"It only takes five little fingers to blow you away."
— Elvis Costello
As I mentioned on an earlier post, last week I watched a double feature
of The Big Sleep and Kiss Me, Deadly on television. Since I don't watch
television all that much, usually only when my brain is tired, I was unaware
that the double feature was part of a new thing they have on Turner Classic
Movies. They are now featuring detective movies every Tuesday and Wednesday
nights. Tonight, for example, they will be showing Detective Story (1951)
with Kirk Douglas, The Naked City (1948), and He Walked By Night
(1948).
But I wanted to tell you about the commercial for the series, which they
call "Watching the Detectives." The promo for the series is just the coolest
advertisement on the tube right now. I may be a little bit prejudiced, of
course.
Clicking on the photo above will take you to the TCM promo. When the promo
starts to play (if you are running a Windows OS) right click on the screen
and then hit ZOOM and FULL SCREEN. I suggest that because it really is a lot
cooler in full size.
The advertisment features the song "Watching the Detectives" by Elvis Costello.
Oh, man – thank you for sharing. And that´s not a cliché!First, Elvis Costello is a favourite of mine. Second, that song is my favourite of his songs. Third, the short movie here was B/W. Fourth, it had all the ingredients to cook a good detective soup!If I were able to receive that TV-station where I live, I would be a dedicated fan by now.I can´t, though. Never mind – I can always re-read your stories 🙂
Too bad you can't get TCM there! I find that odd, actually. I kinda always assume, watching people in Baghdad watch CNN, that the stuff just goes everywhere. But I guess not. In any case I think that it is really a great thing TCM is doing showing these old movies. I really think we are just at the very beginning of seeing a renewed public interest in the old detective stuff. Hollywood just is so empty these days, nothing but remakes, little in the way of original ideas, and — when compared to some of the stuff from the past — usually no sense of style, either. There at the TCM site if you watch some of the trailers, like the one for Detective Story, you'll see a real difference. Even the TRAILERS were better in the old days. These days, the trailer show about ten seconds of what essentially is nothing, and you're left wondering — "What the hell is that movie ABOUT, though?" It's style over substance, even assuming you cnn call computer generated special effects style, which (in the main), you can't. There are exceptions, though. RARE exceptions. In the meantime, if you have a credit card, Allan, and I imagine you do being a day trader and all, you can always buy the movies on the internet. I have a few links for that on my sidebar, if you want to check it out.Couldn't agree more about Elvis. "My Aim Is True" was certainly a great album. "Alison" is another off of that. But "Watching the Detectives", well, I could listen to that one on a contunuous tape loop. "She's filing her nails as they're dragging the lake." Ha! Great stuff. And, speaking of fiction, I was thinking the past month or so that it has been way too long since I posted a short story — last Novenber, in fact. So I have a new one on the way. I imagine it will take me a few more days to finish it. I have to make another run over to the Casino for cigarettes, which will eat up most of one day. But if all goes well I think I might be able to finish the new one by this weekend — Maybe!The new one may not have quite the depth of the past two. But it has its good qualities. At the very least, it's good fun. More on this later.Stay posted. And, as always, thanks for stopping by.PS. I heard the funniest thing tonight. One guy telling another, "I know everything there is to know about sheep."Ha! I think I'll pass. Maybe too much information there.
I have been investigating. And being a good detective, I have discovered that it´s actually possible for me to watch the TCM channel – if I upgrade my subscription. I will have to consider that – since money remains an issue. I may be a day trader, but that doesen´t necessarily mean that I succeed very well. Particularly not these days :yikes:Elvis Costello: I went to a concert with him once, where some blockhead from the audience threw a bottle on the stage. Costello turned around and left the stage just like that – with the crowd booeing for some time as a result. After a minute or so, some guy from backstage came forward and said: "Mr Costello don´t wanna play anymore". I remember thinking that the attitude was all right. I suppose I would have done the same. But judging from the reaction of the crowd, I was quite alone with that opinion.Oh – and I do look forward to this new creation of yours. I will enjoy every single letter, I´m sure 🙂
Great story about Costello.My own Elvis concert was a bit tamer, but hotter. It was August 31 in Dallas at the Wintergarden (how ironic) and there were about 2000 of us standing (no seats) there in front of the stage. For some reason there was an air conditionar failure, and it was about 100 F inside the venue. God only knows how hot it was on stage, it must have been like the Sahara desert. Elvis played a full set anyway, and two encores. "This is just so I'll be No. 1" he said, as he came out for the second encore. That was the Imperial Bedroom tour, which I think was like 1982 if memory serves, which it doesn't always.It might be cheaper just to buy the DVDs you want. Cable is expensive. I would hate to tell you how much I pay a month for the TV, fast Internet, and phone — which is all under one Hat through Comcast.
