by LARRY HAGMAN
“How much do you get for endorsements, Mr. Hagman?” he asked.
I explained that I received from $100,000 to $500,000 for endorsements in the United States. Those figures disturbed him. Disregarding the fact that Mr. Ilie, the owner of the amusement park, was said to be worth over $100 million, the producer said there wasn’t that kind of money in Romania. There was no way he could raise that kind of money in such a short time. In that case, Maj advised him to forget the shot.
He asked us to give him three hours to come up with something. Meanwhile, Maj and I went on a tour of former Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu’s gigantic marble palace. It was the second-largest building in the world next to the Pentagon, in Washington, D.C. We walked around with our mouths open. The palace contained meeting halls the size of football fields. It was impossible to reconcile the enormity and the wealth on display there with the poverty of the people whose blood had been spilled constructing the monstrous palace.
Halfway through the tour my cell phone rang. It was the producer. He’d found an oil company that he said “would be positively delighted if you would make a commercial for them.” They were also willing to pay $100,000. I said, “When?” He said, “How about in fifteen minutes?” I said, “Done deal.”
Our limousine whisked us to a location, a very modern-looking gas station on the outskirts of Bucharest, and I taped a commercial for Luke Oil. The whole thing took maybe an hour. They also took stills for magazine ads. I signed the contracts, and then asked for the money in cash. They said it was impossible to get that kind of cash in Bucharest, which made me say to myself, There goes a hundred grand. But a week later we were back in L.A. and my bank informed me that the funds had arrived.
Three months later, a director of the Romanian film crew who’d done the commercial visited us in Santa Monica and showed us pictures of me in my Stetson, holding a bottle of Luke Oil, that was displayed on a ten-story building in Bucharest. Apparently my picture was plastered all over the country. He explained that Luke Oil was the leading Russian oil company in Europe. It was a good omen, because my mothers nickname for me was Luke.
* * *
My life has been full of good omens. I’ve been blessed with a knack for finding the right person or getting a lucky break. Take my diabetes. Two of my neighbors in Ojai, Rick and Virginia Loy, have two boys who are juvenile diabetics. She’s investigated probably every treatment known to medicine to try to help her children. One of the doctors who’s been of significant help to them is Diana Schwartzbien. I went to her, and through her method of a low carbohydrate diet and exercise I went from taking twenty-six units of insulin in the morning and sixteen at night to being totally insulin free. Like with everything else, including AA, it works only if you work at it.
Some of my endeavors haven’t been as successful. My campaign to remove the radar tower from Sulphur Mountain is still ongoing. The tower still stands, emitting what I believe is harmful radiation, and I’m continuing to battle the bureaucracy. I’m convinced that one day it will be moved to a proper site. People continue to smoke, but to a much lesser degree than twenty years ago. The government still subsidizes tobacco while condemning it at the same time. Eventually a balance will be struck and tobacco addiction will be added to alcohol and drug addiction and perhaps a successful treatment will be found.
I don’t want to sound like I’m on a soapbox, but I think I’ve entered a more spiritual stage of my life. As I grow older, I see myself in a period of giving back. The way the world seems headed, I feel like I have to be involved with many organizations. I am at present the National Kidney Foundation’s spokesperson for organ transplants and also involved with Habitat for Humanity and the Solar Electric Light Fund, a nonprofit group that brings electricity to areas of the world where people have never seen a lightbulb. I also have been appointed to the Advisory Committee on Organ Transplantation under the Department of Health and Human Services.
I never thought I’d live this long or this far into the twenty-first century, but here I am, and I’m concerned about the world my grandchildren are inheriting.
Sure, there are advances every day. Computers go faster and drugs work miracles. But they also come with two pages of legal warnings that they might do more harm than good. The brilliant surgeon who performed my liver transplant had to quit practicing because the insurance companies and accountants were telling him how to treat his patients. Politicians legislate the destruction of the environment so we can drive SUVs, and they do it without considering the effect they are having on the whole chain of life of which we’re a part.
