I did training films for the Catholic Diocese of Boston, a bunch of television commercials, many stage productions and decades of radio production, an original western for Channel Three in Bryan, but only one movie feature over all the years and it was on a fluke. Back in the “Our Gang” era, there was a fellow who came to Mount Pleasant looking for local youngsters to play in a movie based on the popular series. I remember ads in the paper asking for interested young boys and girls to come audition. Those selected paid to be in the production. Charlie Meyer and I didn’t ‘sign up’, but we knew all the ones who did. The day of the ‘shoot’ arrived and he and I went to check it out. The producer was frantic! He had chosen everyone but the ‘hoodlums’ who were kidnappers of a pretty young lady. The scenario was simple. The hoodlums stalked the beauty and grabbed her. The “Gang” met and decided to rescue her and did so rather quickly. Since there was no one to play the kidnappers, Charlie and I were drafted. I do not recall all the participants, buI do recall that Ann Patrick was the beauty and Bobby Weems played ‘Spanky’. The “Feature” was played at the local theater as part of a Saturday Matinee. It was pretty awful, but Charlie and I got ‘credits’, along with those who paid for it. I may be the only living ‘cast member’ of that epic, donchaknow. Really. I wonder if there is anyone still alive today who recalls it? Oh, well, such is fame-so-fleeting!
And that’s what I get from MY box of chocolates. AMEN