Richard Levinson and William Link wrote a short story in the 1950s, “May I Come In?” (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine under the title, “Dear Corpus Delecti”). That short story was adapted by The Chevy Mystery Show in 1960 under the title “Enough Rope.” Two years later, Levinson and Link’s play, Prescription For Murder, opened at the Curran Theater in San Francisco. The play was not successful, but when it went on tour, Link says, “It made a fortune.”

Columbo became part of the NBC Mystery Movie series from 1971 to 1978. Bing Crosby was the first choice for the role. When Bing turned it down, Lee J. Cobb was approached. He had no interest. Peter Falk was hired and told Link, “I would kill to play that cop.” Falk went on to win four Emmys for his portrayal of Lieutenant Frank Columbo.

Diane and I saw Prescription for Murder: Columbo at Desiderio’s Dinner Theatre in Cheektowaga, a Buffalo suburb. The local actors who put on the play were competent and occasionally clever. The play presents the murder of a wife by her psychiatrist husband. It looks like a perfect crime, but Columbo slowly unravels the scheme. We enjoy the production and would come back in the future. Do you have a favorite episode of Columbo? GRADE: B+

The Wall Street Journal critic who reviewed Frozen 2 said it best: “Frozen 2 left me cold.” Same here. Yes, the production is fun and aimed at a younger audience. The music is okay, but there’s no “Let It Go” hit to excite the audience. There really isn’t any villain in the thin plot so most of this movie is reduced to series of funny and not so funny scenes. Sometimes, you can’t go home again. Are you a Frozen fan? GRADE: C+
TRACK LIST:
1. “All Is Found” Evan Rachel Wood 2:05
2. “Some Things Never Change” Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Josh Gad, Jonathan Groff and cast of Frozen 2 3:29
3. “Into the Unknown” Menzel featuring Aurora 3:14
4. “When I Am Older” Gad 1:51
5. “Reindeer(s) Are Better Than People” (cont.) Groff 0:26
6. “Lost in the Woods” Groff 3:00
7. “Show Yourself” Menzel and Wood 4:20
8. “The Next Right Thing” Bell 3:36
9. “Into the Unknown” (end credits) Panic! at the Disco 3:09
10. “All Is Found” (end credits) Kacey Musgraves 3:03
11. “Lost in the Woods” (end credits)

The Buffalo Bills have the day off after playing the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving. How will your favorite team play today?

Tom Hanks channels Mister Rogers in this story of forgiveness and honesty. Fred Rogers applies kindness and empathy on a cynical magazine writer. The young writer, who has come to profile Fred Rogers, finds a man who can help him heal his angry heart. The world of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, where Fred Rogers crafts meaningful life lessons for kids, also have impacts on troubled adults, too.

The director of A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Marielle Heller (The Diary of a Teenage Girl, Can You Ever Forgive Me?), captures the essence of Fred Rogers while keeping the story from tumbling into mawkishness. The screenplay by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster is based on an article by Tom Junod. Junod’s 1998 profile of Fred Rogers ran in Esquire magazine. In A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, the writer–who’s renamed Lloyd Vogel (played by Matthew Rhys)–not only becomes Fred’s friend, but finds himself confronted by the problem at the core of his life. Bring some Kleenex. GRADE: A

John W. Campbell, Jr. wrote one of the classic Science Fiction horror stories, “Who Goes There?”, and it was first published in the August 1938 issue of Astounding Science Fiction. Later, Campbell’s story was adapted three times as a film: the first in 1951 as The Thing from Another World; the second in 1982 as The Thing, directed by John Carpenter; and most recently as a prequel to the Carpenter version, also titled The Thing, released in 2011.

Alec Nevala-Lee, while researching Campbell and Astounding Science Fiction for his best-selling Astounding: John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, and the Golden Age of Science Fiction, Nevalo-Lee found an early draft of “Who Goes There?” at the Houghton Library at Harvard University where John W. Campbell, Jr.’s papers are kept. Nevalo-Lee discovers that the first 20 pages of what would be published as “Who Goes There?” were cut along with additional material. Now, the fully restored story with 45 addition pages has been released by Wideside Press with an INTRODUCTION by Robert Silverberg and a dandy wrap-around cover by Bob Eggleton. If you enjoyed the original story, you’l enjoy this restored edition even more! GRADE: A

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families! We’ll be enjoying the traditional turkey, stuffing, gravy, massed potatoes, green beans, cranberry jello salad, and green salad (but no romaine!). Desserts: apple pie, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and lemon cake. What’s on your Thanksgiving table today?

