It was a WONDERFUL FEELING

When Jason Furrate, Director of Programming and Production for Cox Communications,  invited me in late April 2014 to join him and Andre Chappoy, Co-Founder of CFX Entertainment, for lunch at Coffee Call, my natural instinct told me that another film production was in the offing.  This expectation was quite exciting.   

I had worked on a previous production, LA-308, that was produced and directed by Jason with cinematography by Andre.  The LA-308 experience had been extremely full-filling  and rewarding and I couldn’t wait to be brought in on another Furrate/Chappoy project.

At the appointed date and time we met at Coffee Call on College Dr. in Baton Rouge.  The three of us (myself, Jason and Andre) small-talked while waiting for Charlene Robert’s arrival.  Charlene was the Advocate’s marketing director.  When she joined us, Jason then asked me “Do you have any idea why we are here?”  I confessed that I really had no idea.  I didn’t want to express my hope that another film production was being cast for fear that I would be wrong.

As it turned out I was wrong.  A film project was not in the offing.  Jason said that the LOUISIANA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, which was now entering its second year, had instituted a lifetime achievement award named in

honor of the late Anne Price who had been the Advocate’s premiere Arts columnist for nearly 70 years.   Jason  asked “Would you want to take a guess as to who will be its inaugural recipient this year?”  I had no idea and certainly didn’t want to venture a guess.  I said “Tell me, Jason.  I dare NOT venture a guess.”  He said “You”. 

GULP!!

It took a few seconds to process his answer.   I said “You? As in‘me’?”  He said “Yes, YOU, Jerry Leggio” while grinning and pointing at me.  With my non-plussed and speechless expression, I looked quickly over at Andre who grinned and nodded, then at Charlene, who did the same. 

My initial response was “WOW!  Lifetime Achievement? WOW!”  Then Jason said that the LIFF board had met and all agreed that I was the obvious choice.  “WOW!”  The word “obvious” made it more special and even more special was the fact that this award bore the name of Anne Price.  Another WOW!

I was feeling like George Bailey, Jimmy Stewart’s character, in Frank Capra’s enduring 1946 classic film IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE.  All I could say was “IT’S A WONDERFUL FEELING.”  And I could think of no greater honor than being the recipient of an award bearing the name of Anne Price.  This lady was the personification of the Arts not only in Baton Rouge but throughout the state.  Anne’s journalistic contributions to the arts in Baton Rouge and throughout Louisiana greatly enriched our culture.  She epitomized the very essence of theater, music, ballet, film and the graphic arts.

I was quite aware that film production in Louisiana had finally taken hold and that this industry now appeared to be here to stay. Some 5-7 sound stage parks had been developed and were up and running throughout the state.  As of this

writing Louisiana was enjoying FIRST place in film production among all the states including California and New York, a ranking that I had never believed would come this soon though I had envisioned this possibility as Louisiana production activity began to mushroom in the 80s.  I swelled with pride knowing that my pioneering efforts, which I began in the early 1960s, had exploded into a colossal Louisiana economic engine, resulting in an annual billion dollars of economic activity.

At the conclusion of the Coffee Call meeting I was told that the award presentation would follow the showing of Jason’s film, LA-308,  at this years LIFF (La Int’l Film Festival).   LA-308 was a film that I was proud to have been a part of.   Jason and Andre ingeniously crafted this quality production for under $120,000, a true feat in economy and efficiency.

Before leaving the parking lot that served Coffee Call, I decided to text Gloria and let her know the good news.  She had asked that I do this.  I use voice command on my cell phone and vocalized “I am going to be the recipient of a life achievement award at this year’s film fest.” Before pressing the SEND button I reviewed my message for accuracy.  Instead of seeing the intended message, it read instead “I am going to be the recipient of a lice treatment award at this year’s film nest.”  Hmmm!  Was my Android trying to tell me something?  I hoped this was not an omen.  I corrected the message and sent it on to Gloria.

As elated and thrilled as I was, I nonetheless harbored some anxiety.  Gloria asked “What’s bothering you about this honor?”  I said “My great fear is that attendance at this film and this presentation may be very sparse.  I would hate having to accept such an honor before a ‘crowd’ of  only 10 or 15 people or, worse yet, even fewer than that.  How embarrassing that would be.”  She merely said “You worry too much.”

At 11 AM on Saturday morning, May 11 Gloria and I walked into the Cinemark Theater that would be exhibiting LA-308.  Within minutes the theater filled to capacity.  I would learn later that people had to be

turned away due to the sell-out.  My heart filled with both pride and humility.  I could not have been happier.  I was overwhelmed with well-wishers and showered with congratulatory comments.   What a day!  It was a WONDERFUL DAY!  It was a WONDERFUL FEELING!

It never occurred to me that I would ever gain any recognition for my film development pioneering work.  Nor had I ever expected any such recognition. My greatest gratification was witnessing its fruition.  In the late 80s I was all too happy to step back and let younger, smarter folks continue the process …..

