The Last Gasps of Indian Summer by Edward Drobinski - HTML preview
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Eli's coming, better walk, walk
But you'll never get away
No, you'll never get away from the burning heartache
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I walked to Apollo by the bay
Everywhere I go though, Eli's coming
She walked but she'll never get away
Eli's coming
She walked but she'll never get away
Eli's coming and he's coming to get ya
She walked but, she walked but
Get down on your knees
She walked but she'll never get away
Get down on your knees
No, no, no, no
Lord, I said, no, no, no, no, no, no
Hide it, she can hide it, hide it
Hide it, you better hide it
Somebody hide it, you got to hide it
Oh, my, hide it
Written by Laura Nyro.
After one of their cows suddenly dies, Homer sends Lonnie to town to bring Hud to the ranch for his opinion. Lonnie finds Hud, only to have his wastrel uncle shift the blame onto him for his tryst with a married woman. Back at the ranch, Hud drives over Alma's flowers. He shoots several buzzards to scare the
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flock away from the dead cow, against his father's protestations that they keep the land clean and killing them is illegal. True to form, Hud claims immunity to laws that inconvenience him. Hud is annoyed by his father's decision to summon the state veterinarian, pushing for unloading the cattle to unsuspecting neighbors before the news spreads; otherwise, government agents will kill the entire herd and destroy everything they have worked for. He blames his father for not realizing that the Mexican head he recently purchased were sick before he bought them. Homer is revolted by Hud's suggestions. After a quick inspection the veterinarian immediately quarantines the ranch for a possible outbreak of foot and mouth disease. Aware that a positive test may cost him everything, Homer nevertheless complies.
One night Hud takes Lonnie out drinking, with the pair proving a successful tag team in a barroom brawl. Back at the ranch Hud regales how he and Lonnie's father did the same thing as kids, revealing in a rare unguarded moment his role in the death of his brother and his father's apathy toward him. When they enter the house, Homer confronts Hud, accusing him of trying to corrupt Lonnie. They argue, with Hud accusing Homer of hypocrisy and resentment of him for causing Norman's death. Homer replies that his disappointment in Hud began long before that, over his
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caring for no one and nothing but himself. Hurt and angry, Hud retorts that his Mama loved him, but she died. When Lonnie tells Homer that he was too hard on Hud and other people behave like him, Homer replies that one day Lonnie will have to decide for himself what is right and wrong.
After learning from Lonnie that Hud is trying to have him declared incompetent and seize the ranch, Homer confronts a drunken Hud. Homer asserts he will lose. He admits that he made mistakes raising Hud, and was too hard on him. When Hud accuses him of having a "shape up or ship out" policy, Homer wonders aloud how a man like Hud can be his son and storms off to his room. Hud, drunk and angry, goes to Alma's room and attempts to rape her before Lonnie comes to her aid.
When the Bannon's herd tests positive for foot and mouth disease, the veterinarian orders it to be destroyed and buried on the ranch under state supervision to keep the disease from spreading. Hud suggests selling some leases to drill for untapped oil on their land to keep the ranch profitable, but Homer refuses, stating he only has pride in what he earns through hard work with his own hands.
After the cattle have been killed, the state veterinarian and his assistant drive up to the ranch and notice that two
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Longhorns are still alive, a single pair of a dying breed Homer keeps for sentimental reasons. The assistant gets his rifle, with the intention of killing them. Homer stops him and tells him he will take care of it himself. The assistant curtly expresses doubts Homer will be able to go through with it. Hud soundly defends his father's word, snapping; "He just said he would."
Having had her fill of drama, Alma decides to leave the ranch.
After Lonnie drops her off at the bus stop, Hud sees her waiting. He apologizes for his drunken behavior, but not for his attraction to her, saying he would remember her as "the one who got away." Driving back to the ranch Lonnie finds his grandfather lying on the side of the road, having fallen from his horse while surveying the ranch. Hud drives up, but despite their efforts Homer dies.
Lonnie is disgusted by Hud's treatment of Homer and Alma and pulls stakes after his grandfather's funeral, uncertain if he will ever return. After Lonnie tells his uncle to put his half of their inheritance in the bank, Hud replies that Lonnie now sees him as Homer did. As Lonnie walks away, Hud, now alone, retreats into the family house.
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083 - The Natural – Bertrand, Nebraska
The Natural
In 1910s Nebraska, a young Roy Hobbs learns to play baseball from his father. After Hobbs Sr. suffers an early, fatal heart attack, lightning strikes the large tree next to which he died.
Hobbs makes a baseball bat from the tree's splintered wood, burning a lightning bolt and the legend “Wonderboy” into the barrel of the new bat.
Now 19 years old, Hobbs spends the night with his love, Iris, and heads to Chicago for a tryout with the Chicago Cubs, leaving her behind. While on the train, he meets legendary ballplayer
"The Whammer," based on Babe Ruth, sportswriter Max Mercy, and Harriet Bird, a mysterious woman who is following “The Whammer.”
At a carnival during a stopover, Hobbs wins a bet that he can strike out “The Whammer” with just three pitches and easily does so, which is viewed by Max Mercy, who doesn’t believe it possible. Hobbs later meets Bird in Chicago, and she asks if his boast that he can be "the best there ever was," is true. Hobbs answers yes, and Harriet shoots him in the abdomen, then kills herself.
Sixteen years later, in 1939, Hobbs is signed as a rookie to the New York Knights, a struggling ball club in last place. Manager
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Pop Fisher is furious that Hobbs was signed without his approval, believing him too old a rookie at age 35, making him suspect of an ulterior motive by the team's owner. He refuses to play Hobbs at first, but he later relents, electing him to pinch hit, after which Hobbs literally knocks the cover off the baseball. Hobbs becomes a baseball sensation, and the Knights'
fortunes begin to turn around. Max Mercy finds Hobbs vaguely familiar but fails to place him.
Assistant manager Red Blow tells Hobbs that if Pop loses the pennant this year, his Knights ownership share will revert to the Judge, the team's shady majority owner. The Judge offers Hobbs $5,000 to throw the season. Hobbs, unlike Bump Bailey, the team’s other “star,” who dies after running into the wall in pursuit of a fly ball, refuses the bribe. While watching Hobbs pitch during a practice session, Mercy suddenly remembers him and introduces Hobbs to Gus Sands, a gambler who has been placing large bets against Hobbs. He also meets Pop's beautiful niece, Memo Paris, who was Bump's girlfriend. Their budding new romance causes a distracted Hobbs' game to badly slump, all part of the Judge's new plan.
Hobbs' slump continues until during a game, he sees a woman dressed in all white, backlit by the afternoon sun when she stands up, after which he hits a home run, dramatically
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shattering the scoreboard clock. The woman is Iris, and they later meet at a diner. She tells Hobbs she has a teenage son whose father "lives in New York City." Their reunion restores Hobbs' hitting prowess, and the Knights surge into first place and within one win of the National League pennant. However, Memo, who has been colluding with the Judge and Sands, poisons Hobbs at a team party, causing him to collapse. He awakens in the hospital and learns that an old silver bullet, removed from his stomach, has caused him long term damage. The doctor warns him it could prove fatal if Hobbs continues playing baseball without giving the surgery time to completely heal.
With Hobbs hospitalized, the Knights lose three games in a row, setting up a one game playoff against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Judge comes to the hospital and offers Hobbs an even bigger bribe to throw the game, threatening to expose to the press Hobbs' involvement with Harriet Bird. Memo visits Hobbs and urges him to accept the Judge's offer and to come away with her.
Later, Iris also visits and assures Hobbs that he has always been a great ballplayer.
