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Robert Brown
In His Own Words
Interview
Part Three
August 14, 1998
On line fans submitted these questions to Robert. I sent them along in written form and Robert answered verbally via tape recording. Transcribed by Patti, with LaDene's help! An extra special THANK YOU to LaDene for the edits, correct spellings of the German names and for sharing your invaluable theatre expertise with me!
And of course a big thank you to Robert for his willingness to do this interview!How and when did you decide to become an actor?
I imagine it was because of day dreaming, imagination. I loved the movies, going to films and seeing them over and over again. I can do that; I can sit there and watch the film, get there early in the morning and watch the film over and over. There was one movie house, I think it was ten cents for kids and only twenty-five cents for another theater nearby. I'd spend the whole day, till dark, until I had to go home for dinner. Of course I would fabricate what I had done all day because my parents were not, my mother especially, who ran the show with the children, my brother and I, she would want me to do other things, not sit in a theater all day. But I just loved to and I grew up that way in my imagination and didn't dare think I would be an actor until I was in the war, aboard ship, in the Navy. I started to plan to become this person. When I got out of the service the GI Bill was there to help veterans pay to go to school and give us a little money to get by on. That's what I did. I found a great school, the Dramatic Workshop. The New School for Social Research, the great Edwin Piscator was the founder of it. He was the German director that was the head of the Volksbuhne, (Editor's Note: Sometimes known as Freie Volksbuhne, meaning, "The Free people's Theatre.") He and Bertold Brecht were the heads. Brecht was the most famous writer in Germany and they both ran this theatre. They had escaped Hitler because they were anti-fascist and they started this school in New York.
Brando went there before anything else and he was asked to leave because they had a summer theatre one year, the school did, and the girls lived in one dormitory and the boys in another. The rule was you couldn't co-habit, that was absolute, they couldn't have that. Brando was seen coming out of Elaine Stritch, who became a very famous actress in the theatre, he was coming out of Elaine Stritch's room one night. He was kicked out of school even though Stritch had been a professional virgin and apparently she kept that title many, many years after Brando. So, they were just there in the room talking about philosophy or something other then doing what he was accused of doing.
Anyway, I went to this great school and became a theatre actor, and then after I graduated from there, I went to the American Theatre Wing. I was quick to get plays and my career moved fast for awhile.
What was your very first role as an actor?
I think I told that earlier.
My first role in the summer theatre that I was in. I also helped with the sets because it was a small company on Cape Cod, Duxbury, Massachusetts.
I was to hang the lights on the pipes, and focus them. The pipes were on a pulley and you'd clip and clamp these fresnel lights to the big, long bar, then hoist the bar up on pulleys. Then you'd have to go up on a huge ladder, a 16, 18-foot ladder and put the color lights on and move them, focus them for certain aspects of the stage. I was fearful of heights, but I went up to tighten the lights with a wrench. I guess I was so anxious to come down off the ladder that when I was focusing the lights, right before opening, the clamps moved a bit, swiveled down and lost their focus. After the curtain came down at the end of the play, we all lined up for curtain calls, and when the curtain came up the audience was better lit then we actors! Because the lights all swung out on the people sitting there. And there was my mother and father sobbing, clapping. I had asked them not to come up; I didn't want to be distracted. They secretly came up to see me in the play. I had hoped that maybe they would wait until I was much more secure as an actor, but there they were, proud of their son, and in the middle of the spotlight.
Tell us a little about your early theatre days.
It was very exciting!
I think I'll save the answer to some of these questions for my own biography.
Forgive me for ducking it.
What was your very favorite acting job? Do you have a favorite character that you've portrayed in your acting career?
Again I'll repeat that what character I was portraying, that was my favorite. My most favorite was the one I was doing or was about to do.
Once you've finished a role you are dreaming of the next one. That's how it went from the beginning. I really don't know how to answer that.
What do you think happened to the people in Seattle after HCTB went off the air?
Well, since I was in Seattle, they've thrived. The lumber was all cut down and big buildings went up and they all seemed happy.
Who was your favorite guest star on the show?
