A bum's life

Antifa challenged by pro Trump

2019-11-10T12:13:00.001-08:00

Review of Joker

2019-10-24T14:58:00.002-07:00

I saw "Joker" and I must say, that this film will be talked about and referred to forever. Although the Joker character is linked to the Batman series, it is a stand alone story of a character inflicted with some kind of tourett's disorder affliction that leads him to strike back at society that has tortured him.
Joaquin Phoenix gives a performance that should win 10 Oscars. Rarely do you see an actor play such a extreme character and take it to it's limit. Joaquin Phoenix is in a class all by himself. I will include Christian Bale in that class.
On the other hand, I was disappointed in Robert De Niro. Although this is the same person that starred in "Raging Bull, "Taxi Driver" and "Godfather II, it is not the same actor. It is a shame to watch him" pick up a check".

What now?

2018-05-14T18:35:00.000-07:00

Well, I just turned 73 years old and what to do now? My acting career is just about over. I was cast in a 2 character play that did not have a director but I thought the writing had some merit, so even though it was to be done as part of a Fringe festival, and that is what it is, the fringe of show business. Being that there was no director and also that I did not feel that this young women who was listed as the writer actually wrote the piece, there was some very perceptive insights into older man ways and thinking ,that she was not that intelligent. So I took it upon myself to pick the other actor because on this fringe level, I was afraid she would get some inadequate actor and for a 2 character play with 50 pages of dialogue, I did not want to take the chance.

So, because I am out of touch with actors, I called on the one actor that I was still in touch with and was adequate enough. I never really liked the guy, always felt he was jealous of me because I had a decent career and he did not. Well, my worst fears about this guy came true, I couldn't stand to be around him but I thought I would stick it out . Not to go into details but I had an idea about solving a problem that the play had. The story was about this guy hoarding for many years. Under the Fringe rules, the play had to be struck after every performance as the next 1 act play was to go on. So, I thought,it would be impossible to create the enviorment under the Fringe guidelines so I thought, why not mime everything and leave it up to the audiences imagination to create the enviorment in their mind.

Well, the other actor, that I cast, said he was against it, without even trying it out to see if it can work. We had a argument and the writer decided to recast my role. I think, I wanted out anyway because it was not fun with this guy and the writer did not have a clue. The

Young 72 yr. old gives his secret to staying young and healthy.

2017-08-17T12:05:00.001-07:00

Monologue from David Mamet's "Glengarry Glen Ross"

2017-08-15T13:40:00.001-07:00

our lady of 121 street

2016-10-18T11:09:00.000-07:00

Been doing a play for the last few weeks, our lady of 121 st at the victory theater kin burbank. The part of vice ranting against the world at a funeral.

The part gives me the opportunity to step onthe accelerate like I used to do back in the day in NY. The parts of had in la have been in second gear, not only tv and films but even theater out here. So while I am not the lead, no one that sees this play will forget me.nice to be around calls these young people as I ma more than double the age of most of them and that includes the crew. Had some problems with some but most of all I get along 0with most and am enjoying myself.

So maybe someone will offer me a real job off this otherwise, it could be the last as I will not pursue but will take all offers.

Who becomes an actor?

2016-10-18T11:08:00.000-07:00

There seems to be 2 types of actors that inhabit the Hollywood TV & Film culture.

TYPE A : These are the actors that pursue acting for the love of the acting itself. To make dialogue written by someone else and make it your own. To be a king, a bum, a killer or even a president or pope. Happy to do this every night for 2 hours on stage, using a child like ability " to make believe".

Once the acting but bites, they are in it for life. To make a living as an actor is complete success for these actors. If stardom comes, they will take the money but always gravitate toward projects that stimulate their imagination and acting talent.

TYPE B: Many of these pick acting or theater because it is the easiest coarse. They do a couple of amateur plays in college and feel their live theater experience is complete. After college, they head straight for Los Angeles, Ca. to pursue an acting career and hopefully be chased by paparazzi as they go by in their limo. Most end up waiting tables or leave La ,broken.

But many stay and clutter the market so much , that many directors of a list films are forced to cast theater actors from other countries in American characters because these days most actors are type b and do not have the acting skills to properly portray the character.

While many type a's have lucrative careers, many are uncomfortable with the pandering that is required in Hollywood.

