Nothing happens in this story and yet it keeps crossing my mind. It reminds me of kings, queens, plays, celebrities, and Saturday morning television. I was formed by TV’s soothing regularity, “Fury”, “Sky King”, “Sea Hunt”, “Flipper” and ‘The Andy Griffith Show” were some of my favorites. They were there for me Saturday mornings waiting as if they were a playmate.
I went to acting school at the Strasberg Institute, a funny dream jumbled into monologues, driven by eccentric teachers and hopeful students. I met a woman who was an understudy in “You Can’t Take It With You” on Broadway. She was odd but knew so many lines for that play, I was amazed. Knowing her and seeing the play with her in it on Broadway frightened me. The pressure of being an understudy was way beyond my capabilities and desires. The play starred Jason Robards and Colleen Dewhurst. I have no idea of my friend’s name, to think she got on stage at the Royale Theatre on Broadway with no real experience on her resume has cleared my mind of her name, but her driven personality remains. She invited me to the cast party, held at Jason Robards home in Connecticut. We took the train; I wonder what I wore. It was summer.
At the party I talked to a man, he was tall, funny, and odd. Something about him was stamped into the back of my mind. I must have asked, “Who are you?”
He was Jack Dodson, an actor on the “Andy Griffith Show”. The realization poured over me, he was the loser town clerk. He was like his character and his melancholy went deep; his humor could not cover it. He asked for my number, he was in New York for a few more weeks. We met at The Odeon, my regular spot. They gave us a booth, the red vinyl banquettes were reserved for celebrities, maybe the Maître d' watched the Andy Griffith Show. There was a lot to talk about, sets for TV production, and stage acting as opposed to film and television. I went to the bathroom and when I returned, he had the large cloth napkin over his head with his glasses holding it onto his face. A clown move to break the ice but I don’t remember ice.
I only recall snippets, his friendship with Lauren Bacall, and her difficulty with aging. He said, “Can you imagine looking like that and having to contend with losing your looks?” I never had but I did then, that smooth hair in Casa Blanca and I remember cigarettes in “To Have and Have Not”, his question made me picture her. What a strange night, all the famous folks I mention from that cast have passed now, may they rest easy. And my friend the actress, I wonder where she is.
Actors are a breed apart. I dated one for a while. Can’t even remember his name or what he looked like. I just remember thinking, I’ll never know who he is. And I stopped. But, no napkins over his head.
I remember when you were studying acting and I thought it was the ideal preparation for selling. You are so good at it.