Tag: Eye on Hollywood

Flashdance

by Bobbie Cimo

While most of you got a visual of your heroes from books, I got mine, at an early age, through movies and TV. Perhaps that’s the reason I wanted to work for a studio in the first place. I wanted to meet my heroes in person or at least the actors who portrayed them, hoping I’d find a trace of the characters that they had played. Most of the time I wasn’t disappointed, if anything, it was just the opposite. There was always some special thing they would do or say to make our meeting memorable. Like the time I met Paul Newman and the only thing he had to say to me was, “Sorry, Ma’am, I don’t give out autographs.” Okay, that’s not the memorable thing I was hoping for–nor was I thrilled to be called “Ma’am”, when I was barely sixteen years old…but at least I got to look into those magnificent, electrifying blue eyes of his. Oh, y-e-a-h, they were something to behold.

There once was a mini series on television called “The Gangster Chronicles” which was based on real life gangsters of the thirties and forties. And just like they do with all shows, they embellished on both the storyline and characters. Playing the lead was actor Michael Nouri, who went on to play “Nick Hurley”, the hunky blue-collar boyfriend of Jennifer Beal in “Flashdance”.

In much the same way this year, as I was drawn to Johnny Depp’s characterization of “John Dillinger,”–back then, I was drawn to Michael Nouri’s depiction of “Lucky Luciano” in “The Gangster Chronicles”. Supposedly, Lucky didn’t believe in violence, disliked drug trafficking, was loyal to his friends and above all, respectful of women. Who couldn’t like a guy like this? Apparently I wasn’t alone in my feelings, because the network got tons of fan mail praising the likeability of Michael and his two co-stars ( Joe Penny and Brian Benben). Not exactly the reaction the studio was looking for, since they wanted to show the downside of crime and not the making of the next American idols.

After “Chronicles”, Michael went on to appear in numerous movies and TV shows. Eventually, he ended up landing himself another series called “Bay City Blues”. As luck would have it, the filming of the show was done at Studio Center, CBS’s sister studio, which was over the hill from where I worked at Television City.

When I walked on the set, I was hit with a double whammy. Not only had the shooting schedule been delayed by hours, but Michael’s call time had been pushed back until much later in the day. As much as I wanted to stay, it was impossible. I was needed back at my office. So reluctantly, I headed for the parking lot. The one pleasant thing about my visit was the warm welcome I got from all of the crew members. A few even asked me if I was going to the wrap party that night–okay, not even the best of crews are this friendly.

It wasn’t until I was stopped by the Stage Manager, did I realized why all the cheerful hellos. Looking over his schedule, he confessed to not knowing I’d had a call for that day. He became doubly embarrassed when he realized I wasn’t the person he thought I was. As it turns out, I bore a strong resemblance to the actress who occasionally played Michael Nouri’s ex-wife on the show. To this day I don’t know who the actress was, nor do I care to find out. I like to think she was some beautiful, thin and talented actress. And I’m sticking with that thought.

To say my visit was a disappointment would be putting it mildly. This was the final taping of the season and the ratings were low. Which could only add up to one thing. The show most likely would be canceled, which meant I’d never get another opportunity like this again. But just as I was about to cross the road for my car, a brand new shiny black Porsche passed in front of me. Sitting behind the wheel, wearing a pair of dark sunglasses and looking every bit the part of the proverbial hunk, was Michael Nouri.

As soon as he got out of his car, I greeted him with a handshake and introduced myself. I think what surprised him the most, wasn’t that he was being stopped by a fan, but that someone who was in the “business” was complimenting him on his work.

“I’m so flattered you came here to see me,” he said several times. But more than his words, it was the sincerity I saw on his face that made me believe he meant it. Alright, I was a little distracted by his big black olive eyes, and his full sensual lips…but I did believe him.

