This is a short, poetic Memorial Day essay written in 2001 by a 3rd grader from Madison, Connecticut, named Ali: As the flowers rest on the decorated graves and the sunlight shines on the beautiful sailboats, Uncle Sam whispers in my ear about how we should care for the soldiers and remember the ones that have died. Swimming pools open, BBQs fry. Today is the day to think of what they have done for us. There are blurs of red, white and blue marching down the street and flags are lowered at half-mast. But we should always remember and never forget what set us free, from this very day on.
On today, Vincent Price's birthday, one might recall one of the many villainous, ghoulish, macabre roles for which the tall, debonair actor would become best-known. There are some good movies and bad movies in that mix, but always a memorable performance from the Missouri-born gentleman with the unique voice.
One of Price's earliest roles, and, in my opinion, one of his best films is the 1944 noir mystery, Laura.
It's a little uncanny to see Price play the soft-spoken, ingratiating Shelby Carpenter, the fiancé of the title character, but his charisma is undeniable. Oh yeah, and the rest of the movie is pretty good, too. I'm going to throw in a bonus recommendation today since it is also Dashiell Hammett's birthday. Hammett's colorful crime-solving couple, Nick and Nora Charles, step onto the silver screen in The Thin Man film series. William Powell and Myrna Loy are brilliant as the witty husband-and-wife team (pre-dating TV's Hart to Hart by roughly half a century) and are proof that they really just don't make movies like they used to. After the Thin Man (1936) might be the best of the series of six films, but I'd start with the first in the series, The Thin Man (1934).
Arthur Laurents passed away while I was on my hiatus, so I wanted to make sure to mention him on the first Theatre Thursday when I returned. While he is known for some great screenplays (Rope being one of my favorites), he is probably best-known as the book writer on such great musicals as West Side Story, La Cage Aux Folles, and Gypsy.
Laurents also directed many of his own shows on Broadway, and in 2010, he set up the Laurents/Hatcher Foundation, which awards a cash stipend to produce a new work of social significance by an emerging playwright. The Foundation is co-named for Laurents's partner Tom Hatcher who passed away in 2006. The couple had been together for 52 years.
Well, it would appear that the wolf-haters are at it again:
Look, I get that the interaction between wolves and ranchers is touchy, but there are other solutions besides just getting your gun off on some wolves. (Oh, and aerial hunting? How sporting, gentlemen.)
Besides, wolves are hardly the biggest killers of livestock. Coyotes kill more livestock. Domestic dogs kill more livestock. Vultures actually kill more livestock. In fact, the weather and health conditions are a greater predator of livestock that wolves are. Check out these statistics. Now, I'm not advocating going out and shooting coyotes, vultures, the neighbor's weimaraners, or storm clouds, either (though the last one might be funny to watch), but this vilification of wolves seems a bit unfair to me. (I blame Mother Goose.)
If you are interested in learning more about what Defenders of Wildlife is doing about this situation and how you can help, check here.
Happy Birthday to one of the original divas, Patti Labelle!
Here's one of my personal favorites from the lady:
I dare you not to tap your feet along with that song.
You may remember that tune from the Beverly Hills Cop Soundtrack in the 80s, back when Eddie Murphy was still . . . oh, Eddie. What happened, man?
Naturally, I cannot forget that today is also the birthday of one of America's most prolific songwriters, the incredible Bob Dylan. Hard-pressed to pick just one Bob Dylan tune for today, I've decided to pick two. First up, Dylan's "cubist" anthem "Tangled Up in Blue." Come on, everybody, mumble along!
Next, I had to pick the oft-covered "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" which Dylan wrote (along with a number of other songs) for the 1973 Peckinpah Western Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid featuring James Coburn, Kris Kristofferson, and, in a small role, Bob Dylan himself. If you haven't seen the movie (and I suggest that you do), this song is featured in a powerful scene with the great Slim Pickens.
(By the way, see the 1988 director's cut. The original version, taken from Peckinpah and "re-edited" by the studio, was pretty much disowned by both cast and crew.)
In the interest of symmetry, here's the wonderful Ms. LaBelle again, singing "Forever Young" written by Bob Dylan.
