denis

Cagney and Lacey in London?

2012-01-03T09:47:00.002-07:00

Sort of….Tyne Daly, who played Detective Mary Beth Lacy and Sharon Gless who played Sergeant Christine Cagney in the television series Cagney and Lacy will both be appearing on stage in the West End in January, though different plays and different theatres.

Tyne Daly has an extensive background in theatre in the U.S. and won a Tony in 1990 for her role as Rose in Gypsy. In London, she will be playing Maria Callas in Master Class. Previews begin January 21 at the Vaudeville Theatre.

Closing a week earlier (January 14) at the Aldwych, is A Round Heeled Woman with Sharon Gless as Jane Juska, a woman in her 60s looking for love and seemingly doing nothing but living for her daily glass of wine. She decides to change her life by placing a personals ad in the New York Review of Books – that’s right, The New York Review of Books - stating in part: “I would like to have a lot of sex with a man I like” She received 63 replies.

Juska wrote a memoir of the experience (A Round Heeled Woman: My Late-Life Adventures in Sex and Romance) and Gless purchased the rights to the book ten years ago. Jane Prowse wrote the stage adaptation and has directed this production (as she did the original production in San Francisco in 2010 and a subsequent one in Florida).

Gless is quite good, though I thought the production itself a bit uneven in the first act (the second act was better), though there was nothing to dissuade me from recommending it.

I saw it at a rather sparsely attended matinee on New Year’s Eve, probably not the best time to perform a play like this. However the audience, which was uniformly post-50, warmed to Gless and the play. Many stood up at the curtain call.

Give Gless credit. She believed in the project and has pushed to see it done. Give her credit also for playing the role – it is undoubtedly an uncomfortable one for an actor to play in a house with a live audience, some of whom are less than 20 feet away when at the opening, Juska (Gless) is having phone sex and stroking herself between her thighs.

Of course it is not just titillating sex, this is the story of a woman coming to grips with many issues in her life: herself, her age, her father, her ex-husband, her son and her friends.

I am glad I saw it and would see it again. I am not sure what, if any, future there is for the production once it closes but it does deserve a future life.

Creatures of Habit

2011-12-31T01:52:00.002-07:00

When in London we fall into familiar patterns. Yesterday was shopping at Molton Brown, a late lunch at the Brown and then Theatre. A typical day for us.

The one change is that the Molton Brown store we always visit is no longer. Apparently they lost their lease. Sad. This was the original Molton Brown store: iconically in Molton Lane.

I don't always have the same thing at the Brown, but do go back to many of the same dishes time after time. Yesterday was no exception. A glass of Jameson's Whiskey (to ward off the cold) and the steak and Guinness pie. Also different this time, the service was very poor, not the standard we are used to.

The play we saw, Three Days in May was grand. More about that later.

TTFN

L'Autre

2011-12-30T04:57:00.004-07:00

Had dinner at L'Autre in Shepherd's Market. We try to have dinner there each time we come to London. I am sure it is the only Polish-Mexican restaurant in London and may be the only one in the world (at least outside Poland).

The story is that the building was once owned by the Mexican Embassy (Shepherd's Market is in Mayfair the site of many embassys) and that any restaurant in the location must serve mexican food. When the restaurant owners wanted to serve Polish food, L'Autre, with its unique menu was the result.

I had Pheasant, sausage and meatballs in a wild mushroom sauce (started with pate and a shot of Bison Grass Vodka). Terry had the Wild Boar. All excellent as usual.

The wine list is extensive and very reasonable.

When you are in London, give a try.

Serendipity's opposite

2011-11-08T14:01:00.013-07:00

Sometimes you are excited to see a film, expecting to really like it, and then are disappointed. It happens. It is the reverse of serendipity, that I wrote about earlier.

Yesterday I saw "The Real American - Joe McCarthy". I was disappointed. The film was okay, but not what it should have been.

The documentary part was well done, what I didn't like was the use of actors and dialogue to 'recreate' scenes from McCarthy's career and life.

This technique is relatively common on television these days and has been used in other documentaries. Generally, I don't like the technique, though sometimes it has worked (and even though I myself have been an actor in such).

When dealing with historical figures, even from the recent past, there are two choices that I believe can work: straight documentary or a 'fictionalized' narrative film.

(A film screening at this year's festival is such an animal: "The Conquest" which deals with Nicolas Sarkozy's rise to the Presidency of France. This narrative film works because you know that you are seeing a 'dramatized' version of the historical facts.

Moreover, a 1977 made-for-tv movie, Tail Gunner Joe, with Peter Boyle as McCarthy received four prime-time Emmy nominations.)

In the case of this McCarthy film, the mixing of documentary and dramatized scene recreation just did not work for me at all, partly because it was not very well done. The scenes felt clumsy and unconvincing. Juxtaposed against real footage (Joseph Welch's denunciation of McCarthy during the Army-McCarthy hearings, for instance) they just came off as lame and unreal.

I am not certain why the director, Lutz Hachmeister chose this technique, but I wish he hadn't.

Those of my generation are very familiar with the McCarthy story, and of course the brilliant "Angels in America" portrayed McCarthy's accessory evil doing, Roy Cohn. That story is disturbing for what it meant - and did - to America. A documentation of the events and circumstances of that time would be valuable not just to those of us who remember the time but to a younger generation that may not be familiar with it. That story can be instructive as we all try to navigate the current political landscape (or battlefield, if you will).

The archival footage and stills and the interviews with a wide range of people about McCarthy would have made a good documentary on their own. The interviews included the likes of Ben Bradlee and Haynes Johnson as well as Ann Coulter with a jaw-dropping statement that Joe McCarthy was a great American hero. We just did not need these recreations. They made the film much less potent than it could have been and thereby not as valuable.

Serendipity does not always happen.

Serendipity

2011-11-08T12:01:00.011-07:00

One of the reasons to attend the Starz Denver Film Festival (or any film festival for that matter) is the serendipity factor: seeing films that surprise and delight you or move you or make you think or disturb you or....well, you get the idea. Film Festivals allow you to see films that otherwise would not be available to you; films that are not likely to have a commercial release where you live (or anywhere) or otherwise available.

I try to see such films. Big commercial product will make it to the movieplex, but documentaries, foriegn films, small indies probably won't - though the sleeper that gains an audience through the film festival circuit is a great delight.

Year after year at the Denver Film Festival I see films not knowing whether they will be good or bad (hopeful but not sure); whether they will surprise and delight me or leave me cold. And while I go into a film hoping for a gem, I can be disappointed. But I can also go into a film that I selected just because I had an open slot and the film looked sort of interesting but I was not necessarily expecting to see a gem, then it turns out to be one - that is serendipitous.

That happened last night with the Bosnian film "Cirkus Columbia".

Why would I think a film about a dysfunctional marriage/family situation, set in Bosnia at the beginning of the civil war would be an endearing romance - and more; a real gem?

But it is. I am so glad I saw the film.

It is the end of the Communist era in what was becoming the former Yugoslavia; the member states were breaking off. A husband and father returns to his Bosnian village from Germany after an absence of twenty years. He brings with him a younger woman he wishes to marry after disposing (through divorce, presumably) of his current wife. His first action is to unceremoniously evict her from her home and in the process having her arrested by his cousin, the mayor.

