.........TRILOGY via blog

FIRST

About 20 years ago I noticed that my neighbor, Marty, was no longer doing his daily early morning jogging.  At the time Marty was in his late 80s and kept in pretty good shape.

When I saw him one day picking up his morning paper I asked “Marty, I can’t help but notice that you’re not jogging anymore.”  He said “No, not anymore.”  I said “Well, you still look fit.  Is everything OK?”  He said “Back in May maybe you’ll remember there was a 5K marathon down by the river.  So I signed up for it.  I poured my heart into that race, ran my tail off.  After about 1k suddenly I was overtaken by 2 young gals and that really embarrassed me.  So I decided to hang it up.”   I said “Well Marty surely they were a lot younger.  Why would it embarrass you with them passing you?”  He said “They were walking.”

SECOND

Many decades ago (around the mid 40s) my late uncle George was a routeman for Cresent Laundry in Baton Rouge.  His route included the North St. Girls' Orphanage which was located across from a Jewish Cemetery. Back in the 1930s and 1940s the orphanage management permitted the practice of initiating new residents.

On one early morning Cresent Laundry run, George found himself amidst police units with their alarm lights on at the orphanage.  What was going on?  He made his usual delivery to the orphanage and asked the house mother what was happening.  She said that their newest resident had been found dead across the street in the middle of the cemetery. He asked how that happened and was told that the new resident had been subjected to the initiation practice and was found dead at the base of the cemetery's central monument. George had found out that the initiation involved requiring the new resident to visit that monument alone at midnight. To prove that she had indeed visited the monument, she was to stab a predesignated knife into the ground at the monument, then return to the orphanage.  At sunrise the monument would be visited to determine whether or not the knife had been stabbed into the sod at the base of the monument. Sadly though this new resident had not returned after her midnight visitation.  


At 2 AM, which was 2 hours after her trek into the cemetery, a group with flashlights went into the cemetery to the monument and found the new resident lying dead on the ground.  The group raced back in a panic and reported this to the housemother who then called the authorities. When the police and coroner arrived they visited the site of the dead girl and discovered that she had indeed driven the knife into the ground, but regrettably, unbeknownst to the resident, the knife had also gone through the hem of her skirt into the ground.  The medical examiner deduced that when she attempted to stand, she felt the tug of the driven knife and, as speculated by the medical examiner, her heart, already racing from fear, went into a coronary thrombosis (heart attack). She died of heart failure .....  or so the story goes. 

THIRD

In 1995 my wife, Gloria, after 7 arduous years of part-time undergraduate studies at LSU, donned her cap and gown and, along with myself, Gloria’s mother and our 10 year old nephew, Charles, would be proudly accompanied to LSU’s Pete Maravich Center.  She would be awarded her Bachelor’s diploma in Education.  At age 55 she was among very few elder graduates.   

This was a Saturday morning and the ceremonies were due to start at 11 o’clock.  The arena floor was filling up with this year’s graduates with Gloria “somewhere” among them.  Charles kept saying “Where’s Mimi?”  Soon we did see her among the other 3000 + graduates.  

Among the last graduates to take their seats were the honor grads.  In addition to their caps and gowns the honor grads all wore gold sashes.  There were 12 honor graduates.  Their seats were reserved on the front row.

The floor of the P-Mac was completely carpeted with new graduates as the LSU dignitaries now took their seats on the stage.  The ceremonies were now underway as the LSU president positioned himself at the dais and began introducing the honor graduates one by one.  Each one, upon introduction, would make his/her way to the microphone to accept their certificate after the president said a few words complimentary to their achievements.  This process took about 2 minutes per honor grad.

As the 4th or 5th honor grad received his certificate I became aware that my nephew was going through some mental gymnastics.  He then turned to me and said “Paw Paw, are ALL these people” (meaning ALL the graduates) “going to go up there to get their papers?”  Knowing what Charles’ concern was I decided to have a little fun with him.

I said “Yes, Charles, that’s why we’re here.” To which he responded “Holy crap, we’ll be here all day.”  I said “Actually, Charles, with this many graduates, we’ll probably be leaving here about mid-day on Monday.”  “Are you kidding?”  “Well, Charles, see for yourself.  Look how many graduates there are.”  “But what about food, going to bed, what will we do?”  I said “We can get stuff from the concessions.  And it’s OK to sleep in your seat.”  “HOLY CRAP!  Paw Paw, this is already boring and you’re saying we won’t be leaving until Monday?”

