Ferrari 330GTC

Sometimes one comes across a 'match made in Heaven' and it is recognizable from a mile away. Eduardo Renta and his Ferrari 330GTC is just such a match. Elegant, well presented and capable of holding one's interest are qualities shared by the man and his machine. Before heading out onto Mulholland Drive, Eduardo and I sat and talked for awhile at the Starbucks near the top of Beverly Glen and it was immediately clear that he understands his car and its place in the Ferrari line-up. His appreciation for its signature, vintage elements runs as deep as my own.


As we steered the Ferrari onto Mulholland followed by the Elysée Wednesday TV crew (Chad Glass, Jeanetta Dumouchel and Sean Mitchell on this occasion) the sound of the robust twelve cylinder engine brought back all the memories that one would expect. It was nervous and ready to run like any thoroughbred should be--and as with most Ferraris, you are always going slower than it wants to go.


When the 330GTC was first reviewed in the automotive press, it was generally held to be the best all-around Ferrari of the day combining performance and styling in a well-balanced package. Bill Harrah, whose Modern Classic Motors was the Western States Ferrari distributor (he was also a Nevada casino owner), chose one as his personal transportation. In fact, I believe that at least one magazine used Bill's personal car for its road test. The GTC is essentially a 275GTB with a four litre engine and its own unique, more restrained, styling.


It is easy to think of the GTC as a two-seater version of the 330 2+2 with regard to design and, I suppose, that's an accurate assessment. However, there are subtleties of design that make it a sublime variation on the theme first penned by Tom Tjaarda for the Series 1 2+2. It benefits greatly from the foreshortening and the proportions are far more aggressive than the photographs imply. The rear tumblehome creates a dynamic entirely lacking in the 2+2 and along with the reshaping of the headlights and grill, when seen in person, causes one to reevaluate the design giving it an upgrade in esteem.


It was interesting to hear everyone's opinions about the car when we parked on Mulholland to admire the car and take photographs. Chad offered comments as an artist about the design elements, Jeanetta likened the chrome trim--absent from modern machines--to the accessories worn by a stylish woman and Sean liked the combination of Ferrari sights and sounds so different from those of modern offerings.


As for my own impressions, the 330GTC has all of the characteristics that created the Ferrari legend and driving it puts one in a different world in a way other cars just cannot. The Ferrari is an experiential phenomenon that exceeds the consideration of aesthetics and performance--it takes you places both literally and figuratively. Soon, I will post extracts of this episode of Elysée Wednesday TV so you can get a sense of this car in action.


I want to thank Eduardo for generously sharing his Ferrari with us. I want, also, to thank Richard Mitchell of Black Horse Motors for making the introduction.

Virginia Madsen

One evening I receive a call from a woman who wanted to talk about a segment of my series (Interview) which she had just watched on television. The caller was Virginia Madsen.

The story that caught her attention was about a woman living a solitary life in an isolated mountain cabin. The character is at one with the peaceful surroundings of nature where she lives with her dogs and the comforts she finds in her collection of books. It was as though she had taken a page from Henry David Thoreau's Walden. Alone, she felt secure but the undercurrent was that she needed the quiet and safety of self as a remedy to whatever life had imposed on her in earlier times. The story turns on the disruption of her idyll when her cabin is invaded by a fugitive who takes her hostage.

A lifetime earlier, I had seen The Collector with Terrence Stamp and Samantha Eggar, an excellent if disturbing film about captivity. I can't say that I had it consciously in mind as I created this story though there are similarities. What similarities there were disappeared in the second half of the second act--at the mid-point as Syd Field would say. Here, I told the tale of a woman who is able to neutralize the threat to her with a calm acceptance of her tormentor giving him nothing against which to attack. This curious void and lack of resistance threw off her captor's equilibrium disconcerting him. He became curious about her rather than certain, gradually putting aside the hatred that his mania had dictated to him. In the end, he surrenders himself to her and, subsequently, to the authorities. He finds himself in prison under a life sentence. It is then that the two marry each other.

Virginia told me that she was intrigued by the story as a film in which she could play the woman's role. She thought her brother (Michael), also an actor, would be perfect for the role of the captor. She requested that I send a cassette to the woman who was her manager at the time which I did. Subsequent phone conversations with the manager were, in stark contrast to my conversation with Virginia, disagreeable to say the least.

Another close encounter. Another lesson learned.

As a post script, the actress who played the book's author in the segment that caught Virginia Madsen's attention was Katherine James. She, too, had called me one day after having seen an (Interview) program on cable and wanted to talk to me about the series--she had seen other episodes. I invited her to come on the show and when she agreed, I created the story described above for her to play as I felt it resonated with who she was--at least, with whom I perceived her to be.

