There’s a new one-man play that opened off-Broadway entitled “Zero Hour”, written by and starring Jim Brochu about the life of Zero Mostel. It got a good review in the NY Times. You can read more about it by visiting http://www.jimbrochu.com/zero%20page.html.
As I read about the play I thought about my connection to Zero Mostel.
Back in the 1960’s, my father Stanley owned a trucking company in New York City, Manhattan Express. He sublet some of his space to Zero for an artist’s loft.
My father cherished his friendship with Zero. He enjoyed being with Zero and his friends who included Burgess Meredith and Buck Henry.
My father took me to Broadway where I saw “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” (Zero starred as Pseudolus) and “Fiddler on the Roof” (Tevye), so many times that I was able to sing all the show songs while my friends were singing The Beatles.
One of my father’s prized possessions was an autographed album, ZERO MOSTEL: SONGS MY MOTHER NEVER SANG. He actually got to go to the recording studio as it was being produced.
A classic Zero memory: When I was in the third grade, I did a picture in which you first closed your eyes and scribbled with a piece of charcoal. Then you had to discover a picture that you in turn colored. I proudly brought the picture home and my father decided that it would hang prominently in his office. That weekend, we took the train into Manhattan, found a frame in Zero’s studio and hung the picture. Zero came in just as we were finishing. “Zero, my father said, “what do you think of this new picture I bought for the office.” Zero took one look at it and while turning to leave said, “The frame’s great but the picture sucks.” So ended my budding art career.
Other prized possessions were two sketches by Zero. One was of my father and the other was a self-portrait. Wherever we lived, those sketches found a spot on the wall. After my father passed away, I would often find myself staring at his sketch, which really captured him. When my passed died, my sister and I decided that we would split the two sketches up. I chose the one of the father, which hangs on my office wall today.
By the way, Zero’s real name was Samuel. How’s that for trivia?
Marty -
ReplyDeleteI was unable to post to your Zero blog. It didn't recognize my identity, even though I belong to the JCC and have a valid drivers license.
Anyhow, I, too, have vivid memories of Zero; in the two shows you reference, as well as his appearance in Ionesco's "Rhinoceros" and "The Producers" movie (with Gene Wilder). In addition, I experienced a random Zero sighting one Sunday afternoon in NYC. I saw the great man in the middle of 28th St. just off of 6th Ave., the flower district, yelling at someone in an upper floor of one of the buildings. That's it. Zero in the middle of the street, in suitably grubby clothes, yelling at somebody. Like the regular, albeit talented, shlub he was. No paparazzi in sight.
D. Frances