In the late 1970's I attended "The Film Actor's Academy" in Orinda, CA. The owner of the company and his wife managed to get actress Shirley Jones to endorse the company. They actually gave me a "screen test" to see if I was WORTHY of attending. The classes were surprisingly interesting and helpful. At the end of the course there was a mock Academy Awards-type ceremony. I won for best Actor in my category. The kicker of my experience was when I got to audition for "Swim Team" which was directed by, none other than, the owner himself. My audition was held at a swimming pool (I don't remember the location.) There were tons of other kids there from a local high school swim team auditioning. One of them was even nice enough to give me a crash course (verbally) in diving. After my audition all I was able to recall was standing on the diving block and eventually getting out of the water. The swim across the pool was, at the time, a complete blur. Somehow I managed to make the swim team for the film. The entire day was spent frolicking around the pool in my brown Speedos. When I finally saw the film (years later a friend was able to find a copy at his local video store and surprised me with it) I was just a blip in one scene. The rest of the movie was just more of the same. Young people frolicking and doing ridiculous things. The film was very typical of other films of that time.
Reviews
2 Reviews
Battle of the Network Stars
(1976 TV Special)
A Slice of Nostalgic Heaven
8 October 2005
This was an absolutely amazing concept. Imagine getting different TV stars from the various networks and having the network stars team up against the other networks. The competition was funny, exciting, and challenging. The stars were just that, "Television Stars" in their own right.
It was great watching the tug-of-war, relay races, and obstacle course (to name a few of the events). It was a chance to see the stars outside of their characters that they played on TV. It was also great publicity for the stars, shows, and networks alike. It made the stars appear more approachable and normal, yet it also gave you more of an appreciation for their willingness to get "down and dirty".
In an era of one reality show after another, not to mention the endless paparazzi frenzy, "Battle of the Network Stars" was indeed the original "Reality Show". It would be great to bring back this show. Hey, if anyone out there is interested, I will even consider producing it.
It was great watching the tug-of-war, relay races, and obstacle course (to name a few of the events). It was a chance to see the stars outside of their characters that they played on TV. It was also great publicity for the stars, shows, and networks alike. It made the stars appear more approachable and normal, yet it also gave you more of an appreciation for their willingness to get "down and dirty".
In an era of one reality show after another, not to mention the endless paparazzi frenzy, "Battle of the Network Stars" was indeed the original "Reality Show". It would be great to bring back this show. Hey, if anyone out there is interested, I will even consider producing it.
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