Date: Tue, 5 Nov 1996 12:28:34 -0500
Subject: Re: Tales of the Gold Monkey
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In a message dated 96-11-04 22:38:13 EST, you write:

<< Just a few questions:
- does Roddy actually speak French?

ANSWER: From what I remember, Roddy did speak French, and at times, even ad-libbed words and phrases in French when the mood came to him. However, he was such a master of the sounds of language and accents, etc., that you never really knew with him!

<< - what's the in-joke in the teary-eyed scene in Last Chance Louie?

ANSWER: A fellow child star of Roddy's was Margaret O'Brien. I know they were also friends. There is a story that's told around Hollywood that when she was only eight years old or so, she was asked by a director in a scene to cry. She looked at the director and in a very serious tone (and she meant it!) said something to the effect of "How far down the cheek do you want the tear to go?" Roddy, of course knew that story... so that's why I put it in the script. It was also a way to show up he's once "rival!"

<< (I feel silly about asking this, but) did Roddy actually grow a mustache for his role? (In a Here's Boomer episode, he peeled off his mustache, so we all got curious about Louie's).

ANSWER: Again not a silly question, because the truth is, I can't be 100% sure. But again, from what I remember, since I did have lunch with him many times during the production was that yes, indeed it was a real mustache. We socialized several times in the evening and I think I remember him with the mustache then also. He sure looked great in it! By the way, many people thought it was Roddy's idea to always wear a scarf or ascot... a "Roddy touch", but actually that was planned from the beginning, and was in the pilot script. You see, the character he played almost "lost his head", but the blade stuck! But he did get a slight cut from it! That's why, the character always had something around his neck... to disguise the scar (which we never saw), and why his name was Bon Chance Louie!

Another bit of trivial... he did want to have his "color" a bit darker, to give him a feeling of more mysterious character, almost like someone from the French Africa Army, or some such thing, and the make-up did cause a problem. Roddy did touch his face a lot when he acted and got his fingerprints everywhere... especially on clothes and props. In fact, right here in my office I have a map of the "Marabellas" which was the chain of islands that Boragora was on. In a scene, Roddy touches the map to show someone where they are, and where they are going to fly to. I had the map framed, and the framer told me, all upset, that somehow fingerprints got on the map, and he wasn't going to charge me! I laughed and told him the prints weren't his... but that of a very famous movie star. It was then that I realized that Roddy, when touching the map... got his prints on it! So, if you ever need Roddy's fingerprints I have a great set of them under glass.

Hope these answers help. Let me know if I can be of any more help in the future.

Best,
Tom Greene

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I replied that Roddy's fingerprints would make a great gif file.

--Mel