….. except when on 2 separate occasions in the late 1990s and then again some 7 years after that when Jay Dardenne’s shrewd and innovative tax credits program was in jeopardy of being repealed, I emailed all the state’s legislators

to persuade them NOT to reduce or eliminate this program.  I explained the sensitive nature of the film industry.  Once an asset is provided to them, like spoiled children, producers expect no less.  If credits are reduced or eliminated, we would quickly see the end of location filming in Louisiana….thus resulting in a devastating loss for Louisiana’s employment numbers and tax base.

Today, thank heavens, the tax credits are still in play and film production in Louisiana has never been more plentiful.  God bless the movie industry.  God bless Louisiana.

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My BRLT Adventures (1958 through the 60s)

I can’t believe I’ve devoted more than 4 years posting Facebook stories about some of my life experiences (film, family, research, scouting, etc), but none (as of this writing) relevant to my nearly 60 years of BATON ROUGE LITTLE THEATRE on-stage adventures.   I beg your pardon – THEATRE BATON ROUGE (as of 2012).

My first ever appearance on stage was in 1951 at the age of 16.  I was cast as the Stage Manager in Thornton Wilder’s OUR TOWN in a classroom production in my sophomore year at Baton Rouge High School.  I suppose a classroom production could qualify as an “on-stage” performance. 

In 1954 while completing my studies at LSU’s Theatre department, Don Blakely, LSU’s director extraordinaire, launched Tennessee William’s classic “A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE.”  I dared not tryout because I was intimidated by the small clique of staffers and teaching assistants that paraded throughout the Speech and Drama Department at that time.   Leading roles were awarded only to graduate students and faculty.  Undergrads won lesser roles.  Blakely’s production was masterfully executed and, even after nearly 60 years, held the distinction of being my greatest stage inspiration.

I was so moved by Blakely’s production I tried out for and won the role of Bonario in the Drama department’s production of Ben Jonson’s VOLPONE which was the forerunner of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s CAROUSEL (which I would appear in some 13 years later at BRLT).   VOLPONE didn’t come close to wetting my theatre appetite, but it did contribute to my stage  experience.  Soon after VOLPONE closed I was approached by the fabulously popular and talented director Oran  “Doc” Teague who introduced himself to me and asked if I would play a major role in an original epic drama entitled ALWAYS ACADIA.   Wow! Thanks, Bonario.   Doc said that this play had been written by the Drama Department’s Dr. Clinton Bradford and commissioned by the Louisiana state legislature to commemorate  Louisiana’s forthcoming Acadian by-centennial celebration (reference my May 2012 Oran Teague blog post).     

At LSU I had gained considerable theatre education and general staging skills from Dr Claude Shaver (for whom the current recently renovated LSU Theatre building is named) and was privileged to have been able to work with Doc Teague, for whom I had much admiration   Sadly both of these gentlemen along with Don Blakely are no longer with us.

Though stage has always been my true love, when ALWAYS ACADIA closed I was again approached by a most talented director / producer, Bob Reed, who was the Production Manager of Baton Rouge’s newest TV station, WBRZ.   He explained that he was in the early stages of producing a weekly local live TV show entitled HIT OR MISS.   He described the format to me and said that the show’s cast each week would be paid.  Hey, Hey!    Even though stage production was my first love, the promise of enriching my bank account spawned a new interest, that of TV production.  For more information on HorM and WBRZ read my (January 2013 HIT OR MISS and my October 2012 WBRZ blog posts).

While my Bonario character in VOLPONE was not the most thrilling nor most challenging, I was grateful for the theatre doors it opened to me and I vowed that one day I would do STREETCAR’s Stanley Kowalsky.

And in 1958 that opportunity did indeed arrive.  BRLT announced tryouts for its upcoming production of A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE.    The tryout venue at that time was Capital Bank on Main street across from Goudcheaux’s Department Store.  I had my entourage with me, consisting of Bill LaVallee, Rex Reed, Floydean Smith, Mel Berry and one or two other members of our HIT OR MISS ensemble  (see my January 2013 blog post).    After concluding my reading I was regaled with a round of applause from my friends which won me no admiration from Director Lee Edwards.  He immediately announced that such outbursts would not be tolerated during the readings.  I flushed with embarrassment and everyone behaved after that.  Streetcar was my first experience with director Lee Edwards, whose natural mastery of the Theatre arts along with his directorial skills and dedication to BRLT I came to value greatly over the next couple of decades until his untimely death in 1978.

Initial blocking rehearsals were conducted in the garage of  the ALLEN-PARKER Credit Services on Main street which was just accross the street next to Goudchaux’s.  The minimum wage that was posted on their staff bulletin board at that time was .75 per hour…. About 1/10^th what it is today.   I have vivid memories of how very cold that garage was during our blocking rehearsals.  We were all thrilled when we were able to continue our rehearsals at our performance venue, the Harding field playhouse. 

