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[MBarnum]

DR Charlie Toft, those sound like fun movies! I am sometimes quite surprised at what is in the pre-code films...but they manage it all without being gratuitous.

INTERNATIONAL HOUSE is another one I love.

[MBarnum]

I can't believe it is only 9:30 am. This is going to be a very loooooooooong day at work, I think!

Where is BK this morning. He must be sleeping in.

[Jrand73]

DR's TD and MATTH watch your mailbox on Friday!

[Panni]

Good morning. And good vibes to JRand 53.

[Dan-in-Toronto]

I kept a bunch of my AFTER DARKs but by the time I moved from my second apartment into the house I'm living in now, I had junked them as just too much to cart around from place to place. Wish I had them back now, though.

Maybe not. I think I may have just packed the last of a zillion boxes of books and records (and some magazines) that my mom had collected (and enjoyed) over the years. Right now: all I want to do is scale down.

By the way, if anyone is hunting for a particular jazz, folk, soundtrack (or other) LP, drop me a note. It just may be in one of the boxes.

[Dan-in-Toronto]

BK,

Great interview. Is there any chance of its getting circulated beyond HHW? It really deserves a wide readership (and may give Alet's career a boost).

[William E. Lurie]

Regarding TRIPLETS OF BELVILLE, there is so little dialogue that it doesn't need subtitles.

Concerning the AFTER DARK cover... during most of the time that AFTER DARK was being published I was living in Buffalo and the only place you could buy it was at Porn Shops.  I always felt that the proper name for the publication should have been "The Closet".  It was a soft core gay pron magazine pretending to be a legitimate arts magazine.  There is nothing wrong with that, per se, but they used the arts coverage to hide the real purpose of the magazine.  It's a shame that they did this as  many of the articles were interesting, but then people only say they read read PLAYBOY for the articles as well.

[bk]

I never remember the names of the pre-codes I like, but I do remember one with Constance Bennett or Joan Bennett or some Bennett that was really funny.

Favorite noir - very tough.  Double Indemnity or The Big Sleep.

Art directors, whether in the studio or on location would make the settings work for the film.  

[DERBRUCER]

Now the Fat is in the Fire!
(No, DR SWW is not in the kitchen)



Anything less than marriage unconstitutional, state's highest bench rules, paving way for first gay weddings in nation this May.

Full Story at FNC

der Brucer (wondering if the MA legislature will defy their own Supreme Court - if they do not, Gay Marriage will surely move front and center for the Nov 04 Election)

[bk]

Craig will be posting at the usual places re Alet's interview, but if you have any other ideas we'd love to get the word out.  I think every aspiring young performer should read it.

[Dan-in-Toronto]

Craig will be posting at the usual places re Alet's interview, but if you have any other ideas we'd love to get the word out.  I think every aspiring young performer should read it.

I was thinking People Magazine.

[Lulu]

Oh my God.

See, this is why I love HHW.  I peek in here and BK is talking about Mystery Street (starring Ricardo "Yes, these are my real pecs" Montalban) and MBarnum is rhapsodizing over International House, probably my fave WC Fields movie.  Two fine films that nobody else in the world would have the slightest idea what the sam hill I was talking about if I mentioned, yet here OTHER people bring them up as topics for discussion.  Lordy Lord, I am home.

Some fave pre-codes:

A Free Soul  (Norma "Put 'em around me" Shearer makes the sign of the triple-gilled anaconda with Clark Gable and wears a see-through dress.  Lionel Barrymore expires from all the excitement)

Redheaded Woman  (Jean Harlow seduces her boss, marries him, takes up with chauffeur Charles Boyer, nearly kills the hubby after he dumps her...and has a happy ending anyway)

Night Nurse  (Barbara Stanwyck peels down to her slip (as does best bud Joan Blondell) whenever the action flags, which come to think of it, isn't all that often, as Babs falls in love with a bootlegger, fights to save the lives of her young charges when she discovers a plot to murder them for their inheritance, and gets socked by Clark Gable.  Fave line: "I'm a dipsomaniac and I like it, do ya hear me?   I LIKE IT!")

Baby Face  (Barbara Stanwyck has sex with, like, the WHOLE WORLD (including an impossibly young John Wayne) to get to the tippy-top of her profession)

Red Dust  (Jean Harlow, Clark Gable, and Mary Astor in a love triangle on a rubber plantation.  Need I say more?)