At this point the last of the honors graduates had taken his/her seat and now the remaining 3000+ were beginning their trek up to the stage.  This process was very orderly as they simply streamed by the president and was handed their certificates.  This took about 1 second per graduate…..about another hour.  Charles, now greatly relieved, said “Paw Paw, you were joshing me, weren’t you?”  Of course I had to admit it.

TRILOGY plus ONE

(Another uncle)

My Uncle Rodney was a genuine deep south Cajun ... Rodney Bourgeois, the father of my cousin Rodney ("Smokey") Bourgeois, Jr., Restaurateur and former city parish councilman.  Rodney senior, until his retirement in the early 70s, had been an engineer with the Union Pacific Railroad. 

And it was pure entertainment hearing his rail-run adventures.

His most memorable story involves a banana truck.  

Rodney was north bound along the river in Iberville parish pulling about a mile of loaded box cars and tank cars when suddenly in the northern distance he sees a dust cloud heading for his tracks. "What duh hal is dat 'bout to run over my track?" he asked.  He starts bearing down on the whistle, but to no avail.  "He ain't gonna stop, dat fool!" As he drew closer to the crossing Rodney could now see that the dust cloud was being kicked up by a loaded banana truck that was obviously trying to beat the train to that crossing.  Rodney, still pulling the whistle cord, begins to slow the engine, but he knows that the train will not stop until it is past that crossing.  "Dat man is tryin' to kill hissef!"

Still bearing down on the whistle while slowing his engine, Rodney cautions his crew "Hang on.  We 'bout to be t-boned by dat banana truck."

BAM! The truck slams into his engine, de-railing it and causing several of his loads to de-rail also.

"Everybody OK?"  No one was hurt in his engine compartment and he would discover that no one else aboard was hurt either, but Union Pacific would be summoned to deal with a hellufa mess.

Rodney de-boarded to survey the scene only to discover a state trooper's patrol car pulling up behind the badly smashed banana truck. 

 In red-faced anger the officer pulls out his citation pad.  Rodney says to the officer "Hey Cap'm, what you doin'? Cain't you see 'dat man is bad hurt?" The Officer replies "I was trying to stop him to 

cite him for a violation and he makes me chase him.  I'm writing him up."

Rodney, while attending to the badly injured truck driver, chastizes the officer: "What you NEED do is call a amb'lance."  The officer says "Already did.  I figured he would be either badly hurt or dead.  So now I'm writing him up."

While Rodney and a couple of his crew members are attending to the unconscious and bleeding truck driver an ambulance soon arrives along with a fire department rig. Rodney, now feeling a little less sympathy for the truck driver, brings them up to speed: "You guys help 'dis man while 'dis friendly officer writes him up.  He was making a bee-line for 'dis crossin' while I was hangin' on my whisle to stop him.  Look what he did."

A few weeks later Rodney finds out that the driver was still hospitalized with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries.   Rodney said "Man, what a fool I was.  All 'dem bananas and didn't bring nary a one home."

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HOLLYWOOD SOUTH --- A brief history

My venture into movie magic actually goes back to 1954 when I was cast in an extremely ambitious LSU-originated historical drama entitled  ALWAYS ACADIA directed by my late friend and mentor, Oran "Doc" Teague.  Then between 1955 and 1956 I enjoyed a most fulfilling period of growth in front of the  WBRZ TV cameras when I was hired as a regular on a Kid show, then later -- the weekly HIT OR MISS program which grew in local popularity over the 1955-56 period.

 Links to the above cited posts:

ALWAYS ACADIA   

WBRZ TV   

Kid show,   

HIT OR MISS  

But then came rock and roll.  HIT or MISS along with the immensely popular national YOUR HIT PARADE quickly declined in popularity.  Names like Fats Domino, Little Richard and  Elvis Presley had taken over the pop scene.  The HIT OR MISS cast was then dissolved, but not our spirits.  Some departed for either New York or Hollywood; others (myself included) chose not to leave Baton Rouge.

When my departing friends tried to persuade me to join them in this new quest, I simply said "I'm going to bring it all to Louisiana."  I had no idea how I was going to achieve such an ambitious objective, but I knew that I wanted the blood and guts of the film industry to expand into Louisiana.  I was intrigued with Hollywood's growing preoccupation with Louisiana's culture and history and felt that this industry simply needed a little prodding. 

