By Stephen Schochet
Author/Narrator
Stephen Schochet researched Hollywood and Disney stories and
lore for 10 years while giving tours of Hollywood. He had the
unique idea the stories could be told anywhere and that's what
led him to create the critically acclaimed audiobooks "Fascinating
Walt Disney" and "Tales Of Hollywood". Here he
shares some stories that happened while he was actually giving
tours:
On
one tour I pointed out the Fox Plaza, the building that was
blown up in the movie Die Hard. A tourist asked me "How
did they put that building back together so fast?"
* On the tour we stop at Rodeo Drive. The people were returning
to the bus after their visit and Steve Garvey came walking by.
A life-long Dodger fan I said," Hi Steve." Happy for
the recognition, he came over to meet the people on the bus.
Unfortunately, the entire group was from England and Germany
and not a single person knew who he was.
*
The day after OJ Simpson was arrested, I was doing a tour where
we stopped in front of the Chinese Theater. My customers were
looking at the handprints and footprints, while I stretched
my legs near a row of parked tour buses. Two men, one with a
filming camera approached me. "Hi We're from CNN. Are you
a tour guide? We would like to interview you about OJ."
"Sure." "Great. Roll the camera. We're talking
to a Hollywood tour guide. So did your customers ask you today
about OJ's house." "Well today my people are from
Romania. They are here for the World Cup. I don't think they
care about OJ Simpson." "Well will you be adding OJ's house
to the tour?" "Probably not because he lives west
of the 405. We go east of the 405 and we are so pressed for
time. I wouldn't be surprised if we have some guys who point
at any old house and claim that it's OJ's!" I was kidding
but the reporter took me quite seriously. "So tour guides
do that do they? What tour company do you work for?" I
thought, who does this guy think he is, Mike Wallace? I pointed
at one of the buses owned by a rival tour company.
* When I first started training as a tour bus driver I rode
with other guides to see how they did it. One guy, unfortunately
did not endear himself to the customers with a patter of stale
and sometimes sexist jokes. At one point he showed the Hollywood
Sign, and told the tragic story of actress Peg Entwistle, who
unable to succeed in the transition from stage to screen, jumped
fifty feet to her death from the top of the letter H. He finished
the tale with the tagline,"Of course the last person to
jump was a tour guide who didn't get tipped." There was
a pause and then an Australian customer from the back of the
bus shouted out," Oh yeah? Well there'll be another one
tomorrow!
Stephen Schochet tells Hollywood Stories on radio, audiobooks, tours and speaking engagements. To hear more tales go to http://www.hollywoodstories.com.