...
-By the way, it's a great day outside.
DR elmore - Hope your work is going well. Sorry, I wasn't able to make it over today. Maybe I'll stop by again with some Beard Papa... Or even some Artie's. :)
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-Oh...
DR elmore - Thanks for the "hall pass".
;)
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And...
Laters...
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I had a very VERY interesting dream last night. I had a dream that our esteemed host, bk, asked me to house sit for him, mostly to take care of his dog. It was all very strange. The house was in the woods in towards the coast near Santa Rosa, CA, and it was very creepy. It was an interesting house as the "common room" had a huge glass/plastic (hard to say because it was a dream) roof that you could look up and see the stars. Also, it was raining.... which made it more spooky. I remember falling asleep on the couch, and waking up to a huge gathering of HHW people. Of course, I didn't recognize any of them, but they were having a grand time.
The whole dream was just really strange. Just had to share!
you should have sung a rousing versino of "Popular"!
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I also remember a particularly assertive goat chasing around my younger sister, attempting to devour her dress.
I did not!
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Well...
I just returned from lunch at the Oakland Museum. It IS Thursday, after all, and we all know what the special is on Thursdays.
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The weather here is glorious today. The air is crisp and breathable and the sun is warm and inviting.
Much too fine a day to be indoors.
Alas....
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you should have sung a rousing versino of "Popular"!
Don't speak too soon, DR Ron, as I'm working hard on a parody of "Popular" about how I really feel about the "Wicked" hype :)
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Here is the LP I had....maybe the STEREO release was the different photo....I guess the Yellow Dress and Background was MONO. ;D
(http://i3.ebayimg.com/01/i/04/92/83/dc_1_b.JPG)
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Don't speak too soon, DR Ron, as I'm working hard on a parody of "Popular" about how I really feel about the "Wicked" hype :)
And the universe waits with bated breath....
:D
Seriously, though, why would you do that? And what hype are your referring to? I haven't been subjected to any heaping helpings of hype over any Broadway musical in recent memory.
I can appreciate someone disliking a particular show, but you seem to have a vendetta against it.
Wanna lie on my couch and discuss it???
:)
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Here is the LP I had....maybe the STEREO release was the different photo....I guess the Yellow Dress and Background was MONO. ;D
(http://i3.ebayimg.com/01/i/04/92/83/dc_1_b.JPG)
Looks like a double exposure with that huge "sun" in the middle of the picture...almost like an original issue of Jerome Moross' "The Big Country" soundtrack album
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Well off to rehearsal. Lovely weather here, too. In the 70's during the day and in the 50's at night! Hope this weather holds through our run, that would be GREAT!
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I know getting accurate running times for films is a very difficult thing, and he's written about it extensively in the forewards to various editions of his book. I applaud him for trying even if there are errors from time to time. No one is infallible.
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Maltin refuses to acknowledge the existence of THE BOATNIKS.
And, I watched the end of a pre-code movie on Fox the other night called BORN TO BE BAD, which only featured Cary Grant and Loretta Young. Not even in Maltin's book.
I can't believe I am here defending Leonard Maltin whom I have frequently disagreed with in the past.
However, over the years, Maltin has had to delete listings from his latest book to make way for more recent movie listings because the paperback simply cannot get any larger than it presently is. It can't be printed and bound any larger. So, I suspect the movies in question might have been in the book years ago but were edited out as newer films were added.
The plans are now for him to do two volumes of the book - one for classics from the late 19th century onward, and then a second volume with more recent films which can then change sizes as the years pass. The first classic volume will be set in stone and not be reprinted each year with new listings. I'm not sure when the cutoff date for listings in it will be. Perhaps 1950? Then, many of those early talkies, silents, and lesser known and shown features can come back into print.
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Enjoyed watching CALL NORTHSIDE 777 this afternoon. The transfer is good but not great. There was some speckling and occasional print damage in a spot or two, but in the main it was sharp with excellent contrast.
The thing that struck me most was how decisively James Stewart is trying to be hardboiled and abrasive. No trace of the aw-shucks Stewart in this performance.
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As for tonight's choice, I'm looking at the old Gene Wilder comedy THE WOMAN IN RED.
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-Oh...
DR elmore - Thanks for the "hall pass".
;)
DRJose, you're more than welcome. I actually spent most of my morning cleaning up all the DOTD materials: filing them, rescoring the curtain calls (!), cleaning up my desk and work area. Now I feel much more organized and orderly. I'll be at the recording office with Tom tomorrow if you want to come down to 14th Street. Tomorrow night I've got a dinner date with some friends from out of town.
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And then there is disc 2 of THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW. Looking forward to another disc of hilarity.
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DR Ron, have you started watching your MTM DVDs yet?
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Weather report:
It's 92 here which is still hot but much less hot and humid than the last three days. Hopefully, this is the beginning of a cool down period for us.
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And the universe waits with bated breath....
:D
Seriously, though, why would you do that? And what hype are your referring to? I haven't been subjected to any heaping helpings of hype over any Broadway musical in recent memory.
