MY MOVIE CAREER

 Over the years, I have written at various times on this blog about my 30-plus years career in broadcast journalism.

It began as a college radio disc jockey but soon evolved into a news reporter on radio in North Dakota (Minot) after a brief period as a newspaperman there. 

Then a television jack of all trades (sports anchor, weatherman, news anchor, host of various programs) in a small station in Aberdeen, South Dakota,

Later back to North Dakota (Bismarck) as a radio and television news reporter and anchorman on both stations; later still as the news director for both stations.

Then after a lengthy period on to Indiana (Indianapolis) where I was a radio news reporter and broadcaster.

(Met and married SWMBO there!)

My next move was to Phoenix, Arizona where I spent my longest career-posting as a newscast producer, reporter, and field producer for a television station.

A number of years later I returned to broadcasting for several years at a tiny radio station in Prescott, Arizona.

So that's my life in a nutshell (or a nut's hell, as I often thought of it).

What I may NOT have written about is my illustrious film career.

That took place with a fellow who has been in the headlines recently, Mr. Johnny Depp.

He had come to Texas in 1993 to make a movie called "What's Eating Gilbert Grape".

Here's a scene from that picture, featuring the two of us.

Young (25) Johnny, playing the title character, is center-screen, visiting a big modern grocery store to pick up a birthday cake for his about-to-be 18 year old brother.

That character was played by another big-name actor nowadays, Leonardo DiCaprio.

At the start of his Hollywood career he was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe award for his role in this movie.

Oh, and me?

That's me behind Depp, the shopper leaving the store with a bagful of groceries.

I know what you're thinking.

"Look at that purposeful stride . . what a thespian!"

So I was only an extra, one of those non-speaking background people just hired to fill out the scenery.

And truth be told, I had not realized until I saw the film on television recently, that Depp was even in this scene.

I had walked out another door of the store, past young DiCaprio, directly toward another camera, hoping that my loping walk would launch me to Tinsletown.

But whatever was shot by that camera ended up on "the cutting room floor" as the plot stayed with Depp.

Still, I had my moment.

Depp and DiCaprio have had their ups and downs since then while I have avoided the cacaphony that comes with a career "in the picture business".

Oh, y'know I did have one other "star turn".

That's a (newly shaven) me on the right, playing an aide to the governor (the late Dennis Letts) in "A Perfect World", a movie starring Kevin Costner, Clint Eastwood and Laura Dern.

Eastwood also directed it and was standing just a few feet from me behind the camera in my triumphant scene.

By the way, for those of you thinking of following my path to a movie career, this was my only scene in the movie and I later tracked it on a television viewing.

I was on camera for one-quarter of a second!

One other story about this: I mentioned "newly shaven" above.

I had a full beard in those days and when I showed up on set the "lady" casting extras went ballistic!

This film was supposed to originate from "back in the day" and aides to governors didn't have beards then.

I said, "Well, shave it off. I don't care."

And that's exactly what happened.

I'm still waiting for Hollywood to call.