Topic: THE HOME STRETCH (Read 16733 times)

Matt H. · « **Reply #30 on:** August 12, 2006, 07:19:39 AM »

And tonight, I'll probably watch QUALITY STREET. I think this is the only RKO Katharine Hepburn film I've never seen, so that should be a treat.

Matt H. · « **Reply #31 on:** August 12, 2006, 07:20:30 AM »

[move=down,scroll,6,transparent,100%]Page Two Dance!!![/move]

elmore3003 · « **Reply #32 on:** August 12, 2006, 07:42:04 AM »

Good morning, all! I slept quite late this morning, and I'm staying home today to work on Ms Klea Blackhurst's orchestrations. I slept rather well, with no wakeup calls from the ghost who's wondered into my path. I also had a lovely phone conversation with Mr Ron Raines who's playing Emil De Becque in SOUTH PACIFIC in Texas or Oklahoma at the moment.

TOD:
The Making of The Wizard of Oz by Aljean Harmetz
Memo from David O Selznick
More About All About Eve by Joseph Mankiewicz
Adventures in the Screen Trade by William Goldman

Charles Pogue · « **Reply #33 on:** August 12, 2006, 08:01:42 AM »

TOD:

ADVENTURES IN THE SCREEN TRADE By William Goldman is the most incisive, accurate book on the business around.

CITY OF NETS by Otto Friedrich

Rudy Behlmer's MEMO & INSIDE WARNER BROS...both mostly consisting of actual production company memoes and letters...words from the actual players

David Niven's BRING ON THE EMPTY HORSES

Charlton Heston's THE ACTOR'S LIFE

Errol Flynn's MY WICKED, WICKED WAYS

Gene Fowler's bio of John Barrymore, GOODNIGHT, SWEET PRINCE

Cameron Crowe's CONVERSATIONS WITH BILLY WILDER

bk · « **Reply #34 on:** August 12, 2006, 08:02:40 AM »

I'm so tiiiiiired.

bk · « **Reply #35 on:** August 12, 2006, 08:03:28 AM »

The question now is should I jog before she of the Evil Eye arrives? I don't much feel like it, frankly, and Saturdays have become jog after one o'clock days.

bk · « **Reply #36 on:** August 12, 2006, 08:04:12 AM »

Apparently this triva contest question is a walk in the park, so everyone should take a stab. I don't know why this one's so simple.

bk · « **Reply #37 on:** August 12, 2006, 08:04:28 AM »

It just means that next week's going to be a corker.

Ginny · « **Reply #38 on:** August 12, 2006, 09:34:16 AM »

Saturday greetings! Today is a workday for me, but only half information-waitressing. I spent the morning with a grantwriting class from a local university.

TOD -

The Best Remaining Seats: The Golden Age of the Movie Palace, by Ben M. Hall

DearReaderLaura · « **Reply #39 on:** August 12, 2006, 10:17:40 AM »

Good morning, fellow Dear Readers. Today I got up at 5 a.m. to go on a birdwalk. We had a nice storm last night, so today it is much cooler and humid -- a nice change. At 10:15 a.m., it is only 79F and 72% humidity. A great day to be walking about.

Donna · « **Reply #40 on:** August 12, 2006, 10:41:09 AM »

Good Morning, All

TOPIC OF THE DAY
The books that immediately come to mind are two by David Niven -- The Moon's a Balloon and Bring on the Empty Horses. I think it's in the first one where he tells of being summoned by a famous film director to be a pallbearer at his funeral. His description of carrying the casket, along with an oddball assortment of other characters, up the hill to the gravesite is absolutely hilarious!

The latest book I've read about Hollywood is Who the Hell's in it? Conversations with Hollywood's Legendary Actors by Peter Bogdanovich. There are 26 portraits. The one with Jerry Lewis includes an absorbing description of his work with Dean Martin (a precursor to Lewis' new book, Dean and Me: A Love Story).

Other books I've read recently (not necessarily my favorites) are the biographies of Maureen O'Hara and Jane Powell. I don't think Maureen got to show the complete range of her talents but what she did, she did with gusto! Among the many reasons to read it, though, are for the revelations about John Ford. Jane's is about how a child actor learns to grow up and become her own person. I also found Cyd Charisse and Tony Martin's dual biographies, The Two of Us, an entertaining read.

Reference books on Hollywood are great to read too. Especially for the tidbits one discovers. Like in (I think) The Encyclopedia of Hollywood: Hollywood From A to Z, I found out that actor Warner Baxter suffered from terrible arthritis and submitted to a lobotomy to try to relieve it (it didn't work).

David Niven's advice to actor Robert Wagner: "Keep the circus going inside you, keep it going, don't take anything too seriously, it'll all work out in the end."

