Sound the triumpets: it's William Shatner as Alexander the Great!

This is an unsold TV pilot from 1968. Took me A LONG time to find it on a free movie site. It has elements of greatness, as well as a side of cheese from Shatner's Desilu days. (More about Desilu-related issues in the next post!). The show boasts a strangely eclectic cast, from John Cassevetes (moody dark dramas, mostly) to Joseph Cotten (good journeyman actor meant to add credibility) to none other than Batman himself, Adam West.

It's worth seeing for the horsemanship alone. Shatner did all his own riding, a fact which makes more sense in light of the fact that at age 85, he STILL does all his own riding, competing at Saddlebred competitions all over the place. He's not exactly lean any more, but he does it. He's a natural horseman, and to see him thundering along bareback (no stirrups in Al's day!) with no bounce at all, as still as a feather on the horse's back. . . it's a sight to be seen.

The rest is pretty OK, though it's definitely a product of its time. Too bad it didn't make it, as this was the era - between Star Trek and T. J. Hooker, when Shatner was once again a star - that he had to live out of the back of his truck, with only the occasional Loblaws commercial to relieve the drought. But Shatner always had the ability to keep on keeping on, to be a working actor. Nowadays he does anything he wants - including riding horses.

The most terrifying video I've ever seen

Back when this first came out, in 1968, nobody knew what the hell he was talking about. It was just some kind of nonsensical sci-fi vision of something we knew would never happen.

And it's all coming true.

"What did you do to his eyes?"

This is not the best gif technically, but it will do: it captures the "reveal", the most sublime moment in Rosemary's Baby, which I watched for the third time last night on DVD. 

Though this hardly seems possible, I saw it on TV in about 1969 - I know it's true because I watched it in the den when I was sleeping in the pull-out bed, and we  moved away later that year, so there were no more late-night fright nights. Back then, it usually took quite a few years for a movie to go from theatrical release to television, and then only in adulterated form. How could it have shown up on TV, pretty much intact, in only a year?

Then the movie completely disappeared. It never came on television, not even on Turner Classics. It was never re-released. I could not find a trace of it anywhere, so was finally forced to buy a rather shitty DVD with grainy quality, perhaps a knockoff.

43 years had gone by, but what I retained from that night in the pullout bed was amazing.

I remembered so much of it, in fact, it became apparent on second viewing that it had burned itself into my brain. Some movies barely register, but this one became part of my neural network.

Why? IT'S BLOODY GOOD. Everything about it is enthralling and strange, especially the dream sequences. Mia Farrow is excellent in it, creating sympathy while at the same time setting up doubt that any of this is real, that it isn't just a product of her fevered "pre-partum" brain.

And John Cassavetes - HE is the devil, as far as I am concerned. He is evil incarnate, far worse than the dotty old people chanting about Lord Satan. One of the creepiest scenes is when he tries to justify to Rosemary the sacrifice of their child to Satanic forces:

"Think of all we're getting in return."

Roman Polansky's reputation was forever besmirched by a statutory rape case, though the victim came out a few years ago and (bizarrely) came to his defense. That aside, there is no doubt that this is an inspired work. The sense of weirdness, of the world slipping sideways, the eerie tension juxtaposed with normalcy, does not let up for a second. It pulls tight and lets go, taking us with it.  That horrible sense of "they're all in it together", a prime feature of paranoia, plays on our fears of surrendering control. And having one special, beloved ally, one person who "gets it", then losing him to those dark forces,  is heartbreaking. 

OK, so then, why did I watch this masterpiece again? Because one of the networks decided to do a remake, which was so atrocious I only watched it to see how truly bad a remake could be.

In stark contrast with the original, nobody was good in this, and they changed all the best parts, including that astonishing "reveal" (one of the great moments in the horror genre). 

Leave it alone, I tell you! But nobody does. Did they think they could make this any better? They even wrecked the quirky charm of the short-skirt, go-go '60s by trying to "bring it up to date". 

But we've lost the ability  to make movies like this, that ruthlessly pull and claw at the emotions.  All is slash-and-splatter now, and somehow or other it does not have anywhere near the impact of a 98-pound waif  wielding a butcher knife. Married to Sinatra, in the bargain.

