Well, dear readers, we’ll talk about the crazy that was yesterday after we continue our Time Machine journey – March 1962. Now, you must understand that the Oscar nominations had come out, so most of what was playing were Oscar runs of things I’d either seen or didn’t want to see or wasn’t allowed to see due to adult content. But March had yet another major event that was unforgettable, so much so that I saw it twice. Of course, I was seeing West Side Story occasionally at this point. But mostly, there was nothing in the first couple of weeks. I did read that a show called The Unsinkable Molly Brown was going to be a movie but that the Broadway star was being passed over for a movie star – namely – Doris Day. Well, we know that didn’t happen and I would soon discover the wonders of that Broadway star, Tammy Grimes – but that’s for later. On March 7, I was perusing the movie section – so much “adult” stuff not for kids – Sweet Bird of Youth, The Children’s Hour, Walk on the Wild Side, Satan Never Sleeps and more. But it was the legit ads that immediately drew me in – another show coming to the Huntington Hartford Theater, something called A Thurber Carnival, starring Imogene Coca, King Donovan, and Arthur Treacher, with a quote that said, “The freshest, funniest show of the year.” Well, that was good enough for me and besides, I’d watched Miss Coca on Your Show of Shows, so I knew how funny she was. It was opening on March 12, so I knew I’d be there for the first Saturday matinee on the 17th. The night before, I know I saw Pocketful of Miracles at my local Picfair – loved it – laughed tons, and Peter Falk walked away with the whole movie. The next day, bused to Hollywood, went to the theater at eleven and got the same nice box office man, who recognized me and asked how I’d enjoyed The Tenth Man. Of course, I raved and then asked if I could have a similar single seat for this new show. He looked at his tickets and said, “I have a perfect seat for you – fourth row, aisle.” I bought it and thanked him very much. There is a fun ending to this box office person – several years later, a couple of years into my attending LACC, a wonderful gal named Dorothy Collier began school and we became fast friends. In fact, on one of our drama class high school nights, where we’d see a show at LACC, the show was The Miracle Worker and Dorothy, then around thirteen, played Helen Keller and was great – going to those shows was the reason I wanted to go to LACC.

Anyway, I remember going to see something at the Hartford back then, and that same box office person was there – and we said hi – he knew me pretty well by now – and he said, “Funny thing – you’re going to school with my daughter.” I said, “I am? Who’s your daughter?” “Dorothy Collier.” I couldn’t believe it – her father, Bernard Collier had been at the Hartford for years. As Mr. Sondheim said, “Small world, isn’t it?” and as the Sherman Brothers said, “It’s a small world.”

To kill time, once again I walked down to Wallichs and since I was still intrigued by the title of the show I’d just read about, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, I found that cast album and took it into the listening booth and played it, fell in love with, and bought it. And that Tammy Grimes and that voice – irresistible. I had my Dodger burger, then went back to the theater, got my program, read it front to back, noted that every seat in the theater was taken, and then the house lights dimmed as music began, coming live from the stage. The curtain rose on what I later learned was called a scrim, and on the scrim was a classic Thurber drawing of a man, woman, and child. I can’t tell you why, but that drawing got a huge laugh and I believe it was because of the expression on the child’s face, and no one was laughing louder than I. It’s still one of my favorite Thurber drawings. Oh, and I’d already done my due diligence, Thurber-wise, at Pickwick Books, by thumbing through a couple of his books and loving his drawings and cartoons. Through the scrim you could see four musicians on stage, playing live – wonderful, jazzy music. I knew I’d need to have the album if there was one. Here’s that drawing that was on the scrim. It still makes me laugh out loud.

I forgot to mention, that prior to the lights dimming, from the fourth row, you could hear the actors going to their places, and then the curtain billowed out slightly and was accompanied by the faint aroma of liquor. Funny the things you never forget. Anyway, the scrim rose and the cast was onstage dancing and stopping to do hilarious lines. Well, to cut to the chase, I thought it was hilarious and magical and that the cast, especially Miss Coca, was great. So great, in fact, that I’d already resolved to see it the following Saturday matinee, its final performance.

Otherwise, the only movie that opened that you’d have thought I’d run to see opened at the Lido, the theater closest to my house – the movie? Murder, She Said, starring Margaret Rutherford, playing Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple. I was a fan of Brit comedies at that point, but for whatever reasons I didn’t go see it and I wouldn’t rectify that situation until the second Rutherford/Marple movie, Murder at the Gallop. Anyway, I saw the closing matinee and loved it even more. And a few days later, I went to Chesterfield Records and bought the gatefold album of A Thurber Carnival, which included the entire short story in words and drawings, The Last Flower, which was the act one closer of A Thurber Carnival. Of course, the album had a different cast, but that was fine. And that was March, 1962. And basically, things were very busy at Louis Pasteur Junior High School as I was about to graduate in just a couple of months.

Yesterday was a completely wacky day. I did set another performer for our recording, so now we’re down to our final role. I had a couple of telephonic calls and then began the insanity. I had spaghetti Siciliano for food – very good – and then I checked the tracking number for the Applause package. It said it would be to me by five. And yet, it was not on the truck for delivery, so that was a load of hooey – it was just sitting in Sunland at a Fed Ex facility. I finally called Fed Ex and got some woman in India who asked me for all the details. I gave her the address and she couldn’t find it – I gave her the wrong address that had been used and there it was, which means despite being told that the address had been fixed, it wasn’t. At that point, I went ever so slightly ballistic. She changed it to the right address only after I ascertained what the next foul up was. She asked for the name on the package, and I gave her my name. Wrong. I gave her Kritzerland. Wrong. Then I gave her Doug Haverty. Bingo. So, even if it had the right address, the UPS Store would not accept the package. I asked to talk to someone at the hub. I was switched to someone else but not at the hub. She took all the information and assured me she’d get back to me in thirty minutes. Ten minutes later, I got a call from the hub, saying everything was now corrected but that it couldn’t get to me before five today. At that point, I asked if I could come and pick it up, she said sure, and that’s what I did. I told Doug I would need to be reimbursed for the wasted gas. So, I finally have the two packages and Richard will come pick them up.

I dozed off for two hours on the bad couch, woke up with horrible hand cramping, which drove me over the edge, I’m afraid, and which just started up again five minutes ago, so – I had some fried clams for my snack – really good – and here we are.

Today, I’m hoping the page will get done so we can announce our new release. I’ll try to set our final performer, and then I’ll relax until my phoner with my doctor at four-fifteen. After that, I can watch, listen, and relax.

Tomorrow, we must announce the new title if we haven’t, I have a lunch with the Pearls, then I’m seeing a play and we’ll probably go out afterwards, but who knows. The weekend is unknown to me. Oh, and the book is at the printer, and I should have my soft and hardcovers shortly and then I can place the book order.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up when I’m up, hopeful the page for the new CD release gets done so we can announce, hopefully set our final performer, have a phoner with the doctor, eat, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What was the first “adult” movie you saw – one that was advertised as not for kids or, if it was after the ratings began, your first “R” rated movie. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, wanting to go see A Thurber Carnival just one more time.