>> Stephen: HEY, WE'RE BACK
WITH THE AUTHOR OF "HELLO, MOLLY!," MOLLY SHANNON. IN YOUR EARLY L.A. HURSTLE
DAYS-- THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE SHOW BUSINESS STORIES
OF ALL TIME YOU CAN SHARE WITH THE PEOPLE. YOU AND YOUR FRIEND CAME UP WITH
SOMETHING CALLED "THE MAMET SCAM." PLEASE EXPLAIN TO THE PEOPLE
WHAT THE MAMMENT SCAM WAS. >> MY FRIEND EUGENE PACK AND I
HAD GONE TO N.Y.U. DRAMA SCHOOL, AND EUGENE TAUGHT WITH DAVID
MAMET, HE TAUGHT CLASSES THERE, DAVID MAMET IS AN AMAZING WRITE,
PLAYWRIGHT, SCREENWRITER, "GLENGARRY, GLEN ROSS,"
BRILLIANT. WHEN WE WERE IN HOLLYWOOD, WE
COULDN'T GET INTO THE DOORS OF AGENTS. NOBODY WAS CALLING. I WOULD WALK UP AND DOWN SUNSET
BOULEVARD, PASS OUT MY HEAD SHOTSES. NOBODY CALLED. "WE HAVE TO GET IN THE DOOR. HOW CAN WE DO THIS?"
I THOUGHT UP THIS THING AND CALLED IT THE MAMET SCAM WHERE I
PRETENDED TO BE SOMEONE WHO WORKED FOR DAVID MAMET, NAMED
LIZ STOCKWELL, AND EUGENE PACK'S FAKE NAME WAS ARNOLD KATZ. AND WE PRETENDED WE WORKED FOR
AND WITH DAVID MAMET, AND WE WOULD MAKE CALLS FOR ONE ANOTHER
TO GET INTO AGENTS. I WOULD CALL-- AND LIZ
STOCKWELL, MY CHARACTER, WAS JUST A POSITIVE GAL, JUST GOOD
ENERGY. SO WE WOULD GO TO THE A.F.I. LIBRARY AND LOOK UP ACTORDSES
AND WHO WERE REPRESENTED BY. WHO'S JOAN CUSACK'S AGENT. I COULD MEET THAT PERSON. WE DID RESEARCH AND HAD WHO WE
WANTED TO MEET. I WOULD CALL AND SAY, "HI, THIS
IS LIZ STOCKWELL, CALLING FROM DAVID MAMET'S OFFICE." WE KIND OF KNEW THERE WOULDN'T A
CROSSCHECK, BECAUSE WE KNEW DAVID MAMET WOULD STAY IN NEW
YORK, VERMONT. SO WHEN THE AGENTS WOULD HEAR
DAVID MAMET WAS CALLING, WE COULD GET RIGHT ON THE PHONE
WITH THE AGENT AND THEY WOULD PUT THE AGENT ON. I WOULD SAY, "DAVID SPEAKS SO
HIGHLY OF YOU AND YOUR COMPANY, AND WE HAVE THIS YOUNG KID OUT
HERE. HE'S LIKE THE NEXT HOT THING. WE MAKE HIM A STAR. I SEE THE STAR OF DAVID'S NEW
PLAY, AND WE'D LOVE TO SET UP A MEETING FOR YOU." AND WE HAD A RULE WHERE YOU
COULDN'T HANG UP THE CALL UNTIL YOU HAD THE APPOINTMENT. AND EUGENE PACK AND I HAD WORKED
IN SALES TOGETHER ON PARK AVENUE, AND --
>> Stephen: YOU WERE SELLING GYM MEMBERSHIPS. >> WE SOLD GYM MEMBERSHIPS, AND
THE RULE WAS DON'T HANG UP UNTIL YOU GET THE CREDIT CARD. WE DID THE SAME THING WITH THE
MAMET SCAM. WHATEVER THE OBSTACLE WAS, "HAVE
U19 CALL." "NO, NO, EUGENE IS SO BUSY WITH
THE REHEARSALS CAN WE JUST GET IT." AND THEY WOULD SAY, "LIZ, CAN WE
HAVE LUNCH?" AND I WOULD SAY, "I WILL HAVE MY
