Ron Ely Likes People

All Photos:  Alan Mercer

Native Texan Ron Ely was born Ronald Pierce Ely. He grew up in Amarillo, Texas and attended Amarillo High School. There is a letter sweater from him in the trophy cases saved from a 1970 fire in the older school.   He attended The University of Texas at Austin in mid-1950s and was in ROTC.  He soon made his way to California.  After signing with 20th Century Fox in the late 1950’s, Ron appeared in small roles in several films and television shows.


Ron Ely played the title role in the TV series ‘Tarzan’ and in two movies made from that series in 1970. He refused to use a stunt double in his vine-swinging or animal fights and was often injured. It has been noted that Ron's physical appearance and dialogue were much more like those of Edgar Rice Burroughs' character than could be said for any other Tarzan.


He won the role of Tarzan in 1966 after playing various bit-parts, including an airplane navigator in the 1958 film ‘South Pacific’ and a guest-starring role on Barbara Eden's first television series, the romantic comedy ‘How to Marry a Millionaire.’ Ron's height at 6' 4" and athletic build also won him the title role in the 1975 film ‘Doc Savage,’ as well as various guest shots. In a 1978 ‘Fantasy Island’ episode, for example, Ron portrayed Mark Antony in a Roman military short tunic and breastplate that displayed almost as much of his physique as his Tarzan costume had.


From 1960-61, Ron Ely starred in the series ‘The Aquanauts.’ In the 1980s, Ron hosted the musical game show ‘Face the Music.’ Additionally, he hosted the 1980 and 1981 ‘Miss America Pageants,’ replacing longtime host Bert Parks. He replaced Lloyd Bridges as ‘Mike Nelson’ in the last season of ‘Sea Hunt,’ from 1987-1988.


In the 1990s, Ron’s roles included a retired Superman from an alternate reality in the 1991 two-part episode ‘The Road to Hell’ of the ‘Superboy’ syndicated television series, and a big game hunter named Gordon Shaw in the 1992 episode ‘Tarzan the Hunted’ of the syndicated ‘Tarzán’ TV series starring Wolf Larson.


Until about 2001, Ron Ely made appearances on popular TV shows, his most recent being ‘Sheena’ and ‘Renegade.’ He is now retired from acting.  In recent years Ron has embarked on a successful writing career and has penned two mystery novels featuring private eye Jake Sands: Night Shadows in 1994 and East Beach in 1995. 


I’m the right age to remember Ron as Tarzan when I was a small boy.  I loved that show.   I continued to watch Ron in anything he did for the rest of his career.  I’ve always appreciated his easy going charm.  When I had the chance to take some photos and talk with Ron at the Hollywood Collectors Show, I was living out a fantasy.  Ron Ely does not disappoint.  He is gracious and kind and exudes a calmness and inner peace with a touch of restlessness now that his children are grown.  Oh yeah, he is tall and extremely handsome...

AM:  I didn’t realize you grew up in Texas.

RE:  I was born in Hereford and lived in Tulia and Amarillo.  Later I bought a house in Midland, Texas and I went to the University of Texas.  

AM:  When did you leave Texas?

RE:  I left in my freshman year and came to California to check it out.  

AM:  Did you always want to be an actor?

RE:  I wouldn’t say I always wanted to do it but I realized by the time I graduated from high school that I’d taken every speech and acting class that was available.

AM:  So you must have already liked acting to take those classes.  

RE:  I did that because I could get good grades in those classes.  It kept my GPA up.  By the time I finished all that, I had a pretty good background.  

AM:  What did you study in college?

RE:  I never got to my major because I hadn’t got that far yet.  It was a toss up between petroleum engineering or radio/television.  I was at the point of making that decision when I left school.  

AM:  Did you just decide to take a chance and audition for roles?

RE:  I felt like a fish out of water in college.  I felt like I was spinning my wheels.  Actually I had a fraternity brother who asked me if I ever had any inclination to go to Los Angeles and act.  I told him, “Yes, I’d thought about it.”  So we began to talk about it.  He already had the idea to come to LA in his head.  We drove a car out together to be delivered.  You used to do that back in the days when you could hitchhike.  Actually I ended up driving the car to San Jose and hitchhiking back to LA.

AM:  And you enjoyed that?

RE:  It was as wonderful experience.  It was in April with all the night blossoms making the air smell like perfume.  When that hit me, I was a goner.  I knew I was here to stay. No matter what, I would do something out here.  Things fell into place for me.  I made the right moves and did the right things.  I worked with the right people.

AM:  What year are we talking about?

RE:  1958.

AM:  Did you start getting parts right away?

RE:  The first part I got in anything was in ‘South Pacific.’    

AM:  That’s a good one.

RE:  Yes it is.  I had about five lines in that.  I did work quite a lot.  

AM:  Was your height ever an issue?

RE:  It was, but anytime they read me, I got the part.   At the same time I was doing ‘South Pacific’ there was a process called the new talent program going on at 20th Century Fox.  In this process they whittled down from 200 to 20.  I made the cut each time.  Then we did 10 short scenes for all the producers, writers, directors and everybody who was under contract at Fox.  I don’t think they ever did it before or ever did it again after, but from that, they chose people to do a screen test for a contract.  Only two of us were chosen to test and I was the only one given a contract.  I did want to do television.  I was very serious about it.  

AM:  Why did you want to do television so badly?

RE:  I thought it was a way to work a lot.  I went to Billy Gordon who was the casting director at Fox and asked him if I could do television.  There was a show wanting me and I loved that show.

AM:  What show was it?

RE:  It was ‘Father Knows Best.’ Billy told me I was coming up on a contract renewal and we could let it drop.  He said, “You can go into television and you can always come back.”  So I went into television and worked in the last 'Playhouse 90' and lots of things I could have never done had I stayed under contract with Fox.  Things just developed from there.  I seem to have no control over what happens in my career.  

AM:  You were just riding your life, which is great.

RE:   Exactly.

AM:  Were you married during this time?

RE:  I married my high school sweetheart.  We were way to young and she was not comfortable out in California.  However she ended up staying out here and married someone I introduced her to.  He’s a great guy and I was really pleased about all that.  I stayed single for a number of years until I met my wife.  I started having my family late in life and that’s when I stopped acting.  I wanted to raise my children.  They are all up and ready to fly now or already flying.   

AM:  Do you find yourself with more time now?

