It's a Hellava Town

I don't always take advantage of all that NYC has to offer. In fact, I almost never do, and I sometimes get annoyed by the Gung-ho "This is the greatest city in the world; there's a new adventure behind every corner" urbanite mentality.

But as I watch On the Town and Singin' in the Rain tonight on TCM, I'm reminded that because I live so close to New York (and work there), I've had some pretty amazing experiences.

I met Adolph Green, one of the writers of the two aforementioned films, in 1998. Rachel and I were at a Broadway "garage sale" event in Shubert Alley when she pointed him out to me. I told him how much I admired his work, especially the song "Modern Man" from On the Town. And Adolph Green, whose teeth at that point were green, who was approximately 280 years old, sang a few lines of the song for us. I was thrilled beyond thrilled.

A few years later, after Adolph Green had died, Dad and I went to see Singin' in the Rain at the Film Forum. We were promised that after the film, a special guest would be introduced. As it turned out, that special guest was Betty Comden, Adolph Green's writing partner. Betty Comden died two weeks ago.

That night at the Forum, she stood up and talked about the process of writing Singin' in the Rain; she even apologized for the show-stalling "Gotta Dance" number, which she and Mr. Green were forced to write because the producers felt that, in the wake of An American in Paris, a wordless dance sequence was necessary.

It was a night I'll never forget. It was almost as good as the time I saw Guys and Dolls with Jamie Farr. (Okay, he was only in the audience, but still. . . )