I can appreciate someone disliking a particular show, but you seem to have a vendetta against it.
Wanna lie on my couch and discuss it???
:)
Ok... fine... maybe it's a great show for some people and maybe it plays to almost sold-out crowds everynight, and yes - maybe I have a vendetta against it - it's very hard to put my feelings into words, I guess. Every girl out there with musical theatre ambition wants to be Kristin Chenowith or Idina Menzel and as a musical theatre director, I hear so many bad renditions of the songs from "Wicked" in auditions - mostly bad renditions. Although, I can say the same about songs from "Rent" and "Les Mis" at auditions when they first came out.
But I think I can sum it up - I don't like the show, I didn't like it in San Francisco in 2003, and I'm not a fan of the music. I realize this is a Stephen Schwartz "friendly" forum, so I won't say anymore about the score - but it just goes to show, you take a story like "Wicked" or even "The Phantom of the Opera" - make the physical production something great to look at, add some smoke, flying monkeys, a grand entrance for one of the leads and a hydrolic lift for the end of Act One, and BINGO, people want to see the show. (not to mention the references to everyone's favorite story "The Wizard of Oz")
And I'll end by eating some crow and saying publiclly (among friends) that I've seen "Phantom of the Opera" 11 times, and my favorite part is the exploding chandelier, the end of Act One and the very end when the Phantom dissapears. See... it grabbed me with that show, just not with "Wicked".
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For me, the effects in WICKED were impressive but not what made the show memorable to me. I got involved with Elphaba's story and just followed her quest for justice with eagerness. I thought the score worked amazingly well with the story, and there were surprises galore for me.
I didn't care one whit about ANY of the characters in THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. In that show, the production values are just about all it had going for it in my eyes.
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Headed down now for the daily cleaning chores, some reading, and then the evening's entertainment. I was going to watch THE WOMAN IN RED, but reading a review of CALL NORTHSIDE 777 reminded me there is a commentary track on the DVD that gives the "real" story about police corruption that had to be whitewashed for the movie to be made. That should be interesting to listen to.
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For me, the effects in WICKED were impressive but not what made the show memorable to me. I got involved with Elphaba's story and just followed her quest for justice with eagerness. I thought the score worked amazingly well with the story, and there were surprises galore for me.
I didn't care one whit about ANY of the characters in THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. In that show, the production values are just about all it had going for it in my eyes.
Agreed on Phantom... I'll have to hold off on any Wicked thoughts until it hits Seattle in September '06. My hunch is I'll put it in the "definitely enjoyable, but nothing all that special" category, but we shall see.
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Okay, if we're talking about Wicked I have to weigh in.
Overall, I love the show. I saw it twice on Broadway and I paid for my tickets both times. (I almost never pay for tickets) (okay, that sounded snotty) Anywho, I bought tickets.
I just think it is a fabulous show for actresses, with good character development and I love the duets between the female leads. I do however find some of the music disappointing- there are songs that I skip each time I listen to the cast recording. But I love Idina's singing and I really enjoyed her performance.
That being said, I would NEVER sing the songs for an audition. The only time they are sung is in the safe haven of my shower.
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But I think I can sum it up - I don't like the show, I didn't like it in San Francisco in 2003, and I'm not a fan of the music. I realize this is a Stephen Schwartz "friendly" forum, so I won't say anymore about the score - but it just goes to show, you take a story like "Wicked" or even "The Phantom of the Opera" - make the physical production something great to look at, add some smoke, flying monkeys, a grand entrance for one of the leads and a hydrolic lift for the end of Act One, and BINGO, people want to see the show. (not to mention the references to everyone's favorite story "The Wizard of Oz")
My only comment about WICKED is that is a deft abridgement of a wonderfully dark novel and it is not Schwartz's best score by any means. On the other hand, I think PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is a shallow adaptation of a rather shallow potboiler that works because Leroux luckily pushed all the right buttons from Beauty and the Beast to the Prince and the Showgirl, with a bit of E.T.A. hoffmann. I think it's Andrew Lloyd Webber's attempt to write classical music for folk who don't know classical music, but he proves once again he doesn't know what to do with a good tune once he writes it or borrows it.
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Now...isn't anyone going to bring up "Annie"?
How many young girls have auditioned by singing "Tomorrow"?
Anyone remember little theater/community theater/high school/college drama auditions in the 1960s?
"Moon River" and "Summertime"!!!
For a while there, I thought I'd throw up if I ever heard either again.
Fortunately, some really nice versions crossed my path and kept me from hating them to this day.
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FTR (For the Record, in HHW.com lingo):
I wouldn't call this a "Wicked"-friendly forum, but it is also not a "Wicked"-hating forum, either.
We likes what we likes, and we don't like what we doesn't. II thought "Wicked" was wonderful in the two performances I saw at the Curran Theater. I went in with no expectations and left thrilled, elated and pleasantly electrified. It was a terrific experience.
I was much more moved and responsive to Baz Luhrmann's "La Boheme," but they are quite different forms of musical theater.