The story proceeds from there, with characters developing out of what could have been caricatures and unexpected romances evolving. All of this against the backdrop of ethnic Bosnians preparing to fight Bosnian Serbs; anti-communists preparing to fight the remnants of the Tito Communists. But nothing is black or white; people are neither completely evil or good and love prevails in unexpected ways. And sometimes one needs to capture the joys of the past to help navigate an uncertain future.

FYI, the title refers to a carnival ride that is a powered Merry-Go-Round Swing.

Films like this are why I do go to the Festival and seek out films not knowing what the screen will share with me.

Take chances with films at the Festival and hope for the gem, you will be greatly rewarded.

And see this film if you can.

And if you are able, then sometime afterward, find a swing or a merry-go-round or with any luck a merry-go-round swing and share that with someone you love.

Anomalies - but that's not bad

2011-11-07T13:54:00.003-07:00

Starting the second week of the 34th annual Denver Film Festival. So far I have seen a Japanese film set in Paris (Yukiko), a Finnish film set in Brittany/France (le Havre) and a Dutch film with a French title (Bon Voyage).

Does that make them anomalies? Sort of. Does that make them bad? Hardly. They are all well worth seeing.

There have been others of course (12 films through Sunday) and on the whole a good festival so far.

I was not crazy about "Like Crazy" (opening night film) but after that, I would recommend almost everything else I have seen.

"Martha Marcy May Marlene" may end up being the stand-out film of the festival. It just grips you. It is a bit like passing a bad automobile accident - you just can't look away or stop watching.

The easy comparison, of course, is that it is a 'Manson-like' story. And there are those parallels, but it is much more than that. It is a disturbing view of a disturbed character, surrounded by other characters who have their own varying levels of emotional issues. It is unsettling and compelling and always waiting for the 'shoe to drop', because while you don't know what will happen next you are certain that something will and it will probably not be good.

Look for Oscar nominations for this film, including one for Elizabeth Olsen as Martha, it is an amazing performance.

"Joanna" is equally disturbing but for different reasons and in a different way. This Polish film set during the Nazi occupation features outstanding performances as well. It reminds us of the brutalizing effect that tyranny has and how it can turn the innocent against each other with the brutalization not just coming from the oppresors.

"Wish Me Away" is a moving documentary about Country Music Star Chely Wright, who in May of 2010 chose to come out as a lesbian. A courageous move that she is currently paying a serious price for. But as she says, she had to - not just for herself and her own sanity and peace, but for all the young people who are struggling to understand their own identity and deal with constantly being told that they are evil because of their sexuality.

the best line in the film comes from a Minister - a spiritual advisor - that Chely has contacted to help her through the process. He is with the Interfaith Alliance and he tells her at one point that the worst meanness he has seen comes from people being mean for Jesus.

Bengali Detective

2011-10-25T08:12:00.002-06:00

I saw the "Bengali Detective' at the Denver Film Center last night. It will play during the Starz Denver Film Festival next month. It is a terrific film and I highly recommend you see it if you can.

It's a documentary that plays like a narrative/fiction film. It is also a little like the Rockford Files meets Saturday Night Fever in Kolkata(Calcutta). But it is much more than that. It features a real life private detective, his family and his detective agency - working cases - in modern day India. It is very human, funny, moving, sad and uplifting. What it is not, is 'Bollywood'.

See it if you get a chance, you won't be disappointed.

Serendipity or Accidents that turn out well

2011-09-10T10:13:00.005-06:00

Staying in a vacation rental property means that while one can prepare one's own meals - what you want, when you want it - it also presents challenges: it is not your own kitchen with your own utensils, spices and other ingredients. Often the prep resources are very limited particularly condiments, herbs and spices.

So you try to plan and purchase what you need at the store - what you need without buying in volume that you will never use in a week or less.

We had bought some wonderful wild-caught Pacific Blue Marlin. I did Marlin steaks one night and was trying to think how to prepare the Marlin again. Terry had a great idea: "Why don't we do Fish Tacos, with the Marlin?"

We had some Maui Gold Pineapple that I had cut up (had used some at breakfast) and the rest would make a great base for a salsa. We stopped at the store on the way home from snorkeling (sandy, salty and tired) for tortillas, cilantro and jalapeno for the salsa and Chinese cabbage for the 'greens' in the tacos. I normally do a green cabbage slaw for fish tacos, but buying an entire head of cabbage just for a cup or less of shredded greens seemed a waste.

Me (looking at the Chines Cabbage in the produce aisle): "Do you think this will work?"
Terry: "Sure, why not?"
Me: "It can't hurt. Let's try it - it is the right size."

We got back to the condo and realized the one thing we had forgotten was sour cream or some sort of crema.

Sandy, salty and tired, I did not want to drive back to the store so we decided to do without.

I made the salsa and chopped the cabbage when Terry said:

"Why don't we use some of the creamy poppy seed salad dressing we already have for the crema?"

Terrific idea.

I coated the Marlin with toasted sesame seeds and fresh ground black pepper and cooked on top of the stove in a Sesame Oil marinade I had.

So after showers and pre-dinner champagne, the tacos were spectacular at dinner. The Chinese cabbage and poppy seed dressing were not a 'poor relation' substitute for my normal ingredients but a wonderful alternative that I will make again.

Serendipity - accidents that turn out well.

I'm Back

2011-09-10T09:46:00.003-06:00

Back to my blog - so what took you so long? How many answers do you want? Never mind.

I'm also back to snorkeling.

Terry and I are on Kauai for a mini-vacation. Yesterday at Tunnels Beach near Hanalei I snorkeled for the first time in years. Good, but I am out of shape and out of practice. However, it is like riding a bicycle, it all does come back to you, so I did okay. There were some moderate swells so I did periodically get water in the snorkel.

Also, I didn't have reef shoes or fins so my feet took a beating on the rocks while in shallower water.

I did see some fish - a few, not many.

It had rained earlier in the day and there were still some clouds over the mountains.

As I looked south and west to Na Pali, late in the afternoon, it really did look like Bali Hai from the movie version of South Pacific.

After 4:30pm, the beach started emptying of snorkelers and sunbathers and the surfers and boogie board boys started arriving.

It was time for us to go as well.

Chilis are always good

2010-01-03T15:41:00.002-07:00

Terry and I spent the past week in northern New Mexico. We had not been to Santa Fe in a few years and it was great to get back. We also spent a couple of days in Albuquerque.

We ate at 3 new (to us) restaurants in Santa Fe. All were very good.

Milagro 139 is just off the plaza and Dinner For Two is on Guadalupe just about 4 blocks from the plaza.

Dinner For Two (yes that is the name) was really wonderful. We had New Year's Eve Dinner there (a 9pm seating that was just right as far as timing goes).

Service was outstanding and so was the food.

The head chef/owner met us at the door with champagne to sip while we waited for our table to be ready.

The third new restaurant for us was La Choza. A long wait for a table but well worth it.

Outstanding Tamales - very light which is not easy with Tamales. Keeping the masa light as well as the filling yet having plenty of flavor is a real trick and La Choza handled it well. The green chile and posole were very good as well.

The real treat of the evening, however, was the clam chowder with green chilis.

Yes, I know. Sounds strange but it is great. If you are in Santa Fe and have a chance go to La Choza don't pass on the clam chowder.

The other odd food combination I had that was also fabulous and unexpected was the Reuben with green chilis I had at a restaurant in Albuquerque.

Terry and I were looking for a place for a late lunch and stumbled on the Savoy. When I saw the Reuben with Green Chilis, I couldn't resist. Indeed I am glad I had it.

