Pearl Bailey on My 2015 Christmas Countdown

I love this funny ode to the material-girl side of Christmas! Pearl Bailey is always wonderful, wonderful, and her rendition of "Five Pound Box of Money" is no exception.

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy & prosperous holiday season!

Video Beaverhausen: Verna ~ USO Girl

Verga: USO Girl is a wonderful movie produced by PBS that originally aired on the station in 1978, where I saw it for the first time. I am thrilled to rediscover it on video. While I highly recommend this, I suggest viewing it with a box of Kleenex by your side. Like West Side Story, though I know what's coming every time, I cry at the end.

The film has many of light, funny moments, though, with Sissy Spacek in the title role as an innocent girl with more pizzazz and ambition than actual talent. Sally Kellerman co-stars as a weary, jaded USO trooper, and a young William Hurt is both hunky and brilliant as Verna's adoring fan.

Howard DaSilva nabbed a Grammy for his supporting role, deservedly.

Verna was made two years after Spacek's breakthrough role in Carrie. It shows off the actor's versatility.

An overall wonderful, quality piece of entertainment, the film was released theatrically in certain foreign markets. I think it would make a wonderful stage musical. An anecdote to the gung-ho "The Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B." I first saw this when it originally aired and watched it with my ex. We bawled our eyes out by the telefilm's finale. Viva la Verna!

2015 Christmas Countdown: Gayla Peevey Wants a Hippopotamus

Does Gayla Peevey look like a Baby Jane Hudson in the making or what! Gayla became a child star  ~ and one-hit wonder ~ in 1953 at age 10. Watch as she struts her stuff in the attached video below. There's also a hint of Nellie Oleson to her.

Gayla certainly looks peevish as she preens and prances with lots of pizzazz, singing "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas."

She actually had another hit single in 1970 with "Robot Man," recording under the name Jamie Horton. The song was covered by Connie Francis. Her recording career was over by 1962.

But Gayla settled down, got married, became an English teacher and adjusted nicely to normal life it would seem.

Merry Christmas, happy holidays, from Buddy Beaverhausen!

2015 Christmas Countdown featuring Ethel Merman

Ethel Merman is a grande dame of the Broadway stage and an entertainment icon. She is such an icon of the stage, recording industry and film, in fact, that her image ended up on a US postage stamp. I still have one, and I keep it pinned to my bulletin board.

But here she is on a Christmas episode of tv's Sesame Street, spreading good cheer by belting out "Tomorrow" (from Annie) like there's no tomorrow!
That damned sun better come out if it knows what's best for it!

Clearly, her performance inspired Grace Jones' spirited rendition of the song. At this stage of her career, The Merm may look as if she's morphing into Bert Lahr, but her voice is undiminished by time, as powerful as ever and singularly that of Ethel Merman's.

"Imogene! What's the matter? You look like an idiot!"

Ronnie Spector Kicks Off My 2015 Christmas Countdown

Five years ago, Ronnie Spector released a Christmas e.p. of five songs, entitled Best Christmas Ever, on her own Bad Girls label. Great songs sung by an iconic rock star.

"Light One Candle" is, in its way, a perfect kick-off for this year's Countdown because it's equally applicable for Hannukah as it is for Christmas. It's a beautiful song, even as a purely secular but spiritual one nonetheless. Click on link below.

Peace.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0yP2TBLzQc

Video Beaverhausen: She-Devils on Wheels

Dykes on bikes ~ before they even had a Gay Pride parade to kick off!

This 1968 sexploitation flick is, basically, a poor man's Faster, Pussycat! Kill, Kill! Yes, you have read that correctly.

The 1965 Russ Meyers saga http://djbuddybeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2015/07/video-beaverhausen-sixties-exploitation.html
had many virtues, including gorgeous black-and-white cinematography. Herschell Gordon Lewis' She-Devils on Wheels is shot in color ("Blinding Color" as its original print ads would have it), but all  rather amateurishly and with no particular style.  The acting in She-Devils makes its Pussycat counterparts look like Oscar-worthy performers. And, for a 90-minute flick, Lewis has padded it out with long, monotonous shots of the girls riding their Harleys around aouthern Florida (where the film was made).

In this film, the gals are made out to be bisexual dominatrixes. They have men line-up for them to choose as their boy toys for the night.  Then, naturally, they have have a race on their "Hogs" to sort out who gets whom.

The plot, such as it is, involves dueling "families" as the chicks must fight a male gang who encroach upon their turf.

