Well, dear readers, I wish I could explain to you how much fun it was to be a young actor starting out in the early 1970s. Well, let me try. It was a different world back then – for example, casting directors knew who actors were, and if they thought the actors were right for roles, they brought them in to read for the producers. It was that simple. You were usually up against four other people for a guest shot and you usually knew if you had it by the end of the day on which you read. I never read for a casting director, never had a “pre” meeting with a casting director. As I worked, they got to know me, knew what I could do and what I was right for, and I was on their list of actors to bring in. As I’ve mentioned, my first guest shot was on The Young Lawyers – I filmed my episode in December of 1970 (I believe it was the third or second to last episode before the show was cancelled). I’ve mentioned the kindness of Mr. Gary Lockwood, Chris Connelly, director John Newland, and dialogue coach Bobby Hoffman. It was a somewhat unnerving experience because I was just so not used to the routine of it. However, before I had too much time to think about it, my agent called and had an appointment for me to read for a new CBS pilot called Generation (since there had been a recent play and film with that title, they changed the title to Young Love). It was being produced by Doris Day’s company, Arwin Productions, and was to be both a stand-alone pilot and an episode of her show. I went in and read for the show’s director, Norman Tokar. He seemed to really like me, and I really liked the part. I was called back to read with someone who’d be playing my roommate. Amazingly, the someone was Alex Henteloff, who was an LACC theater graduate and someone I knew very well. We read together, and we were both cast. I couldn’t believe it, second job, cast in a co-starring role in a CBS pilot. The money, as far as I was concerned, was extraordinary, and, of course, they had to set the deal for the series so I knew what I’d be making each year through year seven, should the pilot sell.
We had the luxury of rehearsing for an entire week, blocking it like a stage play. I got along very well with Mr. Tokar, and I loved Meredith Baxter, whose first job this was. Opposite her was someone who’d become a close friend, actor Michael Burns. We all bonded really well and since the show was about a bunch of young people living in an apartment building, the bonding was a good thing. The CBS brass came and watched one of our final rehearsals – they loved it. We then began shooting and the shoot was a breeze and fun and all traces of my nervousness of being on a film set had disappeared. Happily, just before we started shooting my episode of The Young Lawyers aired. My wife and very young daughter (she was, I believe, ten months old at that time) and I had just moved into a two-bedroom apartment in Van Nuys. We gathered around the television to watch my TV debut. I thought my heart was going to burst through my chest I was so petrified. In my first scene, the door opened and my head actually entered the room before my body – I had (and have) really bad posture). I was appalled. I’d also never done anything but comedy and this role was of a draft dodger and had not one whit of comedy. I was okay, but I saw that I overplayed things, there was no spontaneity in my performance, and I just hated the way I looked. I could barely watch when they’d cut to one of those gigantic close-ups. I learned right then and there one of the biggest lessons of film acting and I learned it just by watching myself – do less. And then less. And then less. And stand up STRAIGHT! I corrected those faults when I shot the pilot. They had a screening for us and I thought I looked better and since it was at least whimsical I knew my performance was better. We all got wonderful letters from the president of CBS who said the network was very high on the show and that it looked good. I was so excited at the thought of being in a weekly series. Oh, and the icing on the cake was when Miss Doris Day herself came down to say hello to all of us.
In the end, it came down to us and The Chicago Teddy Bears. They bought The Chicago Teddy Bears. Which lasted maybe a half-season. If they’d bought us, I truly believe we would have run for a long time – it was the kind of show that was about to become very popular. Oh, well. Next. Happily, I seemed to land a job every few weeks. I don’t think more than a month ever went by without me getting some part or other. I got a two-day job on a show called Ghost Story, which I was happy to take because my scenes were with Patricia Neal. It was her first job after she’d recovered from her terrible stroke. The director was Robert Day, a Brit, and Craig Stevens played opposite Miss Neal. I don’t remember much about the show or my part, other than we shot on location in the Valley one day (at a motel on Ventura Boulevard), and on a stage at Columbia on Gower the next. But my abiding memory is Patricia Neal, beautiful and wonderful Patricia Neal, tapping me on the shoulder and asking if I’d be so kind as to run lines with her. Would I be so kind? Holy moley on rye – running lines with Patricia Neal??? And we did and she was so sweet and I just adored her.
