Marc Tyler Nobleman's Blog, page 77

The Girl in the Video: “Jack & Diane” (1982)

Introduction to series “The Girl in the Video 2” (including list of interviewees).

The video: “Jack & Diane” by John Cougar (now John Mellencamp).

The girl-now-woman: Vicky Granucci.




How old were you when you appeared in the “Jack & Diane” video?

23.

Where were you living at the time?

John and I lived in Bloomington, IN.

How did you meet?

John and I met after he saw a photo of me at my friend’s home and convinced her to invite me to dinner. When I arrived at Dan Tana’s (restaurant) in Hollywood, I was surprised when I realized I was on a blind date. We hit it off immediately.


Are you “Diane”?

Although many people think it is about the two of us, Diane and Jack are fictional characters. (How funny is it that as I am writing this, “Jack & Diane” came on the radio?)


What music videos, shows, or movies, if any, had you appeared in prior to that?

In the late ‘70s, I worked as an extra in a variety of TV shows, commercials, and films including CHiPs, Happy Days, Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Charlie’s Angels, Grease, and Thank God It’s Friday .

Did John ask you to be the video or did you volunteer?

I really don’t know how we decided I would be in the video. It just happened.


Where was the video filmed?

The part where John is singing the song was shot at a small restaurant/bar in Medora, IN. We also filmed “Hurt So Good” there [earlier] that same day.

The 8 mm footage of John and I was filmed at and around our home in Bloomington.

All of the photos of John and I growing up were from our personal collections.

How long was the shoot?

John sang the song twice for the camera and then we spent another day shooting the 8 mm footage.

How did you feel making the video?

We had a great time. It seemed natural except for the fact that our friend was following us around with a camera.


What was the hardest part of the shoot?

Convincing John to perform another song after he had just filmed “Hurt So Good” [and] was literally exhausted.

How was it to work with your then-husband?

I had previously worked behind the scenes on many of John’s videos so it did not seem that different to make the progression to being in a video. John is very good at maintaining creative control of all the things he does.

Any funny stories from the shoot?

I was able to sneak a few pictures from his early “Johnny Cougar” days.  He, however, did not see the humor at the time!

Anything go wrong on the shoot?

The only difficult part of putting the video together was making the photos and the music come together. So someone came up with the “white glove claps.”

What did you think of the video?

The “Jack & Diane” video was a fun way for me to watch John & Vicky [growing] up and being a young couple in love.


What did your parents think of it?

The video also was a great way for my family in California to feel like they were there in Indiana with us. [Of course] no Internet, Facebook, Snapchat, FaceTime, etc., in the olden days.

What did your friends think of it?

I have heard from a lot of friends I grew up with that they really liked seeing it. There’s one picture of me with my childhood friend, all dressed up for our 8th grade banquet (in our homemade baby blue dresses). She was very surprised to see herself.

Did you watch the MTV World Premiere of the video, and if so, where and how did that feel?

We were at home with the Betamax machine ready so as to catch the first airing. We were both happy with it—although John is his harshest critic. He may have had some criticisms.

Did you receive fan mail? If so, do you still have any of it?

I did receive some mail from fans of John’s. The most surprising was while we were in Japan. There I was bombarded with fan letters and gifts. [Sherrie Swafford of Steve Perry’s “Oh Sherrie” similarly reported a positive experience with the Japanese.]

Did the video generate any controversy that you know of?

There was never any controversy that I know of. There was some negative blurb somewhere once about the line “dribble off those Bobby Brooks / let me do what I please.” [Bobby Brooks was a clothing brand for young women in the ‘70s and ‘80s.] But it was pretty silly and didn’t pick up any real attention.

What were you paid?

$0.00, of course.

Were you ever recognized in public?

Yes. That has happened quite a lot. Less as I get older. I think the “funniest” times are when a person repeatedly tells me “I know you from somewhere” and I don’t help them in figuring out that “somewhere.”

Did you appear in other music videos after that?

I did appear in other videos with John including “Rumbleseat” and “Small Town.” “Rooty Toot Toot” (1988) is another video that only John and I were in.


Did you ever meet other women who were female leads in a mainstream ‘80s rock video?

Over the years I met a few other woman who were in mainstream videos, one being Christie Brinkley.

If you went to college, where and what did you study?

I never went to college; my education has come from life experiences good and bad.

What are you doing these days?

Focusing on being a grandma. My daughters have wonderful children and have really given me a whole new outlook on life.


Where do you live?

I have been living on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina but enjoy going to the west coast to visit my other daughter and her growing family.

If you are remarried, what was your future husband’s reaction when he learned you were in this video?

I have never remarried. 

How many kids do you have?

John and I have two daughters; they are 28 and 33.



What do they think of the video?

Recently I asked the girls what they thought of seeing their dad and I in the videos together and they said…

“It is fun to see mom and dad when they are so young.”“It is nice to see my parents having fun together.”
What did you think when you first heard from me?
 
I was hesitant about what type of questions you would ask. I was a little leery…that your questions may be too personal about John and I. I was relieved to see they were primarily about “Jack & Diane.”

Has anyone else ever interviewed you about this? If so, when and for what publication?

This is actually [my] first interview about the videos.


Have you appeared at any fan conventions to sign autographs? If not, would you?

I have never appeared at any fan conventions nor would I care to.

Are you in touch with John?

I am still very close with John’s family given that we all share our two children and their children [Vicky’s grandchildren]. John and I are always just a phone call away.

When was the last time you were in touch?

I last saw John a couple years ago when he did a show in nearby Savannah.

How do you look back on the experience?

I look back at “Jack & Diane” with fond memories. I see “two American kids doing the best they can.”


Tweet about this interview to @johnmellencamp!

Next: 38 Special, “Caught Up in You” (1982).

The Girl in the Video: “867-5309/Jenny” (1981)

Introduction to series “The Girl in the Video 2” (including list of interviewees).

The video: “867-5309/Jenny” by Tommy Tutone.

The girl-now-woman: Karen Morton.



I wish finding Karen was as easy as calling 867-5309.

And I wish she was here to see this interview post.

But on 2/11/14, before I followed up on our August 2013 interview to ask a few more questions, Karen passed away.

A note from Facebook:

At approximately 3:10 p.m. PST, Karen Elaine Morton Forsey passed away at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Burbank, CA. Cause of death was allegedly organ failure as a complication of Karen’s long struggle with Stevens-Johnson syndrome. She passed quietly and without pain. Present were her family.

RIP, Karen. Though I knew you only shortly and from afar, it was clear what a good soul you were.

How old were you when you appeared in the “867-5309/Jenny” video?

21.

Where were you living at the time?

With my husband Keith Forsey in Giorgio Moroder’s house in Los Angeles. [Keith] is British and we were living together a long time. There was a band called Sparks that I knew really well. They worked a lot in Europe. That’s how I met Giorgio.

