Because Megan was taking the train to Rhinebeck, NY, (up the Hudson), to give a talk on SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS, I decided to watch it last night. I thought I had seen it before, but I am not sure I ever have. What a terrific movie and what a great screenplay by Ernest Lehman. I spent the rest of the night watching talks with and about Lehman on you tube.I loved how they cast this movie with mostly regular looking people. Even the love interest is not the typical glamor-puss. I wish Tony Curtis had made more movies of this caliber. The only other real classic is SOME LIKE IT HOT.
I had a big crush on Tony Curtis as a thirteen year old and had a photo of him on my bulletin board. I used to send to the studios for photos of the movie stars I loved and they would send back (machine) autographed pictures. (Troy Donahue, George Maharis, Tab Hunter, Anthony Perkins, Rock Hudson).
Been watching the scary DEAR CHILD on Netflix (German). Also watched Eric Rohmer's TALES OF AUTUMN. Still looking for a long series to get me through winter. Gave up on ER and GREY'S ANATOMY. Maybe I will rewatch THE SOPRANOS but I don't know if I want to enter his world again.
Picked up the new Kate Atkinson's story collection and the new Angie Kim, HAPPINESS FALLS. Still working on my book club book, but Tuesday is the day.
Went to Senior Day at the Detroit Zoo this week. Also listened to a Jazz Group practice at the Senior Center.
I get my shots on the 28th. Wish it were sooner so I didn't have to wear a mask to a play next Sunday.
What about you?
23 comments:
Sweet Smell of Success is a favorite of mine. My only complaint is the casting of Martin Milner who I've never thought as much of an actor. A bit of a dearth on the streaming services right now. I am looking forward to The Fall of Usher on Netflix, True Detective on HBO, The Conyinental on Peacock.
I am reading Silver Nitrate Silvia Moreno-Garcia anf Holly by Stephen King. And some short stories in the new Kelly Link collection.
The Lions looked good beating Kansas City last week but played a lackluster game against Seattle and lost in over time.
With the cooler temps I haven't been able to sit outside and read. A couple of warmer days are forecast but than the dreaded fall and winter which keeps me cooped up inside for about 8 months. I have been using our exercise room everday. Been doing about 2 1/2 miles every day.
Sweet Smell of Success was an attempt by Lancaster and Curtiss to show they could more than they were allowed to and the public decided that even if they could could more than they were allowed to the public didn't want them to. Alexander Mackendrick's career was irretrievably damaged by the film's reception.
I haven't seen a lot of Tony Curtis films, Patti, although I've liked what I have seen.
My computer died just as I tried to send my reply, flinging my many words of wisdom into the boundless infinity. **sigh** Here's a shorter version of what I wrote:
Good week...quiet but good. I've taken a dislike to the Nickelodean series BELLA AND THE BULLDOGS. A mako shark washed up on the beach but (amazingly) not a single lookie-loo was bitten. Florida people are seriously misbehaving, in spades. I found some books I had been searching for for over fifty years at the Kindle store. Read two books by James Lee Burke (CREOLE BELLE and A PERFECT CATHEDRAL), two by Lee Goldberg (DEAD SPACE, originally published as BEYOND THE BEYOND, and DAME EDNA: DETECTIVE, a film script), and one book each from Donald E. Westlake (COMFORT STATION, my FFB), Robert Crais (CHASING DARKNESS), Silvia Moreno-Garcia (SILVER NITRATE), and Jonathan Hickman HOUSE OF X, a large and confusng graphic novel). I ended by wishing you have a fantastic week.
Let's see if this trucated version gets through.
Diane and I are finally caught up on newspapers, magazines, snail mail, e-mail, and phone messages that accumulated while we were in San Diego for BOUCHERCON. I finally slept away my Jet Lag. Cross-country travel is not for me!
Western NY weather is trending towards the 60s as FALL approaches. The Bills rebounded from their terrible performance on Monday Night Football and beat the Las Vegas Raiders 38-10. Next week, the Bills take on the Mighty Washington Commanders.