Well, I don't know, again. They all were wonderful and brave, coming into a situation where everyone knew each other and they were the new kids on the block. You know what that's like, the new kid in the class. There is always a strain no matter how long you've been doing it. The older, more skilled performers, they knew how to cover up their anxieties better than the younger people. But, they were all the same, they wanted to do it well, they didn't want to fall on their asses. I don't know, they all seemed to have a wonderful aspect and I didn't think about favorites. Some friends worked on the show but they were my friends and I couldn't treat them differently than the rest. So, I don't have favorites in anything, really. Because it's a comparative word, to have a favorite you have to have a less favorite, you know.
Write a brief statement about your fellow cast members from HCTB.
David Soul:
I met a girl in the elevator in a building where I was doing some business with a lawyer on Vine Street, a few blocks from Columbia Studios. There was the most beautiful girl standing next to me on the elevator. I touched her arm as she got off on her floor and asked; "Can I walk with you?"
She could see that I wasn't threatening.
She said, "Sure!"
We chatted for awhile.
She worked for Johnny Mathis the singer. I didn't ask what she did with Johnny Mathis, but, I guess I thought she was beautiful and she would go out with Johnny Mathis to various openings and restaurants because he was more interested in fellas then he was in girls. She was a good beard to have around and she knew that. It was wise to do that because of the publicity hounds that were merciless. She had been the second runner-up in the Miss America contest the year before.
A young beautiful woman and she wanted to be an actress, she said. She had been studying and had always wanted to be an actress. I told her that we were starting a new series and if she would come down whenever she could to the studio and not see me, but to see the producer. If she would do that I would go to the producer and the director that day as the pilot was just being arranged and cast. E. W. Swackhamer, Bridget Hanley's husband was the director. So, I spoke to him and the producer about this beautiful girl and they said sure and they met her and they were impressed by her. They gave her a little part in the pilot. She was very, very grateful to me. We started seeing each other, going to dinner, but I hated it in that, I didn't want to use it too win her favor. She was very pleasant though to be with.
I took a liking to David, and to Bobby, but David seemed to be more needful than Bobby. Bobby was a young man on top of things. He was busy with his life. David was bouncing around from here to there having been divorced and had a child. David took a liking to her, I could see they both did, on the set. One day they came to me, both of them did, David said to me "Do you mind if I ask Karen out to dinner? Only if you say yes because I know you're seeing her."
I was just taking her to dinner and she visited me once or twice but we were not intimate in any way. I couldn't do that, take advantage of her, misuse of power and all that sort of stuff.
I was very aware, I still am, not to pat myself on the back but there are just some things you just don't want to do.
David starting seeing Karen. They fell in love and they were then engaged to be married. I was invited to the wedding, which was to take place in Florida where she was born. After work one night we would fly off, David and I, to Florida. I upgraded the tickets from coach to first class thinking we'd get some food and drinks, but no, it was a late night red-eye flight and we just had larger seats. Still it was good, we didn't sleep, and we talked all night about life.
David lost his luggage when we got to Florida. I had to take David shopping. I guess this is a self-serving story, but what the hell, why not?
David didn't have much money; he was working for very little. He was one of the studio apprentices, so they got him for very little salary, minimum, I think. I was able to shop with him the next day to buy him his wedding suit. He got married.
David Soul had a nice voice, he sang and played the guitar.
Bobby Sherman was just exactly as he played his performance. That's the kind of fella he was, open, sensitive, good humored. I respected Bobby then, and I do now. He's just a dear fine young man, but now he's not so young. I just have the highest regard and respect for him.
Bridget Hanley:
Well, Bridget started going with my closest friend at the time, which was E. W. Swackhamer. We started in dramatic school together in New York with many plays and stock and everywhere else. I loved Swackhamer. He was a man of great principal, very high principle. A leader. He and Bridget fell in love. They started seeing one another. Then Swackhamer rented my house on the beach one summer because his children were coming to visit him. He had been divorced earlier. Bridget was there a lot. I moved into the guesthouse in the rear for a little while. I had also left the country to work. But, I spent so much time there with Bridget and Swack that I could see that she was the perfect person for him and I encouraged Swackhamer to look to it and he did. Thank God they had a happy married life and they had two children. Swackhamer died directing a picture in Germany some years ago. It's very sad.