What music videos, shows, or movies had you appeared in prior to that?

I was discovered in the produce section in a Von’s supermarket in Toluca Lake with my grandmother. I was tan in a white tank top. Someone asked, “Would you be interested in auditioning for Playboy?” [I thought about it.] My grandmother said, “Have you called those people back? Elaine [Karen’s cousin, a 1970 Playmate] did!” But she was a totally different circumstance, living in Burbank. She lives in Hawaii now. She works for the school district and travels a lot.

I was working with two modeling agencies. I got the “Jenny” interview through them. I did a video with Keith who did his own album at one time, “Take Me to the Pilot.” It wasn’t his thing but he did it. He always said “It’s all luck.” It went top 10 in France. I danced on The Sonny and Cher Show in high school.

How were you cast in “867-5309/Jenny”?

Interview. I actually did two videos on that album and one was with a girl from Saturday Night Live, a redhead whose name I don’t remember.

Do you remember what your reaction was when you were cast?

I didn’t know what I was going to do. I just went to do the job. I still have the dress—I just have to find it. But not the wrap that goes around it. I think it might’ve been my own dress.

What kind of music did you like?

I’ve always loved Led Zeppelin, Rod Stewart, the Stones. Seventies music. That was where my head was geared. I was a big fan of the Knack. All Billy Idol.

Where was the video filmed?

I don’t remember.

How long was the shoot?

Three or four days.

What was the hardest part of the shoot?

None. It was fun.

How was it to work with Tommy Tutone? What were they like? [NOTE: Tommy Tutone is the name of the band, not the lead singer.]

They were great. I guess I really only know Tommy [Heath, the lead singer] and one other. I knew everybody in Van Halen. [see below]


Any funny stories from the shoot?

I can’t think of any. I know we all had fun backstage, doing makeup. Backstage at Van Halen was off-the-wall.

How so?

[did not get chance to ask]

Anything go wrong on the “Jenny” shoot?

No.

What did you think of the video?

I would do shows and turn the TV on when I was getting ready and say, “There I am!” I always remember putting my hand on the table. I remember combing my hair in that mirror. I didn’t know I would have to kiss that guy.


Is that the first time you saw yourself in something?

Yeah, it was probably my first video.

What did your parents think of it?

I honestly don’t think my parents had MTV. Or cable. I don’t think they ever did see it.

Ever?

I don’t think so.

What did your friends think of it?

They were like “Wow.” Now friends call me when people karaoke it.

Have you ever seen someone karaoke it?

No—I’ve heard it on the background. When she was ten, my daughter said she had a friend who had that phone number and she said “Do you know how much it would cost to get that phone number? $50,000.”

I didn’t know you had to pay to get a phone number?

I don’t get it either. Now if you call that number with any area code, it doesn’t exist. I think one time I called and I left a message. (laughs) Probably in the ‘90s.


Did the video ever affect your dating life in any way (i.e. when you first told boyfriends you were the woman in it)?

No. I would show friends at parties. Not in ‘81, probably later, on videotape.

Did any guys recognize you from the video?

Probably right after.

Did you receive fan mail?

I don’t think so.

What were you paid?

Most were flat fees. I don’t remember. Maybe $5,000—approximately what I got paid for a lot of things.

Were you ever recognized in public?

People would say, “Who’s this? She’s one of the prettiest girls I’ve seen in my life!” (laughs) I wish I was now. I did promotions when I was doing Playboy but it wasn’t like it is now, when it’s more socially acceptable.

I had a stalker and it was really scary—religious letters. He was an English teacher in South Carolina and I even got a letter from his mother in Colorado. I turned it over to Playboy security. He actually showed up where I lived with Keith. One time I was going to take an exercise class and he was at the door. It was way early. He was off to the side so you couldn’t see him through the keyhole. He was six foot two. I slammed the door, ran to my bedroom, and called the police. They escorted him out. One time I was at the MTV Music Awards in New York with Billy Idol, as a friend. This guy showed up at the door!

How did you stop him?

[did not get chance to ask]

Did you appear in other music videos after “Jenny”?

I did a lot of videos in the ‘80s.

Van Halen’s “Dance the Night Away.” [NOTE: I could not find a video of this 1979 song that featured Karen.]

“X-Ray Vision” by Moon Martin was filmed in Griffith Park and then in Chinatown. That was a fun shoot but people don’t remember the song.


A heavy metal one I can’t remember.

I worked on The Young and Restless as an extra. I did the Humanoids from the Deep trailer. That was Roger Corman. I was in the trailer but not the movie. I don’t know why. I remember asking “When’s the monster coming out? It’s getting dark.” I did History of the World Part II with Mel Brooks and Madeline Kahn. I was the flower girl. There were a lot of Playmates in it. Madeline picked me as the flower girl. That was a really fun shoot, too.

I did a lot of commercials—Levi’s, Clairol. A lot of work for Japan, shot here. A Broadway ad.

Did you ever meet other women who were female leads in a mainstream ‘80s rock video?

Yeah—“Hot for Teacher.” I knew the girl in that video but I don’t remember her name. I think I tried out for that video and I was mad that I didn’t get the job. I didn’t know whether or not to say I was or wasn’t a Playmate. For “Hot for Teacher,” the first question was “Are you the Karen Morton who was a Playmate?” I said no—and didn’t get the job.

Not a woman, but I am friends with Billy Idol. I was a big Clint Eastwood fan and I was set up on a dinner date with him at the Playboy Mansion on a Muhammad Ali fight night. This was before I met Keith, maybe [first half of] 1979. We had two helpings of peach cobbler. I was too shy and now I kick myself. I thought Clint was a lot taller than he is, but he’s still pretty tall. I didn’t push it—no second date.

© Playboy

Mick Smiley was married to my girlfriend. [It had come up that I’d interviewed Mick.]

If you went to college, where and what did you study?

I went to North Hollywood High School. It’s amazing the actors and people that have come out of there—Nick Cassavetes, Erin Moran from Happy Days, Denise Crosby (Bing’s granddaughter), Rita Wilson was two years older than me. I’ve met Tom Hanks and he’s so nice. My daughter and I met him at a fish market in the late ‘90s and I told him I went to school with his wife. Then I went to Valley College. It’s a community college.

What have you been doing since “Jenny”?

I worked for Cosmopolitan. I can’t find the magazine. The pictures were very, very pretty. I did another ad for Cosmo in a negligee.

After that I got a job at a bank and got fired the first day. I don’t remember why! Then I went to Long Beach State and learned makeup.

Since 2006, I’ve had this rare disease. I was allergic to a sulfur medication and came down with something called Stevens-Johnson syndrome. It’s named for two doctors in the twenties who recognized this. It sometimes goes undiagnosed. You burn from the inside out.