The Reuben itself was quite good (one of the best I have had) and the addition of the chilis made it even more so.

As I always say, chilis are always good.

Her Name is Barbara

2009-12-10T15:20:00.004-07:00

Her name is Barbara. And you may hear her soothing, reassuring voice if you need to call 911. Barbara is one of the dedicated people who answer the 911 lines at Denver's 911 Call Center. Her voice is the lifeline that connects people in need with the help they require.

She does it calmly, sympathetically, efficiently and professionally.

I had occasion today to watch and listen to Barbara at work and I was more than impressed. When she answers the line, she has no idea what to expect; it can be anything from a life-threatening emergency to something less serious, but she handles each with aplomb - never getting rattled - and giving each caller the respect and comfort their situation deserves. And she does all this while expeditiously acquiring and typing the pertinent information to ensure that the appropriate assistance is provided.

Dedicated professional, seems almost an understatement.

As a Denver resident, it made me proud but it also gave me great comfort that if I need 911, Barbara or someone like her will be my lifeline.

Paul Wendkos

2009-11-16T05:31:00.003-07:00

I just heard that Paul Wendkos died. He had a long career in features and was the director of "Gidget". I did a made-for-TV picture with him, "The Execution". It was an interesting picture (but typical made-for-TV)about a group of women Holocaust survivors who discover that the Nazi doctor (played by Rip Torn) who had done 'experiments' on them also survived the war and is living in Los Angeles. The women decide to kill him. The women are played by Loretta Swit, Sandy Dennis, Barbara Barrie and Jessica Walter.

Wendkos was 84.

Day 4

2009-11-15T22:50:00.001-07:00

So much to write about from Day 4. William Kunstler (terrific documentary by two of his daughters); a fun Italian film, "The Friends at the Margherita Cafe" - "My Favorite Year" comes to Italy; but I can't stop thinking about "Touching Home".

Wow.

A remarkable first film by twin brothers Logan and Noah Miller, featuring Ed Harris, Brad Dourif and Robert Forster. But what may be more remarkable is the story of how this film was made. I'm still shaking my head. It is an improbable story. It should never have happened, but it did.

It speaks to the truism in the picture business, that you can be good and you can be lucky but the great common denominator of success is usually always grit, determination and perseverance. Oh, yeah and luck does help, but as Michael Landon once told me, "you make your own breaks". The Miller Brothers fit all of the above criteria.

I know I haven't said much about the movie except to say that it is terrific and to date one of the two best films I have seen at the festival.

This film WILL get released and when it does, don't miss it.

Oh, and the improbable story? These guys have written a book about the process of how this got done. I am not even going to begin to explain, get the book, I am going to.

The book is "Either You're in or your in the Way".

Their website: http://www.inorintheway.com/

You'll be shaking your head as well.

Denver Film Festival Day 3

2009-11-15T22:40:00.003-07:00

Hal Holbrook. What a wonderful actor. He received the 2009 Excellence in Acting Award for a lifetime of wonderful performances. This accompanied the screening of his newest film, "That Evening Sun". I was interested to hear him talk about acting (as I always am when actors talk about acting). I was intrigued to hear him say (at the age of 84) that his director taught him something about acting; a director who cannot be even half Holbrook's age. He said that the director, Scott Teems, taught him 'not to protect the character.' Think about that, particularly if you are an actor, it is great advice.

It is clear that Mr. Holbrook has great reverence for acting (he talked about making certain that you have respect for the audience) and a great love of his wife, Dixie Carter. She is in the film but was not in attendance at the screening.

Seeing him and then her on screen reminded me of when I met her. It was in the middle 80s sometime, in Los Angeles. We had lunch, I think, but then I was also shooting pictures of a play she was in. My friend Steve and I were shooting publicity and production stills for a play titled "Fathers and Sons" with Richard Chamberlain as Wild Bill Hickock and Dixie Carter as Calamity Jane. It was at the Solari Playhouse in Beverly Hills and the lunch and discussion with her at some place around the corner from the Solari was one of those great get-togethers I remember. I was quite taken with her (as is easy to be) - and she was terrific as Calamity Jane.

Terry and I also saw an interesting documentary (we always try to see a lot of documentaries) titled "So Right, So Smart". It is the best 'sales job' for business and industry to implement green practices I have ever seen - a capitalist case for instituting sustainable practices.

Starz Denver Film Festival - Day 2

2009-11-14T07:49:00.006-07:00

Ed Harris received the Mayor's Lifetime Achievement Award Friday night. Both the Mayor and Ed Harris were in good form.

The Mayor loves the movies. We were chatting backstage before he gave the award about his turn in his cousin George Hickenlooper's new film, "Casino Jack" (a rough-cut of Casino Jack will receive a 'mystery' screening later in the festival). John obviously really enjoyed the experience of playing a small role in the film - he has talked to me about it a couple of times. He is also proud of his SAG card and we are proud to count him as a member of the Colorado Branch of SAG. Hick also is featured in the Documentary "Hick Town" screening next weekend at the Festival.

The Ed Harris award program featured clips from some of his films. Ron Henderson put the clips program together and noted that the problem with putting a clips reel together for an actor of Ed Harris' range of roles is not only deciding which films to select from but which scenes from those films to select.

I would add that the other problem with a clips reel, is watching the clips and thinking how much one would like to see the entire film again- its like only being able to eat a tiny bit of the piece of cake.

Harris, during the question and answer session after the clips was funny, quirky, and at times serious. I particularly enjoyed hearing him talk about the craft of acting. He truly loves what he does.

And finally the last film of the night for me was Werner Herzog's "The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans". Nicholas Cage gives a wonderful and quirky performance as the Lieutenant. As the New Orleans homicide detective, I couldn't help but think at times that in his physicality he was channeling the late Jerry Orbach as Lt. Lenny Briscoe.

Herzog's films are always interesting and this one doesn't disappoint.

Saturday, another wonderful actor is honored. Hal Holbrook will be in attendance and his new film "That Evening Sun" will be screened.

More thoughts on Precious

2009-11-13T08:45:00.003-07:00

There is a lot of buzz about the acting in director Lee Daniels' film "Precious" and truly there are exceptional performances - some unexpectedly so. But you can't separate the performances from the context in which they are given.

The style of the film, the choices Daniels made, the camera work, the editing have to be taken as a whole and that whole includes the acting: Everything fits, everything works. Frankly, there are no stand-out performances because the performances are so uniformly terrific. This is really an ensemble piece (although the astonishing performance by Gabourey Sidibe as Precious is the fulcrum for this ensemble, and without which it would be a different film altogether). All great performances are the result of the give and take among the actors working together and in concert with a director. That is what this is about.

But it is also about the style.

Again: the style, the camera work, the editing: the gritty reality of Harlem, the feel of a documentary, the edgy heightened color, the total in-the-moment reality of the performances consistent with the use of dream sequences and flash-back.

There is an old saw in the theatre and film that 'we deal in truth, not facts.'

Daniels has made a film that draws us in; that has the sense of documentary-reality but which goes far beyond any 'facts' and gets at the greater truth.

1 down - 33 to go

2009-11-13T08:26:00.003-07:00

The Denver Film Festival is on again. Terry and I attended opening night last to see the much-talked about "Precious". The talk is warranted. The film is at once moving and funny but also angering, saddening and discomforting. Then finally, at the end, at the darkest moment of the film (after many dark moments) it becomes uplifting; not uplifting in a cheering sort of way but uplifting in a quiet but gratifying way; not uplifting with some sort of saccharine sweetness but with a reality that is the hallmark of the film itself.

