SUPERDOME

In 1975 I played a pivitol role in an NBC TV drama entitled DEADLY TOWER directed by Jerry Jameson.

About a year after that production was completed and aired on NBC Jameson returned to Louisiana to cast and direct a made-for-TV pro-football epic entitled SUPERDOME.  He remembered my DEADLY TOWER performance and cast me (without audition) as the Coach of the Cougars Pro Football team.   

When I got the script I found that my role was quite substantial. I lost no time learning the script and letting family and friends know of my good fortune.

The cast included David Janssen, Edie Adams, Peter Haskell, Ken Howard, Van Johnson, Donna Mills, Ed Nelson, Jane Wyatt, Tom Selleck and a bevy of recently retired NFL players including Dick Butkus and Bubba Smith.

The script dealt with illicit game wagering among the Cougar players.  As the coach my locker room lecture dealt with admonitions regarding player gaming and the possible consequences of such behavior.  In the course of rehearsing the locker room scene, the players (mainly Dick Butkus and Bubba Smith) took pleasure in razzing me, trying to throw me off, playfully trying to intimidate me.   And of course they did occasionally get the desired effect.   But when the camera rolled and I got it right, I was asked by one of them “You a real coach?”  What a complement?!   The scene went great and Jameson was quite pleased as was I.

Months later when ABC announced the air date, I let everyone know.  But when it aired, my only scenes were my few field side-line appearances.  What happened?  What happened to my great locker-room scene?  The next day I managed to get a call into the production office.  I asked about this disturbing omission.  I was told that the NFL had previewed the film and had objected to a plot structure that would include active players being involved in illicit gaming.  Because the NFL would have no problem with retired players being so involved, the script was re-written and edited to exclude active team players from such nefarious activities, thus rendering my locker room scene unusable.  My heart was broken, but at least I was not cut entirely.  Lesson learned – DON’T tout forthcoming productions for fear of possibly suffering humiliation.  I have adhered to that rule ever since this SUPERDOME disappointment.

And since then I have appeared in some 20 major roles that I have not been cut from, but nonetheless dared not boast about.  I did violate that vow with my recent role in TNT’s HIDE because I was tipped off that my scene (a nice little cameo) was left in, that it was pivotal to the story line.  But I will continue to beware the possibility of exclusion UNLESS I know for certain my scenes have not been cut.

The heartbreak I can handle.  It’s the embarrassment I have a hard time with.

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Bones and Pennies

OK, let’s go back to 1945. I was but a wee little 10 year old. And I realize this might be construed as a departure from my usual film production musings, but you’ll notice a hint of “movie mania” featured in this posting.

My friend, Lloyd, and I would stroll down Main St. every Saturday to the Tivoli Theater to watch our hero, Wild Bill Elliott in a ½ hour cliffhanger serial followed by either a Three Stooges or a Laurel and Hardy or a Leon Errol comedy short. We’d have to pay a whopping 9 cents for the "picture show" (that's what everyone called a movie back then -- a picture show) and a nickel for a bag of popcorn.  From the 15 cents our moms would give to each of us we’d be left with a penny each after the show. That penny would be destined for a horrifying fate.

The Tivoli was adjacent to the old frame-structured Goudchaux’s Department store across from St. Joseph’s Cemetery. 

When the picture show would let out, Lloyd and I would cut through St. Joseph’s Cemetery to gain quicker access to North St. for our trek back home. If it was not too dark, we would often collect human bones that were strewn near washed out graves. The object of this collection was to add to the “make-shift” little pet skeleton we had been assembling over a period of several weeks. Sadly I have no pictures of our “Frankenstein” critter which consisted of a rib cage, 2 miss-matched legs, one arm, and no skull (at least not yet). We hid our osteo creature in an old abandoned shed that was situated behind my house. This was an area that adults seldom ever frequented, thus providing us some measure of privacy.

Our very last such excursion ended one weekend when we were caught red-handed. That was not a good day. I realized that day was not going to be a good day when the Tivoli insisted on charging me fourteen cents for the movie. I told the ticketeer I was under 12, but he didn’t believe me. This meant that I would have to mooch popcorn from Lloyd.  Needless to say I was teed off.