Chapter one in my pursuit came with a God-send. I was hired in 1957 by the Louisiana Division of Employment Security (today's Louisiana Workforce Commission).  In 1960 20th Century Fox's DESIRE IN THE DUST starring Raymond Burr, Joan Bennett and Martha Hyer was set to begin production in the Felicianas. This production was my first "hands-on" experience with Motion Picture production.  

Chapter 2 comprised three more great opportunities for me to further my cinematographic education: 20th Century Fox's  HUSH HUSH SWEET CHARLOTTE , Columbia Pictures'  ALVAREZ KELLY and Paramount Pictures' NEVADA SMITH . 

Chapter 3 would begin my infrastructure development -- my meeting with Director Otto Preminger in 1966, then with Clint Eastwood's Malposa production entitled  THE BEGUILED in 1971.


And chapter 4 would be none other than my true hero, John Wayne, who provided the icing on this cake while in production in south Louisiana on his epic Batjac production of THE UNDEFEATED   The "Duke" provided the political muscle I needed to acquire the GSRI (GULF SOUTH RESEARCH INSTITUTE)  funding that would allow me to embark on my Louisiana Film Development project.

With my project now underway, I marveled at how very receptive the movers and shakers of this industry were when confronted with my inquiries.  Never  once did I have to beg for cooperation.  

.In 1976 the Louisiana Film Commission was formed.   I served on the commission from that date until 1984 when Gov Edwin Edwards won re-election to his 2nd term.  He wasted no time in sending me a letter thanking me for my service, but de-commissioned me.  He said he thought the commission needed “new” blood.  I asked his daughter, Victoria, why he “fired” me from the commission to which she said: “Because you didn’t step down during Treen’s administration.”  Humm!    I learned a lesson in political scheming and maneuvering.  

No longer a sitting commission member, I was asked by the commission members and its then chairman, Teddy Soloman (now deceased) to please attend meetings and serve as a non-voting consultant.  Which I did.

In spite of Edwards’ slight against  me in 1984 my contributions to the state’s phenomenal growth in the film industry would be recognized at the second annual Louisiana International Film Festival (LIFF) in May 2014 when I would proudly accept the first ever ANNE PRICE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD  

   

         

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Following are a few industry press clip excerpts that will offer some insight into the project’s objectives:

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My “Clutter Angel”

Ever heard of a “Clutter Angel”?  Well neither have I, but I’m inclined to believe that there is such a being.   In our lives we all have clutter to some extent … some more than others.  Unlike our “Guardian Angel” who protects us from harm, the Clutter Angel prevents us from disposing of stuff that may be of value at some far distant future time … in my case nearly 50 years.  Of course the Clutter Angel may also be our Guardian Angel.

I’ll take you back to 1994.  As many of you may know I’ve been involved with motion picture production since 1960 and have garnered a substantial volume of checks for Ads and film roles I’ve had the good fortune of contracting.  Besides session fees, I routinely get residuals in the mail for reruns and foreign distributions.   My Clutter Angel “insisted” that I keep all my check stubs.  I did and I still do.  My wife, Gloria, once challenged my logic, asking “Do you really think you’ll ever need all this old stuff?”  I would simply respond with “You never can tell.”  My Clutter Angel was probably pulling my “puppet strings” or maybe it was just intuition, but who can say that our “Clutter Angel” is NOT what we call intuition?.  Now don’t misunderstand.  Gloria also has a Clutter Angel but not for business records.  She keeps every greeting card, letter, McDonald Happy Meal toy,  report card, etc, etc.  But I dare not challenge her rationale.  Very often when she runs across one of these treasures, she swells with emotion.  Why would I throw cold water on such moments?

OK, getting back to the 1994 story….. I failed to mention that I had set up a Lotus 1.2.3 spreadsheet back in the early 80s to log all of my SAG (Screen Actors Guild) earnings.  I had learned in 1994 that with 10 years of qualifying earnings credits I would be able to take SAG retirement.  Wow!