The subject matter is off-putting, but don't let that put you off - go see the film. The hype may discourage you because all too often, over-hyped films can be disappointing - go see the film, you won't be disappointed.

This was a terrific beginning to the 32nd Starz Denver Film Festival.

Terry and I will see 34 films before the Festival ends a week from Sunday. 1 down, 33 to go.

Great Theatre

2009-09-10T09:41:00.008-06:00

One of the great things about theatre in London is the opportunity to see new work with terrific casts and great direction - at a very reasonable price. Not that there is not wonderful work being done in the US, but to have it concentrated in a small geographic area, highly accessible, and reasonably priced, is unique to London.

New York has great theatre, but it is very expensive, even the Off-Broadway can be pricey. And some of the best work is being done regionally in small theatres or LORT theatres, but it is spread around the country and often does not end up with a production in some centralized locale. You can go to Los Angeles, or Chicago, or New York, or Denver, or almost anywhere in the US and see wonderful theatre, but to see wonderful new plays in one location...well nothing is like London.

London's West-End has an abundance of non-musical productions, many of which will never make it to the US.

Ofcourse, the big, tourist-freindly musicals are here and are much in demand, but it is the dramas and comedies in the west-end that make it worthwhile.

Much of what I see, I take a chance on. I go to the TKTS both in the morning, to see what is available. Rarely have I ever purchased a ticket to something I had prior knowledge about. Part of the joy is seeing something I had no prior knowledge about and then being thrilled about what I had seen. I have rarely been disappointed. Some productions have been better than others, and some have been truly fantastic, but I haver never really regretted buying a ticket to any.

Theatre in London this week has again been a great experience. I will blog about the specifics tomorrow.

1968 part 2 - McCarthy Lost His Y

2009-06-04T07:57:00.003-06:00

I had been an early supporter of Gene McCarthy when he decided to challenge President Lyndon Johnson for the 1968 Presidential nomination. I opposed the war and while I supported Johnson’s significant and very progressive domestic accomplishments, I could not support him for another term as President. At the time, the war was the overriding factor.

I acquired a McCarthy bumper sticker which I stuck to the top of my guitar case (I still have the guitar and the guitar case but the sticker is long gone).

McCarthy, against all conventional wisdom, almost bested Johnson in the New Hampshire primary and the race was on.

Then Bobby Kennedy got in the race. There was tremendous animosity toward Kennedy from many McCarthy supporters. They felt that Kennedy had stood on the sidelines until it became clear that Johnson could be beaten in the primaries and then had jumped in.

I remained a McCarty supporter for the time being. Then there was the Johnson withdrawal.

It was a Sunday night, if I remember correctly. Steve, Rosemary, Ron Duce and I (The Happy Folk at the time) were playing a gig at Taco Sierra, a 3.2% beer and taco restaurant (I’ve played many sterling engagements and high-class joints in my time).

We watched Johnson on TV and then played our gig: A pretty dramatic night.

Through April I began to reassess my support for McCarthy. Not that I disagreed with him, but I began to see in Bobby an object of real change. A person in whom I not only believed but in whom I thought there might actually be the possibility of building the better world many of us were striving for. That capacity for change, in part was based on the fact that he had the best chance of winning and keeping Dick Nixon out of the White House. (I have a maxim I use in politics – You can’t govern if you don’t win, you won’t win if you don’t govern).

I became a Kennedy supporter. But the bumper sticker, which by that time was becoming a bit tattered, was still on my guitar case. Then one day, Steve looked at it and noticed that the ‘Y’ at the end of McCarthy’s name had been torn off.

Steve: “McCarthy’s lost his Y.”

Denny: “Yes he has.”

1968

2009-06-03T09:11:00.001-06:00

A memorable year. A sitting President decides not to run for another term and a potential President is killed in Los Angeles. A memorable year. A watershed year. A year marked by death. Young Americans dying in southeast Asia. The murder of Martin Luther King. The murder of Robert Francis Kennedy. Violence and death in our urban centers as people take to the streets in anger and frustration. Violence in the streets of Chicago during the Democratic National Convention.

I have been thinking a lot about 1968 lately. As I posted earlier, my friend Steve is celebrating his 60th birthday with concert of family and friends. The friends include me.

Steve and I are referring to our part as Happy Folk Redux. In 1968, Steve and I along with Rosemary Doran were the Happy Folk, a trio bound for fame, fortune and success in the music business in Los Angeles. Preparing for the concert and rehearsing the songs is conjuring up many memories of that year and that trip.

1968.

We actually left Colorado in June of 1968, right after Bobby was assassinated. As I noted earlier, it was a bittersweet time. We were full of hope for our future but bereft of hope for the future of our country. We could not know that the events of March and June of that year were just the start of what would be a terrible year in our country.

The California primary was on June 4th that year. Bobby won and everyone was poised to, as Bobby said that fateful night, go ‘on to Chicago and lets win in November’.

Shortly after midnight, now June 5th, Bobby was shot.

Interestingly, Steve’s birthday is on June 4th. That will be the night of our concert. It will be celebratory, it will be fun; it will be full of hope. But for me, and I think Steve too, it will be bittersweet again. It will be hard not to think of that time, that year and that trip for us.

The music thing didn’t really work out for us, but we both gave our shot at ‘the big time’ in L.A. in the entertainment business. We both had some success, but perhaps not enough. We both waited for that ‘someday’ when the big break would come. We are both back here now.

Our concert closes, appropriately, with a song Steve wrote: "What If Someday Never Comes?"

Steve and Denny: Happy Folk Redux

2009-05-27T12:22:00.000-06:00

Fall, 1967. I was attending Southern Colorado State College as a Theatre Major and struggling folk singer. I met Steve. He too was a Theatre major and had just started at SCSC. He played guitar and sang. So naturally he and I and Rosemary Doran formed The Happy Folk (okay, dopey name). We played all the hot spots (okay, some were pretty marginal), but in the summer of 1968 we loaded – crammed - all our instruments and ourselves into Steve’s VW bug and headed for the big time in LA…….It was a memorable summer. Unfortunately it was partly memorable because that was also the summer that Bobby Kennedy died – in LA.

We drove to LA just after Bobby’s death. Our hopes for our future severely tempered by the significant loss of hope that Bobby’s murder engendered. I still grieve the loss and the unanswerable question, what might have been?

Forty years later, Steve and I are back in Denver. That folksinger thing didn’t quite work out, at least from a remunerative stand point but we still do some work together in other ways and on Steve’s 60th birthday (June 4) we will sing together again. Steve and Denny: Happy Folk Redux

Steve (now Steef, which means I think that I must now be Deef) has organized a bit of a concert featuring songs he has written, in contemplation of turning 60 and assessing life. The concert features family and friends (that’s where I come in).

The concert will be in Denver at the Bug Theatre on Navajo street in north Denver, Thursday, June 4 at 8pm.

I can’t wait.

Jack Wrangler died

2009-04-09T12:22:00.001-06:00

I just read the obituary in the paper. I knew Jack, not well but I worked with him in San Francisco in the late 70s but hadn't seen him since then. Jack had come up from LA to do a play titled “Rusty”. He played the title character. Reading the obituary had that time and circumstance come flooding back to me.

