Well, dear readers, books did not arrive yesterday as stated they would on the Fed Ex site, so I called, and they told me they’d be here today. We shall see, but hopefully they will so we can get them on their merry way. I’m currently listening to John Mauceri’s album of Rodgers and Hammerstein overtures – I do love overtures, and this is a fun album. I needed to hear some show tunes, and this was the perfect way. I did manage to watch a few things last night in between dozing off. I watched a wonderful American Masters on Carol Burnett – very entertaining and sometimes moving. I watched some Ricky Jay magic videos – he’s a lot of fun to watch and his card tricks are really amazing. I once sat near him at the House of Pies and all I know is my food disappeared. Then I watched a short motion picture from 1964 entitled The Earth Dies Screaming, a British sci-fi/horror thing directed by Terence Fisher, a very good director of tons of Hammer films, but he can’t do much with this inert tale, despite the screamingly bombastic title. The only actor of real note in the film is Dennis Price but he doesn’t have anything interesting to do. In certain ways, it reminded me of my first sci-fi/horror film experience at a sneak preview of Target Earth back in 1954. It has an interesting score by Elizabeth Lutyens. It seems much longer than its sixty-one minutes. The film played bottom of the bill with Fate is the Hunter, which I didn’t see until many years later – don’t know why really. I do know with a certainty that on the day the double bill opened, October 14, 1964, I attended a preview at the Wilshire Theater, which turned out to be Topkapi – which opened there two days later. And around town, Mary Poppins was in its seventh week at the Chinese, A Shot in the Dark was playing at the Fine Arts and the Vogue (where I saw it about six times), The World of Ray Bradbury was opening that night at the Coronet, also opening that day were Send Me No Flowers and Kisses for My President, and Becket began a citywide engagement, The Unsinkable Molly Brown was at the Egyptian. In theater, you could drive out the Melodyland and see Eddie Bracken in Damn Yankees and following that run you could see Molly Picon in Milk and Honey. At another theater in the round, Valley Music Theater, you could see Vic Damone in Guys and Dolls, then dine at my father’s new restaurant, the Kiru in the Valley, just two blocks from the theater. At the Philharmonic Auditorium, you could see the national tour of 110 in the Shade, starring Ray Danton and Inga Swenson, and why I didn’t is one huge regret. At the Huntington Hartford you could see Gertrude Berg in Dear Me, The Sky is Falling and that was another missed opportunity to see a legendary performer. Following that run, you could see Luther. I know I was busy with school and doing plays at both school and Bluth Brothers Theater, but still. Oh, for a time machine, baby.
I only got about five hours of non-consecutive sleep, I proofed, I’d pre-ordered the famous Langer’s number 19, pastrami, Swiss, coleslaw, and Russian dressing – but unlike Marv Langer’s daughter who has Daughter’s Deli, there’s no way to order the pastrami extra lean or even lean, so it was too fatty for me. I don’t understand the people love their deli meats fatty – it makes me want to gag. I only finished about two-thirds of it, pulling most of the really fatty bits out of it – so no more Langer’s unless I go there. I also got some egg salad from there for later. I proofed about thirty-five pages in total and have now done a third of the book proofing and fixing stuff. At five-thirty, I had the egg salad on a bagel and that was fantastic. Then I did my viewing and here we are.
Today, I’ll be up by eleven at the latest, hopefully the books will get here, and I’ll go pick them up immediately if they do. Then I’ll get them all signed and ready to go, then try to get the helper here to get them shipped. I’ll proof, catch up on other stuff, eat, get my head together for the doctor visit tomorrow, then watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow, I’ll have to leave early, and I’ll probably take the alternative route over the hill because at that time of morning Laurel Canyon is just a mess and it’s too nerve-wracking. After the appointment, I may go over to the Farmer’s Market for some food. Then I’ll come home. Tomorrow, I have pre-ordered food from Genghis Cohen – until they find their new home, they’re doing takeout only. Sunday will be a ME day, then next week we’ll continue working on musical arrangements for the show I’ll be directing in a couple of months.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up by eleven at the latest, hopefully books will be here and I’ll pick ‘em up, get ‘em signed and ready for the helper to ship ‘em, I’ll eat, proof, get my head together for the doctor visit, then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your all-time favorite show overtures? And would you like to see them make a return? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, enjoying these Rodgers and Hammerstein overtures a lot.