https://www.booktalk.org/download/file.php?id=2526Hello LITB fans,

I have written a new movie screenplay which will be of interest to fans of LITB. It is currently available for purchase on Amazon.com in paperback and e-book form. Prices are very reasonable at $9.99 for paperback and $2.99 for e-book.

The Incredible Life of Joey Coletta tells the story of an ordinary California boy who wins the lead role in a TV family sitcom and deals with the trials and tribulations of child stardom in Hollywood in the late 1950s. The script is a funny, heartwarming tribute to the beloved family situation comedies of the 1950s and '60s such as Father Knows Best, The Andy Griffith Show and especially Leave It to Beaver. This is a joyous story about family, faith and creativity which will delight anyone who loves that era and its classic shows.

If you are interested in purchasing the screenplay, simply follow the link below. (Tip: it seems to work better if you copy and paste it into your browser.) Thank you!

https://www.amazon.com/Incredible-Life-Joey-Coletta/dp/1983126632

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Here is a reading by professional actors of a scene from my screenplay. This took place at the Festival for Drama and Family in Toronto in October, 2018.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAo_g7ylAlU&t=20s

That’s really wonderful how your screenplay made it to the stage.

We don’t know just how being a celebrated kid actor affects the mind but if they have a strong family like Jerry did they would do well. However Jerry should have walked away after season 4 but then we would have missed the talents of Ken Osmond. I wonder how Rusty Stevens managed. Poor Jay North and Rusty Hamer had it tough.

Having the reading done was very gratifying. Of course, my goal is to have it produced as a film. No one to my knowledge has done a movie about a child actor from the '50s before.

My goal is to reach folks like those who frequent these message boards and all those who are interested in the old sitcoms. They will really get the most out of my screenplay.

No one is writing much these days and there are so many remakes. A really good drama with great acting is a thing of the past. Audiences want it loud, lots of colors with great special effects. Love the old movies like Best Years of Our Lives, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, To Kill a Mockingbird, On The Waterfront, A Patch of Blue and most recently Slingblade.

No one is writing much these days and there are so many remakes. A really good drama with great acting is a thing of the past. Audiences want it loud, lots of colors with great special effects. Love the old movies like Best Years of Our Lives, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, To Kill a Mockingbird, On The Waterfront, A Patch of Blue and most recently Slingblade.

I didn't realize how true this was until I went to my local movie house recently to see "Mary Poppins Returns." I saw previews for upcoming live-action/CGI animation remakes of "The Lion King" and "Dumbo." I see there is also a remake of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," another "Spiderman" movie, an umpteenth version of Sherlock Holmes, a modernization of "A Star Is Born," and probably others that qualify as remakes or sequels. There does seem to be a crisis of originality.

That’s really wonderful how your screenplay made it to the stage.

We don’t know just how being a celebrated kid actor affects the mind but if they have a strong family like Jerry did they would do well. However Jerry should have walked away after season 4 but then we would have missed the talents of Ken Osmond. I wonder how Rusty Stevens managed. Poor Jay North and Rusty Hamer had it tough.

Missed this post originally. Yes, both their situations are sad. I never heard of Rusty being abused like Jay was. But Rusty had a horrible time as an adult, and ultimately committed suicide. Fortunately Jay got the help he needed and is reportedly OK now.

Both were excellent child actors.

Enjoyed the reading. Am going to order the book. Thanks!

Thanks very much, Steve! I am doing everything I can to create interest in this screenplay. I hope eventually to interest a producer in making a film out of it. If it happens, it will be the first of its kind, a fictional tribute to the old sitcoms and child actors.

Saw your book on Amazon and that's quite a feat. It reminds me a little bit of the life of Danny Bonaduce from Partridge Family. His mother and father were writers for many sitcoms and he was treated really badly. He claims he had a ball on the show not however at home. Jay North, however, had a miserable life on the show and at home with his guardians. Jay was so professional he acted like one happy kid while playing Dennis. His sitcom mom, Gloria Henry, often spoke up for him. Too bad talent scouts see an acting genius in a child then go and exploit that talent.

I've heard that many child actors had a tough time in life, both during their acting years and as adults. My story is kind of the opposite, about a kid who is bullied and doesn't fit in at school but finds a new world as part of a sitcom family, a world where he really belongs. The challenge for him then is to make his real life family more like the idealized one on the TV show. Thanks for checking out my book!

I'm about 1/3 of the way thru this book, and I highly recommend it for any LITB fan. Hard to put this book down. BTW, very reasonable on Amazon.

As I read I see parallels to Jerry M.'s story (if you're familiar with his book, And Jerry Mathers, you'll see, too), and to LITB. But there are striking differences, also.

The book is written as a screenplay--very innovative.

One other note--there's some discussion of canned laughter, and a mention of playing shows back to an audience to get live responses. That was done with a few single camera shows of the 50s/60s era--notably The Burns and Allen Show, and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. I'm sure they "sweetened" the soundtrack with canned laughter occasionally, but the live laughter sounds so much better. I think a few early LITBs might have been played to an audience. The live responses are one advantage of multi camera shows, such as I Love Lucy or Danny Thomas Show (and of course, many later ones).

I try not to go into details about the book, so as not to spoil it for other readers.

New update: "The Incredible Life of Joey Coletta" was voted one of the Top 20 screenplays in the WildSound Drama and Family Screenplay Festival: https://festivalfordrama.com/2019/02/01/top-20-drama-screenplays-of-2018/

Here is an image of the new cover of the book.
https://www.booktalk.org/download/file.php?id=2526