And then came a reading for a sitcom called The Partridge Family. I went in – funnily, one of the other actors trying out against me was Joel Kimmel, which also happens to be the name of my brother. I read for the producer (and director of this particular episode), Mel Swope, and also for Dale McRaven, Bill Bickley, and Michael Warren. It was only one scene but it was really funny and they laughed at everything I did and I walked out of there knowing it was mine. I always tended to know when I’d nailed something, and I just knew I was what they were looking for. I got to the Columbia Ranch in Burbank at six-thirty in the morning. There were young girls waiting by the gate. What was that about? It certainly wasn’t to see ME driving in. I later found out that there were always young girls out there hoping to get a glimpse of David Cassidy as he drove in. I was introduced to David, Shirley, and Susan Dey. I instantly fell head-over-heels in love with Miss Dey, who was just about the cutest thing I’d ever seen. The bulk of my scene was with David and it went very fast and the crew applauded afterwards. I loved being there and I really loved working with all of them. When that show aired, I knew I’d found my sea-legs, camera acting-wise. And so it went. I ended up doing four other episodes of the show, and they always treated me as if I was a regular. I’ve seen all of them, save for Susan, over the years and we always have the best time chatting about those days. I did see Susan quite often during the final season of the show and for a year or two thereafter. She was something else.
Obviously, I’m not going through every show and role, but I’ll tell you a couple of funny stories. I got a call one day that I’d been cast in a guest shot on Happy Days – Bill Bickley and Michael Warren of The Partridge Family, had moved over to that show. Since they knew my work and liked me they just cast me. I read the script and loved the role because it wasn’t my usual nerdy guy – it was a guy who rooked Ronny Howard out of his money in a poker game. It was really very funny. I arrived on the set and was introduced to Ronny and Donny and Anson and the gang. I then was introduced to the director, Jerry Paris. This was prior to the show becoming a three-camera audience show. Jerry took one look at me and said, “Who cast you? Oh, no, you’re all wrong.” I just looked at him, not believing what he was saying to me. It certainly wasn’t the best thing to say to an actor, but I let it roll off me. He set up the first shot we were doing. I did a little Kimmel take and I was his. He came running up to me and said, “I’m sorry – you’re a good ACTOR, just do what you do.” And I did, and it was one of my favorite things I ever did on TV. And working with Tom Bosley was a great treat. From then on, whenever I’d see Jerry Paris he’d look at me and say, “Good ACTOR!” Oh, and the dialogue coach on Happy Days was the wonderful Bobby Hoffman, who’d helped me so much on The Young Lawyers.
