Chapter 15 Chapter fifteen
Dorothy Gilgal is very smart, full of ideas, and very funny, and she is a pleasure to work with.
Dorothy was originally a well-known judicial reporter, and later became an influential columnist on Broadway and Hollywood.Later, she picked up her old job and once again used her superb ability to investigate the truth.Dorothy's reporting played a key role in Dr. Sam Shepard's retrial and acquittal.The doctor's alleged murder is the basis for the hit show "The Fugitive."
While Dorothy and Ben were working together on Music Dreams, Guy Bolton and I wrote the Grand Prize script.Vinton Friedley decided to go on tour first, and then return to the Broadway stage.In addition to Alan Jons and Nanette Fabre, Jerry Lester and Betty Garrett also join the cast.
On January 13, 1944, "Grand Prize" premiered at the Alvin Theater on Broadway, and was favored by most critics.
Herald Tribune: "Brilliant, fast-paced, cleverly plotted and elegantly crafted."
The Mirror: "Great music and a stellar cast. Nanette Fabre is inspiring and Jerry Lester and Benny Baker are first-rate comedians."
The New York Post: "Another blockbuster from the Friedley factory."
Ben and I hit it off again, and we went to Satie's for a celebratory dinner.This day is one month away from my twenty-seventh birthday.
We all look forward to the most sensational blockbuster. From the very beginning, it was clear to everyone that Musical Dreams was going to be a huge success.Unlike Vinton Friedley, Richard Colmar will stop at nothing to present one of the most exquisite masterpieces in Broadway history.Intricate sets designed by Stuart Charney, period and stunning costumes by Miles White and choreography by George Balanchine.When lead actor Ronald Graham enters the stage, a pet cat will fly over the stage.The stage is surrounded by a rotating walkway, and the set includes a Baghdad palace and a gorgeous game reserve filled with dancing animals. Ben and I worked on our old schedule.I spent the day writing scripts with Dorothy Gilgal in her beautiful penthouse apartment and worked nights with Ben in my hotel room before he went back to Fort Dix. Ben and I were scribbling away one night when I dropped my pen.While bending over to pick it up, my disc herniated again.I fell to the ground, unable to move, in great pain.Ben called an ambulance and I was in hospital for three days.It's too late to catch up with this point, because our work is already beyond our reach. After I was discharged from the hospital, we continued immediately and finally finished the script smoothly.
I sat in the theater with Dorothy and Ben watching the rehearsal.It was truly spectacular.On the stage, the colorful costumes are dazzling, the background is beautiful, and Vera Jolina dances beautifully. The love scene between Vera Jolina and lead actor Ronald Graham is brilliant.Richard Colmar, who watched the rehearsal together, said: "Everything is ready." On the night of the premiere, Natalie and Martin were also in New York.We sat in a box near the front of the theatre.The theater quickly filled to capacity.It seems that there is some kind of mysterious magic power, and movie fans can always sense the coming of wonderful dramas.There were excited, tacit whispers in the audience.Ben and I looked at each other with a smile. We had three blockbuster hits in a row. The band played the prelude, and the bright and beautiful tunes composed by Clay Varnick and Edward Egg echoed throughout the theater.The show begins. For the official performance, Stuart Charney had another huge pink silk curtain added to the outside of the curtain. The prelude ends and the curtain rises.We can feel the audience is full of anticipation.The curtain was only halfway drawn when the beautiful pink curtain caught on a beam and with a loud bang the curtain tore and fell heavily into the orchestra pit.Everyone at the scene was in shock.Little did we know at the time that this was just the most insignificant incident of the night. "Music Dream" has two acts and thirteen scenes.At the beginning of the first scene, twelve African-American dancers in beautiful costumes, topless, happily walked on the huge conveyor belt.However, the conveyor belt soon began to accelerate, and the dancers fell on the stage one by one.The audience was dumbfounded. This is just the beginning, and the situation will get worse. Vera Jolina is one of the most prestigious ballet dancers in the world, and she performed perfectly in every rehearsal.Now, she's acting.About halfway through the jump, in a small jump, the