I’d hiked that morning with my dog. The first thing I noticed was that my face had a bit of a rash. I went to the emergency room. I’ve had eye infections from makeup so thought it was that again. But I was unlucky.

I was the first patient of this doctor’s residency. I sued the doctor because I was misdiagnosed. I lost because they didn’t want to ruin a young doctor’s life. I was like “What about my life?”

I had a 103-degree fever and the burn center was eight feet away and he sent me home. He also didn’t see the rash. I came home and I imagined I kissed my daughter goodbye in the garden and out by the tree. Keith said, “No, you were under your covers.” Keith thought I had cirrhosis.

Four days later, Keith called an ambulance and I went back to the burn center and they gave me a spinal tap, which is supposed to be incredibly painful but I don’t remember.

They put me in an induced coma. Everyone had to wear suits to prevent me from getting more sick. Hugh Hefner wanted to send me roses but couldn’t, so he sent me a sweet little 1950s card.

The burn center saved my life. Amazing. Angels from heaven.

I was in a coma for eight weeks. I woke up and said, “Did anyone water my roses?” (laughs) Everyone said “She’s back.”

After, I couldn’t leave this house for two years. I had to be creamed down with this special cream eight times a day. It was a fortune. I was always a sun worshiper and now I can’t do that like I did.

How are you doing now?

I need surgery on my left eye—actually, probably three surgeries. This year has been one thing after another. I didn’t think it could be worse than last year.

Are you driving?

I can’t drive right now. I sold my car.

Can you read?

I can read a little with a magnifier. Everything I love I can’t do right now—bike ride, hike, snorkel, beach, sun.

What are you doing for money?

I would like to start the mail order again—selling autographed photos myself. My cousin Elaine [1970 Playmate] does signings. I haven’t done a show since the eye issue started. I’d like to start doing them again.


Where do you live?

California. My daughter’s in college and I’m separated. My mother’s staying with me and my father passed away in 2002, after I moved into this house.

What was Keith’s reaction when he learned you were in this video?

I met Keith sometime before “Jenny” because I found letters he wrote dated November 1979. I walked through the door and he was playing guitar in jeans and T-shirt at Giorgio’s house. I spent my 21st birthday with him.

What does your daughter think of the video?

She liked it.

What did you think when you first heard from me?

I didn’t know who you were. I don’t have a sister named Lisa. (laughs) [MTN: When I first called Karen answered but as an initial precaution said she was Karen’s sister, Lisa. I got suspicious when I came across an archival article from a newspaper in Iowa—Karen had lived there at one time—describing Karen as an only child. “Lisa” had told me that doing this interview “will make Karen happy.”]


How often do you get calls for interviews?

Not that much.

Has anyone else ever interviewed you about this?

No.

How do you look back on the experience of being in the video for a famous song?

Is it really that famous?

The song certainly is. Anything you’d like to add?

I was born in California at the hospital where Neil Armstrong’s kids were born. My dad had gas stations there.

I was real good friends with Dorothy Stratton.

People said I should’ve been Playmate of the Year, but I was too shy. But my centerfold [Miss July 1978] is a classic.

Karen Morton 1958-2014
Tweet about this interview to @playboy!

Next: John Cougar, “Jack & Diane” (1982).

Coverage of my “Peanuts” interview series

People love Peanuts in perpetuity. My interview series with eight Peanuts voice actors generated some attention (most of which was simply highlighting favorite parts).

Yahoo! (they made a video!)
 Yahoo! again
 AV Club
Huffington Post
Derrick Bang, Peanuts historian and author, kindly wrote me “All in all, a very nice contribution to the Peanuts record.”

The 10 funniest music videos of the 1980s

Before YouTube, if you wanted to watch a short, funny video, you had essentially two choices: America’s Funniest Home Videos and MTV music videos. Neither was efficient because you’d first have to wade/wait through a lot of non-qualifiers.

The following is not a list of the unintentionally kind of funny—those are too numerous to rank.

I liked Richie better than Fonzie, Paul better than John, Brandon better than Dylan, so you may find some of my choices a bit...square? (But you remember what Huey Lewis and the News said about that.)

I did not count parody artists like Weird Al. (Maybe he’s the only one.)

I compiled the list by memory rather than study, so let me know favorites of yours that I may have overlooked.

None of these videos overlap with any of the videos in round 1 of my “girl in the video” interview series…but two will be seen in the upcoming round 2.

Before watching the videos, can you identify which of them include the following fisheye/close-up shots? 









The list:

#10 – “Paranoimia” by Art of Noise (1986)

Not laugh-out-loud funny but fun in watching the elasticity of Max Headroom, which easily could have been an influence on Jim Carrey.


#9 – “All I Need Is a Miracle” by Mike + the Mechanics (1986)

Again not an all-out riot, but the exchange between the band’s hapless manager and the menacing club owner is wry.



#8 – “Bust a Move” by Young MC (1989)

Some goofiness throughout (facial expressions as opposed to fashion—though you will see pants made of stuffed animals), amplified by the whimsical lyrics.



#7 – “Stuck With You” by Huey Lewis and the News (1986)

Because of the iconic heads sticking out of the sand, “If This Is It” would be the more obvious choice, but the partygoers in the opening vignette of this video elicit a smile. A slightly less wacky motley crew than the David Lee Roth players (who appear below).


#6 – “Love Shack” by the B-52’s (1989)

The song is called “Love Shack” and the video delivers. Ranks primarily for the dancing.


#5 – “Tell Her About It” by Billy Joel (1983)

I especially like the way both the Ed Sullivan audience and the young brothers sway to the music like human metronomes and the times when characters break the fourth wall and shoot a look to the viewer. (Without them, would we have Dramatic Chipmunk?)




#4 – “You Can Call Me Al” by Paul Simon (1986)

Chevy Chase.


#3 – ““Just a Gigolo/I Ain’t Got Nobody” by David Lee Roth (1985)

Though the jabs at fellow ‘80s musical icons land flat, the kooky ensemble and Dave himself are aces. Simple but winning character sketches. 


#2 – “Don’t Lose My Number” by Phil Collins (1985)

Say what you want about Phil Collins, but the man has good comic timing. He double-takes as well as he drums. The cast of characters is clueless, the highlight being the sandwich-sponging, fake-blood-spurting gentleman. 


#1 – “Yankee Rose” by David Lee Roth (1986)

The opening convenience store free-for-all is as entertaining as the rest of the video (and the song itself) is forgettable. I still laugh out loud after nearly 30 years.
 


As you can see, with five entries, the funniest year was 1986. Tied for second with two entries each: 1985 and 1989. (That leaves you, lone 1983.)