The Theatre itself was an old frame-structured 300 seat former military movie house.  There was no back stage.  If an actor needed to make a Re-entrance from the other side (stage left or right), he/she would have to exit outside through the rear stage door and re-enter through the other stage wing.  Everyone who was blocked to make such re-entries were expected to bring their umbrellas … just in case.  Such an exit and re-entry was common to my character, Stanley.   On one stormy night I had to use the umbrella for my re-entry.   I wound up contracting a miserable cold which degenerated into bronchitis.  As painful as it was to perform with fever, headache, sore throat and a general feeling of “out-of-sorts”, I nevertheless refused to allow an understudy to perform “my” Stanley as long as I had voice.  I struggled through some 3 or 4 performances fever and all.

Our  show ran in early 1959 and was such a success, the Theatre’s board of governors decided to hold it over, adding several performances to launch a “fund-raiser” for the “new” Theatre which we all enjoy today.   Construction was begun and the new Theatre opened to a grateful audience in 1961, but NOT before I had an opportunity to work lights for Diary of Anne Frank and play the role of Bertram Cates in INHERIT THE WIND.

Aubrey Moore and Harvey Hyland were cast in the roles of Matthew Harrison Brady and Henry Drummond respectively, defending and prosecuting Cates while a cast of what seemed like thousands either booed or championed Cates’ belief system.  This would be the second of many co-starring roles I would enjoy with the immensely talented Aubrey Moore who sadly died in an accident in the late 70s.  I would again appear in INHERIT THE WIND in 2003 in the role of Henry Drummond.    More on this in a later post.

Then In late 1961 my country needed me and I was called into active service during the latter stage of the infamous Berlin Crisis.  I was in my 9^th year of service in the Louisiana National Guard and because of seniority and rank I must admit I truly enjoyed that year of active duty.   Stationed at Fort Polk near Alexandria, I was able to be with my family – my wife Gloria and our 1 year old son, Jerry III.  Then I heard that the new BRLT theatre would be casting its very first stage musical … SOUTH PACIFIC.  Oh my God, I really wanted to be a part of that production, but my tour would be ending about a week after SOUTH PACIFIC would be closing.  I was heart-sick.  Back then I was too young for the role of Emile De Becque, but just right for Lt. Cable.  Hell, I even had the uniform.  I approached my commander, Col Daigle, and explained my plight and said “Colonel, I really need to be a part of that show.  Is there any way I could …..”, but he cut me off with “Leggio, go back to your desk.”  Gulp!  My patriotic duty trumped SOUTH PACIFIC.

Anyhow, SOUTH PACIFIC came and went.  I didn’t even get a chance to see it.   My active duty ended in late 1962.   Gloria and I, my nearly 2-year old son Jerry III and recently born daughter Felicia  returned to Baton Rouge.  My job with the Louisiana State Employment Service was waiting for me and life returned to normal.  I wasted no time getting back on stage.  

In 1962 Lee cast me as the older brother in Neil Simon’s COME BLOW YOUR HORN opposite Tony Clesi, Bob Earle and Shannon Rifkin.   Tony played my younger brother even though he was 2 years older than me.  Hmmm.   This would be the first of many stage appearances I would share with the great Bob Earle who, sadly, is also no longer with us. 

Then in 1963 came A SHOT IN THE DARK.   I was cast in the leading role of the magistrate and lost 11 pounds in that show.  With nearly every performance I would have to cover for our leading lady, a lovely ex-nun and a very fine actress, who would go up on her lines every night… always in a different part of the script totally unaware of her goof-up. And the worst part – she never knew it.  For anyone who has ever performed on stage, you should fully appreciate the tension such anticipated mis-steps would cause an actor.  To lose weight I prefer dieting rather than stage tension.

Back in its early days the theatre’s governing board required that each of the season’s offerings would NOT be announced until that season’s preceding production had been cast.    Another rule was that an actor could not perform 2 shows back-to-back.  The rationale for adopting these practices was to prevent prospective cast members from “saving themselves” for a particular production later in that season.  While this “unknown” was frustrating, it did provide a sense of excitement and suspense to the casting and production process.

The following summer of 1963 was KING AND I.   No role for me here, but the late Aubrey Moore and the late Constance Navirile delivered sterling performances.  

Then came the announcement that excited everyone –  Clifford Odets’ COUNTRY GIRL.  The movie with Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly and William Holden had been released 10 years prior and was still fresh in everyone’s mind.  Aubrey Moore was cast in the Crosby role of Frank Elgin,  Ellen Moore (Aubrey’s wife) played Georgie Elgin (the title role) that Grace Kelly had performed and I was Bernie Dodd, the William Holden role.    Despite a little opening night “mishap” our production won kudos from a grateful press.  

