Monday, April 26, 2010

Memories of Georgia Engel and The Musical Tent in Clio

Flint Expatriate Kevin King remembers the Musical Tent in Clio, where many Flintoids got to work with successful actors:
I was in many productions there (as a child actor) back in 1966. It was the most memorable summer of my life.

We would work in the "rehearsal hall" all day long and on "dark days" would work into the evening too. I remember always having to put on Off because the mosquitoes were so bad.

When we did "The King and I," they ran out of makeup that they used to make us look darker, so they melted chocolate bars from the concession stand and mixed it with something and smeared it all over us (as we were using full body makeup). We all went on stage smelling like a chocolate factory.

I remember working with Georgia Engel that year. She was only 18 years old at the time. (Later she was on The Mary Tyler Moore Show.)

I'm still in the entertainment industry. I'm a business manager in Hollywood for celebrity clients. Have been gone from Flint for over 30 years.

I grew up in the Civic Park area and took my kids back there a few years ago to visit. Boy - was that depressing. Most of the block I grew up on on Chevrolet Ave is really in bad shape and many houses have actually disappeared altogether.

But it's great to have the memories. Thanks for your work in keeping this site going!


2 comments:

  1. Pat McFarlane YoungApril 26, 2010 at 7:58 PM

    Enjoyed many nights with my parents at the Musical Tent. My dance teacher Lynn Adams was Robert Adams sister. Robert was the director of the Musical Tent. Two more Flintites became Hollywood residents — Romaine Johnston and Frank Price. Thanks for the info about your Flint childhood, I still miss Flint and had a wonderful life there.

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  2. I was an usher there. Georgia stayed at my aunt and uncle's home in Clio. Recall Byrne Piven directed some shows. Whatever happened to Arthur Scwartz and Rusty Thayer?

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Thanks for commenting. I moderate comments, so it may take a while for your comment to appear. You might enjoy my book about Flint called "Teardown: Memoir of a Vanishing City," a Michigan Notable Book for 2014 and a finalist for the 33rd Annual Northern California Book Award for Creative NonFiction. Filmmaker Michael Moore described Teardown as "a brilliant chronicle of the Mad Maxization of a once-great American city." More information about Teardown is available at www.teardownbook.com.