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Almost Salinas Opens to a
Standing Ovation
"Almost Salinas" is currently showing at only four theaters in the Chicago area. Since "Almost Salinas" is a small independent film it hopes to do well enough to be at more theaters next week. Max Harris, the man of mystery is played by the wonderful John Mahoney, Oak Park's own favorite son. Mr. Harris owns a small diner named after his ex-wife and a gas station that is defunct. Max Harris possesses these two parcels of property and business in the middle of nowhere (Cholame, San Luis Obispo County ), but the nowhere is where the cult heart throb James Dean died in 1955. Since his death his persona has found itself on tee shirts, songs and even plays about his namesake. From the start of the film we find Max Harris looking to leave his town and move to somewhere else. He begins to try and get his workers and friends to buy him out in one form or another. He decides to open his old gas station, but that will require some funds. He looks to make his cook (who calls himself a chef, but mostly cooks chicken this or chicken that...) an investor. He eventually gets both his chef and another local man who sells trinkets to the tourists to help get the station running again. The older partner, the seller of trinkets doesn't buy gas own from his gas station because he already owns his own gas, so he fills up a station in the next town. The head waitress in the diner is played by Virginia Madsen, and she looks a bit like Sharon Stone to me and that is a good thing. The view from the diner shows brown cows wandering about the sloping pastures across the road. When a film crew comes to town to shoot the film within a film idea the title of the film being shot is none other than; "Almost Salinas". There are some poetic moments of vision and word that had me set up in my seat and take notice. Max Harris takes walks at sunset up to the top of a hill nearby each evening. A reporter, covering the story of the opening gas station and the filming of "Almost Salinas", follows him up the hill one evening tries to get some perspective on the whole event in town. Max tells her that it is all Steinbeck country as far as the eye can see, and that the flatlands below were once the bottom of a sea millions of years ago. A picturesque bit of penmanship but I found myself wanting more of it. The Mexican chef decides to invest some couple of thousand dollars into to making of the film "Almost Salinas", which is being shot around them everyday. Max Harris takes him to the side and informs that; ."investing in movies is risky business". I hope that script line doesn't come back to haunt Mr. Green.
At the end of the show, there was a standing ovation for John Mahoney, our own well loved local hero of the arts, and the writer/director Terry Green. The audience was then invited to ask both gentlemen anything they wanted to know about the film or filming of "Almost Salinas". One person wanted to know how much film had been taken and how much had been edited out for the release. Mr. Green said that some 30 hours of film had been shot and that it had been edited down to 92 minutes. He noted that there were several edits done, one longer and then the final, which is the one released. Even one of the Lake's ushers had a question to pose and perhaps someday he will be in films. A woman asked if John Mahoney felt there were any feelings in the film about James Dean and his importance to the local town in the movie like Oak Park has for Frank Lloyd Wright. Mr. Mahoney didn't think so. Someone said that John Mahoney looked liked Spencer Tracy a little and John Mahoney added that he was one of his favorite actors, when he was growing up. The woman then wanted to know if John Mahoney would think about remaking some of Tracy's films. John Mahoney responded politely with a big smile, but also with a big no. Another woman asked how John Mahoney felt about being a leading man. There was a big applause, even before Mr. Mahoney could answer. He noted that "this is the cherry on the whipped cream". John Mahoney added that this is his second leading role in film, but that he does often get leading roles in his stage work, which he plans to do a lot more of when his role on "Frazier" comes to end with this last season of play. One gentleman, from the audience noted that this wash his second premiere film and he hopes that this one does as well as the first one he was at. He was asked what the other film was he premiered and his response was; "Star Wars". Some laughter followed and someone asked Mr. Mahoney how he got into acting. Mr. Mahoney told of his youth in England, coming to America, living in Chicago, moving to Forest Park, and then finally Oak Park-where he had many nice things to add about our wonderful small town charm and big city culture. He then explained how he became a professional actor, right here in Chicago. John Mahoney was in a play at the Saint Nicholas theater in Chicago, it was a smaller role and Mr. Mahoney was a non-equity actor (not in the union). When Mr. Mike Nussbaum took ill the theater needed someone to take his role and John Mahoney was a good fit. The only problem was that role required a union actor because of the size and length of the role to be played. The theater owners said that they needed him to become a union actor but that they could not pay him. They offered to give him a check at the union wage amount if he would sign it and give it back to them. John Mahoney became an equity (union) actor, did well in the role and cashed the check-he deserved it.
ALMOST TRUTH ALMOST FICTION "ALMOST SALINAS" "Sometimes
losing yourself is the only way to find what you really need"
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY TERRY GREEN
***Film
to Play AMC River East 21, 322 E. Illinois, Chicago;
Tucked
into the rolling foothills of central California is the tiny town of
"ALMOST
SALINAS" features a beautiful and haunting original score by
"ALMOST
SALINAS" was shot over a five-week period in and around
ALMOST
SALINAS has a running time of 94 minutes. It is rated PG.
CAST:Cast (in credits order)
John Mahoney ... Max Harris (the Star..)
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