Unlike today, reviews back in the 60s-80s would appear the very next morning in the Morning Advocate, then another review would appear later that same day in the STATE TIMES.   This practice often resulted in late Friday night cast vigils often at a bar or a coffee house while awaiting the advocate’s distribution to the newspaper vendors around 2 or 3 AM.   COUNTRY GIRL’s review headline was “Little Theatre’s Production of ‘Country Girl’ is lauded” by Ed Perez.

I’m sure the reader wants to know about the “mishap.”                               

                            

A very intense scene between Bernie (my role) and Georgie (Ellen Moore) resulted in a “furniture malfunction”.  There were several wicker chairs in this scene and when, in my attempt to drive home an important point to Georgie, I would support one foot on one of the wicker chairs.   Well, on opening night my foot went through the wicker seat of that chair.  Without missing a beat I continued delivering my line while wrestling that chair off my leg.  Needless to say that scene tension was transformed into a near catastrophe as the audience howled and Ellen and I struggled to maintain some measure of composure.

The next announced production that year was HAMLET.   Wow!  Did I ever want a role as badly as that of Hamlet!   But the Theatre’s “no back-to-back” rule might impair my chances.  Didn’t matter. Immediately I began learning the role.   Perhaps if I showed that I was acutely familiar with this Shakespearean tragedy and demonstrated that I would be a “perfect Hamlet”, then maybe the board would grant me an exemption.  Maybe.   With the tryouts I was thoroughly prepared.  But then “Hamlet” himself tried out … Stanley Beatle, who I had never seen or heard of before, but who delivered a smashing audition and won the role.  Darn!  Oh well, whoever said that theatre would not ever generate moments of disappointment?

Then in ’64…. MY FAIR LADY.  I tried out for Freddy, but Lee said "Jerry, you're NO Freddy."  He cast Patrick O’Neill who turned in a perfect Freddy.       

A year later Lee cast me as Sky Masterson in GUYS and DOLLS which included cast notables Bob Earle, Aubrey Moore, B.J. Hopper, Jess Hair, Carl Bruser and Flip Ross.   The first four of these are no longer with us, but I’m not sure about the latter two. 

Then a year after that in 1966 Lee cast himself as Pseudolus in FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM and asked me to do MILES GLORIOSUS.  If you’re familiar with FORUM, you may remember the scene when Miles is weeping over the body of his “dead bride-to-be”.  Pseudolus is trying to console him and Miles will have none of it.  At one point Pseudolus asks “Could I get you something to eat?” And Miles says “Oh, no, I couldn’t eat a thing.”  Well one night I decided to inject a little adlib at this point … unbeknownst to Lee.  When he asked “Could I get you something to eat?” I said instead “What are you having?”  The look on Lee was one of stark terror, then I added “On second thought I really couldn’t eat a thing right now.”  Lee exhaled with great relief.  The adlib brought the house down (thank God), but Lee, being the purist that he was, said “NO” when asked if we could leave it in.

In 1967 I was Bill Sykes in OLIVER.  My opening night was a disaster.  The lyrics to MY NAME were to be in cockney dialect (thank God).  After the first 8 bars of

Biceps like an iron girder,

Fit for doing of a murder,

If I just so much as heard a 

Bloke even whisper...

My name! Bill Sikes... 

Well I suddenly went up … went completely blank and started muttering in cockney doubletalk.  I was even reported as having sung “I have forgotten all these lyrics” which I had.  The review that appeared the NEXT day in the paper by Anne Price said my character was sufficiently threatening, but my lyrics seemed to get lost in the scenery… which they had.

I was redeemed the following year however when Lee cast me in the role of Billy Bigalow in CAROUSEL (inspired by Ben Jonson’s VOLPONE).  My leading lady was Ina Claire Shirley (in the upper picture) who had one of Baton Rouge’s loveliest Soprano voices at that time.  In the lower picture with me is Avis Barney in the role of the Carousel owner.  

No mishaps with this production.  If you are familiar with CAROUSEL, then you know how sappy and maudlin it is, but the Rodgers and Hammerstein music is utterly breathtaking.

Visit these related stories:


MY BRLT – The 70s


My BRLT – 1980 to 2010


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The Pelican "Grief"

No, I am not writing about one of my favorite authors, John Grisham.  His "Pelican Brief" novel commanded much more attention than this post ever will.  But I loved that novel.  You will come to understand why this blog post is called "The Pelican Grief".

In 1968 I was entrusted with managing a research project for Gulf South Research Institute (GSRI) that was vital to Louisiana’s economic future.  It was a Louisiana State Parks and Recreation Commission study  entitled “Development of Louisiana's State Park System”.  Because of the nature of this project, I was assigned a landscape architect, my good friend and colleague, Tony Thompson.  The objective of this study was to gain greater access to federal funding for Louisiana's memorial and historic areas and to develop possible new venues for state recreation areas.

I had already completed most of the preliminary work on this study.  My current mission was that of scouting new park site venues.

