JAY WOLPERT
[quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'213039\' date=\'Apr 13 2009, 01:57 PM\']Great guy, and BRILLIANT! Randytvrandywest.com[/quote]
Since this thread moved into talking about Jay Wolpert, I thought that if you haven't seen this 2007 interview with Holly Hallstrom on the subject of Jay Wolpert, you might enjoy it.
"Oh Jay, amazing Jay. What a great time that was. Jay was, no Jay is, so fun loving, and so off-the-charts brilliant. What a mind. But so easily bored. So at rehearsals he used to lean back in his chair at the production desk, (demonstrates) feet up, hands clasped behind his head and yell “Okay kiddies, I’m bored. Entertain me.” And we would scramble to come up with some crazy gag, uhmmm, bit, to make Jay laugh, or at least get a smile and nod (imitates Wolpert pushing his glasses).
I remember my best gag I did was The Dreaded Camping Trailer Slayer. I got a roll of red stage tape and me and Jimmy Smith, an absolute sweetheart stage manager, tore it into little pieces and made drops of blood all behind Door2 in front of the camping trailer door, and taped a big gory red slash across my throat. When Johnny O announced “A new camping trailer!” and Door2 opened, there I was laying inside the trailer on my back with my head hanging out the trailer door, bright red tape blood dripping from my mouth and slashed throat, clearly dead. Another tragic victim of (quotes) "The Dreaded Camping Trailer Slayer"!
I actually got applause from Jay for that one!
Another time Jimmy (Smith) found some old junk station wagon from over on Sanford and Son I think, and he set it up in Door2 and when the doors opened he and Janice were sitting in the front seat pretending to be making out like 1950s teenagers! Johnny was like “It’s a new…uh, old, uh, what the heck is that?”! Johnny loved our fun at rehearsals, and also every showcase he was ever in. He was a doll, a delight. A pure pleasure to work with. Everybody loved Johnny.
Another time Breslow pushed into a trip card which instead of being a photo of a beach in Hawaii it read “Marc, your Clenet is on fire in the parking lot”. (She laughs)
Those were such good times. Definitely the best times.
You know the phrase “salad days”? Y’know a time of enthusiasm, idealism, innocence. Well on Price our salad days were definitely the Jay Days. It was a great time. It was the best. The most fun, with wrap-nite jump in your cars at 10:30 and go out for deli ‘til 2 in the morning, and especially the Our Gang type “Hey let’s get some costumes and put on a show!“ esprit de corps. I look back now and I am so glad that even at that young age I realized what a special time and place we were in. And Jay made it that way. And Barbara. It was so special, it was magical. It was the best time on Price, the Jay Days."
Holly Hallstrom
Los Angeles 2007
