Voolavex

Still #metoo. Yet I Did Wise Up October 27, 2017

 (Please note – these men are all deceased and no names are mentioned)

Back in the halcyon days of Hollywood – when connections could open doors and a pretty girl went out to become a star, I did too. Not a starlet.  A star.  I was a lazy model, a wife, a mother and a dreamer who frequently thought – “I could do that”.  So in the guise of going to Hollywood to check on a house, we held a second on – up in the Bird Streets, I took my daughter and myself and flew to Hollywood for a week. Due to NYC connections of my then spouse, I had entrez to every studio in town – no waiting, valet parking, generosity of time. courtesy and no casting couch.  Stayed with a friend who was the most unhelpful director born.  Couldn’t, wouldn’t, didn’t even say no.  Just didn’t. No help at all.  His best moment was driving by Kirk Douglas’ house and saying casually “Oh, Kirk’s finally getting his driveway fixed”.  With that gem, I quickly found a hotel and rented a car.  I did check on the house stilted high above the fault lines with an excellent view of the city as it was then.  (It was on Warbler Way if you are wondering). Before that pivotal moment, however – the day before, I mentioned the name of a well-known studio exec who had a reputation for many things.  Elegance, erudition and expecting favors for his time and a possible bit part.  I was pleased about it until my friend shakes his head like a yenta and say “Oh, we were roommates when we first came to Los Angeles from NYC,  you’re not seeing him I hope?” And  I replied I did have his number as a person to call and then I was treated to the entire, blow by blow activities of this power broker and it was pretty graphic, but no big surprise.  I assured him that was not gonna happen and he mentioned it more than once and I ignored him. It turned out I did call this bigwig of Hollywood who nonchalantly invited me to his house above Sunset Strip for drinks the next evening and I went!!!!   Young, but not eggshell young.   I made a simple speech in my head to deliver that involved candor, name-dropping and explaining what I knew and what I had no intention of doing. (And frankly by that time – I was disgusted with the entire town, the “Industry”, whether or not I could act (I couldn’t) and I was about to get outta Dodge the next day. And so I went.

Up Sunset Plaza in my little rented Pinto (yup – Pinto)  And up some more and found the house, where I carefully backed into the driveway, put my keys under the seat and went to the door.   (Right now you think I was insanely stupid, driven by my “friend’s” paternalistic warnings; more like stubborn and over the movie star thing entirely.) I  rang the buzzer; the door opened and there he was in his silk jammies and robe!!!!  I swear to God.  DId I run.  Nooooo.  I walked past him, looked him in the eye and said very pleasantly, how do and I have heard all about your casting couch activities and I am not impressed or interested.  Everyone I know in this town (drop, drop, drop) knows where I am and (names, dropped, dropped, dropped) and stopped. He said nothing except to ask me what I would like to drink and I asked for a soda.  Long silence.  But he got one for me and then patted the couch like they like to do (still) and I laughed and all of a sudden,  as I sat in a chair, I knew he had gotten it and it had worked. We moved to the kitchen and he made ice cream sundaes and he was indeed erudite and well-educated and we laughed a lot.  He told me “it was a shame I was so pretty because what I was, was funny, but no one laughed at a comic who was a pretty girl.  I hesitated to mention Carole Landis, Judy Holliday or Myrna Loy.  Thanked for the ice cream and drove away to my little hotel room laughing like a maniac.  It was in fact, the best part of my week of getting famous (and lucky).Long before fat (yes because he is,) slobbering Harvey got busted for the myriad list of offenses he is accused of and likely did.

I am still a #metoo from more naive days,  But not that time.  Probably why I recall it so clearly and why I was proud of myself.  And why I still laugh and wish I had been able to give a course there and then it to the other #metoos.  Maybe back then on Kirk’s fixed driveway.