Matt H. · « **Reply #41 on:** August 12, 2006, 11:30:45 AM »

Very much enjoyed THINK FAST, MR. MOTO this afternoon. The picture looked much sharper and clearer than any of the CHAN pictures in that last boxed set. Even though I guessed the identity of the criminal mastermind, I still found the movie quite entertaining. Looking forward to the other three films in the box.

Matt H. · « **Reply #42 on:** August 12, 2006, 11:32:26 AM »

Put in TOM THUMB for a little bit before a series of phone calls interrupted me and made me just shut down the thome theater completely for the afternoon. The picture looked a bit grainier than I was expecting at least in the opening few scenes. Tom is just about to make his appearance, so maybe things will improve once he arrives and the Puppetoons spring into action. I'll finish it tonight before I start on QUALITY STREET.

Matt H. · « **Reply #43 on:** August 12, 2006, 11:33:39 AM »

Even though I'm not going to the theater with my friends tonight, I am going out to dinner with them, and then they're stopping by here after the theater, so I'll find amusement here during their theatrical sojourn. Should be a fun late afternoon and evening.

MBarnum · « **Reply #44 on:** August 12, 2006, 11:38:15 AM »

Dog Bosco and I took a nice long walk this morning, across Center Street, down NE 21st, down Chemeketa St and back through NE 18th and winding back through the old neighborhoods leading to my house.

Bosco was admired by everyone he saw including a local politician, several dogs and a few brave cats.

MBarnum · « **Reply #45 on:** August 12, 2006, 11:39:26 AM »

Lawn is mowed and weeds are pulled, now I must hie myself to the showers and then get over to Border's to by "Let's Learn Hindi" and perhaps some greeting cards.

Matt H. · « **Reply #46 on:** August 12, 2006, 11:51:10 AM »

Off on my afternoon adventure.

WBBL.

elmore3003 · « **Reply #47 on:** August 12, 2006, 11:56:34 AM »

I've been thinking about death a lot lately, in case anyone's missed anything, and I've been thinking about folksongs about death. Can any of you DRs, if you remotely like folk music, think of any songs dealing with death?

There is a method to this madness.

I'm watching MACBETH with Nicol Williamson at the moment. His wife reminds me of one of my sisters-in-law.

FJL · « **Reply #48 on:** August 12, 2006, 12:10:40 PM »

Larry - I can't link the list, but if you google "folk songs about death" a list will come up as one of the first entries.

And do any of the songs in Bill Finn's ELEGIES: A SONG CYCLE qualify as folk?

S. Woody White · « **Reply #49 on:** August 12, 2006, 12:34:51 PM »

"Tom Dooley", perhaps? You know, the Kingston Trio's hit about the guy who is hung?

Ginny · « **Reply #50 on:** August 12, 2006, 12:43:32 PM »

DR Elmore:

"And When I Die," by Laura Nyro, recorded by Blood, Sweat, & Tears

bk · « **Reply #51 on:** August 12, 2006, 12:43:33 PM »

Back from my travels. Paid a visit to the relocated Iliad Bookshop - very nice new location, not too far from their previous home. Things are easier to find, and their prices seem to have really come down a lot.

Ben · « **Reply #52 on:** August 12, 2006, 01:25:09 PM »

This was the list I got when I googled "folk songs about death"

Joe Crookston - Fall Down as the Rain
Joe Crookston - The Good Stuff

"Old Man" by Randy Newman
on his album "Sail Away"

John Prine\ Please Don't Bury Me\ Great Days\ Rhino
Iris DeMent\ Let the Mystery Be
Zoe Speaks\ I Believe\ Birds Fly South\ Redbird
Zoe Speaks\ Just a Rose Will Do\ Birds Fly South\ Redbird
Lou and Peter Berryman\ After Life Goes By\ The Pink One\ Cornbelt
Old Dogs - Still Gonna Die
O Death - Ralph Stanley - O Brother Soundtrack
Bukka White - Fixin' To Die Blues
Robert Johnson - Hellhound on my Trail
Donna the Buffalo: Riddle of the Universe
Ani Difranco & Utah Phillips\ Pie in the Sky\ Fellow Workers\ Righteous Babe

MusicGuy · « **Reply #53 on:** August 12, 2006, 01:48:36 PM »

Quote from: elmore3003 on August 12, 2006, 11:56:34 AM

I've been thinking about death a lot lately, in case anyone's missed anything, and I've been thinking about folksongs about death. Can any of you DRs, if you remotely like folk music, think of any songs dealing with death?

There is a method to this madness.

DR Elmore -- Once, when I was performing "Danny Boy" in the British Isles, I was told that the lyric version (as opposed to Londonderry Air) was supposed to be sung from the point of view of a father who was at the graveside of his son, who had been killed in fighting. It certainly gives a whole different slant to the lyrics and the interpretation.

But what the hell do I know!

