The Skinny On My Movie Career

We have all had brushes of fame at one time or another in our lives. If you look back, as I did tonight, you will remember a time in your life that you actually might have been on TV or a movie, perhaps an interview with a newspaper, or simply meeting by chance your favorite actor or musician.

My claim to fame was being in one of Hollywood’s classic movies, namely, “The Way We Were” starring Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford.

It was filmed here in Upstate NY and I was in the junior year of high school if I recall correctly, which would have been in 1973. many of the college scenes were filmed at a college called Union located in Schenectady. NY

I have no clue how I ended up being in the movie or the circumstances surrounding the fact why the movie was being filmed in such a small town. Suffice it to say, the college campus is idyllic and does make for a beautiful backdrop for a film.

Being in high school and not a big movie or TV buff, I had no idea who the major stars of this film were. I had never before heard of Robert Redford, but I do remember my father loving  Barbra Streisand so I had heard of her.

I was to be an extra, I remember it was a cattle call for extras for this film and myself and my best bud decided to go down and watch them filming. I was more interested in all the large trucks and equipment then anything else.

One thing led to another and I was standing in line for what seemed like a once over by the director or the directors assistant, I have no idea, but I was picked to be an “extra”.

That meant I would make I believe it was $110 a day, for a full days shoot, which meant from early morning to late in the evening. I was sent to wardrobe to fit into an outfit that was to be in line with the styles of that time period the 1049′s.  I do remember it must have been made out of the itchiest wool imaginable, as I spent the next three days doing a lot of scratching.

Most of the time was spent, waiting. Waiting to stand somewhere to fill in for background scenes. My big scene was to take part in the ballroom scene and it went something like this.

It was filmed in the gymnasium and it had been totally overhauled with the magic of Hollywood. It consisted of a shit load of crepe paper and mirror balls. Everything as a matter of fact seemed so cheap, but I guess when it gets back to the editor, the cheapness is turned into amazing.

I was to be the partner of a small little brunette and we were to be dance partners. I remember when Streisand came on set and there was a hush. Once she was in place and the director said “cue” I believe the word was, one of the stage crew would turn on this really cheap sounding phonograph and the music started waifing through the gym.

This humongous camera on a dolly was the main centerpiece and followed the lead actors dancing. All I could do is watch as couple after couple was shoved into the background then back out. I was also grabbed and stuffed in back of the principles and that was it.

Yes the word cut was used and the whole scene took no longer then 45 minutes. We shuffled out into the sun which was blinding and headed to one of our great meals, which consisted of a sandwich and some potato salad in a rectangular box.

On the third and last day I was at the tennis courts waiting for time to pass and out of a car came this fairly tall man with pocked marked face and really blond hair. It was no other then Redford, who I now know was and probably still is a man women swoon over. As MSN states “The rugged, dashingly handsome “Robert Redford” was among the biggest movie stars of the 1970s” But to me he was nothing special, except the way he talked. It was amazing how people would just quiet down anytime he had something to say.

I had no ambition to go out and watch the movie when it came out. I was more interested in partying and carousing in my teen youth. I did get to see the movie many years later and when the ballroom scene came up I had to watch it over many times to finally discern my figure in the movie. Alas my shoulder and left arm is there for all of posterity. My claim to fame.

Funny I ran into Mr Redford again several years back when he overtook my home town of Saratoga Springs, yet again for another movie he was actually directing and starring in called The Horse Whisperer. I unfortunately had to turn Mr Redford down for one of the leading roles in this film, I was busy having to get garden work done at the house.

So there you have it my claim to fame, my one shinning Hollywood moment. Now what about you? What happened in your lifetime that comes close to my incredible saga of stardom? Let us know, no matter how big or small it is. We all have one or two. So relive it and let all the world know your skinny on stardom.

Waiting with bated breath.*

*Where does the term baited breath come from, as in: ‘I am waiting with baited breath for your answer’?

The correct spelling is actually bated breath but it’s so common these days to see it written as baited breath that there’s every chance that it will soon become the usual form, to the disgust of conservative speakers and the confusion of dictionary writers. Examples in newspapers and magazines are legion; this one appeared in the Daily Mirror on 12 April 2003: “She hasn’t responded yet but Michael is waiting with baited breath”.

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Posted by Glenn on Nov 7 2009 Filed under FUNNY, MEDIA. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry