Robert Downey Sr. Day

 

‘Born in 1936 in Manhattan, Downey Sr. launched his directing career with three experimental comedy films — “Babo 73,” followed by 1966’s “Chafed Elbows” and 1968’s “No More Excuses” — all of which clocked in at about an hour long.

‘Film critic Andy Klein once described Downey Sr.’s early career entries as consisting of “Groucho Marx-style dialogue, Richard Lester visual humor and a little too much sexual content” that provided “a welcome relief” to the mainstream.

‘“I’ve always talked about Robert Downey Sr., and I’ve made it no secret that I just … idolize him,” said director Paul Thomas Anderson at a 2014 event honoring the film veteran. “He just never seemed to give a [damn]. And quite simply, that is really cool.”

‘Downey Sr.’s breakthrough came in 1969 with “Putney Swope,” which he also wrote and produced. The avant-garde satire — starring Arnold Johnson as the only Black man on the board of a Madison Avenue advertising agency who, to his condescending white colleagues’ astonishment, is suddenly elected chairman — remains his most beloved title.

‘He followed the boundary-pushing success of “Putney Swope” with 1970’s “Pound” and 1972’s “Greaser’s Palace,” a cult-favorite acid western starring Allan Arbus as a proxy for Jesus Christ navigating New Mexico. “He was always making you laugh, and that was really his concern,” Anderson said in 2014.

‘“That’s the beauty of those things. Or to make a film that feels as political as ‘Putney Swope’ but really have it be a flat-out comedy. And that’s everybody’s dream, isn’t it? To be able to operate at that level.”

‘Less warmly received were some of his later works, such as 1990’s “Too Much Sun,” which starred Downey Jr. and drew scorn from Times film reviewer Kevin Thomas, who argued that the family romp “dips into such ugly, and old-fashioned, stereotypes as gay men as pedophiles.” Downey Sr.’s final feature was 2005’s “Rittenhouse Square,” a documentary centering on a public park in Philadelphia.

‘In the acting realm, the elder Downey made his big-screen debut in his own “No More Excuses” as a Civil War soldier who time-travels to 1968 New York City. He later appeared in a smattering of movies and TV series, including “To Live and Die in L.A.” and “Boogie Nights,” as well as “Tower Heist” and “Magnolia.”

‘His son Robert Downey Jr. got his start acting in a number of his father’s films, such as “Pound,” “Greaser’s Palace” and “Up the Academy.” “You’re not just trying to fit the storytelling on the screen, you’re trying to do something a little bit different,” Downey Jr. said in 2014 of Downey Sr.’s approach to filmmaking. “Dad definitely always had a vision for what he was doing, but he was always seeking those weird little forays into other things, which ended up being what people remember from the movie.”’ — Christi Carras

 

____
Stills

 

____
Further

Robert Downey Sr. @ IMDb
RDS @ MUBI
Eclipse Series 33: Up All Night with Robert Downey Sr.
[PUTNEY SWOPE]
Robert Downey Sr. Dead at 85: Robert Downey Jr. Hails Father as ‘True Maverick Filmmaker’
The Best Robert Downey Sr. Movies Ranked
Robert Downey Sr. Gets a Film Festival
Six Decades of Robert Downey Sr
Robert Downey Sr. and Film Forum Look Back on a Life Underground
“Rockin’ the Boat’s a Drag. You Gotta Sink the Boat!”: Robert Downey Sr.’s Anarchist Cinema
Robert Downey Sr. Talks Filmmaking, NYC, And Trump
SENIOR TRIP: Andrew Hultkrans on Robert Downey Sr.

 

____
Extras

Robert Downey Sr. on Eisenhower & JFK, 1967

Legendary Film Director Robert Downey Sr. 1991

1997’s “Boogie Nights” featuring Robert Downey Sr. as ‘Burt’

Robert Downey, Sr. – Unseen (2008)

 

________
Interview

 

Jonas Mekas: I see Putney Swope as a collage film, a collage of absurdities, of ideas, situations, insights, documentary reconstructions, ironies, parodies, etc. None of your films are really character or plot films. But then, even Sturges comedies are collages. Not that your film is exactly a comedy. I think it’s also a document. My main problem with it is that I do not know the advertising world and I am not even interested in it. Probably, half of the film escaped me totally.

Marshall Lewis: It’s curious that you are bringing up the collage thing. Because I find the idea rather exciting. Because it’s frenetic, as the advertising world itself.

