Just a Couple of Characters - CRIME STORY Edition: Bill Smitrovich, Billy Campbell, and Joey Farina

Welcome to Episode #8, which is... Well, I'm loath to call it a very special episode, just because of the baggage attached to that phrase, but it's definitely the first of its kind. What started out as a plan to talk to Bill Smitrovich and Billy Campbell, two guys who worked together way back when on a little series called CRIME STORY, transformed into something even cooler when Bill asked if Joey Farina - son of the series' lead, Dennis Farina - could join us to talk about his dad. This sounded like a great idea to me, so I said, "Sure!" Little did I realize how big a deal this conversation was going to be for everyone. Bill and Billy hadn't seen other since LIFE GOES ON and THE ROCKETEER were filming on the same lot in 1990, neither of them had seen Joey since he visited the set of CRIME STORY when he was in his early teens, and it was definitely the first time all of them had been able to talk together about their mutual love and appreciation of Dennis. There were laughs, there were tears, and there were so many great stories, featuring tales of Chicago, Las Vegas, and Mexico starring everyone from Michael Mann to Miles Davis. And for fans of this show, don't worry, I still managed to get an answer from everyone about the first person they worked with that had them fighting to keep from going full fanboy.

Yes, they talk more than I do. That's kind of the point. Trust me, if you like hearing actors talk shop, then you won't care. You'll love it anyway. And if you do, then why not visit http://willharris.substack.com? If you like the other material you see there, then upgrade to a paid subscription. It'll enable me to keep doing more of these...and, better yet, you'll get to see new episodes of JUST A COUPLE OF CHARACTERS a week before the world at large!