Girls, Can You Believe It Took Me This Long To See "Targets????????????????????????????"

                                     I had heard about "Targets" for years.  It was the remarkable debut of a promising then new director named Peteer Bogdanovich.  He went on to do "The Last Picture Show," in 1971, and then "Paper Moon," in 1973.  After that his career imploded.  What a sad end to such talent.

                                      "Targets" surprised me in several ways.  I had always imagined it was shot in black-and-white, but it was not.  Also, I had thought there would have been more of an interaction between Bobby, the killer, and Byron Orlock, the horror star played brilliantly by Boris Karloff in what was his final film role.  What a way to go out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                        Based on the Charles Whitman 1966 University of Texas shooting, the film shows Bobby evolving from having "funny ideas" into a full-fledged mass shooter.  The title is so apt, because the viewer sees him lining up his shots--as targets.  He starts with his family, then goes on to kill anyone he can.  It is chilling and disturbing to watch; it must have been in 1968, but you can bet this did not show up at any theaters in New Brunswick, New Jersey, back then!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                       What is even more chilling about "Targets" is its prescience, for who could have, then foreseen, Columbine, Sandy Hook, and the Virginia Tech shootings?  And the wheel keeps going, spewing out more victims, while some arcane laws do not allow for accountability or still fail to take these incidents seriously.  And how about gun control?

                                          Bobby, played by Tim O'Kelly, may be a serial killer on the make, but he is so amateurish, leaving an entire arsenal of guns atop the gas tower he poses during the day while committing his atrocities.  But it is the fall of night, the seediness of Los Angles, and the terror that can erupt in a seedy L.A. drive-in that Bogdanovich and his cinematographer, the talented Laslo Kovacs, capture so well.  The final dissolving shot is just brilliant and says it all.

                                             "Targets" is a must for those who take cinema seriously.  But it also demonstrates that as used to as we seem to be to such incidents, this film still has the power to unnerve.

                                                  Don't miss it, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If I Had Gone Into Show Business, I Might Have Ended Up Like This!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                                                

                               That's right, girls!  Singing in a sleazy Atlantic City night club in New Jersey, drinking in between performances, and talking to anyone who will listen, like Dorothy Comignore as Susan Alexander in "Citizen Kane."  The movie makes it look fascinating but is it really?  What does Susan have now, compared to what she had?  At least she does not have to do jigsaw puzzles anymore!

                              Or I could be in some sleazy Manhattan night club, straddling the piano in a glamorous thirties gown, and singing "I'm Just A Black Sheep Who's Blue," like Dorothy Dell as Bangles Carson in "Little Miss Marker."

                                Some choices, huh?  Maybe it is a good thing I did not go into show business.

                               Oh, honey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                               "Why don't you come and take me away from it all??I'm just a black sheep who's blue!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

I Will Not Be Here For The Next Several Days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                Like the sign says, I am having a colonoscopy on Wednesday, so I will be off this blog for some time.  I don't want to do it, but it is that time.  Tomorrow is the prep, which is still horrible: God grant me the strength to get through it. Then Wednesday I go and have the procedure.

                                    So much fear and things to worry about.  And yet I must go through this.  I would honestly rather do this than the alternative.

                                       May I return to write more about interesting items, new movies yet to be seen, and books having been and being read.  And anything else that should come up.

                                         Wish me luck, girls!  I will report on what happens when I return!

                                           "Oh, Mommy, Mommy, don't let the hurt me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                          Heeeeeeeeeelllllllllllppppppppppppppp   meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I Finally Saw "The Third Man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

                         The above shot has been famous to me for years, ever since I saw footage from this film used in Peter Jackson's 1994 film, "Heavenly Creatures," a film I need to see again.

                             The teen girls in that film, a young Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynsey are obsessed with this film and go to see it constantly.  I can understand their obsession for this film, but not the reasons behind it.

                                Every frame in this masterpiece is pure gold.  So much so that, while Carol Reed gets directorial credit, I have to wonder if Orson Welles himself had a hand in its making.  So many of the shots rival what Welles did in some of his films.

                                  Welles is a mystery figure who does not appear till midway through the film, revealed by a cute cat.  Alida Valli is attractive and haunting as Anna, who loves Harry Lime in spite of his singular negative qualities.  Same with Joseph Cotten, who once again proves himself to be Hollywood's most underrated actor.  I must admit I prefer Valli in the role of the repressed lesbian recruiting young girls in "Les Yeux Sans Visage."

                                      Everything I have heard about this film is true--the footage in the sewers, the haunting amusement park, that iconic Ferris wheel, and the ride Lime and pulp novelist Holly Martine (Cotten) take on that Ferris wheel.  The images in this film are stunning, the plot striking, and it all came from the pen of Graham Creene.