Jonas: The only thing is that to present the madness, one has to be very organized… Anyway, it’s possible that you chose the most difficult form of comedy, as far as the viewer goes. The viewer in Putney Swope is not given any guidance. The scenes of corruption and scenes of innocence are mixed together. Sane and insane are mixed together. The subject, in a sense, is not transcended but only presented, and presented probably well. People who are interested in advertising will have a field day with this film.

Marshall: That is, all of Madison Avenue.

Jonas: And also many other avenues. Everybody advertises, everybody sells.

Robert Downey: It’s symbolic of everything. Not only advertising.

Marshall: It’s about people doing things they don’t like doing.

Jonas: In Swope, I had a feeling that people were doing things and they liked doing them. Only that they were doing stupid things. The people were stupid, and their business silly, stupid, and corrupt.

Marshall: The only thing is that they do not enjoy doing it.

Jonas: I didn’t see any clues to that. I do not see any clues to that in New York in general. The way people are acting I get the impression everybody likes what they are doing, no matter how stupid or corrupt their business is. The only clue is that you see no passion in what they are doing. That’s why your film is so documentary. The way I see the film, Swope wants to run the advertising agency, and he believes in it, and he runs it to the best of his abilities. Same with all the other silly characters, black and white. They do everything to the best of their abilities.

Downey: But they end saying, fuck it, let’s split the money and go.

Jonas: Yes, but they say it not because of their principle but because, through their stupidity, they mismanage their business. They would like to succeed, but they don’t know how to run it. Maybe they are not corrupt enough yet. Anyway, this is an occupation, a profession I know nothing about.

Downey: But there are millions of these people. If they don’t work in advertising, they use it. I worked in it, for two years. I am trying to cleanse myself in this film by showing everything that I saw while working in advertising. I could’t believe, for instance, that a black man was getting less money than me for doing the same thing I was doing. That’s another reason for why I brought the black people into the movie.

Jonas: My problem is this. I even attacked the Living Theatre, for harping and harping on how black and corrupt everything is. It’s about time that we go one step further, and… We all know how corrupt the system is. These are very obvious that both whites and blacks can misuse and mistreat people…

Marshall: You know it, but how many people really do?

Jonas: What I’d like to know is why Don Rugoff really likes the film. I’d like to interview him and find out his reasons. Maybe he thinks the film is good propaganda for Madison Avenue.

Downey: He thinks I am crazy. He actually thinks I am insane. Really.

Marshall: But he distributed good films, like The Cool World, Nobody Waved Goodbye, Soft Skin, Nothing But a Man…

Downey: The things we did, the stuff Taylor Mead, I did, or what your brother did in Hallelujah the Hills, this is starting to seep into what they call, uptown, “people who go to movies,” and it took 10 years.

Jonas: The Wild Bunch, by Peckinpah, could be made by you, Peckinpah, could be made by you, or by Taylor Mead, by Warhol — it’s camp… It’s still great, I think, that today you can take a film like Swope to Cinema II — a film without a plot, a film that isn’t exactly what they call a Hollywood movie. It’s not even exactly a comedy.

Downey: It’s a sad film. It’s a tragedy. It’s a documentary absurdity.

Jonas: I think Swope is a film which would look better the second time. It’s not a one-viewing film.

Downey: I see that Jonas doesn’t dig the film. You don’t have to write about it if you don’t like it. I know Jonas if he doesn’t like something he doesn’t write about it.

Jonas: It’s true. But it’s also true that I do not dislike Swope. The only thing is that I do not know the world it deals with, it doesn’t interest me. So I am sort of interested. The film is educational to me, like a documentary. A case study. When I am not familiar with the subject of the film I am very critical of my own dislikes.

Downey: I think its the best film I ever made. It’s my most personal movie. But the truth is also that I want to go to something else. It’s my best film because I learned more from this film than any other.

Jonas: It’s certainly the most ambitious of your films. And the deepest, content-wise.

Downey: I really do not see why you interview me. Maybe I should interview you as the film-maker of Swope.

Jonas: Okay. Ask me questions.

Downey: Do you think that anything is funny in your film, Putney Swope?

Jonas: Hmm… Hmm… The author has very little perspective to his own work. It’s very difficult to judge for me what’s really funny in Swope. It’s a serious film for me.

Downey: What do you mean by “serious”?

Jonas: What I mean is this… I wonder if for Chaplin, or Keaton, or any great comedian… if any of their own gags, situations looked really funny to them… For an artist, who is creating it, it’s a very serious business to make a comedy. That’s what I mean, when I say that Swope is a serious film for me.

