I'm in New York for most of this week.
My wife and I took in a matinee on Sunday. The new play with Jane Fonda, "33 Variations".
What I didn't realize was that we were seeing the last preview performance, as it opened last night. You are right in assuming that I'm not particularly interested in what critics have to say.As I've mentioned before, I have my own built-in shit detector.
As I am writing this, the play hasn't had it's opening night yet, and the reviews aren't in yet.
I know that the reputation of the New York critics is that they'll take a crap on anything and everything.
If that's what they do here, do yourselves and the theatre a favor in general, and ignore them completely.
This is a brilliant play. The kind of brilliance that I could never begin to approach.
And I think I write pretty good plays.
The kind of brilliance that hasn't been seen certainly on Broadway in quite a while.
She plays a dying musicologist, who is trying to solve a mystery about Beethoven.
We sat first row, center.
I was able to truly scrutinize Fonda throughout.
To use the word "exceptional" would be an insult.
Magnetic, riveting, compelling. Now we're getting warmer.
She shares, with her father, the wonderful acting trait of restraint.
She rarely wears her emotions on her sleeve, nor did the old man.
But when he did, as in the "Ensign Pulver describing the firecracker he's gonna throw under the old man's bunk" scene in "Mister Roberts", Fonda's giddiness is so much better because it was a momentary lack of restraint.
Sometimes restraint can be overdoing it, or should I say underdoing it.
I'm now going to do the cheekiest thing I've ever done.
I'm going to give Henry Fonda an acting note from a movie he made 68 years ago, like it matters to anyone but me.
The movie was "The Lady Eve", one of Preston Sturges' handful of classics he made in his prime.
It's a wonderful comedy.
Barbara Stanwyck plays a cardsharp whom Fonda, heir to a brewery fortune, snake fancier (He just spent two years in the Amazon), and basically a yokel, meets on an ocean liner.
She is on the prowl. She successfully draws him in.
On some pretense she creates, they go to her cabin.
She calls him "Hopsie". He hovers over her, obviously smitten.
The dialogue is something like this:
"Stanwyck: What's the matter, Hopsie? You seem a bit out of sorts.
Fonda: Oh, nothing. I guess it's your perfume.
Stanwyck: Don't you like it?
Fonda: Oh. Sure I do. It's just that I've been up the Amazon for the last two years, and they don't wear perfume."
He delivers that line deadpan, with restraint, and it basically passes in the night.
But what if he delivers it this way?: "Oh. Sure I do. It's just that I've been up the Amazon for the last two years and......(the thought registering on his face of just how badly those natives smell)......they don't wear perfume."
I guess it's too late to fix it.
The parallels between the relationship between Jane Fonda and her daughter in this play and the dynamic beteen the two Fondas in "On Golden Pond" are eerily close.
In each case, the elder knows he or she is breaking down and dying, and the younger is attempting to resolve earlier conflicts.
Putting Jane Fonda in this part adds a nice spooky element.
In "33 Variations", Jane Fonda chooses her unrestrained moments like a master chef going to the market to select his vegetables. It's something to see.
I plan to see several other shows while I'm here, and I'm delighted to see what a broad menu there suddenly is for dramatic plays on Broadway. It used to be there really weren't hardly any.
It's not just "The Lion King", and "Beauty and the Beast", and "Shrek".
There's a place for them, too. I'm in favor of anything that gives kids a reason to see live theater.
Now, we've got "33 Variations". Maybe that will even lead us to more variations.
Maybe not everything is going to hell this year.
*****
Monday, March 9, 2009
Friday, February 6, 2009
The Names Have Been Changed To Protect The Innocent.
"The Story You Are About To See Is True.
The Names Have Been Changed To Protect The Innocent"
These were the opening words of every episode of the series "Dragnet".
My ex-wife used to love to watch "Dragnet" when she was a little girl.
But it was on past her bedtime.
Going into the last commercial, the announcer would always say "The results of this case in just a moment".
My ex-wife's parents watched "Dragnet", and unbeknownst to them, their little daughter would be sitting on the staircase landing, watching along with them.
Once, during the last commercial, she was spotted on the landing and immediately ordered to be off to bed.
And she cried out "Can't I just see the zults? I just wanna stay up to see the zults!!"
After she told me this story, the word "results" was never used in our house.
It forever became "zults"
Do you know what a "Roman-a-clef" is?
Here's the definition, according to Wikipedia:
A roman à clef or roman à clé (French for "novel with a key") is a novel describing real life, behind a façade of fiction. The 'key' is usually a famous figure or, in some cases, the author.
Well, this is going to be a Post-a-clef.
Ordinarily, I hate using this form.
I've been totally candid about everything so far, but in this case we must protect the innocent. And one of the characters is SO innocent that I don't want to hurt him.
And one of the characters is so guilty that I don't want to get sued.
Years ago, I wrote, produced, and directed one of my plays, a romantic comedy,
in Los Angeles in one of those 100 seat Equity Waiver Theaters that dot the L.A. landscape.
Equity Waiver means you don't have to pay the actors.
There's something you should know about theater in L.A:
Nobody goes to see it.