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DR Ron, have you started watching your MTM DVDs yet?
No. It's at the bottom of a LONG list of to-be-watched DVDs.
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Horses for courses Matthew. I enjoyed seeing both Phantom and Sunset but they left me with nothing. Entertainment for the moment. I've not seen "Wicked" but I do enjoy listening to the Cast Recording and I found the changes to the book (of which I was and am a fan) interesting and more than acceptable.
More horses and courses: It's all value judgements. I can not see how anyone enjoys "Blood Brothers" and you know my views on WiW and Beautiful Game. On the other hand I have enjoyed quite a few productions of Lis Mis, Enjoyed Miss Saigon and would have loved to have seen Martin Guerre. IMHO Saigon didn't need the helicopter and it seems to be what the nay sayers think the show is about.
Of course I think there are only three people at HHW who love "Passion" and a few who would not spend their Sundays in the Park with George.
I guess it makes the site all the more interesting.
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I always appreciate the chance to vent here at HHW and look forward to hearing all sides to an arguement. Thanks for the opportunity.
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At least we're always amongst friends here Matthew.
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Alright, folks...I'm off to my sleep study. Send your good vibes my way - I really don't want to do this tonight!
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At least we're always amongst friends here Matthew.
Quite!
If I wanted to torture DR TomovOz, I'd tie him to a chair and force him to watch "Steel Magnolias" for three solid days.
If I wanted to torture DR Danise, I'd tier her to a chair and force her to watch "Phantom of the Opera" for three solid days.
If you wanted to torture me....well, that's for ME to know!
:D
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Now where in the world did DR François get to?
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DR François has a story to tell!!
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Now...isn't anyone going to bring up "Annie"?
How many young girls have auditioned by singing "Tomorrow"?
My very first audition at the age of 5 was with Tomorrow....along with about three dozen other little girls.
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DR François has a story to tell!!
Will he tell it here, or is there a book in the making?
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My very first audition at the age of 5 was with Tomorrow....along with about three dozen other little girls.
I'll bet you were cute, too!
But 36 other little girls, all singing "Tomorrow"....that POOR, POOR director!
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I'll bet you were cute, too!
But 36 other little girls, all singing "Tomorrow"....that POOR, POOR director!
Yes, poor director, but I'd rather hear three dozen little girls audition with a song meant to be sung by a little girl than "attempt" whatever the less-well-suited flavor of the month may be. If they can pull it off, fine... but I wouldn't hold my breath.
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The very thought of a string of 9-year-old girls trying to audition with "The Wizard and I"... my skin is crawling, I tell ya! :D
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The very thought of a string of 9-year-old girls trying to audition with "The Wizard and I"... my skin is crawling, I tell ya! :D
I sense a new reality program on Bravo based on this very phenomenon!
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Oh my goodness, my first time starting a new page!
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Back from a non-stop day, but I still hazn't stopped - I must shortly be on my way to pick up the baked tape after dealing with an important and annoying phone call.
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George, what a great find, and a fun photo!
Jose, nice new avatar. :)
Elmore I’m sorry you had to turn down the job offer.
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Is it embarrassing to admit on this forum that one has seen WICKED six times? Twice during previews because, well as far as musicals go, I tend to see everything twice, then because I just had to see Taye Diggs and Idina Menzel together onstage after all those years, then again because I had to see if Randy Harrison (of QUEER AS FOLK) could really hold his own (no pun intended) on a Broadway stage, then again to see a neighbor go on, then again because it was Idina Menzel's final weekend. (I ended up seeing her real final performance totally by accident - no pun intended there, either.)
The only show I've seen more times was BIG, which I saw seven times, because for all its flaws, BIG it was a really reliable pick-me-up while my b.f. was out of town for several months, and it was only three blocks away. (As my shrink friend says: Hmm, BIG and WICKED, someone's just trying to run away from the real world.)
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MattH: La Notti Bianchi runs its full app. 103 minutes - 107 isn't correct (is that what they say on the imdb - they're frequently incorrect). The set design on this film is unbelievable - the entire film, the town, the shops, the canals, everything, was built and shot at Cinecitta.
Dear BK, Le Notti Bianche is correct, not La Notti Bianchi. Have no idea where you got it which doesn’t make sense, grammar-wise, either. :)
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I did have a point about "The Wizard and I," but in an effort to increase my cumulative number of posts, I thought I'd stretch this out over two posts. I gather a bit of the hostilty towards the song comes from the on-the-nose way that Elphaba sings her dreams of the Wizard calling her "someone who is so superior." I think we like our musical theater heroes and heroines to BE superior, but I think some resent it when a leading character flat out tells the audience in no uncertain terms that he or she fancies himself or herself as "superior."
It only bothered me the first time I saw WICKED, but it took a while for Elphaba to win me back as an audience member the first time I saw the show.
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I, too, want to ride The Beast, DR JASON. I love coasters!
We have a great corkscrew named FUJIYAMA in the suburbs of Tokyo. (will post a picture of it if I find)
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Elmore I’m sorry you had to turn down the job offer.
