If you shopped at the Safeway supermarket stores in the 60's and 70's you are likely familiar with the slogan and song they used in their advertisements on radio and television... and a snappy little jingle it was because I can still hear it playing in my head sometimes... For the most part I have always been a good neighbor... I'm not loud and I'll tell you if I'm having a party (I'll probably even invite you if it's a large-ish group of people)... I'll offer to take in your mail and/or newspaper if you are away and water your plants if you want me to and I'll keep an eye out for your property to hopefully avoid vandalism or a robbery... but probably most importantly I'll treat you with consideration and respect and mind my own business... My motto is "Since We're Neighbors Let's Be Friendly!"
I've had some very interesting neighbors over the years but I'm only going to be discussing two and also someone who used to be neighbors with a friend of mine...
Several years ago I had two very interesting neighbors when I was living in Hollywood Hills (If you pay attention you will be able to figure the year out quite easily)... one was an aspiring actress who was bright and fun and waiting for the movie that was going to put her on the map to open and the other was a sad, angry past his prime A-Lister who was divorced again and drinking quite heavily until he ultimately went to The Betty Ford Clinic some years later...I only saw him a couple of times and was warned by my other neighbor "If you see a silver Mercedes Benz speeding up or down the canyon roads pull over because he will run you right off the road"... I heeded this advice a couple of times and thought he was not very nice or neighborly...or charming or handsome anymore.
I was working on a project at Paramount and had to be at the studio very early usually and sometimes filming at various locations around the city including... Malibu, Venice, Los Feliz, Burbank and Huntington Park... and often did not get home until quite late My driveway and garage was adjacent to her back windows so I usually coasted down the canyon in neutral early in the morning and shifted into first gear and started the car when I was out of ear shot... Finally her movie opened and word was this was going to be her breakout role (I have to admit I'm somewhat ashamed to say I've never seen it) partially because at the time I was very busy... and I was somewhat envious or miffed because I thought she did not have to pay her dues the way most people do in Hollywood because she was the child or two famous parents... and even now have never seen it in the years that followed because when I wanted to rent it I was told in no uncertain terms that... "It has to be seen on a big screen"... so I'll keep waiting until I can.
I was sitting outside by the pool one night and did not have to work the next two days and for the first time we socialized beyond waving and saying hello and ultimately talked and drank and smoked well into the night and I congratulated her genuinely and sincerely on her success and future... (I pretended I saw her movie) (I'd seen the one previous to it and crossed my fingers as I spoke) ... We discussed our other unfriendly neighbor and she said it must be difficult and sad to have your turn be over before you are ready for it to be and it dawned on me that she was much brighter and more sensitive than I first thought. ( you know what they say about judging a book by it's cover) I also thought later about her star rising on one side of the fence, and his fading next door and me being right in the middle... So I finished my project and we exchanged information and promised to keep in touch... and the next year when it was released the movie was a hit... and I had forged a good working relationship with Alan Carr and eventually worked with him again on two more pictures; I'm still waiting for that breakout role but I've learned a lot and met some interesting people and been to some marvelous places looking and waiting for it... I sometimes thought about my neighbor and my time living in the canyons above Sunset Boulevard and eventually read a book that she wrote called 'Postcards From The Edge' and realized that everyone even Carrie Fisher pays their dues in Hollywood and in life one way or another... and when I read her second book 'Surrender The Pink' I knew she had found her voice and I sent her a note of congratulations; I don't know if she ever received it and I never ran into her again... our other neighbor was Peter Lawford who died of a heart attack in the same hospital almost on the same day 32 years earlier...I think about him sometimes too as a lesson of how not to live my life or waste it with anger and self-pity... I suspect he had other issues he struggled with just like the rest of us but he just dealt with them in the worst possible way.
I had a friend who used to be Debbie Reynolds neighbor when she lived in Studio City and I was happy to know that she was a good neighbor who happily waved hello and swept her own porch off in the evening... and put on appearances like most all of us do to sometimes hide our pain or sadness. The first time I ever spoke to her was when they were auctioning off the sets, and costumes and props at MGM and I thought... "she must have a plan or a vision for all of this!" and did she ever! The last time I saw her was in Branson Missouri while I was working on a Christmas special and she was still every inch a lady and a star... They both were remarkable people each in her own way and I shall always remember both with genuine fondness and respect... and although we were never destined to be great friends we were meant to know each other if only briefly to share a life lesson or two; and I'll always treasure one of mine as a gentle reminder that it's OK to be in the middle and for the most part out of the sometimes harsh glare of the spotlight to gather my thoughts and make another plan.
It is my distinct impression that each having had a turbulent and sometimes difficult life they eventually found their way to happiness with themselves and each other.
I'm so happy that 2016 is over... I never make New Year Resolutions other than... "I'll try to do the very best I can"... but this year I'm adding "I'm going to always try do the right thing no matter what!" and I'm not going to say or do some of the things that have been said or done to me in retaliation.... with these two simple steps I'm already a better person. Just think of what the world would be like if everyone did this?
Happy New Year... see you next week!
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