Well, dear readers, first of all, let us wish a very happy Mother’s Day to all you mothers out there in the dark. I myself, am not a mother out there in the dark nor have I played one on TV. I had a mother, however, and I’m grateful that she brought me into the world at forty-two years of age, although it’s no secret that I have occasionally thought I was adopted and that Martizns raised me. I had a very, how shall I put it, contentious relationship with my mother, but that’s all there in all four Kritzer books. Anyway, I, who am not a mother, am sitting here like so much fish, listening to George Duning’s sweet score to the motion picture Houseboat, which is about a houseboat. I am listening to it because I finished watching the spiffy new Blu and Ray of the film, transferred from the original VistaVision negative and looking absolutely amazing. I saw Houseboat when it came out and I don’t think I loved it back in the day when I pretty much loved everything. I think there were two reasons – Sophia Loren was one – I know, I know, everyone thought she was the most beautiful woman ever in the history of everything – but back then and probably now, my idea of the most beautiful woman ever in the history of everything was more along the lines of Grace Kelly, Leslie Parrish, Yvette Mimieux, On the other hand, I also never liked Martha Hyer, mostly because the characters she played were so irritating to the young me – in this film and more so in Some Came Running. Watching it all these years later, it’s just too maudlin, or as I like to call it, the curse of Melville Shavelson, who did love to pour on the maudlin. I only love one of his films, even though he REALLY pours on the maudlin in it – The Five Pennies. But that’s Danny Kaye and Barbara Bel Geddes and most importantly, the late and much-missed den mother of this here site, Susan Gordon. Houseboat’s strengths are Cary Grant, of course, some funny stuff here and there, three very cute kids who were in many movies back then – Charles Herbert, Mimi Gibson, and Paul Peterson, with Mr. Peterson being the standout here. But the transfer is so beautiful, with gorgeous color, that I just went along for the ride. It’s an hour and forty-five minutes but seems longer. The score by George Duning is great, but then again, he’s one of my all-time favorites, and I’m proud to have done a few Duning scores on Kritzerland. But now I am listening to Michael Small’s great score to Marathon Man – Small was a brilliant composer and his scores for thrillers like this, The Parallax View, Klute, Black Widow, and a few others, were like no scores we’d ever heard. In other news, it’s been very hot here – it came suddenly, this heat, and I do not care for it one or even two whits. Not even a Whit Bissell. It was 100-degrees yesterday. I had the air on as much as I could stand it, but I’d get it cooled down, turn it off, and in fifteen minutes it was seventy-nine in the house again.
Prior to all that, I got almost eight hours of sleep, got up, shaved and showered, answered e-mails, and then at one had a really fun Zoom with Peyton Kirkner and mom. I haven’t seen Peyton in way too long. She’s in college now (!), feeling better, but still working on one health issue. It was grand fun, and we laughed a lot, she told me about school, and it just did my soul good to see her and mom. Time does fly. After that, I wanted something I knew would be good, so I got the always reliable California Chicken Café – one breast and some chicken pasta salad. It got here pretty quick, and it was indeed very good. After that, I just did not much of anything – dozed off for an hour in the afternoon, then watched one of those Johnny Carson anniversary Tonight Show, his last before retiring. The clips were hilarious and there has never ever been anyone better at late night than Johnny Carson. The rest you know.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I’ll definitely go to Gelson’s and probably get bagels and tuna for sandwiches – we’ll see how I’m feeling – I’ll eat whatever I get, and then watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow, I’m hopeful what didn’t arrive last week will arrive, and then this week is praying for a modern major miracle, finishing choosing songs, and doing whatever needs doing.
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, do whatever needs doing, do a Gelson’s run, eat, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s free-for-all day, the day in which you dear readers get to make with the topics and we all get to post about them. So, let’s have loads of lovely topics and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have had a lovely Zoom with lovely folks.