                                        But it took Carol Reed and who knows who else to get it all on film.  Cinema is much better for it, since it can be looked at again and again.

                                          If you have seen it, you get what am I saying!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                         If you have not, then what are you waiting for??????????????

                                       

Darlings, There Are Two Good Reasons To Watch "Swamp Thing" Tonight! And Both Are Adrienne Barbeau!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                      Adrienne has been famous for her "assets" for decades.  So, you can bet Baby Gojira is really excited that "Svengoolie" is showing "Swamp Thing" tonight at 8PM.

                                       The monster is actually a metaphor for the state of Florida, the people who live there, and what the state has become--or always was--in general.

                                          To think Adrienne was the original Betty Rizzo in "Grease."  Who could have been more perfect?  How I would have loved to have seen that performance.  Stockard Channing, indeed!  Are you kidding????????????????

                                               First time I can remember being more excited about a cast member than monster in one of "Svengoolie's" films.  Oh, I forgot, tonight The Sven Squad is hosting this movie, and while I think it will be perfect for them, with Adrienne getting lots of attention, they could easily have hosted and livened up last week's clunker, "Village Of The Giants."

                                                  This is a screening not to be missed.  The morning after, girls will be stuffing their bras so they can look the size of Adrienne!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                     Believe me, chests do get you someplace in this business, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, My God, That Norine Schmittlapp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                       Just days after posting on the passing of Joanna Petet, I had a dream last night about the movie "The Group."  In the dream, my mother was telling me I could not see it, and I told her I was because I wanted to go to Vassar and become one of "The Group"--specifically Libby, the high-powered literary agent, played by Jessica Walter, with just a foreshadowing of Evelyn Draper.

                        This was just a dream, but in reality, when the film was coming to the Albany Theatre in New Brunswick, back in 1966, my mother took me to see something I cannot recall, but I saw coming attractions of "The Group."  Oh, my God, darlings, when I saw the scene of Joanna Petet as Kay locked in the closet and screaming, I shouted to my mother, "I want to see this!"   Of course, my plea fell on deaf ears.

                         But, girls, there is so much you can learn from "The Group."  Like the clinical details of intercourse, pessary fittings and breast feeding.  How to wear a sanitary belt, what books to read, and stop acting like a Bohemian tramp like Norine, played by Carrie Nye, who was ousted by "The Group," and, embittered, tries to take Harald from Kay.

                          I mean, girls, the book and movie are just a primer for adult development.

                        But that Norine!  You really have to watch out for her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                         And all Norines out there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is This The Greatest Funeral Scene In Film History??????????????????????

                      It may be, darlings, but actually I prefer the one in 1965's "Doctor Zhivago."  It comes early on, and is a haunting, poetic with music and choral singing and a superb sense of viewing death from the eyes of a child.

                      Now, the above, is from Douglas Sirk's 1959 redo of "Imitation Of Life," one example where the remake becomes the definitive version.  Annie Johnson, played by the great Juanita Moore, has sacrificed her life for her daughter, Sarah Jane Johnson, so she can pass for white.  This, after the child from an early age, disses her and breaks her heart.  Well, Annie dies of that broken heart, but what no one knows is she has been putting money away so she can have the funeral of funerals. 

                     And does she ever!  Oh, my God, girls, marching bands, pounding drums, trumpets everywhere, and the voice of the great Mahalia Jaackson singing "Trouble In The World," as the biggest hearse in history carries Annie's coffin down the main street of the town.

                      But, wait!  The whole thing is capped by a now repentant Sarah Jane (Susan Kohner, who received an Oscar nomination) weeping and wailing alongside her mother's coffin, expressing sorrow now for the way she treated her mother.  Too little too late, Missy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                        Lana Turner, who plays a glamorous stage actress, and Sandre Dee, playing her entitled blonde daughter with the pink princess phone I always wanted, pull Sarah Jane in the car with them.  They should have left her on the street, for how she treated her mother.  Breaking her heart, killing her by running off to Vegas to become a cheap showgirl!  Not even I did that, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                          Great or not, this funeral scene has to be seen to be believed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                         Like the song in "Chicago" says, "If you're good to Mama, Mama is good to you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Darlings, Would You Believe It Took Me 71 Years To See This Movie?????????????????????????

                          All this relates to my film project, which is ultimately catching up on movies I have yet to see because of my fear of cataract surgery.  I had just re-read the Agatha Christie novel, after a string of highbrow fiction.  I needed something light and frothy and this work delivers.  I think it is Dame Agatha's best.