Totally trashy and equally campy. The extreme hairdos alone qualify it as camp! Beautifully bad acting, especially by Betty Connell as Queen, the leader of the pack who must face many challenges. She's like a dime-sore Liz Taylor in her part. And by 200+-pound Pat Poston as Whitey.

Director Lewis is best known for his gore films, like Blood Feast and 2,000 Maniacs (the rock group took this name from his film). S-DoW is gore free. It's the director's second-highest grossing picture, after his BF. Clearly an influence on John Waters.

No Summer of Love for these gals!

Bay Ridge ~ Four Years Later

It's been four years since I moved to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn from the West Village in Manhattan, and I haven't regretted a minute. So much has changed in my life over that time -- mostly for the better. Most notably that I've had a change in landlords and a relatively modest rent hike for my floor-through, and I retired from my office job this past March.

I remember my move as if it were just yesterday. My cousin, Linda and her college-aged son, Mark, came in Linda's van. We filled it on two trips and I left 12 Fifth Avenue for good, after living there, rent stabilized, for 18 years. Kevin was along to assist.

Some of the boxes from the move remain unpacked. Wonder what's inside!

The first thing I noticed upon my arrival was the window display across the street at McAteer Florists. Live, pure-white, giant turkeys in a pen of straw. It was a bit surreal but I knew this was going to be my kind of neighborhood.

The day after the move, I just had to return to look at them. A young mother was there with her three little kids. She sounded just like Fran Drescher in The Nanny when she shouted, "Look, kids! Turkeeeys! Turkeeeys! Aren't they adorable?" Yep, this was home for sure.

And so it has remained home to me. I am thankful for so many things this year, including the love and support of my friends. I am especially grateful to have Kevin as my downstairs (and only) neighbor in the building, and our friends on the ground floor, in Ammari Deli, who take in our larger packages from USPS and UPS.

This Thanksgiving, Kevin will be having a dinner with friends, and I'll be making mashed turnips, basically the way my mom used to. I'll be spending Christmas with cousin Linda and her family. Oh, and as for the turkeys, they were sent back to a preserve the Monday after that Thanksgiving weekend, never to return. Too much upkeep I was told.

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving -- whoever you are and wherever you'll be.

Audio Beaverhausen: Adele's 25

Adele, a fellow Taurean, is now 27. Her new album is 25. Her previous albums were 19 and 21. I wonder if she sits around the house, scratching her head, wondering "What should I call this one?"

One proposed single off 25 is titled "When We Were Young." When was she not?

Adele has slimmed down physically though her voice is as big as ever. She's a married lady with a baby now.

Don't you find it funny that Adele says The Spice Girls were her biggest musical influence? And she's not joking!

As for 25, it may not be her greatest masterpiece as an artist, though it's passionately sung (with lots of echo) and accompanied on piano with lush orchestrations and back-up vocals. But Adele's lyrics of love lost are a bit well worn at this stage in her career. There's something sadly stagnant about this set of soulful torch songs.

Adele would be well advised to move on thematically. A little added Spicey pop would be refreshing, for instance. Still, the album is bound to be a crowd pleaser. Perfect for any pity party. Recommended with reservations.

Buddy B Confronts the Gerber Baby

The original Gerber Baby, whose face adorned endless cans and jars of baby food, ain't no baby no more, babies!

Ann Turner Cook, whose drawing appeared on the original label, turned 87 today. God bless the child, a retired English teacher. Burgle-gurgle, Gerber Girl! She's a Gerber Girl in a Gerber World...!

Actually, I was never sure about the original baby's gender. In fact, I assumed it was a bouncing baby boy. In the '80s, I would often sit next to some queen at Boots and Saddle bar on Christopher Street, who would tell everyone that he was the original Gerber Baby and lived off his royalties from the company. At first, I believed him, until his fib began to unravel with multiple inconsistencies. After that, I'd wave and smile when I entered the bar, and sit at the other end so I didn't have to hear his goddamned Gerber Baby stories again. Lesson: If you drink, don't lie.

Gerber baby foods are, nutritionally, high in calories, sugar and salt, incidentally. Nevertheless, it's what I was weened on in my highchair. No wonder I'd often spit it out, though I did like the strained apple and banana. I was happy to move on to real food once I had teeth. But who knows if, in my dotage, I'll be back to Gerber meals once more. The possibility looms.

Gerber babies have since shown diversity -- in terms of race and gender -- now in color photographs.

