98 Updates

AUGUST UPDATE 1998 Hello there, I bet you've been wondering when I was going to do that update I've been promising you. Well, I have been away back east for work and a vacation with my family. We had a wonderful time, and the whole trip went smoothly. When I returned home I was so moved by all the wonderful letters I had received. I thank you for taking the time to send them and I will try to answer some of the questions you have asked. I received quite a few e-mails from Australia & Brazil. I apologize I can't read Spanish, but someone has forwarded to me a translation website so I think I will be able to read it after all. It's amazing how small the world becomes via the internet isn't it? Now to answer some of those questions…Several of you wanted to know where Toluca Lake was. It's a lovely community in the San Fernando Valley wedged between Universal Studios, Warner Brothers Studios and NBC. There is a stretch of businesses on the main drag with lots of restaurants and interesting shops. That's where Rubber Boots is. Which, by the way, is an eclectic store filled with unusual gifts, original artwork, and a large collection of cards. We have been in business there for 21 years and have seen the area grow and change. Being in business these days is a constant challenge and I have tried to change the store with the times. I look for unique items whenever I travel and I am still pondering how to bring it to the web page. So, please be patient with that lonely page that's under construction. Now, to set the record straight. My sister's name is Veronica Cartwright. I don't have a sister named Nancy Cartwright. I have heard Nancy on "The Simpsons" (the voice of Bart), but I have never had the pleasure of meeting her. However, my sister Veronica is also an actress and I'm sure you've seen her. She's been in the acting profession for 30 odd years. She was Beavers girlfriend "Violet" on "Leave it to Beaver", and went on the play in hundreds of television shows and movies. Most recently she played "Cassandra Spender" in the X-Files, and was nominated for an Emmy this year for that performance. We're keeping our fingers crossed she wins. Last year she was nominated for a guest role she played in "ER". She didn't bring home the Emmy, but its an honor to have your performance picked out for nomination. She's just finished up a movie she was filming in Austin, Texas. When she gets a few free hours, she's asked my son to work on a web site for her. I'll be linking that with mine when its completed and you'll be able to keep track of what she's up to.Another often asked question was if we did our own singing in "The Sound of Music"? Yes. We all sang and danced our way through Salzburg, Austria. We really had a great time doing this film. What's really neat is all of us "kids" are still close friends, and we all stay in touch. One particular moment that really stands out in my mind (and there were many memories while making this film) was the canoe scene. We did that shot many times. We were all in a hurry to get out of the water because someone had told us there were leeches at the bottom. We never knew where we would end up when the boat tipped over…and the take they used was the one where Julie ended up going over the back of the boat. I really remember what a good sport Kym Karath was (she played Gretel) she was only five at the time and couldn't swim…she'd go under and someone would scoop her up and then she'd get back in the boat and do it again. What a trooper. You can see Heather (who played Louisa) rescue her in the final cut that was used. Someone asked me why I said it was an accident that I was picked to be in that Sparkletts Water ad. I just think it was fate I ended up in show business. My family was not in the business at all. We came to America because my parents had always dreamed of leaving England and coming here. My Dad was a technical artist and my Mom was a nurse. We didn't have two pennies to rub together when we made our way through Canada and down into Los Angeles. A next door neighbor befriended my Mom and had kids that did commercials, she suggested that my Mom take Veronica and myself to this agent she knew…the rest is history.Bill Mumy wrote several of the "Lost In Space" comic books by Innovation…but he never did the drawings. I don't ever remember The Robinson's looking like that…do you?