THE HOLLYWOOD CAVALCADE is the third anthology of plays from THE HOLLYWOOD LEGENDS collection.Unlike the previous two volumes, the trilogy of plays in this offering deals with several people who I met during my years in the film community or got to know. Indeed, my encounters with Edward G. Robinson, Lon Chaney, Jr. and Frank Sinatra at various show business functions may have been brief, but I had several meetings and dealings with George Raft and John Carradine, and in 1979, I designed a publicity campaign for Mickey Rooney, which resulted in the actor receiving an Oscar nomination for THE BLACK STALLION.ROBINSON & RAFT explores the contentious relationship between two actors from totally diverse backgrounds who were among the screen's premier "tough guys". The play is set in the mid-1950s when both performer's careers were at a low ebb. Edward G. Robinson has been "blacklisted" by the HUAC and, after the assassination of "Bugsy" Siegel, George Raft's connections with Mob figures have finally caught up with him. Now, both actors must decide if they want to work together again in A BULLET FOR JOEY, a film that could revitalize their careers. In THE LAST MONSTERS, Lon Chaney Jr., Bela Lugosi and John Carradine gather together in 1956 to appear in THE BLACK SLEEP, the final gesture to the classic horror films of the 1930s and 1940s. Now, as the trio waits on the set to act out their brief, secondary roles, old resentments, personal frustrations and insecurities rise to the surface, wreaking havoc on a troubled picture that is already behind schedule.AVA & HER GUYS, set in 1966, finds a frightened Ava Gardner ensconced in a bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel, avoiding violent actor George C. Scott, who has been stalking her. Now, with a drink in her hand, she revisits the life choices she's made, as well as her relationships with former husbands Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw and Frank Sinatra; billionaire Howard Hughes and other men who have brought her to this fragile moment.The plays utilize simple costumes and props, and are designed to be staged on a single setting with shifts in lighting to denote changes in time and place.
About the Author: Michael B. Druxman is a veteran Hollywood screenwriter whose credits include CHEYENNE WARRIOR with Kelly Preston; DILLINGER AND CAPONE starring Martin Sheen and F. Murray Abraham; and THE DOORWAY with Roy Scheider, which he also directed. He is also a prolific playwright, his one-person play, JOLSON, having had numerous productions around the country. Other produced stage credits include one-person plays about Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, Spencer Tracy and Orson Welles. Additionally, Mr. Druxman is the author of thirteen other published books, including several nonfiction works about Hollywood, its movies, and the people who make them (e.g., BASIL RATHBONE: His Life and His Films, MAKE IT AGAIN, SAM: A Survey of Movie Remakes, ONE GOOD FILM DESERVES ANOTHER: A Survey of Movie Sequels, MERV [Griffin] and THE MUSICAL: From Broadway to Hollywood). He has written four novels, NOBODY DROWNS IN MINERAL LAKE, SHADOW WATCHER MURDER IN BABYLON and JACKIE GOES TO DIXIE, plus the humorous revisionist history, ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD: From the Secret Files of Harry Pennypacker, and FAMILY SECRET, a non-fiction book co-authored with Warren Hull, which reveals the true facts behind the 1947 murder of mobster "Bugsy" Siegel in Beverly Hills. An acknowledged Hollywood historian, he has also written television documentaries and has been interviewed for various retrospective featurettes that have accompanied DVD releases of classic films (e.g. THE MALTESE FALCON, etc.). Mr. Druxman is a former Hollywood publicist of 35 years experience who has represented many film and television stars, as well as noted directors, producers and composers. One of his Academy Award campaigns is often mentioned in books dealing with Oscar's history. He has taught various dramatic writing and film appreciation courses in an adult university and is the author of How to Write a Story...Any Story: THE ART OF STORYTELLING, which has been used as a text in several colleges. A native of Seattle who graduated from Garfield High School and the University of Washington, Mr. Druxman moved with his wife, Sandy, from Los Angeles to Austin, TX in 2009. His two memoirs, MY FORTY-FIVE YEARS IN HOLLYWOOD AND HOW I ESCAPED ALIVE and LIFE, LIBERTY & THE PURSUIT OF HOLLYWOOD, are published by Bear Manor Media.