>> Stephen: HEY, WE'RE BACK WITH THE AUTHOR OF "HELLO,
MOLLY!," MOLLY SHANNON.
IN YOUR EARLY L.A. HURSTLE DAYS-- THIS IS ONE OF MY
FAVORITE SHOW BUSINESS STORIES OF ALL TIME YOU CAN SHARE WITH
THE PEOPLE.
YOU AND YOUR FRIEND CAME UP WITH SOMETHING CALLED "THE MAMET
SCAM."
PLEASE EXPLAIN TO THE PEOPLE WHAT THE MAMMENT SCAM WAS.
>> MY FRIEND EUGENE PACK AND I HAD GONE TO N.Y.U. DRAMA SCHOOL,
AND EUGENE TAUGHT WITH DAVID MAMET, HE TAUGHT CLASSES THERE,
DAVID MAMET IS AN AMAZING WRITE, PLAYWRIGHT, SCREENWRITER,
"GLENGARRY, GLEN ROSS," BRILLIANT.
WHEN WE WERE IN HOLLYWOOD, WE COULDN'T GET INTO THE DOORS OF
AGENTS.
NOBODY WAS CALLING.
I WOULD WALK UP AND DOWN SUNSET BOULEVARD, PASS OUT MY HEAD
SHOTSES.
NOBODY CALLED.
"WE HAVE TO GET IN THE DOOR.
HOW CAN WE DO THIS?" I THOUGHT UP THIS THING AND
CALLED IT THE MAMET SCAM WHERE I PRETENDED TO BE SOMEONE WHO
WORKED FOR DAVID MAMET, NAMED LIZ STOCKWELL, AND EUGENE PACK'S
FAKE NAME WAS ARNOLD KATZ.
AND WE PRETENDED WE WORKED FOR AND WITH DAVID MAMET, AND WE
WOULD MAKE CALLS FOR ONE ANOTHER TO GET INTO AGENTS.
I WOULD CALL-- AND LIZ STOCKWELL, MY CHARACTER, WAS
JUST A POSITIVE GAL, JUST GOOD ENERGY.
SO WE WOULD GO TO THE A.F.I.
LIBRARY AND LOOK UP ACTORDSES AND WHO WERE REPRESENTED BY.
WHO'S JOAN CUSACK'S AGENT.
I COULD MEET THAT PERSON.
WE DID RESEARCH AND HAD WHO WE WANTED TO MEET.
I WOULD CALL AND SAY, "HI, THIS IS LIZ STOCKWELL, CALLING FROM
DAVID MAMET'S OFFICE."
WE KIND OF KNEW THERE WOULDN'T A CROSSCHECK, BECAUSE WE KNEW
DAVID MAMET WOULD STAY IN NEW YORK, VERMONT.
SO WHEN THE AGENTS WOULD HEAR DAVID MAMET WAS CALLING, WE
COULD GET RIGHT ON THE PHONE WITH THE AGENT AND THEY WOULD
PUT THE AGENT ON.
I WOULD SAY, "DAVID SPEAKS SO HIGHLY OF YOU AND YOUR COMPANY,
AND WE HAVE THIS YOUNG KID OUT HERE.
HE'S LIKE THE NEXT HOT THING.
WE MAKE HIM A STAR.
I SEE THE STAR OF DAVID'S NEW PLAY, AND WE'D LOVE TO SET UP A
MEETING FOR YOU."
AND WE HAD A RULE WHERE YOU COULDN'T HANG UP THE CALL UNTIL
YOU HAD THE APPOINTMENT.
AND EUGENE PACK AND I HAD WORKED IN SALES TOGETHER ON PARK
AVENUE, AND -- >> Stephen: YOU WERE SELLING
GYM MEMBERSHIPS.
>> WE SOLD GYM MEMBERSHIPS, AND THE RULE WAS DON'T HANG UP UNTIL
YOU GET THE CREDIT CARD.
WE DID THE SAME THING WITH THE MAMET SCAM.
WHATEVER THE OBSTACLE WAS, "HAVE U19 CALL."
"NO, NO, EUGENE IS SO BUSY WITH THE REHEARSALS CAN WE JUST GET
IT."
AND THEY WOULD SAY, "LIZ, CAN WE HAVE LUNCH?"
