February 6 – February 12 (2012)

It had to happen. As my webmaster and pal Scott Sebring and I were culling together clips for the “Starsky & Hutch” montage, which was shown at the dinner and reception, this tune kept inhabiting our brains. I remembered it from way back when David Soul’s first album was released, and I also remembered it from one of the “S&H” episodes. In fact, I put it in the montage, which drove Scott insane. When the song popped up in the montage at the dinner, the audience immediately began SINGING ALONG! Apparently it had driven them mad as well. Enjoy“Black Bean Soup!”

Monday the 6th – SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIEND! – I slept in and I really enjoyed it. It was a very busy weekend! I got up and headed over to Gun World to get my new handgun. It’s a Taurus .357 Magnum which is designed to look exactly like the old Colt Python .357s that they made in the 70’s. David Soul used a Python as Hutch on “Starsky & Hutch.” They haven’t been made in awhile, and they’re fairly hard to find used, so this is probably the closest I’ll get. Afterwards I went over to NBC for the taping of “The Tonight Show.” I spoke with Jay’s assistant Helga about her sons coming to Wonder Con in March down in Anaheim. They’re both big comic fans. A photographer friend of mine, Christopher Ameruoso, is doing a book with Priscilla Presley which involves celebrities interacting with a pair of Elvis’ original trademark glasses. So we talked a bit about possibly getting Jay involved in a photo shoot for the book, and Jay’s history with Elvis. I remember when I used to do Elvis as a 19 year old, and I was working at KELO in Sioux Falls. I showed a tape of me doing Elvis to a sports reporter and he said (remember, this was back in 1980) “You don’t look much like Elvis, but you look a lot like this comedian named Jay Leno. He does Elvis in his act from time to time.” At the time I had never heard of Jay, but who knew that some 30 years later I’d be working for the man! Wild how it all works! Helga’s great, and we had a wonderful chat! I want to hang out with her sons at Wonder Con and talk comics! After the taping I went home to catch up on some e-mails and do some work. I caught a quick nap then got up to finish Wally’s Week, record my auditions in my home studio and e-mail them to my agent, do some more work around the house, and I started planning out my new demos for 2012. I haven’t updated my demos in awhile, and it’s always a huge job to try and round up all the projects I’ve worked on, so I have a considerable amount of work ahead of me. It involves finding the DVDs of the shows I’ve done, dubbing off the audio on CDR, then ripping it into my computer and editing it in Sound Forge. Sometimes I’ve had to have my pal Scott Sebring rip the audio off of You Tube videos so I can use that. Lotsa work, but it pays off. Later Sara came over for an episode of “Hawaii Five-O.”

Tuesday the 7th – RAINY DAY RELAXATION! – It was raining when I awoke to the sound of my hotline going off. I needed to record a comedy bit for “TTS” and e-mail it in. Then I headed over to Voice Trax West to record some more tracks for US Airways. When we finished, I went to Paty’s in Toluca Lake, got a table on the patio to enjoy the rainy day, turned on my i-Pod and dialed in my “Rainy Day Rhapsody” playlist, and dug into my delicious salad. VERY enjoyable and relaxing! After lunch I went to NBC to do a bit for “TTS.” My new friend from church, Norman, was in line to see the taping. I knew that “Uncle” Norman was the “uncle-in-law” to Wayne, our keyboard player in the band. After the show Wayne and Uncle Norman were reunited, had fun catching up backstage, and Norman’s wife Marilyn eventually arrived and joined us. On our way out I showed Marilyn the stage and she wanted to touch the chair where Denzel Washington was going to sit the next day. Hilarious! I got home on a rainy evening and enjoyed a nap by the fire. I got up for work around the house, but didn’t have any auditions to do this particular night. Sara came over for another episode of “Hawaii Five-O.” Then I started working on designing another cover for my 4th DVD set of home movies. I’m not quite halfway done with my home movie dubbing project, but it’s going very well and I’m enjoying seeing the old videos. I even sent a bunch of DVDs to my son Zak so he can watch himself and his sister when they were 3 and 8 respectively. I also worked on transferring some photos to my new i-Pad.