Still recovering, Hobbs rejects the bribe and returns to the team. Watching from the stands, Iris sends a note to Hobbs in the dugout, saying she has brought their son to the game. In the bottom half of the 9th inning, the Knights are trailing. The
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Pirates bring in a young, hard throwing young pitcher, who also displays lightning; and competently exploiting Hobbs' condition, throws inside pitches to harm him. Hobbs hits a foul ball that splits his lightning forged bat, "Wonderboy," in two. Batboy Bobby Savoy brings him his own bat, the "Savoy Special," which Hobbs had helped him to make. Now down to his last strike, his wound bleeding through his team jersey, Hobbs smashes the baseball high into the upper stadium seats, shattering the game's night lights, for a home run, winning the game and the pennant. The victory secures Pop's share of the team and his long held dream of winning the pennant, while also defeating the dark forces that conspired against Hobbs. As Hobbs' baseball appears to sail beyond Knights Stadium, the location fades to Nebraska. Iris looks on, smiling, as Hobbs catches that baseball, thrown to him by their son in the very same field where Hobbs and his father once played.
Tupelo Honey
Van Morrison
You can take all the tea in China
Put it in a big brown bag for me
Sail right around all the seven oceans
Drop it straight into the deep blue sea
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She's as sweet as Tupelo honey
She's an angel of the first degree
She's as sweet, she's as sweet as Tupelo honey Just like honey, baby, from the bee
You can't stop us on the road to freedom You can't keep us 'cause our eyes can see Men with insight, men in granites
Knights in armor bent on chivalry
She's as sweet as Tupelo honey
She's an angel of the first degree
She's an angel
She's as sweet as Tupelo honey
Just like honey, baby, from the bee
You can't stop us on our road to freedom And you can't stop us 'cause our eyes can see Men with insight, men in granite
Knights in armor intent on chivalry
She's as sweet as Tupelo honey
She's an angel of the first degree
She's an angel
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She's as sweet as Tupelo honey
Just like honey, baby, from the bee
Oh, you know she's alright
Oh, she's alright with me
She's an angel
But you know, you know, you know she's alright She's alright with me
She's an angel
Yeah, you know, you know, you know, you know You know she's alright, alright with me She's an angel
She's alright, yes, she's alright
She's alright with me
She's an angel
She's alright, she's alright with me
She's an angel
She's alright, she's alright with me
She's an angel
And she's all, she's alright, she's alright She's alright with me
She's an angel
She's alright, she's alright,
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she's alright, she's alright
She's an angel
You can take all the tea in China
Put it in a big brown bag for me
Sail it right around all the seven oceans Drop it, smack dab in the middle of the deep blue sea
Because she's as sweet as Tupelo honey, yes she is
She's an angel of the first degree
She's an angel
Oh, she's as sweet as Tupelo honey
Just like honey, baby, from the bee
She's an angel
Oh, she's as sweet as Tupelo honey
She's an angel, angel of the first degree She's an angel
Oh, she's as sweet as Tupelo honey
Just like the real thing from, from the bee You know she's alright, oh, she's alright She's alright with me
She's an angel
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She's my baby, you know, she's alright
She's an angel
She's my baby, baby, she's my baby
You know she's alright, she's my baby
She's an angel
Oh-oh, she's alright
She's an angel
She's an angel
She's an angel
She's an angel
She's an angel
Written by Gianni Mocchetti.
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084 - The Smut Peddler – Yonkers, New York The Smut Peddler
D. G. (DeGenerate) Rawlins, the vicious, deviant publisher of Dream Girl magazine, has an insatiable appetite for oysters, women and increasing his magazine's circulation. He spares no expense in creating his lush "nudie" features; "Girls Of Vienna"
and "Paris Mademoiselles" are among his classic issues.
Surrounded by beautiful young women, D. G. seduces one after another, though he seems to prefer to put his fleshy, peeling, syphilis, peeping face near keyholes and mash together his little doll collection.
His trusted editor, a lesbian, picks up where he leaves off, using her job to force the women into compliance. At last a Broadway columnist puts the spotlight on the perverts and brings the operations to a close.
Welcome to the Jungle
Guns N' Roses
Welcome to the jungle
We got fun and games
We got everything you want
Honey, we know the names
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We are the people that can find
Whatever you may need
If you got no money, honey
We got your disease
In the jungle, welcome to the jungle
Watch it bring you to your knees, knees Ooh-ah, I wanna watch you bleed
Welcome to the jungle
We take it day by day
If you want it, you're gonna bleed
But that's the price you pay
You're a very sexy girl
Who's very hard to please
You can taste the bright lights
But you won't get them for free
In the jungle, welcome to the jungle
Feel my, my, my, my serpentine
I, I wanna hear you scream
Welcome to the jungle
It's worse here everyday
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You learn to live like an animal
In the jungle where we play
You got a hunger for what you see
You'll take it eventually
You can have anything you want
But you better not take it from me
In the jungle, welcome to the jungle
Watch it bring you to your knees, knees Ooh-ah, I'm gonna watch you bleed
And when you're high, you never
Ever want to come down
So down, so down, so down, yeah
Aw
You know where you are?
You're in the jungle, baby
You're gonna die
In the jungle, welcome to the jungle
Watch it bring you to your knees, knees In the jungle, welcome to the jungle
Feel my, my, my, my serpentine
In the jungle, welcome to the jungle
Watch it bring you to your knees, knees In the jungle, welcome to the jungle
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Watch it bring to your...
It's gonna bring you down, huh
Written by Steven Adler, Izzy Stradlin, W. Axl Rose, Duff Rose Mckagan, and Saul Hudson.
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085 - The Hospital – Butte, Montana
The Hospital
At a Manhattan teaching hospital, the life of Dr. Bock, the Chief of Medicine, is in disarray. He has left his wife, his children don't talk to him, and his once beloved teaching hospital is falling apart.
Brown Eyed Girl
Van Morrison
Hey, where did we go?
Days when the rains came
Down in the hollow
Playin' a new game
Laughin' and a-runnin', hey, hey
Skippin' and a-jumpin'
In the misty mornin' fog with
Our, our hearts a-thumpin' and you
My brown eyed girl
You my, brown eyed girl
And whatever happened
To Tuesday and so slow
Going down the old mine with a transistor radio
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Standin' in the sunlight laughin'
Hidin' behind a rainbow's wall
Slippin' and a-slidin'
All along the waterfall with you
My brown eyed girl
You my, brown eyed girl
Do you remember when
We used to sing
Sha la la, la la, la la, la la, l-la te da Just like that
Sha la la, la la, la la, la la, l-la te da La te da
So hard to find my way
Now that I'm all on my own
I saw you just the other day
My, you have grown!
Cast my memory back there Lord
Sometimes I'm overcome thinkin' 'bout
Makin' love in the green grass
Behind the stadium with you
My brown eyed girl
You my, brown eyed girl
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Do you remember when
We used to sing
Sha la la, la la, la la, la la, l-la
te da (Lyin' in the green grass)
Sha la la, la la, la la, la la, l-la
te da (Bit by, bit by, bit by, bit by, bit by, bit) Sha la la, la la, la la, la la, l-la te da La, te da la, te da la, te da la, la la, la la Sha la, la la, la la, la la, l-la te da
Written by Van Morrison.
The hospital is dealing with the sudden deaths of two doctors and a nurse. These are attributed to coincidental or unavoidable failures to provide accurate treatment.
At the same time, administrators must deal with a protest against the hospital's annexation of an adjacent and decrepit apartment building. The annexation is to be used for a drug rehabilitation center. The building's current occupants demand that the hospital find them replacement housing before the building is demolished despite the building being condemned sometime before.
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Dr. Bock admits to impotence and has thoughts of suicide, but falls in love with Barbara Drummond, a patient's daughter who came with her father from Mexico for his treatment. This temporarily gives Dr. Bock something to live for, after Barbara challenges and engages with him.
The deaths are discovered to have been caused by Barbara's father as retribution for the "inhumanity" of modern medical treatment. Drummond takes no personal responsibility, claiming his victims would have been saved if they had received prompt, appropriate treatment, but they did not. Dr. Bock and Barbara use a final, accidental death of a doctor at the hospital to cover Drummond's misdeeds. Barbara makes plans to fly with her father back to Mexico. Dr. Bock at first intends to go with them, but at the last minute, driven by his sense of obligation, he insists on staying behind at the hospital so that it will not descend into total chaos. An unattended corpse is found on a gurney in the hallway, waiting for treatment.
