Monday, April 4, 2011

Biography



USMC -1958-1964  PARRIS ISLAND TO FORCE TROOPS
2ND MARINES TOPOGRAPIC CO. CAMP GEIGER
6 MONTHES VIEQUES ISLAND PUERTO RICO
FLOWN TO CUBA TO REINFORCE BASE DURING BAY OF PIGS INVASION LOCK & LOADED WITH PARACHUTE HOOKED UP TO STATIC LINE, RED LITE LIVE, GREEN LIGHT JUMP INTO 80,000 RUSSIAN TROOPS AND THE CUBAN ARMY WHO TAUGHT OTHER COUNTRIES HOW TO FIGHT. PROGNOSIS NEGATIVE,  NO GREEN LIGHT. THANKS JFK.

ABOARD SHIP DURING NAVEL BLOCADE,CUBAN MISSLE CRISIS  THANKS AGAIN JFK
SENT TO OKINAWA WITH STOPS IN HAWAII, TOKYO AND YOKAHAMA HOME OF THE JAPANESE ALL GIRL COUNTRY AND WESTERN SINGERS. GREAT FUN. SPENT ONE YEAR ON OKINAWA WAITING TO BE SENT TO VIETNAM   ONCE AGAIN I HAVE JFK TO THANK FOR MY LIFE.

GOT OUT IN 62 WENT TO NY INSTITUTE OF PHOTOGRAPHY. (I HAD WORKED WITH AIREAL PHOTOS IN TOPO.) WENT TO SCHOOL AT NIGHT STOPPED AT THE SAN REMO AT BLEEKER AND McDOUGAL IN GREENWICH VILLAGE (I KNEW THE BARTENDER, LOREN) DRIFTED TO THE CINO ALMOST EVERY NIGHT JUST FOR THE “MAGIC” ACTED IN TWO PRODUCTIONS, STAGE MANAGED ONE WITH NEIL FLANAGAN THAT WAS TO DECIDE MY LIFE LONG CAREER AS A PROFESSIONAL ROAD/STAGE MGR.

I STARTED WITH MAXAMILLION CHILDRENS SHOWS UP AND DOWN THE EAST COAST NYC TO SAVANNA GA. WITH “GYPSY ADVENTURE” NEIL FLANAGAN AND A GREAT CAST DOING WHAT WE ALL LOVED. WORKED THE NORTH EASTERN NJ SCHOOL SYSTEM WITH “THIS WAS AMERICA” AND KEN HILL,WE DID THREE SHOWS A DAY AT THREE DIFFERENT SCHOOLS FIVE DAYS A WEEK  FOR 5 WEEKS.

BACK IN NY STARTED MAKING 90 MINUTE HORROR AND 50S & 60S EXPLOITION FILMS. WITH ANDY MILLAGAN. WITH A BUDGET OF $10,000 FOR BLACK AND WHITE $20,000 FOR COLOR FILM MOST OF THE FILMS WERE SOLD OUTRIGHT TO PRODUCERS WHO ARBITRARILY CUT OUT SEVERAL SCENES TO INSERT PORN TO BE SHOWN ON 42ND ST.
WE HAD THREE FILMS AT ONCE PLAYING SIMULTANEOUSLY ON THE STREET, IN DIFFERENT THEATRES I HAD MY NAME LISTED IN THE WRITERS GUILD FOR A SCREENPLAY I HAD WRITTEN. (SEEDS)  SPOKE AT THE SCREENING FOR THE 11TH NY UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL  ANTHOLOGY FILM ARCHIVES BECAME A CELEBRITY THERE IS NOTHING LIKE SEEING YOUR NAME AS WRITER (SINGLE SCREEN CREDIT) ON A MOVIE THEATRE FULL SCREEN. AFTER MAKING ONE FILM IN LONDON (NIGHTBIRDS)

I STARTED WORKING AT THE THEN CALLED ARMY PICTURAL CENTER AS AN ASSISTANT DIRECTOR ON LOCATION IN N.C.  KENTUCKY, SAN FRANCISCO & COLORADO MADE 5 FILMS FOR THEM. “RECONDO” (THE BIG PICTURE SERIES), “WHEN THE ENEMY IS MY PRISONER”, “ESCORTING DECEASED PERSONNEL”, “CONDUCT OF FIRE SHILLELAGH WEAPONS SYSTEM”, “THE GENEVA CONVENTION AND THE MILITARY POLICE” FILMS NOW AT THE MILITARY FILMS ARCHIVES WASH. DC & THE PENNSYLVANIA SIGNAL CORP. ARCHIVES.

WORKED AT MADISON SQ. GARDEN IN MOURICE BEJARTS BALLET “NAJINSKY CLOWN OF GOD” AS ONE OF 12 EXTRAS (CLOWN SOLDIERS) FOR ONE SCENE. GREAT FUN WITH THE OTHER CLOWNS BACKSTAGE BEFORE WE WENT ON. A FOUR WEEK GIG.