Rome fell when the lead went from their pencils into their wine and the lawyers took over society. Everything was crooked. Nothing got done and problems piled up. Finally, the barbarians came through and solved all the problems for them. They killed everyone.
But poets are still writing about love, musicians are still making music, and kids are still thinking they know how to do things better than their parents. As long as that continues, we’ve got a chance.
While I was writing this book, something my mother said when I was young came back to me. She didn’t tell me to be a great or successful actor. Nor did she tell me to be a good human being. She said that over the passage of time, my goal should be to acquire my own wisdom. To do that, she said, I needed to gather my own experiences. She told me not to fear making mistakes. To take chances. Have fun. Live.
I’ve done all of that to the best of my ability. I wouldn’t have been able to tell the same story without Maj by my side for nearly fifty years. Over those years, Maj has been asked many times if she’s ever been jealous of my leading ladies, and she always replies, “Well, it does take at least two of us to take care of him.” She’s not joking. Because our marriage has lasted so long, particularly in a town where nothing lasts, there is a curiosity about it—and us. People constantly ask for our secret, and here it is—two bathrooms. Again, I’m not joking. But we’ve gone through everything together, and our partnership has been the most fortunate part of my life. We’ve had a lot of fun. That’s the real secret.
The first post-op picture—taken by Maj.
Our children, Heidi and Preston, have turned out well, and our grandchildren seem to be doing the same. That’s a pretty great story by itself. I came from a kind of kooky, nontraditional family, yet if asked what has been the most important part of my life, I’d say family. It’s family that makes success richer and sadness less painful.
Writing a book like this compels you to want to sum up your life. I’m not going to give in to that urge. Let someone else sum up my life when its over. As far as I’m concerned, I’m still playing the game. My mother finished her autobiography at seventy. She said that she’d found love was “pure gold.” By coincidence, as I write this last sentence, I’m also seventy … and I found the only answer is love.
* * *
Don’t worry.
Be happy.
Feel good.
Acknowledgments
I want to thank my mother, Peter Pan, without whom I wouldn’t even be here.
My grandmother Juanita Martin without whom Mother would never have been.
My father, Ben Hagman, who taught me how to hunt and fish.
My stepmother, Juanita Hagman, who kept me in line as a teenager.
And of course to my beautiful little sister, Heller Halliday, who has put up with me all these years.
Heidi Kristina Mary Hagman and to Preston Benjamin Axel Hagman, my two wonderful kids who I love dearly.
The Blondies—my five granddaughters.
Berit Axelsson, my sister-in-law and a wonderful nurse, who supervised all my nursing during my illness.
Shelly Greenhut, who has stood by me all these years in spite of being a brother-in-law.
My mentor and great friends, Carroll and Nancy O’Connor.
(from top left):
Our granddaughters, “The Blondies,”
Rebecca, Nora, Tara, Kaya, Noel.
&
nbsp; Roger and Lorelle Phillips, my oldest and staunchest friends.
Henri Kleiman, my second oldest shooting buddy, the best man at my wedding, and so much more …
Linda Gray for being such a loving friend and for putting up withal my s-----.
Richard Grant, to whom I will always be grateful for masterminding my public relations with the press and the networks. Just being a lucky actor is not enough—you have to have stimulating and knowledgeable guidance. Richard provided me more than that—he is also a good friend.
Sidney Sheldon, whose genius and tolerance allowed me to make my mark.
Claudia Guzman, who made working on Jeannie so much fun.
Leonard Katzman, the genius of Dallas, who kept us going for thirteen years.
Dallas Taylor, who kept me on the straight and narrow in AA.
Michelle Maschuszek, who has really kept me on the straight and narrow.
My wife, Maj, and I are actively involved in numerous civic and philanthropic activities. Between 1981 and 1991, I was chairperson for the American Cancer Society’s “Great American Smokeout.” During those eleven years, the campaign was successful at increasing the awareness of the dangers of nicotine. I continue to support the organization and encourage people not to smoke. I have also served as national spokesperson for the National Kidney Foundations Transplant Games since 1996. I am the honorary chair of the NKF’s TransAction Council, a support and advocacy group for transplant recipients. In these capacities, I have tried to generate nationwide media coverage for organ donation and the success of transplants. I have also worked for the introduction of legislation that would eliminate the three-year limit on Medicare coverage for anti-rejection medication that transplant recipients need to take on a daily basis. I was recently appointed by Tommy Thompson, the U.S. Secretary of Health Resources and Services, to the Advisory Committee on Organ Transplantation. I strongly urge everyone to think about how they might save lives by filling out an organ donor card.
