Well, dear readers, tonight’s burning question is: What ever happened to neighborhood streetlamps. When I was a kid growing up, every street had streetlamps and were therefore not pitch black. Now, I don’t know the history of streetlamps in the San Fernando Valley but I’m here to tell you that driving at night in neighborhoods, many streets have no illumination at all, save for what’s coming from homes. Was it always that way in the Valley. Are there still streetlamps in every LA neighborhood? I tend to think not, but perhaps I’ll drive over there on fine night and find out. I used to love the classic streetlamps – you could climb them, stand on their base, and watch the lights come on at dusk. I know that bigger streets obviously are well lit by those overhead things, but neighborhoods? Not from what I see here in the Valley. I have no idea why that question was burning or of what interest it is, but it was weighing heavily on my mind and so I mentioned it. If anyone has any fun reminiscences of streetlamps and when they began disappearing from neighborhoods, please post about it. Speaking of streetlamps, I’m currently listening to the Mass composed by Walter Braunfels, a wonderful composer. I’m revisiting all the music I have by him, which is considerable. I find it so interesting how different each Mass by various composers differ so wildly and yet can be so moving. Earlier, I did manage to watch a motion picture, a British motion picture with lots of British actors playing Americans and Mexicans. It was entitled Across the Bridge and starred one American actor, Mr. Rod Steiger. It was a Rank film, based on a story of Grahame Greene, directed by Ken Annakin and I must say I enjoyed it very much. Released in the UK to excellent reviews in 1957, it made it over here in February of 1958 in a very small release and titled Across the Bridge to Mexico, playing with second feature The Third Key, another Brit film from the year before that was originally called The Long Arm. Steiger is really good in it. He plays a wealthy German businessman who’s been embezzling tons of money, which is found out by Scotland Yard. Unfortunately for them, he’s in New York, finds out, and makes plans to get to the Mexican border and cross the bridge into Mexico, where he has a million bucks in a bank. He takes a train, and from there one complication after another ensues, and when every other character is worse than the embezzler. In fact, the single likable character in the entire film is Dolores the dog, who gives a wonderful performance. But you even feel for Steiger by the end because everyone else is so vile. It has a nice score by James Bernard, is well shot, and I just am fond of this kind of Brit film. I want to see The Long Haul now, although that sounds familiar to me and I may have seen it or even own it on DVD. If Across the Bridge sounds interesting, it’s free on the Tube of You and in its proper screen ratio, which is a nice bonus. Steiger is great in it and you hear the trial run for his German accent in No Way to Treat a Lady.
Yesterday was up and down. First was a series of annoyances that were annoying, one after another. Then I showered, and we did our second Kritzerland rehearsal and that took care of all the negativity of the morning. It was fun and everyone’s doing great. I made a couple of small arrangement changes and we were done by three-thirty. Then I had a Cobb salad from Stanley’s and that was very good. Then I had a couple of telephonic conversations, watched some YouTube news things and two high-speed car chases, then sat on my couch like so much fish and began my viewing. The rest you know because – you know the rest.
Today, I’ll be up by ten-thirty at the latest but maybe by ten. I’ll shave and shower and get everything ready for our stumble-through at one. That should last until around two-thirty with notes and everything. Then I’ll go get something to eat, pray for a major major miracle, and then I really have to relax and rest my voice – my allegies have been kicking up so I have to be very careful. I’ll finesse the commentary and print that out and then I can watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll relax and rest my voice, and then get ready, after which I’ll mosey on over to the club for sound check. Then we do our show. I will, of course, have a full report for you and there will be photographs, I assure you. Sunday, I’m supposed to have a meal, and then this week is Sami stuff and rehearsing the workshop play.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must, for example, be up by ten, shave and shower, have a stumble-through, eat, finesse the commentary, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your CD player and your DVD/Blu and Ray player? I’ll start – nothing. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where my dreams shall hopefully be illuminated by streetlamps.