TIMES W/STEVEN SPIELBERG

TIME IS A FUNNY THING, ISN'T IT?

A FEW MONTHS CAN SOMETIMES SEEM LIKE 20 YEARS AGO, AND IN REVERSE, 20 OR THIRTY YEARS AGO CAN VERY MUCH SEEM LIKE YESTERDAY.

AND SO IT IS WITH THE TIMES I SPENT WITH STEVEN SPIELBERG.

ME, BEING DIRECTED BY STEVEN SPIELBERG?

HMMMM.....THAT SOUNDS KIND OF LIKE A FOUR-STAR FRENCH CHEF TEACHING A SANDWICH MAKER AT THE LOCAL DELI HOW TO SLICE PASTRAMI PROPERLY.

BUT YES, I WAS, AND YES, IT DOES SEEM LIKE YESTERDAY............

I FIRST MET STEVEN ON THE SET OF A MOVIE I DID IN 1977, CALLED "I WANNA HOLD YOUR HAND".

THIS FILM WAS, I'M PRETTY SURE, THE FIRST FILM STEVEN EVER PRODUCED (I COULD BE WRONG ON THAT COUNT THOUGH.)

"I WANNA HOLD YOUR HAND" WAS A DELIGHTFUL FILM, WRITTEN BY THE BRILLIANT TEAM OF ROBERT ZEMECKIS AND BOB GALE.

BOB ZEMECKIS ALSO DIRECTED, IT WAS HIS FIRST FILM.

ZEMECKIS' GENIUS SHONE FROM DAY ONE- WORKING FOR BOB ZEMECKIS IS LIKE BEING DRIVEN IN A CHAUFFEURED ROLLS-ROYCE.

THE MOVIE WAS ABOUT SEVERAL KIDS IN 1964, GOING TO NEW YORK CITY TO SEE THE BEATLES ON "THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW".

STEVEN WAS ALWAYS AROUND DURING THE SHOOT, MAKING SUGGESTIONS- HE WAS DEFINATELY BOB'S MENTOR.

I REMEMBER ONE DAY, HE AND I WERE ON A HOTEL ROOM SET, ALONE.

IN THIS SCENE, I WAS TO BE CHASED AROUND BY A POLICEMAN, AND WHEN HE CORNERS ME, HE SAYS "NOW I'VE GOT YOU, YOU LITTLE S**T!"

I TOLD STEVEN I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE FUNNY IF I REPLIED, "WHO ARE YOU CALLING "LITTLE"?"

STEVEN LAUGHED, TOLD BOB THE LINE AND IT WAS KEPT IN THE MOVIE.

STEVEN LIKED TO LAUGH, I CLEARLY REMEMBER THAT ABOUT HIM- HE LOVED TO LAUGH.

AND, AS YOU MIGHT IMAGINE, HE LOVED TO CHAT ABOUT OLD MOVIES AND TALK MOVIE TRIVIA.

HE LIKED TO COMPARE SHOTS: "OKAY, LET'S GET A SHOT IN HERE LIKE THE ONE JACK CARSON DID IN "THE GOOD HUMOR MAN" (AN ESOTERIC FILM FROM 1950)- HE WAS DEFINITELY A MOVIE ENCYCLOPEDIA, HE'D SAY LINES LIKE THAT.

AFTER WE WRAPPED "I WANNA HOLD YOUR HAND", SEVERAL OF US WENT TO NEW YORK FOR A PROMOTIONAL TOUR OF THE FILM.

STEVEN CAME ALONG.

DAMN, WE EVEN GOT TO STAY AT THE PLAZA HOTEL, IN THE ACTUAL SUITE THE BEATLES HAD STAYED AT DURING THEIR FIRST AMERICAN VISIT IN '64.

I CAN STILL REMEMBER THE RUSH I GOT, SITTING WITH STEVEN AND THE CAST IN "MICHAEL'S PUB" RESTAURANT IN NEW YORK, ALL OF US SITTING AROUND, TALKING AND DREAMING OF THE FILM'S ULTIMATE SUCCESS.

WE DID SOME SCREENINGS OF THE FILM, ANSWERED Q & A WITH THE AUDIENCES, DID SOME LOCAL TV THERE, AND LEFT NEW YORK EXTREMELY OPTIMISTIC.

UNFORTUNATELY, THE FILM'S SUCCESS WAS NOT TO BE.

FOR WHATEVER REASON, THE FILM WAS A BIG DISAPPOINTMENT AT THE BOX OFFICE.

I DID, HOWEVER, GET TO WORK WITH STEVEN AGAIN, IN HIS NEXT FILM, "1941"- ALSO WRITTEN BY ZEMECKIS AND GALE.