Tony and I were determined to scout out Hackberry Beach south of Lake Charles in Cameron parish.  From aerial shots this area appeared to offer some exciting tourism potential.  On one of our scouting trips we were robbed of any opportunity to get to the beach because there were no access roads to it.  After interviewing locals we discovered that no one ever visited Hackberry Beach because there simply was no local interest.  Well, needless to say, this lack of interest definitely piqued our interest.

PLAN A:  My father owned a 20 foot outboard fishing vessel and he agreed to ferry us to Hackberry Beach via his boat.  So on the appointed day we all arrived at a boat launch area on the Vermillion River and set out for Hackberry Beach.

After boating for about an hour we suddenly found ourselves running aground, stuck in the mud, stationery and immovable.  It was late in the day and those big, striped marsh mosquitoes were aggressive and relentless.  Having no cover or repellent, we all frantically swatted until finally the tide saved us.   The boat floated free and my Dad said “Do you want to continue?”  Tony and I had already agreed that the Vermillion River was too shallow, which explained one of the reasons few folks visited Hackberry Beach. 

So we agreed to abort the boat trip and return home.

PLAN B:  I investigated the availability of helicopters and booked one from Petroleum Helicopters Inc. (PHI) out of Lafayette.   Fortunately I was able to get a pretty good deal.  Because it was to be about a 2 hour trip via helicopter from Lafayette to Hackberry Beach we booked from 6 AM until 6 PM to afford us a full day of daylight.   This would get us to the beach just after sunrise. 

It was mid-winter and the weather, until our scheduled departure date, had been quite mild.  The PHI agent strongly suggested, however, that we should wear warm clothes.  Of course Tony and I (the smart asses that we were) didn’t think warm clothes would be necessary,  so we both simply brought along light wind-breaker jackets.

On the morning of our scheduled air tour we arrived at PHI, parked, gathered up our gear and began making our way over to our designated helicopter.  As we approached it, the pilot (David) began approaching us in his fleece-lined jacket and hood.  Noticing that Tony and I wore only light wind-breakers, he said “That’s all you guys are wearing?”  Mine and Tony’s apprehension obviously began to show when David then said “Here is the unit we’ll be flying in.”  We approached this small chopper with a bubble cockpit and suddenly noticed an 8 inch hole in the bubble directly in the path of flight.  Almost in unison Tony and I both exclaimed “Holy shit!”   David explained that he had hit a pelican a few days earlier and this was the reason he had appealed to us to wear warm clothes.  Thanks a lot!  This was also why I was able to get a good deal.  Again THANKS A LOT! Of course it would not have hurt to have been told about the HOLE IN THE COCKPIT.

After boarding the chopper and after we had been air-borne for about 2 minutes, Tony looked around and found a poncho.  He asked David if we could use it.  David said “Sure.  Sorry I don’t have anything warmer.”  Tony and I huddled together under that poncho.  No embarrassment.  We simply needed whatever was available even if we had to share it, which we did.  

The turbulence resulting from the cockpit hole was almost unbearable.  There could be no conversation with the noise.  Remember the movie DUMB AND DUMBER with Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels?  They were en route to California on a little moped….both of them on one moped.  They were suddenly entering a section in the Rocky mountains that was experiencing heavy snow-fall.  They begin shivering … teeth chattering, etc.  Well, that’s the way Tony and I were feeling in that little chopper even though it would be some 25 years later that the Jim Carrey movie would be produced.

Suddenly the chopper began shaking violently.  WHAT THE HELL!! “What’s happening?” I asked David.  He said “We have to put down.”  SAY WHAT!!  David looked ahead and said “I’m putting down over there at the Baroid Corporation”.  Baroid was a subsidiary of the now infamous Halliburton Corp.  Tony and I just looked at each other.  This stop was not a scheduled stop, but we were not unhappy about having to land. We might be able to thaw out a little and maybe access another air vehicle.   What we WERE unhappy about was WHY we had to stop.  Something was wrong and we didn’t want to be airborne until this “wrong” was “righted”.

David knew where Baroid's chopper pad was located and gently put our little machine down on it.   When he finished radioing our plight to the Baroid standby clerk, he then instructed Tony and me to deboard and wait in that small office building about 50 yards away.   Tony and I did as we were told.  There was warmth and fresh coffee in this little office, a most welcomed set of offerings for 2 guys who had not been very comfortable over the past hour.   

 I asked the duty clerk "Do you know what our problem is?" As Tony and I peered out a window we could see a team working on our rotor mast.  The clerk said "One of the rotor blades was a little loose on the mast. You'll be on your way in no time."  SAY WHAT!!  Tony and I looked at each other, then Tony asked "How far is the nearest highway?"  He said "Too far.  Don't worry. Bert is a great mechanic.  You'll be fixed up in no time."  I asked "Any chance he can do something about the hole in our cockpit?"  The clerk knew about the hole because word had quickly spread in that region about this idiot chasing pelicans out in the gulf a couple of days before.  He said "No, that'll take a few weeks.  PHI has ordered a new one."  GREAT!  So we would still have to reboard this junk heap.