Mark Evanier on Bob Kane’s Hollywood Walk of Fame star

Longtime comics writer and ambassador Mark Evanier has weighed in on the Hollywood Walk of Fame star that Bob Kane will be getting.

Mark and Marc, 2012
His response (as always, measured and articulate) was posted on the Comics History Exchange, a Facebook page for scholarly discussions about, well, what it says.

After reading some of the responses there, I felt some key points had not yet been addressed so I chimed in:

For those who don’t know, I wrote the first book on Bill Finger. That doesn’t mean I know the most, but I know this:

We’ve all heard that  Bob’s contract with DC states that Bob must be credited as sole creator. However, since no one outside of DC execs has seen the infamous Bob contract, the only way we know this is from Bob himself…who was not known for his honesty. What if the contract does not say that?

Either way, Bill’s role on Batman is, I don’t need to tell this crowd, beyond extensive. Name one creative element that came from Bob, aside from Two-Face. (Bob did not write a single Batman story in his life.) That 75th anniversary Batman poster DC produced for comics shops? Bill is the driving force (if not full-on creator) of the first nine milestones it includes, and had a hand in the first fourteen.

Yes, Bill got paid a page rate. Yes, Bill did not stick up for himself hard enough (but he did speak up on at least two occasions that my book cites).

However, this does not excuse Bob’s behavior. I forgive Bob for not crediting Bill in the 1940s, an era in which (as Mark Evanier notes) this was common. But I do not forgive Bob for his response to Bill’s professional, non-confrontational statements in 1965 (after 25 years of anonymity to the public) in which he (Bill) revealed what his contribution was on Batman without attacking Bob to do so. Bob’s response: Bill is lying (when the truth was the reverse).

And though I am glad Bob included that “unsung hero/deserves his name on Batman” line in his autobiography (thanks to Thomas Andrae), he did not follow through on his attempt at redemption—and in fact backpedaled with the appalling grandstanding on his gravestone.

It is one thing to act in accordance with the time (1939). It is another to humiliate and discredit a onetime friend (1965). Bob had the chance to earn a respectable legacy, but in perpetuating the “lone creator myth” even unto death, failed to do so.

In 1975, Jay Emmett, Executive VP of Warner Communications, said of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster: “Legally, nothing has to be done. Morally, I think something should be done, and we will do it out of compassion.”

Where have you gone, Jay Emmett?

Justice has no expiration date.

P.S. I don’t know who made the version of the Finger walk of fame star shown in Mark’s post, but I made and shared mine the day after the announcement. (Sorry to be possessive, but we are talking about proper credit here…)

 version Mark found
my version (and yes, I do realize that this is no big deal andthat neither of us is pioneering anything...)

Big Bill Finger weekend: play and dedications

On 6/28/14, I had the honor of seeing the premiere of Fathers of the Dark Knight , which is, I believe, the first play ever about Bill Finger (and the other guy).


Writer/direction Roberto Williams threw the passion of many men into the production, and it showed.

Adding to the special nature of the proceedings: Bill’s granddaughter Athena and great-grandson Ben were in attendance (along with Athena’s mom/Fred’s ex-wife Bonnie). Roberto invited Athena to say a few words before curtain:



What’s more, the venue would have been no stranger to Bill. The play was staged at his alma mater, DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx. 


The seats in the auditorium look old enough to date back to the early 1930s. Maybe Bill had once sat in the same seat I did.

The last time I had been at DWC was in 2006; I’d gone there to soak up the atmosphere but mainly to try to find his yearbook photo—this before I knew that, in high school, his name was Milton Finger. (So I didn’t find the photo…on that expedition. But later I did.)

Congrats to Roberto, the spot-on cast, and the hard-working crew on an unprecedented show. When Bill (played by Ezekiel Jackson) says “You don’t call me Bill the Boy Wonder for nothing!” I was, I admit, a few degrees hotter than proud.


The cast with Athena.
 The cast doing the now-ubiquitous “Oscar selfie.” 
 Finger family portrait (Ben, Athena, Ezekiel). 
 Bill and me.
The next day, Athena, Ben, professor/Bill advocate Travis Langley, and I had Brooklyn brunch with Charles Sinclair and his wife Gayle.



After, Charles gave Athena one of only three possessions of Bill’s that he had: a sculpture Bill made of his first wife Portia in an art class in the early 1950s. 


The other two items Charles inherited from Bill: a paperweight (which he gave to me in 2006) and a desk (the one slightly visible behind them in the photo above and more visible here).

Put another way: seven years after I found both Charles and Bill’s second wife Lyn and six years after I found Athena—the Dynamic Trio to whom I dedicated Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman—the three finally met...in twos. 

By chance, the week before the play, I saw Lyn for the first time in six years. The day before the play, Athena met Lyn. The day after the play, Athena met Charles. Lyn and Charles have met but have not seen each other in around 50 years. Given that Lyn and Charles are both over 90 and live in the New York area while Athena lives in Florida, the prospect of getting all three in the same room is slim.

Oh, zooming in on the banner outside DeWitt Clinton:


Change the world indeed.

Visiting Bill Finger’s second wife (age 91)

On 6/18/14, I visited Lyn Simmons, Bill Finger’s second wife, for the first time since 2008.

At that time, she was herself visiting. She lived in California and was in Connecticut to see her son Steve and her grandchildren. (Ironically, it turned out that Steve and I lived in the same town.)
She has since relocated to the East Coast.
I was happy to spot Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman on her shelf. Can you?

Second chance:

And I was similarly happy to add the world’s second Bill Finger book to her collection, courtesy of its kind author, David Hernando.

Lyn is one of the last surviving people who knew Bill well. For me, part of her legacy is that of a fighter. She remains vitally important—and her mind remains vital, too. But because she is not comfortable sitting up for long, the visit had to be short. I am just glad I had chance to see her at all.
Lyn and me in 2008: 

 
Lyn and me in 2014:

“Peanuts” interview: Christopher deFaria (Peppermint Patty in Thanksgiving)

Introduction to the Peanuts interview series (including the list of interviewees).


 
How old were you when you portrayed Peppermint Patty in A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving?

When was that?

1973.

I was 13. But it was recorded when I was 11.

Where were you living at the time?

San Mateo, on the way to moving to San Francisco.

Were you a Peanuts fan? Had you seen any of the previous animated Peanuts specials? 

I’d been in a couple of them before. I started as Pig-Pen [in A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1969)]. I had one line, I think. I think when Lee Mendelson starting making these, he used kids of friends. It was a small family of voices who were working there. None of the big stars ever did other roles.

Did you read Peanuts?

Sure, who didn’t then? There was a [1978 TV series] called the Fabulous Funnies [which presented animated versions of popular comic strips]. The funnies were so relevant back then.

How were you hired? 

