Because There Isn't Enough Sex on My Mommy Blog

I recently had to submit a resume for a media job, which forced me to once again walk down my memory lane of weird careers.

I forced myself to remember what I actually did 30 years ago at radio syndicator Drake-Chenault, and the series and pilot I worked on at Bob Banner Associates. I attempted to make my role at The Tonight Show sound like more than a mere secretary.

I left out a few gigs, including "The Girls of Rock and Roll," for Playboy Home Video.

No, I was not one of the "girls."

But as a production assistant, I had the opportunity to meet 1982's Miss January, Kimberly McArthur, as well as a couple of Penthouse Pets. I suppose the need to find beautiful women who were willing to take their clothes off AND sing necessitated casting a wider net than just Hefner's publication, and as it is, the one review I've seen of the video complains that the focus was on the music and the women weren't nude ENOUGH.

That may have been an issue throughout the production. I recall that one of the women would not perform a bedroom scene unless her husband was cast as her partner.

During pre-production I made travel arrangements for an Australian performer and the producers were quite excited about her arrival, because "she was willing to do anything." A glance at her file (containing biographical information and photos) confirmed that. I may have been naive back then (actually, I still am) - but a photo spread of her from Oui magazine was the raunchiest thing I had ever seen -- and I had trouble reconciling those images with the very classy-sounding woman I'd been talking with on the phone.

When she arrived, she seemed to be trying to turn over a new leaf, because she was no longer "willing to do anything." I heard the producers mutter she wanted to focus on her singing and had balked at taking off all of her clothes.

I've since learned that the production company that made this video is best known for a series of children's programs called Kidsongs. I guess at the time, they were attempting to branch out a little, too.

Believe it or not, there was a script - but it was basically a series of scene descriptions; mostly indoor sets with furnishings described as "very Memphis." I'd never heard that term before and thought they were going for an early Elvis look. Someone eventually explained to me that "Memphis" was a school of design originating in Italy.

The shoot at A & M Records (once Charlie Chaplin's movie studio, now the home of Jim Henson Productions) was something of a blur, as were attempting to shoot nine music videos in the space of one week.

Most of the video was shot on a soundstage, and I served as a kind of receptionist/doorkeeper in the adjacent production offices. It was a cold, drizzly week, but it was sweltering inside, because the heat was turned way up. It took hours to apply full body make-up on the "girls," and no one wanted them to be uncomfortable.

Kimberly McArthur had an elaborate floral design applied to strategic spots all over her body, and she was so delighted with the result that she wandered out to the production office to show everyone. She struck me as sweet, unaffected and completely at ease with her unclothed body.

We were putting in 15-hour days with a 10-hour turnaround (which gave me just enough time to go home, sleep, shower and drive back to work). As this added up to a 25-hour cycle, we began each day an hour later than the previous one, so by the end of the week, our call time was 3:00 PM. This was in our favor, as that was the night of a location shoot -- in a junkyard in Sun Valley.

But as I said, the whole thing was a blur. My most vivid memory of the production was when I had to stop off at the supermarket at 3:00 in the morning because I was out of cat food. I wasn't too happy, as that little shopping excursion was getting in the way of much-needed sleep.

The video was released in 1985. I have never seen it.

 

Comments

[Kim Tracy Prince]

Whoo! What a walk down memory lane! Thank you for the ...vivid... description!

[Julie Pippert]

That's wild -- that you were there and involved, which in the telling makes it not wild at all, lol

[Donna]

It has been a while since I've written about my weird Hollywood past. I guess after seven years, I haven't quite exhausted all the stories.

[Donna]

You know, the San Fernando Valley is the porn capital of the world. It's probably more wild that that's as close as I've ever gotten to it.