Moi aussi! I'm still regretting my decision. First of all, Patrick Vaccariello has a great track record: CABARET, BOY FROM OZ, LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, and this show might be a huge hit. I may never get another offer ro do a New York show. At least, as H.C. Curry tells Lizzie, "Ya been asked."
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My first amusement park was Arnolds Park in Arnolds Park, Iowa. It's a 100 plus year old park. We had to save it from developers a few years ago by raising $7 million in 6 weeks and we did it! It was great fun.
When I was a kid - can't remember how old. I knew that I was going to get to ride the Big Coaster for the first time on my birthday. I didn't sleep the night before...I was terrified! My dad sat between my best friend and I and as we reached what is called "The Point of No Return" I was so terrified I couldn't scream. One trip around and I was hooked. I still ride it every year when I'm at the lakes.
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I'm watching The Law Firm. This will be interesting. I can't imagine how Roy is going to pull this off. Roy is a great guy, it will be fun to see how he does this.
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LOL! This isn't a spoiler because it's the very beginning. But a really bad case is called a dog...well one of the first cases is a real dog....I mean real dogs! This could be amusing
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DR George--will you use it as a new avatar?
I'm still debating...I don't want to give anyone the wrong impression of me! ;)
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From yesterday
Re: The Odd Couple
It was not about Neil and Danny. It was about Danny and his roommate. Danny was Oscar.
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As to which show is closing on Broadway.
I believe it's Movin' Out. There is a show supposedly book for the Richard Rodgers
It has been doing mid 70% capacity
Then again it could be Fiddler. It has been doing mid 60% capacity
Or maybe Brooklyn which is in the 50% range
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And I did not know about Bob Crane and If I Had a Million
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The Bob Crane Show Only lasted 14 episodes.
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I went looking for If I Had Million wasn't listed at www.tv.com
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DR George, how did you like RENO 911! this week?
And did you know the actress playing Trudy Weigel is pregnant in real life. Supposedly she's pretty far along, but they've done such a good job hiding it that I didn't even notice. A friend told me this morning that's she's due in August.
I had no idea that Kerri Kenney-Silver (Trudy) is pregnant! Of course, I wasn't looking for it, but I will be. And since it's an ensemble cast, they can easily focus on different characters (maybe that's why they brought in the new female character...huh?) and not on Trudy as much as they used to without it being too obvious.
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HEY I MADE MY 10,000TH POST AT HHW!!!
SUPER CONGRATULATIONS!!
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03] The Bob Crane Show: (no title available)
20Mar75 NBC Thur
Guest Cast:
Dean Santoro (as Dr.Field)
Bruce Kimmel (as Herbie)
Kay "Ding" Dingle (as Jane)
Synopsis:
Bob accompanies his friend Martin to the psychiatrist
but learns he's the one with the problems. [JK]
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NBC did a major flub on The Law Firm. The promo for the next week right before the announcement of who was dismissed showed the 2 who were dismissed.
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I thought Brooklyn closed in June.
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Matt H-
No need to defend Maltin to me. I find his book a useful resource, and it's not as if I'm complaining about him leaving out GASHOUSE GANG movies or lesser known Joe E. Brown features, or even Wheeler and Woolsies. One reason I get the Maltin book is because it is more complete than, say Nick and Marsha Mason's book.
I know it's not an easy task finding the space and all that too.
I just would figure a fim with Cary Grant and Loretta Young should not be left out. Or a Disney film with a name cast. I can think of few other Disney films not included in the book.
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Today has been a long day. We had our monthly staff meeting, but it was earlier than usual (9:00 a.m.) and right after that, we had a meeting with a woman who is studying how things are done here in the entire library district...she also wants to know what's good and bad about working here, what our frustrations are, how we think improvements can be made. Right after that, I had errands to run at lunch time and work to catch up after that...so I had no time to peruse HHW...until now.
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As for WICKED, I did not think that much of it. Mainly the music didn't move me too much. "Popular" was cute.
I didn't hate the show though.
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And starting tonight, I'm house-sitting (yet, again) at the house which has no computer. Well, the owners (who really want someone to watch and feed their cat) have a computer, but I don't know the password to be able to use it. I have to do my bills tonight at home on my computer and feed and tend to my housemate's cat, then stay overnight at the house to be house-sat until Monday. The other issue is that my housemate will be gone this whole weekend, so in effect, I'm house-sitting TWO houses...and two cats. :P But the people are paying me, so it's not too bad. Too bad my housemate isn't paying me to watch his cat. ::)
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I thought Brooklyn closed in June.
So I was right about Brooklyn.
I agree that it has to be the one of the other shows.
Virginia Wolfe is closing labor day weekend
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TPunk's out bowling and I'm here cleaning. It's like a reverse FLINTSTONES episode.
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If I Had a Million is listed on the imdb.
I now have a baked tape. I decided to take surface streets back rather than brave the freeway. Riverside was WORSE than the freeway, all the way through Burbank and right into Studio City. Appalling. A fifteen minute drive took forty minutes.
