January 27, 2012
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The Daily News1 Last night I decided to watch old movies. Some old '66 picture called The Liquidator, starring Rod Taylor, Trevor Howard, and a rather beautiful Jill St. John.
2 I have no idea what the film was about, some sort of James Bond offshoot. I didn't care. Robert Osborne, TCM's spokesperson and film expert extraoridinaire brought us Rod Tayler movies all night. Taylor is perhaps most famous for his rolls in the 1960 film The Time Machine, and Hitchcock's immortal 1963 film The Birds, co-starring Tippi Hedron. He is probably unknown and underrated as the voice of Pongo in the Disney classic, 101 Dalmations.
3 I love underrated actors, as well as old movies. I made some popcorn, and told the rest of the world to chill.
4 In this life, is there anything that comes close to popcorn and an old movie?
5 A couple of years ago I ran into an old friend of mine, Rob Rainey. It was after some Giants' game at what was then Pac-Bell Park, and I ran into him after the game at MoMo's.
6 It is always great to run into old friends. We were at MoMo's only because we each needed somewhere to go while the traffic cleared. We naturally fell into reminiscing about good times, always a pleasure.
7 At one point I said, "Rob, you always make me laugh. You simply LIVE in the past!"
8 His retort: "What's so great about the present?"
9 With all due respect to the present, I laughed and laughed. Truer words, truer words. I've been a bit bothered lately about the State of the World ever since the State of the Union address. It really has bothered me, to the point of distraction. My insomnia increased twofold, making it a little more difficult to fully function.
10 I handled yesterday with relative ease.
11 I had nightmares the night before last. I had listened to Obama, and the reality of the now struck me. I absolutely couldn't sleep thinking about what sort of world we are living in.
12 It tortured me, because I want my children, and their children, and on and on, to enjoy all the good gifts that life has to offer.
13 And then I watched all the donkeys, elephants, and greedy bastids who really control the world yammering on and debating about their usual boushit.
14 Whats so great about the present?
15 Well, a lot of stuff.
16 It's just that every time elections come around, I get depressed. I keep hoping that one truly honest and goodly politician would step up and guide this confused and flustered nation.
17 I never find one.
18 Fortunately, family keeps it real. After that old movies and old friends.
19 Last night worked. I got home, and the world was still twisted and weird. Fortunately, my idiotic addiction to grading papers and working myself to death was interrupted by a couple of students who earlier had come in to ask me if I had any good ideas for monologues for Monday's Grease audition.
20 I immediately thought of all the great shows we had done . We then talked about all the great shows that are out there. We focused a bit on Wicked, since all three of us had seen it in San Francisco.
21 Talking with a couple of young people about auditions and shows made me put Mitt, and Newt, Obama, and all the rest on the shelf.
22 I got home feeling pretty positive about the hopes and dreams of the younger generation.
23 I thought about how our anticipation for Grease has been everywhere at the school, and about how all the anticipation is now over. It is the hour.
24 I thought of how much the present is becoming real.
25 I thought about how I still have music. I thought about how I have family, and about how I have old friends. And I thought about how I have old movies.
26 I conked out early again, and later woke up and turned on the teevee.
27 Robert Osborne was on talking about the career of Rod Taylor, and talking charmingly about The Liquidator being a low-budget James Bondesque film. Perfect. It was the Monkees of Bond movies. I got it.
28 I didn't pay much attention, just hopped up, made some popcorn, poured a glass of chilled orange juice, and put on the movie.
29 It was really a lava lamp of sorts. I began tacking away at this nonsense, and soon got lost. I kept glancing up each time he would smooch with St. John, anytime one car would chase another, or anytime guns with silencers would appear. Needless to say I glanced up quite often.
30 Once the popcorn was ready, I put this down and watched, trying to figure out the plot. It didn't even matter. There is something intrinsicly pleasing about munching on popcorn under a cozy comforter and watching an old film.
31 So I'd type a few words, clean my fingers with a towel, eat some popcorn, type a little more, and smile.
32 It relaxed me, and brought Rob's comment into focus. What's so great about the present?
33 Well, a lot of things. It's just that when we think of the good things in our pasts, we forget about the bad things. We remember fondly all of the good. I tend to put bad things behind me, and to smile any time I take a stroll down Memory Lane.
34 I don't think I ever saw The Liquidator, and that might have added to it. It was almost as though I was living in the past and seeing the picture for the first time. Nothing was different than when I used to do this same thing on a rainy Saturday.
35 And for one shining moment, all of my thoughts and worries left me.
36 I would never want to live in the past. But visiting the past and floating away from all of the stresses of the present is pretty healing.
37 I think I'll do the same thing way later tonight, since it's the weekend.
38 You know you're getting old when you'd rather sit in your own living room with popcorn and an old movie on a Friday night.
39 There's a lot to be said for getting old.
40 Have a great weekend.
41 Peace.
~H~
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