In the summer of 1983, I had just arrived in Hollywood. I quickly got a gig performing music at the Hotel Roosevelt's 'Cinegrille' weekend showcases. The hotel's entertainment department director was a man named Skip E. Lowe. He was a colorful character - and considered a bit eccentric in Hollywood circles. One evening, while I was roaming the halls with a comedian friend of mine, Mr. Lowe approached us. He claimed that 'his friend', Mz. Valerie Bertinelli - was filming a made-for-television movie and asked if we would be interested in being hired for 'bit parts' in a 'casino' scene. I clearly remember looking over at my friend, then back at 'Skippy.' Simultaneously, we both responded 'Absolutely!'

In my very first movie scene, I was sitting to the left of Valerie Bertinelli ( Van Halen ) at a black jack table. It was an amazing experience for a 'new-guy' from the mid-west. Immediately, I knew I was hooked. I am the person at the 1 o'clock position. Mz. Bertinelli is at 12 o'clock.

In the last scene of the film, the character 'Gina' is in distress, walking through a casino after losing all of her money. I am the blurry tall blond person walking past, behind her left shoulder, again at the 1 o'clock position. Counter-intuitively, the part did not launch me into stardom. But it did convince me to further pursue the business.