I’d always dreamed of attending the Academy Awards…
Better yet, I wanted to have a good reason to be there. It was 1990 and I was invited to go to the big dance. I’d just finished working on my first name picture, CHAMPIONS FOREVER starring Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Larry Holmes, George Foreman and Ken Norton. And my feature documentary was in the running for best picture in the documentary category. In the end I didn’t make the cut. It was still a time when Ali was looked down on over his ties to a not popular religious group.
That would change later with, When We Were Kings. My movie was the only time all five champions were together in one room and interviewed about their careers and fights with Ali – he’d fought them all.
My best pal in LA, actor Sonny Landham, had invited me to go with him to the ceremony. Sonny’s career was hot with 48 Hours, Predator, Lock Up and more. And Landham was a longtime member of the Academy.
Even back then they checked to make sure only invited guests would walk the red carpet and get seats. Seats to the awards show were selling for up to $5,000 each. But if you got caught selling them you were terminated from the Academy. You had to get permission for a guest to use one of your seats.
Obviously, the theater didn’t have enough seats for all the members, so they did a lottery to see who got seats and who didn’t. I’m sure if you were say John Travolta or Spielberg, this wasn’t an issue.
What made my attendance so odd, is I was still in the federal halfway house in downtown Los Angeles. I was in my last month of custody and I had to get permission to go from about 10 different higher ups. They said, OK, but be back by 10 pm.
Sonny and I were joined by screen writer Robert Roy Pool to walk the red carpet that afternoon. Yep, it starts pretty early and all the attendees walked the red carpet. Pool had written a couple big films like Armaggedden and was the writer of my movie script for OUTLAWS for Universal.
The crowds cheered as everyone walked the carpet, even though I was friends with Variety columnist Army Archerd – his son was my lawyer – we didn’t get to stop and be interviewed. Hah. The cheering was for George Lucas and Steven Spielberg who were just up in front of us. Bob Pool thought they recognized him, but, uh they didn’t. Sonny was popular though.
I was introduced to a ton of stars ranging from Kim Basinger to Denzel Washington. I felt stupid saying, “I have a movie in development.” Who there didn’t have a picture in development?
Sonny and I got a bit bored during the five hour show and ended up in the bar at the ABC lounge at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
The show wasn’t over when I had to leave before 10 pm so I wouldn’t get in trouble. But they want you to stay in your seats so when the TV cameras pan the audience there are no empty seats.
It was an experience to say the least.
However I didn’t feel great about it, my film not getting a nomination. I would attend one more awards ceremony with my partner Ron Hamady years later. I’ll wager that it’s likely anybody else attended the Academy Awards while in a halfway house.
Today, I am still good pals with Sonny Landham, I was best man at his wedding in Kentucky. Bob Pool wrote and produced a couple more films including Outbreak with Dustin Hoffman. Ron and I did four more sports movies.
And today my life story has just been optioned from the book KING OF STING, by yet another major production company with Touchstone Pictures.
Who knows, maybe I’ll be back at the awards again before long?
Mazel Tov and Good Luck.
Me too.
Hope it is a hit!
That’s pretty cool. Good luck with it.
So had the Malpaso Company not exercised or renewed the earlier option on the book?
And—just curious—how long will Disney be able to hang on to this new option?
Either way, congratulations and best of luck in your persuit of the project!
Eisner offered to option it again..with Rob Lorenz attached to direct from Malpaso, but I’d waited four years on those guys and I love Rob, but I felt a new young director and William Morris gang might get it done. I was shocked Rob, Eric and Clint couldn’t to this point…Clint was not the director Rob was..so big difference…trust me Rob is a fine director he did TROUBLE WITH THE CURVE..but he is Clints right hand man and producer including AMERICAN SNIPER..so…I ain’t gettin any younger…This deal is for 18 months…script is nearly done this one goes the entire distance covers the entire book. I like the new director alot David Jung.
Great Craig, I’m pulling for you!
good luck, cg. of course, you know Hollywood… if a script does get written and a pic made, they’ll definitely, uh, embellish it.
I got to go to a Chiefs game once.
I had no idea they were still in business.
