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!

Video Beaverhausen: Lost Horizon... the Musical!

Bette Midler said, "Oh, my God! I never miss a Liv Ullman musical!" When I interviewed Sally Kellerman, she asked if I liked this film, I said I didn't. She suggested I might change my opinion if I saw it again, so I did. And I have.

At over 2 and 1/2 hours, Lost Horizon might have needed more pruning in the editing room. Still, the cast is fascinating. Peter Finch, Liv Ullman, Sally, Michael York, George Kennedy, James Shigeta, Olivia Hussey, John Gielgud, Charles Boyer (as the Holy Lama) and Bobby Van.

Lost Horizon is based on the 1937 film about a plane that crash-lands in the Himalayas and its survivors are welcomed to a Utopian society called Shangri-La. It may be a little hard to accept Gielgud, Boyer, Kellerman and ~ certainly Liv Ullman ~ as Asian, half-Asian or Asian-American, but suspension of disbelief is extremely important here.

With an exclusively action-film beginning, the songs are introduced suavely starting with Olivia Hussey singing "Stay and Feel the Joy" as a stage act for her guests in Shangri-La. Liv Ullman's next number ("Nobody Knows Where the Circle Begins"). The score is overall fabulous, frankly.

The photography is sumptuous as are the sets that seem Star Trek inspired. There's much spectacle in this movie musical to be savored.

Ms Kellerman is wonderful singing and dancing, and her dramatic moments are stunning. Peter Finch is surprisingly strong on vocals during his big numbers.

Screenplay by Larry Kramer (The Normal Heart). No wonder it has gay fan appeal! Despite the peacefulness of Shanri-La, much drama ensues in this film, including its famous, downbeat finale. Buddy B high;ly recommends viewing this film.

Travels with Beaverhausen: This'n'That About San Francisco

When San Francisco residents tell you they have a "green card" these days, it most likely has nothing to do with immigration. It's the new, government-issued card that permits the owner to smoke marijuana for medicinal purposes. There are a lot of prescriptions in this city and, hence, active cards.

One sight not on yesterday morning's tour was seen in early evening. As our sedan took us to Feinstein's, the driver went through the Tenderloin district. This part of town is just south of Nob Hill and the theater area. It is similar to what NYC's Bowery was like before gentrification set in. Lots of drunks, druggies, streetwalkers, the homeless and some obvious psychos. I do not recommend traversing the Tenderloin by foot, especially after dark.

My autographed copy of Sally Kellerman's latest cd, from last night's outstanding show at Feinstein's, is sensitively produced by Val Garay and contains a lot of the material from her cabaret shows, including the Leiber & Stoler pop classic, "Love Potion #9," Nina Simone's "Sugar in My Bowl," and the wonderful "Somebody Call the Cops." The jazz arrangements suit Sally's gravelly baritone perfectly throughout. Simply titled Sally, this is a wonderful addition to my album collection that will always remind me of my summer visit to Baghdad by the Bay.

Where NYC tends to be more 24/ 7 industrious, SF tends to be more mellow-yellow, though Levi-Strauss, The Gap, Airbnb, Pacific Gas and Electric, Yelp. Pinterest, Twitter, Mozilla, Wikipedia, Craigslist have their main offices here.

Rents and real estate in SF are even more expensive than in NYC. SF is the most densely populated city in California and the second most densely populated in the US, after NYC.

SF has a pay-what-you-can policy for its subway, which means the indigent can get aboard free. This would so not fly in NYC because people there would be in one's face, telling one about him/herself. I can just hear it inside my head: " ExCUSE me?! I have to pay $5.00 round-trip and YOU're riding free?" Frisco's fare is nearly as expensive, by the way. It just underscores the city's more docile, accepting and tolerant attitudes. Blame it on the green cards?

Tomorrow, Buddy B will be visiting Chinatown & the Castro.




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Travels with Beaverhausen: Sally Kellerman @ Feinstein's @ the Nikko

Sally Kellerman was every bit as awesome at Feinstein's (set inside the glamorous Nikko hotel) in San Francisco last night as she was when I saw her in NYC at 54 Below in January. Her set was basically the same http://djbuddybeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2015/01/on-town-with-buddy-b-sally-kellerman.html, though extended with at least two additional songs, including Sarah Gazark's heartbreaking "The Lies of Handsome Men" and the pop classic, "Story of Love," her finale.

Her West Coast show found her in hippie mode, much looser and more glib than she was in Manhattan. She was dressed in faded jeans and a casual Jean Paul Gaultier top. She conducted an impromptu Q&A with the audience. Someone asked a question I didn't consider in our q&a http://djbuddybeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2015/01/exclusive-q-with-sally-kellerman.html, and that was about working with the late Rodney Dangerfield in Back to School (1986). Mss K said it was a very pleasant memory for her and that Mr D was quite the soft-spoken gentleman when he didn't have to be "on." She was further pressed as to why she chose to quote poet Dylan Thomas in that film. "Chose?" Sally chuckled. "Hey, I'm just an actress. They give me a script, I recite the lines. But ok, now I know it was Dylan Thomas!"

