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Post by owlcroft on Jun 24, 2008 13:45:12 GMT -5
Thursday is the big day and the fans and other guests are already gathering in Hollywood. I just wanted to thank all of you who can't be there with us, and assure you we will be thinking of you and hoisting a glass to your dedication and enthusiasm. Without you, there would be no star for Brian and we cannot thank you enough for you support, encouragement, and help. Here's to you, with grateful thanks!
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Post by owlley on Jun 24, 2008 16:17:34 GMT -5
Take Pictures, Pictures, Pictures!!!
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Post by analie on Jun 25, 2008 11:51:36 GMT -5
I just want to wish you all good luck for tomorrow. I hope it all goes well. Wish I could be there - I'll be thinking of you!
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Post by owlcroft on Jun 25, 2008 12:11:15 GMT -5
Pictures, you got it. Some are already being taken, like of Brian's star being prepared for the bronze letters going in. We'll get as many as we can and hope to have some uploaded next week.
We'll be thinking of you all while we're there, believe me. So, you'll be there in spirit!
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Post by gwilton1961 on Jun 28, 2008 14:39:01 GMT -5
I've been trying to find info online about the ceremony on the walk of fame, but only ran across some pics (nice ones). Is there any chance we'll get some video or text of what Daniel Hugh Kelly or Kathy Garver spoke about?
Can't wait to hear all about it.
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Post by owlcroft on Jun 28, 2008 21:49:48 GMT -5
We had the whole thing video-taped and (hopefully) we'll have it available for those who'd like a copy in about a week or two. Stay tuned for announcements in a few days!
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Post by gwilton1961 on Jun 29, 2008 7:14:22 GMT -5
THANK YOU! Can't wait. I read your other post, and what an amazing experience you all had.
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Post by owlcroft on Jun 26, 2009 14:27:41 GMT -5
A year ago, Brian's star was unveiled. Here's a video of the occasion: www.youtube.com/cheride2and we're planning to get together again in four more years to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the installation. You're all invited and you all have my sincere thanks for helping us achieve a goal that sometimes seemed impossible!
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cat
Grease Monkey
Posts: 4
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Post by cat on Sept 3, 2009 20:45:05 GMT -5
I did not find the website until after the unveilling of Brian's Star. Hoping to make the trip for the next get together. I think the work that everyone put into this event was fantastic, especially for his family and fans.
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Post by owlcroft on Sept 6, 2009 16:15:13 GMT -5
We are tentatively planning a 5th anniversary reunion in June of 2013, including another tour of the Gull's Way estate. No promises that any of the cast and crew will join us, but they'll certainly be invited!
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Post by owlcroft on Oct 27, 2019 17:11:27 GMT -5
To make sure that some posts are not lost forever, I am copying them from our original Gull's Way site on Yahoo. This is my post from the day of Brian's star installation: If it's okay with everyone, I'm going to skip This Week's Episode and we'll concentrate on sharing memories from the last three days. Agreed? And please, anyone who attended, jump in and add your memories. I missed so much, running around running around like a lunatic and doing chores. And I guess someone can now tell the Errol Flynn story. ;-)
Here's what I remember about the ceremony. It was warm, but not horrible out there; we stood in the sun with buses and trucks roaring past and a bank of photographers and reporters at the end of the barricaded area. By the time I got there, Kathy Garver had given out some autographs, Victoria and her family were chatting with Danny, and the Chamber rep was asking if there were any more celebs showing up for the event. We had five or ten minutes to go, so I asked Danny (whom I met for the very first time right then -- I offered my hand, he took it and pulled me close to kiss my cheek [and from then on, it was constant hugs and kisses -- ceremony, reception, reunion. Simply incredible how many people I hugged and who kissed me.]) to sign for Susan Z and he waded right out there and signed left and right for folks.
The Chamber wanted to start and I checked that there were no more celebs on the way, and then saw something I will never forget. There came Shelly Fabares, right at the last minute, walking carefully with her new cane and a wide smile, determined to be there to honor Brian. Shelly does not enjoy the best health and she broke her hip last month and had to have replacement surgery. We really thought she wouldn't make it, but she did, she attended the reception as well, and she thanked _us_ for asking her. (In fact, I've never been thanked so much, either.)
