1 00:00:15,359 --> 00:00:19,800 Hey, everybody, Welcome to life is a gamble. This is episode twelve, 2 00:00:20,120 --> 00:00:27,280 and my guest today is Joseph Mirhy. Joseph has produced over one hundred 3 00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:33,280 movies. He's directed over thirty, He's written over twenty, also been involved 4 00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:41,520 in television and longtime friends. So Joe, welcome to life as a gamble. 5 00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:44,960 Thank you, Thank you for having me months. Great seeing you again. 6 00:00:45,119 --> 00:00:49,679 You're one of my oldest friends, one of my kindest friends. We 7 00:00:50,200 --> 00:00:54,280 hang out a lot together. We wrote a few scripts together, and we 8 00:00:54,359 --> 00:00:58,799 made movies together. So we go way way back. Yeah, yeah, 9 00:00:58,920 --> 00:01:03,520 And I want to get to that, but I really want to start at 10 00:01:03,560 --> 00:01:10,879 the beginning, which is you're from a small town in Syria and you moved 11 00:01:10,879 --> 00:01:12,760 to the States. How old were you when you moved to the States. 12 00:01:12,959 --> 00:01:17,480 I was eighteen, maybe eighteen and a half. I was in nineteen seventy 13 00:01:17,480 --> 00:01:19,879 two. I was born in nineteen seventy three, I mean fifty three, 14 00:01:21,760 --> 00:01:25,040 seven seventy two, when I was eighteen eighteen and a half years old, 15 00:01:25,040 --> 00:01:30,599 I think I finished high school and yeah, came to the States. And 16 00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:34,519 what was your plan? What was the what was yeah, what was the 17 00:01:34,560 --> 00:01:38,760 plan? You know, you know, every single person. I'm realizing, 18 00:01:38,879 --> 00:01:42,359 and I seriously, you know, between I turned seventy years old, so 19 00:01:42,480 --> 00:01:47,519 between sixty five and seventy you start reflecting on everything. You start reflecting on 20 00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:51,439 you know, you know, like I grew up thinking my dad is an 21 00:01:51,439 --> 00:01:56,200 idiot. You know. Then by the time forty five, I'm thinking my 22 00:01:56,359 --> 00:01:59,359 dad the best, he did the best he could. You know, I 23 00:01:59,400 --> 00:02:04,000 was lucky enough to see him and then talk to him. And then then 24 00:02:04,680 --> 00:02:07,719 what who made me what I am? I start thinking, you know what, 25 00:02:07,800 --> 00:02:13,319 it's my dad. Also his influence, although he he really is an 26 00:02:13,319 --> 00:02:20,800 illiterate, he couldn't read or write, but he has this adventurous sense of 27 00:02:21,319 --> 00:02:24,479 I'm going to do something good in my life. And he never went anywhere. 28 00:02:24,599 --> 00:02:28,639 He was you know, he was he was. He fixed shoes and 29 00:02:28,639 --> 00:02:31,479 and he repairs shoes. And we're you know, we're not poor, but 30 00:02:32,800 --> 00:02:38,560 a little bit above poor, not a mentally class either. So so so 31 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:42,919 so my father influenced me. And even looking back, my father and who 32 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:46,599 five jokes? And every client who will come in to fix his shoes or 33 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:50,840 Chinese shoes or do something, he will tell his five jokes. And it 34 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:57,400 was painful for me to hear over and over and over again every every day 35 00:02:57,840 --> 00:03:01,919 for years. But he has a this is just for life. And if 36 00:03:01,960 --> 00:03:07,280 it wasn't for him, I start thinking, you know, he gave me 37 00:03:07,639 --> 00:03:13,919 all the money he has for a dream that he's never been out of homes 38 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:17,120 for more than maybe one hundred kilometer or something. Did send me to the 39 00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:24,919 US. So but it all starts again just thinking and reflecting. There's like 40 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:30,400 God, whatever he is, she is, whatever religion, kind of send 41 00:03:30,479 --> 00:03:34,599 you somebody and guide you. And you don't you don't really see it. 42 00:03:34,680 --> 00:03:38,479 You don't know it, you don't recognize it. Unfortunately for another ten, 43 00:03:38,599 --> 00:03:43,319 fifteen, twenty thirty years later. And that person who God sent to me 44 00:03:44,199 --> 00:03:47,560 was a painter, not house painting. He was an artist actually. And 45 00:03:47,599 --> 00:03:53,159 when I used to go and get to my father his supplies from the zook, 46 00:03:53,280 --> 00:03:55,840 I was like eight ten years old. I will walk by this guy 47 00:03:55,879 --> 00:04:00,039 and this guy who's painting on a canvas, and then I'm a curious. 48 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:03,800 I started standing there and just watched them, and he was kind and he 49 00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:08,520 said hello to me. And finally, every time I go back and forth, 50 00:04:09,159 --> 00:04:13,680 I'll see the progress of that canvas the next day. And I was 51 00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:16,519 I was really touched. And see how beautiful this guy painted. And he 52 00:04:16,680 --> 00:04:23,199 just sat there, smoke a cigarette outside on the sidewalk and just paint. 53 00:04:23,839 --> 00:04:28,360 And finally I stood there one time watching and he goes here. He gave 54 00:04:28,439 --> 00:04:31,920 me the brush and he goes put some colors on this tree. And I 55 00:04:31,920 --> 00:04:34,240 didn't want to do that. He said, do it just see. You 56 00:04:34,279 --> 00:04:38,920 know, I'm going to go inside and get some water and sit down here 57 00:04:38,920 --> 00:04:42,600 and start painting. So I sat them and start. I was afraid to 58 00:04:42,800 --> 00:04:46,160 mess it up and put some colors. That came back and encourage me. 59 00:04:46,399 --> 00:04:49,560 Wow, you're an artist. You're really good. You know who's your family? 60 00:04:49,680 --> 00:04:54,680 So he tells me, and then I told him, you know where 61 00:04:54,839 --> 00:05:00,120 my dad's shop is. So a few days later he asked me again to 62 00:05:00,120 --> 00:05:03,439 to paint, and I started looking forward to it and stopped for a second. 63 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:08,160 And then then he took me by the hand, went to my dad 64 00:05:08,160 --> 00:05:10,480 and he goes, listen. He said, this kid is talented. He 65 00:05:10,519 --> 00:05:14,519 should you should put him in an art class. There's a summer art class. 66 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:15,439 You should put him in there. For my dad said, okay, 67 00:05:15,480 --> 00:05:19,040 okay, no, no, and then he said and then he said isn't 68 00:05:19,040 --> 00:05:26,319 the money because at the time probably cost a dollar to go in and and 69 00:05:26,040 --> 00:05:29,319 and then he said, no, I don't want him to do. He 70 00:05:29,360 --> 00:05:31,759 said, if I paid for him and I take him and register him, 71 00:05:32,160 --> 00:05:36,199 will you please let him go to the art class. He did, and 72 00:05:36,279 --> 00:05:41,639 he did that. He took me. He paid for me, he you 73 00:05:41,680 --> 00:05:45,439 know, and he was he was asking me, what did they teach us? 74 00:05:45,560 --> 00:05:48,399 What? Show me some of the paint the drawing. It was a 75 00:05:48,439 --> 00:05:55,199 pencil and shadow class, so only with pencil, no colors. And I 76 00:05:55,279 --> 00:05:58,199 showed him what I drew, and he goes, you, you're fantastic man, 77 00:05:58,279 --> 00:06:00,399 He said, you have you have an eye for in composition. He 78 00:06:00,480 --> 00:06:04,000 goes to the house and he takes the camera and the camera is one of 79 00:06:04,000 --> 00:06:09,639 those cameras that you look into the linus, you know, into the viewer 80 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:14,839 for the top down from the top, and he put a film in it 81 00:06:15,519 --> 00:06:19,160 and he said, go shoot some pictures. So I went and stuched, 82 00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:21,759 you know, I shot the pictures and give it to him. He paid 83 00:06:21,759 --> 00:06:27,160 for it to go to the lab. And so he encouraged me and me 84 00:06:27,199 --> 00:06:30,920 in a while, there is a movie theater open next to us, next 85 00:06:30,959 --> 00:06:35,959 to the shop, and the smallest movie theater, very very small, maybe 86 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:41,720 one hundred c and the owner will bring his shoes to us, you know, 87 00:06:41,759 --> 00:06:45,160 I'll shine his shoes. It fixed his shoes for free. So he 88 00:06:45,240 --> 00:06:47,759 allowed me to go and see the movies anytime I want. I'll walk in 89 00:06:47,759 --> 00:06:50,920 in the middle of the movie and begin, you know, right after school. 