Henry Beckman is a sweet, sweet fellow, he's Canadian. We laughed all the time; he was full of witticisms and good humor. And I regard him rather highly.
Susan Tolsky is a darling girl too. I didn't get to know her as well as Bridget, of course, but I respected her for her professionalism and her quick wit and her very enthusiastic way about her. I think she's from Texas, I didn't know many Texans, still don't, but she had it together. Wonderful! She laughed a lot and I liked that.
Patti Cohoon and Eric Chase, the children, were just sweet and I would chat with them at lunch and so on, but I didn't see them at all socially. But I liked them very much and found them to be hardworking. I tried to be helpful when they need counsel. Whenever they needed someone to speak for them, I did. They were nice people.
Joan Blondell, Joanie.
Maybe because we were the most experienced as we both had careers before. Of course she was a film star and I had done lots of things and had a background as an actor. We hit it off right away, we had a lot to talk about. I was very fond of Joan, it was a very sad thing when she died. I remember she liked a car that I use to drive, it was a Volvo. When she asked about buying a car I encouraged her to buy a Volvo. One day on the lot she came in having purchased one. She was sitting with someone from the press and said "Oh, I'd like to tell you about my new car!"
They inquired, two people with a microphone and a tape machine, asked her "What is it, Miss Blondell? What kind of car did you buy?"
"Oh, I bought a vulva." She stopped when she figured out what she had said and she was on the floor rolling around laughing and apologizing.
Joanie was a good lady and I miss her.
Mark Lenard was a fine fellow, another fine man.
We had difficulty at first on the set. He was a man about my age, I guess, and resented me at first. I told him that he ought to check his contract and see whose name was above the title. He wanted more cover in the scenes than what he was getting. I said that is the way they play it. "The scene is about Jason and this other person."
He said "What about me?"
I said, "Your part of the story is not the main part."
Once we had that out I did all I could do to get him more into the center of things, I liked him.
Is there any one anecdote about Bobby Sherman that stands out in your mind?
Yes, Bobby loved beautiful women, who doesn't? What guy didn't? He brought a girl on the set, the most beautiful, ravishing, young, incredibly beautiful girl, whom he later married. It turned out that after he was divorced, after they had a couple of children, David married her.
Bobby said to me once "Do you see the way David's looking at her, I think he's nuts about her."
I said, "Why don't you ask him?"
He said "No, why should I ask him? I won't let him make a move toward her. And she won't! But, can't you see?"
I said, "Yes, I can."
Bobby said, "If I croaked, if I died, I bet he'd marry her!"
So, Bobby was right, but he didn't have to die for that.
What was your favorite episode from HCTB and why?
Again, I don't have any favorites.
Who would you have paired Jason with romantically and why?
Every young women that was there I would've paired Jason with, but, would have found reasons not to make it work. Because it would be funny and I thought that was the way to go with the women on the show, because he was their protector. He was the one who sold them a bill of goods to come around the Horn and come up to Washington Territory from their little town. He wasn't there to make love to them, just to adore them and protect them. That was my plan anyway.
Will you see the Teen Idol Tour with Bobby Sherman?
Sure. If Bobby Sherman is playing nearby somewhere, I sure will. I think he's terrific.
What led you into acting?
Dreaming. The desire to dream and to put my dreams into reality. To live other characters on the stage. Also I wanted to do something adventurous and romantic. I thought it was that kind of life. It was kind of, but it's a hard life with its rewards, but it's a hard, insecure life.
When did you know you wanted to be an actor?
It was aboard ship, standing there in the middle of the night, standing watch in the moonlight, sailing from Guam to the Marianas and Iwo Jima and all those places. I built up the courage to convince my imagination that is what I wanted to do. Which I think as a child I wanted to do it but didn't dare think about it in terms of myself in any realistic way.
What profession would you have chosen had the acting bug not bitten you?
Well, I think architecture would have been good. Building great homes, I think.
What was your favorite role?
What was your favorite role? I don't have any. Maybe I did, but I don't recall. Maybe my favorite role was the one that the audience loved me the most in. I don't remember what that was either.