My Final Curtain

2014-06-22T13:34:00.000-07:00

I am writing my epitaph for my acting career. It has been a long journey from 1973 when I walked into my first acting class.Since then, I have 20 years vested in screen actors guild, which means I have a pension and medical insurance for the rest of my life. I have raised my daughter on money I made as an actor.I still get residuals for work I have done over the years.But alas, acting work has been very scarce the last 5 years since my agents retired and I lost good representation. At 69 years old, even with good agents, the parts are rare.

I was trying till recently to get back on the fast track. I did leads in short films, did live theater and received good feedback and recognition as a seasoned actor. Unfortunately, these were deferred projects, which means you don't get paid, and none of them had the juice to propel me to the fast track, 'and back in the room'.

I know that if I can get auditions, with directors and producers for A list movies and tv, I would, like before, get work. but now caught in that catch-22, can't get good auditions without a good agent and can't get a good agent without a job.. Most actors start their career with that dilemma but I don't have 40 years in front of me anymore but behind me.

So, why now,I was recently cast in a revival of Arther Miller's ' a View from the Bridge' to play Alfieri, the lawyer. If you are familiar with the play, you know that Alfieri is a very difficult part and vital to the play. The production was going to be at 'the Stella Adler' acting studio. I was very excited to do this play. Theater has not been an ally of mine like it was in New York. this was a part that could show the industry how good I really was and not just a type.

I was cast in the play on march 30 2014, we had one sit down reading in April and were to take the rest of April and May off and begin rehearsals in June and open in August. While waiting, I worked on the part, not only the lines but I thought about my character, things that the play doesn't give about his inner life. I told people about it as it was the only acting I had to talk about. Well, a couple of days before we were to start rehearsal, I get a mass email from the producer that they were denied the rights to do 'a view from the bridge',the show was off..

That was it, a lousy email, no phone call, nothing and all my hopes for this ,crushed. So what now, I will not spend anymore money on acting, no pictures and resumes , no workshops or classes and most of all, no actor hangouts. I refuse to be just another out of work actor hustling to get one line in something here and there.I will not get on my knees and beg for crumbs. In these actor hangouts, bars, coffee shops etc. , most actors ask you how you are doing and hope you have bad news. tell them you have a good gig and you can see the hate in their faces. not all but most.

I still love the act of acting, i looked forward to doing ' a view from the bridge', not only what it could do for my career but to do a great part in front of an audience is one of the best pleasures I have had in my life. I will concentrate more on my writing and my youtube channel.If you wish to read my whole story, start at the beginning of this blog.

So, I will slowly fade from the scene. good bye.

Update, I am currently involved with 2 plays. Running right now at the Whitefire theater, I am doing Mark Finks Smart People and then I will be doing " Our Lady of 121 Street", which opens May 1. I am doing them because I enjoy acting for it'S own sake. If someone offers me a job from this,I would be open to it.

Diamonds in the Rough

2014-03-16T15:17:00.000-07:00

I want to talk about this abundance of untrained and often untalented people that migrate to Los Angeles dreaming of having a career in acting. I say not only untrained but naive because if they had gone through the theater in New york, Chicago or a another country where theater is taken seriously, they would have found out, before too much of a investment in time and money, that they have no talent.

Now, some come to La without much theater training or experience but have a natural talent. They have a chance to have some kind of career if they work on their craft, have some luck and enjoy the act of acting. Enjoying the act of acting, to some, acting is torture, they feel naked and exposed on stage. Their motive for going into acting is to walk on the red carpet, get their picture taken by photographers as they pass in their limo. without much talent these people are destined to work as servers in eating establishment to be able to pay their bills. They believe that their time will come if they just stick it out. The business is hard enough if you have talent but without it you are doomed to a life of anguish and disappointment.

Universities offer degrees in acting to anyone who applies and is able to borrow the money to pay the tuition. The teachers are not professionals in the business and have only a academic knowledge of acting technique and the theater.

On a side note, nowadays theater is only one of the worthless degrees given out by the universities , as they put these young people in debt for many years to pay for the bloated salaries of inept professors.

The acting world provides a variety of acting workshops, agent showcases and classes by charlatans that have never worked as professionals and will never tell a paying customer that they are wasting their time. This gives the untalented and untrained a false feeling of accomplishment.

But what about those diamonds in the rough that don't have a theater background from the major theater centers. There is help for them if they have the desire to learn. Below is a link to a video that will give the essentials of acting technique. Study these and you may have a chance.

