THE FORTUNE CHRONICLES PART THREE a.

New York Page 2

by Joe Bonelli (Copyright 2000 by Joseph H. Bonelli)

The role of Smitty was taken by a young actor and dancer named Mark Shannon. He was quite good in the role, but again, couldn't muster the intensity of Don Johnson in L.A. (Don was, I believe, approached to do the role in N.Y., but had embarked on the movie career that would lead him on a checkered path toward stardom that would explode a dozen years later on the tube in MIAMI VICE  and, later through such films as TIN CUP, to longevity as tv's NASH BRIDGES.)

Mona was taken over by a young actor from Texas named Jeremy Stockwell.  He brought a sensitivity to Mona that was wonderful.  We became great friends, though Jeremy could have done without my southern accent which just brought his own back on.

The Guard was portrayed beautifully by a fine actor named Joe Dorsey.   This guy would step in the shoes of his L.A.predecessor Tom Reese, as a character actor of note-- going on to play prominent supporting roles in such films as THE GREAT SANTINI (he was the basketball coach who clashed with his player's father, Robert Duvall) and BRAINSTORM (Natalie Wood's last film, in which Joe played a guy who almost orgasm'd himself to death with a virtual reality machine).  

And Queenie was again the irrepressable, ultra-talented Michael Greer.   Michael opened in the role and was replaced several months later by, once again, Robert Redding.  How wonderful it was to be re-united with my old room-mate in New York.  But that was several months down the line.

FORTUNE was doing well in previews.  Word of mouth was generally good.  But opening night and the New York critics lay in wait. Opening night was just the kind of staid, un-fun theatrical evening I had always heard about.  The audience  (dressed to the nines!!) sat in stony silence and filed out quietly.  We all dressed and went to that most traditional of opening-night party places, SARDI'S.  A lovely spread was laid out on the second floor.  It was great. I don't remember whether seating was by name or not, but I wound up eating with a couple of people including the delightful and REALLY beautiful Jill Haworth.

She was as lovely to chat with as to look at and it made my evening to be seated with her.  When the Clive Barnes review was brought in (following a not-so-great one on television), we all held our breaths. Clive Barnes was (and IS) a theatre critic whose greatest expertise is ballet. Why this overblown pencil-pusher was EVER given the power over the American Theatre he was in the 60's, is beyond me!!!  Mr. Barnes has proven himself over the last 40 years to be one of the most destructive journalists ever to attack the theatre.  I didn't like his posturings BEFORE the Fortune review, and nothing he has written in the last thirty years has made me think any differently of him.  He DOES know a bit about ballet, though!!! None of this would have mattered if his "bad" review of Fortune was based on a true feeling for the show and the production of it.  But Clive Barnes is a destroyer, and he revelled in attacking Sal Mineo personally, as though he was some kind of interloper in the world of New York theatre that the young Sal had been a part of since he was SIX YEARS OLD!!!  Barnes took pleasure in calling Sal the Hollywood whiz-kid and implying that Sal was a relative unknown!!!   The entire article (I can't call it a review anymore) was in that tone.  The play was barely mentioned and the cast and production totally ignored.  It was one of the most irresponsible pieces of destructive writing I have ever seen.

Clive Barnes did NOT review "Fortune and Men's Eyes.  He reviewed Sal Mineo and the (admittedly questionable) methods of marketing the play.  Even though the show did not star Sal, the producers had chosen to display a poster with Sal's face and to prominently call the show Sal Mineo's Fortune and Men's Eyes.   As the original New York production had been a critical and commercial success, there was some resentment at the Waissman/Fox promotional tactics.  So many of the critics lay in wait.  Including, and especially, Clive Barnes. Reviews notwithstanding, SAL MINEOS FORTUNE AND MENS EYES settled into a run that would last into mid-1970.