                           Now, for years, girls, I had heard about Rene Clair's 1945 film version of this story, which was famous for his direction and a wonderful cast.  The cast is indeed wonderful but let me voice my first reservation; though Clair's direction is adept enough, too often this film is played for wit, like a British drawing room comedy.  I think the film would have been better served had it been directed by Alfred Hitchcock.  He may have been wanted, and may have wanted to do it, but don't forget he was still under contract to David O. Selznick, who kept him on a short leash.  Also, since Twentieth Century-Fox made the film, and given June Duprez' startling resemblance, couldn't they have had her role played by Gene Tierney??????????????????

                                The plot remains the same.  Ten unknown people are invited to a remote island by an injustice collector who wants to mete out the justice he/she thinks they deserve. One by one, the guests are killed off in mysterious, unsolvable ways.  Now, the film is faithful to the book, up to a point.  But there is a part which it disengages.

                                 Everyone in the novel is killed, including the perpetrator.  In the film, the two lovers--Louis Hayward and June Duprez, escape, while the alleged killer hints at suicide, but disappears, so does he really die or not?  This ruined the film for me.

                                  Nevertheless, the actors are strong, and so are the stylized Hollywood sets.  A real period feel is captured.  The costumes designed by Rene-Hubert do help, as does the art direction and set design of Ernst Fegte and Edward G. Boyle.  Their work is atmospheric and masterful.

                                   I am glad I finally got a chance to see this film For those who have not, I urge you to do so.  Even more if you haven't, I urge you to read the book first.

                                   The real thrills are all there, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                   

This Is The Day I Always Consider Tne Middle Of Summer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

                               At some point in my head, I got the idea that July 15 was the midpoint of summer.  And I still feel that way.  For many years, when younger, I would traipse out to Coney Island, all by myself, and go on the rides I wanted to.  These were the spook house rides, the carousel, sometimes the Tilt-A-Whirl, and on one occasion the kiddy roller coaster.  Which suited me fine.

                                 Today, I hardly go out to Coney, but I take pleasure in the half point of summer.  All the greenery, the beautiful flowers, the sunshine, the ability to dress lightly and comfortably, and, really, even though retired, just enjoying a more leisurely pace than one does in the winter months.

                                 And of course, the world is ablaze with color, which why summer, though it can be discomfiting for someone with my sensitive skin, and aversion to the sun.  Despite the detriments, summer is still my favorite season.

                                   So happy mid-summer everyone!  And here is the perfect song to go with it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                       Enjoy the halfway point of summer, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                            

Darlings, Wouldn't It Be Better To Get Lemonade In This More Elegant Way?????????????????????

                                  Remember that old summer rhyme, "Lemonade/Made in the shade/Stirred with a spade/By an old maid?"  Well, that old maid stuff has gone the way of all flesh, so to speak, and, while lemonade is still a seasonal summer tradition, I think it should be served in a more elegant manner.

                                    Ah, the elegance of a past age.  When ladies were ladies and gentlemen gentlemen. And lemonade was just that, not laced with some liquor so teens could indulge in underage drinking.

                                        Whatever happened to chivalry.  And leaving calling cards when visiting?

                                        Like the song in "Chicago" says, "Nobody's got no class!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Girls, It Is Bastille Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  Ooo La La, darlings!  Today, in 1789, the Bastille prison was stormed, marking the start of the French Revolution.    Today it is an excuse to indulge in exquisite French cuisine, or maybe reread Dickens' "A Tale Of Two Cities," or watch the MGM 1936 film, where Blanche Yurka steals the show as Madame De Farge.  You just have to love her, girls, knitting away as the heads fall into the basket from the guillotine.

I think I once had a toy guillotine, where you could repeatedly chop off the guy's head over and over.  It is amazing that I did not grow up to be a serial killer.  Perhaps it all changed when I saw "The Song Of Bernadette" for the first time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is a day to be celebrated as one pleases; just celebrate If I owned a copy I think today, I would watch "The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg," one of, if not the most, romantic films ever.

Happy Bastille Day, everyone!  Set off your own fireworks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, Darlings, How I Would Like To Go Through Fairy Halls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                    Wouldn't you, girls??????????  I know I would, especially with all that is going on with me.

                                     I am scheduled next Wednesday for a colonoscopy.  Only now I am 85% recovered from a cold, which lingers and makes me cough up glop to the point where I am not sure I should go through the procedure.  As if that was not enough, I have cataract surgery staring me in the face.  No date has been set, but I would guess early next year, since my doctor appointment is not till January 7th.