The star w/ Buddy B

After the show, Sally and I met in the lobby. I bought her latest cd this time, and she autographed it for me. I explained I brought my friends that just moved to SF with me to her show and that I was not doing a creepy stalker thing as it was a coincidence she was performing at the time. Sally laughed, saying "Stalk away! Actually, it's kismet!" as she gratefully signed the cd.

Thank you, Ms Kellerman! My extended family, Steve and Ilene, loved the show. They were very touched, being parents, by Ms K's rendition of Paul Williams/ Kenny Hirsch's "I Still Miss You." The show was, each and every moment, a precious pleasure. How often is that the case?

Ilene & Steve @ the Nikko bar 

Sally's autographed cd

On the Town with Buddy B: Sally Kellerman Takes NYC by (Snow) Storm

Sally Kellerman brought her considerable talent and charm to 54 Below last night to a crowd of appreciative fans that included columnist Michael Musto (who sat at the table behind us), jazz great Annie Ross, music producer Nick Lion and myself.

Kellerman was cool and casual, strutting about the stage, still a willowy beauty, dressed in a silky white tailored shirt over blue jeans. She was accompanied by Ed Martel on piano, a guitarist and drummer.

Composer and pop music producer Ken Hirsch took over the keys for a couple of numbers while the band took a break, with Sally singing "Still Miss You," a song by Mr Hirsch and Paul Williams, and the extremely affecting "If I Could."

Sally is one of the few artists who can get away opening a song while lying on the floor. A moment distinctly not music directed by Bob Esty back in L.A. And she sure knows how to work a fedora! When she pondered why she never slept with Marlon Brando when she had the chance and he was still thin, she was completely, disarmingly charming.

Ms Kellerman opened with the jazz tune, "Somebody Call the Cops." Her sets included many great standards of the '50s, '60s and '70s including "The Look of Love," "Spooky," "Love Potion #9" and the raunchy blues number, "Sugar in My Bowl."

From the start, I felt Sally's voice (by the way, she claimed not to be enamored of her first name, which she thinks is too "poofy") reminded me of Peggy Lee's. And damned if she didn't do a memorable interpretation of "Is That All There Is?"!

Sally had a clearly drunken fan in the house, a bit too vocal, leaning toward heckling. When he became truly overbearing near the end of the act, Sally said with sweetly delivered sarcasm, "Have another drink, sir."

In the lobby after the show, this man lurched toward Sally after she and I spoke. My friends, Nick and his life partner, Benjamin, gentlemen that they are, quickly escorted her back into the club. And the club personnel (always gracious and attentive at 54) escorted the sod to the street.

After we left, Nick, Benjamin and I stopped for a drink at the jam-packed The Ritz club on Restaurant Row. There's a photo of Nick and I with another giant drag queen that Benjamin took and I'll share on Facebook. Those great guys drove me through the snow (that started really coming down) to Bay Ridge. Safe passage to them, going back to Queens, and to Sally, on her way to PA for her Saturday show.

EXCLUSIVE Q&A with SALLY KELLERMAN

Sally Kellerman is an entertainment legend who needs little introduction, having been in show business now for decades. At 18, she signed a recording contract with the Verve label, though her first album, Roll with the Feelin', was not recorded till '72.  Her album, Sally, was released in 2009.

Ms Kellerman is a combination of beauty, brains and talent, so her success on-screen, stage and vocally (as singer and voice-over artist) should come as no surprise. Her most iconic role was that of "Hot Lips" Houlihan in the film MASH. She's been on several motion picture soundtrack recordings, has done voices for animated features, voiced over many tv commercials (Hidden Valley Ranch dressing, Revlon), has done numerous classic tv episodes and has written a memoir, Read My Lips.

Sally Kellerman appears at 54 Below in Manhattan, NYC, on Friday, January 23rd at 9:30 pm. I will be there. She will also be at The Razz Room, New Hope, PA on Saturday the 24th.

One thing you don't do is to keep a Hollywood icon waiting but, unfortunately, I couldn't find Ms K's phone number. I was in a panic! When I called an hour late, the star was incredibly gracious -- and forgiving. Special thanks and gratitude to Alan Eichler for setting up this interview opportunity. 

Ladies and gentlemen, Buddy Beaverhausen Talks with Sally Kellerman!   