Acting secrets revealed

Improvization

2013-12-22T19:03:00.003-08:00

A good tool for actors when trying to find the truth of a scene is improvisation. In rehearsal take the values of the scene and use your own words instead of the playwright's which would enable you to follow impulses without the restraints of the play. Of coarse you then would include the actual lines but now you can have insight in the possibilities that can be achieved in the scene. There are film directors that encourage actors to improvise a scene because the spontaneity can lead to magic moments that can be captured on film. A good sense of truth is a requirement for good improvisations as selfish actors that try to take over the improve defeat the purpose of finding the truth of a scene and instead bluster and overact trying to dominate the scene. Improvisation is a creative way to write a script. There was a time when the rights to a play that I was doing were pulled when we started rehearsal. Instead of looking for something else to do in 4 weeks, we decided to write and perform a new play in a month. We sat around and discussed the story for a couple of days then we improvised every scene with a tape recorder. We were able to get dynamic exchanges between the characters because of the conflict of different personalities. Only the most gifted of writers can create dialogue as rich as good actors improvising.

The Sad State of American Acting!

2013-11-19T15:07:00.001-08:00

Watching old movies, I can't help notice the difference between actors back in the day, Like: Humphrey Bogart, Lee Marvin, Edward G. Robinson, Marlon Brando and Charles Bronson, average looking but masculine actors that were big stars and loved by millions. They shot from the hip and were not afraid to voice their opinions whether left or right. There probably were lively debates on sets about politics, religion or who was the best baseball team. Not anymore.

Now, actors have to be very careful not to say the wrong thing that might offend someone, especially political lefties.This means, to have any kind of career in Hollywood, actors have to behave. Sure they love a free spirit but only if the actor falls within politically correct guidelines.Condemn your country, say you are embarrassed by it, no problem.

But say anything against a PC icon and you are in danger of being blacklisted.

Several years ago, I was cast as a recurring character for a TV series. The series was picked up for a year and I looked forward to helping the series be successful. I already did a couple of episodes that went very well and as a new father, I cherished the thought of having a little financial security for my family.

At that time Bill Clinton was president of the USA. As a US Navy veteran, it bothered me that this proven draft dodger and demonstrator against the Vietnam war, in a foreign country, was now commander in chief of Armed Forces and had the power to send troops into harms way, which he did often.

So, one day on the set during lunch, the female lead went on and on about what a magnificent person Clinton is, his charisma, intelligence and charm. I tried to keep my mouth shut but I couldn't stand it any more and stupid me I blurted out ," Does that make him a good president?"

The reaction from everyone, there were about 20 cast and crew around, was instantaneous. Everyone stopped what they were doing and glowered at me as if I said the N word. One of the flunky ass kissers said " I guess you don't believe in the Holocaust". I was stunned, I didn't know what to say, my remark was innocent, so I thought. But, to show any doubt to the PC agenda puts you in the enemy camp.

The lead male actor and one of the producers said "you're fired". To his credit, the director came to my aid and told them to leave me alone. I wasn't fired and finished that episode but was not called back to do anymore episodes. This attitude is prevalent through out the industry.

So, how does this affect the quality of acting in America.

The best actors have improvisational skills, their emotions are close to the surface and they trust those emotions. There is no editing of what they are feeling in the moment, they just go with it.This is the magic of good acting. This talent has gotten actors in trouble in the past with many divorces and crazy antics

But now, with political correctness, forces actors to act in real life, they must hide what they really feel. They have to act like they care about this or that cause, as long as the cause is deemed correct. Young actors come in the business with a restraint on their emotions. Good actors are basically truthful and lose out in the long run to liars and hustlers .

So, before they portray a character, the liars already have a barrier inhibiting creativity. What you get are very safe, underplayed performances by superficial posers.

How many working actors under 60 tears old have done time in the military. I know a few around 65 yrs. who were subject to the draft and served, like myself. But back in the day, actors like Jimmy Stewart, who at the height of his career and one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, went off to fight in World War 2 and was gone from the scene for 4 years.

There were others, Elvis Presley, at the top of the entertainment world, drafted and went into the US Army for 2 years. He didn't have to go. He could have got out of it but he felt it was his duty to do something for his country that made it possible for a poor boy to make it.

