Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much fish, a bit lethargic and logy after a strange day that was partially strange due to only five hours of sleep. I woke up around eight, couldn’t fall back asleep but stayed in bed until around nine-fifteen. Once up, there were the usual batch of e-mails to respond to and respond I did. I sent the fixes in but I think the guy was out for most of the day, so they probably won’t begin doing them until today – still, it’s really only about twenty to twenty-five things, most of them very small things and I laid everything out pretty well, at least I hope I did – they’ve been really good about doing them in the past. Then I talked to my gal at the publisher, and everything is now set up for them to receive the files as soon as I have the corrected galley. So, that’s good – I gave them the timeline that I’d like to stick to. Then I found out that we’d won a number of Scenie Awards for Drat! The Cat! so that was a very nice wake up present. Here’s what we won – there are usually multiple winners in each category – sometimes a bunch, sometimes just one or two others, as was the case with a few of our awards. Here’s what we won.
Outstanding Revival of a Twentieth Century musical
Breakout Performance in a Musical – Sydney DeMaria
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Twentieth Century musical revival – Alec Reusch
Outstanding Featured Performance in a Twentieth Century musical revival – Lloyd Pedersen, Constance Mellors
Outstanding Direction of a Twentieth Century musical revival – Li’l Ol’ Me.
Always nice to get something for one’s work. I had Pad Thai for food – ate half for lunch and the other half six hours later – it was good. Still have gunk but less than before, had the other telephonic conversations – one with dear reader Jeanne to see how her post op went and one with Doug Haverty. Then I sat on my couch like so much fish and finally got around to watching a motion picture, namely the new Blu-ray of High Society, a new 4K transfer from the VistaVision negative – MGM made only two movies in VistaVision – High Society and North by Northwest. Once you’re past the opening number on the bus, which has never looked good, even in theaters, it’s a spectacular transfer with gorgeous and accurate color. Grace Kelly has never looked more beautiful and she’s surprisingly funny in the comic scenes. Bing and Frank are not my favorites in this movie, but they’re okay. Celeste Holm is good. I’ve never been that fond of Charles Walters as a director but it’s certainly serviceable. The performance that really wowed me, however, was the young girl who plays Caroline – not like other kid actors of that era – she’s real, and she’s funny. Her name is Lydia Reed and she’s still with us at age 80. She appeared in The Seven Little Foys, too, as well as a few other movies and TV shows and she did 123 episodes of The Real McCoys as Hassie – I don’t remember that character at all. That was her last credit. Amazingly, before she ever did film and TV, she was on Broadway at the age of seven, doing a play called Mrs. McThing by Mary Chase, author of Harvey, which she did for almost a year. Get this cast, though – Helen Hayes, Ernest Borgnine, Brandon de Wilde, Jules Munshin, Irwin Corey (before the Professor), Fred Gwynne, William Lanteau (soon to be Available Jones in Li’l Abner), Iggy Wolfington, and Enid Markey. I mean – holy moley on rye.
Anyway, High Society isn’t great, but it has its moments and it has Louis Armstrong, always a plus. It has one great song – True Love – and it does look lovely and sounds great, too. Then I watched an episode of Police Story – I mean, detectives go in crime scenes and touch everything without putting gloves on – I guess that’s the way it was back then, given Joseph Wambaugh was the advisor on the show, but really. This one was called The Ripper and was about someone who was going around killing young gay men and mutilating them. Let’s just be kind and say the attitudes are VERY 1973. Darren McGavin stars along with Michael Cole as his partner. Mr. Cole has the lion’s share of cringey dialogue about homosexuals. McGavin’s character is more live and let live. The gay bars are most amusing. Guest stars include Pat Carroll, Peter Mark Richman, and, giving the best performance – Leslie Parrish. Also, Marcia Strassman, pre-MASH. And that was the day and evening.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I pray I’ll feel totally better, I’ll eat something fun, mostly I’ll rest my voice and relax, but if I’m still struggling, voice-wise, I’ll do a virtual Cedars visit and hope they’ll do a prescription for me, so I can start taking those pills. I’m hoping we get the corrected galley back, and if so, or when we do, I’ll double check everything to make sure it’s all good (that only takes minutes because I just go to those page numbers), then I’ll send everything to my gal at the publishers and we’re on our way. Then at some point, I’ll watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow is our first Kritzerland rehearsal and it’s not a long one, so that’s good, like three to five or something. Friday, I rest, Saturday’s rehearsal is only slightly longer, then I have Sunday and Monday to rest more, Tuesday is our stumble-through, and Wednesday is sound check and show.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I’m doing, I must, for example, be up when I’m up, do whatever needs doing, pray I feel totally better, eat, rest my voice, maybe do a virtual Cedars visit if necessary and if they do the prescription, I’ll go get it filled at CVS, if the corrected galley comes, I’ll double check it and then send it off to the publisher, and then I can watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Ask BK Day, the day in which you get to ask me or any dear reader any old question you like and we get to give any old answer we like. So, let’s have loads of lovely questions and loads of lovely answers and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have won some lovely awards for Drat! The Cat!