15 TOM'S DIARY UNEXPURGATED
Tom took this picture with delayed snap on our first trip to Vermont for Army Training film.
This is what Tom did in early 1974 in the months before we met, May 1.
Well, this is the unvarnished tale of an actor's life. He lived a man's life. Oh boy did he.
(The names of the girlfriends are changed to save them any embarrassment, and to give me a chuckle.)
December 31, Monday 1974 Omaha, Nebraska. New Year's Eve party at Gene Wiley's. It was -27° that night.
Jan. 1 Tuesday 10 am rehearsal for Cuckoo's Nest. (Tom played Chief Bromden)
First week of January budget. Blankets $10.00, sheets, $8.00, Dishes & cups and Pans-$15.00, towels-$7.50 Misc- $15.00 Transportation- $10.00 Note- Theater should of provided this stuff but didn't.
Jan 7, Monday to Jan 13 Sunday, transportation $10.00, Make up $5.00, Costume $25.00
Jan 14 to Jan 20 Sunday, Transportation $10.00, Gas $4.00, Cleaning bill $4.00, Entertainment $10.00
Jan 21 to January 27 transportation car rental $10.00 Gas $5.00, dry Cleaning $5.00
Jan 28 to Feb 3 1974 rent in Omaha $97.25 Food $45.00 per week, $180 per month, Makeup for month $10.00 Hair cut for month $10.00 Answering Service in NYC $12.00
Month of Feb in Omaha Rent $97.25, electric $5.00, Food $180 Transportation $40.00, Haircut $7.00, books and plays $15.00, Entertainment $25.00, Answering Service $10.00
No notes all of Feb. Rehearsing and performing.
March 14 Thursday- Got into terrible fight with director. I could of killed that Bastard.
March 15 Friday Met Myrna at party uptown. Left with her.*
March 16 Saturday Mike had a spaghetti party and Gene, Myrna Hickenlooper was there briefly. I drove her home then returned to party and stayed up talking to Jonathan and Joyce till 9:30 am.( Sunday) Myrna wanted to talk to me about last night.
March 17 Sunday St. Patrick's Day got to bed at 9:30 am. Got up at 5, went and got Mike, went to dinner, drank a lot of foreign beer and watched a movie about Ireland and all these people trying to get on a train, We're Off. It was really funny. Stopped at Talk of the Town, then to DUFFYS for St. Pats drink. Then left to drive to Iowa to see Ms.Schmidekennick. Arrived 1:30 am. She met me at 2:00 and we * till 4:00 Got up at 8. She had to work. I had to drive back to Omaha.
March 18 Monday Back in Omaha from Des Moines at 10 am breakfast at Chistin Café, then home did my laundry. Cleaned apartment. Called Myrna Hickenlooper. Went to Old Market. Lunch at Ms. Pub drinks at Mr. Toads had a fantastic time talking laughing drinking. She is a beautiful girl. I dig her. Got back to apt about 5 only because I had to do a show.
March 27 Wednesday After the show Mike took me to Mr. Toads for a birthday drink. At midnight met Don Sparks there and got my bottle of vodka and went to his place. He and his wife sang hilly billy songs all night and Don did every comedy routine he knew. Got home at 5 am.
March 28 Thursday (Tom's thirtieth birthday) Joyce, Jonathan, Gene, Freddie and Mike had a surprise birthday party for me. It was great, Jonathan and Joyce gave me a book and a small brown soldier that I always carry for luck and which has brought me good luck. Also Jane gave me her sketch of a hobbit. I love it. I in turn took them to Cambridge for drinks. Lynn and Bob bought more drinks. A good time was had by all.
March 30 Saturday Mike had his spaghetti party at Joan Edwards. I got there late. I was at the Cambridge entertaining the girls, Joyce, Lynn, Peggy Prichard and Barb Wolf. We had a great time, the show had closed. Lynn and Bob were sad, so was I. I really liked these girls and we had a lot of good times together. They were good people, got to party (Mike's spaghetti party) met Myrna, left about 3, went to my place. *
March 31 Sunday Saw South Pacific. It's a good show and well done by all. Myrna and I took off to Jonathan's after show. Joyce picked me up, had lots of beer and sandwiches then home with Myrna.*
Month of March Rent $97.25, Food $180, Trans. $40, Gas Electric $10, Office materials $25, Entertainment $25, Ans. Ser. $10
April 1 Monday Arrived NYC JFK at 5 pm. Joan Edwards drove me to airport in Omaha. Hated to leave all my friends there. Myrna and I said goodbye. Hope to see her again. Saw Lola in NYC at 9:30 after her rehearsal. *
April 2 Tuesday Relaxed and unpacked, called Duane and Elsbeth, didn't see Lola- something is amiss with her and I. I think the end is near.