Downstairs  (Chauffeur John Gilbert seduces pretty much every female within eyesight in this tawdry yet entertaining version of Upstairs, Downstairs)

Female  (Titan of Industry Ruth Chatterton sleeps with her studly underlings and, when they inevitably fall in love with her, ships them off to a branch office and moves on to the next conquest)

I'm sure I'll think of more later.

[Lulu]

Good vibes to Jrand, who doesn't need them, as nobody would be dumb enough to let him go anywhere, but just in case, here they are.

And ooooh!  Ooohh!  I have a QUESTION FOR ASK BK DAY!  I actually thought of this one the other day and have been saving it.  It is multi-part; I hope that's okay.

Numero uno:  What do you think is the real story behind Stanley Kubrick's films all being released in full-frame versions?  His widow and daughters insist that was the way he wanted it, and I've read someone claiming that he preferred to compose for 1.33:1, and only composed for a wider screen reluctantly, and under duress.  But there are some other reasons to believe that this isn't true; at least not always (ie: the helicopter blades at the beginning of The Shining).  Where do you fall on this Eternal Debate?  And why?

Numero Two-o:  Why do studios seem to try to fool people about the nature of pan and scan by renaming it "full-frame" or "fullscreen"?  If they want to offer both versions, fine (philistines need love, too).  But why on earth try to trick people into thinking that you actually get the complete picture with "fullscreen"?  When most of offerings nowadays are either in widescreen only or both widescreen and fullscreen, what do the studios possibly have to gain with their Orwellian doubletalk?

I thank you.

[Panni]

DERBRUCER - You sent your private message to "Panni" instead of "PennyO"... Close, but no cigar.

[S. Woody White]

der Brucer (who assures all DRs that if he's ever arrested for the T-Shirt he's wearing, it will contain something more provocative than computer code)

And trust me, he's got a T-Shirt collection that has to be kept under lock and key, and away from his daughter grandkids.

[Jrand73]

Thanks DR LULU.

So what does the location manager do?

[MBarnum]

Lulu, you mentioned some pre-code movies I had forgotten about! Those are some goodies!

There is one I am trying to recall that had, I think, Pat O'Brien as a telephone repairman  and in one scene he goes to the apartment with 3 lesbians in it. It is a classic scene! It was on TCM not long ago, just can't recall the title.

[bk]

Lulu: The Kubrick issue - I believe the statements attributed to Mr. Kubrick were all made prior to him knowing anything about hi-def transfers or what DVD or widescreen TVs were capable of.  These statements were made years and years ago for the VHS and laserdisc markets.  It is naive to think that a filmmaker would frame his films for a ratio they would not be projected in.  In England his films would have been shown in 1:66, in the US, always 1:85.  And why is Barry Lyndon and Clockwork Orange matted at 1:66 on the currently released DVDs?  It makes no sense.  It, in fact, is a load of BS.  Just watch the open matte version of The Shining.  It's more than just seeing the blades of the helicopter or its shadow.  It's the ridiculous amount of headroom in every single shot.  If one has a widescreen TV one can press ZOOM, which effectively makes the image 1:78.  Well, guess what?  When you do that the image looks perfectly framed.  And why not include both on a DVD anyway?  It's utter nonsense.

The full frame or fullscreen issue is even more convoluted.  First, there is full frame as in open matte - that is not pan and scan - they simply expose the entire negative, even though that is not what the director or cameraman intended.  Pan and scan can be done on films that are hard matted to 1:85 or that have things at the top and bottom of the frame which shouldn't be seen,  but it's minor - they usually just keep the image centered and crop the sides.  Pan and scan of scope film, of course, is horrendous.

[TCB]

Good morning / afternoon all!

Miss Midler was absolutely fantastic last evening.  Naturally she sends her best to one and all.  Her "Kiss My Brass" show is probably one of her best shows that I have seen since her early daily.  She did a nice mix of old and new songs, including several from the Rosemary Clooney tribute CD, and a surprisingly touching tribute to Mr. Rogers.  Her jokes were wonderful, covering not only all the topics from George Bush to Janet Jackson, but also lots of local humor for the Northwest folks.  There was one hysterical filmed segment where she faces of against the CBS Eye over her cancelled series in Judge Judy's courtroom, with Gary Coleman as the baliff.  If you have a chance to see this tour, don't miss it.

On the downside of the concert, as WEL noted, the concert here was in Seattle's Key Arena, a venue better suited for basketball and ice hockey than for concerts. I would think either the Paramount Theater or the new Beneroya Hall would have been preferable.  I don't think Bette was too pleased with the acoustical limitations of the Arena either.

