Just saw a promo for a new NBC series called Parenthood that I guess is debuting in March. I don't know if the show spends a lot of time there but the promo was shot at University High School in West Los Angeles. As we all know, many famous stars attended Uni Hi, including Judy Garland, Elizabeth Taylor, Jan and Dean, Marilyn Monroe and me.
Well, sort of. Back in the thirties and forties, child stars who were under contract to a studio usually attended classes at those studios. These "schools" were operated in conjunction with the L.A. City School System and when it came time for some young actress or actor to get a diploma, it was officially issued by a regular school…usually, University High. So Judy Garland and Elizabeth Taylor technically graduated from Uni, although there's no evidence they ever set foot on its campus. (Another alumnus was Roddy McDowall. The one time I met him, I asked if he'd ever been there. He said he went over one afternoon in 1946, picked up his "sheepskin" — that's what he called it — then got a handshake from the principal and that was it. His graduation ceremony sounds like it was more fun than mine. I had to wear a silly gown, march in and out as per hours of rehearsal, and listen to a speech by Tom Bradley, who had just lost his race to become Mayor of Los Angeles.)
Jan and Dean met while attending Uni and went off to record surf music, and Norma Jean Baker, long before she became Marilyn Monroe, was a Uni dropout. There were other celebs there including Jeff Bridges and David Cassidy, and Uni itself has appeared in many movies. The two most memorable were probably Billie (1965) starring Patty Duke as a track star and Pretty Maids All in a Row (1971) starring Rock Hudson as a heterosexual. Patty was more convincing as the track star. The TV shows Arrested Development and My So-Called Life are among many that have shot there. Once upon a time, this all interested me a lot more than it does today.
I graduated in 1969 and have only been back there once since…around '84 to lecture to a class of aspiring writers. Wandering the campus, I was amazed at my lack of emotional connection with a place where I spent three years of my existence. I remembered countless anecdotes and moments but what struck me was how trivial and remote it now seemed. Things that mattered to me a lot in '68 not only no longer mattered but I felt embarrassed that they ever had. Why had I ever cared if any of my classmates thought I was funny? What had it mattered to me if Mr. Paul, a teacher for whom I had zero respect, thought I was a bright kid? I gained a few good friends at Uni, including my first few girl friends, but the school itself was an impediment to me getting on with my life. I understand the value of a good education but I can't tell you one thing I learned in high school proper that has ever come in handy.
I remember learning how to balance a Redox Equation in Mr. Peyton's Chemistry class but five minutes after his final exam, that hunk of education went completely out of my head…and ten minutes later, you could have offered me a million bucks cash and I couldn't have told you what a Redox Equation is or why you would ever need to balance one. Losing that skill has in no way impeded my existence since. If I'd gone into another line of work…yes, certainly. I'm sure there are chemists drawing down six-figure annual incomes these days balancing Redox Equations. But most — no, make that all of what I learned during those years, I learned by reading…and by keeping my eyes open, observing the world around me. And by just being around people every day and learning to interact with them and be a person…or at least, a reasonable facsimile.
Recently, I was invited again to go back there and talk to the current crop of aspiring writers. I don't think I'll do it this time. I talk to aspiring writers all the time elsewhere but I also decline such invites for lack of enough hours in the day. I can't feel any special reason to do it at Uni just because it's Uni. I've successfully put those years behind me and apart from still being in touch with a few friends from high school, I feel zero connection. My 40-year reunion was last year and I skipped it for the same reason: Having closed that door, it just feels good to not reopen it, especially if one finds nothing of interest on the other side. If Parenthood does have many scenes shot there, I have no desire to see it.