So I decided to make a call to SAG.  I was connected to a Ms Lynn Hamm, a very nice and helpful lady, who confirmed that 10 years of qualifying earnings does indeed allow an actor to take a SAG retirement.    Also SAG sends an earnings statement annually indicating whether or not that particular year was a qualifying year.  Having gone through all of my earnings statements I had found that I had 9 years of credit.  Lynn checked her records and agreed.  She did admit, however, that often the SAG office makes mistakes.   Realizing the likelihood that I had not kept all of my check stubs since 1960,  she nonetheless asked if I might just happen to have my old check stubs just in case I might have failed to make Lotus entries on any.   When I said “Yes, I do have them”, she responded “I mean ALL going back to 1960.”  I again said “Yes.”  There was a slight pause, then she said “REALLY?  ALL OF THEM?”  I said “Yes, all of them.”  She said I was the first actor she had ever dealt with having kept nearly 40 years of film earnings records.

She asked if I would mind bundling them and sending them to her so she could check them against her records.   She suggested that I first copy them since she would need the originals.  I agreed and within the week I had sent them to her via UPS. 

It was about a month after that that I received a call back from her.  She said “Jerry, you actually have 11 credit years, not 9.”  I was elated and asked “Then does this mean I can take retirement now?”  She said “Very definitely.  It makes no sense NOT taking it since there are no penalties.  And your earnings credits will continue to grow as long as you continue to work in union films.”  Thank you,  Clutter Angel.

My Angel was on a roll now.  A year after my SAG retirement commenced I attended a voluntary meeting at the Catholic Life Center where I was working at the time.  The subject of the meeting was “Social Security Retirement”.   In this session a very nice lady named Betty from the Baton Rouge Social Security office that was then located on Donmoor Ave  introduced herself and proceeded to enlighten all of us about the latest provisions offered to prospective SS retirees.  She also provided forms we could complete to receive information about our own SS status.   About a week after this meeting I received a call from Betty (did I mention that she was also drop-dead gorgeous?).  Anyhow, she asked if I could visit her in her office on Donmoor Ave.  Hmmm.  What was this all about?   I agreed and at the appointed date and time I kept the appointment.

I was not pleased with what she revealed.  She had processed my request form and said there was a problem.  Jeez!  What kind of problem?   Having succeeded a year prior in getting my SAG retirement, was my Clutter Angel now letting me down?  What could be the problem with my Social Security? 

She said “Mr. Leggio our records show that your earnings go back to 1951.  Is this true?”  It was true.  And she continued “Have you ever worked in Michigan or with an employer whose home office was in Michigan?”  I responded “I’m not sure.  Can you give me a company name?”  She gave a name which I had never heard of and told her so.  So she decided to get to the crux of the problem.  She said “Your SS number was apparently assigned (erroneously) to a gentleman back in 1967 who came under the care of the U.S. Marshall Service.”  SAY WHAT!!??   From my casual knowledge of the Marshall Service, I had to ask:  “Am I to presume that this gentleman’s identity was changed and he and his family was secretly relocated because he may have been a mob informant, turning state’s evidence against a mod boss or something to that effect?”  She said “I don’t have any information other than what I’ve told you.”  To which I responded:  “Then having my same SS number,  wouldn’t that put me at risk?”  She reminded me that this assignment happened nearly 20 years earlier.  She said that, based on his birth record, if he is still living today, he’d be about 96 years old.  She continued:  “Mr Leggio, in order for us to reconcile this issue is to review your tax records going back to 1951 and since that is not possible ….. “, but I interrupted with “I’ve got them.”  Almost identical to my SAG experience she said: “We would need ALL your W2s going back to 1951.”  Again I said “I have them.”  A pause, then from her: “ALL?  You have ALL your tax records going back to 1951?”  I said "ALL".  Her jaw dropped.

Anyway I agreed to bring them into her office.  The following evening I went to our warehouse and pulled out 4 banker boxes filled with all of my tax records going back to 1951.  I loaded them into my car along with my 2-wheel dolly and carted them over to the Donmoor SS office.  I asked the receptionist if she would mind summoning Betty (her last name eludes me).   Betty came out to the lobby, saw me and said “And these are really ALL your tax records?”  I said yes and she immediately asked the receptionist to tell the staff to come look.  About 10 staffers appeared and she said to them “Mr Leggio has kept all of his taxes records going back to 1951.”  In unison the entire group expressed their amazement.

Betty said she would take good care of them.  She would have to go through them to reconcile against my “mob twin.”  She would get back to me within 2 or 3 weeks.