I guess an option is better than nothing at all.
Thanks for all the nice good wishes guys.
Well glaze:
the dream lives on!!!!! Went to see mellencamp at midland Saturday night.
Came on and sang despite the flu. But he had my favorite song…’LONGEST
DAYS” and made the comment “DREAMS ARE THE GREATEST THINGS”
All of us have dream..whether its glaze dreaming of seeing his
book become a real life movie…or even Wilson dreaming of his
writings being in papers coast to coast. It’s a great feeling and it’s
a driving force for ‘many of us.
glaze…even my internet friend Wilson….here’s to all your
dreams coming true. Don’t stop believing.
and never…never…never…give up!!!!!!!!
YOUR FRIEND
Harley.
P.S. Harley has made many long shot predictions and they
hit. For some reason Harley says this time Glaze
hits a home run. With the success of Sniper…this is the
perfect time for the guy who never gave up!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WWBS/WWAS??????????????????????????????????????????????
We’ll see.
got an email from someone not familiar with mellencamps LONGEST DAYS
lyrics…so here it is….
Seems like once upon a time ago
I was where I was supposed to be
My vision was true and my heart was too
There was no end to what I could dream
I walked like a hero into the setting sun
Everyone called out my name
Death to me was just a mystery
I was too busy raising up Cain
But nothing lasts forever
Your best efforts don’t always pay
Sometimes you get sick and you don’t get better
That’s when life is short even in its longest days
So you pretend not to notice
That everything has changed
Way that you look and the friends you once had
So you keep on acting the same
Deep down in your soul
You know you, you got no flame
And who knows then which way to go
Life is short even in its longest days
All I got here is a rear view mirror
Reflections of where I’ve been
So you tell yourself I’ll be back up on top some day
But you know there’s nothing waiting up there for you anyway
Nothing lasts forever
And your best efforts don’t always pay
Sometimes you get sick and you don’t get better
That’s when life is short even in its longest days
Life is short even in its longest days
to everyone…the truth is “life is short even in its longest days!”
may all your hopes and dreams become realities!!!!!!!
your ffirnend
Harley
that IS one of his best lyrics, and the vocal performance and production suits it perfectly. t bone burnett = genius.
Awesome! I hope they don’t screw it up. It is a great story.
Glazer getting a option on his “movie” doesn’t mean jack squat:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Option_%28filmmaking%29
It is one of the steps in the process of making a movie.
Really troll, well how many you got. It’s the major step in getting a film made you kinda have to sell it first…then a director, we have, a script, we have and hire an actor and financing takes all that…all movies start this way troll…
P.S. uh you also get paid for options, scripts, story rights, book rights up front..troll. Thanks for asking.
Rooting for you, Craig!
Congratulations, Glazer….When the movie is made, I’ll definitely be in line to see it.
Oh Lance, you slay me.
Curious, what did you do on the other two boxing pictures you mentioned? you called them your films but I dont see you listed on the IMDB page for either one. congrats on the new movie by the way.
Funny you should ask, Shaun.
there are several credits of mine and many ‘not’ on IMDB you have to file and send all the material, which my lawyer does but sometimes it doesn’t go up and you have to stay on it…other films were ‘Latin Legends’ ‘The Drivers’ and my newest one “Ali’ The Definitive Version…came out in 2010… I know they have two or three up and on another IMDB pro site they have other credits including some acting ones like Billy Lone Bear…I believe…Amazon sells The Ali movies and Latin Legends…there is a two pack of both as well…and my book King of Sting…
this is true with many other folks on there…I see many not updated on comics I bring in who have even tv series on air not on there..who knows why…lots to keep up on..
Craig any pix from the red carpet when you were there? good luck.
Mr. Glazer — There are many different roles that carry the title “Producer” associated with film making. These roles may include dealing with budgets and contacts (the “Executive Producer”) to a writer who hasn’t contributed enough to the screenplay to be given a screenwriter credit.
What exactly was your role with these films that earned you the producer title?
Good for you. Best of luck. I look forward to seeing it.
Question, any actors interested in it yet? Don’t know if it is too soon in the process.