So, because of political correctness a certain segment of the male population has slowly been excluded from the casting process, and we are left with either raging liberal activists or cowards and liars.

So, when a part comes around in a big production that requires a greatly skilled masculine actor, it is no surprise that,as the US talent pool is filled by lousy or androgynous actors, the producers use actors from other countries to play American characters.

Acting Secrets Revealed

Parody of a college professor!

2013-10-17T04:45:00.001-07:00

John Del Regno demo reel

2013-10-09T08:29:00.001-07:00

Hollywood needs to open the doors to new writng talent

2013-09-07T13:11:00.000-07:00

I went to the Directors Guild screening of the new Robert DeNiro film "The Family" in Hollywood last night. It was free, otherwise I would be pissed if I had to spend money to see it. I am not going into any lengthy critique but just that the story and the characters were totally unbelievable. The film makers were trying for some kind of violent Mafia farce. It did not work at all , as the events were silly and it was not funny at all.

As usual with Hollywood films, the photography was great, the acting ok but the script was awful. This has been happening for several years in Hollywood with tired re=treads of old ideas and comic book characters. Why is this happening? In my opinion, Hollywood producers have to get off their high horse and do what pro sports teams do and look for and nurture new talent..

There has to be a radical change. Open the doors and bring in new ideas by having FREE writing contests. Look out there among the masses for unique experiences and characters. You can always bring in hacks to polish up the scripts but it is the characters, the premise , experiences and diamonds in the rough need to be sought out. I know there is a lot of legal mumbo jumbo involved but I believe this can be solved.

If someone writes a script or story, it is impossible to get any one with authority to look at it. If the writer has not sold a script already, no one takes the writer seriously. This has to change or Hollywood will continue it's decline in making quality films that can live on for decades.

Fast Forward to the present!

2013-08-29T14:35:00.000-07:00

I am skipping forward for about 25 years. My acting career has been fairly lucrative, I have been able to raise my daughter to adulthood, I have 25 years vested in SAG which means I have cheap health insurance at 65 for life and a decent pension to go along with Social Security Retirement and still get occasional residuals.

So, while I didn't fail in La, my career never achieved the promise it had when I first arrived in Hollywood. I had my ups and downs, was a series regular on a few pilots that were not picked up, did many top of the show guest spots. {IMDB link at the bottom of this page}. But, just when it looked like I was going to have a breakthrough, like I had in New York, I would suffer a setback. Sometimes due to my own doing, I have a big impulsive mouth which hurt me, being a military veteran, US Navy, and a political conservative in a sea of liberalism.

Being a new father in a new marriage put pressure on me that I didn't have in New York. Where timing worked for me in NY, it worked against me in Hollywood.While I was able to make a living in LA, it was a struggle to maintain that level without falling into the abyss. It is strange that while my daughter was growing up, I was able to maintain a living as an actor and provide her with health insurance but as soon as she turned 21 is when my career seemed to collapse. I thank God it did not happen when she was very young because I don't know what I would have done. I didn't go to college and have no skills outside of acting.

Now, I am 68 years old, living on Social Security retirement, a Screen Actors pension and a occasional pension. I no longer have an agent that can get me in the room with a phone call. BTW, I auditioned for a good commercial agent last week and received a call today for a call back. I never had the much luck with commercials, I did a few, but I feel that my advanced age may make me more useful for commercials. We shall see.

There has been much good though in spite of the frustrations.My college graduate daughter is grown and supports herself and hopefully will give me grand children someday. I have been able to keep in great physical shape, having a lot of free time gives me the opportunity to work out every day to pass the time. I still have my acting hook in the water, and my acting is as sharp as ever, maybe better as the pressure is off.

I just finished doing a play and it felt great to turn on an audience again. I will always stick with it because I love the act of acting.

IMDB for John Del Regno

Where is the anti-war movement?

2013-08-26T09:19:00.003-07:00

Where are all those demonstrators during the Viet Nam war and the Iraq war? Our government is considering getting involved in the Syrian civil war on the side of Islamic extremists , who are more of a threat to US security than the Assad regime.

Those days of America going to the rescue of say: South Vietnam being invaded by North Vietnam or a possible future nuclear attack from Saddam , are over because of you anti-war people. These anti-war demonstrators ignored all of Saddam's atrocities but are so sad because of Assad's atrocities.