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086 - Fritz the Cat – Ashtabula, Ohio
Fritz the Cat
In the 1960s, at Washington Square Park in Manhattan, hippies gather to perform protest songs. Fritz, a tabby cat, and his friends show up in an attempt to meet girls. When a trio of attractive girls walk by, Fritz and his friends exhaust themselves trying to get their attention with their music, but are annoyed to find that the girls are more interested in the crow standing nearby. The girls attempt to flirt with the crow, making unintentionally condescending remarks about crows. After the crow snidely rebukes the girls and leaves, Fritz convinces the girls that he is a suffering soul and invites them to "seek the truth."
Rhiannon
Fleetwood Mac
Rhiannon rings like a bell through the night And wouldn't you love to love her?
Takes to the sky like a bird in flight
And who will be her lover?
All your life you've never seen
Woman taken by the wind
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Would you stay if she promised you heaven?
Will you ever win?
She is like a cat in the dark
And then she is to darkness
She rules her life like a fine skylark
And when the sky is starless
All your life you've never seen
Woman taken by the wind
Would you stay if she promised you heaven?
Will you ever win?
Will you ever win?
Rhiannon
Rhiannon
Rhiannon
Rhiannon
She rings like a bell through the night And wouldn't you love to love her?
She rules her life like a bird in flight And who will be her lover?
All your life you've never seen
Woman taken by the wind
Would you stay if she promised you heaven?
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Will you ever win?
Will you ever win?
Rhiannon
Rhiannon
Rhiannon
Taken by taken by the sky
Ah-ah
Taken by taken by the sky
Ah-ah
Taken by taken by the sky
Ah-ah
Dreams unwind
Love's a state of mind
Dreams unwind
Love's a state of mind
Written by Stephanie Nicks.
The group arrive at his friend's apartment, where a wild party is taking place. Since the other rooms are crowded, Fritz drags the girls into the bathroom and the four of them have an orgy in the bathtub. Meanwhile, two pig police officers arrive to raid the party. As they walk up the stairs, one of the partygoers
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finds Fritz and the girls in the bath tub. Several others jump in, pushing Fritz to the side, where he takes solace in marijuana. The two officers break into the apartment, but find that it is empty because everyone has moved into the bathroom.
Fritz takes refuge in the toilet when one of the pigs enters the bathroom and begins to beat up the partygoers. As the pig becomes exhausted, a stoned Fritz jumps out, grabs the pig's gun, and shoots the toilet, causing the water main to break and flooding everybody out of the apartment. The pigs chase Fritz down the street into a synagogue. Fritz manages to escape when the congregation gets up to celebrate the United States'
decision to ship more weapons to Israel.
Fritz makes it back to his dormitory, where his roommates are too busy studying to pay attention to him. He decides to ditch his bore of a life and sets all of his notes and books on fire.
The fire spreads throughout the dorm, finally setting the entire building ablaze. In a bar in Harlem, Fritz meets Duke the Crow at a pool table. After narrowly avoiding getting into a fight with the bartender, Duke invites Fritz to "bug out," and they steal a car, which Fritz drives off a bridge, leading Duke to save his life by grabbing onto a railing. The two arrive at the apartment of a drug dealer named Bertha, whose cannabis joints increase Fritz's libido. While fornicating with Bertha, he
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realizes that he "must tell the people about the revolution." He runs off into the city street and incites a riot, during which Duke is shot and killed by one of the pig officers.
Fritz hides in an alley, where his older fox girlfriend, Winston Schwartz, finds him and drags him on a road trip to San Francisco. When their car runs out of gas in the middle of the desert, he decides to abandon her. He later meets up with Blue, a drug addicted rabbit biker. Along with Blue's horse girlfriend, Harriet, they take a ride to an underground hideout, where two other revolutionaries; an unnamed female gecko that is only known as "the lizard leader" and John, a hooded snake, tell Fritz of their plan to blow up a power station. When Harriet tries to get Blue to leave with her to go to a Chinese restaurant, he hits her several times and ties her down with a chain. When Fritz attempts to break it up, the leader throws a candle in his face. Blue, John, and the lizard leader then throw Harriet onto a bed to gang rape her. After setting the dynamite at the power plant, Fritz suddenly has a change of heart and unsuccessfully attempts to remove it before being caught in the explosion.
At a Los Angeles hospital, Harriet, disguised as a nun, and the girls from the New York park come to comfort him in what they believe to be his last moments. Fritz, after reciting the speech
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he used to pick up the girls from New York, suddenly becomes revitalized and has a foursome with the trio of girls while Harriet watches in astonishment.
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087 - Love Story – Bennington, Vermont
Love Story
Oliver Barrett IV, heir of an American upper class East Coast family, attends Harvard College where he plays ice hockey. He meets Jennifer "Jenny" Cavilleri, a quick witted, working class Radcliffe College student of classical music. They fall in love despite their differences. At Cornell, Oliver loses his temper during a hockey game, and Harvard loses to Cornell, 4–3. His father drives all the way to Ithaca, New York, only to see Harvard lose the game and Ivy League title. Oliver then turns down his father's offer of a ride back to Boston and help getting into Harvard Law School.
Jean
Oliver
Jean, Jean, roses are red
All the leaves have gone green
And the clouds are so low
You can touch them, and so
Come out to the meadow, Jean
Jean, Jean, you're young and alive
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Come out of your half-dreamed dream
And run, if you will, to the top of the hill Open your arms, bonnie Jean
Till the sheep in the valley come home my way Till the stars fall around me and find me alone When the sun comes a-singin' I'll still be waitin'
For Jean, Jean, roses are red
And all of the leaves have gone green
While the hills are ablaze with the moon's yellow haze Come into my arms, bonnie Jean
Jean, Jean
Jean, you're young and alive!
Come out of your half-dreamed dream
And run, if you will to the top of the hill Come into my arms, bonnie Jean
Jean
La-la-la-la, etc.
Written by Rod McKuen and Robin Spielberg.
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Oliver is upset that he does not figure in Jenny's plans to study in Paris. She accepts his marriage proposal and he takes her to the Barrett mansion to meet his parents, who are judgmental and unimpressed. Oliver's father says he will cut him off financially if he marries Jenny, but after graduation they marry, nonetheless.
Jenny works as a teacher but without his father's financial support, the couple struggle to pay Oliver's way through Harvard Law School. Oliver graduates third in his class and takes a position at a respectable New York City law firm. They are ready to start a family but fail to conceive. After Jenny undergoes three blood tests, Oliver is told that she is terminally ill.
Oliver attempts to continue as normal without telling Jenny of her condition, but she confronts her doctor and finds out the truth. Oliver buys tickets to Paris, but she declines to go, wanting only to spend time with him. Oliver seeks money from his estranged father to pay for Jenny's cancer therapy. His father asks if he has "gotten a girl in trouble." Oliver says yes, and his father writes a check.
Jenny makes funeral arrangements with her father from her hospital bed. She tells Oliver to not blame himself, insisting that he never held her back from music and it was worth it for
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the love they shared. Jenny's last wish is for Oliver to embrace her tightly as she dies.
A grief stricken Oliver leaves the hospital and he sees his father outside, who has rushed to New York City from Massachusetts to offer his help after learning about Jenny's condition. Oliver tells him, "Jenny's dead," and his father says
"I'm sorry," to which Oliver responds, "Love. Love means never having to say you're sorry," something that Jenny had said to him earlier. Oliver walks alone to the open air ice rink, where Jenny had watched him skate the day she was hospitalized.