MusicGuy · « **Reply #54 on:** August 12, 2006, 02:01:53 PM »

Quote from: Ginny on August 12, 2006, 09:34:16 AM

Saturday greetings! Today is a workday for me, but only half information-waitressing.

TOD -

The Best Remaining Seats: The Golden Age of the Movie Palace, by Ben M. Hall

DR Ginny -- I love that someone (besides myself) remembers this book by Ben Hall. Ben was a staff writer at Time, and had a great love of the ornate 20s & 30s movie palaces that were built. Ben also became a good friend and an early supporter and booster of mine, and he even wrote the jacket notes to my second LP recording that I made. He had a great townhouse on Christopher Street in the Village, and even had a small Wurlitzer pipe organ in his townhouse! He was a most interesting and delightful person......unfortunately, he met an early and unpleasant death.

JMK · « **Reply #55 on:** August 12, 2006, 02:01:58 PM »

Quote from: elmore3003 on August 12, 2006, 11:56:34 AM

I've been thinking about death a lot lately, in case anyone's missed anything, and I've been thinking about folksongs about death. Can any of you DRs, if you remotely like folk music, think of any songs dealing with death?

There is a method to this madness.

I'm watching MACBETH with Nicol Williamson at the moment. His wife reminds me of one of my sisters-in-law.

"Barbara Allen" springs immediately to mind.

PennyO · « **Reply #56 on:** August 12, 2006, 02:06:21 PM »

Elmore - Barbara Allen is the sweetest saddest song. Lots of versions that date back probably 300 or more years.

TOD - YES! William Goldman - ADVENTURES IN THE SCREEN TRADE

JMK · « **Reply #57 on:** August 12, 2006, 02:07:43 PM »

JR beat me to the Wayne Maunder punch.

A couple of DVDs we watched/have been watching that are actually worth seeing that I forgot to mention yesterday: Munchhausen, the 1943 German spectacular. Incredible to think they did this thing in the depths of WWII, but it is in many ways superior to Terry Gilliam's version from decades later. Also, Fritz Lang's Die Nibelungen, which is fun to watch and compare to Wagner.

Got an interesting little bonus in a DVD order today--two DVDs I didn't order! They're not on the invoice, either. Don't know what happened, but I'm keeping my mouth shut.

BK, I, too, had a most disturbing dream early this morning (I never sleep soundly after about 6, I just doze in and out and usually have really weird dreams). In this dream, Betsy and I were visiting the run-down Kentucky shack of (I kid you not) Britney Spears. I don't know if Britney even has a run-down shack in Kentucky, but in my dream, she did and we were there. I was watching the machinations of her mother, who was total white-trash and her father, who was having some kind of conference about her career. Truly strange.

Finally, add me to those who believe they got the trivia question right away. Although the last 3 or 4 just occurred to me, which is always the case--I either know (or at least have a good idea), or have absolutely no clue or any idea of how to find out.

JMK · « **Reply #58 on:** August 12, 2006, 02:16:01 PM »

For those who found the "Official HHW Trivia Question" today easy, here's one of my own that I posted here a long time ago that I don't believe anyone ever solved. If you can answer all the questions, email me jeffrey_kauffman@msn.com and maybe I'll have a sparkling prize of my own to send you.

In a celebrated theatrical season this play was expected to be a major hit, yet it lasted barely a few weeks on Broadway. The cast reunited several stars, featured players and production crew from one of the biggest hits on Broadway from a season previous to this play. Its director, still young, would soon achieve legend status. The play's author would become famous in a field completely unrelated to show business. While touring pre-Broadway, this play had an alternate title and an extremely unusual billing situation.

Though the play was not successful on Broadway, it was filmed a few years later in a highly regarded production. This production used none of the Broadway cast, but featured several stellar and well-known performers. One of these stars was quite famous in their day but is now known chiefly for their relatives. Another star, if remembered today at all, is remembered chiefly for being married to a stage and screen legend. Another performer, just starting out, would one day be a costar in one of the best-remembered and most unique television series of all time. And a bit player would go on to amass a highly respectable resume, despite having the same name of one of the best known movie stars of all time.

Name the play
Name at least 2 cast members from the previous hit and previous hit
Name the director
Name the author and the non-show business field they were famous for
Name the pre-Broadway title and unusual billing situation
Name the film star famous for their relatives and at least 2 of the relatives
Name the star married to a stage and screen legend, and the legend
Name the performer and the tv series they went on to star in
Name the bit player with the shared name

There, that should keep y'all busy for a while.

Charles Pogue · « **Reply #59 on:** August 12, 2006, 02:19:45 PM »

Barbara Allen also occurred to me. Ben mentioned Zoe Speaks who are a great husband/wife folk duo (their name comes from daughter Zoe) who are local here in Central Kentucky. We've become big fans.

News:

Author Topic: THE HOME STRETCH (Read 16733 times)

MBarnum

MBarnum

FJL

Ben