Selling My Books on the Streets of Brooklyn 3/15 - Made Men

I had a pleasant surprise last night watching Person of Interest. One of the guest stars was Michael Rispoli, playing, as he so often has, a criminal. Mike was a member of the Willow Cabin Theater Company, which did off-Broadway plays. A life-long friend of mine, John, was also in the company, as was his future wife, Verna. I saw at least five of the shows, perhaps as many as ten. I first recall Mike in the role of a dying Scottish seaman, employing a brogue, doing a significant part of the piece from a hammock. I was always impressed with his work and I’m not surprised he has made it in the business. I also recall one role that required him to grab Verna’s crotch. When I asked John about it after the show, he laughed it off. I don’t think I could be married to an actress. Anyway, Mike has 72 credits listed at IMDb, not counting recurring appearances on series such as The Sopranos. He’s been on all the Law and Order incarnations. He has shared screen time with Nicole Kidman, Sandra Bullock, Matt Damon and Nicolas Cage. I  found him to be down to earth, which he is able to translate to the screen. Well done, sir.

Another of John’s contemporaries, who I believe also served a brief stint in Willow Cabin, is William Fichtner, whose success is even greater than Mike’s. Although he is listed as having fewer credits, 65, he was a regular on Prison Break, which shot 89 episodes. He was the lead on Invasion, 22 episodes, and also put in time on Entourage, MDs and Grace Under Fire. He was blown away by Robert DeNiro while watching a televised hockey game in Heat (1995). I met him only once, briefly, probably in the early 90’s. John said it was rumored that Bill was having an affair with a well-known Hollywood beauty. Although I’m tempted, I won’t divulge who, but if I see you on the street and you ask me nice, maybe buy a book, I might tell you. I was green with envy. Here are pictures of the two made men, Bill first. I’m sure they will look familiar to you:

A NYC legend has passed. Jack Curran, 83, coached at Archbishop Molloy High School in Queens for 55 years. His teams won 17 championships in baseball, 5 in basketball. He was named Coach of the Year 47 times. Six of his players made it to the NBA, two to MLB. Kudos, sir. RIP.

The forecast was wrong in a positive way. Unlike yesterday, the wind was benign, and I was able to put almost three hours into the floating book shop. My thanks to the folks who made purchases.
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