My First Time with Pamela Anderson. Sort of.

My first time on a real set was in a TV movie starring Rob Estes and Pamela Anderson. It was the CBS Tuesday Night Movie "Come Die With Me: A Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer Mystery".Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to meet my fellow Canadian actress but It was still a fun experience. This was in the early 90's and I was working at Walmart unloading their trucks and stocking shelves on the graveyard shift. If I ever hear that Walmart cheer again, I'll shoot myself. I wanted to keep my days open for auditons but when I dozed off at the wheel one morning climbed an embankment and nearly took out a no stopping sign I decided it was time to quit.My wife was flipping burgers and the apartment we were in would eventually evict us because we couldn't get the rent in on time. Not the best of times but not the worst either. That would be when my 3 three year old ended up at Children's hospital for 2 months a paraplegic. That's going to be a tough post but I'll get to it someday. Ok, back to my first time. Casting director Sam Warren calls me and asks if I want to play the part of a waiter at the Del Mar Race Track for a TV movie. Sure I said and showed up promptly to stand in line with a bunch of other guys wearing black pants and white shirts. A short time later Sam is looking at his clip board checking everybody in and starts looking a little puzzled. You see, he forgot to hire someone to play a jockey. Since I was the shortest there, they rushed me in the wardrobe trailer and started putting a makeshift costume together. Red satiny vest, long black boots and a helmet with a pointy thing on top. A little embarrassing but hey its show business. The highlight of this day was when the director approached me and started giving me directions like I knew what he was talking about. Hit my mark. What mark? Oh, an X on the ground. Right. After the car smashes through the barrier I run after it. Ok, got it. I ended getting my first Taft Hartley on this movie. The other 2 came pretty quickly too. When ever I watch my performance on the vhs I have I get a little depressed. You see in the background they caught my sweet tricked out 1967 Chevy Camaro that I had to sell when times got bad. Oh well, gotta grow up some time.

Top Dog and Rod Stewart?

The guy hands me a gun and an id badge that said Detective Mundy. I was a cop on the set of "Top Dog" starring Chuck Norris. The gun was a prop of course and the guy who handed it to me looked just like - I kid you not - Rod Stewart. The hair, the accent, and even the outfit he was wearing screamed "Hey look at me I'm Rod Stewart!". Anyone who worked on this movie can back me up. It was uncanny.

Getting on this film was interesting. Apparently the first batch of cops to be in the scene were actors/models who were 6 foot plus. This made our leading man look small. Can't have that. So, enter the small guys. I usually miss out because of my small stature but this time I got in thanks to it. I will post later about landing the part of a jockey.

This movie was directed by Chuck Norriss' brother Aaron Norris and both of these guys were really laid back and mellow. I remember we were all sitting together between scenes and Chuck gets up to talk to the motorcycle cop that was helping with security. He apparently likes bikes and they start rambling on like they're best buds. I was a big karate fan in the 70's and thought Chuck Norris was cool especially when I found out he would train with Bruce Lee. Breaker,Breaker was a favorite movie of mine back then. I read he made a whopping $10,000 for that flick. I think he gets a little more these days. Another cool encounter was with a crew member who was involved with all the stunts in "Chips" starring Erik Estrada and Larry Wilcox. Boy, I'm starting to feel old. The crew member ended up driving my car with me in the passenger seat in a scene which gave me a "car bump." That's extra pay for letting them use your vehicle.

It was fun working on this film not to mention the looks on my kids' faces when we went to the drive in and there on the giant screen was their pappy.

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"Those who live by the sword get shot by those who don't"

Matthew Perry and Chris Farleys Last Movie

So we're standing in the wardrobe trailer and this lady is telling us that the outfits we are about to get into are the same ones that were worn in Kevin Costner's "Dances with Wolves".Cool. They were too clean though and we were instructed to roll around in the ground to get them wrinkled and dirty. They also put movie dirt on us. Kinda like make up for your clothes. A rag with this black stuff on it. At the time this movie was being called Edwards and Hunt. They do that a lot. The working title being different than the finished product title.
Anyways, we were getting mucked up and just hanging out when I noticed Matthew Perry coming out of his trailer and sitting on the steps. He stared out and looked very distant. He also looked like he hadn't eaten in days. I mean this guy was very skinny. I later found out that this is when he started having drug problems. You wouldn't of noticed it watching the movie because of the extra weight that's added when you're on film. Chris Farley on the other hand didn't have a "skinny" weight problem. He was a riot. We shot at Blacks Beach -a nude beach- and he had this personal tent with I don't know how many people catering to his every need. Always laughing and acting like a big kid. I loved watching him on Saturday Night Live. The "Van down by the river" is probably my favorite skit. I don't think anybody had a clue this was his last movie and that we would die before it was released. Runs a chill down my spine as I write this. I guess there were a lot of people who knew he was going down the John Belushi road but didn't know when it was going to happen. Very sad

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"Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine."

Tracy Lords Standing in Front of Me

No, I didn't do porn. Thought about it but that was as far as it went. Remember, married 20 years, 3.3 kids. I'm not going there. I played a paramedic in a made for TV movie starring Crystal Bernard and Tracy Lords called "As Good As Dead". The thing I remember most was these really high heels she wore and the fact that when the VHS was released it went on sale for $79.99. Needless to say I didn't go right out and get me a copy. That's three months of macaroni and cheese. When I asked why it was so expensive, they said it wasn't the store that slapped that price on it but the studio that released it. You can get it on Amazon for less than three bucks now. I would like to add that Crystal Bernard was super on the set. She talked to us always smiling and showed how down to earth she was. Not to mention a very pretty lady. I think I will enjoy watching reruns of "Wings" a lot more now. As far as Tracy Lords goes, I'm glad she turned her life around and is working on films that I can take my kids to. It takes courage, and a strong will to do what she did and I can imagine there are a lot of young ladies who never make it out. I hope she can offer some inspiration and hope to anyone who is thinking there is none and this is all they can do with their lives. Thumbs up to two fine ladies.

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"Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak."