More stories from the film set.
One of the more interesting projects I was hired for was a television pilot based on the Elmore Leonard book called “Maximum Bob.” It was a dark comedy/drama about a Florida judge known for the extreme sentences he handed down in court.
The title role was played by Beau Bridges, Jeff’s older brother and Lloyd Bridges’ (Sea Hunt) son. The high power production team of Barry Sonnenfeld, Graham Place and Peter Larkin had recently finished “Get Shorty” and before that “Men in Black.”
The production offices were located at Palm Beach Ocean Studios, just outside West Palm Beach. The owner/manager was Thorpe Shuttleworth, a Palm Beacher who had been an executive with ABC Television in New York. He had befriended me on an earlier project and recommended me for the job.
I was originally hired as a designer/sign writer, but I ended up being a de facto art director and personal driver for Peter Larkin, the production designer. With a sign writer salary and no title.
(Note: An art director is basically just an assistant to the production designer.)
Although Peter was a big time Hollywood and Broadway guy from the heyday of movies (“Dial M for Murder,” “Teahouse of the August Moon,” four Tony awards), they didn’t give him enough of a budget to pay for an art director, a driver AND a signwriter… so I was all three. But I was only paid for the lowest job position, of course.
Peter Larkin was the nicest old fellow you could ever want to work for. But he was OLD. Older than I am now.
In between designing stuff and producing artwork, I drove him all over the area as he scouted locations and met with the big boys. He would invariably fall asleep in my car, snoozing away as if in a coma. One time I drove us to eat lunch. When I parked he woke up and asked, “Is everyone here?”
He thought I was taking him to a meeting with Barry Sonnenfeld. For a few seconds Peter also believed we were working on “Get Shorty.”
No big deal. Not like he was President of the United States or something.
I enjoyed driving him the most, mainly ‘cause it was an easy gig. But I also appreciated his talent and praise for my work.
The art department at P.B.O. Studios was right across the hall from the offices of the Big Wigs. When I finished a design, Peter would sometimes run over and wave my stuff in Sonnenfeld’s face and exclaim “Look at this!
You gotta see this!” And the director would grunt in my direction.
Larkin really was impressed at how I could take his crude pencil sketch of a complex sign or graphic and turn it into clean full color finished art. He thought I could read his mind. I still have his blueprints.
Barry Sonnenfeld was a whole different kind of animal. He was, and probably still is, a super neurotic perfectionist. Very very talented director, but not much at polite human conversation… especially with the peasants like me.
I was sent to a location set which was supposed to be the fictional judge’s waterfront house…complete with fake alligators.
What is it about films shot in Florida? Does it always have to have fake alligators?
Filling the big driveway were all kinds of vans and cars borrowed from crew or rented. The “judge” was going to have a press conference and these belonged to the “media.”
I had made various shapes and sizes of magnetic signs to mount on the vehicles that read “WXYZ TV NEWS,” “NBC NEWS”, etc.
Having been told to randomly place them, I proceeded to squeeze myself through all the actors and crew crowding the driveway and do that. I had just finished the last one, when I looked and Sonnefeld was following my trail, moving signs from vehicles and switching them here and there.
The director of “Men in Black” and “Get Shorty” had stopped supervising the setting up of the cameras and lighting, as well as getting the actors in position to… do MY job. I just shut up and disappeared. Quickly.
As I went around the back of the house to find my car, I almost literally ran into Beau Bridges standing by himself, not just rehearsing his lines but loudly acting out the whole scene, waving hands, etc.
I tried not to make eye contact, because that looked and sounded damned silly. Laughing at the star would not be a good career move.
As is typical, the pilot aired several months later, and the ratings must have been okay at least.
Later in the year, they started filming the episodes of the full series, but in Ft. Lauderdale. A new director and production group came in. They had only spent the big bucks on Barry Sonnenfeld and team for the pilot which was used to get the show approved. Bait and switch they call that.
I was tied up by then on another job and my spot went to a friend of mine.
Apparently I didn’t miss much.
On Wikipedia, they say this about the show: “Maximum Bob” is an American comedy-drama television series that aired from August 4, 1998 until September 15, 1998.”
Thom Caraccio ([email protected]) is a retired musician and retired motion picture scenic artist living in West Palm Beach, Florida who hails from Columbus. He graduated from S.D. Lee High in 1968 and still considers Columbus his real hometown.
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