Well, dear readers, since I’ve been told you’re enjoying these little Day Runner trips (Day Runner sounds like a Beatles song), here we go into a couple of years that are very interesting for any number of reasons. I’ll try not to be too lengthy, but that’s difficult sometimes. Now, towards the end of 1973’s entries one begins to see the name Susan appearing, as in Susan over or Susan dinner. At some point either by the end of 1973 or at the beginning of 1974 my then-wife and I separated for what would end up being a year. I moved to Sherman Oaks and found a little place on Dickens. The Darling Daughter wasn’t thrilled, but she spent even amounts of time with both of us and we were very close by. Susan will become obvious shortly, if you haven’t already figured that out. On January 10 I started the New Year with a quick shoot on the Sally Field/John Davidson series, The Girl With Something Extra. After that there are several notations that simply say “Jennifer” which means I had her on that day. On the January 18 I had an interview at Warners with Lee Rich. On the 22 I was back reading for him. Than night I saw Elsa Lanchester do her “act” at her house with my pal Ray Henderson, who was our pianist on Forget-Me-Not Lane at the Taper. The “act” was her performance of a T.S. Eliot piece called Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats. Yes, she was there first. I also had readings at MGM with Bruce Paltrow (Gwynyth’s dad) – for what I know not. On Friday the 25 whatever I read for at Warners for Lee Rich I tested for. And after I left, they had me come back and test again, maybe with a different person. I have no idea what it was for. On Tuesday January 29 it’s Susan for dinner. Susan, as you’ve probably figured out, is Susan Dey.
Skip to February 6 and I was reading for what must have been a TV version of The Last Angry Man and that night I was seeing Company – there must have been a production somewhere. It’s maddening that there’s not more detail. On February 14 I met with Bill Bickley, the producer of The Partridge Family – he’d moved over to a new show and wanted me to guest in it. Which I did. A few days later I shot the first of my two Happy Days episodes. It also says I’m rehearsing something, teching something and opening something, but I don’t know what that is. It could have been the first incarnation of what I was then calling An Evening with Bruce Kimmel (Who?), which we did at LACC – an evening of my songs. Since it’s only three performances, it was probably that. On March 6 I read for The Harrad Experiment. I’m leaving out, of course, the tons of commercial auditions – sometimes three or four a day. Susan appears a few more times. On March 25 I began shooting something but it’s not named so I know not what it was but it was a five-day shoot and the week before I’d had meetings at Warners and Universal. On April 1 I performed at a club on Highland called Etc. I do know Susan was there. The other thing that’s been recurring since the third month of 1971 are my regular appointments with Teddy. On April 19 I go to the Shubert to see Gypsy with Angela Lansbury. Sitting in back of me are Marvin Hamlisch and Jule Styne. I also seemed to be playing the score to Feast several times – perhaps there was talk of another production – on May 15 I went to Vegas to play the score to Feast. No memory of it at all.
On May 28 I have an interview for Lucas Tanner with David Hartman. It was obviously for the pilot – I didn’t get it, but a few months later I would be in the first episode. On June 10: Audition for Pippin. Must have been a replacement audition, as the show had been open for two years. On June 17 I read for Norman Lear – don’t know what for. On June 20 I auditioned for Candide – don’t know which production. That night at the Shubert I saw the tour of A Little Night Music with Jean Simmons. On June 26 I saw Mack and Mabel at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. On June 28 I saw Carmen McRae at a club in North Hollywood. On July 15 I had an interview at Walt Disney (probably The Apple Dumpling Gang), and that night the entry is: Go to Groucho’s. Yes, go to Groucho’s. It’s in the book.
On July 17 I’m back reading for Lucas Tanner, this time for the episode I’ll be cast in – we shoot four days later. Then I’m rehearsing for a weird little thing at the Morgan Theater – The Manaechmus Twins by Plautus, the play Shakespeare based The Comedy of Errors on. I was also steadily meeting with Mark and a producer he knew, Jack Reeves. Things were heating up for Nudie Musical. On August 6 my two-day shoot on Apple Dumpling Gang turned into a week. Then there are several days of playing the Nudie songs for people, backers. On August 28 I see Sugar at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. The next day I see a rough cut of Young Frankenstein at Fox. On September 4 I see Sugar a second time. In late September, the Morgan Theater decides to do Feast. More backers auditions for Nudie. Then I shoot my Marcus Welby episode. Then we begin rehearsals for Feast and open a few weeks later. By that time, the Susan stuff is basically over – it was never that serious and it just sort of faded away. On November 1 I begin shooting the second episode of Happy Days and that night I rush to do the opening night of Feast.