I walked through WAL-MART to pick up some medications when I saw an endcap with You’re In My Heart: Rod Stewart With The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. I immediately bought it and played it on my Rogue’s CD player on the way home. Wonderful! But, then I did some research and discovered that TARGET was offering a “Deluxe Edition” of You’re In My Heart: Rod Stewart With The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. So, I jumped in the Rogue and drove over to TARGET. I inched my way through the crowds of shoppers and found the Deluxe Edition. Seven more songs! This CD sounds great and would be perfect for the Rod Stewart fan on your Holiday Gift List! Do you have a favorite Rod Stewart song? GRADE: A (for both editions)
TRACK LIST:
1. “Maggie May” Rod StewartMartin Quittenton
2. “It Takes Two” William “Mickey” StevensonSylvia Moy
3. “Sailing” Gavin Sutherland
4. “Reason to Believe” Tim Hardin
5. “Handbags and Gladrags” Mike d’Abo
6. “Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright)” Stewart
7. “I Don’t Want to Talk About It” Danny Whitten
8. “The First Cut Is the Deepest” Cat Stevens
9. “You’re in My Heart (The Final Acclaim)” Stewart
10. “I Was Only Joking” Gary GraingerStewart
11. “Young Turks” StewartCarmine AppiceDuane HitchingsKevin Savigar
12. “Forever Young” Jim CreganSavigarBob DylanStewart
13. “Rhythm of My Heart” Marc T. JordanJohn Capek
14. “Have I Told You Lately” Van Morrison
15. “Stop Loving Her Today”
YOU’RE IN MY HEART (Deluxe Edition)
DISC ONE:
1. “Maggie May” Rod StewartMartin Quittenton
2. “Reason to Believe” Tim Hardin
3. “Handbags and Gladrags” Mike d’Abo
4. “Sailing” Gavin Sutherland
5. “Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright)” Stewart
6. “The Killing of Georgie (Part I and II)” Stewart
7. “I Don’t Want to Talk About It” Danny Whitten
8. “The First Cut Is the Deepest” Cat Stevens
9. “You’re in My Heart (The Final Acclaim)” Stewart
10. “I Was Only Joking” Gary GraingerStewart
DISC TWO:
1. “It Takes Two” William “Mickey” StevensonSylvia Moy
2. “Stay with Me” StewartRonnie Wood
3. “Young Turks” StewartCarmine AppiceDuane HitchingsKevin Savigar
4. “What Am I Gonna Do (I’m So in Love with You)” StewartJay DavisTony Brock
5. “Every Beat of My Heart” StewartSavigar
6. “Forever Young” Jim CreganSavigarBob DylanStewart
7. “Downtown Train” Tom Waits
8. “Rhythm of My Heart” Marc T. JordanJohn Capek
9. “Have I Told You Lately” Van Morrison
10. “Tom Traubert’s Blues (Waltzing Matilda)” Waits
11. “If We Fall in Love Tonight” Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
12. “Stop Loving Her Today”

Diane and I saw the musical version of Holiday Inn at the 856 seat Festival Theater at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada. The show was sold out. Diane and I watched Holiday Inn, the movie version (my review is here), so we knew the Shaw Festival crew would have to make changes. And, sure enough, the Black-face number from the movie got jettisoned and several other Irving Berlin songs were included. The singing was good. Of course, none of the dance numbers approached the performances of Fred Astaire but they were fun to watch.

After the performance, Diane and I checked in at The Pillar & Post hotel. They have an outside pool with water set at 90 degrees. Sadly, I did not bring my swim trunks. I paid a visit to STARBUCKS to sample more of that Canadian Blonde blend. We had an excellent meal at the Epicurean restaurant. The mild weather brought out plenty people. When Diane and I visited Niagara-on-the-Lake in November 2017, the weather was freezing and the streets were deserted. GRADE: A-
MUSICAL NUMBERS: (*songs in the original movie)
ACT I
Main Title: Overture*
I’ll Capture Your Heart Singing*
Little Things in Life
Blue Skies
Heat Wave
I’ve Got Plenty to Be Thankful For*
Marching Along With Time*
Nothing More to Say
Shaking the Blues Away
White Christmas*
Happy Holiday*
Let’s Start the New Year Right*
ACT II
Entr’acte
You’re Easy to Dance With*
Let’s Take an Old-Fashioned Walk
Be Careful, It’s My Heart*
Cheek to Cheek
Easter Parade*
Song of Freedom*
Let’s Say It with Firecrackers*
Nothing More to Say (reprise)
White Christmas (reprise)*
Finale

Joel Stein’s snarky In Defense of Elitism: Why I’m Better Than You and You are Better Than Someone Who Didn’t Buy This Book presents a delicate balance between humor and erudition. Stein shows that elites run the world and why we need to understand how the world really works. Yes, people yearn for equality, but sadly we live in an unequal world. The trick is to find out what you’re really good at–something you’re elite at–and improve your skill set. Along with his witty analysis, Stein presents plenty of examples of people who have succeeded by following their passion. What is something you do better than most people? GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
PART I: The populists 1
1. Flippin’ whippy 3
2. Baptist row 14
3. Underthinking 34
4. I was sent here by God 49
5. The table of knowledge 55
6. Canadian key parties 70
7. An unclean spirit 83
8. The 33 party 95
PART II: The elites 103
9. Resistance dinner parties 105
10. The loop 113
11. Puppet pig 132
PART III: The populist elites 145
12. Dilbert 147
13. Care actors 165
14. A meme guy 176
15. Littering on the death star 185
16. Son of Fidel Castro 199
17. The boat elite 204
18. Tucker 216
PART IV: The elite populists 241
19. The time travel mart 243
PART V: Saving the elite 257
20. The meeting of the concerned 259
21. I said, “good day, sir!” 276
22. The love dare 285
Acknowledgements 301

The 7-3 Buffalo Bills take on the 3-7 Denver Broncos today. The weather in Western NY is benign right now: 40s and overcast. No snowstorms in the forecast. Many Bills fans worry that this Bronco game could be a “trap” because the Bills play the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving. The Bills are 4-point favorites. How will your favorite NFL do today?