I was friends with the Mendelson family. I have two sisters and my dad had worked with Lee—not in animation, other stuff. One of my other sisters, Gabrielle [credited as Gail], was Peppermint Patty first. I took over and did it for six shows, including the movie [Snoopy, Come Home]. I think my sister went to record one of the shows—the one before, You’re in Love, Charlie Brown, I think—and her voice had changed. I was on a playground and we got a phone call for me to go over to see if this would work.

What other shows had you appeared in? 

I had been an extra in TV shows produced in Northern California. Nothing really big. Small business up there at the time.

Any funny stories from the experience? 

I kept it a secret the entire time. I had a nickname at the time, Kip. Everyone knew me as Kip, so I wanted them to credit me as Chris so people wouldn’t know I was playing a girl. Lee did direct line readings [with the young voice actors]. We’d get through the material that way. Most memorable was the first time we heard the Vince Guaraldi music. Even at that age I knew it was something special.

Was anything hard about the process? 

No. It was so novel. All my dad kept saying is “This is going to pay for college, kid.”

I assume it didn’t?

It did for a fair amount!

Did you record in the same room at the same time as the other actors? 

The only time they did that was for photo shoots. I think there was a famous one for TV Guide. Everyone was really young so the prospect of being in same room with everyone else would be embarrassing. We didn’t really get to know each other. Charlie Brown and Linus were the stars, of course.

You were the star of the Thanksgiving show.

I rocked the Thanksgiving show. (laughs) You’re in Love was the most embarrassing one. [In that one,] Peppermint Patty has a crush on Charlie Brown.

Peppermint Patty vs. Pig-Pen [AKA PP vs. PP]: did you like playing one character more than the other?

I liked Pig-Pen much better. Peppermint Patty had more personality and more lines and they were fun, but Pig-Pen was every little boy’s dream.

What did you think of the finished show? 

I loved it. What I loved most about it is Snoopy. His cooking montage. Isn’t it great to see the patient pacing?

What did your parents think? 

My family was around the business so it seemed kind of natural. My dad was in advertising and they would do advertisements by grabbing the people they knew.

What did your friends think? Or were you able to really keep the secret from them?

Everyone figured it out and they still bug me about it today.

Did any kids give you any [good] grief for voicing a girl?

I had deep fear and embarrassment that I was playing a girl. Never got beat up for it, though.

What did you say when first heard you’d be playing a girl?

I didn’t have a say. I wasn’t an artiste. (laughs) You know how it is when you’re a kid—you just do what is asked of you. Maybe it’s not that way anymore!

Which Peanuts special you worked on is your favorite, and why?

It’s a Long Summer, Charlie Brown. I got to go rafting and play baseball, which I was good at (in real life). I think I had more scenes with Snoopy. At that age, it’s hard to feel part of [shows like that]. When they’re done, you’re outside of it. You wouldn’t see a rough cut. You’d go record one afternoon and then maybe a year later you’d watch it on TV with everyone else.

Did you stay in touch with anyone else from the cast? 

I did run into some of them at Comic-Con [2008]. In some cases, it was the first time we met other.

Have you had any fun Peanuts moments since (a reaction when someone you meet discovers you had a role in it, Halloween costume, etc.)? 

When you get older you can trot that cart out when you need it for credibility. It’s not beyond me to gain some credibility in [a business meeting] by letting that slip. There’s no person who wouldn’t smile.

What are you doing these days?

I’m an executive and producer at Warner Bros. I also oversee animation at WB. I did The LEGO Movie—different from the [2015] Peanuts movie. I’m disappointed that there’s nothing I can do on it—it’s at another studio.

[he asked me what I thought of the trailer]

What has been your career highlight so far? 

I’ve had a very fortunate career. It’s hard [not to name] the most recent thing that worked, Gravity and The LEGO Movie. In some respects those were the culmination of years of work. Gravity marks [a new] intersection of storytelling and technology. LEGO seems like an extension of what I did as a kid with Peanuts.



Where do you live? 

L.A. area.

If you’re married, what was your future wife’s reaction when she learned you were part of this cultural institution? 

She’s the least impressed of anyone I know. (laughs) Peanuts wasn’t a great pickup line in bars.

How many kids do you have? What do they think of your Peanuts connection? 

Three: ages 10, 16, 18. With my oldest son, I waited to see if he would discover Peanuts on his own. I had collection of softcover books and anthologies from my childhood. He would rummage through my stuff and he found them and read them. When he got toward the end, I told him [my connection]—but he didn’t understand it because he didn’t know there were TV shows. At that time, you couldn’t get the shows on DVD, so we waited till Halloween. He was not impressed. He would say what all kids say—“do the voice.” But I never did a voice, I just talked.

What did you think when you first heard from me? 

I thought it was going to be related to the [upcoming] feature film.

Did you ever meet Charles Schulz?

Oh yeah. At his ice rink several times and later in life. He had a workshop and studio up there. He was very casual. He would take most of his meetings sitting down on picnic tables near the ice. He wouldn’t give guidance [to me as a voice actor]—he thought movies and TV shows were someone else’s domain.

Has anyone else ever interviewed about this?

At Comic-Con [2008].

Do you still have any ongoing connection (professionally or personally) to Peanuts? 

That’s an interesting question. Only to my children. And I always look at the strip reprints in the morning.

Have you considered putting your 10-year-old daughter in the running to voice Peppermint Patty in the upcoming movie?

(laughs) No. That’s a funny idea.

How do you look back on the experience? 

It was one of those things that I knew I was fortunate to be part of when it was happening. I knew it was neat—even though I was a girl. To be a part of something that is that high quality, that feels like it could be a classic—it’s extraordinary the value that carries.

“Peanuts” interview: Hilary Momberger (Sally in Thanksgiving)

Introduction to the Peanuts interview series (including the list of interviewees).




How old were you when you portrayed Sally in A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving?

I was nearly 10 years old at the time—it was recorded in late 1972 and it aired in 1973.



Where were you living at the time?

I was living in Southern California in the San Fernando Valley in a town called Tarzana.

Were you a Peanuts fan?

After I saw the first show…who wouldn’t become a fan? Just watching the show made you feel like part of the gang. It was about being a kid and life from a smaller person point of view—I identified.

Had you seen any of the previous animated Peanuts specials?

Yes, the Christmas special. I remember clearly how excited my brothers and sisters and I were when it aired…not so much for the [particular] show as much as being able to watch cartoons at night.

How were you hired?

I was a hired in the Lee Mendelson studio on Sunset Boulevard. I was nearly 6 years old and it was my very first audition. It was so exciting. My mother tried her best to prep me for the audition. I couldn’t read well yet, so on our way to Hollywood my mother and I rehearsed the answers she thought I may be asked over and over. She’d snap her fingers in frustration, making sure I focused, insisting I look her in the eye and speak clearly. As she stressed the importance of being perfect, my mind wandered in a daydream about my pony Chocolate and I riding into Mulholland or we could stop at Carl’s Jr. on Ventura Boulevard on the way home.

