Ricardo Montalban Archives - Author Tony Piazza

Esther Williams, That Million Dollar Mermaid

October 18, 2013 By tonypiazza 12 Comments

The day after Esther Williams passing on June 6^th of 2013 I promised to post a story about meeting this incredibly talented lady. Sorry it took so long, but- as they say- better late than never.

It was perhaps over thirteen years ago that my wife and I went to a bathing suit show at Nordstroms in downtown San Francisco. At the time my wife was working for a bay area company that produced bathing suits- she was a pattern-maker, and was interested in the show because it was her trade. I tagged along for the ride. Well, perhaps that wasn’t altogether true, there was an added attraction, the speaker was ESTHER WILLIAMS, and although I was not officially a film historian at the time, I was extremely interested in films and those who, like myself, worked in them- and especially those who were around making movies in an age when studios ran the industry.

Williams with Weissmuller- during Billy Rose’s Aquacade

Esther was charming, down to earth, and frank about her years in the industry. She had plenty of interesting anecdotes about other celebrities in her life. Touring in her younger years with Billy Rose’s Aquacade, she told us the story of JOHNNY WEISSMULLER, and how he loved to tease the other women swimmers on the tour. He was also by her report, quite a ladies man. Incidentally, I knew Johnny’s son, John Jr. He was very proud of his dad, and all the medals for swimming he had won. She mentioned another celebrity I had met, RICARDO MONTALBAN, and related what a gentleman he was (I can attest to that), also, what fun she had working with RED SKELTON, and the only sour note- although she didn’t go into detail (what’s not said, says volumes) was in regards to FERNANDO LAMAS, one of her ex-husbands. Apparently he was somewhat overbearing in regards to their relationship.

Author with Ricardo Montalban back in the 1960s

http://www.authortonypiazza.com/encounter-with-ricardo-montalban-by-tony-piazza/

Esther was born in Inglewood, California on August 8, 1921, the youngest of five siblings belonging to Louis Williams- a sign painter and Bula Myrtle Williams- a psychologist.

Esther set a number of swimming records in her late teens as a member of the Los Angeles Athletic Club. However, she was not able to compete in the 1940 Summer Olympics due to the turmoil brought about with the start of World War 2. Instead, she joined Billy Rose’s Aquacade when it moved to San Francisco- replacing its’ former star, ELEANOR HOLM, who’d decided she didn’t want to leave New York. Talent Scouts from M.G.M. discovered Esther at the Aquacade, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Starting in small roles and moving up, her real fame came from a series of 1940s to early 50s M.G.M. musicals featuring elaborate synchronized swimming routines with lavish sets, and timed to fully orchestrated musical numbers.

Some of her most notable films were: Bathing Beauty (1944), Neptune’s Daughter (1949), and Million Dollar Mermaid (1952).

Williams with Van Johnson

Some of the other stars Esther worked with were: MICKEY ROONEY (My niece interviewed him), VAN JOHNSON (who I’ve met), PETER LAWFORD (Who I’ve also met- see earlier blog), GENE KELLY, VICTOR MATURE, and TONY MARTIN.

Peter Lawford, my mom, & myself back in the 1960s

http://www.authortonypiazza.com/meeting-one-of-a-kind-peter-falk-by-tony-piazza/

My wife and I got to spend some time with her. I didn’t say much, but received a warm smile as the two of them spoke shop. She was also kind enough to sign a photograph.

Our autographed picture of Esther Williams

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Tony Piazza is author of the 1930s Hollywood murder mystery novel, “Anything Short of Murder,” which had its roots on the TCM fan website. His second novel, “The Curse of the Crimson Dragon” was next released early 2012, and in July of 2013, his latest Tom Logan Mystery, “A Murder Amongst Angels” was published and is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites. A new Tom Logan novel has been completed and is scheduled to be released in 2015. He was an actor/extra during the 1970s and worked with such legends as Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, and Karl Malden. His non-fiction e-book “Bullitt Points” is an in depth look at the making of “Bullitt” from a person who was there. Look for it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble websites, or at the link posted below. All profits go to the Boys Republic charity: www.bullittpoints.com.

Tony Piazza is a member of three prestigious writer’s organizations: Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and the SLO NightWriters.

My earlier bestselling novels, “The Curse of the Crimson Dragon” and “Anything Short of Murder” now joins “A Murder Amongst Angels” on Amazon’s Kindle at a new, low price of $2.99. Now you can have hours of adventure, thrills, mystery, and romance for the price of a cup of coffee- and just as stimulating! Look for it on Amazon. Print versions have also been reduced.

Also: The new Tom Logan mystery thriller, A Murder Amongst Angels is now available!

