Tag Archives: murder mystery

Monsters But Very Little Brain

Posted on August 29, 2019 by mohawkvalleygirl

Since Monstrous Monday did not work out, I thought I would indulge in some Mid-Week Monsters. At least it will not be a Wuss-out Wednesday post.

I love the side-eye.

I open with a shot from The Brain That Wouldn’t Die, as an ironic comment on the fact that my brain has apparently died. I blame allergy season. Yet I hope to bestir my meager brain to some activity, since I have a murder mystery to finish writing (preview of coming attractions).

I like to think I’m one of them.

This is not exactly a monster, except by the axiom that people are the worst monsters, but it seemed appropriate since I just mentioned my murder mystery. A new season of Deadly Women starts soon. I am looking forward to it.

Isn’t she hot?

Here is a deadly woman as well as a monster of the human variety. It is our friend, Ellen McQueeney in Amy Fisher: The Musical. This was back in the 1990’s. We did not see the show but were delighted that Steven’s former classmate starred (please note: NOT his “old classmate”).

THIS is the size of brain I need!

I wanted to end with a monster of the monster variety and was lucky enough to come across The Brain From Planet Arous. So I begin and end with a brain, having written this entire post without particularly using mine. See what I did there?

Crime After Murder?

Posted on April 7, 2019 by mohawkvalleygirl

I had meant to do a Saturday Running Commentary post. I even went running, and it was a pretty good run. But I didn’t. Now my laptop is acting up and I am sitting here on my Tablet, typing one letter at a time with the stylus .

We just got back from Murder by the Book, the murder mystery we put on at Morning Star Methodist Church in Ilion. It went pretty well. I wish I had taken a few pictures, but as usual with me these days, I did not have my act together. Still, I took part in the performance and did all right. That was the important thing tonight.

Now all I want to do is to sit on my couch, knit, and watch a crime show. Maybe I could just throw in a picture from my Media Library to fill out the post.

Ah, a crime show is what I crave.

Right now Snapped is on, but I have seen this episode several times. Perhaps a Dateline on DVR…

Or there’s always Forensic Files

“What about me?”

Or a monster movie. We shall see.

In the meantime, I’m going to call this a Slacker Saturday, hit Publish, and drive on. Happy Saturday, everyone!

It’s a Mystery!

Posted on April 4, 2019 by mohawkvalleygirl

This will be a kind of a Wordless Wednesday. I had a rehearsal for Murder by the Book, the murder mystery we are putting on at Morning Star Methodist Church this Saturday, April 6. I brought my Tablet and took a few pictures. I think we are a suspicious-looking bunch.

All eyes turn toward Jeanetta Robespierre, the authoress of many murder mysteries, but of a real life murder? Hmmmm….

The setting of the murder mystery is the gala release party of Jeanetta Robespierre’s new murder mystery thriller, An Ill Wind in Ilion. However, the festivities are interrupted by the untimely demise of… well, I don’t want to give away any major plot points. For one reason, I did not include a spoiler alert.

Tensions are high! Accusations fly!

But is romance also in the air?

And here is a full cast shot.

The rehearsal went pretty well. My actors are doing a marvelous job. I think the audience will be highly entertained.

Tickets are $20 for Roast Pork Dinner and Show. Doors open at 5 p.m. Saturday, April 6, at Morning Star Methodist Church, 36 Second St., Ilion, NY. For reservations and tickets call the church office at 315-894-4093. Tickets will also be available at the door.

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Pre-Rehearsal Monsters

Really, when you come to think of it, my life is pretty boring.

To begin this week’s Monstrous Monday post, I went to our laptop’s Downloads, to see if my husband, Steven, had downloaded any monsters I hadn’t used yet. This is what I found. I would love an outfit like the one that lady is wearing, but I am less enamored with her escort. She looks as if she is regretting it as well. You just can’t trust those on-line dating apps.

“Did somebody say Monstrous Monday?”

Finding no further treasures in the Downloads, I return to my Media Library and find my old favorite, Nosferatu (1922). I should perhaps mention that I am posting in haste (posthaste, that is an old word seldom used these days), because I have a rehearsal this evening. I feel fortunate that I don’t have any days of two rehearsals this week (unless we reschedule Wednesday’s rehearsal for Thursday, but I can’t worry about that now). One murder mystery is in the books! In less than two weeks, both murder mysteries will be over and done with, and I will only have to worry about Morning’s at Seven (the full-length play I am in at Ilion Little Theatre). Regular readers may recall that I mentioned in a vague sort of way another theatre project I may have undertaken. Well, it seems not, so Phew!

