tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post558781043501767385..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: Misc.- TakesBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-37930380474591132162019-07-02T20:58:07.304-07:002019-07-02T20:58:07.304-07:00Who doesn't know Abe Burrows, composer/lyricis...Who doesn't know Abe Burrows, composer/lyricist of "The Girl with the Three Blue Eyes"?<br /><br />From Brian Drake: "Who not only remembers "Guys & Dolls" but also knows the Damon Runyan short stories the show is based on?"<br /><br />It's "Runyon." Damon Runyon is my favorite writer of comic short stories.<br />I was going to say "my favorite writer of short stories," period; then I remembered Dashiell Hammett.<br /><br />Now find me somebody else who has read the works of Thorne Smith. (Not Courtney Thorne-Smith.)<br />Craig Gustafsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14503925766039307551noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-40237168902965947542019-07-02T16:48:56.334-07:002019-07-02T16:48:56.334-07:00Sorry, but I don't consider being unable to id...Sorry, but I don't consider being unable to identify the Stones a tragedy.<br /><br />I pity the teenage contestants if they're unfamiliar with Jerome Kern, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, the Gershwins, Johnny Mercer, Sammy Cahn, Henry Mancini, Antonio Carlos Jobim, etc.Kevin FitzMauricenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-64323825199858339712019-07-02T13:07:35.007-07:002019-07-02T13:07:35.007-07:00Ken
I think this article speaks to several of your...Ken<br />I think this article speaks to several of your themes of writers getting shoved aside and having their ideas credited to others ( star and director) plus soupçon of misogny <br /><br />https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/jul/02/writers-claim-being-excluded-after-creating-idris-elbas-play<br /><br />Hope <br />a) you get time to see this<br />and<br />b) give your reaction<br /><br />MahaloAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-69504456245476775822019-07-02T11:48:23.990-07:002019-07-02T11:48:23.990-07:00Five Guys vs. In n' Out - We don't have th...Five Guys vs. In n' Out - We don't have the latter here, so there's no competition, and my wife and I really like Five Guys. That said, I have a few friends with major nut allergies, so they can't get anything from Five Guys. Ever.<br /><br />The Mets are killing me. I've been a fan for almost 50 years (started in 1971), and this year has been almost as embarrassing as the dreaded 1993 season (59-103 records, Bret Saberhagen soaks reporters with bleach, Vince Coleman tosses firecracker at fans).Curt Alliaumehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05875046706746482871noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-3975570138878801172019-07-02T07:08:20.065-07:002019-07-02T07:08:20.065-07:00Re the Jeopardy contestants not knowing Robert Red...Re the Jeopardy contestants not knowing Robert Redford:<br /><br />Last week, during one of the semifinal games of the Teen Tournament, one of the categories in the first round was "Hitmakers."<br /><br />The contestants were shown a photo of a young Mick Jagger and Keith Richards circa 1965. The clue was: "Here's this singer & pal Keith Richards when they were barely out of their teens."<br /><br />None of the contestants rang in.<br /><br />The studio audience groaned.<br /><br />Yeah, they're teenagers, but... Tim Dunleavyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01881671137563687203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-18660892782081321082019-07-02T00:41:07.540-07:002019-07-02T00:41:07.540-07:00How could they not recognize Robert Redford? He w...How could they not recognize Robert Redford? He was in Captain America, the Winter Soldier!MikeNnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-60619538903185935702019-07-01T21:15:52.269-07:002019-07-01T21:15:52.269-07:00WOW I did not know Jim Burrows was a Abe Burrows s...WOW I did not know Jim Burrows was a Abe Burrows son That is so coolAnthony Adamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15682044452502475095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-71734000165405066092019-07-01T21:13:02.152-07:002019-07-01T21:13:02.152-07:001. Neil Simon died almost a year ago, but it seems...1. Neil Simon died almost a year ago, but it seems like 20.<br />For those who wonder if he could get a new play produced on Broadway today,<br />as someone who sat in the audience for his 45 Seconds from Broadway,<br />the question is, how was he able to get a play on Broadway in 2001?<br />2. Show biz/cultural ignorance is not confined to the young’uns.<br />Many podcast chat shows fronted by the never-weres and once-wases are rife with<br />errors and poor research, and are virtually devoid of post-episode corrections.<br />Marc Maron (a better guitarist than comedian) is hardly a Dick Cavett when it comes to prep work<br />e.g he entered his Alan Alda talk without knowing much who Robert Alda even was.<br />And Gilbert Gottfried (a better impressionist than a guitarist) is- unless it involves his own career-<br />virtually lost without his co-host. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-19553824313858524292019-07-01T20:21:10.877-07:002019-07-01T20:21:10.877-07:00It's that time of the year again when mannequi...It's that time of the year again when mannequin's across this great nation of ours get their hands blown off by fireworks. I don't get local fire departments and their blood-lust for maiming mannequins. Watermelons too suffer at the hands of these maniacs.<br /><br />I love the fireworks safety demonstrations every year. The only thing about fireworks I like anymore. BluePedalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10307466431120313073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-56609601556636657142019-07-01T19:25:49.410-07:002019-07-01T19:25:49.410-07:00As long as we're approaching the Fourth, it mi...As long as we're approaching the Fourth, it might be worth a moment to recall a few writers who served in the military before beginning their careers. This is just off the top of my head.<br /><br />I'll set aside Mark Twain's brief half-assed Civil War militia duty, though it jump-started his career by forcing him to flee Missouri and begin writing in the West. Dashiell Hammett is buried at Arlington. Robert Graves wrote of his WWI experiences in GOOD-BYE TO ALL THAT. Raoul Walsh was an actor but didn't direct until after he served in the first World War. World War II resulted in novels about the conflict from former soldiers Norman Mailer, Irwin Shaw, Gore Vidal, James Jones, Herman Wouk, Joseph Heller and Kurt Vonnegut. Sam Fuller survived more than one beachhead, while Sam Peckinpah was a Marine in China during the postwar period. If you include underground partisans against the Axis, you can add Samuel Beckett, Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, and Primo Levi. Robert Stone was in the Navy during the 50s and Tim O'Brien wrote of his Vietnam nightmare in THE THINGS THEY CARRIED. <br /><br />Of course, of all these only Walsh, Peckinpah and Fuller went on to film as their direct medium. Blame me for being literary. At least I didn't drag in Thucydides, Xenophon, Caesar and Tacitus. E. Yarbernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-61036322921307891512019-07-01T19:09:27.219-07:002019-07-01T19:09:27.219-07:00sanford - You're thinking of the Convention Gr...sanford - You're thinking of the Convention Grill, near France Ave. in south Minneapolis (I lived in the twin cities for 11 years). The food is ideal for what it is - truly old-fashioned, heavy and dense - so much so that I would only go there once or twice a year.gottacooknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-23463819871139638052019-07-01T18:44:03.944-07:002019-07-01T18:44:03.944-07:00Ken, go to Disneyland ASAP. Crowds have been nonex...Ken, go to Disneyland ASAP. Crowds have been nonexistent since Star Wars land opened. Disney is offering panic discount tickets. It's the emptiest it's been in years, but it won't last since marketing is now in overdrive to fix it.DBAnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-15558376630896221922019-07-01T18:22:06.127-07:002019-07-01T18:22:06.127-07:00Speaking of misc.
You have spoken of your start/co...Speaking of misc.<br />You have spoken of your start/collaboration during your time in military/National Guard. How many others started in same environment? I can think of Dean Hargrove ( how long was he in the business?) from Biloxi Blues one gets the impression that your hero, and mine, Neil Simon did as well. Rodenberry and his partner started in LAPD, which at the time was almost a military. I am questioning of those who made a career out of writing/ directing not those who did a limited engagement and moved on.<br />Also actors would be outside my question since there were so many. Though the actors started as a rule after they left the military.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-17135097626261891342019-07-01T17:17:17.622-07:002019-07-01T17:17:17.622-07:00These days I suspect That Was The Week That Was is...These days I suspect That Was The Week That Was is best remembered for the songs Tom Lehrer wrote for it, collected with their original lyrics and sung by Lehrer on That Was The Year That Was (Lehrer never appeared on the show, and word is the show performed versions had their lyrics altered).<br /><br />The time period to make a season, er, series, of a show that I don't understand is the BBC's Doctor Who. 10-12 hour long episodes per season that apparently take at least a year to make; no new shows in 2019 and they've only had one year with the current Doctor and showrunner so they apparently built up time debt fast.<br /><br />Re: Five Guys vs. In'n'Out. Write in vote for Fatburger here.Tom Gallowaynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-61801511930499969752019-07-01T16:57:39.710-07:002019-07-01T16:57:39.710-07:00It's amazing how classy the original was vs th...It's amazing how classy the original was vs this new TO TELL THE TRUTH, which is just silly.