We talked about “The Gangster Chronicles”, his present show and then somehow he started to talk about his family and his grandfather. Being a fan, I whipped out my camera and asked if I could have a picture taken with him. Of course, wouldn’t you know it, there was no one around to be found. I can be at home in my pajamas and run five feet to the trash bin and twelve neighbors and their friends will come out of nowhere and spot me. But now when I was looking for someone to snap our picture, there was nobody.

At the end, I took a picture of him standing alone, next to his Porsche. As I was about to leave, I mumbled something about this being the best birthday treat I could have given myself. He asked when my birthday was and I told him that it was in a few days. And then he asked if he could give me a birthday kiss. Like I was going to say no? He pulled me near and gave me a full kiss on the lips. It’s hard to remember what I said after that…I vaguely remember trying to be coy and saying something like, “Oh, that was nice.” (Probably a line I remembered from some old movie).

After getting inside my car which was only steps away from his, I started the engine. He waited for me to drive away, and as I passed him, we waved good-bye to each other.

Outwardly I seemed to be cool and in control…inwardly I was falling apart. My heart was pounding and my legs were wobbly. Once I was out of sight , I parked my car in an isolated area on the studio lot. With no one around to see me, I punched the steering wheel with my fists, as I let out a loud girlie shrill. Which confirms what I have feared all along…deep down inside of me I’m a little bit of a groupie. Da ya think?

The Price is Right (I mean Write)

by Bobbie Cimo

The other day I was on my way to my office when I saw a familiar looking person heading toward me with an entourage at his side. It was none other than Bob Barker, of the famed “Price Is Right”. He greeted me with a big “Hello”, to which I vigorous replied with a, “Hi, how ya doing?” We shared a smile and Bob continued walking toward his old stomping ground, Stage 33, where for the past thirty-five years he had hosted his daily TV show at CBS-Television City.

I wasn’t sure if this friendly exchange between us was because he remembered me from all those times we’ve said our hellos over the years, passing each other in the hallway, or because last year we spent some one-on-one time at a party hosted by his successor, Drew Carey–or simply because he was happy to be back in the building and was saying hello to everyone who passed him by.

When I asked someone why he was back in the building, they told me he was going to be a guest on the “Price Is Right” and was there to promote his new book, “Priceless Memories”.

Many of you who have either read, or at least seen my blog, “Eye on Hollywood”, in the Orange Blossom have probably asked yourself, what do my stories about Hollywood have to do with writing. Well truthfully, absolutely nothing.

I started to write these blogs on my Hollywood escapades after much prompting from my OCC sisters (who are too many to mention–but know who they are). They presented the idea to me at a time when my fictional creative juices just weren’t flowing, and it seemed like my writing muse had taken an extended vacation without me. Something that I thought never would happen, but did.

I think what might have contributed to my sudden creative failure was the loss of my most staunch supporter (my mother), a job change situation and a commute that sometimes had me spending more time behind the wheel of my car than between the sheets of my bed for sleep. But nevertheless, whatever the reason, my writing went on hold. And I’d be lying if I didn’t say there have been those times when I’ve worried about my ability to write again. Then I saw Bob Barker…an eighty-five year old man, who has more money than God, who certainly doesn’t need the fame, who’s won at least nineteen Emmys, has endless interests and leads, to this day, a full enriched life—but with all that going for him, he still had the desire to be called author. Because he obviously felt the need to tell his story and see his words in print.

So my blog to you this month isn’t about another star that I might have run into, or about the antics of what happens behind closed doors of a major TV studio, but to remind you that it’s never too late to keep plugging away at your writing. Just ask Bob Barker. And I’m sure he’ll agree that holding on to your dreams and keeping your goals alive can be priceless.

Oh, and I have one more message for you this month. Don’t forget to get your pet spayed or neutered…I‘m sure Bob would appreciate it.

Holly Golightly, I’m not.

By Bobbie Cimo

I have a feeling perhaps in my youth, I might have spent a tad too much time watching TV and movies.

I mean, do you think it’s normal to fling yourself over a surfboard in Hawaii–ask someone to snap a picture of you, even though you can’t swim, just so you can pretend you’re Gidget for a moment?