My happy face when I only have one rehearsal.

I hope to do a couple of longer posts, telling more about my theatrical endeavors, especially in case local readers might like to attend. For today, though, I must say Happy Monday and may all your monsters be nice ones.

Post Before Murder

I keep telling myself that a few nerves before a performance are a good thing (good things? Is each nerve good? Discuss amongst yourselves). That said, why do I feel as if I am having a full-blown panic attack? I said it in a recent post and I will say it again, what the hell, me? This is not my first rodeo, as regular readers know. Additionally, I know how many things can go wrong and a performance still be entertaining and appreciated. These heart palpitations have got to stop!

For anyone just tuning in, and for those who cannot keep all my gyrations straight (indeed, why should you be expected to when I cannot keep them straight myself?), tonight’s performance is A Trivial Murder, an interactive murder mystery presented to benefit Herkimer County Historical Society. We are rehearsed. We know our lines, we know our characters. We know where we are going and what time to be there.

I will feel better after I am completely ready. My costume is not laid out but what I want to wear is in my head. If the shirt I am thinking of is dirty, there are other candidates in my closet. I even found my rubber gloves so I can put the purple in my hair (not a necessity, but I think it will add a nice touch, and I did find the bottle earlier). Enough heart-burnings! (Ooh, that’s it: I have heartburn because of the egg sammich I ate earlier to tide myself over till dinner) (yes, I like to spell it “sammich”).

Perhaps I will do a post-murder post tomorrow. Or it will be Wrist to Forehead Sunday, as I hurry on to my next theatrical endeavor. As always, I hope you’ll stay tuned.

Witless But Deadly

Well, I spent another day NOT writing a blog post while on breaks at work. In my defense, my light-headed-ness continued. In my — what? accusation? prosecution? Somebody get me a thesaurus! — it was not as bad as yesterday. Well, these things happened, and blog posts must be made. Why, you may ask. I say, because they are not there. See what I did there? Thus, mildly pleased with myself, I continue with this week’s Witless Wednesday post.

She is cold, yes.

First I throw in a random picture, so this can be a kind of a Wordless Wednesday as well (not that I am every completely wordless). Here is Bette Davis, committing the murder that begins The Letter (1940). I thought a picture from a murder movie would be appropriate, because the rehearsal I am about to go to is for a murder mystery. Unfortunately, the murder in The Letter is no mystery. At least, not unfortunately for the movie; it’s a great movie. Unfortunately for the picture being entirely appropriate. I did mention this is Witless Wednesday, did I not?

Judith Anderson and Vincent Price.

Here is a picture from an authentic murder mystery, Laura (1944). In my mind, this is the real romantic couple of the picture, never mind Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews.

I don’t imagine it was trivial to the victim.

The murder mystery we are rehearsing is A Trivial Murder, an interactive dinner theatre to be presented March 23 at the Travel Lodge in Little Falls, NY, to benefit Herkimer County Historical Society. Doors open at 5, dinner starts at 6. Cost is $25 per person. For more information, contact the historical society at 315-866-6413.

Post Rehearsal Post

I thought for a change I would do a Post Rehearsal Post. I know, I almost always have a Lame Post Friday, but for one reason, I have had a number of lame posts lately. For another, I would like to begin plugging A Trivial Murder, the interactive dinner theatre we are putting on to benefit Herkimer County Historical Society. Regular readers might remember that mystery was originally scheduled for last October but was postponed. It has been rescheduled for March 23, and we are in rehearsal mode.

Full disclosure: there was actual wine in those glasses.

The mystery begins with a toast to Jack German, the previous host of Who Knows Herkimer History? He died under mysterious circumstances. Somebody claims to know something about those circumstances. Will he or she meet with an untimely end?

One taking notes, one grief-stricken, one blase. Which is sincere?

The plot thickens! Of course, I cannot tell you much about the actual plot, since I am hoping to entice local readers to attend the murder mystery. I think it is going to be highly entertain, but perhaps I flatter myself.

Accusations fly!

A Trivial Murder is scheduled for Saturday, March 23, at Little Falls Travel Lodge, doors open at 5 p.m. Tickets are $25 for dinner and the show. For more information, contact Herkimer County Historical Society at 315-866-6413.