DIRECTING COMEDY WAS NOT REALLY STEVEN'S THING, ALTHOUGH HE ALWAYS HAS HUMOROUS MOMENTS IN ALL HIS FILMS.

I SPENT ALMOST THE ENTIRE FILMING OF "1941" SITTING UP IN A FERRIS WHEEL, WITH MY PARTNER, MURRAY HAMILTON, AND MY DUMMY (I PLAYED A VENTRILOQUIST).

ONE DAY, STEVEN WAS WHIPPING US AROUND VERY FAST ON THE FERRIS WHEEL, AND I GOT VERY SICK AND NAUSEOUS.

I ENDED UP THROWING UP IN STEVEN SPIELBERG'S PERSONAL TOILET IN HIS TRAILER- (IT WAS AN HONOR).

ANOTHER HUGE MEMORY I HAVE IS OF STEVEN INVITING ME TO HAVE LUNCH WITH HIM, JOHN BELUSHI AND DAN AYKROYD.

THE FOUR OF US ATE IN THE STUDIO COMMISSARY, AND I MANAGED NOT TO SAY ANYTHING STUPID AS I SAT WATCHING AND LISTENING- A 22-YEAR-OLD KID IN AN OVERWHELMED DAZE!

I HAD NO MONEY ON ME, AND LUCKILY AND THANKFULLY, STEVEN DID PICK UP THE TAB.

SOMETIMES, DURING BREAKS IN SHOOTING, STEVEN LIKED TO HAVE MUSIC PIPED IN FOR ALL TO LISTEN TO.

(STEVEN IS THE ONLY DIRECTOR I HAVE EVER WORKED WITH TO DO THIS- IT WAS GREAT, VERY PLEASANT.)

ANYWAY, ONE DAY, THE SOUNDTRACK FROM THE MUSICAL SHOW "ANNIE" WAS PUT ON AND PIPED OUT FOR ALL OF US.

SOME STAGEHAND (HE MUST HAVE BEEN NEW!) SAID "WHO PUT THAT CRAP ON? GET THAT S**T OFF!!"

SOMEONE ELSE ANSWERED BACK FIRMLY, "THE DIRECTOR WANTED TO HEAR IT!"

TOTAL DEAD SILENCE ENSUED- YOU COULD HAVE HEARD A PIN DROP, BEFORE THE MUSIC FROM "ANNIE" RESUMED.

STEVEN WAS JUST A NICE MAN- A "REGULAR GUY".

IF YOU MET HIM AND DIDN'T KNOW WHO HE IS, YOU MIGHT THINK HE OWNED A HARDWARE STORE DOWN THE STREET OR WAS A NEIGHBOR COMING OVER TO BORROW THE POWER TOOLS.

HE WAS ABSOLUTELY UNPRETENTIOUS IN EVERY WAY.

MY OUTSTANDING MEMORY OF THE ESSENCE OF STEVEN SPIELBERG WAS ON A DAY I WAS OFF FROM SHOOTING.

MY MOTHER WAS IN TOWN VISITING, AND I TOOK HER TO THE "1941" SET TO LOOK AROUND AND MEET SOME OF MY FRIENDS. AS MOM AND I WALKED ONTO THE QUIET, SEMI-DESERTED SET, WE SAW STEVEN ALONE, STUDYING A BLUEPRINT OF A SET OR A SCENE.

I SAID, "EXCUSE ME, STEVEN" AND INTRODUCED HIM TO MY MOTHER.

"MOM!!!!" HE SAID WARMLY, AS HE PUT HIS ARMS AROUND MY MOTHER AND HUGGED HER.

HE JOKED WITH MOM AND TOLD HER HOW HE AND I LOOKED ALIKE AND HOW HE FELT LIKE SHE WAS "HIS MOTHER"(I SWEAR THIS IS TRUE- IN THOSE DAYS STEVEN AND I LOOKED VERY SIMILAR, ALMOST LIKE BROTHERS!)

HE PROCEEDED TO TAKE MY MOTHER ON A TOUR OF THE SET, TELLING HER STORIES, ANSWERING QUESTIONS AND BEING A PERFECT HOST.

I SAW THE MOST FAMOUS DIRECTOR IN THE WORLD TAKING TIME OUT FROM HIS OWN BUSY SCHEDULE TO MAKE MY MOM FEEL WELCOME AND GIVE HER A NICE MEMORY.

THIS IS HOW I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER STEVEN SPIELBERG.

Comments

[June Arnold]

Dear Sir would it be possible to ask Mr Speilberg if he ever saw a movie called" A LIST OF ADRIAN MESSENGERS"with Tony Curtis,Kirk Douglas,Burt Lancaster,Frank Sinatra and a few other BIG stars all in disguise,it was fantastic,if he saw it would he please think about doing a remake,i think it would be brilliant. Sincerley June Arnold