I’m starting to warm to Carnival 2024. That’s a good thing as I live inside the parade box, so I have no choice but to deal with it. The weather is  cool and brisk with rain forecast for today. Rainy parades are the worst. I’d rather be too warm or too cold than too wet.

I stepped in dog shit in front of my house the other day. Dog walkers have gotten so much better about picking up poop that it was the first time in years this happened. I’m glad I was wearing machine washable shoes. Holy trivial passage, Batman

This week’s theme song was written by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen for Steely Dan’s 1980 album, Gaucho. My Steely Dan bender is finally winding down. I have  Carnival tunes on my mind instead.

We have two versions of Babylon Sisters for your listening pleasure: the studio original and Steely Dan live on their mid-Nineties comeback tour.

While we’re in Babylon, let’s check in with Bob Marley and Linda Ronstadt.

We begin our second act without pussyfooting around. I prefer to slink.

Cinema Cats: I know that many First Draft readers are cat people and some are film buffs. These passions collide at Cinema Cats. I stumbled into the site when researching my post about the 1946 movie, Suspense. There was a black cat in that weird little movie. I found this picture at Cinema Cats:

They even have the odd animated GIF. In this one, a cat confronts Asta in Another Thin Man:

I’ve done my duty for my fellow feline fanciers. Famous cat person Ian Anderson will play us out of this segment:

I’ve never seen that clip before. I thought I’d seen all the Tull clips. Oh well, what the hell.

Documentary Of The Week: HBO’s Murder In Boston tells the sordid tale of the 1989 murder of Carol Stuart at the hands of her husband, Chuck. In most murder investigations, the husband is the prime suspect until cleared. That was not so here: the police, press, and politicians swallowed Chuck Stuart’s story whole. He was shot, wasn’t he?

This 3-part docuseries is more than another true crime tale: It addresses pervasive racism in Boston. The handsome white dude was believed by police brass. They overlooked the views of the detectives who interviewed Stuart in the hospital. They thought his story did not add up, neither did the attending physician.

The best talking heads in the series are the Black folks who were directly affected by BPD’s ineptitude and bigotry. Lives were ruined but neither the police nor the mayor apologized.

Before the Stuart murder, then Mayor Ray Flynn had done a good job of bringing the city together after years of racial strife over busing. That good work was destroyed because Flynn bought Chuck Stuart’s lies.

Here’s the trailer:

Grading Time: Murder In Boston transcends the true crime genre with some acute social commentary. I give it 3 1/2 stars and an Adrastos Grade of B+

The last word of our second act goes to Boston:

We begin our third act with our favorite stolen feature.

Separated At Birth Casting Edition: A second installment of Ryan Murphy’s Feud series has landed at FX and Hulu: Capote vs. The Swans. I long ago sided with Gore Vidal in *his* feud with Truman Capote, but the devious little bastard is fascinating. Thus far, the series is excellent.

The Swans in question are the society ladies who Capote charmed and later betrayed. One of them was Slim Keith who was film director Howard Hawks’ ex-wife. Slim always claimed to have discovered Lauren Bacall; a claim I find credible because Bogie called Bacall’s character in To Have and to Have Not, Slim.

Diane Lane plays Slim Keith.

Your Weekly Oscar: Saxophonist Ben Webster is best known for his time with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, but he had a wide-ranging musical career including recording with our hero, Oscar Peterson.

Have I told you lately how much I love Oscar Peterson?

The Best Of Letterman: This is a historical clip of sorts. It’s the first appearance of Stupid Pet Tricks.

The featured image is of the elaborate set for DW Griffith’s Intolerance, which was his apologia for his previous film, The Birth Of A Nation. Griffith was for intolerance before he was against it or some shit.

Saturday GIF Horse: I still have silent movies on my mind. First, a GIF of an image that should be familiar to First Draft readers: Harold Lloyd in Safety Last. It’s followed by Buster Keaton getting kicked and doing a pratfall. Nobody fell better than Buster.

I’ll let Neil Sedaka play us out of this segment:

The Saturday Meme:  The image speaks for itself.

Here’s the film’s less profane theme song:

Tweet Of The Week: It’s Carnival time, so here’s a tweet from Carnival maven Vatican Lokey DBA Carl Nivale:

Most of mid 20th c. Canal Street was decorated with clowns & large decorations 8 stories tall at Carnival. Enjoy the decorations of Canal St. in the past, a delightful part of #OurCarnivalHeritage
Repost & Share! Like & Follow @profcarlnivale#Carnival2024 #MardiGras2024 pic.twitter.com/0BPbTKtq1A

— Prof. Carl Nivale (@ProfCarlNivale) January 31, 2024

Let’s close down this virtual honky tonk with some more music.

Saturday Closer: In 1986, the Neville Brothers participated in a series of concerts benefitting Amnesty International. I give you their set from the final concert of the Conspiracy Of Hope tour. My 13th Ward homies are joined by Carlos Santana on the last number.

That’s all for this week. The last word goes to Oscar Peterson and Ben Webster.

Have I told you lately how much I love Oscar Peterson?