Well, dear readers, it’s The Day of the Day Runner and it’s the penultimate day runner, after which there will be only one left. As you may recall, 1983 was a fairly disastrous year, and the second one in a row. Here is my first notation for 1984 – January 1: Hurray! That is because I could not wait for a New Year to begin. I only hope it’s better and that things are looking up. I begin the year with three commercial interviews in a row, all of which I get callbacks for and none of which I book. The rest of the month is basically commercial interviews, one after another – none of which I book. On February 2 I audition for Billy Barnes’ Movie Star. I know Billy likes me, but it’s not a good fit. On February 13 I have an interview for what I’m sure was a pilot – London and Davis. I also have multiple commercial auditions the entire week – seven of them. On February 14 I read for another pilot (I think) called One of the Boys. I land nothing, squat. On March 2 Spaceship premieres on The Movie Channel, and then will go on to a very long run on USA Channel. On March 6 I have a commercial interview that I finally land. I shoot two days later – it’s a Jack-in-the-Box commercial I have absolutely no memory of doing. One thing that’s been a pleasure since shooting The Creature Wasn’t Nice, is repeated dinners with Margaret and Richard Jones – I used Margaret in Creature and we’ve become grand pals – and of course she’d later become Muse Margaret. It looks like I left the Gersh agency (yet another mistake) and signed with Terry Lichtman. I don’t even remember who that is, which should tell you how that all went. My script, The Seventh Voyage of Howard is making the rounds – I’ve asked well-known artist Bill Stout to do renderings of the creatures in the film – he does a great job. We get very close on this film. But no cigar. And in one of the most horrifying things I’ve ever heard in all my years, some creep has submitted MY script with his name on it. I can’t remember the outcome of that, but it wasn’t pretty. We almost have a deal at two places, but almost doesn’t help me.
I’ve also written a new play, The Good One. My relationship isn’t going well – it’s on again, off again. On April 12 I read for some pilot. A few more interviews. I land nothing. On April 1 I meet with Danny De Vito who is making a movie called The Ratings Game, about a mythical TV network. The Likely Stories producer, David Jablin, is producing and he’s asked me to write all the faux TV themes – I accept and I love doing that. In a funny bit of some kind of irony, the film’s composer is the composer of The Creature Wasn’t Nice. His score ends up using quite a bit of my music, and later we have a conversation about why that’s not indicated on the cue sheets for the film. Then it’s more interviews. On May 23 I shoot another commercial. We do the pre-records for The Ratings Game – they love the themes I’ve come up with, so that’s nice. On May 30 I interview for an HBO series. Also, not noted in any of these books, unless I misunderstood what kind of meeting I was going to, we have several meetings about doing Together Again as a TV series. The musical is about a theater comedy troupe who’d split up, couldn’t function without each other, and who get “together again” and create a new show. For the TV pitch, I change that to a Saturday Night Live kind of writers room. Yes, you’re reading that right – only about twenty years before 30 Rock would do exactly that.
In June, we get to work on my play, The Good One. Varese Sarabande owes me a lot of money, royalties on projects I’d gotten them. Instead of taking it, they agree to pay for The Good One. I probably should have taken the money, which I desperately needed, but art called. Meanwhile, more commercial auditions, including four in one day. I don’t land any of them, but I do shoot a little scene for The Ratings Game, where I get to be in drag. I’ve written another film script called Film School. I have some actors over and we read it – it kind of sucks. On August 8 we begin casting the play (The Good One). That continues for two weeks. I also have a deal (thanks to Richard Jones) to make a thirty-minute TV special for KABC – I pitched a show about the kiddie show host of the 1950s in LA and they bought it. So, we’re in pre-production for that and am thrilled that all the folks I wanted for it – Chucko the Clown, Sheriff John, and Engineer Bill, are all available and thrilled to be doing it. On August 27 we begin rehearsing The Good One. Rehearsals continue for four weeks. I have some reading at NBC that gets a callback but nothing comes of it. On September 17 I read for Night Court and don’t get it. WE go into tech and begin previews. The show is going very well and there are lots and lots of big ol’ laughs in it. On the day of our final preview, I read for a CBS pilot. On September 28 The Good One opens and we begin our run. We get mostly excellent reviews and audiences are loving the play. During the run I’m also preparing to shoot Weekday Heroes. I’m thrilled we get Tony Dow as our host, and in a funny bit of something or other our cameraman is Jim Mathers, brother of Jerry, with whom Tony starred on Leave it to Beaver. On October 18 and 19 we shoot Weekday Heroes at Wattles Mansion. The following week is post production and editing of the show. On October 26 I meet with Walter Shenson, the man who produced A Hard Day’s Night – I don’t know what I was meeting for.
On November 4 The Good One closes. The next week is all Weekday Heroes – final editing, online sessions, and the mix. On November 13 we deliver Weekday Heroes to KABC. On Tuesday November 20 I do AM LA to promote Weekday Heroes. The show airs on November 23. Much relationship sturm and drang, but I got to Penny’s wrap party on Crazy Like a Fox, a series she’s been doing. I turn 37. I meet with new agents. On December 12 I go to a screening of The Ratings Game. On December 19 I meet with Lou Arkoff, son of producer Sam Arkoff. He’s got a terrible script about girl’s volleyball – he hires me to do a rewrite. I begin that as 1984 comes to a close. Not a horrendous year, but it seems as if it was – that’s how my mind was working back then. Tomorrow, we’ll have the final Day Runner.
Yesterday was a wacky little day. I slept almost eight hours, got up, did stuff, and then had a really nice meeting with my choreographer – got that schedule straightened out, played some songs for her and that was that. Then I did some work on the LA show and on the Kritzerland show – all songs are chosen now and I think most folks have their music. Then I watched another good episode of Happy Valley, then got ready to go to the cabaret show at The Federal.
We arrived at five-thirty and I had my usual artichoke and then an animal burger – it has sautéed onions, 1000-Island dressing (just a tiny bit), lettuce, tomato and cheese – it was quite tasty. Then we saw the cabaret show and other than saying cabaret is hard I don’t think I’ll comment further, other than to say cabaret is hard. Back four-and-a-half years ago when I did the act for Melody Hollis, who was then thirteen, no one had ever done a solo act for a person of that age before. I knew it would open the floodgates and boy did it. Now everyone does it – here, in New York, teens have become a cabaret staple. And yes, I’m happy to take some of the credit for that, and so should Melody. But doing a show for a teen is very tricky business. After the show I came directly home and made the event page for the April Kritzerland show, so that’s up and running now.
Today, I will work on a show order and start writing the commentary, and I’ll continue working on the second act reordering of the LA show. At three I have a meeting with our costume designer, and then I can relax, although I may have to see yet another cabaret show tonight.
The rest of the week is meetings and meals and I’m seeing a production of My Fair Lady on Saturday night.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do a show order, write commentary, work on the second act of the LA show, meet with the costume designer, hopefully pick up some packages, and then perhaps see a cabaret show. Today’s topic of discussion: What’s the best cabaret show (as opposed to bigger concerts) you’ve ever seen? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, having done The Day of the Day Runner and moving on to the final Day Runner.