Diane booked our flights to and from NYC for Thanksgiving. Patrick booked our room near Times Square. Katie is busy booking some Broadway shows.
Meanwhile, Diane is engaged in Deep Cleaning in preparation for the Family Reunion she's hosting at the end of September. Her sister, Carol, will be driving here from Ohio to stay with us during the event. Stay safe!
My next book club book is VELVET IS THE NIGHT by Moreno-Garcia. Let me know how the hotel is, George. I really do need to get to NY sometime soon. I can see why SSOS would be a puzzle to the typical audience for those two actors. Yeah, Milner was the weak spot. He is better at playing a villain, I think.
I saw all his movie, Margot, but most were not very good.
We've had Good Luck flying to NYC on Thanksgiving. No problems the past two years. But, the days fly by as Patrick and Katie design days full of great restaurants, Broadway shows, and various events. Fun, but exhausting!
I had a severe reaction to a Pfizer variant booster in July. High Fever, respiratory distress and weakness (couldn't stand for hours). Slept for about 12 hours but had to sleep propped up because otherwise couldn't breathe. I'd had boosters before then without incident but reacted to this formula. My doctors said I shouldn't get any more boosters. I wear a mask even though I am bolstered.
We went to the eye doctor this week. I hadn't realized it was four years since I was last there. (Jackie was there more recently, as she had cataract surgery last year.) We're both fine as far as pressure, cataracts, glaucoma, macular issues, etc. goes, and got new prescriptions. so that's out of the way. Jackie did have a "cloud" behind one of the cataract lenses, and if it is there in six months he will laser it.
We went to Costco and got our first (how often do you need them?) RSV vaccines. (It's a respiratory virus.) Will get the new Covid shots in a couple of weeks, followed by flu shots at the end of October.
Yesterday was Jackie's birthday and she wasn't all that happy about the milestone. Went out to our favorite Italian restaurant.
This week is The Eagles' farewell tour concert, with Steely Dan opening for them. We did see the two groups perform together at Citi Field in 2017 (with the Doobie Brothers), and this will be the 8th time overall seeing The Eagles (first time was 2005), and the 16th Steely Dan (counting The Dukes of September - Donald Fagen with Michael McDonald and Boz Scagggs, twice), starting in 2000. We'll stay at a hotel as part of Jackie's birthday celebration.
I'm enjoying the cooler weather we've been having lately.
We finished THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF JERUSALEM (Netflix), and the second series was much better than the first. We binge watched the second half much more than we normally do. Will finish the Swedish THE TRUTH WILL OUT (series two, Acorn I think) tonight. Finished the Finnish FREEZING EMBRACE (MHz Choice). Mostly we're watching what we've been watching.
I feel like George, as I have a pile of library books, plus others keep coming in for the Kindle. I'm reading a new essay collection by Jane Smiley, short stories by Edward D. Hoch, a couple of other things.
I saw SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS years ago and remember really liking it. I prefer black & white movies, I sometimes think. I've seen a lot of Curtis movies. Jackie loves CAPTAIN NEWMAN, M.D. where he was the comic foil to Gregory Peck's title character. I like SOME LIKE IT HOT and THE VIKINGS and SPARTACUS (of course, Kirk Douglas was the star of the latter two).
Jeff, Jackie's birthday should be celbrated with great fanfare, as should all things Jackie.
Hi Robin-I am sorry to hear about that and wonder if it was a flukey thing or not. I think I am getting Moderna this time. I wrote a haiku this week and thought of you. Or I guess it was a tanku.
Nice that your kids plan it all for you, George.
Happy Birthday, Jackie. Your lives are so full of theater and concerts it must be hard to schedule a new one.
I need to have my lens lasered. So many doctors, but all requite a car, which is hard.
SSIS would be a great stage play, wouldn't it? I wonder if it has ever been one.
I believe there was a musical version of SWEET SMELL.
