Love hearing about your acting career. The only stage time I've had was in college when I took a speech class. We had to put on a play for the K-12 school on campus. We decided on an all-female version of Julius Caesar. Because I was tall and thin, I got the part of Cassia (Cassius). I was deliciously mean. About five minutes before my entrance, I worried that I'd forget my lines. Two minutes later, I didn't care about the lines, but I was afraid I would trip over the sheet that I was wearing as a toga. I didn't trip, and I remembered my lines, but I'm not sure I have the courage to ever try that again.
My only brush with entertainment was in Tokyo, Japan, around 1975, while I was on vacation. A Japanese friend of mine was a writer for TV and radio programs, and he enlisted me for a role in a radio commercial for Sony.
I was paired with an American gal, and we had to perform lines from an overly dramatic, opera-style love scene:
“John!” (she said)
“Marsha!” (I said)
“John!”
“Marsha!”
This went on for a while. Then, at the end, I blurt out, “Yeah! Rock ’n’ Roll!”
It didn’t make any sense to me. But sometimes, in Japanese commercials—especially during that era—they just wanted to hear some English words. Whether they made sense or not didn’t really matter.
Thedirector could tell I had no acting ability. He kept telling me to put more emotion into it. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t satisfy him. I think we went through it at least 20 times.
Sometime later, my friend told me that the commercial actually aired for a while. I couldn’t believe it.
You know, Bob, that John and Marsha routine was a comedy sketch by the great Stan Freberg. I wonder if yours was a specific copy of it. It's just two voices saying John and Marsha over and over again withdifferent levels of emotion, and it was hilarious. Who knew it would travel across the world?
I think theater is in your blood, Jim. Whether the court room, stage, game-show studio or novelist’s desk you are called to narratives and story.
Couldn’t agree more: chance favors the prepared. Yet we can still zig when we could have zagged. And even though the Lord created the terrain and gave us a map, we get to choose the path to our destination.
I think you're exactly right, Doug. I went into trial work because I loved performing. Maybe that's why judges kept telling me not to make a circus out of the court!
I met Wink Martindale back in high school when he hosted Dance Party. Every afternoon, he featured a Memphis school (Kinda like Dick Clark's American Bandstand), and their football players and cheerleaders would dance on the show. I happened to be dating one of the football player so...he was a really nice man. And I have that old saw you mentioned hanging over my desk.
So glad you had your moment under the lights! Shoud've been more...but then we might've missed Mike Romeo.
Wonderful story, Jim! Those prep/opportunity intersections happen more than once in a lifetime. We need to keep our eyes open to recognize them. I wonder how many times I've sailed through one of those intersections, speeding to a destination that I (in my superior wisdom) have chosen, and completely missed the turn I should've taken. Life on planet earth, I guess...have a stellar day, my friend.
Love hearing about your acting career. The only stage time I've had was in college when I took a speech class. We had to put on a play for the K-12 school on campus. We decided on an all-female version of Julius Caesar. Because I was tall and thin, I got the part of Cassia (Cassius). I was deliciously mean. About five minutes before my entrance, I worried that I'd forget my lines. Two minutes later, I didn't care about the lines, but I was afraid I would trip over the sheet that I was wearing as a toga. I didn't trip, and I remembered my lines, but I'm not sure I have the courage to ever try that again.
Yond Cassia has a lean and hungry look. She thinks too much; such women are dangerous.
My only brush with entertainment was in Tokyo, Japan, around 1975, while I was on vacation. A Japanese friend of mine was a writer for TV and radio programs, and he enlisted me for a role in a radio commercial for Sony.
I was paired with an American gal, and we had to perform lines from an overly dramatic, opera-style love scene:
“John!” (she said)
“Marsha!” (I said)
“John!”
“Marsha!”
This went on for a while. Then, at the end, I blurt out, “Yeah! Rock ’n’ Roll!”
It didn’t make any sense to me. But sometimes, in Japanese commercials—especially during that era—they just wanted to hear some English words. Whether they made sense or not didn’t really matter.
Thedirector could tell I had no acting ability. He kept telling me to put more emotion into it. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t satisfy him. I think we went through it at least 20 times.
Sometime later, my friend told me that the commercial actually aired for a while. I couldn’t believe it.
You know, Bob, that John and Marsha routine was a comedy sketch by the great Stan Freberg. I wonder if yours was a specific copy of it. It's just two voices saying John and Marsha over and over again withdifferent levels of emotion, and it was hilarious. Who knew it would travel across the world?
I think theater is in your blood, Jim. Whether the court room, stage, game-show studio or novelist’s desk you are called to narratives and story.
Couldn’t agree more: chance favors the prepared. Yet we can still zig when we could have zagged. And even though the Lord created the terrain and gave us a map, we get to choose the path to our destination.
Have great weekend.
I think you're exactly right, Doug. I went into trial work because I loved performing. Maybe that's why judges kept telling me not to make a circus out of the court!
I met Wink Martindale back in high school when he hosted Dance Party. Every afternoon, he featured a Memphis school (Kinda like Dick Clark's American Bandstand), and their football players and cheerleaders would dance on the show. I happened to be dating one of the football player so...he was a really nice man. And I have that old saw you mentioned hanging over my desk.
So glad you had your moment under the lights! Shoud've been more...but then we might've missed Mike Romeo.
Cool that you met him. And even cooler to know he was a nice man.
As for Mike Romeo, yes, he's consolation for me not getting the lead role in Airplane!
Wonderful story, Jim! Those prep/opportunity intersections happen more than once in a lifetime. We need to keep our eyes open to recognize them. I wonder how many times I've sailed through one of those intersections, speeding to a destination that I (in my superior wisdom) have chosen, and completely missed the turn I should've taken. Life on planet earth, I guess...have a stellar day, my friend.
And yet, we know there's One who can take our missed turns and use them to guide us to green pastures. Good day to you, too, Deb.
Indeed, Sir! :)