I mean, theyll go to the Dorothy Chandler, or the Mark Taper Forum, or the Ahmanson downtown.
But they don't go to the Equity Waiver Theaters in any kind of serious numbers.
So why are productions done there?
Two reasons.
Either to serve as gymnasiums for actors, places for them to work out.
Or to serve as Showcases for actors, directors, or writers with Agendas.
I put my play in one of those theaters because of my Agenda.
I wanted to show Show Business that I wasn't just a sit-com guy, but a real playwright and theater director.
(And maybe they'd also see this play as a Back-door Pilot.)
Heavy Agenda.
Very important TV stars are sometimes willing to work in Equity Waiver Theater, for free, because they have Agendas.
One such important TV star, a veteran leading actress of several TV series and too many TV-Movies to count, clamored to be the female lead in my play.
For free.
Because she had an Agenda.
She wanted to prove to the industry that she was adept at comedy.
Comedy was something she was rarely considered for.
She was willing to read for me.
She had the tools for comedy.
And her name value would certainly fill some seats.
So I wanted her.
Let's call her "Millie".
But Millie's agent was very protective of Millie.
Let's call him "Asshole".
That's what most agents are called anyway.
Asshole wanted to make sure that the leading man would be someone of her stature, and would make her look good.
This was a tall order to fill, trying to find someone like that who'd work for free.
But we all started to compile lists of potential leading men who would fill the bill.
We would contact the actors Millie deemed acceptable.
We had a few solid nibbles, but couldn't nail anyone down.
The closest I came was a major comedian who got big around the same time as Robert Klein and George Carlin, was more mainstream, had had a short-lived sitcom, and was just itching to have another go at it.
Let's call him "Dick", although he certainly wasn't one.
Dick's big plaint was how he opened the doors for guys like Seinfeld who had these huge hit sitcoms, but he has no respect as an actor, and couldn't get another series.
I'd seen him complain about this on TV.
Meanwhile, he was making money hand-over-fist in Vegas, and nightclubs, and concerts.
So he saw my play, which he loved, as an opportunity to get that respect.
He read for me and was really good.
But he was wavering.
It would mean giving up a lot of money.
I told him a story I had heard, about Mel Torme.
Mel Torme was offered the opportunity to play Mickey Rooney's brother on what turned out to be an Emmy award winning episode of "Playhouse 90", written by Rod Serling in the late 50's.
Mel Torme was torn.
He moaned to his friend Edmond O'Brien, who was already cast in another part in this episode, about how he was only being offered $500 to do the show, and how it would mean turning down the $5000 a week for three weeks he would have earned in nightclubs.
O'Brien said to him, "Melvin, you should be paying them."
Torme played Mickey Rooney's brother, and was great.
I told Dick the same thing.
He understood.
I almost had him.
But in the end, he couldn't turn down the money.
Next case.
I considered Casting my forte, and my gut usually proved right.
Starting to scramble, a name entered my head that I thought would be really good.
The star of a MAJOR action series in the 60's, who I had seen be VERY funny.
Let's call him "Manny".
Manny wasn't all that visible lately, and I had a feeling doing this play with Millie might do him some good, get him great exposure and that he'd do it for free.
Manny didn't even make it to Millie's ears.
I mentioned Manny to Asshole, who said "Him? Are you crazy?! He's not funny! And he's got to be a hundred years old! You're not going to put him on the same stage with my Millie!!
That's how he thought, and that's how he talked.
He was wrong, but I wasn't going to press the matter.
I later learned that Asshole not only represented Millie.
He also represented Manny.
How would you like to be Manny, having Asshole as your agent?
Or at least this particular Asshole.
So we pressed on.
The longer it took, the less qualifications were insisted on.
Stature became less important than making Millie look good.
So I thought of really good actors I'd worked with, and mentioned someone primarily known as a comedian, very well-known in the 60's and 70's.
This was the 90's.
Millie and Asshole deemed him acceptable.
Let's call him "Jackie" (What else is new?).
In the interim, I was coaching Millie on how to be better in the part, even though the play wasn't completely cast yet.
After a couple of sessions, I get a call from Asshole:
"Millie really thinks a lot of you. She's reading for a sitcom pilot next week. Would you be willing to give up your Sunday and go to Millie's house to coach her for her audition? I'd really owe you for this".
I agreed.
Like I said, Millie had the tools, and was very malleable. She completely trusted me.
It was good material, which made it easier.
I made many suggestions, which she immediately adapted to easily.
By the time we were done, I thought she was quite good.
For whatever reason, she wasn't cast.
But I felt redeemed when the pilot, which didn't sell, was aired the following summer.
The actress who was cast, let's call her "Swoosie", played it exactly as I had instructed Millie to play it. And was quite good.
Okay. So I call Jackie's agent, and explained the situation.
He requested a script.
I shortly hear from Jackie.
He loves it and wants to do it.
Raving and raving about the script.
And he's thrilled that Millie wants to work with him.
Jackie is in.
I meet Jackie for lunch.
He has bandages on his face.
He's just had a facelift.
He tells me he had it done live on the Internet.
So he could get it done for free.
A week later, we hold the first cast reading at Millie's house.
