Chapter 14: Movie Brats

Ali & I had just spent the week Filming the 1st Half of the great Rolling Stones’ November, 1969, USA Tour. We had started out last Sun, Nov 9, 1969, in Oakland. We then flew to do Gigs in San Diego, Phoenix, Dallas, Auburn, AL, & the Univ Of Illinois at Champagne, IL. The Stones did their last Shows in Chicago, IL.

From Mon, Nov 17, 1969, until Mon, Nov 24, 1969, the Stones were taking a break. I was jazzed to learn they were planning on Spending the Week across Sunset Blvd from my Sunset Tower Penthouse.

They were putting the entire Band & Crew up at the Continental Hyatt House. It was built in 1963 by the Film Cowboy, Gene Autry. It would soon become infamous as the Riot House. There were Balconies where the likes of Keith Moon & Keith Richards threw TV’s off of, to the Ground below. It got so bad, they finally Enclosed the Balconies. John Bonham Rode his Motorcycle in the Hallway.

Mon, Nov 17, 1969

Martin Scorsese, Ali & I flew from the Stones’ last Gig in Chicago, to LAX with the Band on their Plane. Actually, Barbie, my MGF, was with us for the Tour. She had assisted Martin so much, that he hinted that he’d love to have his own MGF.

Martin had been the Assistant Director of the Woodstock Film. When I decided to Film the Stones’ Tour, I asked Martin if he’d like to help me. He said he had a few months free, so he signed on.

As we worked together, I had been telling him about my investing in Hollywood. He was intrigued when I mentioned my Partnership Deals, with Norman Lear, Glen A Larson, Grant Tinker & Mary Tyler Moore.

After awhile, he said he & his 4 Friends could use a Deal like I offered. He said they were all just starting to get established, maybe being years from a hit Film. He jokingly said that they were starting to be referred to as the Movie Brats. They were the best of friends, always having each others’ backs.

They were: with ages in 1969

1. Martin Scorsese (27yo)

2. Brian De Palma (29yo)

3. Francis Ford Coppola (30yo)

4. Steven Spielberg (23yo)

5. George Lucas (25yo)

As Ralf, I knew these 5 Guys were going to be HUGE! When Martin mentioned his friends, I desperately wanted to sign these guys up to a deal. They wouldn’t hit it big for a couple years, though.

Did I want to support them as they were making lessor Films, possibly losing money? I would have a steady drain on my resources while they got established.

Damn straight I did! I quickly made a list of their early Films & the Years that they were made. Then I checked how long until their 1st big hit. I knew that one Hit would wipe out all their losses, if any.

This time, David Geffen picked us up at LAX, in a new Caddy Limo. Nice. It was Black, with a wonderful smelling Black Leather Interior. He also had a Dodge Van for our Luggage, including our precious Folding Bikes.

Our 2 Floors in Sunset Tower, came with 8 Parking Slots. The nice part, being the Penthouse, we had a Fence around our Spots, protecting them. It was just inside the entrance, so the Limo fit easily, as well as the Dodge Van & Dodge Pickup he had gotten.

Another nice feature, was the cute Asian Chauffeurs we now had in LA.

Chun, 17yo & her Sister, Jing, 18yo, were fresh from China. Both were Black Belts in Kung Fu, so don’t fuk with them. I loved the Visual of cute Asians as Chauffeurs, they would be remembered!

As we went up in the Penthouse Elevator, I was happy to be back. I had been dreaming of being back at the Sunset. I wanted to wake up there, & walk directly out to the Terrace for Breakfast. There were Table & Chair groupings at all 4 Corners. There were scattered Chairs between the Corners too.

As we entered the 15th Floor Living Room, there was an intense Foos Ball Game going on. When Martin tried to introduce us, they said, “Hang on, we’re at Game Point!”

With that Steven Spielberg did a Wrist Shot past Francis Ford Coppola, Game Point! The other Players were Brian De Palma & George Lucas.

After the introductions, I was ganged up on by these guys. Martin had convinced them that my Deal was a No Brainer. Until they could scratch their way to the top, they would be fully supported. When asked if my Deal would include an Office in the Bradbury, I said of course. I said we’d get them an Apartment in the Sunset too.

That’s when I saw a 5-High-Five, as all 5 Brats High Fived at once. They then sat down to officially sign a Partnership Deal with my T-SqFilm&TV Production Company.

When I said, “Lets check on Apartments available in the Sunset,” as usual, David Geffen was way ahead of us. He said, follow him.

