News from me - August 29, 2001

August 29, 2001

AT LEFT is the cover for the new DVD of It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, which comes out September 18. I must say I'm a little baffled by this design, which was also employed on one of the VHS releases. See that photo at lower right? Know who that is? That's Edward Everett Horton, a wonderful character actor who is (a) just about totally unknown today and (b) in the movie for all of ten seconds. So why does he have one of the largest photos while Spencer Tracy — the film's main star — has a small one and other stars, much better known than Mr. Horton, are absent?

The most logical explanation I can come up with is that whoever designed this thing thought it was a photo of Jimmy Durante. Either that or this cover is the handiwork of Edward Everett Horton, Jr..

This is the "restored" version which, as you've all heard me say ad nauseam, is not really restored. It's cobbled together from discarded scenes and out-takes. I don't think much of it and, about a year ago when I finally got to sit and talk with Stanley Kramer for a time, he didn't seem to think much of it, either. (I haven't written a column about that chat because, among other reasons, I can't figure out how to tell it so it sounds like something that could happen on this planet. I had wanted for years to meet Mr. Kramer and ask him a few questions about Mad World but it never happened. Then, when I went out to the Motion Picture Country Home to visit Pat McCormack, it turned out his roommate was Stanley Kramer and...well, it was a very odd afternoon because Pat can't talk since his stroke, and Mr. Kramer's memory kept coming and going. But one of these days, I'll set it all down...)

In any case: An overlong Mad World containing scenes that don't belong is still better than no Mad World. And this DVD contains a good "Making of..." documentary, trailers and subtitles in English, French and Spanish. So I'm buying one and if you want to, they're taking advance orders over at Amazon.Com, which you can reach by clicking here.

I DON'T REALLY KNOW who Ron Newcomer is, other than that he loves to take photos of celebrities and have his picture taken with celebrities. He's put a staggering number of such pics, taken over 25 years, on his website (here's the link) and I find it strangely hypnotic to browse through them. The faces of the celebs change but, for some reason, Mr. Newcomer's never does.

QUICK THEATRE REVIEW: The touring company of Kiss Me Kate is camped at the Shubert Theater in Los Angeles for next month or so. This is the same production still playing on Broadway (though probably soon to close) where I saw it twice. Since this is a touring company, we get different stars, the same costumes, the same arrangements, the same revised book, and approximations of the same direction and choreography. The sets follow the same basic designs but have been simplified and downsized so they can be trucked from town to town.

I loved this show in New York but only liked it a lot in L.A., where the stars are Rex Smith and Rachel York. Smith is good and York is great but the chemistry between them — so essential to this tale of a warring theatrical couple performing in a musicalization of The Taming of the Shrew — doesn't quite click. But each scores with great solo turns, and the dance numbers are outstanding. The Act Two opener — "Too Darn Hot" — is worth the price of admission alone and so is the performance of Nancy Anderson in the role of Bianca/Lois. (I loved the lady who played it in N.Y. and Ms. Anderson is even better...)

So the news of what's on the stage is generally good. What isn't good is the news that the Shubert Theatre has only a year to live before it will be razed to make room for a 15-story office building. Playgoing in this town has been bad enough without losing the 2,100 seat Shubert where I saw Evita, A Chorus Line, Sunset Boulevard, 42nd Street, Ragtime and so many others. Some folks had figured that whenever The Producers makes its way west, it would wind up at the Shubert, especially if The Lion King remains ensconced another year at the Pantages, as seems likely. Los Angeles will probably lose a lot of great plays, simply because there's no place to play them.

I HAVE NOTHING more to say about Gary Condit except to note the following two headlines that appeared the day after his interview with Connie Chung. I think they demonstrate what a fine job he did of not saying anything of substance.

Condit Refuses To Acknowledge Affair

By MICHAEL DOYLE, Bee Washington Bureau
(Published: Friday, August 24, 2001)

WASHINGTON — Ceres Rep. Gary Condit said Thursday that he and Chandra Levy "became very close," but he refused to acknowledge having an affair with the Modesto woman.

To read the complete story, click HERE

Condit Admits Affair With Levy

By KILEY RUSSELL, Associated Press Writer
(Published: Friday, August 24, 2001)

MODESTO, Calif. (AP) - Rep. Gary Condit acknowledged a five-month relationship with missing intern Chandra Levy but said he had no idea what happened to her when she disappeared nearly four months ago.

To read the complete story, click HERE

Remember that these two reporters were watching the same interview. How's that for having it both ways?

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