Buddy Beaverhausen: Hello, Ms Kellerman, so sorry I'm so late but I couldn't find your number....
Sally Kellerman: I understand. I have to pack for New York after this.....
BB: I'll be there at 54.
SK: Oh, wonderful! This is for your blog?
BB: Yes, I get over 13,000 views monthly, internationally.
SK: That's terrific! By the way, what's the weather like in New York?
BB: Today's rainy and icy, but it'll be fairer when you arrive. Were you ever at Studio 54 in its day?
SK: I went once. I'm an L.A. girl.
BB: Now, some actresses make their star debut coming down long staircases. You made yours stepping from a helicopter. What was that like?
SK: MASH, yes! It was terrific getting to meet and work with Bob Altman, with whom I later made a number of films. I think my favorite role was that in Brewster McCloud. Have you seen it?
BB: Yes. It was a favorite film of mine in college.
SK: We worked so well together and I was devastated when he passed away. He really worked beautifully with actors, giving us respect and freedom in how we created our roles.
BB: What was it like for you, filming the sequence in MASH, when the guys collapse the shower frame and you're "on stage." I remember, on its release, it was quite a sensation because of your dramatic nude scene.
SK: Oh my God! That was quite a take because the feeling of rage was so real, raw! But Bob Altman handled it all very delicately at the set and afterwards. I always had full faith in him as my director.
BB: I see your show is directed by Bob Esty, whom I've interviewed....
SK: You know Bob?
BB: Only through our interviews and on Facebook. We did meet in New York this past summer....
SK: Right. Pia Zadora! Well, Bob is just an angel. One of the sweetest people I've ever met and we got to be close friends. I adored working with him on my act and I love listening to his classics with Streisand, Cher and Donna Summer....
BB: You've been singing professionally a long time. You had your cabaret debut at Reno Sweeney's (NYC) in the '70s. What kind of music did you listen to growing up?
SK: I always wanted to be a singer but my acting career eclipsed it. In my parents' home, growing up, I listened to the radio and heard all the popular voices of the time. Jo Stafford, Patti Paige, Rosemary Clooney, and I wanted to be like them.
BB: You made your big-screen debut in a film called Reform Girl, which I've never seen but would love to! Were you a good girl or a bad girl in it?
SK: I don't know what I was. [chuckles] I have only the foggiest memory of that.
BB: Lost Horizon! What was that set like.
SK: Oh, it was wonderful. Did you like it?
BB: Errrr.... Not really.
SK: I had the greatest time making that with Liv Ullman and that cast. The Hal David lyrics! Try watching it again. It's underrated, misunderstood.....
BB: What was your favorite of all the films you've made?
SK: And still make. I have some new releases in 2015. But Slither! Slither was a joy and I loved working with James Caan!
BB: You came to the public's attention in a big way as the surviving victim in The Boston Strangler. What was it like working with Tony Curtis in such an intense scene?
SK: Fabulous. Tony was such a gentleman, even though his character beat the crap out of me. He was gracious and I felt comfortable with him.
BB: You did a lot of tv work....
SK: Oh, yes....
BB: Mannix.
SK: Loved working with Mike [Connors].
BB: Did you get to yell, "Mannix, look out!"?
SK: [Laughs] I don't think I did. I was in the very first episode of Star Trek.
BB: You did a lot of sci-fi. The Invaders, Outer Limits.
SK: Joseph Stefano saw me in a play in L.A. He saw it twice and met me and said "I want you to be on my show." So we shot my Outer Limits episode. I played opposite Martin Landau, whom I adored! It was wonderful and Stefano, by the way, wrote the screenplay for Hitchcock's Psycho.
BB: Any shout-out to your LGBT fans?
SK: Yes! Keep on doing what you're doing! Equal rights for all. I fully support you and thank you for supporting me. Lots and lots of love!
BB: Thank you, Ms Kellerman.
SK: Thank you, now on to packing. See you in New York!

Bob Esty Interview Part 4: Dusty, Lesley, Cher, Barbra

Bob Esty is truly a legend in his own time. A producer, songwriter and arranger who worked with Casablanca Records from 1977 to 1980, he has collaborated alongside major divas like Donna Summer, Cher, Barbra Streisand, Martha Wash, Raquel Welch and many more. It is my sincerest pleasure to have spoken with Bob over the phone when he generously consented to give me the following, exclusive interview. I have divided it into parts for easier reader consumption and digestion because it is such a delicious treat. 

In the 4th and final part of this interview which, again, it was a great privilege for me to conduct, our discussion involves Billy Preston, Whitney Houston, The Weather Girls, Paul Jabara, The Day of the Locusts, Dusty Springfield, Lesley Gore, Cher, Barbra, Michelle Aller, Sally Kellerman, Scott Snapp and more.

Check out Mr Esty's Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Disco-Citizens-The-Work-of-Bob-Esty/428987683811992?fref=ts

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Bob Esty: We [Bob and Paul Jabara] wrote a song for The Weather Girls called "Success" about the fact that even though "It's Raining Men" is a success, it's not really. We used every trick in the book when we did this song and I did the track along with "Hope" [for the 1982 album, Success, that also includes the disco classics, "Dear Santa (Send Me a Man for Christmas)," "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair" and "Hungry for Love"], a song I previously did with Billy Preston.