As I became better acquainted with Katherine, I learned she had been offered the title role in the movie Candy--a send up of Voltaire's Candide--that featured Charles Aznavour, Marlon Brando, Richard Burton, James Coburn, John Huston, Walter Matthau and Ringo Starr amongst others. It was directed by Christian Marquand with a screenplay by Buck Henry from the novel by Terry Southern and Mason Hoffenberg. She declined the role and, instead, went off to London with Ginger Baker.

There's no business like show business.

Lamborghini Miura

Back in the day, it seemed we were always going somewhere. It could be Matthew Ettinger and I taking our girlfriends to Las Vegas sampling the restaurants, the shows and the health club facilities (neither of us gambled--with anything but our lives, that is) and 'Vegas was still an elegant sort of place to be. Baseball caps were seen only in the downtown area or near the bus station and if you showed up on the Strip wearing flip-flops anywhere other than by the pool you would have been taken away and buried in the desert along with the other miscreants who had committed cardinal sins against the casinos.

Sometimes the excursions were local. Many were the times Matthew and I darted about Los Angles, his son Marcus with him in the Breadvan and his son Mason with me in the GTO. Occasionally, we were joined by John Andrews in his Lamborghini Miura--a beautiful car in orange with, I think, a standard a grey leather interior. I don't know that I would ever order an orange car--it was Frank Sinatra's favorite color, by the way--but the only other color offered initially by Lamborghini for the Miura was a vibrant, pale green. I'll take orange. On one very memorable occasion, John joined Matthew and me for a night ride which featured an episode of Matthew cliff-hanging in the Breadvan after sliding off a mountain road in Ice Canyon and losing power because the battery wasn't bolted down. It had slipped its cables.

There were times when John and I were off to see someone or something at some distant place and we would take the Miura. He would suggest that I drive, which I was always happy to do. It meant that he would have to share the passenger seat with my girlfriend Ruth, a tall, slender, pretty brunette with big brown eyes that could have inspired a Margaret Keane painting. I wonder who was getting the better deal in that arrangement.

The Miura was the first mid-engine car I'd ever driven and the handling dynamics are different than those of a front engine car. It felt very neutral as it tracked through corners. The big surprise for me though was when I first stepped on the accelerator pedal. It didn't budge. I thought maybe I was pushing on a dead pedal--the sort one finds to the left of the clutch pedal as a footrest--but that was ridiculous. I pushed harder and it finally moved and I heard the engine revs increase. I imagined that this is what the pilot of a Vickers VC10 must have experienced pushing rudder pedals attached to sixty yards of cable offering up maximum resistance. It was a stunning change from the GTO in which you only had to wiggle your toe to get a few thousand more RPMs on the tach.

I never knew whether John had effected some modification to the car that made the accelerator pedal a constant adversary or if the cause could be attributed to the flood of '66 in Florence, Italy. It seems that John bought the Miura used and sight unseen from Tom Meade and discovered the fact that it had been submerged at some point only after it landed on the docks in San Pedro. Life is an adventure and when you bought an exotic car in those days, you had doubled-down.

The Miura made a lovely noise and I enjoyed driving it very much. All things considered, I would have preferred a Lusso and the GTO was way out in front as far as I was concerned. However, the Miura was fun and it was different. It was a car that entertained the driver and I would like to drive one again sometime--preferably one that hadn't been in Florence in 1966.

Addiction Incorporated premiere in New York‏

The first thing that caught my attention at the premiere of Addiction Incorporated at the Film Forum in New York was the theater marquee. Not only was Addiction announced as a New York Times Critics' Pick but it shared the marquee with the iconic French cinema classic Wages of Fear (Le salaire de la peur) by Henri-Georges Clouzot starring Yves Montand, a film that inspired two remakes--Violent Road (aka Hell's Highway) directed by Howard W. Koch in 1958 and Sorcerer directed by William Friedkin in 1977. Addiction Incorporated was in very good company.

(Stephen with Victor DeNoble)

The theater was packed and the audience very attentive. During the Q&A session with producer/director Charlie Evans Jr. and the film's principal Victor DeNoble it became obvious that a very informed public was in attendance. Many of the faces in the audience could be seen on the screen including Mitchell Zeller (Associate Commissioner and director of the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Tobacco Programs and served as the FDA’s representative on tobacco issues in all dealings with the Congress, federal and state agencies, public health groups and foreign governments from 1993 until June 2000) and Steven C. Parrish (who served as Senior Vice President, Worldwide Regulatory Affairs, Philip Morris Companies Inc.). Also in the audience was Sheelah A. Feinberg of the Coalition for a Smoke-free City A very informed audience, one might say.

