this is the only joint in Pinehaven

Nagging, tedious, middle-class propriety nibbles around my head complaining -- or protesting -- "you can't write about a movie like Body Heat at Christmas-time...!  There are some not-very-nice actions and intentions, in that film.  Not very Christmas-y.  Cannot we stick with "Peace on earth, goodwill toward men" for at least one sacred day out of the year - ??"

My answer to that is, this blog wants to continue a discussion it's been having, about film noir and 1981's Body Heat, and we do not subscribe to the idea of being nice for one religious holiday out of the year, and then rotten for the other 364 days of the year, so --
Merry Christmas
Peace - earth - goodwill - men
and now --

back to greed, illicit passion, and conspiracy. ...

Three things -- a statement, a caveat, and a "little story."

Statement:  As we discuss Body Heat here, I do not "recommend" that anyone "see it," because -- you never know what people want to watch and what they don't -- they can read about it here, and decide for themselves if they want to view the movie sometime.

Caveat:  Body Heat is not a movie for children, or "for the whole family." 

"Little story":  in a feature on the B.H. DVD, Ted Danson says, "Oh -- I have a little story."  (He played Lowenstein, the assistant prosecutor who dances soft-shoe steps in his spare moments.  This film came out about a year before "Cheers" began its TV run....)  His little story is that his mother never saw Body Heat, and he only discovered this fact a few years before the DVD feature interview -- probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 2000 - 2007...All that time, since 1981, Danson had thought that his early film roles before Cheers had been viewed by his mother in the theater, but recently she had admitted to him that she never saw most of B.H. because she was disturbed by the sexual content and she walked out.

------------------------------
[Body Heat excerpt]-------------
EXT.  PINEHAVEN TAVERN - NIGHT

INT.  COCKTAIL LOUNGE

Dark.  Almost classy.  The place is half full.  Matty is drinking at the end of the bar, her cigarettes next to her glass.  The bar chairs near her are empty.

Racine comes in, looks around, walks over and sits in the seat next to her.  She looks up, surprised.

MATTY
Look who's here.  Isn't this a coincidence?

Racine looks at her, almost as though he can't place her.  But he doesn't push that effect hard.  He lights a cigarette.

RACINE
I know you.

MATTY
You're the one that doesn't like to talk about the heat.  Too bad.  I'd tell you about my chimes.

RACINE
What about them?

MATTY
The wind chimes on my porch.  They keep ringing and I go out there expecting a cool breeze.  That's what they've always meant.  But not this year.  This year it's just hot air.

RACINE
Do I remind you of hot air?

The Bartender has come up.

RACINE
Bourbon, any kind, on the rocks.
(to Matty)
You want another?

She thinks, then nods her agreement.  The Bartender moves away.

MATTY
What are you doing in Pinehaven?

RACINE
I'm no yokel.  Why, I was all the way to Miami once....

MATTY
What's your name, anyway?

RACINE
(offers his hand)
Ned Racine.

MATTY
Matty Walker.

She takes his hand and shakes it.  Racine reacts strangely to her touch and doesn't let go right away.  She gently frees her hand, then refers to his look as she picks up her drink --

RACINE
Are you all right?

MATTY
(with a relaxed smile)
Yes.  My temperature runs a couple degrees high, around a hundred.  I don't mind.  It's the engine or something.

RACINE
Maybe you need a tune-up....

MATTY
How'd you find me, Ned?

Racine gives her a look.

RACINE
This is the only joint in Pinehaven....

MATTY
You shouldn't have come.  You're going to be disappointed.

Racine looks out over his drink.  Several of the men in the place are looking at them.

RACINE
What'd I do?

MATTY
(indicating Racine's chair)
A lot of them have tried that seat.  You're the first I've let stay.

RACINE
(spotting a few more)
You must come here a lot.

MATTY
Most men are little boys.

-- Maybe you should drink at home.

-- Too quiet.

-- Maybe you shouldn't dress like that.

-- This is a blouse and skirt.  I don't know what you're talking about.

-- You shouldn't wear that body.

--------------------[excerpts -- Body Heat -- author Lawrence Kasdan]

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