And then there was John Pleshette. Maybe he’ll Google himself one fine day and read these here notes – that would make me very happy. I got a guest shot on a new TV series called Doctor’s Hospital – the first episode. The show starred George Peppard and Zohra Lampert, and my fellow guest-stars were Christina Raines and Jeff Corey. I don’t believe Mr. Pleshette was quite a guest star in those days. In any case, I played an intern, a klutzy intern. The director was Leo Penn (daddy of Sean), who I liked very much. Mr. Peppard was gracious and lovely, and he took us all out to lunch on the first day of shooting, to a terrific Chinese jernt just north of Hollywood Boulevard on Highland. John Pleshette (are you reading this yet, John) also played an intern. And right away I noticed that he was one of these “busy” actors – he carried Tums with him which he kept taking during scenes, as if that defined his “character.” It was, of course, a way to pull focus from everyone else and it’s the kind of stuff I loathe and if I see an actor doing that when I’m directing I stop it quickly. In scenes where we were all walking down the hall and Peppard and Lampert were talking to us, the camera would be dollying and Pleshette would always, ALWAYS make sure he was standing directly in front of me, blocking me from the camera. I was getting really annoyed and I was about to really blow my top, when the cameraman took me aside and said, “I just want you to know I know what’s going on and every time he steps in front of you, I’m adjusting so we see you.” I thought that was an amazing thing for that guy to do. He told me to always make sure I saw the camera lens and if I didn’t to say something and he’d make sure we’d do another take. Pleshette continued to try and do that for the entire shoot, but in the end it did him no good because my character was endearing and had the scenes. I didn’t need to pop Tums or block other actors – I just did what I always did – said my lines as best I could and played my character. Later, Christina Raines got sick and we had to shut down for a couple of days. Since Leo Penn had another job to go to, someone else did the last couple of days – I can’t remember who. We were doing a scene around a conference table, and Christina was still not feeling well and she blew her lines a few times, and Jeff Corey, ever the acting guru, yelled at her. She was not happy about it, but no one said anything, so I said, “Shut up, people forget lines sometimes, especially when they’re sick.” He shut up. And she did the next take perfectly and that was that. As for Mr. Pleshette, he’s worked on and off ever since and I’m sure he always does the same thing. John, if you’re reading this, you were a jerk. And I mean that in the nicest possible way.
I have a few more stories, which I’ll save for another notes. Why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below whilst the voice of Jerry Paris echoes in my head: “Good ACTOR!”
Yesterday, I got up too late to do the long jog (and it was a little too chilly out anyway), so I attended to some things that needed attending to, and then the helper arrived and began to affix postage to packages – all of the US single orders, which were many. I went out and did some errands and whatnot. I also went to Du-Par’s for the first time in over a year, I think – I had a short stack (which I only ate half of) and bacon and eggs. It was great to have those amazing pancakes again. After all the postage work, I went to Costco and bought waters and Diet Cokes and Fruity Snacks and some Healthy Choice Chicken Noodle Soup, as well as two HUGE things of spaghetti sauce and a vat of Best Foods mayonnaise. After that, I sat on my couch like so much fish and finished watching a motion picture on DVD.
Last night, I finished watching a motion picture on DVD, a French film from France entitled Itineraire d’un enfant gate, un film de Claude Lelouch, from 1988, starring Mr. Jean-Paul Belmondo. Within the first five minutes I knew I was in for a total treat, and for the entirety of its two-hour running time I was never let down. What a wonderful motion picture it was – filled with warmth, humor, ruefulness, love, loneliness and magical images. For me, it’s one of Lelouch’s best and that’s saying something. No other movies are like Lelouch’s films – no other films feel the same, look the same, or have his unique vision and touch. And that’s what I love in my filmmakers – people with unique outlooks and visions. The transfer on this region 2 DVD from Germany looked very good, but was in the ratio of 1.76:1, which looked fine, except the imdb lists the film as in scope. Of course, the imdb is wrong most of the time, but I find it completely irritating that there is no information of the ratio of this film listed on amazon France or anywhere else. There is a French DVD in French with no subtitles, but amazon doesn’t give a clew as to the ratio. So, who knows? Anyway, if you like Lelouch you’ll adore this film. Belmondo is fantastic in it and the whole feel of it will just make you glow. Highly recommended by the likes of me.
Today, I shall be doing more postage affixing, and having some telephonic conversations, and then I’ll be heading over to AMDA to judge some young musical theater students of Miss Karen Morrow. I believe it’s just me and Susan Egan. Afterwards, we’re going to go to Musso and Frank for a bite to eat.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do the long jog (definitely, for sure), I must do some errands and whatnot, I must affix postage, and I must judge some students, after which I shall have a lovelier than lovely meal. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your CD player and your DVD/video player? I’ll start – CD, Herb Geller’s jazz interpretation of Gypsy, a Japanese import. DVD, more Lelouch. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, and perhaps John Pleshette will show up, pop a Tums, stand in front of everyone, and say hello to one and all and all and one.