[JoseSPiano]

Good Afternoon!

What a beautiful day it is outside!  A clear, blue, sunny sky!  And the temperature is in the mid-40s - and may even hit the 50 mark!  We'll see.... In any case, it was so nice not to wake up to the gray and gloom of the past couple of days.  *The only drawback to all the snow melting today is that the "carelessness" of many(!) dog-owners and dog-walkers is in evidence.  Ah, well...

And I picked up my car at the shop!  And the bill was about $300 LESS than what I had been preparing to pay, what I was thinking I'd have to pay!  -Just more money for BBQ this weekend in Memphis!

And I received a copy of the "best of" tape from a round of auditions I played for last year!  If you thought American Idol was good/bad...  I was already laughing out loud when I was just opening the package!!!

So...

I'll check out the Alet Oury interview in a little bit... I believe I've played for her a few times in NYC at various auditions... Does she mention an amazing audiiton pianist in her interview?  

I loved the pics posted yesterday!  Once I get some of mine scanned - and I've been meaning to for my own "records" - my parents tooks TONS of pics of all four their boys - and my Mom put together some really nice photo albums. -Oh, once I get some of the scanned, I'll be sure to post one or two.  -However, it may be a few weeks or months...

And as for last night's "American Idol" - I've never seen any of the prelim rounds until this season.  It's very neat seeing all the "process".  Unfortunately, it's just sad to see some of these kids get in there in own way, ruin their big chance all on their own.  I'm looking forward to tonight's show.  And it was nice to see the judges giving some of the contestants a second - or in some case a third or fourth - chance to make it to the final 32.

Oh, and since it's Ask BK Day:

How do you start your fireplace fire?  Kindling and wood?  Newspapers?  Do you start off with a DuraFlame and then add firewood on top of that?  Oh, and where do you get your firewood from?  Or do you have a gas fireplace?

*My apartment has two fireplaces, but, unfortunately, they're both bricked up - I love fires!  Well, fireplace fires!

[William E. Lurie]

TCB - Were the tickets as grossly overpriced in Seattle as they were here?  I might have paid $250 for a good seat in an actual theatre, but not at MSG.

My favorite pre-code movie is the 1930 camp classic MADAME SATAN, a musical directed by Cecil B. deMille and starring Lillian "I'll Cry Tomorrow" Roth.  It shows up occasionally on TCM.

Apparently the benefit concert of FINIAN'S RAINBOW that Irish Rep did a few months ago was such a success (despite the number of empty seats) that they will be doing it for two months starting in April.  The Sharon of that benefit, Mellissa Errico, will be repeating her role, but they will have to find a new Og since Dennis O'Hare will be doing ASSASSINS at the time.

I've heard there will be another revival of CAMELOT next season with Liam Neeson.  His mother-in-law starred in the movie.  Could his wife co-star in this revival?  She's probably a little old for the role, but then again, so is he (and Burton and Andrews weren't as young as the characters when they did it).

With "Retreat From Moscow" closing (I'd better stop procrastinating and see it), that means three adjacent theatres - The Booth, The Shubert and The Broadhurst will all be empty by the beginning of March.
None is likely to be filled before fall at the earliest.

[JoseSPiano]

OH!  -So, who wants to move to Massachusetts?  :-)

-And since I was born in Boston...  First the Patriots win the Super Bowl this week, and now this!!

[TCB]

And one last bitch about concert venue's, such as Key Arena, before moving on to other topics.  At the price you pay to see a concert like Miss M's (about $100.00 for middle-range tickets in Seattle), I think a concertgoer deserves a theater-type seat to sit on for three hours, rather than a badly-padded folding chair.  That is a travesty!  Today I feel like three hours in those awful seats have almost single-handedly reversed the work of two noted surgeons and two back operations.  I can't remember when I have been is this much pain with my back.

And since I am bitching, who the Hell would bring young children to a Bette Midler concert???  I am quite sure that they have all heard the "F-word" in their young lives, but rarely as the punchline of numerous jokes.  What a wonderful lesson it teaches our youth, that by saying the "F-word" you can make a couple thousand sane adults suddenly fall out of their chairs laughing.

[Jay]

OH!  -So, who wants to move to Massachusetts?  :-)

Is that a proposal, Dear Reader JoseSPiano?

[Tomovoz]

Hope your day is so much better than you were anticipating JRand. Good wishes from the other side of the world.