Getting a Clue on Tired Tuesday

I CAN’T be tired, even if it is Tuesday! I have rehearsal tonight! For those of you just tuning in, it is for Morning’s at Seven at Ilion Little Theatre. Just a half hour ago, I was congratulating myself that I had two and half hours before I had to be there: plenty of time for a blog post and other writing chores. How’s that working out for me, you ask? IT’S NOT!!!

OK, got that off my chest, on with the blog post. I worked more on the murder mystery which should have been completed by now. I question the wisdom of sharing that it is not done yet. However, since I have neither a full cast nor rehearsals scheduled, I may as well admit the entire ugly truth. Never mind. That script will be completed by week’s end, and the performance will be highly entertaining for all involved.

But getting back to the play at hand, I spent some time today working on my lines, while on break, OF COURSE, put down that phone if you were about to call my boss on me! While I was actually working, I thought about my character (I have the sort of job where I can think about other things while I work). I’m trying to piece together her backstory. It’s always fun for me, figuring out from the script what happened before and what my character is thinking about now. Later on in the rehearsal period, I’ll start writing a sequel in my head. I would never actually write a sequel to somebody else’s script (I like to make up my own characters), but it is entertaining to talk to the other actors about what comes next.

Come to think about it, that makes every play kind of a mystery. I look for CLUES in the script and figure things out! Maybe I’ll make a good mystery writer yet. In the meantime, I still have some time before rehearsal to work more on my lines.

A Place in Scattered Saturday

“No, I don’t know what she should write a blog post about, do you?”

We are currently watching A Place in the Sun after our Scattered Saturday gyrations, and it is high time I made my blog post. Why, oh why, did I not post earlier? Well, I’ve been busy. I got up early enough, just prior to 6 a.m. After some coffee, I went for a run. What a great run! I could have made an awesome Saturday Running Commentary, but that ship sailed away fast. What can I say?

Later in the morning, we drove to New Hartford, NY, where we ordered new glasses at Eye Q of CNY. We had gotten out eyes examined a few weeks ago, but I had too bad of a headache that day to decide on glasses. I was happy we waited, though, because I chose a rather fabulous pair of frames. Perhaps I will post a picture of the finished product.

Later on we went to an early dinner at Salvatore’s in Herkimer, NY, with some of the folks who were supposed to be part of A Trivial Murder, the interactive murder mystery that was to have been tonight. It has been rescheduled to March 23. I will have more information on that as the date approaches.

So I guess we have not scattered ourselves as widely as on other Saturdays. No matter. We are watching a movie. I have made a blog post. I hope you are all having as pleasant a Saturday evening.

Why am I Smiling on Monstrous Monday?

Can I have a Monstrous Monday after having a Many Monsters Sunday? I think so, and not just because it is almost Halloween. I like monsters ALL YEAR LONG!!! And, blogworthy activities-wise, I ain’t got much. I will just mention that after last Saturday’s Haunted Historic Four Corners and the cancellation this Saturday’s murder mystery, I find myself in the rare and unfamiliar state of Nothing I HAVE To Do. No commitments. Nothing I need to work on and get done by a certain date. (Oh well, my article(s) for Mohawk Valley Living magazine. Let’s not talk about that; just let me savor this!)

My teeth are not this good, but I have a similar smile right now.

I have not idea who this wolfman is. I went to the Facebook page The Golden Age of Monster Movies and looked through the photos for a happy monster.

This is what I looked like a few weeks ago, when I was still trying to cast the murder mystery.

This, in case you didn’t know, is Elisha Cook, Jr., in House on Haunted Hill (1959). Full disclosure: I didn’t remember his name and had to look it up.

Since I do not have to begin writing another murder mystery till 2019 (for Morning Star Methodist Church in Ilion, NY in probably April), I can turn once again to writing novels. I tried it this morning, but things did not go very well. I have been jotting notes and inventing characters. I have a few ideas, so I will persevere. I will let you know how it goes.

I must bear this thought in mind.

I’ll remember this dictum as well.

OK, that was my pep talk to myself. I will close with another monster, just because.

“Don’t forget about me!”

It was a choice between Michael Myers and Nosferatu. Jaime Lee Curtis, I love you, but for me, Nosferatu always wins.

Mohawk Valley Girl