Find it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and wherever fine books are sold. Also available for $2.99 on Kindle.

Captain, This is Not Logical- A Star Trek Memory by Tony Piazza

July 11, 2012 By tonypiazza 2 Comments

Captain, This is Not Logical- A Star Trek Memory by Tony Piazza

A few years ago at Thanksgiving we had a family gathering and I was able to touch base with my niece- a then aspiring actress. She did eventually land a role on the television show, “The Unit” (a couple of lines) but it wasn’t enough work to pay her S.A.G. dues. Since then she has established herself in a more reliable (keep the day job) profession as an event planner for the Getty Museum and absolutely loves it. But, I digress- returning to that holiday; I had also visited with her ex-boyfriend who had come by to share turkey with us. He was a native of England, and a 3D animator by trade. He worked for a company that designed video games, and more recently worked on some feature films- most notably “GI Joe” and “Avatar.” It made for some interesting discussions- and considering at the time I was working on my own home grown special effects feature, “The War of the Worlds,” a great opportunity to get some suggestions for my own project. I had just finished creating an effects filled third episode of my video (on YouTube, link on the bottom of this blog) and then abandoned the project for a more rewarding career as an author. Of course during that dinner the subject of “Star Trek” came up, and I told this story which is the basis of today’s blog.

The newest “Star Trek” feature- a prequel, has since come and gone with hardly a splash*. Not surprising because in my estimation nothing can stand up against the original…however it did have the one-and-only Spock, LEONARD NIMOY, who is the subject of this story.

Star Trek (2009)

During 1977 my activities in the film industry started winding down- my last assignment for the casting agency was some “extra” work on a re-make of the 1956 science fiction film “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” This one starred DONALD SUTHERLAND, BROOKE ADAMS, and LEONARD NIMOY, and the setting was changed from Los Angeles to the Bay Area.

Poster from 1978 adaption of Jack Finney’s story.

My scene was a book signing party. The location was a children’s bookstore on California Street. All the “extras” were separated into groups, given drinks and were told to act as if we were mingling (but quietly) among ourselves as Leonard Nimoy’s character- a psychiatrist made his way through the crowd to the back of the room.

Leonard Nimoy as Dr. David Kibner in the 1978 film.

Now, keep in mind that the original “Star Trek- The Motion Picture” had not been filmed yet. In fact the press had been going on for months with stories regarding negotiations with the actors and whether all the original crew would sign on- and even speculating the odds that it would ever be made.

Nimoy, Sutherland, and Goldblum (1978).

Flashback to the bookstore. My little group was standing directly in Leonard Nimoy’s path- he had to weave through us to get to the back of the room where his scene played out. As we went through numerous rehearsals for the camera, I happened to glance down at a nearby bookshelf where I spied several copies of a children’s “Star Trek” book that featured a drawing of Mr.Spock prominently on the cover- pointy ears and all!

Well, I don’t know what got into me, but I instantly hatched a plan that my group would all be reading the books (held up close to our faces- so the cover could easily be seen) on the next rehearsal approach of Mr. Nimoy.

At first he didn’t see it, but was drawn to it by the laughter of the rest of the crew.

His response with a gleam in his eye, “Come on, guys, give me a break!”

As evidenced a year later (1979)- he had those pointy ears back on, and kept them on… up and until his most recent incarnation as the old Spock in 2009s Star Trek feature.

Nimoy (Spock) in 2009 Star Trek feature.

Just as an aside, I met WILLIAM SHATNER and got his autograph in the 1960s, during the height of the original “Star Trek mania,” and either met or worked with many other actors that were guests on that show, including RICARDO MONTALBAN and PETER MARK RICHMAN. I also sat in on a dramatic reading by another Star Trek captain, PATRICK STEWART, but more on that later.

The future obviously still uses paper plates!

Some additional trivia: Donald Sutherland also starred later in The Puppet Masters (1994), another science fiction story involving body stealing. It was adapted from a 1951 sf novel by Robert A. Heinlein.

Leonard Nimoy began his career as an alien early in films, starring as an invader in the 1952 Republic movie serial Zombies of the Stratosphere.

The novel, Invasion of the Body Snatchers was set in Mill Valley, California.

http://www.amazon.com/Invasion-Body-Snatchers-Jack-Finney/dp/0684852586/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342021478&sr=1-1&keywords=invasion+of+the+body+snatchers

Actress Brooke Adams is married to actor Tony Shalhoub of Monk fame.