Jackie is terrific.
Millie seems to be keeping her distance.
I sense Trouble In River City.
Everyone leaves.
I ask Millie if anything is wrong.
"No, everything's fine".
I less than believe her.
I leave, with the citizens of River City yelling "Trouble! Trouble! Trouble!" in my car.
Next day, I get a call from Asshole.
"Millie can't do the play. She's really sorry". I thought this was probably not a good time to mention to Asshole that he owes me.
Turns out, between the time she accepted Jackie until the first cast reading, she found out about Jackie's free Internet facelift.
She couldn't get past the words "Tacky" and "Cheesy".
I really couldn't blame her.
So I had Jackie and no Millie.
And now Jackie is threatening to pull out if don't get someone of equal stature to Millie.
I tried.
But there were several actresses of that stature who also thought Jackie represented "Tacky" and Cheesy".
Jackie was sensational in the part and I really didn't want to lose him.
And I thought he might still be a bit of a draw.
The best I could do was a really terrific actress and comedienne who I knew, very well-known for her only TV series, a big hit show, now considered legendary.
But I think it typecast her.
She thinks so too.
People had trouble thinking of her as anybody else.
This happens some times.
As Garry Marshall was often given to say, "It's not a fair business".
Let's call her "Aurora".
Jackie didn't want to hear about Aurora.
His almost precise words were "Don't give me no Aurora!"
I said "What happened to the raving and raving about the play?"
He said, "That's when you had Millie!"
I loved and love Aurora. Personally and professionally.
So here's the zults.
I told Jackie to go screw. I was going with Aurora.
I was going with less star power.
For the male lead, I went with an actor whose work I loved, but who was only known in more limited circles.
He was actually much better known as a child actor. Let's call him "Morris".
Aurora, matched up romantically with Morris?
Well, Morris was now 50. It worked great.
It was wonderful to watch the two of them together.
We got great reviews, and Equity Waiver being what it was, did sparse business.
Morris left during the run. We got someone else. A really good actor, with no drawing power.
Now, I don't want to see anything on the "Comments" section offering up guesses as to who all of these people are.
You'd have to know me really well to get that kind of information out of me.
If you think you know, keep it to yourself.
I didn't do it this way to tease you.
It was the only way I felt I could tell this story with any kind of tact.
You know what? After Morris left the run, I probably should have gone after Manny.
He still would have been great.
And Asshole still owed me one.
He still does.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(From April 2014) Not too long ago, I was made aware of a website called Kickstarter.com
I'm sure many of you have heard of it.
I figure that this is the last chance for me to get a movie that I wrote made.
Being a sequel to "Network", it's called, appropriately enough, "Another Network".
I'm trying to raise $225,000 to get it made well.
I implore you, I beseech you, to at least go to Kickstarter.com, type in "Another Network" where it says Search Projects, click on it, watch the fifteen minute video of me being interviewed about it (rather entertainingly, I think), read the details provided, and if you feel at all generous towards me, make a pledge to help me get this movie made.
If I don't reach my goal, it won't cost you a thing.
If I do, your pledge will be activated.
And think about how happy you'll be.
At least for me.
And how happy this relatively old man will be if you come through.
And I promise you that I will make it my business that this movie gets seen.
And that you will be proud to be a part of it.
Also,, my books ,"Show Runner" and it's sequel,"Show Runner Two", can be found at the Amazon Kindle Store.
Along with the newer ones, "The Man Is Dead", and "Report Cards".
You can search by typing in my name, Cindy Williams, Laverne and Shirley, The Odd Couple, or Happy Days.
Check them out.
You don't need a Kindle machine to download them.
Just get the free app from Kindle, and they can be downloaded to an IPhone, IPad, or Blackberry.
The paperback, "Mark Rothman's Essays" is still available for people without Kindle.
I have many readings and signings remaining, and the thing about Kindle is you can't sign one.
If you'd like one, contact me at macchus999@aol.com.
And now, we've got my reading of my "Laverne & Shirley Movie" screenplay on YouTube.
******
The Names Have Been Changed To Protect The Innocent"
These were the opening words of every episode of the series "Dragnet".
My ex-wife used to love to watch "Dragnet" when she was a little girl.
But it was on past her bedtime.
Going into the last commercial, the announcer would always say "The results of this case in just a moment".
My ex-wife's parents watched "Dragnet", and unbeknownst to them, their little daughter would be sitting on the staircase landing, watching along with them.
Once, during the last commercial, she was spotted on the landing and immediately ordered to be off to bed.
And she cried out "Can't I just see the zults? I just wanna stay up to see the zults!!"
After she told me this story, the word "results" was never used in our house.
It forever became "zults"
Do you know what a "Roman-a-clef" is?
Here's the definition, according to Wikipedia:
A roman à clef or roman à clé (French for "novel with a key") is a novel describing real life, behind a façade of fiction. The 'key' is usually a famous figure or, in some cases, the author.
Well, this is going to be a Post-a-clef.
Ordinarily, I hate using this form.
I've been totally candid about everything so far, but in this case we must protect the innocent. And one of the characters is SO innocent that I don't want to hurt him.
