Sid Haig

            On Friday morning I memorized the sixth and seventh verses of “Rue Traversière” (Traversière Street) by Boris Vian. There are only two verses left. 

            I worked out the chords for the first verse and a half of “Ardoise” (Shingles) by Serge Gainsbourg. 

            I played my Martin acoustic guitar during song practice for the third of four sessions. For the last couple of days it was sometimes in tune for a couple of songs in a row. But today it was off after a few strums of each song. 

            I weighed 86.85 kilos before breakfast. 

            I worked on getting caught up on my journal and I was getting close. 

            I weighed 86.95 kilos before lunch. 

            In the afternoon I took a bike ride but didn’t want to go all the way downtown with a wobbly back wheel. On Seaforth I found a bunch of stuff being thrown out. I took a full jar of gherkin pickles, a Pyrex tray, a pack of essential oils, and a bath mat. I rode to the Brockton Cyclery and the guy said the rim is out of true but the I would have to leave my bike. I didn’t want to walk home and so I opted out. He said he might have time on Saturday. He also told me that my back brakes are down to the metal. I rode up to Bloor and saw the Bike Depot was still closed. I stopped at Sweet Pete’s but the guy also said I’d have to leave my bike. He also pointed out that I need a new back tire.

            I weighed 86.6 kilos at 17:40. 

            I worked on getting caught up on my journal and just before dinner I finally made it for the first time since December 24.

            I had bistro fries with gravy and two chicken drumsticks while watching season 2, episodes 7 and 8 of Batman. 

            In episode 7, while King Tut is feeding his crocodiles two of his men are blowing open a safe. They leave a gigantic diamond behind and take a string of amber beads, with each bead containing a scarab. The owner of the beads gets conked over the head with a lead pestle. In Commissioner Gordon’s office his temporary secretary Miss Patrick brings him his mid morning vitamin while he hears of the thieves’ strange Egyptian 4th dynasty clothing. He concludes that King Tut is back and so he calls Batman. The pestle suggests it comes from an apothecary and Batman discovers that among all the drug stores and pharmacies in Gotham there is only one apothecary and it is in the Pyramid Building. In that same building Tut has freed the scarabs from the amber and now he is trying to bring them back to life with electricity. 200,000 volts does the trick. While Batman and Robin are using their bat ropes to walk up the side of the Pyramid Building, a window opens and The Green Hornet and Kato look out. Hornet asks what they’re doing. Batman asks the same. Hornet says they are pursuing the enemies of law and order. Batman asks, “Aren’t you in the wrong city?” Hornet answers that they are on special assignment for the Daily Sentinel. Kato says, “Nice to have met you”. After they are gone Robin wonders why they dress like that. When Batman and Robin arrive in the apothecary they insist on searching the place without a warrant. Batman’s worse than a cop. They are attacked by Tut’s men. The apothecary blows sneezing powder in Batman and Robin’s faces and Tut and his men escape with all his scarabs except for one. Back at the Batcave Batman deduces that Tut plans to use the distilled essence of scarab lymphs as part of the formula for abu raubu simbu tu. The formula has been useless for centuries because the scarabs were extinct. It produces a chemical capable of paralyzing the human will. Once the scarabs have multiplied Tut could have enough of the formula to make slaves of everyone in Gotham. Batman has the statue they confiscated from Tut last time placed on the lawn of Wayne manor. When Tut hears of this he has his men steal it, not realizing that Robin is hidden inside. From Tut’s hideout Robin communicates with Batman via transmitter. Batman tracks him to the abandoned Gizeh Gardens. Then Robin learns that Tut’s new queen is Cleo Patrick, Commissioner Gordon’s secretary and that the first pill made from the scarab formula will be given to Gordon in the guise of his daily vitamins. Robin rushes to communicate this to Batman but fumbles the radio and it falls. Hearing the noise, Tut captures Robin and he is placed on a platform above the crocodile tank as the platform slowly slides into the wall. Batman rushes to save him and that’s the cliffhanger. 

            In episode 8, Batman climbs up a vine to a barred window through which he sees Robin about to become crocodile food. Batman uses his bat ray to disintegrate the bars, then he swings down on the bat rope to save Robin. Meanwhile Commissioner Gordon has to have lunch with his wife and leaves Chief O’Hara in charge of his office. Cleo gives O’Hara the pill, then Tut arrives and O’Hara becomes Tut’s slave. When Batman and Robin arrive at city hall they see O’Hara dancing on the top floor ledge as Tut has instructed. They go up to Gordon’s office and coax him in. Back in the Batcave Batman drinks several glasses of buttermilk. Meanwhile Tut has taken control of Gordon, who calls Batman and asks him to meet him in Jefferson Square Park where the statue has been placed by Tut. At the park Gordon treats Batman to a lemonade and puts one of the mind control pills inside. Batman drinks it and then Tut calls him in a phone booth to activate the drug. Batman surrenders to Tut’s men but Robin fights and is captured. They are both taken to Tut’s hideout. Batman kneels before Tut. Tut orders Batman and Robin fed to his crocodiles. Batman stands as if in a trance and then starts throwing punches. He tells Tut he was never under the influence of the pill because he’d coated his stomach with buttermilk. Tut says, “Buttermilk, yuck!” and then tells his men to attack. The final written sound effect battle takes place. Tut tries to escape in the tank truck full of the formula. Robin opens the valve to spill the formula. Tut tries to stop the flow but is affected by the drug and becomes submissive. Later Tut reverts back to his original Yale professor identity. 

            Tut’s apothecary was played by Sid Haig, who as a child was so uncoordinated during his growth spurt that his parents had him take dance lessons to help correct the problem. He took to it so well that by the age of 7 he was a professional dancer. He also became a drummer and already had a record contract a year after graduating high school. In 1958 he recorded the hit record “Full House” with the T-Birds. He then studied at the Pasadena Playhouse before moving to Hollywood with his friend and roommate Stuart Margolin (who later played Angel on The Rockford Files). His film debut was in The Host in 1960. Quentin Tarantino wrote the part of the judge in Jackie Brown for Haig. He starred in House of 1000 Corpses, and The Devil’s Rejects. He and Pam Grier appeared in five Blaxploitation films together. He co-starred in 3 From Hell, Black Mama White Mama, and Abruptio. He managed a community theatre in Simi Valley, California for 15 years. He was a certified hypnotherapist.