RE:  Yes, more time and able to involve myself in other things.  I was so totally wrapped up in their lives.      

AM: You have to be.  That means you’re a good father.

RE:   I was a good father.  I know that from my own children and I know it from seeing other families.  I coached everything so I see the other parents and what’s happening with those kids.  I know I’m a good father and I know my wife is a great mother.  

AM: The proof is how the kids turn out.

RE:  Yes it is.  My kids are all wonderful, kind people.

AM:  Where did you film ‘Tarzan?’

RE:  We filmed it in Brazil, Central America and Mexico.  Don’t look too closely at the natives because the wigs don’t work sometimes.  (laughter)

AM:  Were you excited to get that part?

RE:  Not really, excitement was a luxury I didn’t have.  I was too busy from the get go.   I stayed busy until the last day of shooting.  It was a lot of hard work and a grueling show to produce. 

AM:  It was so extra physical.  Did you like that part?

RE:   I don’t remember if I liked it or endured it.  I had so many injuries that it did become a matter of endurance.     

AM:  So were you happy when it ended?

RE:  Quite frankly I don’t know that I could have even done anymore.  I was mentally and physically worn out.  At the very least I would have needed a few months to recover.  My body was a wreck.  I had so many muscle pulls and tears and busted shoulders, wrists and bones.  Every part of me had been hurt.  I pay for it today when I get out of bed in stages. (laughter)   

AM:  The work you did after ‘Tarzan’ was less difficult wasn’t it?

RE:  Yes, I did a lot of films in Europe.  

AM:  You also hosted a game show in the 80‘s.  Did you enjoy that?

RE:  Yes, I was trying to break the stereotype of me being a high powered adventure guy.

AM:  That reminds me, can you tell me about making 'Doc Savage?’

RE:  I came back from Europe to do the film.  I was halfway through it when I realized I had jumped from the frying pan into the fire!  This character is even more iconic than Tarzan.  It was huge at the time.  It had so much industry wide attention.  It was unbelievable.  People from other studios were coming over to look at our dailies.  The buzz about it was something else!  They made a 20 minute short about the film to show to distributors.  It was a home run.  We finished principle photography and I went to Europe to make another film.  When I finished it, I came back and saw the cut version.  When we finished principle photography the hierarchy at the studio changed hands.  The new guys didn’t want the product of the old guys so they cut off all the post production funding. 

AM:  Was there still a lot left to do?

RE:  It still needed the special effects, editing and music and they couldn’t do any of it.  George Pall had to go back to his old technique of doing special effects.  The advanced editing techniques were denied us so they had to edit the old fashioned way.  It was supposed to be John Williams music but ended up being John Phillips Sousa marches so the picture was totally changed.  George Pal just reached over, patted me and said, “Sorry.”  I was silent but they read my silence quite well.     

AM:  You have to really learn how to be resilient.

RE:  Every actor has to learn that.  They thing I tell anyone who is interested in acting, including my own children is if you’re going to be an actor, the first thing you have to get by is rejection.  You have to understand it.  It’s a little like baseball.  If you hit the ball three times out of ten swings you have a pretty good batting average.  The same is true with this business.  If you get three out of ten jobs you go after, you’re doing fantastic.  Most people don’t.  It’s the same with life.  If you’re going to stop your course of interest simply because someone rejects it, then you don’t have a prayer of succeeding.  You can’t just depend on luck.  Also you have to go out there for it.  You have to put yourself on the line.  No one is going to drag you out of the house to put you in a film.   

AM:  You also worked on 'Sea Hunt.’  What was that like?

RE:  That’s when I really began to hang it up.  My oldest was two years old and my next daughter had just been born.  My wife and I talked about it and decided we could mange if I didn’t work other than writing.  I stayed home so I could be with the kids all day long.  I was able to coach all their teams and be at every function.  I was there when they came home.  I was never absent.       

AM:  What is your life like today?

RE:  It’s been totally about my kids but my youngest graduated last May so they’re all out of college.  My oldest is a lawyer.  She went to law school and passed the bar the first time out.  My kids need me less and less.   My attention is beginning to drift away from such a constancy with them to a more eclectic set of interests. 

AM:  It’s time for things you always wanted to do but hadn’t made the time for yet.

RE:  Exactly, I’m even thinking of taking up painting. 

AM: Why not?  You should!

RE:  I really want to do that.  I like so many things, but so many of those things are physical.  I have to change my interests.  I can’t do those physical things anymore.  I’ve been under the knife so many times due to my past injuries that it really makes you change the course of your life. 

AM:  You are fortunate to be able to explore some new areas of interest.

RE:  I like people too.

AM:  Well that’s good because people are attracted to you.

RE:  Maybe that’s what happened.  You have a tendency to like people who like you.  

Shani Wallis Is A Joy!

All Photos:  Alan Mercer

Shani Wallis is a joy to be around.  I have a feeling she has always been this way.  I met with her at the Hollywood Collectors Show this past April.  We were instant friends.  I fell in love with her indomitable spirit the moment she started speaking.  She is amazingly talented and versatile.


Making her first stage appearance at the age of four, Shani Wallis later studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art on a scholarship. She went on to play many leading roles in the West End, but she is best known for the role of Nancy in Carol Reed's 1968 film production of Lionel Bart's musical ‘Oliver!’ which co-starred Ron Moody, Oliver Reed, Jack Wild and Mark Lester. Shani Wallis has also appeared with many entertainers including Liberace, Jack Benny, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis.


A few film roles came her way earlier in England, including ‘The Extra Day’ in 1956 and ‘Ramsbottom Rides Again’ in 1956, not to mention a minor singing bit in Charles Chaplin's ‘A King in New York’ in 1957. Other than assorted variety show appearances and a televised performance supporting Carol Burnett in ‘Once Upon a Mattress’ in 1964 for TV, she found only a modicum of on-camera work. Then she nabbed the role of a lifetime as the ill-fated Nancy in the Oscar-winning picture ‘Oliver!’ in 1968.  Shani made a durable marquee name for herself while giving her all in the rousing ‘Oom-pah Pah’ number and putting her own indelible stamp on the show-stopping ‘As Long As He Needs Me,’ now considered her signature song. Having never played the part before, she went on to perform Nancy on the theatre stage as well.