The Chamber guy opened the ceremony, introduced Monsignor John Sheridan, the former Keith family priest, and the Monsignor gave a wonderful blessing, which meant so much to the family and to those of us who knew how important it was to them. Very lovely prayer. Then, Kathy Garver spoke for exactly two minutes and I remember she said something nice, but everyone knew Danny was next and it was hard to pay attention.
Okay, at some point, Joe Santos and his family showed up. I think it was our intrepid photographer who pointed him out to me and I made sure the Chamber guy (Leron Gubler) added his name to the people they were mentioning as being there. Joe looks just like he always has, cute as a button and we were very fortunate that he wanted to do honor to Brian's memory and be at the ceremony and reception.
Danny was introduced and the crowd went wild. Danny is a very shy person. Truly. He had three or four pages of hand-written notes, and he went right to work. But almost immediately, he started to choke up talking about Brian. He had to stop a couple of times, then start again, voice quavering. He kept going, though, and got very emphatic about Brian's war service and that seemed to help him collect himself a bit. But you could clearly tell that this was supremely important to him, that Brian meant a great deal to him and he was giving this speech from his heart. We have it on the videotape and also hope to have a transcription of it soon. It was the absolute _pinnacle_ of the ceremony.
Next, The official Chamber declaration of Brian Keith Day was presented to Victoria and she spoke very briefly, quoting from "Auld Lang Syne". The star was "unveiled", and multiple photos were taken, which you've seen.
Joe then waded into the crowd, shaking hands and signing for folks. Stephen Cannell showed up, too late for most of the event, but _there_ and that's what counted. We met some of the people we'd had help from behind the scenes, and we started folks slowly moving to the reception.
I was late getting there because the Chamber wanted me to do an interview for a wire service reporter. It was _not_ the best time for me to try to speak intelligibly, but then I don't think anyone ever read it anyway.
Everyone kept telling Danny that his speech was so moving and the best they'd heard, and he kept apologizing for choking up. It was the most incredible thing to listen to and I can't wait for you all to hear it. He and Stephen and Joe all sat at the same table with a couple of supremely lucky fans and chatted for well over an hour.
Kathy Garver and Shelly sat at another table, Victoria and her family had another, but Victoria spent half her time with Shelly. The fans circulated, ate, watched the celebs. Cheri had set up a slide show in the bar area, which ran continuously. It had screen caps from Brian's shows and movies, a few candids, and everyone said what a terrific touch that was to the occasion. Victoria asked if we could make a copy for her and we certainly will.
The food was gorgeous and I ordered far too much. (When I left for the airport last night, the leftovers had just been brought out to the side of the pool for everyone to snack on. We had cheese platters, smoked salmon with pickled onions and cream cheese, crudites of all sorts, chicken satay in peanut sauce, artichoke bottoms stuffed with spinach and cheese, tomato bruschetti, an entire basket of breads and crackers, brownies and cookies.) Waiters passed through with trays bearing glasses of champagne and sparkling cider for the Santos kids. Johnny Whitaker told us a wonderful story about Brian, and his sister and mother were such nice people and remembered spending time with Brian on the FA set.
The Grill, where the reception was held, is in a fabulous Hollywood landmark and was an entirely fitting place to celebrate. Stephen Cannell left after about an hour (he really is supremely busy and we were grateful he made it all considering everything else he had going on that day -- his assistant had to re-arrange his whole calendar to get him there), the other celebs drifted out after the second hour, but Danny made sure to talk to everyone there and thank them for supporting the star effort. Bobby Keith also just kept thanking us and saying how grateful he and his mom were. Terrifically nice guy and we'd never even emailed him before, so it was great to finally meet him.
The fan group stayed until around 2:30, and the STAR group and our honorary members (Marilyn, Angela, I'm talking about you!) sat around snacking desultorily until three and I finally got my second glass of champagne. It was incredible just to sit there and think about what had just happened. It still hadn't sunk in that we'd accomplished it. After looking forward to it for so long, it somehow didn't seem real.