After the movie we made our usual trek through St. Joseph’s, then home. As we resumed our skeletal assembly, my mother suddenly appeared and said “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” Lloyd and I both nearly jumped out of our skins (hey, this would have provided us with 2 complete skeletons). Anyway mom repeated her inquisition. I couldn’t lie. I said “We’re building a skeleton.” She asked “Where did those bones comes from?” I told her and she demanded “You and Lloyd take those back right now!” “But Mom…” “RIGHT NOW!” Our masterpiece had been uncovered (or more appropriately “unearthed”)!. Darn! Discovered by a perturbed and disturbed parent. Darn!

It was getting dark, so Lloyd and I dutifully gathered up our precious collection and made our way back to St. Joseph’s cemetery. We dropped the bones just inside the fence. No way were we going back in there after dark. Gloomily and sadly we trudged back home while fantasizing over other projects we might want to consider launching. SAAAY! How about pennies on the railroad track!? Not quite as adventurous as “grave-robbing”, but nonetheless quite compelling. And weeks later my mother would be heard saying “You and Lloyd did WHAT?”

Hmmm! Young minds! Youthful innocence! As Mark Twain so artfully characterized it: “Too bad that youth is wasted on the young”. But, Mr. Twain, I have to take issue with your reasoning. What good are the fruits of youth if they are only to endure over one's few, diminishing years?

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Alfred Hitchcock

It was during the filming of HURRY SUNDOWN (Otto Preminger post May 2012) in 1966 that I became acquainted with Bo. I can’t remember Bo's full name, but “Bo” was his nickname and he was working either props or wardrobe on HURRY SUNDOWN.  Anyhow Bo told me about a bizarre experience he had while on the special effects crew of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic PSYCHO some 7 years earlier.

In the 1950s and 60s the industry’s “decency” code imposed very strict rules when a story-line involved nudity. If you saw PSYCHO, then no doubt you’ll remember the famous shower scene when Janet Leigh’s character, Marion Crane, is brutally stabbed repeatedly while showering. Leigh refused to allow her near-naked body to be filmed. So Myra Jones was contracted to be Leigh’s “body double”. The decency code barred any exposure of female breasts or pubic regions. Bo’s job was to assure that this code was complied with.

Before I continue with the “Bo adventure” I’ll treat you to a little known anecdote about the PSYCHO  filming.  At the very end of that bloody, shower stabbing scene Janet Leigh’s character falls forward out of the shower, dead and open-eyed onto the bathroom floor. At this point you see a slow twisting camera zoom-back from her open-eyed lifeless face. Hitchcock wanted Leigh to be stone cold still during this zoom which began on a closeup of her eye. She couldn’t blink. But she had difficulty controlling her blinking. And also, when she was able to keep her eyes open, the eyes would begin to water and tears would roll down her face. So Hitchcock, the master, had an idea. Let’s snap a black and white picture of her open-eyed face on the floor, enlarge it to life-size, then the camera can do its zoom in on the picture. Ingenious! When I saw the film I seem to recall seeing some photo grain in this shot, but not enough to affect the integrity of the scene. It worked.

OK, back to the Bo story. The body double, Myra, was well paid to perform this body double task. Her pubic region was to be completely covered as well as her breasts. To effectively accomplish this, Bo used a special adhesive on a piece of diaphanous (vaguely transparent) material that had been cut in the shape of an isosceles triangle to fit the double’s pubic area. At the apex of the triangle a slender cork was mounted so that … (well I’m sure you get the idea).

Bo was a little guy, probably not more than 5’ 4” tall. On the week that the shower scene was to be shot Bo and Myra were assigned a special room in the studio. This room was exclusively for the purpose of preparing the body double each day. Gynecology stirrups were acquired to facilitate the effective placement of the diaphanous triangle material onto its designated “location”.

The table on which the stirrups rested was rather high. Bo had to use an apple box to comfortably position himself so he could do his job properly. The adhesive he used was instant drying and required a special solvent for removal.

On the first day of the “shower scene” filming Bo and Myra began their preparations. First he had to shave her pubic area. Bo said he always got these raunchy assignments. Poor guy. Covering the nipples was not a problem. The material showed just enough nipple shadow to convey nudity while not violating code. Now for the pubic region. He placed the cork gently into its anchoring orifice (I’ll spare you the details). He then painted the adhesive onto the triangle, then began pulling the triangle up and over onto the target area.