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088 - Little Murders – Vineyard, Utah
Little Murders
Patsy Newquist is a 27 year old interior designer who lives in a New York City that is rife with street crime, noise, obscene phone calls, power blackouts and unsolved homicides. When she sees a defenseless man being attacked by street thugs, she intervenes, but is surprised when the passive victim doesn't even bother to thank her. She ends up attracted to the man, Alfred Chamberlain, a photographer of excrement, but finds that he is emotionally vacant, barely able to feel pain or pleasure.
He permits muggers to beat him up until they get tired and go away.
The Sound of Silence
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Simon and Garfunkel
Hello darkness, my old friend
I've come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain Still remains
Within the sound of silence
In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone
'Neath the halo of a street lamp
I turned my collar to the cold and damp When my eyes were stabbed by
The flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence
And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share And no one dared
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Disturb the sound of silence
"Fools", said I, "You do not know Silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you"
But my words, like silent raindrops, fell And echoed in the wells of silence
And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon God they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming
And the sign said
"The words of the prophets are
Written on the subway walls
And tenement halls
And whispered in the sound of silence"
Written by Paul Simon.
Patsy is accustomed to "molding" men. Alfred is different. When she brings him home to meet her parents and brother, he is almost non-verbal, except to tell her that he doesn't care for families. He learns that Patsy had another brother who was
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murdered for no known reason. Patsy's eccentric family is surprised when she announces their intention to wed, then amazed when their marriage ceremony conducted by the existential Reverend Dupas turns into a free for all. Determined to discover why her new husband is the way he is, Patsy sends Alfred to Chicago to visit his parents, who he left at 17 years of age, with a questionnaire about his childhood. He records the interview with his parents, in which they deny any memory of his childhood.
Alfred ultimately agrees to try to become Patsy's kind of man, the kind willing to "fight back," professes he is able to feel emotions again, and that his first feeling is worship for Patsy.
The instant that happens, a sniper's bullet kills Patsy, again for no apparent reason. A blood splattered Alfred goes to her parents' apartment, disinterested New Yorkers in the street barely noticing his state. He descends into a silent stupor, Patsy's father even having to feed him. A ranting, disturbed police detective, Lieutenant Miles Practice, drops by, almost unable to function due to the number of unsolved murders in the city. After he leaves, Alfred goes for a walk in the park, where he starts to take photographs of a statue and some kids. He returns with a rifle, which he doesn't know how to load. Patsy's father shows him how. Then the two of them, along with Patsy's
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brother, take turns shooting people down on the street. Alfred chirpily says; “I think I got the stupid cop,” Upon believing Alfred to have shot Lieutenant Practice, their mood brightens, and all three men giddily join Patsy's mother for dinner at the table.
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089 - Bleak House – Chesney Wold, England, UK
Bleak House
Jarndyce and Jarndyce is an interminable law case in the Court of Chancery, concerning two or more wills and their beneficiaries.
Sir Leicester Dedlock and his wife Honoria live on his estate at Chesney Wold. Lady Dedlock is a beneficiary under one of the wills. While listening to the reading by Mr. Tulkinghorn, the family solicitor, of an affidavit, she recognizes the handwriting on the copy. The sight affects her so much she almost faints, which Mr. Tulkinghorn notices and investigates.
He traces the copyist, a pauper known only as "Nemo," which is Latin for nobody, in London. Nemo has recently died, and the only person to identify him is a street sweeper, a poor homeless boy named Jo, who lives in a particularly grim and poverty stricken part of the city known as Tom-All-Alone's.
Uncle Remus
Frank Zappa
Whoa, are we movin' too slow?
Have you seen us
Uncle Remus?
The Last Gasps of Indian Summer Page 637
We look pretty sharp in these clothes (yes, we do) Unless we get sprayed with a hose
It ain't bad in the day
If they squirt it your way
'Cept in the winter, when it's froze
An' it's hard if it hits
On your nose (on your nose)
Just keep your nose
To the grindstone, they say
Will that redeem us
Uncle Remus?
I can't wait 'til my Fro is full-grown
I'll just throw away my doo rag at home I'll take a drive to Beverly Hills
Just before dawn
An' knock the little jockeys
Off the rich people's lawn
An' before they get up
I'll be gone, I'll be gone
Before they get up
I'll be knocking the jockeys off the lawn Down in the dew
The Last Gasps of Indian Summer Page 638
Written by George Duke and Frank Zappa .
Esther Summerson is raised by the harsh Miss Barbary, who tells her "Your mother, Esther, is your disgrace, and you were hers."
After Miss Barbary dies, John Jarndyce becomes Esther's guardian and assigns the Chancery lawyer "Conversation" Kenge to take charge of her future. After attending school for six years, Esther moves in with him at his home, Bleak House. Jarndyce simultaneously assumes custody of two other wards, Richard Carstone and Ada Clare, who are both his and one another's distant cousins. They are beneficiaries in one of the wills at issue in Jarndyce and Jarndyce. Their guardian is a beneficiary under another will, and the two wills conflict. Richard and Ada soon fall in love, but though Mr. Jarndyce does not oppose the match, he stipulates that Richard must first choose a profession. Richard first tries a career in medicine, and Esther meets Allan Woodcourt, a physician, at the house of Richard's tutor. When Richard mentions the prospect of gaining from the resolution of Jarndyce and Jarndyce, John Jarndyce beseeches him never to put faith in what he calls "the family curse." Richard decides to change his career to law. He later switches again and spends the remainder of his funds to buy a commission as a military officer.
The Last Gasps of Indian Summer Page 639
Lady Dedlock is also investigating the copyist, disguised as her maid, Mademoiselle Hortense. Lady Dedlock pays Jo to take her to Nemo's grave. Meanwhile, Mr. Tulkinghorn is concerned Lady Dedlock has a secret which could threaten the interests of Sir Leicester and he watches her constantly, even enlisting her maid to spy on her. He also enlists Inspector Bucket to run Jo out of town, to eliminate anything that might connect Nemo to the Dedlocks.
Esther sees Lady Dedlock at church and talks with her later at Chesney Wold. Lady Dedlock discovers that Esther is her own child, unknown to Sir Leicester. Before she married, Honoria had had a lover, Captain Hawdon (Nemo), and bore a daughter by him, who she had believed was dead. The daughter, Esther, was brought up by Honoria's sister, Miss Barbary.
Esther becomes sick, possibly with smallpox, since it severely disfigures her, from the homeless boy Jo. Lady Dedlock waits until Esther has recovered before telling her the truth. Though Esther and Lady Dedlock are happy to be reunited, Lady Dedlock tells Esther they must never acknowledge their connection again.
Upon her recovery, Esther finds that Richard, having failed at several professions, has ignored his guardian's advice and is trying to push Jarndyce and Jarndyce to conclusion in his and
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Ada's favor, and has fallen out with John Jarndyce. In the process, Richard loses all his money and declines in health. He and Ada have secretly married, and Ada is pregnant. Esther has her own romance when Mr. Woodcourt returns to England, having survived a shipwreck, and he continues to seek her company despite her disfigurement. However, Esther has already agreed to marry her guardian, the much older John Jarndyce.
Mademoiselle Hortense and Mr. Tulkinghorn discover the truth about Lady Dedlock's past. After a confrontation with Mr.
Tulkinghorn, Lady Dedlock flees her home, leaving a note apologizing to Sir Leicester for her conduct. Mr. Tulkinghorn dismisses Hortense, who is no longer of any use to him. Mr.
Tulkinghorn is shot through the heart, and suspicion falls on Lady Dedlock. Sir Leicester, discovering his lawyer's death and his wife's confession and flight, suffers a catastrophic stroke, but he manages to communicate that he forgives his wife and wants her to return.
Inspector Bucket, who has previously investigated several matters related to Jarndyce and Jarndyce, accepts Sir Leicester's commission to find Lady Dedlock. At first he suspects Lady Dedlock of the murder but is able to clear her of suspicion after discovering Hortense's guilt. He requests Esther's help to find her mother. Lady Dedlock has no way to
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know of her husband's forgiveness or that she has been cleared of suspicion, and she wanders the country in cold weather before dying at the cemetery of her former lover, Captain Hawdon (Nemo). Esther and Inspector Bucket find her there.
