To Whom It May Concern

Gram's The Movie Star

I put my last name into Yahoo tonite, just to see what all comes up, and interestingly enough, my grandmother is the most popular outcome of these searches.

In 1991, Sean Penn made a movie called "The Indian Runner" in my hometown, a dark drama starring some notable Hollywood heavyweights, such as Sean Penn, Charles Bronson, Dennis Hopper, Viggo Mortensen, Patricia Arquette, and yes, my grandmother.

They did a casting call to find people to be in the movie. My grandfather wanted to try out for a part so he and my grandmother drove into town late one night, about 9 p.m. and said some lines then headed home. The next day, my grandparents got a phone call, and they asked for my grandmother, even though she never did a reading. Her role in the film lasted for about 7 seconds, as the camera passed where she was sitting, scrolling from Arquette, past my grandmother, to the television. My grandma didn't even have any lines in the movie, just sat staring at the television. My grandfather said it was the best, because she wasn't talking haha.

Every December, Grandma receives a check from the Screen Actors Guild, of which she is a part, for her royalties from the movie. This last one was for 19 cents. My grandfather puts those up and tapes them to the safe in the office, and everyone has a good chuckle when they see those checks. My grandmother, the movie star, who'da thunk?

Current Lyrical Ramblings

Oh, I've seen fire and I've seen rain
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought that I'd see you again

Fire and Rain - James Taylor