His conversations with Freddie

David Rensin writes with affection at Native Intelligence about all the months he spent with Freddie Fields, the agent who died this week, talking about Hollywood and a book proposal that never came to fruition.

We’d sit in his den, surrounded by books and classic photos and sometimes dish of candy on the glass table. I think it was Tootsie Rolls. I ate more than a few while Freddie told me his story, and of his A-list clients, the formation and selling of CMA, the town’s personality, movie deals he’d made, and much much more. Sometimes we'd start our sessions with a light lunch on the outdoor patio by the swimming pool of his Beverly Hills estancia.

For some reason I love the originals, the men and women who created the business, and love catching them at a time when they are willing to talk because, face it, they have been there, done that, for the most part have their safety nets, and nothing left to lose. There's more truth to be told.

Maybe Freddie’s health also played a part in his desire to talk, but if so, he never directly let on.

Come September I started working on the book proposal. We called it POSTCARDS FROM HOLLYWOOD: Things I Did and Things I Think I Did. The idea was that instead of a laborious show business bio chock full of the usual self-aggrandizement, or something so shallow it never rose above your ankles, we’d do the book as a series of separate but obviously interlocking stories. From his youth to his retirement, these "lengthy postcards" would tell you all you needed to know.

At Chicken Corner, Jenny Burman says the El Batey grocery in Echo Park is at risk of losing its lease after four decades.