Robert D Reed Publishers

StarCatcher: A True Life Hollywood Fantasy by John Frederick

$ 17.95

StarCatcher
A True Life Hollywood Fantasy

by John Frederick

To hear John Frederick tell stories, tune into these podcasts. (Click here!)

"I have just finished a book, StarCatcher, written by John Frederick. I recommend this book most strongly. I have worked in the entertainment industry for many years, beginning as a laborer and finishing my career as a Director of Photography. I have worked on feature films and hit television series. I received five Emmy nominations and one win for CSI in its beginning season. I have also been recognized by the American Society of Cinematographers with the Career Life-time Achievement Award. I have worked with many of the stars, directors, and producers that John Frederick so warmly, movingly (and accurately) describes. Beyond Hollywood, he also writes of sports, military, political, and historical figures in the same winning manner. StarCatcher was enjoyable, informative (with stories I had never heard before), entertaining book. I had a hard time putting it down, and I want to thank John for writing it. PS I forgot to mention how funny some of the stories were." — Mike O'Shea, ASC

"As a military historian, nothing provides insights better than first-person observations, captured for all time. John Frederick's book is a window into the past when celebrities were larger than life. His first-person accounts of these legendary performers increase our knowledge of American history in general and the history of Hollywood's past in particular. Entertaining while educational, I highly recommend this book for high school-age persons and above. Personally, I consider it one of the best nonfiction and non-military books I have ever read." — Colin D. Heaton, former Professor of History, Author of The German Aces Speak, The Star of Africa, etc.

"This book is about quotes and the headliners who made them. Author John Frederick met, interacted, or worked with some of the most famous, fascinating figures of the day, and was privileged to elicit (or overhear) comments that may give readers a totally different view of such people as John Wayne. While we were preparing for what would be his last film, the author asked Duke what had been the single most difficult thing to accept or overcome in his fifty-year career. 'Keeping your innocence and enthusiasm in the face of terrible rejection,' he answered. This probably does not match up with most people’s view of John Wayne. Almost every story in this book is fresh and new, never seen before. There are three such John Wayne stories in StarCatcher. There are dozens of other quotes and names that will hold your attention. Each quote is followed by a story that makes StarCatcher a captivating, easy read." — A 5-star review on Amazon by Richard Anderson

This book is about quotes and the headliners who made them.

All of us have probably heard something so witty or profound that we carried those words with us for years. The author John Frederick has met, interacted, or worked with some of the most famous, fascinating, figures of the day, and was privileged to elicit (or overhear) comments that may give you a totally different view of such people as John Wayne. While preparing for what would be his last film, Frederick asked Duke what had been the single most difficult thing to accept or overcome in his fifty-year career. "Keeping your innocence and enthusiasm in the face of terrible rejection,” he answered. This does not match up with most people’s view of John Wayne.

There are three such John Wayne stories in StarCatcher. There are dozens of other quotes and names that will hold your attention. Almost every story in this book is fresh and new, never seen before, and many are accompanied by a photograph (38 in all). StarCatcher makes for easy reading.

StarCatcher: A True Life Hollywood Fantasy by John Frederick
ISBN: 978-1-944297-84-8, 316 pages, 8 x 10 paperback, $17.95
Kindle ISBN: 978-1-944297-85-5, $9.99 (Click here)
Quantity Discounts are available by contacting the publisher,
Bob Reed, at (541) 347-9882.

HERE IS WHAT THE AUTHOR SAYS ABOUT HIS BOOK:

"Tired of chaos, confusion, contention, and a loss of calmness and civility? Fed up with anger and anxiety? Gee, me too. I feel it is time for a pause, a distraction if you will. This is why I wrote my new book, StarCatcher: A True Life Hollywood Fantasy.

I believe this book will satisfy a real need, a thirst if you will, for better times and happier days. StarCatcher offers insights and amusement, awakening nostalgic memories of days and idols that seem to have passed us by but are still

remembered, fondly, gratefully, by so many

"StarCatcher is a nostalgia buffet. It speaks of pleasant memories and happier days, of the soft sound of laughter across the river of time. It is not just about Hollywood—far from it. In addition to revealing new insights into the lives of stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, it also honors sports figures, military heroes, and other personalities worth remembering, even a President or two. Though there were bumps in the road of our journey, overall it was a time of unity and togetherness. Those who lived through it recall it fondly and with gratitude, thankful they lived in such a time. It is well worth a look in the rearview mirror. After all, it was not so long ago... only yesterday."

~ John Frederick

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

John Charles Frederick was born on August 20, 1938, in Salem, Oregon. He attended schools in Salem and graduated in 1961 from Willamette University, majoring in history and baseball. He was commissioned as an Ensign in the US Naval Reserve, beginning a 36-year career that included ten years of active duty. While on active service, he served as Executive Officer of Information for the Armed Services in the Pentagon, as Public Affairs Officer for the U.S. 2nd Fleet and the NATO Striking Fleet Atlantic, and finally, as a Motion Picture and Television Officer in Hollywood, where the movie bug got him. On leaving active duty, John remained in the active Reserve where he served as Executive officer, and for three years, as Commanding Officer of the Pacific Fleet Naval Reserve Combat Camera Group. He retired from the Navy in 1991 as a Captain, USNR.