(Mitchell Zeller with Stephen)

The premiere presented the opportunity to reacquaint myself with authors Thomas O'Callaghan, his wife Eileen, and Martin Fitzpatrick (who shares my passion for all things John le Carré) who were invited by Jeanetta Dumouchel.

(Stephen with Martin Fitzpatrick)

(Jeanetta Dumouchel and Martin Fitzpatrick)

The 'after party' was an opportunity to meet personally with others involved or having an interest in the project and I especially enjoyed speaking with Mitchell Zeller, Sheelah Feinberg, Tony Cedras (who played various instruments on the Addiction musical score) and his friend Lydia Matthews who is Dean of Academic Programs at Parsons The New School for Design.

(Tony Cedras with Stephen)

(Stephen with Lydia Matthews)

(Lydia Matthews and Jeanetta Dunouchel)

It was a privilege to be a part of this project as a co-producer and Charlie is due full honors not only for the fine result but for the impact the film is already having on those who have seen it. My advice would be to show Addiction Incorporated to someone you love. I'll be following my own advice this week showing it to someone who is very close to me.
Watch Addiction Incorporated on Amazon Direct Video.
http://www.addictionincorporated.com/

Christopher Hitchens

I was prepared for a pleasant flight home from New York. The premiere of Addiction Incorporated at Film Forum had been a wonderful experience providing the opportunity to witness the accomplishment of a friend and associate and a chance to meet and commune with like-minded people whose commitment to an idea had cost them more than can be adequately accounted for. Conversations with intelligent and thoughtful individuals had been invigorating and inspiring. New York is always a dynamic experience but this trip was especially rewarding.

Leaving the hotel early, I hadn’t time to read the copy of the New York Times that was delivered to my room. I decided to save that pleasure for the flight home and took the paper with me. Ensconced in a comfortable seat on the Airbus and heading toward TOC, I read that Christopher Hitchens had died, succumbing to pneumonia—a complication of esophageal cancer. I am devastated.

I cannot say why I feel so connected to Christopher. His succinct summation of Sarah Palin during the last election cycle and his voluntary subjection to waterboarding were two outstanding moments in the life of a journalist, I thought. His position with regard to the Deity challenged many of us to review and consider our own thoughts on the subject thus qualifying Christopher, in my view, as the quintessential philosopher.

He had a way with words did Christopher. This was an art form in which he excelled. He was a wordsmith--a consummate communicator--and that, I think, is the highest compliment I can pay to anyone.

It is a supreme irony that I return from a journey celebrating the efforts of Charlie Evans Jr. and Victor DeNoble to spread the word about nicotine addiction and the horrific effects of tobacco on human mortality to read about the loss of a valued intellect and instigator of critical thought.

Woe is all of us.

Maserati type 61 'Birdcage'

As my plane is sitting in the queue for take-off from Lax to JFK the other day, I glance out the window to see a most unlikely sight. What looked like an aircraft tow tractor passed by going the opposite direction using a lane that ran between the taxiway and the runway. Strapped to its platform was an immaculate, white Maserati Type 61 'Birdcage' like the one pictured here. As the plane made its U-turn and accelerated down the runway, I looked to see what had become of this rare race car but to no avail.

Would that the camera had been nearby.

Reviews of Addiction Incorporated

New York Times

http://movies.nytimes.com/2011/12/14/movies/victor-j-denoble-guides-addiction-incorporated-review.html

Film journal
http://www.filmjournal.com/filmjournal/content_display/reviews/specialty-releases/e3i5ddd2755484eeea78efd191065651aed

NPR
http://www.npr.org/2011/12/14/143464905/addiction-inc-big-tobacco-keeping-us-hooked

eTaiwan
http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/etn/news_content.php?id=1787030

Rotten Tomatoes
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/addiction_incorporated/

And:

http://newyork.timeout.com/arts-culture/film/2337813/review-addiction-incorporated

http://www.metacritic.com/movie/addiction-incorporated

http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/addiction-incorporated/5964

Watch Addiction Incorporated on Amazon Direct Video.

Variety reviews Addiction Incorporated

Scientists gather to observe an animated test subject in a re-enactment from "Addiction Incorporated"

Addiction Incorporated (Documentary)
By Dennis Harvey

A Variance Films release of an Acappella Pictures presentation of a Dune Road Films production. Produced by Charles Evans Jr. Executive producer, Charmaine Parcero. Co-producers, Devorah Devries, Stephen Mitchell. Directed by Charles Evans Jr.

With: Victor DeNoble, Paul Mele, Russ Herman, David A. Kessler, Michael C. Moore, Keith Summa, Henry Waxman, Steven C. Parrish.

Potent docu "Addiction Incorporated" chronicles the long and tortured road traveled to establish federal regulation of the tobacco industry -- a cause finally won largely due to the revelation that some manufacturers long had proof cigarettes were addictive, despite decades of public denial...
http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117946743/

Watch Addiction Incorporated on Amazon Direct Video.