Progress in Jarndyce and Jarndyce seems to take a turn for the better when a later will is found, which revokes all previous wills and leaves the bulk of the estate to Richard and Ada. John Jarndyce cancels his engagement to Esther, who becomes engaged to Mr. Woodcourt. They go to Chancery to find Richard. On their arrival, they learn that the case of Jarndyce and Jarndyce is finally over, because the costs of litigation have entirely consumed the estate. Richard collapses, and Mr. Woodcourt diagnoses him as being in the last stages of tuberculosis.
Richard apologizes to John Jarndyce and dies. John Jarndyce takes in Ada and her child, a boy whom she names Richard. Esther and Mr. Woodcourt marry and live in a Yorkshire house which Jarndyce gives to them. The couple later raise two daughters.
Lawyers, Guns and Money
Warren Zevon
I went home with the waitress,
the way I always do
How was I to know,
The Last Gasps of Indian Summer Page 642
she was with the Russians, too?
I was gambling in Havana,
I took a little risk
Send lawyers, guns and money,
dad, get me out of this, ha
I'm the innocent bystander
Somehow I got stuck
between the rock and a hard place
And I'm down on my luck,
yes I'm down on my luck
Well, I'm down on my luck
And I'm hiding in Honduras
I'm a desperate man
Send lawyers, guns, and money
The shit has hit the fan
Alright, send lawyers, guns, and money
Huh, yeah
Send lawyers, guns, and money
Uh
Send lawyers, guns, and money
Hey
The Last Gasps of Indian Summer Page 643
Send lawyers, guns, and money
Oo, yeah
Yeah
Yeah
Written by Warren Zevon.
Many of the novel's subplots focus on minor characters. One such subplot is the hard life and happy, though difficult, marriage of Caddy Jellyby and Prince Turveydrop. Another plot focuses on George Rouncewell's rediscovery of his family, and his reunion with his mother and brother.
The Last Gasps of Indian Summer Page 644
090 - Chimes at Midnight – Stratford-upon-Avon, UK
Chimes at Midnight
“Falstaff” or “Chimes at Midnight” is a 1966 period comedy-drama film directed by and starring Orson Welles. The Spanish–Swiss co-production was released in the United States as “Chimes at Midnight” and in most of Europe as “Falstaff.” The film's plot centers on William Shakespeare's recurring character Sir John Falstaff and the father–son relationship he has with Prince Hal, who must choose between loyalty to his real father, King Henry IV, and Falstaff.
Welles said that the core of the film's story was "the betrayal of friendship." It stars Welles as Falstaff, Keith Baxter as Prince Hal, John Gielgud as Henry IV, Jeanne Moreau as Doll Tearsheet and Margaret Rutherford as Mistress Quickly. The script contains text from five of Shakespeare's plays; primarily
“Henry IV, Part 1” and “Henry IV, Part 2,” but also “Richard II,” “Henry V,” and “The Merry Wives of Windsor.” Ralph Richardson's narration is taken from the works of chronicler Raphael Holinshed.
Welles had previously produced a Broadway stage adaptation of nine Shakespeare plays called “Five Kings” in 1939. In 1960, he revived this project in Ireland as “Chimes at Midnight,” which
The Last Gasps of Indian Summer Page 645
was his final on stage performance. Neither of these plays was commercially successful, but Welles considered portraying Falstaff to be his life's ambition and turned the project into a film. In order to get initial financing, Welles lied to producer Emiliano Piedra about intending to make a version of “Treasure Island,” and keeping the film funded during its production was a constant struggle. Welles shot “Chimes at Midnight” throughout Spain between 1964 and 1965. It premiered at the 1966 Cannes Film Festival, winning two awards there.
Initially dismissed by most film critics, “Chimes at Midnight”
is now regarded as one of Welles' highest achievements, and Welles called it his best work. Welles felt a strong connection to the character of Falstaff and called him "Shakespeare's greatest creation." Some film scholars and Welles' collaborators have made comparisons between Falstaff and Welles, while others see a resemblance between Falstaff and Welles' father. Disputes over the ownership of “Chimes at Midnight” made it difficult to view the film legally until recently. It was released in the UK
on DVD and Blu-ray in 2015. A new restoration by Janus Films and The Criterion Collection was screened at the Film Forum in New York January 1–12, 2016. The Criterion Collection released the film on Blu-ray and DVD on August 30, 2016.
Can't Find My Way Home
The Last Gasps of Indian Summer Page 646
Blind Faith
Come down off your throne
And leave your body alone
Somebody must change
You are the reason I've been waiting so long Somebody holds the key
Well, I'm near the end
And just ain't got the time
And I'm wasted and I can't find my way home
Come down on your own
And leave your body alone
Somebody must change
You are the reason I've been waiting all these years Somebody holds the key
Well, I'm near the end
And just ain't got the time
Oh-oh, and I'm wasted
And I can't find my way home
But I can't find my way home
But I can't find my way home
The Last Gasps of Indian Summer Page 647
But I can't find my way home
But I can't find my way home
Still I can't find my home
And I ain't done nothing wrong
But I can't find my way home
Written by Steve Winwood.
Sir John Falstaff and Justice Shallow walk through the snow, then to a warm fire inside Justice Shallow's home in Gloucestershire, as the two reminisce. King Henry IV of England has succeeded Richard II, whom he has killed. Richard II's true heir, Edmund Mortimer, is a prisoner in Wales, and Mortimer's cousins the Percys, Northumberland and Worcester, and Northumberland's son Hotspur demand that Henry rescue Mortimer.
The king refuses, and thus Mortimer's cousins, the Percys, begin to plot Henry's overthrow. To wit, Northumberland, his son Henry Percy, called "Hotspur," and Worcester are demanding their family’s “rightful” place.
To Henry's great dissatisfaction, his son Prince Hal spends most of his time at the Boar's Head Tavern, drinking and carousing with prostitutes, thieves and other criminals under Falstaff's patriarchal influence. Falstaff insists that he and Hal should think of themselves as gentlemen, but Hal warns Falstaff that he
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will one day reject both this lifestyle and Falstaff. The next morning Hal, Falstaff, Bardolph, Peto, and Poins disguise themselves in Gadshill to prepare to rob a group of traveling pilgrims. After Falstaff, Bardolph, and Peto rob the pilgrims, Hal and Poins jump out in disguises and take the stolen treasure from Falstaff as a joke.
Back at the Boar's Head Tavern, Falstaff begins to tell Hal and Poins with increasing exaggeration the story of how the money was stolen from him. Hal and Poins poke holes in Falstaff's tale until they reveal their joke to the entire group. In celebration of the newly recovered stolen treasure, Falstaff and Hal take turns impersonating Henry, with a cooking pot crown and vocal impressions. Falstaff's Henry chastises Hal for spending his time with common criminals, but names Sir John Falstaff as his one virtuous friend. Hal's Henry calls Falstaff a "misleader of youth."
Hal visits the King at the castle and Henry scolds him for his criminal and unethical lifestyle. Henry warns Hal about Hotspur's growing army and its threat to his crown. Hal passionately vows to his unimpressed father that he will defend Henry and redeem his good name. The King's army, including Falstaff, parades through the streets and goes off to war.
Before the battle, Henry meets with Worcester and offers to
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forgive all of Hotspur's men of treason if they surrender immediately. Hal vows to personally kill Hotspur. Worcester returns to his camp and lies to Hotspur, telling him that Henry intends to execute all traitors.
The two armies meet in the Battle of Shrewsbury, but Falstaff hides in shrubs for most of the conflict. After a long and bloody fight, the King's men win the battle, after which Hotspur and Hal meet alone and duel. As Falstaff watches, Hal kills Hotspur. Henry sentences Worcester to death and takes his men as prisoners. Falstaff brings Hotspur's body to Henry, claiming that he killed Hotspur. Henry does not believe Falstaff, instead looking disapprovingly at Hal and the ignoble company he keeps.