AND I WOULD SAY, "I WILL HAVE MY ASSISTANT CALL YOU."
>> Stephen: DID IT WORK?
>> IT WORKED, IT WORKED!
SO WHAT HAPPENED WAS-- SO DURING THE MAMET SCAM-- AND WE WOULD
CRACK UP.
WE WOULD PASS NOTES, "SAY THIS, SAY THAT."
I MET BERNIE BERUTI.
WE MET EVERYONE.
BERNIE WAS LIKE, "GIVE MY BEST TO DAVID.
I WANT YOU TO MEET MY DAUGHTER LEE.
AND I USED TO DRIVE BY, AND I LOVED "TWIN PEAKS" AND DAVID
LYNCH.
AND I SAID I WANT TO BE ON 'TWIN PEEKS."
AND I GOT A MEETING WITH JOANNA RAY.
AND SHE SAID, "YOU ARE A DELIGHT.
YOU MUCH OF MUST MEET DAVID LYNCH," AND I GOT "TWIN PEAKS"
THROUGH THE MAMET SCAM.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ).
IT WORKED.
IT WORKED!
>> Stephen: RESPECT.
>> THANK YOU!
>> Stephen: RESPECT.
OH, MY GOD THAT'S FANTASTIC.
>> IT WAS GOOD.
IT WAS GOOD.
IT WAS GOOD!
THAT'S HOW I GOT MY START.
>> Stephen: THAT IS FANTASTIC.
>> I'M A HUSTLER, BABY.
>> Stephen: DID YOU EVER GET CAUGHT?
>> STEPHEN, SORRY, BUT, YES, WE DID-- I DID GET CAUGHT.
WE GOT A LITTLE, LIKE, YOU KNOW, CRAZY WITH IT.
I REALLY WANT-- I LOVED, YOU KNOW, "ST. ELMO'S FIRE" AND I
WANT TO BE PART OF THAT BRAT PACK, MOLLIE INGWALD.
AND I WANTED TO MEET THE AGENT TO THE BRAT PACK, AND ARNOLD
KATZ GOT ME IN, AND I WENT IN AND SAT WITH HER, AND SHE WAS
JUST LIKE, "I JUST WANTED TO SEE WHAT A LIAR LOOKED LIKE IN
PERSON."
CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?
AND I WAS LIKE OH, MY GOD.
SHE WAS LIKE, "YEAH, YOUR LITTLE FRIEND ARNOLD KATZ CALLED ME.
AND YOU THINK YOU CAN PULL ONE OVER ON ME."
AND I ACTED REALLY CONFUSED AND KIND OF LIKE,s, WAIT, WHAT."
LIKE CONFUSED.
AND SHE WAS LIKE, "WAIT, CAN I ASK YOU A QUESTION, HONEY?
ARE YOU DATING THIS GUY?
AND I USED ALL MY ACTING TECHNIQUES FROM N.Y.U. DRAMA
SCHOOL.
AND I SAID, "OH, YEAH, I'VE BEEN DATING HIM FOR JUST A FEW WEEKS
AND HE SAID HE COULD HELP ME OUT, HE KNOWS PEOPLE IN
HOLLYWOOD."
I PLAYED A DUMB GIRL MANIPULATED BY THIS-- SHE SAID, HONEY, LET
ME TELL YOU, THIS GUY IS A SLEAZE BUCKET, AND HE CAN'T HELP
YOU.
HE DOESN'T KNOW ANYONE."
AND AND I WAS LIKE, "OH, MY GOD, THANK YOU."
SO WE TURNED IT AROUND.
OH, MY GOD!
AND THEN I WENT-- AND THEN I WENT OUT TO A PAY PHONE AND I
CALLED EUGENE PACK, AND I WAS LIKE, "WE JUST GOT BUSTED."
>> Stephen: THAT IS SO GREAT.
>> YEAH, SO GOOD.
>> Stephen: MOLLIE, LOVELY TO SEE YOU.
>> OH, MY GOD, YOU'RE THE BEST.
>> Stephen: "HELLO, MOLLY" IS NOW AVAILABLE IN BOOKSTORES AND
"I LOVE THAT FOR YOU" PREMIERES APRIL 29 ON SHOWTIME.
MOLLY SHANNON, "HELLO, MOLLY!" WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH
CONGRESSWOMAN CORI BUSH.