90 00:06:51,160 --> 00:06:58,399 So from eleven to twelve thirteen fourteen, I saw probably one movie I've 91 00:06:58,399 --> 00:07:01,319 seen twenty times daily time, forty times. You know. I spend my 92 00:07:01,680 --> 00:07:05,759 time in the movie and they only brought like one movie every three weeks over, 93 00:07:06,120 --> 00:07:09,680 you know. So I saw you know, Humphrey Bogart, I saw 94 00:07:09,759 --> 00:07:14,360 John Wayne, I saw Tarzan, and I saw Hercules. So who was 95 00:07:14,439 --> 00:07:18,040 like, oh my god, this is what I want to do. So 96 00:07:18,040 --> 00:07:25,120 so all this comes together because of this kind man who decided, you know 97 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:30,439 what, I'll pay attention to the skin. Wow wow. And then then 98 00:07:30,519 --> 00:07:33,800 he helped me, you know, get a visa to get to come to 99 00:07:33,839 --> 00:07:39,399 the US. You know, wrote wrote for a college, any college, 100 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:43,839 and and the only place I could because I didn't have a lot of money, 101 00:07:43,879 --> 00:07:47,720 I didn't know anything. It was Palatka, Florida. Saint John Tollige 102 00:07:47,720 --> 00:07:53,879 in Pavlatka, Florida. They sent me an application, went to the embassy, 103 00:07:54,879 --> 00:07:58,800 of course, and the embassy they have no reason, they have all 104 00:07:58,800 --> 00:08:03,000 the reasons not to give me, you know, my visa. I wasn't 105 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:05,240 rich. They didn't know if I was going to be a liability on the 106 00:08:05,279 --> 00:08:09,839 government here. I only had four hundred dollars to take with me. And 107 00:08:09,920 --> 00:08:13,600 there and this woman looked at me and she really liked me, and I 108 00:08:13,600 --> 00:08:20,759 remember she was so kind also, and she stamped the visa. So now 109 00:08:20,759 --> 00:08:26,240 I'm coming, I'm coming to Florida. And what were you going to study? 110 00:08:26,399 --> 00:08:31,039 Art? Well, I couldn't tell my dad. I really want to 111 00:08:31,080 --> 00:08:35,240 study movies, you know. I want to be a producer. I want 112 00:08:35,279 --> 00:08:37,759 to stay. But you know, my dad said, what are you going 113 00:08:37,759 --> 00:08:41,080 to doing study? I said, several engineers. I said, you know, 114 00:08:41,120 --> 00:08:43,960 I want to build things, you know, And he said okay, 115 00:08:43,159 --> 00:08:46,399 okay, And I said, this is the only place that And I showed 116 00:08:46,440 --> 00:08:52,159 them a little article that I looked in a newspaper and Eric, of course 117 00:08:52,200 --> 00:08:54,639 it was and he couldn't read it. But I'm reading them that even the 118 00:08:54,679 --> 00:09:00,360 construction workers makes like six dollars an hour, seven dollars an hour. There's 119 00:09:00,399 --> 00:09:03,080 a lot of money that would we make in a month, you know, 120 00:09:03,679 --> 00:09:07,039 you know, you know guys working there, And he said, I said, 121 00:09:07,039 --> 00:09:11,399 I want to make six dollars an hour. Dollars an hour, yeah, 122 00:09:11,440 --> 00:09:15,679 and he's still okay, So go. So I went. And the 123 00:09:15,840 --> 00:09:20,000 night before I was panicking. I said, wait a minute, I'm going 124 00:09:20,080 --> 00:09:24,159 to the US. I'm looking at this map. I said, well, 125 00:09:24,159 --> 00:09:28,399 how the map? How is the plane is? No, I'm going to 126 00:09:28,480 --> 00:09:31,919 go to that city, to Florida. How would they know that they're probably 127 00:09:31,919 --> 00:09:33,840 going to drop me in New York and that's it? How would they know 128 00:09:33,960 --> 00:09:43,759 that? You know? So you know, I went to to New York 129 00:09:43,799 --> 00:09:46,200 obviously, and the guy ripped me off. It took like twenty dollars for 130 00:09:46,320 --> 00:09:50,279 my money, and he didn't give me the change. It was should have 131 00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:56,039 maybe two three dollars, okay. Then took a bus a cat at the 132 00:09:56,080 --> 00:10:01,519 cat going from one airport to the other. It was a different airport I 133 00:10:01,559 --> 00:10:07,600 was going, and then ended up staying spending the light in New York. 134 00:10:07,720 --> 00:10:11,720 Next day, I took the plane to Jacksonville. Jacksonville, I took the 135 00:10:11,720 --> 00:10:20,200 the the bus to to Palatka. You know, right, on the weekend. 136 00:10:20,240 --> 00:10:22,840 It was like a ghost town. Nobody was there, you know, 137 00:10:24,480 --> 00:10:28,840 it was it was really it was really something. Of course, I and 138 00:10:30,320 --> 00:10:33,600 you didn't know a single person, right, You're just I knew, I 139 00:10:33,720 --> 00:10:39,159 knew. I knew one person in Palatka that my neighbor had gone there, 140 00:10:39,320 --> 00:10:46,200 same thing that it was really uh an easy city to go to, an 141 00:10:46,200 --> 00:10:50,879 easy college to go to. And I didn't see him till like a week 142 00:10:50,960 --> 00:10:56,240 later because he was working in Jacksonville. And so I paid two hundred and 143 00:10:56,240 --> 00:11:00,840 seventy five dollars I paid, So I only have like a eighty ninety dollars 144 00:11:00,919 --> 00:11:07,440 left, and I have no no, no desire to to learn anything except 145 00:11:07,519 --> 00:11:09,559 I kept thinking, I'm going to run out of money. I'm going to 146 00:11:09,639 --> 00:11:13,840 run out of money. I'm going to run out of money. And what 147 00:11:13,879 --> 00:11:18,000 did you spend the two hundred and seventy five for the college, paid for 148 00:11:18,080 --> 00:11:22,399 the doms And what about where were you going to live in the dome that's 149 00:11:22,440 --> 00:11:33,320 included in the door in the Wow? College was cheap back? Yeah fifty 150 00:11:33,399 --> 00:11:39,039 years ago, Yeah, it was that much. So uh So I let 151 00:11:39,080 --> 00:11:43,720 my roommate, you know the American Plan, Lou you know his name is 152 00:11:43,759 --> 00:11:50,120 Steve. And I didn't understand literally awarded English, and I'm supposed to go 153 00:11:50,159 --> 00:11:58,039 to the English, speak English. Didn't speak No, not speaking English. 154 00:11:58,120 --> 00:12:01,519 So I mean, that's just amazing. You flew over here to this country 155 00:12:01,720 --> 00:12:07,840 where you knew this one person and didn't even speak the language, not speak 156 00:12:07,879 --> 00:12:11,879 the marriage and you know a few words here and there, but did not 157 00:12:11,000 --> 00:12:18,480 speak the marriage. But I really, you know, I'm pivoting into something 158 00:12:18,480 --> 00:12:26,519 else. I really think that the talent that God gave me, I don't 159 00:12:26,519 --> 00:12:28,279 know, is it my face, the way I talk, whatever, that 160 00:12:28,320 --> 00:12:33,159 people really wanted to help me for some reason. People helped me along the 161 00:12:33,200 --> 00:12:37,240 way, you know, like my roommate helped me, you know, the 162 00:12:37,320 --> 00:12:41,480 teacher helped me a little bit. And then finally I was eating. I 163 00:12:41,519 --> 00:12:45,200 bought a pot and I bought a stove. You're not supposed to have anything 164 00:12:45,279 --> 00:12:52,440 like this in the in the dorm, but I remember getting hot dogs and 165 00:12:52,559 --> 00:12:56,440 he so I boiled eggs and hot dogs on the same pot. And the 166 00:12:56,639 --> 00:13:01,159 love of the American you know, white bread, which is I hated. 