And one of the characters is so guilty that I don't want to get sued.
Years ago, I wrote, produced, and directed one of my plays, a romantic comedy,
in Los Angeles in one of those 100 seat Equity Waiver Theaters that dot the L.A. landscape.
Equity Waiver means you don't have to pay the actors.
There's something you should know about theater in L.A:
Nobody goes to see it.
I mean, theyll go to the Dorothy Chandler, or the Mark Taper Forum, or the Ahmanson downtown.
But they don't go to the Equity Waiver Theaters in any kind of serious numbers.
So why are productions done there?
Two reasons.
Either to serve as gymnasiums for actors, places for them to work out.
Or to serve as Showcases for actors, directors, or writers with Agendas.
I put my play in one of those theaters because of my Agenda.
I wanted to show Show Business that I wasn't just a sit-com guy, but a real playwright and theater director.
(And maybe they'd also see this play as a Back-door Pilot.)
Heavy Agenda.
Very important TV stars are sometimes willing to work in Equity Waiver Theater, for free, because they have Agendas.
One such important TV star, a veteran leading actress of several TV series and too many TV-Movies to count, clamored to be the female lead in my play.
For free.
Because she had an Agenda.
She wanted to prove to the industry that she was adept at comedy.
Comedy was something she was rarely considered for.
She was willing to read for me.
She had the tools for comedy.
And her name value would certainly fill some seats.
So I wanted her.
Let's call her "Millie".
But Millie's agent was very protective of Millie.
Let's call him "Asshole".
That's what most agents are called anyway.
Asshole wanted to make sure that the leading man would be someone of her stature, and would make her look good.
This was a tall order to fill, trying to find someone like that who'd work for free.
But we all started to compile lists of potential leading men who would fill the bill.
We would contact the actors Millie deemed acceptable.
We had a few solid nibbles, but couldn't nail anyone down.
The closest I came was a major comedian who got big around the same time as Robert Klein and George Carlin, was more mainstream, had had a short-lived sitcom, and was just itching to have another go at it.
Let's call him "Dick", although he certainly wasn't one.
Dick's big plaint was how he opened the doors for guys like Seinfeld who had these huge hit sitcoms, but he has no respect as an actor, and couldn't get another series.
I'd seen him complain about this on TV.
Meanwhile, he was making money hand-over-fist in Vegas, and nightclubs, and concerts.
So he saw my play, which he loved, as an opportunity to get that respect.
He read for me and was really good.
But he was wavering.
It would mean giving up a lot of money.
I told him a story I had heard, about Mel Torme.
Mel Torme was offered the opportunity to play Mickey Rooney's brother on what turned out to be an Emmy award winning episode of "Playhouse 90", written by Rod Serling in the late 50's.
Mel Torme was torn.
He moaned to his friend Edmond O'Brien, who was already cast in another part in this episode, about how he was only being offered $500 to do the show, and how it would mean turning down the $5000 a week for three weeks he would have earned in nightclubs.
O'Brien said to him, "Melvin, you should be paying them."
Torme played Mickey Rooney's brother, and was great.
I told Dick the same thing.
He understood.
I almost had him.
But in the end, he couldn't turn down the money.
Next case.
I considered Casting my forte, and my gut usually proved right.
Starting to scramble, a name entered my head that I thought would be really good.
The star of a MAJOR action series in the 60's, who I had seen be VERY funny.
Let's call him "Manny".
Manny wasn't all that visible lately, and I had a feeling doing this play with Millie might do him some good, get him great exposure and that he'd do it for free.
Manny didn't even make it to Millie's ears.
I mentioned Manny to Asshole, who said "Him? Are you crazy?! He's not funny! And he's got to be a hundred years old! You're not going to put him on the same stage with my Millie!!
That's how he thought, and that's how he talked.
He was wrong, but I wasn't going to press the matter.
I later learned that Asshole not only represented Millie.
He also represented Manny.
How would you like to be Manny, having Asshole as your agent?
Or at least this particular Asshole.
So we pressed on.
The longer it took, the less qualifications were insisted on.
Stature became less important than making Millie look good.
So I thought of really good actors I'd worked with, and mentioned someone primarily known as a comedian, very well-known in the 60's and 70's.
This was the 90's.
Millie and Asshole deemed him acceptable.
Let's call him "Jackie" (What else is new?).
In the interim, I was coaching Millie on how to be better in the part, even though the play wasn't completely cast yet.
After a couple of sessions, I get a call from Asshole:
"Millie really thinks a lot of you. She's reading for a sitcom pilot next week. Would you be willing to give up your Sunday and go to Millie's house to coach her for her audition? I'd really owe you for this".
I agreed.
Like I said, Millie had the tools, and was very malleable. She completely trusted me.
It was good material, which made it easier.
I made many suggestions, which she immediately adapted to easily.
By the time we were done, I thought she was quite good.
For whatever reason, she wasn't cast.
But I felt redeemed when the pilot, which didn't sell, was aired the following summer.
The actress who was cast, let's call her "Swoosie", played it exactly as I had instructed Millie to play it. And was quite good.
Okay. So I call Jackie's agent, and explained the situation.
