tobornot2wew82c

Compared to other stage productions by Webber, this one is the most frenetic and confusing. It is no surprise that the 1998 Video (VHS) was equally confusing; since then I have read that the VHS was made for TV Release. It was patched together from various earlier productions but that editing was too subtle for me to notice.

Sometime during the 1990's my wife asked me to accompany her to see CATS on the Stage, in the Curran Theater in San Francisco. I remember the 260 mile round trip drive very well but came home without a clue as to what had happened up there. What I retained was the unending scenes of huge athletic cats writhing all over the place; in very good costumes, too. At least I could accept the characterizations but, then, I have always liked "Tom & Jerry" cartoons. The primary reason for my inability to enjoy the stage play is that I could not understand a word they were singing except "...Up, Up, Up, ..." They handed out programs but they were useless because of the dim light. Afterward, we got a copy of the CD Release - not a bit of help because I still could not understand the words except for most of those in the song "Memory". (Played full blast on our stereo of course.)

Thus prepared, I was happy to hear of the Video Release and that we had obtained a copy. Now, I could try again to redeem myself. With more time to study the list of acts, I began to comprehend a few things but the language barrier was still there!

To illustrate my predicament, I thought I was hearing about a "Jellicoe" Cat but, just today, I saw that it was really a "Jellicale" One. I have dismissed the play altogether - there is no hope for me.

I would not have seen this film if my wife had not bought it on the sly. My prejudice is based on a personal bias against the Star, the person (Hughes) represented, the State where our man was born, and the Director. Armed with this sort of informed doubt, I am seldom burdened with a dud movie. We have a large collection of DVD releases, a small house, and limited storage space. Any addition to the collection has to be good enough to bump some earlier selection out to the Thrift Store shelves. In other words, to earn a place on our shelf, a film has to be a convincing WINNER and BETTER than something else already there. So, it was with misgivings that I agreed to sit through "The Aviator". So, I did. My wife loved it (or, the Kate Hepburn part). I hated it, all of it.

It would have been sufficient for the director to simply state that "HH" inherited much more money than he deserved and got on with the business of playing with it. And, with anything else that came his way. The ending could have come next but that was somewhere in the muddle (er, middle) just before "HH" leaped out of bed and raced to the Government Hearings to protect his good name. Our man was really upset when he divined somehow that he was not believed and that made him a liar! ("...I am not, nor I have been, A LIAR!...") Hmm, reminds me of Nixon telling us he was not a crook. Onward.

(In fairness, "HH" was quoted as saying that other companies had signed contracts to deliver defensive weapons that became obsolete with the end of World War II. Furthermore, those companies had not delivered unwanted weapons. How short sighted he was - we still see some of those aircraft flying around to this day. We could use some more of them, too. Forest fires, don't you know?) Well, "HH" hocked the farm to get TWA (Teeny Weenie Airlines?) off the ground. This was interesting. It seems that there really was a bad guy after all. The U.S. Government. NO! That was Juan Trippe, president of Pan American Airways. All that fellow wanted was a monopoly of passenger business everywhere. Sheese! Another Henry Ford/John Rockefeller. "HH" resented that fellow.

I grew up about 3 miles from the Hughes Aircraft factory over near Loyola College; I heard about the "Spruce Goose" but never had a glimpse of it - did not see it moved by truck - did not see it taxi and do wind sprints out in the Harbor - Saw the huge hangar where it sat for decades. I never even got into the geodesic tomb built for it in later years. - Just heard a lot about it. I do remember that "HH" and a crew of dozens (3 to 5 per engine) drove it out into the Harbor and ran it back and forth and that he actually lifted it out of the water for a short run. Local press derided him for not getting it up further - we were all disappointed. Not in the movie, however. There he gooooooooeeeeesssssss!!!!!! Yay! I finally caught up with it in McMinnville, Oregon in 1995. It was sitting in a parking lot, not assembled yet. Phooey. ("HH" also built a huge helicopter for some reason.) Where were we? Oh yes, "The Aviator". The special scenes showing the crash of the TurboProp showed the right wing slicing through the wall of a house that must have been a thousand feet long and all built from rice paper. Yes, "HH" was lucky. And obnoxious. The film did nothing to correct our impressions of him. As it turned out, "HH" was just another shark in the Hollywood Pool. At least his aircraft were interesting.

We have both seen and liked the 1990's road company stage production in San Francisco (Curran Theater). There were some strange goings-on up there on the stage; I was familiar with the story but had a lot of trouble understanding what was happening. When it was over, I felt confused and the experience was somewhat disappointing.

The CD is a nice tutorial although the film (2004) does not follow it closely. The CD is a highlight issue that can prepare one for the stage or the film versions.

In the DVD release we find the usual characters and most of the music; but not necessarily in the same order as seen on the stage. We have replaced our entire Home Theater and Stereo Systems during the last two years; thus, our private viewing experience was very satisfying.

For us, the film is a smash hit that rounds out our experiences with the Play. Recommended for all viewers.