ASSISTANT CALL YOU." >> Stephen: DID IT WORK? >> IT WORKED, IT WORKED! SO WHAT HAPPENED WAS-- SO DURING
THE MAMET SCAM-- AND WE WOULD CRACK UP. WE WOULD PASS NOTES, "SAY THIS,
SAY THAT." I MET BERNIE BERUTI. WE MET EVERYONE. BERNIE WAS LIKE, "GIVE MY BEST
TO DAVID. I WANT YOU TO MEET MY DAUGHTER
LEE. AND I USED TO DRIVE BY, AND I
LOVED "TWIN PEAKS" AND DAVID LYNCH. AND I SAID I WANT TO BE ON 'TWIN
PEEKS." AND I GOT A MEETING WITH JOANNA
RAY. AND SHE SAID, "YOU ARE A
DELIGHT. YOU MUCH OF MUST MEET DAVID
LYNCH," AND I GOT "TWIN PEAKS" THROUGH THE MAMET SCAM. ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ). IT WORKED. IT WORKED! >> Stephen: RESPECT. >> THANK YOU! >> Stephen: RESPECT. OH, MY GOD THAT'S FANTASTIC. >> IT WAS GOOD. IT WAS GOOD. IT WAS GOOD! THAT'S HOW I GOT MY START. >> Stephen: THAT IS FANTASTIC. >> I'M A HUSTLER, BABY. >> Stephen: DID YOU EVER GET
CAUGHT? >> STEPHEN, SORRY, BUT, YES, WE
DID-- I DID GET CAUGHT. WE GOT A LITTLE, LIKE, YOU KNOW,
CRAZY WITH IT. I REALLY WANT-- I LOVED, YOU
KNOW, "ST. ELMO'S FIRE" AND I WANT TO BE PART OF THAT BRAT
PACK, MOLLIE INGWALD. AND I WANTED TO MEET THE AGENT
TO THE BRAT PACK, AND ARNOLD KATZ GOT ME IN, AND I WENT IN
AND SAT WITH HER, AND SHE WAS JUST LIKE, "I JUST WANTED TO SEE
WHAT A LIAR LOOKED LIKE IN PERSON." CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? AND I WAS LIKE OH, MY GOD. SHE WAS LIKE, "YEAH, YOUR LITTLE
FRIEND ARNOLD KATZ CALLED ME. AND YOU THINK YOU CAN PULL ONE
OVER ON ME." AND I ACTED REALLY CONFUSED AND
KIND OF LIKE,s, WAIT, WHAT." LIKE CONFUSED. AND SHE WAS LIKE, "WAIT, CAN I
ASK YOU A QUESTION, HONEY? ARE YOU DATING THIS GUY? AND I USED ALL MY ACTING
TECHNIQUES FROM N.Y.U. DRAMA SCHOOL. AND I SAID, "OH, YEAH, I'VE BEEN
DATING HIM FOR JUST A FEW WEEKS AND HE SAID HE COULD HELP ME
OUT, HE KNOWS PEOPLE IN HOLLYWOOD." I PLAYED A DUMB GIRL MANIPULATED
BY THIS-- SHE SAID, HONEY, LET ME TELL YOU, THIS GUY IS A
SLEAZE BUCKET, AND HE CAN'T HELP YOU. HE DOESN'T KNOW ANYONE." AND AND I WAS LIKE, "OH, MY GOD,
THANK YOU." SO WE TURNED IT AROUND. OH, MY GOD! AND THEN I WENT-- AND THEN I
WENT OUT TO A PAY PHONE AND I CALLED EUGENE PACK, AND I WAS
LIKE, "WE JUST GOT BUSTED." >> Stephen: THAT IS SO GREAT. >> YEAH, SO GOOD. >> Stephen: MOLLIE, LOVELY TO
SEE YOU. >> OH, MY GOD, YOU'RE THE BEST. >> Stephen: "HELLO, MOLLY" IS
NOW AVAILABLE IN BOOKSTORES AND "I LOVE THAT FOR YOU"
PREMIERES APRIL 29 ON SHOWTIME. MOLLY SHANNON, "HELLO, MOLLY!"
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH CONGRESSWOMAN CORI BUSH.
