The Hot Button by David Poland

The Hot Button by David Poland

Share this post

The Hot Button by David Poland
The Hot Button by David Poland
THB: A Correction, Etc.
THB Sidebar

THB: A Correction, Etc.

David Poland's avatar
David Poland
Dec 28, 2022
∙ Paid
3

Share this post

The Hot Button by David Poland
The Hot Button by David Poland
THB: A Correction, Etc.
4
Share

“And if it’s not right
You have to put it right."

Lyrics from Matilda The Musical, which I reviewed on Monday.

Then this morning (Wednesday), I linked on Twitter to the Washington Post piece commenting on all that was wonderful and horrible about Roald Dahl, a reminder that to err is human, to be racist or anti-Semitic is unacceptable, but that you can still be a genius with insights into the human condition.

cartoon courtesy of The New York Times

But speaking to Matilda’s point, this brief newsletter is to apologize to Stan Zimmerman for leaving his name off the reference to his and James Berg’s screenplay for The Ruthie Ruddick Story, which I mentioned in yesterday’s column.

The script, which I ran into in the 1990s, is a favorite and, I think, built for a star turn by an actress of range and passion. I suggested Margot Robbie (who might have been in elementary school when I was trying to get it set up and may not have been born when it was written) for the lead, but others have though…

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to The Hot Button by David Poland to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 David Poland
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share