>
Michael McDowall
 |
David Kaplan introduced me to Michael McDowall in the spring of 1986 when David was directing me in "Doctor Faustus lights The Lights" at L.A.'s Ensemble Theater. What I learned much later was that Michael had seen my performance as Gertrude Stein in that play and had gone again with Tim Burton who was getting ready to cast "Beetlejuice." Michael wrote "Beetlejuice" and was from my home State of Alabama. We became fast friends immediately and when I was finally cast in the film in 1987, it was Michael I approached for help when I was trying to sell Tim on the idea of my character (Otho) being seen during exterior shooting in Vermont. Michael wrote a wonderful scene with Jeffrey Jones, Catherine O'Hara and I on the odd little porch Otho had designed. I passed this scene on to Tim and I was taken to Vermont!>
In 1988, I spent a week with Michael and his longtime companion Lawrence at their home in Boston. Michael commuted from Boston to his townhouse in Los Angeles until 1994 when he went into semiretirement and moved back east for good.
We have had many memorable adventures over the last 14 years. We survived the Quake of '94 together and I missed him terribly when he returned to Boston that spring. Michael was a brilliant man with a good heart and enormous talent. His sister Ann called me with the news of his passing just after Christmas '99.When the clock photo above was taken on May 1st, 1990 Michael was listening to The Cure's "Lullaby". He will be fondly remembered by all who knew him. He had expressed a desire to make it to the year 2000 so I wanted his portrait to be the first of the New Year. Fly high Michael.