soles of her feet slipped and she fell to the stage.The audience watched in horror.Ben and I were stuck in our seats.However, the bad luck was not over yet. Two performances later, Vera Jolina and Ronald Graham reappeared in gorgeous classic costumes, walked to the center of the stage and began to perform love scenes, the soft moonlight shone on them, and behind them was the beautiful forest.They started talking about those sweet things I wrote with Dorothy and Ben.The performance went smoothly and the audience listened attentively. Suddenly, all the lights in the theater went out, and the audience and actors were plunged into darkness.Jolina and Graham stood at a loss on stage.They hesitated and tried to continue the conversation, then stopped in a panic, unable to make up their minds whether to continue the act or wait for the lights to come on again. At this moment, our stage manager walked onto the stage from one side of the stage. He rolled up his sleeves, held a flashlight, ran to the center of the stage, and held the flashlight above the couple's heads.On one side are two big stars in fancy dress, and on the other side is this guy with his sleeves rolled up and holding a flashlight above their heads. This combination is so incongruous that the audience laughs happily.The two actors bravely continued to act.Suddenly, all the lights in the theater began to shine brightly again. The premiere that night was perhaps the worst in all of Broadway history.Nobody went to Satie's for a celebratory dinner.I went to a quiet restaurant with Natalie, Martin, and Ben to wait for the reviews. A handful of reviewers also tried to keep their tone soft: "How conscientious a fuse must be to not give up its responsibility to illuminate "Music Dream" and blow it by itself..." "Energetic and passionate, very entertaining..." "There hasn't been a musical this season that has come close to matching "Musical Dreams" in sophistication..." Most critics, however, were scathing: "She survived, but the show died..." "It's enough to make a man of insight weep..." "Pretty, but really boring..." "A beautiful, expensive, dull masterpiece..." Natalie read the comments and said: "There are mixed reviews." After four weeks, the show was discontinued.To put it bluntly, in this short period of time, Ben Roberts and I had three plays on Broadway at the same time.
Not long after "Music Dreams" ended, I got a call from a stranger.The other party spoke with a strong Hungarian accent: "I am Ladislos Bush Fickett, and George Harry introduced me to you." George Harry was a screenwriter I knew in Hollywood, "What's your business, Mr. Bush Fickett?" "I'd like to interview you. How about we have lunch?" "OK." After hanging up the phone, I called George Harry again, "Who is Ladislos Bush Fickett?" He smiled, "He is a Hungarian playwright who is well-known in Europe, and many of his masterpieces have caused a sensation." "What does he want from me?" "He had an idea for a script. He came to me, but I was busy, so I thought of you. He needs a partner with good English. Anyway, it wouldn't hurt you to meet him." We had lunch at the hotel where I was staying.Ladislos Bush Fickett was kind-hearted, about five feet four inches tall, and must have weighed three hundred pounds.With him was a lovely, serene dark-haired woman. "This is my wife Marika." We shook hands.After each took their seats, Bush Feckert said: "We are both engaged in script writing, and many works have been staged in Europe." "I know. I've been in touch with George Harry." "Marika and I have a brilliant idea. We would be very honored if you would like to work with us." I asked cautiously, "What kind of idea?" "A soldier returns from the front to his small town, to his lover. The problem is, the soldier falls in love with someone else at the front." It doesn't sound very strong.I said, "I'm sorry, but I think..." "The point is that the one who returned to her hometown town is a female soldier." "Oh." The more I think about it, the more attractive the idea becomes. "She had to choose between her fiancé and the soldier she met later." Marika asked me: "Are you interested?" "I'm interested. But I have a partner." Ladislos Bush Fickett said, "Yes, but you'll have to pay for him." I nodded: "No problem." I called Ben that night and told him about it. He said, "I'm afraid I won't be able to write with you this time. My commanding officer lost his temper and said I've been away too long. From now on, I'll have to stay here forever." "Damn it! I'm going to miss you." "Me too, man. Good luck!"
