It’s been a steamy week in New Orleans. It feels more like early May weather than autumn. At least the Border Patrol pukes will get their masks sweaty while wreaking havoc in South Louisiana.
Dr. A and I had a fun day trip to Mobile, Alabama aboard the Mardi Grass Express. The downside was arising at 5:30 AM to get to the station by 7. The ride was smooth, and we were entertained by a group of bositerous Black ladies on a birthday jaunt to Biloxi. They had gambling and drinking on their minds, so they let Amtrak be their designated driver. Wise choice.
We had lunch on the 34th floor of the tallest building in town, at least I think it was the tallest. The food was excellent and the view spectacular. Because of my fear of heights, I may be one of the first patrons to ask NOT to have a window seat. I don’t mind taking in the view at a safe distance. So it goes.
A highlight of our brief visit was the brand spanking new Hall Of Fame Walk featuring bronze statues of Mobile natives Satchel Paige, Billy Williams, Henry Aaron, Willie McCovey, Ozzie Smith, and football hall of famer, Robert Brazile.
Ozzie, of course, was depicted playing defense:
Dr. A and I are museum goers. Anyone surprised? We were pleasantly surprised that Mobile has a world class city history museum. It deals candidly with the city’s racist past, so don’t rat them out to MAGA. We could have spent all day there but had a return train to catch.
This week’s theme song is a pun on Mobile, Alabama. It’s my pun, not Pete Townshend’s. He wrote this week’s theme song for The Who’s 1971 album, Who’s Next. The song is about hitting the road but not in a train.
I give you Going Mobile. Hit it, Pete.
The next song is actually set in Mobile so perhaps it should have been the theme song BUT when could I resist punning? In a word: Never.
Time to put down the mobile phone and kick off our second act with a piece about a second generation movie star.
Laura Dern Has The Spirit Of Seventies Cinema: Dern sat for an extended interview with the New Yorker’s Michael Shulman. They spend a lot of time talking about her parents, Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd as well as Laura’s main muse, David Lynch. I used the article title because I like to think I have the same spirit. Here’s my favorite exchange:
“Your father was also in Alfred Hitchcock’s last film, “Family Plot.”
I was on that set.
Did you see Hitchcock at work?
Yeah. It’s one of my favorite memories. The prop department got me a mini director’s chair and put it next to him so that I could watch. I remember the way he was particularly amused by my dad, and that feeling of seeing a director understand your parent in a way you see them was interesting to me. He saw how funny my father is. When I was going to school, people were, like, “Oh, your dad’s such a bad guy! He killed John Wayne [in ‘The Cowboys’]!” I thought, Well, that’s interesting, because I see him as a funny person. And Scorsese, who saw my mom as so brave and so willing to go anywhere. I thought that was so cool. I hope that the directors I’ve worked with loved the experience as much as I loved the experience, because every one on that list I would want to work with again and again. David [Lynch] knew I could be anyone and held everything inside me. And I did not know that about myself.”
It’s good to see a non-horror story about Hitchcock. I too always thought that Bruce was a Dern funny guy. FYI, I wrote about Family Plot in 2023. A genuinely underrated movie.
The last word of our second act goes to Nina Simone with the poppiest tune I’ve ever heard her sing:
We begin our third act with our favorite stolen feature.
Separated At Birth: Dr. A and I were watching TCM and an image of actress Bebe Daniels popped up. Dr. A pointed out the resemblance to an actress from a later generation, Bebe Neuwrith.
Like today’s Bebe, Daniels could sing and dance. Unlike today’s Bebe, Daniels pronounced her first name Beeb evoking the nickname for the BBC.
The previous paragraph was an excuse to post this Sparks song:
Your Basic Basie: This time, the Count blows stuff up with a number composed and arranged by Neil Hefti.
Have I told you lately how much I love Count Basie?
The Best Of Cheers: Pucker up and get ready for Lilith and Frasier’s first kiss:
Classic Movie Trailer: My favorite Laura Dern movie is David Lynch’s Wild At Heart. Diane Lane was nominated for best supporting actress for playing the wonderfully named Marietta Fortune.
Grading Time: I give Wild At Heart 4 stars and an Adrastos grade of A. It’s a stone cold classic.
Saturday GIF Horse: This comes from another Lynchian classic Blue Velvet. See Laura cry, cry, Laura cry.
I can’t write about Blue Velvet without posting this song:
Toon Time: I’m late to this but SCOTUS declined to hear a case that could have reversed Obergefell v. Hodges, the gay marriage case. Let’s celebrate with Picayune cartoonist Walt Handlesman:
Let’s close down this virtual honky tonk with some more music.
Saturday Closer: We conclude with Ella & Duke on The Ed Sullivan Show:
That’s all for this week. The last word goes to the Willie McCovey bronze.
