Category Archives: MOVIES

Phantom of the Opera

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“We never said
Our love was ever green
Or as unchanging as the sea
But if you can still remember
Stop and think of me”
Andrew Lloyd Webber

Recently on the TCM network, they highlighted the work of the great Lon Chaney. I am quite familiar with Chaney’s work but one movie I had not watched was the 1925 silent film, The Phantom of the Opera. This American silent horror film was an adaptation of Gaston Leroux’s 1910 novel of the same name. I was captivated by this movie and Chaney’s performance as the Phantom.

What surprised me as I watched the movie, was how it transported me back to a time when I was honored to see live performances of The Phantom of the Opera not only once but twice. Back then, I was obsessed with the music and for weeks I played nothing but the Broadway soundtrack in my house, in my car and even on my walkman. My 4-year-old son became familiar with all the music as well and learned the lyrics to every song just like mom.

Sarah Brightman sang the iconic title duet and played Christine Daaé alongside Michael Crawford in the Ahmanson Theatre production of The Phantom. After watching the silent film and craving to watch a musical version of the movie, I found a 2011 video production on line.

As I watched this updated performance, I found myself remembering all the lyrics to this iconic music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. But, the music hit this musical empath emotionally different after 35 years, especially the opening song, Think of Me.

Thirty-five years is a lifetime to some people who never make it to thirty-six. Webber’s poignant lyrics to his song, Think of Me hit home; remembering all the people I have lost the last three decades since my first experience listening to the music from The Phantom of the Opera.

Shine On

If you would like to watch the Royal Albert Hall, London England production of The Phantom of the Opera, click on the link below: https://archive.org/details/The_Phantom_of_The_Opera_Full_Stage_Show

Rachmaninoff

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“Music is enough for a lifetime
But a lifetime is not enough for music”
Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff

I listen to music daily. My music repertoire is extremely diverse and includes a great deal of classical music. Mostly because when I write it’s my background music of choice. The past months while working on my current novel, Without Warning, I only listened to Rachmaninoff.

The first time I heard his music was in the movie, The Seven Year Itch; where Richard Sherman (played by Tom Ewell) is a married man whose wife is away for the summer. He famously uses Rachmaninoff music as a cynical tool of seduction, while hosting his attractive upstairs neighbor, Marilyn Monroe in his apartment.

I was writing and half listening to Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 when it completely stopped me in my tracks. I recognized this same tune from Eric Carmen’s 1975 hit song, “All By Myself”. Carmen died in 2024 but some of you might know him as the lead vocalist of the Raspberries, with whom he recorded the hit “Go All the Way”.

Anyway, I looked up information about Carmen and his song “All By Myself” and lo and behold, the verse melody comes from the second movement of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2. Apparently, when Eric Carmen composed his song, he thought Rachmaninoff’s copyright had expired, but he was wrong and later had to share royalties with the composer’s estate.

If you’re not familiar with Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff, he was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. He started playing the piano at the age of four. By the time he graduated from the Moscow Conservatory, Sergei was already the author of the First Piano Concerto, the one-act opera Aleko and a number of piano pieces and romances. 

Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and as a composer, one of the last great representatives of Romanticism in Russian classical music. “Composing music is as vital for me as breathing or eating: this is one of the essential functions of life,” I love this quote and must agree wholeheartedly with Rachmaninoff.

Shine On

Dolly Parton, We’ll Always Love You

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“Songwriting is my way of channeling
My feelings and my thoughts.
Not just mine, but the things I see
But also the people I care about.
My head would explode if
I didn’t get some of that stuff out.”
Dolly Parton

Today is just not as sparkly. It’s a sad day for the entire World. We lost a woman who gave us joy and happiness beyond belief. Dolly Parton died at age 80 and in those 80 years, she gave so much of herself to the World. 

She gave us beautiful music. Music is the only art form that has the capacity to touch everyone and Dolly truly touched everyone with her lyrics and songs. Parton composed over 3,000 songs, including one of my all time favorites, “I Will Always Love You”, a two-time U.S. country chart-topper and an international hit. She made over $10M in royalties from the 1992 Whitney Houston hit. She generously used that money to invest in a Nashville strip mall in a historic Black community, affectionately referring to the property as, “the house that Whitney built”.

She gave us wonderful movies to remember her by. She gave us literature for young readers who didn’t have the means to buy books, donating over 300 million books to children. She contributed millions of dollars to charity including the development of the COVID vaccine during the pandemic. 

In August 1974, I was just a teenager when I heard on the radio, Dolly Parton’s song, Love Is Like a Butterfly. The song was written and recorded by Dolly and was the first single and title track from her album, “Love Is Like a Butterfly”. It was her fourth number one hit on the country charts as a solo artist.

Her Butterfly song stayed with me all these years because of my love of butterflies. Point of fact, it touched me so much that on March 14, 2026, I created a video for my Instagram account highlighting this song. National Learn About Butterflies Day is celebrated every March 14th encouraging us to look for a blur of color as butterflies begin migrating across the country.

Her music and movies I have loved and enjoyed all my life. My poetry and music I’ve created is highly influenced by her own music and style of singing.

She always wrote from the heart. I admired her most for her strength, honesty, humor, free spirit, humbleness, dedication to her husband for over 60 years, her beauty, and her classiness. Not to mention, she was tenacious when it came to her beliefs and dreams.

Too often we don’t realize what we have until it’s gone. Today around the world, millions of people will no doubt be grieving from the loss of a true iconic treasure, Dolly Parton. We’ll always love you.

Shine On

Here’s my favorite Dolly YouTube video from September 19, 1979 Tonight Show.