Shani was seen only sporadically in films following this breakthrough, including the horror opus Terror in the Wax Museum in 1973, for the live stage was still her first love. Over the years she has gamely performed in a number of musical staples, including’Irma La Duce,’ ‘42nd Street’ and ‘Follies,’ and toured with Liberace for five years during the 1980s.


Shani is a naturalized citizen of the United States, where she has lived for some time. She married her agent/manager Bernie Rich on Friday 13 September 1968. Asked, "Why on that day?" she replied, "Everything good has happened to me on Friday 13th and Shani means ‘lucky jewel.’ The couple have one child, Rebecca, and two granddaughters. 

Special thanks to Jim Forgetta for arranging this opportunity.

AM:  Have you seen all the Youtube videos of yourself Shani?

SW:  Some of them I have.  

AM:  There are new ones added all the time.  You should check routinely.

SW:  I’ll have to take a look.  

AM:  I just fell in love with you watching those videos.  You are a real show stopper! 

SW:  (laughing)  Well I try!  I’ve had the opportunity of singing some great songs so that helps.

    

AM:  Do you consider yourself more of an actress or a singer?

SW:  It just depends on what’s happening.

AM:  You’re a great dramatic actress.

SW:  I’ve done some drama but mostly I grew up singing and dancing.  I’ve always had it in my blood and always enjoyed doing it.   

AM:  Where are you from?

SW:  I’m from London.  I’m a Cockney!  My father was deaf so he never heard me sing.  He was so wonderful.

AM:  Did you learn sign language?

SW:  I never did sign language.  He was deaf from the first world war and I used to just mouth him.  That’s where I go my diction from. You know what, whenever I got in an argument with him all he had to do was turn around and he could ignore me!

AM:  If I was deaf I would still enjoy your performances because you are so visual.

SW:  That’s what he did.  He used to go to my shows, sit in the audience and watch me and watch the people around to see if they were laughing.  When I’d go on television he would watch and tell me I used too many arm movements.  

AM:  So did his advice hone you as a performer?

SW:  I think so.  He was a wonderful man.

AM:  Do you enjoy looking at your past performances?

SW:  I don’t mind.  I did some good stuff and I did some bad stuff.  

AM:  I don’t see any bad stuff anywhere.

SW:  We make mistakes in our lives.  I look back and think why did I do that?

AM:  Did you record a lot of albums?

SW:  Yes, a lot.  When we were in England my husband produced an album with 16 cuts.  MCA owns them.  I’ve done some lovely songs.

AM:  They need to be on iTunes.  

SW:  I haven’t done anything much like this but I did put out a ‘Best of Shani’ on my own.  I’ve been a very private person.  

AM:  How long have you and your husband been together?

SW:  Almost fifty years.  We went together for four years before we got married in 1968.  We went to the Royal Command Performance of ‘Oliver!’ in London and left for our honeymoon in Venice.  

AM:  Did you meet the Royal family?

SW:  We sat with Princess Margaret and she smoked like crazy!  We sat at the table and she was a riot.  She is a wonderful person.

AM: What happened after ‘Oliver!’ that you didn’t make anymore big musicals?

SW:  ‘Oliver!’ was the last big musical.  They wanted me for ‘Paint Your Wagon’ but I’m glad I didn’t do it.  It wasn’t the best.  I did stage work in London for a long time.   

AM:  You are primarily a stage performer.  When did you start?

SW:  I got my big break in 1952 in ‘Call Me Madame.’ I was a little girl of seventeen who became a star overnight.  

AM:  Were you naive?

SW:  Terribly naive but I’d been dancing and singing since I was three years old.  I always wanted to be on the stage.  I still am naive!  (laughing)     

AM;  You are not bored are you?

SW:  No, life is too wonderful.

AM:  What is a day in your life like?

SW:  I look after my husband and my grandchildren.  One is five and the other one is eleven.  I’ve looked after them since they were babies.   

AM:  Can they keep up with you?

SW:  (laughter) Sort of.  They are dynamite.

AM:  Do they like ‘Oliver!’?

SW:  My daughter keeps them away from ‘Oliver!’ right now.  They call me Nana.  I’m just a grandma.

AM:  Are you most proud of being a mother and grandmother?

SW:  I think so, although I’m proud of my work too.  I’m proud of a lot of things.  My daughter is in the pharmaceutical business and she does very well.  

AM:  What is your favorite of all the musicals you have starred in?

SW:  ‘Irma La Duce.’  I did that at the Lyric Theatre in London for almost two years.    

AM:  Did you enjoy being in a show that long?

SW:  No!

AM:  Nobody likes that.  

SW:  Now they let you go after a year.  

AM:  You have your priorities in order.

SW: Don’t you have?  Family comes first.  My husband and I are never apart.  What you must have constant in your life is people who surround you and love you.  Everything else just goes by. 

AM:  Do you mind being an older person?

SW:  No I don’t.  I don’t mind being my age.  I’m glad to have reached this age.  As far as mistakes go....that’s life!  That’s the song.       

Photo of me and Shani Wallis by Jeffrey Dalrymple

Mark Lester Has Two Lucys

All Photos:  Alan Mercer

Mark Lester is an English former child star and actor known for playing the title role in the 1968 musical film version of ‘Oliver!’ and starring in a number of other British and European films of the 1960‘s and 1970‘s and in a number of television series.  Mark was educated at three independent schools, at Corona Theatre School in Ravenscourt Park in West London, followed by Tower House School, a boys' preparatory school near Richmond Park, also in West London, and at Halliford School in Shepperton in Surrey.


In 1964, at the age of six, Mark was cast in Robert Dhery's film ‘Allez France!’ (English title The Counterfeit Constable) with Diana Dors, who appeared in the 1948 film version of ‘Oliver Twist.’ He played a small part as the second schoolboy in ‘Fahrenheit 451.’


In 1967, at the age of eight, Mark Lester was cast in the title role in the film version of Lionel Bart's musical ‘Oliver!.’ The multiple Academy Award-winning adaptation of Charles Dickens' novel co-starred Jack Wild, Ron Moody, Shani Wallis and Oliver Reed, and was directed by Sir Carol Reed. 


