Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 18-1-2020: Danny Kaye.

18th January, 2020.

I’ve had news … 

Or, at least, a visit … 

As you possibly know — if you’ve been reading the past days’ worth of Teaser posts — that I’ve had. problems with my boiler.

I’ve no hot water, in other words.

I had the initial engineer’s visit on Wednesday.

With the supervisor’s visit — what’s called a DCR survey — on Friday.

The good news?

Is that the supervisor told me he’s going to be recommending I get a replacement boiler: and should hear by Monday.

Here’s hoping.

~≈†≈~

You’re possibly aware I’m a Terry Pratchett fan: one’s who’s not too pleased by BBC America’s upcoming series The Watch series: based on — or inspired by — his work.

Firstly?   I’m not the only one who’s concerned.

At least, going by this article.

From what I can see?   It’s loosely — very loosely — on Nightwatch: possibly Sir Terry’s best Discworld novel.

Let me share a quote from the last page of the book, if I may?

‘There’s a trial, tomorrow,’ said Vimes sharply.
‘Ah, yes. Of course. And it will be a fair one,’ said the Patrician.
‘It better be,’ said Vimes. ‘I want this bastard to hang, after all.’
p.364, Night Watch, Terry Pratchett.

The bastard in question is a character called Carcer, so you know: he’s the villain of the piece.

Now, I always assumed both Sam Vimes and Carcer were/are white: as Sir Terry doesn’t specify their ethnicities.

Given that?

We have a funny, and cynical, line: that shows us the state Sam Vimes mind after a rough story: and makes a funny comment about the state of the police mind.

The series?

Casts a white actor — Richard Dormer — as Sam Vimes.

And a black actor — Sam Adewunmi — as Carcer.

Suddenly?   That ‘I want this bastard to hang’ line looks distinctly nasty.

It makes my favourite writer look racist, it makes BBC America — the BBC division producing the show — look racist … 

And makes BBC America look like they’re selling a racist product to a country which has stopped its white citizens lynching its black citizens … but still has a problem with white police officer shooting black civilians.

I have enough doubts about the show to not want to watch it.

This … ?

Tells the BBC America has made a serious cock-up.

~≈†≈~

Let’s move on, shall we?

Yesterday’s Teaser saw Olga* and Debbi† putting in their answers: with both scoring five out of five.

Let’s see how everyone does with today’s questions, shall we?

Here they are, along with the How To, License and video … 

Q1) Danny Kaye was born: on the 18th January of which year?

Q2) In which film did Kaye play Hans Christian Andersen?

Q3) He played both General Sir Lawrence MacKenzie-Smith, and Private First Class Ernie Williams, in which 1961 film?

Q4) Which Siegel and Shuster character was based on Danny Kaye?

Q5) Kaye recorded a track called Civilisation (Bongo Bongo Bongo): with which group?

Q6) In his youth, Kaye worked in the Borscht Belt, the comedy circuit in the Catskill Mountains: as a tummler.   What IS a tummler?

Q7) The Danny Kaye Show ran from 1963 to 1967.   On which US network?

Q8) That channel did a 1976 version of Pinocchio.   Who did Kaye play?

Q9) Again, in 1976, Kaye appeared in a TV version of Peter Pan.   Which pirate did Kaye play?

Q10) Finally … ?   Danny Kaye was the only amateur what to win the Meilleur Ouvrier de France?

Here’s yesterday’s questions and answers … 

Q1) Noted Russian play, The Cherry Orchard, premiered on 17th January.   In which year?
A1) 1904.

Q2) In which Russian city?
A2) Moscow: in the Moscow Art Theatre, so you know.

Q3) Who wrote The Cherry Orchard?
A3) Anton Chekov.   (Who, as far as I can tell, is no relation of Pavel Chekov’s.)

Q4) Who directed this version of The Cherry Orchard?
A4) The grandfather of Method acting, Konstantin Stanislavski.

Q5) Finally?   Is The Cherry Orchard a comedy or tragedy?
A5) Both: Chekov described it both as a comedy or a farce, Stanislavski directed it — indeed rewrote parts of it — as it were a tragedy.

Here’s a thought …

“I became an entertainer not because I wanted to but because I was meant to.”
Danny Kaye.

And a song …

Today’s questions will be answered in tomorrow’s Teaser.

Have a good day.

*        Trust me, Olga^, I’m hoping!   And it’s funny you should mention Three Sisters: I keep seeing adverts for Uncle Vanya floating past on Facebook.   (It, and The Cherry Orchard, gets a mention in Fifth Elephant.   Especially Uncle Vanya’s gloomy trousers.   Just don’t get me started on the TV series: I’m going nowhere near it … )

†        Gotham can be pretty bleak, sometimes, Debbi‡^, I know that.   I do know the upcoming The Batman film’s got Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman, which could be interesting.   And Jude thinks Lego Batman — and Shaun the Sheep — are funny.

‡        Actually, Debbi, some of the alternative Batmen sound fascinating.

^        Yep: The Cherry Orchard’s both a comedy and a tragedy.   Don’t you love it when a writer gets ignored by a director … and producer … and production company … and the BBC …