I  PLAYED ST.PETERS CHURCH (THE TINKERS WEDDING) PUSHKIN  (THE COVETNUS NIGHT)

THEN A LONG GIG WITH THE TOURNAU OPERA CO. CITY CENTER. BRINGING ENGLISH SPEAKING OPERA (WITH SOME OF THE BEST SINGERS IN AMERICA) TO THE WHOLE COUNTRY,  OVER 80 CITIES,*  WE TRAVELED WITH LA BOHEME AND ABDUCTION FROM THE SERALIO WITH BARBER OF SEVILLE ON SOME STOPS WE ALWAYS ENDED UP AT THE IN MIAMI SYMPHONY.

*MIAMI    SARASOTA   KNOXVILLE   ROME GA.   LITTLE ROCK   TELEQUAH
CHATANOOGA.   FORT DODGE   CEDAR RAPIDS   SOUIX CITY   GREENVILLE
ST.LOUIS   JACKSONVILLE ILL.   COUNCIL BLUFFS   ATCHISON   OMAHA
OSCEOLA   PORTLAND   NEWPORT   LITTLETON   RUTLAND   ONEONTA
NEW LONDON   GLOUCESTER   MANCHESTER   LEXINGTON   HARRISBURG
CHAMBERSBURG   BALTIMORE   FAYETTVILLE   GAINSVILLE   SALISBURY
ROANOKE   GORHAM   GREENVILLE   ROCKINGHAM   HUDSON VALLEY NY
NASHVILLE   BOILING SPRINGS   HOLYOAK   CRESTON   CEDAR RAPIDS   ERIE
KEARNY NEB.   EDWARDSVILLE   RIVERHEAD   EDINBURG   PRINCESS ANN MD.
NEW BEDFORD   MANCHESTER   FITCHBURG   MT. LEBANON   SPRINGFIELD
BLACKSBURG   ONEONTA   BERLIN NH.   GLEN COVE   BALTIMORE   PIKEVILLE
CONWAY   WILKESBARE   TIFFIN   DAYTON   WESTCHESTER PA.   CANARSIE
WEST ORANGE NJ.   LEXINGTON   GREENWOOD   GAINSVILLE   CRESTON
PROVENCETOWN   NEW HYDE PARK   PELLA IOWA   CEDER RAPIDS   BILLINGS
HARRISBURG   NEW BEDFORD   EDINBURG 

THEN ON TO THE THEATER ON THE JOHN RINGLING NORTH ESTATE IN SAROSOTA FLORIDA IN A THEATER HE HAD SENT FROM EUROPE BOARD BY BOARD A BEAUTIFUL THEATER WHERE WE DID A NEW OPERA EACH WEEK FOR FOUR WEEKS. “BUTTERFLY”, “SUSANNAH”, “MARRIAGE OF FIGARO”, “DON PERLIMPLIN”, “THE SPANISH HOUR”, “DON PASQUALE”, “THE THREE PENNY OPERA” AND “HANSEL AND GRETEL” AT THE FRANK LOYD WRIGHT THEATER  (THE PURPLE COW) FOR 6,000 LOCAL SCHOOL CHILDREN.

MARRIED IN OCTOBER BY AL CARMINES AT JUDSON CHURCH IN 1969 HAD ONE DAUGHTER JENNETH, SEPERATED 1979 NEVER REMARRIED.

I THEN WORKED WITH A JOUSTING CO. AS A HORSE WRANGLER IN BOSTON, CHICAGO & ARIZONA FOR TWO YEARS. THREE MONTHES IN EACH PLACE.

IN THE MEAN TIME I GOT A JOB ON A CRUISE SHIP FOR TWO SOLID YEARS STARTING IN PUERTO RICO TO SOUTH AMERICA STOPPING EACH DAY ON A DIFFERENT CARIBBEAN ISLAND.  WORKED AS STAGE MANAGER FOR EVERY ACT THAT CAME ON BOARD EACH WEEK. HELPED ALL THE  ENTERTAINERS OVER 100 DIFFERENT ENTERTAINERS & SHOWS RAN THE MOVIES AND THE TV STATION. SNORKLED IN BERMUDA, ST. JOHNS, ST.LUCIA, MARTINIQUE, TORTOLA, BARBADOS, ANTIGUA, ST. THOMAS AND SAN JUAN.  GOT A TAN AND AN ADVENTURE WITH IT.

I NOW HAVE A 2 YEAR OLD GRANDSON IN MICHIGAN FOR MY OWN ENTERTAINMENT AND JOY. AND I HAVE NO CLUE WHAT COMES NEXT (MAGIC?)

BOOK MENTIONS
CAFFE CINO BIRTHPLACE OF OFF OFF BROADWAY
PLAYING UNDERGROUND, RETURN TO THE CINO
THE GHASTLY ONES,  FILM ANTHOLOGY, CREATURE
FEATURES MOVIE GUIDE, INDEPENDENT FILM PROD.
THE FILM ENCYCLOPEDIA, VIDEO WATCHDOG FANGORIA

                   

No comments:

Post a Comment