Turned on the Goofy Machine today. Reminded me that I have to bleed the pipes, or something, because the Goofy Machine should not be called that; a “boiler” or “furnace” is the usual term. But when the heat goes on the pipes make a sound I can only describe as GAWRSH. Loud, swooshy, like a giant swishing an ocean in his mouth. GAWRSH. GAWRSH. When the heat finally radiated from the pipes it had that start-of-the-season smell: burned dust. Heated mite-husks. Warm and familiar and autumnal.
Last night I turned on the fireplace while I watched “Flash Forward,” and got the same aroma. It’s a different smell than the empty robot-fever you get from an electric heater. In any case, I didn’t need it: the sun came out and the day warmed up by three, four degrees. Time to go outside and walk around in a bathrobe.
That was my job today: play sick. I played sick for a living. We’re doing another The Flu and You video, and this one was “What To Do.” There’s really not much to illustrate, is there? Sweat, sleep, have crazy dreams, watch TV, sleep some more. (Or, in the case of my friend the Giant Swede, get on a plane. Daily. His job requires him to fly a great deal, and he spent a week going up and down with ears packed tight with cee-ment, and when they finally popped I think it rattled china in Duluth.) So I figured I’d do a series of things you shouldn’t do, compared with the alternatives. The Not-To-Do stuff consisted of a trip to the video and grocery store, and I did these sequences in slippers and a bathrobe.
So: there I am walking down the street in my neighborhood on a sunny fall day, in a bathrobe that says BATES MOTEL, looking like crap. The presence of a camera justified it all, thank heavens. You can get away with doing all sorts of stupid things if someone’s taking pictures. Inside the video store a customer was REALLY SUPER INTERESTED in what we were doing; in the grocery store no one made eye contact. We shot one sequence outside my house, and a jogger slowed down to watch. And talk cameras. And stand in the shot. And ensure that when the clouds came over our shots wouldn’t match. It’s nice to be interested in other people’s work, but it’s like walking up to a fellow who’s jackhammering a sidewalk, tapping him on the shoulder until he stops and turns off the machine, and then asking him what sort of ear protection he’s using. Because I’m sort of an ear-protection buff myself.
Took a brief break to pick up daughter from bus stop. How was school? No, let me guess: it was fine. Was it fine? Did it achieve fineosity? Fineness was the general shape of the educational parameters? Good. She assisted in the shoot at one point, blocking a beam of light that was causing a white blanket to bloom and throw off the picture. I hope she remembers the special days when she was entrusted with photon-blockage while daddy laid on the sofa with Vaseline smeared on his face, drinking from a bottle of Nyquil. Over and over again. Take nine! This time make it seem like you’re really enjoying it! I was, too; everyone likes the rich, satisfying taste of Nyquil. Don’t they? No doubt there were cocktail specialists who sipped it, and thought hmmm – medicinal, but naughty.
We got some words of advice from professional TV-type people, via our boss; the important thing was this: don’t be afraid of looking foolish. Or words to that effect.
I have problems, but that’s not one of them.
Took Natalie to choir practice; we were early, so we shot some hoops in the gym. Happiest part of my day, I realize now. And it was a good day.
While working on other things tonight I paid partial attention to an early 1940s Batman serial – gosh, so did I! you say. What a coincidence! It’s a bit surprising to realize they made Batman movies in the Time of Hitler, but they did:
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Can’t really say the budget matched modern levels; here’s Batman in the Batcave, thinking, at the Batdesk:
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The Batcar! Also known as the Carcar!
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After they’ve foiled the gang, Bruce and Dick pull of their masks and have a good theatrical Pepsodent chuckle:
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The difference between that Batman and modern Batman is almost unimaginable, given the technology and cinematography and overall husky gloom. I wonder how many old guys who chomped popcorn as a kid watching Batmen serials watched the modern movies – and whether kids today will find themselves in 60 years immersed as seniors in a Batman movie that feeds directly into their optical nerves while ultrasound frequencies palpate their hippocampus. At some point movies are going to require the participant to sign a medical waiver.
And now the day is done. Up and out early for Newsbreak, then the busy hell of Wednesday. For your subsequent entertainment this morning I recommend the post below, which is part of the newly spiffed Black and White World section, and has an amusing punchline. Out of Context ad challenge around 10:30 or so; Name that Town on the Strib blog.
Starting next week, if all goes well, I’m going to run Lance Lawson from the very beginning, the first strip through the last. Daily. So that’s one thing from the previous era that will be back. And I do feel as if there was a previous era, now gone. A time when I blogged from home, mostly, and had total control over my own schedule instead of, God forbid, partial control. I miss it. I miss the solitude; I miss setting the plot of the day, the soundtrack, the costume, the priorities. But as I’ve said, it’s nice to be useful; it’s nice to be employed, and above all it’s just jack-fargin’-dandy to have co-workers and be part of a team again. I haven’t been part of a team since Washington DC.
Besides, I know myself: if I was doing something else, I’d wish I was doing this.
See you soon.
