LA Night!

 

 

Another World

 

Another Gala swept me into a world of dreams, of talent, of delight, amongst a crowd of people who I never thought of, dreamed about --until--the nite of the Salute to Malcolm McDowell at the Warner Samuel Goldwyn Theater. You never heard of Malcom McDowell? Well I hadn't either. Most likely you never heard of the movie in which he starred way, way back in 1971 called Clockwork Orange. I happened to have been one of the people who saw it, disliked it immensely, didn't understand any of it. Clockwork Orange was, is, one of Kubrick's finest films, now resurrected into a cult of wiser people than I.

 

From blocks away a long, long line of fans waited to attend the 40th anniversary of Clockwork Orange. For me, it truly was a night of thrills, excitement, thanks to my daughter who choreographed the huge event. Entering the theater we received royal treatment as my daughter became the star, the arranger of everything. There was no one whose name, position in the movie arts she didn't know. Their history, their families, their achievements all stored in her mind as I was bursting with pride. I met and spoke at length to Malcolm McDowell, who turned out to be as much a fan of my daughter as she has become of him. And what a charming, friendly, delightful man he is.

 

He is an actor with high standards, a man who can tell a joke, speak endlessly to mobs of people who hang on every anecdote of the making of Clockwork Orange, of his friendships, fears, faux pas, loves, making each listener into a fan forever. Then there I was talking to editors, camera men, performers, columnists, technicians, beaming from ear to ear as they exulted my daughter. I was in bedazzled heaven. Every minute went as planned, timed to perfection. McDowell arrives, mingles, meets the press, the big wheels for so and so minutes moves to here, then to there, perfection, bar stocked and handled with ease, delicious bowls and platters of delicious foods, desserts, nothing spilled or broken, everyone was jovial. No matter how good they were, are, in many fields we have never known existed, each had listeners to hear about others and tell their own tales. The entire time, I was on cloud nine, able to converse with ease with total strangers, moving around the jammed floor without even seek out my daughter. As fantastic, as busy, as honored as she was, somehow I felt her eyes on me, being sure I met big wigs. Unlike me, I can hardly find the words to describe the excitement that filled me. These were not big, famous movie stars but were, stars in their own fields that helped those aiming for fame to find it.

 

Mr. McDowell spoke on stage, with no notes, for close to an hour. Not a program rustled, fell on the carpeted floors. The audience was enchanted by the star of Clockwork Orange, as was I..but the surprise to me and my daughter when we looked at the Academy program, there was her name, Ronnee Sass-Warner Bros., (one of only four names listed) besides the star Malcolm McDowell.

 

IT WAS A NITE I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER AS MY PRIDE  CROWNS THE EVENT.