And reboard we did.  Bert finished securing the blade and now we were well on our way again.  Still hugging each other under the poncho, still freezing our asses off, we at least were no longer being vibrated to death.

We soon put down on Hackberry Beach, our target destination.  Tony and I spent about 2 hours surveying the area and snapping pictures.  With the jars we brought along we collected sand and water samples.  The sea water was grimey and oily.  We now knew why Hackberry Beach had never been developed.

After reboarding our whirly-bird David said "Hey guys, I need to do a little side trip.  This won't count toward your 12 hours, so it won't cost you anything." Actually that didn't matter because we would be well within our 12 hours anyway. Tony asked "What kind of side trip?"  David said "I'll show you." 

We were traveling east over the water's edge.  Soon there was a flock of pelicans flying south out over the gulf.  David steered toward the pelicans and said "Watch this."  He caught up to the flock, slowed until he was just a few feet from the last one in the flock, then said "Here goes.  Watch this."  He inched the chopper gently to this bird's hind side, then "goosed it" with the cockpit bubble.  As the pelican yelped and tried to escape, David goosed it again, then again, laughing uproariously each time.  I looked behind us and noted that "... the coastline is no longer visible.", then David said "Oh, then maybe we had better turn back."

Tony and I looked at each other with very "knowing looks".  The Baroid clerk was right when he said ".. that idiot chasing pelicans...".  When we finally put down and deboarded back at PHI, I said "I assume that your little pelican chase is how your cockpit bubble got its bo bo?"  David said "Yeah, but it wasn't my fault.  When I crept up on the flock the other day, this damn bird came out of nowhere and smashed through.  I had to clean up feathers and bird guts for over 3 hours." Tony asked "What do you mean 'it came out of nowhere’?" David said "Out of nowhere.  It couldn't have been in the flock because it hit hard enough to punch through the cockpit.  Just out of nowhere.." 

Tony and I returned to Baton Rouge having been where it seemed like "nowhere."

It was decided that Hackberry Beach was indeed "nowhere" and the state parks commission agreed.  A couple of decades later a boat launch was built on Hackberry Beach and to date that is the extent of its tourist “attractibility”.

I don’t know about Tony, but that 1968 helicopter tour was my only and very last helicopter trip.

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Ed Asner

Three hundred and ten (310). As of this date (Feb 19, 2014) 310 is the total number of film credits that is posted in Ed Asner's Internet Movie Database (IMDB) listing. Wheew! Here I am with only 50 and I am only 6 years younger than Ed.  Where have I been?  Obviously not where I should have been.

Anyway I was privileged to have worked with Ed in 1976 in a made-for-TV Huey Long quasi-biographical script entitled “The Life and Assassination of the Kingfish”. Ed played Huey Long and I was given a great little cameo role as Senator Jack Williamson, one of Long’s more staunch and fiery adversaries.

At the time of this filming Ed was on hiatus from his role as Lou Grant in the Mary Tyler Moore series. The real Ed was nothing like this character.  The Ed Asner you've seen on the big screen and TV is usually an irascible sort if not downright villainous. But the real Ed Asner is anything but irascible and villainous.

Ed and I, though total opposites politically, quickly became great friends. Though we’ve not worked together since “Kingfish”, we’ve had several occasions to meet socially after he was elected president of the Screen Actors Guild.  He's a very warm, sociable and caring person.  To know him is to love him.

We first met shortly after I was cast in "...Kingfish". The director, Robert Collins, had scheduled a script read-through with the full cast which is a common practice in the industry. During a break in the read-through Ed came up to me and said "Jerry, I hope when we do that scene (meaning a committee room scene in which he and I get into an explosive exchange) we can get a lot of fire into it." This comment laid considerable pressure on me because I would want it to go the way he envisioned it.

 

This committee room scene was first on the shooting schedule.  I would find out later that Ed had specifically asked that this scene come first in the schedule because this was his toughest scene and he just wanted to get it out of the way.  I too was glad that it was first on the schedule.

Needless to say I worked diligently on committing that scene to memory. Our dialog was particularly difficult because we were to talk over each other and each take needed to match to insure editing integrity .. no small feat. Ed would later say he hated overlapping dialog.  And so did I.

When our first day wrapped and the committee room scene was "in the can", Ed came to me and said "Jerry, I want to thank you.  You kept me on my toes.  That scene went better than I ever would have imagined."  

He noticed that I was vacating my dressing room and said "You're not done are you?"  I said "Yes, that was my only scene."  He said "You're kidding.  Hold on, don't go yet."  He quickly caught up with Collins.  I waited.  Then Collins motioned for me to join them.  He said "Jerry, I'm going to write you into some more scenes."

I thanked Ed for his intercession and got 2 additional days work.  I was written into two senate chamber scenes.