Order The Glass Character from:

Thistledown Press 

http://www.thistledownpress.com/html/search/genre/Fiction/the_glass_character_p580.cfm

Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/Glass-Character-Margaret-Gunning/dp/1927068886/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1395534131&sr=1-1&keywords=the+glass+character

Chapters/Indigo.ca

http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/the-glass-character/9781927068885-item.html?ikwid=the%2520glass%2520character%2520margaret%2520gunning&ikwsec=Home

Incredible word soup

Ducks on a pond, ducks on a pond

Very pretty swimming round

The lion and the unicorn journey very far

The answers are the question, sir

The lady soothes the lion's fur

Meek as a lamb he follows her

Wherever angels are

Sing me something

I asked the ice it would not say

But only cracked or moved away

I thought I knew me yesterday

Whoever sings this song

Greetings on you kings in the sky

Who'll buy me a mynah bird

Play me a magic word

Speak of hopes with thoughts absurd

Thoughts floating by

Little ducks, pretty birds

Clouds across the sky

Moving pieces on the plains of Troy

Carving faces on the rocks of joy

Pretty lady washing the tiles

Soapy pictures like crocodiles

Chilly winds blowing

Lovely spring coming soon

I wear my body like a caravan

Gipsy rover in a magic land

Misty mountains where the eagles fly

Lonely valleys where the lost ones cry

I had a little letter full of paper

Inky scratches everywhere

Always looking, looking for a paradise island

Help me find it everywhere

Peacocks talking of the colour grey

Awaking soundly in darkest day

A howling tempest on a silent sea

Lovely Jesus nailed to a tree

Mad as the moon when Merlin falls

Silver castles and silver halls

Taking lessons from the piper's son

Learn to play while the world is young

Boys and girls come out to play

The moon doth shine as bright as day

Leave your sorrows and leave your sleep

And join your playfellows in the street

Come with a whoop or come with a call

Come with a goodwill or not at all

Up the ladder and down the wall

A ha'penny loaf will serve for all

Following my fortune now the Holy Grail is found

And the Holy Bread of Heaven it is given all around

Farewell sorrow, praise God the open door

I ain't got no home in this world any more

Poor as the birds but to give their song away

Gathering possessions round to make a bright array

Dark was the night, praise God the open door

I ain't got no home in this world anymore.

- Incredible String Band, Wee Tam, 1968

http://margaretgunnng.blogspot.ca/2013/04/the-glass-character-synopsis.html

http://members.shaw.ca/margaret_gunning/betterthanlife.htm

Brighter every day

OK then, this is a mixup, but not really. All day yesterday (or I think it was the day before), I was thinking of that Incredible String Band song Ducks on a Pond. Makes sense, because all I did  that day was watch ducks/ducklings on a pond.

I wanted to post my homemade duckling gifs, video, etc. and wondered if the Ducks on a Pond song would be a good accompaniment. Well. . . I hadn't heard the Increds (as we called them back in 1968) for many,  many years, but I remembered they were best listened to when you were stoned out of your mind on hashish (with a side of cheap wine). I now see why. The Ducks song just goes on forever, and though it has some arresting images in it, it's just too crazy to include here.

But I found another one, much shorter and more - what, sprightly? Less stoner-rific? Like you can actually listen to it clean and sober. No ducks in it, but it's still a nice song.

So here it is. . . with ducks.

You Get Brighter

You get brighter every day and every time I see you

Scattered brightness in your way and you taught me how to love you

And I know you belong to everybody but you can't deny that I'm you

I know you belong to everybody but you can't deny that I'm you

In the morning when I wake I moor my boat and greet you

Hold your brightness in my eye and I wonder what does sleep do

For you get brighter every day and every time I see you

Scattered brightness in your way and you taught me how to love you

I know you belong to everybody but you can't deny that I'm you

I know you belong to everybody but you can't deny that I'm you

Oh, wondrous light

Light, light, lighter

You give all your brightness away

and it only makes you brighter

For you get brighter every day and every time I see you

Scattered brightness in your way and you taught me how to love you

And I know you belong to everybody but you can't deny that I'm you

I know you belong to everybody but you can't deny that I'm you

Krishna colours on the wall you taught me how to love you

Krishna colours on the wall you taught me how to love you

(repeat and repeat and repeat)

