"Murder, She Wrote"

 Lately, (in the last 3 or 4 days) I haven't been blogging because my Internet service is in and out - mostly out.

According to the I-T people, who know, I have to get a new service because the one I have isn't going to do it anymore because a bigger company bought them, and now they just want to rip us off and not do their job.

I had just been drawn to watching "Murder, She Wrote" on Amazon Prime.

And then - I can get it at night, but not in the daytime.

       I said the other day, "I can't miss 'Murder, She Wrote' anymore!"

It's like - a sort of, 'Murder, She Wrote' emergency. ...

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your eyes got me dreamin'

 

On You Tube there's a video titled:

BOB WELCH - Ebony Eyes LIVE (With Stevie Nicks & Mick Fleetwood...

uploader / channel:  Videodrome Discotheque

- listen and enjoy -

        The guitar work in this live outdoor performance is amazing, and Stevie Nicks is like some kind of powerful, electric, rock music fairy.

Mick Fleetwood, of course - mysterious, vibey percussionist.

        After the song ends, there's a brief, casual onstage interview conducted by Jeff Conaway (if you think you've seen him someplace, it was on the sitcom "Taxi"...)

I heard this song on WBCN in Boston.

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whatever happened to K-Mart?

         I was thinking yesterday, after I looked at pictures on the Internet of "story arcs", that the line going up and then down can kind of leave you with the impression  that it's a "rise-and-fall" situation.  Like - first things get good and then they go "downhill," as the expression goes.

But that isn't it.

It just means the character is in a different place from where he started, and the action has reached a conclusion.

A story arc is - something starts, the energy of the story intensifies (that's the line going up), and then after the peak action, or intensity, calm is restored.  Or - peace is restored, or - a new situation for the protagonist(s) is reached.

        As "Christa-phah" says in The Sopranos, "He starts here.  He winds up there."

Now, a story arc can be a rise-and-fall situation.  The ending can be negative instead of jubilant and positive, but that's not what the downward line on the story-arc graphs means.  

Examples of story arcs:

"Behind The Music," a VH-1 show from the 1990s; and

videos on You Tube where they tell about businesses that had success and then failed.

        Those are definitely "rise-and-fall" models.

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ya know who had an ark?

 Recently here, we were discussing story arcs - In The Sopranos, Christopher Moltisanti's frustration that he can't get an arc, both in the screenplay he's trying to write, and in his real life.

        And the other character in the show says with sarcastic but lighthearted humor, "You know who had an arc?  Noah!"

But I didn't spell it right in the earlier post, because I was, at that moment, more interested in the overall point, which is - Perhaps we take ourselves too seriously when we dream of greatness.

Anyway, to be clear:

arc

and

ark 

        are two different words, even though they are pronounced the same.

The story arc is a-r-c.

Noah's ark is a-r-k.

(story arc)

Noah's Ark

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wide ties and non-matching patterns

 

"Classic TV Theme:  McMillan & Wife (Fielding)"

is a video on You Tube

(uploader / channel) - David Gideon

--------------------------------------------

viewer comments:

~~  Another great theme from the pen of Jerry Fielding who died so young.

~~  So much nostalgia from the 70s such wonderful piece of Music from Jerry Fielding and the touch of Henry Mancini with Rock Hudson as police commissioner and Susan Saint James as his wife thank you for the music!!!!

~~  This music makes me feel so good and takes me to a happy time,  The show was wonderful and made me laugh.  So hard to find it on TV now.  I could watch it over and over.

~~  Great theme and how cool is a real orchestra.  I liked this show because it never took itself so seriously with a lot of humor throughout.

~~  I never understood why a top movie star like Rock Hudson even considered doing this series.  Did he need the money?

        ~  TV work is different from making Pictures, it's a lot easier and a great way to make yourself known - everyone has a TV set at home, however, not everybody used to go to the movies.

~~  I was still watching shows on a black and white TV and I remember ringing my girlfriend (who had a colour set) and asking about the colour of Sally's outfits.

