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A (Long) Day On The Set Of 'Law & Order'
The last place you would normally find me at 1:30 in the morning is at a cemetery walking among the graves. But, on this cold night in Queens, NY, it was an experience I had been looking forward to for the last couple of weeks.
One of my favorite shows is “Law & Order” -- the original, SUV, and Criminal Intent -- I love them all. So when my producer, Chris Fahey, emailed to tell me she had gotten me a part on “Law & Order: CI,” I was just beside myself!
My part is an entertainment reporter (something that required no research). My midnight “assignment” -- reporting live from Machpelah Cemetery in Queens - site of Harry Houdini's actual grave. The L&O episode is a spooky one: magic phenom Miles Stone has buried himself ALIVE for 31 days and he is about to rise from the “grave” to the thrill of bunches of his fans donning T-shirts that blare “MILES LIVES”.
But, of course, something goes terribly, and I mean, TERRIBLY wrong. And I am right there on the scene witnessing it all!
Houdini died in Detroit, Michigan (my hometown) on the afternoon of Halloween, October 31, 1926 of peritonitis. His grave is situated at one of the entrances of the Queens cemetery that seems pretty much, well, “full”. The office building close to the plot has long been closed - the names and 'death dates' of the directors engraved into a sidewall. Houdini's entire family is buried there - his father, mother, sister and brothers. Everyone, except his wife Bess, who actually had a plot right next to Harry's that she planned to “use” but she could not be buried there after all -- Machpelah is a Jewish cemetery and Bess was Catholic. About 8:00 PM, when it got good and dark, with the Access Hollywood “live truck” in the background and the fog machines blowing full force, we started shooting our scene. “Harry Houdini once buried himself alive for 31 minutes….” I had my lines down. The director, Peter Werner, even added a few more lines, to which, I happily memorized on the spot. (I would like to thank the Academy.) In between takes, the nice woman in charge of wardrobe draped me in a heavy coat to help keep me warm. New York had gotten really chilly. By the time we wrapped, it was 1:30 in the morning and I couldn't feel my toes. Series television is anything but glamorous, but it sure is great work, if you can get it. Everyone gave me a round of applause for being the trooper and I gave them a big “thank you” for having me. I waved good-bye to the crew and gave a silent acknowledgment to Houdini for providing the “ambience”. Check out my appearance on “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” when it airs on USA Network on Sunday, July 13th! Peace, Shaun
I arrived at the cemetery about 5:30 PM - still daylight. About a hundred cast, crew, and extras had set up shop near Houdini's real-life grave. We rehearsed my scenes which required lots of “blocking” where I would walk as I spoke to the “live” audience waiting for their hero to pull off the ultimate magic trick. After rehearsing, I wandered around and looked inside some of the massive mausoleums where entire families were laid to rest -- many born in the mid-1800's. Inside one of the old tombs was a small chair that had been overtaken with cobwebs -- a sign that the loved one who had frequently visited had, themselves, passed on.
Hi Shaun - I looked up the Access Hollywood site after our conversation yesterday on the flight over from LA to New York - so this is what you do! Anyway as I said, best of luck for your coverage of the Sex In The City premiere - and nice talking to you yesterday.
Regards,
Michael