"This is Jim Rockford. At the tone, leave your name and message. I'll get back to ya."

Certain actors just captivate you! All they have to do is come on the screen and your eye is drawn to them. James Garner was one of those actors! He was a master of the comedic take and the definition of smooth. Older generations probably first knew him as TV's Bret Maverick and then Jim Rockford on "The Rockford Files" I don't remember watching "Maverick," but I do remember "The Rockford Files." I wasn't really interested in that show, I kind of considered it a "guy's show." When I hear someone mention "The Rockford Files" I always think of a scene from the comedy, "Fraser" between Daphne and Martin discussing the show "The Rockford Files" and how upset Martin gets when Daphne confides to Martin that he reminds her of Rocky, Jim's father. Martin had always fancied himself as the smooth PI, James Garner played, and Daphne's observation struck quite a blow to Martin's ego. I first became enamored of James Garner when I saw him in one of my favorite movies, Victor, Victoria. He plays a straight Chicago Kingpin, who surprisingly finds himself attracted to a female impersonator. The female impersonator, unbeknownst to the public, is actually a "woman pretending to be a man pretending to be a woman" played wonderfully by Julie Andrews. Garner plays the handsome, suave, Man's man to a tee which makes it all the funnier when he finds out the woman he just saw perform this amazing, sexy musical number is actually a man, well, sort of. Confused? Find it and watch it! You won't be disappointed! About 3 years later a movie came out called "Murphy's Romance" starring Sally Field and James Garner. In the movie, two men are vying for her attentions, one, young and very good looking and the other, older but very handsome and charming. The older character is played by James Garner. I was 22 when I saw the film, but I remember thinking, I would pick the older guy. There is a scene in the film where James Garner's character finally kisses Sally Field.

Later in an interview Field said it was the most gratifying screen kiss she had ever received. James Garner received an Oscar nomination for his role in the film. Today's generation probably knows James Garner best as Ryan Gosling's character living out his twilight years in "The Notebook" If you're going to watch that one, get out your tissues. He also stepped back into TV in one of the most difficult ways. In 2003 he joined the cast of "8 Simple Rules" It's star, John Ritter, had passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. Instead of the series going off the air, the show continued and dealt with the death of the actor by dealing with the death of his character on the show. James Garner came in as the Grandfather, and played what he played so well, the man to go to when you needed advice, compassion, or sometimes just a good kick in the pants to send you in the right direction. 

James Garner died yesterday at the age of 86. He will be sorely missed.

I Dreamed a Dream

I just saw a post on Facebook along with some newly released pictures of a very young Julie Andrews that March 15th marked the 57th anniversary of the opening of My Fair Lady on Broadway. Seeing those pictures opened a floodgate of memories for me. I saw my first production of My Fair Lady at Swift Creek Mill Playhouse. I had just finished a run as "Amaryliss" in their production of The Music Man, and the next show up was My Fair Lady. Our cast was invited to their I.D.R. (for those not in the biz, that stands for Invitational Dress Rehearsal. The production does not have a paying audience, but is usually ready for one, and friends and family are invited so the cast can get used to the reactions of an audience before the critics come) That was back in 1974, and I had just turned 11. I had already been bitten by the Theatre Bug at a very early age. Doing Music Man for the previous 5 months had solidified my immersion into the theatre world, and I wasn't leaving anytime soon. I felt special being invited to see this production. The show starred Lynn West in the role of  "Eliza." Lynn was my "Marian", so imagine how cool I felt that I knew the star of the show. I was mesmerized from the first notes of the overture, and I fell in love with what would become my first dream role. Ask any actor to tell you what their dream role is, and they will have at least one, and probably a whole list. Mine has evolved over the years as I grow older. Alas, some of my dream roles will always be just that, dreams, because I have passed the age to be able to play them.To put it bluntly: I'M TOO OLD! :( But... Eliza Doolittle was my first dream role. I bought the Original Broadway cast album on vinyl (yes, I know I'm dating myself) after seeing the show, and I played it over and over again on my stereo Hi-Fi in my little corner bedroom, singing every song to the top of my lungs! The closest I ever came to my dream was singing "Wouldn't It Be Loverly" complete with Cockney accent, clad in a dress, shawl and hat with coal dust brushed on my face for my 5th grade talent show. Considering the fact that I will turn 50 in 8 months, the window of opportunity has passed for me to ever play "Eliza" unless some day in the very distant future my retirement home decides to do a production. I won't hold my breath. Until then, I will be happy to be playing any role that is offered to me because it's really about being on the stage for me, but just in case any potential directors are reading this particular entry, here's a wish list: Mama Rose in Gypsy, Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd, and I've played her once, but I'd love to play her again now that I'm a little closer to her age, Charlotte Hay in Moon Over Buffalo. ;)