But happy birthday from Buddy Beaverhausen to Ann Turner Cook, now a great-grandmother, I'm sure she has lots of Gerber baby foods to pass down. She is an unsung pop-culture idol and icon in her own right. Hail to the Gerber Diva!

Subway Poem # 23

magic underground once he boards the car

full of families and children.

(how did he know?)

at first everyone ignored him -- another crazy

then we became disarmed, then charmed

as he created magic,

twisting and turning his balloons into toys.

all sorts of shapes --

dolls and swords and dinosaurs and so much more.

joy swells like balloons

in our shared space

as he gives away his art,

asking for nothing but to hand out his cards
to hire him for parties

and leaving our car a mirthful one

on a weekend afternoon.

Video Beaverhausen: Ann-Margret Is a Kitten with a Whip ~ a Camp Classic

Kitten with a Whip was released in 1964 and became an instant camp classic. Why, Ann-Margret actually parodies her sex kitten image in this flick  -- unintentionally, of course.

John Forsythe co-stars, long before he was known as family patriarch Blake Carrington on tv's Dynasty, and somehow manages to lend some dignity to this trash.

A-M plays a juvenile delinquent who escapes from a home for wayward girls after stabbing a matron and attempting to burn the place down.

Forsythe is a gullible politician who takes her in. Pretty dumb; I can only imagine he's a Republican. Before you can say "scandal," he finds himself on a nightmare ride with Annie and her j.d. friends, on their way to Mexico to escape the law at gunpoint.

"Every man who sees her digs her... but she digs kicks of a very special kind," reads one of the film's taglines. Forsythe is typically stalwart and the cast manages to keep straight faces throughout the outrageous proceedings. Kitten with a Whip bears plot resemblances to Lady in a Cage, all of which are apparent upon viewing.

Available on dvd via Amazon.com on Uiniversal's Vault Series.

Audio Beaverhausen: Sarah McLachlan's & LeAnn Rimes' Christmas Offerings

The divas are alive with the sound of Christmas this year. Buddy B checks out their offerings.

Sarah McLachlan's The Classic Christmas Album is pretty much recycled. Most have been issued before, many on her previous Christmas album. Doing this is, frankly, pretty tacky.

Nonetheless, there is no denying the sheer beauty of this songbird's voice.
"I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" and "Prayer for St Francis" are beauties. And her version of John Lennon's "War Is Over" is a wonderful cover.

But buyer beware: this album is a retread of songs you may have heard before. I was sorry she couldn't include her rendition of "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" that I believe was previously exclusively on a Starbucks collection.



More successful. perhaps, is Leann Rimes' Today Is Christmas that includes two songs written by the artist. The country/pop star's cover of holiday classics are all wonderful, ending with "Auld Lang Syne" for our New Year's Eve celebrations.

Ms Rimes is a belter who knows how to put a song across in true diva style. The album has been charting well at Billboard, who gave it a positive review. Her rendition of "Carol of the Bells" lends itself to dance floors and to remixes.



LeAnn's selection of songs is choice and includes Mitch Miller's "Must Be Santa," a spritely holiday classic I've loved since I was a kid.



So choose your dueling divas for your holiday entertainment this year! Available at Amazon, Barnes & Nobles and music shops everywhere.

Cine Beaverhausen: SPECTRE

No worries, this review contains no spoilers.

SPECTRE is that nasty international organization that James Bond has been battling, I believe, since You Only Live Twice (1965). It's directed by Sam Mendez, who directed the fabulous Skyfall, and brings back its rebooted characters (M, Miss Moneypenny, Q), the famed Aston Martin, sexy Bond girls, exotic locales and plenty of action and drama.  It may not quite be the gem that Skyfall was, but it's thoroughly entertaining and enthralling with Daniel Craig as superb a 007 as ever.

At 2-1/2 hours, it can get a little taxing on the derriere, but it nonetheless will hold your interest throughout and is well worth seeing on the big screen (it's in IMax) with a box of popcorn in hand. It's certainly on par with, say, Casino Royale ('05). (Can you believe Craig has been Bond for 10 years now? He looks none the worst for wear.)

Blofeld is back, now played by Chrisoph Waltz (last seen in Tim Burton's Big Eyes). Ralph Fiennes has his own battles to save Her Majesty's Secret Service. Even Miss Moneypenny (Naomi Harris) gets into the action.

Sam Smith sings SPECTRE's theme song, "Writing's on the Wall," which I found a bit lackluster. Cinematography and special f/x work are outstanding.

