Post 3045 - Tuesday

8:37.

Patricia has already gone to bed for the evening. Not feeling well. I will hang around here in my home office for a while and turn in myself. Long day, and the humidity is still such that sleeping is still not that easy.

The next new issue of Frank will not be out for nearly 4 weeks. The special Summer issue will be out in two weeks as it allows the staff to take some time off late in the Summer. Meanwhile, I am collecting radio-related news items for that issue 4 weeks from now. There are several items already, including one that may prove to be a fairly big story if I can get some things confirmed. Sorry to be so circumspect but that's the way it is.

I downloaded a Marx Brothers movie today here at home. People have spent decades dissecting the Marx Brothers and pronouncing their genius. I remember trying to watch one of their films years ago, having taped it off some late night broadcast channel. I think the film was "Duck Soup", but I don't remember. I didn't laugh, once. I didn't smirk, or guffaw, or chortle, or chuckle or develop gas in such a way that it made one corner of my mouth curl up so as to give a reasonable person the impression that something I was watching was eliciting an amused response.

Years and years later, tonight to be specific, I tried to watch "A Night at the Opera" for a few minutes. Once again, I didn't laugh or chortle or whatever. "Love Happy" was next, from 1949.  The credits say, "Introducing Marilyn Monroe", so I gather it was one of her earliest screen appearances. Harp is the one who doesn't say anything. He spends one very long scene stealing food in such a way that no human being could carry it all, but he has this look of delirious happiness on his face that makes me think he was watching a porno just off camera. Groucho in the part I have seen doesn't have much to do. And... the third brother, Chico (there were 5 in all, but at their height only 4 of them performed as Gummo never was part of the troupe, but then Zeppo retired and went into business for himself, leaving 3 brothers left) shows up for a moment before leaving us with Harpo pining for a ballerina who is 20 years younger than he is, and who would not want anything to do with a weirdo like him who steals food and is mute.

(I am having a hard time parsing that last sentence. Do any of you see a verb there anywhere?)

Anyway, I didn't laugh or anything at the parts of the Marx Bros. movies I checked out this evening. Am I missing something? Is this an acquired taste? Or is their humor of a certain time and place that is gone forever, and I can never go there?

While I ponder these large questions, I think I will go watch something I can relate to.

See you tomorrow.

Bevboy