I had been engaged to build the set, and design and run the lights for the show. It had been written by a teacher at what had been Lone Mountain College in San Francisco. It was about an aging college teacher and his relationship with one of his students – Rusty. Frankly it was a bit of a soap opera. Rusty has affair with other young men; aging teacher is jealous; Rusty goes off on an odyssey; returns and is diagnosed with some unnamed but fatal disease (no it was not aids, at that time aids was not really on anyone’s radar screen and was just beginning to have an impact on homosexual men).

If you think if sounds a bit like Camille, you’re right. In the end Rusty is responsible for reconciling with the aging teacher and gathering around him on his death bed all those who were important to him: aging teacher, his mother, and one of the young men he had had a relationship with. Then he dies.

The author, of course took this all very seriously. Unfortunately for him (but fortunately for the box office) the audience did not. The gay community flocked to the show. It was a hoot. For them it was too campy for words and every night they just howled. Word of mouth was great and we were a financial success. Author was not happy.

What really made this ironic is that the play was being staged in what had been a legendary burlesque house on Broadway in North Beach, the Chi Chi. Up until the play opened at the Chi Chi (managed by a Japanese Fan Dancer named Miss Keiko) it was continuing to do traditional burlesque strip tease, complete with a runway down through the center of the audience. The girls would come out and do their striptease vignette (one girl had a roll-on bathtub in which she pretended to run water and then strip to get in the tub). They only stripped down to a g-string – bare breasts but no full nudity.

At any rate, the runway remained and at every opportunity, the script called for Rusty to become completely naked and work his way up and down the runway while doing his dialogue. As I said it was a hoot.

This all came back when I read of Jack’s death.

P.S. Miss Keiko also managed the Chez Paris just south of Geary off Union Square. It to was a strip club but not in the traditional sense as was the Chi Chi. Girls did the standard pole dances, etc. What was always interesting to me about this club is that in an earlier incarnation it was a traditional night club and was the location for some of the night club scenes in Frank Sinatra’s “Pal Joey”.

Spade & Archer & San Francisco

2009-04-01T18:59:00.002-06:00

Other than re-reading The Maltese Falcon, what better book to read over a long weekend in San Francisco than Joe Gore’s Spade & Archer?. Atmospheric and entertaining, Spade & Archer is a ‘prequel to Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon.

I am a long-time fan of Hammett and Sam Spade. And also as a long-time – though now former – resident of San Francisco I have always seen the three – Hammett, Spade and the City - as of a piece Gore’s tale of Sam Spade, told in the style of Hammett, fits nicely in that piece.

The novel follows Sam Spade over a number of years in the 1920’s as he moves from working for Continental Ops in Washington State to setting up his own detective agency in San Francisco. As it is a ‘prequel’ and as the title suggests, it culminates just at the point that The Maltese Falcon begins.

Along the way Spade is involved in a series of investigations, each in its own way leading to the books conclusion. We also meet characters that will populate The Maltese Falcon: Spade's secretary Effie Perrine and San Francisco cops Dundy and Tom Polhous. We learn much about the relationship among Spade and Miles and Iva Archer and how the Spade & Archer partnership came to be. We learn more about Sam Spade and the picture of the character we see in The Maltese Falcon becomes fuller.

But then there is that wonderful character, the city of San Francisco. Gores puts us on the streets, in the neighborhoods. He evokes the essence of the City. We feel the chill of the fog, we hear the the sound of the harbor and the bay, we taste the food.

I read the book while in San Francisco and as I noted that was so appropriate. But you don't have to be there to enjoy the read. Pick up the book, it will take you there.

Sunday in San Francisco

2009-03-30T08:27:00.002-06:00

Watching the sun come up on Coit Tower again this morning. We are on the 24th floor and have a great view of Telegraph Hill, Alcatraz, Angel Island and the rest of the bay. Another spectacular day in San Francisco. Unfortunately, we are leaving today. It has been a short but wonderful weekend. I miss this city very much.

In our wandering around, Terry and I looked at flats and houses. A lot of open houses, so it was easy to check them out – of course Terry loves doing this everywhere including our neighborhood in Denver – and we saw some that would work well for us. If we only had the money.

One we particularly liked, in Russian Hill, was a property originally owned by the photographer Imogen Cunningham. As such it had particular appeal to me. Wonderful garden patio, three floors and views of the Golden Gate and Marin Headlands. It would do quite nicely for us, though we discussed how we would remodel to make it really fit our needs. It was, however, $2 Million. Ah, well.

Dinner Saturday night was at the Hyde Street Seafood and Raw bar. One of our favorites here (there are actually a lot of favorites). Sunday night we had planned on Yabbies on Polk, but after a full day walking, shopping (another birthday present for Lila among other things) and a full lunch at Rose Pistola, we opted for Brandy Ho's: closer, simpler and hotter (Hunan).

Lunch/Brunch at Rose Pistola's in North Beach was great fun. 2 hours of people watching and food. I had egg pizza which I had never had before. Very good. I will probably make it at home sometime. I know it sounds odd, but it is really quite good. Oh, and did I mention that to pass the time people watching I had a Bloody Mary, followed by a bottle of Prosecco (we shared) and finished with 2 Grappa and Espressos. What a way to spend a Sunday.

Hat etiquette

2009-01-13T17:23:00.001-07:00

The Stock Show is in town and as is traditional, the day of the parade down 17th street is declared 'western wear' day by the Mayor. A lot of 'cowboy paraphernalia' was in evidence around town, particularly in the City and County Building and the Webb Building. Lots of Cowboy hats. The Mayor was even sporting one.

I don't often wear a hat to work (on very cold days to keep my head warm) but have been wearing a cowboy hat for years. In my younger (rodeo and roping) days I wore one all the time. I wore one today: 20X Beaver.

As I got into the elevator I, as I always do, took my hat off. It is a matter of good manners to remove a hat indoors, but particularly in an elevator: a gentleman always removes his hat in an elevator.

It got me thinking about hat etiquette. That etiquette was commonplace when men wore hats regularly but once Jack Kennedy made going bare headed acceptable the etiquette went away (for the most part) as well - though the hat has made a comeback, it is the ubiquitous 'baseball cap'' which I am not sure counts.

At any rate, as I took my hat off in the elevator, I was reminded of long-time Dallas Cowboy football coach Tom Landry. Tom was old school. Always dressed in a jacket and tie on the sidelines and always wore a hat: a short brim fedora, if I remember correctly. The only time he did not wear his hat was when they played in a domed stadium. He noted that hat etiquette had always taught him that a gentleman did not wear his hat indoors and since a domed stadium was 'indoors' he would not wear his hat.

I guess I am old school, as well.

London on New Year’s

2008-12-31T15:50:00.001-07:00

Awaiting the fireworks over the London Eye: We ate a little Italian restaurant near our hotel, not the most elegant meal we have ever had but quite good and of course Terry enjoyed the people-watching.

Since then, we have returned to our hotel and spent the time in the Executive Lounge (only place for free WiFi) contemplating what we may do for the rest of our time in London. Also spent some time reaffirming why we love each other and how important each of us is to the other. I would be bereft without Terry.

Earlier we went to the theatre. We saw a new version of PIAF. It was terrific (although I hate the fact that in a theatre as small as the Vaudeville - maybe 600 seats - the producers felt the need to use wireless mikes on the actors). Piaf herself would have been appalled. She gained notoriety for the power of he voice (honed by singing over the traffic in Paris). The actor had the vocal power to replicate that, so not sure why the need for mikes.