Index
Abbott, George, 79
ABC, 182
Actors Studio, 55
Adelson, Merv, 184, 220
Adleman, Margie, 158, 236
Adler, Polly, 93
Agassi, André, 253-54
Agutter, Jenny, 173
Aherne, Brian, 114, 116-17
AIDS, 262, 264
alcohol recovery group, 242-43
Allende, Salvador, 162
All in the Family, 97, 153
Alpha Caper, The, 159
American Cancer Society, 207
Anderson, Judith, 27, 93
Antelope Tool Company, 9-10, 41-45, 189
Antonio, 161
Applause, 160
Apted, Michael, 165-66
Arthur, Jean, 30
Artist and Elaine Thornton Foundation of the Arts, 142
Ashley, Elizabeth, 123
autographs, 203-4
Axelsson, Axel, 78
Axelsson, Berit (Bebe), 78, 255
with LH’s family, 88, 92, 113, 114, 118, 127, 128
LH’s liver surgery and, 240, 247, 255
Axelsson, Maj, see Hagman, Maj Irene Axelsson
Bacall, Lauren, 159-61
Baddeley, Hermione, 152
Baker, Diane, 163
Baker, Joe Don, 175
Balsam, Martin, 165
Bankhead, Tallulah, 99
Bard College, 49, 51-52
Bardot, Brigitte, 170
Batman, 170-71
Beatty, Ned, 173
Beauty Part, The (Perelman), 100, 101-3
Bel Geddes, Barbara, 182-83, 207, 211-12, 218
Benes, Barton, 249
Bergen, Candice, 133
Berlin Wall, 223, 224-25
Berman, Shelley, 158
Bessell, Ted, 159
Beware! The Blob, 157-59
Big Bus, The, 173
Big Rip-off, The, 172
Black Fox Military Institute, 24
Blackstone, Harry, 24
Blair, Linda, 173
Blood Sport, 159
Bolmier, Bill, 78
Bolmier, Shirley, 78
Bologna, Joseph, 173
Bontril, 134-35
Boulder, Mont., geothermal springs in, 143, 144, 186
Boyer, Charles, 128
Bradbury, Ray, 136
Brando, Marlon, 177, 178
Brazil, Halliday ranch in, 84-85
Bridges, Beau, 92
Bridges, Jeff, 92
Bridges, Lloyd, 91-92
Britton, George, 64
Buchwald, Art, 80
Burr, Aaron, 87
Busey, Gary, 159
Byers, Joey, 35, 36, 39, 41
Caine, Michael, 173
Cambridge, Godfrey, 158
Cannon Theater, 231-32, 233
Career (Lee), 88
Carney, Art, 172
Carter, Jimmy, 195
Cash, Johnny, 14
Castelnuovo, Nino, 114
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Williams), 183, 234
Cattle Barons Ball, 13
Cavern, The, 113, 114, 118
CBS, 190, 194, 195-97, 198-99, 211, 256, 257, 258
Ceauşescu, Nicolae, 262-63, 264
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 225, 235, 239-40
celestial song, 250-51
Champ, The, 149-50
Channing, Stockard, 173
Chaplin, Charlie, 24
Charles, Prince of Wales, 202
Checkered Flag, 175
chemoembolization, 245
Chile, location shooting in, 161-62
Churchill, Winston, 173
cirrhosis, 234, 235, 239
Clarence Derwent Award, 98
Cleopatra, 106, 116
Coco, James, 106
Collins, Gary, 125
Collins, Jackie, 75
Collins, Joan, 74-75
Comes a Day (Lamkin), 93
Compass Theater, 158
Compton, Fay, 97
Conrad, Robert, 125
Cooper, Jackie, 149-50, 178
Corbett, Gentleman Jim, 143
Cosby, Bill, 174
Crosby, Bing, 24, 203
Crosby, David, 138, 246, 252
Crosby, Mary, 202-3
