Re: RARA-AVIS: Westlake on Noir and Hard-Boiled

From: Richard Moore (moorich@aol.com)
Date: 06 Jan 2009

  • Next message: jacquesdebierue: "Re: RARA-AVIS: Westlake on Noir and Hard-Boiled"

    This reminds me of the old vaudeville bit that Abbott & Costello had a go at several times in both movies and television. The mention of a place would turn a character (often played by Sid Fields) into a maniac. There was a long shaggy dog story leading into it but then the mere mention of the key word or words would prompt an explosion. Usually it was a geographical location--Niagara Falls or Kookamonga--the mere mention of which would send Fields into a homicidal rage. There was another variation where the boys were trying to find the Susquehanna Hat Company and inquiring about its location would prompt the explosion. It is senseless but over time it becomes funny.

    The debate over noir and hardboiled is RARA-AVIS' Kookamonga and Susquehanna Hat Company. We've learned not to go there because the result is endless and tedious acrimony. What ever time is needed to pass to make it funny has yet to be achieved.

    Richard Moore

    --- In rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, "jacquesdebierue"
    <jacquesdebierue@...> wrote:
    >
    > --- In rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, "Brian Thornton"
    > <bthorntonwriter@> wrote:
    > >
    > > What is this "noir" of which you speak, O Sage?
    > >
    >
    > What is Noir? Is there a Heaven? I see wheat, fields of wheat. Is
    > correlation without disambiguation correlative with penetration
    > without attrition? Is Chicken Kiev valid with the feathers? Etcetera.
    >
    > Best,
    >
    > mrt
    >



    This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : 06 Jan 2009 EST