But whoops! His apple box toppled and Bo’s chin fell onto the remaining exposed triangle. You can use your imagination to visualize where his face was now resting. He is stuck there and unable to reach the bottle of solvent. Myra is now laughing while Bo is yelling (very muffled yelling) for someone to come help. Finally the room door opens and Hitchcock himself looks in. Before retrieving the solvent bottle for Bo Hitchcock says with his renowned dry wit: “Bo, lunch is not for another hour yet.”

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Rex Reed

I've often been asked who I've worked with in films. 

The following format I got from my long time friend and internationally recognized film critic, Rex Reed.

I

Took Bette Davis to the nuthouse
Betrayed William Holden

Ratted on Richard Widmark
Nearly killed Ken Scott
 Joked with Raymond Burr
Swapped theater stories with Joan Bennett
Ate watermelon with Otto Preminger
 Instructed John Wayne
Checked Jane Fonda’s heartbeat
Tended Michael Caine’s young son
Opened the gate for Cicely Tyson
Partied with Clint Eastwood
Swapped theater stories with Geraldine Page
Cursed Kurt Russell
Partied with Ned Beatty
Argued with Ed Asner
Gave orders to Tom Selleck

Chastised Ken Howard
Coached Bubba Smith
Coached Dick Butkus
Took orders from Harry Morgan
Argued with Charles Napier
Ministered to Pernell Roberts
 Chatted with Leslie Ann Warren
Married Meredith Baxter
Argued with Ralph Waite
 Loaned money to Margot Kidder
Fathered Judith Ivey
Discouraged Carroll O’Conner
Commiserated with Farrah Fawcett
Photographed Paul Newman
Sentenced Dennis Hopper
Chastised Melissa Gilbert
Supervised Gerald McRaney
Insulted John Goodman
 Treated Alec Baldwin
Indulged Larry Hagman’s daughter
Supervised Stephanie Zimbalist
Instructed Billy Bob Thornton
Challenged Scott Glenn

Insulted Rob Lowe
Praised Sam Shepard
Warned Susan Sarandon
Intimidated Judd Nelson
Respected Gigi Edgley
Frightened Jewel Staite
Hassled Jason Lee

Gossiped about Treat Williams
Conveyed bad news to Kathy Bates
Was intimidated by Michael Chiklis
Examined Angela Bassett
Chastised  Janeane Garofalo
Served turkey to Alan Thicke

It took nearly 60 years to garner all these cinematic "relationships".

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Ralph Waite

The Internet Movie Database (Imdb) credits me with having been in “Unknown episodes” of the MISSISSIPPI series starring Ralph Waite. Everyone else in this series can be identified with specific episodes, but mine are “unknown”. Easy to get paranoid! I was cast in 1982 in a recurring role as the District Attorney (Mr. Sacks) opposite Ralph Waite in this series.

Sean Penn’s father, Leo Penn, had cast me as a police officer in an earlier episode and was so impressed with my performance (his assessment, not mine) that he brought me back several episodes later as Mr. Sacks, the District Attorney. I said “Won’t I be recognized as having been a cop in an earlier episode?” Penn said “Won’t matter. You could have been attending law school while on your beat.” OK, I’ll buy that rationale. I then proceeded to adjust to my new role.

In one particular episode, I am engaging in a pressing discussion with Waite. I am trying to convince him of a young teen’s involvement in a murder attempt. Waite, in the character of retired criminal attorney, Ben Walker, staunchly refuses to be convinced.

In one block of the dialog Leo wanted a tight close-up of Waite and me. To accomplish this, he asked that I crouch down even with Waite. You’ll notice in the upper left picture of this post I am standing about a foot above Waite, who is seated on a stool. For the close-up (bottom left) you’ll notice that I am almost even with him (an editing miss-match, but who cares! That’s film production license). Leo said “keep crouching, Jerry, until I stop you.” When he finally stopped me, I was in a god-awful contortion. He also wanted me dead-still during this vital segment. I said “Leo, could you possibly let me kneel or sit on some apple boxes? This position is awful.” Then, before he could respond, Waite chimes in with “Aw, hell, Jerry, you can handle it.” To which I replied “Easy for you. You’re not having to do the crouching.” Waite said no more, then Leo, thank heavens, attended to my need.
 