Downey: You are probably right… How do you feel about a film opening in a uptown theatre, Upper East Side? How does that affect you?

Jonas: When you do something into what you believe you want more people to see it, be it for fun, for politics, or for beauty. Swope is not exactly a home movie. It’s a movie for the people.

Downey: Do you care about what other people say about your film?

Jonas: Praises are sweet… But you see, immediately, after you’ve just completed a film, you are sort of numb to both, to praises and criticism. It’s neither hot nor cold. You are still surrounded by the atmosphere of your own film, and you are the best judge of it, so it doesn’t matter what people or papers say. It matters more to the distributor and the exhibitor.

Downey: Why did you call the film Putney Swope?

Jonas: Could be any other name. No great reason… Okay, why did you call it Putney Swope‘?

Downey: I don’t know…

Jonas: How much did the film cost?

Downey: Over $200,000. There are over 200 actors in it.

Jonas: Rugoff is the distributor. Who was the producer?

Downey: A guy named Duboff. He put up the money. I had nothing to do with raising money. Nobody else would do it.

Jonas: Where did you get the black actors?

Downey: We put an ad in ­Showbusiness, and the first 100 who came we cast.

Jonas: How long did it take to shoot?

Downey: Two months. But we were rushed. We had to shoot nights in agencies… So you don’t like the film? You think it has no feeling…

Jonas: No… But I think it lacks substance. Or clarity. But then, the whole advertising feeling has no substance. And then, please do not take my quibbles out of proper perspective. When I compare your film with, say, The Wild Bunch, I have to admit that I like your film better. So you see, my quibbles are on a different level… Have you seen any films recently you liked?

Downey: I like Hopper’s Easy Rider. Also, Titicut Follies. Swope could be called Madison Avenue Follies. Have you seen any you liked?

Jonas: I liked 2001.

Downey: You never wrote about it.

Jonas: I do not write about films which everybody writes about even when I like them. You see, the commercial film has 999 papers, and 999 film columnists, and the underground has only me, or me and a half… I even had doubt if I should write about your film — you’ll get enough space uptown. Or I hope so. Have you had any Hollywood offers?

Downey: They keep coming. I have turned down a lot of films for a lot of money for the last two months. Because I want to write my own scripts. And they want me to film novels. One day a guy offered me $75,000 just for directing, to make a movie. I never had 75 cents… you know. So I say, “but this book is a piece of shit.” And he says: “I know. But when do you want to start?” I would never make those kind of movies. I am not there. I am in the middle. I’ll be always in the middle, between underground and Hollywood. Although you never support this kind of cinema…

Jonas: It’s not true. You see, if I write only about the underground film, it does not mean that I dislike all other cinema. I consider that I have limited amount of energy. Plus, no other paper would write about the underground, not until very recently. As for the “middle” cinema, there is all the uptown “intellectual,” “liberal” crowd. So it’s not a question of my likes or dislikes but the question of “strategy of energy.” It’s all calculated… I am concerned only with the most neglected area: the personal, mostly non-narrative film. Bringing Andrew Sarris into The Voice was part of calculated strategy, to free myself for the avant garde.

Downey: I noticed that Andrew’s columns became shorter after he got married.

Jonas: That’s why mine will become longer… I ain’t a fool, I am not going to get married… Where was I? Yes. There are so many films which are not even mentioned anywhere. So why should I waste my small column on commercial film? Very often I get reproaches from the commercial film-makers, often good friends of mine: “Why didn’t you review my film? You don’t like it or something?” But I consider my Voice space too valuable. I am guilty even about this space that I am giving to you.

Downey: That’s why you don’t write about Andy’s film anymore?

Jonas: That’s correct. He doesn’t need me any longer. I have to control myself, not to write.

Downey: So why do you write about my film?