As an old-fashioned actor myself, I pride myself on the ability to hit the back wall (even in a state-whisper) without the need for amplification. Unless you are in the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, or some 5,000+ seat house anywhere, you should not need amplifying. Okay, sermon over.

We loved the show, the cast as a whole was quite good, but the woman playing Piaf and the woman playing Marlene Dietrich were particularly outstanding.

London Theatre – what a joy.

London on New Year’s

2008-12-31T15:47:00.001-07:00

Awaiting the fireworks over the London Eye: We ate at a little Italian restaurant near our hotel, not the most elegant meal we have ever had but quite good and of course Terry enjoyed the people-watching.

Since then, we have returned to our hotel and spent the time in the Executive Lounge (only place for free WiFi) contemplating what we may do for the rest of our time in London. Also spent some time reaffirming why we love each other and how important each of us is to the other. I would be bereft without Terry.

Earlier we went to the theatre. We saw a new version of PIAF. It was terrific (although I hate the fact that in a theatre as small as the Vaudeville (maybe 600 seats) the producers felt the need to use wireless mikes on the actors. Piaf herself would have been appalled. She gained notoriety for the power of he voice (honed by singing over the traffic in Paris). The actor had the vocal power to replicate that, so not sure why the need for mikes.

As an old-fashioned actor myself, I pride myself on the ability to hit the back wall (even in a stage-whisper) without the need for amplification. Unless you are in the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, or some 5,000+ seat house anywhere, you should not need amplifying. Okay, sermon over.

We loved the show, the cast as a whole was quite good, but the woman playing Piaf and the woman playing Marlene Dietrich were particularly outstanding.

London Theatre – what a joy.

In London

2008-12-30T13:26:00.002-07:00

Long overnight flight from Denver via Chicago. We are in London, ensconsced in a room at the London Hilton Park Lane.

Arriving at 6am, then car service to the hotel (arriving at 7:30am) in hopes of having a room ready. Not to be, though we were able to spend a couple of hours in the Executive Lounge having breakfast and waiting for our room to be prepared. Ready shortly after 9:00am. A shower, and a nap and we are ready to get out and about.

London at Christmas is London as it always is: the greatest city in the world. We love Paris, and San Francisco and Singapore, but London is just London. Our room has a great view of Green Park, St. James Park, Buckingham Palace, Westminster and the London Eye..

Right now, we are sitting in the Exec. Lounge drinking wine and trying to decide what plays we want to try to see.

It is cold here (big surprise) but there still is no place like London. Tomorrow we will head to Leiscter Square and the Half Price Ticket Booth to see what is available. Looking forward to seeing some great theatre. Usually the serendipitous find is the most rewarding.

We will also do our traditional ride down the Thames to Greenwich to see where time starts, always appropriate at the New Year. We do this boat ride after having bought an eggnog Latte (yes I know Starbucks, but what the hell) and topping it off with some brandy. You simply don't mind the cold and the view along the river is great.

We may try to ride the London Eye again (the best view of central London you can get), but whatever we do, it will be great.

It is London, and Terry and I are together.

Cheers for the new year.

Another historic inaugural

2008-12-24T09:20:00.003-07:00

With many of us now excitedly focusing on the inauguration of Barrack Obama as President, I was thinking back to the first time I was invited to a Presidential Inaugural.

It was the inauguration of Lyndon Johnson in January of 1965.

Johnson had won the 1964 election in a landslide. Johnson carried every state but six. Goldwater carried five states in the deep south (but not Florida) as well as him home state of Arizona. Johnson carried states that had traditionally voted Republican, including the state of Kansas.

Kansas as you might know has always had a lot more Republicans than Democrats. That is particularly true of the western half of the state where I was living in 1964.

I went to High School in a little town on the western border of Kansas, just 8 miles from the Colorado line. We were part of the 1st Congressional District of Kansas, considered at the time and to this day one of the most Republican districts in the country. It was represented at that time by Bob Dole, who of course went on to be a U.S. Senator and vice-presidential candidate.

However we were Democrats, so I spent the summer volunteering as a driver for the Democratic candidate for Congress, Bill Bork. He lost. I don’t think it was my driving (it was a lot of driving, it was geographically one of the largest districts in the country, something like half of the state) it was there were just too many Republicans, even in a year in which Johnson carried the state by like 54%.

Any way, in December of that year I got in the mail my official invitation to the inaugural that following January. I was not quite 18, couldn’t vote (in those days you had to be 21 to vote), but I had my first real experience in politics. We had lost the congressional race but won the presidential and I couldn’t have been more excited. I’ve been a political junkie ever since.

Here are copies of the invitation materials.

Not on the envelope that it is simply addressed to me but no street or box number just the name of the town and the state. No zip codes in those days.

Also note that one of the hosts is Mrs. Hale Boggs. Hale Boggs was a congressman from Louisiana who disappeared whose plane disappeared in Alaska in 1972. His wife Lindy succeeded him in the Congress. Hale and Lindy were the parents of the journalist Cokie Roberts, and Tommy Boggs of Patton and Boggs.

Click on the image to make it larger in a new window. I realize that in scanning these materials I neglected to crop them, oh well.

My pick for US Senate

2008-12-24T08:38:00.001-07:00

The political news in Colorado has been non-stop since the election. First there was the daily speculation as to which Coloradan(s) might get a cabinet post, then when Senator Ken Salazar was named Secretary of the Interior, the speculation shifted to which Coloradan will fill the Senate seat. At the same time there was speculation as to whom the Governor would appoint to the unexpired term of the Secretary of State (the sitting Secretary, Mike Coffman was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and will resign as Secretary in early January).

For political junkies it has turned what is normally down time after an election to one as interesting as the pre-election period.

I expect that Governor Ritter will select Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper as the next U.S. Senator from Colorado. Speculation goes on however and there are other likely candidates, but I just have a sense that it is the Mayor’s if he wants it – and he does.

I think John will be fine and it will be a good pick, but not my pick. I would like the Governor to select the other John, - John Salazar. He is my pick for a number of reasons, but one very personal.

John is a good man who genuinely cares about other people.

When John was first running for the U.S. House, my father fell very ill and was in the hospital. It was in October just a couple of weeks before the election. When John found out about my dad, he took precious time out of his busy campaign to visit my dad in the hospital. He and his wife Mary Lou spent an hour with my father. No press, no photo op, just two very decent people helping to cheer my dad up and showing how much they care for others.

I will never forget that. It meant so much to my dad (who has since passed away) and to me and our family.

So is that sort of caring behavior and attitude a qualification for being a Senator? In my book it is. On top of all the other qualities and experience John has.

As I said, I am sure the Governor will select John Hickenlooper and it will be a fine pick. As would my friend Representative Ed Perlmutter, another fine person and good public servant. But my sentimental pick is still John Salazar.

I am a lucky man

2008-12-24T08:13:00.000-07:00

31 years ago today, my daughter was born. Hard to believe and now she has a daughter of her own. And though it was 31 years ago, I can remember the details of the day vividly. I am a lucky man.

11 days and 25 movies later

2008-11-24T18:39:00.002-07:00

The Starz Denver Film Festival is over. It was a great ride, with very few low-points (at least from my movie seat).

I have been trying to sort through my favorites, and as in years past, it is impossible.

There were so many.

On the last day, O'Horton was one that could make my top ten list for this year.