Wednesday the 8th – HERE, THERE, EVERYWHERE! – I got up for my job at “Family Guy,” but my agent called and said they needed me an hour later that originally planned. So I went back to bed to sleep another half hour. I got over to the “Family Guy” offices and saw Alex Borstein, Seth Green and my old pal Seth MacFarlane. On my way home I hit McDonald’s for lunch. I got to NBC to record a bit, then went over to Gun Kings in Glendale to pick up my Walther PPK-S which was being repaired. They were pulling the rear sights into line so it would shoot straight. I got back to NBC to tape the show, then went home to feed my cat Spooky. I got organized for two really busy days coming up. Edi came over to help me get organized. When we got the schedule set, we went over to the Coral Cafe for a late dinner. Then I went home to do some auditions and then early to bed for a loooong day coming up!

Thursday the 9th – TRIFECTA! – I got up early for a quick session for “Winx Club.” I got to do the voice of a dad in an upcoming episode. My old friend Kari Walgren was there (did I say old? Oops!) My beautiful, stunning friend Kari Walgren, whom I’ve known a considerable amount of years, was there and we talked guns for awhile. She said she would be spending the weekend at an outdoor gun range and wanted advice. I told her to call me afterwards and I wanted the full report. After the session I sped to Hollywood to Outlaw Sound to do some radio commercials for Titan Insurance. That’s right. They’re bringing back commercials with the blue-haired super-hero bobblehead! It was fun to interact with the old gang again, even if it was only over an ISDN line. I hit Arby’s for lunch, then went over to get my Mustang washed. I got home to do some quick business, which included calling Julie Caitlin-Brown, David Soul’s appearance manager, and arranging a private singing with David this weekend at the Hollywood Show! I had about 30 things for him to sign, and I didn’t want to hold up the line. I’m sure all the people who would have been behind me wouldn’t have been to happy to see me coming with a bag full of stuff! I drove over to a local costume shop to meet up with Edi and look at the Torino dresses I was having made for her and Sara for the weekend. They looked great! Tight red dresses with the famous Starsky stripe running down the side. But I was under the clock to get to NBC for an early bit. I saw my friend Brittany and her brother and cousin who were there to see the taping. She’s a big Denzel fan and he was on the show that day. After the show I came home to feed Spooky, and then I biked over to the Studio Cafe to meet up with my pal Bruce Kulick for dinner. I hadn’t seen Bruce in a long time so it was good to catch up. After dinner I came home and did my auditions, cleaned up the house and got ready to welcome my old pal Steve Hatt, who was flying in later that night to enjoy the big “Starsky & Hutch” weekend at the Hollywood Show in Burbank. When we were kids, I had curly brown hair and he had blond hair. We were referred to as Starsky and Hutch by all our classmates, and we enjoyed studying the show and dressing like them. I just knew Steve had to be along for the ride this weekend! I picked him up at LAX and we chatted on the freeway all the way to DuPar’s, where we grabbed a late dinner with my pal Chuck McCann. We had lots of laughs. Steve and I were both so excited for the weekend, I don’t think either of us really slept well that night! We stayed up much too late, but it was good to see him and get caught up. But the best was yet to come!

Friday the 10th – DREAM COME TRUE DAY 1 – I got up early for a hotline call and did a bit for “TTS” in my home studio. My old pal Steve Hatt had locked himself out of my house in the morning, but luckily it was a beautiful day so he just hung around outside my house. Oddly, my last words to him before he went retired the night before were, “Make sure you don’t lock yourself out.” So what does he do? Locks himself out. We had a good laugh over that one! Steve watched me record the bit and he commented that it was fun to watch. I grabbed a shower and we headed over to get the Gran Torino. We had a very busy day ahead of us. We drove it over to my house and loaded up the car with our luggage. Paul Michael Glaser already had a bunch of his books and promotional materials for “Chrystallia and The Source of Light” packed in my car from the Pomona Roadster Show a few weeks back, so we had to pack carefully to get it all in. But we made it. I took Steve over to Quizno’s to get a sandwich for lunch. The same Quizno’s where I had my “moment” the previous week. (See last week’s Wally’s Week for details) It was an awesome day, we had the windows rolled down in the Torino and we were listening to a CD of 70’s tunes. Life doesn’t get much better than cruising down an L.A. street with a good pal, listening to the songs we dreamed dreams to back when we had pimples. We took our sandwiches over to the car wash and talked while the Torino got washed and waxed for the big show. Then, with the car sparkling, we drove to the Burbank Airport Marriott and found our friend Mike Schrimmer from Chicago. It was too early to check into our rooms, but Mike already had a room. So he allowed us to offload all of our stuff into his room temporarily. I parked the Torino in the spot where it would stay for the remainder of the weekend, and Mike picked us up in his rental to go to the taping of “TTS.” I got the guys checked in with security and took them to the Green Room to get ready for the show. I went into the audio booth and did some voice bits for the show. We finished up the show and then we drove back to the hotel to check in. We transferred all the stuff from Mike’s room to mine, then we phoned my assistant Sara and had her meet us at Bob’s Big Boy for dinner. Fridays are hot rod nights at Bob’s, so we had a blast looking at all the great cars. Kristy McNichol was sitting in the booth behind us, so it was the perfect start to our 70’s retro weekend! Our next plan was to head to the gun range and shoot guns for awhile. Of course I really wanted a shot of Steve holding the “Hutch” .357, while I held the “Starsky” S&W Model 459. But the wait time for an available lane was about a half hour. Not wanting to wait, we decided to head back to the room and rest up for the big weekend. Steve and I continued to chat for a bit and then we headed to our rooms. Mike mentioned that his flight from LAX left around the same time on Sunday as Steve’s, so he offered to drive Steve to the airport with him. Which meant that I could stay at the show on Sunday and keep the car there for another day. Given the fact that I needed a place to change for the dinner on Saturday evening, and I was now able to stay another day, I phoned the front desk and kept the rooms another day.

