Don Adams' Screen Test

In the early seventies I wrote a series of commercials with Don for Aurora Skittle Games. Most of these commercials were movie parodies. Sometimes Don produced them just as I wrote them, other times he would have an idea of his own and I was happy to join in. We did a Casablanca commercial for a game called "Shifty Checkers" which we shot at Burbank Airport. I think what gave him the idea to do Casablanca for this game was that in his head he could hear how Humphrey Bogart would pronounce "Shifty Checkers" as shifty sheckers. We spent two weeks casting the Ingrid Bergman character and saw just about every beautiful girl in Hollywood who could act and Holly Hayes was perfect in the role. In an intimate two shot as the plane for Lisbon is warming up, Don as Rick says "Don't cry." Ilsa responds, "I'm not crying." "Then why are your cheeks wet?" Don asks and Ilsa replies "because you're spitting on me." I've put a ninety second version of this commercial up on you-tube under my name. Don's assistant, Nancy Barr and I became great friends and a year or two later Nancy asked me if I'd like to help cast "Don Adams Screen Test." It was a cattle call at one of the TV stations in downtown Hollywood. It was great madness and great fun. Don was a great director and Nancy Barr was an epicure of comedy and comedians. Her favorite (after Don) was Albert Brooks. I found these reviews while looking Nancy up on IMDb, Hello, Nancy.

I was just a little girl when this show was on, but to this day I still remember it. I just loved it. I wanted to be an actor when I grew up so I always would reenact the scene they did. Wasn't there a catch phrase when they were finished, like: 'That's a wrap' or 'in the can'? I can't remember. It seems that there was only 2 contestants on each show, but I may be wrong. I was only 9. Don Adams seemed so different from his character on Get Smart of course. Sometimes people were really good, sometimes...blech. I looked forward to seeing what kind of scene they would have to play, and compare it to what the second actor would say. My whole family would sit on the couch and watch this show. Back in the simpler days of only 3 channels.

This vintage game show had contestants become actors in scenes from famous movies. A mock-up set was built on the game show stage, many times it was an amazing re-creation of a famous set. The contestants had to re-inact said movie scene opposite actors provided by the show. My fondest memories of this show featured one guest, some woman, made-up to recreate Elsa Lanchester's hissing BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN. Another contestant, a man off the street had to re-do the famous death scene "...thanks for the bullet..." from WEREWOLF OF LONDON. They even had an in-camera tranformation effect. It was a great insight to the film-making process.

I've loved old movie ever since I was a kid. I was 13 when this played on TV. I expected the worst but tuned in. Actually it was pretty fun! Seeing some "name" actors enacting scenes from classic Hollywood films with amateurs was...bizarre (but fun). The ones that stand out were Loretta Swit in "Werewolf of London"; Don Rickles (doing Marlon Brando) in "On the Waterfront", Ed Asner in "Psycho"; Danny Thomas (doing Burt Lancaster) in "From Here to Eternity" and Darren McGavin (doing Humphrey Bogart) in "To Have and Have Not". The show wasn't exactly hilarious but just fascinating to watch. The only bad thing is that Don Adams wasn't given enough to do. A fun short-lived show from the 1970s.

One thing I remember from the show is all the goofing around that went on. I remember when they were recreating the climactic scene from Psycho where she turned Mother's chair around in the cellar and the skeleton had a cigarette in it's mouth! Classic! It was also a given disaster whenever Don Rickels was a guest. I'd LOVE a copy on video if anyone runs across one!