SPECTRE is like an ode to the entire Bond series: a big bouquet of excitement and perpetual motion for fans. Holding out for a hero? No problem -- Bond is here. James Bond. Now at theaters everywhere. Rated PG- 13 foes sex and violence. Released through Columbia Pictures.

Video Beaverhausen: Agnes Moorehead, Vincent Price in The Bat

The Bat (1959) is one of the films I remember fondly from tv, it being in frequent rotation on the old Million Dollar Movie. It is handsomely filmed in black-and-white and has a strong cast. Vincent Price is in this as are Agnes Moorehead, well before she became identified with Endora on Bewitched, and Darla (Hood), of Little Rascals fame, herein a lovely young lady who never went on to make more films.

This is a trim little thriller running 80 minutes, so it's fast-paced. It's based on a Mary Roberts Rinehart mystery and was filmed previously in 1925. It was also a Broadway and West End play.

Most of the film is set inside an old mansion where the house's owner, a bank president, has stashed a lot of embezzled cash. Unfortunately, he comes to a bad end. But somebody is determined to get the loot -- no matter whom they have to kill to get at it.

Agnes plays mystery writer Cornelia van Gorder, current tenant at the mansion.  Comic relief is provided in her scenes with her feisty assistant, Lizzie Allen, played by character actress Lenita Lane. The acting in this suspenseful whodunnit is uniformly good, especially by its two leads.

The cliche of the old, dark house and its trap doors and secret passageways are actually part of what appeals to me in The Bat. Give this film a try. The camp factor's high, there's plenty of tension and it moves at a clip. The killer's clawed gloves are to die for -- literally.

Best viewed at home on a rainy night with the blankets on and popcorn by your side.

Beaverhausen Book Nook: Debbie Reynolds' Make 'Em Laugh

Debbie Reynolds is a very bright, funny lady, which is evident when you read her latest memoir, Make 'Em Laugh. Memoirs have been very popular over the last couple of years and this one's bound to be a big seller.

Ms Reynolds' new book is rich with gossipy tidbits. Like how Milton Berle hired Scotty Bowers (author of his own gossipy Hollywood memoir, Full Service http://djbuddybeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2012/02/fill-it-up.html) to serve food at his party with his well-endowed manly parts displayed on the tray along with the food. (Lee Roy Reams confided a similar story to me earlier this year.) Or how Desi Arnaz was a big womanizer. "He was a charmer when he was sober, but when he drank it was all over." Bob Hope was yet another famous Hollywood cad according to Debbie.

Everyone who's anyone in Film Land is in this book. Ms Reynolds compares Faye Dunaway to her nemesis Shelley Winters as having a Method actress look in her eyes "even when there's no acting to be done." As for Ms Winters, Reynolds describes her as a rich skinflint and talks about how Winters one-upped her at a What's the Matter with Helen? promotional stage event.

Reynolds is a friend of the LGBT community and has starred as Liberace's mother in Behind the Candelabra, Kevin Kline's mom in In and Out, and has guested as Deborah Messing's mother on Will and Grace in a recurring role. She has previously published an autobiography in 1988 and, in 2013, a previous memoir, Unsinkable.

Make 'Em Laugh, co-written by Dorian Hannaway, is chockfull of entertaining details and descriptions about the stars, told at a rapid pace by a motion picture icon and insider. Intimate information of her marriage to Eddie Fisher, his relationship with Liz Taylor, their daughter Carrie, and husband Harry Carl (who left her bankrupt) are all laid bare. Photos from the star's scrapbooks are included. Gossip enthusiasts are assured a good time reading Make 'Em Laugh. And, yes, it has an index.

Highly recommended. Available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon and bookstores everywhere.

Cine Beaverhausen: The Martian with Matt Damon

The Martian is basically Cast Away in outer space. Is there life on Mars? Not judging by Matt Damon's shallow performance herein. He's certainly not my favorite Martian.

Ridley Scott (Alien, Bladerunner) directed and we probably can brace ourselves for this box-office smash to garner nominations come Oscar time as it has a certain pedigree, so to speak. The audience I sat with seemed to squirm, moan and get out of their seats a lot during this bummer of a brouhaha.

Sand. The film has lots of sand. And it upstages Damon! Jeff Daniels is in this, turning in a sturdy performance, but he, Kristine Wiig, Jessica Chastain and Sean Bean are all basically wasted herein. The Martian landscape was actually shot in the Middle East through a red filer.

Hearing Gloria Gaynor sing "I Will Survive" and The O'Jays sing "Love Train" kept me awake during this misfired star vehicle. Matt was obviously thinking this could be his Interstellar or Gravity.