He requested a script.
I shortly hear from Jackie.
He loves it and wants to do it.
Raving and raving about the script.
And he's thrilled that Millie wants to work with him.
Jackie is in.
I meet Jackie for lunch.
He has bandages on his face.
He's just had a facelift.
He tells me he had it done live on the Internet.
So he could get it done for free.
A week later, we hold the first cast reading at Millie's house.
Jackie is terrific.
Millie seems to be keeping her distance.
I sense Trouble In River City.
Everyone leaves.
I ask Millie if anything is wrong.
"No, everything's fine".
I less than believe her.
I leave, with the citizens of River City yelling "Trouble! Trouble! Trouble!" in my car.
Next day, I get a call from Asshole.
"Millie can't do the play. She's really sorry". I thought this was probably not a good time to mention to Asshole that he owes me.
Turns out, between the time she accepted Jackie until the first cast reading, she found out about Jackie's free Internet facelift.
She couldn't get past the words "Tacky" and "Cheesy".
I really couldn't blame her.
So I had Jackie and no Millie.
And now Jackie is threatening to pull out if don't get someone of equal stature to Millie.
I tried.
But there were several actresses of that stature who also thought Jackie represented "Tacky" and Cheesy".
Jackie was sensational in the part and I really didn't want to lose him.
And I thought he might still be a bit of a draw.
The best I could do was a really terrific actress and comedienne who I knew, very well-known for her only TV series, a big hit show, now considered legendary.
But I think it typecast her.
She thinks so too.
People had trouble thinking of her as anybody else.
This happens some times.
As Garry Marshall was often given to say, "It's not a fair business".
Let's call her "Aurora".
Jackie didn't want to hear about Aurora.
His almost precise words were "Don't give me no Aurora!"
I said "What happened to the raving and raving about the play?"
He said, "That's when you had Millie!"
I loved and love Aurora. Personally and professionally.
So here's the zults.
I told Jackie to go screw. I was going with Aurora.
I was going with less star power.
For the male lead, I went with an actor whose work I loved, but who was only known in more limited circles.
He was actually much better known as a child actor. Let's call him "Morris".
Aurora, matched up romantically with Morris?
Well, Morris was now 50. It worked great.
It was wonderful to watch the two of them together.
We got great reviews, and Equity Waiver being what it was, did sparse business.
Morris left during the run. We got someone else. A really good actor, with no drawing power.
Now, I don't want to see anything on the "Comments" section offering up guesses as to who all of these people are.
You'd have to know me really well to get that kind of information out of me.
If you think you know, keep it to yourself.
I didn't do it this way to tease you.
It was the only way I felt I could tell this story with any kind of tact.
You know what? After Morris left the run, I probably should have gone after Manny.
He still would have been great.
And Asshole still owed me one.
He still does.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(From April 2014) Not too long ago, I was made aware of a website called Kickstarter.com
I'm sure many of you have heard of it.
I figure that this is the last chance for me to get a movie that I wrote made.
Being a sequel to "Network", it's called, appropriately enough, "Another Network".
I'm trying to raise $225,000 to get it made well.
I implore you, I beseech you, to at least go to Kickstarter.com, type in "Another Network" where it says Search Projects, click on it, watch the fifteen minute video of me being interviewed about it (rather entertainingly, I think), read the details provided, and if you feel at all generous towards me, make a pledge to help me get this movie made.
If I don't reach my goal, it won't cost you a thing.
If I do, your pledge will be activated.
And think about how happy you'll be.
At least for me.
And how happy this relatively old man will be if you come through.
And I promise you that I will make it my business that this movie gets seen.
And that you will be proud to be a part of it.
Also,, my books ,"Show Runner" and it's sequel,"Show Runner Two", can be found at the Amazon Kindle Store.
Along with the newer ones, "The Man Is Dead", and "Report Cards".
You can search by typing in my name, Cindy Williams, Laverne and Shirley, The Odd Couple, or Happy Days.
Check them out.
You don't need a Kindle machine to download them.
Just get the free app from Kindle, and they can be downloaded to an IPhone, IPad, or Blackberry.
The paperback, "Mark Rothman's Essays" is still available for people without Kindle.
I have many readings and signings remaining, and the thing about Kindle is you can't sign one.
If you'd like one, contact me at macchus999@aol.com.
And now, we've got my reading of my "Laverne & Shirley Movie" screenplay on YouTube.
******
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Why I Love The"Comments" Section, Even Though Maybe Some Of You Don't
Because, unlike some of you, I read all the comments.
Because, unlike most of you, I respond to the comments.
Because it inspires exchanges like these, in the "Horseradish as Advertised" post:
Stef said...
Why is Kentucky Bourbon GWTW? Do you have a drinking problem?
January 28, 2009 1:10 PM
mark rothman said...
Stef,
To me, it was metaphoric as to what the Old South was about. I was 19, for chrissake!
For the record, I've never even tasted Bourbon in my life.
But that doesn't necessarily mean I don't have a drinking problem.
Does seltzer count?
January 28, 2009 3:19 PM
Jtexasoperastar said...
