Turn On the Heat

Ugh. Yes, the heat wave continues, though there's supposed to be relief on the horizon, starting late tomorrow. For now, I cranked the air conditioner. Finished American Graffiti during breakfast this morning, then did more Lois & Clark. The staff of the Daily Planet are held hostage by a gangster looking for the money of a 20s racketeer that was hidden somewhere in the building. While Clark tries to figure out how he can save the others without them seeing him leave, the rest of the staff imagine themselves as the racketeer, his moll, and the rest of his club patrons.

I had work at 11AM. It was pretty much the same as yesterday, off-and-on steady, with some really dead patches. I have the feeling most people are probably going to head either to the Poconos or the Jersey Shore as soon as possible this weekend. This time, it slowed down enough by the end of my shift to leave without a relief.

Good thing, as I had some shopping of my own to do. The Acme was having a 40% off sale on Purdue chicken and its own label. I bought both thin and thick breasts, along with more canned chicken for quick meals like last night's salad. Restocked tuna, baking cocoa (Hershey's now has a "Special Dark" cocoa), orange juice concentrate, buttermilk, yogurt, and peanut butter. Sponges were buy one, get one, so I grabbed two 3-packs.

The big Amazon.com order I put in a few days ago was waiting for me when I got home. I changed into cooler regular clothes, then ran The Merry Widow, one of two Warners Archive movies I've wanted for a few months now. MGM imported Jeanette MacDonald, Maurice Chevalier, and Ernst Lubitsch from Paramount to add wit and sparkle to their remake of the beloved 1903 operetta. MacDonald is Sonia, a widow in tiny European country Marshovia who is tired of mourning. She finally opts to move to Paris and have a little fun, which prompts panic among the country's citizens, especially the King (George Barbier) and his flighty Queen (Una Merkel). Sonia owns more than half the country, and the King fears that if she marries outside the borders, they'll lose her money and go broke. He sends the notorious womanizer Captain Danilo (Maurice Chevalier) to woo her back.

The last of the Chevalier-MacDonald-Lubitsch operettas benefits from MGM's high-gloss production, some enjoyable songs (with lyrics by Lorenz Hart), and a great "Merry Widow Waltz" dance sequence at the ball. MacDonald in particular relishes her turn as a woman who discovers life outside her country's borders. It's finally out in the Warner Archives; recommended for fans of The Merry Widow, MacDonald and/or Chevalier, and 30s musicals.