Won't You Charelston With Me?

The day did not begin well. For one thing, it was cloudy, cold, and blah when I finally awoke. I hadn't slept well. I kept getting woken up by animals snarling and fighting either downstairs or outside. I'm hoping it's just the raccoons and feral cats in heat picking brawls. Didn't help that I was up late, either. The chain came off my bike half-way to work again. I hurried down the Black Horse Pike and just barely made it in at the last minute.

After all the fuss, work wasn't really a problem. It was off and on all day. In fact, it was dead when I came in. We did get backed up a lot, but I think that's because we were simply short on help. Thankfully, most people were in better moods than yesterday. My relief was on time, and I was in and out with no trouble.

I tried to fix the bike when I came out. A man going into the Acme ended up helping me get the chain back on. He tightened the back wheel, too. Actually, I think he made it a bit too tight. The bike moved a little stiffly going home. That's ok. At least I made it home, and it was nice of him to help. I'll oil the chain and see if I can do anything else tomorrow.

I'm glad I made Ground Chicken Chili in my Crock Pot for dinner. It was ready and smelling wonderful when I got home. I ran part of The Boy Friend while I ate. (I started it this morning.) This 1971 adaptation of the British musical takes us to a second-rate theater in the English provinces in the late 20's. A troupe is putting on the title show for un-amused local audiences. Sweet Polly the stage manager (Twiggy) is thrust into the main role when the star breaks her ankle. She doesn't care about performing. All she wants is the hot guy playing the love interest (Christopher Gable), but she thinks he doesn't notice her. Meanwhile, everyone else is showing off for a Hollywood director who is scouting out talent for his latest musical, including Tom (Tommy Tune), a tap-dance protege with a rather melodramatic back story despite his cheerful demeanor.

The slight story is augmented by a series of bizarre musical numbers inspired by Busby Berkeley and the musical fantasias of the 30's, most of which don't make much sense in context. The cast is much better, especially charming Twiggy and hilarious Tune. If you love the Berkeley musicals or the huge movie musicals of the late 60's and 70's, this affectionate homage is available in the Warner Archives.