voiceover

Worth reading: This was in Jeff Passan’s X-thread tonight; written by Tim Keown, it’s a eulogy for A’s fans, that with some reconfiguration, could belong to anyone here. If I were a character in a story about the Royals — a for example — it would mention that the first time I ever felt like a grownup was when I was allowed to take the bus, alone, to the first All-Star game at Kauffman. And how I was on the other side of the world, listening to VOA in the middle of the night, when my team won its first World Series. And how I called my dad, crylaughing so hard when Sal Perez walked off the Wild Card in 2014, that he thought I’d been in a car accident. Anyway: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/41386662/fans-goodbye-oakland-leaving-coliseum-moving-las-vegas

Kansas City fan grieving for & with A’s fans today. Kid-me would’ve been astonished at this reax, because I sure hated your team in the 70s. IYKYK

You rang? Yeah I still hate that they didn’t do one or two more of the Easy Rawlins mysteries. Might have taken off as a streaming series, if such a thing had existed then. Denzel was so terrific as the man with the slightly-muddy morals who was nonetheless a hero when all was said & done. And Don Cheadle as Mouse…”Want me to shoot this sumbitch, Easy?” Pinged me right back to Wild Bunch and Bill Holden saying, “If they move, kill ‘em!”

*bows to the thread* Thanks to those who contributed your thoughtful (and occasionally hilarious) two cents. All of you are right. I think I just needed someone who wasn’t my id saying, “Do it!” And a couple points occurred to me: 1. If they were screening Son of the Sheik, I’d’ve already bought the ticket. For the front row. It’s Valentino’s best, in the duel roles of Dad (from The Sheik) and progeny. Plus that kiss with Vilma Banky melts the silver off the screen. A two-story-high version of that? Priceless. 2. If it was any — A.N.Y. — of Ramon Novarro’s silents, I’d be at the box office when they opened, saying “This is all the cash I have on me. If you need more, I can call Zurich & move some money around..”

Ha. No one’s chasing me. It’s more of a “That much for a movie???” thing. Sticker shock. The sponsoring organization for this used to charge less than half that (saw The Lodger there a few years ago).

Okay: I’m going to need this community’s support. I have a chance to see Valentino’s The Sheik, on the big screen, with an organist accompanying… For $40. That includes three different surcharges ☹️ eta: And probably $15 for parking on top of that. I need you guys to remind me how much I love silent movies, and Valentino, and how, in the scheme of things, it’s not…so very much money? Because I’m dithering.

My favorite of all those type of films, and I just loved her & Kerwin Mathews together! Probably watched that film in every junior high Unified Studies (English & history) class, every semester, for three years. I never knew she was *that Kathryn Crosby.

Yeah, I’m already ready. Health ish has really dragged me down lately, and I could use the holiday cheer! I am bummed about no Bethany or Autumn (or did I miss her when I looked through them?)

Supply Sergeant: “I’m from Joliet! I’d walk on my knees through snow for a take-out order!” Trapper (to Hawkeye): “He’s one of you.” Thanks @rubaco for reminding me about the Capt Chandler ep. Two moments reduced me to tears: First, when Sidney asked him if it was true that God answered all prayers, and his voice broke when he responded, “Yes…and sometimes the answer is, ‘No.’”. Second was the bear-blessing moment. IIRC, it was the first time we heard Radar’s given name.

Yesterday was 52 years ago that MASH premiered. Thought I’d restart the action here in honor of the anniversary: name your favorite episode! ”Carry On, Hawkeye” — when (excepting for Pierce, Margaret, Radar, and a few nurses & enlisted) everyone comes down with the flu, is certainly one of mine. Largely because it’s the beginning of rapprochement between those first two, and it’s believable & hilarious (Hawkeye: “Remember all those tricks I played on you?…” Margaret: “Yes.” Hawkeye: “I’d like to get well & do them all over again!”) However. Season 3’s “Officer of the Day” has always stayed at the top spot. It’s pretty much a collection of incidents, strung together, that Hawkeye faces down while he holds the title. It’s the first appearance of Col. Flagg (Edward Winter was in Season 1 but his character wasn’t the Flagg we’d all come to know & love), the hunt for Radar’s missing teddy bear, Klinger’s desperate attempts to go AWOL, and the “Kim Lucky Day”. But it also has Hawkeye’s rant on why he won’t carry a gun (“I’ll carry on, carry forward…”). And my all-time favorite line: his response to Frank’s telling him the O.D. title “has a sash and a sword that comes with it!” Hawkeye: “That’s in case we’re attacked by the Saracens.”

My favorite JD Souther performance was with James Taylor on “Her Town Too”, a song he co-wrote with Taylor. ”…now he’s gone and life goes on/Nothing lasts forever..”

