Technical Difficulties - Please Stand By

Been having some technical difficulties lately. Blogging and podcasting are on hiatus for a while. Hoping to resume regular programming in the new year....

...For now, Like...Happy Holidays to one and all!

Jim Flora Exhibit NYC

If you're going to be in New York City between now and Jan 8th check out this cool 60 year retrospective of paintings and prints by Jim Flora at the Dorian Grey Gallery on 437 East 9th Street at Avenue A.

Sorry for the short notice. I just found out about it.

R.I.P. Pete Rugolo

Pete passed away back in October and I missed it. Great tribute on the Cocktail Nation Podcast this week.

R.I.P. Pete

The Galton Case - Ross MacDonald - 1959

Ross MacDonald and I go way back. In fact it was MacDonalds books that filled the vast emptiness that was left in my life when I finished reading all of Raymond Chandlers books.I recently read that there is a film of the Galton Case in the works. At this time there is no info on IMDB as the film is in pre-production so I though I would get a little ahead of the game and read it first. I've read about half of the Lew Archer books. In my experience they've been consistently great reads and the Galton Case is no different, actually it's my favorite so far. Archer displays more of a sense of humour and at the same time is more cynical and hardboiled than usual which really ups the pulpy noir quotient in this one. For someone who lives in a small town in Southern Ontario, it's always a surprise when a nearby location pops up in one of these books. In this one, Archers investigations lead him to Kingsville Ontario,which is the boyhood home of one of the characters in the story. Ross MacDonald spent some time in Canada and this isn't the first time that Canadian characters have turned up in his books...well, at least not in the order that I've read them, but Kingsville is only a couple of hours drive from my hometown of Brantford. In fact, I've had family that lived there.

There is also a brief beatnik coffee house scene as Archer traces a character to The Listening Ear and sees him reading some poetry to the latest crowd of appreciative listeners. Archers description of the modern jazz and poetry scene is typically cynical.

The listening ear was full of dark blue light and pale blue music. A combo made up of piano, bass fiddle, trumpet, and drums was playing something advanced. I didn't have my slide rule with me, but the four musicians seemed to understand each other. From time to time they smiled and nodded like space jockeys passing in the night.

Hopefully the new movie in the works will do it justice. It could be really good in the way that the latest version of "The Killer Inside Me" was. But I'm always wary of these projects as the stories often get updated to current times, likely to appeal to a larger audience, I'm sure, but I find that they always lose a little something in the translation. I guess we'll have to wait and see how this one turns out. In the meantime, check out the book. Definitely one of MacDonalds best.

The Dark Corner - Henry Hathaway - 1946

The Dark Corner is everything you want in a film noir. Moody lighting filtered through cigarette smoke and venetian blinds, drinking in the dark, an honest man trying to escape his past and a nefarious man trying to use that past against him.

Starring Lucille Ball (Lured 1947), Clifton Webb (Laura 1944) and Mark Stevens ( The Street With No Name 1948), this is film noir perfection. Mark Stevens plays Bradford Galt, the private detective and our protagonist to perfection. Spouting classic hardboiled dialogue at every turn thanks to the writing team of Jay Dratler and Bernard C. Schoenfeld, both of whom had written screenplays for noir before and went on to write for several more as well as episode os Peter Gunn, Johnny Staccato and Naked City. He wastes no time in picking up his new secretary (Ball) and getting her involved in his tormented life which appears to be creeping back on him. She, almost immediately becomes interested, mainly, it seems, because of a pair of promised nylons, and just as immediately, Galt starts saying she'd be better off without him. She sticks it out and together they work at getting him out of the mess that he's slowly finding himself in.

Can't recommend this one enough. Loved every minute of it.

"Maybe you can help me if you know anything I want to know."

"I don't know anything you couldn't find out by asking Mr. Galt."

"Well, look who's here. Hello Reeves."

"It's nearly six. I'd like to leave now if there's nothing else."

"Mr. Galt, I think someone's following us."

"There's a pepper pot under the hat, buster. Let's take a walk."

"What's his name? Who's payin' you?"

"Where do you live?"

"That's pretty hot ginger ale you're mixing up."

"Listen. If you don't wanna lose that stardust look in your eyes, get going while the doors still open."

"I rather think we present the perfect picture of beauty and the beast."

"How I detest the dawn. The grass always looks like it's been left out all night."

"Tony, I tried. I made a bad bargain and I tried to stick it out with him but he just keeps sitting and listening to his paintings crack with age."

"Look, we've got a report to make. If you don't talk here, we've gotta take you downtown."

"What about that maternal instinct you talked about?"

"That doesn't work after sundown."

"Oh, how romantic!"

"If you prefer to be maudlin about it perhaps."

"look if you want my opinion, I think you're wasting your time. This guy Galt is a smart cookie. He's not gonna left himself get shoved into a noose."

"I feel all dead inside. I'm backed up in a dark corner and I don't know who's hitting me."

"When I do a job, I do a job. They just ain't found him yet."

"AAAAAHHHHHH!"

"Take the tour with me. Tell me about the paintings."

"Shall we go? I prefer privacy for our little...chat."

"Hey ,Mac. Do you suppose anybody in his right mind ever buys a piece of junk like that?"
"Sure they do. That is art."

Beatnik Candy Dish

R.I.P. Harry Morgan

Like...Ho Ho Ho

Toot x 3