Well, dear readers, first off may I just wish a very happy haineshisway.com birthday to my very own actual Darling Daughter? I may and I shall, not necessarily in that order. I will not speak the age she is turning because then I’d have to think of the age I am. Meanwhile, let us turn back the clock again to those thrilling days of yesteryear with more tales from the Day Runner, in our next installment – The Phantom Day Runners. When we left off yesterday, we’d just begun the first day of filming for The First Nudie Musical. And the only entries for the next three weeks are “Shoot” and, on May 25, “Finish shooting.” On May 30, Academy Award-winner Gene Ruggiero begins cutting the film, although he’s been assembling it as we shoot. And I’m about to find out what an assembly actually is.
On June 2 we see the assembly. We’re all properly appalled because it runs almost two and a half hours and has only two things that make us laugh. No one explains to me that it’s just everything we shot strung together, but Haggard and I aren’t happy and a day later producer Jack Reeves lets Ruggiero go, which I’m sure made Ruggiero happy, as I think he didn’t understand the film at all. On June 23 we screen what we’ve done so far with our cut, and everyone is much happier. Editing continues, but on June 26 I have a reading at Universal, which I get, so on July 2 I shoot the first episode of Doctor’s Hospital, with George Peppard. When we wrap each day, I go right to the editing room (we shot Doctor’s Hospital very close by). On July 3 we shoot, and then we screen more cut reels and everyone is still happy. Editing and shooting continues over the next few days and I wrap the shoot and we’re finished cutting the film and it’s locked. On the day I wrap, we also begin the sound mix and dub. On July 14 and 15 I’m back shooting Doctor’s Hospital because Christina Raines, one of the guest stars, missed two days of shooting due to illness and we have to pick up those scenes. On July 17 we shoot the Nudie main titles. On July 21 the movie is sent to the ratings board. The next day I work with the music editor, John Caper. The following day it says we re-shot the main titles. Don’t remember why. There are several lawyer meetings, and on July 29 and 30 the film is re-screened for the MPAA. We have to make three little edits in the film to get our R rating, which we do. On August 5 I have a meeting with Joe Brooks, whose written a song called You Light Up My Life and has also written a screenplay featuring the song and will be directing it. He and Cindy have been a couple for several months and he, in fact, came in at the last minute when we needed on final investor. He and Cindy have a contentious relationship and he asks if I would direct the film if that’s what she wants. I say yes. (They broke up soon thereafter, so it became a moot point).
On Friday, August 8 we have a sneak preview (I think it was in Glendale or Pasadena – in fact it may have been at the Alex – it was a very big theater). The film is shown in interlock (separate picture and sound) and it’s the print we edited – we have a title card that says there are no opticals and the film will look rough. The then-wife and I are there as is Cindy. We cannot believe the reaction to the film – it kills. They scream with laughter throughout, save for one or two dead spots. We also previewed somewhere else the following night (maybe San Diego). On Monday, August 11 I shoot two days on the Carl Reiner show, Heaven Help Us. Susan Dey is in it, but not working on my days. On Wednesday, August 13 the entry is: See Phil Gersh. I meet with Bobby Gersh and they become my new agents. Over the next two weeks, I see an ad we’re doing for Variety, I see the answer print for the film, we meet with various people who seem interested in picking up the film for distribution. I believe Jack Reeves makes a deal with Hal Landers, Bobby Roberts, and Jerry Bick to represent the film for sales. This is a stupid thing, and I make no bones about it, but it’s a done deal.
On September 1 I leave for New York to preview the film with Woody Allen’s Love and Death at some movie theater on the East side. On September 3 I run into my old friend Rick Mason, who was in Start at the Top – he tells me he’s in a new musical in previews at the Shubert and gets me a house seat for the matinee. The show is A Chorus Line and it’s absolutely brilliant and I have to go from that to the preview of Nudie. After seeing that preview I make the decision to cut the song, “Where Is a Man” as it just dies every time we’ve screened the film. On September 4 I’m back in LA and we take the print to an editing room and literally remove that sequence, causing reel four to be shorter than reel five.