Ladisros told me to call him Racine.I started a collaboration with him and Marika.Marika's accent wasn't too bad, but Racine's was not so easy to understand.We made a play called "Starlight on the Window". We wrote the script in four months.My agent took the script to the Choate Elkins production team, and they couldn't wait to get started.The director is Joseph Carriella.Then we started casting. We found the outstanding Broadway actress Peggy Cochlin to be the female lead, and we interviewed many male actors, but we never found the right male lead.One day, an agent recommended a young actor. I asked him, "Can you read your lines?" "of course can." I gave him a five-page script.He matched words with Peggy Cochlin.About two minutes later, I said to the actor, "Thank you very much for your cooperation." He raised his chin and said angrily, "No thanks." He handed the pages back to me and was about to walk off the stage. I yelled, "Wait a minute, you're selected." He stopped in his tracks and asked in confusion, "What?" "You're selected." After he got the script, he captured the essence of the role, and I knew he was the most suitable person for the role. I asked him, "What's your name?" "Kirk Douglas."
Rehearsals went well, and Peggy Cocklin and Kirk Douglas were a perfect match.After the play is rehearsed, we will go on a tour abroad first.Washington, D.C. is the first stop on the tour.All the comments prove that our previous optimism was not unfounded. "'Starlight in the Window' is dazzling." "Peggy Cocklin's Lieutenant is full and deeply rooted." "Kirk Douglas is very cute as Sergeant Steve." ""Starlight on the Window" presented a cheerful and interesting feast to the audience last night. The applause was so enthusiastic that the curtain did not fall for a long time." I am thrilled.It'd be nice to be back on Broadway after the flop of "Musical Dreams."Before the premiere in New York, the producers decided to change the title of the show to Armored Alice. The play opened on Broadway on January 31, 1945.Everything is going smooth.After the premiere, we went to Satie's to wait for the news.The New York Times was the first to see it: "The audience was on pins and needles, and the lines were stiff." The Daily News: "Inappropriate." Herald Tribune: "It's worn out." PM: "It doesn't hurt, but it's not too bad." These comments have been considered the most positive. For the next three days, I locked myself in my hotel room and refused to answer any calls.I played those comments over and over again in my head.The lines are stiff... stale... out of date... The critics were right.I'm just not up to writing for Broadway.My previous success was only because fools have fools. No matter what happens next, I know I can't spend my whole life locked up in a hotel room feeling sorry for myself.I decided to go back to Hollywood.I plan to create an original movie script, find a good buyer, and then write the script myself.The problem was that I had no idea at all.My mind used to be full of stories, but now I'm too sad to concentrate.I had never had the experience of scratching my head before, and now I had to think hard to come up with a script. Early the next morning, I moved a straight-backed chair to the center of the room and sat down with a thick yellow legal pad and a pen in my hand.Many ideas were rejected by me one by one, and I didn't have a feasible idea until two hours later. I wrote a thirty-page outline, which I called "Happy Spring".I'm going to be in Hollywood again. Before going to Los Angeles, I went back to Chicago to see Natalie and Martin. Natalie greeted me at the door with a hug, "My big screenwriter." I didn't mention the reviews Armored Alice got to her, so I don't know how she knew.She nailed the problem: "They shouldn't have changed that name." I was in Chicago for a few days to see my aunts Fran, Emma, and Pauline who came all the way from Denver.I'm so happy to be reunited with them, and they're all so proud of me, as if "Music" and "Alice in Armor" were the biggest hits on Broadway. The time to say goodbye finally came, and I boarded a plane to Hollywood.