Yes, 2002. John Guare wrote the book, Marvin Hamlisch the music, Craig Camelia the lyrics.
It was a critical and financial failure, though John Lithgow won the Tony as Best Actor for playing the Lancaster role.
That was good casting. Going for the musical might have been a mistake. Always surprising what they think will make a good musical. Sweeney Todd worked but most dark stories don't.
Jeff-I went to get a RSV shot but my insurancendoesn't cover it. 239$. Getting my othern shots Oct. 5 -Booster, Flu and Shingles at no cost.
If Marvin Hamlisch wrote the music it must have been bad. One of the biggest hacks in Hollywood.
Yikes! Steve,
we went to Costco and they said they had it but we had to get a [prescription. We called the doctor and she sent it, but they said it was not the one that they had. Eventually we did get it straightened out and she sent the right one. I guess Medicare covered it for us.
I love how all the actors who sent photo requests for were gay.
My wife and Boy #2 are booked for flu and COVID shots and I need to call to do the same.
Listened to Adrian McKinty's THE ISLAND and enjoyed it quite a bit. The story made Sunday's housecleaning much more interesting.
I have been watching 10-YEAR-OLD TOM on MAX. An animated series with two separate story segments per 30 minute episode. Tom is usually forced into adult situations by adults who use him as a patsy or fill-in. I enjoy the humor.
Watched the recent Netflix horror movie with Russell Crowe, THE POPE'S EXORCIST. Very tropey but kinda fun. Plenty of shouts of "The blood of Christ COMPELS you!" and bodies flung backwards through the air. And growly demon voices.
About an hour into the audio of AMERICAN BLLOD by Ben Sanders. Narrated by George Newbern whose work I have enjoyed before.
Liked Curtis in THE BOSTON STRANGLER from when I caught it on broadcast as a kid, among the Atypical Curtis roles. Never have found SOME LIKE engaging...some Don't like it!
Sorry to be so late, even later than usual. We went out to Costco and other things got in the way when we got home.
Glen likes SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS; he likes James Wong Howe's cinematography. I only saw THE BOSTON STRANGLER once, many years ago, but I was impressed by it at the time.
We went to the book sale Friday and Saturday, and I bought too many books. Can't remember specifics right now, but I got four more short story books by Alice Munro. Also two packs of six old science fiction and fantasy magazines from about 1975 through 2000 for one dollar per pack. I wish I had bought all four that were there at the time.
I finished reading GENERATION LOSS by Elizabeth Hand and I did like it. Still think it is a weird mystery, but ready to try the 2nd book. Yesterday I finished THE PEOPLE ON PLATFORM 5 (published as IONA IVERSON'S RULES FOR COMMUTING in the US). It is contemporary fiction about a group of people who commute on the same train to Waterloo most days, and get to know each other under unusual circumstances. I liked that the characters span from a 57-year old woman to a teenager in school. Tonight I will start I CAPTURE THE CASTLE by Dodie Smith.
Glen is still reading CITY OF SHARKS by Kelli Stanley.
This week we started watching THE CHELSEA DETECTIVE and DEADLOCH. DEADLOCH takes some getting used to.
Tracy, absolutely. It's kind of a crazy show and the "outsider " cop brought in from Darwin is very hard to take. But after the first couple of episodes, she does start to tone it down. I did like the Tasmanian scenery.
I started DEADLOCH and just forgot about it. Have to go back. I CAPTURE THE CASTLE is great. I think there's a film of it. Our library isn't having book sales while they are renovating. But they never seem to have as good of books as you find in CA.
Just a movie with Jack Lemmon is good enough for me.
I also had a photo of Tony Dow. My grandmother always recommended finding a boy like him.
A day after reading this, I heard Jackie Kashian's interview with an Australian comedian and Australian-football fan in which she praises DEADLOCH to the skies...
Well, I have got to wind my way back to that because I am watching nothing. Which means I pace around listening to podcasts all night. Except Gold, I am watching that.
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