True to her word she got back to me within the 3 week period and asked if I would come to her office.  I did and she said that Mr mob twin had actually worked about a year since his Marshal relocation back in 1967.   She said that those earnings would be credited to my account.  I asked if his earnings during that year were substantial.  She said “Afraid not, but you will still get the credit.” 

Well, so far I am still upright and above ground, so I’ll refrain from looking over my shoulder ….. unless of course someone reads this blog piece and gets some ideas.  Hmmm.

Oh, I almost forgot.  Betty asked that I please retrieve my tax records.  I told her I probably would not ever need them again, but she politely said that her office could neither keep them nor dispose of them.   So, back to our warehouse they went and where they rest today.

Clutter Angel, you done good! 

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My BRLT – 1980 to 2010

My appearance on the BATON ROUGE LITTLE THEATRE stage over these four decades (80s, 90s, 00s and 10s) was limited to just 12 productions which is why I have packaged them all into one post.

In 1981 THE AUBIN LANE DINNER THEATRE launched THE KING AND I.  John Wilson cast me as the King of Siam and once again Constance Navratil was cast as Anna.   Her previous appearance as Anna was at BRLT in 1963 when Aubrey Moore was the king.   Our 1981 AUBIN LANE production was most rewarding with full houses every night.   Because this production required about a dozen or more “children” ranging in ages 5 to 17,  Baton Rouge’s theatre community would benefit from this new crop of future thespians.   Some of these very same children had previously appeared in ALDT’s production of SOUND OF MUSIC in which I portrayed Captain Von Trapp in 1979, directed by Henry Avery.  SOUND OF MUSIC at ALDT would be revived again in 1984 with me as Von Trapp once again and yet an even newer crop of future thespians.   And then, believe it or not, I would be asked by the then Baker Little Theatre director Tom Jones to perform Von Trapp once again in 1986, thus cultivating again a new crop of thespians.  Wheew!

 

 

I was now DONE with SOUND OF MUSIC. 

 

My friend, Becky Horne, observed that I was the most prolific stage dad in Baton Rouge.  Not only had I appeared 3 times in SOUND OF MUSIC, but had gobs of kids in the KING AND I and would appear as the father in BRLT’s CLOSE TIES in 1988 where I would be the father of then theatre favorites Nick Cardona, Terry Serio, Julie Miller, Jamie Wax and Flossie Barker not to mention having been a father in CAMELOT, I OUGHT TO BE IN PICTURES,  CAROUSEL, KISMET and SHOW BOAT and a soon-to-be father Stanley Kowalsky in STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1959).

Thought I would give the reader an opportunity to read this David Foil piece from 1981.  I've had several bio-write-ups, but this one is by far my favorite.

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In 1981 Henry Avery cast me as Don Quixote in Baton Rouge’s First Baptist Church production of MAN OF LA MANCHA. Besides myself the cast consisted of Jean Koprowsky as Aldonza,  John  Fichtel as Sancho, Louis Herthem as Pedro, Terry Byars as the Barber and Victoria Edwards as a gypsy dancer/prostitute.  This was another  among many very gratifying productions.

In 1982 BRLT’s newest director, Henry Avery, cast me as the father in Neil Simon’s I OUGHTA BE IN PICTURES.   I almost dropped out of the cast.  One night during rehearsal my wife Gloria called at the theater and said that our oldest son, Jerry III, had been seriously injured in a pyrotechnic  accident.   Because Gloria’s car was in the shop, I had to excuse myself and rush home so she and I could go to the OLOL emergency room. 

Both of Jerry’s legs and ankles were shattered.  The vigil would begin.

With considerable reluctance I agreed, as a favor to Henry, to take small roles in 2 productions over the first half of the 80s.  The productions were BUS STOP and WESTSIDE STORY.  In 1985 I agreed to do Sheriff Dodd in BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS.  This role of Sheriff Dodd was anything but a small role.   Performing in WHOREHOUSE was one of many very fulfilling roles I had the pleasure and privilege of performing at BRLT.