Martin Scorsese had taken the last Bedroom on the 14th Floor with a Bath. He said he would be happy there.

Oh, yeah, if I haven’t mentioned it yet, we gave a Bedroom on the 14th Floor to Howard G Minsky & another to Alice Nixon. Neither would be in town much, leaving the Bedrooms free to be used as Guest Rooms. Neither Bedroom came with a Bath.

We walked down the Circular Staircase to the 14th Floor. David Geffen said he’d get a matching Staircase down to the Floor Below, as he had just Leased the 13th Floor, making it a Triplex. David said he was able to Lease the whole Floor, as it was considered 1 Apartment.

Like the 14th Floor, It had 6 Bedrooms. This time though, the Public Rooms were in the Middle, leaving all 4 Corners for Master Bedroom Suites.

Wow, this meant we had 6 Bedrooms on both the 13th & 14th Floors. With the 2 on the 15th, that meant we had 14 Bedrooms! A pretty cool Group of House Mates too!

Also, now with the 13th Floors’ 4 Parking Spots, we now had 12 Underground Parking Spaces. When we needed more, I’d seen cool Double Stack Systems. We could add Spots easily that way, especially for Vehicles rarely used. I can think of a Stable of Mercedes Benz from all eras.

We had to take the Elevator, since the Stairs weren’t installed yet. The 13th Floor was more of a Suave, Debonair type of place. It had soft, muted Peachy Colors. Overstuffed Chairs & Couches, Flowing Floor to Ceiling Drapes, etc. The whole place exuded Elegance.

The 4 new guys quickly snatched up the 4 Corner Bedroom Suites, leaving the 2 middle Bedrooms left to assign, neither with a Bath.

As it was still early on the West Coast, the guys wanted to check out their Offices in the Bradbury Building. A couple knew of the Bradbury & its Atrium, so they couldn’t wait to be based there.

We all piled in the Limo, but as there were 10 of us, David also drove his 1965 MB 220 SE Coupe.

At the Bradbury, everyone eagerly chose a Window Office. At that point, I told them that as a Partner in T-SqFilm&TV, they would also be assigned an MGF to keep them on track. Each Outer Office had a matching Inner Office for their MGF.

At that point I had a thought, & asked David Geffen, “How about we check on any space in the Bradbury to set up a Production Studio. It could have Recording Booths, as well as Film Studios.

David laughed, as he said half the Building was empty. He’d only Leased 1/2 the 3rd Floor, as he didn’t think we’d fill it up so fast. If I wanted the rest of the Floor, he’d Lease it tomorrow.

As the guys were checking out their new digs, I got David off to the side. I gave him his copy of a new Partnership I had Roger Lang draw up. The new agreement had me giving David Geffen 50% of my T-SqFilm&TV. I explained to him that he’d earned every Penny, as without him, none of this would have happened. He had tears in his eyes as he hugged me. He knew the immense scope that was soon to happen.

I then Proposed 2 new Partnerships, that I wanted to HQ in the other 1/2 of the 3rd Floor.

The 1st being the Record Company we had talked about starting. How about we start it now, putting its HQ Offices in the NE Corner Suite of Offices.

David said now would be a great time. He had a long list of Artists he wanted to Record.

As well as helping me, we had agreed David would be free to continue to grow as the #1 Agent in Hollywood, already having clients such as Joni Mitchell, as well as Crosby, Stills & Nash. They could be the new Record Companies 1st Artists.

I asked what name he wanted, & he thought Asylum Records. He wanted to Record those who were turned down every year by the Big Record Companies. He knew if given a chance, many would pop. He thought there was only an up side.

I agreed with his ideas. That’s how we would each own 50% in Asylum, keeping it Private. We would just reinvest our Profits, avoiding having to go Public.

My other idea was to Partnership with the 5 Brats in a new Production Studio. We could HQ it in Bradbury’s 3rd Floor’s, SE Corner. I thought we could call it BS Studios. BS could stand for Bradbury Studios, but it could also stand for Brats’ Studios. I was thinking, we would keep our usual 50%. That left 50% to be split 5 ways amongst the Brats, each getting 10%. I thought that way, these guys could get some income when we could Rent Out Time in our Studios.

I thought I’d get with Tom Dowd & Glyn Johns to set up some killer Sound Recording Booths. I wanted the newest Technology & Equipment. I wanted it designed to easily s/o Equipment too.

For our Film Studios, we had 5 Experts, as well as bringing in my other Partners, Norman Lear, etc.