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When my parents bought their used RV, it came with a DVD player, but it didn't have a remote and even if it did, it didn't work, anyway! My parents gave it to me and three weeks ago, I took it to be fixed. Finally, the repair shop called this morning and said that it was done (it just needed a simple belt replaced but they didn't have it in stock...it took that long for them to get some in) and I picked it up at lunchtime. This means that I can bring this DVD player with me to the house being house-sat and watch DVDs because they don't have a DVD player! And I can test some DVDs. I got this one 8-hour(!) DVD that won't play in the player in my bedroom. If it and other discs that don't play in my bedroom player (like DVD-Rs and DVD-RWs) work in this repaired player, I'll swap it out. Now I have three DVD players!
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Cotton Candy was always a must eat at carnivals and amusement parks. I can’t remember the first time I rode a roller coaster, the kiddy cars, the ponies, or any of the various rides available in the LA area. Since my father worked on Saturdays he, supposedly, only worked half days on Wednesday. In the summer he would take me to a little amusement “park” near us. He never rode the rides with me but was always watching and smiling when I looked at him.
The Santa Monica Pier had the beautiful, now restored, carousel built in 1916. On and off over the years various rides and games have been part of the pier.
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As for a major amusement park we were very fortunate to have two in the area.
Pacific Ocean Park (1958-1967)
http://naid.sppsr.ucla.edu/venice/articles/pop.htm
It was a sad day for me when this park closed.
Disneyland
Opening Day
July 17, 1955
I had to look up the opening dates for these. I spent so much time at both parks, POP more so in my younger years, I couldn’t remember which I had been to first. Looks like Disneyland wins.
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The very thought of a string of 9-year-old girls trying to audition with "The Wizard and I"... my skin is crawling, I tell ya! :D
Yeah...they should all be singing Britney Spears songs!
:D
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Cool link, Jane. According to that site, the place closed mainly because nearby construction made it impossible for people to get to it. :(
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All you had to do, darling Jane, is open Kritzerland and that would tell you all about the POP opening.
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At auditions the other afternoon, I heard a woman use "Love Story" to audition for the role of Nancy. She didn't last long.
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October 25, 2005 will be an expensive day. This is what's coming out on DVD/cd
Darling Lili
(Paramount - new on DVD)
1970 musical film starring Julie Andrews, Rock Hudson. Henry Mancini score. Blake Edwards directed. Director's cut version, with deleted scenes.
Sondheim Sings (Volume II: 1946-60)
(PS Classics - new on CD)
To include material Sondheim wrote in college, songs from his earliest (and often unproduced) professional productions, and tunes he wrote for the enjoyment of friends and colleagues in the '50s.
The Wizard of Oz - Collector's Edition
(Warner Home Video - on 3 DVDs)
New digital transfer using Warner's "Ultra-Resolution" technology, plus a newly remastered soundtrack. Includes two discs from Special Edition plus an additional disc of special content, featuring a new documentary about L. Frank Baum; a newly restored transfer of the 1925 feature-length silent version of The Wizard of Oz starring Oliver Hardy and Larry Semon with a fresh score by Robert Israel; several additional rare Oz film features and shorts, originally produced between 1910 and 1933. Also included are reproductions of the original eight-page Grauman's Chinese Theatre Oz souvenir program from August 15, 1939, and the invitation to that premiere; the sixteen-page Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio News magazine from August 14, 1939, "Celebrating The Wizard of Oz"; nine beautifully restored natural color Kodachrome portraits and publicity photos from the film, and more.
and
Doris Day Show Season 2
(MPI Home Video - new on 4 DVDs)
Pre-order at CD Universe
All 26 episodes from the second season.. McLean Stevenson and Rose Marie join the cast. 12 hours total. Bloopers, bonus footage, interviews, screen test, TV spots, theatrical trailer, more.
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I saw WICKED last summer three days after Randy Harrison had joined the cast. I was pleasantly surprised by his performance. Yes, toward the end of the second act when he had some major singing to do, the upper note showed real strain (but he did get it; it just wasn't especially pretty).
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It's interesting that a lot of folks I'm sure lament the loss of POP, and yet, as we learn in your book, BK, it was a place that wiped out a different kind of place, a different way of life.
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And I actually found the musical book for WICKED more to my liking that the WICKED novel. The novel depressed me utterly.
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Also coming in October with no street date
Broadway's Lost Treasures III
(Acorn Media - new on DVD)
Third PBS special. To feature 23 performances: the company of David Merrick's 42nd Street ["We're In the Money"], Gwen Verdon performing "Whatever Lola Wants" from Damn Yankees, an eight minute tribute to Ethel Merman, a Julie Andrews medley and numbers from Fosse, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, How Now Dow Jones, Into the Woods, Kiss Me Kate, Peter Pan, Ragtime and West Side Story
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and in November
Sound of Music film with 5.1 Dolby Digital, and 4.0 Dolby Surround Sound, with special "Sing-Along" features. The new DVD will be hosted by Julie Andrews, joined by Christopher Plummer and Charmian Carr, with reminiscences from director Robert Wise, screenwriter Ernest Lehman and co-choreographer Dee Dee Wood, amother others; directing the all-new documentary bonus material will be Michael Kantor.