Well, actually, Deanna Durbin read "Gone With The Wind" twice in her teens, but she herself is not gone with the wind, because her popularity justs keeps growing and growing. Last year alone, 11 Deanna Durbin albums were released of her 1930s & 1940 songs. And for those who still appreciate a TRUE artist, please check out the largest Deanna Durbin website in the world at this address:www.deannadurbindevotees.com. Best wishes from someone who appreciates REAL talent!!!
January 28, 2009 11:27 PM
mark rothman said...
Look at this. I've offended a Deanna Durbin fan.
I'm sorry.
Deanna Durbin was wonderful.
I know that she herself is not gone with the wind, but 39 years ago, in 1970, when we did this song, her career certainly was.
Either by choice, or otherwise.
It's a METAPHOR.
And whatever popularity you maintain that she has now, she certainly did not have then.
And everything is relative anyway.
In 1936, MGM had the choice of signing Judy Garland or Deanna Durbin.
They chose Judy.
You want to squawk at them too?
I mean, that was only 73 years ago.
And I reiterate, I was only 19, for chrissake!
January 29, 2009 11:48 AM
or this exchange, under "Why I'm Glad They Blew Up the Sands Hotel", in which I discussed the late Lou Gottlieb of the Limeliters:
Tony Gottlieb said...
Nice old memory of my father, thanks.
January 29, 2009 1:20 PM
mark rothman said...
Tony,
Boy, you just never know who's out there, and who you're going to reach. I'm curious to know how you found this site.
I only wish I could have met your father under what might have been a more pleasant circumstance for him.
It's communication like this that makes it all worth it.
If you read my post about Danny Thomas in the article "When Vegas Was Worth It", you'd know that if I received the exact same message that you sent from Marlo Thomas, I would have been mortified.
January 29, 2009 2:27 PM
which led to this e-mail from Tony Gottlieb, reprinted with his permission (I would never do it otherwise, you are safe with me):
Your Blog came up on a Google Alert I have for Lou.
I remember those days when the Limeliters were 4 walling the Sands.
He said it was one hour between the 1st and 2nd show and one hour between the 2nd and 3rd show and 19 hours between the 3rd and the 1st show.
In retrospect I am certain that was still easier physically than too many days of one nighters but it was indeed a low point for him as you described.
-tg
So please, learn to love your "Comments" section.
As I do.
This is going to be a relatively light post.
And for those of you who read the "Comments" section, a bit recycled.
Like a rerun.
But it IS Super Sunday, and I expect attendance here to be way down today.
I know I'VE got better things to do.
I've got the Steelers laying 7.
Every time there's a major sporting event on TV (The Super Bowl, the World Series, the NBA finals, the NCAA men's basketball final, Opening day of the baseball and pro football seasons)
I break out the most appropriate T-Shirt or sweatshirt I have in my collection with a team's logo on it, and wear it all day.
I don't have a garment representing the Pittsburgh Steelers, but I have a Pittsburgh Pirates hat.
I've got that on.
And I've got a New England Patriots T-Shirt on.
This is very appropriate attire.
The Patriots are in the AFC, as are the Steelers.
They got jobbed out of the playoffs this year by the stupid NFL rules .
They probably would be in the Super Bowl, given the opportunity.
They had a much better regular-season record than the Cardinals.
And during the regular season, they beat the hell out of the Cardinals.
The rules must be altered so mediocrity can't be rewarded.
Wearing the Patriots shirt is my statement to that effect.
*****
Because, unlike most of you, I respond to the comments.
Because it inspires exchanges like these, in the "Horseradish as Advertised" post:
Stef said...
Why is Kentucky Bourbon GWTW? Do you have a drinking problem?
January 28, 2009 1:10 PM
mark rothman said...
Stef,
To me, it was metaphoric as to what the Old South was about. I was 19, for chrissake!
For the record, I've never even tasted Bourbon in my life.
But that doesn't necessarily mean I don't have a drinking problem.
Does seltzer count?
January 28, 2009 3:19 PM
Jtexasoperastar said...
Well, actually, Deanna Durbin read "Gone With The Wind" twice in her teens, but she herself is not gone with the wind, because her popularity justs keeps growing and growing. Last year alone, 11 Deanna Durbin albums were released of her 1930s & 1940 songs. And for those who still appreciate a TRUE artist, please check out the largest Deanna Durbin website in the world at this address:www.deannadurbindevotees.com. Best wishes from someone who appreciates REAL talent!!!
January 28, 2009 11:27 PM
mark rothman said...
Look at this. I've offended a Deanna Durbin fan.
I'm sorry.
Deanna Durbin was wonderful.
I know that she herself is not gone with the wind, but 39 years ago, in 1970, when we did this song, her career certainly was.
Either by choice, or otherwise.
It's a METAPHOR.
And whatever popularity you maintain that she has now, she certainly did not have then.
And everything is relative anyway.
In 1936, MGM had the choice of signing Judy Garland or Deanna Durbin.
They chose Judy.
You want to squawk at them too?
I mean, that was only 73 years ago.
And I reiterate, I was only 19, for chrissake!
