Hey, Tom - I always enjoy your thoughts - You should have a net reality show -
your son could fix that up - I’d pay to watch - but your philosophies should
continue to be free to all.
By the way - Didn’t want to short out some friends of mine I'd call stars.
I quit 3 good jobs after I saw the first STAR WARS and came to LA from NC to
make sci-fi movies and look for posters, I took classes at The Groundlings
Theater for a couple years and occasionally managed the theater on Friday
nights.
That’s where I saw Phil Hartman star in Nick Hazzard on stage - Not only was it
just about the funniest thing I’d ever seen - but he and the troupe were so
clever, the Groundlings drew me in.
Phil would ask the audience for a weapon - they’s shout all kinds of stuff -
he’d take salami. He’d ask for a clue - people would say crazy stuff - he’d go
with feather duster - He’d ask a dozen questions. The group would immediately
return and do a murder mystery and use all those improved story points to weave
the most incredible who-done-it you could imagine. It was pure genius.
Couldn’t even be written it was so genius. It just flowed out of the moment.
Like magic, I don’t think improv works as well on TV - but when in a live
audience and it works at its best - the experience is unforgettable.
So - Phil was a great guy - and multi-talented - he did album covers for big
rock bands -like The Eagles, I think - in his off hours.
I got as far as playing a dead body in one of his skits before I moved on to
Yoga - but that’s another story.
Phil was terrific and so friendly. A beautiful man, as sharp and smart as they
come.
I knew Pee Wee Herman a bit better. I never saw a performer so full of zest,
smarts and pure talent. He made the audiences stand up, shout and go crazy.
Originally the character of PEE WEE was a newbie actor just-arrived in LA - I
watched how he developed the character into Pee Wee and saw him try out the
first Pee Wee Playhouse theatrical production. The entire troupe ate up the
scenery, the stage, the audience. Everyone just laughed themselves silly.
Paul Reubens was amazingly open and friendly. The real menches of this
business always are. The crumbumbs are never as talented. It’s what makes
them act like crumbums.
And then there was Cassanda - Cassandra Peterson was in my class - must have
been a couple years we worked together as fledgling Groundlings for a couple
nights a week. We were great friends. And it wasn’t until I left the
Groundlings I saw later she became Elvira, Mistress of the Night. Cassandra
was a beautiful red-head. When she was a Vegas chorus girl she even dated
Elvis. This was - and still is - one beautiful lady. I will say this about
how funny she was. All she had to do was step on stage and I started laughing.
She was preparing to go on and I started laughing. That’s how good her timing
was.
AND FOR PLAN 9 FANS:
I spent a late and dreary Hollywood afternoon with Elvira’s alter-ego, Vampira
(Maila Nurmi), at her reclusive, 2nd story apartment - Going there to interview
her for a CBS strip series, I felt like I was in a low rent version of Sunset
Boulevard - Maila played Vampira in PLAN 9 and would wear her costume on the
bus to the set. She told me she had something like a 17 or 19 inch waist and
would apply meat tenderizer to her waist and wrap herself in plastic wrap to
break down the tissue to get smaller. Can’t remember is she said she slept
like that, but having met her - she probably never slept - in the daytime,
anyway.
Sorry if it seems I rambled, just rose to the question.
Come visit my site - lots of unusual stuff and adding all the time.
Been a collector since 1957 and a dealer since the early 1970’s.
Currently putting up stuff I’ve carried around for years.
Enjoy!
Alan Adler
www.museumofmomandpopculture.com
Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com
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