Saturday the 11th – STARSKY & HUTCH DAY! – At 6:30am my eyes shot open. I tried to get back to sleep, but no dice. I was too excited. I tossed and turned for another hour and a half, and at 8 I got up and showered. Room service brought my breakfast, so I phoned up Steve and told him to bring his breakfast over and we’d eat. Then we headed downstairs with Bob Belenchia, Paul Glaser’s appearance manager, and transferred all of Paul’s books to a cart so they could be taken to the show. My Torino wrangler Alex arrived as well and we went down to the show to get the Torino polished and ready. It had sprinkled overnight, so it’s a good thing I had it waxed really well. Steve and I went in to say hi to Paul, and saw the great Van Williams also walk in. Then came David Soul. He was walking with a cane because he had just had lung surgery a short time before. But he was getting around very well and laughing and joking with everyone. David sat down and signed my 30 items before the show officially opened. We chatted about life in Sioux Falls, and his beginnings at KSOO TV doing farm reports, moving cameras around, and playing BOZO THE CLOWN??! I also had a great chat with David’s brother Dan and his wife Barbara. Like David, Dan had lived in Sioux Falls for a short time. He remembered quite a bit about living there so we had a great conversation about “the old country.” I went into the show with Steve and took a gander at the other celebs there. After consulting with David’s manager Julie, it appeared that they were trying to limit David’s distance in consideration of his recuperation. So getting him to the Torino wasn’t looking likely. So I had Alex remove the sun visor from the passenger side of my Torino. (Paul had already signed the driver’s side a few months ago) My friends Sara and Edi arrived in their Torino dresses and looked fabulous! Many people commented about them and they looked awesome flanking the car. We broke for lunch around 1:00, and were joined by Christopher Ameruoso and his wife Daniela. She’s from Romania and has developed a love for old American TV shows. Most specifically Laverne and Shirley. Before lunch we surprised her by taking her over to my pal David Lander’s table and introducing her. David plays my brother “Doc Boy” in the Garfield TV series. It was a great moment, and it was really fun watching her face as she looked at the newly signed Squiggy photo. When we got nextdoor to the Daily Grill for lunch, we saw Chuck McCann. So he joined us as well. A few of the “S&H” fans recognized him as the killer in the episode “Murder on Stage 17.” Chuck actually did 2 “S&H” episodes, so he had lots of stories too. We were joined at lunch by former Disney animator Ruben Procopio and my pal and webmaster Scott Sebring. When lunch was finished we headed back to the convention center to get ready for our 2:30pm photo op with Paul, David and Antonio. Chuck walked over to see the guys and David stood up to give Chuck a hug. The photo ops normally take only a few minutes, but due to the number of fans waiting to get theirs, it went on for about an hour. The 3 guys were joking around and playfully interacting with the fans. It was amazing to watch, and incredibly funny! (The photographer later told me that he did more business this one weekend, than he did the entire previous year!) Many fans were under the impression that this was the one and only chance to see all three together. Fans flew in from all over…New Zealand, Australia, London, Maine, Florida, etc. It turned out to be the most successful photo op in the history of the Hollywood Show! Steve and I went to the trunk of the Torino and pulled out our “vintage” S&H clothes. He donned a “Hutch” black turtleneck and brown wide-lapel leather coat, while I donned a “Starsky” blue chambra Levis shirt, black t-shirt and the famous sweater. We were set to go! We were the last ones in line and we got a great photo taken. Paul had Sara sit on his lap, while David cuddled Edi. Meanwhile, Ruben and Scott were off with Van Williams, and Scott was dressed in his Green Hornet costume. He was walked into the floor of the convention