Also, earlier in the weekend, The Eternal City is one that I will reflect on for a long time. As a matter of fact, on the same day that I saw The Eternal City, I also saw Two Lovers. I liked Two Lovers very much. Wonderful performances. But frankly, I liked The Eternal City much more. It was made on a shoestring and did not have the big (and expensive) production values of Two Lovers. It did not have that 'slickness' that Two Lovers has. But in telling a story that engages, and deals with human emotions and the need for love, The Eternal City is superior. There is an honesty to it and an earnestness in the production, and the performances. I hate the trite 'labor of love' but that is what this film displays. There is a genuineness to the performance, the direction, everything. Wonderful story-telling with a reason for the telling coming through.

Lots of wonderful short films, and as I noted here earlier great documentaries.

Sunday night I saw Surveillance. The Jennifer Lynch film. Slickly produced, good performances, but somehow not satisfying. It is not just that the film is disturbing (it is), it is that I was trying to find the redeeming value in telling this dark tale. I couldn't find it.

So we wait now for next year.

Denver Film Festival - Random thoughts at the halfway point.

2008-11-18T09:06:00.002-07:00

We are halfway through the Starz Denver Film Festival and as usual there are some terrific films being screened. Many of them, I have noted here.

But a couple of other things have struck me.

First it appears to me that attendance is down. I don’t have anything other than my own observation to base that on, but it just seems that the theaters are not as crowed, there are fewer necessary queues’, and certainly at the Big Night screening there were a number of empty seats on the main floor.

Given the state of the economy, it would not necessarily be a surprise if attendance at any discretionary entertainment event is down. We will see after the festival when actual attendance is reported, whether my perception is accurate.

Second, I miss the ongoing screening of a sponsorship film.

In years past, a clever film noting all the key sponsors of the festival was shown before every screening. Not only has that been missing from all the screening this year, the one that was produced and screened prior to the Big Night film was so lame it was painful to watch (maybe that is why it has only been shown once, to date).

Equally lame is the Magic Cyclops pieces that appear to have replaced the sponsorship film before each screening. With perhaps one exception, all the ones I have not only not been funny, they have not been anything. Moreover, one of them probably has a number of film copyright owners pulling their collective hair out. It suggests that moviegoers bring their own video cameras to the theater and tape what they see for later viewing – so they don’t miss anything. I know it was done in jest – and no one will really believe that the idea was serious - but the humor was so lame, it didn’t really read.

Okay, enough negatives.

Logistically, I think the festival has handled things well. The one time I was involved in a queue, staff handled moving the audience from the queuing location to the theater smoothly and fairly. In the past those logistics have devolved into a mob scene, with little or no order. Well done this year. Also, the addition of a public address system in the court yard has improved (and saved staff voices) the ability to inform patrons of information.

Slumdog Millionaire and other Untold Consequences

2008-11-16T08:23:00.003-07:00

Untold Consequences is a collection of terrific short films - the longest being 22 minutes. One of the great joys of the Denver Film Festival is the ability to see short films. Often some of those shorts stay in your memory longer than long-form films (last year's The Job is an example). This year, there are some definite possibilities, some I saw yesterday in Untold Consequences. Spider, August 15 and Triple Concerto in D Minor to name just three.

The title of the collection Untold Consequences is very understandable when you see any or all of the shorts. You will have to see them for yourself and you will know what I mean.

Untold Consequences could have included a long-form film, if that film is Slumdog Millionaire.

What a terrific film!

Slumdog was the Big Night film on Saturday. And has been the case in the past, the film deserves to be called a Big Night film. I don't remember being disappointed in Big Night films in the past and this year is certainly no exception.

Did I say Terrific Film!?

See it. It will get a commercial release and probably a big one given how good it is and the buzz that is now accompanying it.

So see it, even though when your friend says, I want to go see this film about impoverished kids in the slums of India who seek salvation through a life of crime and winning a game show.

I'll say it again, what a terrific film.

On another note - No Subtitles part II

2008-11-16T07:56:00.005-07:00

No Subtitles the documentary about cinematographers Laslo Kovacs and Vilmos Zsigmond deals a lot with their escape from Hungary during the 1956 uprising. The two were film students in Budapest at that time and as the Russian tanks rolled in and the attempt at freedom was eventually quashed they filmed what they saw and participated in.

As the uprising was quashed the two escaped to Vienna, smuggling the film out with them.

It was noted that those involved in the attempt at freedom in Hungary expected the West and particularly the United States to come to their aid. That expectation - that hope - went unfulfilled.

Tragically for those in Hungary the Eisenhower administration had encouraged such an uprising and paid all kinds of lip service to freedom and overthrowing dictatorial regimes, etc. But it was all rhetoric because the reality was that the United States was in no position to do anything. Eisenhower believed the risk of such an intervention was a widening war in Europe and a global nuclear conflagration.

As I watched the documentary I remembered those days. I was 10 years old, but the memory of the news footage and the reports is still vivid. And in remembering, I thought of a recent similar kind of event. The invasion of the Republic of Georgia, again by Russian tanks. In that case there was no uprising by Georgians to overthrow their government and there are a lot of differences between what happened this summer and that summer over forty years ago, but what was similar was a lot of bold talk by a US administration and political leaders, with the knowledge that the rhetoric could not and would not be backed up with action. Just as in 1956 (though for somewhat different reasons) the US was powerless to back up its words.

The tragedy then as now? Those that hear the words, the encouragement and act in the belief that the words will be backed up do so and then have the rug pulled out from underneath them.

Georgia in 2008 is different than Hungary in 1956, but the callous arrogance of those that hold out hope where they know none will be is despicable.

No Subtitles Necessary

2008-11-15T08:09:00.009-07:00

Last night was the second night of the Denver International Film Festival. I saw two documentaries. DIFF is notable for the number of documentaries it shows as part of the festival and I always try to see as many as I can. Firstly Documentaries rarely get shown anywhere else, and certainly not in conventional, commercial movie houses. Unless it is Michael Moore, don't look for them at anyplace other than an art movie house and even then rarely. They do show up on niche cable TV channels and on Public Television stations, but still the vast number of documentaries made are almost impossible to see, thus my desire to see them at the film festival.

The two I saw dealt with 'entertainment figures'. Entertainment figures who were/are giants in their respective venues.

"Count Basie: Then as Now, Count's the King" and "No Subtitles Necessary, Laslo & Vilmos."

The Basie documentary left me wanting something more. I thought it could have done so much more with a subject such as the great Count Basie. The film consisted of the usual archival footage and photographs and then former band members sitting around a table at Elaine's in New York, reminiscing about their days with the band.

The stories were fun and it was enjoyable to hear them, but as I said, it left me wanting more. I really didn't come away with a sense of who Basie was; no real sense of the person. And for those too young to know about Basie or experience his music, the film really didn't establish his huge impact on music and popular culture; and why 'the Count's still the King.'

"No Subtitles", however is a different story. This look at two of greatest cinematographers of the last half of the twentieth century was wonderful. It not only described their impact on film-making and their influence on the visual - 'the picture' and its style and quality as the story-teller - but who these two men really were and their friendship that was extraordinary.

A superb documentary. Among other things, it made me want to re-see many of the films they each made. As clips from their respective films (i.e. Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Paper Moon, The Deer Hunter, MaCabe and Mrs. Miller) were shown as part of the documentary, I found myself thinking about each one, 'oh wow, I love that film! I'd like to see it again!"

And of "No Subtitles", I'd like to see it again.