You get brighter 

Every

Day.

http://margaretgunnng.blogspot.ca/2013/04/the-glass-character-synopsis.html

http://members.shaw.ca/margaret_gunning/betterthanlife.htm

Hard, hard, hard

This popped into my head for the first time in years as I had a phone conversation with a dear friend tonight. It seems we are both wrestling with similar things. It has become apparent to us how much easier it is (for some people) to be "benevolent", "socially conscious", sensitive to world issues and the "bleeding crowd", than it is to be vulnerable and caring and human on the level of one heart to one heart.

Easy to be hard.

This is the original cast version from Hair, sung by Lynn Kellog, and I used to listen to it obsessively in 1968 (OK, I hereby date myself as an ageing flower child). I had no idea how great her voice was because back then it all sort of washed over me in a pot-induced haze.

She sings it simply in a great contralto voice, but the emotion is tremendous and the lyric is delivered with devastating impact. Do you only care about the bleeding crowd? How about a needing friend?

I need a friend.

http://margaretgunnng.blogspot.com/2012/01/synopsis-glass-character-novel-by.html

http://members.shaw.ca/margaret_gunning/betterthanlife.htm

"A car full of kids and snow cones": really dumb songs I like

He's the 1432 Franklin Pike Circle hero

And you can see him every weekend

With a car full of kids and snow cones

And the people cross town don't know his name

But on Franklin Pike Circle, he's king

1432 Franklin Pike Circle hero

Well, at five thirty-five at

The corner of Franklin and Warner

A blue station wagon comes

Sliding around the corner

And on down Franklin Pike Circle

All you're seeing is a streak of blue

And pulls in the drive at the address of 1432

And he says, my head aches and my back hurts

And I don't feel like talking

Don't wan go the show to see Doctor Zhivago

Don't wanna take the dog out walking

I wanna sit right here in this easy chair

It's been a jungle all day, you know

The 1432 Franklin Pike Circle hero is home

He was out pitching ball with the

Kids in the neighborhood yesterday

And the old major leaguer had to quit

'Cause he said he threw his arm away

And the kids all hid behind the hedge

And laughed at him but wouldn't let it show

Because they love him so,

He's the 1432 Franklin Pike Circle hero

He's the 1432 Franklin Pike Circle hero

And you can see him every weekend

With a car full of kids and snow cones

And, you know people cross town

Don't know his name

But on Franklin Pike Circle, he's king

1432 Franklin Pike Circle hero

Well, he won a little pony at the

Hill High auction just the other day

And he didn't mean to do it

And he wanted to give the pony away

When they called out his name

He tried not to claim it

But the kids started crying

'Cause they'd already named it

And who's up every Saturday morning

Saddling his new toy, you guessed it

The 1432 Franklin Pike Circle cowboy

He's the 1432 Franklin Pike Circle hero

And you can see him every weekend

With a car full of kids and snow cones

During Christmas, took the kids

Down to see the floats

When he wanted to stay home

And watch the Baltimore Colts

1432 Franklin Pike Circle Hero

Well, the ten-thirty news usually

Finds our hero is a sleepy head

And Peter's out somewhere wrecking the car

And the rest of the kids have gone to bed

So she takes his hand

They climb the stairs and he falls asleep

And she bends over him so tenderly

To kiss his cheek

'Cause she loves him so

And she's lucky, you know

To be married to the 1432

1432 Franklin Pike Circle hero

He's the 1432 Franklin Pike Circle hero

And you can see him every weekend

With a car full of kids and snow cones

Christmas time, he took

'Em down to see the floats

When he wanted to stay home

And watch the Baltimore Colts

He's the 1432 Franklin Pike Circle hero

http://margaretgunnng.blogspot.com/2012/01/synopsis-glass-character-novel-by.html

http://members.shaw.ca/margaret_gunning/betterthanlife.htm