Ford GT40 in Southern California

My friend Randy Evans recently had an encounter with a Ford GT40--not the remake, but an original--that is being used daily on the streets of Southern California by its owner who is a figure in the Shelby American club. He graciously shared them with me and I share them with you with his permission.

Rolls-Royce twins at Santa Barbara

While my friend Gary Wales of the Yeomen Warders of Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London, and Members of the Sovereign's Body Guard of the Yeoman of the Guard Extraordinary also known as the Beefeaters was in Seattle attending a Beefeaters gathering, his Rolls-Royce twins (the subject of the Rolls-Royce speedsters: A matched set video) were entered in the Santa Barbara Concours d'Elegance. These photos show them receiving the Panache award. Marilyn Wales, Gary's wife, is seen being interviewed in the second photo.

Congratulations!

Larry Crane: Auto Aficionado: Westlake Malibu Lifestyle Magazine

Larry Crane, who was the editor/designer of the splendid Auto Aficionado magazine, wrote a profile about me in Westlake Malibu Lifestyle magazine. Larry kindly sent it to me in a PDF today. Larry's article can be read in digital version (pages 24 & 26) online at:

http://wmlifestyle.com/wmlifestyle_nov_dec_2011/digital_issue.html

Porsche 911S: In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida

My experience driving Porsches is very limited. For a short time I had a Speedster and loved looking out through the narrow slits that were the windscreen and side windows giving the impression of driving a Sherman tank. As much as anyone, I enjoyed watching Paul Newman in the movie Harper driving the faded blue Speedster with primer patches and especially liked that the engine heard on the soundtrack was actually that of a Porsche Speedster. Kudos for Hollywood on that occasion. But having most of my automotive experience in high powered, high top-end machines like the GTO and 454 Corvettes, the Speedster felt underpowered on the freeways--nimble though it was on Mulholland--and I always felt like I was having to keep out of everyone's way and in constant danger of being run over by an 18-wheeler. That was not the case with the 911S.

I didn't own the pale yellow 911S Targa I speak of and we may never know who actually did--but more about that later. What was known at the time is that it belonged, if you will, to a friend who came and went in my life leaving a lasting impression and introducing me to Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. He was a hold-over hippie with a long braided ponytail and a seemingly endless supply of patchouli oil, also known as hippie perfume. He was a contradiction in terms in every possible way but we hit it off as both of us enjoyed fine restaurants, good movies and a few other things as well. High speed driving counted among them.

I only drove it the one time but could have grown to like the 911S even if it didn't have a V12 that revved to seven grand. It was a thoroughbred and it liked to be let off the leash, which is exactly what happened that night. Running across the desert floor at about three in the morning, I was seeing 130 on the speedometer. I don't know how much the Porsche had in reserve but it felt comfortable and very stable. As it pushed through the dark night, Iron Butterfly's In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida came on the tape player. Up went the volume and, possibly too, the speed. We were listening to the full, seventeen-minute version for those taking notes.

At speed in the dark desert, the road ahead appeared like the optical effect used by Stanley Kubrick in 2001: A Space Odyssey to represent Dave Bowman's flight through infinity & beyond--an impression enhanced by In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida dialed in to 11. Six minutes, thirty seconds into the song, the music fades to feature a drum solo by Ron Bushy that is at once pagan and mystical. At 9:11, the organ brings us back to the theme which at 11:00 becomes agitated. At about this time, I see bright lights in the distance reminding me again of the Kubrick film when the Monolith is being inspected on the moon--an eerie extraterrestrial scene with cosmic resonance. At 13:04, Ron Bushy is seriously back on the drums and the music incorporates plaintiff sounds that could come from an animal in distress as we come up to the highway construction crew which occupies the right lane for a distance of what seemed like several miles using huge machines that look grotesque half hidden in the dark and partly overexposed by the dazzling work lights.

Should I have slowed? Yes. Did I? I'll leave you to know the answer for yourself. By the time the music played out, the strange scene with its blinding lights was at our six and disappearing into a small speck on the horizon where the vast darkness snuffed it out. It was the most surreal seventeen minutes of my entire life. I've put the video of the song below in case anyone should want to close their eyes and imagine the experience I've described.

As for my friend, he disappeared like those lights in the desert night never to be seen again. Before he was gone, I learned that he had ties to an East Coast crime family, the Porsche was stolen and the police had issued him a document certifying that the Porsche was not stolen. How surreal is that? I'm just glad I didn't know all of this that night in the desert.

Addiction Incorporated: Theatrical Trailer

Watch Addiction Incorporated on Amazon Direct Video.