Pass it along, if you wish
28 Responses to Wednesday, Sept. 30
Host with the Most
Did you notice the Oceanic airlines billboard in the opening scenes of Fast Forward? A connection to LOST?
@jamcool
Its just an easter egg. Still cool though.
In a related thought, its my great hope that one day two seemingly completely different shows on two networks end up weaving into one another. I sorta held out hope “Fringe” would turn out that way with Lance Reddick’s characters turning out to be the same guy but, alas, that just isn’t the case.
I remember hearing whispers that Heroes and Lost were going to do that.
But it turned out that was just whispering in the jungle that added atmosphere without advancing the plot at all.
His job requires him to fly a great deal
You can get paid for being a disease vector?
alt text LOL
It is indeed strange the power that film equipment has on the average person. I’ve been on a couple of on-location film shoots, and I’ve observed that upon seeing the camera(s), sound equipment, lights, etc., people do one of two things: 1) Skitter away as fast as they can, eyes averted; or 2) Stop whatever they were doing and follow you around cow-eyed, dazed grin on their face, looking as if they expect Harrison Ford to suddenly amble out from behind a tree.
The second group eventually wanders away once they realize that filming is comprised of 10% “action!” and 90% preparing-to-call-”action!” Also that Harrison Ford ain’t in this puppy.
I will, however, admit that I enjoyed the fleeting fame and authority that walking around with the slate gives you.
Bates Motel bathrobe. sounds cool.
one of these days, I will have fresh new PJs that are chock full of little pink piggies romping all over. would have been useful last night, but we pulled on another blanket. thanks to a proclivity of cramping since I was up in the attic for hours last weekend, I’ve been sleeping in sweat pants. but I am going to test my resiliance at the gym today.
heat’s not on yet here. I did pick up a craigslist kerosene heater for the shed and my winter ‘o’ projects. we’re probably good for a week yet without burning any oil.
I remember seeing this version of Batman back just before the Adam West debacle hit the small screen. I was impressed by the darkness, not really seen again until relatively recently, where The Batman actually kills people. The ears were a problem, though. As was Robin/Dick’s outlandish lightbulb head.
Thanks.
“– and whether kids today will find themselves in 60 years immersed as seniors in a Batman movie that feeds directly into their optical nerves while ultrasound frequencies palpate their hippocampus.”
Kind of related to that, I had the idea over a year ago that as each generation of cell phones would be made smaller and smaller, eventually they would be the size of a pill. Swallow the capsule, and when you hear the ringing in your ears, slap yourself upside the head to answer.
The Batman at the Bat-desk. I like the Gothic look of the Bat-desk. I notice he’s got two bat-chairs near by. For Bat-guests? Just two, so I guess they are for Robin and Alfred. I like the Bat-logo over the Bat-desk. Very Corporate. Is the Bat-corp an “S” corp or did he got with an LLC…”Bruce Wayne DBA the Batman”… nahh.
I wonder if the Batman has bat-stationary in the bat-desk. “From the desk of the Bat-man”. No Bat-phone on the Bat-desk. No Bat-blotters, Bat-pens, or Bat-notepads. Not even a Bat-desk-calendar. You’d think he’d want to know that Two-face was up for parole on the 17th. I’m sure all the pens had black ink until the 1970′s when he went with a blue cowl and shorts.
And what is the license plate number issued to the Bat-car? Does no one at the DMV think “Hmm… The Batman is driving a car licensed to Bruce Wayne. What’s up with that?”
Nothing says Batmobile like whitewalls.
And nothing caps a day of crime-fighting and villain slaughter like pulling down the cowl and having a good chuckle with your ward. Good times, good times.
The old Batman movie brings back a childhood memory. My brother and I — who were 8 and 6 years old in 1967 — were big fans of the Batman TV show. We thought it was the greatest thing ever. At the height of the show’s popularity everyone was trying to make a buck off Batman, and someone had the bright idea of stringing together some of these old serials into a feature film that could be shown in theaters (back when there was still a concept of the kiddy matinee). When the movie came to our local theater, my Dad — who had loved the serial back in the 40s — was keen to take us to see it. Since it was a Batman movie, and we didn’t know any better, my brother and I were excited to see it too. Sure Dad, let’s go!
But we absolutely hated it, and made it plainly obvious to the old man. I mean, it was in black and white, the costumes looked stupid, the special effects were amateurish. After about a half hour of our sighing and eye-rolling, Dad had enough and took us out of the theater.
On the way home in the car it dawned on me that we had acted like spoiled brats. Here Dad was showing us something he had enjoyed when he was a kid, and we had totally ruined it for him. This is something I felt bad about for decades afterward.
The postscript to this story is that one day a few years ago the subject of Batman came up, and I told my Dad that no matter how much I had enjoyed the 1960s Batman TV show when I was a kid, I find it impossible to watch these days — just too campy and stupid. He said he felt the same way about the old Batman serials he used to watch. He had enjoyed them as a kid, but when he saw them again in the 60s he realized they were unwatchable. That was his only memory of that afternoon.
