Mendie Koenig: Last of the East Side Kids? | |||
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Just received word that Emanuel "Mendie" Koenig, who appeared in the final 1945 season of the East Side Kids at Monogram, passed on January 4 at age 92. In tribute to Mendie, I am cutting and pasting the contents of an email that he sent to me in 2006 (please excuse the caps, which are his own keystrokes):
 "HOW MENDIE KOENIG BECAME A FILM ACTOR, AND HIS EXPERIENCES ON THE LEGITIMATE STAGE" (THIS WILL BE EXPRESSED AND WRITTEN INFORMALLY. NO ATTEMPT WILL BE MADE TO CORRECT GRAMMATICAL OR SPELLING ERRORS.) (DATES MAY BE SLIGHTLY CONFUSED DUE TO MY MEMORY OF MY ADVANCED YEARS.) HERE GOES: IN 1938, I WAS 18 YEARS OLD, ATTENDING L.A. CITY COLLEGE, AND TAKING COURSES SUCH AS: ADVERTISING, SALESMANSHIP, BOOKKEEPING,ETC. IT WAS THE END OF THE SEMESTER, AND I WAS GOING HOME ON THE "B"STREETCAR TO WHERE I LIVED WITH MY PARENTS IN BOYLE HEIGHTS, LOS ANGELES. I WAS FEELING PRETTY BLUE AND FRUSTRATED. I WAS NOT HAPPY WITH WHAT WAS HAPPENING AS FAR AS MY EDUCATION WAS CONCERNED. I WASN'T EXCITED OR ENTHUSED ABOUT THE COURSES I WAS TAKING. I DIDN'T WANT TO QUIT SCHOOL, AND I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. ON THE STREETCAR, WAS AARON RELLOSSOROFF. WE WERE NOT REALLY GOOD FRIENDS, JUST CASUAL FRIENDS. AARON WAS WATCHING ME. HE CAME OVER AND SAT NEXT TO ME. HE INQUIRED ABOUT WHAT WAS TROUBLING ME. (I AM GOING INTO DETAIL ABOUT THIS INCIDENT, BECAUSE AS YOU WILL SEE, IT WAS THE TURNING POINT OF MY YOUNG LIFE.) I EXPLAINED TO AARON HOW I FELT. HE LISTENED CAREFULLY. HE SAID, " MENDIE, WHY DON'T YOU SWITCH TO A DRAMA COURSE?" "DRAMA? WHY?" "L.A.CITY COLLEGE HAS A TERRIFIC DRAMA DRAMA COURSE, AND YOU WOULD BE A NATURAL" "WHAT DO YOU MEAN?" "WELL, YOU"RE ALWAYS JOKING AND CLOWNING AROUND...YOU MAKE PEOPLE LAUGH....YOU WOULD BE A NATURAL ACTOR." JUST LIKE THAT...IN AN INSTANT....I DECIDED THAT'S WHAT I WOULD DO!! TAKING A "COMMERCIAL" COURSE WASN'T REALLY MY IDEA. IT WAS THE IDEA OF MY SISTER, BEATRICE. SHE WAS THINKING OF ME, FIGURING A COURSE LIKE THIS WAS BETTER FOR MY HEALTH. IT DID NOT INVOLVE MUCH HOMEWORK. IT WAS VERSUS A "GENERAL" COURSE WHICH WOULD PREPARE ME FOR ADVANCED COLLEGE AND MUCH STUDY. HER THINKING WAS STRICTLY FOR MY BENEFIT. I INTERNALIZED HER BELIEFS, NOT REALLY MINE. I WAS BEING TOLD BY AARON WHAT I WAS GOOD AT. IT REFLECTED MY DEEP INTERESTS, STRENGTHS, AND TALENTS. OPPORTUNITY WAS KNOCKING AND I HEARD IT LOUD AND CLEAR. I HAD NO ONE TO DISCUSS THIS WITH, BUT I INSTINCTIVELY FELT THIS IS WHAT I SHOULD DO. (INCIDENTALLY, I RAN INTO AARON A FEW TIMES IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS. HE HAD CHANGED HIS NAME FROM AARON RELLOSSOROFF, TO DICK HOWARD.) I ENROLLED AS A DRAMA MAJOR. CITY COLLEGE HAD A FINE REPUTATION AND WAS NOTED FOR THE DRAMA DEPARTMENT AND COURSES. IT WAS A DETAILED AND THOROUGH COURSE INVOLVING SPEECH, PANTOMIME, DIRECTION, STAGE MOVEMENTS, STAGE CONSTRUCTION ETC. WITHOUT GOING INTO DETAI L, I RECEIVED A VALUABLE INDOCTRINATION INTO THE THEATER AND STAGE ACTING. FOR TWO YEARS, I WAS THE ACTING PARTNER OF A GIRL NAMED DONNA MULLINGER, FROM IOWA. SHE LATER BECAME DONNA REED. I ALSO PERFORMED EXPERIMENTAL PLAYS WITH ALEXIS SMITH. WHEN I LEFT CITY COLLEGE, I FELT SO ENTHUSED ABOUT ACTING, THAT I FELT IF I COULDN'T MAKE A LIVING ACTING, I WOULD NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO. HOWEVER, FOR PRACTICAL REASON AND TO HAVE A REGULAR INCOME I TOOK A JOB AS A CLERK WITH THE U.S.ENGINEERS. MY PARENTS WERE HAVING A DIFFICULT TIME MAKING ENDS MEET, AND I FELT I HAD TO HELP OUT. ALSO WE WERE INVOLVED IN WORLD WAR II, AND MEN WERE BEING DRAFTED FOR MILITARY SERVICE. IN 1942, PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT FELT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO HAVE A ROAD FROM ALASKA NEAR THE ALLUTION ISLANDS, NEAR OUR ALLY RUSSIA. THE PLAN WAS TO HAVE A ROAD ALONG WESTERN U.S. AND PLANS WERE MADE FOR THE PAN AMERICAN HIGHWAY, WHICH WAS TO GO FROM ARGENTINA TO ALASKA. WORD CAME TO THE U.S.ENGINEERS, THAT HELP WAS NEEDED ON THE COSTA RICCAN SEGMENT OF THE HIGHWAY. TRYING TO AVOID THE DRAFT, I VOLUNTEERED, AND WAS SELECTED. I WAS ASSIGNED TO SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA, AND BECAME THE HEAD OF THE PAYROLL DEPT. FOR MILITARY AND PRIVATE EMPLOYEES WORKING ON THE HIGHWAY IN PANAMA AND COSTA RICA. AFTER ABOUT A YEAR, THE WAR WAS NOT GOING WELL FOR U.S., AND ROOSEVELT WAS RECALLING ALL MALE CIVILIANS WORKING ON THE HIGHWAY, AND REQUESTING THEM TO ENLIST IN THE ARMED SERVICES. I ENLISTED IN THE U.S. ARMY. WHILE WAITING TO BE CALLED, I AUDITIONED FOR THE WILSHIRE EBELL THEATER MUSICAL CALLED "ON THE LEVEL". THIS WAS A PROFESSIONALLY WRITTEN AND ORCHESTRATED PERFORMANCE, SCHEDULED TO PLAY FOR SIX WEEKS. MY CITY COLLEGE TRAINING SOON BECAME EVIDENT, AND I ENJOYED BEING CAST AS THE LEADING CHARACTER, SINGING AND DANCING IN THIS ARMY ENGINEERS ORIENTED MUSICAL REVUE. THE ARMY POSTPONED MY INDUCTION DUE TO THE SHOW, AND I HAD MY FIRST TASTE OF PROFESSIONAL GREASEPAINT. IT STRENGTHENED MY BELIEF THAT ACTING IS THE ONLY THING FOR ME. AFTER ABOUT A YEAR IN THE ARMY, BEING A SKINNY KID, AND NOT CUT OUT FOR THE RIGORS OF ARMY LIFE, I WAS HONORABLY