HERE IS A LINK TO SOME OF MY YOUTUBE VIDEOS…INCLUDING WAR OF THE WORLDS PART 3:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=MagicLantern21&search_type=&aq=f

* Why I’m not a critic. Another new Star Trek movie was eventually released-“Star Trek into Darkness” in 2013- so, it made a bigger splash than I’d anticipated. I believe even a third is on its way. I’ll admit they are good, but still stand by my opinion that they’re nothing like the original.

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Tony Piazza is author of the 1930s Hollywood murder mystery novel, “Anything Short of Murder,” which had its roots on the TCM fan website. His second novel, “The Curse of the Crimson Dragon” was released early 2012, and “A Murder Amongst Angels” in 2013. It became an instant bestseller. A third Tom Logan mystery is presently scheduled to be released in 2015. He was an actor/extra during the 1970s and worked with such legends as Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, and Karl Malden. His non-fiction e-book “Bullitt Points” is an in depth look at the making of “Bullitt” from a person who was there. Look for it where fine books are sold, or at the link posted below. All profits go to the Boys Republic charity: www.bullittpoints.com.

Tony is also a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and SLO NightWriters.

Also: The new Tom Logan mystery thriller, A Murder Amongst Angels .

Find them all on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and wherever fine books are sold. Also available for $2.99 on Kindle.

Encounter with Ricardo Montalban by Tony Piazza

June 20, 2012 By tonypiazza 1 Comment

Encounter with Ricardo Montalban- A Class Act by Tony Piazza

We shared the same birthdate, but not the same year. He worked on radio, televsion, theatre, and film. So did I. His career spanned six decades, mine only one. He was a star, and I…a fan. His name, was RICARDO MONTALBAN and he was every inch a movie actor in the classic sense. Granted there were other actors that could project the charm, wit, and sophistication that he did, but somehow his performances always seemed to do it better. Perhaps it was because it was no act, but film capturing the real man.

Montalban with Herve Villechaize (Fantasy Island).

RICARDO MONTALBAN… to most, he needs no introduction. From early MGM musicals with Esther Williams (whom I also met) to Star Trek, Fantasy Island, The Naked Gun, and Escape to Conquest of the Planet of the Apes…he has been a prolific actor that has brought us much enjoyment through many generations. This photograph (below) was taken in 1971 on location in SF for a televsion mystery movie called “The Face of Fear’, co-starring Elizabeth Ashley.

Montalban- a class act!

They were filming at San Francisco’s Aquatic Park, close to the boat club, a very dramatic scene that included both Ashley and Montalban. On screen it was a private conversation, but in life they were surrounded by lights, camera, reflectors, sound recording equipment, booms, and a couple of dozen people which included director and film crew. That is the reality of the movie industry; creating an illusion that will convince an audience to accept what is projected on the screen as life. I have to admit that working in film does rob you of some of that magic, but it also instills in you an admiration for a film when it is really done right. That is where the actors come in, and the concentration and intensity delivered by both Montalban and Ashley in this scene really sold it for me.

Co-star Elizabeth Ashley.

“The Face of Fear” production company shot for forty-five minutes at that location. I was there the entire time, watching with the crew- others, a much larger crowd of onlookers were roped off at a distance, but because my father worked with the company I was given a front row view. After the scene was completed , Mr. Montalban was whisked away to his car. My father took my mother’s hand and led her towards the parked limo, I in close tow. When we reached it, I saw him sitting in the front passenger side, exhaustion etched on his face. My father called his name and tapped lightly on the car door. Always the latin gentleman…when he saw us with my father…he got out of the car…and then took my mother’s hand, a smile stretched broadly across his face…kissed her hand, and said, “you are a very lovely lady” and then asked “who is this gentleman?” (me), and shook my hand. There was class, and a fine example of what a gracious man he really was in life. If only the stars of today could conduct themselves with such panache, perhaps then we would have a few actors that years later we could call a class act.

Great memories. Thank you for letting me share them with you.

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Tony Piazza is author of the 1930s Hollywood murder mystery novel, “Anything Short of Murder,” which had its roots on the TCM fan website. His next novel, “The Curse of the Crimson Dragon” was released early 2012 and is now available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites. He was an actor/extra during the 1970s and worked with such legends as Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, and Karl Malden. His non-fiction e-book “Bullitt Points” is an in depth look at the making of “Bullitt” from a person who was there. Look for it where fine books are sold, or at the link posted below. All profits go to the Boys Republic charity: www.bullittpoints.com.

Tony Piazza is member of three prestigious writer’s groups: Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writer’s of America, and SLO NightWriters.

Also: The new Tom Logan mystery thriller, A Murder Amongst Angels .

Find them all on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and wherever fine books are sold. Also available for $2.99 on Kindle.