Just finished watching on Utube coverage of Paramount Pictures 100 year anniversary celebration held on the studio lot on Stage 18 where scenes from such famous films as Sunset Boulevard were shot and where the party commemorating the studio's 75th anniversary was held,
an event I attended since I worked there from 1980-2005.
116 stars were invited to participate in the recent celebration and a photograph of those in attendance appears in July's Vanity Fair. Viewing it brought back a wave of memories of my years there and in particular being among the guests at the anniversary celebration in
1987. I remember kibutzing with Robert Evans, with whom I had gotten friendly while supervising the renovation of his office suite on the studio lot. I remember seeing Elizabeth Taylor and approaching her to remind her of when we had met before (during her brief marriage to US Senator John Warner when she lived in Virginia).
Being the gracious lady she was, she pretended to remember me but I know she hadn't. I'm sure she put those miserable years well behind her and remembered little from that unhappy period in her life.
I remember walking around the stage during that event and quietly
taking it all in and taking pictures (in my mind...we weren't allowed to
bring cameras inside) that I would retain in my memory bank for many years to come. I remember being hugged by Sherry Lansing, who was
head of the studio at that time, who always called me 'Honey,' which is what she called everyone who worked in the backlot because she couldn't remember our names. I hobnobbed with many of the celebrities there who remembered me as the guy who got their offices painted and carpeted and managed to cut thru the bureaucratic red tape and get things done quickly, purchasing new furniture for their offices and in many instances, role playing as an interior designer (for which I had no previous professional experience).
A lot has changed in the 25 years that have passed since the studio
celebrated its 75th anniversary. Alas, mostly for the worse.
I retired in 2005. During the 26 years I worked there, there was a real sense of community, a feeling that we were family. There were hundreds of staffers who had worked at Paramount for many years and took great pride at their work and being part of the Paramount
family. Most of them are gone now.
Less than a year after I retired from the studio (2005), old-timers like myself began to get laid off. In one swoop, more than 400 people were let go. What once was a studio where films were often shot on stages on the lot and where many Paramount produced tv shows (Morky and Mindy, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Family Ties, Cheers) were done has become mostly a rental lot with stages and production offices rented to
non Paramount entities.
Very few films are shot there anymore and most of the people I worked with are long gone.
I consider myself fortunate for being there at the right time,
privileged to have observed filmmaking up close, thrilled at interacting with so many talented people on both sides of the camera - actors,
producers, directors, writers and all the wonderful backlot people
responsible for the day to day operation of the studio.
I have so many memories - like the time I had to sit in Meg Ryan's
offices on the lot because one of her assistants was convinced ghosts
occupied them. Yup. I was asked by a production executive to go there and sit for 2 hours and see if I saw any ashtrays floating midair or heard any ghost like sounds (I didn't).
And poignant moments like when I walked a very pregnant Dawn Steele, president of production, to her car on the lot carrying loads of gifts she had just gotten at a baby shower in her honor, knowing that she wouldn't be returning to her job after she gave birth (My boss had told me earlier in the day to have the keys to her office suite changed while she was on maternity leave).
And Sylvester Stallone and the damn desk he couldn't get his legs under (as it turns out, because of the lifts he wore in his cowboy boots)
or when former president of production, Don Simpson, threw a massive glass asstray at me while I was standing inside the entrance to his office suite. "What the fuck do you want," he screamed at me. "Ah,
nothing that can't wait until tomorrow, Mr. Simpson," I stuttered and ran like hell back to the safety of my little office in a nearby building.
I could go on. There are stories. There is diss. But for the moment
I'm keeping quiet. For what little it may be worth, I want to acknowledge the 100 year anniversary of Paramount Pictures and express my gratitude for the mostly wonderful 26 years I spent there.
Truly there is no business like show business!