In 1969, Mark received critical acclaim for his portrayal of a dysfunctional and withdrawn only child in ‘Run Wild, Run Free,’ starring opposite John Mills, and then as a disturbed child in the first regular episode of ‘Then Came Bronson.’ Mark's acting roles peaked as he starred in ‘Eyewitness’ in 1970, with Susan George, ‘Night Hair Child’ with Britt Ekland, ‘Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?,’ with Shelley Winters, and a film version of ‘Black Beauty’ in 1971. He took roles in a series of films in Italy including ‘Redneck’ in 1972 with Telly Savalas and the Western ‘Scalawag’ in 1973 with Kirk Douglas. The final film of his Italian-based career was in the costume drama ‘La Prima volta sull'erba’ (English title ‘The First Time on the Grass,’ 1974), which was nominated for the Golden Bear prize at the 25th Berlin International Film Festival.  Mark Lester wrapped up his British film career with the lead role in the all-star film ‘Crossed Swords’ aka ‘The Prince and Pauper’ in 1977, starring Raquel Welch, Charlton Heston, Rex Harrison, George C. Scott, and Oliver Reed, who had played Bill Sikes in ‘Oliver!.’


Mark Lester gave up acting at the age of 19. He took his A Levels at the age of 28 and became an osteopath, studying at the British School of Osteopathy. In 1993, he opened the Carlton Clinic, an acupuncture clinic in Cheltenham.  He is a black belt in karate.


He was a close, long-time friend of Michael Jackson, and they were godfathers to each other's children. Mark spent Christmas 2003 at the Neverland Ranch, and vocally defended Michael throughout his trial on child molestation charges in 2005.


I met with Mark and his girlfriend Emma while they were visiting Los Angeles for the Hollywood Show autograph convention.  While they had to have been exhausted from a very long flight, they were charming, generous and kind hearted.  We had a few minutes to visit about his life now.  They have six children between them and they all enjoy being part of a big happy family.  

AM:  Mark your life is pretty far away from acting now isn’t it?


ML:  Yes, I’m an osteopath, but in the United States I would say I’m a chiropractor.


AM:  You do acupuncture as well, don’t you?


ML:  I do acupuncture indeed.


AM:  So you went to school to be an acupuncturist?


ML:  Yes I did.


AM:  That means you’re extra smart!


ML:  (Laughter)  I don’t know about that.


AM:  That is a lot of school!


ML:  It was a four year course to learn osteopathy and a two year course to learn acupuncture.


AM:  You must have a scientific brain besides being creative.


ML:  I don’t really.  It’s more of an art actually.  Obviously there’s a lot of science based chiropractic manipulation, but acupuncture is definitely more of an art than a science.


AM:  Did you always have an interest in this?


ML:  No, I did learn martial arts in my early twenties.  I needed to get fit and I did it through martial arts.  I did that for ten years.  It was through the martial arts that I got interested in sports injuries and it was through sports injuries that led me to train as an osteopath and that led me to train as an acupuncturist.


AM:  Here is my question about the movie ‘Oliver!.’  As the film comes to the climatic end it looks like Oliver Reed is literally man handling you.  Was he as rough as it looks?


ML:  Yes he was dragging me around.


AM:  How did you handle that?


ML:  We were absolutely terrified of him on the set.  There is a scene where he picks up Ron Moody by the throat and he really did pick him up by the throat.  I think because I was only nine years old, he was a little more gentle with me.  He was still terrifying.  He didn’t pull any punches.  He was quite rough.


AM: You made quite a few films before you retired.  Did you get tired or did it just get harder to find good roles?


ML:  It got more difficult to get the right roles.   At the age of eighteen I made ‘The Prince and the Pauper’ with Oliver Reed again.


AM: I like that movie.


ML:  I really enjoyed making it.  It was a great film.  Unfortunately the Salkind brothers put most of their energy behind another film they made at the same time which was ‘Superman.’  That was a much bigger film.  They didn’t really pay enough attention to 'The Prince and the Pauper.’  It should have been a better film.  We had a fantastic cast that included George C. Scott, Ernest Borgnine, Raquel Welch and a lot of mega-stars I got to work with.  


AM:  Did you figure you might as well end your film career with this movie?


ML:  It kind of ended me I think.  There were just no roles coming up at that time.  I’d reached a point where I couldn’t do a TV series.  I was too well known to do anything lesser so I did some stage work for a couple of years.


AM:  Did you enjoy stage work?


ML:  Theater is great for a week and then it’s really boring.  It’s very hard, but you get a week of “fantastic” and then it becomes so repetitive.


AM:  Some actors tell me the character gets in their head and it can be difficult.


ML:  They may well do, but I never let it affect me in that way.  I’m sure certain roles must affect people.


AM:  You’re one of the rare child actors who got to grow up and be normal.  Why do you think you did so well?  Did you have a good family?


ML:  I think it has a lot to do with the family base.  My parents kind of kept me in check.  I wasn’t allowed to be a big star.  I wouldn’t want to be that way anyway.  My sister was just a normal kid.  I think it was the family balance.  They pulled me out of acting school and put me in a normal school with regular kids and I think that’s why I did alright.  


AM:  You didn’t have that drop that some actors have.  Some of them turn fourteen and nobody knows they exist anymore.


ML:  That is very rough.  If I had just done 'Oliver!’ and nothing else that would have been harder to adapt to.  I did a lot of films after that, about three movies a year.  For me at that age it was great to be in another movie away from school.  It really was like a holiday.   It was never difficult.


AM:  What was it like to, out of nowhere, get a call from Michael Jackson?


ML:  Michael contacted me back in 1981.  He was touring the UK with his brothers.  I was living in London at the time.  My sister was a big fan, but I’d never been a fan of Michael.  He was a great guy but I never bought his music.  So she asked if she could come along.  They sent a big limo to pick us up.  He had an entire floor at the hotel.  I’d never seen anything like it before.  We rang the doorbell and Michael came out wearing a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt.  He gave me a big hug.  From that moment we were just friends.  From that split second.      


AM:  Was Michael more normal in private?  I heard he talked in a lower voice when there wasn’t cameras around.


ML:  Yes his voice definitely went up a couple of octaves when he was on camera or in front of an audience.  He got stimulated by being a performer.  He was actually a quiet and timid guy.  He was very shy indeed.  He shunned publicity because he felt that being a performer was what he was.  He never liked any of the trappings.  He never went to any parties or did the celebrity thing.  If I was Michael Jackson I would have been enjoying it all.


AM:  You have six kids between you and your girlfriend Emma.  How is the family doing?


ML:  We have six kids between us and they are all wonderful kids.  I’ve embraced Emma’s children as being my own.  Her son named Oliver, strangely enough, is like my second son. Her daughter is now my youngest daughter, little Lucy, and strangely enough my oldest daughter is named Lucy as well, so we have two Lucys!