In 1981, Paul put out"Hope" and "It's Raining Men" by The Weather Girls on the Paul Jabara & Friends album. It also had Whitney Houston's breakthrough track on that album ["Eternal Love"].

Dj Buddy Beaverhausen: And to think, throughout the '80s and '90s, people were declaring Disco was dead!

BE: Ha! Exactly! When Paul's album was being made, I also told him that record stores would put it in a "Compilations" bin and nobody would notice "Hope" was on it.

DJBB: I read that, in 1977, you and writing partner Michelle Aller wrote "I Found Love with You" for Dusty Springfield, and that you opened at The Troubadour for Lesley Gore.

BE: Yes, Michelle and I opened for Lesley and we had a band. I don't know how we got that gig! I never saw Lesley Gore perform live before, but I loved her. I didn't know Dusty Springfield was in the audience. Anyhow, her producer of the It Begins Again album, Roy Thomas Baker, contacted us and said, "Dusty really loved your song. Do you want to record it with her?" I got to arrange and orchestrate the whole thing. And I just loved working with Dusty! And Michelle and I sang in the backgrounds with Dusty. And that was the first time we had one of our original songs recorded.

DJBB: The rumors are that Dusty Springfield was often difficult to work with. Not just rumors but it's been reported by others who have worked with her and was dramatized in the play I saw last year in New York, Forever Dusty.

BE: Dusty? Well, not for me. For me, she was great. Incidentally, Michael Childers did the photography for It Begins Again, and was the lover of [director] John Schlesinger. And that's when I met Schlesinger because I did an arrangement of "Hot Voodoo" for the movie, The Day of the Locusts. And that number was performed by Paul Jabara in drag.

DJBB: I love that moment in the movie! And what a great, underrated movie that is!

BE: Right? Yeah, it was, and I went to the filming of Paul's sequence.

DJBB: And sequins?

[Bob laughs.]

BE: Michael Childers now does a self-tribute photography show in Palm Springs called "One Night Only" with many artists from LA and NYC, and this year it included the music of Michael's friends including Paul Jabara. Unfortunately, I couldn't make it.

DJBB: Bob, when Donna Summer died, was that just as much a shock to you as to the general public? Or did you know she was ill at the time?

BE: No, I had no idea. Patti Brooks knew from the nurses in the hospital Donna was in. But it was a shock. It happened so fast! And she kept it secret from everyone.

DJBB: Cher is our new Pier Dance Diva for NYC Pride. You were the one who set her on her disco path, making her the dance diva she is today once you produced her ultra-successful and legendary "Take Me Home." How did that all come about?  Up to that time, she was really not a Disco girl.

BE: I met her in a bungalo with my leg in a cast.  I'd just broke my leg at the New York Disco Convention that year. She was just the "regular" Cher; no make-up. But to really talk about Cher, we'd have to do another blog piece.

DJBB: Streisand. What was it like making the disco smash "The Main Event" with her, and was it intimidating to work with her?

BE: Well, that would be something we'd need to devote another blog piece to, also. I can't go into that quickly.

DJBB: Bob, just one more question before we wrap this up: What would we find on Bob Esty's turntable, iPod or cd player today? What are the songs you most recently listen to?

BE: When you produce and do recordings, there's a tendency to not want to listen to anyone else. And now, especially because of Facebook, in order to post things, I have to re-listen to so many things I've done. Glenn Rivera and Jandry: these guys do such a great job of remixing! And I've helped Jandry on some of his medleys. Also love Jandry's artwork and posters.

DJBB: I love what those guys have done, too, all around.

BE: Yeah, amazing! And now I'm working with Sally Kellerman and Scott Snapp. Sally's been performing in L.A. and Palm Springs and has her book out now, Read My Lips. Plus, I'm working on a remastering of Ava Cherry's Streetcar Named Desire album.

DJBB: Bob, all good things must come to an end, and I just want to thank you a lot for your time and participation. Thanks so much for this interview. It meant so much to me to be able to ask you the questions about your career I've always wanted to know. I'm sure it means a lot to the readers of my blog and others on the Internet.

BE: Yes, certainly. Thank you.

DJBB: And thank you for commenting on my blog and Facebook. Most appreciate it.

BE: Sometimes I can't comment on the blog when I want. Don't know why, but....

DJBB: Believe me, they don't make it user-friendly. Bob, thanks ever so much for everything! And have a good night.

BE: Ah, a night off! Thank you, and to you, too.

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Below, the disco classic disco hit written by Bob and Michelle Aller takes this interview home. But we'll be hearing more about Cher -- and Babs -- soon. Exclusively from Bob Esty!