The series garnered several awards including an Emmy nomination for Leo Penn’s direction and two nominations for the “young artist” category. No, I was not one of the young artists. And there was no “old artist” category. Drat! Maybe that was because the voting members could not decide if I was a cop or an attorney. Ahah! There’s the answer to the “unknown episodes”. I feel better now…. or at least I’ve convinced myself to feel better.

Nine years later (Déjà vu) almost the same thing happened again. I had been cast as a police captain (I guess I got promoted) in a series called DANGEROUS CURVES, part of a CBS late night line-up labeled CRIME TIME AFTER PRIME TIME. The director, David Paulsen, had pulled my head-shot from a submission some 5 years earlier. He had been the main director of the famous DALLAS series and had asked if I would like to be Clayton Farlow’s field foreman in that series. Farlow was played by Howard Keel. Wow! Hell yes! I was nearly out the door when my Texas agent called back and said “Jerry, David forgot to ask ‘how tall are you?’” My heart fell and I said “How tall do you want me to be?” She chuckled and then said “You need to be at least nose to nose with Howard Keel.” Another DRAT! I’m 5-10 and Keel was 6-4. My loss (or was it their loss?).

But David didn’t forget me. In 1991 he had me playing a Police Captain in the first episode of DANGEROUS CURVES (top right images), and then 5 episodes later he brought me back in a guest lead role as a wealthy business man. In the opening credits I even got an "Also Starring JERRY LEGGIO as David Larkin"…. a little embarrassing to get a stand-out credit when NOBODY KNOWS YOU, but OK, I'll live with it. A wig was fashioned for me and I became David Larkin, a racist, rich, bullying asshole…. In other words – a jerk of the first order, a character type I had become quite comfortable with over my previous 40+ years. No ‘drat’ here. For the bucks, if I have to be a jerk, then let me be a jerk. I have played a jerk 12 times to date. “Can jerk, will jerk.”

The following film clips should be no problem UNLESS you are an Apple or Mac user.  I hope to correct that little shortcoming soon: 

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Oliver Stone

In 1990 my talent agent called saying “We’ve got a big one, Jerry.” She gave me the details and indeed it was a “big one”. Within the week I was on my way to New Orleans to try out for Oliver Stone’s “JFK”. In my previous post I spoke of my late friend Harold Herthem’s role in JFK. In this post I will take you on another JFK journey.This epic production required a huge cast. The New Orleans casting director, Tracy Kilpatrick, asked that I prepare to read for the role of Clay Shaw. If you are aware of the events following the Kennedy assassination, then the name Clay Shaw should ring a bell. He was prosecuted by District Attorney Jim Garrison (played by Kevin Costner) for his part in a conspiracy that Garrison genuinely believed existed, but was unable to prove.

I dedicated my efforts to mastering the sides for this role and, with a hopeful spirit, travelled to New Orleans on the appointed day. I read for the man himself, Oliver Stone. I must say it was hard to believe all the controversies in which he’d been embroiled. He could not have been nicer to me. He was very giving and encouraging. I truly felt that I was going to be “Clay Shaw”. I went home that day feeling very upbeat. Two days later my agent called and said that Stone wanted to see me again. Wow! Was I uplifted! I refreshed my lines and went in again to meet with Stone. Again he was very cordial, but very apologetic for having to ask me to make another trip. He never called me “Jerry”. He referred to me only as “Mr. Leggio”, rekindling memories of my lengthy interview years earlier with director Otto Preminger who also addressed me as “Mr. Leggio.” 

 

Stone (or “Mr. Stone”) said he was having trouble deciding between me and one other actor. I read again for him and he rubbed his chin while studying my head sheet/resume. This pause was becoming uncomfortable, so I decided to ask him if he would have a problem divulging who my competition was. He then held out his hands, palms up, oscillating them up and down like a balance scale, then saying, with his left hand up: “I’m trying to decide between you …”, then with his right hand up: “.. and Tommy Lee Jones”.  My heart sank. I was speechless. I gulped and said “Well no doubt I’ve got some stiff competition.” He said “I’ve no doubt that you can do the role. I just need to meditate on it a little more. We’ll be in touch.” In other words “Don’t call us, we’ll call you.”  To 'meditate on it a little more ' was code for "... further negotiations with Jones."