I rate The Martian four big yawns. First movie to star sand since Beach Blanket Bingo, which was far more interesting.

Video Beaverhausen: Anita Eckberg IS the Killer Nun

Believe me, growing up Roman Catholic, I know from killer nuns! When I was around seven, I passed a tin soldier to a friend that he'd left in my backyard. Mother Superior saw this and dragged me to the back of Our Lady of Lourdes church in Paterson, NJ. "Playing with toys in the House of God?" she asked. I tried to explain. "And lying too," she then added. "Put out your hands," she insisted with sadistic glee. I did, knowing what was coming. WHACK! My hands were sore well into that night.

In the Italo-horror nunsploitation film Killer Nun, Anita Eckberg is even more lethal and has quite a shelf to show off in her habit. You see, Sister Anita decides to take taking care of sinners into her own psychotic hands.

Joe D'Allesandro costars and Alida Valli (The Third Man) is in this!

This film is Eurotrash of the highest order, as Eckberg chews up the scenery with great gusto, a long way from her La Dolce Vita heyday.

Anita begins by murdering those whiny seniors in her ward but, naturally, things escalate as the religious nutcase takes things in hand, much like the Republicans in the USA today!

Recommended to camp lovers but few others.

Cine Beaverhausen: Ricki and the Flash starring Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline

Ricki and the Flash is a movie with more than one pedigree It's directed by Jonathan Demme, Oscar winner for Silence of the Lambs and stars three-time Oscar winner Meryl Streep and Oscar winner (for A Fish Called Wand) Mr Kevin Kline. Somehow, that didn't translate into box-office success for this movie.

Meryl plays Ricki, an over-the-hill rock star now that she's hit sixty. Streep's performance shows off her range as she flexes her comedic and dramatic abilities with equal aplomb.

The ever-sexy Kevin Kline is a great match as her ex-husband, Meryl's daughter is portrayed by her real-life one, Mamie Gummer. Rick Springfield is surprisingly strong as Meryl's younger boyfriend.

The movie's refreshingly lightweight for those in the mood for this kind of entertainment. I felt the script was a little weak, frankly, particularly the dialogue. But it's a star vehicle and that's largely what carries it through.

Meryl's character looks as if she is trying vainly to compete with Madonna with her hair and jewelry in this film. But she sure can belt out a rock tune as she previously demonstrated in Postcards from the Edge. Look out, Lady Gaga!

Audio Beaverhausen: Kylie at Christmas

Kylie Minogue's new Christmas album is a most pleasant piece of pop for the holidays. Ms M is certainly doing everything to promote it across The Pond, including get an enthusiastic kiss and a hug from Prince Harry at the Royal Variety performance, catching his eye while wearing a snow-white, feathery headdress that any drag queen would envy.

With sweeping orchestration, the album is as tastefully delectable as a candy cane. Although I'm no fan of the trend toward duets with dead celebrities, Kylie's "Santa Clause Is Coming to Town" goes down easily enough.

I much prefer her cover of The Waitresses' "Christmas Wrapping" with Iggy Pop or her duet with Sister Danii. "Only You" with James Corden is pleasant all right though seems a bit off-topic.

Kylie's interpretation of Chrissie Hynde's "2,000 Miles" is just plain wonderful as is her covering holiday classics like "Winter Wonderland" and Irving Berlin's "White Christmas." There are numerous beautiful ballads sprinkled throughout. "Santa Baby," a single released previously only on holiday compilations, is a bit of a pop classic by now.

Kylie at Christmas is recommended by Buddy B, who's giving it two hands in the air. Available at Amazon.com and at Barnes & Noble. The deluxe edition, which I bought, contains a bonus video.

Exclusive Q&A with Bernard Furshpan of NYC's Acclaimed Metropolitan Room

Bernard Furshpan was on his way, driving to the Metropolitan Room, when I placed my call to do this Q&A. Bernie has become a friend over the year, and it has been nothing but a pleasure knowing him and his wife Joanne. He has had a great year at the club but a difficult one for him personally, as his beloved father passed away during the summer. Here, then, is our Q&A:

Buddy Beaverhausen: Hi, Bernie! Let's begin with my asking you something a lot of readers may not know. You had a prior career as a chiropractor. How did you segue from that to becoming Managing Director/ Booking Partner at the Metropolitan Room?

