ADVENTURES IN HOLLYWEIRD: Part One
March 14th, 2004
ADVENTURES IN HOLLYWEIRD (# 1)
Bud Fleisher
John 18:38 Pilate saith unto him,
What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto
the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.
You see here that even almost 2,000 years ago men have had a
great deal of trouble getting at the truth. Actually this has
been a problem for genuine truth-seekers since the beginning of
time. Thing is there are really very few "genuine" truth seekers.
Most people really want to hear a confirmation of their current
beliefs, and even fewer will consider one that doesnt agree with
that current view.
Elmer Barnes once wrote "The first casualty of war is truth."
So how does one go about getting at the truth. After all, isnt
it also rather subjective? Well, maybe so... maybe not. Depends.
So let me tell you a "true" story.
In the fifties ( I graduated from High School in 1954) I was
working as a clerk for The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
on Madison Avenue and 24th Street in New York City. I was at that
time quite enthusiastic about the Life Insurance Industry. I was
young, ambitious, and had a girlfriend whom I would probably marry
in a few years (which I did).
One of the "primo" jobs in those days with that company was
in the department called "Field Management." Because the positions
there dealt with their salesmen in the field the pay scale there
was greater. But how to get in? I inquired and was told that one
of the best ways to get into field management was to obtain the
CLU (Chartered Life Underwriter) designation. It meant three to
five years of studying after work, but I was assured that this
was one of the best ways into the department. So I went down to
Barnes and Noble up the block, got all the books for part number
one, enrolled and began to study.
Now I must digress for a few lines in order to start imparting
to those of you wise enough to learn more quickly. I was working
in a department known as the "Cancellations Department." While
there one of the guys--a clerk who had been there for about two
years--married the daughter of a man who was a manager for the
department on the floor below. Within six months this guy got
a transfer and a hefty promotion into his Father-in-laws department.
Still, I, being young and ambitious, was wise enough to realize
that it was not a coincidence that he got that job shortly after
marrying that girl!
(A word to the wise here should be sufficient. Now back to the
main line plot of this first article)
So there I was in the CLU class. Studying my brains out, listening
to the teacher and soaking in all the wonderful theory behind
the Life and Health Insurance product. Actually it was genuinely
fascinating and I began to marvel at the product, what it could
do, and began to believe that nobody, if they knew what I knew
about it, could possibly refuse to buy tons of it!
Sitting next to me was an older man. An Agent with over twenty
years in the field. He could see I was quite zealous about the
Life Insurance business. I sat next to him for about a month in
the class and got to know him well enough to get on a first name
basis, etc.
Finally, one evening, during a break he told me, almost in these
words: "Actually, Bud, you cant sell insurance this way. If I
tried that I would starve."
Well! Needless to say inwardly I objected to his raining on
my parade here! Here I was sitting in on the class learning all
this wonderful theory... in my heart believing everyone in the
world felt the same as me... and here was this old guy (he was
about 50-- Im 10 years older than that now!) telling me it wouldnt
work! The nerve of some people! Hey, I was reading those books
and listening to that teacher... You trying to tell me that guy
knew more than them?! Let me ask you... what do you think? Did
he?
I eventually left the home office levels and went into the field
as a salesman. I had my rate book, my "cause" to enlighten the
general consumer about the marvel of the Life Insurance product
and who could stop me now? Yeah!
Well, as they say, "To make a long story short" after about
3 years of driving myself into the ground trying to show the people
my "stuff" I finally began to realize that that "old agent" was
the only one who really knew what it took. Why... because he had
experience. He never had wanted to "rain on my parade." He was
just telling me the truth, and based on the best teacher of all--experience.
"But" you might say, "Your experiences might not be the same
as mine." Sure they might not be, but the lessons learned (sometimes
difficult to accept) are there and only a fool doesnt learn from
his experiences. Like that old saying, "fool me once, shame on
you... fool me twice, shame on me."
Whether or not you want to tune in to what I am going to post
here (Chris has asked me to do this, so hear I am), I am already
feeling like that "old agent" in my class some thirty-five years
ago. Im going to relate some of my experiences as best I can
and let you decide whether or not there is something to be learned
from it.
I never made the "big time." But Ive had years of moving around
that business. I have sold some nineteen screenplays and treatments,
nine of which were made into low budget features and are "out
there" somewhere. mostly, I feel certain that many "wannabees"
need some honest answers and advice, not the general bullshit
that permeates a large part of the "atmosphere" out there.
Im not trying to "rain on your parade" or pour salt in your
wounds. Im going to tell you about things I know about and have
experienced. In some cases I either cannot remember the names
or I choose not to mention them because I neither wish to hurt
them or to be sued! But the experiences are true. What you can
learn from it, if anything, is up to you.
Chris tells me he is going to set up a Question and Answer forum
for me on his site (coming soon). If you have any questions you
want to ask, I will be logging on at times to view them. Ill
read them, then get my comments and questions back to Chris so
he can post them. Ill give you the best, the most honest and
sincere answer (or opinion) that I can (based on my experience).
I guess its now my time to be the "old agent." What you do with
it is your decision. Sincerely-- Bud
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