167 00:13:01,480 --> 00:13:09,919 I hated that bread. And back then they didn't have like a selection of 168 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:13,559 breads you can buy, no pita bread, of course, no, no 169 00:13:13,679 --> 00:13:20,120 really good bread. It was just white bread and it was terrible. So 170 00:13:20,159 --> 00:13:22,960 I was eating that, you know, and and start to look for a 171 00:13:24,080 --> 00:13:28,000 job. Go on main street. It was like a tailor shop. It 172 00:13:28,039 --> 00:13:31,799 was, you know, a gas station it was. But nobody will hire 173 00:13:31,879 --> 00:13:33,600 him to do anything. And I was going to run out of money. 174 00:13:33,639 --> 00:13:37,039 So I told my friend, I said, you know, I said, 175 00:13:37,080 --> 00:13:39,799 I'm gonna run out of money. I gotta I gotta leave here. There's 176 00:13:39,799 --> 00:13:43,080 no jobs here. And he said, you know, you need to go 177 00:13:43,120 --> 00:13:48,759 to Gainsville. You know, Gainsville is where Gainesville, Florida. It is 178 00:13:48,840 --> 00:13:52,879 only an hour away, an hour, an hour and a half away, 179 00:13:52,960 --> 00:13:58,919 whatever. And I went to Gainesville, packed my suitcase and went to Gainesville 180 00:14:00,600 --> 00:14:05,759 and it was dropped at like, you know, walking through the street with 181 00:14:05,879 --> 00:14:09,279 me, he said, go next to the to the university. You probably 182 00:14:09,279 --> 00:14:13,960 can meet somebody who can speak Arabic, can help you. Went to McDonald's 183 00:14:13,960 --> 00:14:20,399 and shot enough with three people steaking erb wow, and I asked, you 184 00:14:20,440 --> 00:14:24,559 know, I told him, you know what I am, what's going on? 185 00:14:24,679 --> 00:14:28,120 And I need I need help to find a place to live. And 186 00:14:28,320 --> 00:14:31,960 one guy is at Palestine and I spoke to him, still speak to him. 187 00:14:31,240 --> 00:14:35,559 His name brah hindj or Dan. And he said, I'll put you 188 00:14:35,679 --> 00:14:39,320 up for a few days. So he took me to his apartment and he 189 00:14:39,360 --> 00:14:45,679 put me up for like a week. And the other guy I met at 190 00:14:45,799 --> 00:14:52,039 McDonald's, he was working at a place called Coffee King and he said, 191 00:14:52,120 --> 00:14:54,879 you know, you know, let me take you there. Maybe they can 192 00:14:56,039 --> 00:14:58,759 use you. And I went there and they gave me a job as a 193 00:14:58,759 --> 00:15:03,879 busboy. I was making a dollar thirty five an hour and I was like, 194 00:15:03,200 --> 00:15:07,120 felt like, you know, maah, this is great. So I 195 00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:13,039 worked there and then it was another I needed another job. They only did 196 00:15:13,159 --> 00:15:18,559 like three days. I got another job somewhere else as a dishwasher. And 197 00:15:18,559 --> 00:15:22,399 then the same guy told me they're opening a steakhouse, new steakhouse. They're 198 00:15:22,399 --> 00:15:26,559 looking for people. Maybe you should go there. So I went there and 199 00:15:26,639 --> 00:15:31,440 they said they were paying one forty five an hour as a dishwasher, and 200 00:15:31,480 --> 00:15:33,720 I said, okay, great, So that was my full time job. 201 00:15:33,840 --> 00:15:39,480 Now I went from part time to different places to a full time six days 202 00:15:39,519 --> 00:15:43,080 a week. And so you weren't going to school then if you're working. 203 00:15:43,480 --> 00:15:48,320 I did not good to school. I not good school. I took the 204 00:15:48,360 --> 00:15:52,840 first two or three months, two months in Polatka, I think, went 205 00:15:52,879 --> 00:15:58,399 to classes and then it was really funny. I went, I said, 206 00:15:58,679 --> 00:16:02,279 you know, the stood for me that I really wanted to be a producer. 207 00:16:02,320 --> 00:16:08,720 And they said there's a production class that I said, okay, great, 208 00:16:08,759 --> 00:16:11,759 So I went and sat in it and they were talking about the history 209 00:16:11,759 --> 00:16:21,279 of the cinema, which is I didn't stand the guy they were so so 210 00:16:21,440 --> 00:16:25,279 I left that class very quickly, you know, especially when I looked at 211 00:16:25,279 --> 00:16:27,159 the book, I was like three hundred pages, four hundred pages, I'm 212 00:16:27,200 --> 00:16:32,320 like, what the back? So I, when you know, I dove 213 00:16:32,360 --> 00:16:38,120 onto working, working very, very very hard. Within six months, I 214 00:16:38,240 --> 00:16:45,039 was went to like sixty five dollars one sixty five an hour to one eighty 215 00:16:45,080 --> 00:16:48,519 five an hour. Because I was a dishwatcher. I wasn't the bus away. 216 00:16:48,559 --> 00:16:52,159 I was a dishwasher. But I will watch the issues so fast and 217 00:16:52,240 --> 00:16:53,960 I'll go out and help the bus for me, you know, and I'll 218 00:16:53,960 --> 00:16:59,120 bring him an assistant director at the time, assistant director, assistant manager. 219 00:16:59,200 --> 00:17:02,799 His name is David. The night magic said what are you doing in in 220 00:17:02,799 --> 00:17:06,440 the dining room? It was a huge place and you know, you know, 221 00:17:06,519 --> 00:17:07,720 I said, he said, do go watch the dishes. I said, 222 00:17:07,960 --> 00:17:14,319 they're all washed, you know, start learning English. And so he 223 00:17:14,400 --> 00:17:18,880 comes back to the dish dish washer place and he says, all the dishes 224 00:17:18,880 --> 00:17:22,960 are washing star and I'm running helping the guy with the so he said, 225 00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:29,519 oh my god. And then across the room from the dishwasher. So across 226 00:17:29,640 --> 00:17:32,839 is when we cut the meat. So the meat comes at like twenty thirty 227 00:17:32,880 --> 00:17:37,920 forty pounds pieces of meat, and they have a saw. It's this machine 228 00:17:37,960 --> 00:17:41,319 that they cut it in. This now it's New York steak and it's this 229 00:17:41,720 --> 00:17:48,119 and we grind Hamburger and the room is like fifty five degrees and at the 230 00:17:48,200 --> 00:17:49,799 end of the they bring all the meat and they cut out. It was 231 00:17:49,799 --> 00:17:55,920 a huge steakhouse. It was like like two times three times as biggest sizzler 232 00:17:56,680 --> 00:18:00,880 called the Chaparral Steakhouse. And so the room has to be hosed down with 233 00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:07,480 the hot water. So the guy is black, the guy who was hosting 234 00:18:07,759 --> 00:18:10,039 hosing it, and I have nothing to do. He goes, hey, 235 00:18:10,039 --> 00:18:15,279 come and help me. So I went and start hosing the room. And 236 00:18:15,319 --> 00:18:19,480 then I start hosing it every day. So again the assistant manager will walk 237 00:18:19,480 --> 00:18:23,759 by and what the hell you're doing? You know you're supposed to do the 238 00:18:23,799 --> 00:18:26,839 dishes? Say, well, everything is done. So I come in the 239 00:18:26,880 --> 00:18:30,720 morning one day and he sees me. I'm cutting the meat with this guy 240 00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:37,000 you know, you know, and I'm putting you know, we marinate it 241 00:18:37,039 --> 00:18:40,000 and we put it in trays and we put it in you know. And 242 00:18:41,359 --> 00:18:45,480 so two or three days later he didn't say anything. He was really friendly 243 00:18:45,519 --> 00:18:48,839 to me. Now he's seeing me how hard I work, and you know, 244 00:18:48,880 --> 00:18:52,359 he will say, can you stay extra two hours, five hours? 245 00:18:52,359 --> 00:18:56,880 Okay, I'll say ten hours, twelve hours whatever. So now he had 246 00:18:56,960 --> 00:19:00,759 me come like at seven in the morning set up the line. But you 247 00:19:00,799 --> 00:19:04,440 know, but everything they need for the lettuce that it made. Its the 248 00:19:04,559 --> 00:19:07,640 you know, mob of the floor. Now I'm working ten twelve hours a 249 00:19:07,680 --> 00:19:11,799 day, which is good. I'm making money. I'm happy. And so 250 00:19:11,920 --> 00:19:17,519 one day he said to me, listen, this guy forgot his name, 251 00:19:17,640 --> 00:19:19,920 the guy who cut the meat. He didn't show up because I saw you 252 00:19:19,920 --> 00:19:22,640 cut the meat. You know how to cut the meat. I said, 253 00:19:22,720 --> 00:19:26,160 yeah, I know how to cut the meat. So, you know, 254 00:19:26,200 --> 00:19:29,799 he put an apron on himself and start cutting the meat and I start helping 255 00:19:29,839 --> 00:19:33,200 him. All of a sudden, I became the meat cutter. I'm making 256 00:19:33,240 --> 00:19:38,400 two dollars an hour, okay, moving up in the world. Six months 257 00:19:38,400 --> 00:19:42,240 into this, I'm making to the Now I have the keys to the restaurant. 