                                       Is it any wonder I want to go through fairy halls?  Or disappear to a world where colonoscopies and cataract surgeries were not necessary?????????????????

                                       As Charmian Carr sang in "Evening Primrose," "Take Me To The World!!!!!!!!"

                                       Or help me find a way to cope in this one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, No!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not Joanna Petet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                        If, like me darlings, you were captivated by reading Mary McCarthy's novel, "The Group," you know that Joanna Petet, who died on July 7 at the age of 83, play Kay Leiland Strong in the movie version of "The Group."  Kay was the first one of her class to run around the table at the graduation dinner, signaling that she was engaged.  To one Harald Peterson, who did her bad.  He beat her, locked her in closets, and she died prematurely by falling out a window while surveying war planes.  Kay was the "bad girl," because, oh my God, she slept with a man before marriage, and girls like that had to come to a bad end.  Or so decreed the film and McCarthy's book.

                       It may not be but seems like Kay was the only thing she did.  She certainly did make an indelible impression in the film.  

                       Her death, on July 6, at 83, took me by surprised; she had such a fresh-faced look, almost like Julie Christie, that I thought of her as younger.  But then she was a young woman, well into her twenties, when she filmed "The Group."

                          Girls, if you have not yet read "The Group," you simply must.  It will change your life, as it did mine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  It set my sight firmly on New York.

                            Rest In Peace Joanna.  You shall always be remembered for Kay.

                             But don't make Kay's mistakes, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Nothing I Can Do. It's A Total Eclipse Of The Heart!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                        I will never forget first hearing Bonnie Tyler's gorgeously raspy voice on the song "It's A Heartache."  The distinction of that voice made the listener feel her pain.

                         I also loved her rendition of "I Need A Hero," and let me tell you, girls, during my single period, this song truly resonated with me.  I needed someone to hold on to, and yes, to reference another song, I looked in many wrong places, till I hit it right.

                          But it was "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" that defined Bonnie Tyler to all of us.  I shall try and provide the song at the end of this post.  The lyrics were almost metaphors for many of our lives.

                           So, on July 8, when Bonnie left us this year, after complications from a perforated intestine and surgery for such, I was shocked to discover she was 75.  I really thought of her as youth; she always looked so great.

                         Bonnie's passing was doubly sad in light of the recent passing of Louise Lasser.

                         Rest In Peace, Bonne.  "We really need you tonight.  Foerver's going to

start tonight......."

                                         Here it is, darlings.  Bonnie at her best with "Total Eclipse Of The Heart."

Girls, Join Us Tonight At 8PM, As "Svengoolie" Presents "Village Of The Giants!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                            Originally, darlings, I was not in favor of watching this, but, because the cast has a lot of teen actors of the era, and a few too old but still playing teens, we have decided to watch this. This film was made in 1965, and the TV series" "Land Of The Giants" first appeared in 1967, so did the film foreshadow the series???????????????

                                              Not really, because the film is actually based on the H. G. Wells' work "The Food  Of  The Gods," about the idea of increasing the world's food supply by decreasing the size of people.  The actual title was made into a 1976 movie, but the idea of it was used in 1936's "The Devil Doll," and an episode of "Science Fiction Theater, a 50's TV show, called "No Food For Thought," that Universal bought the rights to, and turned into their 1955 giant spider hit "Tarantula!"

                                                 So, I know already that this will not be a sterling representation of the Wells' story.  But will it be campy enough to be fun?  That is the question, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                    David says we will watch the beginning, and, if we lose interest, we can switch to something else.  I hope so,  because this does not appeal to me at all.

                                                      However, hope springs eternal.  Se, we will see you at eight, girls.  If we switch to something else, I will be sure to let you know.

                                                        Wishing you a camp filled evening, dolls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

This Has To Be The Marriage Proposals Of All Marriage Proposals!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

                                 Just watching it on TV made me dizzy.  Not even King Kong climbed that high!  

                                 Ah, the things we do for love, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!  But this?  Where just one gust of wind could send a person into oblivion?

                                I don't think so, girls!  Nor for me!  Now, I suppose the only thing to outdo this would be a proposal atop Mount Everest?  But what are the odds of that?

                                Sure, the couple will face legal troubles, but I think it worth it.  Has anyone ever gotten a more romantic marriage proposal?

                                   Well, mine in Tiffany's was pretty special.  But that is another story!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                               

"Mary Hartman! Mary Hartman!" Are You Really Gone??????????????????????

                                      Yes, darlings, Louise Lasser, Woody Allen's first muse, and who indelibly portrayed Mary Hartman, died on July 6 at the age of 87.  Her death was attributed to natural causes.