That night, we preview in Westwood, again with Love and Death. We get more laughs. The audience is amazing. One funny thing happens: The projectionist puts on reel five before reel four because he assumes the short reel is the final reel – we fix the problem quickly and the audience is so on our side it doesn’t even matter. Paramount is there at that screening. On September 6 it says we preview again in Hollywood, but I have no memory of where that might have been. We screen Nudie for Warners. Then at Universal. Monday, September 22: Meet with George Lucas. I arrive for that reading – they’ve sent me the script to something called Star Wars and I can’t make heads or tales of what it’s even about – in fact, it gives me a headache. I’m reading for the role of Luke Starkiller. When I get there and go in to read, Brian De Palma is there – he’s also casting a movie (Carrie) and wants to just sit and see and hear the actors George is hearing. That night we screen again. On October 5 it says “San Diego” so that must have been that preview. On October 7 I meet with Paramount and they buy the film. They feel there’s a seven-minute section where there are no laughs and ask me to remove it and shoot a new scene. The only requirement is more nudity. I don’t want to do it but it’s not open to discussion. I have no idea what to do, but that night the entire Dancing Dildos sequence comes to me while I’m trying to fall asleep. On October 21 I have a meeting at Columbia for a pilot called Tabitha. They cast me instantly. On October 25 I test with some actresses. And literally I am meeting on other projects at every studio in town every day for the next few weeks – have no idea what those meetings were for.
On Wednesday November 12 I read for a pilot I’m perfect for and that I really want – called Richie Brockelman, PI. Many readings, and I don’t get it. Other than a slew of commercial auditions nothing else happens for the rest of the year, other than planning the Dancing Dildos shoot and casting it. I begin the New Year by getting a commercial, which I shoot on January 14. On January 17 and 18 we film the Dancing Dildos sequence. And we can pick up there tomorrow.
I’m exhausted from reliving that year. Yesterday was a fine day. Everything is back to normal at the bank and I got my new debit card. I had a brief visit from Richard Sherman – he found an LA Christmas song he and his brother had written in 1980 and wanted me to have it in case we had room in the show – whether we do or not I know not at this time. Then I went and had a Philly Cheesesteak sandwich and no fries or onion rings, then picked up one package, which had more extra goodies that people will get with the new book. I thought the new paperback was arriving but it didn’t – it will today and the hardcover should be here by Friday.
And then I really buckled down, Winsocki for the next almost six hours and assembled the LA show into some kind of structure and order. For the act one finale I had to write a page of dialogue and then a description of what goes on, and I wrote a couple of other lead-ins, but mostly I just tried to make an order that had a flow and a build – of course I don’t have one sketch and the three short monologues that connect the verses of a song, but I left placeholders for those. I’m still waffling on the opening of act two – whether to open with a showstopper dance number or save that for later in the act, where we may need that kind of pick me up, or to open with something softer and more charming, a reprise of a cute act one number by Wayne Moore. I’ll probably have to play with it and see how it feels when the show is on its feet, but for now I have the dance number in that position. When I’m doing that kind of thing my concentration and focus are so laser-sharp that I actually get a headache, which I did. I still have it. Then I relaxed a bit, after which I rearranged the opening of act two – just going with my instinct for now and we’ll see how it feels in rehearsal.
Today, I’ll look at all the work I did yesterday, but I have to spend most of the day working on the Kritzerland show – we just need one guy now, but I have to assign all the songs for the people we’ve got. At some point the helper is coming by and we’re going to ship whatever we can from the Indiegogo campaign, just to get that off our plate. At some point I’ll eat, hopefully pick up packages (including the new paperback), and then relax at some point.
Tomorrow I have a meeting with my stage manager, then a production meeting. After that it will be back here for more Kritzerland work and writing a set of liner notes. Friday I’m having the two alumni actors over to just roughly read and play through the show – that way if there are any glaring problems I can address them sooner rather than later. I still think some of this I won’t know until we’re in run-throughs, but the stronger we come in for rehearsals, the better. Not sure what’s happening on the weekend – I may have to see a show or something, just can’t remember.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, review the work I did yesterday, cast the final guy, begin to ship Indiegogo perks, eat, hopefully pick up packages, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Ask BK Day, the day in which you get to ask me or any dear reader any old question you like and we get to give any old answer we like. So, let’s have loads of lovely questions and loads of lovely answers and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have shared the latest episode of The Phantom Day Runners.