The 12th annual Film Noir was held at the Camelot Theatre in Palm Springs on May 10-13. This Palm Springs Cultural Center Presentation brings the best in Black and White Thrillers to the Valley. The event was started by Arthur and Barbara Lyons to bring this kind of cinema to all people, young and old.
The films of this era are deteriorating rapidly. Film buffs are restoring these old films to new formats before they disintegrate with age. Many of the old films have already been lost forever. It takes dedication to the preservation of the unique black and white films of that era. Some of these films are not available to the public. The only way they can be viewed is in a theater. Some of these shows are one of a kind.
Many Thanks go to Rik and Rozene Supple owners of the Camelot Theater where the movies are shown . Camelot general Manager Jason Bruecks and his staff worked very hard on this project. Alan K. Rode is the producer and host of the event. Other Film Noir notables included Marvin Paige and Eddie Muller.
Celebrity Guests who acted in the movie or were behind the scene held Q & As for fans. Celebrities included, Richard Erdman, Pat Crowley, David Ladd, Peter Ford, and Kathleen Hughs. How exciting it is to see some of these movie stars from yesteryear. Many are still working in the industry.
Some of the movies shown were opening night film, Cry Danger, The Big Heat, Roadhouse, Possessed, The Great Gatsby and Key Witness. Most of the films were shown to a sold out audience. Fans were eager to see the films and ask questions of the celebrities. The celebrities told very interesting stories about their career sometimes intertwined with other great actors.
Alan K. Rode interviews actor Richard Erdman at a Q&A folloin the film Dry Danger ˜photo by Pat Krause
Camelot Cafe Chef Hector Salvatierra ˜photo by Pat Krause
Eddie Muller, Richard Erdman and Alan K. Rode ˜photo by Pat Krause
It’s always a good sign when a theatre has a sold out house on opening night. There was no doubt whatsoever that the audience at the Palm Canyon Theatre got their money’s worth and more, last Friday. When you combine the genius of: music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by Arthur Laurents (with a giant assist from William Shakespeare), and inspiration by original stage director Jerome Robbins, you have a recipe for success which PCT’s director Steve Fisher borrows and then infuses into his talented cast.
“West Side Story” burst onto the Broadway stage in 1957 running for almost 800 performances, and was successfully made into a movie in 1962 with Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer playing the star-crossed lovers Tony and Maria. Ironically, in the movie version neither of the young actors sang their own songs. However, the Broadway production made musical theatre stars of Larry Kert and Carole Lawrence for their Tony and Maria portrayals.
The timeless story of young lovers Tony (nicely played and wonderfully sung by Anthony Nannini) and Maria (Chloe Marcotte, the beautiful young soprano with a lovely range), is freely adapted from Shakespeare’s 16th century tale of Romeo and Juliet. The story follows the Bard’s model except the story is now set in New York’s upper west side during the 1950’s. It’s a time of rival gangs – Puerto Ricans (Sharks) and white ethnics (Jets) who cruise each other’s territory in an effort to establish supremacy over the neighborhood.
Tony, a former leader of the Jets meets and falls in love with Maria, the sister of Bernardo, the leader of the Sharks, at a high school neighborhood dance. Each faction has its members who are eager to pick fights. When the two rival gangs finally agree to a ‘rumble’ (an all out fight) Tony, who has been secretly meeting Maria unintentionally kills her brother Bernardo while defending Riff (Eric Bradley) his best friend. This sets the story of romance on its inevitable star-crossed and fatal journey.
Director Fisher has wisely allowed his young and athletic performers free rein in creating exciting dance and powerful acting moments. There so many songs from the pens of Bernstein and Sondheim that came from this show. The anticipation in “Something’s Coming” by Tony beautifully sets up the audience for what is to follow. The haunting love song “Maria”, almost spiritual in tone, takes everyone back to their youth and first loves. “America”, sung by Anita (a fiery but compassionate Allegra Angelo) and the Puerto Rican girl friends of Maria, is a very clever riff on the differences of living in Puerto Rico vs. the shores of New York city (Ah, those clever and brilliant lyrics from Sondheim), while the now classic “Tonight” sung by Tony and Maria is a wonderful Act One closing number.
The Ballet Sequence, in Act Two, and the haunting “Somewhere”, by Maria, along with the “Procession and Nightmare” number are cleverly staged and dreamily executed by the company. However not all the songs are dreamy or dramatic by a long shot. The “Gee, Officer Krupke” spot sung by the Jets is an appropriate bawdy poke-in-the-eye song. Director Fisher and choreographer Se Layne have very cleverly orchestrated the energy and talent of each cast member to maximize the overall impact of this energetic production.