                                         During half of my college years, I cannot tell you how many times, darlings, I wandered back to the dorm, so I could hear Dody Goodman say the title name twice and watch all the shenanigans therein--daughter Heather (Claudia Lamb) with her cramps, Loretta and Charlie Haggers (Mary Kay Place and Graham Jarvis) and the disturbing portrayal of spousal abuse between actors. Martin Mull and Sunan Browning.

                                              The soap opera parody was created by Norman Lear. It reminded me of the one Bob and Ray did on radio, "Mary Backstage, Noble Wife."  And after the broadcast, newscaster Judy Licht would greet " 'Mary' maven" with an update on the news before turning out the lights.  

                                                It was a seminal part of my early college years.  Then it went off and Louise seemed to vanish, though I remember her brilliant performance as Ellen Burstyn's friend in the 2000 film "Requiem For A Dream," the film in which Burstyn was robbed of an Oscar.

                                                And now Louise has departed this world.  She will make the next one laugh, and that humor will be missed here on Earth.

                                                 Rest In Peace, Louise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                     

Girls, Elevate Your Home Decoration With Sandberg Wallpaper!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                                                  

                                                                                 

                                       Darlings, just look at these patterns!!!!!!!!!!!!  Wouldn't they just enhance every living room or bedroom??????????????????

                                           My favorite is the first one with the brightest of colors.  Of course that is what I am all about.  Bur these others are just as stunning.  The last has a sort of Japanese flavor to it, which could work in the kitchen or bathroom.

                                              No, they have nothing to do with Carl Samdburg the poet, as he spelled his name with "u," not "e."

                                              Bur these patterns will elevate your home stature, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                              A home has to be as pretty as us, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is It Hitchcock's Masterpiece???????????????? No, But It Is Exhilarating In Its Detail!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                       Girls, there are so many things I can say about this film, and will, but I will start with my grad school years at NYU.  I took a film course as an elective, and as the semester rolled on, the professor kept hinting that he was going to show us a film that was not legally allowed to be shown at the time--I forget why--and that we were not to tell anyone he had shoun it.

                                             Well, I thought it was going to be something daring, foreign, with a touch of eroticism.  In a way, it turned out to be that way, for the film we saw, Alfred Hitchcock's "Vertigo," had a more European sensibility than most American film, especially of that time.  I had seen it on TV years before, while still in my teens, and after screening it a few days ago for what was my fourth viewing, I can say this is a film that does not stay static.  Instead, it gets better and better with each viewing. 

                                                   I would also bet, dollars to donuts that Ingmar Bergman saw this film before making his 1966 classic "Persona," as did Robert Altman before filming his 1977 gem, "Three Women."

                                                   "Vertigo" is a film about obsession, and let's start with the director's obsession with blonde women.  This film offers a diptych of them, what with Kim Novak's Madeline, and Barbara Bel Geddes' Midge.  Then there is Novak again as Judy Barton.  Ah......But let me get to some other details.

                                                          James Stewart, in one of his darkest performances, plays John "Scotty" Ferguson, a retired detective due to his suffering of the titular illness.  He is roped in by a former college friend, Gavin Elster, played by Tom Helmore, to following his wife, Madeline, about, and this sets in motion a cat and mouse game that does not end until a confrontation in a church bell tower.

                                                                For viewers'' sakes, that is as much of the plot I will divulge.  The force of this film is Kim Novak's performance as Madeline/Judy.  As the former, she is so elegant looking--my God, how I would want to wear that green dress in that red walled restaurant, or the white coat when she kisses Stewart by the sea with the waves majestically dashing against the shore--yet switches adeptly to crudeness when playing Judy, a girl who seems to have come from the wrong side of the tracks.  It is to Novak's credit as an actress, and Hitchcock's direction, that she is able to pull this off so adeptly.  I would never have expected it of her.

                                                                    I had forgotten how lushly technicolored this film is. San Francisco is to this film what Venice Italy was to "Summertime."

                                                                       "Vertigo" has any number of interesting shots--Madeline's apartment building, the museum and the portrait of Carlotta Valdez, with matching flowers, in the museum where Madeline sits, the iconic shot of Madeline "jumping" into the bay--demonstrating this may not be Hitchcock's masterpiece, as some declare, but his most visually arresting film.  And one can see here the foreshadowing of his next film which I consider his masterpiece--1960's "Psycho."

                                                                            Watching "Vertigo" is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle, one that fascinates again and again.  I do not know when, if ever, I will see it again, but I can say with certainty it will continue to fascinate viewers.