What would you most like to be remembered for?
I want to be remembered for mostly having tried, and failed, but tried. For being a loyal friend and a loving father. Hopefully a good companion.
How many children do you have?
As I explained earlier, I have one from a first marriage and two stepchildren who I feel are my children too. I raised them. So, it's three, and two grandchildren.
Who are some of your favorite authors?
Oh boy! James Joyce, I love Burns, a Scottish poet. I've loved poetry and there are so many authors I can't even begin to catalog them, so I won't.
What is your favorite book? Favorite movie? Favorite song?
Again favorites, I don't know how to think of it like that.
Last night I saw a couple of Orson Welles films. Anything with Orson Welles is my favorite movie, as I have a high regard for him.
My favorite song, oh dear. Probably some of the nursery rhythms, I have lots of favorite songs. Lot's of Scottish aires.
I don't have a favorite book.
When you were growing up, was there a specific adult in your life that you looked to as a role model or a mentor? A teacher, a relative, etc. Someone who had a great impact on your life
I'll have to think about that one.
Since you are a well traveled man, what is your favorite city in the United States? Are you more of mountains or a beach personality? A spring, summer, fall or winter personality?
Well, since I've explained about the cities, I've been to so many. I love lots of different cities for various things. Ah, I don't have favorites; they're all different.
Mountains or beach, well, both. I am surrounded by the mountains where I am and I've lived on the beach. My personality has nothing to do with that, it changes, and it's affected by where I live. So luckily I have a varied personality and different needs at different times in my life. Different reasons for being in a place, but they both are rich and rewarding. The citiy's pavements at a time are rewarding and sometimes the sands, I love the beach. I love living in the valley with the mountains and trees and birds and things.
A spring, summer, fall or winter personality? I'm a man for all seasons.
(Editor's note: The play, "A Man for All Seasons" was written by Robert Bolt!)
Which do you like better, dogs, cats, horses, or rabbits?
I guess I don't think you have to be a specialist in order to love animals. I love them all so I'm not a specialist. I can say that I have a fantastic dog that I love beyond words! A little silky terrier whose name is Expresso. He brings more joy into our life's, and I'm grateful for that little dog. We have a great, beautiful, Russian Blue Cat. She's 14 or maybe 15 and I feel great, great affection for her. Horses, well, I don't know any horses and I don't know any rabbits. So, I can't say, but, I love watching them hop around and I like to look at horses move about. I use to kind of like to ride them when I was in various films and things. But, I don't have the sense of favorites….oh I do! The type of horse that I like to ride is a single foot horse that has that gait. Single foot means it has that one foot on the ground at all times so you don't rock around and get bounced around much. And about 16 hands tall would be just right.
Are you a sports fan?
I'm not a sports fan, but I'm not an anti-sports fan. For sports I use to like chasing girls. That was a great sport for me, and try to catch one or two. I'd hope they wouldn't get away. Hope that my words would enchant them, you know, win some and lose some. But, I liked the romantic adventures when I was young.
What is your biggest pet peeve?
If it's a peeve then it's not pet, I don't like to be peevish.
I guess it's being around people that think they're better than other people. People think that one group is not as good as another. Fascists, I'm against that. I'm for people who care for the person at the bottom who needs a helping hand.
I love people of conscience who don't think about what they have in the bank and think about the essence of an individual.
If you had the power to change the world by doing ONE thing, what would it be?
Change the world? The last thing I would want to do is to change the world. The world changes me. Shakespeare had a wonderful line "You waste time, time wastes me. " No, I don't want to change the world and if I knew the answer to that I wouldn't use it. I wouldn't dare. I'm not God.
Is there much of Robert Brown in Jason Bolt?
My wife, who hasn't seen many of the episodes, but whenever she's seen them or people that she hears speak about me in that role said, just today, "I think there was a lot of you in that character."
So, I can't say for myself but just hope that it was a marriage between me and the character that was given to me to play. I hope it was comfortable and that one didn't outdo the other, but that they fit without too many seams and that you couldn't see that I was acting. A seamless performance.
If you could give one piece of advice, or the wisdom gained from a personal experience, what would it be?
Love your neighbor as you would yourself.
