In 1980 I was producing dinner theatre shows and was signed with the David Lee Agency out of Cleveland. I auditioned for this movie and won the role of the juvenille in the summer stock company shot at Cain Park in Cleveland Heights. I, along with five other featured locals, had to learn a half dozen songs and dance routines. We were all disappointed later when we found out they dubbed our voices at a soundstage in Los Angeles.
The film was shot over a half dozen weeks and I found that I was playing cards with the Teamsters more than I was on set. We had a lot of rain outs for exterior shots and Michael Pressman the Director was having a difficult time scheduling due to the weather.
Some of my memorable moments was playing cards with Tom Hulce (he sat in on a few poker hands one night) and the scene where I walk off with the girl he was trying to take out.
Another great moment was playing backgammon with Frank Langella. He was very open to the actors and kicked my butt more than a few times on that backgammon board. We also had some fun shooting the glued bottle and glass to the table scene. He is a great guy!
There were some great actors in this show; Jerry Stiller, Kevin McCarthy, Glynnis O'Connor, Joseph Maher and a local star Providence Hollander who I worked on a production of "Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris". The one actor that I wanted to meet so badly was legendary acting teacher, Herbert Berghof. He spent 1/2 an hour one afternoon with me on set in the prop room talking about his theory of stage acting vs. film acting. With Uta Hagen, he inspired a whole generation of actors, including me.
My only regrets were that I got food poisoning on the set (actually it was from a hotdog vendor across the street not food services) and that the 2nd AD, Toby Lovallo and I didn't get to play more tennis together. Oh, IMDB still hasn't put me on the credits either.