Started today off with finishing Clarice Bean, Don't Look Now. As a fellow worrywart, I can certainly relate to Clarice's assortment of worries - her family is arguing over their remodeling, her best friend just moved away, her drama teacher cancels the class due to pregnancy, a new girl from Sweden seems to be getting a lot of the boys' attention, and she has tickets for the premiere of the movie version of her favorite spy-oriented books, but no one to ask to them. She combs through the spy novels for advice, trying to figure out how to deal with things like her favorite heroine, Ruby Redfort...and learns that heroism can sometimes come from the least-likely places, and that you really can't judge a ginger-spiced cookie by it's crumb.
Made a quick trip to the Acme around 11. There were things that I either couldn't get yesterday at Shop Rite because they were too heavy or cold to carry home, or that were just a better price here. I bought two packs of lamb shoulder fillets, two packs of single tillapia fillets, sugar, brown sugar (Domino's is on sale this week), and tomato paste. Nestle's chocolate chips were also on sale. I bought the dark chocolate bag and opted to try their Halloween themed bag with semi-sweet chocolate chips and orange-colored white chips.
When I got home, I put everything away, then had a quick sandwich for lunch while finishing This Time For Keeps, which I started before I left. Once again, Esther finds herself torn between a GI and an older man. In this case, the returning private is Dick Johnson (Johnnie Johnston) who has abandoned his former fiancee and his father's (Lauritz Melichor) wishes for him to be an opera singer to pursue Esther and a career as a pop vocalist. This time, Esther is a star in an aquatic revue, with Jimmy Durante her overprotective manager and family friend. When Melichor declares his son's intention of marrying another woman, a heartbroken Williams flees to her grandmother's home to sort things out...and the men follow, including Johnston.
I liked this even less than Thrill of a Romance. Crooner Johnston was unlikable and stiff; Melichor's character had more to do with the plot but was less easy-going. At the very least, it was more of a musical, with a genuine water ballet choreographed by Stanley Donen. Jimmy Durante had some decent numbers. Same as the last one - for fans of Williams or the cast only.
The mail arrived while the movie was running. The Monkees Present Deluxe Edition was here! The most recent Rhino Handmade Monkees 3-disk set of rarities covers my favorite of the three albums the group made after Peter Tork quit. Great songs here range from Mike's classic "Listen to the Band" to Micky's raging "Mommy and Daddy" and gentle "Pillow Time" and Davy's ballad "French Song" and rocking "Looking For the Good Times." To be honest, I would have waited to buy this, but it's a limited edition, and as the last Monkees album that Rhino intends to release as a deluxe edition, I don't know how long this will be around.
(Oh, and while I'm debating picking up the Deluxe Edition of the Head soundtrack somewhere along the line, this pretty much finishes out my Monkees collection.)
Work wasn't too bad when I came in, but it got much busier during rush hour. We're getting close to the beginning of the month. Other than the usual assortment of cranky people associated with the beginning of the month, we had no real problems, and I was in and out.
I ran Disney cartoons when I got home and earlier this afternoon. Started with Silly Symphonies, including the spooky "Hell's Bells" and "The Cat's Out," and the less frightening seasonal music video "Autumn." The black-and-white "The Spider and the Fly" and the color "The Moth and the Flame" tell variations on the same story - a group of insects band together to save their own from a nasty spider or a flame who threatens to burn a pretty moth miss. "Little Hiawatha" wants to be a brave warrior, but he can't bring himself to shoot a defenseless deer. Showing their appreciation, the woodland critters help him in return when he's in trouble. "Cock O' the Walk" is a cocky rooster fighter, but he may have met his match in a skinny rooster who wants his girl back.
Mickey and the gang had their own black-and-white fall fun. Mickey is "The Galloping Gaucho" in one of his earliest shorts, where he does Spanish dances with Minnie and enjoys a few glasses of beer. " Mickey has to rescue Minnie from a vicious ape in "The Gorilla Mystery." Mickey and Pluto don't have much luck when they head out to the pond for "The Duck Hunt." Mickey proves to be one heck of a party mouse when he even gets the furniture and clothes dancing in "The Whoopee Party." He's a better quarterback than one might think of such a little guy in "Touchdown Mickey." And "Klondike Kid" has him going after Minnie again when Pete kidnaps her and Mickey chases them across the frozen north.
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