Val Garay Should Write A Book

Photos:  Alan Mercer

Val Garay is a legendary record producer and engineer who has worked with some of the most successful artists of all time including Kim Carnes, The Motels, Bonnie Raitt, Eric Burdon, Dolly Parton, Elton John, James Taylor, Neil Diamond, Ringo Starr, Linda Ronstadt, Sarah Brightman,  Kenny Rogers, Santana, Reel Big Fish, Sally Kellerman, Candye Kane and Joan Armatrading, just to name a handful.  


In 1982 he shared a Grammy Award for Record of the Year with Kim Carnes, for the record ‘Bette Davis Eyes.’  He has received numerous entertainment industry awards and additional Grammy nominations including Best Engineered Recording for his work on the James Taylor album ‘JT’ and Linda Ronstadt's ‘Simple Dreams,’ a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year for Kim Carnes ‘Mistaken Identity,’ a Grammy nomination for Producer of the Year,’ and an Emmy nomination for Best Engineered Recording of a TV Special for Neil Diamond's ‘Glad You're Here With Me Tonight,’ as well as dozens of gold and platinum records.


In November 2010, Val partnered with attorney George Woolverton and legendary creative director John Kosh to form a new label, Red Red Records, and is currently working with up-and-coming new artists like Nikki Lang, as well as producing/engineering scores for motion picture and television projects.


With credits including 13 Number One albums, Val’s more than successful track record spans the past three decades, and doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.  He has nine Grammy nominations.  The walls of his home are filled with gold and platinum records.

Photos courtesy of Val Garay

Starting out as a songwriter and performer, Val soon gravitated toward working behind the scenes with artists as diverse as the Mamas and the Papas and The Buffalo Springfield to Seals & Crofts. It was at the legendary Sound Factory studio that he became acquainted with the studio's owner/operator, Dave Hassinger. Mr. Hassinger was well established as one of rock 'n' roll's top engineers, having helmed many of the Rolling Stones recordings, including ‘Satisfaction’ and ‘Under My Thumb.  Dave Hassinger realized that Val had a "great pair of ears," and offered to teach him the finer points of the craft. Working with Hassinger for a year, Val refined his technique and perfected the punchy bottom sound, guitar blend and mixing approach that distinguishes his work today.


Val Garay helped to create and define what is still being referred to as the "L.A. Sound." With the release and success of Linda Ronstadt's ‘Heart Like A Wheel,’ he suddenly became one of the most sought after engineers in the business, known for creating never-before-heard instrument sounds.


With the release of Kim Carnes' album, ‘Mistaken Identity,’ Val's reputation as a hit-making producer was sealed. The album was a worldwide smash, and ‘Bette Davis Eyes’ became a Number One hit in 31 countries, earning Val Garay a Record of the Year Grammy in the process. Garay followed his successful collaboration with Carnes by producing The Motels' All Four One album, which not only garnered critical acclaim, but also gave the Motels the commercial success that had eluded them in the past. ‘Only The Lonely’ became a Top Ten smash.


Val comes from a Hollywood family.  His father, Joaquin Garay was well known for being the voice of Panchito the Rooster in the Disney classic ‘The Three Caballeros’  as well as a singer, bandleader and nightclub owner.  His best friend was Errol Flynn!  Val was showing me some family photos, and several of his Dad with movie star friends, along with showing me some of his early written music when we started talking about his career.

AM:  I didn’t realize your father was Joaquin Garay.  Everyone knows Panchito the Rooster!  Is that why your dog is named Pancho?


VG:  Yes, after my Dad.  He named all his animals Pancho.  The horse was named Pancho and the dachshund was named Pancho, everything was named Pancho, way before George Foreman.


AM:  (laughter) And you wrote all this music?


VG:  Yes this is 1965 copyrights at the Library of Congress for the lyrics for the group I was in called The Bundles.


AM:  How did the Bundles do?


VG:  Nothing, we played nightclubs all over Northern California.


AM:  Were you always interested in music?


VG:  No, I was going to Stanford studying to become a doctor.


AM:  So what’s the story?  How did you get into music from medicine?


VG:  I met a cocktail waitress who knew I played guitar and told me I should start playing since I had some friends who were already in a band.  She told me I should sing at a club in San Mateo so I started doing it.  Well I started hanging out with her until 4:00 in the morning so the next thing I knew I was missing my 8:00 AM classes.  I dropped out.


AM:  Did you realize medicine wasn’t your passion?


VG:  It was my passion at that point but what I realized was music was something that I always loved.  I used to tell my father he had to learn a certain song.  This was in the Fifties and I listened to the radio constantly.  I didn’t even realize it but I loved songs.


AM:  So when did you start writing songs?


VG:  In 1963.  I’m twenty-one years old.


AM:  And you dropped out of school?


VG:  I finished my four year degree but I was in medical school to become a doctor.


AM:  So you started living life as a working musician.


VG:  Yes, we played all over Northern California, Seattle and went to Hawaii to play.  When I came back I started feeling like my life was hinged on these other four guys and I didn’t like that.   At that time a really close Songwriter friend of mine moved to LA and told me I had to move there too.  I thought, “OK” so I packed up my suitcase which was all I had at the time.  I was living in San Jose.  I packed my guitar and got in the car with a friend of mine and we drove to LA.  We met at Canter’s and I never left.

AM:  Were you part of that Sunset Blvd. Music Scene at the time?


VG:  Are you kidding?  I got arrested with everybody else during the riot on Sunset.  I used to go to Ciro’s to watch Bob Dylan sit in with the Byrds.


AM:  What years are we talking about?


VG:  This is 1964 through 67.  I got signed to Lou Adler so we were always up at Lou’s house in Bel Air.  They put together the Monterrey Pop Festival so I got to go to that free because I was with Lou.  I got to see Jimi Hendrix and the burning guitar and Buffalo Springfield.


AM:  Have you considered writing a book?


VG:  Everybody talks to me about it.  I was living in an apartment building on Formosa Street between Fountain and Sunset with Neil Young when Buffalo Springfield got their name off a steamroller paving the street that had a metal plaque that said Buffalo Springfield.  That was the name of the steamroller company.  When they finished their second album which was called 'Buffalo Springfield Again,’ nobody in the band had a turn table.  I did, so they all came upstairs to listen to the acetate.


