wikkidpissah
Footballguy
Over 40 yrs ago now, i get a call from my agent. "We got a lawsuit!"RIP Brian Dennehy - the best Willy Loman for me ever.
Huh? Let me explain -
The first thing he had represented me for was a play called Dinner & Divorce that i had written for a local community theater. It was based on a married couple who realized that, due to mid 70s tax statutes, if they went to a Caribbean island, got divorced on New Year's Eve and remarried on New Year's Day they saved enough in taxes to pay for the entire holiday and more (sumn i'd read in the paper about folks actually doing). Of course, between divorce & remarriage, hijinx & hilarity ensue. The referee of the mayhem was Buster, the wisened partyhound bartender of the tiki lounge on the resort's lanai. Serge loved it, got it into a Boston theater and it was well-received. Unfortunately, the IRS quickly closed the loophole (yes, govt actually acted quickly at one time) and i was on to other things, so it never went further.
Anyway, my agent goes to a hot new movie, 10, starring Bo Derek. Hijinx & hilarity ensued in this, too, refereed by Don, a wisened partyhound bartender of the tiki lounge on a resort's lanai, portrayed by Brian Dennehy (in what turned out to be his breakout role).
Further anyway, my agent - whose talent to get into the best places & parties almost exceeded his contract skills - swore that he was at a party attended by 10 writer/director Blake Edwards during the time Dinner & Divorce was running and his book made it clear he was in Boston for the whole run of my play (he had offices in Bos & NY). Don & Buster were so similar that he became convinced that Edwards had seen my play in a Boston 200-seater and lifted the characterization. I went to the movie and, while there were a number of similarities (i most remember insisting Buster be cast as a burly, bouncer type with soft, sarcastic edges, like the author), not enough for me to support Serge's claim. But i've held a great affection for Dennehy ever since. RIP -
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