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Interesting Book coming out too
Flower Drum Songs: The Story Of Two Musicals
(McFarland & Co. - Paperback Book)
David H. Lewis draws upon fresh interviews with members of both the original and 2002 revival casts to chart in detail the difficult production history of Flower Drum Song. He explores the forces that turned against the original show; the movie version; rising criticism from within the Asian American community; and the indifference of the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization. Photographs
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Cotton candy and red candy apples (sometimes with nuts sprinkled on top, sometimes without) were always purchased at fairs and carnivals.
I tried making the red syrup for candy apples once, and my mother had to throw the pan away.
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Coming next January
Second Act Trouble: Behind the Scenes at Broadway's Big Musical Bombs
(Applause - Paperback Book)
Steven Suskin has compiled and annotated long-forgotten, first-person accounts of 25 Broadway musicals that stubbornly went awry. Contributions come from such respected writers as Patricia Bosworth, Mel Gussow, Lehman Engel, William Gibson, Lewis H. Lapham, and John Gruen. Caught in the stranglehold of tryout turmoil are Richard Rodgers, Jule Styne, Jerry Herman, Cy Coleman, Charles Strouse, John Kander, Mel Brooks, and even Edward Albee. The infamous shows featured include Mack and Mabel; Breakfast at Tiffany's; The Act; Dude; Golden Boy; Hellzapoppin'; Nick and Nora; Seesaw; Kelly; and How Now, Dow Jones.
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Interesting Book coming out too
Flower Drum Songs: The Story Of Two Musicals
(McFarland & Co. - Paperback Book)
David H. Lewis draws upon fresh interviews with members of both the original and 2002 revival casts to chart in detail the difficult production history of Flower Drum Song. He explores the forces that turned against the original show; the movie version; rising criticism from within the Asian American community; and the indifference of the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization. Photographs
Sounds wonderful, but McFarland's bopoks, even in paperback, are always expensive.
What is the release date for this?
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I need a new avitar
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and in November
Sound of Music film with 5.1 Dolby Digital, and 4.0 Dolby Surround Sound, with special "Sing-Along" features. The new DVD will be hosted by Julie Andrews, joined by Christopher Plummer and Charmian Carr, with reminiscences from director Robert Wise, screenwriter Ernest Lehman and co-choreographer Dee Dee Wood, amother others; directing the all-new documentary bonus material will be Michael Kantor.
I won't be buying this one again. I am perfectly satisfied with the 5-Star Edition DVD that was released a couple of years ago. I just rewatched it a couple of weeks ago, and it looks and sounds just fine to me.
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Sounds wonderful, but McFarland's bopoks, even in paperback, are always expensive.
What is the release date for this?
It says December 31, 2005. But I really doubt they will release a book on that day.
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Coming next January
Second Act Trouble: Behind the Scenes at Broadway's Big Musical Bombs
(Applause - Paperback Book)
Steven Suskin has compiled and annotated long-forgotten, first-person accounts of 25 Broadway musicals that stubbornly went awry. Contributions come from such respected writers as Patricia Bosworth, Mel Gussow, Lehman Engel, William Gibson, Lewis H. Lapham, and John Gruen. Caught in the stranglehold of tryout turmoil are Richard Rodgers, Jule Styne, Jerry Herman, Cy Coleman, Charles Strouse, John Kander, Mel Brooks, and even Edward Albee. The infamous shows featured include Mack and Mabel; Breakfast at Tiffany's; The Act; Dude; Golden Boy; Hellzapoppin'; Nick and Nora; Seesaw; Kelly; and How Now, Dow Jones.
This sounds interesting, and I'm sure I'll buy it, but there was a book similar to this a few years ago (probably more like 10-12 years ago) that interviewed a lot of different people associated with shows that bombed, and the one thing I remember about the book was that NO ONE in the same show ever agreed about who was to blame.
And some of the scapegoats were really ludicrous like someone blaming a show's lack of a run on bad costumes.
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Yes, the day that DARLING LILI and OZ come out will find me monetarily poorer for sure.
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Also coming in October with no street date
Broadway's Lost Treasures III
(Acorn Media - new on DVD)
Third PBS special. To feature 23 performances: the company of David Merrick's 42nd Street ["We're In the Money"], Gwen Verdon performing "Whatever Lola Wants" from Damn Yankees, an eight minute tribute to Ethel Merman, a Julie Andrews medley and numbers from Fosse, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, How Now Dow Jones, Into the Woods, Kiss Me Kate, Peter Pan, Ragtime and West Side Story
HOW NOW DOW JONES but no I DO! I DO! Argh! CITY OF ANGELS had a great couple of numbers, too. I have it on videotape, but probably lots of people would like to see it again. The PURLIE numbers were also quite thrilling as I recall. And I've stated so many times about those CHORUS LINE numbers.
