I say, “Wait a minute.”
Martin yells, “Don’t open your mouth. Take camera two.”
The controller switches live to camera 2 which is still relaxed and aiming at the control room. If you see the kinescope of that show today, you’ll see a close-up of me in the booth mouthing the words, “Oh, shit.”
Martin sees me on the live monitor and starts screaming, “Take anything. Save me. Save me.” He stands up and throws-up on me, my script and the control panel.
I yell to my assistant, an ex-prizefighter, “Get this bastard out of here.” He throws a right hook to Martin's jaw, knocks him out and drags him out of the control room.
I take over calling the shots on the fly and we get through the show. It was sloppy, but not a disaster.
I run from the control room to the producer’s office and yell, “I’ve had it. I don’t need a director screaming and throwing up on me. I could direct better than that son-of-a-bitch.”
“Then why don’t you?”
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
On the other hand, Frankenheimer is such a good storyteller, maybe he was enhancing the story a bit to get guys like you and me interested in reading about it.
Ron
It is short, engaging, and fast-moving. It feels like one is watching a fascinating and exciting movie.
Thank you. I love your writing.
Armineh