AM:  Did you start producing back then?


VG:  No, I figured out I couldn’t get great artists to let me produce them because nobody knew me.  I got a job at The Sound Factory to learn how to be an engineer.   The first album I did on my own was a band called El Chicano.  I had a number one hit with them called ‘Brown Eyed Girl.’  We re-did the Van Morrison record.   About a month after that, Linda Ronstadt came in and wanted to work with me.   That’s when we made 'Heart Like A Wheel.’


AM:  That is one of my all-time favorite albums by anyone.


VG:  It was a monumental record.  The interesting part of the story is she made an album right before on the label Asylum.  David Geffen made a deal with Capitol that she could go to Asylum but at any point Capitol could pick an album.  So we are finishing the album and Al Coury, who was the head of A&R at Capitol came over to hear the record.  We played him all the obscure songs, not ‘You’re No Good’ or ‘When Will I Be Loved.’  He went back to his office and called us ten minutes later and told us he was taking the album.  He had done this long enough that he knew it was a hit.


AM:  All Linda’s albums did well so it didn’t really matter that Capitol got that one did it?


VG: All her albums sold millions and millions of copies.  Because of working with Linda and Peter Asher on this album, Peter asked me to work with him on the next James Taylor album.  I told him I was too busy but he told me he would give me a point and a half so I said, “OK.”   So we made ‘JT.’  That was another monumental hit.


AM:  Do you know how many gold and platinum albums you have earned?


VG:  I have a hundred.  The James Taylor ‘Greatest Hits’ album has sold over 21 million copies.  I had to go in and re-record four of the original songs because the tapes got lost.  We used the same band and the same arrangements, but I did them.


AM:  I think you are best known for the Kim Carnes hit 'Bette Davis Eyes.’  Did you hear it as a Grammy winning song?


VG:   I fell in love with it the minute I heard it.  I didn’t think that far in advance in regards to a Grammy.  I had been working with Kim for six months finding new material.  We cut the song live.  There’s no over dubs on the record.  The first night we started rehearsing the song was the night John Lennon was murdered.  Then we ended up beating him for Record of the Year.


AM:  Did you think you were going to win a Grammy over John Lennon?


VG:   I thought we had a really good chance.  The scary part was we won Song of the Year, then lost Vocalist to Lena Horne and lost Album of the Year to John Lennon.


AM:  Did winning a Grammy generate more interest in you?


VG:   Yes and no.  Did I get a bunch of jobs because of it?  Not really.  I think the only two artsits that came to me then were Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton.   I did start working with the Motels.   I made two albums with them and those are the only hits they had.

AM:  You tend to work with legendary artists who don’t have to worry about their careers.


VG:  James has never stopped working.  Linda did retire because she doesn’t have to work.


AM:  Which album did you produce for Dolly?


VG:  It was called ‘The Great Pretender.’  The hit single was ‘Save The Last Dance For Me.’


AM:  Did you enjoy working with Dolly?


VG:  She is the greatest!  It was a difficult time for her because she was making a movie with Sylvester Stallone so she was on the set from 7:00 in the morning until 8:00PM and then meet with me in the studio at 9:00 and work until 3:00 AM.  It was hard but the record came out great.


AM:  You are working with Nikki Lang now and I find that very exciting.  When is her album going to be out?


VG:  Nikki is great.  We are going to release an EP first.  Everywhere we go people just love her.


AM:  I’ll be looking forward to hearing the songs.  Thanks for your time Val.  I’ll be waiting for the book.


VG:  I guess I should write a book.  I was there and lived all this.

To learn more about Val Garay visit his web site http://www.valgaray.com/

Donna Douglas In Her 'Giving Back' Time

All Photos:  Alan Mercer

Donna Douglas as Elly May Clampett has become one of the most popular and recognizable television personalities from the 1960s.   She was a guest star on a number of other television programs and the subject of paper dolls, dolls, coloring books, and various toys during the heyday of the program. She was also the only cast member to be on all seven of the series' TV Guide covers.  In December 2010, Mattel released a new collection of three Barbies called the Classic TV collection. These dolls were Samantha from ‘Bewitched’, Jeannie from ‘I Dream of Jeannie,’ and Elly May Clampett from ‘The Beverly Hillbillies.’


Donna was born outside East Baton Rouge in Southern Louisiana.  She was a ‘Miss Baton Rouge’ and was named ‘Miss New Orleans’ in 1957.  She played softball and basketball in high school.  Donna moved to New York City to pursue a career in entertainment and started out as an illustration model for toothpaste advertisements.  She was featured as the ‘Letters Girl’ on NBC's ‘The Perry Como Show’ in 1957, and as the ‘Billboard Girl’ on NBC's 'The Steve Allen Show’ in 1959. These and other television appearances led New York photographers and newspaper reporters to award her the ‘Miss By-line’ crown, which she wore on CBS’s ‘The Ed Sullivan Show.’


Producer Hal Wallis saw the Sullivan episode and cast her in the role of Marjorie Burke in the movie drama, ‘Career’ in 1959, starring Dean Martin, and Shirley MacLaine.  This was followed by a bit part in the musical comedy, Li’l Abner in 1959 and the role of a secretary in the comedy/romance 'Lover Come Back’ in 1961 starring Rock Hudson and Doris Day.  She also stars along side Elvis Presley in ‘Frankie and Johnny.’


She made numerous television appearances in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including a notable episode of ‘The Twilight Zone,’ entitled ‘Eye Of The Beholder’ in 1960.  Her other credits, among others, were in ‘U.S. Marshall,’ ‘Tightrope,’‘The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet,’ and ‘Route 66.’  The turning point in Donna’s career came when she was chosen to play the role of the tomboy Elly May Clampett on 'The Beverly Hillbillies.’ She starred on the program for all nine seasons.   ‘The Beverly Hillbillies’ became the number one show in the United States in its first two years.


Donna's first husband was Roland John Bourgeois, Jr. who she married 1949 and divorced 1954, with whom she had a son, Danny P. Bourgeois.  She married Robert M. Leeds, the director of ‘The Beverly Hillbillies,’ in 1971, and they divorced in 1980.


Donna Douglas has remained busy making appearances, speaking for church groups, youth groups, schools and colleges. One key focus of her charitable work has been to appear and speak in support of various Christian children's homes, mostly in her native American South. She has also appeared at conventions and trade shows.  


