Salt & Stuff
Harvesting sea salt, Bangkok, photograph by Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters:
Headline from nypost.com: “Pol Position: Trump ties for highest approval he’s ever had — as more Americans say US is on right track than any time in 20 years: poll.” May his common sense policies grow that figure more and more… And: “Democrats’ approval ratings sink to historic lows amid infighting: poll.” Gee, I wonder why.
From NYP: “‘De-colonizing’ Shakespeare: Experts blame ‘white supremacy’ for playwright’s fame as hometown museum vows change.” Then explain why he’s been translated into every language on Earth.
The latest from Narcoland. From NYP: “Worst nightmare: ‘Extermination’ site allegedly used by cartels found in Mexico with cremation ovens, human remains.”
Not sure how I feel about this. Headline from nypost.com: “AI Nurses Are Reshaping Hospitals.”
“Come with me into the tormented, haunted, half-lit night of the insane. This is my world. Let me lead you into it. Let me take you into the mind of a woman who is mad. You may not recognize some things in this world, and the faces will look strange to you. For this is a place where there is no love, no hope…in the pulsing, throbbing world of the insane mind, where only nightmares are real, nightmares of the Daughter of Horror!” That narration begins Dementia (1955), a horror film completely unfamiliar to me, which ran last night on Off Beat Cinema, channel 48–4 on OTC in NYC. Screenplay and direction by John Parker & Bruno Ve Sota, filmed in black and white, it is basically a silent movie, only the narrator’s voice and the music track heard. Crude as it is, I found it effective. The lead is played by Adrienne Barrett, the first of her three credits, the others in ’82 & ’86. Ve Sota co-stars. Most of the cast have at least modest credits. Comedian Shelley Berman has an uncredited role as Stoned Beatnik, as does TV titan Aaron spelling as Nightclub Patron and Jonathan Haze of Little Shop of Horrors (1960) fame. Angelo Rossitto, born in Omaha, standing two-feet-eleven-inches, plays a newsboy. In real life he operated a newsstand, as he didn’t earn enough from the film industry to support his family. Among the 101 titles under his name at IMDb are two major roles: Freaks (1932) and Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (1985) as The Master. He is a character in Nathanael West’s 1939 novel The Day of the Locust. He also served as a stunt double for Shirley Temple. A father of two, he passed away at 83 in ’91. Dementia is John Parker’s only credit. He passed away at 55 in ’81. Ve Sota has 82 credits as an actor and another five as a director, none of the other films he helmed notable. A dad of six, he passed away at 54 in ’76. Cinematographer William C. Thompson, 69 credits, also shot two Ed Wood flicks: Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957) & Bride of the Monster (1955). He died at 74 in ’73. According to the notes on the film’s page: “The original version, released as Dementia, had no narration; that was voiced by Ed McMahon and added for the re-release under title Daughter of Horror.” I did not recognize his voice. One more interesting tidbit: the movie is what’s playing in the theater during the original The Blob (1958). It is rated 6.7 on a scale of ten at IMDb. Photos from Google Images. First Ve Sota & Barrett, who I believe is still alive:
Rossitto in Freaks & Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome:
While waiting for the mist to move away so I could do the Anti-Inflation Book Shop, Angelo happened by and bought a copy of By the Numbers by Yours Truly. My thanks. The sprinkles persisted, so I bailed.
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