A Touch of the Castro and Weimar Chili

It's barely a week into the year 2009, and I'm already halfway to meeting the grand total of number of visits to the Castro I made in 2008 -- two. It's hard to believe that I'd find much reason to exceed that number of visits this year since it's really hard to find much in that neighborhood that is remotely relevant to my life. Though now that the Noe Valley Streetlight Records is gone, I may have to venture over there more often, but if I've already gone that far, why not just drive or 33 it over to Amoeba in the Haight? Anyway, I was able to pick the full two seasons of Stockard Channing's 1979-1980 sitcoms (worth the $6.98 price but not a penny more).

The main purpose was to see the screening of Orson Welles' 1958 A Touch of Evil. It was great to see it on the big screen. There was murder, drugs, racism, alcoholism, obesity, oil wells, Zza Zza and inter-racial marriage.

Here are what I consider to be the highlights:
* Dennis Weaver saying that it was not his job to change fuses at a remote desert motel.
* Orson Welles saying "Lawyers? Phooey with lawyers, all they care about is the law."
* Marlene Dietrich making the most famed chili on both sides of the border.
* Janet Leigh proving once again that she has the worst motel karma in the history of travel.
* Mercedes McCambridge simply snarling and looking very butch.
* Acid being thrown on a poster of Joi Lansing's character "Zita".
* Orson Welles snarling, "English! Say it in English. I don't speak Mexican."
* Evidence that in the late 1950s everyone in border towns drove enormous convertibles with enormous fins.
* Welles standing beneath a forest of oil wells.
* Seeing Charlton Heston's "Mexican" make up in the sunlight.
* Marlene Dietrich having the last line of "Adios" and then walking into the darkness, likely off to make more chili.