<br /><br />I prefer the original.Janethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16136856533329478197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-67792040093429601962019-07-01T16:41:12.255-07:002019-07-01T16:41:12.255-07:00Durant signed a 4 year deal with the Nets for $164...Durant signed a 4 year deal with the Nets for $164 million. So they are paying him $41 million next year just to rehab. Salaries really got nuts in a hurry.Patrick Wahlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15408356855300575520noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-31629860119399615442019-07-01T15:58:44.302-07:002019-07-01T15:58:44.302-07:00Still wondering why some ANONYMOUS posters leave t...Still wondering why some ANONYMOUS posters leave their names ? It's tantamount to shooting yourself in the foot.therealshellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05598639173652882797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-4450091545049910592019-07-01T15:51:38.326-07:002019-07-01T15:51:38.326-07:00I have eaten a couple of times at In and Out. I w...I have eaten a couple of times at In and Out. I was not impressed. I have had better burgers at bars. I am really bad at remembering names. But we ate at a place in Minneapolis whose name I can't remember. It opened in the 30's and is on France Ave. Maybe if there is some one from Minneapolis they would know the name. Great burgers and fries. Great Milk shakes.<br /><br />I do listen to Rich Bro radios. Some of the 50's songs I have no memory of and I am 72. I also use the App Radio Tunes. They have 3 oldies stations. 60's, Classic Rock and Oldies. Nothing from the 50's. But the 60s stations are pretty good, if Rich Bro Radio ever goes down again. You can also access by computer.sanfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06580867647162091670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-17537300828688950132019-07-01T15:17:38.808-07:002019-07-01T15:17:38.808-07:00Surely they're familiar with Robert Redford fr...Surely they're familiar with Robert Redford from Captain America and Endgame, right?Tim B.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-68788817004450158722019-07-01T15:10:16.704-07:002019-07-01T15:10:16.704-07:00Robert Redford?
Isn't he that old guy in the ...Robert Redford?<br /><br />Isn't he that old guy in the Captain America movie?CRLnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-48174608854896960322019-07-01T15:04:28.120-07:002019-07-01T15:04:28.120-07:00Oh, the sadness! I am afraid that Neil Simon woul...Oh, the sadness! I am afraid that Neil Simon would have trouble getting a play on Broadway in today's cultural and financial climate. Which means that whoever might have been deeply influenced by his wit, his affection for his characters, and his exceptional command of story and structure, but most of all, the fact that his plays make people LAUGH, is also having a hard time today.<br /><br />More sadness with your Robert Redford story. I'm a history instructor at a local college and discovered early on that many of my students over the last ten-twelve years had never read Hemingway (some had never heard of him), never saw the film "Casablanca" (and other classics that were part of our common culture), and the younger students often had no idea of what Watergate was, I do what I can, but we have become a fast-food society in more ways than just who goes to Five Guys, etc.<br /><br />Loved the original "To Tell The Truth" and agree with you that the regular panelists were all class and charm. And they had fascinating 'guests'. I haven't tried the reboot yet and probably won't.<br /><br />BTW, I really enjoy your 'random thought' columns. This one was no exception.<br /><br />Tudor Queenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03544142728842449527noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-86705640275429838112019-07-01T14:34:31.562-07:002019-07-01T14:34:31.562-07:00Larry King called: he wants his column back.Larry King called: he wants his column back.Todd Everettnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-19627656563245909292019-07-01T14:07:22.987-07:002019-07-01T14:07:22.987-07:00I don't know about Neil Simon, but if I recall...I don't know about Neil Simon, but if I recall correctly, Arthur Miller's last play had its premiere in Chicago because no Broadway producer was interested. Yeah, Broadway is overrated.<br /><br />Maybe the Red Sox and Yankees thought they had been flown to London for a series of exhibition games. The stadium appeared to be full, so this will happen again. <br /><br />Considering the election is almost eighteen months away, I think 18 million viewers is pretty damn impressive. <br /><br />In the South, everything is celebrated with fireworks, including Christmas and New Year. So far, it's been quiet...too quiet...Buttermilk Skyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07430011403223875192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-52630260028943721162019-07-01T14:04:45.841-07:002019-07-01T14:04:45.841-07:00Who not only remembers "Guys & Dolls"...Who not only remembers "Guys & Dolls" but also knows the Damon Runyan short stories the show is based on?Brian Drakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01233187184688491057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-29996228184814379912019-07-01T13:27:37.210-07:002019-07-01T13:27:37.210-07:00@blinky
If you are going to talk about TW3 on this...@blinky<br />If you are going to talk about TW3 on this blog, Millicent Martin is an absolute reference<br />For some weeks i didn't realize she was the same person 9if you know what i mean)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com