Part of my mission in life at this point is to help my grandsons to become men. One of the ways I do this is by introducing them to things guys do. We shoot BB guns, we catch crawdads, we play ball, and we even made “spears” out of sticks, covered them with feathers, and chunked them out in the yard this past week.
When the sun goes down, especially when they get to spend the night, is to watch movies. So far, all the ones I have introduced them to all have an obvious moral, with clearly defined good guys and bad guys. And many of them have monsters which the heroes have to come up against and defeat. I particularly like old Ray Harryhausen movies; which I loved as a little boy myself.
But as they age, they are discovering their own movie heroes. Recently, almost out of nowhere, they discovered the Star Wars franchise. They know Luke Skywalker and Hans Solo are the good guys who have to struggle with and overcome the evil Darth Vader and Stormtroopers. Accordingly, they regularly arm themselves with light sabers and blasters as they imagine themselves as Jedi Knights engaged in the struggle to overthrow the Empire and restore the Republic.
Of course, I was around when the first Star Wars movie, “Episode Four: A New Hope”, sprang onto movie screens nationwide in 1977. By the time the first trilogy had been produced, like so many of my generation, I knew every character, every scene, and every outcome in all three movies. But as the sequel trilogy, and then the prequel trilogy each came out, I had moved on in life, becoming an adult and focusing on other responsibilities.
As much as I am an expert on the first three films of my generation, so am I ignorant of the last six films, and especially of the succession of stand-alone story films generated by the franchise. I will leave it to my grandsons in their generation to be experts on the films of theirs. Yet, as my grandsons have begun insisting on watching these movies with their granddaddy, I have gladly engaged.
Still, I watch them with a different eye. Or more properly, with one eye; as I am typically using the other eye to search the internet and read about the production of the various movies. As a result, I now know lots of things about the movies that I did not know when I first viewed them as a sixteen year old.
For instance, in the very first film, a largely unknown director named George Lucas somehow talked such acclaimed actors as Peter Cushing, Alec Guinness, James Earl Jones, and David Prowse to accept roles in his weird new space opera science fiction film. But accept they did. And the rest, as they say, is history.
One particular detail I uncovered is the point of my blog today. Most of the actors were understandably unsure of the movie’s reception and resultant success or failure. So, when Alec Guinness accepted the role of Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi, the Jedi Knight Master who helps inspire and train the hero, Luke Skywalker, before being killed off later in the film, chose not to take a salary, but to negotiate instead for 2.25 percent of the film’s profits.
By comparison, James Earl Jones, whose deep voice, described as a "stirring basso profondo that has lent gravel and gravitas", was dubbed in for the voice of Darth Vader over the physical acting of the 6’6” tall British bodybuilder, David Browse, was advised by his agents to “just take the money and run”. He therefore settled for a mere $6500 for his work on the film.
By comparison, when all was said and done, and the film that has cost $11 million to produce had earned an impressive $775 million, Alec Guinness had earned $3.3 million. What is more, by the time he died in the year 2000, he had earned about $85 million, which was more than he made from 40 of his other films combined, including such classics as Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, and A Passage to India.
While both men went on amass impressive fortunes in their lifetime, Guinness far surpassed Jones, due for the most part, to the deal each man negotiated on this one film.
A lot can be concluded from this. To be sure, Guinness’ career was slowing down. Born in 1914, he was already 63 when Sat wars came out. He was a well-established actor with a world-wide reputation. The money he made, as a result, allowed him to spend his final years focusing only on what acting projects he truly wanted to pursue.
Seventeen years his junior, James Earl Jones, born in 1931, was only 46, and although an established stage performer, was just getting started in the movie business with only a couple of acting roles to his credit. So his career was just revving up by comparison.
Arguably, therefore, the former could afford to take a risk on salary, while the latter may have valued the cash up front. We all understand how life works.