"I know thee not, old man: fall to thy prayers; How ill white hairs become a fool and jester!
I have long dream'd of such a kind of man,
So surfeit-swell'd, so old and so profane;
But, being awaked, I do despise my dream."
— Henry IV, Part 2, Act V, Scene 5
The narrator explains that all of Henry IV's rebellious enemies had been killed by 1408, but that Henry's health has begun to deteriorate. At the castle, Henry becomes upset when told that Hal is once again spending time with Falstaff, and collapses.
The Last Gasps of Indian Summer Page 650
Hal visits the castle and discovers that Henry is sicker than he had realized. Hal vows to Henry to be a good and noble king.
Henry finally has faith in Hal and advises him on how to be a king. Henry dies and Hal tells his men that he is now King Henry V.
Falstaff, Shallow and Silence sit in front of a warm fire, continuing from the first scene of the film. They receive news of Henry IV's death and that Hal's coronation will be held that morning. Falstaff becomes ecstatic and goes directly to the castle, thinking that he will become a great and powerful nobleman under King Henry V. At the coronation, Falstaff cannot contain his excitement and interrupts the entire ceremony, announcing himself to Hal. Hal turns his back on Falstaff and proclaims that he is now finished with his former lifestyle. As Falstaff looks up at Hal with a mixture of pride and despair, the new king banishes Falstaff. The coronation continues into the castle as Falstaff walks away, stating that he will be sent for that evening. That night, Falstaff dies at the Boar's Head Tavern, and his friends mourn him, saying that he died of a broken heart. Hal went on to become a good and noble king.
In the Court of the Crimson King including
The Return of the Fire Witch and The Dance
of the Puppets
The Last Gasps of Indian Summer Page 651
King Crimson
The rusted chains of prison moons
Are shattered by the sun
I walk a road, horizons change,
The tournament's begun
The purple piper plays his tune,
The choir softly sings
Three lullabies in an ancient tongue
For the court of the crimson king
The keeper of the city keys
Stutters on the dreams
I wait outside the pilgrim's door
With insufficient schemes
The black queen chants the funeral march, The cracked brass bells will ring
To summon back the fire witch
To the court of the crimson king
The gardener plants an evergreen
Whilst trampling on a flower
I chase the wind of a prism ship
To taste the sweet and sour
The pattern juggler lifts his hand,
The Last Gasps of Indian Summer Page 652
The orchestra begins
As slowly turns the grinding wheel
In the court of the crimson king
On soft gray mornings widows cry,
The wise men share a joke
I run to grasp divining signs
To satisfy the hoax
The yellow jester does not play,
But gently pulls the strings
And smiles as all the puppets dance
In the court of the crimson king
Written by Robert Fripp, Peter John Sinfield, Ian Mcdonald, Michael Rex Giles, and Greg Lake.
The Last Gasps of Indian Summer Page 653
091 - Annie Hall – Newfield, New York
Annie Hall
Comedian Alvy Singer is trying to understand why his relationship with Annie Hall ended a year ago. Growing up in Brooklyn, he vexed his mother with impossible questions about the emptiness of existence, but he was precocious about his innocent sexual curiosity, suddenly kissing a classmate at six years old and not understanding why she was not keen to reciprocate.
Picture This
Blondie
All I want is a room with a view
A sight worth seeing, a vision of you
All I want is a room with a view
Ho-ho-ho
Ho, hoo-ho, hoo-ho
I will give you my finest hour
The one I spent watching you shower
I will give you my finest hour
Ho-ho yeah
All I want is a photo in my wallet
The Last Gasps of Indian Summer Page 654
A small remembrance of something more solid All I want is a picture of you
Picture this a day in December
Picture this freezing cold weather
You got clouds on your lids, and you'd be on the skids If it weren't for your job at the garage If you could only ho, hoo-ho
Picture this, a sky full of thunder
Picture this, my telephone number
One and one is what I'm telling you
Ho yeah
All I want is 20-20 vision
A total portrait with no omissions
All I want is a vision of you
Ho-ho-ho
If you can
Picture this, a day in December
Picture this, freezing cold weather
You got clouds on your lids, and you'd be on the skids If it weren't for your job at the garage If you could only, ho, hoo-ho
Picture this, a sky full of thunder
The Last Gasps of Indian Summer Page 655
Picture this, my telephone number
One and one is what I'm telling you
Get a pocket computer
Try to do what ya used to do, yeah
Written by Deborah Harry, Christopher Stein, and James Destri .
Annie and Alvy, in a line for a showing of “The Sorrow and the Pity,” overhear another man deriding the work of Federico Fellini and Marshall McLuhan. Alvy imagines McLuhan himself stepping in at his invitation to criticize the man's comprehension. That night, Annie shows no interest in sex with Alvy. Instead, they discuss his first wife, whose ardor gave him no pleasure. His second marriage was to a New York writer who did not like sports and was unable to reach orgasm.
With Annie, it is different. The two of them have fun cooking a meal of boiled lobster together. He teases her about the unusual men in her past. They had met playing tennis doubles with friends. Following the game, awkward small talk leads her to offer him a ride uptown, and then a glass of wine on her balcony. There, what seemed a mild exchange of trivial personal data is revealed in "mental subtitles" as an escalating flirtation. Their first date follows Annie's singing audition
The Last Gasps of Indian Summer Page 656
for a night club ("It Had to be You"). After their lovemaking that night, Alvy is "a wreck," while Annie relaxes with a joint.
Soon, Annie admits she loves Alvy, while he buys her books on death and says that his feelings for her are more than just love. When Annie moves in with him, things become very tense.
Eventually, Alvy finds her arm in arm with one of her college professors, and the two begin to argue about whether this is the
"flexibility" they had discussed. They eventually break up, and he searches for the truth of relationships, asking strangers on the street about the nature of love, questioning his formative years, and imagining a cartoon version of himself arguing with a cartoon Annie portrayed as the Evil Queen in “Snow White.”
Alvy attempts a return to dating, but the effort is marred by neurosis and an episode of bad sex that is interrupted when Annie calls in the middle of the night, insisting that he come over immediately to kill two spiders in her bathroom. A reconciliation follows, coupled with a vow to stay together, come what may. However, their separate discussions with their therapists make it evident there is an unspoken and unbridgeable divide. When Alvy accepts an offer to present an award on television, they travel to Los Angeles with Alvy's friend Rob.
However, on the return trip, they agree that their relationship is not working. After losing Annie to her record producer Tony
The Last Gasps of Indian Summer Page 657
Lacey, Alvy unsuccessfully tries rekindling the flame with a marriage proposal. Back in New York, he stages a play of their relationship, but he changes the ending. Now she accepts.
The last meeting between Annie and Alvy is a wistful coda on Manhattan's Upper West Side after they have both moved on to someone new. Alvy's voice returns with a summation; love is essential, especially if it is neurotic. Annie sings "Seems Like Old Times," and the credits roll.
The Last Gasps of Indian Summer Page 658
092 - The Holy Mountain – Oaxaca, Mexico The Holy Mountain
A man later identified as the thief, representing The Fool tarot card, lies in the desert with flies covering his face. He is befriended by a footless, handless dwarf representing the Five of Swords, and the pair travel into the city where they make money entertaining tourists. Because the thief resembles Jesus Christ in appearance, some locals; a nun and three warriors, cast an impression of his body and sell the resulting crucifixes. After a dispute with a priest, the thief eats off the face of his wax statue and sends it skyward with balloons, symbolically eating the body of Christ and offering "himself" up to Heaven. Soon after, he notices a crowd gathered around a tall tower, where a large hook with a bag of gold has been sent down in exchange for food.
