Jeff & Shirley Lawrence' Website
This book is for those who aspire to become an actor in Hollywood, a re-actor in the background as an extra, or just enjoy reading about the business. In Part 1 Shirley & Jeff each tell their many chances for stardom and why they decided to work as extras. Part 2 is about the movie business: how it was in the beginning and what it is like now. In Part 3 you will meet some interesting extras and also read true untold stories about stars, and directors. You can pick up a rag sheet and read all sorts of things that may or may not be true, but in this book are only the true accounts as seen and heard first hand. This may be the only book about both actors and extras - something that should be informative and fun reading for everyone.
Our promise: You will be entertained!
Jeff, born Lawrence Volkert, and Shirley Blackwell met and married while working in Hollywood Studios.
Jeff had been a chaplain's assistant in the army, an organist and singer.
Shirley sang in operas & musicals. As runner-up for a screen test, was invited to come to Hollywood.
Everyday thousands of hopefuls flock into the movie kingdom of the world, Hollywood, hoping for a break. Most young aspirants arrive with little or no knowledge of what lurks in the shadows of Tinsel Town. There has been no book on the subject until now.
The authors, Jeff and Shirley Lawrence, write from their first-hand experience what they had to deal with as actors in Hollywood. They tell why they each turned down chances for stardom but were still able to make a good living working in the industry for over 30 years.
Statistics will bear out that the greater majority of hopefuls will either wind up going back to their hometown, or possibly find themselves in such a state of complete failure that they end it all by jumping off the famous Hollywood sign, which has actually happened more than once. OR, they do as thousands before them have done: work in the background as extras. There has been no book on that subject until now.
During the golden age of movies of the 20th century, there existed a union to protect those who worked in the background in films, called the Screen Extras Guild. As we found out quite by accident, extras worked in and around the principal actors and got paid a good wage. You might be surprised to learn who a lot of these people were.
In their book, Hollywood Be Thy Name: An Inside Look At Hollywood Actors and Extras, the Lawrences write about their experiences in the business and how they survived as extras while still pursuing speaking roles. They tell about the people who helped open some doors for them, and about directors and producers who wanted to give them a chance IF ----!
When you’re done reading this book you will finally know all the tawdry escapades, lies and promises that face anyone who honestly pursues an acting career. It is the untold hush-hush secret that unless you are a family member or already an established star in another country or on Broadway, there is a game to be played to make it in Hollywood. There is no other book that reveals “the game.”
Shirley and Jeff have been interviewed on radio and television talk shows. They offer their experiences that reveal the truth about what to expect in Hollywood.
Jeff Lawrence came to Hollywood direct from the army where he had been a Chaplain’s assistant, organist and singer, to continue his college art studies. Someone heard him sing in a lounge, hooked him up with Enrico Ricardi who owned the biggest nightspot in Santa Monica at the time, THE HORN, where he became one of the regular entertainers. Mr. Ricardi suggested he sign up with a casting agency to earn extra money during the daytime. It was Central Casting, an agency for extras, but Jeff didn’t know what an extra was – only that he was working in films. But his good looks and talent were so great that his singing drew the Mafia talent scouts who wanted to make him a star. The head of Columbia Studios saw one of his performances at The Horn that led to a screen test and an option contract at the studio. In the 1980’s Jeff became one of the union representatives for the Screen Extras Guild until its demise in 1992.
Shirley Blackwell came to Hollywood four years before Jeff. She was runner up for a 20th Century Fox screen test while finishing her last year of college, and invited to the studio by their head of talent. What started as a simple reading developed into a scary situation where she ran out of the studio and never heard from the head of talent again. She went to Hollywood with a scholarship to continue her voice study and soon moved into the historic Hollywood Studio Club. Like Jeff, a friend introduced Shirley to a Central Casting agent who started her working in films, and like Jeff, she didn’t know what an extra was. When she found out, she got an actor’s agent, and was sent on interviews to read for parts. She found out quickly that there was a price to pay to get the roles, as did Jeff. The two of them, with similar backgrounds in music, met and married within 6 months. A show was written for them to sing as a duo, and they traveled from San Diego to San Francisco singing for private clubs while they also continued working in films. They are now retired and living in Central Florida near their three children and their families.
Readers Comments
This is a great guidebook for young people starting in the film business. You've done a beautiful job (first of it's kind). Kirk Crivello (Author of Fallen Angels, Lives and Untimely Deaths of 14 Hollywood Beauties)
I think you have a best seller. The way it's organized is very conducive to fascinating reading and re-reading! Show business experiences and personalities are fascinating to most everyone, and these pages ring true. Hollie Spencer
This book is not only a must for any young person seeking a profession in show business, but it also is fascinating reading about how Hollywood has developed over the years. Here we get truthful insight by someone else's experience...not the hype the studios put out. I couldn't put it down, it was so compelling a read. Miriam Boyer
This wonderful book about Hollywood was by far THE most enjoyable, engrossing, delightful, romantic, funny, shocking book I have ever read! A real page-turner. The style of writing is first class! I enjoyed every page. Elaine Baum
Jeff & Shirley are always happy to discuss the stories that suit the interest of aspiring actors or those who just love to hear about the movies.
Marcia Vincent Web Designs
Copyright © 2002 Marcia Vincent Web Designs. All rights
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Revised:
April 03, 2005
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