Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Mystery actor



Know him? Think you do? Leave your best guess in the comments. I’ll drop a hint if one’s needed, though I doubt one will. Be needed, that is.

*

9:03 a.m.: No clue needed. The answer is now in the comments.

More mystery actors (Collect them all!)
? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ?

Misheard

On NPR:

“... can impale a grand jury ...”

I’m sure there are any number of people in this administration who’d like to impale grand juries.

Related reading
All OCA misheard posts (Pinboard)

Monday, October 28, 2019

Pocket notebook sighting

Willie Stark’s notebook, a catalogue of grievances, punishments, and opposition research:




[From All the King’s Men (dir. Robert Rossen, 1949. Click for a larger view.]

My transcription:

Morris — Would
not contribute Party
Fund —
Walton — Road
Contracts denied —
Cancel any Bids

Bill W — Licen[se]
to operate denied —
check gambling
debts

Bank loan
overdue —
More notebook sightings
Angels with Dirty Faces : Ball of Fire : The Big Clock : The Brasher Doubloon : Cat People : City Girl : Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne : Dead End : Dragnet : Extras : Eyes in the Night : The Face Behind the Mask : Foreign Correspondent : Fury : Homicide : The Honeymooners : The House on 92nd Street : Journal d’un curé de campagne : Kid Glove Killer : The Last Laugh : Le Million : The Lodger : Ministry of Fear : Mr. Holmes : Murder at the Vanities : Murder by Contract : Murder, Inc. : The Mystery of the Wax Museum : Naked City : The Naked Edge : The Palm Beach Story : Perry Mason : Pickpocket : Pickup on South Street : Pushover : Quai des Orfèvres : The Racket : Railroaded! : Red-Headed Woman : Rififi : La roue : Route 66The Scarlet Claw : The Small Back Room : The Sopranos : Spellbound : Stage Fright : State Fair : A Stranger in Town : Stranger Things : Time Table : T-Men : 20th Century Women : Union Station : Walk East on Beacon! : Where the Sidewalk Ends : The Woman in the Window : You Only Live Once

All the King’s Whom

From All the King’s Men (dir. Robert Rossen, 1949). Jack Burden (John Ireland) and Sadie Burke (Mercedes McCambridge) are getting acquainted. Jack wonders what Sadie is doing on Willie Stark’s (Broderick Crawford) political campaign:

“Hey, tell me, what are you on this merry-go-round for?”

“I take notes.”

“For whom?”

“For those whom pay me.”
Yes, she’s being sarcastic.

Whom was and is fading, but it’s taking an awfully long time on its way out the door.

Related posts
“I don’t know whom to believe” (Perry Mason) : “Just whom are you talking to?” (Nancy) : “Shouldn’t that be ‘whom’?” (Mutts) : “Whom are we kidding?” (Peanuts)

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Humor, humanity, a lawsuit, and ...


[Zippy, October 27, 2019.]

In today’s Zippy:

René Margritte brought humor into surrealism. Pablo Picasso brought humanity into cubism. Margaret Keane brought a lawsuit into court.
And then there’s Ernie Bushmiller.

Venn reading
All OCA Nancy posts Nancy and Zippy posts Zippy posts(Pinboard)

“She was Sanctified holy”

Mrs. Hunt is a believer:


James Baldwin, If Beale Street Could Talk (1974).

Also from James Baldwin
“The burden is reality” : “Life is tragic”

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Today’s Saturday Stumper

Today’s Newsday Saturday Stumper is credited to Zawistowski (Stella) and Agard (Erik). A tough puzzle, and I was delighted to find myself finishing it, from Z to A, so to speak.

Three clues that paired especially well with their answers: 9-D, four letters, “A lot of legal-size.” 36-A, four letters, “Where America’s day begins.” (IHOP? No.) 57-A, three letters, “Footwear from Oz.”

A clue whose answer made me startle, as I just read something about it somewhere (where?): 17-A, eight letters, “Spanish operatic genre.”

A clue whose answer seems to be a running Agard joke: 62-A, six letters, “They may be dueling.”

And a clue whose answer is a reminder that crosswords do indeed keep up with the culture: 67-A, eight letters, “Suited woman, perhaps.”

No spoilers: the answers are in the comments.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Some “some rocks”



For a Nancy fan, this remarkable site might be something like Four Corners. It’s some rocks, some rocks, some rocks, all the way down the parking lot. Google Maps will confirm:


[Click for a larger view.]

“Some rocks” is an abiding preoccupation of these pages.

Related reading
All OCA Nancy posts (Pinboard)

Haydn on the move

Elaine has been writing about Stephen Malinowski’s animated scores for Beethoven and Haydn. I am following Elaine’s lead and posting this example because it makes me so happy. Enjoy. (How could anyone not?)



Stephen Malinowski’s animations
Haydn : Mozart : Beethoven

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Ben Leddy hosts The Rewind



Here’s the latest installment of WGBH’s The Rewind, “The Voice of the Voiceless,” featuring Mercedes Sosa. You can find all episodes of The Rewind at YouTube.