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REPOST: At This Retirement Home, Aging Actors Craft Shows Like 'Law and Disorder'

What do elderly actors do at retirement homes? At the retirement home run by the Motion Picture & Television Fund, they continue performing with the aid of an in-house network and scripts in extra-large type. “It is one studio in Los Angeles where ageism is never an issue,” reports The Wall Street Journal. Read the full story below.

Image Source: online.wsj.com

LOS ANGELES—After parking their scooters outside, the actors got down to business.

Their production, "Law and Disorder," is a sendup of the popular police procedural—recast with a team of octogenarian crime fighters.

The studio, Channel 22, is the in-house network at the retirement home run by the Motion Picture & Television Fund. It is one studio in Los Angeles where ageism is never an issue.

In fact, some of the actors are about as old as the film industry itself.

"We need something to do because we're not really old enough to collapse or pass out yet," said Norman Stevens, the show's creator, who describes himself as "80-something."

Scripts are printed in extra-large type at the MPTF's retirement home, where veterans of Hollywood's Golden Age spend their golden years. The home serves nearly 200 residents—all of whom worked in the entertainment industry.

Channel 22 is the community's production house, where residents craft short films or TV shows with their contemporaries; more than 1,300 segments have been recorded since it started about eight years ago. The closed-circuit channel airs the programs, and some are available on YouTube.

Programs include a round-table talk show of elderly women called "The Roaring 90s," a documentary about two resident musical composers called "Alive and Kicking" and "The Okie Dokie Show"—a man-on-the-street-with-a-walker interview series in which a resident approaches neighbors, asks what they are doing and then replies, "Okie dokie."

Founded in 1921 by silent-film stars including Mary Pickford and Charlie Chaplin, the MPTF started as a financial-assistance program for actors to help pay for such things as props or who needed help with their rent. The retirement home, open to those who have worked in entertainment for more than 20 years and their spouses, started in the 1940s and has become the fund's anchor project. A few residents were teenagers when "Wings" won best picture at the first Academy Awards in 1929. The average age of new residents is 87.

Channel 22 operates out of a trailer called "The Bungalow" located off a street named for Steven Spielberg; a koi pond is dedicated to late mega-agent Lew Wasserman ; and residents swim in an aquatic center donated by Jodie Foster.

Some residents, like 101-year-old Connie Sawyer, still work professionally. Ms. Sawyer recently appeared on the Fox sitcom "New Girl" and had a role in the 2008 stoner comedy "Pineapple Express" starring Seth Rogen and James Franco. She recently sat down to lunch after auditioning for a commercial.

"I got a callback!" she said.

But retired actors aren't the only ones who get into the act. Former grips, agents and executives play parts. Mr. Stevens, a former film and television producer, cast "Magnum P.I." producer Joel Rogosin, 81, in a role on the most recent "Law and Disorder."

Mr. Rogosin played a German psychiatrist evaluating the sanity of the show's police force, and he rehearsed lines behind a desk in an office converted into barracks for the shoot. But as an old producer, Mr. Rogosin is accustomed to calling the shots, and he had some ideas for his character.

For starters: What if he were a Nazi suffering from an identity crisis that forced him to lapse into speaking Spanish?

The job of controlling what one actor called "community theater chaos" falls to Jennifer Clymer, a 42-year-old former actor who was hired by the MPTF as the station manager after volunteering with the organization. She also makes sure there are enough bagels on set. She stands in the background if another extra is needed and warns actors about tripping over wires. When the producer of a swing-music show suggested overlaying footage of residents dancing along, Ms. Clymer said: "It should be chair-dancing."

At a campus that also houses a palliative care unit, activities like Channel 22 keep residents engaged for what can be lonely days. "It's about giving someone the focus of what they want to do tomorrow," said Ms. Clymer. "As soon as someone doesn't see the point of what tomorrow might bring, it is over."

One short film in production, "Feathers," takes places in the retirement community and follows two old buddies who try online dating after their wives die. It's the passion project of resident Anthony Lawrence, who spent decades writing in Hollywood on productions that include Elvis Presley beach movies such as "Paradise, Hawaiian Style" and TV shows including "Bonanza."

He stars as one of the bachelors, and cast actress Lisabeth Hush, 79, as his love interest. He says she reminds him of his late wife.

Scenes were recently filmed at the campus's new "Doggywood" dog park, with therapy animals from the campus's hospice on hand as extras.

Ms. Hush came to Los Angeles on a bus from New York more than 50 years ago.

"They lost my luggage, so the first word you heard out of me was 's—,'" she said.

More than 45 Westerns were shooting when she arrived, and she was cast as a Nevada dame. She was later to star opposite Charles Bronson in a movie called "The Stone Killer"— she calls him "Charlie"—and portrayed Judith Tremaine in "Thoroughly Modern Millie," alongside Julie Andrews.

She had a stroke more than a decade ago that left her with some paralysis on her right side, so a volunteer at the dog park helped her apply blush and powder for the cameras. "I need lipstick," Ms. Hush reminded her.

She looked around. "Is there a catering truck?" she joked.

As quickly as the terminology and habits come back on set, most Channel 22 players say they didn't expect to work at this stage in their lives.

"I'm not sure what I'd be doing" without "Law and Disorder," said Mr. Stevens. "Probably playing bingo, which I hate."