Jonas: From solidarity, I guess. Memory of the old days. When you were in the underground, when you were showing your films at the Charles theatre, at the Open House. In memory of good old days…

 

____________
16 of Robert Downey’s 18 films

____________
Babo 73 (1964)
‘Taylor Mead plays the president of the United Status, who, when he isn’t at the White House—a dilapidated Victorian—conducts his top-secret affairs on a deserted beach. Robert Downey Sr.’s first feature is a rollicking, slapstick, ultra-low-budget 16 mm comedy experiment that introduced a twisted new voice to the New York underground.’ — The Criterion Collection

Robert Downey Sr. and Paul Thomas Anderson on Babo 73

 

_____________
A Touch of Greatness (1964)
‘In an era when Dick, Jane, and discipline ruled America’s schools, Albert Cullum allowed Shakespeare, Sophocles, and Shaw to reign in his fifth grade public school classroom. Through the use of poetry, drama and imaginative play, Cullum championed an unorthodox educational philosophy that spoke directly to his students’ needs. Many of Cullum’s projects were recorded on film by then novice filmmaker Robert Downey, Sr. Weaving stunning black and white footage and rare archival television broadcasts together with interviews of Cullum and his former students, this is a portrait of a maverick teacher who transformed a generation of young people by enabling them to discover their own inner greatness.’ — IMDb

Excerpts

 

_____________
Sweet Smell of Sex (1965)
‘As an Archivist I spend much time hunting through cans, unearthing reels lost in the annals of Anthology Film Archives. I also somehow tend to get contacted when wide-eyed folks discover films and don’t know what to do with them. Time and again I am reminded that there are innumerable milestones and mysteries yet to be discovered, cans still sitting in closets, warehouses and flea markets. And somewhere out there in the sea of lost films is the feature THE SWEET SMELL OF SEX (1965, 72 minutes) directed by Robert Downey Sr. who, by the way, does not particularly care about the fate of this odd exploitation quickie. It was an assignment he picked up to pay the hospital bills for the birth of his son, Iron Man.’ — Andrew Lampert

 

_____________
Chafed Elbows (1966)
‘This riot of bad taste was a breakthrough for Downey, thanks to rave notices. Visualized largely in still 35 mm photographs, it follows a shiftless downtown Manhattanite having his “annual November breakdown” as he wanders from one odd job to the next, coming across all sorts of sordid types, from a desperate independent filmmaker to a destitute dirty-sock sniffer. And there is something to offend everyone: incest, murder, bad pop songs, you name it. “Chafed Elbows” was made for $12,000 and managed to turn in a profit during its month long run at The Gate Theater in New York City; where it played alongside Kenneth Anger’s Scorpio Rising.’ — The Criterion Collection

the entirety

 

____________
No More Excuses (1968)
‘Downey takes his camera and microphone onto the streets (and into some bedrooms) for a look at Manhattan’s singles scene of the late sixties. Of course, that’s not all: No More Excuses cuts between this footage and the fragmented tale of a time-traveling Civil War soldier, a rant from the director of the fictional Society for Indecency to Naked Animals, and other assorted improprieties.’ –Janus Films

Excerpt

 

____________
Putney Swope (1969)
‘Putney Swope, the 1969 indie film by satiric playwright, screenwriter and movie director Robert Downey Sr. (yes, the father of film star Robert Downey Jr.), is a clash of social commentary and unbridled comedy. In 2016 it was selected by the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress citing that it is “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”. What an understatement! Swope is a scathing, taboo-busting, hysterical farce about the foibles of the American advertising industry particularly referring to the racial prejudices of the times (and since). The plot turns on the concept that a predominantly white-shoe (emphasis on white) Madison Avenue ad agency’s chairman suddenly drops dead and is splayed out on the boardroom table and Putney Swope, the company’s token Black ad exec (played by Arnold Johnson, who was later featured on “Sanford & Son,” “Family Matters” and the movie Shaft), is unintentionally elected as the new chairman. A cultural revolution ensues.’ — Print Mag

Trailer

the entirety

 

__________
Pound (1970)
‘Set in a New York City dog pound, 18 dogs, played by human actors, wait to be adopted. Part existential comedy, part allegory, the dogs include a punch drunk Boxer (Stan Gottlieb), a hyperactive Mexican Hairless (a scene stealing Lawrence Wolf) and a sleek Greyhound (Antonio Fargas). Meanwhile, the city is being terrorized by a serial killer dubbed The Honky Killer (James Green). Pound also features the debut of performance of Downey’s son Robert Jr. as a puppy temporarily held at the pound. “When I took this film to the studio, and screened it for the head of the studio, he said he thought it was going to be animated,” Downey states, chuckling. “As ‘punishment’ it ended up on a double bill with a Fellini movie, Satyricon. I was in heaven. (The studio) was ashamed of it. It was X rated, for language. And the same studio that had it had Midnight Cowboy two minutes later. So this thing disappeared.”’ — Film Buff Online

the entirety

 