                                                                                And, oh my God, Kim's outfits!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                        

Girls, You Will Not Believe It--I LOVED This "Ragtime!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                  We saw this show last Sunday.  I had been curious about it ever since seeing the TV commercial with the whole company performing outdoors in what was my former workplace.  I knew the cast was terrific, but I had reservations that it was staged by Lear DeBessonet, now the head of Lincoln Center Theater.  I did not care for how she handled "Oliver!" at ENCORES, and I was afraid she would ruin "Ragtime" more than I felt it had been.

                                    I admit I have a problematic history with this show.  The E. L. Doctorow novel on which it is based is one of my favorites.  So much so that, when I first heard Robert Altman was to direct the movie version, I was on cloud nine.  But that fell through, and I refused to see the Milos Forman film version of 1981.  I still feel only Altman could have done "Ragtime" justice.

                                      I saw two previous productions.  I saw the original at the tail end of its run, and I am sorry to say no one in it was memorable, and the performers seemed to be walking through the performance, so it was lackluster.  There was a revival in the early 2000s, featuring Christiane Noll, whose father, a musical director, I had worked with in "The Pajama Game" in 2001.  She was good, but in retrospect brought nothing to the role.

                                        This "Ragtime" started as a concertized version at The New York Philharmonic.  At the time I asked why?  Then it became such a hit it moved to its current occupancy, The Vivian Beaumont Theater, next door to my former workplace.

                                          Allow me some humble pie.  Lear DeBessonet's staging of this production more than compensates for her miss with "Oliver!"  "Ragtime" begins on a dark stage, with the title in lights hanging above it.  The lights go down, the stage lights go up, and a little boy runs across the stage.  Then another begins the story of the New Rochelle family.  Then slowly, inexorably, like the dancers in "A Chorus Line," the entire company is elevated to upstage center, assembled and ready to sing.  They sing, they form combinations suggesting their stories will all interconnect, which they do, and while I always loved the opening number, I have never seen it staged as beautifully.

                                            That's just for starters.  Joshua Henry was out that week.  I had seen him in the 2018 "Carousel," so I know what he can do.  His replacement, John Clay III was every bit up to the level of Henry, and his and Kayla Pecchioni as Sarah's rendition of "The Wheels Of A Dream" not only stopped the show but brought tears to my eyes.  I had never shed tears for this show before.

                                              But the real anchors of this show are Caissie Levy as Mother, and Brandon Uranowitz as Tateh.  By the way, the story of he and his daughter may resemble another musical, 1986's "RAGS," which I still say has the superior score, but "Ragtime" is more embracing of all cultural intersections into America at the turn of the century.  Levy's is a powerful presence on stage, as is her singing, especially in the second act song, "Back To Before."  I am glad this gifted actress, whom I first saw do Sheila in the 20099 "HAIR," was recognized with a TONY Award.  Uranowicz breaks your heart every time he is on stage, as does Pecchioni as Sarah.  And there is also "SUFF's" Shaina Taub as Emma Goldman, Ben Levi Ross as Younger Brother, Morgan Marcell as Evelyn Nesbit, and Rodd Cyrus as Harry Houdini.  Part of this "Ragtime's" success is the great cast that has been assembled.  I urge you to see them before the show closes in August.

                                                I cannot say I now embrace the score, but I recognize more its quality and how it functions in relation to the story.  Some of that comes from DeBessonet's staging, and the exquisite cast.  I may not listen to a CD of this show, or sing any of its songs, but I will remember this production with special affection, as it made me appreciate "Ragtime."

                                                    This "Ragtime" is all that is promises and is as definitive a production as ever will be done.

                                                    Girls, I strongly urge you to see it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hell May Be Hot, But "Hadestown" Is Not!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                     I really cannot say what I expected from this show, which we saw last Saturday night, but whatever it was I did not get.

                                     This show swept the 2019 TONY Awards, and has been running for seven years, and I cannot figure out why.  To be fair, none of the performers in the current cast can be accused of walking through the show; their passion in performing the material was palpable.  Yet the end result was unsatisfying.  

                                        The plot blends two Greek myths--that of Hades and Persephone, and the other of Orpheus and Eurydice.  For starters, I did not like the idea of Jordan Tyson, playing Eurydice as a 21st century schoolgirl.  Tawdry and cheap!  I also was not bowled over by the score, written by Anais Mitchell, who also did the Book and Lyrics.  Those who like gospel, spiritual, Black culture centric music should go for it, and while I respect those forms, they did not work for me here.  Maybe the Book was just a little too long, and the show in the second act dragged.  I did love the trio of actresses playing the Three Fates; their numbers were always well staged and fun.  Plus, the set design, by Rachel Hauk, establishes a sort of smoky 'Streetcar Named Desire,' or "Porgy And Bess" atmosphere that works.