Paid the bill, split up, and a few of us went back to look at the star again. It's just beautiful. People walked by and I wouldn't let them step on it, so now all Hollywood thinks I'm crazed. But that's never been a secret with you guys, right? More photos taken and as soon as other folks start getting home, they'll be shared with you all. I just have a regular camera, but will get my film developed eftsoons.
Headed back to the hotel, rested for fifteen or twenty seconds, then changed and set out for Barney's Beanery.
But that'll be another post.
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Post by owlcroft on Oct 27, 2019 17:12:51 GMT -5
The Barney's Beanery event:
Well, we had the mezzanine reserved and it holds 50 people. Wooden walls and floor, with pool tables and video games scattered around, a few small tables and chairs, and forty-'leven television screens showing sports. And one waitress. Who went above and beyond the call of duty Thursday night.
The crew started arriving right on the dot of 6:30 and Danny had been there for a while for the auction dinner. We all moved upstairs and started ordering appetizers and drinks and started the stunt reel Cheri had made to amuse and entertain the guests. More and more people arrived over the next hour and eventually we had a capacity crowd and then some. It was beastly hot up there and the cold drinks were very welcome.
You've probably seen the list of folks we expected to attend, but a very late addition was Jonathan Banks, who is just a total sweetheart and was very touched by Brian's star and the whole idea of a get-together afterward. He told a couple of Brian stories and even got a little teary at one point. Sweet, sweet guy and the source of more hugs.
There were three reasons for the reunion, from my point of view, and I think it was successful in all three. All the fans got to see "the judge's favorite restaurant", they got to meet and mingle with the cast and crew, and the show's alumni got back together again. I can't tell you how it made me feel to see the alums swapping memories and contact info, laughing together and sharing some pizza, having a few beverages and remembering good times. I lost track of the number of people who told me they hadn't seen some of the others in over twenty years and treasured this opportunity to get back in touch.
Many photos were taken, many stories were told, many hugs and kisses were exchanged (and you people who told Danny good-bye twice just for extra "close, personal contact" took unfair advantage! Because I didn't think of doing the same thing!) and a good time was certainly had by all.
It was hot, it was noisy, and it was incredibly special.
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Post by owlcroft on Oct 27, 2019 17:15:09 GMT -5
The Gull's Way tour:
The STAR members had to return the video equipment, so we caught up with the rest of the gang at "Seagull Beach", which was wonderful. The temperature was perfect (I think in the mid-70s), there were pelicans and some marine life, beautiful little waves pounding the shore, spectacular scenery.
From there, we headed for Gulls Way and that was incredible! First, every good thing that has been said about Heidi Jaeger is true and can't be repeated often enough. She was generous, informative, friendly, helpful, and went way beyond the call of duty. It's obvious that she has found her life's work in preserving the history of the estate and her love for it and dedication to it are awe-inspiring.
We walked down the drive and there was the "gatehouse". From there we headed to the fountain area, then down to the side lawn and around to the back. All of the trees are obviously taller than seen in the series; they're 25 years older, after all. Everything is kept in immaculate condition, perfectly groomed yards and walkways. Indescribably beautiful views, lots of areas never seen in the show, incredible landscaping and the flowers are stunning. Words can't do it justice and the photos probably can't either. I would happily live there the rest of my life. But they won't let me!
Then, the final unbelievable gift. We got taken into the "gatehouse". We went from the back patio (remember the cookout in "Ties"?) into the kitchen and through into the living room. Most of us went upstairs to check out the "loft", which was really a bedroom, bath, and small area which could be a spare bedroom in a pinch. I stayed below and marvelled over the exquisite furniture and decor.
Finally, we headed back outside (reluctantly) and regrefully bid farewell to Heidi and Gulls Way. We missed the restoration of the arch by two weeks! Anyone heading out there, please get a photo for us.
Lastly, we arrived at Paradise Cove and spent about 3 hours getting a typical over-the-top lunch at the cafe there. Just ask one of us to describe the ice cream sandwich dessert or my quart and a half of guacamole! The crowd was interesting to watch, and the location, where bits of three episodes were filmed, were just beautiful. Unfortunately, they were also packed with people. Still, we can say we saw the rocks where the stone-skipping scene in "Gentle" was filmed, the pier from "Long Ago Girl" and the last chicken scene in "Nowhere Fast".
