I recently borrowed producer David L. Wolper’s autobiography, “Producer,” from our local library (a tremendous resource for micro-moguls stretching their research budgets). In it, the award-winning producer of “Roots” and “Willy Wonka,” among other cultural touchstones, details how his production company essentially invented the “dramatic re-enactment” in their television documentaries of the 1950s. It’s interesting…
Though I had moved to Hollywood from the Bay Area in the early part of this century I remained a stringer for the San Francisco Chronicle (the ink in my veins apparently outshone the stars in my eyes). My contributions amounted to a handful of celebrity interviews (I specialized in what we called “Blisters,” a…
I’m not one for omens, signs or symbols, particularly when they fall outside the realm of my creative work (the early, sad voyages of which were often across a veritable sea of Joseph Campbell soup). I ‘ve noticed in waking life that foreshadowing only works in retrospect, but occasionally, when I’m not paying attention, a…