THE 12-YEAR-OLD TV PRODUCER

Let's hope that before you read this the Writer's Strike is over.

I would like to say a few words about youth. OK, three words: “ILY ... I Love Youth” (a nice play on words there). What brought this on? A few days ago, October 31, 2007, I put on my Lloyd Thaxton Halloween mask and gave an interview on the Florence Henderson Show.

The FLORENCE HENDERSON SHOW is a new show on The Retirement Living Channel. Other guests on this particular show included one of my favorite motion picture directors ...

Gary Marshall (Gary’s “Pretty Woman,” being one of my favorite movies of all time).

Also, there was Milt Larson, who, in the 60s, created the famed Hollywood Magic Castle. Milt taught me a fantastic card trick.

I could show you how to do the trick, but then I would have to kill you.

Bob Newhart was on the show the day before ...

... and the show following ours featured, Carol Burnett.

What a great line-up of guests. "But wait a minute," you say, "None of these guests, including me, really fits into this story." “The Retirement Living Channel” yes, but not a blog titled,

“THE 12-YEAR-OLD PRODUCER”

Well, if you were there in the studio with me, you would see how it all fits. On camera were all us “Oldies, but Goodies.” But out there, behind the camera, were all the 12-year old members of the crew and production staff.

Let me explain. My title “The 12-year Old Producer” comes from the many tales I’ve heard from movie and TV writers who say, after a “pitch” meeting, that the producers all looked 12 years old. Meaning, that they were very young and don’t understand or appreciate older folk’s ideas very much. “It is like pitching my idea to someone else's grand kids,” one older writer friend told me. Ageism can sometimes be brutal when one has to face it. But, life moves on and we have to move with it.

To be a little more realistic, the Florence Henderson production staff really didn’t look like 12-year olds; they were more like twenty-somethings. But, more important, they were the most efficient group of “youngins” I had ever worked with. They were, not only highly capable and truly appreciative of all their guests, not one of them called me “grampa.”

I want to especially thank Amber Engelmann, Daresha Kyi, Babette Canton, Lisa Sutton, and Stephanie McCanles. Florence Henderson, you have a great young and loyal production staff there.

You Mouse Cliquers out there should enjoy my segment on the show. It is mostly about The Lloyd Thaxton Show and does show some clips.

The show I was on will not air until December 2007. I’ll let you know the exact date when they get around to telling me. It’s possible that they have already done that.

If so, … I FORGOT!

Are you OK with that?

Stay tuned.