GOLDIE HAWN

My wife and I have known Goldie for over thirty-five years. We met her at a dinner party with her soon to be - then - husband, Gus Trikonus. She had signed the contracts for a new television show that season entitiled: 'Laugh-In". And what a show that was. My wife, Scout and Goldie along with Julie Cristie used to hang out a lot together...friends called them the three bobsy twins. (Sort of a malaprop it seems.) We lived in Brentwood on Westgate avenue...Goldie then lived in Pacific Palisades. One morning, while Scout and I were having a cup of coffee in our kitchen, we heard the front door open, then the sound of high heeled footsteps in the hallway then a door closing. I stepped out into the hall and a moment later Goldie emerged from the powder room announcing she just couldn't hold it any longer. She gave me a peck on the cheek and was on her way. We had that kind of a friendship. Some years later Goldie called me and asked me to shoot her debut directorial movie - "Hope". We shot it in Houston, Texas...in the summer months. I can't tell you how hot and humid that city is in August and September. One night we had a four and a half page scene to shoot outside the theater. I think we were actually in College Station for this sequence. Well, after shooting for something like four plus hours we took a break. That's when my film loader came to me with tears in her eyes. D.P.'s don't like to see film loaders with tears in their eyes. It means that bad news is soon to come. On this occasion I was informed she had white-lighted the negative while downloading it. White-lighting means, she turned on a light with the exposed film out in the open. Needless to say, the entire roll was ruined. Even worse, virtually the entire nights work was on that roll. I think that's when I started to tear as well. It was my job to inform Goldie of this tragedy. With great trepidation I went to Goldie's motor home. She was seated with a couple of the producers having coffee. I gave her the bad news, fully expecting something of a meltdown. Instead Goldie sat there a moment then said: "Ric, give me a few moments to think about this." So I stepped out side and waited. I half expected the producers to come out and send me back to Los Angeles. I mean, it really wasn't my fault but then...I did hire the loader. So...ten minutes later Goldie came out of the motor home and announced: "Here's what we're going to do..." Well, she had, in that ten minute period quickly rewrote the scene, truncating it down to one page. We shot the new scene in about an hour and went home. And you know, the scene she rewrote...under duress to say the least...was so much better than the original. And of course it's in the movie. Now that is a great director! She has played the role of the bubble headed blonde so many times but I am here to tell you...she is one of the smartest, most level headed people I have ever known. Of course I adored her for what she did that night...but then, I have adored her almost all of my life. We remain close friends with Goldie and Kurt to this day. Wow...what a woman!