In the end, of course, Guinness died with a net worth of some $60 million; while Jones died with a net worth of some $40 million. As former Atlanta braves broadcaster once put it, “After a player can command a salary of several million dollars, what’s another million or two? Yet players always seem to want to hold out for more, more, more. Most of us would have to totally revamp our lifestyles in order to spend that kind of money!” So, it seems as if $40 million should have been sufficient.
Still, one cannot help but to wonder what might have happened if James Earl Jones had not listened to his agents and instead had negotiated a percentage of the profits from Star Wars like Alec Guinness did. His net worth at the end of the trail might very well have far surpassed that of Guinness.
For my part, as I look back over my life, I know full well that there were times when I chose to play it safe. Some of those decisions were appropriate. Others were not. For there were many times when I now wish that I had chosen not to play it safe, but to take the risk instead. Here me well - I am not just talking about financial decisions here. For this principle applies to a great many of life’s pursuits.
Conversely, I am increasingly thankful for all those times in life when I chose to take the risk. I did so when I ask my beautiful wife to marry me. I did so when I applied for college. I did so when I applied for my first job. I did so when I made my first investment. I did so when I wrote my first novel.
What about you, my friend? Does the same hold true for you? If you spend a little time thinking about it, you may realize that you too have a similar testimony.
Some three thousand years ago, King Solomon (in the Old Testament Book of Proverbs, chapter 11, verse 1, NET Bible Translation) admonished us in this manner: “Send your grain overseas, for after many days you will get a return.”
He is simply telling us here to take the risk. A ship loaded with grain could easily be lost at sea, attacked by pirates, or suffer any number of other similar fates. But if it made it through to its intended port, and then returned laden with other goods, the return on the investment could be truly enormous.
In other words, Solomon encouraged us to take the risk! Forget the measly $6500; go for the chance at $3.3 million instead! Think long term, not short term! For in the end, the reward will very likely well be worth it!
SOURCES:
https://www.celebritynetworth.com/articles/entertainment-articles/much-cast-original-star-wars-movie-make/.
SCRIPTURE:
https://biblehub.com/parallel/ecclesiastes/11-1.htm.
When the sun goes down, especially when they get to spend the night, is to watch movies. So far, all the ones I have introduced them to all have an obvious moral, with clearly defined good guys and bad guys. And many of them have monsters which the heroes have to come up against and defeat. I particularly like old Ray Harryhausen movies; which I loved as a little boy myself.
But as they age, they are discovering their own movie heroes. Recently, almost out of nowhere, they discovered the Star Wars franchise. They know Luke Skywalker and Hans Solo are the good guys who have to struggle with and overcome the evil Darth Vader and Stormtroopers. Accordingly, they regularly arm themselves with light sabers and blasters as they imagine themselves as Jedi Knights engaged in the struggle to overthrow the Empire and restore the Republic.
Of course, I was around when the first Star Wars movie, “Episode Four: A New Hope”, sprang onto movie screens nationwide in 1977. By the time the first trilogy had been produced, like so many of my generation, I knew every character, every scene, and every outcome in all three movies. But as the sequel trilogy, and then the prequel trilogy each came out, I had moved on in life, becoming an adult and focusing on other responsibilities.
As much as I am an expert on the first three films of my generation, so am I ignorant of the last six films, and especially of the succession of stand-alone story films generated by the franchise. I will leave it to my grandsons in their generation to be experts on the films of theirs. Yet, as my grandsons have begun insisting on watching these movies with their granddaddy, I have gladly engaged.
Still, I watch them with a different eye. Or more properly, with one eye; as I am typically using the other eye to search the internet and read about the production of the various movies. As a result, I now know lots of things about the movies that I did not know when I first viewed them as a sixteen year old.
For instance, in the very first film, a largely unknown director named George Lucas somehow talked such acclaimed actors as Peter Cushing, Alec Guinness, James Earl Jones, and David Prowse to accept roles in his weird new space opera science fiction film. But accept they did. And the rest, as they say, is history.