January 29, 2009 11:48 AM
or this exchange, under "Why I'm Glad They Blew Up the Sands Hotel", in which I discussed the late Lou Gottlieb of the Limeliters:
Tony Gottlieb said...
Nice old memory of my father, thanks.
January 29, 2009 1:20 PM
mark rothman said...
Tony,
Boy, you just never know who's out there, and who you're going to reach. I'm curious to know how you found this site.
I only wish I could have met your father under what might have been a more pleasant circumstance for him.
It's communication like this that makes it all worth it.
If you read my post about Danny Thomas in the article "When Vegas Was Worth It", you'd know that if I received the exact same message that you sent from Marlo Thomas, I would have been mortified.
January 29, 2009 2:27 PM
which led to this e-mail from Tony Gottlieb, reprinted with his permission (I would never do it otherwise, you are safe with me):
Your Blog came up on a Google Alert I have for Lou.
I remember those days when the Limeliters were 4 walling the Sands.
He said it was one hour between the 1st and 2nd show and one hour between the 2nd and 3rd show and 19 hours between the 3rd and the 1st show.
In retrospect I am certain that was still easier physically than too many days of one nighters but it was indeed a low point for him as you described.
-tg
So please, learn to love your "Comments" section.
As I do.
This is going to be a relatively light post.
And for those of you who read the "Comments" section, a bit recycled.
Like a rerun.
But it IS Super Sunday, and I expect attendance here to be way down today.
I know I'VE got better things to do.
I've got the Steelers laying 7.
Every time there's a major sporting event on TV (The Super Bowl, the World Series, the NBA finals, the NCAA men's basketball final, Opening day of the baseball and pro football seasons)
I break out the most appropriate T-Shirt or sweatshirt I have in my collection with a team's logo on it, and wear it all day.
I don't have a garment representing the Pittsburgh Steelers, but I have a Pittsburgh Pirates hat.
I've got that on.
And I've got a New England Patriots T-Shirt on.
This is very appropriate attire.
The Patriots are in the AFC, as are the Steelers.
They got jobbed out of the playoffs this year by the stupid NFL rules .
They probably would be in the Super Bowl, given the opportunity.
They had a much better regular-season record than the Cardinals.
And during the regular season, they beat the hell out of the Cardinals.
The rules must be altered so mediocrity can't be rewarded.
Wearing the Patriots shirt is my statement to that effect.
*****
Monday, January 26, 2009
A Rather Long Hiatus
In my previous post, I described my second-to-last stage acting experience.
"Next month we're going to have Odd CUPPle....." was 40 years ago.
Except for a couple of minor appearances on my sitcoms, my next actual stage performance was last year.
I did the lead, the title role in a musical in Los Angeles called "The Brain From Planet X".
The show is a delight. Funny, tuneful, a blast.
It got unanimously great reviews, as did I (puff, puff).
It came about in a rather flukey manner. I did not pursue this.
I hadn't been in L.A. that often.
I still keep a place in Malibu that overlooks the ocean (puff, puff).
Twice a year, once on my birthday in November, and once on my wife's birthday in February,
we spend a week in Malibu.
Last February, as I usually do when I'm in town, I call up friends and try to arrange to have lunch or dinner with them.
I called up one of my writer friends, and we had lunch.
My wife, trying to soak up the sun in February, something you can't do in Michigan, stayed home.
My friend and I met, at one of our usual haunts, DuPars, in Studio City. Right near where he lives.
He had once tried to get me to do one of the two leads in a movie he was putting together, a comedy, and he invited another actor over to his house, where he and I, upon request, started improvising these two characters.
Now, I'm not a big fan of Improv. I consider it merely to be fast writing.
And I had never done it before. But I took to it very easily.
My writer friend was peeing in his in pants.
The movie never happened.
Okay, back to DuPars. He's already seated.
I approach and sit down opposite him.
The first words to me were "I know you can act, but can you sing?"
I responded "Like a bird."
He told me about "Brain From Planet X", which was his show.
It sounded great.
And he was going to be directing it.
Knowing him to be an extraordinary writer, director, and musician, I knew sight unseen that it WOULD be great.
We ate, and he brought me back to his house.
He handed me a script, and I applied my afore-mentioned cold-reading skills.
Peeing in his pants.
He brought me over to the piano.
He played, while standing (what with his wet pants and all), and sang what would be one of my songs, and said "Sing it back to me."
I did.
He tossed me the script, and said "It's yours if you want it."
Now, I hadn't been asked to this particular kind of dance in quite some time.
I was very flattered to be asked.
There had been other productions of this show.
One in New York.
He told me it was not reviewed well, and that now, in L.A., it would be be part of a major Festival of New Musicals, which would be going on all over town.
It would be his last chance to get really good reviews, and thus get a prestigious firm to buy the amateur rights.
Realizing it was really important to him, I said, reassuringly, while crossing my fingers, "Well, we'll fix that."
So, I went back to the beach, and told my wife that I wasn't returning with her to Michigan on Friday.
I was going to stay out here for the next 4 months and do the lead in a musical.
Of course, her jaw dropped.
All the way to the floor.