One afternoon during the run of WHOREHOUSE I was taking a walk in my neighborhood when I heard a voice calling “Jerry”.  I looked behind me to see a neighbor catching up to me.  She was Shirley Bartett, a very nice lady who lived in the neighborhood and  who was a member of Jimmy Swaggert’s Ministry.  She said to me “I’ve got a bone to pick with you, Jerry”.  I had a suspicion about her apprehension, but I nonetheless  asked that she explain her “bone”.  She said “Last Sunday at church Reverend Swaggart told the congregation that he hoped none in his congregation will go see the Little Theater’s production of ‘Best Little hm hm in Texas’.  He dared not say that word“.  I said “Shirley, he really said that?”  She said “Yes he did and he said he was especially shocked that Jerry Leggio and Victoria Edwards would be performing in such a show.”  From that date through the end of our run we had full houses.   Lesson here:  if you doth protest too much, you may become victim of your own protestations.

Before the close of the 1980s I managed to perform in several more  AUBIN LANE productions…. In particular was the role of Julian Winston in CACTUS  FLOWER, another meaty role I was privileged to enjoy portraying.   Also appearing in that cast were 2 very talented ladies:  Laura Hudman and Pat Monrad.

The following year (1986) Henry again prevailed on me to take a role.  In this case it was that of Cap’m Andy in SHOWBOAT.  I really did not want to do this part because I felt completely unfit for it.  But Henry insisted and I managed to develop into it though I would have preferred NOT having done it. 

In 1989 I would again be drafted into a BRLT revival of FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM.   This was my 3^rd appearance in FORUM.  I first appeared in the BRLT 1966 production as Miles Gloriosus, then again as Miles in the 1981 AUBIN LANE version.    In 1989 now at the age of 54 I was too old  to revive the role of Miles and was cast instead as Senex, who along with Nonie Banks as my wife comprised the parents of Hero, the “hero” of FORUM.  Miles was now awarded to a younger actor.

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In the 90s I did only 2 shows:  A FEW GOOD MEN and HOMESPIN.  In FGM I was cast as Colonel Nathan Jessup, a

splendid role and one of my very favorites.  HOMESPIN was a Jamie Wax creation.  I was cast as Senator Malbeaux with Stephanie Levert in the role of my wife.   George Jones and Jean Maier portrayed my parents.   Jean was at least 10 years younger than me and justifiably felt strange playing my mom, but what the hell … I was OK with it.

Of particular note was an opening night late entrance.  My parents in the script, George and Jean, were seated in their living room indulging in a brief conversation.   I was to enter amidst their conversation.  Well on opening night I realized, while sipping coffee in the green room, that there was no dialog happening on stage, THEN I realized I had missed that entrance.   I charged to the entrance door and just before charging in I heard a deafening roar of laughter from the audience.  What the hell?!  Realizing I am late, I wait for the laughs to begin subsiding and then I enter.   We managed to get through the rest of that scene.  At intermission I apologized to George and Jean for the late entrance and George said  “Don’t apologize.  We got a huge laugh.”  George said “Since it was obvious you weren’t making your entrance I realized that Jean and I were simply occupying dead space.  So I pointed at her and said ‘Pull my finger.’  Obviously this bought us more time until you FINALLY made it in.”

Even though I only performed in 2 productions at BRLT during the 90s, I must admit that another  theater venue enthralled me during the 90s :  Dee Cothern’s CABARET  THEATER  ….  Dee mounted some terrific productions at CABARET and I was delighted to have been a part of some.  Her very first show, DRIVING MISS DAISY starred, besides myself as Boolie,  Pat Snow as Daisy and Leslie Rainey as Hoke.

A year or 2 later she cast me as Ben Chambers in NORMAN, IS THAT YOU.   What a gem of a role!  I so delighted in portraying this concerned father role that I was saddened when the show ended.

The 2000s saw me in fewer still.  My dear friend, Hollywood’s Louis Herthem, agreed to guest direct SLY FOX at BRLT.  Leading the cast were the immensely talented Ray Gaspard and Walter Brody plus local notables John Noland and Hal Dyess.  I loved my small role as “the Judge”.  This was a raucous comedy and was truly well received by grateful Baton Rouge audiences.

As a favor to guest director, Dee Cothern, I agreed to take a supporting role in the BRLT’s 2002 revival of WESTSIDE STORY.

Then, after badgering the theater board to revive INHERIT THE WIND I managed to win the choice role of this production ... Henry Drummond.  Directed by Dee Cothern, this was perhaps the meatiest and most fulfilling dramatic  role I ever had the privilege of performing.  The review headline here says it all.

Sorry for not posting the entire review.  As you can see from the first paragraph I somehow managed to stain this clipping.  The rest of the clipping is even worse.

