Quote of the day: I've often said there's nothing better for the inside of a man than the outside of a horse.—Ronald Reagan I’m not much of a fan of Halloween, but to walk around this neighborhood you’d think it’s the biggest holiday event of the year. For some reason that I cannot fathom, Philadelphians … Continue reading Halloween, Peanuts, and Stephens
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Quote of the day: No innocent person ever has an alibi.—Agatha Christie As I mentioned yesterday, there are songs that Stephen Sondheim wrote for the film Dick Tracy that I like more than the one that won the Oscar for Best Song, “Sooner or Later”, like for example, “More”. It’s a great example of what Sondheim … Continue reading More
What Can You Lose?
Quote of the day: There are many roads to success, but only one sure road to failure; and that is to try to please everyone else.—Benjamin Franklin At the request of his friend Warren Beatty, Stephen Sondheim wrote five songs for the movie Dick Tracy, and he won an Oscar for “Sooner or Later”, the song … Continue reading What Can You Lose?
Back in Business
Quote of the day: My memory about names and places now is dreadful. But lines, I can remember.—Angela Lansbury Yesterday it seemed the world was about to end, didn't it? Looked as though it wouldn't last out the year. Yesterday disaster waited around the bend–Well, my friend,Look what’s here. I did very little baking over … Continue reading Back in Business
The Cheaters
Quote of the day: We're all not quite as sane as we pretend to be.—Robert Bloch When Thriller debuted on NBC in 1960, I couldn't watch it because it came on at 9 PM on Tuesday nights, which was a school night, and so I had to get to bed by 9:00 or 9:30 at the … Continue reading The Cheaters
Isaac and Stephen and Tom
Quote of the day: I know that there are people who do not love their fellow man, and I hate people like that!—Tom Lehrer In the second volume of Isaac Asimov’s autobiography, In Joy Still Felt, there is this passage: I maintained my friendship with Bill Boyd’s assistant, Bernie Pitt, even after he was fired, … Continue reading Isaac and Stephen and Tom
Gypsy Closing
Quote for the day: If wanna bump itBump it with a trumpet!—Stephen Sondheim The production of the musical Gypsy starring Audra McDonald as Rose (sometimes incorrectly referred to as “Mama” Rose, but if you’re gonna do that you should spell it like Arthur Laruents does it in the play and Stephen Sondheim does it in the … Continue reading Gypsy Closing
5,000 Items
Stephen Sondheim‘s vast catalogue of work has been acquired for preservation by the Library of Congress. This includes approximately 5,000 items such as manuscripts, notebooks, music and lyric drafts and scrapbooks from Company, Sweeney Todd, and Into the Woods among others. For example, there's a one-page inner monologue of subtext for Desirée for when she … Continue reading 5,000 Items
Charlie Gilbert
Stephen Sondheim fans, if they know the name Charles Gilbert, know it as the name of the fellow who wrote an unsuccessful play that gave Sondheim the germ of an idea that led to him and John Weidman developing the musical Assassins. And while that is correct as far as it goes, Charlie Gilbert has … Continue reading Charlie Gilbert
Saturday in the Gallery with…
I stopped in the nearby gallery to thank Chris for an idea he had given me the other week and to ask for a suggestion. “That was a great idea about getting that photo of Tug McGraw hugging my parents framed, but when I went to look, all I have is the little six by … Continue reading Saturday in the Gallery with…