Is it just political for these people? Not much demonstration when Clinton bombed the hell out of Yugoslavia, when they were absolutely no threat to us. But after 9-11, when this country was attacked by Islamic extremists , after over 30 years of Terrorists attacks by different groups from different countries within the Islamic world, the anti-war people demonstrated vigorously. Where are you now?

The top commander of the US military has subtly stated that this is a impossible mission. Russia, Iran and maybe China will use this opportunity to humiliate the US.

Hollywood is creatively Bankrupt!

2013-07-23T14:56:00.000-07:00

Who's running the film business? With one mega budget flop after another, somebody should get fired.This is what happens when hustlers,ass kissers and scumbags rise to the top of the business. And now that they have conned their way to the top, they have no idea what to do. So, they revive and copy what has been done in the past.

With the CGI technology they are able to create huge explosions and giant monsters but at the expense of a good story , interesting characters and good acting.

I recently saw WWZ, with Brad Pitt. As usual, the special effects were the best part of the movie. But as for the story, if you have seen one zombie picture, you have seen them all. As for Mr. Pitt, his performance was similar to what he did in "Money Ball" . This underplay, unemotional persona which passes as real in movies nowadays is boring. In real life people are much more animated.

It seems with some actors when they have success early in life , stop growing as an actor. Young actors now will do anything to get a part in film or Tv, except work on their craft. They take acting lessons and maybe do a couple pf plays and think they are ready for the big time.Why not, they see Pitt phoning it in and getting away with it, why not them.

Acting is a skill that has to be practiced and developed . Musicians, athletes, dancers,pool players, golf players, all have to practice. Actors practice by doing theater as much as possible.

Now it seems, if a part requires dynamic acting, the producers have to go to other countries to get accomplished actors doing American accents.

A lesson to be learned!

2013-05-15T09:17:00.002-07:00

        The IRS scandal, the AP source scandal, and the Benghazi cover up are all examples of what happens in this political correct, Orwellian control of the government, the news and entertainment and the universities.
All these enlightened people who preach diversity and open mindness, as long as you agree with them. Using old Soviet Union tactics to brainwash and control the people.
          Let this be a lesson, if the government targets you, you have no recourse, unless you are rich,maybe.
Take the IRS scandal: Sure, a few heads will roll, but what about the rest of them.Only like minded get promoted and get jobs in the above mentioned organizations. So, to clean up the mess, you have to fire all of them.
           Of coarse , that won't happen. Our democracy is now a sham, when the people's representatives pass a law, the government picks and chooses what laws to enforce to give a certain political party a majority.
            I should just keep my mouth shut as this may put the final nail in my acting career. But I am 68 years old, a US Navy vet, and I don't give a sh**.

Nature intervenes 32 1983

2011-11-27T14:49:00.000-08:00

After a couple of weeks at wife's aunt, we settled into an apartment in Hollywood. The Gage Group was getting me out on several interviews but something unexpected happened that changed all priorities.

My wife had an appointment with a doctor and we were both suspicious of what it was. I waited in our car while my wife was seeing the doctor. She came out, sat in the car and said she was pregnant and what should we do? I asked why are you leaving it up to me, you're carrying it. She said it was mine also.

On our way back to the apartment, we talked about what this would mean for us, new to California and dependant on my acting career which was unstable at best. We had a choice and we decided to go for it ,no matter what. I was 37 years old at the time and this could be my last chance to be a father. So we chose to be parents.

I knew at this point my life would change dramatically. Up til then I had pursued my career with reckless abandon, not fearing the future because I was living in the moment, forgetting about the past and not thinking of the future.

That would all change now. I got butterflies in my stomach, it feels like stage fright. What if I failed? What would happen to my child? Can I handle the responsibility after leading a Bum's Life for the last 10 years? This put a pressure on me that I didn't have before. The stakes were raised and I called the bet.

Luckily for all involved ,I was able to get guest spots on TV series. After Madam's Place I got a guest shot on The Jeffersons which was in it's final year after 200 episodes. The character was a thief who robs George Jefferson and on the first rehearsal, sitcoms usually rehearse for a few days before taping, I played the character like I was doing The Godfather. Afterwards, I could feel that the producers were not that pleased in what they saw.

The next day I came into rehearsal and they completely changed my character. It went from a thief to a drunken bum which was much funnier. The taping went very well for me and now I had a good piece for my demo reel besides Baker's Dozen.

