Robertson.
There were a couple of odd coincidences regarding this project. First, the title of this movie, My Six Loves, was similar to my brother’s show, My Three Sons . Second, between shooting seasons on MTS, Stan got a job in an epic Western How the West Was Won, which also starred Debbie Reynolds. She was the biggest female star in Hollywood, very much in demand, and worked with me on the weekdays and then flew off to Arizona on the weekends to work with Stan on the Western. This is how Ms. Reynolds came by her reputation as a workaholic.
My Six Loves had another unique distinction. The famed cult novelist, John Fante, author of Ask the Dust, wrote the screenplay. Fante was moonlighting to earn some studio bucks to fund his true passion, noir novels about the low life of Los Angeles.
This is only one of two films helmed by the great stage director Gower Champion. He was the guiding force on Broadway behind Hello Dolly , Bye Bye Birdie, and Carnival. My Six Loves was going to be his big break into films.
Champion liked me and kept adding little moments in scenes for my character. One unique bit of business was flushing toilets. I played Sherman, one of six hillbilly orphans given refuge by Reynolds at her lavish country home. Champion figured that my character would never have seen indoor plumbing, hence the flushing fixation. The sound of a flushing toilet preceded my entrance into almost every scene, and the gag got quite a laugh in the movie theaters.
Another star in the movie, David Janssen, also took a shine to me. He played a slick showbiz manager and was forever offering me his cigar to smoke in our scenes.
During filming, Debbie Reynolds took my mother aside and said, “Barry has natural comedic timing.” That was a great compliment from a hugely talented star, something I’ll always cherish.
CHAPTER 10
The Amazing TV
Whenever I had free time while working on My Six Loves at Paramount, I’d explore the lot. You never knew what you’d encounter: Nazi tanks, alien spaceships, movie stars, you name it. One day I spotted a brand-new, gleaming white Cadillac limo that was as long as an oil tanker. It was idling outside a soundstage and the back doors were open. I couldn’t resist peeking inside.
The limo’s interior was like a vision of heaven, all snowy white and pristine. The ivory-colored carpet was plush as polar bear fur, and the creamy leather seats looked edible, like tuck-and-roll white fudge. A highly polished wooden control board was imbedded in the compartment’s ceiling with gold-plated toggle switches. Then, I spotted the most amazing sight of all: a television set! I’d only heard rumors of such advanced technology, and now here it was, man’s next great step into the future: mobile entertainment! You could ride all over town, in the lap of limo luxury, and not miss a single second of the best shows: The Mickey Mouse Club , Bugs Bunny , and Rin-Tin-Tin . This idea boggled my eight-year-old mind, particularly since our boxy old Philco TV at home barely got reception unless you slapped the damn thing silly and tweaked its rabbit-ear antennae.
I ogled the limo’s television and figured its picture clarity had to be top of the line, just like whoever owned this limo. He was probably a famous inventor like Thomas Edison, or maybe even an astronaut, John Glenn perhaps. Just then, a voice drawled in a deep Southern accent, “Ya like it?”
I turned around to see who could ask such a silly and obvious question. Holy crap! It was Elvis Presley, The King of Rock and Roll. He was towering over me, dressed in a colorful, loose-fitting Hawaiian shirt. His famous upper lip was raised on the left side with a half smile, half sneer, like in pictures I’d seen of him.
“They just finished the custom work and brought it over,” Elvis said, stroking the glossy white paint on the car’s roof. He leaned over and peered inside the rear compartment. The King’s nose was inches away from
There were a couple of odd coincidences regarding this project. First, the title of this movie, My Six Loves, was similar to my brother’s show, My Three Sons . Second, between shooting seasons on MTS, Stan got a job in an epic Western How the West Was Won, which also starred Debbie Reynolds. She was the biggest female star in Hollywood, very much in demand, and worked with me on the weekdays and then flew off to Arizona on the weekends to work with Stan on the Western. This is how Ms. Reynolds came by her reputation as a workaholic.
My Six Loves had another unique distinction. The famed cult novelist, John Fante, author of Ask the Dust, wrote the screenplay. Fante was moonlighting to earn some studio bucks to fund his true passion, noir novels about the low life of Los Angeles.
This is only one of two films helmed by the great stage director Gower Champion. He was the guiding force on Broadway behind Hello Dolly , Bye Bye Birdie, and Carnival. My Six Loves was going to be his big break into films.
Champion liked me and kept adding little moments in scenes for my character. One unique bit of business was flushing toilets. I played Sherman, one of six hillbilly orphans given refuge by Reynolds at her lavish country home. Champion figured that my character would never have seen indoor plumbing, hence the flushing fixation. The sound of a flushing toilet preceded my entrance into almost every scene, and the gag got quite a laugh in the movie theaters.
Another star in the movie, David Janssen, also took a shine to me. He played a slick showbiz manager and was forever offering me his cigar to smoke in our scenes.
During filming, Debbie Reynolds took my mother aside and said, “Barry has natural comedic timing.” That was a great compliment from a hugely talented star, something I’ll always cherish.
CHAPTER 10
The Amazing TV
Whenever I had free time while working on My Six Loves at Paramount, I’d explore the lot. You never knew what you’d encounter: Nazi tanks, alien spaceships, movie stars, you name it. One day I spotted a brand-new, gleaming white Cadillac limo that was as long as an oil tanker. It was idling outside a soundstage and the back doors were open. I couldn’t resist peeking inside.
The limo’s interior was like a vision of heaven, all snowy white and pristine. The ivory-colored carpet was plush as polar bear fur, and the creamy leather seats looked edible, like tuck-and-roll white fudge. A highly polished wooden control board was imbedded in the compartment’s ceiling with gold-plated toggle switches. Then, I spotted the most amazing sight of all: a television set! I’d only heard rumors of such advanced technology, and now here it was, man’s next great step into the future: mobile entertainment! You could ride all over town, in the lap of limo luxury, and not miss a single second of the best shows: The Mickey Mouse Club , Bugs Bunny , and Rin-Tin-Tin . This idea boggled my eight-year-old mind, particularly since our boxy old Philco TV at home barely got reception unless you slapped the damn thing silly and tweaked its rabbit-ear antennae.
I ogled the limo’s television and figured its picture clarity had to be top of the line, just like whoever owned this limo. He was probably a famous inventor like Thomas Edison, or maybe even an astronaut, John Glenn perhaps. Just then, a voice drawled in a deep Southern accent, “Ya like it?”
I turned around to see who could ask such a silly and obvious question. Holy crap! It was Elvis Presley, The King of Rock and Roll. He was towering over me, dressed in a colorful, loose-fitting Hawaiian shirt. His famous upper lip was raised on the left side with a half smile, half sneer, like in pictures I’d seen of him.
“They just finished the custom work and brought it over,” Elvis said, stroking the glossy white paint on the car’s roof. He leaned over and peered inside the rear compartment. The King’s nose was inches away from
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