We were greeted by a young woman at the front desk. My mother was told that I would be meeting them on my own. I was clenching with excitement the receptionist’s hand as she led me down the black foam padded hallway; I repeated in my mind each answer I had memorized in the car. She opened the last door at the end of the hall and ushered me inside. Sitting in a swizzle chair with a friendly smile was Bill Melendez.

It was nothing as I imagined—there were no lines to say or any of the questions my mother prepped me for. I didn’t have to act or be anyone but Hilary. He asked me questions about being in school, what classes I like best, [about] recess, about my sisters and brothers, what kind of candy I liked best. He was funny and animated. When we were finished he gave me a soda and said “It was a pleasure to meet you.” I thought “That was fun.” A few days later my mom got the call that I was going to be the next Sally.

What other shows had you appeared in?

The first Peanuts show I worked on was It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown, which was recorded in 1968 and aired 1969. In 1971, we did Play It Again, Charlie Brown; in 1972, Snoopy, Come Home (which was so much fun) and You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown. In 1973 came There’s No Time for Love, Charlie Brown and finally, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.

Any funny stories from the experience?

I would have to say the first time that I met Bill Melendez—I loved seeing him. He was quirky, fun, and light-hearted, with a slight Latin accent. He had the greatest Salvador Dali mustache that he’d allow me to twist when we recorded. In my eyes, he was a cartoon character. He made the experience feel more like play than work…and he gave me as much candy as I wanted. It was a win-win situation.

Was anything hard about the process?

There was actually nothing difficult or taxing about the process. I always looked forward to going and seeing everyone at the studio. It was a very relaxed, playful environment and remains one of the most memorable jobs of my life…so far.

Did you record in the same room at the same time as the other actors?

Unfortunately we didn’t. The only time I recall working as a team was once when we all sang together. Normally we were worked with individually. I think that keeping us separate assured our characters’ individuality, and it was a smart decision on the part of Bill Melendez and Charles Schulz.

If you got to meet Charles Schulz, how was that?

I did and I will never forget it. I was so young that I didn’t know I was supposed to be impressed; I was just happy to meet a new friend to giggle with. Now my mother on the other hand was really excited.

He was a very gentle, soft-spoken, and kind man who could instantly make anyone feel at home. He would ask me lots questions about what I liked to do, my relationship with my siblings, and what games I liked to play. He asked questions in a way that compelled you to open up and tell him more. It was magnificent and a bit indulgent. He had a way of making me feel at ease and a knack for getting me to focus…which was a bit impossible at my age.

I didn’t have to perform, I didn’t have to dance, or sing, or memorize anything like I had expected. I just had to be a kid. So I giggled and laughed a lot. He didn’t require me to be Sally, he to simply required me to be Hilary.

What did you think of the finished show?

It was kind of odd to hear myself as Sally. I was secretly excited and thrilled, but I come from a really large family that liked to tease, and me being a public cartoon character was excellent sibling torture material. In retrospect I can laugh at the banter and appreciate it as an element that cemented our still very-close relationship. Kids at school referred to me as Sally Brown and teased me a lot, too, which toughened me up for my teenage years. I learned to laugh at myself and became really good at dodging verbal bullets.

What did your parents think?

My father didn’t care either way; he was just proud I was just his little girl. My mother on the other hand, she was over the moon—she was more proud of getting me there than I was of being there.

What did your friends think?

The greatest thing about real friends is that they care more about who you are than about what you’ve done. They saw and heard me on television and thought it was cool, but thankfully it wasn’t the reason they loved me.

What were you paid?

I’m sure I was, yet I don’t have a clue how much. Unfortunately I was one of those kids who never saw the money. What I do have are the amazing memories and a gratitude for being a part of a slice of history. That’s priceless.

Which Peanuts special you worked on is your favorite, and why?

My favorite was Snoopy, Come Home, not only because it was fun to work on but because it was so big—not TV big but motion picture big. There was a real premiere at a real movie theater in Hollywood with a real red carpet and I got to dress up! To this day, out of all the premieres I’ve attended, nothing will ever hold a candle to that event. It was the most memorable and the most surreal.

Did you or your family stay in touch with anyone else from the cast?

We never met as children. Kinda crazy. Occasionally, as I was entering or leaving the studio, I’d see children file in and out; [we would glance] with wonder at one another but never connect. Fortunately, I met a few of the cast members at Comic-Con a few years back [2008] which was a privilege and a thrill. It was like a family reunion of long-lost siblings. We all swapped fond memories and joked about our shared experiences. It was such a warm feeling to finally connect with them in person.

Have you had any fun Peanuts moments since (a reaction when someone you meet discovers you had a role in it, Halloween costume, etc.)?

As a kid, I really didn’t want to be treated differently. I was pretty shy about being the voice of Sally. Even though most kids in school knew that I was, I didn’t talk about it because I wanted to be like for being Hilary.

I work in the entertainment industry and have for nearly my whole life, and it’s common for people we work with to look each other up on IMDb, so at some point conversation inevitably segues to me having played Sally. They normally ask me to repeat my favorite line from a Peanuts show. After I say “You blockhead, Charlie Brown,” the [response] is normally the same thing: “Is that the same voice you used?” I’m pretty proud and I embrace how fortunate I’ve been. It’s like people find out I was Sally and our relationship shift from stranger to being a childhood friend.

Did you do any non-Peanuts voice work/acting after this?

I worked nonstop until I was about 12. I did nearly 40 commercials on camera, modeled for a few clothing catalogs, voiced a character in White Christmas for Hanna-Barbera, and was lucky to be the voices for a few Mattel dolls: Tiny Tears, Hi-Dotti, and Baby Beans. I was even Buddy Greco’s favorite Valentine for two seasons in a row. I had a great run.

I’ve recently re-entered the industry as an on-camera commercial actress and am pursuing voiceover work too. I’ve tried to keep the same attitude I had when I was a kid: enjoy meeting new people and have fun, which seems to be working.



Tell me more about what you are doing these days.

When I was a young adult I shied away from the industry. I wanted to cultivate the fond memories and separate myself from the painful ones. I went to nursing school, worked as an LVN and a drug rehab counselor, then realized that the arts was when my heart lay.

So I got a degree in graphic art and worked as an artist in a company that made movie advertisements. Long story short, I gravitated back into the industry, took a class for script supervising, and it’s history from there. I have been a script supervisor for feature films, television, and commercials for the last 24 years. I’ve had the good fortune to work on projects like The West Wing, Being John Malkovich, and Fast & Furious 7. It’s been a lot of fun! I love that being behind and in front of the camera are both home to me.

