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Monday, October 28, 2019

Remembering A Close Encounter With Robert Evans.

I first wrote this in 2011.  I'm reprinting it today because Robert Evans died today at 89.

 "The Kid Stays In The Picture".  It was shown on a TV series called "50 Documentaries 
You Should See Before You Die".
This was a documentary biography of movie mogul Robert Evans.
I saw it not too long in 2011.
It is very entertaining, as was the book it was based on, which was an autobiography.
Evans narrated it himself.
Is it a documentary I should see before I die?
Not necessarily.
This, by the way, is how Evans talks throughout the picture.
It could have also been called "The Kid Asks Himself Questions And Answers Them Himself Throughout The Picture".
On Ali McGraw: "Did I want her the first time I laid eyes on her? You bet I did".
You get the idea.
Evans was Head of Production at Paramount Pictures at the same time I was working on "The Odd Couple" there.
Was Evans, in fact, instrumental in getting the "Odd Couple" movie made there?
You bet he was.
Was Evans responsible for putting together such classics as "Rosemary's Baby". "Love Story", "The Godfather" and "Chinatown"?
Was he ever.
He had quite a successful run.
Did things start going sour for Evans with "Popeye, "The Two Jakes" and "The Cotton Club"?
Did it ever.
There was even talk, though unsubstantiated, that he was involved in the "Cotton Club Murder Case", in which others were sent to prison for the murder of potential producer/investor Roy Radin.
As a sidebar, when I was producing "New Odd Couple", I used to see this big overweight shlubby-looking guy with stringy hair,who walked around in a raincoat, regardless of the fact that this was Southern California, hanging around the set.
Turns out, he was Roy Radin, and he was Demond Wilson's manager.
Demond was that incarnation of Oscar Madison.
 This accounted for his presence.
That was my close encounter with Roy Radin, who didn't survive much longer after that.
As for my close encounter with Robert Evans, it was common knowledge, when he ran Paramount, that he drove around in this gaudy black-and gold Rolls-Royce. Or maybe it was a Bentley.
Whichever, it certainly was gaudy.
And you knew it was his, because it was parked in the parking space with his name on it.
His office was on the other side of the lot from mine.
I had a used, beat-up light blue Volkswagen Beetle at the time.
For whatever reason, I was about to leave the lot in my Beetle one late afternoon.
Reaching the turn to the main gate at the precise moment was Evans in his gaudy Rolls or Bentley.
I mean THE precise moment.
But I had the right of way.
I had a right turn to make, and he had a left turn.
He started to edge into the turning space ahead of me.
I quickly darted in ahead of him and cut him off, proceeding to the main gate.
Was I proud of myself? You bet I was.
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My book, "Show Runner" and it's sequel,"Show Runner Two", can be found at the Amazon Kindle Store, You can search by typing in my name, Cindy Williams, Laverne & Shirley, The Odd Couple, or Happy Days.
You might want to 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.
The website "On Screen & Beyond" has two hours of an interview I did on it's podcast in their archives.
Just Google On Screen & Beyond to find them if you're interested.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Report Card---""El Camino".

"El Camino" is the Breaking Bad movie.  Concentrating on Walter White's partner in Meth making,
Jesse, played by Aaron Paul.
It begins where "Breaking Bad" leaves off, and the great Jonathan Banks makes a cameo appearance,
and it flip-flops back and forth in time.

On to the scoring.

Is it interesting?

Very.
A.

Compelling even?

Sometimes.
I wish they had done a more linear backup from where the series ended and the movie begins.
The first 45 minutes were a little hard for me to follow.
B.

Is it good storytelling?

See above.
B.

Is. it well written?

Very.
A.

Is it well cast? Well played?

Yes.  Great scenes with Robert Forster.  Bryan Cranston does a great cameo in flashback.
A+.

Well shot?

Very.  
A+.

Did the director put such a personal stamp on it so that no one else could have made it?

I don't think so.
B-.

How long does it take to establish the film's locale and time period?

Immediately.
A.

Is it too long? Too short?

Perfect.
A.

Is it believable? Do you care about the characters?.

Totally, and totally.
A+.
.
Is it predictable?

No.
A+.

Do you think about it after you've seen it?

Often
A.
  
Is it funny?

Often, when it wants to be..
A.
.
Would it have been worth the thirteen bucks it would have cost to see it in the movies?

It's on Netflix, so it's not an issue.
No rating..

Is it impressive?

Very.
A.

Overall grade: A-.

I wish there'd be more. Oh, wait, there is, it's called "Better Call Saul" and it's terrific.

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My books, "Show Runner" and "Show Runner 2" can be found at the Amazon Kindle Store,
along with newer ones, "The Man Is Dead", and "Report Cards".
They are all compilations of blog entries have since been removed from the blog.
So this is the only way you can find them.,
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 paperbacks, "Mark Rothman's Essays" and my new novel, "I'm Not Garbo" are not e-books.
But they are available for people without Kindle.
I have many readings and signings lined up for those, and the thing about Kindle is you can't sign one.
If you'd like one of the paperbacks, personally autographed, contact me at macchus999@aol.com.
And now, there's my reading of my screenplay of my unmade "Laverne and Shirley" movie on "YouTube".

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About Me

Hi. I am, according to my Wikipedia entry,(which I did not create) a noted television writer, playwright, screenwriter, and occasional actor. You can Google me or go to the IMDB to get my credits, and you can come here to get my opinions on things, which I'll try to express eloquently. Hopefully I'll succeed. You can also e-mail me at macchus999@aol.com. Perhaps my biggest claim to fame is being responsible, for about six months in 1975, while Head Writer for the "Happy Days" TV series, for Americans saying to each other "Sit on it."