____________
Greaser’s Palace (1972)
‘Underground renegade Robert Downey Sr. heads west for this wildly satirical religious parable. Jesse (Allan Arbus) is a Christlike amnesiac who parachutes into a frontier town run by the cruel and constipated Seaweedhead Greaser (Albert Henderson). There, Jesse proceeds to resurrect the dead, tap dance on water, and perform his stigmatic bleeding as part of a saloon show, while Downey keeps topping his own craziness in what plays like a surreal, scatological acid western born from the fever dreams of Luis Buñuel.’ — The Criterion Collection

Excerpt

Excerpt

Excerpt

 

___________
Sticks and Bones (1973)
‘The realization of David Rabe’s play was originally produced by the Papp Theater in NYC and won a Tony Award for Best Play – Drama. Robert Downey Sr. directed the made for television movie but CBS network affiliates refused to broadcast the program after receiving pressure from the Federal Government not to air the made for Tv movie because it’s the subject matter about a blind Vietnam Vet returning home to a family that was not altogether happy to have him back. They felt the dark subject matter would offend the throngs of Vietnam Vets who in 1974 were returning home from Cambodia. Five months after it was pulled from its original air date, it was finally broadcast. It was considered a bold move to bring such gripping material to television, while others questioned whether it should have been brought to television at all. For most viewers, it was a difficult work to digest, and it remained controversial.’ — The Made-For-Television Movie

the entirety

 

_____________
Two Tons of Turquoise to Taos Tonight (1975)
‘“A film without a beginning or an end,” in Downey’s words, this Dadaist thingamajig—a never-before-seen, newly reedited version of the director’s 1975 release Moment to Moment (also known as Jive)—is a rush of curious sketches, scenes, and shots that takes on a rhythmic life of its own. It stars Downey’s multitalented wife, Elsie, in an endless succession of off-the-wall roles, from dancer to cocaine fiend.’ — The Criterion Collection

Robert Downey Sr. and Paul Thomas Anderson on Two Tons of Turquoise to Taos Tonight

 

_____________
Up The Academy (1980)
‘As far as Robert Downey goes this is super pedestrian. But as far as 80s sex comedies goes this is super Robert Downey. In a way it’s kind of everything he’s been doing but in the appropriate setting for once — repetitious inappropriate jokes, half assed plot, disjointed and extended sequences, silly accents, a barbershop quartet so terrible they destroy glasses and large buildings (I’d buy their album!) and a bunch of wise ass kids too horny to live. I don’t know why this appealed so much to me but it did. Normally I hate teen comedies but this is so weirdly subversive of the genre while still conforming completely. Those like dumb one liners and shit like that totally nonsensical soccer game where everybody’s just punching each other. Ron Liebman is hilarious in this, I don’t know why he was so embarrassed to be in it. Plus that creepy/amazing Alfred E Newman mask.’ — Jenna Ipcar

Trailer

 

____________
America (1986)
‘This a 178 second clip from “America” (1986) starring Zack Norman and directed by Robert Downey. It was taped from a playing television and is of horrible quality. Again, the quality is disturbingly bad so if this bothers you move along, otherwise watch and grimace. If you’re expecting quality you may also want to move along. As quoted from an IMDB comment, “Rarely, does a film combine so many poor actors, such a lame story, stilted script writing and unappealing characters.”‘ — booyakashahah

Excerpt

 

_____________
Rented Lips (1988)
‘A documentary filmmaker, who has spent the last 15 years making films like “Aluminum: Our Shiny Friend,” is finally given the chance to make the documentary on Indian farming he has always wanted to. The catch? He must simultaneously direct a porn film. But as he tries to make the porn film, which he turns into a musical called “Halloween in the Barracks,” he must deal with a temperamental actor, a fundamentalist preacher, and other obstacles.’ — Letterboxd

Excerpt

 

____________
Too Much Sun (1990)
‘I was intrigued, mostly because this film was made in 1990 and had lesbians in it and one of the lesbians is named Susan. I was certain I’d stumbled upon a bona fide hidden gem. $2.99 was a small price to pay to uncover this elusive cinematic experience and then share it with all of you here. How delighted we’d all be together! Well, my friends: this film is not a hidden gem, it is a shame, and therefore hidden on purpose. It’s not simply terrible, it is a stain upon humanity. It is a farce without whimsy, an aggressively unfunny comedy and an allegedly LGBT-inclusive film riddled with really fucked up jokes! Its badness is not benign, its badness is inescapable, like a rotting tuna sandwich in a parked car on a hot day. A day, perhaps, with too much sun.’ — Autostraddle

