It’s Wednesday night here at BCB After Dark: the coolest club for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. We’re so glad you decided to stop by. Come on in and cool off with us. There’s no cover charge. The dress code is casual. We’ve still got a few tables available. Bring your own beverage.
BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged
to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.
Last night I asked you about the worst Cubs trades of the 21st Century and to be honest, I messed up by not including the José Quintana-for-Dylan Cease deal. I don’t think that was the worst trade of the century, but I do think it’s among the worst five, so it should have been included.
So with that mea culpa out of the way, 53 percent of you voted for the DJ LeMahieu-for-Ian Stewart deal, which I would have voted for too were I to vote in my own polls. Another 22 percent of you picked the decision to salary dump Cody Bellinger to the Yankees for nothing.
Here’s the part where we listen to music and talk movies. You can skip ahead if you want. Or you can just look at that stuff and skip the baseball stuff. Your call.
I remember I got some good reactions the last time I played some Ponpon Chen, so I’ve got a more recent performance of her from last year. Here she puts down her guitar, picks up a washboard and goes full old-fashioned swing with “Them There Eyes,” live in Los Angeles.
Joining Chen are Chris Dawson on keyboard, Jim Jedeikin on sax, Gary Wicks on bass and the drummer is Mark San Filippo.
This one is infectious.
So this past week I watched one old Jean Gabin film which was so degraded in quality that I often couldn’t make out the subtitles. I got the general gist of the film, but I don’t think I could actually write about it with any sort of authority.
Other than that, I’ve been re-watching James Bond pictures. I even watched the commentary track for Dr. No, where I found out that they considered Cary Grant for playing Bond, but that they knew that Grant would only commit to one film and they hoped that they would be able to make three. (Ha!) Grant was really too old to play Bond in 1962, but that’s only because our expectations of Bond now are of a man in his thirties or forties. But Grant could certainly make great espionage films, although Bond would have been far less athletic had Grant played it.
So I thought I’d just throw it out for you to discuss your favorite James Bonds and favorite James Bond films. I’d probably still go with Goldfinger as my favorite, although I might say that Skyfall is my favorite on a different day. I’ve only seen Skyfall twice though. I should watch it again.
I haven’t seen every Bond film. Pretty much every one I’m missing is from the eighties, when I think the franchise got into a rut. I think many of the Roger Moore Bond films had a tendency to veer too far into silliness and the later ones seemed to be worse on that front. I also don’t think I’ve seen License to Kill, the second Timothy Dalton Bond film. If I have seen it, I’ve forgotten it.
But I don’t want to completely dismiss the Moore Bond films. The Spy Who Loved Me is excellent and Live and Let Die isn’t bad. As far as the Pierce Brosnan films go, Goldeneye is definitely the one to watch.
I will grant that On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is the best George Lazenby Bond film.
As rumors swirl about who will be the next James Bond, there’s a rule now that no American can ever play Bond. That is basically a way of dealing with British insecurities towards America over what has now become a kind of national symbol for them. It doesn’t seem to be a problem for actors from other countries though. Connery, of course, was Scottish not English, but Ian Fleming liked Connery’s portrayal so much he decided to make Bond’s mother Scottish. Lazenby is Australian. Brosnan is Irish. Dalton was born in Wales, although he has an English father and a (gasp) American mother.
But an American was hired to be James Bond once, and no, I’m not counting the Barry Nelson portrayal of an American James Bond in the 1954 adaptation of Casino Royale for the anthology TV show Climax! After Lazenby refused to make a second Bond film, American John Galvin was hired to play Bond for Diamonds are Forever. But the head of United Artists didn’t like Galvin as Bond for whatever reason (probably marketability) and pressed for a return of Sean Connery, offering to pay him whatever he demanded. Connery relented and played Bond one last time (at least until Never Say Never Again, which is a whole ‘nother story), but the producers honored Galvin’s contract and paid him his full rate, even though he never shot a scene as Bond.
So you can tell us in the comments your thoughts on the Bond franchise. Which films are your favorites? Which Bond is your favorite? Who’s your favorite “Bond Girl”? Hard to top Ursula Andress, just because she was the first* and she has one of the most iconic movie entrances of all-time.
*Yes, I know Eunice Gayson as Sylvia Trench is technically the first Bond Girl. From the commentary track, I discovered that Sylvia Trench was meant to be the regular girlfriend of Bond and she does appear at the beginning of From Russia With Love. It was supposed to be a kind of running gag that Bond was always leaving a jealous Sylvia behind for a mission that would take him into the arms of other women. But when director Terence Young refused to direct Goldfinger over a pay dispute, new director Guy Hamilton just dropped the character.
Welcome back those of you who skip the music and movies.
I don’t need to tell you the Cubs are not playing well at the moment. I also don’t need to tell you that there are problems with the pitching. But tonight we’re going to focus on the problems with the hitters.
The Cubs had the best offense in the game in April. Since then, they have not had anything close to the best offense.
Not all of these players can continue to play well below their historic norms and projections. Someone is going to break out of it. Pete Crow-Armstrong and Michael Busch have already broken out of their early-season struggles. Which Cubs hitter is most likely to break out of it next?
I don’t think I need to introduce these players to you. You know how poorly they are doing and if you don’t, you know how to look it up.
Let’s hope one or all of these players started their breakout tonight after I wrote and scheduled this piece.
Thanks for stopping by tonight and all week. We hope it’s been as pleasant as possible. Please get home safely. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again next week for more BCB After Dark.