I feel as though I've been away from here my whole life, when in reality it's only been two years.A lot has happened in that time period, I learned to fly, I got sent home from the Air Force, I wrote two hit Broadway plays, and I had two flops. The fighting is still raging and housing is very tight.As luck would have it, one of the actresses in "Grand Prize" had a small apartment in Beverly Hills that she agreed to rent to me.The apartment was on Palm Street, and I got there and was about to put the key in the lock when the door opened.A lively young man looked down at the keys in my hand. "Hello." "Hello." "What can I do for you?" "What's the name?" "I'm Bill Orr." "I'm Sidney Sheldon." His expression suddenly became kind, "Ah, Helen told me you were moving in." He opened the door and let me in.It was a lovely little apartment, very nicely furnished, with a bedroom, a small sitting room, a small study, and a pocket kitchen. I said, "I don't want to drive you away, but..." "Don't worry. I'm moving away." The next morning, I read the Los Angeles Times and knew why he was moving.Bill Orr is about to become Jack Warner's son-in-law, and he will be the head of Warner Television in the future.
Next I went to see Grace at the boarding house on Calle del Carmen.Everything remains the same here, the only difference is the faces.The apartment is filled with a new wave of dreamers—up-and-coming stars, directors, photographers—all waiting for that lucky call. Grace hasn't changed a bit. She still goes back and forth, caring for each tenant, offering soothing advice, and pity for those who have given up on their dreams and are about to leave. She gave me a solid hug, "I heard that you are very famous now." I don't know whether I am famous or notorious now. I said, "I haven't given up yet." We stayed together for two hours, chatting about the old days, and then I got up to say goodbye.I'm going to see my agent.
I signed with William Morris & Associates, one of the top management firms in Hollywood.My agent, Sam Weisbord, was a short, feisty guy with a perpetual tan that I later learned was the result of persistent trips to Hawaii for a tan.Sam started out as a handyman at William Morris, and after many years he would rise to become president of the firm. Sam introduced me to several other brokers, as well as the firm's vice president, Johnny Hyde. Hyde said, "I've heard about you. We could do some fun stuff together." Then his secretary came in. "This is Donna Holloway." Donna is beautiful, slender, with wise gray eyes and a warm smile. She held out her hands to me, "Hi, Mr. Sheldon, it's a pleasure to have the opportunity to work with you." I fell in love with this firm. I told Sam and Johnny Hyde: "I created a script." Sam said, "Okay. How would you like to get to work right away?" "OK." "One of our clients, Eddie Kate, signed up with RKO to write a screenplay for them. The problem is, none of the scripts he came up with were satisfactory to the studios. The contract expires in three months, and if At that time, we still can't come up with a script that the other party approves, and the contract will be void. He wants you to help him conceive a script. A thousand dollars a week." This is my first day back in Hollywood. "OK." "He wants to see you this afternoon." I was at a loss as to what changes this meeting would bring.
We all look forward to the most sensational blockbuster. From the very beginning, it was clear to everyone that Musical Dreams was going to be a huge success.Unlike Vinton Friedley, Richard Colmar will stop at nothing to present one of the most exquisite masterpieces in Broadway history.Intricate sets designed by Stuart Charney, period and stunning costumes by Miles White and choreography by George Balanchine.When lead actor Ronald Graham enters the stage, a pet cat will fly over the stage.The stage is surrounded by a rotating walkway, and the set includes a Baghdad palace and a gorgeous game reserve filled with dancing animals. Ben and I worked on our old schedule.I spent the day writing scripts with Dorothy Gilgal in her beautiful penthouse apartment and worked nights with Ben in my hotel room before he went back to Fort Dix. Ben and I were scribbling away one night when I dropped my pen.While bending over to pick it up, my disc herniated again.I fell to the ground, unable to move, in great pain.Ben called an ambulance and I was in hospital for three days.It's too late to catch up with this point, because our work is already beyond our reach. After I was discharged from the hospital, we continued immediately and finally finished the script smoothly.