                                          Dark lighting may be apt for the subject, but it is rough on an audience.  I have not seen a show so darkly lit since the original "CATS" over forty years ago.  Though we sat fairly close to the stage, some things were not as visible as I might have wished.

                                           I looked at the show as an interesting, if not quite successful, experiment.  It started downtown at the New York Theatre Workshop, then moved uptown to Broadway.  Maybe it should not have.  Or maybe the Book should have been trimmed, and the show kept off-Broadway.

                                              Nevertheless, I am glad I saw "Hadestown."  I wish it seven more years of success, and joy to all the theatergoers who see and embrace it.

                                                 Simply not my cup of tea, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                 

Girls, We Stayed At The Algonquin Last Weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                            Now, last weekend was Pride, but that is not the reason we stayed.

                           The Actors' Temple, where David has been active before we met, and with me has been to several gatherings and services, were having a twenty-year anniversary tribute to Rabbi Jill.  That was the impetus for going, though we did other things, too.

                           But let me start with The Algonquin.  Quality service as always, but I was disappointed that have not yet replaced Hamlet with another feline mascot.  And after nine months, since I first inquired.

                              However, I did find out--and I hope I was not just getting the runaround--that they are looking for a rescue cat to replace Hamlet.  Now, according to Algonquin history, the cat to replace Hamlet has always been a female and always named Matilda.  But that will not be the case this time.  I have been assured that the succeeding cat will be a male and also named Hamlet. When he arrives, he will be Hamlet IX.  Isn't that exciting?  I cannot wait to meet him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                               As for the temple, the service was lovely and the tribute fitting.  The highlight of the tribute, especially me, was when Musical Stage Legend Neva Small, got up and sang a song she sang in Bernstein's "Mass." I have always wanted to hear the whole work, which Neva and others introduced originally at the Kennedy Center.  Neva was superb and showed everyone there how to really perform.  She will be 74 in November, the day before my birthday.  Mine is the 18th, hers the 17th.

                               We love you, Neva!  You will always be a legend to us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                               And congratulations to Rabbi Jill.  I wish her another twenty years of service.

                              "Would a convent take a Jewish girl?"  No, darlings the real question is--Would a Yeshiva take a Catholic boy??????????????????"

                                And love to The Algonquin, and all the staff there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Darlings, Would You Believe I Never Saw "The Bicycle Thief" Until Now???????????????????????

                               Having reached the age of 71, and approaching 72 in November, I can live with the idea that certain books--like Joyce's "Ulysses"--I may never read.  But there are so many films that I am embarrassed to say I have never seen, and while the lists may help, there is so much out there it boggles the mind.   Having seen "GWTW," 'Oz',' and 'Bernadette' combined over 100 times, there is so much I am lacking.  So, I decided, especially with the imminent approach of cataract surgery that now is the time to make up for lost time.

                                 The other day, I was talking with a film friend of mine about "The Bicycle Thief," and she could not believe I had not seen it While I took many film courses in college, the Vittorio De Sica film the professor chose to show was 1952's "Umberto D," which for reasons I won't spoil viewers I cannot sit through again.

                                  What a revelation "The Bicycle Thief" turned out to be.  This 1948 film is a cinematic meditation on father and son, child and adult, good and evil, beauty and ugliness, and visual patterns.  The opening shot panning people walking the streets through a ravaged post-war Rome is only the beginning.  The narrative impetus is a husband, played by Lamberto Maggiorini, and his son Bruno, played by Enzo Staiola.  The film follows them on a journey of justice throughout the city in an effort to reclaim the bicycle stolen from Antonio Ricci, and the journey is long and hard, culminating in two tragedies that are heartbreaking and question the heartlessness of the world.

                                     So, where is the beauty?  Never have I seen geometric patterns used to such visual effect. Crescent moon shaped arches, especially in the night club and church sequences, square patterned cobblestones, and the linear geometrics of the apartment buildings in Rome that De Sica places his camera on. are compelling to behold.   This film is as much a visual treat as a narrative one, and in exploring Antonio and Bruno's quest for justice, the film visually explores post war Rome.

                                        Really, I have never seen ugliness pictured as a kind of beauty, which is what makes this film special.  De Sica displays a grasp on the material that not even the finest of American directors of the time could touch.  I loved every minute of "The Bicycle Thief".  I have known the title as this all my life, though some label it "The Bicycle Thieves."  Which will make sense once viewed.

                                        So, that is my first step, a baby one, into the waters of film exploration.

