New book by Ate de Jong

[Marilyn]

Ate de Jong, who can’t remember him after his unequalled contribution to the series? LOLHe wrote a book with 52 games based on 52 unique stories from his working experiences. Four stories are related to the Miami Vice episode Missing Hours or to the actors. I’d like to share these stories with you so I did the best I could to translate them from Dutch to English for you . I hope you enjoy reading them!

[Marilyn]

Here is the 1st story I got for you...So many countries, so many customsBy Ate de Jong/translation by MarilynWould the behavior of actors be a reflection of the country where they’re from? My experience includes five countries. The German actors whom I worked with, were very punctual and law-abiding. They will never contradict the director, because ‘Befehl ist Befehl’. French actors listen to the director, but they consider their culture as a higher power they are tributary to. This leads to vain arrogance with a cultural bow. Dutch actors are enormously genial, they will never stand out from the crowd and prefer to drive along with the camera truck instead of a limousine. After ten days or so, they start to grumble, first about the food, than about working-hours, their opposite numbers and in conclusion about their part, for it is proud for Calvinists to be satisfied. My beloved ones are English actors. Keira Knightley taught my sons how to thumb wrestle when we were together at the Karlovy Vary-film festival . Stephen Fry read unasked Harry Potter to my daughter. They are islanders who have to conquer the world. American actors work the hardest. They behave if they have to and misbehave if they can. Everything turns on their position. Edward Olmos played Castillo, the lieutenant in Miami Vice. According to his contract, his mobile home wouldn’t be smaller than Don Johnson’s mobile home. One day, I saw him measuring his mobile home with a measuring-tape: five centimeters shorter. Gone was Eddy, until there was a taller one. Why? He explained that if he didn’t act that way, with the next contract negotiations they would walk all over him and he would earn less.Meryl Streep also showed me she’s a real American actress. She played a part in which she had to hold a baby. She just got a baby herself, so she proposed to let her own baby participate. Great, very, very nice. Until she send the $2000,- bill. That was the baby’s salary. Meryl earned millions herself. Why for goodness sake send a $2000,- bill? Her child didn’t need that?America actors, especially the ones that really had to fight hard for their achievements, are nice and loyal until it harms their self-interest. In Hollywood the Wild West mentality still rules. All American actors are cowboys at heart.

[COOPER&BURNETT]

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So many countries' date=' so many customs[/size']By Ate de Jong/translation by MarilynWould the behavior of actors be a reflection of the country where they’re from? My experience includes five countries. The German actors whom I worked with, were very punctual and law-abiding. They will never contradict the director, because ‘Befehl ist Befehl’. French actors listen to the director, but they consider their culture as a higher power they are tributary to. This leads to vain arrogance with a cultural bow. Dutch actors are enormously genial, they will never stand out from the crowd and prefer to drive along with the camera truck instead of a limousine. After ten days or so, they start to grumble, first about the food, than about working-hours, their opposite numbers and in conclusion about their part, for it is proud for Calvinists to be satisfied. My beloved ones are English actors. Keira Knightley taught my sons how to thumb wrestle when we were together at the Karlovy Vary-film festival . Stephen Fry read unasked Harry Potter to my daughter. They are islanders who have to conquer the world. American actors work the hardest. They behave if they have to and misbehave if they can. Everything turns on their position. Edward Olmos played Castillo, the lieutenant in Miami Vice. According to his contract, his mobile home wouldn’t be smaller than Don Johnson’s mobile home. One day, I saw him measuring his mobile home with a measuring-tape: five centimeters shorter. Gone was Eddy, until there was a taller one. Why? He explained that if he didn’t act that way, with the next contract negotiations they would walk all over him and he would earn less.Meryl Streep also showed me she’s a real American actress. She played a part in which she had to hold a baby. She just got a baby herself, so she proposed to let her own baby participate. Great, very, very nice. Until she send the $2000,- bill. That was the baby’s salary. Meryl earned millions herself. Why for goodness sake send a $2000,- bill? Her child didn’t need that?America actors, especially the ones that really had to fight hard for their achievements, are nice and loyal until it harms their self-interest. In Hollywood the Wild West mentality still rules. All American actors are cowboys at heart.

Good 'ol Eddie Olmos!

[jongarci]

Thanks for sharing. It gives a good insight into the TV/movie industry.Pretend you have a big ego to get respect.

[2morgen]

Bedankt voor het verhaal!:flowers:Thanks for sharing the story!Interesting to read!

[Marilyn]

Thanks for sharing. It gives a good insight into the TV/movie industry.Pretend you have a big ego to get respect.

I agree on that one. A lot of stories in the book are about big ego’s, but not in a nasty way. Wait until you read about James Brown and Don Johnson…Thanks for your comments everybody!