When David & I got back with the guys, David took us to the other part of the 3rd Floor. When we got to the SE Corner, I asked them to picture some Film, Sound & Production Studios in that Space. We could knock out Walls to make larger Rooms.

They thought that would be great, as each could give up the tiny spaces they worked out of now.

I then proposed my Partnership Plan, where they each would receive 10% of the new Studios. I thought we could call it BS Studios, explaining my inside joke. As with everything else I proposed, they jumped at my offer. They could see the potential, especially a steady income from Renting Out Time.

I then suggested we lock up & go have some fun. First, I wanted to give each their own Folding Bike. Then I wanted to Ride around a little. I said tomorrow we’d get back to Biking each morning.

If you are wondering how I figured out my Profits, this is the Formula I used:

Budget = How much it Cost to Film

Gross = Total Ticket Sales at the Box Office

Take the Gross, less the Budget = Total Profit.

Then, My Profit is 1/2 of the Total Profit.

Now, I’ll show how my Partnerships would be Cash Out at 1st, but would be all CASH IN after they each made it big.

I’ll rank the 5, by who had their Big Hit, soonest to latest.

(k = Thousand) (m = Million) (Budget/Gross/My Profit)

Francis Ford Coppola- 30yo, in 1969

1970- Patton (Co-Wrote)

1972- The Godfather-1 (7m/291m/142m). (Our 1st Huge Win)

George Lucas- 25yo, in 1969

1971- THX 1138 (118k/2.4m/811k)

1973- American Graffiti (777k/140m/70m). (Huge Win, compared to Budget)

1977- Star Wars-1 (11m/776m/350m). (HUGE!)

Steven Spielberg- 23yo, in 1969

1971- Duel (ABC-TV Movie) (450k/?/?)

1974- Sugerland Express (3m/12m/4.5m)

1975- Jaws (9m/477m/234m) (also Huge)

Brian De Palma- 29yo, in 1969

1970- Hi Mom (no info)

1972- Get To Know Your Rabbit (no info)

1972- Sisters (500k/1m/250k)

1974- Phantom of the Paradise (1.3m/?/?)

1976- Carrie (1.8m/33.8m/16m) (never as big as the rest)

Martin Scorsese- 27yo, in 1969

1972- Boxcar Bertha (600k/1.1m/250k)

1973- Mean Streets (650k/3m/1.2m)

1974- Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1.8m/18.6m/8.4m)

1976- Taxi Driver (1.9m/28.6m/13.35m) (Martin also wasn’t as Big)

So, in 1972, Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather-1 was our 1st big Hit. It made us a Profit of $142,000,000. It really cemented us as a serious player.

George Lucas had a hit with American Graffiti in 1973. It made us $70,000,000. In 1977 he had a huge hit with his 1st Star Wars, although it later would be called #4. It would make us $350,000,000. As Ralf though, I knew George ran out of money & almost didn’t finish it. He was in London, as that’s where the Best Sci Fi Experts were.

Steven Spielberg hit it Big in 1975, with Jaws. It made us $234,000,000. As Ralf, I knew he also ran out of money & almost didn’t finish Filming Jaws. With my Deals though, that would never happen. Both he & George Lucas will have the cash up front, never having to worry.

Brian De Palma made Carrie in 1976 & it made us $16,000,000. Of the 5, Brian was the least successful financially early on, although well thought of. He would have big hits in the 80’s & 90’s though.

Martin Scorsese would make Taxi Driver in 1976, & it would make us $13,350,000. Like Brian, his Films were successful, but not the huge hits like Francis, George & Steven would make.

From Nov, 1969, until they started to make it big, with my Deal, they would have a Monthly Income, as well as all expenses paid.

One of the things I did, was to introduce them to 2 of my favorite Books. Well, for the Feeling Good Book about Cognitive Therapy, I did it from memory. I was going to keep track of Dr David Burns, who helped create Cognitive Therapy. I would set up a Grant to fully fund their Research into it.

Dr Burns worked out of the Univ of Pennsylvania, as well as the Penn State Mental Hospital. They taught a Radical new way of Thinking, which would evolve into Cognitive Therapy.

They taught truly Suicidal Patients their new way of Thinking. Without any Drugs, they had a huge success Rate, by getting Troubled Souls to Cure Themselves! All by realizing their Feelings were the Result of their Interpretations. Often those Interpretations were twisted.

The URANTIA Book had 1st been Published in 1955, so I was able to give each their own copy. According to the Powers-That-Be, It was hard to put into Words. It seems there were Higher Truth & Concepts, that they found hard to impart to us here on Urantia. Urantia, being our Planets Name throughout the Universe.

