Letters; I get letters...

(Responses to recent blogs)

(Robert S. Levinson is an award-winning bestselling crime novelist who spent years in the music business as one of the leading agents and public relations men. He represented some of the biggest mega-stars of the rock era. I almost convinced him to write his autobiography which, I was sure, would be eloquent, insightful and generous--just like Bob himself.)

Hi, Ed...

Just caught up with your Saturday blogging and thought to share with you...

Casey Kasem, one of the first and nicest guys I met and got to know quite well after I got into the business and was managing a band called "Don and the Goodtimes." A walking encyclopedia of contemporary music. Gave the band its first weekend playdates, at concerts he promoted at various municipal parks, one of the sidelines that helped make him a multi-millionaire.

Paul Revere & the Raiders were on Dick Clark's "Where the Action Is" when I landed my band a regular spot on the seires. Came a time Revere wanted to replace his bass player with ours, Charlie Coe, who was anxious to make the switch, and we wound negotiating an equitable trade. Think Charlie was still with Revere when he cut "Indian Nation."

"Tell Laura I Love Her" was written by Jeff Barry and Ben Raleigh. Jeff, a Brill Building legend, and I were briefly partners at one time, trying to turn his life story (and his catalog of chart hits) into a movie. Close but no production...Ben wrote many of the Elvis Presley movie songs and often dropped by my office to spend time with Grelun Landon, who joined me following Elvis' death and remained in almost daily touch with Col. Parker...

Memories, memories, memories...

Best,
Bob

(Ed here: per my comments on teenage tragedy songs a girkl I knew in highs school wrote m and said, "You liked that stuff as much as I did. You just wouldn;t admit it." Probably true, Karen.)

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From Tom Piccirilli
(recent winner of thr International Thriller Award)
Hey Ed:

RUN STRANGER RUN is probably better known as HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, LOVE GEORGE, if you can believe it. Came out a year or two before HAPPY DAYS, so Ron Howard was on the cusp of swingin into either serious dramatic shoes or comedic TV role all-innocence footsteps.

The story features Ron Howard as the new kid who comes to a quaint small town hunting for his biological parents. He finds his birth mom, played by Cloris Leachman, who refuses to tell him who his father is. Murders eventually start piling up around him.

The film also stands out for the fact that it's McGavin's only film directorial, and it also stars Tessa Dahl, daughter of Patricia Neal (and who plays Neal's daughter in the movie too) and Roald Dahl.

Worth checking out in that "didn't they make freakyass little movies back in the 70s" way.

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From Mike Doran

Mike Doran said...
And did you know... David Janssen's last theatrical filn was the legendary Sun Myung Moon production INCHON? This one sat on the shelf for more than a year, being constantly re-edited, and Janssen's death was one of the main reasons. The Moonies simply decided to cut Janssen out entirely,which played merry havoc with the continuity (as memory serves, Janssen was to have had second or third billing after Olivier). As things turned out, David Janssen may have been the lucky one...




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