LA Central Library

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“I imagine heaven
must be some kind of library.”
Jorge Luis Borges

Today the Los Angeles Central Library is celebrating its centennial anniversary. This headquarters for the Los Angeles Public Library system, includes a total of 72 branches of libraries. The Central Library complex is the third largest public library in the United States in terms of book and periodical holdings. Its subject departments contain more than 2.8 million books, 5,000 magazine subscriptions, more than 3 million photographs, 10 million digital access U.S. patents, plus language learning and multi-media materials. It also has nine subject departments that provide a variety of reference services over the counter, by telephone, mail, e-mail, or chat. Materials can be ordered by patrons throughout the city and shipped to the borrower’s local branch.

The historic Central Library opened July 15, 1926 to rave reviews and has been welcoming Angelenos and visitors ever since. On opening day, the building featured 538,000 square feet of space on eight floors, nearly 89 miles of shelves, and seating for more than 1,400 people. Hailed as an architectural gem, the building is renowned for such iconic features as the tiled pyramid on the roof; the vast, mural-lined Rotunda; and its more modern Atrium wing, which opened in 1993.

The historic Central Library Goodhue building was constructed between 1924 and 1926 and is a Downtown Los Angeles landmark. Designed by architect Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue, one of Los Angeles’ most elaborate original Art Deco and Beaux-Arts structure. Goodhue was born in 1869 in Pomfret, Connecticut, and became widely known in California for his influential masterplan and building designs for the Panama-California Exposition held in San Diego’s Balboa Park in 1915. For the Exposition Goodhue developed an ornate version of the Spanish Colonial Revival style.

His library design with its rectangular forms layered against a central tower, could only be experienced one facade at a time. The interior is even more spectacular than its exterior. Goodhue created an interior that centered on a great domed rotunda surrounded by stacks and reading rooms. Decorations consisted of mural paintings and patterning stenciled directly on the main ceilings. 

The entrance with its sculptured concentrated on portals with sheer surfaces and pylon-like shapes resemble ancient Egyptian temples. Together with the pyramid that crowns the tower, it makes the library an early example of the Egyptian flavored version of early Art Deco style. The unique Central Library design, echoes of sources of inspiration that range from the Ancient NearEast to the Mediterranean as well as Native American southwest.  Sadly, Bertram Goodhue died of a heart attack a year before the completion of one of his architectural masterpieces. 

The library is having a month long celebration. Included in the celebration, is the opening of the 1926 time capsule they placed in the entry pillar during their opening ceremony.

I’ve lived in California over half a century and never visited this library. But, that will soon change. I certainly will be taking the time to visit this beautiful iconic LA Central Library.

Shine On

Keaton Connoisseur

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“A comedian does funny things
A good comedian does things funny.”
Buster Keaton

Buster Keaton was one of the most talented writer, director, producer, stunt man and actor of silent films. His acrobatic ability and his films paved the path for future films. Today, there are several writers, comedians and directors who attribute their success by studying and replicating Keaton’s talent for comedy and action movies. From Orson Welles, Mel Brooks, Steven Spielberg to especially Jackie Chan, they all have copied scenes and stunts from Keaton movies.

As a fan of the TCM channel, I enjoy watching their “Sunday Night, Silent Movies”. A few years ago, they showed several Buster Keaton silent movies I had never seen before. Enamored with Buster’s talent, I found myself watching every silent and talking movie Keaton ever starred in or produced. Most of these century old movies can be found on YouTube.

Obsessed with everything Keaton, friends and family began calling me the Keaton Connoisseur. So I created an Instagram handle dedicated to this amazing talented man, which I appropriately named, Keaton Connoisseur.

As a teenager, Keaton was my favorite silent movie star. Point of fact, he lived just a few miles down the street from my house in the San Fernando Valley but unfortunately he died on February 1, 1966 before I could ever get my chance to meet him.

If you are one of the rare people that’s never heard of Buster, please go to YouTube and watch any of his brilliant silent movies. I suggest starting with, The General which he wrote, starred and directed. It is the first movie produced with Buster performing all his own dangerous and exciting stunts. The film is a comic masterpiece. The best stunt in the movie involves him pulling a railroad tie out from being lodged into the track. Then, with the train steadily approaching, he’s sitting on the cow-catcher of the slow-moving train while carrying the tie. He then tosses it at another tie to dislodge it from the tracks. All seamlessly performed with pure Keaton perfection.

When I first saw The General, I couldn’t help but realize this film is one of the first silent action movies. As I watched, it reminded me of the best action movie from 1981, Raiders of the Lost Ark. Coincidently, I recently saw an interview with Steven Spielberg talking about how The General inspired his movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark.

The General was released a century ago in 1926 at the end of the silent era. Buster’s hobby was model trains and the history of trains. He had read the 1889 book, The Great Locomotive Chase by William Pittenger and wanted to make a movie based on this book. At the time of its initial release, The General was billed as an action comedy adventure film and was not well received by critics and audiences.

In a 1963 interview, Keaton said, “I was more proud of that picture than any I ever made. Because I took an actual happening out of the history books, and I told the story in every detail too.”

If you’re interested in learning more about Buster Keaton, I highly recommend starting with watching The General on YouTube. Then I recommend reading James Curtis book, “A Filmmaker’s Life”.

There was no CGI, special effects or even professional stunt men when Keaton made his early movies. He preformed his own stunts; often he sustained major injuries and several times risked his life.

He was the real deal in movies and in life. A rare performer, writer and director and my favorite silent film icon of this Keaton Connoisseur.

Shine On