___________________________________

As far as a show about a husband-and-wife solving mysteries together, McMillan & Wife was followed up in the '80s by Hart To Hart (with Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers), and both of these TV shows had a popular antecedent in the "Nick And Nora" films, aka "The Thin Man" series, during the 1930s and '40s.

        The Thin Man movies were based on a novel written by Dashiell Hammett.

stars of "Thin Man" movies:  Myrna Loy, Asta, and William Powell

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then, after faking the gunshot...

 

The TV series McMillan & Wife surfaced on Amazon Prime.  It ran from 1971 - 77.  Rock Hudson and Susan St. James played the main characters.  I remember noticing this show when it was new, but I never watched it.

I don't know - maybe it was on Sunday nights and that was a school night, so I couldn't stay up, or something....

Rock Hudson plays the police commissioner.  In San Francisco, I think.  (Haven't ascertained that yet.)

        The first three episodes of Season 2 contained references and homages that I really enjoyed:

Episode 1 was titled "The Night Of The Wizard"  - and they mention the film Gaslight.  Susan St. James says, "that movie with Charles Boyer" and Rock Hudson rejoins, "and Ingrid Bergman."  

        And then they say somebody is trying to "gaslight" this beleaguered woman in the episode.

Episode 2 of Season 2 is called "Blues For Sally M" and it clearly owes some of its content and inspiration to the feature film Play Misty For Me, which came out the same year when McMillan & Wife hit the television airwaves.  Jazz musicians, etc.

And Episode 3, "Cop Of The Year," has a character whose last name is Thursby - a name I've only ever heard in The Maltese Falcon, a movie starring Humphrey Bogart, based on a novel by Dashiell Hammett.

The Maltese Falcon  (1941)

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balmy California nights

West Hollywood painting

I started reading a book called Opening The Doors To Hollywood, by Carlos De Abreu and Howard Jay Smith.

This is an excerpt from Mr. De Abreu's part of the Preface:

----------------- It all started in 1991 when two friends of mine, Italian actor Franco Nero and English actress Vanessa Redgrave, were in town.  My wife and I invited them for dinner at Locanda Veneta, a small restaurant in the West Hollywood area.

        We also invited Ed Feldman, the producer of such films as Witness, Green Card, and The Doctor, and his wife Lorraine; Taylor Hackford, director of An Officer an a Gentleman; as well as Lois Bonfiglio, producer of  Old Gringo and Jane Fonda's partner.  It was one of those balmy California nights.

As always, Franco told stories about his worldwide experiences while traveling and making films.  After the main course was served, I decided to share my dream with my friends.  "I, Carlos De Abreu, am going to get in the movie business.  

My goal is to discover new writers through my contest, the 'Christopher Columbus Screenplay Discovery Awards.'  Then, with my contacts in the industry, I am going to have features made."  

The table fell silent.  

It was as if the world had stopped.  I didn't know what to do or say.  I had no option but to continue with my forceful explanation about how I was going to do it.  Vanessa finally came to my rescue and said how great she thought my idea was.

        Here I was, sitting with the real pros, from actors to acclaimed directors, and I was telling them how I was going to reinvent the wheel . . . to make movies, just like that.  

Ed Feldman pleaded with me to stay in my business - international marketing.  

Lois Bonfiglio, with a faint smile, advised me to tighten my belt for at least four years.  

Taylor Hackford just kept eating and flashed me a courteous smile of approval.

        I didn't want to admit it, but my well-meaning friends were trying to save me from agony.  It was to no avail.  I was more determined than ever to open the doors to Hollywood.

        The seed for this book was conceived that same balmy night.

--  Carlos De Abreu

"Standard West Hollywood" by Guy Yanai

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rock on, gold dust woman

         I was thinking, the day before yesterday when I went to type on this blog, about moving to different towns when I was a little child.

        The reason we moved was because my dad was a minister in the United Church Of Christ, and their way of doing things was, you serve in one parish for about three-to-six years and then go to a different one. - You do what you can in one community, and then go to a new community and see what positive accomplishments can be achieved there.

