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The Two Hundred Thousand Dollar Mistake
The corruption behind the scenes in Hollywood.
The Show Must Go On
The glitz and glamour of Hollywood became the backdrop of my childhood. I danced on American Bandstand, on played Family Feud, watched sets be built, worked on The Price is Right, General Hospital and In Living Colour, while watching actors rehearse their lines. It felt like quite the privilege.
Growing up behind the scenes in Hollywood made me privy to a whole lot of corruption and devious acts. My dad worked as the lead prop man for television series, concerts, plays, the Emmys, the Grammys, or anything else for the taking.
Smoke and Mirrors
In that era, the studio executives would hand my dad thousands in cash, and his job was to find unusual props needed for the sets. For instance, my dad knew where to find a six-foot pink teddy bear as soon as the request came.
He and his other prop coworkers all remained on the lookout for Hollywood gems as they drove around the back streets of Wilshire Blvd.
However, without computers, receipts made up the accounting system that dutiful employees handed to accounts payable. The studios were unaware that all the prop men and women (not as many at the time) bought…