My drive home was mixed with gloom and considerably less optimism. Of course Jones got the part. And I kicked myself for not offering to accept a lesser role. The great irony of being part of a world of giant egos is that it is a fragile world often laced with ego- deflating rejection. I am aware that this is NOT really rejection per se, but more often just a more appropriate casting match. But hell, let’s face it, when you set your heart on a part, you do really feel rejected.

But I got over it. I also adopted a new audition standard .... don’t harbor any expectations (optimism or pessimism) …. Just “read and run.” If you get the part, great! If not, then you’re not going to be disappointed since you savored no expectations. This standard really works. It takes some discipline, but, believe me, it works. I’ve been applying this rule ever since this JFK disappointment.

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Paul Newman

It was 1989 in Winfield, LA when I found myself in the role of a Times-Picayune photographer in the movie BLAZE. This Touchtone Pictures film starred Paul Newman portraying the latter years in the life of Louisiana’s colorful Governor Earl K Long.

I was in only one scene, but I was stuck in a Winfield motel room for a week. Rain had been plaguing this production for several days and my scene, an exterior scene with Richard Jenkins, kept being pushed back. Of course this delay considerably increased my salary, but I was going stir-crazy. In 1989 I had neither pager nor cell phone and I was asked to remain on stand-by in my room. At least the room had a cable connection and I watched old movies until they all started running together.
 
The day before my scene appeared on the call-sheet, the Tiananmen Square protests topped the news. Just as I was becoming absorbed in this tragic series of events, my phone rang and I was escorted to the set. 

My God! The sun was out! It was hot, but nonetheless a gorgeous day. The AD took me to the honey wagons and showed me to my dressing room. When I opened the door, I was met with a general clutter - shoes, clothes and personal items obviously belonging to someone else.

 
I had to find out what the deal was, so I started making my way to the wardrobe trailer. While en route I heard my name: “Hey Jerry,…. JERRY!” I looked over my shoulder and saw my friends Harold Herthem and Sid Lacy racing toward me. Slightly out of breath Harold said: “Jerry, Sid and I hope you don’t mind, but we saw your name on a dressing room door and decided you probably wouldn’t mind if we used your dressing room.” I said “Of course not, Harold. But wardrobe didn’t assign you guys your own dressing rooms?” Harold said “Hell, Jerry, Sid and I are just extras. We’re playing Earl Long cronies. You see that truck over there?” I looked and saw this big stake body truck with a tarp over it. Harold said “That’s what they told us we had to change in. Man, was it hot! Sid and I told the wardrobe lady ‘Are Long’s cronies supposed to be old, SWEATY fat guys … because that’s what we’re going to be if we have to change in that truck’, so when we saw your name, we figured ol’ Jer wouldn’t mind if we changed in his room. Hope you don’t mind.” And of course ol’ Jer didn’t mind and it was fun being with these 2 friends for the remaining 2 days of my schedule.

 
Later in this shoot Harold would be upgraded to a bit player and he lost no time joining the Screen Actors Guild. A year later he was cast by Oliver Stone as a coroner in JFK. But Harold’s big break came when he was cast as the family doctor in FORREST GUMP. To know Harold was to love Harold. He enjoyed boasting about his big contract fees and huge residual checks he was getting from JFK and FORREST GUMP.

One day, while I was en route on foot to the YMCA, I heard a horn on Capitol Heights Ave. Harold pulled up beside me and flashed his first FG residual check. I must admit I was impressed. It certainly was more than I had ever gotten in a residual. In fact it was more than I had ever gotten in a session fee. I was jealous, but nonetheless very pleased for Harold.

Harold went on to appear in 8 more films until his very tragic passing in 1998. His nephew, Louis Herthem, has essentially continued his uncle’s meteoric rise in the film industry. I couldn’t be happier for Louis. Again I must admit I’m jealous, but of course very pleased for Louis. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer, more deserving friend. High FIVES, Lou!!

Pardon the quality of the 3 pictures in this post. These were screen shots from .mpegs. In the middle picture are Harold (cigar in mouth) and Sid. The picture at the top is a shot of my dialog with Richard Jenkins who was playing the Picayune Reporter and in the lower picture is Paul Newman, as Earl, flipping the bird as I snap his picture.

Richard Jenkins would become a big hit 10 years later in a movie entitled "The Visitor" winning several nominations including Best Actor.  Go Richard!!

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