The direct link is http://www.tcm.com/video/videoPlayer/?cid=157867Broadband and full screen still recommended.
Dan, you're The Man!How'd you come up with that one? Jeez. Anyway, I'll corrrect the link. BTW, I really like the new photo of you and Mira. 🙂
Thanks, Prime. I remember those STNG bits. If you will allow, I would like to make one addition to your review — Gates McFadden "all dolled up" as the female interest in the story. Now THAT was worth it right there! Boy is she a hot redhead. You did mention Dr. Crusher, but I thought I'd nail that down a little.I will look forward to your visits.P.S. And thanks for the Spotlight. You get a lot of traffic your way, so that means a lot here.
Loved the blog and the video clip. In the now defunct Star-Trek SNG tv series Captain Jean-luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) has a favourite holodeck scenario-game in which he takes on the character of a PI. Here's part of a crtical review of that SNG episode:"When Captain Picard seeks some much needed recreation in the Enterprise's newly revamped holodeck, he decides to take a fantasy vacation as his favorite fictional private eye, Dixon Hill, a hard-boiled, trench-coated defender of WWII-era San Francisco. Picard's thrilling account of the computer-generated verisimilitude persuades a few shipmates to join him: Commander Data, Dr. Crusher, and some guy you've never heard of. Guess who gets shot when the holodeck malfunctions and its artificial creations turn very real and very deadly? The cast plays up to the genial humor of the witty story, and guest star Lawrence Tierney is a hoot as a Sidney Greenstreet-type villain philosophically intrigued by the notion that he doesn't truly exist. All that's missing is the playfulness that could have sent this over the top."Now, I know this is a long way away from the intellectual level of discussion that you and Alan have been having here, but I guess I wanted to show you that I enjoyed this posting and that I have and do still enjoy PI stories of the 'Chandler' era. Although I may be rather better known in OC as a poet, in essence I am a writer and I love writing short stories.I have placed a 'watch' on your page and I hope to enrich my knowledge and understanding by reading more of your writing and information.Best wishes.
Loku – you´re doing the right thing. This here blog is worth watching, as I´m sure you´ll soon find out.
edward,yes I agree with you' gates Mcfadden was such a hottie in that scenario.As to the Spotlight? I'm glad to help. You write such a quality blog here that I'm hoping more and more folk 'discover' what a talented guy you are :up:Alan, I first 'met' edward some while back but due to circumstances not entirely under my control (but still my fault nevertheless, mea culpa) I have not made my way back to him.I will do my best to rememdy this.
I can see your interpretation there.
Snazzy video, but completely goes against my mental image of the song which is not of the detectives themselves but of some poor schmuck trying to make the bored babe on the sofa. Always loved that song ever since I first heard it. Oh, he was so good in the 1970s! 🙂
now I can see what was happening! I was not logged in to Opera! :doh:
lokutus_prime writes:I know this is off-topic edward.. but on your "tagged" page (re Erasmus) I tried to post my comment and somehow got directed into an "anonymous" box. I could not seem to get away from this and so I posted but included my name there.Most strange. It also seems to be happening here too. What's going on? Am I doing something wrong I wonder? Am I now excluded from posting to you in the usual way?
"It only takes five little fingers to blow you away."– Elvis Costellowhat a great quote! I love it! Everything it says… :faint:
yep, that's what I thought, the first time Isabel fainted on me :p, but now I know she's so plumb full of admiration and excitement, whenever she reads my replies on her page 😀
Well, L.P., I'm just glad it wasn't something on this end. I'm still having trouble posting photos in Comments. Since the new upgrade, all I'm getting is the link to the photo, not the photo itself. Worse, I did a forum post mentioning the problem and all I got were a bunch of people telling my that "everything was OK" and that they got the photo to come up just fine. You do get the photo in the Preview for the Comment, just not in the Comment itself once you save it. In any case I hope the Opera Monkeys get the gliche fixed. My SNG posts use this photo in a Comment feature.Isabel, I'm glad you liked the promo. And the song. I couldn't quite figure out what the blue smiley represented, though. Is that "Dreaming Smiley?"
😆 -she's fainted edward. she faints on me too 😆
Ah, that explains it. I guess I'll have to shuck the Passed Out Drunk theory, too.
Well, there you have it! (ibid.)
..in the same place 😀