I sat in the theater with Dorothy and Ben watching the rehearsal.It was truly spectacular.On the stage, the colorful costumes are dazzling, the background is beautiful, and Vera Jolina dances beautifully. The love scene between Vera Jolina and lead actor Ronald Graham is brilliant.Richard Colmar, who watched the rehearsal together, said: "Everything is ready." On the night of the premiere, Natalie and Martin were also in New York.We sat in a box near the front of the theatre.The theater quickly filled to capacity.It seems that there is some kind of mysterious magic power, and movie fans can always sense the coming of wonderful dramas.There were excited, tacit whispers in the audience.Ben and I looked at each other with a smile. We had three blockbuster hits in a row. The band played the prelude, and the bright and beautiful tunes composed by Clay Varnick and Edward Egg echoed throughout the theater.The show begins. For the official performance, Stuart Charney had another huge pink silk curtain added to the outside of the curtain. The prelude ends and the curtain rises.We can feel the audience is full of anticipation.The curtain was only halfway drawn when the beautiful pink curtain caught on a beam and with a loud bang the curtain tore and fell heavily into the orchestra pit.Everyone at the scene was in shock.Little did we know at the time that this was just the most insignificant incident of the night. "Music Dream" has two acts and thirteen scenes.At the beginning of the first scene, twelve African-American dancers in beautiful costumes, topless, happily walked on the huge conveyor belt.However, the conveyor belt soon began to accelerate, and the dancers fell on the stage one by one.The audience was dumbfounded. This is just the beginning, and the situation will get worse. Vera Jolina is one of the most prestigious ballet dancers in the world, and she performed perfectly in every rehearsal.Now, she's acting.About halfway through the jump, in a small jump, the soles of her feet slipped and she fell to the stage.The audience watched in horror.Ben and I were stuck in our seats.However, the bad luck was not over yet. Two performances later, Vera Jolina and Ronald Graham reappeared in gorgeous classic costumes, walked to the center of the stage and began to perform love scenes, the soft moonlight shone on them, and behind them was the beautiful forest.They started talking about those sweet things I wrote with Dorothy and Ben.The performance went smoothly and the audience listened attentively. Suddenly, all the lights in the theater went out, and the audience and actors were plunged into darkness.Jolina and Graham stood at a loss on stage.They hesitated and tried to continue the conversation, then stopped in a panic, unable to make up their minds whether to continue the act or wait for the lights to come on again. At this moment, our stage manager walked onto the stage from one side of the stage. He rolled up his sleeves, held a flashlight, ran to the center of the stage, and held the flashlight above the couple's heads.On one side are two big stars in fancy dress, and on the other side is this guy with his sleeves rolled up and holding a flashlight above their heads. This combination is so incongruous that the audience laughs happily.The two actors bravely continued to act.Suddenly, all the lights in the theater began to shine brightly again. The premiere that night was perhaps the worst in all of Broadway history.Nobody went to Satie's for a celebratory dinner.I went to a quiet restaurant with Natalie, Martin, and Ben to wait for the reviews. A handful of reviewers also tried to keep their tone soft: "How conscientious a fuse must be to not give up its responsibility to illuminate "Music Dream" and blow it by itself..." "Energetic and passionate, very entertaining..." "There hasn't been a musical this season that has come close to matching "Musical Dreams" in sophistication..." Most critics, however, were scathing: "She survived, but the show died..." "It's enough to make a man of insight weep..." "Pretty, but really boring..." "A beautiful, expensive, dull masterpiece..." Natalie read the comments and said: "There are mixed reviews." After four weeks, the show was discontinued.To put it bluntly, in this short period of time, Ben Roberts and I had three plays on Broadway at the same time.