Bernard Furshpan: Yes, I started as a chiropractor but retired from that career to do something I loved more. Life's too short! I had a certain amount of fame in that profession, however, as I cured a girl with chronic hiccups. Her doctors said there was nothing they could do, but as a chiropractor, I cured her and it got a lot of media attention.
I went into managing companies on-line and, at the time, the Metropolitan Room's management, who also run Gotham Comedy Club in Chelsea, needed help. That's how I got involved. Ultimately, we thought it was best if I just took over.

Bernie, Joanne & Nick Lion

BB: It's always such a pleasure to see you and your beautiful and gracious wife, Joanne, at the club. How did you two meet?
BF: On-line, actually. We communicated back and forth a lot before we even dated. When we met, it was love at first sight.
BB: Can't wait for you to meet my great friends, Merv and Tracey, who also got into ballroom dance lessons, just like you and Joanne. And they, too, met on-line.
BF: Thank you. I never knew I could be so graceful, though Joanne studied ballet. I'd love you to bring your friends.

BB: I see Joanne is General Manager at Metropolitan Room, which I didn't know until I was researching for this interview. What does her job involve?
BF: Supervising the staff, basically.
BB: She does an excellent job as your staff is especially courteous and graceful.
BF: Yes, our current staff is wonderful, and we don't tolerate difficult people.

BB: Your show room has such an elegant Art Deco look to it. Who designed it?
BF: We brought people in to do that, with our ideas. When I took over the club, it looked like a mess.

BB: You have lived in NYC all your life, currently in Queens. However, you were born and raised in Brooklyn. What was your growing up there like and what music did you listen to growing up?
BF: Yes, I grew up in Brooklyn and, in our house, we always had the radio or the record player on. and I heard everything, especially jazz and pop.
BB: I moved to Bay Ridge from Manhattan and love it here. Have you ever been to Bay Ridge?
BF: Definitely. Love that neighborhood!

BB: You have great talent booked which I'm sure is a large part of your success. Julie Budd always brings in a full crowd. What is your professional relationship like?
BF: Joanne and I adore her, just like she was family. She's been in the business for a very long time and is an absolute professional.
BB:Ever deal with less professional talent?
BF: We realize some artists are just insecure. You know, they're people too, so we smooth their feathers and reassure them everything will be fine.
BB: I once worked at The Bottom Line when I was young, and they had Esther Phillips there when she was hot off her success of the disco version of "What a Difference a Day Makes." She was so abusive to the technical people and staff that, despite her two sold-out shows, the club refused to ever have her back.
BF: Wow! Same here, we have zero tolerance for that kind of behavior. We will not allow our staff or technical people to be treated in a disrespectful manner. Luckily, we never had to deal with this.

BB: Melba Moore's recent birthday show packed the club to the rafters. What was that night like for you?
BF: Crazy but a total delight. Melba is a favorite, and so un-presuming off-stage.

BB: There's a resurgence of interest now in cabaret as one of NYC's unique and lively art forms. Why do you think that is?
BF: I think because it's become less "stodgy" and has embraced a wider spectrum or variety of sounds.

BB: What are the best and worst things about running a club in Manhattan!
BF: Best: Location and a very sophisticated audience. Worst: How expensive it all is.

BB: Before we ever met, I came to see Pia Zadora, at your club, as a guest of Bob Esty's. I brought Nick Lion, and Bob had us seated right up front. Pia made her Piatinis for Nick and I and handed them to us from the stage. What was it like dealing with her?
BF: She was a complete professional in every way. Like Julie Budd, she has been in the business her whole life. She was a doll. Bob was a pleasure to deal with as well. And what a voice! We'd love to have her back sometime.

BB: So many artists enjoy dealing with you. Many feel you exude a warmth and feel you're like an old friend. Are you aware of this charm you seem to have?
BF: Well, Joanne and I both try to make artists feel comfortable with us and at home in the club.

BB: Any last shout-outs?
BF: Thanks to everyone who has come to see our shows and who has supported the Metropolitan Room. Thanks to our business partners and to our incredible and devoted staff. Thanks to you, Buddy Beaverhausen, for your wonderful reviews of our shows. We love reading your blog. And for introducing us to great talent like Denise Spann-Morgan and Debby Cole.
BB: And thank you, Bernie, for taking out the time to do this Q&A with me.

Video Beaverhausen: The Nun's Story with Audrey Hepburn

When I was a little boy, one of my favorite pastimes was dressing up as a nun. So, of course, when The Nun's Story was released in July 1959, I couldn't contain my joy, sisters! My mother had recently given birth to my brother, Bob, and was eager for a night out. He was left in care of my grandparents for just a few hours.