DISCHARGED. I DECIDED TO GET AS MUCH ACTING EXPERIENCE I COULD GET. GETTING INTO FILMS WAS A DIFFICULT TASK. IN THOSE DAYS OF THE BIG STUDIOS, NO ONE COULD GET A MOVIE JOB UNLESS THEY BELONGED TO THE SCREEN ACTORS GUILD. NO ONE COULD GET INTO THE SCREEN ACTORS GUILD, UNLESS THEY HAD A PART IN A MOVIE. IT WAS A CATCH 22. I WAS AN INEXPERIENCED NOVICE, BUT I WAS DETERMINED. WITHOUT GOING INTO DETAIL, I LEARNED THE "ROPES" AND I AUDITIONED FOR SHOWS....AND I WAS FAIRLY SUCCESSFUL. SOME OF THE PLAYS I AUDITIONED FOR AND WAS ACCEPTED ARE: A PLAY AT THE HAMPSHIRE PLAYHOUSE WITH MARIA RIVA, MARLENE DIETRICH'S DAUGHTER (I FORGOT THE NAME OF THE PLAY.) AN ENGLISH BUTLER IN P.G. WODEHOUSE'S, "LEAVE IT TO PSMITH". IN THE ACTOR'S ALLEY PLAYHOUSE, I PLAYED THE LEAD IN "THE MOUNTAINS COME TO THE GOLDSTEINS". I PLAYED A 75 YEAR OLD MAN OPPOSITE HELEN TOBIAS FROM THE NEW YORK STAGE, WHO WAS REALLY 75. (I WAS ABOUT 23 AT THE TIME.} (WILLIAM JEFFREYS, A SILENT STAR COWBOY ACTOR, WROTE THE PLAY AND DIRECTED IT. WE BECAME GOOD FRIENDS, AND HE ENCOURAGED ME TO CONTINUE GETTING EXPERIENCE.) A COCKNEY CHARACTER, A FRIEND OF ALFRED DOOLITLE IN PYGMALIAN. HENRY ALDRICH IN "WHAT A LIFE". BANJO IN "THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER" ( THE JIMMY DURANTE CHARACTER. THE COMEDIAN AND DANCER IN "THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE" ( THE GENE KELLY ROLE.) AND SO MANY MORE OF WHICH I HAVE FORGOTTEN. TO FILL IN BETWEEN PLAYS, I WENT TO WORK FOR THE MAX REINHARDT SCHOOL OF ACTING. THERE I ADDED TO MY EXPERIENCE BY BUILDING AND DESIGNING STAGE SETS, AND BEING THE STAGE MANAGER FOR ALL THE PRODUCTIONS. THIS WAS A GREAT EXPERIENCE WHICH INCLUDED "FILLING IN" FOR ACTORS WHO BECAME SICK OR FOR SOME OTHER REASON, COULD NOT GO ON. THIS WAS A LAST MINUTE THING, AND I HAD TO DO A LOT OF IMPROVISING, BUT "THE SHOW MUST GO ON." (ONE TIME I HAD TO PLAY THE PART OF A LITTLE GIRL, WIG AND ALL. THE AUDIENCE HOWLED, BUT THEY LOVED IT.) THE NEXT EPISODE CHANGED MY PROFESSIONAL LIFE. I WAS ASKED BY JACK GELLER, WHO WAS THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE MAX REINHARDT SCHOOL OF ACTING TO PERFORM IN A MAJOR ROLE IN A NEW PLAY, WHICH THE AUTHORS WERE "TRYING OUT" BEFORE TAKING IT TO BROADWAY IN NEW YORK. THE CHARACTER HAD TO HAVE RED HAIR, WHICH WAS IMPORTANT TO THE CONTEXT OF THE PLAY. CALLED "SPRING GREEN." OBVIOUSLY, I DID NOT HAVE RED HAIR, BUT THEY SAID THEY WILL ARRANGE TO HAVE MY HAIR DYED RED, AND AND THEN RETURNED TO MY ORIGINAL COLOR AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE PERFORMANCES. THEY WOULD TAKE CARE OF ALL APPOINTMENTS AND EXPENSES. I