Not long after "Music Dreams" ended, I got a call from a stranger.The other party spoke with a strong Hungarian accent: "I am Ladislos Bush Fickett, and George Harry introduced me to you." George Harry was a screenwriter I knew in Hollywood, "What's your business, Mr. Bush Fickett?" "I'd like to interview you. How about we have lunch?" "OK." After hanging up the phone, I called George Harry again, "Who is Ladislos Bush Fickett?" He smiled, "He is a Hungarian playwright who is well-known in Europe, and many of his masterpieces have caused a sensation." "What does he want from me?" "He had an idea for a script. He came to me, but I was busy, so I thought of you. He needs a partner with good English. Anyway, it wouldn't hurt you to meet him." We had lunch at the hotel where I was staying.Ladislos Bush Fickett was kind-hearted, about five feet four inches tall, and must have weighed three hundred pounds.With him was a lovely, serene dark-haired woman. "This is my wife Marika." We shook hands.After each took their seats, Bush Feckert said: "We are both engaged in script writing, and many works have been staged in Europe." "I know. I've been in touch with George Harry." "Marika and I have a brilliant idea. We would be very honored if you would like to work with us." I asked cautiously, "What kind of idea?" "A soldier returns from the front to his small town, to his lover. The problem is, the soldier falls in love with someone else at the front." It doesn't sound very strong.I said, "I'm sorry, but I think..." "The point is that the one who returned to her hometown town is a female soldier." "Oh." The more I think about it, the more attractive the idea becomes. "She had to choose between her fiancé and the soldier she met later." Marika asked me: "Are you interested?" "I'm interested. But I have a partner." Ladislos Bush Fickett said, "Yes, but you'll have to pay for him." I nodded: "No problem." I called Ben that night and told him about it. He said, "I'm afraid I won't be able to write with you this time. My commanding officer lost his temper and said I've been away too long. From now on, I'll have to stay here forever." "Damn it! I'm going to miss you." "Me too, man. Good luck!"
Ladisros told me to call him Racine.I started a collaboration with him and Marika.Marika's accent wasn't too bad, but Racine's was not so easy to understand.We made a play called "Starlight on the Window". We wrote the script in four months.My agent took the script to the Choate Elkins production team, and they couldn't wait to get started.The director is Joseph Carriella.Then we started casting. We found the outstanding Broadway actress Peggy Cochlin to be the female lead, and we interviewed many male actors, but we never found the right male lead.One day, an agent recommended a young actor. I asked him, "Can you read your lines?" "of course can." I gave him a five-page script.He matched words with Peggy Cochlin.About two minutes later, I said to the actor, "Thank you very much for your cooperation." He raised his chin and said angrily, "No thanks." He handed the pages back to me and was about to walk off the stage. I yelled, "Wait a minute, you're selected." He stopped in his tracks and asked in confusion, "What?" "You're selected." After he got the script, he captured the essence of the role, and I knew he was the most suitable person for the role. I asked him, "What's your name?" "Kirk Douglas."
Rehearsals went well, and Peggy Cocklin and Kirk Douglas were a perfect match.After the play is rehearsed, we will go on a tour abroad first.Washington, D.C. is the first stop on the tour.All the comments prove that our previous optimism was not unfounded. "'Starlight in the Window' is dazzling." "Peggy Cocklin's Lieutenant is full and deeply rooted." "Kirk Douglas is very cute as Sergeant Steve." ""Starlight on the Window" presented a cheerful and interesting feast to the audience last night. The applause was so enthusiastic that the curtain did not fall for a long time." I am thrilled.It'd be nice to be back on Broadway after the flop of "Musical Dreams."Before the premiere in New York, the producers decided to change the title of the show to Armored Alice. The play opened on Broadway on January 31, 1945.Everything is going smooth.After the premiere, we went to Satie's to wait for the news.The New York Times was the first to see it: "The audience was on pins and needles, and the lines were stiff." The Daily News: "Inappropriate." Herald Tribune: "It's worn out." PM: "It doesn't hurt, but it's not too bad." These comments have been considered the most positive. For the next three days, I locked myself in my hotel room and refused to answer any calls.I played those comments over and over again in my head.The lines are stiff... stale... out of date... The critics were right.I'm just not up to writing for Broadway.My previous success was only because fools have fools. No matter what happens next, I know I can't spend my whole life locked up in a hotel room feeling sorry for myself.I decided to go back to Hollywood.I plan to create an original movie script, find a good buyer, and then write the script myself.The problem was that I had no idea at all.My mind used to be full of stories, but now I'm too sad to concentrate.I had never had the experience of scratching my head before, and now I had to think hard to come up with a script. Early the next morning, I moved a straight-backed chair to the center of the room and sat down with a thick yellow legal pad and a pen in my hand.Many ideas were rejected by me one by one, and I didn't have a feasible idea until two hours later. I wrote a thirty-page outline, which I called "Happy Spring".I'm going to be in Hollywood again. Before going to Los Angeles, I went back to Chicago to see Natalie and Martin. Natalie greeted me at the door with a hug, "My big screenwriter." I didn't mention the reviews Armored Alice got to her, so I don't know how she knew.She nailed the problem: "They shouldn't have changed that name." I was in Chicago for a few days to see my aunts Fran, Emma, and Pauline who came all the way from Denver.I'm so happy to be reunited with them, and they're all so proud of me, as if "Music" and "Alice in Armor" were the biggest hits on Broadway. The time to say goodbye finally came, and I boarded a plane to Hollywood.