Let me not forget another Jamie Wax creation, PASSAGES, which opened and ran shortly after we closed INHERIT THE WIND.  I agreed to play Thomas Jefferson.   Not a BRLT production,  this historic musical dramatization of Lewis and Clark’s epic homeland explorations and adventures was immensely ambitious  directed by Page Parsons with music composed and directed by Paul Taranto.  We opened in Lake Charles, then ran at LSU’s Union Theater and was video-recorded for broadcast on WRKF.

My next appearance on the BRLT stage was in 2010 when I agreed, as a favor to my dear friend Jack Wilson, to be a part of the theater's revival of CAMELOT, a production with which I was quite familiar having performed in BRLT's 1971 production as Lancelot and then again in 1980 at ALDT as King Arthur.   Jack Wilson, who at this time in 2010, was a recent throat cancer survivor,  turned in a sterling King Arthur portrayal.   After declining the role of Pellinore I agreed to do Merlin.   How very relieved I was when I turned down Pellinore.  John Salinger  turned in a stand-out Pellinore performance.  And Jennifer Ellis delivered a wonderful portrayal of Guinevere.

In the 1978-79 season BRLT launched Neil Simon's SUNSHINE BOYS starring B.J. Hopper and Bob Earle (now both deceased).  These 2 gentlemen, with whom I had had the privilege of sharing the stage on many occasions, led the pack among BRLT's most popular standout performers.  And no I was not in that SUNSHINE BOYS  production.  But if THEATRE BATON ROUGE does not soon choose to produce a revival, I will be too old for either of the 2 leading  “old codger” roles.  OMG!

While I was not able to boast a prolific theater experience during the 1980 through 2010 period, I did manage to hook many substantial supporting, cameo and lead film roles during this era including ERNEST GREEN STORY,  HOT PURSUIT,  THE MISSISSIPPI,  DANGEROUS CURVES,  DOUBLECROSSED,  HIDE,  LA-308,  JAKE LASSITER,  MALPRACTICE,  ORLEANS,  OLD MAN,  QUANTUM APOCALPSE,  AMERICAN HORROR STORY,  TERROR EXPERIMENT and MOTHMAN.   This last one,  MOTHMAN, continues to re-appear on the SciFi network and generated great reviews for my role including a most recent appearance in the UK's Horror Cult Film website:

There is also a blind man who pretty much steals every scene, and provides some of the films highlights. Played by Jerry Leggio, Frank Waverly has had a run in with The Mothman before, and while he brings some menace and terrific acting, he also asks the question which is on all our minds: why the Hell do we celebrate a creature that kills people in Point Pleasant?


And then there was my biggest honor (2nd only to Gloria's "yes" when I proposed in 1959).  This past May the Louisiana International Film Festival chose me to be the first recipient of the ANNE PRICE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD in recognition of my Louisiana motion picture pioneering efforts.

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• HOLLYWOOD SOUTH ... What's it all about????
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•    It was a WONDERFUL FEELING    

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My BRLT Adventures (1958 through the 60s)

..... and

My BRLT - The 70s

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The Plymouth Belvedere

“There once was a Plymouth named Belvedere, a car that many thought very queer.”  OK, no more limerick.  Remember the Belvedere?  No?  Then you must be younger than 50.  Here’s my story of the Belvedere.

In 1964 my 1958 Nash Rambler finally croaked.  After first getting the engine rebuilt in 1962, then the transmission rebuilt in 1963,  my patience was finally severed when in 1964 the transmission once again chose to refrain from transmitting.  That was it.  NO MORE RAMBLER.  Less than 90,000 miles and when I once again heard some clanking and clunking, I swore it sounded as if it was saying “Adios, Jerry; adios, Jerry”.  I was actually relieved.  I had vowed to get rid of it if another major failure developed.  So I returned the greeting “Ciao, AMC; Ciao, AMC” meaning I would NOT be buying another product from American Motors Corporation.

But what now?

My late friend, Jay Washauer, had a brother who owned a used car lot.  I forgot the brother’s name, so I will just refer to him as Jim.  Jay introduced me to Jim who graciously interviewed me as though I were seeking a job.  “No, Jim, I need a car, a good, cheap, dependable used car.  Jay says you can help me.”

So Jim said “Oh, a cheap car?”  I said “Yes, a cheap, DEPENDABLE car.”  Jim said “…then you won’t want anything I have on my lot, but I can get you a great little Plymouth Belvedere.” 

