> > Message: 6 > Date: Wed, 8 Oct 2008 12:32:32 -0400 > From: "GRITTON, JOE A (ATTOPS)" > Subject: Submitted for Tom Kessel > To: > Message-ID: > > > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" > > Get Going Tom While the Going Is Good. 2 digests posted in 8 hours. Wow > and I see some positive feedback on my interviews. Thank you. I'll > touch upon briefly a few topics hopefully of interest. Someone sent in > by mistake a minor error. It was about Aunt Bees Romance saying "I'll > have a hand in those petunias yet BOY.. Just a correction to set record > straight. It was not boy but ANDY he said with accent on Andy. Our > faithful viewer was thinking of another line when he did say BOY in > saying Just trying to help BOY> Cruel vicious Roger was but Wallace Ford > was brilliant. Comedy one moment then heavy dramatics the next, and in > the end, naturally it was all a pretense smiles between Andy and Roger. > Roger had no choice but swallow his pride. Andy saw him for what he was. > Good job Andy Taylor. > I was asked if Burt Mustin talked to me about other roles non Judd TAGS > performances. He sure did and look back you'll see I revealed a few > roles... such as Desperate Hours and the problem unlocking the office > door for Frederick March and the retakes. On Leave it to Beaver clearly > his most visible remembered role in all due respect to TAGS. He loved > the part. Want to know a secret folks? Burt told me he wasn't the first > to play Gus the Fireman. He came in on the 2nd show that featured Gus. a > grand old respected character actor we all know Raymond Hatton but was > Charlie not Gus but Hatton said Burt had a problem at his age > remembering lines thus Burt got the role and aren't we happy. As for All > In The Family, he said he got so much fan mail from his semi regular > role and he told me a secret now well revealed but not in 1971, that > contrary to his conservative role. Carroll O'Connor who took the role > that originally was slated for Mickey Rooney (By way oldest living > silent screen actor still performing) was a liberal in real life and a > joy to work with. > There's a lot more naturally to these actors than their roles on TAGS. > There's much more he wrote but this is just an example. George Cisar > best remembered as Sgt. Mooney on Dennis the Menace told me the saddest > day for him was February 1962 the day the set closed down ensued with > the passing of the great Joe Kearns the first Mr.Wilson. Ironic the > readers knew thru the press releases of his death of a stroke before > young Jay North was told. They weren't sure how he'd take it. They were > that close. Everyone was in tears over the shock of it George told me in > 1971. Its eerie but informative to get perspectives of inside Hollywood > stories directly from the very actors themselves. Thanks Robert but like > always I'm way ahead of you and others regarding putting into book form > my interviews. No one is interested in stars like THESE> I got dirty > looks for years from people I knew who gave me a strange look like I was > an oddball when they learned I spent my time interviewing actors. > "They're nobody" more or less was their pitiful attitude. I paid a price > being laughed at and am sensitive to outsiders who play me for a fool. > Luckily. > > I get more respect in the Digest but greater America frowns on such > things like a man interviewing character actors. Before I close and > forgive me for not keeping my word about talking about non TAGS stories, > here's a scoop, something I was told by an actor right on the set who > observed it and no one ever talks about it. I got to share it with you. > If ever you see the film look at the very end. Another character actor I > knew and a great one, Martin Koesleck the German actor from WWII movies > (HE was in fact Russian ) told me this. in 1946, a horror film House of > Horrors was made starring Rondo Hatton. You heard of him .one of a > kind, suffering from acromeglia he played roles that profited off his > sheer ugliness? Well the very end Bill Goodwin shoots the monster. > Hatton in real life died what we thought was a few months later. Martin > who had a featured role in the film said, incredible as this is, my god > I get chills thinking about this folks, Hatton suddenly took ill (And > died almost immediately) bat the very moment he is shot in the film. > Goodwin says "We better get this man to the hospital." That wasn't a > line from the script Martin told me. that was an actual quote reaction > from Goodwin who saw that Hatton wasn't looking right lying on the > floor. The timing the sets, the place oh I couldn't believe it had > anyone else told me. Hatton's death remains a mystery by the way.. > Whenever I see that film and play that ending line I realize that Hatton > in real life is dying right on the set according to Martin Koesleck. > This is Hollywood history unknown to most. I can't confirm it. but I'm > telling you exactly what he told me. Til now I had no one to tell it > too. Forgive this non related TAGS tidbit. Wow the information told me > by these splendid actors. By way in closing Raymond Hatton played his > last role in 1967s In Cold Blood. In it was John McLiam from Aunt Bees > Big Moment made earlier that same year. One moment a gum chewing pilot > the next minute a horrid tragic victim of cold blooded murder. good > acting chore John. Give me any name of character or supporting actor > and I'll tell you anything you want if by chance I interviewed them. > Thanks for caring and allowing me to share a small piece of Hollywood > History. Col Tim's friend Tom Kessel. > > ps. added note. It's not that easy putting a book together on > collection. Here's an example. In 1976 I offered to put together a book > on my letters from Harry von Zell. Here was a man who rode in Buffalo > Bills Wild West Show, was in films, radio, TV stage, journalism, a man > who knew everyone you can imagine . he knew kings and queens heads of > states and the greats of show business. I offered the title Letters From > Harry portions of 150 letters he sent me. his response. = "Thanks Tom > but I prefer not to allow my personal views to be viewed and examined > by others. my views were privates thoughts between solely you and me. > They're not meant to be read and examined by others.." If they tell me > No I must follow their directives. like it or not I don't want to anger > these trusted friends. they would feel betrayed if I printed a book. > They may be right. in short, it's easier said than done. the same goes > to 17 000 color photographs I took 1968-present of my hometown here in > my state and surround suburbs street by street house by house all in > chronological order and labeled all in color highlighting the lives of > thousands of American citizens. all documented on film . I did my own > printing and developing too. But what did they say to me? "WE don't know > what to do with 17 000 photographs. Hey that's not my fault . I offer > you some history free of charge no strings attach and here I get people > asking "IF only they were slides and not prints." Explain that to me > someone. what ingrates. Good night folks I think I'm better off dead > conversing with the dead actors of Hollywood and TAGS than the people I > have to deal with alive. God Bless again Folks. Hey Joe and Tom,
I read your post with great interest! It sounds like someone has collected some wonderful stories there, and with some pretty amazing character actors! Tom, it also sounds like you have been trying to tell your stories to the wrong people though. I am a writer myself, and know of one magazine and one publisher that would jump at almost everything you have listed. The magazine is called Filmfax, which started out devoting itself to interviews and retrospectives about Grade B horror and SF films, but in recent years has conducted interviews with folks involved with classic television and films of all genres, classic, off beat music and comics. To show how diverse they are, they accepted an interview I conducted with comics/dinosaur artist William Stout for one issue and then a couple of issues later they bought an interview I did with Jackson Bostwick, the original Captain Marvel on Shazam!. The publisher is McFarland Press, which is located right here in North Carolina. They also started out focusing their attention on Horror and SF, but have always made room on their schedules for books about classic films and television. If you put together a book about the numerous character actors you have interviewed, I bet the editors at that publisher would snatch it up in a heartbeat. Anyway, I hope these suggestions will help you. And just so I don't get in trouble for straying off topic, let me just say that this post is in the spirit of what Mayberry embodies. I'm just one person hearing of another person's plight and I just want to pitch in and help. Lots of luck to you and your's, Dan Johnson _______________________________________________ WBMUTBB mailing list [email protected] http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
