But I should mention that the trip to Atlanta gave us a chance to see many old friends. Theresa and I had dinner with Phil Oppenheim on Friday night, for example. I mention this though it is sure to drive McNeil mad with envy. (Note to McNeil: Phil asked about you!) At one point, Phil said something disparaging about Jack Carson. My feathers were ruffled, you may be assured! But we soon smoothed things over and moved on to more cheerful topics. Upon our return to Mississippi, I checked the email and found that Phil had been kind enough to think up three things he enjoyed about THE GOOD HUMOR MAN, a Jack Carson vehicle that he had held up to particular scorn over dinner. In retrospect, Phil felt bad because I dvr'd THE GOOD HUMOR MAN but have not watched it yet. He was sorry he had ruined it for me! Phil is a softy at heart. That's the suspicion around here. So here are the three things he managed to dredge up out of compassion and pity, though his original argument was strong and I may just delete the film sight unseen to make more room on the dvr. Enumerated Phil: "(1) all of the Good Humor trucks, logos and uniforms look super cool, (2) the inappropriate moments of screwball comedy (thanks, Frank Tashlin) are weird enough to enliven the proceedings somewhat, and (3) there are more references (including key plot twists) to Captain Marvel in this film than in any other I remember seeing, which in my book is a very good thing indeed." Thanks for trying, Phil!
