Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much fish, listening to John Barry’s masterpiece of a score for the motion picture Body Heat, appropriate because of the disgusting heat wave we’re having here. I finally got the house cooled down to 76 from 82. That is too darn not. Anyway, Body Heat is one of Barry’s greatest and let me tell you that that was obvious from the first notes of the main titles. I remember we were in post-production on The Creature Wasn’t Nice when Body Heat opened on August 18. So, we all trudged over to the Regent in Westwood to see it. For me, it was an instant classic, and it has remained so all these years later. In fact, I think I may watch it this weekend. Speaking of watching, I did watch a motion picture and a half last evening. First, it was Play It Again, Sam, the film of Woody Allen’s play, starring the four leads from the Broadway production – Allen Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts, and Jerry Lacy. I saw the show on Broadway, and it really was one huge laugh after another, and the cast was perfection. It was also the shortest three-act play ever – began at eight-thirty and out by ten, including the two intermissions. I saw the movie the day it opened, and it was just as funny as the play, but with more comedy business for Allen that couldn’t really be done onstage. Also, the great opening and closing scenes couldn’t be done onstage either and in that way the movie really does improve on the stage show. The Allen/Keaton chemistry, great onstage, is doubly apparent here, and Jerry Lacy is a great Bogart. There are a few lines of dialogue that don’t play so well in this era, but most of it still plays hilariously. Anyway, very entertaining. Then I watched to first hour of Donovan’s Reef, the Blu-ray that uses the 4K transfer used for that release. It’s spectacular and the color is mind-boggling – I had a gorgeous IB Tech 16mm print of the film and this really captures the look of that print. I’ve always been fond of Donovan’s Reef – it’s just a lark – nothing serious about it – and Wayne and Lee Marvin are great. I’ll finish it up at some point today.
Prior to that, I had my doctor appointment – I really hate going to the doctor, although once I’m there, it usually goes quickly and easily. For all my fretting about Laurel Canyon traffic, I chanced it and there was no traffic at all. The appointment lasted about thirty or forty minutes. They took my vitals, which were all fine. Then the doctor and I basically just chatted and he’s starting me on three different pills, which I’ll take along with one I’m already taking. I’ll make a little pill schedule to follow. One pill he wants me to do I’m just not sure about and I’ll talk to him about it further on Monday. I think it’s called a folic acid pill and it’s what he calls a “chemo” pill, and his word was, “Don’t hate me if you lose your hair.” While I’ll get the pill and have it here, I’m not sure I’m ready to lose what hair I still have. So, I may ask if we can delay that one for a bit. The others should be fine. Afterwards, I got turned around and ended up in the east tower parking structure rather than the west. I got very weirded out when I couldn’t find my car and it took me twenty minutes to figure out that I was in the orange parking lot rather than the blue. Once I had that realization, then I just went to the right lot and there was my car, but it took twenty minutes, a total waste of time.
I decided to just come home. Once here, I had a Grubhub 50% off for three meals, which is totally different from 50% off from UberEats or Postmates, because I don’t belong to those, so you get socked with their huge fees and you don’t end up really saving anything, whereas on Grubhub I saved about ten bucks. I got my pasta dish from Stanley’s, and it was great, as usual, but seemed twice as big as usual. I did a little proofing, but I was so zonked that I plopped on the bed and slept for a couple of hours. Then I watched the movie and a half, had a couple of telephonic conversations, then did a computer update – that would have taken about thirty minutes on the old computer – this took about twenty seconds including the restart. I love this Mac Mini. Then I picked up a refill for the pills I’ve been taking, and two of the three new prescriptions, as the third wasn’t quite ready. But that’s the one I need to talk to the doctor about, so no rush to pick that one up – either today or Sunday.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ve pre-ordered food from Genghis Cohen and I think that will be here by one – can’t wait – and then I’m really going to try and proof at least fifty pages, maybe more. I’m in a section of the book where I’d already made a lot of corrections so it’s going faster. Then I’ll finish Donovan’s Reef and watch something else after it.
Tomorrow is more of the same and probably so is Monday. Next week is very busy.
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, eat, proof, and watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite John Barry scores and songs? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, as I begin to pop even more pills.