Rebecca Sounds Reveille

This dynamic episode allows us to go back in time with a man who crossed the airwaves and spent hours in many of our homes on some of the most popular television shows! Are you one who has watched shows with household value, those that were the staple-hood of television? Guest Lee Paul, an Air Force veteran who was an officer in King Soloman, Alaska, grew in Brooklyn, New York and followed his own “yellow brick” road of interest in science and arts, taking him to the dreamland of many...Hollywood. He has spent over 25 years of performing, more than 75 on-camera appearances, 30 plus commercials, along with 53 credits in filmography, some of which are iconic, such as: The Van Dyke Show, Matlock, Falcon Crest,Simon & Simon, The Fall Guy, Kenny Rogers as The Gambler: The Adventure Continues, B.J. and the Bear, ChiPs, Wonder Woman, Adam-12,Cannon, Mannix, Happy Days, and The Sting.

On the show, he talks about what originally brought him to the drama department (a girl he was chasing) and how it wasn't the girl he fell in love with that ultimately led him to stardom. He also talks about some of the roles he played (the one in The Sting being the most significant), what his father equipped him with to fulfill these roles, and how it was cyclical in his life. This is an amazing story in itself!

Lee shared in-depth about how the illusion of having an easy life as a movie star is not as easy as it seems and how there is a misconception as to royalties actors receive from the movies they have appeared in. He talks about the low percentage of actors that qualify for pension and health benefits, specifically he is 1 of 2.5% of 3-400,000 actors, that do. He even talks about his .07 cent and .01 residuals!

There are some very good points Lee makes about having a good background and craft along with what it takes to make it in “Hollywood.” However, this philosophy is something that can be applied to anything one would like to achieve in life!