If your political philosophy is conservative then you might tend to consider Ed irascible and villainous should you see him in any political debates.  But the man, apart from his extreme liberalism, is as good as they come. You can't help but like him. 

Hopefully he will move a little to the right as he continues to mature into old age.


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Louisiana's very own KING KONG

Let's go back some four to five decades.   Gulf South Research Institute (GSRI) was in its infancy and our Life Science operation had been established in New Iberia.  Dr. William (Bill) Greer was the Director of our Primate Center there which housed several species of monkeys including Chimpanzees and Great Apes.

Bill was recognized world-wide for his expertise in primate breeding, rearing and general care.  He became attached to many of them and admitted having a hard time when any of his “pets” were transferred to other centers and colonies or were drafted into research projects.

Bill developed a very paternal attachment to a recently newborn great ape that he named “Jimmy G” (the G for Greer).   It should be noted here that primates pound for pound are 5 times stronger than humans.   For instance if a baby chimp or gorilla weighed in at 50 pounds, he would be equal in strength to a 250 pound man.  Great Apes, when fully grown can weigh over 400 pounds (2000 pounds for a human equivalent).  The bars on its cage-enclosure would need to be 2 inches in diameter.

OK, let's get back to Jimmy G.  Several times each week Bill would make his rounds through the primate center.  When Jimmy G’s body weight had gotten up to 30 pounds, Bill would put Jimmy G on a leash and let him tag along.  

Jimmy G was particularly fond of Coca Colas.  Located in one of the center’s corridors was a coke machine that dispensed bottled cokes.   With each tour through the center Jimmy G would stop at the Coke machine and Bill would give him a dime.  Jimmy G would insert the dime in the machine’s coin slot, open the vertical access door, pull out a bottled coke, open it, chug-a-lug it, place the empty bottle in a recycle container, then look up at Bill with an “OK, I’m done” look and they would then complete their tour for that day.

With each weekly tour Jimmy would be weighing an additional 3-5 pounds.   He was destined to grow to 550 pounds (much heavier than the average Great Ape) with an arm-spread of over 10 feet.

Jimmy loved Bill and the feeling was definitely mutual.  The weekly leashed tours continued until Jimmy was up to 175  pounds (the human equivalent of 875 pounds).

Jimmy’s final tour was on the day that the Coke machine jammed.    Per his usual custom Jimmy gingerly inserted the dime in the coin slot, opened the coke machine’s access door, reached in to pull out a bottled coke … but to no avail.  The machine would not release the coke.  Jimmy tried 2 or 3 times, but with no success.  He then looked up at Bill with an “Are you gonna help me?” look on his cute little monkey face.  Bill, thinking that perhaps the dime had not completed its journey through the coin slot mechanism, began to pound on the machine.  After 4 or 5 strikes Bill was suddenly aware that he had pulled a boo boo, a major boo boo.  MONKEY SEE, MONKEY DO.  Oh shit!!  That was Jimmy’s cue.  He began beating on the machine himself, caving in the coin slot area.  This tactic was obviously "OK" because he had seen Bill do it.  Of course Bill had not damaged the machine.  Jimmy then tried again to pull a coke from its slot, but again with no success.   Bill knew better than to try to stop him.  Since Jimmy felt permitted to take matters into his own hands, he proceeded to apply his considerable muscle power to  tear open one of the stubborn coke bottle barriers.  He succeeded. The heavy metal slot, now bent outward, permitted Jimmy to retrieve his coke.  Though he could have had more than one (at no additional charge), Jimmy was not greedy.  He chugged down his coke, discarded the empty in the recycle container and was satisfied.  He looked up at Bill with an "OK, I'm done" look.

GSRI was billed $400 by the local Coke distributor.

Jimmy, for obvious reasons, would no longer accompany Bill on his weekly colony tours.  Having no miniature Empire State building to exercise his climbing skills, Jimmy G would have to be content in a cage. 

While NOT a KING KONG, he would grow to 550 pounds (larger than the usual mature ape) and become KING of the New Iberia Primate Colony.  But don’t fret over his fate.  He occupied his time as the colony’s chief breeder.  He kept quite busy and he was quite content.  I wonder why!


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Let's go "Joy-Flying"

First there was Bill, who was hired by GSRI around 1968.  GSRI (Gulf South Research Institute) needed to staff highly pedigreed PhD economists to satisfy its institutional eligibility for issuing RFPs (requests for proposals) and conducting Louisiana-based economic feasibility studies. 

About a year after Bill was added to the staff then came Bob, another PhD economist.  Though highly qualified in their respective fields of economics, both were party animals when not on the job.

Bill had been a jet fighter pilot during the Korean War.  Bob had not.  Bill had recently purchased an 8 year old single engine Cessna and relished “joy-flying” every chance he got.  Bob was not a joy-Flyer.  Other than each having expertise in their respective fields of economics and the fact that they loved partying, they otherwise had very little in common.

