I post a weekly diary of historical notes, arts & science items, foreign news (often receiving little notice in the US) and whimsical pieces from the outside world that I often feature in "Cheers & Jeers".
OK, you've been warned - here is this week's tomfoolery material that I posted.
CHEERS to Bill and Michael in PWM, our Laramie, Wyoming-based friend Irish Patti and ...... well, each of you at Cheers and Jeers. Have a fabulous weekend .... and week ahead.
ART NOTES— an exhibition entitled Clouds, Ice & Bounty— nearly thirty 17th-century Dutch and Flemish paintings — will be at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. through February 22nd.
YOUR WEEKEND READ#1 is this rather lengthy (yet never dry) essay in The American Prospect on why the insurance and reinsurance industries— which have ample reason to address the issue of climate change — are reluctant to do more (than at the margins) despite the enormous claims they pay as a result of fossil fuel use.
THURSDAY's CHILD is named Storm the Cat— one of two Massachusetts kittehs rescued from a two-alarm blaze by firefighters.
CONSERVATION NOTES— water purification has long been a difficult task for poor countries, yet if a round tablet made of a porous material (called hydrogel) can be adapted to cover more pathogens: it will become much more feasible.
YOUR WEEKEND READ#2 is this story from Business Insider about a resident of Fort Myers, Florida who was puzzled over employers complaining that they can’t find workers— so he set-out to test the waters (focusing largely on those who were quite vocal on the subject) … and unsurprisingly, found many were either not offering competitive wages/benefits or offered sporadic schedules.
IN the BASEBALL PLAYOFFS…. a Los Angeles Dodger pitcher … likes kittehs.
BRAIN TEASER— try this Quiz of the Week's News from the BBC ...… and the usually easier, less UK-centered New York Times quiz.
SEPARATED at BIRTH— two comedic character actors from TV and film: Roger Carmel and Dom DeLuise.
...... and finally, for a song of the week ...........................… with the death this week of the UK songwriter Leslie Bricusse (at age ninety) — it occurred to me that he was among what I refer to as the “unseen lyricist” (working with a much more public figure who composed the music). In his case (for years) it was Anthony Newley; in other theater/film duos, consider Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice, or Burt Bacharach/Hal David. In pop/rock: Elton John/Bernie Taupin, Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter, Jack Bruce/Pete Brown (Cream), Gary Brooker/Keith Reid (Procol Harum) and so on. Thus, time for a career retrospective of Leslie Bricusse.
Leslie Bricusse was born in 1931 near London and while attending Cambridge University: became president of the student-run theatrical society. He was befriended by various West End theater personalities, including the comic Beatrice Lillie, who he worked with in her own starring show.
In 1960, the composer Lionel Bart’s Oliver! signaled a new direction in British musical theater, and the following year, Bricusse made his composing debut when he met Anthony Newley and offered to write lyrics for him. They shared a Cockney tradition, a love of Charles Dickens and worked on-and-off for fifteen years.
Together they wrote the play Stop the World: I Want to Get Off– which spawned several hit singles including Gonna Build a Mountain. It ran on Broadway for 556 performances (with Newley in the lead role) and made the two men’s careers.
Bricusse and Newley (along with Newley’s second wife Joan Collins and Peter Sellers) wrote a 1963 musical comedy Fool Brittania– based upon the sex scandal of John Profumo, forced to resign from the MacMillan government. Newley and Bricusse also wrote (along with John Barry) the theme song for the James Bond film "Goldfinger" in 1964 (that Shirley Bassey made famous).
In 1965, they wrote their next stage production: The Roar of the Greasepaint, the Smell of the Crowd– which after a failed run in London was re-tooled and had a six-month run on Broadway and featured songs such as “A Wonderful Day Like Today” and especially Feeling Good– a major hit for Nina Simone and was also covered by Steve Winwood with Traffic.
In 1967, Newley had a supporting role opposite Rex Harrison in Dr. Doolittle– a commercial disaster, but which gained Leslie Bricusse an Oscar for Best Original Song. Although Harrison sang it in the film: many years later on the Tonight Show set, I recall Don Rickles just looked at his fellow guest Newley and said, "Talk to the Animals!" - which broke up the audience.
On his own, Bricusse wrote the music for the 1970 musical film Scrooge (starring Albert Finney) including the song Thank You Very Much— winning an Oscar for Best Original Song.
In 1971, Bricusse and Newley wrote the score for the film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory– based upon the Roald Dahl book. The film generated led to a hit single for Sammy Davis Jr. with Candy Manreaching #1 in the charts.
Newley and Bricusse worked on an NBC re-make of Peter Pan - with Mia Farrow and Danny Kaye - in 1976 as well as one final play The Good Old Bad Old Days– but did not work together afterwards.
Bricusse worked with many other composers, most notably John Williams (on Goodbye Mr. Chips, Home Alone, Superman and Hook) and won an Oscar for his work with Henry Mancini in the 1982 film Victor/Victoria.
Leslie Bricusse died earlier this week at age ninety. He was the recipient of five Tony Awards, eight Oscars and in 2001 was awarded an OBE from Queen Elizabeth. He published an autobiography in 2016 entitled Pure Imagination— the title of one of his songs from Willie Wonka— which is also the title of a 2013 stage musical dedicated to his works (especially with Anthony Newley). And fittingly, the Songwriters Hall of Fame inducted both Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse in 1989.
And while "Feeling Good" is my all-time favorite song of his: I also recall an old Far Side cartoon that reminded me of another Newley-Bricusse tune from "Stop the World"– one that won the 1962 Grammy Award for Song of the Year. It was recorded by performers as diverse as Shirley Bassey, Lesley Gore, James Brown, Tony Bennett, Clay Aiken and even … Kermit the Frog.
Most notably, Sammy Davis Jr. had a #17 hit with it in 1962.
What kind of fool am I? Who never fell in love It seems that I'm the only one That I have been thinking of
What kind of man is this? An empty shell A lonely cell in which An empty heart must dwell
What kind of lips are these? That lied with every kiss That whispered empty words of love That left me alone like this
What kind of clown am I? What do I know of life Why can't I cast away This mask of play And live my life
Why can't I fall in love? Till I don't give a damn And maybe then I'll know What kind of fool I am