She has also written a children’s book titled ‘Donna's Critters & Kids: Children's Stories with a Bible Touch,’ which has Bible stories featuring animals and is combined with a coloring book for ages two to seven.  In November 2011, Donna released a new children's book, ‘Miss Donna's Mulberry Acres Farm.’  Donna frequently performs as a gospel singer. She has recorded several gospel albums, the first being released in 1982. She has recorded a few country music records during the 1970s and 1980s.


A special thank you to my friend Jeffrey Dalrymple who set up this photo shoot.  Donna and I had a chance to talk for a few minutes about the very beginning of her career after the photos were taken.  

AM:  Donna, you started your career off as a model.  That must have been difficult considering where you are from.


DD:  I was born outside Baton Rouge, Louisiana and one day I told my folks, “I think I’ll go to New York.”


AM: Did you know anything abut New York?


DD:  I knew it was a place up there on the map.  I didn’t have any modeling training really, only the most basics of how to sit down and stand up, but not New York style of training.


AM:  So you just took off for New York?


DD:  Yes I didn’t know they had two airports there.  We only had one airport in Baton Rouge.


AM:  (laughing)


DD:  I do a lot of speaking to young people at Church Youth Groups and things like that.  I have a pretty good testimony for them.   I’m very simple and basic when I talk to them.


AM:  That’s best I think.


DD:  Anyway I didn’t know anybody in New York or have any contacts.  I thought I could get a job and get my life together.


AM:  Where did you stay?


DD:  I stayed at the Barbizon Hotel.  I was shy and awkward because I had never traveled a lot.  My family as more poor and simple. We had a very basic life.  When we had a vacation we went out on the river.


AM:  I bet you had fun at least.


DD:  Daddy would go cat fishing and set up trout lines.  I had all boy cousins.  I was the only girl in either family.  So I was raised a Tomboy.  See I was getting ready for Jethro long before I ever met him!


AM:  Was it scarey for you in New York?


DD:  Once I was in the Barbizon I felt safe.  I couldn’t stay there too long because I didn’t have much money.  You see I made a commitment between me and God.  I was very simple and I loved Jesus.  I believed with all my heart that if I did the best I could do, God would take care of me.


AM:  So you couldn’t allow yourself to be scared then could you?


DD:  I believed this and it wasn’t complicated for me.  When I made that commitment, everything started coming my way.  I was meeting so many people.  Men wanted to keep me in penthouse apartments.  They wanted to give me everything and make my life so easy.


AM:  That must have been tempting.


DD:  I was getting opportunities I had never seen at home.  People had yachts and wanted to take me out on them.  They wanted to do everything for me but they all had these little strings attached.  I had to make all these choices so I let it all go.


AM:  Wow, not many people could do that.


DD:  God wants to see if what you say with your mouth, you mean with your heart.  Anybody can talk it, but can you walk your talk?  I didn’t have a background in acting, dancing or singing.    I had never done anything like that.  So what could I do?  I could smile.  That was all I could do.   I had no training in anything.


AM:  That just sounds so impossible to get into show business.


DD:  When God sees that you mean what you say and you really are going to walk your talk, he takes over your life.  I didn’t know any scriptures at that time, I just knew I believed in God.


AM:  It really is amazing what faith can do.


DD:  So all these little opportunities started coming my way.  I got a job on national television where I walked out and carried a bundle of letters to Perry Como.  Mama and them could see me down home.  It thrilled my heart.  I also held up little billboards advertising what was coming next week. I did all these simple little things.  In time I became more like a Vanna White.  I’d walk the guests out to the host and smile.


AM:  You must have been so happy!


DD:  I was so thrilled that it was something I could do.  I didn’t see it as simple or small.  I was able to send money home to my folks.   I got my modeling portfolio together and I started doing a little illustration modeling for print ads.  I made the rounds and met a few photographers so I got some jobs on Lexington Avenue.


AM:  Did you get a job that required any talking?


DD:  All I ever did was walk ons.  Nobody ever asked me to say anything.  I was so afraid I couldn’t have said anything.  I got cast in a few commercials and once again I didn’t have to say anything.  Then I met a nice man who was interviewing girls to be elbow grabbers.  Back then you didn’t have to have an agent.  We just went on open calls.


AM:  What was the audition like?


DD:  The man asked me if I minded if he asked me a few questions.  I said, “No sir, I don’t mind.  That will be alright.”  Then he asked me if I’d be willing to go out in a bathing suit before the people.  Well I had just made that commitment to God that I wouldn’t be afraid.


AM:  Were you aware of the reputation city girls had?


DD:  I had heard all these wild stories about girls in the big cities.  So I said to him, “You mean you want me to go out there in front of men and show myself?”  He said I had on a bathing suit and it shouldn’t make any difference.  I told him I’d been in a few contests back home, even though I wanted to be a ball player, but that had a purpose.  I told him, “No sir, I won’t do that.”  Then he asked me if I would be willing to go out on a date with a sponsor.  I said, “Would that man be married?”  Then he asked me what difference would it make, we were only going to dinner.  “No sir, I wouldn’t do that.”


AM:  That must have been rough on you.


DD:  I started feeling so sad and these big ol’ tears started welling up in my eyes and I said, “Mister, I don’t want your job.  It’s not important to me.”  I walked out.  I got the job!  (laughter)  See, I always tell young people where you are willing to compromise, you abort your opportunities, then you’ll never know that you lost the opportunity.  You have to stand on character, not just reputation.


AM:  You’ve lived this way your whole life haven’t you?


DD:  I never had to compromise what I believed to get a job.


AM:  I know you’ve been writing a lot lately.


DD:  I got my little children’s books.  It’s got a publisher and we are very excited about it.


AM:  It sounds like you’ve kept your life full.


DD:  Oh yes!  You don’t retire, you re-fire!!!


AM:  What’s your favorite pastime now?


DD:  Now it’s my “giving back” time.  I’ve always let my light shine.  I have always tried to bring people up.  The happiest part of me is making a difference in someone’s life.  That’s why I speak a lot at churches and youth groups.


AM:  Have you remained strong in your faith your whole life?


DD:  Well, my understanding has expanded.  I don’t speak so much as religion but more as a commitment.  I’m a Christian but I don’t have a particular label.  I speak at all kinds of different churches.  I love doing this.  People always tell me they loved me as Elly, but they love what I'm doing now.