You Can't Always Get What You Want
The Rolling Stones
I saw her today at the reception
A glass of wine in her hand
I thought she would meet her connection At her feet was her footloose man
The Last Gasps of Indian Summer Page 659
No, you can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometime you'll find
You get what you need
I saw her today at the reception
A glass of wine in her hand
I knew she was gonna meet her connection At her feet was her footloose man
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes, well, you might find You get what you need, aw yeah, baby
And I went down to the demonstration
To get my fair share of abuse
Singing, "We're gonna vent our frustration If we don't, we're gonna blow a 50-amp fuse"
Sing it to me, honey
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes, well, you just might find
The Last Gasps of Indian Summer Page 660
You get what you need, ah baby, yeah
I went down to the Chelsea drugstore
To get your prescription filled
I was standing in line with Mr. Jimmy
And, man, did he look pretty ill
We decided that we would have a soda
My favorite flavor, cherry red
I sung my song to Mr. Jimmy, yeah
And he said one word to me, and that was "Dead"
I said to him
You can't always get what you want, well no You can't always get what you want, I tell you, baby You can't always get what you want, no
But if you try sometimes you just might find, ooh, mmh You get what you need, oh yes, woah
Aw, woah!
You get what you need, yeah
Ohh, baby
Alright, yeah
I saw her today at the reception
In her glass was a bleeding man
She was practiced at the art of deception Well, I could tell by her blood-stained hands, sing it
The Last Gasps of Indian Summer Page 661
You can't always get what you want, yeah You can't always get what you want, ooh yeah, child You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes you just might find You just might find
You get what you need, ah yeah
Ah, baby, woah
Aw, you can't always get what you want, no, no, baby You can't always get what you want, you can't now, now You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes you just might find You just might find that's just
You get what you need, oh yeah
Ah yeah, do that
Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards .
The thief, wishing to find the source of the gold, ascends the tower. There he finds the alchemist and his silent assistant.
After a confrontation with the alchemist, the thief defecates into a container. The excrement is transformed into gold by the alchemist, who proclaims; "You are excrement. You can change yourself into gold." The thief accepts the gold, but smashes a mirror with the gold when shown his reflection. The alchemist then takes the thief as an apprentice.
The Last Gasps of Indian Summer Page 662
The thief is introduced to seven people who will accompany him on his journey. Each is introduced as a personification of one of the planets, in particular the negative characteristics that are associated with the respective planet. They consist of a cosmetics manufacturer representing Venus, a weapons manufacturer representing Mars, a millionaire art dealer representing Jupiter, a war toy maker representing Saturn, a political financial advisor representing Uranus, a police chief representing Neptune, and an architect representing Pluto. The alchemist instructs the seven to burn their money as well as wax effigies of themselves. Together with the alchemist, the thief, and the alchemist's assistant form a group of ten.
The characters are led by the alchemist through various transformation rituals. The ten journey by boat to "Lotus Island" in order to gain the secret of immortality from nine immortal masters who live on a holy mountain. Once on Lotus Island they are sidetracked by the Pantheon Bar, a cemetery party where people have abandoned their quest for the holy Mountain and instead engage in drugs, poetry, or acts of physical prowess. Leaving the bar behind, they ascend the mountain. Each has a personal symbolic vision representing their worst fears and obsessions.
The Last Gasps of Indian Summer Page 663
Near the top, the thief is sent back to his "people" along with a young prostitute and an ape who have followed him from the city to the mountain. The rest confront the cloaked immortals, who are shown to be only faceless dummies. The alchemist then breaks the fourth wall with the command; "Zoom back, camera!"
and reveals the film apparatus; cameras, microphones, lights, and crew, just outside the frame. He instructs everyone, including the audience of the film, to leave the holy mountain;
"Goodbye to the Holy Mountain. Real life awaits us."
The Last Gasps of Indian Summer Page 664
093 - Wonderwall – Port Clyde, Maine
Wonderwall
The reclusive, eccentric scientist Oscar Collins has two next door neighbors; a pop photographer and his girlfriend/model Penny Lane. Discovering a beam of light streaming through a hole in the wall between them, Collins follows the light and spots Penny modelling for a photo shoot. He begins to make more holes and as days go by becomes a Peeping Tom as they do more photo sessions. Oscar gradually becomes infatuated with the girl, and feels a part of the couple's lives, even forsaking work to observe them. When they quarrel and the couple splits, Penny takes an overdose of pills and passes out, but Oscar comes to her rescue.
The Weight
The Band
I pulled into Nazareth,
was feelin' about half past dead
I just need some place
where I can lay my head
"Hey, mister, can you tell me
where a man might find a bed?"
The Last Gasps of Indian Summer Page 665
He just grinned and shook my hand,
"No" was all he said
Take a load off Fanny
Take a load for free
Take a load off Fanny
And (and) (and) you put
the load right on me
I picked up my bag,
I went lookin' for a place to hide
When I saw Carmen and the Devil
walkin' side by side
I said, "Hey, Carmen,
come on let's go downtown"
She said, "I gotta go
but my friend can stick around"
Take a load off Fanny
Take a load for free
Take a load off Fanny
And (and) (and) you put
the load right on me
Go down, Miss Moses,
The Last Gasps of Indian Summer Page 666
there's nothin' you can say
It's just ol' Luke and
Luke's waitin' on the Judgment Day
"Well, Luke, my friend,
what about young Anna Lee?"
He said, "Do me a favor, son,
won'tcha stay and keep Anna Lee company?"
Take a load off Fanny
Take a load for free
Take a load off Fanny
And (and) (and) you put
the load right on me
Crazy Chester followed me
and he caught me in the fog
He said, "I will fix your rack
if you'll take Jack, my dog"
I said, "Wait a minute, Chester,
you know I'm a peaceful man"
He said, "That's okay, boy,
won't you feed him when you can"
Yeah, take a load off Fanny
Take a load for free
The Last Gasps of Indian Summer Page 667
Take a load off Fanny
And (and) (and) you put
the load right on me
Catch a cannon ball now
to take me down the line
My bag is sinkin' low
and I do believe it's time
To get back to Miss Fanny,
you know she's the only one
Who sent me here
with her regards for everyone
Take a load off Fanny
Take a load for free
Take a load off Fanny
And (and) (and) you put
the load right on me
Written by Jaime Robertson.
The Last Gasps of Indian Summer Page 668
094 - Almost Famous - San Diego, California Almost Famous
In 1969 San Diego, child prodigy William Miller struggles to fit in. His life is further complicated after learning that his widowed college professor mother Elaine has falsely led him to believe he is twelve years old. William is actually eleven, having started the first grade at five years old, and skipping fifth grade. Strong willed Elaine's strict ban on rock music and her fear of pop culture have a lasting effect on her children, finally driving William's 18 year old sister Anita to move to San Francisco and become a flight attendant.
Ventura Highway
America
Chewin' on a piece of grass, walkin' down the road Tell me, how long you gonna stay here, Joe?
Some people say this town don't look good in snow You don't care, I know
Ventura Highway in the sunshine
Where the days are longer
The nights are stronger than moonshine
You're gonna go, I know
The Last Gasps of Indian Summer Page 669
'Cause the free wind is blowin' through your hair And the days surround your daylight there Seasons crying no despair
Alligator lizards in the air, in the air
Wishin' on a falling star, waitin' for the early train Sorry boy, but I've been hit by a purple rain Aw, c'mon Joe, you can always change your name Thanks a lot son, just the same
Ventura Highway in the sunshine
Where the days are longer
The nights are stronger than moonshine
You're gonna go, I know
'Cause the free wind is blowin' through your hair And the days surround your daylight there Seasons crying no despair
Alligator lizards in the air, in the air
Written by Dewey Bunnell.
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In 1973, William, now fifteen, influenced by Anita's secret cache of rock albums, aspires to be a rock journalist, writing freelance articles for underground papers in San Diego. Rock journalist Lester Bangs, impressed with William's writing, gives him a $35 assignment to review a Black Sabbath concert. William is barred from backstage until the opening band Stillwater arrives and William flatters his way in. Lead guitarist Russell Hammond takes a liking to him and his new acquaintance, veteran groupie Penny Lane, who has taken him under her wing. Despite behaving as stereotypical groupies, Penny Lane insists she and her friends are "band aids," a term she invented to describe female fans that are there more for the music than for the rock stars themselves.