on the arm of Van’s wife Vicki! What an entrance! The show was closing at 5:00 so we covered the Torino and headed back to our rooms to clean up for the dinner and reception. I was privileged with the emcee responsibilities for the evening so I went over my notes. I went to the banquet room to do a sound check and to check the DVD montage of scenes we’d be playing before the Q&A. Thankfully the Hollywood Show kept it intimate, only about 50 tickets were allowed to be released, though many others wanted to be there. It was a hot ticket to be sure! About 6:00 people started to roll in and we got the show started around 6:30 after everyone was seated. We had a special surprise guest…Joseph T. Naar, who produced “S&H” all four seasons. It was fun chatting with him. We watched the montage I put together with my pal Scott Sebring. It was fun hearing the audience’s reaction to the different scenes. Though it never had a top-of-show credit in the original series, I edited in a credit for The Gran Torino, and the car guys in the audience went nuts! We ended the montage with “S&H’s” brotherly embrace from the famous “heroin” episode, and all the gals in the audience let out a very audible and collective sigh. Then I introduced David, Paul, Antonio and Joe. They took seats in front of the room and told stories and answered questions for about a half hour. At the beginning of the session, Paul said, “Is this being recorded?” I said, “Do you want it to be?” Figuring where he was going with that line of reasoning, I took a quick poll amongst the audience. Should we turn off the recording devices and let the guest talk freely and candidly, or should we keep rolling tape and get an edited version of the stories. Unanimously, the audience voted for the camera to be shut off. After all, everybody paid $150 per ticket for his opportunity, why share it with the world for free? So there were things discussed in that room that only 60 or so people will ever hear. Pretty exclusive, I’d say! I kept looking at Steve throughout the whole thing with a look of “Can you freaking believe this is happening?!” Paul sat at our table, David was at the next table over, and Antonio was at the table next to David’s. When I got sat down, Paul was in the middle of telling a fan the story of the famous blue Adidas tennis shoes. The photographer called me outside to bring the Torino over by the side entrance. The plan was to have group shots taken of each table with Paul, David, Antonio and MY TORINO as a special souvenir. So the car had to be parked just right. Since Steve hadn’t had a chance to drive it yet, I asked him if he’d like to pull her around and put her into position. He didn’t hesitate at all. I had a plate of food ready, but I was bouncing around all over the place and it was getting cold. But I didn’t care. I could eat later. Paul and David’s banter and chemistry was as great as it ever was. The fans were definitely pleased! In my mind I flashed back to my initial meeting with Paul telling him about these shows and how much fun they were, and his hesitancy to get involved. But I could see actual joy on his face as he sat with these guys, goofing around and cracking wise. We filed out one table at a time for our group shot, and then the guys left to rest up for the next day. The fans went back inside to enjoy a special “S&H” cake and watch a fan-favorite episode called “The Psychic.” I commented to Joe Naar that even the “bad” episodes of “S&H” were 100 times better than anything currently on television today! After the dinner everyone was still flying high. I moved the Torino back to it’s resting place for the evening. To say it was a dream come true would be an understatement of monumental proportions. I was happy hear later that I wasn’t the only one who got a bit misty during the whole experience. Sara and Edi said that Steve was feeling the same. We headed back to the Daily Grill where we saw four Army personnel at the bar. I bought them all a round and thanked them for their service. Then I went upstairs to go to bed, but I was still buzzing. So I packed up some stuff and got ready for day 2.