         You don't become "stale," or "stuck in a rut," or something....

Some people who moved around a lot when they were growing up talk about it in a very negative light - like, they really didn't like all the moving.  You hear this if you read biographies, or listen to people's life stories on You Tube or other media.

There was a "Behind The Music" episode about Stevie Nicks back in the '90s.  She said her family moved several times during her growing-up years.  She didn't seem traumatized by it - she just said something like, 'I had to be somewhat outgoing, in order to make my way in a new situation'....

        I could relate to her life and attitudes, even though I'm not a singer or songwriter.

        One thing about people who hated when their parents moved a lot, sometimes there were other problems that went with that - like, they weren't moving because dad was a minister, they are moving because dad and mom had trouble between them, so you had a separate drama going on that made the children feel unhappy and insecure.

        It wasn't that there was something wrong with the town they moved to, it was instability and chaos.

Then there are military families - they can sometimes move many times, and that can have various pluses and minuses to it.  More different schools and friends to get used to.

I went to the rest of third grade and then all the way through eighth grade in one town, and then all the way through high school in one town.

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becoming Laura Bush

 I was thinking I might want to take a leaf from Laura Bush's "book" and try to become more calm.  

I'm naturally a person with energy and enthusiasm, and that's OK, but sometimes it isn't as good, because it translates into being nervous, and tense, and having my feelings hurt easily.

        When George W. Bush was running for president in 2000, there was an article about his wife, Laura Bush.  It said she was known to be a very calm person, and she read a lot of books.

I have the book-reading part down; maybe I can become more calm, as well.

A week or two ago, I watched a video on You Tube that told you how to not become upset about stuff.  Then I went to work and left my headphones in the hallway and after the break, they had disappeared.

        I was a little upset about it.  I told a co-worker that I had watched a video about how to not get upset about stuff, and then I told her how my headphones disappeared and I was ticked about it.  (I realized she may have started to think, "Maybe you should watch that video - again."...)

People I admire and think of when I want to plan how to deal with stuff:

Princess Diana

Tina Turner

Jackie Kennedy.

--------------------- Maybe I can add Laura Bush to that list.

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places in northeastern Ohio

 

The picture I put at the top of yesterday's post, here, was of a scene at Tiffin, Ohio, the town where I was born.

We moved from Tiffin to Akron, Ohio, when I was really little, so my earliest memories are from the Akron years - I think.  (There are a few memories that might be from the Tiffin years, I'm not sure.  I don't remember the house we lived in there, at all.  So maybe my earliest memories are all from Akron.)

        I do remember Tiffin, though, because my parents and I visited that town a couple of times, later on.  Heidelberg College was there, and we saw friends of my parents called the Martins.

        The Martins had some books that were condensed versions of stories that had appeared in Reader's Digest.

The picture at the bottom of this post is of a street in Mineral City, Ohio.  It was not a city, it was a small town.  It's where we moved after Akron - in Mineral City, I walked to school - attending kindergarten, first grade, second, & a couple months of third grade before we moved again.

Mineral City, Ohio

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let's ask Ralph Waldo Emerson...

 

What is Success?

To laugh often and much

To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;

To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;

To appreciate beauty;

To find the best in others;

To leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;

To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived;

This is to have succeeded.

/ a poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson /

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"this new generation doesn't want to work"

 I like to include, in a blog post, a picture, and as I am writing about the Lisa Frank company from information in the documentary, I considered putting pictures of her stuff on here, of course.  But - I don't like it.  It isn't my style.

        So, the picture under this text is from a different company - Steinlen (Cats / Chats).  Note paper in this brand was a Christmas gift to me, one year.  It's so nice, I don't want to use it up!  (ha)

(I just can't bring myself to put that Lisa Frank cartoon stuff on my blog.

But a lot of people like her pictures and items, and this is no disrespect to them.

Everyone has their taste.  Respect and happiness to all.)