AGREED. THEY ARRANGED AN APPOINTMENT AT FREDRICKS HAIR SALON IN HOLLYWOOD, WITH HAIRDRESSER ALFRED LA RUE. ALFRED (AL) DID THE WORK ON MY HAIR AND INQUIRED AS TO WHY THE COLOR CHANGE. I EXPLAINED, AND ASKED HIM IF HE EVER THOUGHT OF CHANGING HIS PROFESSION AND BECOMING AN ACTOR. HE LAUGHED. THE PLAY RAN FOR THREE WEEKS (LUCKILY, BECAUSE MY HAIR WAS GROWING AND THE ORIGINAL COLOR WAS BECOMING EVIDENT..) BACK I WENT TO FREDRICKS, AND MR. ALFRED LA RUE. HE COULDN'T GET MY HAIR BACK TO IT'S ORIGINAL COLOR, BUT TO COMPENSATE I AGREED TO HAVE IT CUT SHORT TO A "BUTCH" STYLE. BY THIS TIME WE HAD BECOME FRIENDS. I TOLD AL THAT THEY WERE CASTING "BLIND ALLEY" AT THE PLAYHOUSE, AND HE WOULD BE A NATURAL IN THE LEAD. (CHESTER MORRIS PLAYED THE PART IN THE ORIGINAL FILM, THEN HUMPHREY BOGART IN THE SEQUEL.) I WAS JUST MAKING CONVERSATION AS I BELIEVED HE WAS NOT INTERESTED. BUT HE WAS. I TOLD HIM I WOULD CALL HIM WITH THE DETAILS, WHICH I DID. HE CAME DOWN, TRIED OUT FOR THE PART, WAS SUCCESSFUL, AND APPEARED IN THE PLAY. AGENTS AND TALENT SCOUTS VISITED THE PLAYHOUSE, ALWAYS SEEKING NEW TALENT. ONE GUY FROM UNIVERSAL STUDIOS WAS ATTRACTED TO AL, AND ARRANGED FOR FILM TEST FOR HIM. UNIVERSAL CONTRACTED HIM AND CAST HIM IN SOME FORGETTABLE "B" PICTURES, UNTIL A PART CAME ALONG IN AN ALSO A FORGETTABLE WESTERN FLICK. AND A NEW COWBOY ACTOR, "LASH LA RUE" WAS CREATED!! AL AND I CONTINUED TO COMMUNICATE, AND ONE MORNING HE PHONED ME AND TOLD ME UNIVERSAL WAS CASTING "RIVER GANG", AND THERE COULD BE SOMETHING IN IT FOR ME. CHARLES DAVID, HUSBAND OF DEANNA DURBIN WAS DIRECTING AND HOLDING TRYOUTS. WOULD I BE INTERESTED? I EXPLAINED MY DILEMMA ABOUT WORKING AT THE STUDIO, AND BELONGING TO THE SCREEN ACTORS GUILD (SAG), AND HE SAID IT'S WORTH A TRY. HERETOFORE, I COULDN'T EVEN GET PAST THE GUARDS AT THE STUDIOS, BUT WITH AL (LASH), WE WERE USHERED UP TO CHARLES DAVID'S OFFICE. I "READ" FOR HIM, HE SAID I WAS EXACTLY THE TYPE HE WAS LOOKING FOR, AND CALLED THE CASTING OFFICE, AND TOLD THEM HE WAS SENDING ME TO THEM. "RIVER GANG" HAD GLORIA JEAN IN THE LEADING ROLE, AND SHELDON LEONARD, JOHN QUALEN AND KEEFE BRASELLE IN FEATURED ROLES. THE CASTING OFFICE GAVE ME SOME PAPERWORK TO TAKE TO THE OFFICE OF SAG, AND TOLD ME IT WOULD BE $54 TO JOIN. THEY ASKED ME WHO MY AGENT WAS, AND WHEN I TOLD THEM I DIDN'T HAVE ONE, THEY ARRANGED A MEETING FOR ME WITH MR. GERALD S. HERDAN, AN AGENT WITH AN OFFICE ON THE SUNSET STRIP. MR. HERDAN WAS THE AGENT OF SHELDON LEONARD AND JOHN QUALEN, WHO WERE ALSO CAST IN THE FILM, WHICH WAS THE REASON THIS WISE CLERK (BLESS HER!) RECOMMENDED I GO TO HIM. I DIDN'T HAVE $54 DOLLARS FOR SAG, AND NEITHER DID AL. HE WAS DRIVING HIS GIRL FRIEND'S CAR, AND WAS WILLING TO DRAG ME ALL OVER TOWN. I CALLED MY PARENTS, AND TOLD THEM I WAS COMING OVER. FORTUNATELY, THEY HAD THE MONEY IN THE HOUSE (THEY HAD TO SCRAPE TOGETHER) BUT THEY WERE GLAD TO GIVE IT TO ME.