Sunday the 12th – BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! – I slept in until 10:00! I really needed it. In fact I could have slept longer. But I had arranged to meet Steve, Mike and my pal David Youngberg from Connecticut for breakfast! Dave had paid $1000 for a flight to be there! He’s the guy I bought my Torino from originally. He said it sure was nice to see it again, and he’s going to start working on another one. When we walked into the Daily Grill Mike said, “Is that David Soul over there?” Indeed it was! He was dining with about 12 women. Knowing about his Lutheran background I went over to the table. Mike said, “You’re a brave man, Wally.” I walked up and David smile. I said, “What is this, the Last Supper? Look! 12 Apostles!” They all laughed and David commented about my emceeing of the dinner and reception. He said, “You’re pretty good at that!” I said, “It’s from all those years of radio work in Sioux Falls!” He thought that was funny, though the gals at the table probably had no idea what we were talking about. After breakfast I met up with Alex and we got the car ready. I think it was fun for David to take the cover off the car and reconnect with it again. I know it sounds weird, but the dynamic between guys and their cars is inexplicable. He started talking to another fan who knew about cars (David’s a mechanic) and they opened up the hood. They started talking about intake valves, points and all kinds of other stuff I don’t understand. I turned to my friend Lou and said, “To me, cars are like women. I like to look at them and touch them, but I’ll be damned if I can understand how they work. And I’m not sure I want to!” I also met a 12 year old kid named Max who was dressed in a Starsky beanie and a sweater. Memories flooded back of me at almost that age, trying to find all the Starsky clothes. He asked if he could get a shot in the Torino and I said by all means. It was great seeing a young guy so passionate about it. It all had a ring of familiarity. I told him that even though he couldn’t drive until he was 16, he should get a Torino and start working on it now. So in 4 years when he gets his license, he’ll be ready to rock! Steve didn’t want to go back into the show, but instead just wanted to hang out by the car and help people get photos. Mike and Steve got ready to take off for the airport around noon, and when it came time to bid Steve goodbye I could tell he was getting emotional. Which made me emotional. I gave him a hug goodbye, told him I always considered him to be a brother, and I was glad he came. I wanted to experience this weekend with no one else on Earth. Then I went inside to meet the lovely Nancy Allen and P.J. Soles. I also met up with Van Williams to have him sign my vintage TV Guide (with Green Hornet cover) and my Green Hornet puppet. His wife mentioned that their personal copy of the TV Guide was stolen from their office. I felt bad so I gave them mine. Van was very appreciative. We got a great shot together of the TV Guide and that nutty puppet. My pals James and Mark were there with their pal Rob. They were getting their photo with Paul, David and Antonio. As they stood in line I brought P.J. Soles over to say hi to them. That made their day! Apparently three weeks in a row we inadvertently ran 3 P.J. Soles movies at my movie night. “Stripes,” “Halloween” and “Rock and Roll High School.” James asked “Are you running a P.J. Sole-athon?” She thought that was funny and said she was sorry she missed it. It would have been cool to have her as a guest one of the nights. After the photo op, I spoke with David Soul again one last time and thanked him profusely for making the trip. I told him our old high school (Washington High School in Sioux Falls) was now an arts center. I suggested he perform there sometime. Kind of a “local boy makes good” thing. He laughed, tapped the toe of my boot with his cane and said, “Local boy makes good.” He continued chuckling as he walked away. As Paul walked away I asked him if he had fun. He said with that big, trademark smile, “I had a GREAT time!” So did we! I met lots of new friends and had a great time, but my whole body was exhausted. I packed up my luggage in the Torino and pulled out for home. I got everything I came there for. David Soul’s signature on my sun visor, a photo with the guys, a photo of the guys with my car, and I got to emcee the reception and dinner. What else could I have asked for? I stopped at the KFC drive-thru on the way home to get some food. Then I switched cars so the Torino would be ready to go first thing in the morning. I needed to take it into Bodie Stroud’s shop to get some minor maintenance things done on it. I unpacked what I could, and as I sat at the computer checking e-mails, I started to get very tired. I had intended to go to evening church, but I was fading fast! What’s the old saying? The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak? So I hit the hay for about an hour. Some pals from the Detroit area were in for the Hollywood show, and they wanted to stop by and see Planet Wallywood. So we met up at DuPar’s for a quick dinner, then it was off to my place for the tour. A great end to a perfect weekend! I did my auditions, e-mailed them to my agents, and hit the hay. Aaaaaaahhhhhhh, how sweet it is!

And how was YOUR week??!!

PICS FROM THE WEEK

THE MONEY SHOT! Steve and I beam, as we pose with Antonio Fargas, Paul Michael Glaser, and David Soul. Though Paul and David probably had no idea we were even there, since they were preoccupied with the Torinoettes Sara and Edi!