[bk]

Might I just ask a simple question?  Where in tarnation IS everyone?  I mean, really.  We had close to 100 posts yesterday by this time.  No lulls.  No vacations.  We must soon be the most popular site on all the Internet so let's get some postin' goin' on, shall we?

[Emily]

I am soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo bored.

Today has been spent at work where I did data entry into our brand spanking new database for THREE hours straight (ugh ugh ugh).  I now am following that wonderful mroning with an afternoon entranced in "KEY THINKERS IN CHRISTIANITY" which is undeniably the most boring book ever written in the history of the academic world so that I can "reflect" on it for my course on Canadian Church History.  Life sucks.  

To make matters worse it took me TWO HOURS to actually get to work this morning via bus/metro/metro/bus.  Snow sucks and me getting snow in my boot and having to live with wet feet sucks more.  

Anselm of Canterbury and Friedrich Daniel Ernst Schleiermacher lived very very boring lives.  I never want to go to a Christian theologian's dinner party.  

My Question to BK:

If A&E were to do a special Bruce Kimmel Biography which you yourself did not take part in, which people would you like to have interviewed about your life?  

[Jane]

Hi bfried and welcome.  Where in New Jersey are you from?  My youngest son was born in Hackensack but we lived in Oakland.

[Jane]

Am I the only one, who when I put down the window with today's topic gets a nice SHOCK

?

[Charles Pogue]

My favourite pre-code movie is without a doubt 1932's TARZAN & HIS MATE...what a surreal fantasy and what overt sexuality. The two white hunters watching Maureen O'Sullivan's silhouette against a tent as she changes clothes, Tarz and Jane living in sin and making the most of it, Jane's nude swimming scene.

William Lurie, I kinda felt the same way about AFTER DARK...I bought several copies back in the early seventies (which I still have in a box somewhere), because they contained some really great arts articles, but after while, the beefcake quotient became so blatant, the magazine started telling us in no uncertain terms where its real interest lay...

There was another magazine that came out about the same time that I really liked called SHOW, the magazine of film and the arts, published by Huntington Hartford.  It went through several formats before it eventually went the way of the world.  I think there was actually an early attempt at this magazine in the mid-sixties too.  I still have a copy of Ursula Andress on the cover as SHE.  And I have all my copies from the seventies era.  Here were the top ten films from the July 9th, 1970 issue:  Airport, Woodstock, MASH, Patton, Let It Be, Boys in the Band, Z, Bloody Mama, The Adventurers, and Anne of a Thousand Days (This is mid-summer, remind you).  Top Ten Broadway:  Applause, Company, Last of the Red Hot lovers, Hair, Butterflies Are Free, Coco, Promises, Promises, Child's Play, Hello, Dolly, 1776.  Top Ten albums:  Let It Be (Beatles), McCartney (Paul McCartney; Deja Vu (Crosby, Stills, Nash); Hemdrix Band of Gypsys (Jimi Hendrix); Tom (Tom Jones); Woodstock (soundtrack); Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon and Garfunkel); Chicago (Chicago); American Woman (Guess Who); Greatest Hits (Fifth Dimension).

Carol Burnett, Mayberry RFD, Bonanza, Here's Lucy, and Marcus Welby were in the top ten telly shows.  Love story was number #1 on the Bestseller list, other topsellers:  French Lieutenant's Woman, Deliverance, Travels with My Aunt, The godfather (at #6)...Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex, Mary Queen of Scots, The New English Bible, The Sensuous Woman, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

I even remember Hef's foray into an Arts magazine called Show Business Illustrated, I think. I also think I have a couple of copies.  My father bought them.

Der Brucer, thanks for the interesting article on Piracy, which I think a genuine issue but, I often think the battlefronts are confusing.

I was on the WGA board when the Film Studios bulldozed through the copyright extension, which really burned my butt.  It was further burned when the WGA supported it.  This extension does not help individual writers or artists at all.  Only companies like Disney who want to continue their stranglehold on Mickey Mouse and sue some poor daycare center when they paint Mickey's image up on their wall.

75 years after the author's death was more than enough time for any of the author's heirs to financially exploit his labour.  If they can't milk it after that, they should just go and a get a real job and stop living off a long-dead corpse.  

Books and other material that would have fallen into public domain for other writers to adapt to other media or use in other creative ways, or that could have been published anew and brought to new audiences have  been condemned to another 25 years of uselessness and fading memory.