Don Adams' Screen Test

In the early seventies I wrote a series of commercials with Don for Aurora Skittle Games. Most of these commercials were movie parodies. Sometimes Don produced them just as I wrote them, other times he would have an idea of his own and I was happy to join in. We did a Casablanca commercial for a game called "Shifty Checkers" which we shot at Burbank Airport. I think what gave him the idea to do Casablanca for this game was that in his head he could hear how Humphrey Bogart would pronounce "Shifty Checkers" as shifty sheckers. We spent two weeks casting the Ingrid Bergman character and saw just about every beautiful girl in Hollywood who could act and Holly Hayes was perfect in the role. In an intimate two shot as the plane for Lisbon is warming up, Don as Rick says "Don't cry." Ilsa responds, "I'm not crying." "Then why are your cheeks wet?" Don asks and Ilsa replies "because you're spitting on me." I've put a ninety second version of this commercial up on you-tube under my name. Don's assistant, Nancy Barr and I became great friends and a year or two later Nancy asked me if I'd like to help cast "Don Adams Screen Test." It was a cattle call at one of the TV stations in downtown Hollywood. It was great madness and great fun. Don was a great director and Nancy Barr was an epicure of comedy and comedians. Her favorite (after Don) was Albert Brooks. I found these reviews while looking Nancy up on IMDb, Hello, Nancy.