Then came a major research contract and both Bill and Bob were assigned to it.  Actually it was a 2-part project and Bill and Bob each had been designated project leaders.

At one point in the course of this contract a major conference (pertinent to this research study) was scheduled to take place in Shreveport. Bob was about to book a flight to this conference when Bill said "Bob, don't book a flight.  We'll fly up in my little Cessna."  This sounded practical to Bob, so it was agreed that they would attend this conference via Bill's private Cessna.

On the date of departure Bill and Bob arrived at the Baton Rouge downtown airport where Bill kept his little 2-seater Cessna.  Bob helped Bill move the plane from its mooring onto a taxi strip.  Now able to better survey this mode of transportation, Bob began to harbor some misgivings.  The Cessna's landing gear was badly worn.  In fact there was no tread on the wheels.  The aileron hinges were rusty and the cockpit interior was tattered and torn and generally disheveled.  Bob said "Are you serious?" to which Bill replied "What do you mean?" Bob said "This thing can actually fly?" "Hell, Bob, if it couldn't fly why would I be bringing us out here?"  Bob gulped, then allowed his tentative and disquieting trust in Bill's judgment to impart some measure of relief on his concerns.  Surely Bill would not fly a plane that was ready for the junk yard.....WOULD HE?

Bob was further reassured when he buckled himself into the passenger seat.  At least the seat belts were not tattered.  He breathed a little easier.  He asked Bill how long he had had this plane.  Bill said he had bought it about 6 months ago for $2500.  OMG! Bob asked "Why only 2500 bucks?" to which Bill responded "Well, LOOK at it.  Do you really think its worth more than that?  I'm pretty mechanical and I felt like I could fix it up and make it air-worthy."  Gulp!!  

But now they were in flight and Bob's tension eased somewhat until SPUTTER! SPUTTER! went the engine.  Bob yelled "What's wrong?" while Bill frantically pumped something that resembled a bicycle pump.  Bill said "This plane doesn’t have a fuel pump.  On a climb I have to manually pump fuel.  Once we level off it will be OK." Realizing he was captive, Bob tried again to relax, but he vowed NOT to return home in that wreck once the conference was over.

After about an hour into the flight Bob's composure was once again shaken when suddenly the plane began severely vibrating.  Before he could express his concern to Bill, he was asked by Bill to "help me find a place to land."   SAY WHAT! Bob yelled "What do you mean 'a place to land'?" "Just what I said.  The cable to the vertical stabilizer has snapped."  SAY WHAT!  Bob was now in a state of shear panic when Bill announced "There's a spot" indicating a long, deserted stretch of cow pasture in a remote area just outside of Alexandria.  He calmly said "Just hang on till we touch down." Bob hung on alright, white knuckles and all.

The touch-down was pretty rough.  The little Cessna bounced and bobbed until Bill was able to safely bring it to a stop.  He cut the engine, then opened a toolbox.  Planning to find a stretch of barbed wire fencing, Bill pulled out a pair of wire cutters when suddenly he looked around and was not able to see Bob.   Peering out the windows, he scanned the horizon and saw Bob jogging eastward.  Bill yelled "Where the hell are you going?" to which Bob yelled back "I'm going to find a highway."

Knowing Bob was not going to find a highway, Bill shook his head and started his quest for some barbed wire fencing. Not finding a highway,

Bob found his way back to Bill and the plane. Bill quipped "What, no highway?" to which Bob responded "Hell no. Why didn't you tell me?" I knew you'd find out for yourself."  Bob said "What are you doing?" "I found a stretch of barbed wire fencing and cut out this piece which I'm splicing onto the snapped stabilizer cable."

Still not at all comfortable with this aerial misadventure, Bob asked "What happens if we can't take off?" "We'll take off" "BUT WHAT IF WE CAN'T?!"  "THEN WE'LL DO A LOT OF WALKING." Bob shook his head and patiently sat down on one of the plane's tread-bare wheels. "Shit!" Bill asked "What?"  "I said SHIT!!" Bill said "You worry too much." to which Bob replied "NO SHIT!"

Bill completed the splicing task, returned the wire-cutters to his toolbox and said "ALL ABOARD".  Bob said "It's done?" Bill said "It's done."

They were soon airborne again with Bill pumping the manual fuel pump until they leveled off.  Realizing they were now some 40-50 minutes from their destination, Bob was able to settle back and endure (not enjoy, but endure) the rest of the trip.  The vibration was gone and it was smooth sailing into Shreveport. Whew!

When the conference ended, Bob, carrying his overnight bag, was seen by Bill loading into their boss's company car. Bob announced "Bill,

no hard feelings, I hope.  But Charlie is giving me a ride back to Baton Rouge."

Bob and Bill remained friends though Bob never again chanced a ride in Bill’s little Cessna or any other aerial contraption Bill might soon be toying with.  Whenever they partied after that, it was by ground transportation ONLY.


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