Our Memorial Day, 2022

         It was 1953 when a very young Harvey Kalmenson raised his right hand, took the oath, and joined the military. It happened to be the United States Army—it didn’t matter what branch of the service it was. The flag was up there for me that day when I took the oath of allegiance to our Constitution, I uttered those words. The son of two immigrant parents and grandparents who had managed, bound together, and without words sharing allegiances to a country they had not yet seen but one my grandmother gravitated towards with unbending patriotism for all of her life.
        Some out there may not understand what a thrilling moment it was for me, a nineteen-year-old kid. It's one of those times that often come back in memory, and now especially, as we honor all those who gave their lives for our country. I recognize without them touching our lives, whether we like it or not, whether Democrat or Republican, Christian or Jew, and regardless of the skin color only God may choose for us; we soldiers marched together as one.
        Our military men and women have protected us from all the evils man has, for centuries, fostered and perpetrated upon the United States of America and the world we live in today. And so then, this is a special day for all of us to take a moment to give thanks for what our brethren have sacrificed by giving all they had to give, forever.

Arlington National Cemetery, VA

Google Images

…And one more thing:

On this day, no matter the passage of time, Cathy and I personally express our thanks for what our family members selflessly donated, spiritually and physically.

"Once more,

We arise from the doldrums

Seemingly an unconquerable disaster

Vague defenses at inception,

Many at odds with each other

Today the world again takes notice,

America might have shown some bend

Yet we remain unbroken

Stalwart

Ready for a new game to begin

Strike up the band"

Harvey Kalmenson

Charmers continued

Some of my charmers…
Continued

        Hans Conried introduced method reflection to my commercial life— without having any idea at all that he was becoming an instrumental force in the furthering of my career. Hans Conried, in his time, was known from coast to coast because of his numerous television appearances as “Uncle Tonoose” from 1956 through 1971 on the “Make Room For Daddy” show, which, of course, starred “Danny Thomas.” But Hans was so much more than that. He was the consummate theater performer. The stage was his passion, the theater was his life.

        He never stopped working until his last day on this earth. I always attempted to work my audition schedule around in order to allow extra time for me to spend with Hans when we had him scheduled to come in. In those days, we were literally housed in a mansion in the swank Los Feliz section of Los Angeles. The building had a full-size entertainment kitchen, where Hans would hold court when time permitted. I would just sit and listen to his stories of the theater. His were not merely stories, but rather an instructional guide to what was occurring theatrically around the world.

        Keep in mind these were actors that were known not just in the United States, but also worldwide. I was merely doing my job. I wasn’t taking written notes about a system I would be using as an adjunct to my professional life. I was a complete and total sponge. Here were the actors that had studied with and had been directed by the biggest and most famous names in the world. I was growing by the second. Sleep became hard to come by. I found myself dreaming about something I had listened in to in our reception area. I never wanted to go to lunch in the early days, fearing that I’d be missing out on a conversation between Martin Landau, Ed Asner, Betty White, or comparing notes with Rue McClanahan, or Katherine Helmond. They were all there and they were all teaching me. And most of all, there was my favorite, Hans Conried.

        Hans Conried was a tall man, around six foot three. His stature was that of a nobleman. He was always cast as some sort of character, never a man in the middle. His body language always gave birth to what would be done verbally. His look of contempt was second to none.

        It became a game for me. I’d be watching Hans intently, attempting to know what he was about to deliver, and sure enough, he never let me down. I was gathering techniques by being his observer. Everything he did was from the inside out. He never read a line without first preparing. He never delivered a line without preceding it with a visual display of the attitude he intended to render.

        What I didn’t realize at the time was that Hans was becoming one of my boosters. For whatever his reasons were, the word was out around our office: if anything came in for Hans Conried, it was to be referred to me. What took me aback was that the request also included his on-camera commercial work as well. Around a commercial talent agency like ours, instructing the on-camera department that a client insists on being represented by a member of the voice-over department was tantamount to declaring an ego war.