The two jobs that I got in Hollywood so far, Madam's Place and the Jeffersons insured that I would be keeping my SAG health insurance ,which not only would be covering me but my wife and my future child's birth.

IMDB The Jeffersons : Change of a dollar

First score in Hollywood 31

2011-11-20T14:44:00.000-08:00

The next month, July 1982, I took an old car, that was in the family, and took off for Hollywood. Driving across the country I felt a sense of freedom,traveling across the open road. You have to drive a couple of hundred miles west before you are free of the concrete jungle and out into the open country. I liked being on the open road and thought if I failed in Hollywood , I would drive one of those big rigs across the country.

Not that I had any doubt at all that I would make it big it Hollywood. After all, the first TV job I read for I got a TV series. Out in Hollywood where they produce tons of series, I would certainly get one right away. I needed to because the money was almost gone and now I was supporting a wife.

Day dreaming along the way, I planned to be bi-coastal. After making a couple of nice scores in La, I would return to New York and do nothing but Broadway plays and films.

When we finally arrived in La, after 12 adventurous days on the road, we crashed at Robert Pastorelli's apartment in the heart of Hollywood. I knew Bobby from New York, we were in Gray Spades together at the Ensemble Studio Theater directed By Risa Bramen.

We had the same agent , The Gage Group, and unwinding at his apartment, he received a call from the Gage Group to go on a audition. Bobby told them I had just arrived and they were able to get me in on the audition. I didn't expect any action so quick, my first day in Hollywood, but glad to see the move was already paying off.

The character I was reading for was a nervous guy and when I read for the casting director, Molly Lapata, I pushed and I could see the CD wince and I immediately pulled back within myself. I explained to her that I just drove in that day and was not ready to audition. I think she forgave me for my lousy reading as she had me in for other things ,which I got.

After a couple of days I had another audition for a show called "Madam's Place" , a show where the lead character was a puppet. I got the role and taped it and it went very well.

Off and running in Hollywood.

IMDB for Madam's Place

Go West Young Man 30

2011-11-16T18:47:00.000-08:00

After my interview with Laury Oppendum, the casting director of Hill Street Blues, I talked over her suggestion, about going to Los Angeles, with my agents at The Gage Group. They said ,why not? They indicated if I did well in Los Angeles, it would help me in New York when I came back, as actors with Tv and film credits were sought out to do Broadway plays. The Gage Group was very highly regarded in Los Angeles so I would have top notch representation there.

Since Sorrows Of Stephen , I had expected to get calls to at least audition for different plays at the other public funded equity theaters in New York besides The Public Theater. It was almost 2 years since I did Stephen, yet not one call from them. I was offered several Off-Off plays but I turned them all down. I wasn't ready to go backwards and I felt I would be selling myself short by working for nothing after the success of Sorrows of Stephen and my breakout in Tv with Baker's Dozen.

I talked to my new wife about La and she mentioned she had an aunt in La and we could crash there until things began to roll. Actors that had been to La always talked about how much they hated Los Angeles and missed New York . Their main complaint was the isolation. You could work with someone in La, develope a relationship during the shoot and when the project is wrapped everyone goes their seperate ways ,scattered all over Los angeles, and never see them again unless you crashed into them on the road.

In New York, you kept in touch with people by just walking down Broadway. Even when I still lived in Queens, I would take the subway to the City and get out on 57st. and Broadway. I would walk from 57st to the Equity lounge on 46st and Broadway. On the way I would run into actors that I had worked with and we would stop and gab for a moment. Up at the Equity lounge, actors would hang out and use the phones. It was fun and very social.

I had one good friend in Los angeles, Robert Pastorelli who was in Gray Spades with me at the Ensemble Studio Theater. He had gone out there after Gray Spades and had already done a couple of guest spots on Tv. He said , come on down, you will get more work than you can handle.

The agents said if I go I should leave soon, it was June 1982, and the hiatus would be over after the 4th of July and the tv production would begin for the new season.

Everything seemed to be pointing west. I got an old Toyota that was still in the family and at the end of June we drove out of New York toward Hollywood.

This ends the first chapter of my life as an actor. In looking back I think I succeeded in my gamble. I went from a totally green actor who was in the first play I ever saw, in 1973, to going to Los Angeles as a working actor with a substantial resume and great representation in 1982.