On Tuesday November 5 we begin casting for Nudie Musical. The money has been found, it’s very low-budget and this casting session is non-union because we think the film will be. We’re casting where Jimmy Kimmel now shoots his TV program – funny that. On November 14 we’re recording music – maybe demos for Nudie. And the year ends with news that I’ll be doing Forget-Me-Not Lane for PBS – rehearsing in New York, shooting in Hartford, Connecticut. On New Year’s Day I’m at a party at actress Lee Purcell’s house – we got along very well on Lucas Tanner. I still see her occasionally. That was one of three parties that day – Lee’s, manager Pat McQueeney, and then Diana Canova. On January 2 I’m off to New York to rehearse and not back in LA until January 22. During that long time the then-wife and I are deciding to get back together. Several readings with Dan Curtis – I believe I was up for Baby Face Nelson – not a good casting choice, but he really liked me. I didn’t get it, nor should I have. A reading for Abby Mann, followed by a reading for the new Bob Crane show. That I get and start shooting a few days later. Nudie meetings are every other day now, and we’re now a SAG film. We’re mixing whatever we recorded.
Now, this is interesting – on March 3 it says “Makeup tests for Charmin commercial. I’ve always thought that was my first commercial, but according to the Day Runners I’ve already done a whole bunch. I’m also meeting with a guy named Murray who’s our music supervisor and I meet Rene Hall who’ll be doing the orchestrations and conducting. On March 6 we see our two soundstages where we’ll be shooting Nudie. On March 9, the then-wife and I are back together and we’ve leased a house in Sherman Oaks with an option to buy. We sign those papers on that date. Thanks to Nudie, I do buy the house. Then we’re casting Nudie as a SAG project and we’ve moved into our offices at Producer’s Studio. On March 13 we record the rhythm tracks. That night, our star, Cindy Williams comes to dinner with her then boyfriend, Henry Winkler. She wants him to play Harry Schechter. He loves the project, loves the songs, and rightly knows it’s not something he can do, as much as he’d like to. The next day we move into our house. The following week we record the rest of the orchestra tracks, plus all the small numbers. Casting continues over many days, as does mixing and recording. And several meetings with lawyers for the Nudie deal. March 13 we meet Tom Rasmussen who’ll be our art director. Over the next two days we record all the vocals for Nudie. On April 18 we cast our dancers. On April 20 we do camera tests. The next day we’re back at the Hollywood Legion Hall or whatever it was called (where the other Kimmel now shoots his show), rehearsing Nudie for five full days – what a luxury. On April 26 and 27 we’re scouting the handful of locations for Nudie. The next day we’re actually rehearsing for seven MORE days, right up to the day we begin filming – May 5. We’ll pick up right there in tomorrow’s notes. Lots of fun stuff to come.
Yesterday was a perfectly okay day. I had trouble falling asleep so I probably only got about three hours before I was up announcing our new title. I went back to bed at seven and got another couple hours of sleep. Once up, I printed out lots of orders for the new title. There were some fires to put out about the release – many people were simply under the impression there were true stereo recordings of the Glenn Miller material, when the “stereo” was anything but true – it was synthesized stereo created by Chace Audio. Mike Matessino wrote two long things about it, which I was then able to post everywhere and now people at least have accurate information. Releasing fake stereo is not of interest to me or to Fox or to Mike or to Nick. Then I moseyed on over to LACC, first to see a model of our set. We played with a few things and settled on the final version – I think it will work very well.
Then we had our meet and greet – they’re a nice group of kids. We have two alums in the cast, and they were there, too. I told them about the show, how I work and they all seem very excited about it. After that, I recorded everyone’s voice – singing Happy Birthday. That will help me figure out who’s singing what. Then I came home, went to Gelson’s and got a few drumettes, some shrimp cocktail shrimp, and salad with veggies. I came home, made the salad and ate it and the drumettes all up. We cast another performer for the Kritzerland show, so that leaves one more guy and one more gal. After that, I sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched almost all the rest of Exodus. I don’t know why the film is held in such low regard. I really like it a lot. Then I did some work at the piano, answered e-mails, printed out more orders, and ate the shrimp cocktail shrimp.
Today, I will work on the Kritzerland and LA shows all day and into the evening. I’m told I should have the redone paperback today and the hardcover tomorrow or Thursday, then I’ll order and they’ll rush the books to me. So, now I can book the signing. The rest of the week is more of the same.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, work on the two shows, eat, hopefully pick up packages and at some point relax. Today’s topic of discussion: When and where did you first say your favorite musicals? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to be continuing this little reverie down memory lane with the return of the Day Runner.