258 00:19:42,359 --> 00:19:45,839 To come in the morning, you have to me. And now the 259 00:19:45,839 --> 00:19:51,599 owners you know, meet me, and he tells him about me like a 260 00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:56,240 great worker. Da da da. Then they made me an assistant manager. 261 00:19:56,559 --> 00:20:00,839 Would I make a thousand dollars a month? Wow? Okay? And now 262 00:20:00,920 --> 00:20:07,039 this process took how long? By now it's about a year. Yeah. 263 00:20:07,960 --> 00:20:10,960 Wait, I just want to back up for a second, because there was 264 00:20:10,960 --> 00:20:14,519 a story when you first got there, you were eating the hot dogs and 265 00:20:14,559 --> 00:20:18,519 the eggs, where a guy told you about tuna. Oh yeah, yeah, 266 00:20:18,559 --> 00:20:22,960 yeah, yeah yeah yeah. So so yeah. One of the guys 267 00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:27,000 told me, I told you all I ate. My budget was was a 268 00:20:27,079 --> 00:20:30,960 dollar a day to eat the eggs. And he goes, you know they 269 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:33,920 have tuna, so and said for nine cents once you get some of the 270 00:20:33,960 --> 00:20:37,599 tuna. I went yesterday and got a hundred can. I'm going to go 271 00:20:37,640 --> 00:20:40,680 back to day and get one hundred can for nine dollars, I said, 272 00:20:40,680 --> 00:20:44,240 please show me where the place is. So he took me this supermarket and 273 00:20:44,279 --> 00:20:48,119 we walked in and sure enough, this can of tuna fix this time nine 274 00:20:48,200 --> 00:20:52,319 cents. And he got a huge cart and he's putting all all his emptying 275 00:20:52,359 --> 00:20:56,720 the shelves. And I said, when I said, why there is a 276 00:20:56,759 --> 00:21:06,480 picture of a cat on it? You know, I don't know. I 277 00:21:06,519 --> 00:21:12,000 said, maybe this is for the cat, says tuna, Look tuna, 278 00:21:12,680 --> 00:21:15,799 I said, I said, I said, so we start asking the lady. 279 00:21:15,839 --> 00:21:21,279 He spoke just as bad English as I did. Literally were making the 280 00:21:21,319 --> 00:21:27,839 sound of him. Yeah, yes, it's for cat. So you didn't 281 00:21:27,880 --> 00:21:33,519 actually eat any He was the only one and I told him, I don't 282 00:21:33,519 --> 00:21:37,279 know if I can eat that, and he said it's truly good, and 283 00:21:37,319 --> 00:21:41,000 he didn't put him back. He bought him, Wow, no one, 284 00:21:41,079 --> 00:21:45,759 it's it's for cat. But later on we learn that the laws of making 285 00:21:47,920 --> 00:21:52,720 u cat food or pet food that it has to be edible for humans just 286 00:21:52,759 --> 00:21:57,319 in case. You know, so it's edible. So I didn't. I 287 00:21:57,319 --> 00:22:00,319 didn't eat it, but yeah, he didn't eat it. So now no, 288 00:22:00,440 --> 00:22:07,599 I moved to a regular apartment. I had my first girlfriend. I 289 00:22:07,640 --> 00:22:11,720 went on my first date, which is a waitress who worked there, you 290 00:22:11,799 --> 00:22:17,519 know, and and it was it was, it was everything was going well. 291 00:22:17,640 --> 00:22:22,200 And now I decided, you know what, after I work for maybe 292 00:22:22,240 --> 00:22:26,400 a year and a half, now they trusted me with the with the key, 293 00:22:26,400 --> 00:22:30,960 trusted me with Now I'm doing the paperwork where I'm doing the deposits, 294 00:22:30,559 --> 00:22:33,440 nine deposits. And then I said, you know, I got to go 295 00:22:33,480 --> 00:22:37,440 back to school. I need I need to go back to school. And 296 00:22:37,200 --> 00:22:42,000 they weren't really happy, but they loved me, and they gave me a 297 00:22:42,039 --> 00:22:45,599 recommendation. They said, they said, well, but you still have to 298 00:22:45,640 --> 00:22:48,519 work. I said, yeah, I can work. But there's a place 299 00:22:48,559 --> 00:22:52,480 called twelve East. They just open. Some of the people I know they 300 00:22:52,559 --> 00:22:56,440 worked there as waiters at night and they make like fifteen forty fifty dollars, 301 00:22:56,480 --> 00:23:00,200 you know, in tips. It was a very very high and you know 302 00:23:00,400 --> 00:23:03,759 place. And I said, I want to get a job as a busboy. 303 00:23:03,839 --> 00:23:07,839 Maybe one day I'll be a waiter. And the guy said, I 304 00:23:07,920 --> 00:23:11,960 know the owners. You want to work there. So the guy called the 305 00:23:12,039 --> 00:23:15,559 owners and he said you're got to You're got to get the best guy there. 306 00:23:17,839 --> 00:23:19,079 And so the guy I went there and he said, what do you 307 00:23:19,079 --> 00:23:21,680 want to do And I said, I want to be, you know, 308 00:23:22,079 --> 00:23:25,039 a waiter that I understand. You have to work as a busboy first. 309 00:23:25,720 --> 00:23:27,759 And he looked at me, he said, come with me. He put 310 00:23:27,799 --> 00:23:33,799 me in the car, went to a clothing shop and bought me two taxedos. 311 00:23:34,200 --> 00:23:38,720 Wow, two taxedos. Because you're going to be the assistant major D. 312 00:23:40,119 --> 00:23:44,039 You're going to see people. You have the personality to see people, 313 00:23:44,079 --> 00:23:45,960 to talk to people. That's what you're going to be. And I went 314 00:23:47,039 --> 00:23:49,160 there and all my friends thought, you know, I'll be lucky to get 315 00:23:49,160 --> 00:23:52,160 a job. As you know, they were more you know, they were 316 00:23:52,160 --> 00:23:56,640 in this country for five six years. They were a waiter, they seasoned 317 00:23:56,359 --> 00:24:00,039 and they said, and now all of a sudden, I'm their boss. 318 00:24:00,519 --> 00:24:10,480 Yeah. So and the mater d himself. He was a very he didn't 319 00:24:10,599 --> 00:24:15,759 like the idea all the kids who does not speak English, well speak very 320 00:24:15,799 --> 00:24:18,440 little English, you know, just because I was like twenty one years old, 321 00:24:18,480 --> 00:24:22,960 now, you know. And so I had this taxedo and I'm seeing 322 00:24:23,000 --> 00:24:27,000 people. Not the place was a was aware. So the very first thing 323 00:24:27,039 --> 00:24:30,680 he said to me, he said, you know a lot of tourists comes 324 00:24:30,720 --> 00:24:33,680 in here. Then asked what was this place. It was like massive, 325 00:24:33,759 --> 00:24:38,400 twenty pavelant square feet, you know, banned different restaurants and bars. And 326 00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:41,400 he said, you know, this place was a warehouse. So you're telling 327 00:24:41,480 --> 00:24:45,039 me. You know, people would ask what was this place before? And 328 00:24:45,119 --> 00:24:53,319 I thought, he said a whorehouse. So I will see people and they 329 00:24:53,359 --> 00:24:56,319 all say, hey, what was this place before? And I said a 330 00:24:56,319 --> 00:25:03,359 whoorhouse and they would laugh, what was this place before? I said the 331 00:25:03,400 --> 00:25:07,119 whorehouse? And I said, okay, they laugh and sit down. So 332 00:25:07,240 --> 00:25:11,240 one time he overheard me, he goes, it's so it's a warehouse. 333 00:25:11,319 --> 00:25:21,440 You've done as, not a whorehouse, Richard. So then I walked by. 334 00:25:21,519 --> 00:25:23,519 The guy hated me the major did. He just said. I was 335 00:25:23,599 --> 00:25:27,599 young, I was bubbly, I was happy. I'll do whatever it tastes. 336 00:25:29,079 --> 00:25:33,359 And of course, the first time somebody gave me five thousand, five 337 00:25:33,400 --> 00:25:36,759 dollars tip, five dollars they give me a tip, I seated him and 338 00:25:36,799 --> 00:25:40,119 I didn't know what the hell why they're giving me five dollars? You know, 339 00:25:40,599 --> 00:25:44,200 you know, So then I learned people look tep you. So I 340 00:25:44,240 --> 00:25:48,599 seated some people and the guy grabbed me and goes, get me a screwdriver, 341 00:25:48,519 --> 00:25:53,720 I said, And I went to the table and I pushed on the 342 00:25:53,759 --> 00:25:56,920 table. I said, there's nothing wrong with the table. And he started 343 00:25:56,960 --> 00:26:00,279 laughing, and I thought, oh my god, I'm funny. Okay, 344 00:26:00,480 --> 00:26:03,680 so I walked around back, walked by the end because where's my school driver? 