I feel as though I've been away from here my whole life, when in reality it's only been two years.A lot has happened in that time period, I learned to fly, I got sent home from the Air Force, I wrote two hit Broadway plays, and I had two flops. The fighting is still raging and housing is very tight.As luck would have it, one of the actresses in "Grand Prize" had a small apartment in Beverly Hills that she agreed to rent to me.The apartment was on Palm Street, and I got there and was about to put the key in the lock when the door opened.A lively young man looked down at the keys in my hand. "Hello." "Hello." "What can I do for you?" "What's the name?" "I'm Bill Orr." "I'm Sidney Sheldon." His expression suddenly became kind, "Ah, Helen told me you were moving in." He opened the door and let me in.It was a lovely little apartment, very nicely furnished, with a bedroom, a small sitting room, a small study, and a pocket kitchen. I said, "I don't want to drive you away, but..." "Don't worry. I'm moving away." The next morning, I read the Los Angeles Times and knew why he was moving.Bill Orr is about to become Jack Warner's son-in-law, and he will be the head of Warner Television in the future.
Next I went to see Grace at the boarding house on Calle del Carmen.Everything remains the same here, the only difference is the faces.The apartment is filled with a new wave of dreamers—up-and-coming stars, directors, photographers—all waiting for that lucky call. Grace hasn't changed a bit. She still goes back and forth, caring for each tenant, offering soothing advice, and pity for those who have given up on their dreams and are about to leave. She gave me a solid hug, "I heard that you are very famous now." I don't know whether I am famous or notorious now. I said, "I haven't given up yet." We stayed together for two hours, chatting about the old days, and then I got up to say goodbye.I'm going to see my agent.
I signed with William Morris & Associates, one of the top management firms in Hollywood.My agent, Sam Weisbord, was a short, feisty guy with a perpetual tan that I later learned was the result of persistent trips to Hawaii for a tan.Sam started out as a handyman at William Morris, and after many years he would rise to become president of the firm. Sam introduced me to several other brokers, as well as the firm's vice president, Johnny Hyde. Hyde said, "I've heard about you. We could do some fun stuff together." Then his secretary came in. "This is Donna Holloway." Donna is beautiful, slender, with wise gray eyes and a warm smile. She held out her hands to me, "Hi, Mr. Sheldon, it's a pleasure to have the opportunity to work with you." I fell in love with this firm. I told Sam and Johnny Hyde: "I created a script." Sam said, "Okay. How would you like to get to work right away?" "OK." "One of our clients, Eddie Kate, signed up with RKO to write a screenplay for them. The problem is, none of the scripts he came up with were satisfactory to the studios. The contract expires in three months, and if At that time, we still can't come up with a script that the other party approves, and the contract will be void. He wants you to help him conceive a script. A thousand dollars a week." This is my first day back in Hollywood. "OK." "He wants to see you this afternoon." I was at a loss as to what changes this meeting would bring.