A drive back through Malibu and Santa Monica and we were at the hotel. After we'd all either rested or visited tourist spots, we gathered at the pool and the reception leftovers hit the table. I have to say, they were pretty good looking, too, but I had a cab to catch to the airport.
Thank you all for getting this done. It was an enormous pleasure to meet so many of you in person last week, and I deeply regret not having more time to spend just chatting with you more. It was one of the most memorable experiences of my life and I was privileged to share it with you.
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Post by owlcroft on Oct 27, 2019 17:21:15 GMT -5
Marilyn Hay's memories:
Here're my notes from the day, and mostly from the dinner that three of us were lucky enough to have with Danny ... wasn't quite what we expected! ::grins::
'Dinner with Danny'
The day was a whirl of wonderful events. I met Danny at the installation ceremony, where I introduced myself and mentioned I'd be having dinner with him later. He gave me a big grin and said I'd better be there! (Like I'd miss it!) I overheard him chatting with Victoria and her sister, Franque, before the formal speeches started, telling them about his son who is pitching for a baseball team in Hawaii. When he said he'd never been to Hawaii, they both urged him to visit.
Others have talked about Danny's speech and how affecting it was, but I've not seen a lot of details yet about what he said. Since it will all be on the DVD of the events, I'll just share his story about Brian during the war. Brian, a marine, was a gunner in the South Pacific. One day, they were amusing themselves taking potshots at cans in the camp, and Brian had loaded tracers into his revolvers, because they added extra zing. Later, while on a mission, they were attacked by Japanese aircraft - it was the gunner's job to keep the aircraft safe by shooting down or driving off attackers. Both of Brian's fifty caliber rapid fire canons jammed! The Zero, which had been retreating, zoomed in for the kill. Brian pulled out his two revolvers, clamped them to the gunsights to keep them stable, and started firing on the enemy plane! The Zero, seeing the tracer rounds, thought the big guns had unjammed and took off into the sun! Hearing that story, I began to think that there was more of Brian Keith in Hardcastle, or more Hardcastle in Keith, than I'd ever imagined!
Danny's speech was beautiful and, as others have said, very affecting because he so obviously loves Brian and misses him. I hope you'll all get to hear the whole thing. Later, at the reception, as others have mentioned, Danny apologized to me, too, for having gotten choked up, and seemed genuinely embarrassed and regretful. As did everyone else, I hastened to assure him that he'd done a great job. Clearly, though, he doesn't seem to have heard any of us, as he continued to apologize during the evening events. He said he'd also given the eulogy and Brian's funeral, and this time as then, he just wanted so badly to do his best for the family.
At the reception, he made a point of greeting everyone there. When he was chatting with our table, I mentioned his remarks about his son pitching for a team in Hawaii. He seemed to welcome the chance to talk about his nineteen-year-old son. Danny told us the young man has very severe learning disabilities, and had not been able to engage in sports in school because the coaches were always afraid he'd get hurt. So Danny created a pitcher's mound (including importing the clay) on their property, and he worked with his son, teaching him how to pitch (because pitchers don't have to run the bases). Danny's brother is a ball player, and the talent must run in the family. He said with clear affection that his son had always been a lot of trouble, not like his daughters (twins, who are now in their early thirties), and it was very clear that he's proud of his son's accomplishments. He also mentioned that he's about to become a grandfather, and said he's not happy about it. Gesturing toward his thinning hair and his body (he works hard to stay in shape), he said with considerable chagrin that he wasn't happy about any of this aging stuff.
When a woman we didn't know approached him, Danny put on his sunglasses and hurriedly made his excuses about having to leave to get to an appointment at the studio. Since we knew just about everyone there, but didn't know one of the women who'd won a seat at the dinner table, we wondered if this was she, and began to feel some concern that perhaps one of the winners wasn't someone he would be particularly glad to see.
Dinner was arranged for 5:30 at Barney's Beanery, an hour before the reunion was to begin. Sandie and I arrived around the same time and got settled in our booth at the very end of the room. Others of our group were at two nearby booths. Shortly after, our third diner arrived - the woman from the reception - and she was laden with bags. Within a few minutes, we understood why Danny had bolted from the reception and I suspected we might have a fairly big problem. However, the woman had won a seat at the table, and loudly proclaimed that she would have paid any price, so there was little we could do but try to make the best of it.
