I had the privilege to host/moderate a conversation for MPTF’s Channel 22 with Christian McKay, the star of “Me and Orson Welles.” Joining us was Norman Lloyd who was an original member of Welles’ Mercury Theater group and one of the principal actors in Welles’ first Broadway play, “Julius Caesar” (1937).

I firmly believe Mr. McKay should get an Oscar nomination for his work in “Me and Orson Welles.” Not only is his acting brilliant but he seems to have channeled the spirit and soul of Welles himself in his portrayal.

To witness the joy he had in meeting with Norman Lloyd, not only put a smile in my heart, but I felt like we captured a moment of history with Mr. Lloyd which connected the brilliant past of Mr. Welles and the super star future of Mr. McKay.

Mr. Lloyd reminisced about his days with Mr. Welles and told so many fascinating stories that no one but he could be aware of. Mr. McKay was a gracious and informative guest on our “Heart of Hollywood” program and displayed his piano playing brilliance for our attending residents both before and after our interview.  Another great aspect is that we captured it all for our Channel 22 to broadcast later for the residents who were unable to attend.

What charmed me the most was the excitement Mr. McKay displayed when he discussed meeting Kirk Douglas the evening before at The Writers Guild Theater when Kirk premiered his movie, “Before I Forget”, based on his one-man play at the Kirk Douglas Theater.

Mr. McKay not only appeared for our Channel 22 and then introduced his film for an on-campus screening but he volunteered to perform in concert for the Motion Picture & Television Fund to raise money for Harry’s Haven, our Alzheimer’s Unit, which Kirk Douglas was responsible for creating.

Hello new friend, I feel we’ve known each other forever.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 22nd, 2010 at 4:47 pm and is filed under Community Programs, News and Press, Senior Care. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.  Email This Post