Michael's Musings

February 16, 2011

My review for the new Criterion edition of SWEET SMALL OF SUCCESS is now up on the Best Bets on DVD site, accessible via the link on the Introduction section of this page.  Take a look.

Now, here's something I was sent:

TEN  BEST GOLF CADDY REMARKS

#10
Golfer:   "Think I'm going to drown myself in the lake."
Caddy:  "Think you can keep your head down that long?"

#9
Golfer:   "I'd move heaven and earth to break 100 on this course."
Caddy:  "Try heaven, you've already moved most of the earth."

#8
Golfer:   "Do you think my game is improving?"
Caddy:  "Yes sir, you miss the ball much closer now."

#7
Golfer:   "Do you think I can get there with a 5 iron?"
Caddy:  "Eventually."

#6
Golfer:   "You've got to be the worst caddy in the world."
Caddy:  "I don't think so sir. That would be too much of a Coincidence."

#5
Golfer:   "Please stop checking your watch all the time. It's too much of a distraction."
Caddy:  "It's not a watch - it's a compass."

#4
Golfer:   "How do you like my game?"
Caddy:  "Very good sir, but personally, I prefer golf."

#3
Golfer:   "Do you think it's a sin to play on Sunday?
Caddy:  "The way you play, sir, it's a sin on any day."

#2
Golfer:   "This is the worst course I've ever played on."
Caddy:  "This isn't the golf course. We left that an hour ago."
                           AND THE

#1 Best Caddy Comment:
Golfer:   "That can't be my ball, it's too old."
Caddy:  "It's been a long time since we teed off, sir."

You have a creative day.

Michael

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February 15, 2011

Last night, in memory of Betty Garrett, we watched MY SISTER EILEEN on DVD.

Betty was really a tremendous performer and, although she is billed third in this musical-comedy (after Janet Leigh and Jack Lemmon), she steals the movie.  It is so sad that her film career was cut short by the "blacklist".

Incidentally, the choreography for this film was done by Bob Fosse, who co-stars with fellow dancer Tommy Rall.  Both of them are also terrific.

I had the pleasure of meeting Tommy Rall a few years back.  His was the last of four signatures I got on a lobby card from the classic musical, KISS ME KATE, which now hangs on a wall in my media room.

The other signatures: former clients Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson, plus Ann Miller.

With the passing of Betty, Tommy Rall, I guess, is the last surviving cast member of both MY SISTER EILEEN and KISS ME KATE.

Sad.

You have a creative day.

Michael

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February 14, 2011

First, I want to acknowledge the passing of actress Betty Garrett (91).

Betty was one of the nicest people in show business and a great talent.  Anybody who has seen her films (e.g. ON THE TOWN, MY SISTER EILEEN, TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME) certainly knows that we have lost a marvelous entertainer.

Betty was very helpful to me when I was writing my play about Al Jolson.  Her late husband, Larry Parks, had played Jolson in THE JOLSON STORY.

I will miss her.


Since my memoirs were published last year, I've been attempting to trace back my family's history...particularly on my mother's side.  I've traced my father's family tree pretty much as far back as, I think, I can go...but my mother's roots remains rather vague.

Recently, I made contact with the grandson of my maternal grandmother's first cousin, so that should bear fruit at some point.  Also, my cousin, Joy, told me a story about a incident that happened to our mothers when they were children in Borger, Texas, during the 1920s.

I knew that my mother and her parents had been in Borger, a lawless wildcat oil town in the Texas Panhandle, but I'd never heard this story before.

My grandfather (Jacob E. Barnett), who died before I was born, was the type of person who lived high and made/lost several fortunes.

According to the story, he built the first hotel in Borger, and it was so successful that the crooked mayor wanted it.  Our family is Jewish, not a safe thing in 1920s Texas...particularly when a nefarious politician wants your property.

I haven't learned all the details as yet, but I'm told that my grandparents, fearing for their lives, packed up their 3 kids in the middle of the night and escaped Borger across the Texas state line.

I've done some initial research on Borger (and will do some more), and I've learned that the place was, indeed, lawless during that era.  In fact, the man who helped clean it up was Frank Hamer, the Texas Ranger who later tracked down and killed Bonnie and Clyde.

I'm thinking there might be a book here.  Hmmm!

BTW: My review for the new widescreen edition of NEW FACES is now up on the Best Bets on DVD site, accessible via the Introduction section of this page.   So, take a look.

You have a creative day.

Michael

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