OUT OF TOWN (video)

John and I, in this video, chat about the ten days that he was in Los Angeles and Knoxville. I wrote a post about "My Guy" earlier this week -- but this is the two of us, reviewing some things about being apart, that we haven't had time to discuss.

In L.A, he was playing the Granddaddy in the TV sitcom, "The Middle." Since Thanksgiving is approaching, the producers were shooting the family celebration. Then, off JC flew to his hometown, Knoxville. The University of Tennessee gave him its Distinguished Alumni Award. After spending time with his relatives, John visited with some of his actor friends.

What I find extraordinary -- what I got JC to tell me was how he studied acting, rehearsed plays in a classroom, at the University -- plays which they performed at the Bijou, an old movie theater. The names of the plays in which he performed the leading role during his college days. are not in any John Cullum resume. Even if you haven't seen a lot of theater, you'll recognize most of these titles: "Our Town," "Golden Boy," "Front Page," "Three Men on a Horse," "Come Back Little Sheba," "Death of a Salesman," "The Heiress," "Petrified Forest," "Born Yesterday," "Detective Story."

What JC learned as a student actor -- what he did on the stage of the Bijou in Knoxville, is the basis for everything he's done as an actor ever since.