Veteran actor Steve Inwood is known for his performances in “General Hospital” (1963), “Fame” (1980), and “Staying Alive” (1983). Read more insights on the life and career of a Hollywood actor from this blog.

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The Academy employs a voting system that ensures only one winner emerges in the Best Picture category.  But what if there are just too many great films?

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"Sometimes [ideas] come out pretty formed that they can actually walk. If they're really not functioning, you often just have to go back and birth another one."

- Screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna ("The Devil Wears Prada," "We Bought A Zoo") on developing her ideas. Discover more about here creative process here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aE_BekA3GWE&list=PLJ8RjvesnvDM9M4WM6xaCggtrkkq9JA2G

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Steve Inwood was a prolific character before he earned the prestigious membership into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Click the link above to see his body of work.

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Advice from emerging, award-winning writers

Keola Racela, gold medalist in the Best Narrative category for this year's Student Oscars, has this advice: Get a paper, jot down your ideas, set it aside, and then get back to it when things get tough. Find more writing inspiration on this video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLqMmhJM3MY&list=PLJ8RjvesnvDM9M4WM6xaCggtrkkq9JA2G

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Beyond seeing: The Academy explores how the visually impaired enjoys the movies

Some movies, like "Chocolat" and "Like Water for Chocolate" are so wickedly good viewers can almost taste them. But movies are primarily an audiovisual experience, the weight being placed predominantly on the visuals and secondarily on music and dialogue, in many cases.

Image Source: wikipedia.org

That being said, how do the visually- (and auditory-) challenged people enjoy movies they can't see or hear?

"There is not much to see," Tommy Edison of Blindfilmcritic.com tells the Academy. Even so, the story, the acting, and the music can all be listened to anyway, and these, Edison says, are actually enough to offer the same experience as when they are accompanied by moving images.

Thanks to technology though, the blind can actually get a gratifying movie experience.

Some movie theaters are equipped with Descriptive Video Service (DVS). Such system narrates the visual elements of the film---costumes, location, facial expressions, and the like---in between dialogue pauses. The visually impaired can wear a DVS-enabled headphone as the film unfolds on the screen. The deaf, on the other hand, can see the dialogues through a close captioning device.

What's more, DVS is not exclusive to theaters. Movies such as "Up" are available on iTunes with an audio description track. Meanwhile, the American Council for the Blind has an extensive list of DVDs of movies, and even TV series, that have an audio description option. Thanks to such technology, the visually impaired will never feel robbed of the wonderful experience of enjoying the movies.

Image Source: thenullset.wordpress.com

A prolific supporting actor for three decades, Steve Inwood is an independent voting member of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Visit this blog for trivia and information on the prestigious award-giving body.

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When director Steven Spielberg and his team dreamed of--and successfully brought to reality--recreating dinosaurs for "Jurassic Park," it was clear to everyone that film-making has taken a notch higher. At that time, Oscar members like Steve Inwood were nothing short of astounded.

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One of the most prolific supporting actors from the '70s to the 90's, Steve Inwood is best known for his works like "Fame" and "Staying Alive."

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"That's where I start--figuring out why--not just what you're gonna tell, not what is entertaining or interesting, but why are you telling a story?" - Acclaimed Screenwriter Dustin Lance Black on his creative process

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From Hunger to Shame to 12 Years a Slave, Steve (McQueen) tackles tough subjects with passion and a very evident love. - Oscar Best Actress Lupita Nyong'o on fellow winner Steve McQueen

http://time.com/70807/steve-mcqueen-2014-time-100/

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How winners are picked: Voting process for the Oscars

One of the most exciting moments in entertainment each year is finally knowing know who gets the much-coveted Oscar, undoubtedly the world's most popular and distinguished acting award.

Image Source: oscarvotes123.blogspot.com

Winners are often celebrated and much deserved; not a few times surprising, like Emma Thompson's 1995 Best Screenplay win; and sometimes controversial, like the 2012 victory of "The King's Speech" over "The Social Network" for the Best Picture race.

Video Source: youtube.com

So, how does a winner get to be chosen?

For 78 years, the Academy has made use of the same voting system. Before the year ends, the nomination process quietly begins. Voting members--among them directors, screenwriters, and actors like Steve Inwood--receive nomination ballots in late December.

These ballots have to be filled out with up to five prospective nominees. Members can only list down nominees under their respective fields--actors nominate actors, directors nominate directors, and so on. Though members across all categories may select any nominee for Best Picture.

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Returned ballots are tabulated by an auditing firm to narrow down the nominees list to the top five--or nine, for the Best Picture category. The ballots containing the final list of nominees are cascaded to members and should be returned until Tuesday before the Oscar Sunday for final casting and tabulation.

However, tabulating the results is not only a matter of determining who gets the most votes. As explained thoroughly in this video, the Academy makes use of the preferential or instant runoff voting system to finally determine the winner.

And after then, no one (except perhaps for auditor or two) knows who gets the nod until the envelopes are finally opened.

A prolific TV and movie actor from the '70s to the '90s, Steve Inwood is an independent voting member of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1983. Subscribe to this Facebook page for similar entertainment stories and updates.

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Al Pacino presenting an Honorary Oscar® to Director Sidney Lumet (12 Angry Men, Dog Day Afternoon, Network) in recognition of his brilliant services to screenwriters, performers and the art of the motion picture--77th Academy Awards® in 2005.