satis-factory

when asked about andy warhol, i have mixed feelings. it is impossible for me to deny his tremendous, even groundbreaking impact on the world of modern art. still, i think he got really, really lucky. he landed at just the right time, with just the right vibe. at no other time in history would his excuses for art have been accepted and even hailed as actual art. and so, i find myself jealous. if his stuff rocked the world and practically deified him, why isn't MY stuff similarly hailed? then, i have to remind myself, that if it hadn't been for 'weird art' pioneers such as Warhol, then there'd be even less of a path and audience for MY (our) psychedelic, unconventional stuff. i have to remind myself that he dared to push the concept of 'what passes for film,' ...paving the way for the visionary directors i enjoy to this day. and i must keep in mind that his experiments in 'cross-pollenating' from several pop culture 'hives' and disciplines to create new, free, original hybrid schools of Art are almost directly responsible for my large, inclusive embracing of the 'cut-up' method on an almost phantasmic scale. i'm not making any sense, am i? well, Andy might've been able to dig me. as much as i could sit here and 'bag' on him, i DO hope he digs me. Us. i hope he's out there somewhere, going: "...wow, those guys have the right idea... they're following the righteous path..." i can only hope so. (click to enlarge)

happy birthday donald o connor

yeah, i guess we all know donald o connor best from his role as gene kelly's sidekick in 'singin' in the rain.' he kind of got a raw deal back then in the hollywood 50's, because he was, in MY opinion, every bit as fine a dancer and gene kelly himself. you watch numbers like 'moses supposes,' and you'll see what i mean. and i've always thought donald was cute like a duck. with his smooth carmel blow wave hair, cute face, and quick wit, i've always found him terribly charming. he was making movies since he was a teenager... even playing the 'young' version of gary cooper in the black and white adventure film 'beau geste,' also starring an extremely young and handsome robert preston. and i think ray milland was the third guy. i don't remember who the chick was. but, in any case, donald o connor turns 84 years old today. and he's one of the men who's had the pleasure to brag that he kissed marilyn monroe on the lips. (in the 'showbiz' extravaganza 'there's no business like show business,' which also starred the firecracker mitzi gaynor, and the very, very legendary ethel merman.)

rare hot color

okay, i'm super-tired right now, so don't expect my writing to be up to my usual level of clever excellence. but i just realized how long its been since i did an entry over here at the planet, so i thought i should put something down. and hey, i know how much we all love jack lemmon, so i thought this pic would be cool. it's a great rare color shot of tony curtis and sweet jack, in full drag-costume for the classic billy wilder comedy, 'the showgirl and the sweet transvestites.' no, just kidding... it's 'some like it hot.' (mm, no shit.) i think jack is positively adorable. i've heard 'hollywood babylon' rumors that tony curtis was super-comfortable in drag, and like, took to it right away. but really, how great is this movie? its one of those flicks that i'll stop the dial and watch almost any time i see it rolling. and you know, most people think of it as a marilyn monroe movie, and yeah, i guess it is... but in all fairness, marilyn doesn't show up until like, nearly 40 minutes into the script. so for the first big chunk, its just the two guys... and i don't think i'm going out on a limb to suggest that if it had only been tony curtis in that first part, then it would've just fizzled. i guess what i'm trying to say is this: 'some like it hot' is Jack Lemmon's movie. completely. ohhh, what i wouldn't give for a little squeeze of that Lemmon!! really, you remove jack from that film, and it flattens like an inflatable falsie with a pin in it. (click to enlarge)