Upon seeing Miller's article on Black Sabbath, Rolling Stone editor Ben Fong-Torres hires William to write an article about Stillwater and sends him on the road with the band. William interviews the other band members, but Russell repeatedly puts him off. Tensions between Russell and lead singer Jeff Bebe soon become evident; only to be further soured by the release of the band's first t-shirt, which features a full band shot with Russell in full view while the rest of the band is in the shadows. William is jokingly called "the enemy" by the band as
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he is a journalist, but he gradually begins to lose his objectivity as he becomes integrated into their inner circle.
The record label hires Dennis, a professional manager, to handle problems with venues and promoters. Penny has to leave before the band reaches New York, where Russell's girlfriend Leslie will join them. Penny and her three protégée band aids are gambled away to another band in a poker game. Penny acts nonchalantly but is devastated. Meanwhile, Dennis charters a small plane so the band can play more gigs.
Penny shows up uninvited at the New York restaurant where they are celebrating the news that they are to be featured on the cover of Rolling Stone. Penny is asked to leave after her attempts to get Russell's attention are noticed. William chases her to her hotel, where he saves her from overdosing on Quaaludes.
Flying to a gig the following day, the plane encounters severe weather. Fearing the plane will crash, everyone confesses their secrets, while Jeff and Russell's long simmering conflicts erupt. William confesses his love for Penny after Jeff insults her. The plane lands safely in Tupelo, leaving everyone to ponder the changed atmosphere.
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William arrives at the Rolling Stone office in San Francisco but has difficulty finishing the article. Seeking help, he calls Lester Bangs who says William got caught up in being part of the band. He says his perceived friendships with them are not real and advises him to "be honest ... and unmerciful." Rolling Stone's editors rave over William's completed article, but when the magazine's fact checker calls the band, Russell lies to protect Stillwater's image, claiming most of it is false.
Rolling Stone kills the article, crushing William. Anita encounters a dejected William in the airport and offers to take him anywhere. He chooses for them to go to their home in San Diego, where their mother Elaine is glad to see them both.
Sapphire, one of the protégée "Band Aids," chastises Russell for betraying William. He then calls Penny, wanting to meet with her, but she tricks him by giving him William's address instead of her own. He arrives and finds himself face to face with William's mother who, during the tour, scolded him over the phone for his behavior. He apologizes to William and finally gives him an interview. Russell has verified the article to Rolling Stone, which runs it as a cover feature. Penny fulfills her long standing fantasy to go to Morocco while Stillwater tours again by bus.
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095 - Zachariah – Sturgis, South Dakota
Zachariah
After finding a mail order gun while riding in the desert, Zachariah and his best friend, Matthew the blacksmith, begin to play with it, and eventually decide to leave their small town and seek more colorful adventure as gunfighters. While following a criminal band called "The Crackers" into a saloon, Zachariah is challenged, and shoots the aggressor dead, demonstrating he has a quick talent for gunplay. He and Matthew strong arm their way into joining The Crackers, but find they are inept at pulling off successful crimes, and leave them behind.
Twenty-five or Six to Four
Chicago Transit Authority
Verse 1
Waiting for the break of day
Searching for something to say
Flashing lights against the sky
Giving up, I close my eyes
Chorus
Sitting cross legged on the floor
Twenty-five or six to four
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Verse 2
Staring blindly into space
Getting up to splash my face
Wanting just to stay awake
Wondering how much I can take
Chorus
Should I try to do some more?
Twenty-five or six to four
Oh yeah
Instrumental
Verse 3
Feeling like I ought to sleep
Spinning room is sinking deep
Searching for something to say
Waiting for the break of day
Chorus
Twenty-five or six to four
Twenty-five or six to four
Written by Robert Lamm.
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A taunting fiddler alerts Zachariah to the legendary outlaw Job Cain, and soon he and Matthew seek him out at his home saloon hoping to join with him. Job, whose gun skills are kept sharp through musical drumming, challenges the boys to fire at each other to demonstrate their talent, but Zachariah refuses, sensing that it will lead to an eventual showdown between himself and his friend. He leaves the compound to seek answers elsewhere, but Matthew stays behind to join Cain's organization.
Zachariah meets an Old Man living alone in the desert, who allows him to stay the night provided he leave his gun outside the house. He alludes to the pleasures to be found in a border town called El Camino, and Zachariah rides off for there the next day. El Camino is a virtual sin city, centered around the brothel/spa operated by Belle Starr, who insists she only sleeps with affluent gunslingers. Zachariah manages to charm her into intimacy, but ultimately chooses to leave her, finding that hedonism is not what he has been seeking either. Meanwhile, Matthew has risen into a positions of trust with Job Cain, but plots to ultimately surpass the gunslinger.
Zachariah returns to the Old Man's compound, where he learns about the beauty and stillness of the desert. The Old Man teaches him a mantra; "Hurry up and die," to stress the contrary
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notion of slowing down and enjoying the circle of change.
Zachariah sheds most of his gunfighter attire and becomes more spiritually minded.
Cain announces his plan to take his men and visit El Camino, asking Matthew to watch his saloon. Matthew instead trails him, and stops at the Old Man's compound, where he is reunited with Zachariah, and announces his plan to duel with Cain in El Camino. Zachariah furtively returns to practicing his shooting, anticipating his prophesied showdown with his friend. The Old Man is horrified at the return to violence, and confronts him with his spent bullets and a dead mouse, demonstrating how even when he seems to be shooting at nothing, he is still harming the desert. He tells him he will not speak to him again. The next morning, however, after Zachariah finds an arrowhead in the area where the Old Man had been searching, he breaks his silence to tell him he is ready to die, and expires soon after.
Matthew confronts Cain in El Camino, and shoots him dead. It is hinted he too celebrates with Belle Starr. He returns to the compound, and goads Zachariah into a gunfight with him.
Zachariah tries multiple means to stall the duel, but Matthew persists. The two fight hand to hand in the dirt, and Zachariah rides off, wondering aloud how Matthew seems to have learned nothing. Matthew angrily expends all his bullets, yelling
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threats of death, but then begins to laugh with a sense of clarity, and rides off to reunite with his friend in the sunset.
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096 - Dirty Harry – Petaluma, California Dirty Harry
A psychopathic sniper, later referred to as "Scorpio," shoots a woman while she swims in a San Francisco skyscraper rooftop pool. He leaves behind a threatening letter demanding he be paid $100,000 or he will kill more people. The note is found by SFPD
Inspector Harry Callahan, who is investigating the killing. The mayor teams up with the police to track down the killer, although to stall for time, he agrees to Scorpio's demand over Callahan's objections. During his lunch break, Harry foils a bank robbery. He shoots one robber dead, and holds another at gunpoint with his Smith and Wesson Model 29 revolver, bluffing him to surrender with an ultimatum; “I know what you're thinking: 'Did he fire six shots or only five?' Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement, I've kinda lost track myself. But being this is a 44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do you, punk?”
Judgement of the Moon and Stars (Ludwig's
Tune)
Joni Mitchell
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No tongue in the bell
And the fishwives yell
But they might as well be mute
So you get to keep the pictures
That don't seem like much
Cold white keys under your fingers
Now you're thinking
"That's no substitute
It just don't do it
Like the song of a warm, warm body
Loving your touch"
In the court they carve your legend
With an apple in it's jaw
And the women that you wanted
They get their laughs
Long silk stockings
On the bedposts of refinement
You're to raw
They think you're too raw
It's the judgement of the moon and stars Your solitary path
Draw yourself a bath
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Think what you'd like to have
For supper
Or take a walk
A park
A bridge
A tree
A river
Revoked but not yet cancelled