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I left the TV off but ran the audio commentary for CALL NORTHSIDE 777 through the receiver and listened. The two speakers just winged it resulting in lots of "And"'s and "Again, I repeat"'s. There was some decent information offered amid all the scrambling to keep a commentary going but I much prefer commentators who have a script at least partially written out which aids in preventing repetition and those irritating pregnant pauses.
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Yeah...they should all be singing Britney Spears songs!
:D
You are a sick, sick man, Ron! :D
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All right now. Off to bed for some sleep and a busy Friday ahead.
Good night, all.
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Oh, I forgot to mention we did have a huge rain storm in the early evening that really did cool things off tremendously. It's like 70 outside right now, a temperature we haven't felt in days and days.
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Walter Willison called at five and told me he had something for me, that he wanted to give me before he left town tomorrow. We made arrangements to meet at my home environment at seven-thirty. At eight-thirty he called to say he was running late, and that he'd be here in forty minutes. It is now close to ten and no Walter.
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Wherefore Walter?
Perhaps in the same traffic you earlier negotiated.
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Maybe he is with Carman San Diego!
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Thanks MATTH. I was just about to ask FJL how Randy was in WICKED.
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One more number to do in PIPPIN - of course it's "On the Right Track" - and then teaching Pippin hisseff to walk on stilts and I will be done.
Some improvements here and there - but NO MORE NEW DANCES!
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Good Evening!
What a gorgeous night it is here in The Big Apple! It almost feels like spring.. or fall... or a cool summer evening - which it is.
I ended up meeting up with some friends from college tonight. We dined at a great Italian place near Columbus Circle called Bricco. Wood-burning oven, etc. Very good food. And the limoncello was on the house! And pretty lethal too! But oh so good!
It was great catching up with them. My friend, Don, just finished his doctorate in Choral Conducting - I think - it was a voice related concentration. And my friend, Pam, is carving out quite a nice career in the opera world for herself. In fact, the upcoming production of Strauss' Capriccio is being created/mounted for her at City Opera this fall. And it looks like I'll be going opening night now. :)
Afterwards we walked uptown for a bit, and stopped into Tower Records. We browsed and browsed and browsed. I did not buy anything. *My rule with Tower is to only buy it on sale or online (since everything online always seems to be on sale). Don did not buy anything. Pam, however, bought a few things. One of which was a DVD of the production of Die Fledermaus that she was in at Glyndebourne. And she bought it for me. :)
It truly was a wonderful evening. And I hadn't really seen either of them in years. Just lots of "Hello's" passed onto each other via other people. Hopefully, we'll see more of each other once I'm back in town - back in NYC - once I'm back from Williamstown.
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Yeah...they should all be singing Britney Spears songs!
:D
Well...
The last time I played auditions for Annie, a bunch of those little girls did indeed sing Britney Spears songs. "Lucky" seemed to be the hit at the time. And, of course, one 8(!) year-old girl came in with "Still a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" - or whatever the real title of that song is... YIKES!
Of course, the audition that is forever burned in my memory is one of an 11-year old girl singing "Dance: Ten; Looks: Three" (a.k.a. "Tits and Ass")... Complete with the monologue and the choreography. We were all so horrified that we let her do the whole number. We just had to see how far she would take it. And she took it! It was like watching a really bad accident... in slow motion.
-And what was even more amazing was that it was her mother who had taught her the number!
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As for the popularity and hype of Wicked.... Well...
All I can say at the moment is that I've been lucky to have played "Popular" and "Defying Gravity" only one time at any of the auditions I've played ever since the book vocal selections came out. And as I've mentioned before - and as DR Matthew mentioned - it's not that we're tired of hearing any of "those" songs, we're just tired of hearing them done badly. -And, on top of all that, you have to add the fact that those singers who sing "those" songs badly, have no idea that they are doing the songs a disservice.
One of the casting agents I frequently play for will only hear Wicked songs at a callback. She figures that if a person makes it past the initial screening, then she will most likely not massacre the songs. ;)
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OH!!...
And there was also that time when this woman walked in with "I Know the Truth" from Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida. It's a belter/mix song. Well... this woman's training was in opera. She had been told to find some more contemporary stuff for her "book". She happened to come across "I Know the Truth" and noticed that it sat in a mezzo-soprano range. Well..
She started singing... and I mean Singing. And when she got to the end.. "And it ha-aunts me" she sang it quite legtimately. Very hooty. One of the few times I had to stifle a laugh.
Lesson: Just because it sits in your range on the page, doesn't mean it sits in your range in your voice.
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Jose, nice new avatar. :)
Thank you, Jane.
:)
*And I still owe you some macaroons... Hmmm... Do you like brownies?
;)
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DRJose, you're more than welcome. I actually spent most of my morning cleaning up all the DOTD materials: filing them, rescoring the curtain calls (!), cleaning up my desk and work area. Now I feel much more organized and orderly. I'll be at the recording office with Tom tomorrow if you want to come down to 14th Street. Tomorrow night I've got a dinner date with some friends from out of town.