Crosby, Stills and Nash, 138, 242
Cry for Justice, 177
Cullen, Brett, 258
Curtis, Tony, 172
Dacy, Jane, 88, 91
Dailey, Dan, 22
Daily, Bill, 126, 131, 134
Dallas, 181-225
basic story line of, 181, 188-89, 190, 191, 193, 194-95, 216, 218, 222
cancellation of, 229, 230
cast of, 181-83, 185-88, 202-3, 211-12, 216, 217-18, 220-21, 222, 229
cliffhanger season endings of, 193, 194-95, 201-3, 218
contract negotiations of, 195-97, 198-99, 201, 213, 217
debut episode of, 189-90
Dennehy as guest star on, 191-92
directors of, 191-92, 199, 203, 226
European episodes of, 222-23
final episode of, 229-30
foreign popularity of, 197-98, 202, 218, 224, 263-64
LH’s celebrity and, 156, 197-98, 202, 203-6, 224
location shooting begun on, 184-86, 188
producers of, 183, 188, 216, 217
publicity for, 13, 192-93, 211
record audience of, 203
reunion movie of, 256-57
reviews of, 190, 193
smokers on set of, 207-9
studio facilities of, 212-14
success achieved by, 184, 188, 190, 193, 194, 195, 203, 206, 210, 230
Texan responses to, 190-91, 219
theme music of, 202, 249
Dallas, Tex.:
growth of, 188
responses to Dallas series in, 190-91, 219
Danner, Blythe, 164
Darden, Severn, 32, 49, 153
D’Auvray, Jane, 90
D’Auvray, Val, 20, 89-90, 127
Davidson, Willie G., 235
Davis, Jim, 183, 187, 192-93, 208-10, 211
Davis, Sammy, Jr., 146
deer hunting, 38
Deneuve, Catherine, 170
Dennehy, Brian, 191-92
Dewhurst, Colleen, 94-95
De Wilde, Brandon, 93, 96, 138
Diamond S Ranch, 143-44
Dinah’s Place, 192-93
Donner, Richard, 177, 178, 179
Duffy, Carlyn, 216
Duffy, Patrick, 206, 209, 214
Buddhist practices of, 215-16, 220
career of, 182, 185, 216-18, 221, 229
Dallas role of, 186, 191, 193, 216, 229, 256, 257
LH’s friendship with, 186-87, 215, 227, 228-29, 245
Duvall, Robert, 173
Eagle Has Landed, The, 173-74, 177
Easy Rider, 143
Eckles, George (St. John Terrell), 55-57, 59-60, 61, 62, 64, 65, 74
Eden, Barbara, 125, 126, 130, 134, 142, 145-46, 157
Edge of Night, The, 100, 101
Elam, Jack, 164
Elizabeth, Queen Mother, 202
Elizabeth II, Queen of England, 198
Ensign Pulver, 105, 106-10
Esalen, 136
Essex, David, 165
Evans, Wilbur, 64-65, 67
Experiment in International Living, 47
Fail-Safe, 103-4, 115, 128
Faith, Adam, 165
Farentino, James, 106
Feldon, Barbara, 159
film acting, 104
Flicker, Ted, 49, 68, 69, 72, 75, 124, 135
directing work of, 87, 99, 134, 158
Flynn, Errol, 20
Fonda, Henry, 103, 104, 119, 153, 159
Fonda, Jane, 169, 170
Fonda, Peter, 138, 143, 153, 156, 159, 171-72, 235, 254, 258
Ford, Glenn, 178
Four Star Studios, 128
Frawley, James, 173
Fries, Chuck, 150
Furth, George, 159
GAC, 122
Gautier, Dick, 163
Gaxton, William, 22
Gaynor, Janet, 84-85, 210, 211
Getting Away from It All, 157
Ghostley, Alice, 101, 102
Gibb, Andy, 210