BUK - THE MASTER OF NAMEDROPPING + INVENTOR OF NAMES !!! Well, our dear and very own Bukfan had given a great list of Hollywood-names before. Now I've re-read that novel and started to write down an even more complete list of names, including all unimportant ones, places, book-/film-titles, etc. Many of them, I couldn't solve, so I give this to you to work out the rest. At the end, we might have the full complete entire list of names mentioned in that fine novel. (Well, some of the more tricky persons might never uncover, but let's just start.) BEWARE ! - This is an awfull long list! I've tried to remember to spot Every little grain while reading (still missed some, I guess). Here's the key to the list: status: IP = Important Person (in THAT novel - not in general) mc = minor character (dito) o = other (places, book-/movie-titles, etc) page: first appearence in ecco sc-edition 2002 [real] = that's the real name of the person, place, title [fantasy] = that's a totally made up thing and attached: the LIST.
Excellent, roni. I'm wondering if the "famous actor with perpetual tan" is George Hamilton. That's the first and obvious name that comes to mind to me. Anyone know?
Thanks Roni that is a great effort of a list. Cheers to you. My first inclusion would be to say, I think that Jonathan Winters is real.
Here's a list of just the names Roni was unsure of. I filled in the ones I knew without referencing the book: Paul Renoir IP 9 [The famous painter's grandson] Popppy [mc] 11 ... ? Danny Server [mc] 13 ... ? Harold Pheasant [mc] 14 ... ? The Heart's Song o 25 ... ? Jonathan Winters [mc] 25 [Real] Jean-Paul Sanrah [mc] 28 ... ? Henri-Leon Sanrah [mc] 29 ... ? Central Station Arson o 38 [fantasy] Krumph [mc] 38 ... ? Flynn [mc] 38 ... ? Vin Marbad [mc] 41 Applebaum ??? Darby Evans [mc] 44 Blake Edwards ? The Bunny That Hopped ..o 44 ... ? Waffles with Lulu o 44 ... ? Terror in the Zoo o 44 ... ? 22nd Century Housing o 46 [Century 21 realtors] Dennis Body [mc] 49 ... ? (Baldy???) Rainbow Realty o 50 [Real - if this was in Topanga (where he saw the Manson house)] Lila Gant [mc] 50 ... ? Darlene [mc] 51 ... ? Willy [mc] 52 ... ? Double Quartet [mc] 52 ... ? "one fellow" [mc] 65 ... ? one-ball-director [mc] 66 ... ? Giselle [mc] 66 ... ? Back from Hades o 72 ... ? Pat Sellers [mc] 72 ... ? [actually, there's a Pat Sellers who did movie-sounds from the 90s on] Harry [mc] 76 ... ? Lenny Fidelo [mc] 101 ... ? Lippy Leo Durocher [mc] 105 [Leo Durocher was a famous baseball manager, nicknamed "Leo the Lip"] Tim Ruddy [mc] 106 Tom Luddy ? Lance Edwards IP 106 ... ? Chateau Marmont o 106 ... ? "famous actor with perpetual tan" [mc] 109 [I would agree this is George Hamilton] Hal Edleman [mc] 122 ... ? Sorenson [mc] 122 ... ? Neeli Zutnick [mc] 128 ... ? Rose [mc] 128 ... ? Fletcher Jaystone [mc] 135 ... ? Cleo [mc] 146 ... ? Doug [mc] 146 ... ? Lemon Duck o 154 [real] ? Helga Henderson [mc] 157 ... ? Thommy Henderson [mc] 157 ... ? Marsh Edwards [mc] 162 ... ? Cary Grant Pavillion o 177 [real place at Hollywood Park] "Italian group" (investor) o 180 ... ? Sesteenov [mc] 182 Errol Morris ? Illiantovitch [mc] 183 ... ? David [mc] 189 ... ? William [mc] 189 ... ? woman's mag o 191 ... ? "fat fellow" [mc] 195 ... ? Lola [mc] 195 ... ? Andre Wells [mc] 195 ... ? Tully Sorenson [mc] 207 [Wasn't she the composite character publisher in Barfly?] Nadine [mc] 207 ... ? Rich [mc] 208 ... ? "an actor I really liked" [mc] 211 ... ? "his wife" [mc] 211 ... ? shopping mall with theatre o 219 ... ? "one of the men" [mc] 220 ... ? lady interviewer from station [mc] 220 ... ? "2 girls" [mc] 222 ... / ... ? other theatre next door o 222 ... ? Copperfield's o 225 [real] ? 'Tell and Talk' column o 228 [real] ? Babs Danish [mc] 230 ... ? Tip Danish [mc] 230 ... ? Sam [mc] 232 ... ? Wexler [mc] 235 ... ? Selby [mc] 235 ... ? Ed [mc] 239 [Ed McMahon (since he was mentioned with Johnny Carson)]
thank you all for your nice words of encouragement. also for the hints. thanks mjp for yours above. i think this becomes something, we can work with, eh?
Nice work, Roni. I loved Hollywood. Here's Buk at his most relaxed, fun and witty best. He writes like he was on top of the world, with total self-confidence and mastery of the word. What a gem. I remember when it was first hot off the press and I read it with total joy and satisfaction... I couldn't put it down. Just a suggestion. I would reverse the names and go with Rick Talbot as Gene Siskel, and Kirby Hudson as Roger Ebert - the number of syllables line up perfectly as well as the relative sharpness and softness of the names. Just passing through...best wishes....Poptop.
that's a VERY good point. Buk often did these similarities, when in search for a pseudonym. but in this case, we have evidence for the other way.
We know that Ebert was on the set, but this quote is not evidence that he considered himself either Talbot or Hudson in Hollywood, unless someone can post one. I consider the parallels between the real names and the pseudonyms as unmistakable if one is familiar with these famous American movie critics. The names make no sense otherwise from both a personality and literary standpoint, and I believe that Buk was smarter than that. Siskel only works as Talbot, and Ebert as Hudson and others are welcome to believe what they want. The only other possibility is that Bukowski happened to get the critics' names mixed up himself in his great novel, and if so, so what.
Yes it does. Combined with the info from Women, we're closing in on uncovering the Rosetta Stone of Bukowski-dom.
you don't need to buy it. According to chapter 35, it was 'Rick Talbot' being at the set, not 'Kirby Hudson'.
I've seen this connection somewhere on a list. But in the novel, Jack Bledsoe/Mickey Rourke states, Lenny is his bodyguard. So that wouldn't be Stallone.
oh, maybe I've discouraged some cats out there with my last responses. I didn't mean to sound super-overlooking the novel or the Hollywood/LA-scene of the 80s or anything. Nor did I mean coming up as a smartass. so: Please keep coming in with suggestions!
