The Vagaries of Show Biz - From a Writer’s Perspective
The first screenplay I ever wrote was stolen by one of the biggest producing entities in the world.
Not to name any names, but it’s associated with some of the most beloved animated characters of all
time, and will hereon in be referred to as BBS (Big Bad Studio). And this was the beginning of my
almost-stellar career in Hollywood.
Here’s how it happened: Two years after we had written our first screenplay - and scribing out
third - my writing partner and I were taking a break from the computer. We were working on a
horror film for a Japanese company that had requested our services through someone who knew our
work. I settled in front of the TV while my partner flipped open the TV Guide. “Oh my gawd,” she
said, pointing to a listing. “That’s our screenplay.” I took a closer look. Sure enough, it
was the same title and the brief synopsis sounded a bit too similar to the one we had written.
It got worse. We sat for almost two hours, glued to the television watching as the story unfold,
almost exactly as we had written, with the same characters. Beginning with the title, we
counted 95 points of similarity.
We contacted a law firm in Century City. After reviewing our case, the lawyer who agreed to
meet with us, said, in so many words “Yep, sure looks like a case of plagiarism.” What ensued
was a series of phone calls to BBS’s legal department and one particular lawyer who said, in
no uncertain terms, that he saw no similarity between BBS’s production and our screenplay,
but in the future, should we have our screenplay produced, BBS will sue us for plagiarism!
Uh...what?
Welcome to Hollywood.
We were told by our legal council that BBS was far too huge to take on and they would bury
us - even if we had the tens of thousands of dollars, it would take to pursue legal action.
So we dropped it. Discouraged, yes, but we kept going. I think most rational people would have
given up screenwriter and gone on to writing recipes.
In retrospect and having known other writers who have had their works stolen out from under them,
we probably should have contacted the Writers Guild of America. In spite of what many people think
of unions, they do serve a purpose - and will rally to your cause.
Oh and then there was this manager who loved our work and who courted us and set us up with one of
the more prestigious talent agencies for TV (we had written two spec scripts for two very popular
televsion shows). We came up with several ideas for what we thought would make fabulous shows and
handed them over to our manager. Short story, he, the manager, disappeared, the agency decided
they weren’t interested (rather they stopped returning phone calls), and then (you can probably
guess what’s coming) coincidentally (or not) over the next few years, we saw three of those shows
come to life on network television.
Was I ready to quit yet? Naaaah....
When I first got to LA, I met lots of famous people and had many
doors open for me. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the confidence to take advantage of the
opportunities. I realize now that success is predicated upon having confidence. A little
shameless self-promotion doesn’t hurt either.
One lesson I continuously have to relearn is to always go with your gut instinct. One project
in particular reminds me of this. Both me, as a writer/producer, and the lead actor were dead
set against casting this particular person to play a rather important role. All my bells and
whistles were tooting and screaming “NO!” But we deferred to the director and casting director
and agreed to cast the person. Long story short: I could not stand being in the same room with
the actor for more than five minutes and the lead actor was so affected by the other actor’s “energy,”
he lost 35 pounds during the run of the show.
Never apologize for anything, unless of course you inadvertently step on someone’s toes or run
someone down. We are all sisters under skin. We all have a rightful place in creation.
Having been on both sides of the casting sofa, I now realize that actors need to understand that
many times they might not be cast simply because they don’t look right with another person that
has been cast. Or they aren’t blond, or brunette, or tall, or whatever – or simply just not what
the director/producer has envisioned for the part. Don’t take rejection personally. Remember also,
that some of the greats – both writers and actors – had been rejected for years before anything
took hold.
On that note: I was once recommended for a part in a film (with known actors). Had I been cast,
I would have gotten my SAG card (a big deal back then). First flag: I was called by the “director“
to audition on Saturday. Next flag: there was no one to sign me in or out, a SAG requirement. But
being game, and spotting at least one other person in the building, which was in a decent area on
Melrose Avenue, I went ahead and met with the director. I had red hair back then. After a few
moments of polite chitchat, the director paused, then sat back in his chair. “So tell me,” he
said, “I’ve always been curious. People with red hair – are they the same down there as they are
up there?” He looked first at my crotch, then at my wavy red hair (Thank you Clairol.). I smiled
politely, shrugged, all the while thinking about that damn SAG card. He then told me that one of
the scenes would require me, the actress, to come screaming out of a house topless (this was news to me).
He then asked if I wouldn’t mind showing him my breasts. “After all, we have to be sure.” Be sure of
what? That I have perky tits? I felt my face color, and saw that SAG card flashing before my face.
“Uh,” was about all I could muster. I popped out of my chair and headed toward the door. “My breasts
are just fine, thank you.” I went home, called my agent (commercial agent – the only one I had at
the time) and told her what happened. “Well, it’s really up to you,” she said. I didn’t get the part.
To me, God is creativity and Creativity is god. Everyday we are creating, even if we don’t consider
ourselves “artists.” (Me on a good day).