[Marilyn]

All right then, here's the 2nd story. It's about James Brown...A fur coat in ragsBy Ate de Jong/translated by MarilynJames Brown, the Godfather of Soul, was the inspiration for this game. He had a guest appearance in the Miami Vice episode Missing Hours. My first meeting with him was in a hotel room without any windows, at 10 P.M. He wore large sunglasses and got silently followed by his entourage. ‘Hello, mister Brown,’ I said politely. ‘God bless you,’ he answered and without holding James Brown strode along. Did I say something wrong? A few minutes passed. It seemed long enough to me to retry to get in touch with him. James and his suite were waiting with the producer’s secretary. I told him how much I admired his songs and always sang along if I heard one on the radio. ‘God bless you,’ Brown said again and I slunk off to my office, again wondering if I said something wrong. I turned out later, I did. For I mentioned three Jackson Browne-songs – you can’t reproach me my large knowledge of soul music. Fifteen minutes later the producer called; James wanted to meet the director. As soon as I came in, he embraced me, the earlier ‘God bless you’ all forgiven and forgotten. My name was too difficult, so he called me Dutchie and he wanted to know if I admired Ronald Reagan, just like him. As a foreigner I laid claim not to know a thing about American politics – I wanted to jolly him no matter what.During the shooting James was credited the hardest working man in showbiz. He never complained, he was always on time and he did everything I asked him to do. Next to the camera, his personal assistant stood by with an aerosol of hairspray. As soon as I said ‘cut’ – pffff- there was spraying. On the set he sang ‘I feel good’ which was allowed to been used in the episode if his wife Adrienne got a small part in it. The song and Adrienne were both in Missing Hours.The words James spoke, were unintelligible. For he was playing an extraterrestrial I suggested he would sing his words. Too artistic – later James words were dubbed.Afterwards I kept contact with him. One day I had his wife on the phone. James was not there. “Where he was?’ Arrested by the police. ‘Why?’, I asked in shock. He had fired at his wife with a rifle. He didn’t hit Adrienne, but he did hit her fur coat. There were small holes all over her fur coat now. Adrienne was furious, because it was her favorite fur coat and that’s why she called the police.

[Brenda]

Thank you Marilyn for both stories! Can't wait for the "verhaal" about DJ's overblown ego. :D:DBy the way, all those stories describe the kind of behaviour which I find so ridiculous that almost unbelievable... I mean, I can imagine myself doing a lot of things in life but not such wacky ones, no matter what... No way, no...

[cheetah]

Thank you very much, Marylin, most of all - for the time and effort you take to translate these stories. :clap:I was also very surprised about EJO... according to common stereotypes such behaviour would be more readily attributed to DJ. Maybe DJ just had to "exaggerate" his ego too, to get "respected", if the rules of American show-business are really so tough? Anyway, I can't wait for more stories.

[Tony D.]

Thanks for sharing these stories, Marylin....they are very interesting.Hard to believe EJ Olmos would get less money in a new contract if he didn't fight about the 5 cm smaller mobile home!

[miamijimf]

Thanks for the stories. I can believe the story about EJO. I suspect that his action was partly a result of his rift with DJ.

[jongarci]

Thanks for the stories. I can believe the story about EJO. I suspect that his action was partly a result of his rift with DJ.

What was his rift with DJ?

[LNGLK]

MarilynThank you! :glossy:Waiting for more stories!

[Marilyn]

Thank you so much for your kind responses! I liked the stories so much myself, I HAD to share them with you. They’re funny and sometimes unbelievable. I remembered the stories from Ate de Jong and Jeroen Krabbe about working on Miami Vice and DJ’s bad behaviour, so I’m glad the stories in the book are not too serious. I’m sure you’re gonna like the other two stories as well.

[Marilyn]

The 3rd story is about the Miami Vice episode Missing Hours:The end of Miami ViceBy Ate de Jong/translation by MarilynWas it a coincidence that the producer of Miami Vice received a video tape of ‘Shadow of Victory’ that was not rewound by the last viewer? Now, the tape started with a stylish action scene half-way the movie. If the tape had stopped just five minutes sooner or later, the direction of a Miami vice episode would never have been offered to me.The producer of Miami Vice asked me: ‘What kind of movies would you like to make?’‘I’d better tell what I rather not do’, I said. ‘Musicals is a genre that doesn’t run through the vessels of European film makers.’ After that I wanted to say for science fiction counted the same. But before I could speak out, the producer called to his secretary: ‘Mary, what is the last episode about?’‘Extraterrestrials’, she called back.‘Extraterrestrials, what do you think of that?’‘Great’, I answered without hesitation. In seven days we shot my episode Missing Hours. During the montage, the producer got fired and replaced by Dick Wolf, nowadays a super-top-tv-producer in the United States from series like Law & Order. He was bewildered by the end of the episode. The boat explosion was alright with him, but he couldn’t take extraterrestrials as statues among the flames eating peanut butter. It was in the script and the performance was my homage to L’année dernière à Marienbad. Interesting and very well done according to Wolf, but way too artistic so not desirable to the American audience.A couple of weeks later Missing Hours was on television. I never heard anything about the end, so I assumed my homage was in the episode. On the exact day it was broadcasted, I moved and my TV aerial didn’t work yet. On Sunset Boulevard dozens of television screens in a shop-window showed my Missing Hours. While I was watching, a vagrant came standing next to me. He had an umbrella with all sorts of attributes hanging on it. He was a self-taught lip reader and told me the dialogues. He predicted what would happen. Every time he was right about it, he merrily turned round his umbrella. He thought it was a weird episode, extraterrestrials in Miami Vice? Bizarre.How should this end? I predicted it would have to do with peanut butter and a burning boat. ‘Absolutely not,’ the vagrant said. ‘The American audience won’t understand. You wanna bet? ’ We made a twenty dollar bet. Then the end came. The boat exploded and the Miami Vice detective awoke with a start. It was only a dream, but then she finds a jar of peanut butter in her drawer. Was it really a dream? Satisfied, the vagrant turned his umbrella three times round. I walked away without paying him twenty bucks. And that wasn’t a coincidence.

