Tomorrow’s a big day for Harrison Ford. The theater where he made his West Coast stage
debut, The
Laguna Playhouse, is to honor him as its “most distinguished
alumnus.”
The playhouse — which was founded in Laguna Beach, Calif., in 1920, making it one the
nation’s oldest continuing theater companies — doesn’t say who the other alumnae
are. Therefore it’s hard to compare, but “most distinguished” sounds about
right. So does “most famous,” “most handsome,” “richest,” “best former carpenter” and “biggest
deal.”
According to Playhouse executive director Richard Stein, Ford appeared in “John Brown’s
Body,” a poetic drama by Stephen Vincent Benet, directed by Douglas Rowe. The production ran
for 12 performances (March 2-13) in 1965. The playbill called him “Harry” and
described him as follows:
A newcomer both to California and Laguna Beach, Harry brings with him an
impressive background in theater. At college, such roles as MacHeath in “Threepenny Opera,” El
Gallo in “The Fantasticks” and Mr. Antrobus in “Skin of our Teeth” brought rave reviews and
with it overtures from several little theater groups. As a result, shows such as “Damn Yankees,”
“Sunday in New York,” “Dark of the Moon” and “Little Mary Sunshine” followed. Harry’s goal is
to be a professional actor. We wish him good luck and hope to see him back here for more
shows.
Harry never appeared at the Laguna Playhouse again. But the whole point of honoring the
prodigal son is to help raise money for the troupe. When it comes to fund-raising, loyalty
has a long leash. (By the way, who knew he had such a sweet tooth for musical comedy?)
