Hollywood’s writers went on strike Monday, but the effect of their impending walkout was felt much earlier in Charlottesville.
Word has it that the it was hard for actors to commit to attending the Virginia Film Festival this year, because they were so busy getting “films in the can.”
While late-night TV shows already have been forced to go to reruns, the film industry worked overtime to shoot enough footage hopefully to carry it through the strike. Time will tell. The last strike --- back in 1988—lasted about five months.
Here in Charlottesville, we were pretty lucky to get writers, directors, producers and even a couple of actors to attend this years festival. In my opinion, the writer stole the show. Oh sure, audiences flocked to fill the seats for a chance to see John Turturro. We all love to see the stars. But Stewart Stern was one guest I would love to see return.
He was charming. The only thing I would have changed was his shot-by-shot workshop on Sunday. Forget running the film, just let him sit up there and tell his stories of Hollywood—mooing with James Dean, how Tab Hunter or Robert Wagner almost had the lead in “Rebel Without a Cause,” what happened when a prankster changed the men’s restroom sign with the sign on Jack L. Warner’s office.
“They were trying to figure out why people coming out of Jack. L. Warner’s office were zipping their fles.”
Stewart is a treasure.
Which just goes to show you: Actors are pretty to look at, but writers give them something to say.