I Could Be Happy Baking

Yes, I spent most of a cloudy morning baking and watching The Boy Friend. This charming 1971 Ken Russell version of the British stage musical takes us behind the scenes at a small-time stage musical in the late 20s. When the star (Russell regular Glenda Jackson) breaks her leg, timid stage manager Polly (Twiggy) steps in. Thing is, Polly's no Ruby Keeler - she's just a scared kid who wants to get through a performance, ogle the leading man Tony (Christopher Gable), and go home. Everyone else, on the other hand, is competing for the eye of the Hollywood director sitting in the audience. They all want to be discovered...except for Polly, who only wants Tony to discover her. Her fantasies and their desperation coalesce into a series of amazing, Busby Berkeley-esque numbers.

This one has grown on me over the years. I didn't know what to make of it when I first bought it. Those who know the light, small-ish stage version of The Boy Friend may be dismayed with the rather excessive expansion of what was originally a small, sweet musical. In a weird way, it's the lighter flip-side of Chicago, which also contrasts show-business fantasy with grimy reality. Twiggy's adorable as Polly in her starring debut; stage dancer and director Tommy Tune does the second of his two movies as one of the title "boy friends." Cute and fun for those who like big 60s-70s musicals, Twiggy, Tune, Russell, cult musicals, or the real 30s Berkeley extravaganzas.

I pulled out my Lemon Muffins and Coconut-Dark Chocolate Cookies as the movie was ending. I barely had enough time to gulp fried eggs and spinach for lunch, then change into my uniform and hurry off to work.

As it turned out, the rush wasn't necessary. It was even quieter today than it was yesterday. I spent an hour early on putting returns on the shelves. It picked up a little bit during rush hour, but was never as bad as it usually is. We're coming up on a holiday weekend and the beginning of the month. Many people are probably waiting for next week to do their big shopping.

It also helped that we never got the rain they keep forecasting for us. In fact, the clouds were breaking up by the time I headed to work. When I left, the sky was clear and it was bright and sunny, if also warmer and more humid than it has been.