Wow, Batman and Robin look like Beavis and Butthead.
Uhh… wha? If you have a hot water radiator system, you shouldn’t smell “burned dust.” If you have forced air, you have no pipes to bleed. What the heck kinda “power plant” does Jasperwood run on?
I like the bat logo on the wall in his office. Is this to distinguish it from all the other offices he has in Wayne Manor? And what other logos would he have in the other offices? Also when he and Robin went out did they leave from the secret Batcave or just out of the casual Batgarage? Heck they could have done SOMETHING with the Batcar, tie the bat logo from his office onto the grill of the car. I don’t know, just thinking about it a little too much.
When the Dark Knight is sick, does he wonder around the cave in his batrobe?
Ha, ha, ha. . .i crack my self up.
@William Young
Dilithium Crystal powered Matter / Antimatter.
Jasperwood has gone green!
I suspect.
when a kid, did you ever make the connection that Batman was a vampire? Could make an interesting story twist.
google search, opps,it has been done.
I really hate it when I finally have to turn on the heat. So far, I’ve avoided it, but I know wifey and kiddoes will soon decide they’re done with wearing sweaters and coats indoors, and I will have to experience that same smell that James did.
And BTW, I have steam radiators. The “burned dust” smell comes from the crevices of those iron beasts, where you can’t really clean.
Did anyone else notice that Batman’s smile is remarkably Joker-ish? And the Boy Wonder could double for Frank Gorshin-as-The-Riddler?
What’s fun with the Columbia serials from the 1940s is to try and spot the same sets that also turned up in so many of the Three Stooges shorts — and, going from that, the idea of Curly Howard in the Robin role is also interesting to contemplate (hey, it would have saved Harry Cohn a few more dollars in salaries).
I really liked the series. I mean, any series whose theme song includes the phrase “Neener neener neener” is worthy of respect.
Or at least that’s how I heard it.
Dang, in that pic of Batman at the Batdesk, it looks like his costume is bright white. The Dark Knight indeed. Was he wearing his Arctic Camouflage Batsuit, because he just got back from fighting the Penguin at the North Pole?
I remember catching a tiny portion of one of those b&w Bat-serials. All I remember is a scene where Robin is fiddling with a model truck, and some invisible guy attacks him from behind.
I have a better memory of that surreal Bat-series from the 60′s. Loved it back when I was six. Then I saw it again when I was 16 or so and realized how unbelievably corny it was. Then I saw some choice scenes again when I was 20, and realized that the corniness was intentional, and really hilarious. And I have to admire Adam West and everyone else involved for being able to deliver ridiculous lines like “Robin! Hand me down the shark-repellent bat-spray!” with a completely straight face.
Has anyone seen the Bat-series that’s currently airing on Cartoon Network: “Batman: The Brave and the Bold”? It reminds me a lot of the 60′s series in tone, but it somehow manages to be simultaneously more outlandish yet more respectful of Batman and the DC comics universe.
I know that old Batman serial very well. in the early 90s, my friends and I bought it on the cheap at a flea market and set about redubbing the dialog for our own entertainment. We used the Danny Elfman soundtrack from the Tim Burton movie and created a plot where the terrifically sterotypical Japanese villain in this serial hatched a nefarious plot to open Tokio Fried Chicken franchises across America. Might be time to find the storage box with that tape and digitize it…
“A promotional fee was paid, and Batmobile provided by, the Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan. Packard: ask the Bat-Man who owns one.”
The best thing about 1960′s Batman are the Villains. Come on, how can you not love Frank Gorshin channelling Richard Widmark or Burgess Meredith goofing on FDR. Cesar Romero, priceless. What can you say about Julie Newmar?
They all must have been instructed to show their special contempt for Batman because each of them would refer to him in some sneering contemptuous way (except Julie Newmar of course but that’s another story). The Joker, The Riddler and The Penguin each had some unique way of indicating their contempt for the Caped Crusader and the Boy Wonder. And no one was better at his disdain for Batman than Victor Buono. Old King Tut would get so exasperated at the Dynamic Duo you’d think he was going to have a stroke at the mention of their names.
It was great TV acting for the third network in the 1960′s- by some of the best actors and characters around.
bg bear:
You crack this self up, too.
metaphizz:
I rather enjoy this new CN series. The goal, I read, was to aim more for the tone of the ’50s comics(although not as insipid) and feature as many of the lesser characters from the DC-verse as possible. They even started the series with a reason for the revamp of his costume(he terrified a child during a chase wearing the old one). I’m waiting for an episode w/The Creeper–saw one issue with him as a little kid and was fascinated/disturbed by him.
Thank you for being the first, and only, person I have ever heard describe that smell from the first time the furnace fires up in autumn! It might not be a great odor, but it does reming one of changing leaves, football, flannel and fires…not too bad a start for the season!
“I’m waiting for an episode w/The Creeper”
I always thought the Creeper was one of the best characters in the DC universe. He never got the glory or the work he deserved, but there were a few times when the writers and artists got him just perfect.