Another time that I was with a publicity client in the green room at the Robert Q. Lewis radio show, I chatted with Leslie Nielsen, who was also guesting that day. This was long before he reinvented himself as a comic actor by appearing in Airplane.
Nielsen was under contract then to Universal, doing episodic television and "B" movies, and he was very unhappy about it. "I sold out my career for money," he said. "I have nobody to blame but myself."
Maybe Nielsen wasn't doing the kind of roles he wanted, but at least he was working steadily, which is more than you can say for most actors.
You see and hear some very interesting things in green rooms.
Things (and careers) certainly change, don't they?
You have a creative day.
Michael
Michael's Musings
Leslie Nielsen
by Michael B. Druxman on 11/29/10
November 30, 2010
So sorry to hear about the passing of Leslie Nielsen.
Here is a short passage about him from my memoir, MY FORTY-FIVE YEARS IN HOLLYWOOD AN HOW I ESCAPED ALIVE.
Squirrel Joke
by Michael B. Druxman on 11/28/10
November 29, 2010
Did you have a nice Thanksgiving holiday?
I know that I did. Anytime I get turkey, stuffing and all the trimmings, it's nice.
I have a couple new reviews up on the Best Bets on DVD site, accessible via the link in the Introduction section of this page.
The films are CRONOS from The Criterion Collection and HBO's THE SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP, so take a look.
Now, here's a joke I was sent.
There were five houses of worship in a small Florida town:
The Presbyterian Church,
The Baptist Church,
The Methodist Church,
The Catholic Church and
The Jewish Synagogue.
Each church and Synagogue was overrun with pesky squirrels.
One day, the Presbyterian Church called a meeting to decide what to do about the squirrels. After much prayer and consideration they determined that the squirrels were pre-destined to be there and they shouldn't interfere with God's divine will.
In the Baptist Church, the squirrels had taken up habitation in the baptistry. The deacons met and decided to put a cover on the baptistry and drown the squirrels in it. The squirrels escaped somehow and there were twice as many there the next week.
The Methodist Church got together and decided that they were not in a position to harm any of God's creation. So, they humanely trapped the squirrels and set them free a few miles outside of town. Three days later, the squirrels were back.
But, The Catholic Church came up with the best and most effective solution. They baptized the squirrels and registered them as members of the church. Now they only see them on Christmas, Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday and Easter.
Not much was heard about the Jewish Synagogue, but they took one squirrel and had a short service with him called circumcision and they haven't seen a squirrel on the property since.
You have a creative day.
Michael
Happy Thanksgiving!
by Michael B. Druxman on 11/22/10
November 23, 2010
This will be my final posting until after the Thanksgiving holiday.
Ordinarily, I would have posted a blog entry tomorrow, but I figure that people are going to be traveling or getting ready for the holiday, so I'm going to take an extra day off.
I watched a couple of excellent movies this past weekend, TOY STORY 3 is certainly the best entry in this animated trilogy from Pixar, but it is not a film that I would let little kids watch. The picture has some very dark, frightening moments and the ending is a real weeper. I dare you not to cry.
I also watched THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT with Annette Bening and Julianne Moore.
My prediction: One of these ladies is going to win the Best Actress Oscar this year. It should really be a tie; they are both that good, but for various reasons (political and otherwise), I'd give a slight edge to Annette.
I picked up used copies of both HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON and LEAVES OF GRASS with Edward Norton at Blockbuster yesterday. I hear that they are both excellent, so I'll be watching them during the next few days.
I'm also moving along well with my screenplay, which I hope to have completed by the end of the year.
You have a happy, safe holiday and I'll be back with you on Monday.
Michael