Barack has won -

2008-11-05T00:10:00.002-07:00

And as much as I am looking forward, at my age I always have to look back.

Earlier in October, I heard talk about how if McCain was going to win it was going to take 'the perfect storm' meaning there needed to be a convergence of many elements for McCain to overcome what was clearly a juggenaut.

I believe that the 'perfect storm' existed but it was the convergence of elements that led to Obama's election.

But beyond that, this year was about Obama, his great ability to organize and run a successful campaign, it was about Howard Dean and his 50 state strategy, but at the end of the day, that would have elected a Democrat this year, but to ensure that an African-American was elected, it did indeed take someone of Obama's abilities and accumen and it meant that he stood on the shoulders of those that came before.

He is the product of Brown v. Board of Education, Rosa Parks, John Lewis, Thurgood Marshall, students at Little Rock High and James Meredith and yes Jack Kennedy and Robert Kennedy. He is also the product of all those who died in bombings and lynchings - both white and black - in the name of freedom.

I got on a Continental Trailways bus in Salina Kansas in March of 1965 to go to Selma Alabama. I was a very young, and very frightened young man of 18. When I got on the bus in Salina, as a member of the Methodist Student Movement, I was full of bravado. As the bus moved farther south, my bravado changed rapidly to fear and a thought rattling through my head: What the hell are you doing?

But I was there, not brave, but committed to what was right; what needed to be done.

As I watched Obama's speech tonight and thrilled to what I believe is indeed a transformative election, I felt a part of that history.

Obama transforms our nation. He does it because of his intellect, his ability and his unique ability to connect with hundreds of millions of Americans: black, white, hispanic, young, gay, etc.

He is in a position to do that because he matches his abilities in the context of history. What came before set the table for what is to come.

I could not be happier, nor prouder.

This is not a victory for Barack Obama, it truly is a victory for America, our values and our history.

As Franklin Roosevelt's election preserved capitalism and kept revolutionaries from the streets, Obama's election preserves our democracy and keeps revolutionaries from the streets.

I don't think I overstate.

Obama has indeed provided hope. Because without Hope, despair and frustration prevail and that can lead to revolution.

Political ads

2008-11-01T10:06:00.003-06:00

It is Saturday before the election, and I know everyone is sick of political ads. Here in Colorado, in addition unheard of numbers of candidate ads (we wanted to be a battleground state, didn't we?)
we have 14 (18 if you count the questions that will not be counted but are still on the ballot) state-wide ballot questions.

I say, everyone is sick of the ads, but I'm not. They are a part of the process, and to avoid any hypocrisy, I cannot complain about political ads because I often do them.

None the less, my friend Steve, his wife Chris and some others have recorded a ditty that Steve wrote about political ads. Take a look and listen.

Sunday in the Park with Barack

2008-10-27T08:35:00.004-06:00

On a beautiful autumn Sunday in Denver over 100,000 of Barack Obama's close personal friends gathered to hear him speak (all came to see him but the size of the crowd and the distance that many were from the stage only allowed them to hear).

I was one of them. What a great and exciting day.

I have been doing politics all my adult life and I have not experienced anything like this election since Kennedy in 1960. I remember the Kennedy campaign of 1960 but because I was in high school, the sense of excitement I felt then and now is difficult to equate; to compare in context with who I was, my age, etc.

There was certainly a high level of excitement, and a sense of a new generation taking the torch, a new era, change, a lot of what is happening now. What I don't know is how that would compare for me if I had been a mature adult at the time.

However, it doesn't matter. I am so excited about the prospects for the future. I am energized in a way, I have not been in a long time. I see what is happening and I want to believe. I have the desire to see a rebirth of the Camelot spirit. To see an entire country energized and motivated not just to elect a President but to participate in the rebirth of our country.

Just as the 1960 election was less about Jack Kennedy than it was the re-energizing of America and Americans; to reinstilling our values and can-do spirit (Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country). This election is less about Barack Obama than it is involving/including/energizing legions of Americans: A belief in them that, Yes We Can.

Former Mayor Pena was there yesterday, and I thought about his slogan as mayor: Imagine a great City. What I think Barack is about and what is energizing millions of Americans is: Imagine a great Country.

This from a person who supported and believes in Hilary Rodham Clinton. I started as a Hillary man, and I remain a Hilary man. But Barack is not only my choice for President now, he is my enthusiastic choice for President. I am a true believer.

Here is some video I shot at the rally. Just two clips and a bit shaky.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW8nD1pbw8w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdVsULiJ5ak

McCain's miscalculation

2008-09-26T11:44:00.002-06:00

I don't think McCain's gamble with regard to his positioning re: the bailout and improving his poll numbers is or will work. He's getting no help from his Republican friends. Instead of looking like a leader he looks like a posturing politician.

Mad Men

2008-09-26T11:34:00.002-06:00

I don't mean the wonderful AMC cable series (though the spinmeisters on that show would be right at home with the spinmeisters in DC) but indeed the clowns in Washington who have put us in this mess and are now scrambling (after denying for months that there was a problem) to find a fix. Frankly when Democrats tried to get relief for mortgage holders who were at risk of going into default, the Bush administration would have none of it. Yet had $700 Billion bent spent either refinancing those mortgages at affordable rates or otherwise supporting them, the mortgage assets that are causing the current crisis would not have to be bailed out now.

The crisis would have been averted and homeowners would not be facing default and the loss of their homes - with all the other serious consequences that is entailing.

Moreover if we weren't spending $12 Billion a month in Iraq combined with foolish tax cuts for the wealthy and the resultant ballooning deficit and debt, the dollar would be stronger, oil would be cheaper and our economy would not be in crisis.

Them's the facts folks. Read em and weep.

Ray Powers passes away

2008-09-20T19:40:00.005-06:00

Former Colorado Senate President Ray Powers passed away on Thursday. Ray, a Colorado Springs Republican was certainly a conservative, but was not a wacko. He truly was a decent human being. Interestingly, his wife Dorothy is a Democrat. Thought that must have made for strange conversations at the dinner table.

In addition to being a decent human being, Ray had principles and would not let party affiliation or the 11th commandment get in the way of speaking up for what he believed was right.

I particularly remember a fight he got in to with then Speaker of the House (and also a Colorado Springs Republican) Doug Dean over Dean's double dipping the state for expenses and per diem.

Dean was billing the state for expenses of the apartment he was renting/sharing with another legislator. In addition he was taking the $99 per day per diem. It had always been believed that the per diem was to cover the expenses incurred by legislators who had to stay in Denver from out of town. Dean claimed that it was additional salary. There was a hearing before Legislative Council regarding the matter and Dean got into a shouting match with Powers over the issue. Dean made some accusatory remarks about the fact that Powers was wealthy, could afford a house in Denver and didn't need to worry about the additional income. Powers was incensed and yelled back at Dean that he was sick of Dean's attitude.

There was no love lost there.

I also suspect that Ray, the gentleman, did not approve of Dean's philandering. He was notorious for cheating on his wife, and indeed was involved in a messy incident with a lobbyist with whom he was living (and divorced his wife over) when he broke into her house with a screwdriver.

Ahhh, the good old days.

Ray was a good guy. We could use more like him in both parties.

Welcome

2008-09-19T12:26:00.000-06:00

New to blogging but couldn't resist any longer.

Posts here will be random and cover a wide range of topics of interest to me: Politics, the arts (particularly the Theatre and Film), music, ramblings......... Eclectic tastes lead to eclectic posts.