        Several You Tube channels have discussed the Lisa Frank company craziness, and the documentary on Amazon Prime:  Bailey Sarian; Savannah Marie, etc.

selected viewer comments:

------------------------------------------

*  That's why this new generation "doesn't want to work."

Because you go on these jobs

And people act crazy

So it's like yea I rather be my own boss - I'll pass on this.

*  Honestly, I currently use Lisa Frank stickers on my sticker chart.  It's nice at the end of the day when I've finished a task to get to put a white long-haired cat with a tiara on the square for the day.

*  I used to live down the street from the headquarters.  I've heard soooo many stories growing up about Ms. Lisa Frank.

        *  Born and raised in Tucson and it's such a spooky relic of nostalgia!

*  I'm a 1995 baby.  I swear I grew up just being in love with her stuff.

I just feel empty knowing that she had a toxic work place for her workers and scammed people.

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crazy business

 There's a documentary on Amazon Prime Video about a company called Lisa Frank.  I had never heard of it before, but apparently it's well-known among people in a certain age group - "90s kids."

        It's an interesting and strange story.

        The company made stickers and school supplies decorated with pictures (drawings / cartoons) of things that make people happy - unicorns, baby animals with big eyes, etc.

The business starts in the 1980s and then gets really big in the 1990s.

First comes the exciting, creative activities, then comes expansion and high profits, then their office / plant becomes a toxic work  environment, then it ends in lawsuits and divorce.

Later, in the 2000s, a small company started by friends in New York City contacts Lisa Frank and goes into some kind of licensing agreement with her, and then that ends in one or more lawsuits that appear to be still going on.

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well - buzz awhile

 Go on You Tube and type in

I'm A King Bee (Mono)

uploader / channel:  The Rolling Stones

        It's the Rolling Stones' cover of a classic blues song.

I'm not sure what "mono" is:  I think it's what they (we) had, before "stereo."

I don't know - it sounds good, to me.

On my - Android tablet.

-----------------------------------------------------------

          Under the video, there are Comments.

        One of them says, "You know what?  I don't think he's talking about actual bees."

LOL.

I come for the Rolling Stones song.

I stay for the droll humor in the Comments.

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crucial riffs

        Recently here we were recalling Bob Dylan saying those songs in the mid-1960s - he didn't know where they came from.

        I wanted to see if Keith Richards had a similar observation about Rolling Stones music:

-------------------- [excerpt from Life, Keith's autobiography] -------------- "Street Fighting Man," "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and half of "Gimme Shelter" were all made just like that, on a cassette machine.  I used to layer guitar on guitar.  Sometimes there are eight guitars on those tracks....

        That was a magic discovery, but so were these riffs.  These crucial, wonderful riffs that just came I don't know where from.  I'm blessed with them and I can never get to the bottom of them.  

When you get a riff like "Flash" you get a great feeling of elation, a wicked glee.  Of course, then comes the other thing of persuading people that it is as great as you actually know it is.  You have to go through the pooh-pooh.  "Flash" is basically "Satisfaction" in reverse.  Nearly all of these riffs are closely related....

... "Flash" is particularly interesting.  "It's alllll right now."  It's almost Arabic or very old, archaic, classical, the chord setups you could only hear in Gregorian chants or something like that.  

        And it's that weird mixture of your actual rock and roll and at the same time this weird echo of very, very ancient music that you don't even know.  It's much older than I am, and that's unbelievable!  It's like a recall of something, and I don't know where it came from.

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through the smoky towns

 

--------------------- [excerpt from Chronicles, by Bob Dylan] ---------------- I hadn't come in on a freight train at all.  

What I did was come across the country from the Midwest in a four-door sedan, '57 Impala - straight out of Chicago clearing the hell out of there - racing all the way through the smoky towns, winding roads, green fields covered with snow, onward, eastbound through the state lines, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, a twenty-four-hour ride, dozing most of the way in the backseat, making small talk.  

My mind fixed on hidden interests . . . eventually riding over the George Washington Bridge.

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