345 00:26:03,839 --> 00:26:07,839 I said, you really need screw driver? Yes? So I went 346 00:26:07,880 --> 00:26:11,079 to the interview and I said, lest this guy asked for screwdriver. There's 347 00:26:11,119 --> 00:26:15,680 nothing wrong with the table. It's not shaking or anything. It said, 348 00:26:15,799 --> 00:26:26,000 drink you the mess? Oh man? So how did you get from Florida? 349 00:26:25,880 --> 00:26:33,240 When? What the best one is? When a girl said to me, 350 00:26:33,799 --> 00:26:37,400 can I have sex on the beach? No? Yeah, where it's 351 00:26:37,400 --> 00:26:48,640 a drink? Yeah yeah? And I'm thinking what First it's like, I 352 00:26:48,720 --> 00:26:52,880 love this country. And second part, we need to learn how to swim? 353 00:26:52,000 --> 00:27:00,920 Man? Oh man, So okay you're talking. You're talking about taking 354 00:27:00,960 --> 00:27:07,319 a chance. Now I have a girlfriend. I'm doing really, really well. 355 00:27:07,759 --> 00:27:11,119 I quit my first job to go to school. I took some courses, 356 00:27:11,240 --> 00:27:15,160 some English courses. Now two years, two and a half years passes. 357 00:27:15,519 --> 00:27:18,519 I said, I got to make movies, and I just put everything 358 00:27:18,559 --> 00:27:22,680 in the car, moved to Hollywood. Wanted to get to Hollywood. And 359 00:27:22,720 --> 00:27:26,839 again, you don't know anybody. I know, I know, I know. 360 00:27:26,880 --> 00:27:30,440 I knew one person in Hollywood. I knew one person in Los Angeles. 361 00:27:30,480 --> 00:27:36,440 I have learned about different people introduced me to And I called him and 362 00:27:36,440 --> 00:27:38,160 I told him I'm going to come down. He said, okay, come 363 00:27:38,200 --> 00:27:42,000 down, and I drove to Hollywood. So you're talking about life as a 364 00:27:42,039 --> 00:27:47,319 gamble. Every time I was comfortable, I was very very comfortable. I 365 00:27:47,400 --> 00:27:52,519 was working in this beautiful place, and now I have a place to live 366 00:27:52,519 --> 00:27:56,319 and I have a nice, you know life. I have a good car, 367 00:27:56,839 --> 00:28:00,160 and moved, moved, and now I was in this place. She 368 00:28:00,240 --> 00:28:04,400 is very tempting to stay there twenty years, thirty years by a house, 369 00:28:04,519 --> 00:28:07,519 you know, very tempting. I got to get to Hollywood. So I 370 00:28:07,519 --> 00:28:11,880 went to Hollywood, get in a car. When they packed everything, left 371 00:28:11,880 --> 00:28:17,119 the girl behind, left the girl behind. Wow, she followed me. 372 00:28:17,440 --> 00:28:22,039 She followed me back to Hollywood. Actually lift everything and went and drove to 373 00:28:22,079 --> 00:28:26,680 Hollywood. Now I'm in Hollywood. And I arrived like midnight, and I 374 00:28:26,720 --> 00:28:30,160 told the guy, please take me, take me, show me Hollywood, 375 00:28:30,200 --> 00:28:33,559 show me howp So he's taking me. He said, okay, he get 376 00:28:33,559 --> 00:28:37,440 me in the car. It's he was living on Rampart and near Burnhout, 377 00:28:38,039 --> 00:28:41,759 you know, really bad area. I was staying with him for the first 378 00:28:41,799 --> 00:28:45,200 day or two and I got a room. I got an apartment in the 379 00:28:45,200 --> 00:28:49,240 same room. But the same night high Arrier was like at midnight and I 380 00:28:49,240 --> 00:28:52,359 said, take me. Think I want to see Hollywood. Don't see help. 381 00:28:52,640 --> 00:28:55,680 So he's taking me. He's driving and he's talking and we're talking, 382 00:28:55,720 --> 00:28:57,920 talking, talking, talking, and I said, take me to Hollywood. 383 00:28:57,920 --> 00:29:00,440 He said, you are in Hollywood. And he's taken me up and down 384 00:29:00,480 --> 00:29:07,759 Hollywood Boulevard and they all we see is his hookers and pemps and dirty And 385 00:29:07,799 --> 00:29:10,160 I said, no, this is not Hollywood. He said, yeah, 386 00:29:10,200 --> 00:29:17,240 this is Hollywood. Very disappointed first, you know, impression of public. 387 00:29:17,799 --> 00:29:22,559 And now okay, I the same guy. He got me a job as 388 00:29:22,759 --> 00:29:27,519 as in the bakery Pika Peka bread. You know, we started working in 389 00:29:27,559 --> 00:29:34,559 the bakery and as a driver delivering the bread with him. We'll go with 390 00:29:34,640 --> 00:29:40,799 him and we start taking bread and start talking to different markets like rough supermarket 391 00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:45,480 or market basket. People didn't did not know Peter bread. We introduced the 392 00:29:45,559 --> 00:29:49,759 Peza bread. We introduced the Bakla Bah Well introduced all these people to open 393 00:29:49,880 --> 00:29:56,119 raps for these supermarkets. Uh, and then again, you know, a 394 00:29:56,200 --> 00:30:00,200 year of that and I quit again. I quite I needed to do something 395 00:30:00,200 --> 00:30:04,160 else. Meanwhile, I went to l SEC. I registered the LFC l 396 00:30:04,319 --> 00:30:11,359 SEC to take some film film productions, you know, but I couldn't make 397 00:30:11,400 --> 00:30:15,400 it. I didn't, you know. I found out that the apartment building 398 00:30:15,480 --> 00:30:22,119 I was in, I got friendly with the manager and finally I said to 399 00:30:22,160 --> 00:30:25,839 him, I can't make it here. I don't know what to do. 400 00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:29,799 You know, I'm just like throwing in the towel. I can't save enough 401 00:30:29,799 --> 00:30:33,920 money. The rent is too expensive. LA is expensive. I was smoggie 402 00:30:33,960 --> 00:30:37,640 back then. This is nineteen seventy five, I would say. Now, 403 00:30:38,599 --> 00:30:44,799 yeah, three years later, now seventy five, and traffic l a SEC. 404 00:30:45,680 --> 00:30:48,480 I wasn't getting I was. I was miserable, and I said, 405 00:30:48,799 --> 00:30:49,960 he said, you know, you need to go someplace. You want to 406 00:30:51,000 --> 00:30:55,880 save money, You need to go to some place like Vegas. What's Vegas? 407 00:30:56,200 --> 00:30:59,319 He tells me. He gave me the route how to get there, 408 00:31:00,279 --> 00:31:06,000 my clothes. That was the most difficult move I've ever made, because you 409 00:31:06,039 --> 00:31:10,640 didn't know anybody there. Know whether zero. I didn't know anybody, but 410 00:31:10,720 --> 00:31:14,279 it was comfortable here. I knew now enough people, I'm going to school, 411 00:31:14,799 --> 00:31:18,400 I have a routine, I'm working in a place that I liked, 412 00:31:18,720 --> 00:31:22,640 all arabs and pita bread, and it was it was a very comfortable situation. 413 00:31:23,319 --> 00:31:29,839 But I realized I can live nicely, you know, get by, 414 00:31:30,000 --> 00:31:33,839 but I'm never going to get a hat. And when you were going to 415 00:31:33,960 --> 00:31:41,880 do this, like, I mean, did you just feel like I'll always 416 00:31:41,880 --> 00:31:45,440 be able to find work. I'll find somewhere to stay, and I'll be 417 00:31:45,559 --> 00:31:52,440 able to get a job somewhere or much. I remember vividly the minute. 418 00:31:52,599 --> 00:31:56,119 I remember standing outside, and outside it was I was living on the third 419 00:31:56,200 --> 00:32:01,200 floor looking over the street, which is first of all, every time you 420 00:32:01,240 --> 00:32:07,440 come home, we gotta circle two three blocks to find a party. That's 421 00:32:07,440 --> 00:32:13,839 fine, okay. It was approximately noon, it was raining and Paul Anchor's 422 00:32:14,480 --> 00:32:19,200 song sang having my Baby, What a lovely way to say I love you 423 00:32:19,240 --> 00:32:25,519 whatever that song is. I remember it like it was yesterday and decided after 424 00:32:25,559 --> 00:32:31,000 the guy told me about Vegas and I start packing my clothes, I went 425 00:32:31,079 --> 00:32:34,640 down, put everything, say I'm going to Vegas. Man, here's the 426 00:32:34,720 --> 00:32:38,000 key, and he said good luck, and went that's it, and I 427 00:32:38,000 --> 00:32:42,319 went to Vegas. And I drove to Vegas. The very first stop. 428 00:32:42,640 --> 00:32:45,759 They were remodeling the Aladdin Hotel. But it's only like six story, and 429 00:32:45,839 --> 00:32:50,039 they had a buffet. It was like a dollar forty nine or something. 