                                        I will be back, with others!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Girls, Here Is What "Svengoolie" Is Offering, Tonight At 8PM! We Here Are Watching Something Else!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                            That I cannot reveal until after tomorrow, because I am keeping it from David as a surprise.  I have never heard of this film, and frankly I do not care.  It is some kind of Forties spy thriller, with Peter Lorre doing his own take on H.G. Wells' "The Invisible Man."  Does this really belong on "Svengoolie?"

                              As you shall see as we progress through July, "Svengoolie" is not offering up a great selection for this month.  I was disappointed when I saw the July lineup.

                               Nevertheless, if you decide to watch, go ahead.  I wish he could have shown Peter Lorre in "M."  Though not a horror movie technically speaking, it comes off more as one than I am sure this will.  And "M" is a work of art.  Sometimes classy films do turn up on "Svengoolie."

                                So, girls, in between fireworks, watch at your peril!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                This almost makes me long for "The Killer Shrews!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Happy July 4th, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And Happy 250th Birthday, America!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

                            When I think about the bicentennial back in 1976, I never gave a thought as to fifty years later; to me, then, it was like eternity.  Well, here we are, and however you choose to celebrate the fourth, darlings, that is up to you.  If you want to listen to the cast recording of "Hamilton," I would personally throw up, but the choice is yours.

                               Mine, of course, pictured above, is "1776."  And the song I am going to try to include on here is the simple song called "The Egg."

                               Those of us in the metropolitan, tri-state area are still suffering from the heat, so I think for many it will be a quiet Fourth Of July.  Sometimes those are the best of all.  Besides, I have lots of reading and writing to do.

                              So, let me wish all my readers a Happy Fourth Of July.

                              And all the fireworks and sky rockets you could wish for.

                                 Here is that short song.  I think it is from the movie.  But it should suffice!!!!!!!!!

The Really Big Question Of The Day, Darlings, Is Who Is Designing Taylor Swift's Wedding Gown???????????????????

                                       Personally, girls, I always thought the best wedding gowns were worn by Elizaberth Taylor, Grace Kelly and Julie Andrews in "The Sound Of Music.'

                                        I know any one of us would love to wear those--though I opt for Julie's.  I do not think Taylor Swift will outdo them, but it is going to be something spectacular, nevertheless.

                                          Only the best for this girl, darlings, and she has earned it.

                                           Rumor is that the gown will be a compilation of the finest designers out there-- like Monse, (with some help by Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia) Oscar de la Renta, Givenchy, and Christian Dior!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                             I would be thrilled to wear one gown by any of them alone.  But a compendium--wow!!!!!!!!!  I hope we mortals are eventually given a chance to see it.  I think it should go in The MET's Costume Institute.

                                              I think I wore Ralph Lauren at my wedding, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                             Girls, I am telling you, it is going to be simply FABULOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Truer Words Never Spoken!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But What Exactly Is A Gay Film??????????????????????????????

                          To start with, a gay film is not porn.  That is something else altogether.

                          The other day, while musing on those Criterion Closet video shorts, I came up with a list of several categories--Gay Films, Art Films, and New York Films.  Oh, and yes, Hitchcock.  The idea is to watch each film on each list and write about it on here.

                           This may take some time, because I am assembling those I do not own from Amazon, and until they arrive, I cannot begin.  However, I can start by giving you the Gay Film List.  In all lists, they will be assembled in the order of year made.  So, here goes--

                                                           Gay Films                                                                                                                                                   1. "Bringing Up Baby," 1938                                                                                                                         2. "The Wizard Of Oz," 1939                                                                                                                         3.  "Now, Voyager," 1942                                                                                                                               4.  "Mildred Pierce," 1945                                                                                                                             5.  "All About Eve," 1950                                                                                                                             6.  "The Bad Seed," 1956                                                                                                                               7.  "Suddenly Last Summer," 1959                                                                                                               8.  "What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?" 1962                                                                                           9.  "My Fair Lady," 1964                                                                                                                              10. "Valley Of The Dolls"                                                                                             

                                  Granted, everyone's favorite may not be on here, but, hey, if you want to pass on suggestions, I am happy to watch and write about them.  This is a sharing experience for all of us.

                                     I can honestly say these were the films that formed me as I emerged into a burgeoning gay child/man.  I think at least one of these films are on most people's lists, but others of course will vary.

                                      I don't know if it is hot where you are, but in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, it is scalding, so I may binge watch some films today.  Maybe to get an idea of what to put on the next list of Art Films.

                                         Meanwhile, Happy Happy Fourth, and 250th, stay cool, and what a pity they are not streaming Taylor Swift's wedding!!!!!!!!!!!!!