Chapter Seven - Leona, Queen of "Get Him Off This Set!"

Susanne Pleshette was so striking looking that I could not take my eyes off her. That can be big trouble for an extra.
I was still star struck but had noticed that some actors and actresses have a stage presence that draws every eye to their attention. A few that come immediately to mind are Sally Kellerman, Goldie Hawn, Don Johnson, Christopher Plummer, Rebecca DeMornay, Maria Conchita Alonzo and Eli Wallach, all fabulous actors that I worked with.
Leona Queen of Mean starred Susanne as Leona Helmsley and Lloyd Bridges as her husband. We were advised during our casting call that we should not wear any fragrances as one of the principles (Susanne) had sensitivities to them.
We assembled at the Royal York Hotel in one of the hallways for a shot where Leona sweeps down her hotel hallway barking and shouting orders to her staff. Before Susanne actually arrived on set, the Assistant Directors were literally walking through the extras, sniffing us, to ensure that we were not wearing perfume, after shave or cologne.
There were a few people asked to leave this particular scene and set because they smelled too nice.
Onto the set came Susanne and as her movements were blocked and as we rehearsed, I just could not look away. She was magnificent. She seemed to glow or resonate or possess a special aura. I would make a point to turn my head and focus on something, anything but Susanne but I would catch myself losing focus and again turning my head towards her. It was ridiculous. I was staring. It was rude. I was embarrassed but I couldn’t look away.
Then I noticed that Susanne was noticing me looking and I smiled at her and nodded and she smiled back. “She will think I am just being nice, maybe”. I thought.
While the shot was being set up, I noticed that I wasn’t the only one with this affliction. Almost all of the extras (and there was about thirty of us), were staring at Susanne!
Next I saw Susanne call over one of the Directors and start whispering to him rather dramatically. I suspected that meant trouble and I was right. After a quick conference, the Assistant Directors started making their way from extra to extra and telling us ‘not to stare’ at Ms. Pleshette. When one of them got to me, I already knew what he was going to say before he had a chance to speak I said, “Help me out here. I can’t help looking at her!” “Yes. I know”. He replied sympathetically. “But you have to stop or you are going to get tossed off the set.” “OK. But how about placing me so that I am not in her eye line?” I asked.
He quickly moved me behind Susanne and had me move away from her once shooting started. I still stared but she couldn’t see me doing it and I survived any crisis.

Later that evening we were shooting a ballroom scene and needed to get fitted for tuxedos. I went to wardrobe and told the wardrobe mistress that I needed a size 50 jacket.
“We have a tux that should do.” She said. “We have the one that Marlon Brando wore on The Freshman.” She told me.
Great! I thought and I tried on the jacket. It fit perfectly. The pants were another story though. Brando’s waist must have been the same size as his chest and those pants were big enough for half of another person.
The story goes that Brando’s girth was so great for The Freshman, that for most of the film, he would insist that the director film him from the waist up so that he could forget about wearing pants and just wear his underwear.
(Every time I see those fantastic scenes in The Freshman where the Don is sitting behind his desk pouring sugar into Matthew Broderick’s espresso, I laugh because I know he has no pants on.)
The wardrobe staff are amazing and will do alterations incredibly quickly but in this case there was no time. Out came the duct tape and the excess waist was gathered at the back and taped under the back of my coat. It worked perfectly and I came away with a great story.
I would have loved to work with Marlon Brando but I soon got to work with someone who had been in the Actors Studio with him in New York and whose stature in filmdom was almost as legendary.