Well, dear readers, it was fifty years ago TODAY, Monday May 5, 1975, that we began shooting The First Nudie Musical on stages 28 and 29 at then Producer’s Studio (now Raleigh Studios). I remember vividly pulling on the lot, having my own parking space, walking onto the stage 28 to shoot the first scene, which was from the last third of the film, the firing of Mary La Rue to be exact. It begins with Mary (Alexandra Morgan) and George (Alan Abelew) in bed, nude, shooting a scene in the film within the film. Lesson one in scheduling – NEVER schedule a nude scene to be the first shot on the first day. And naturally, my co-director didn’t know how to deal with it and the producer we didn’t WANT to deal with it. So, I, as co-director had to deal with it, since I was the only one who was going to talk to the actors. I calmed down Alexandra quickly by telling her it was a stupid way to start but we were stuck with it, and I promised her we’d get it in one quick take. After that she was perfectly fine, and we did get it in one quick take. And on we went for the next three weeks. Some days were easy and fun, some were long and insane, and we were all flying by the seat of our pants. But when we saw the first set of dailies on Tuesday, I knew we’d be okay. They looked good, were funny, and I breathed a lot easier, although it took me quite some time to get comfortable with seeing myself on a rather large screen, as I’d only ever seen myself on TV. Some of the comic stuff was gold right there in the dailies, while stuff that would end up even funnier took a lot of trial and error in the editing. I loved directing the actors and collaborating on the camera stuff. We’d rehearsed for a week where ironically Jimmy Kimmel now films his show. What are the odds of THAT, I wonder. We were away from the studio for the Hollywood Boulevard location stuff for The Lights and the Smiles, the Greyhound Bus Station on Cahuenga, the Cahuenga newsstand, and the Venice Theater on our final day of shooting. We wrapped there and then the cameraman, Doug Knapp, Mark Haggard, the co-director, Cindy Williams and Stephen Nathan, and I drove to Hollywood Boulevard, parked in front of the Pix Theater and quietly put the camera on the top of the car and filmed Cindy and Stephen’s walk and then dance down the street that ends the film. I think we all went to Musso and Frank after that. Anyway, it was a magical time, I made some very good friends and formed wonderful relationships, and everything is well documented in both There’s Mel, There’s Woody, and There’s You and Directed by. It was a time. So, happy 50, which we’ll celebrate again next year, as that will be fifty years from the film’s actual release.
And now, I am sitting here like so much nostalgic fish, listening to a fairly forgotten English/Canadian composer named Healey Willen, his second symphony (he only wrote two) – it’s quite an appealing work and I only found it in Music because it was close to the Henry Mancini stuff, and I couldn’t remember a thing about it. Glad I chose it. I’ll have to seek out his first symphony and also his piano concerto. He was, apparently, most known for his sacred music. I did manage to watch a motion picture I’d never even heard of, entitled The Accountant, starring Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, J.K. Simmons, John Lithgow, and others. It’s too long at 128-minutes, and way too convoluted for its own good, with an expository scene that must go on for over ten minutes at the two-thirds point. There are things that make little sense, but the actors are good and there are some nice action scenes. It purportedly made 150 million worldwide but only did about sixty here, so I don’t really believe it. Of course, it’s now a franchise and The Accountant 2 just opened a week and a half ago and is doing similar business at double the budget and it’s apparently more of the same, only without Ms. Kendrick. She’s very appealing in it, but I always enjoy her, beginning with her performance in the huge flop Broadway musical, High Society. Anna was twelve at the time and the best thing about the show, which had a very troubled birth and opening. How it managed 144 performances is yet another example of producer ego. David Merrick would have closed it the second the reviews hit. Anyway, despite all its idiocy, I didn’t really mind the movie too much. Not sure I need to see the sequel.
Prior to that, I got eight hours of sleep, got up, answered e-mails, had two brief telephonic conversations, decided to eat here and had mac and cheese from Marmalade and that was actually very good. Then I did some work on the computer, locked down the pianist for the young people show, so that’s done, and then sat on my couch like so much fish, where I promptly dozed off for over an hour. Then I watched the movie, and now some clam chowder is on its merry way as I haven’t had anything since noon-thirty and my tummy is telling me to eat a little something.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I need to get some material to someone, then I’ll have a brief visit with Joan Ryan’s hubby, then I’m having an early supper with Marshall Harvey. After that, I’ll come home and watch, listen, and relax.
The rest of the week is choosing songs, meetings and meals, and keeping my head on straight (no mean feat).
Let’s all put on our pointy party hats and our colored tights and pantaloons, let’s all break out the cheese slices and the ham chunks, let’s all dance the Hora or the Continental, for today is the birthday of long-time dear reader George. So, let’s give a big haineshisway.com birthday cheer to long-time dear reader George. On the count of three: One, two, three – A BIG HAINESHISWAY.COM BIRTHDAY CHEER TO LONG-TIME DEAR READER GEORGE!!!
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, get some material to someone, have a visit, sup with Marshall Harvey, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite scenes and quotes from The First Nudie Musical. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst we celebrate that it was fifty years ago today that we began filming The First Nudie Musical.