I also write as a hobby and as a very personal form of expression. I’ve recently completed my manuscript Peanuts to Percocets: Story of a Hollywood Childhood. I’m hoping that the next chapter of my life can be to be an inspiration to young girls and women.

What has been your career highlight so far?

I’ve had an amazing career. Exciting, successful, joyful, sad, painful, interesting, and most certainly colorful. Being given the opportunity of being a world-known cartoon character on Peanuts…honestly that pretty much tops it. ;)

It definitely opened up eyes to a world in which I can do anything that I make my mind up to do by just being myself. It allowed me to grow up in a culture permeated by imagination, guiding me to see that every day is an opportunity to live any way I want. I learned early that work can be fun even though it is work. And today I bring that same attitude into every job regardless of what it looks like or where it appears to be going. I believe anything is possible and if I think it will change, it usually does.

Where do you live?

I live in Los Angeles. I moved out of state a couple times in my 20s, but I couldn’t stay away! I love California.

If you’re married, what was your future husband’s reaction when he learned you were part of this cultural institution?

I am not married at the moment, but when my boyfriends find out that I was Sally Brown they usually comment that they can “see the resemblance.” If I get sassy or out of line, I blame it on Sally…great “get out of jail” card.

Kids? If so, what do they think of your Peanuts connection?

I haven’t had any children. My nieces and nephew love it and brag up a storm. They’re proud of their Aunt Hilary. :D

You have one of the most curious last names of anyone I’ve interviewed. What’s the origin of it?

It’s German. A last name that warrants teasing. I’m open to changing it. ;)

What did you think when you first heard from me?

I recently decided to circulate my memoir again in the hopes of getting it published, and a couple days later, your email arrived. I call that not just flattering, but serendipity.

Has anyone else ever interviewed about this? If so, when and for what publication?

I’ve been interviewed for small papers and radio shows yet this interview is stellar. Thank you, Marc.

My pleasure! Do you still have any ongoing connection (professionally or personally) to Peanuts?

I don’t, but occasionally people will ask for an autograph and I joyfully sign away.

Have you appeared at any fan conventions to sign autographs? If not, would you?

I attended the San Diego Comic-Con few years back with a few other characters [Peanuts voice actors]. It was so exciting and fun. We answered questions at a panel and signed autographs. I was pleasantly surprised what an impact the Peanuts comics and movies had on people, and still have today. It’s pretty wonderful to be a slice of history.

How do you look back on the experience?

I feel pretty lucky and grateful to be a part of such American history.

Anything you’d like to add?

I hope to publish my memoir Peanuts to Percocets. It’s a about being a Sally, being a childhood star, and about my journey of reinventing and moving forward, finding happiness regardless of what you do or where you’re from. I had it, lost it, and my character is still standing. I hope to inspire and add to the world in a fiction to a nonfiction way. [In other words], throughout the book, I have a number of Charlie Brown quotes that coincidentally describe feelings and thoughts through my life: “[from] fiction (cartoon) to non-fiction (life).”

Next: Christopher deFaria—Peppermint Patty (Thanksgiving).

“Peanuts” interview: Stephen Shea (Linus in Thanksgiving)

Introduction to the Peanuts interview series (including the list of interviewees).



How old were you when you portrayed Linus in A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving?

Think we made it in 1972 so I was 10.

circa 1966
circa 1970
Where were you living at the time?

In the San Fernando Valley in Sherman Oaks. We’d moved from Hollywood.

Were you a Peanuts fan? Had you seen any of the previous animated Peanuts specials?

Yeah, because my brother Chris was the original Linus. When he started in ‘65, we didn’t have a TV so we would go to our grandmother’s house to watch. I looked forward to it as I guess most people our age did! It was kind of an event.

Did you read the comic strips?

I did but my brothers were more the readers, more sophisticated. But we’d get Peanuts books, compendiums. I even still have some of those old ones.

When did Chris pass away?

In August it’s four years—2010.

We’ll go back to Chris. How were you hired?

The original voices were cast so well—Charlie Brown’s and Linus’s voices were perfect. Because my brother had done it and because we similar tonal quality, that’s how. I won’t call it nepotism—I’ll call it lineage. (laughs)

What other shows had you appeared in?

Both my older brothers had done a lot of stuff. I was more nervous going into the interviews. I was shyer than they were. I went on interviews, including Disney, but didn’t get a lot of stuff. I did get what I think was the first Welch’s grape jelly commercial ever. It ran for a long, long time—years. I’d done an Adam-12. The nervousness would prevent me from getting parts. With child actors, they’d look at your fingernails. If you bit them, they’d look down on that.

Any funny stories from the recording experience?

There was a particular special and Linus had to scream loudly. I just wasn’t getting it right. The director, Bill Melendez, would say “Do it like this” and it still wouldn’t work. He eventually did a fake choke on me to get me to do it, and I finally did. But it took 25 takes. And then once home, I kept doing the scream, practicing, and did it sufficiently well that my whole family came running to my room to see what was wrong.

Was anything else hard about the recording process?

No. They were super nice and very good with kids. The only hard thing was feeling I let them down at times. But it was fun.

Did you record in the same room at the same time as the other actors?

No. There are some pictures in books where they’re standing around microphones but generally we’d sit in a recording studio and Bill Melendez would feed us the lines how he wanted. We’d echo it. His studio was in an area called Larchmont, south of Hollywood, and years after as a teenager I would go visit him there.

If you got to meet Charles Schulz, how was that?

I did and he actually directed me in Snoopy, Come Home—he fed me my lines like what Bill Melendez did. As a kid, you didn’t have a sense of it being iconic or important to other people, and certainly not something that would still be important all these years later. I don’t go around telling people “I was the voice of Linus” but occasionally my wife will mention it in the context of something.

Do you remember anything about his character?

He was gentle, soft-spoken, supportive, interested—especially in those days when the adult attitude was often “You’re just a kid.”

What did you think of the finished show?

(laughs) We all had to individually sing “Over the River and Through the Woods,” which I had learned in school. We had to do it a cappella. I could pick out my voice and said “oof.” But the sentiment of the show was good and I liked it.

What did your parents think?

My mom and dad had been split up for some time. My mom was always very proud of her kids doing this. She complimented us and considered it a good story in a good medium with values that she shared. My dad didn’t talk about it that much—I don’t remember him talking specifically about it.

What did your friends think?

A lot of them didn’t know—they never said anything. I went to a small private school—50 people in any given class. You knew people up or down two or three grades.

Given that your brothers had voiced Peanuts, and given that the school was small, how is that other kids didn’t know?

They didn’t read credits. My brother was four years older. And it was a school with quite a few children of celebrities and even some child actors as well [so maybe it would not stand out].