All my new friends really enjoyed reading the U-Book & we would have daily Bull Sessions, usually atop the Sunset late at night. I told them that Gene Roddenberry read the U-Book, getting some of his ideas for Star Trek.

The U-Book gives us info on how the Universe is Really made. And Run Too. Do you really think there is no Over Control? If so, I’d say you have Thrown The Baby Out With The Bath Water. What most have done is just Cast Off the MAN MADE BULL SHIT Many ORGANIZED CHURCHES HAVE FORCED DOWN OUR THROATS.

Any Religion that spouts ANY Negativity regarding God is Man Made BS.

The U-Book tells us the Father-Mother has given us a Sliver of Him-Her Self, which they call the Thought Adjuster. Adjust. Not trick, bully or any other Human Attribute we can think of. Man Made Religions have God made in Mans Image, not the other way. Utter madness.

God will NEVER do anything against your Free Will. Free Will is everything. It’s what sets us apart from the other Animals.

We are different, because we Know that we Know Something. The other Animals don’t ever give it a thought. They don’t have that ability.

This is important, because we can (& Do) have a RELATIONSHIP with the Sliver of God within us. We are Co-Creators of our Soul! Every time we have a Moral Thought, some way to help others, a new Layer of our Soul forms.

Its like the 3-D Printer I saw on Jay Leno’s Garage. A thin Layer of Graphite is added, over & over & over & over...

Our Thought Adjusters will NEVER go against our Free Will. OK, Now what do you want to do? What I do is to be Proactive, & tell my Thought Adjuster to have at it. I Will, that my Will, be God’s Will. Yeah, yeah, I know it sounds BS.

But if you give both these Books a chance, I bet you will be happier. Now let me climb down from my Soap Box.

We would Bike each morning, going all over. Soon, others would join us, just like happened in NYC’s Central Park.

I also got us more Foos Ball Machines. They had been around for years, but wouldn’t be popular until the mid ‘70’s. As Ralf, I had loved to play, having intense matches with my Mates. Because of that, I had some Foos Machines delivered to the Bradbury, as well as at all my places in NYC. I’m glad I’d sent the ones to Chicago!

I found, that like with super successful Athletes, these guys were ultra Competitive. We would have Daylong Competitions, inviting many in the Industry to join us. What I loved was the Bonding Experiences they created.

All in all, I was ecstatic to have inked these guys to be my 50% Partners in T-SqFilm&TV. Unlike my TV Deals, these guys would be bigger, but it would take longer for them to make it.

From 1969 on, I would Mentor them, constantly steering them towards their best stuff, ignoring the failures. Sometimes the Failures helped form them, but often, they were a waste, so why not avoid them. Mostly though, I just patted them on their backs, telling them to stay the course.

Everyday, they would go to their Offices in the Bradbury, setting up their Operations.

Another aspect of my 50% Partnerships, all new Scripts could be shared amongst these guys. That way, we could match up Film & TV Projects between them.

Eventually, the Parties we would have, either at the Bradbury Building or at Sunset Tower would become famous & much coveted.

(We had already signed up as 50% Partners) (yo in 1969)

Norman Lear (47yo)

Glen A Larson (32yo)

Grant Tinker (43yo) & Mary Tyler Moore (33yo)

David Geffen (26yo) & Blanca (22yo) would Run our LA Operations.

I remembered we had to Develope The Odd Couple for TV, so I asked David Geffen to reach out to Garry Marshall. He had been the one in Ralf’s Time to adapt The Odd Couple for TV. After being asked, Garry quickly signed on as another Partner.

Garry Marshall was 35yo in 1969, also just getting established Heading Projects. He would go on to Create many great Shows, including Happy Days & Mork & Mindy. He would cast his Sister, Penny in Lavern & Shirley.

Being a Partner, got Garry an Office in the Bradbury, as well as his own MGF. He then took a Bedroom on Sunset’s 13th Floor, leaving one Bedroom free as a Guest Room.

That afternoon, I got with all my Partners together for a Planning Session. I asked their opinion of Barry Diller. He was at ABC-TV & had just Created the ABC Movie of the Week. It Premiered, Sep 23, 1969. I suggested we snatch him up to run BS Studios.

As Ralf, I knew Barry Diller would Run Paramount Pictures Studios from 1974-1984.

Then he would Create the Fox-TV Network in 1984. Not a bad Resume, eh?