OK... I have to hang out here tomorrow morning waiting for some FedEx and USPS overnight packages. One of which will be the score to the show I'll be working on up at Williamstown. I'm thinking I may head down to Ripley-Grier and grab a practice room for an hour or two just to get the notes under my fingers. And, then... We'll see...
I also want to touch base with DR Ben tomorrow too if at all possible.
OH! Ben - My friend, Don, actually wants to make a trip down to Academy tomorrow. See you there at lunch?
;)
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DR Jason - I hope your sleep study is going well. Sleep well.
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Oh... I have to say the one thing that does bother me about Wicked are the orchestrations. The keyboard parts in particular - since my ears tend to be drawn to such things. They just seem to come and go at times from number to number. -Sorry I'm not being more articulate. And some of the synth patches are kind of outdated... And after looking at the book, and consulting with one of the keyboard players, I found out that they are using sort of "old" technology.
However... "Wonderful" (the Wizard's Song) is in my "practice book". Some of those honky-tonk piano figures are tricky!
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Oh... And as for the long-running show that will most likely be closing in September... Well... And, who knows, maybe what I heard was wrong, but since I heard the news from people involved in the production... and I don't want to speak out of turn... Or get anyone in trouble... Or...
All I will say for right now is:
(title of show)[/u] will be (title of show).
;)
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...And the Altar Boyz will be going to London...
Hmm... Will they make them Episcopalian across the pond instead of Catholic?
;)
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One more number to do in PIPPIN - of course it's "On the Right Track" - and then teaching Pippin hisseff to walk on stilts and I will be done.
"On the Right Track" is one of my all-time favorite dance numbers to play. Once that groove gets going... it just keeps on going!
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DR Michael Shayne - As DR Rodzinksi mentioned previously, Brooklyn - or Bklyn if you prefer - did indeed close back in June - two weeks after the Tony's I believe - the same day as the La Cage revival.
OH!!
Btw, the dates for the Fall 2005 HHW Gathering in New York City are October 3-8, 2005 - approximately - with most of the "activities" being planned for the Wednesday and Thursday of that week.
;)
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Matt H-
County Fairs are still alive and well. TPunk and I have been lucky to find different ones the last couple years. We were mesmerized by the goat judging at the Ulster County Fair upstate last year.
And we went to a fair in Pennsylvania the year before. I am hungry for funnel cake just thinking about it.
Ah, yes, State Fair Food!
Fried Cheese... On A Stick!
Corndogs... On A Stick!
Frozen Cheesecake Slices... On A Stick! (Plain or Dipped in Chocolate and/or Crushed Peanuts)
Fried Snickers... On A Stick!
Fried Mars Bars... On A Stick!
Then there are the Stick-less items:
Funnel Cakes - However, some vendors now sell those pre-made, then frozen funnel cakes which they only have to warm up in an oven... PHOOEY!!
Fried Oreos
Walkin' Tacos - Open up a snack-sized bag of Fritos, pour on some chili, cheese, onions... Add a Spork! Dinner!
Freshly-fried Potato Chips - you know, the kind that are sort of very thinly spiral cut, and come in one long "chain" from time to time.
Soft-Serve Ice Cream - Cones, Sundaes, Shakes
Strawberry Shortcakes - Made with Biscuits, Soft-Serve Vanilla Ice Cream and Strawberries (of course).
Gator Bites - A bit of a Southern thing. And those come on a Stick usually too.
Nachos - in all their gooey, gloppy glory!
And to wash it all down, those 48 oz. cups of Coca-Cola!
<burp>
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Has ANN caught up yet?
;)
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...I first encountered Fried Cheese On A Stick at a County Fair in Goshen, Indiana. It actually looked like they had taken a brick of cheese - like you buy in the grocery store - stuck a stick in it, then battered/coated/crumbed it, then dumped it into a vat of hot oil.
I couldn't finish it.
:-X
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Walter finally arrived, and has just left, and I must now write the notes. I have to get up VERY early to finish dealing with the annoying phone call I began today.
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However, the bocconcini appetizer I had earlier at Bricco was quite wonderful - and I had no problem finishing it. They took small balls of smoked mozzarella cheese, wrapped them in prosciutto, then placed them in a dish, covered them with a basic tomato sauce, then placed the whole thing in their wood-burning oven. Quite dee-lish! The prosciutto crisped up a bit, the cheese was at just the right "melt", and the addition of some fresh basil leaves right after it came out of the oven provided a wonderful bright and fresh note to the proceedings.
...And then I used a piece of their sun-dried tomato focaccia to mop up the rest of the sauce in the gratin dish. Yum!
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DR JOSE, I’m dying for the bocconcini dish!
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Hello, darling Hisaka
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I suppose I'll post the new notes in a couple of minutes.
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I suppose I'll post a few Godzilla's photos in a couple of hours.
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It's just you and me, Hisaka, you and me.
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Are you OKay, dear BK?
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Yes I know.