April 3 Wednesday Dinner with Duane and Elsbeth (old friends from Chicago days. Elsbeth was Australian and worked as a fashion buyer on Seventh Ave., Duane worked in advertising.)
April 6 Saturday Lunch with Duane at O'Neal Brothers then I went to a movie then stopped and saw Betty Buckley at Imperial Theater then home to meet Lola.
April 7 Sunday Took a long walk through Central Park, then went home.
Week of April 1st to 7th Expenses Taxis this week $5.50, Haircut $10, Taxi from airport to home $8.00 Telephone calls $5, Photos $10
April 8 Monday Auditioned for training film at Oscard. Got JOB IN ALABAMA FOR ARMY TRAINING FILM PLAYING THE HEAVY. I'm really excited. Stopped off and saw Lola at rehearsal and also met Baayork Lee (Choreographer Tom knew from doing Promises, Promises) at rehearsal. Auditioned for Tonka Toys for Gage- No Luck. Met Scott Slader. (An actor friend who later gave Tom a job typesetting gay pornography when acting jobs were slow. Scott later died of AIDS.) Spent evening with Lola. I cried so did she. We made love as if for the last time …* I love her in my own special way. And I miss her and worry about her. She is a good chick.
April 9 Tuesday Lola left town today and I am really sad. I hope she has a great time. Had my taxes done by Don Abel. Hope I get a giant return. Met Skipper and drank till 2 am then home.
(Skipper is a story unto himself. They probably met at a Chinese Restaurant in midtown where Skipper frequently had a few cocktails at the bar while chatting in Chinese to the bartender. Skip, short for Skipper, is Grettier Algarson, the last man to take a sailing ship to the Arctic in 1925.
(You can find online the 1925 Popular Mechanics article about Skipper's feat)
And he also lived in China. He's of Scottish descent. He was in his eighties at the time this diary was written. He was married to Beatrice Kraft of the Kraft sisters, a dancing team on stage in the thirties and forties, who can also be seen in the movie The Rains of Ranchipur. She was in her early sixties and still taught oriental dance at Carnegie Hall. But due to a producing a show on Broadway many years earlier, which never opened because of a labor strike, they lost everything and had very little to live on.
Bea passed away 4 or 5 years after in 1978, and Skip took care of her burial. When he died a year later, Tom was contacted, presumably from Skip's phone book entry, and had to let Skip be buried in Potter's Field. It was a very sad end for two wonderful, cheerful, talented people. )
Above are Tom and Skipper
April 10 Wednesday Go See for print job with General ? at 555 Third Ave. Met a nice beautiful lady from Long Island with her children. Will meet her in a week. I hope she calls. Then home, called Jill Owen, then ran into Lorna Doone- drank in Yorkville then to her place till 3 am. *
April 11 Thursday Audition for Jaguar industrial film. Audition Metromedia 845 Lexington for Soap Opera interview cancelled until tomorrow. Called Elaine Frank at SAG. Got Call from Lola. Met Liz Hoggenbottom, talked and laughed for a few hours then off to meet Chris.
April 12 Friday 11:45 Metromedia 485 Lex for soap opera. - 1 pm Tony Petrocelli Studios 103 Fifth Ave for McDonalds Commercial- See Christy, sent by Oscard, good audition. Meet Mike G. Call W.G. McMillan. Call Lola, Call Jill Owen, Call BJ Bohack. (A writer/ producer of supermarket fortune inheritance for whom Tom later did a backers reading of a play for her, Frost on the Parsnip. A vegetable double entendre, and it got worse from there.)
April 13 Saturday Met Mike Sullivan, W.G. McMillan at Jimmy Rays for drinks also saw Gina there. Buy a billy club for VERN + card. Dinner with Skip and Bea at 7. Had fantastic dinner. Went for drinks at Curragh Pub till about 2 am. Then to bed.
April 14 Sunday Leave for Huntsville, Alabama. Departed Kennedy on delayed flight due to fog- was to leave at 6:15 pm, but didn't till 3am. Finally arrived via Atlanta in Chattanooga at 8:45 am Monday morning. Got drunk on plane. Met at airport by director Don Moore. $40 per day per diem.
April 15 Monday Try to call Prudence and Lola- Started shooting film at Fat Harry's Lounge. It was like working in a whorehouse. Shot till 6 pm. Got drunk during shooting because we had to drink for the film. Stayed till 9 pm, then walked and took a taxi home. Then to bed.
April 16 Tuesday Up at 11 am, my face is getting a terrible rash. Must be from nerves. Lay in the sun by the pool. Then went to see The Sting, a great movie. I met a girl at the bar of the King's Inn, then to my place.* She left at midnight, and I went to bed.
April 17 Wednesday Prudence called me...