The film is directed by Fred Zimmerman (Julia) with epic sweep. Why, it wore me out, I tell you! I fell asleep somewhere after the uprising in the Congo sequence, bundled up in the back of the car at the drive-in.

Peter Finch co-stars as Audrey's love interest as she realizes she has romantic feelings that are incompatible with her vows. What to do? Especially since Finch plays the brilliant, atheist surgeon, Dr Fortunati.

The film is set during World War II, so there's that whole drama going on. Then there's the grueling novice life with Audrey polishing Mother Superior's shoes and scrubbing convent floors. Worst of all, there's Colleen Dewhurst chewing up the scenery and upstaging Audrey as a violent inmate in a loony bin ~ a role she excelled at! There are more big-drama moments in this film than you can shake a rosary at!

The supporting cast is excellent, including Edith Evans, Dean Jagger, Peggy Ashcroft, Mildred Dunnock and... Beatrice Straight?!

While respectful, The Nun's Story isn't the totally reverent film many think of it as. Its critical edge was enough to make the Catholic Church, at the time, not completely happy. They said it was suitable for Adults Only, but with Reservations. Hardly an endorsement. In fact, even I decided never to join the sisterhood since I saw it was far from the glitzy and glamorous life I'd imagined for myself. Shortly after watching this, I stopped dressing up as Sister Carlotta Francesca and packed my nun costume away for good. Sigh! The end of an era.

Audio Beaverhausen: Marcus Simeone's Haunted

Haunted is a haunting album, from November 2011, by Marcus Simeone. Marcus will be returning to the Metropolitan Room in NYC with Tracey Stark in "On Sacred Ground: the Songs of Janis Ian" on November 21st and December 5th, which I will review.

On Haunted, Marcus shows off his versatility and range, kicking off with the award-winning titular song.

Marcus' voice is often compared with Johnny Mathis' with its velvet smoothness. (He's even covered "Misty.") The selection of songs on Haunted is impeccable.

Mr Simeone has performed at many of Manhattan's best cabaret rooms. This particular adult-contemporary album is from the CD Baby label. Whether singing Rogers and Hart or Motown, he puts his individual stamp on each song he sings. The six-time MAC Award winner has released a total of five albums and each one will impress you.

Give Haunted a listen this November, and let it haunt you with its mood, perfect for the fall season. Available at CD Baby, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.

Travels with Beaverhausen: Autumn in Connecticut

Buddy's buddy and downstairs neighbor, author and columnist Kevin Scott Hall, joined me on my weekend vacation in Connecticut. The biggest adventure was trying to get out of this concrete jungle.

As there are currently weekend construction delays in the subway, we opted to take a livery car into Manhattan. Much street construction work on both the Brooklyn and Manhattan sides made traffic a snarly, gnarly mess.

Finally at Grand Central Station, we boarded our train to Fairfield station in Connecticut, where Tracey picked us up in her car and drove us by highway and byway to her home in Sandy Hook, where Merv was cooking up our dinner.

We settled in, in the living room, chatting over Merv's marvelous margaritas, with corn chips and dips. This was Kevin's first visit in 2-1/2 years, so he had lots to update our hosts about and vice versa.

Eventually, we all sat at the dining table. Dinner was Merv's savory cinnamon pot roast with fresh broccoli and mashed red potatoes, all served with gravy. Everything was so scrumptious!

Our movie night kicked off with The Last of Sheila. This is a cheeky, cerebral whodunnit co-scripted by Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim and actor Anthony Perkins of all people! It's a nearly forgotten gem from 1973 starring James Mason, Dyan Cannon (as a character clearly based on Sue Mengers), Raquel Welch, Richard Benjamin, Joan Hackett, James Coburn and Ian McSchane. We all loved it, right down to Bette Midler singing "Friends" over the closing credits. It's an early '70s time capsule; just look at the costumes. Richard Benjamin looks like Freddie Mercury in this!

We then moved on to Ken Russell's The Devils before bedtime. http://djbuddybeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2015/10/video-beaverhausen-oliver-reed-vanessa.html

Sunday morning, there was coffee once we were all up, just after sunrise. It was a clear, cloudless day, a bit chilly and bracing but with such sweet-smelling air. Breakfast, lazing about, reading the Sunday Times.

L. to r., me, Kevin, Tray, Merv. Or is it The Last Supper?

On our way to the train in the afternoon, all four of us stopped at Jones Farms for a free wine tasting at the farm's lodge. Several wines were sampled, although my fave is and always has been the farm's strawberry wine. We each received a free souvenir crystal wine glass at the end of our sampling.