He embarked on a new career of writing and producing educational and documentary films. In 1975, he co-founded, with Hollywood producer Herm Saunders (F Troop and Adam-12), FMS Productions—a company that is still going 45 years later. FMS produced and distributed a number of award-winning films that dealt with social issues and problems, proving “solutions to negative situations.”

His marriage to the former Sharlene Bailey, a fellow student at Willamette, produced three children, Randall, Richard, and Elisabeth. In 1986, he married his former high school sweetheart, Gayle LaBranche, who passed away in 2014.

Frederick is a life member of the Writers Guild of America, West. He has produced nearly 50 informational and documentary films. StarCatcher is his first solo literary effort. He was hugely supported in the writing by Irene Robertson, Gayle’s best friend and a former neighbor, who has become something more. They have traveled widely and continue to delight in each other’s company. John would like to have it known that a) it is never too late to fall in love, and b) it is never too late to write a book or to complete a major project that one has always planned to finish, but never got around to it.

Table of Contents

Introduction . . . 1
John Wayne . . . 3
Jack Nicholson . . . 8
Television Executive—The Black Tower . . . 15
Bob Hope . . . 20
William Conrad . . . 25
Glenn Ford . . . 28
Chill Willis and Donald O’Connor . . . 32
Evelyn Keyes . . . . 36
Ernest Borgnine . . . 38
Troy Donahue, Margaret O’Brien, and Robert Young . . . 42
James Dean and Julie Harris . . . 47
Jason Robards . . . 53
Carol Channing and Phyllis Diller . . . 57
Samuel Z. Arkoff . . . 62
President Richard Nixon . . . 68
Paul Keyes . . . 73
Randy “Duke” Cunningham, William “Willie” Driscoll, and Admiral “Jimmy” Thatch . . . 77
Forrest Tucker . . . 82
Gene Autry . . . 84
John Wayne . . . 89
Vance Skarstedt . . . 94
Pearl Harbor Survivor . . . 98
Mickey Rooney and Jackie Cooper . . . 102
Sir John Mills . . . 108
Studio Kids . . . . . . . 112
John Wayne . . . . . . . 119
Anthony Hopkins and Rod Serling . . . . . . . . . . . 122
William Shatner . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
StarCatcher xiv John Frederick xv James Drury . . . . . . . 131
Humphrey Bogart . . . . . . . . . 139
Jonathan Winters . . . 141
Hal Ashby . . . 144
Maureen . . . 150
Danny Trejo . . . 153
The Incredible Dr. Pursch . . . 159
Prisoner . . . 168
President John F. Kennedy . . . 170
Borden Chase . . . 172
Jimmy Stewart, Charles Durning, Ernest Borgnine, and Jackie Cooper . . . 175
Short Takes and Incidental Contact . . . 182
Nick Nolte and Liza Minnelli . . . 183
Keystone Kop . . . 187
Rock Hudson . . . 189
Burt Lancaster and Charles Bronson . . . 191
Dean Martin and Lena Horne . . . 194
Robert Young’s Luncheon Companion . . . 196
Henry King . . . 198
William Conrad . . . 200
Sean Connery . . . 202
Roy Rogers and Dale Evans . . . 204
Jack Lemmon, Dick Van Dyke, and Carol Burnett . . . 208
Audrey Totter, Dorothy McGuire, and Jane Wyatt . . . 211
John Frederick . . . 215
Hemingway, Rex Allen, and the Smothers Brothers . . . 218
Disney Studios Gate Guard . . . 222
Dana Andrews, Rod Cameron, Jan Clayton, and Gary Crosby . . . 224
Fast Cutting . . . 228
Tom Hanks . . . 229
Jackie Cooper . . . 230
Shecky Greene . . . 232
Peng Meng-ji . . . 234
Short Takes and Incidental Contact Sports . . . 236
Gallery Marshal . . . 237
Paul Azinger . . . 239
Pádraig Harrington . . . 240
Jim Furyk . . . 242
Ian Poulter . . . 243
Tiger Woods . . . 244
Warren Spahn . . . 246
Darrell Evans . . . 248
Pee Wee Reese . . . 250
Joe Namath . . . 252
Bob Welch . . . 255
Thomas Henderson . . . 260
Mo Freedman . . . 265
Muhammad Ali and Miguel Cabrera 1980s/2011 . . . 267
Dean Chance and Bo Belinsky . . . 269
Five Good Ones to Quit On and More . . . 273
Charlton Heston . . . 275
Johnny Grant and George Burns . . . 280
Francis Ford Coppola . . . 284
John Frankenheimer . . . 288
Barbara Eden . . . 291
Sneak Preview . . . 295
The American Society for the Prevention of Progress Santa Rosa, California – the 1950s . . . 297
About the Author . . . 300