Feast and famine 29 1982

2011-11-11T18:06:00.000-08:00

We finished the back order 5 episodes and I felt I did well. CBS scheduled "Bakers Dozen" to start airing in the spring of 1982. This was not a good sign as it was not picked for the fall season . The producers said it was because there was a change in leadership at CBS, during the strike, and the new bosses at CBS favored shows that they had a hand in producing. It still had a shot to make it on the fall schedule if the ratings were exceptional. If picked for the fall would mean another 17 episodes would be made.

The day came to air the first episode on TV and I sat with my new wife and friends to watch. I was disappointed in what I saw. In my opinion, the two negative choices the producers made was to put in a phony sounding laugh track and casting a connected but untalented actress in the lead female role.

Although the show was a cop comedy, it was shot on film on the streets of New York and I thought the laugh track cheapened the show. When the ratings came out, the show did not do well and was cancelled after the 6 episodes.

That is the nature of this business, feast and famine. I went from a series regular on the brink of stardom to just another out of work actor.

That was depressing enough but I received a bill from my former manager, Lyn Kressel for 25% of the last 5 episodes. Now, I paid her 25% for the pilot but then she was accused of a conflict of interest and quit managing. I thought, why should I pay her for the last 5 episodes when she wasn't my manager anymore, which meant she wasn't trying to get me more work and advance my career.

Lyn claimed it did not matter that she wasn't working for me , the contract I signed with her stated that I had to pay her for any work I got from the pilot.

I got a lawyer and fought it and never paid her any more money. Of coarse I had to pay the lawyer which was almost as much as her bill. I didn't care as I felt I was being screwed.

Was this a mistake? It probably was as she went on to become one of the leading casting directors in New York. My new agents, The Gage Group, did not want to get involved and gave me no guidance in this matter.

Every actor I talked to, said I was crazy for going against Lyn Kressel as she would black ball me.I didn't listen to them as my experience with most actors was they are a bunch of wimps and would wash Lyn Kressel's dirty underwear if she asked them.

I still had enough money for awhile ,even with a new wife, but something had to happen soon or I would be broke again.

One day, my new agents sent me on a interview with Laury Oppendum, the casting director of Hill Street Blues, a hit cop Tv series shot in Los Angeles. When I went into the interview with Laury, she said that she and all her co-workers in La raved about my performance in Baker's Dozen.

She said I would be perfect for all sorts of guest spots on Hill St. Blues but unfortunately, she can't hire me from New York, but if I was in Los Angeles, she would not hesitate to have me in to audition.

I went home thinking about what Laury had said. I never to this point considered going to La but I was not getting any calls from the other Equity houses in New York and I had burned a few bridges.

My mind raced as I walked home. La,La, should I go?

Sag strike stops streak 28 year 1981

2011-11-08T17:42:00.000-08:00

I completed "Baker's Dozen", a CBS pilot for a TV series, and it couldn't have went better. Everyone was pleased with my work including Ron Silver, the lead. A couple of days after we wrapped the pilot, CBS announced that "Baker's Dozen" would be picked up for another 5 episodes. This meant that in the next few weeks I would make more money than I had made my whole life up to that point.

I was nervous, it was to good to be true, something would go wrong, and it did. Screen Actors Guild picked this time to go on strike. This meant that all union film and TV projects in America had to stop production.

Why do actors strike? Yes, there must be some protection for actors, such as: safety on the set, keep track of residuals and carry the health plan. These are good things that the union does for us. But when they opt to go on strike, then it had better be a life and death situation.

The rich actors that make millions of dollars don't care, they already made it and can rest comfortably in Malibu , until the strike is over. Or they may go out of the country, away from SAG's jurisdiction, and make a couple of million doing a foreign produced film.

But what about actors like me? What we need is opportunity to show the world and the industry that we can contribute. Who cares about the nickles and dimes the union is fighting over, such as: more money for extras. I don't think serious actors, that work hard for years to develope their craft, should have to have the rug pulled out from under them so some housewife in Long Island can make extra money and have an exciting day on the set.

The strike went on for 6 months. I received a few offers for plays during that time and I turned them down until I received a offer to a play at Ensemble Studio Theater. The play was Gray Spades and I had done the play in the past. (see chapter 16).