'Loudly proclaiming' turned out to be the woman's style of communication. And she NEVER stopped talking. Sandie and I attempted on a couple of occasions to interject other subjects, like the eight page menu, but she seemed not to hear us and just kept on talking. While we waited for Danny, she told us a very long, very convoluted story that basically said she hadn't heard of him until 2001. Apparently, she received his photo in the mail, but there was nothing to say who was in the picture, or who had sent it, or even if she was supposed to have it. She was going through a bad time (four friends had recently died), and she took the photo home, framed it, and spoke/screamed at it when she was upset - and she came to think of the person in the photo as her best friend. Indeed, the photo seemed to have some mystical power because at least once when she asked it a question, a short while later, Danny appeared on the television and whatever it was that he was saying seemed to be a direct answer to her question. Well . you begin to get an idea of her manner and of how she feels about Danny.
Danny arrived about ten minutes late, having had to dash back to his apartment in the city to shower and change after his meeting at the studio ran late. He greeted us all very pleasantly, and even gave me a half hug and kiss on the cheek before sliding into the booth - he was as far from the woman as we could manage in such a small space, far enough away that she couldn't touch him. What I found amazing was that he remembered my name from earlier in the day. He must have incredible recall. He also called the woman by name and it was clear that they indeed knew one another from previous meetings. He said he wasn't hungry and just ordered a coke. He thanked us for being there and assured us he was there to answer any and all questions we might have.
Danny had just settled in his seat when friends of his, Les Sheldon and his wife, actress Patricia Harty, passed the table on the way to have their interview for THE BOOK. It was clear that Danny and Les were old and good friends and they took great pleasure in teasing one another unmercifully.
Les and his lady had hardly moved past when the woman jumped in to again take over the conversation as she gave Danny greetings from her brother and passed along a joke I'm afraid I can't recall, then started opening the packages she'd brought. She had a model Coyote for him to sign.
And then she pulled out two sports t-shirts with numbers that had some significance ie. she said to him coyly, 'You'll know what the number means,' or something like that. One shirt was for Danny; the other was for his son. Danny protested over and over that she gives him too many gifts and he very clearly didn't want to accept them. He offered to sign them for her and she looked stricken; then he said he was worried he'd lose them because he was always forgetting things and leaving them places he couldn't remember - and she offered to mail them to him in Tampa. He immediately stiffened, his expression and tone flattened and he took the shirts, saying, "No, that's alright. I'll take them."
Sensing his discomfort, I interjected that I'd thought of bringing him a gift - a bottle of maple syrup from Canada - but forgot. He grinned at me and assured me that was just fine, and then included Sandie as he asked if we had any questions. Sandie asked if he'd have his photo taken with her, and he agreed with alacrity.
Sandie then gestured to me to ask the question we had both brought with us: On which wrist do you most often wear your watch? Danny said he always wears it on the left wrist. Surprised, I mentioned how often it was on his right wrist on the show, so often that we'd all speculated that he was ambidextrous. 'No,' he said, and explained that sometimes the camera shot or angle required it to be on his right hand if the watch needed to be seen. Other times, the film might have been reversed.
I said I wanted to thank him for wearing a Blue Jays' cap in the episode he'd written and directed. That got him started on reminiscing about the ep, about how he'd gotten into trouble for just grabbing the cap and wearing it without first getting permission and the approval of the ball club, along with the appropriate royalties. He also said he'd wanted the ending to be even more of a question about whether the little people were acrobats, con men or actual leprechauns, and had the Coyote been magically repaired or repaired by the garage, etc, and he'd shot it accordingly - but some unnamed malicious individual in post production apparently cut the film to pieces and it was barely salvageable.
The woman had just begun to take over the conversation again when Les Sheldon reappeared with an envelope of photos he wanted Danny to vet before he passed them along to Deb for THE BOOK. He had intended, I think, to just hand them over, but grateful for the distraction, I urged him to join us. I started to get out of the booth to make room for him, but Danny put an arm around my shoulders and told me to stay put, and waved Les to a seat across from me. Danny had introduced him earlier as a producer/director of Hardcastle and McCormick so, while Danny sorted through the photos (sharing them with Sandie), I asked Les how one got to be a producer/director.