What were you paid?

Very little by today’s standards. I think I’ve seen social security stuff come through—maybe in 1972 I made $12,000.

Not bad for age 10 and for 1972!

Yeah, but I remember talking to a lifeguard who made $1,000 a month! But being in Peanuts specials have made money years later, like greeting cards that I get royalties for. When they sell the specials to HBO or something like that, we’ll get a small check. If a $350 check comes in, that’s okay.

A Canadian company has licensed the specials for apps. They gave us the option of using our original voice and paying some small amount or you can say no and they’ll find someone else. And they’ve additionally asked me to narrate two of them—one was the Thanksgiving one!

How do companies like that find you?

They called Mendelson Productions and they know where I am. They found me through the Screen Actors Guild, which still had my mom’s address.

Which Peanuts special you worked on is your favorite, and why?

I thought I did five but a filmography says I did six. Elected, Thanksgiving, Easter, Valentine’s, It’s a Mystery, and the movie Snoopy, Come Home. But there’s another one online and I don’t remember doing that one. My favorite is probably Thanksgiving. It’s a major holiday.

And you had that moving speech.

I had the speech, which was good.

Did you stay in touch with anyone else from the cast?

I didn’t. I have reconnected a little bit with Peter Robbins, who got into a bit of a mess a couple of years back. Do you know?

I do and I haven’t reached out because of that.

I think it’s passed. He and my brother would talk occasionally before my brother passed away.

Have you had any fun Peanuts moments since (a reaction when someone you meet discovers you had a role in it, Halloween costume, etc.)?

(laughs) Nothing like that. But it shocks people all the time. My wife Sheila grew up in upstate New York with three channels and the specials were kind of a to-do. She tells more people than I do.

How did you and your wife meet and how did she find out about this?

We lived in the same duplex in Malibu. She with her husband and daughter upstairs and me downstairs; I helped manage the building. At some point along the way she found out about Peanuts and thought it was pretty cool. In the ensuing years she and her husband split up and I split up with my girlfriend. We were both going to have a BBQ at the same time and we combined them. My dad kind of played Cupid. This was in 1999.

Did you do any non-Peanuts voice work/acting after this?

No.

I do have an interesting Peanuts story but it doesn’t involve me. My brother was born in 1958 and he did the Christmas special. Around 1969, he went to a camp called Gold Arrow or something like that. There, he ended up meeting another camper who was about three years older, Danny Sugarman. Turns out Danny was the president of the Doors Fan Club.

He was ahead of his time, in not good ways, and had a fair amount of personal interaction with Jim Morrison. He told Jim of this kid he had met who was the voice of Linus. Jim thought that was really cool—Linus was his favorite character and he said he wanted to meet this guy. Danny called my brother, and through my dad they actually met and went to a Doors concert in Long Beach. My dad got a photography pass and shot all these photos. I have all these unseen photographs. All the people in that bizarre “Jim Morrison meets Linus” have since passed away. I love this connection between Peanuts and the Doors. I haven’t told that story on record before.

What are you doing these days?

I am a landscape contractor and general contractor, a graduate of UC Berkeley with a degree in Latin American history. After getting out of school, I realized I didn’t want to work inside. I slowly built a business. I design and build landscapes—stone, koi ponds, waterfalls, bridges, park-like areas.

A few years ago, around 2004, I’d advertised in the phone book and HGTV asked me to do two shows. One was called Landscaper’s Challenge.


Why did they pick you out of the phone book?

Where I am, it’s rarer and rarer to find a landscaper like myself who will do the work himself. Also, I speak English and fewer people in the business do, so it allows me to develop a pretty good rapport. They found me in the phone book but they picked me because I was able to convey this.

What has been your career highlight so far?

That’s a great question. I haven’t had my best landscape yet because it’ll probably never happen! But I have lots of jobs where I was happy with how an area was transformed. I’ve always been drawn to the physical aspect of the earth. There are pictures of me at age three covered in mud.

Where do you live?

Thousand Oaks, CA. If you live here, it’s all L.A.

Kids? If so, what do they think of your Peanuts connection?

My daughter Sage is 22 and is going to be and is very driven to be a schoolteacher. My son Jack is 12. My daughter Shelby is 10 and we home-schooled up till this year. I don’t think Sage really expressed much about it. For my kids, it’s what they know so it’s not overwhelmingly special...but it’s still pretty neat.

My daughter Shelby did some recordings in case the person who voiced Marcie in Thanksgiving (Jim Ahrens, who declined to participate in this series) did not allow use of her voice in the app for the $500 or whatever it was they offered. Shelby knocked it out of the park, so much so that the director thought I’d been working with her on it. She has the same tonal quality as Uncle Chris. But in the end, the Marcie actor did agree so Shelby didn’t get to do it.

What did you think when you first heard from me?

Just figured there was someone out there who wanted a take on an iconic, cultural series. I may be hard to get ahold of at times but am always interested because I feel fortunate to have been involved in it.

How often have you been interviewed about this?

Probably four or five times in the past five years, when someone’s doing a book. Also when Charles Schulz passed away [in 2000].

Do you have any Peanuts memorabilia?

When I went to Bill Melendez’s office once, he gave me some cels from the Christmas show—Linus and Charlie Brown walking toward the Christmas tree lot—and one from a movie when Snoopy has a mask on.


Have you appeared at any fan conventions to sign autographs? If not, would you?

I’ve never been. My brother Eric was in a lot of things—Batman, Brady Bunch. He was in the original Poseidon Adventure—the kid who led people through the ship. When he grew up, he would not sign autographs, but not because he was being a snob…rather because anyone who was famous as a kid could run the risk of becoming pitiful doing that. I think he didn’t want to gravy-train off something he did so long ago. For a while he wouldn’t do conventions, but he’s since done some.

How do you look back on the experience?

Great. I stand on the shoulder of the original voices. I don’t think anyone had the sound my brother Chris did, especially in the Christmas show. That show [with its religious aspect] wouldn’t be made today, probably. It’s great to have been part of something in American culture that is known as something good.

Tell me about your brother Chris.

I know he felt great fortune to have been doing that, in particular the Christmas show, and in particular the Christmas story [Linus tells]. Charles Schulz was told he couldn’t quote the Bible in a cartoon special and he said “If not us, who?” As my brother grew older and became a husband and a father, I think the religious context of it became even more important to him. Everyone knows Linus’s speech and that meant a lot to him. I hope I’ve done right by him in expressing this.

Anything you’d like to add?

Simple, heartfelt, not corny stories sell. It’s not flashy but people still want to watch them. They’re still relevant if shown to kids who are not already jaded. It is a type of story that has staying power.

Next: Hilary Momberger—Sally (Thanksgiving).