I DIDN'T THINK YOU WEWRE FESS PARKER

RICHARD BOONE, VICTOR BOUNO, & MICHAEL DUNN

In 1972 I moved to Los Angeles seriously for the first time. I took a single apartment at 8642 Sunset Blvd. It was a combination hotel/apartment building across the street from the Comedy Store.

I was working evenings at Vendome Liquor at the corner of La Cienega and Miller Dr, so I had the days to myself. I had intended on being an actor and literally thought some Agent, or Director or Producer would spot me walking down the street to Tiny Naylor’s or The Sunset Hyatt House and say “That’s the look I want!”. The dreams and foolishness of youth.

One morning I was heading over to the Hyatt House coffee shop to grab breakfast and saw a movie crew had taken up temporary residence in the big room at the Comedy Store.  For those of you who don’t know the history of the Comedy Store, it was once the great Hollywood Night Club known as Ciro’s. Ciro’s was opened in 1939 by Billy Wilkerson who would go on to open the Macombo and The Flamingo in Las Vegas that would, in turn, be taken over by Bugsy Seigel.

In the 1970's the Big Room was rarely used and on this particular day the

place was buzzing with the activity of a TV Movie (Movie of the Week as they were called back in the day or MOW as the networks referred to them) entitled “Goodnight, My Love” a 1940's murder mystery.

I had never been on an active movie set before and slipped into the Big Room. They had dressed the room much the same as I imagined it had been in Ciro’s heyday. In the far corner I saw the camera, crew, director (Peter Hyams) and a couple of other men (Richard Boone and Victor Bouno).  I watched as they lit the scene, walked through the blocking, etc.

Suddenly I heard “Can I help you?” I turned to see an elegant, portly man with a moustache, dressed in a tuxedo, standing at the Maitre D’s desk.  His name was Lomax Study, an actor, who was portraying...A Maitre D.

Lomax and I chatted for several minutes, each giving the other background on ourselves. Then a young man came in, saw me and demanded to know who I was. Before I could replay, Lomax said, “Oh, this is my nephew from St. Louis and I invited him to visit th set. Is that alright?” The young man; an Associate Producer as it turned out; harumphed,  turned and left.

Lomax and I continued to chat until the director called out “let’s shoot it”. So after an hour and a half of watching set the scene and the camera movement and rehearsal, the director called “Action!” Ninety seconds later: “Cut! That’s lunch!” And everyone started to file out, so I followed.

As I stepped onto the sidewalk (Sunset Boulevard across the street where House of Blues now stands) I saw Michael Dunn, best known for portraying Secret Service Agent James West nemesis. Dr. Miguelito Loveless on the 1960's classic TV series “The Wild, Wild West” seated in a director’s chair, holding a sizable tumbler, drinking his lunch.

Just beyond stood the hulking form of Richard Boone, “Have Gun, Will Travel’s” gentleman gunslinger “Paladin” from the 1950's. He was standing by the driveway that led up to the parking lot behind the Hyatt House.

I walked over and started chatting with him. I asked him what they were shooting and he outlined the plot of the TV movie, then after about ten minutes he turned to me and said, “By the way, I’m Dick Boone” to which I replied dryly and off-handedly “ I didn’t think you were Fess Parker.” This evoked such a deep throated roar of laughter from Boone it was frightening, but I felt both relieved and satisfied that I was able to make such an intimidating looking man like Richard Boone laugh and he didn’t throw a punch.

He went off to have lunch and I went back into the Big Room and resumed chatting with Lomax. They were shooting more of the scene with another great character actor Victor Buono, known for playing “King Tut” on the 1960's version of “Batman” opposite Adam West and “Count Manzeppi” also on “The Wild, Wild West”, and co-starring with Bette Davis and Joan Crawford in Robert Adlrich’s 1962 classic “Whatever Happened To Baby Jane”.

As Buono began to leave I approached him, begged his pardon for bothering him and looked about the room and told him I just didn’t understand any of this. He paused, looked around, and replied, “Neither do I. I tell you what. We’ll meet in Yuma once a year and discuss it.” And then he left for lunch.