He looked at Danny, as if for permission to tell the tale. And then he said, with all seriousness, that he'd been Danny's professor at university and they'd been lovers. So when Danny went to Hollywood, Les was unwilling to be left behind and followed him, expecting favors ie. to leave him alone. He said Danny got him the job of producer/director to get rid of him. Just as seriously, I replied, 'Ah, so, you don't come cheap.' He said absolutely not, and then went on to say that buying him off like that didn't work because he was on the set every day anyway and Danny couldn't get rid of him. Meanwhile, Danny was doubled over beside me, guffawing heartily at Les' nonsense.
Danny finished going through the photos, sharing them with the rest of us and assuring Les that he could give them all to Deb. I tried to get Les to stay and join us, and have his lady join us - practically begged him - because it was clear that Danny thoroughly enjoyed his company. Between them, they could have kept up enough banter to have kept the woman from taking over the conversation again.
Alas, Les couldn't stay.
And that was the end of our brief interaction with Danny before the woman very loudly interjected, "Now I'm going to embarrass Danny - I always do! He knows I love to embarrass him!" And she pulled out yet another package, and drew out his wardrobe undergarments from Ponderosa, shirt and drawers, and said she wanted him to sign them.
I guess he did. I couldn't watch, couldn't look at him. Sandie and I exchanged a brief look of appalled horror. And that's when I knew we had to end it. Forget dinner. Besides the waitress seemed to have disappeared; I hadn't seen her since she'd broke Danny his coke. I later learned that every time she began to approach, the woman waved her off.
I waved down Lynn and learned the reception was just getting started upstairs. Meanwhile, the fan from hell had launched into another interminable story that seemed to go nowhere but, when I cut in to say we were at the end of our time, she insisted the story had a point. Danny said he wanted to be sure he'd answered all our questions and was sure we must have more. The woman was still trying to tell her story, repeating the beginning and talking over us, with a brief assertion that all her questions would be deemed 'inappropriate' or something to that effect, 'as Danny well knows,' she asserted with a bark of laughter.
Though Danny kept protesting that he was in no hurry to move upstairs and that he was sure we must have other questions, while she carried on, louder and louder, telling her inane story. I advised him that we very much wanted him to enjoy himself at the reunion, that that was important to us. And so, though the woman tried to linger to be the last, so she could have Danny to herself in the dark corner, I had the disabled person's elevator called for her, and saw her into it while standing between them.
I got my photo taken with Danny, and he asked if he could help me upstairs, but I assured him that I'd take the little one-person lift next to the ground floor, and have one of the staff take my walker to the upper floor. I apologized for what had happened, that we hadn't known who she was and he told me not to worry about it - that people like that come with the job. He gave me another kiss and half hug, thanking me again, and headed upstairs.
And so endeth the dinner, if not the evening. Truly, I cannot begin to convey how difficult this woman was, how loud and overbearing, and totally inappropriate in her intimate manner toward him. Sandie and I felt sorry for him - imagine having her show up at any and all events, always demanding his attention and taking delight in embarrassing him.
Upstairs, she sat alone, watching him. At one point during the evening, bless his kind heart, he joined her briefly to give her more of the attention she so obviously craved. When the party was breaking up, I thought she'd left but spotted her accosting him at the bar downstairs, again going on and on.
The evening was winding down. Most of our group had left, as had our guests. By the time I made it downstairs there were only a few left chatting with Danny. I waited to give him back the gifts he'd entrusted me to watch for him and then he struck up a conversation with Angela and her husband, Werner - who had taken great care of me, chauffeuring me to events so I wouldn't have to walk far. So, I went to sit down to wait, as I can't stand for long. Well, Danny followed right along, pulled out the chair for me and sat down beside me, with Angela and Werner joining us across the table.
We talked for at least an hour about all kinds of things. For example, he was struck by the location of the star, thinking it perfect because they had filmed a scene on that corner. At that time, there were paintings of various actors on the wall of a nearby building. Brian pointed one out and said, "That's my old man. He was a rogue!" Danny said that was when he learned that Brian had come from a show biz family. He talked a lot about what Brian taught him, both about acting and about being an actor - like not getting a swelled head and remembering he was an ordinary person just doing his work to the best of his ability, to not get dazzled by 'stardom', to keep his values and priorities clear as to the kind of life he wanted to lead with his family; and regarding acting, about delivering lines in a relaxed, natural manner. He said Brian would be chatting away about something right before a shoot (driving Danny a bit nuts because he was trying to remember his lines), and then would carry right on, in the same tone and easy manner. He said nobody ever delivered lines with that same natural manner as well as Brian did.
He also talked about how Brian hated the Coyote, and used to curse it and kick it every time he crawled out of it.
I apologized again for what had happened at 'dinner', and he told me not to worry about it, that it came with being an actor and he'd gotten used to it. He said that she was harmless and generous in her way, but that he just didn't understand why anyone would fixate on him. I said I could understand it - that he was gorgeous! But, I said there was a difference between appreciating him and remembering he's a human being like the rest of us, and 'affiliating' so closely that people think he's a close friend or someone essential to them, that some people need acknowledgement by a celebrity (or someone else in their life) to give them a feeling of worth and import.
We also talked a bit about writing and fan fiction. I told him that I was grateful to him for a lot of the joy in my life, both from writing and from the friends I'd made worldwide because, though I'd written my first story when I was six, and had always wanted to be a writer, I'd gotten away from writing for twenty years - got caught up in work, mostly. But H&M inspired me to get back to fictional writing. I explained what fanfic was - the continuation of the adventures of the characters in the series and said I wrote stories for a number of fandoms and had won reader awards on a number of them, which is terrific affirmation. Angela then mentioned her favorite story of mine is 'Hard Time'. Danny looked askance at me and I explained that Mark voluntarily returns to prison to get the guys who severely injured Milt, but to get them legally. I couldn't read the expression on his face and said, "You must think I'm as crazy as anyone you've ever met."
And he said, "No, not at all. I think it's very touching."
We also got talking about the star, and I mentioned how hard Lynn, Cheri and Deb had worked writing stories to sell on CDs to raise funds, as well as creating a cookbook of all the different foods mentioned in the show. And I thanked him for having made his own substantial contribution by volunteering his time for the 'dinner' . that he'd raised a third of the money we earned in the whole auction, and that he and Larry together had raised half of the auction earnings. He seemed genuinely amazed by that and asked how much the star had been. When I told him, he boggled. I think he thought it was still at the fifteen thousand amount and had thought that an incredible amount for us to have raised, let alone twenty-five thousand. He is SO grateful to the fandom for having done this, for Brian, and for Brian's family.
Have I mentioned that he's a 'toucher' . little touches to arm, shoulder, back and a couple times, he encircled my wrist; so personable and warm and engaging. I tried again to get him to eat something, but he still wasn't hungry. When he got up to get another beer, he asked if I wanted anything. I should have said, 'yes!' because then he would have come back to the table. But he was caught by other fans at the bar. And, hey, we'd already had a great deal of his time and it wasn't right to monopolize him completely!
It was late by then, nearly midnight, so Angela, Werner and I decided we really needed to be on our way; it was going to be an early morning on Friday. So, we got up to say goodbye to him. He took my hand and held it while he thanked me again and again for everything we'd collectively done for Brian and his family, and for what I'd particularly done to help him that evening. And then he kissed my cheek one last time.
I'm so very glad that Danny is every bit as nice, as gentle and considerate and kind, as is 'Mark'. But he's not vapid. He has a harder edge, a tinge of bitterness when he talks about some of the malicious meanness in the business he's in, that is also reminiscent of Mark. He also very much has Mark's humility. Sometimes, the actor turns out not to be very nice but in this case, Danny was a pure delight to spend time with and I feel so honored and so VERY lucky to have been able to meet him and talk with him.
Marilyn
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Post by owlcroft on Oct 27, 2019 17:22:12 GMT -5
Liz Tucker's memories:
I thought I'd share a few stories, even those that aren't about our guys or their series.