        Admittedly, I was totally enjoying what had transpired. The head of the on-camera department, in order to soothe the ruffled feathers of his sub-agents, announced broadly during a company meeting that he doubted if we would ever get any requests for Hans Conried to appear in an on-camera commercial because he was too typecast as “Uncle Tonoose”.

        As luck would have it, in a matter of no time at all, a call came in for Hans to be the spokesman for a chain of Midwest restaurants. In the commercial, he would be playing the role of a snobby upscale butler who waits on tables at the “Round the Corner” restaurants. I negotiated the deal that called for Hans to fly up to Denver to do the filming.

        The most pleasing aspect for me was the extent to which our relationship was enhanced. Hans never missed a chance to praise me and put the knock on the rest of the company. What they didn’t get was that he was really being a tease.

        The “Round The Corner” restaurant commercials ran for about four years. Interestingly enough, the campaign was such a huge success for the restaurant chain, that I negotiated the final two years of the Hans Conried contract on behalf of the Conried estate following his death. Although it all occurred many years ago, I will always remember my final conversation with Mrs. Conried. It was most gratifying to tell her that we were sending another check in the amount of twenty-four thousand dollars. As mentioned, it was two years after his death.

        Certainly, my lessons learned from Hans have been passed on to the thousands of actors who have come my way. His visualization is one of the mainstays of my method. Some actors bring with them a surprise element. By that I mean, that while I understand and appreciate the degree of acceptance they have achieved, I didn’t expect the education they afforded me.

Harvey Kalmenson

Charmers

Some of my charmers…

        I have always used John Houseman as a reference for a variety of things... John’s respect for the journeyman actor is a guide to what one must do in order to keep their head screwed on during their quest for acceptance as an actor. No detail was too small for John to consider. No detail was ever allowed to get in the way of the actor's line of focus. Punctuality and professionalism were his driving force.

John Houseman

        Ezra Stone was one of the finest theater directors that I ever had the good fortune of working with. His perception of the finished product, while it was still in its infancy, was a teaching tool by itself. Ezra had zero tolerance for anything even remotely amateur. His comments during a casting session were always the same:

“The theater will always accept an amateur within its midst, in order to ruin and render it out of commission and unable to darken any other stage in its continuance.”

Ezra was a master of doing his homework. He was always prepared. He was tireless. Work ethic meant "work until you drop" as far as Ezra was concerned.

Jackie Kelk (left) and Ezra Stone (right)

        Mike Road was the actor responsible for getting me involved with Abrams Rubaloff & Associates. Mike at the time was one of the premier voice talents in the country. He was, at the same time, one of the most prominent on-camera spokesmen as well. Airlines, banks, insurance companies— it seemed as if a person couldn’t turn on the tube and not see and hear Mike Road. It was because of Mike's political clout with the head agent that I got my interview and start in voiceover.

        Mike and I had begun our friendship while belonging to a local health club. When we discovered our mutuality in the theater, our friendship became even more active. Mike at the time was the head of a group at the American National Theater Academy West. He solicited my joining the organization, and it became another one of those life-changing experiences.

Mike Road

    

        The Academy had many associated groups within its main body, as well as a New York theater branch. During the eight years that I participated in their theater production program, I was honored to, again, become associated with America's most prominent theater personalities. It was an era when film actors were always on the prowl for a good play to do. It was a chance for many of them to expand their acting horizons, and get away from the prominent type casting methods they all hated. American National Theater Academy was constantly staging some of the finest productions in the city.

        At the same time as being the head of a variety of committees, Mike also took on directorial assignments. He was a master of theatrical blocking. From day one of rehearsals, each and every actor was made aware of our stage blocking. He, too, did his homework. It made life much easier for the rest of us. The who, what, when, where, and how never presented a problem in a Mike Road-directed play.

Harvey Kalmenson

Image Source(s): Google