(SAG NOW IS $54OO)! WE RUSHED OVER TO SAG IN HOLLYWOOD, SIGNED UP, AND HEADED FOR AGENT GERALD S. HERDAN. HE ASKED ME IF SALARY WAS DISCUSSED, I NEVER EVEN THOUGHT OF WHAT THEY WOULD BE PAYING ME. HE SAID HE WOULD TAKE CARE OF IT. HE SAID HE WOULD NEED SOME PICTURES OF ME, CALLED A PHOTOGRAPHER, AND MADE AN APPOINTMENT FOR ME THE FOLLOWING WEEK. SO THERE IT WAS! IN ONE DAY, I WAS CAST IN A MAJOR STUDIO FILM, I BECAME A MEMBER OF THE SCREEN ACTOR'S GUILD, I HAD AN AGENT, AND WAS GETTING SOME PROFESSIONAL PICTURES DONE!! I HAD BEEN WORKING TOWARDS ALL OF THIS FOR MORE THAN A YEAR, AND THANKS TO LASH LA RUE, IT ALL HAPPENED IN ONE DAY!! AFTER "RIVER GANG", MR. HERDAN TOOK ME DOWN TO SAM KATZMAN'S OFFICE AT MONOGRAM STUDIOS, AND I WAS CAST IN LEO GORCEY AND HIS AGENT, JAN GRIPPO'S EASTSIDE KID'S PICTURES: "DOCKS OF NEW YORK" , "MR. MUGGS RIDES AGAIN", AND "COME OUT FIGHTING". IN BETWEEN, MR. HERDAN GOT ME EMPLOYMENT WITH THE LUTHERAN CHURCH. I MADE "YOUTH FOR THE KINGDOM" PLAYING A TOUGH KID WHO LATER GETS REFORMED BY THE CHURCH. BETWEEN PICTURES, I WAS CALLED FOR INTERVIEWS AT SOME MAJOR STUDIOS. I KEPT GETTING THE SAME RESPONSE FROM THEM: "MENDIE, WHEN I NEED A "STREET KID", I'LL CALL YOU." I WAS TYPED AS A "STREET KID"!! I FELT I WAS QUALIFIED AND EXPERIENCED TO PLAY MORE MATURE ROLLS. MR HERDAN AGREED WITH ME. HE LINED ME UP WITH ROLAND REED PRODUCTIONS, AND INDEPENDENT MOVIE PRODUCING COMPANY. WITH THEM I DID A NUMBER OF REHABILITATIVE FILMS FOR THE U.S. MILITARY. THE ROLES CALLED FOR ME TO BE WOUNDED SOLDIER, SAILOR, OR MARINE. THE CAMERA "FOLLOWED" ME FROM THE START OF ME BEING WOUNDED THROUGH ALL THE STEPS OF BEING REHABILITATED. I PLAYED BURNED MILITARY PERSONNEL, SOLDIERS WITH LOST LIMBS, AND VARIOUS OTHER WAR MISHAPS. KAY FRANCIS AND BRUCE CABOT WERE ALSO IN THE FILMS. SHE PLAYED SOME KIND OF SOCIAL SERVICE WORKER, AND CABOT WAS A DOCTOR. WE WERE THE ONLY PROFESSIONAL ACTORS IN THE SERIES. THE REST OF THE PLAYERS WERE THE REAL PEOPLE IN THE HOSPITAL. WE WERE ON LOCATION FOR OVER A MONTH, AT THE CORONA NAVAL HOSPITAL IN RIVERSIDE. I WAS NOT PLAYING A "STREET KID" AND IT WAS INTERESTING GETTING TO KNOW KAY FRANCIS AND BRUCE CABOT. WHEN THAT GIG WAS OVER, I AUDITIONED AND WAS FORTUNATE TO GET ONE OF THE LEADING ROLES IN A PLAY CALLED "MOTEL WIVES". IT WAS WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY MORGAN WALLACE, WHO WAS AN ACTOR IN THE 20'S AND EARLY 30'S. THE PLAY CALLED FOR TWO PRINCIPLE MALES, AND TWO FEMALES. IT TOOK PLACE DURING THE WAR WHEN APARTMENTS WERE SCARCE. THE TWO MARRIED COUPLES RENTED THE APARTMENT WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT ONE COUPLE WORKED DAYS, AND OTHER COUPLE WORKED NIGHTS. THE CONFLICT WAS MY "WIFE" WORKED DAYS AND I WORKED NIGHTS, AND THE OTHER MAN WORKED DAYS, AND HIS "WIFE" WORKED NIGHTS. WE WOULD SPEND TIME WITH EACH OTHER'S MATE! THIS DOESNT SOUND LIKE MUCH OF A PLAY, BUT IT WAS FUNNY, AND CLEVER, AND RAN FOR A YEAR AT THE MUSART THEATRE, ON PICO AND FIGUEROA IN LOS ANGELES. (THE SITE IS A PARKING LOT NOW.) THE LANDLADY IN THE PLAY WAS MARJORIE BENNETT, A CHARACTER ACTRESS IN THE MOVIES, AND THE OTHER HUSBAND WAS SID MELTON, WHO WORKED PRETTY STEADY IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA. I WAS PLAYING A MATURE HUSBAND, AND NOT "A STREET KID.) IT WAS A GREAT YEAR! WE DID 8 SHOWS A WEEK, 2 ON SUNDAY. SID AND I SPENT ALMOST EVERY DAY TOGETHER. BEFORE THE EVENING PERFORMANCE. WE WOULD GO TO A DELI ON WESTERN AVENUE, WHERE ALL THE OLD TIMERS HUNG OUT. SID KNEW EVERYONE. I CAN'T REMEMBER EVERYONE I MET, BUT I DO REMEMBER JERRY VAN DYKE, WILLIE HOWARD (OF EUGENE AND HOWARD), MORRY AMSTERDAM, GEORGE BURNS, AND OTHERS I CAN'T THINK OF AT THIS MOMENT. MOTEL WIVES CLOSED, AND I GOT MARRIED. I MET WITH GERALD S. HERDAN, AND I EXPLAINED TO HIM THAT I HAD TO MAKE SOME MONEY, AND I COULDN'T WAIT FOR THAT LUCRATIVE MOVIE PART TO COME ALONG. I TOLD HIM I WAS GOING TO SEEK OTHER EMPLOYMENT. HE UNDERSTOOD. I WENT TO PHOTOGRAPHY SCHOOL, UNDER THE G.I.BILL, AND BECAME A PHOTOGRAPHER. I WAS IN "BUSINESS" FOR MYSELF, AND SUBSEQUENTLY WORKED FOR A PHOTO STUDIO, TAKING CHILDREN'S PICTURES. I WAS MAKING A GOOD LIVING DOING THIS, WHEN I DECIDED TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL, GET A DEGREE AND A TEACHING CREDENTIAL. I GRADUATED IN 1951, FROM CAL STATE, NORTHRIDGE, WHICH WAS CALLED L.A. STATE COLLEGE AT THAT TIME. I WENT TO WORK AS A TEACHER FOR THE LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT. I BECAME A PRINCIPAL IN 1972, AND RETIRED IN 1987, AT THE AGE OF 67.
http://bowery-bijou.blogspot.com/
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Monday, January 7, 2013
Mendie Koenig
Former East Side Kid Mendie Koenig passed away on January 4th. Here's something about him in his own words that originally appeared at http://monsterkidclassichorrorforum.yuku.com/topic/47694/Mendie-Koenig-Last-of-the-East-Side-Kids .
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