One particular detail I uncovered is the point of my blog today. Most of the actors were understandably unsure of the movie’s reception and resultant success or failure. So, when Alec Guinness accepted the role of Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi, the Jedi Knight Master who helps inspire and train the hero, Luke Skywalker, before being killed off later in the film, chose not to take a salary, but to negotiate instead for 2.25 percent of the film’s profits.
By comparison, James Earl Jones, whose deep voice, described as a "stirring basso profondo that has lent gravel and gravitas", was dubbed in for the voice of Darth Vader over the physical acting of the 6’6” tall British bodybuilder, David Browse, was advised by his agents to “just take the money and run”. He therefore settled for a mere $6500 for his work on the film.
By comparison, when all was said and done, and the film that has cost $11 million to produce had earned an impressive $775 million, Alec Guinness had earned $3.3 million. What is more, by the time he died in the year 2000, he had earned about $85 million, which was more than he made from 40 of his other films combined, including such classics as Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, and A Passage to India.
While both men went on amass impressive fortunes in their lifetime, Guinness far surpassed Jones, due for the most part, to the deal each man negotiated on this one film.
A lot can be concluded from this. To be sure, Guinness’ career was slowing down. Born in 1914, he was already 63 when Sat wars came out. He was a well-established actor with a world-wide reputation. The money he made, as a result, allowed him to spend his final years focusing only on what acting projects he truly wanted to pursue.
Seventeen years his junior, James Earl Jones, born in 1931, was only 46, and although an established stage performer, was just getting started in the movie business with only a couple of acting roles to his credit. So his career was just revving up by comparison.
Arguably, therefore, the former could afford to take a risk on salary, while the latter may have valued the cash up front. We all understand how life works.
In the end, of course, Guinness died with a net worth of some $60 million; while Jones died with a net worth of some $40 million. As former Atlanta braves broadcaster once put it, “After a player can command a salary of several million dollars, what’s another million or two? Yet players always seem to want to hold out for more, more, more. Most of us would have to totally revamp our lifestyles in order to spend that kind of money!” So, it seems as if $40 million should have been sufficient.
Still, one cannot help but to wonder what might have happened if James Earl Jones had not listened to his agents and instead had negotiated a percentage of the profits from Star Wars like Alec Guinness did. His net worth at the end of the trail might very well have far surpassed that of Guinness.
For my part, as I look back over my life, I know full well that there were times when I chose to play it safe. Some of those decisions were appropriate. Others were not. For there were many times when I now wish that I had chosen not to play it safe, but to take the risk instead. Here me well - I am not just talking about financial decisions here. For this principle applies to a great many of life’s pursuits.
Conversely, I am increasingly thankful for all those times in life when I chose to take the risk. I did so when I ask my beautiful wife to marry me. I did so when I applied for college. I did so when I applied for my first job. I did so when I made my first investment. I did so when I wrote my first novel.
What about you, my friend? Does the same hold true for you? If you spend a little time thinking about it, you may realize that you too have a similar testimony.
Some three thousand years ago, King Solomon (in the Old Testament Book of Proverbs, chapter 11, verse 1, NET Bible Translation) admonished us in this manner: “Send your grain overseas, for after many days you will get a return.”
He is simply telling us here to take the risk. A ship loaded with grain could easily be lost at sea, attacked by pirates, or suffer any number of other similar fates. But if it made it through to its intended port, and then returned laden with other goods, the return on the investment could be truly enormous.
In other words, Solomon encouraged us to take the risk! Forget the measly $6500; go for the chance at $3.3 million instead! Think long term, not short term! For in the end, the reward will very likely well be worth it!
SOURCES:
https://www.celebritynetworth.com/articles/entertainment-articles/much-cast-original-star-wars-movie-make/.
SCRIPTURE:
https://biblehub.com/parallel/ecclesiastes/11-1.htm.