How did two teenagers from St. Paul, Minn., elbow their way into the offices of singer/dancer Gene Kelly, entertainer Fred Astaire and comedian George Burns?
The way David Fantle tells it, what began with pure love of film became a quarter-of-a-century long project that led him and writing partner Tom Johnson to publish their new book of celebrity interviews, “Reel to Real: 25 Years of Celebrity Interviews from Vaudeville to Movies to TV” (Badger Books).
At age 15, Fantle, now of Milwaukee, and Johnson, of Los Angeles, were fast becoming movie buffs. In a recent interview, Fantle recalled that in 1974 their parents took them to see the movie “That’s Entertainment,” a compilation film of MGM’s musical moments, which he believes ignited their shared interest in film.
“At that time,” Fantle told The Chronicle in a telephone interview, “there were no videos or DVDs, so for us to view classic films in their entirety, we had to rent them from a place we found in Wilmette, Ill. To cover the [rental] cost, we booked showings at several nursing homes in the St. Paul area.
“We lugged the old 16 mm projector that we borrowed from the St. Paul JCC from place to place and launched a rather unprofitable business called ‘Films on Wheels.’ What’s funny is that a lot of our audience was ‘on wheels’ as well,” said Fantle.
What made that effort successful is that most of the patients were raised in that era, and were eager to see the films. “And we got to see them for free – sometimes five or six times,” he mused.
Their break came when the local media wrote an article about the two teenagers’ philanthropic project. “We used that clip to contact a variety of celebrities in Hollywood about doing some interviews.
“After we graduated high school in 1978, we planned a trip there and were told (by publicity agents) that Kelly and Astaire would see us,” he added.
At that time, Fantle believes, celebrities had to help advance their careers. “There wasn’t ‘Entertainment Tonight’ or late night talk shows to publicize their films, so it was part of their job to do so. They fully understood the importance of publicity and recognized it affected their earning power. After our first trip, doors opened and other celebrities were willing to promote themselves,” he said.
‘The presence of greatness’
Fantle and Johnson conducted about 70 interviews between 1978 and 1983, which included their student years at the University of Minnesota. While there, the pair wrote a celebrity profile column for the university newspaper entitled “Entertainment Ltd.”
“In our college days, we did 60 personal interviews with such legends as Georgie Jessel, James Cagney, Steve Allen, Carl Reiner, Milton Berle, Gregory Peck and Bob Hope, many of whom were Jewish,” Fantle said.
He believes that Jews invented Hollywood. “I feel that without Jewish artists there would be no Hollywood. Most major studios were founded by Jews, and I think we have an artistic bent.”
In 1994, after pursuing their journalism careers, they reunited and have since conducted some 140 interviews.
Their book includes 60 of their “best interviews” and features 32 pages of original photos.
Fantle said he expects his audience will be readers over 40. “We have interviewed younger artists, too, and may do a book for people under 40,” he said.
He and Johnson are launching regional book-signing tours. Fantle will be at the Harry W. Schwartz Bookshop in Shorewood on Thursday, Feb. 26, 7 p.m.; Voss Books downtown on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2 p.m.; and at Borders Books Music and Café in Fox Point on Thursday, March 4, 7 p.m.
Fantle’s favorite legends are Astaire, Kelly, Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, Rod Steiger, Kathryn Hepburn and Lucille Ball. He also respects the work of Sean Penn, Johnny Depp and Meryl Streep.
His all-time favorite films are “Singing in the Rain” with Kelly, “White Heat” with Cagney, “True Grit” with John Wayne and “of course ‘Gone with the Wind.’”
He recalled their very first interview with Kelly: “His cautionary advice was not to quit our day jobs. He didn’t feel this was career-oriented. I think he was right,” said Fantle, who is involved in local public relations.
“It’s been amazing to have been in the presence of people of such greatness,” he said.
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