430 00:32:50,480 --> 00:32:52,000 I went in there and I the reason, I say, alad in this 431 00:32:52,079 --> 00:32:58,920 Arab you know, it's it's an air work, you know. And I 432 00:32:58,960 --> 00:33:04,240 went in there and I stuffed myself, you know, with all the food, 433 00:33:04,720 --> 00:33:09,240 and then went down Las Vegas pool of work all the way till the 434 00:33:09,519 --> 00:33:15,119 strip ended at the Sahara. Now I could have made the left turn, 435 00:33:15,559 --> 00:33:19,160 my life would have been different. And I made a right turn, and 436 00:33:19,200 --> 00:33:23,480 I went the second street after the Paradise is van pattern and it says apartment 437 00:33:23,519 --> 00:33:28,559 for rent. I went made the right and went in there and rented an 438 00:33:28,599 --> 00:33:31,440 apartment. And rented the apartment, and the manager of it was a lady 439 00:33:31,519 --> 00:33:35,839 about fifty to fifty five. I said, listen, I just walked here 440 00:33:35,839 --> 00:33:38,799 from La She's asked me for reference, she's asked me for an application. 441 00:33:38,880 --> 00:33:44,000 I said, I don't have anything. I have enough money at five hundred, 442 00:33:44,079 --> 00:33:51,279 six hundred dollars and my rent was I think seventy maybe sixty dollars fifty 443 00:33:51,319 --> 00:33:59,720 dollars whatever a month, one bedroom, yeah, one bedrooms like twenty two 444 00:34:00,119 --> 00:34:02,119 so with a pool inside of it, in the middle of it. And 445 00:34:02,160 --> 00:34:05,960 she told me, what's your qualification? I said, I work in the 446 00:34:06,000 --> 00:34:07,639 restaurant, you know. She said, okay, you have to go and 447 00:34:07,719 --> 00:34:12,360 resist her at the Calenary Union. You know, that's the only way you're 448 00:34:12,360 --> 00:34:15,039 going to get a job. And I said, but I want another job. 449 00:34:15,079 --> 00:34:15,960 I want to be a dealer. So she said, okay, you're 450 00:34:15,960 --> 00:34:20,639 going to go to a dealer school. And she looked into the again. 451 00:34:20,719 --> 00:34:24,159 Another person who really helped me anybody also said no, you know whatever, 452 00:34:24,280 --> 00:34:29,840 but she helped and so I went to both. I went to the Calenary 453 00:34:29,960 --> 00:34:37,519 Union and registered, and then I went to the the dealing school and they 454 00:34:37,599 --> 00:34:44,159 asked for I think two hundred dollars one hundred and fifty dollars for six weeks. 455 00:34:44,199 --> 00:34:49,159 They said anyway, and then, but I needed the job right away, 456 00:34:49,480 --> 00:34:52,360 so I kept the driving, stopping at seven eleven, I said, 457 00:34:52,400 --> 00:34:57,079 I'll be a cashier in one of the seven eleven on Boulder Highway in Sahara. 458 00:34:57,719 --> 00:35:00,519 I actually used to be at seven eleven. In there, they hired 459 00:35:00,559 --> 00:35:04,159 me. You make a ride on Sahara from Boulder Highways on the left hand 460 00:35:04,159 --> 00:35:07,840 side the Battlemarkadel and it was brand new seven eleven and they hired me to 461 00:35:07,840 --> 00:35:12,880 work graveyard shift. It was working, you know, open twenty four hours 462 00:35:12,880 --> 00:35:16,000 a day. So that's how it started. And then I kept going back 463 00:35:16,000 --> 00:35:20,599 to the callinary I should. I want to get a better job, and 464 00:35:20,920 --> 00:35:25,480 you know for dealers. I finished dealing school and then I got a job 465 00:35:25,559 --> 00:35:31,920 as a room service leader at the at the Startust Hotel, STARTUS Hotel room 466 00:35:31,960 --> 00:35:37,880 service leader, you know the mine shift, and I was working seven to 467 00:35:37,880 --> 00:35:42,159 eleven during the day. It suits me to the day. And then it 468 00:35:42,280 --> 00:35:51,199 was another hotel, small, small little casino on Boulder Highway called Sky Sky 469 00:35:51,320 --> 00:35:57,360 siland Skyland Island. So they hired me as a dealer twenty one. It 470 00:35:57,440 --> 00:36:01,119 didn't make any money. I wanted to break into the to the casinos. 471 00:36:01,320 --> 00:36:06,599 So I get very very friendly in at the start hotel. I started on 472 00:36:06,599 --> 00:36:12,000 the city at I started, but we were doing really really good at tips 473 00:36:12,039 --> 00:36:16,360 in the room service. We were doing really really good in the I was 474 00:36:16,360 --> 00:36:21,599 working in the graveyard eleven to seven and you get all these people, you 475 00:36:21,639 --> 00:36:24,159 know, drunk at the end of the night, and you know, and 476 00:36:24,280 --> 00:36:29,679 they tip you, get some food, get some drinks, whatever. And 477 00:36:29,719 --> 00:36:36,079 then Frank Resenthal remember the movie movie Casino. Yeah, yeah, my boss. 478 00:36:36,079 --> 00:36:38,480 He's food and beverage manager. And I used to take care of Frank 479 00:36:38,559 --> 00:36:43,239 Resenthal. He used to always take a shuwgar off at two o'clock in the 480 00:36:43,320 --> 00:36:45,840 morning, three o'clock in the morning. Whatever. He will call for champagne, 481 00:36:46,079 --> 00:36:50,440 he will call for food. As a matter of fact, they started 482 00:36:50,519 --> 00:36:53,239 hotel, I had five or six restaurants, and one of them will still 483 00:36:53,280 --> 00:36:58,320 open just for Frank because he wants to eat something. So we'll close at 484 00:36:58,400 --> 00:37:02,320 eleven feet in the twelve o'clock and if they knew he's gonna eat something, 485 00:37:02,440 --> 00:37:07,360 they'll say suddenly they'll leave the kitchen open for him, and they sure enough, 486 00:37:07,400 --> 00:37:10,039 I'll go and get food for him. And he's the first guy who 487 00:37:10,119 --> 00:37:15,239 gave me twenty dollars twenty. I didn't know who he is. I knew 488 00:37:15,280 --> 00:37:20,000 he was he was important in the hotel, but I didn't know he was 489 00:37:20,039 --> 00:37:22,920 a monster. I didn't know who is, but I knew I was working 490 00:37:22,960 --> 00:37:30,719 for a play for a monster joint because one of the one of the guard 491 00:37:30,960 --> 00:37:37,159 security guard grabbed a hooker and then from the second floor. The Star does 492 00:37:37,239 --> 00:37:42,599 have the high rise of about eight story building and they have all these bagelos, 493 00:37:42,920 --> 00:37:46,679 you know, you know, can you can walk up one two stories 494 00:37:46,920 --> 00:37:51,400 one another for first ground and then you woke up to the second ground. 495 00:37:51,440 --> 00:37:58,039 And he threw a hooker from the railing from out from the second right into 496 00:37:58,239 --> 00:38:02,679 the top of a car. And the police came and and I didn't even 497 00:38:02,719 --> 00:38:07,920 take a report. They just I knew, yes, something. Yeah, 498 00:38:08,000 --> 00:38:15,320 they really connected these guys like with law and order and so nobody could fallow. 499 00:38:16,440 --> 00:38:22,840 Do you have any interaction with Spilatro at all? No, but I 500 00:38:23,119 --> 00:38:30,639 I I heard by the time he was murdered, I was I had my 501 00:38:30,719 --> 00:38:34,199 own pizza place because he I think they caught him with it was a submarine 502 00:38:34,239 --> 00:38:37,519 sandwich or something. He had sub marine sandwich. He was coming out of 503 00:38:37,559 --> 00:38:43,480 a sub place or something when he got shot. Yeah. Well, no, 504 00:38:43,800 --> 00:38:49,559 Spilato they found about him and his brother's bodies in Indiana. No, 505 00:38:50,480 --> 00:38:54,159 No, it was one of the other guys who got shot coming down with 506 00:38:54,239 --> 00:38:59,960 the sandwich. I think, yes, No, I never read Yeah, 507 00:39:00,039 --> 00:39:08,880 I uh, and but I did get to know Frank h Roll because I 508 00:39:08,920 --> 00:39:13,320 was interested in the movie business. I was interested in the TV business. 509 00:39:14,000 --> 00:39:16,960 And then he had his help. He became the entertainment director of the hotel. 