AM:  Are you and Elly May the same person?


DD:  She is a slice out of my life.


AM:  So you were cast because you were her.


DD:  I was homegrown.


AM:  And you still love critters!


DD:  I LOVE critters!!!

To learn more about Donna Douglas visit her web site http://www.donnadouglasofficialwebpage.com/

The Refreshing Nathalie Archangel

All Photos:  Alan Mercer      Lighting:  Eric V.

Nathalie Archangel has her fans.  There are many postings on web pages where people write about how talented she is and how strange it was that she didn’t get a hit record.  She released her debut recording in 1987 on the prestigious Columbia label and her second album ‘Owl’ came out on  MCA in 1992.  Both of these recordings are considered classics by the people who know them.  


Nathalie has just released her third full album titled ‘Raven’ on the Ninthwave Media label. She continues to grow as an artist who has an uncanny ability to write and record timeless material.  ‘Raven’ is a brilliant addition to her catalog.  I have now heard it many times and the music and production is sublime.  The bulk of the album was produced by long-time collaborator Jim West, from Weird Al’s band.  Dana Walden produced the two covers on the album.


The Columbia debut was produced by legendary pop producer David Kahne, so the quality is top notch, and the songs are fun and quirky synth and dance pop. She released two singles, ‘I Can't Reach You’ and ‘Mr. Perfect For Me,’ that didn't get much attention outside of the hip dance clubs. Unfortunately it was never released on CD anywhere but Japan.


The MCA follow-up was produced mainly by Greg Penny, who has also worked with k.d. lang and Elton John. It is more mature than her first, and has a more timeless quality.  The song ‘So Quiet So Still’ was the lead single, and it was also featured in the film ‘Switch.’ There were other possible singles like ‘My Older Lover,’ featuring Frankie Valli and produced by Don Was, and ‘It Don't Heal Clean’ featuring and produced by Howard Jones.  Nathalie’s music is outstanding in the sense that it truly stands alone.


My friend Charlie Mason hooked me up with his favorite singer in the whole world, Nathalie Archangel.  I met Nathalie and her family, including her husband and three beautiful daughters, in Van Nuys for a quick and informal photo session and chat, while they were on a weekend visit.  I fell in love with Nathalie as a person and as a Grade A Artist immediately.  Do yourself a favor and listen to some of her music.  If you appreciate high quality, you too...will fall in love. 

AM:  Where are you from Nathalie?

NA:  Originally, I’m from Bergen County, New Jersey.  It’s easy to get into New York City which is the best thing about it.

AM:  Did you get your recording contract with Columbia in New York City?

NA:  Yes, it happened by extention through a professor from Juilliard.  I went there once to observe a class.  The father of Actress Jessica Walter was the professor.  A very lovely guy and his son’s friend worked at Columbia and walked my demo tape in, handed it to the right person, who had just finished working with the Bangles and the rest is sordid history. 

AM:  Did you feel lost being on a label like Columbia?

NA:  Yes completely, that year they only got behind two people.  One you know as Mariah Carey and the other one was Terrence Trent Darby, who went away in a flash.  They didn’t get behind anyone else.  It’s too bad but it was also a learning experience.    

AM:  Your album was released right before CD’s started appearing wasn’t it?

NA:  Right around that time, yes.  My second album ‘Owl’ was released on CD.

AM:  What label is ‘Owl’ on?

NA:  MCA.

AM:  How did they compare to Columbia?

NA:  The CBS experience was unsatisfying on every level including artistically.  I was very young and had led a very sheltered life.  In retrospect I should have had a lot more control but I was so intimidated even though I played all the instruments on my demos.  I let the producer handle it all.  It was overall unsatisfying and it failed financially.  

AM:  Was it hard to handle this failure?

NA:  I licked my wounds for a while.  I asked Columbia to release me and they did.  I started talking to MCA a couple of years later.  That record is very artistically satisfying and I’m very proud of 'Owl.’  

AM:  I must say I love it! I’ve been listening to it all the time now.  Great record!

NA:   Thank you, I love it.  I got to work with Frankie Valle!  I’m from Jersey where Frankie and Springsteen are Gods.  Greg Penny produced it and he immediately went on to mammoth success with kd lang.  A lot of people were involved.   

AM:  Nathalie, I love your voice.  It’s so strong.  Were you always a big voiced singer?

NA:  Thank you!  I don’t think of myself as a big strong singer.  I think of myself as more of a character.  I can project but I’m not that big.  

AM:  You can belt it out!

NA:  Sometimes...and sometimes I come close to belting.  I’m pretty close to knowing who I am in the studio.  I know what I can do with my voice.  You’ll know what I mean when you hear the new song I recorded with Charlie Mason called ‘It’s Time.’  You’ll hear it very soon.  It’s a really good tune.    

AM:  The video everyone is watching now is called ‘Next To Me.’  Can you tell me about that?

NA:   Charlie asked me if I’d sing it and I said yes.  

AM: Charlie told me you’re his favorite singer ever!

NA:  I love that about him.

AM:  He’s the one who told me about your new recording ‘Raven.’  It’s out now isn’t it?

NA:  It’s out now.  We are doing a soft release.  We got the video out.

AM:  Your music sounds timeless anyway.  ‘Owl’ sounds like it was recorded last week.  

NA:  That makes me feel really good.  My first record does sound dated but we used strings for a couple of numbers on ‘Owl.’  The LA Chamber Orchestra came in and that was intimidating.  Stringed instruments are timeless.  Piano and guitar sounds are timeless as well.  To this day I love that record.   

AM:  I’m assuming you’re loving ‘Raven’ too.

NA:  Yes I love it too.

AM:  Do you write all your material?

NA:  Yes, except the songs Charlie asks me to sing.  I do two cover tunes on ‘Raven.’  One is Tammy Wynette’s ‘Stand By Your Man’ and the other is an interesting cover of Leslie Gore’s ‘You Don’t Own Me.’ 

AM:  Do you have any specific plans or are you waiting to see how it all turns out?

NA:   At this point it’s cool to be older and do these artistic things.  I can do it or not do it and I’m alright.  It’s not like it’s all riding on this release.  The desperation I had when I was young is gone now and it’s refreshing.  Now I’m free to do whatever.

To learn more about Nathalie Archangel visit her web site http://www.nathaliearchangel.com/ and her face book page  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nathalie-archangel/382649457072