If you're at all interested in getting a taste of what me doing a musical is like, go to YouTube, type in my name, and click on "The Brain From Planet X".
That clip is the promo for the show, and I am interviewed in it.
For the morbidly curious, you'll get to see what I look like.
After you look at the promo, stay on that page. On the screen, it will offer a look at "Brain Tap".
Or on the right hand side, there is a column with the heading, Related Videos.
Click on the one that says "Brain Tap".
It's 3 minutes of the show, in performance, with me figuring prominently.
You mostly just see my back, wearing a gaudy cape, with a big brain on top of my head.
You see my face for a brief moment, but you hear me loud and clear.
Much of my stuff in the clip is ad-lib, designed to be that way.
The audience reaction is genuine, consistently responsive, and representative of what the whole show is like.
You don't get to hear me sing.
That's Show Business.
If you want to check out the reviews, e-mail me and I'll tell you how you can.
If you hear that a production of this show is playing in your area, make plans immediately to see it.
You will not regret this decision.
It was a thoroughly delightful experience. I got to bond with some very nice people.
Most of the cast were in their 20's, and I was embraced by them.
I embraced back.
I just wanted to see if I could still hit it out of the park after 40 years, and I found out that I could.
To contradict Thomas Wolfe, you CAN go home again.
*****
"Next month we're going to have Odd CUPPle....." was 40 years ago.
Except for a couple of minor appearances on my sitcoms, my next actual stage performance was last year.
I did the lead, the title role in a musical in Los Angeles called "The Brain From Planet X".
The show is a delight. Funny, tuneful, a blast.
It got unanimously great reviews, as did I (puff, puff).
It came about in a rather flukey manner. I did not pursue this.
I hadn't been in L.A. that often.
I still keep a place in Malibu that overlooks the ocean (puff, puff).
Twice a year, once on my birthday in November, and once on my wife's birthday in February,
we spend a week in Malibu.
Last February, as I usually do when I'm in town, I call up friends and try to arrange to have lunch or dinner with them.
I called up one of my writer friends, and we had lunch.
My wife, trying to soak up the sun in February, something you can't do in Michigan, stayed home.
My friend and I met, at one of our usual haunts, DuPars, in Studio City. Right near where he lives.
He had once tried to get me to do one of the two leads in a movie he was putting together, a comedy, and he invited another actor over to his house, where he and I, upon request, started improvising these two characters.
Now, I'm not a big fan of Improv. I consider it merely to be fast writing.
And I had never done it before. But I took to it very easily.
My writer friend was peeing in his in pants.
The movie never happened.
Okay, back to DuPars. He's already seated.
I approach and sit down opposite him.
The first words to me were "I know you can act, but can you sing?"
I responded "Like a bird."
He told me about "Brain From Planet X", which was his show.
It sounded great.
And he was going to be directing it.
Knowing him to be an extraordinary writer, director, and musician, I knew sight unseen that it WOULD be great.
We ate, and he brought me back to his house.
He handed me a script, and I applied my afore-mentioned cold-reading skills.
Peeing in his pants.
He brought me over to the piano.
He played, while standing (what with his wet pants and all), and sang what would be one of my songs, and said "Sing it back to me."
I did.
He tossed me the script, and said "It's yours if you want it."
Now, I hadn't been asked to this particular kind of dance in quite some time.
I was very flattered to be asked.
There had been other productions of this show.
One in New York.
He told me it was not reviewed well, and that now, in L.A., it would be be part of a major Festival of New Musicals, which would be going on all over town.
It would be his last chance to get really good reviews, and thus get a prestigious firm to buy the amateur rights.
Realizing it was really important to him, I said, reassuringly, while crossing my fingers, "Well, we'll fix that."
So, I went back to the beach, and told my wife that I wasn't returning with her to Michigan on Friday.
I was going to stay out here for the next 4 months and do the lead in a musical.
Of course, her jaw dropped.
All the way to the floor.
If you're at all interested in getting a taste of what me doing a musical is like, go to YouTube, type in my name, and click on "The Brain From Planet X".
That clip is the promo for the show, and I am interviewed in it.
For the morbidly curious, you'll get to see what I look like.
After you look at the promo, stay on that page. On the screen, it will offer a look at "Brain Tap".
Or on the right hand side, there is a column with the heading, Related Videos.
Click on the one that says "Brain Tap".
It's 3 minutes of the show, in performance, with me figuring prominently.
You mostly just see my back, wearing a gaudy cape, with a big brain on top of my head.
You see my face for a brief moment, but you hear me loud and clear.
Much of my stuff in the clip is ad-lib, designed to be that way.
The audience reaction is genuine, consistently responsive, and representative of what the whole show is like.
You don't get to hear me sing.
That's Show Business.
If you want to check out the reviews, e-mail me and I'll tell you how you can.
If you hear that a production of this show is playing in your area, make plans immediately to see it.
You will not regret this decision.
It was a thoroughly delightful experience. I got to bond with some very nice people.
Most of the cast were in their 20's, and I was embraced by them.
I embraced back.
I just wanted to see if I could still hit it out of the park after 40 years, and I found out that I could.
To contradict Thomas Wolfe, you CAN go home again.
*****
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