I once owned a beige plaid coat with large fur trim around it. I bought it because it reminded me of the coat worn by Doris Day in “Pillow Talk”. She had it on when she was riding in an open convertible, driving to a weekend getaway in Connecticut with Rock Hudson sitting behind the wheel. I loved that coat, and every time I wore it I felt like Doris Day. Years later I realized that the coat looked nothing like Doris’ and the fur around my neck looked like road kill.

Then there was the time I had the Farrah Fawcett hairdo. I drove myself crazy, trying to keep those feathered sides up, just like hers. It wasn’t until my hairdresser reminded me that for every five steps Farrah took, there was a hair stylist with comb in hand, making sure she remained perfect for every photo shoot and TV scene that she did.

During the eighties I was a big fan of the series “Dallas”. And my favorite character on the show was JR’s wife, Sue Ellen (Linda Gray). I particularly loved Sue Ellen’s wardrobe. Especially the tailor-cut suits she wore with a thin camisole underneath the jacket and accessorized by a fashionable wide belt. Not only were her outfits stylish, but they were considered sexy. Back in those days, CBS would host an annual “Affiliates” conference during the month of May. This is where we would wine and dine TV station owners all over the country, with the hope that they would purchase one of our shows for their local stations.

One particular year we did a “Dallas” theme, where we took over a hotel parking lot and made it look like Southfork (the name of the Dallas ranch). And of course I did wear, as I liked to call it, my Sue Ellen suit. Two eventful things happened that day. First, the director’s wife and I swiped a six pack of JR’s Beer (not yet available to the public) and hid it in the tank of a toilet–so we could sneak it out later to split and take home. When we finally confessed to her husband, he didn’t know if he should laugh or be mad. And the other memorable thing that happened was that I actually ran into Linda Gray, who stopped me to tell me she liked my outfit. You know that put me on cloud nine.. And to this day, one of my long time friends who used to work at CBS still affectionately refers to me as Sue Ellen whenever she writes me.

Also held as an annual event was the Ross Martin (Artemus Gordon in “The Wild, Wild West” TV series) Celebrity Tennis Tournament. This was a charity event held in La Costa, California where for the admission price of $10.00 you could spend all day with such celebrities as Lucille Ball, William Holden, Merv Griffin, Michael Landon, Eva Gabor and numerous others . You were never treated like a fan, but more like a guest.. You were free to walk the grounds and mingle with your favorite celebrity, take pictures with them if you liked, or simply sit in the bleachers eating a hot dog while enjoying a good tennis match alongside of them.

One year during my visit to La Costa I met George Peppard (as seen in the picture above). Most of you might remember him, not only from the “The A Team” on TV, but also as Audrey Hepburn’s love interest in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”.

Ironically, many years later George’s son Brad ended up working at CBS, and when I was introduced to him, I wanted so much to shout, “I love your father”…. but I didn’t.

When my sister and I went on our first New York vacation, we made a list of things we each wanted to do: See a play, go shopping at Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s, take a carriage ride through Central Park, eat at Tavern on the Green and have breakfast at Tiffany’s. The breakfast one we couldn’t do, simply because there wasn’t a pastry place close enough. So we did the next best thing, we bought pretzels from a street vendor and brought them inside the store.

We might not have had breakfast at Tiffany’s, but we had our pretzels. It wasn’t long before an impeccably dressed salesman approached us to offer his assistance. Just as we took our first bite, without missing a beat, using the back of his hand in a butler-like manner he brushed away the salt that had fallen on top of his glass display counter.. Of course we apologized, but he never acted annoyed. At the end of our visit my sister did end up buying a small pair of turquoise earrings. And just like when Holly Golightly wanted to have her Cracker Jack ring engraved, Tiffany’s treated us as if we had just bought an exquisite pair of diamond earrings. Holly Golightly-ish? Well, maybe.

In closing, all I can say is it’s a good thing that “King Kong” wasn’t one of my favorite movies, or I might be writing about the time I went swinging from the top of the Empire State Building