Two years later, my 2nd feature Death Machines was released by Crown International, opening to big success in 50 theaters in Southern California alone, landing it on the top grossing list. Landis' 2nd feature Kentucky Fried Movie wouldn't come for another two years. He was parking cars and doing stunt work on films

By the time my 3rd feature, Weapons of Death, came out, Landis would score big with Animal House and The Blues Brothers. 

My movie, Weapons of Death broke house records in New York and San Francisco and was distributed around the world. It made money for the distributor, but not for me.

As the years went by, Landis had a dozen big hit movies. My movies weren't big hits, but I considered myself lucky to have six features completed, including Omega Cop.

When I was trying to put together my 7th feature, I needed survival money, so I got a job working security on a Paramount TV series called Viper.

Standing alone, guarding a gate on a downtown LA location at midnight, I saw John Landis pass me by sitting in the back of a pickup truck that was pulling a car with cameras mounted on it. He was filming Beverly Hills Cop 3 with Eddie Murphy. He had already finished the shot, so he was relaxed and looking around as he passed me.  

We locked eyes, so I gave him a slight nod. He waved, so I waved back. I felt happy to see him, as I was a longtime fan of his work. Then it occurred to me that this would be a good scene in a movie about one successful director and another director that ended up working security because of drinking or being with an evil woman.

I wasn't victim of either one of those, but there I was working security after six features. However, I had a possible movie coming up, so I was happy to be there and happy to see Landis that night.

Ten years later, I was directing the audio-book of my novel McKnight's Memory, being performed by some of my favorite movie stars, and who moves into the editing suite right next to me? Yes, John Landis.

Landis made the first move by inviting me to see some of the scenes he was editing for his documentary on Don Rickles, Mr. Warmth.

A few days later, Landis got excited to meet Edd Kookie Byrnes (77 Sunset Strip, Grease) who was recording with me. Edd gave Landis a signed copy of his auto-biography and they talked during breaks.

I gave Landis a CD copy of the completed audio-book I had directed for Edd, called My Casino Caper, while I was recording McKnight's Memory. Landis came into my recording room the next day, saying 'Wow, that was terrific and I've got what happened to Edd in Las Vegas all figured out." He continued talking about it with great excitement. 

Landis has often used the term See you next Wednesday in his movies. This is a reference to the movie 2001 - A Space Odyssey, when astronaut Gary Lockwood listens to a video message from his parents. Lockwood himself later came in to record on McKnight's Memory. Unfortunately, Landis was not in the building at that time. But I loved the coincidence.

Another day, Landis introduced Don Rickles to me when Rickles came to view the rough-cut of his documentary. Landis told him that I was working on a project with Frank Sinatra Jr, so Rickles ad-libed a few Sinatra jokes. I'm a big fan of Rickles, so that was a real bonus meeting him.

One time, when Landis was walking down the hall, he called back to me, "Okay Paul, I'm going home." I called back to him the warning lines from his movie American Werewolf in London, "Stay on the road, John. Stay away from the moors." He laughed and waved back.

And you know what? I never had the urge or the need to tell him about us waving to each other on that midnight so many years ago, with him directing and me working security. But now I wish I had told him because he was pretty cool to wave to me. I hope to meet him again.

The 77 minute full-cast audio-book My Casino Caper stars Edd Byrnes, Alan Young, Henry Silva, Michael Callan and David Hedison. It's FREE on youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNb5v5Rxs-E&t=1s

My movie Forbidden Power won 28 international, first-place awards. All IMDB sanctioned. Including:

2018 - Best Picture - BITB Hollywood Festival. Competed with over 1,000 movies.

2019 - Best Science Fiction Movie - Oklahoma BB Festival.

2019 - Best Thriller - London Flicks Festival.

2019 - Best Original Screenplay - Florence Film Awards Italy.

2019 - Best Feature Film - New York Cinematography Awards.

After a one-night affair with a mysterious woman, a young man wakes up with sexually transmitted powers.