I really didn't feel like doing a play while I was waiting for the SAG strike to end. I was having a great time around town. It was great, I would walk down the street or go into Jimmy ray's and you could see it in their faces, the respect, awe and of coarse envy, all at once.

What convinced me was the director, Risa Bramen. She was young, smart and aggressive. Risa went on to become one of the top film casting directors in the business. She picked it to do something edgy and to impress people with her versatility. A couple of other cast members were Robert Pastorelli, who went on to be a regular on Murphy Brown and Sam McMurry who also was a regular on Baker's Dozen.

When the play opened, for it's short run, the audience was filled every night with agents and casting directors. After the run I received a call from The Gage Group a top talent agent in New York and Los Angeles. I had a interview with this agent a couple of years previous and their attitude, at the time, was very dismissve. They asked me to forget about that and swore they would work for me diligently. So finally I had a agent. Not just any agent but one of the best.

Finally the actor's strike was over and I would be shooting the other 5 episodes. I was riding on cloud 9. All my life I have been broke. My father was a gambler so my family lived just above the poverty line.

Now, I would live the good life. I was so happy that I went out and got married again. I am not going to talk much about this marriage as it resulted in a beautiful daughter and her privacy should be maintained.

Bitter sweet success 27

2011-10-31T15:11:00.000-07:00

The shoot, for the pilot on CBS, could not have gone better for me. I had one scene where I pick the pocket of another character and the actor playing the role didn't realize what I did and it was all caught on camera. The producers and everybody involved thought it was great and my position was secure.

There was a particular incident that I remember. We were shooting a scene inside a bar and an actor I knew from Jimmy Rays came in to do extra work. Now this particular guy would tell me that I was a fool for working for no money when I was doing Off-Off Broadway. When he saw me , he came over and congratulated me for being smart and to do some extra work. I didn't say anything but as the day went on and he saw that I was not only a principle but a regular, he asked to be excused saying he was sick.

This actor could not accept that someone he thought was inferior to him, rise to the top while he languished doing extra work which is the dregs of show business. I never saw this actor again.

Getting this job changed my life, mostly for the better but there were some negative consequences. Up to this time all my close actor friends were struggling, working as waiters or cab drivers like my self. We would comfort each other in our misery of the struggle.

Now I went from a struggling actor to the fast track of the business. Friends that I got drunk with, friends that I performed plays with me in the outer reaches of off off, shunned me and treated me with suspicion as if I had betrayed them. They assumed that I had changed so they beat me to it by not saying hello when we ran into each other, unless I acknowledged them first.

I should have been more understanding. I felt they were not happy for me so I retaliated by walking away from a lot of old friends who I felt were not true friends but jealous of me.

In looking back, I am sorry for the way I acted to their insecurity. I know how painful it can be to give everything you have to make it as an actor and get nowhere. How painful it can be to see some one that you think you are better than, all actors think they are the best, have some success while you languish in shit jobs. Laying awake at night, worried that you will end up in poverty with no children, alone and broke.

I know because I felt that way.

Filming on the Streets of NY 26

2011-10-28T19:17:00.000-07:00

The day came for the first day of shooting for "Baker's Dozen"TV pilot for CBS Television. I was nervous as this was my first job on film to be shown across America and possibly a life changing venture.

The first scene I was to shoot was the scene I had auditioned . I was determined to play moment to moment and create the illusion of the first time. This is essential in film, to be spontaneous and in the moment.

So here I am in my own trailer on Broadway and 45th Street waiting to be called to the set. I looked over my scene and was sure of all my intentions and what my character wanted. The knock at the door came and the ad escorted me to the set, passing onlookers behind barricades. I felt like a star, as the spectators looked at me with respect and awe. I got hold of myself and not let it go to my head. After all, I haven't shot anything yet.

We shot the first scene and it went great basically because I was working with a great actor, Ron Silver. We hooked into each other and created a relationship between the 2 characters, Ron's Detective Locasale and mine, Jeff Diggens the pickpocket.

After we rapped my scene, the producers Sonny Grosso and his partner Bud Jacobson came over to me and complimented on my performance. This enabled me to relax and enjoy myself for the rest of the shoot.

All the theater I had done over the past 7 years paid off. The scenes I had in the pilot were easy compared what I had created on stage. The major difference is the lack of rehearsal. In theater there is usually 4 weeks of rehearsal but on TV the only rehearsal is right before you shoot while the crew is setting up the scene.