With 30 in the cast it’s difficult to list them all but there are performances that standout. Anthony Nannini as Tony and Chloe Marcotte as Maria, have both captured the essence of their roles and have excellent onstage chemistry. Allegra Angelo as Anita, has the right bite, sass, and compassion as Maria’s confidante. Eric Bradley’s Riff, leader of the Jets, and Daryl Roth’s Bernardo, leader of the Sharks, perform their roles with conviction, power and grace, and Andrea Bellato as Anybodys, brings lots of energy to her ‘I want-to-be-one-of-the-boys’ role.
In the technical department, the choreography of Se Layne shows off the raw energy and power of both male and female dancers to their best advantage. The set design by resident designer-wizard JW Layne faithfully recreates an upper west side neighborhood that provides room for the dancing and fighting, both of which are creatively staged and effectively performed. Musical Director David McLaughlin, has selected some of the best tracks in matching the cast to the music, and Stuart A. Fabel’s lighting design lends the right mood to the overall production.
“West Side Story” at the Palm Canyon Theatre, is an exciting and entertaining evening of theatre. For ticket information and reservations call 760- 323-5123.
Kudos to the firefighters on engines 35, BS 35, 36, 37 and 56 and Fire Chief Pat Tomlinson of the Riverside County Fire Department on their quick response to our 911 call mid afternoon today. They were able to contain the smoldering fire caused by the fan in the vent of one of the Ladies Rest Rooms catching fire. We lost the one rest room, but praise the Lord and thanks to the firefighters they kept it from spreading. So glad it happened during the day, and that Rositta smelled the smoke. Hate to think what would have happened had it been in the middle of the night.
The firefighters were remarkably efficient, and courteous. They kept the damage to a minimum, and went the extra mile in sweeping up debris from the rest room and hallway, and blowing out as much smoke from the building as they could. JOB WELL DONE, and we are very, very grateful.
And thanks to Police Chief Patrick Williams, who called me on my cell phone before the firefighters left just to make sure I was okay!
I LOVE the people of this little city on a hill, and am so glad we get to live here.
Thousand Palms, CA – May 10, 2012: Jake Freedman, a 15-year-old student from Palm Desert High School, will soon join an exclusive group of highly driven individuals that includes Astronaut Neil Armstrong, director Steven Spielberg, and former President Gerald R. Ford: America’s Eagle Scouts.
Freedman is currently a Life Scout, the second-highest ranking achievable. Before he advances to Eagle Scout, a distinction achieved by only 2% of all Scouts according to Freedman, the high school freshmen must “plan, develop and give leadership to others in a service project” to a local church, school, or our desert community. Freedman, who has two dogs and two cats at home, will be helping the community by helping Animal Samaritans.
“I spoke to Leslie [Cyphers], your volunteer coordinator,” said Freedman. “I told her I wanted a project that would help the animals, and together we found one.” That project is to improve the outside dog kennels at Animal Samaritans’ no-kill animal shelter in Thousand Palms.
Freedman will be leading 10 to 15 fellow scouts from Troop 707 in the project. He and his team will replace the kennels’ torn and weathered shade tarps with new, commercial grade cloth that will keep the dogs cool while protecting them from the sun’s intense UV rays. In addition, Freedman and his crew will repair the kennel area’s misting system, which has not functioned properly in years. The project is appropriately timed to help cool the dogs and allow them more time outside during the coming summer months.
Freedman and his fellow scouts will be at Animal Samaritans shelter (72-307 Ramon Road) on Friday, May 18, to tear down and clear out the dog kennel tarps and assess the cooling system. The following Saturday Morning, May 19, they will work to replace the kennel shading and fix the misters. In addition to providing his vision, manual labor, and leadership to the project, Freedman must also raise funds to pay for project materials, which he estimates will cost around $1,200.
Fred Saunders, Executive Director for Animal Samaritans’ was impressed by Freedman’s maturity and purpose. “It is refreshing to know responsible and caring young people like this one,” said Saunders.
Animal Samaritans SPCA, a 501 (c) non-profit organization founded in 1978, is committed to improving the lives of animals and people. As the Coachella Valley’s most comprehensive animal welfare organization, they strive to one day eliminate the needless suffering and abuse of homeless and unwanted animals. Programs and services in place to save the lives of healthy and treatable animals include prevention through humane education, affordable spay and neuter, vaccinations, and other veterinary care, animal sheltering, animal rescue, pet fostering and pet adoptions. In addition, more than one hundred volunteers from their Pet Therapy programs visit special needs classrooms, nursing homes, local hospitals, and residents at Juvenile Hall. More information is available by calling 760-343-4908 and by visiting www.animalsamaritans.org
Chances are you may not read this newsletter until Monday—and probably late Monday as you work to tie up loose ends that may have come undone as you juggled your many Mother’s Day responsibilities.