One of my favorite scenes is the afterglow-morning together, where they play the titular word game, and Jamie loses (“ ‘Deeply’! You passed on ‘deeply’!…”), and has to pay the forfeit. Which is him strumming his cello like a guitar and singing “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore” while Nina dances. It’s so very, completely, absolutely, fucking charming. You see in those few minutes, everything they were together.

Went to the Fathom Events screening of Blazing Saddles last night. I found myself mouthing along with most of the dialogue. And I’m sure I laughed out loud more than anyone else in the theater. WTF, man. Some of my favorites: Cleavon Little: “You specifically asked for a…well, to tell a family secret: my grandmother was Dutch.” Harvey Korman (to Slim Pickens’ suggestion that they kill all the male babies): “Mmmm…too Jewish.” Slim Pickens (after finding a toll booth in the middle of nowhere): “Somebody’s gotta go back & get a shitload of dimes!” And especially, brilliantly, the punchline to the story of how the Waco Kid walked away after he was challenged by a 6-year-old boy: Gene Wilder: “…little bastard shot me in the ass!” It’s called “cry-laughing”, and I was doing it.

“[hastily pulls his hand away] Oh no..please…I lose more jewels that way…” He was so terrific in that role! One of the weeniest, most hilarious Disney villains ever [“Stop hissing in my ear!”].

So many moments & performances worth remembering…yet for some reason, the first thing that pinged was Roots: The Next Generation. James was Alex Haley, laughing and weeping in his “Eureka!” moment: “You old African! I found you!! Kunta Kinte! I found you! I found you!!” Just watched it again. Still weeping. Flights of angels. You were so many things to so many people.

Honestly one of the best titles for a movie, ever. I am forced to point out, however, that there is stiff competition for the actual “greatest beer run”… I did my undergrad in a dry county, and I’m pretty sure “greatest beer runs” to the neighboring jurisdiction happened fifty times a week. And the Kappa Sigs & the Delta Taus were responsible for more than half of that.

Proof that Phoenicians are tougher — last year the Home of the Dbacks had a big-ass swarming beehive on the netting behind home plate 🤣

Tyler was at the Chiefs home opener tonight! (I’m sorry but I held off posting about that movie for as long as I could!🤣) Shutting up now…

2023 regular season, KC was tied with Tennessee as 6th-most penalized team, but we small-market fans surely do enjoy the conventional wisdom that the scriptwriters would cheat on our behalf 🤣 And, because it simply cannot be said enough: Thanks for the draft pick, Bills!

Pour one out for Moondoggie. When Michael Callan passed away, I lauded him as The Choice She Should’ve Made in Gidget Goes Hawaiian. But just now, watching James croon the title tune to Deborah Walley, I concede that there’s something about those dark, moody guys. He also sang in Guns of Navarone, and you totally believed that that character would choose to sing in that moment, the approaching Nazis notwithstanding. RIP, Jimmy.

How I wish I’d been at Kauffman tonight! Johnny Cueto pitched a quality start against my team, and then walked off the field to an standing-O from Royals fans, who’ll always love him for the 2015 WS run. https://x.com/BallySportsKC/status/1826436760102207820

Spent some more time musing over Shanghai Express, one of those movies I’ll watch anytime it’s on, then spend hours after, worrying over it like a dog with a bone. This time I finally let go my obsession over recasting the Dr Harvey role with anyone, *anyone, other than Clive Brook. I’d previously considered Robert Donat (such great chem with Dietrich in Knight Without Armour), or Ronald Colman (who’d play her lover years later in Kismet)…either would be more believable, I thought, than Brook — whose Dr Harvey had a pole so far up his ass, it was amazing he could manage to sit down. How on earth could such a man fascinate (for he clearly does) such a woman? But somehow this time around, I saw it. His medical man is so deeply in love with his ex, even after all these years, that he can’t hide it — he admits as much in their first scene alone together. He might avoid her in public, but in private he’s helplessly confessing his pain and regret over ending their relationship. And, my dear! what woman could resist such desperate devotion? Certainly not Shanghai Lily. And she doesn’t even try. He even recognizes, there at the end, how close he came to blowing it again. And he kisses her so ardently in that train station that you’re just waiting for someone (probably the gambler) to walk by and say, “Hey! get a room!” Clive is perfect for this and in this. Then of course there’s Anna May Wong, who steals every scene she’s in, just by sulking through them. Guardians of the Galaxy’s Groot only had one line, but the subtext was always different. Hui Fei has several lines, but the subtext is always the same: “Kiss my ass.”

As a Kansas City homer in all things sports, I surely do love my boy Trav. Enough to watch anything by Ryan Murphy, after the vulture vomit that was Capote and Delicate? Nope. I’ll catch his scene clips online but just — no.

Nadja as “Working Girl”: I love it!! Only hoping NadjaDoll comes along for that ride.

Attention all Hallmarkies: Finally cut my cable cord and have been musing over replacements. Looks like Peacock has the channel, plus the “Movies & Mysteries” one. Anybody here recommend that app?