Miracles I Experienced in Hollywood

My early years in Hollywood were spent pursuing acting and writing and paying my dues to SAG and WGA with other unemployed actors and writers.  I produced an equity showcase of THE GAMBLERS,, a play I wrote and directed in New York in the 1970s.  I was casting director and production assistant on the feature motion picture THE CROSS AND THE SWITCHBLADE starring Pat Boone filmed in New York.  I assisted Don Murray who directed the film.  I wrote and produced THE DEPARTURE OF ROGER SCOTT, a 44 minute film in 1982.  Departure tells the story of a young man's spiritual battle as he comes out of the homosexual life.  A DVD of Departure is available upon request.  THE CALL is a comedy I wrote about con artists who take over a church and soon discover you can't rob God  A friend of mine is currently in pre production on a low budget feature film for theatrical release.  Although over the years I have written several screenplays and treatments yet in the 1970s and 1980s I was involved in the most unbelievable and miraculous drama I could have ever imagined.  It was while I was working with an all volunteer crisis intervention ministry Centrum of Hollywood and Centrum of Las Vegas.  The 24 hour Lifeline responded by going out to rescue runaways, prostitutes and anyone in crisis on the streets of Hollywood and bring them to our men's or women's crisis homes.   CENTRUM OF HOLLYWOOD (screenplay) and SAMMY (treatment) are both true stories based on daily dramatic events that I and others experienced in Hollywood. SAMMY was the Vice Chairman of his tribe when he was involved with Centrum of Hollywood.   Sammy's true story has unbelievable drama that has the potential to be a huge success.  THE SPENDERS (treatment) follows the vacations of two couples who are related.  One of the couples spend their vacation living it up in Las Vegas.  The other couple spend their time and what they have helping a poor orphanage in Mexico.  The story below entitled SURVIVAL AT DEARBORN (screenplay available) is a comedy based on a juvenile boy's home that existed in the 1960s in a depressed area of central Los Angeles.

SURVIVAL  AT  DEARBORN

by  Kleg  Seth
Writers Guild of America west registration no. 1203143

SURVIVAL AT DEARBORN is a comedy based on a group home for juvenile boys that existed in central Los Angeles in the late 1960s.  A Texan in his mid twenties, just out of the navy desperately  needs a job and as a last resort, takes a job at Dearborn Boy's Home.  The boys have a contest to see how fast they can run off a new counselor.  The majority of the boys are Black and it is a time when racial tensions are high in Los Angeles. 

To make matters worse for the new counselor he has had no previous experience working with troubled teenagers and he is in for a crash course (sometimes literally!).  His thin build and glasses only give the Dearborn boys more incentive to make fun of him and less reason to fear him.  He is often the brunt of pranks, some harmless and others downright dangerous.  His attempts to establish authority only lead to more discouragement and his anger only makes matters worse and almost gets him killed..  Eventually he has a change of heart as he realizes the obstacles many of the boys have faced in their lives.  As the boys see his genuine concern for them they start giving him their respect.

Although the story deals with several violent situations it has the potential for a PG rating.

Don Murray (actor, writer, director) after reading the screenplay wrote me the following:  "I think it's an excellent film property.  Your characters are so rich, so real and interesting that it's obvious that the film script came from a true life experience of the author.  No one's imagination alone could create such characters and circumstances."

SURVIVAL AT DEARBORN has the potential to be a huge success.

My desire for several decades has been to see the power of God impact Hollywood and through the production of movies portray God given solutions to social problems.  I have several stories that I would like to see produced.  However, I would like to share with you a few miraculous answers to prayer I experienced in Hollywood. 

I heard of the story THE CROSS AND THE SWITCHBLADE during the late 60s.  It was an exciting story about a gang leader and addicts in New York being changed by the grace of God through Jesus Christ.  My prayer was ‘Lord, I would love to work on this movie if and when it is produced.’  I was pursuing acting and writing at the time in Hollywood.  The Lord in an amazing way opened the door for me to work as casting director, actor and assistant to Don Murray who directed this amazing true story.  Over the years, since its release in 1970, tens of thousands of souls have been saved around the world through the power of the Gospel presented in the film.

Another miraculous answer to prayer took place in the early 70s.  I had seen the movie LOVE STORY.  I was discouraged since the movie made sex outside of marriage look acceptable. As I walked out of the theater in frustration I blurted out, “Lord, can’t you reach the people making these films?”  Two years after seeing the movie I found myself chauffeuring Howard Minsky, the producer of Love Story!  I had not worked as a chauffeur before.  I woke up one morning with the thought of working as a chauffeur when Mrs. Minsky called answering an ad someone else had placed in the Palm Springs newspaper a month earlier and had listed my number.  Mrs. Minsky later shared with me that it was strange how they came in contact with me since the newspaper the ad was in should have been thrown away the same day it arrived.  They were wonderful people to work for and graciously allowed me to share my faith with them.

The Lord answered our prayers in 1976 by opening the door for our theater, The Hollywood Free Theater, to have a benefit showing Cecil B. DeMille’s 1926 silent film KING OF KINGS at Mann’s Chinese Theater.  We were a small Christian theater praying for a place to have our benefit.  We were all amazed when the general manager of Mann Theaters notified us that they would close the Chinese Theater for a day (just before opening Star Wars) and advertise an evening showing of KING OF KINGS as a benefit for our theater.  We had not known that the Chinese Theater had opened 50 years ago with the largest premier Hollywood has ever seen showing DeMille’s KING OF KINGS.  The benefit was a great testimony to the Lord with Katherine DeMille Quinn sharing with the packed audience after the showing.

However, the greatest answer to prayer for me began on 7-7-77 when the Lord provided a house for us to rent on Sycamore Ave, one block from the Chinese Theater.  During times of prayer at the Hollywood Free Theater we would pray for the Lord to open homes to provide a Christian environment for young people coming to Hollywood seeking fame and fortune, as well as a place to help runaways, prostitutes and others in crisis on the streets of Hollywood.  I can remember praying at one of our meetings, ‘Lord, I would love to be able to work for you 24 hours a day.’  That prayer in a matter of months became a reality as the crisis intervention ministry was launched by the Lord.  The Sycamore House became a crisis home for runaways and young men.  A block away we were able to rent a six bedroom house with a one bedroom cottage in back for $250 a month for 2 ½ years.  This became our crisis home for girls and young women.  A few months later The First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood gave us their 24 hour Hollywood Lifeline.  Centrum, which means City Center, was an all volunteer ministry with full time staff living in Centrum’s homes.  My desire to act in movies faded as I became involved in real life dramatic situations where the love and power of God miraculously changed lives from every walk of life and every situation imaginable.  The 6 ½ years I was at Centrum of Hollywood gave us the opportunity to share the Gospel with over 5,000 young lives that were assisted in our homes.  The mission organization Youth With A Mission took over Centrum in 1983 and I then moved to Las Vegas and spent 2 ½ years working with Centrum of Las Vegas.  I am still amazed as I think about all the miraculous answers to prayer and the lives transformed through Jesus Christ.

It is my objective to bring together powerful stories of faith and redemption with established Christian producers and investor to produce stories that can have an impact on our society for Christ.