First, I found it interesting that Joe Santos plays poker every Wednesday with Jim Garner. They only stopped recently due to Jim's attack. By the way, Jimmy is doing well per Joe and Stephen J. Some others come to play, but not all are regulars. Joe told me that I shouldn't be fooled by Jimmy's easy going manner. He's very VERY competitive and absolutely HATES to lose. Stephen J. laughed and agreed. He gave me an example. Seems SJC was visiting the set of The Rockford Files and Jimmy wanted him to play backgammon. Now, Stephen said that he did play, but not well. In his opinion, backgammon is 50% skill and 50% luck. That day his luck must've been high because he was totally beating Jimmy. It got to the point that Jimmy was slamming the dice down, growling at him to throw the d**n things! Joe concurred, that it got worse when he would beat Jimmy at poker. The cards would be dealt, slapping harder and harder on the table.
Somehow the subject of David Chase came up and Danny was asking Stephen about him, saying that he had heard that he was a little weird/strange. I have to say that I've heard the same, from outside the business. SJC stated Chase was a nice guy, but he would write these soliloquies that were difficult to memorize, they didn't have the rhythm or emotion that made them easy to remember. Another Rockford tale came from SJC. Chase had written this script which had one of those speeches in it. In the four years Garner had worked on the series, he had never asked for a rewrite, something very unusual in the business. In fact, SJC made a point that only Garner and Danny and Brian never asked for a rewrite of any kind. Anyway, Jimmy called Stephen and was cursing and growling about the scene. SJC went to the set with David Chase and could hear Jimmy still carrying on from the minute he stepped onto the set. He went over and assured Jimmy that he could have Chase write some breaks, some lines for others to break up the speech. Jimmy stopped griping and looked at SJC. He didn't want it broken it. He considered it brilliant, just a pain in the ass to memorize!
Joe talked about the first time that he realized he was going bald. He was about 24 or so and had gone into a men's store to buy a new suit. They had these wraparound mirrors in which you could see 360 degrees of the outfit. He spotted this bald guy in the mirror behind him and didn't think much about it until he realized that when he moved his hand, the bald guy's hand moved at the same time. He moved his arm up and down. So did the bald guy. Finally he put his hand on the back of his head and realized that he was touching skin!
Danny was talking about when they were location filming for Surprise on Seagull Beach. I don't know what started it, as he wasn't clear about that, but he wound up racing down the highway against some hotshot in a sports car. He said that they would be at the light and racing their engines. Danny was driving an American Eagle at the time, not what you would consider a racing vehicle! This guy kept trying to cut Danny off, weaving in and out of traffic. Finally Danny got in front of him and, I guess, the guy couldn't pass him so he was seriously tailgating him. According to Danny, this guy was less than a couple of inches from his bumper. Finally he stopped the car (short, I'd gather from what he said) and the guy slammed into him, the front end of his fancy car now crammed under the higher backend of his Eagle. They got into it, exchanging blows, before the cops came and handcuffed both of them. Danny was flung into the back of one police car while the jerk was thrown into the other car. One of the cops came over to Danny's cop and said that his guy was claiming injuries, was the other cop's arrestee injured? The cop leaned into the car and recognized Danny. "Aren't you..?" Mr. Charming said that yes, he was and managed to mention that his dad was a cop back east as well. In fact, he explained, he was filming somewhere in the area. Without a beat, the cop said "yep, he was, right over there", pointing to where Brian and some of the crew were watching the show! Danny was uncuffed and let out of the vehicle. He was supposed to film the scene where he's been worked over by the Nazis. He was checked out, particularly the blackening eye and the swelling jaw, and decided that no further makeup would be needed.
They heard later that the guy wanted to sue, but Danny turned that over to his agent. He didn't know exactly what happened, but it was apparently taken care of because he didn't hear anything further for quite a while until someone from the studio happened to tell him that he could've been in soooo much trouble. He was saved because the Santa Monica police never wrote up a report, so there was no record of his involvement. He grinned and added that he's loved Santa Monica ever since! There was an epilogue to the story as well. Seems that when he and Kathy were about to be engaged, he promised no more fights. Although she was actually out of town at that time, she found out about it and was waiting for him one day, arms crossed and tapping her foot when he got home. He didn't say what happened, but I gather he was sorta in the doghouse.
Just a few tidbits for your entertainment,
Liz
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