510 00:39:17,519 --> 00:39:22,159 They would give him different he was the food and beverage manager. He 511 00:39:22,280 --> 00:39:25,920 was, you know, so when then he had his own show. So 512 00:39:25,960 --> 00:39:30,639 when I delivered this Battle of Champagne, he would always order published champagne first 513 00:39:30,719 --> 00:39:35,400 before he gets food. And then I said, you know, mister Resenthaler, 514 00:39:35,480 --> 00:39:37,880 you know really you know, and I saw him, you know, 515 00:39:38,039 --> 00:39:42,440 tailing a show. I said, I'm really interested in the film business and 516 00:39:42,440 --> 00:39:45,400 that really is there's anything I can do to help with the production. And 517 00:39:45,400 --> 00:39:47,599 he said, yeah, let me introduce you to this guy. Maybe he 518 00:39:47,639 --> 00:39:52,639 can help them, you know. And they were shooting on video videos you 519 00:39:52,719 --> 00:39:58,280 know new you know, so so you know, I said that anything can 520 00:39:58,360 --> 00:40:01,199 help. I said, yeah, there's not for you to do, but 521 00:40:01,280 --> 00:40:05,119 I will watch. I will watch them take the show. You know. 522 00:40:05,159 --> 00:40:13,280 It was very interested in So now I bought a house on Charleston and Sunrise, 523 00:40:14,000 --> 00:40:19,880 which is like Charleston Boulder Highway, for twenty seven five hundred dollars. 524 00:40:19,920 --> 00:40:22,880 I put twenty five hundred dollars down and my payment was one hundred and seventy 525 00:40:22,920 --> 00:40:29,880 dollars. I got a brand new Pontiac from Sahara and Sahara that Pontiac actually 526 00:40:29,880 --> 00:40:36,400 we own piece art. Now you know that dealership that my brother bought the 527 00:40:36,480 --> 00:40:39,239 cab like dealership. Now, so anyway, to make a long story short, 528 00:40:40,000 --> 00:40:45,960 now I'm really flying high. I have a couple of jobs, have 529 00:40:45,079 --> 00:40:51,199 a housely bedroom, too bad, living the American dream practically. And then 530 00:40:51,719 --> 00:40:57,320 I went to my girlfriend was from you know, Maryland. We went for 531 00:40:57,480 --> 00:41:05,239 Christmas to see her parents. It was snowing, six feet of snow everywhere. 532 00:41:05,280 --> 00:41:07,519 It was horrible winter. They have. The only thing was open. 533 00:41:07,559 --> 00:41:12,320 It was a pizzeria and I used to go to that pizzeria every day. 534 00:41:12,440 --> 00:41:15,760 We stayed there for five six days and after the first day, I said, 535 00:41:16,000 --> 00:41:19,840 you know, it's nothing, very quiet. You don't hear anything, 536 00:41:19,880 --> 00:41:23,760 no street, no no streets, noise, no cars, snow, just 537 00:41:23,840 --> 00:41:28,239 everybody can just walk in and get a pizza. And I started, I 538 00:41:28,280 --> 00:41:30,760 said, can I help you making the door? He was making the dough. 539 00:41:30,800 --> 00:41:34,800 Then I started picking the door with this guy that I started cooking with 540 00:41:34,920 --> 00:41:37,519 him a little bit I had nothing to do. After three or four days, 541 00:41:37,559 --> 00:41:42,719 five days, I thought, I'm opening a pizza Vegas. I went 542 00:41:42,760 --> 00:41:46,880 back home, went to Vegas, sold my house, quit my job, 543 00:41:47,880 --> 00:41:53,000 and opened a pizzeri. Okay, well you needed the money, but from 544 00:41:53,039 --> 00:41:55,800 selling the house in order to open it? Is that why you sold the 545 00:41:55,840 --> 00:42:00,400 house? Yes, I sold the house. Yeah, and again a big 546 00:42:00,519 --> 00:42:04,920 risk. Did you did you think, like, what if it doesn't work, 547 00:42:04,960 --> 00:42:08,519 I'll go broke? Or did that enter your mind at all? Of 548 00:42:08,559 --> 00:42:13,320 course it did. First of all, when I gave my notice at the 549 00:42:13,400 --> 00:42:19,199 hotel, two of the guys who were room service wait or one is don 550 00:42:20,039 --> 00:42:23,519 He was Donnie. He's an Italian guy. Another one is totally American. 551 00:42:23,840 --> 00:42:29,440 His name is Keith, both of which around fifty fifty five sixty years old. 552 00:42:29,559 --> 00:42:32,519 Whatever they said, Ken, are you crazy? This is this is 553 00:42:32,760 --> 00:42:37,079 the union job. You're making good money. What do you know about opening 554 00:42:37,079 --> 00:42:40,480 a business? Are you nuts? Are you crazy? And I'm looking at 555 00:42:40,519 --> 00:42:45,440 these guys and like, okay, they've been here twenty years. That's not 556 00:42:45,480 --> 00:42:47,960 what I want to be, you know. No, it was the reason 557 00:42:49,039 --> 00:42:52,400 for me to keep going forward. Of course, the mission center is Melon 558 00:42:52,440 --> 00:42:57,639 Parkway and Fladida. Well you get into my pizzeria. Oh yeah, yeah, 559 00:42:57,760 --> 00:43:02,000 I love your Lasagnia there all the time. So they gave me that 560 00:43:02,159 --> 00:43:07,239 the worst location, you know, because I didn't have any credit to know 561 00:43:07,280 --> 00:43:10,519 any any better. It was the last one on the shop et c the 562 00:43:10,559 --> 00:43:15,880 worst. Across the street from it is a better bank with the drive through 563 00:43:15,599 --> 00:43:20,199 and so you know, you can't see it from the street. Practically you 564 00:43:20,239 --> 00:43:22,239 can see it look, you know. So so I didn't know anything. 565 00:43:22,280 --> 00:43:27,199 I didn't know anything about opening a business, owning a business. Nothing. 566 00:43:27,639 --> 00:43:30,280 All I knew is I want to make money. The only way to do 567 00:43:30,320 --> 00:43:34,519 it is you need to go on your own you can. And the plan 568 00:43:34,719 --> 00:43:37,239 was always I want to make money so that I can save enough money to 569 00:43:37,280 --> 00:43:42,239 go to la and be in the movie business. Exactly that plan. It 570 00:43:42,320 --> 00:43:45,360 is one day I want to make movies. And there's you know. Now 571 00:43:45,360 --> 00:43:47,159 I was comfortable. I owned the house, and I also I got lucky. 572 00:43:47,199 --> 00:43:52,360 That's the only time the cycle of real estate and in Las Vegas, 573 00:43:53,519 --> 00:43:58,039 you know when I you know, when I caught it in the right time. 574 00:43:58,039 --> 00:44:00,079 Two three years. The house is worth twenty twenty five thousand dollars more 575 00:44:01,079 --> 00:44:06,840 So I sold it for fifty five thousand from twenty seven five to fifty thousand, 576 00:44:07,320 --> 00:44:09,519 but I had spent two three thousand dollars on it. I did the 577 00:44:09,519 --> 00:44:15,800 backyard, I did some you know, some tiling. I did some work 578 00:44:15,840 --> 00:44:19,559 on it. So now I took the money from there and put it in 579 00:44:19,559 --> 00:44:23,679 the business. About a week before it opened, at three o'clock in the 580 00:44:23,719 --> 00:44:27,760 morning, I went in there and they just had to put the sign. 581 00:44:27,840 --> 00:44:30,159 I want to see the sign there. And I saw the sign, and 582 00:44:30,239 --> 00:44:34,079 you know that the pizzeria, you know, the parking lot. And I 583 00:44:34,199 --> 00:44:37,960 sat there and literally start crying and thinking, what the fuck did you do? 584 00:44:37,000 --> 00:44:40,719 Your idiot? Everybody knows where to go to lunch every day. They 585 00:44:40,840 --> 00:44:44,960 already know they have their places. Where am I going to get a hundred 586 00:44:45,039 --> 00:44:47,840 people to break even every day? Is that what you felt like you needed? 587 00:44:47,920 --> 00:44:52,800 You needed one hundred a day to break even, one hundred people to 588 00:44:52,800 --> 00:44:55,840 to to you know piece, I needed to do two three hundred dollars a 589 00:44:55,920 --> 00:45:00,320 day. You know too, because the pizza was a dollar seventy five at 590 00:45:00,320 --> 00:45:06,440 the time. When I first of it's a dollar? Is that a slice? 