MOOSE AND SQUIRREL

April 22, 2014

This morning listened to Mahler’s 8th.  This afternoon was about to watch an episode of Rocky & Bullwinkle, and turned to grab the remotes,  doing so recalling that I’d last used them when listening to Mahler; I then thought of Elaine Stritch’s anecdote about thinking “a piece of Mahler” from the Sondheim song referred to a Viennese pastry, that’s how ignorant she was.  In the Aesop & Son installment of R&B there was a sheepdog/wolf fable:  the sheepdog was named “Mauler” – which, of course, is not how I heard it at first.  Just now reading a Michael  Musto article on the “10 Gayest Movies Ever Made”.  The final one No. 10 was “Death in Venice” which not surprisingly mentioned Mahler (and the equally ignorant WB brass wanting to track the composer down).  On the following page Musto changes the subject to the new “Bullets Over Broadway” musical, but segues into it with:  “Let’s slice up a piece of Mahler’s and keep the nostalgia coming.” 

April 23, 2014

Another uncanny Rocky & Bullwinkle related coincidence… On the bus ride tonight remembered Bob’s joking suggestion on Sunday that I take part in liturgical dance.. I thought that I should have answered that I had two left feet, and then recalled Eugene Levy in “For Your Consideration” playing a character who actually had two left feet and to demonstrate that was wearing two left shoes.  … On R&B the Fractured Fairy Tale was The Shoemaker and the Elves… the Elves end up making all left shoes…

 

April 28, 2014

Mr. Peabody and Sherman visited James McNeil Whistler today, to see him paint the famous portrait of his mother. After the usual misadventures,  Peabody closed the episode by  referring to another Whistler painting  that had been confused with the famous one – a horse running through the rain, which was called – “Whistler’s Mudder”.  I didn’t recognize the reference to “mudder”, so looked up the word on Google:  came up with a slew of references to a “Tough Mudder” competition, which is apparently a kind of army-style brutal obstacle race that people are putting themselves through lately.  The top reference referred to such a competition in – of course – Whistler B.C.  

Not such a huge coincidence, perhaps.  Given that there is a competition punningly called “Tough Mudder” it’s inevitable that Whistler would become one of the venues for it.

ONE HUNDRED WAYS

September 20, 2015

I was thinking this morning about gender role reinforcement – how men are supposed to suppress their self-preservation instincts (as in the game of chicken), while women are encouraged to be as vulnerable and helpless as they want (Eek – a mouse!)  Which led me to think of that wry song from “Wonderful Town” “One Hundred Ways to Lose A Man”. Which led me to think of the movie “Gentlemen’s Agreement” where the Gregory Peck character disguises himself as a Jew to investigate anti-Semitism; he’s engaged to a sweet young darling but a fellow journalist who is just as tough-minded and competent as he is holds a torch for him.  It looks for a while as if the latter is going to end up with him, after all, when the s.w.d. reveals that she’s a wee bit of a bigot; but no, s.w.d. apologizes, all is forgiven; and the jilted reporter goes off to write “One Hundred Ways to Lose A Man”.  

Anyhow – the sidewalk book sale was on again at High Park.  One of the books (which I bought) was Arthur Miller’s “Focus”; about a man who is mistaken for a Jew when he starts wearing glasses.  A plot not dissimilar to “Gentlemen’s Agreement” – both books were first published in the 40’s. 

Ate lunch at Jack Astor’s. The sports announcer on one of t.v. screens said the name “Lebron”, which being a black-identified name, reminded me of a conversation with a help desk guy named “Tyrell”.  Just as the latter name came into my head the announcer said “Tyrell”.