My train from Vermont was late on Saturday, so I arrived at National Sawdust late and dripping with sweat. Everyone was very nice about it, and Timo Andres sublimely unperturbed.
Afterwards some of us went off somewhere for drinks. Timo, Ronen and I snag a booth and talk about music, films, books. At some point I start talking about how much I like silliness, which the British do better in books. But Americans are good at silly films, I say - look at Bringing Up Baby!
Timo has never seen it. Ronen might have seen it, or perhaps has a distant memory of possibly seeing it back in the dawn of time.
Moi: Bringing Up Baby? Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn?
TA shakes his head (a good move, since the place is very loud).
I realize that, to someone unfamiliar with the film, the name may be offputting.
Baby is a leopard, I explain.
A what? says Timo. (As I say, the place is very loud.)
A leopard! I say more loudly, but still not loudly enough. A LEOPARD! A big cat!
You mean-- like a cheetah?
YES! EXACTLY! BIG CAT WITH SPOTS!
This naturally does not convey the full glorious silliness of the film, but presumably dispels hideous visions of supposedly amusing domestic incidents involving an infant. And does at least make me feel briefly like Katherine Hepburn announcing the arrival of Baby.