[cheetah]

I wonder who's the producer being fired and replaced by Dick Wolf? :confused: I thought Dick Wolf "replaced" Michael Mann, and not during the fourth season, but during the 3rd... and I seriously doubt that M.Mann could "get fired"! Maybe Ate de Jong meant John Nicolella? Does anybody know?

[Marilyn]

Sorry Cheetah, I don't have a clue...

[Marilyn]

A promise is a promise! Here is the 4th and sad to say the last story from Ate:Don Johnson always hits the mark.By Ate de Jong/translation by MarilynShooting an episode of Miami Vice took seven working days. Lucky for the star of the series, Don Johnson, the actors and crew were off duty during the weekends. Don used his spare time to make a lot of fun. Unfortunately, Don’s desire for pleasure wasn’t limited to the weekends and that endangered the shooting schedule. Don didn’t like working in the morning, he had to deal with his hangovers then. The sultry weather in Miami made working in the afternoons undesirable and of course, the evenings were reserved for parties.During the working week Don visited every important party in the state of Florida. The weekends he flew to New York or Los Angeles to parties with other celebrities. Once in a while the producer forced Don to stay in Miami for the weekend due to some particular shootings. Then, Don organized a party for crew and cast. When I directed my episode of Miami Vice, I went through a garden party organized by Don.While the actors, crew and other (underworld) friends were pricking their hamburgers off the barbecue, Don arrived by helicopter. He flew the helicopter himself and circled low above the garden. The hamburgers flew like ufo’s through the air and the bottles with ketchup danced on the tables. All the guests were in for a visit to the dry-cleaner. But they exuberantly smiled at Don anyway.Don parked the helicopter in the middle of the garden, stepped out and ordered it was time to play a game. He brought some paint pistols with him and he divided the guests into teams. His team consisted of Navy SEAL’s. They did a little moonlighting as bodyguards and during the game they took care that nobody could hit Don. They ambushed opponents so that Don could fire off the coup de grâce. Every team had his own color; red, blue, green. Don was the only one with white paint.The next day, Monday, there was a small problem with one of the actresses from the series. It turned out that Don’s white paint couldn’t be rinsed out her hair.After the last shoot of my episode I went to Don’s art-deco mobile home to say goodbye. Carefully, I suggested his humor and his way of playing games being a little selfish. He didn’t apologize in any way and told me that he fought hard to get a job as an actor. Now he was a star at last and he wanted to enjoy every second of it without compassion and hypocritical kindness.Secretly, I admire such disorderly behavior.

[miamijimf]

Sorry but elements of this last story are hard to believe. Don a helicopter pilot? Off duty Navy Seals moonlighting?

[LNGLK]

Thank you! :clap:And what episode is it about?

[Marilyn]

Ate de Jong directed Missing Hours, so that's the episode mentioned here.

[cageyJG]

I have no idea what's going on here, so I'll just post some pics.

[Marilyn]

CageyJG, that’s a nice expression to the credibility of this episode. :D

[cheetah]

Sorry but elements of this last story are hard to believe. Don a helicopter pilot? Off duty Navy Seals moonlighting?

LOL I also had my doubts... The part about Don flying a helicopter doesn't surprise me, because I've heard in one of his interviews (much later, even after "Nash Bridges" show) that he had learned to drive a helicopter during his "MV" period. I have a bit of doubt about "dealing with hangovers", though... because in several interviews from that time, including the one with Barbara Walters, DJ made it very clear that he never drank alcohol at that period of time, no matter what the rumors said. Of course I take into consideration that he might lie... but actually it made sense to me - many former alcoholics don't drink at all because if they do they may fell off the wagon again very easily. Anyway - thanks again, Marylin!

[Marilyn]

Thanks Cheetah, it’s a pleasure sharing these things with all of you.I also have my doubts about the hangover part. Unfortunately Don knows all about falling off the wagon, but that was much later. Ate might have juiced up his stories a little bit but in the main line they’re true I believe.