Today is the anniversary of the dastardly attack on Pearl Harbor. A salute to all service personnel, past and present. Thank you.
Among recent book donations I noticed Split Skirt by Agnes Rossi. If a potential customer asked about it, I wanted to have something to say, so I read the front jacket blurb: “…two women share a weekend in a cell in the county jail…” It immediately captured my attention and I set aside to take home, especially as the author bears an Italian-American surname. Surprisingly, the novel has only a slight Irish influence. Many fellow Italian-American authors get bent out of shape at the exclusion of heritage. I don’t have a problem with it. I was interested chiefly in the interaction of the characters in their uncommon surroundings. The older, 53, a serial shoplifter, is upper middle class, having moved up by marriage. The other, thirtyish, arrested for drunk driving and possession of a small amount of cocaine, is one of eight sisters of a lower middle class family. They have several things in common besides having been busted. The most telling is abortion during youth. I give credit to the author for having the courage to suggest the act can have an effect decades later. It is mentioned early and then dropped. The characters are explored in depth. Their experiences are not uncommon. No easy answers are offered. The narrative is grounded in reality. There is little plot. The story is humanity seen largely through the two women, who befriend a pair of prostitutes in the latter stages of the novel. The prose is economical, much like my own. The dialogue is solid. Its 223 pages, minus several blanks, fly by. On a scale of five, 3.25. This was Rossi first novel. She has written one other and a couple of collections of short stories. She’s been on the sidelines for quite a while, not having published since 2000. There is very little information about her on the web. She is a Jersey girl, Rutgers grad, living in Manhattan with her husband. Random House thought enough of her work to publish it. Where has she gone?
Last night Cozi TV, channel 109 in NYC, ran Bye Bye Birdie (1963), a colorful lampooning of teen idol hysteria, specifically that engendered by Elvis Presley, dubbed Conrad Birdie in the production. The network used a novel approach in its airing, jumping to wide screen during the large production numbers. I'd never seen that before. Although somewhat dated, the film holds up well because it’s upbeat and infectious. Most of the songs, music Charles Strouse, lyrics Lee Adams, are good. The Telephone Hour and A Lot of Livin' To Do rock. Ann Margaret is irresistible, as is is Janet Leigh. Although miscast as Hispanic, Leigh makes up for it with verve. Paul Lynde is riotous as the harried father: “What’s the matter with kids today?” And Dick Van Dyke, Bobby Rydell and Maureen Stapleton add able support. Although his role is relatively minor, I still get a kick out of Jesse Pearson’s performance as the faux Elvis. I’ve always wondered what happened to him. I now know, as his bio has been updated at IMDb. Unfortunately, he was taken by cancer at 49. There are only 12 titles credited to him for acting, most in TV. He does have two as a screenwriter, which he did under the name A. Frabitzi: The Legend of Lady Blue (1978), which he also directed, and Pro-Ball Cheerleaders (1979). I believe both are porn, or at least soft core. Adult film stalwarts Candida Royale and Lisa DeLeeuw are in the former, Gloria Leonard the latter. I wonder if that was a last resort, as there are no credits listed for Pearson from 1970 until Lady Blue. At least he had a wonderful moment in the sun as the pseudo rock star. RIP.
It was one of those special days when an angel visited the floating book shop. My thanks to Michelle, who purchased Exchanges and A Hitch in Twilight, and also to Jack and Ralph for picking up a book each, and to the gentleman who bought the two CDs.
Vic's 4th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Website: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
Vic's Short Story Collection (Print or Kindle): http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/6b86st6
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/94t5h
Vic's Horror Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3
Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp
Vic’s Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
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