By that time, we should have a pretty good idea of how consumers feel about their Mother’s Day deliveries—or lack thereof. We obviously don’t want to see customers disappointed—no matter who is at fault—so consider taking a few minutes to go on Facebook or other social networking sites to review customers’ comments. Then, offer some words of encouragement to those with frustrating experiences.
Consumers don’t understand why ordering from the OGs is a problem, so use the opportunity to educate them via a friendly explanation. They already will be lambasting the OGs, so no need to add your own criticism (no matter how justified you feel). Instead, try to show consumers how helpful and supportive the floral industry is to their needs—and make sure they realize that these negative experiences shouldn’t reflect on the industry as a whole.
Use Facebook to Benefit Your Business
If you’re like many florists, you have a Facebook page with the intent of attracting and interacting with customers. But there is a right way and a wrong way to pursue those goals.
In a recent article on Ad Age Digital, author Matt Creamer gives insight as to what those ways are based on new data directly from Facebook. Click on the link to read the full article, but following are the highlights:
Talk about your shop. The biggest predictors of engagement with fans were posts on topic to the brand. Take away: Tie your posts into your shop’s activities in some relevant way.
Post non-brand messages, but don’t expect them to impact your engagement with customers in any measurable way. Take away: Limit all those status updates on your Angry Birds high score.
Ask people to like a post, and they will. Take away: People follow suggestions. But be judicious in how often you use this tactic. Don’t ask them to like every post.
Work to get more shares. They are more important than likes because shares send your post into your fans’ Timelines for all of their friends to see. Take away: Focus on posting messages that will truly get fans’ interest and appreciation, and the shares will come naturally.
Upload videos and photos. They get the most shares of any message you post. Take away: Add photos of your show-stopping, breathtaking arrangements, bridal bouquets and centerpieces. Fans love to share images of beauty.
Ask questions and you’ll increase comments, but you won’t increase likes or shares. Take away: Comments are key indicator you are connecting with fans, but don’t expect that interaction to result in the same engagement that other posts might.
Pay attention to the questions you ask. Fans are more willing to comment when asked a question that begins with “where,” when,” “would” and “should.” But avoid asking “why” questions. They have the lowest like and comment rates and may be seen as intrusive or challenging. Take away: Ask questions that let fans know you are truly interested in their opinions without making a prejudgment of their responses.
n the screwball comedy "A Little Murder Never Hurt Anyone" at Theatre 29, Detective Plotnik (Jericho McWilliams) grills Donald (Chris Fleischman), Bunny (Lauren Schmelling) and Julia (Cheryl Gillon). (Charles Harvey Photo)
As delighted audiences fill Theatre 29 with belly laughs during the latest production, “A Little Murder Never Hurt Anybody” at Theatre 29, the cast is laughing right along with them.
Director John Wright says the cast started clicking right away during rehearsals for the screwball comedy and the humor was infectious. He said it started during a scene in which Bunny (Lauren Schmelling), and Donald (Chris Fleischman) dip each other for kisses. The cast started ribbing Fleischman because Schmelling was a better dipper for the kiss then he was!
Jericho McWilliams, as the goofy Detective Plotnik, had to figure the best way to fall without getting himself hurt while still producing a gut splitting fall that the audience would buy into. Tom Highfill (Matthew Perry) had to practice with a blowgun to make an extraordinary shot across the stage into the wall. All of that goofiness kept the veteran cast in stitches most of the time.
Wright also remarked that Cheryl Gillon (Julia Perry) with great facial expressions and comedic timing and Marv Schmelling (the butler) are a pure joy to witness on stage.
“A Little Murder Never Hurt Anybody”, homage to the screwball comedies of the 30’s and 40’s, is a hilarious year-long match of wits and the witless. After Mr. Perry cheerfully informs his wife he plans to kill her, Julia cleverly dodges Matthew’s devious murder attempts. Meanwhile, the Perry friends and staff are dying off mysteriously. It seems Matthew is successful in murdering everyone but Julia. Enter Detective Plotnik, a Sam Spade reincarnation who suspects everyone, but hasn’t a clue.
“A Little Murder Never Hurt Anybody” plays at 7:00 pm Friday and Saturday nights through June 2nd, with a Thursday performance at 7:00 PM May 17th, and a Sunday Matinee at 2:30 PM May 27th. Tickets are available now online at www.theatre29.org or by calling the Theatre 29 box office at 760-361-4151. Ticket prices are $12 for adults; $10 for seniors and military; and $8 for students.
Theatre 29 is located at 73637 Sullivan Road, (right around the corner from Barr Lumber) in the City of Twentynine Palms.