 

Jim had a car dealer’s “pipeline” to the Michoud Corporation, a major NASA contractor located on the coast.  He said that Michoud contracted with the Chrysler Corporation for their fleet cars and turned them over every 2 years.  He said when cars were being "retired" from the fleet after their 2 year tours, Chrysler re-conditioned them and sold them  to used car dealers with full 2 year warranties. 

Jim acquired a 2 year old, fully reconditioned 2-yr warranted Plymouth Belvedere for me at his cost of $700….. a hell of a good deal.  Gloria and I were thrilled.  The only feature in that car we had a little trouble getting used to was the push-button transmission.  Until we became conditioned to that change we kept reaching for a gear-shift lever that  wasn’t there.  But that was the only draw-back …. at first.

Dependable?  You bet!  Mechanically this car was perfect, never a moments trouble, very sound.  We put many miles on it,  going on many Florida, Arkansas and Tennessee vacations … never encountering any problems.  We felt blessed.

We used to frequent Bogue Falaya wayside park just east of Covington.   This park was on the Tchefuncte River and was a favorite picnic spot, offering clean river swimming, playgrounds and ample picnic tables.  We loved it.

One Sunday Gloria said “Why don’t we go to Bogue Falaya today.”  All four kids in unison belted out “YEAH!”.  I observed that the weather seemed somewhat threatening, but that didn’t dampen any spirits.  We put our ice chest in the trunk, headed to Krogers for food and drinks, then headed down Florida Blvd east toward our Bogue Falaya destination (there was not yet an Interstate system). 

When we got just past Hammond, the sky opened up and rain pelted us unmercifully.   All the food was in the trunk and everyone was getting hungry.   Gloria said “Be patient.  We’ll soon be there.  We’ll get a picnic shelter, then we can eat.” 

After a few more miles, 4 year old son Mike said “Hey!  Not fair!”  Gloria looked in the back seat and 5 year old Felicia echoed the same sentiment.  Then Gloria exclaimed “Jerry, how did you get that chicken leg?”  Our oldest child, 7 yr old Jerry III, while gnawing on a fried chicken leg, said “I just reached through this hole and got it from the box in the trunk.” 

It was still raining, so I pulled the car into a small roadside rest area.  I turned around and said “Jerry, show me how you did that.”  He simply reached through a hole in the rear deck (just under the rear window) and pulled out another piece of chicken.  In spite of the rain, I got out of the car and climbed in the back seat, and with a few pushes of my hand, tested the integrity of the rear deck.  In doing so my hand went through it adding another hole next to the one Jerry III had been using.  Gloria asked “What’s the problem?”  I announced that the rear deck was rotten.  SHIT!

Then as I was backing my body out of the back seat, my foot went through the floor board.  SHIT!  I could see the ground below.  Because son Mike was sitting at that part of the rear seat I told him NOT to stand or put his feet over that hole.   I then tested the floor board on Jerry’s side and SHIT! my foot went through there as well…. more exposed ground.  I told all 4 kids “Do not stand or put your feet through these holes!  If you fall through while the car is moving, you’d be killed.”

Rather than continue on to Bogue Falaya we decided to return home to Baton Rouge.  After all it was still raining and I wanted to minimize any chances of kids slipping through the floor board.

In the days that followed I found myself having to contend with other car body rotting incidents.  The spare tire well in the trunk was so rusted away (SHIT!) that I had to use one of our garbage can lids to fashion a large patch to support the spare in the tire well.  The bracket that supported the battery under the hood was completely rusted away and the battery just hung there (SHIT!).  I used a wire magazine rack to support the battery.

Fearing we may wind up with just a motor, 4 wheels and maybe a seat or 2, it was decided that the car MUST go.  I sold it to an insurance agent for $300 …. as is.   Other than for the body, it was still  mechanically very sound and ran perfectly.

I never thought I’d have to give up a car because of body failures.  I would find out later that the fleet cars from Michoud that were re-sold all had body corrosion problems because of the salt air they had to endure during their 2 year “enlistments” there.  Hmmm! No wonder Chrysler Corporation was willing to practically give them away after their 2 year fleet tours at Michoud Corporation.

"There once was a Clifton whose last name was Webb; "Mr Belvedere" he was which made him a celeb"  OK, I'll admit I'm no Ogden Nash.  No more limerick attempts.

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