591 00:45:06,519 --> 00:45:09,719 Or that the old pizza? Pizza? The whole pizza. It's a 592 00:45:09,760 --> 00:45:15,679 buck seventy five for ten inch, one seventy five for ten inch, medium 593 00:45:15,760 --> 00:45:20,840 was two seventy five, and large was three seventy five. And how did 594 00:45:20,880 --> 00:45:24,239 you even know how to cook everything? I mean, I mean you would 595 00:45:24,280 --> 00:45:29,559 help that guy for a couple of days. And again when you were helping 596 00:45:29,599 --> 00:45:31,480 that guy, you didn't know him or anything. You were just like, 597 00:45:31,800 --> 00:45:36,280 hey, I'm board, can I help you? I was the only one 598 00:45:36,280 --> 00:45:38,599 in the pizza yeh, I was the only one. I started talking to 599 00:45:38,679 --> 00:45:42,920 him, where you're from, dad, and start talking talking, talking, 600 00:45:43,039 --> 00:45:45,119 said yeah, I'm bored. Can I help you do this? He said, 601 00:45:45,159 --> 00:45:49,599 okay, So I worked in the restaurant before, you know, and 602 00:45:49,679 --> 00:45:51,920 he started talking and he said showing me, and all of a sudden, 603 00:45:51,960 --> 00:45:53,480 I know, you know, you know how to do it. But when 604 00:45:53,480 --> 00:45:59,559 I went back, the only pizza it was. It was in Las Vegas 605 00:45:59,599 --> 00:46:05,199 at the time I munch, it was Pizza Hut, it was what's the 606 00:46:05,239 --> 00:46:14,079 other chain? It wasn't that many small little pizzaias except for Billa Pizza in 607 00:46:14,119 --> 00:46:19,440 the commercial center and Tower of Pizza on the Strip, Pizza on a Strip, 608 00:46:19,760 --> 00:46:22,480 Billa Pizza. I went, I had that pizza, and I said, 609 00:46:22,519 --> 00:46:28,119 wow, this is a really good pizza. So so I you know, 610 00:46:28,159 --> 00:46:30,239 I went there at the end of the day, at the end of 611 00:46:30,239 --> 00:46:31,519 the night, and this guy was, you know, the guy who made 612 00:46:31,519 --> 00:46:37,639 the pizza. And I said, listen, I said, how many a 613 00:46:37,639 --> 00:46:40,199 week you work here? So he told me. I said, I said 614 00:46:40,199 --> 00:46:43,599 how much you make in an hour? It's a while. I said, 615 00:46:43,639 --> 00:46:46,079 well, I'm opening pizzeria. I need somebody to help you. He said, 616 00:46:46,119 --> 00:46:50,320 I make I think one sixty five an hour. He told me. 617 00:46:50,760 --> 00:46:52,000 I said, if I pay you two thars an hour, will you come 618 00:46:52,039 --> 00:46:54,840 and work for me a couple of days a week. He said okay. 619 00:46:55,440 --> 00:46:59,960 So I went in there and he said, okay, so what's your rest 620 00:47:00,320 --> 00:47:07,039 I said, well, you know my recipe. How do you want to 621 00:47:07,039 --> 00:47:08,920 make the dough? You know you have your room, so I said, 622 00:47:09,000 --> 00:47:12,239 yeah, I do, but I want to see your recipe first, just 623 00:47:12,239 --> 00:47:15,719 because I like you. So I said, well, the way we do 624 00:47:15,760 --> 00:47:19,639 it in bill a pizza. But there's there's there's this, and he said, 625 00:47:19,920 --> 00:47:22,599 okay, this is great. Well what about the sauce? What do 626 00:47:22,639 --> 00:47:23,440 you put in the sauce? I said, what do you guys do? 627 00:47:29,440 --> 00:47:31,440 So he taught me how to make pizzas. He opened the pizza for He 628 00:47:31,480 --> 00:47:36,199 opened the pizza for me. You know, I was paying in two hours, 629 00:47:36,239 --> 00:47:38,280 and I stuck in two twenty five dollars in an hour. Then I 630 00:47:38,360 --> 00:47:42,880 learned it very quickly, and I was, you know, really good at 631 00:47:43,320 --> 00:47:45,280 with the customers, you know, you know, I worked the register and 632 00:47:45,920 --> 00:47:51,920 and we decorated it with movie posters, and you remember, you know, 633 00:47:52,719 --> 00:47:58,239 I remember I loved the movies and so on. Now I bought my house. 634 00:47:58,360 --> 00:48:00,599 I sold my house, of course, open a pizza. I bought 635 00:48:00,679 --> 00:48:07,079 sixty five thousand dollars home by the airport, you know, right off easter, 636 00:48:07,760 --> 00:48:12,199 you know, four bedroom to bathpool. I got a brand new car 637 00:48:12,679 --> 00:48:19,639 Antiac. You know now now took off right away, you took off immediately. 638 00:48:20,280 --> 00:48:22,880 For marketing, there's another you know credit, I really want to give 639 00:48:22,920 --> 00:48:28,639 myself to back. Then you can buy you know, add on TV channel 640 00:48:28,719 --> 00:48:32,119 five and so on for you know, one hundred dollars a spot, fifty 641 00:48:32,159 --> 00:48:37,320 dollars a spot. You can buy an add And I had one thousand dollars 642 00:48:37,320 --> 00:48:40,239 for marketing. And I said, you know what we're talking about a newspaper 643 00:48:40,360 --> 00:48:43,840 talking. Then I said, you know what the pizza cost me a doll 644 00:48:44,280 --> 00:48:46,840 to make. I want to make a thousand. I have one thousand dollars. 645 00:48:47,199 --> 00:48:50,840 I want to make a thousand pizzas and give it away, right, 646 00:48:51,079 --> 00:48:53,199 you know, because I believe in the pizza. I believe. So I 647 00:48:53,239 --> 00:48:57,519 made a thousand, literally a thousand pizzas, and I took it, took 648 00:48:57,519 --> 00:49:00,760 them around and just give them two people, and all of a sudden, 649 00:49:00,840 --> 00:49:06,320 you know, it took off, and then take them to give to people 650 00:49:06,960 --> 00:49:09,880 stations. Go to the apartment building. Anybody knock on the apartment. Here's 651 00:49:09,880 --> 00:49:14,159 a pizza. Knock on the apartment. Here's a pizza. Anybody who answered 652 00:49:14,199 --> 00:49:16,360 me? Anybody who answered the door? You know, there's a fly. 653 00:49:16,480 --> 00:49:19,639 And we just opened a pizza. Yeah, here you go, sir. 654 00:49:20,920 --> 00:49:22,719 And then all of a sudden, you know, start people start, you 655 00:49:22,760 --> 00:49:27,719 know coming in, you know, wow, you know, so it was 656 00:49:27,760 --> 00:49:30,079 it was then we opened a second one, you know, and later on 657 00:49:30,199 --> 00:49:36,360 we opened the second pizza. But anyway, that went on when I totally 658 00:49:36,400 --> 00:49:39,480 forgot, you know, moving back to La for now, just sort of 659 00:49:39,480 --> 00:49:45,119 from the back burner. And then I learned about the acting school. You 660 00:49:45,159 --> 00:49:49,440 know, when I met you, right, I don't know who. I 661 00:49:49,480 --> 00:49:52,559 think it was Pam, Pam Vixon who told me about the acting school. 662 00:49:52,599 --> 00:49:59,679 I started dating Pam and and then I went to the acting school just because 663 00:49:59,679 --> 00:50:02,079 I was curious about the film industry and the film business and so on. 664 00:50:02,760 --> 00:50:07,440 Liked it. Met you at Jerry, Tiffy, met Niche, you know, 665 00:50:07,519 --> 00:50:13,519 all these people who became friends. And then I brought my brother from 666 00:50:13,519 --> 00:50:19,920 Syria, Gus, he came, and somebody from Los Angeles actually came that 667 00:50:20,079 --> 00:50:24,159 I met in Los Angeles and told me he was editing a movie in Los 668 00:50:24,199 --> 00:50:27,960 Angeles. And I said, sure, that's what I want to do. 669 00:50:28,360 --> 00:50:32,920 And that's again when I just pack again and left everything to Gus and went 670 00:50:32,960 --> 00:50:38,920 to Glendale where my apartment in Glendale. Yeah, we both moved to We 671 00:50:39,079 --> 00:50:43,119 moved to LA at about the same time. I think you got there maybe 672 00:50:43,119 --> 00:50:47,519 a month before me. And and yeah, yeah, we both had the 673 00:50:47,559 --> 00:50:52,119 same plan. Make a bunch of money in Vegas, moved to LA and 674 00:50:52,199 --> 00:50:57,880 get into the movie business. Yeah, so again went back to the movies, 675 00:50:57,960 --> 00:51:02,039 you know, went to make movies and the rest is history. Well, 676 00:51:02,559 --> 00:51:07,639 okay, so I'm actually, if you don't mind, I'm going to 677 00:51:07,679 --> 00:51:12,599 split this episode into two parts, and then the second part will be going 678 00:51:12,599 --> 00:51:16,239 to La. Okay, well, there you have it. That is the 679 00:51:16,360 --> 00:51:22,880 end of part one of my interview with the incredible story of Joseph Mehrhee. 680 00:51:23,800 --> 00:51:29,559 Come back next time for part two, where we will talk about Joe going 681 00:51:29,599 --> 00:51:34,599 to La and getting into the movie business. If you can leave a review 682 00:51:35,159 --> 00:51:37,760 rate the show. If you want to reach me, you can reach me 683 00:51:37,840 --> 00:51:43,119 at Life as a Gamblepod at gmail dot com, or I'm on Twitter at 684 00:51:43,280 --> 00:52:01,559 RWM twenty one. Until next time, The Bear Tiban