Alas, all good things must come to an end and, after our sojourn, Tracey and Merv drove Kevin and me back to the NYC/ Grand Central Station train.

Thank you again, my friends, for a wonderful time. We sure know how to party!

Beaverhausen Book Nook: Truman Capote's Answered Prayers

Answered Prayers is an unfinished roman a clef novel written by Truman Capote, put together by his publishers posthumously.

Lo these many years, I'd never read this tome, though it is legendary. I finally bought a copy and thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm rather surprised this has never been turned into a feature film. It would make a marvelously sophisticated comedy.

Dorothy Parker and Tallulah Bankhead are in here (together) in a particularly rib-tickling moment, as are Montgomery Clift, the Duchess of Windsor and Colette, but most of the celebs in Answered Prayers are strictly guess who?-Don't sue!

The book details the fly-on-the wall friend to socialites and their husbands, P.B. Jones. Andy Warhol and Tennessee Williams among others are thinly disguised in this scathingly satirical view of the 1960s-'70s social scene.

The author of In Cold Blood and Breakfast at Tiffany's was already killing himself by drinking far too much at the time he wrote this novel. He was afraid he'd be ostracized by friends if he published it. When interviewed by Dick Cavett about his writing the book, he told his tv host, "Either I'm going to kill it or it's going to kill me."

In the 1970s, when I was in my early 20s, I worked in the United Nations area, directly across from Dag Hammarskjold Plaza. During my lunch break, I saw Mr Capote as I stepped outside. He approached me and offered to pay me to go home with him. I turned his offer down. This was around the time he was working on Answered Prayers.

Answered Prayers was last released, internationally, in 2012 byVintage Books. It is currently available via Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and most bookstores. Enjoy, gossip lovers!

Audio Beaverhausen: Judy Collins' Strangers Again

Judy Collins' latest album, Strangers Again, begins with its title track, a duet with Ari Herst. In fact, the album is all duets. Judy's voice has perhaps never been as strong as it is here, and typically as clear as crystal.

Ms Collins has some great male vocalists aboard to sing with: Jackson Browne, Jeff Bridges, Don McLean and Willie Nelson to name a few. I think a duet or two with women would have made Strangers Again even more striking but alas.

I have to admit that I prefer to hear Judy solo. Nonetheless, any new release by the singer is an event. The songs are all gorgeously composed. Fabulous rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" with Bih Bihman.

Judy reprises "Someday Soon," an old folkie song of hers, and Stephen Sondheim's "Send in the Clowns," a number Ms Collins famously covered that was a radio hit. This version is sung with Don McClean.

"Races" is a strong closer.

 Recommended to all of Ms. Collins' fans for the holiday season.

Halloween Poll Results

The poll is now closed wherein you were asked to vote for your favorite film monster of all time.

Dracula, far and away, was the fans' fave, with a total of 9 votes. The Frankenstein Monster, the 50-Foot Woman and Alien each received 3 votes.

The Werewolf got one vote, lone wolf that he is. The Invisible Man went unseen with zero votes, as did The Mummy.

There were 19 votes in all. Thanks to everyone who took the time to participate. A new poll will appear soon.

Audio Beaverhausen: Everything Is Beautiful with Marcella Puppini

Marcella Puppini's new solo album is every bit as upbeat as its title insists. Everything Is Beautiful is now available through Amazon.com as a UK import though, at the time of this posting, it has temporarily sold out. An American label is expected to release a domestic edition soon.

The new album is from the "queen of electro-swing" But heavy is not the head that wears that crown, as Marcella's wonderful sense of optimism and good cheer is as distinct as it is disarming, something the world ~ and pop music ~ are in need of these days.

Pop culture is very much on Ms Puppini's mind, evident in titles like "Stop Googling Me" and in odes to media icons Betty Boop and Doris Day.

In "Let's Stay in Bed" and "In the Mood for Trouble," Marcella's mischievous side toys with listeners. Everything Is Beautiful's title track is a fabulous modern honky-tonk number that will have you qvelling with delight. [Link below.] Throughout, the singer's sense of tongue-in-cheek, campy humor is very much on display. I'm in her camp!

You can't stay in a foul mood if you listen to this album, I guarantee. Sleekly produced throughout, it makes for a great holiday present and ~ while you're at it ~ snap up one for yourself!

https://vimeo.com/129702371