Hollywood Studio Magazine (April 1970)

BERT REMSEN SUCCESS AFTER TRAGEDY J^ert Remsen has the kind of courage that makes men successful both in life and in business. A quiet, determined attitude and unbounded confidence in himself helped Remsen rebuild the shattered career a freak accident threatened to destroy. An actor by profession, Remsen was working on “No Time For Sergeants” at Warner Bros. -Seven Arts when the boom of an 85-foot crane broke loose and struck him across the back. Doctors feared Remsen would never walk again and the spine injury seemed to spell an end to his future in the motion picture industry. But the doctors hadn’t realized the determination Remsen had to keep working in films - just as important, learn to walk again. Supported by his family, Remsen began the long struggle to overcome his handicap. When he felt he had mastered his legs once more, he started to hunt for work. Calling on friends who knew him and his ability, he soon had two positions offered. “One,” he recalled, “was script supervisor on ‘Batman’, the other was casting director for ‘The FBI\” He selected the one with the most challenge, that of casting director. Through the period of time that has passed since he signed on, Remsen has found the job more exciting and stimulating than he hoped. A casting director is in a unique position to help established actors, and those just beginning careers. Gene Tierney who retired from films when she married a Texas millionaire hadn’t returned to Hollywood in many years when Remsen decided a part in an “FBI” segment would be perfect for the actress. After contacting her by telephone, Miss Tierney agreed to look over the role. A few weeks later she was back in harness on a Warner Bros.-Seven Arts sound stage. As a result of his initial invitation, Miss Tierney has resumed an interrupted acting career and Remsen feels responsible for at least part of the credit. Television offers a continuous challenge to men like Remsen. In order to keep audience interest up, producers try to hire leading actors and prominent personalities for cameo roles in their shows. The task of convincing hard nosed agents to take the low salaries television budgets call for, falls on the shoulders of men like Remsen. In order to convince an agent his client should accept a lower fee, Remsen finds himself asking as a salesman. “The better I can make a part sound,” he grins, “the more likely my chances of success will be.” A casual glance at the past few seasons of “The FBI” talent roosters with the glittering names Remsen has lured for it, convinces most of his contemporaries he is doing a top rated job. Recently Remsen decided to try something new and accepted the job of casting director on “Rabbit, Run”, now shooting at Warner Bros.-Seven Arts. The assignment given him by director Jack Smight was a tough one — and Remsen accepted it for that reason. Because the locale is supposed to be Reading, Pa., Remsen had to find Hollywood adtors who would fit into this mold, then blend with real Reading residents. The task took several months of hard work. “We had plenty of time to cast the various roles,” Remsen says, “lots more time than you would get to do a television show, and that part was nice. But both the director and I wanted things right.” After interviewing hundreds of actors over a three month period, the cast was set. “It was amazing how well the people we selected matched those actually living in Reading,” Remsen observed. One of the facets of his work that Remsen enjoys is young people. In his position those who are talented and available are top candidates for good roles. But he never allows favoritism to stand in the way of finding the person best suited for the part. “I have to be objective and avoid letting my emotions rule my choices,” he points out. “That is one reason I never look for parts I might fit into. Once you do that you are finished as a good casting director.” One of the best tools he has for his task is a card file. In the file are names of various actors who have done particular kinds of roles and their credits. When the time comes to start filling roles, Remsen turns to this. But he is led more by intuition and hunches than he is by past experience in certain areas. “I like to give actors roles they aren’t normally associated with,” he said, “I might offer a serious actor a comedy part and a comedian a serious dramatic role for example.” The actors seem to appreciate Remsen’s approach and he rarely has trouble filling his roles with top talent. When it comes to youngsters, Remsen takes great delight in trying to help them find parts. For those aspiring to continue acting careers in television or the movies, Remsen has a few suggestions. “They should get all the experience possible in live theatres and stock companies,” he advises, “so they will have a reservoir of talent to fall back on and experience to carry them through rough spots.” A veteran of the days when big studios put a protective arm around actors, Remsen feels todays industry is vastly different. “Few of the studios have contract stars any longer and without the aid of a studios publicity department todays actor and agent find themselves alone.” “So,” he continued, “the important thing is to keep looking for work. The more doors you knock on, the more chance there is one will open.” Remsen frequently deals directly with the actor instead of agents. “Don’t expect an agent to do everything, go to interviews yourself and talk to people. Being a free lance actor today can be a very stimulating experience, or it can spell the end of an acting career because of stagnation and lack of work.” Continued on Page 28 Page 7