Trailer

 

____________
Hugo Pool (1997)
‘The penultimate film of Robert Downey Sr. feels like a home movie made on weekends with A-lister buddies. Episodic and random in structure. Some good individual scenes but none of it comes together.’ — Ian Anthony Brownell

Trailer

 

______________
Rittenhouse Square (2005)
‘A Year in the Life of an American Park. RITTENHOUSE SQUARE is an impressionistic, music-filled documentary about the tony Philadelphia park. Perhaps Downey’s most romantic and sympathetic work, displaying distinct signs of mellowing with the passing of years.’ — Senses of Cinema

the entirety

 

 

*

p,s. Hey. ** _Black_Acrylic, Hi, B. Wow, you did have a talent for drawing. What made you direct your mojo elsewhere? Your ‘Cricketer’ is much more exciting than the Flanagan itself, I must say. Everyone, Before we leave the topic of bunnies, follow this trail courtesy of _B_A: ‘As a boy I had a talent for drawing, and at one activity day at Leeds Art Gallery I drew their sculpture by Barry Flanagan of a rabbit named Cricketeer. I was awarded a prize for this by the popular TV game show host Bob Holness, and my artwork appeared in a book titled the Young Person’s Guide to the Gallery. It was a very early encounter with art world fame. That bunny Cricketer drawing is here on my website, 5th from bottom.’ ** Billy, Hi, of course. Hopefully less artsy-fartsy than the Gorillaz thing. Is that where the thing for monochrome cinematography started? Oh, my god, I hate that look more than death itself! ‘Twilight’ should be charged with War Crimes by the Nobel committee or something. Yay, re: ‘GMM”s powers of insinuation so far. I don’t know what ‘Baby Bump’ is even. So I don’t know. But I will. Or I’ll put myself in a position to know maybe at least. Thanks, pal. ** Misanthrope, Well, that’s an interesting response to my charming post. Um, well, to be a film producer in the US you need have large amounts of money at your disposal and great connections with wealthy generous people. In France, you just have to be really good at getting government grants. ** Jack Skelley, Non-wacko Jacko! Great you’re hanging with the power duo, and wish I could’ve been at your reading, duh. I see that Amy’s reading there soon with Kate Durbin. You going? Extreme yes!!!!! about your book’s coverage and imminence! Things with fuckhead feel doomy but I’m fighting like a junkyard dog. ** Dominik, Hi!!! Maybe a combination French Mac&Cheese and coke dealer would work. I hope MCR change their set list between the two shows, but probably not, right? Oh, you’ll have a such a blast, guaranteed. Hm, maybe I will do a Fake Avril post then. Hm. Frank! Played by the wonderful James Duval. who had the best stomach in showbiz when he was younger. I think his stomach even gets a mention in one of my novels. And a super sweet guy. He and I (and his stomach) were in a video together for this ancient TV series United States of Poetry based on one of my poems. Here. Love making funding Zac’s and my film as trendy as investing in NFTs, G. ** Steve Erickson, Oh, to be as uncared about as Mark Wahlberg. There’s a life’s goal for you. I’m about 99.9% sure I’ll watch ‘TG:M’ on a plane. I only want to see ‘Jurassic Park’, theater going-wise. ** David Ehrenstein, Brad Gooch — which autocorrect just corrected to Brad Pooch, which is funny because that was Tim Dlugos’s nickname for him — was friends with Bunny Lang. ** Bill, My browser wouldn’t load those De Young images, alas. I’ve never heard of the Morris Museum before. Huh. In fact, other than the airport, I’ve never set foot in New Jersey, but then again back when I lived in NYC in the early 80s, no one I knew ever even set foot in Brooklyn! ** Rafe, Hi, Rafe. I don’t think I know the film ‘Taxidermia’ unless I’m spacing out. I’ll seek it and discover. Thank you! The title is promising certainly. I think ‘cool’ works, but, you know, I’m a dark soul, man. How’s stuff? ** Okay. I’m guessing that a bunch of you don’t or barely know that Robert Downey Jr.’s father was at one time a well-known cutting edge avant-garde underground filmmaker who, in the 60s and 70s, managed to hit the zeitgeist then simultaneously lost his mojo and fell out of favor and became only known to the degree he is as the father of the actor. His early films are very of their time but quite fun. I recommend starting with ‘Greaser’s Palace’. There you go. See you tomorrow.