INTERVIEW WITH ACTOR PETER FOX

Today I have the immense pleasure of welcoming a very special guest, actor Peter Fox, to CINEMATIC REVELATIONS for an interview. Peter has acted in motion pictures over the years such as AIRPORT ‘77, MOTHER’S DAY, FRATERNITY ROW [my review of the film can be found here] JAKE SPEED, FM, NIGHT OF THE COMET, and SHADOWS IN THE STORM, to name but a few examples from his filmography. Peter was also the artistic director of the Alliance Repertory Company, and Chairman of the Board for sixteen years. In this interview Peter will be discussing his role in FRATERNITY ROW, acting on television, the theatre, and his career as a visual artist.

Welcome to CINEMATIC REVELATIONS Peter!

Athan: When did you first realize that you wanted to be an actor?

Peter: Well, the first time I sort of felt that I had, there's a movie theater in Santa Monica called the Nuart Theatre, where you can see interesting stuff. And I went to see A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS, and saw Paul Scofield, who won the Oscar for that film. I was just amazed at his performance.

Having said that, I didn't come to California to be an actor. Where I grew up outside of Chicago was very middle class, very, you know, white bread. It was fun, it was a great childhood. But I didn't go to college to be an actor. I didn't come to California to be an actor. It was just my consciousness. But what happened was, there were eight of us, and there wasn't much money.

My mother got us all modelling, and doing TV commercials in the fifties and sixties in Chicago. Sears and Montgomery Ward catalogs were all in Chicago. So anyhow, I had a Screen Actor’s Guild card by the time I was ten and I was out here. I worked at a car wash, and I had a brother out here. I'd never been to California. I had graduated from college and made a film there, so I was kind of interested in that. Acting was not what I came for, but acting jobs started to happen.

Because I wound up at a very upscale restaurant, it was called Mr. Bartender. I had never bartended before. That was an interesting experience. But through that, I met, I ran into a very powerful agent there who I followed up on because I didn't want to be a bartender anymore. He said, well, I could make some money doing TV commercials until I figure out what I want to do.

That actually led to me getting a very high-end agent in Los Angeles. I started getting active working in commercials, national commercials, and one thing led to another. And next thing I know, I'm in FRATERNITY ROW. So I got to star in a movie without ever coming to California to be in a movie. That's what my fate was, that's what happened.

So when did I decide to be an actor? I decided I wanted to make some money with a Screen Actor’s Guild card. And then when I got a lead in a movie FRATERNITY ROW, I was like, well, I better pursue this. I guess I better pursue being an actor. And lo and behold, I started getting more work, and it lasted for quite a while until it stopped.

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Athan: Where did you study acting?

Peter: I didn't really at all. I was just, you know, in front of a camera as a kid, I guess I got that. And just through observing, like watching Paul Scofield say, ‘oh, that's what good acting is, what's he doing there? If you want to act, do that.’ I had no formal training as an actor, which kind of as I started to succeed as an actor, that sort of gnawed at me, saying, well, matter[s] you're having some [success] as you never studied, whatever.

I did take a few classes here and there and just prove to myself, oh, okay, this is what actors do. I studied with some very high-end teachers such as Jose Quintero, a very famous New York Broadway director, and Mira Rostova in New York. I took classes in her six-week class there. 

It was interesting and good, but I never really studied acting. What I wound up doing was joining a theater company in Los Angeles to prove to myself, well, if you're in this existence, let's see if you really have the chops, if you're really an actor, because you're getting paid to be an actor, prove to me that you're an actor. So I joined this theater company and I stayed there sixteen years, and wound up as its artistic director. So that's where my acting chops really blossomed there at Alliance Repertory Company in Los Angeles. Terrific little black box theater.

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Athan: Your performance as Rodger in FRATERNITY ROW was excellent, and one of the two pivotal performances in the movie, being a young man with integrity who is inspired by another young man’s aim to cease the practice of hazing in college fraternities. What is it that drew you to the part of Rodger in FRATERNITY ROW?

Peter: What drew me though was simply my commercial agent saying, ‘Hey, there's this movie being cast. Do you want to go? Do you want to audition for it? And, at the time I was, you know, getting some success working in commercials, and it looked like a good opportunity to take it a step up. So that's what drew me to it was, oh, this looks like an interesting challenge.

See if I can go get it. And lo and behold, after weeks of auditioning, I got the part. And once again, that's my fate. Did I come there to star in the movie? No. Looks like I was going to, so don't mess this up. And I just jumped, just jumped in, you know, jumped into, okay, here's the ride, let's go. So basically, I was just a passenger on the ride of my career.

It's like this career ride was going and either hop on, or hop off. So I hopped on, and here's where we're going, and I tried to make the best of it as we went along, and get better at it. But like I say, I didn't come here to do that, but yeah, it's just remarkable. Really.

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Athan: FRATERNITY ROW had a great cast with yourself and Gregory Harrison as the central focus, but with very capable support from Wendy Phillips, Nancy Morgan, and Scott Newman. What was it like working with these performers?

Peter: Well, we were all youngsters, you know, trying to make our mark. But I think all of us had talent. We all got along, we understood what the story was and, you know, it's a pretty basic story. And it was fun, but I could, working with people your age and you get along with, with talent who aren't there to one up you or, or, you know, make themselves better than you, or whatever.

So yeah, I would say it was a good learning experience for me to be around people who are good. And it's like playing a tennis match. You want to play somebody who's good, not somebody who you know is as bad as you are. So, yeah, it was a learning experience. It was fun and all that. Paramount bought the picture.

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Athan: What did you find most exciting about making FRATERNITY ROW?

Peter: Well, being one of the main characters in the movie, which is a very exciting, can be a very exciting arena to be in. Just going to work every day, was like, man, I'm not going to an office today. I'm going down to be on this set, making a movie. And, there's good actors, these single girls, oh wow, look at all these girls.

Hmm, this is interesting. It was a fun summer for me in more ways than one, you know, doing good work. And we shot it at that fraternity house, and I had the insight to rent a room there, so I didn't have to go back and forth every day to Santa Monica and then back to USC. I slept there, I lived there, and I just got to live the, you know, on campus life with all these other young people.

It was a quite unusual summer, like I've never had before.

Waking up every day to go do a leap, a movie that's good. The people are enjoying being there, and you're not having squabbles with anyone. You're actually getting paid to do this. It's like, wow, how did this happen? But it happened. So, yeah, it was delightful, you know, not too many people start, really start off with a lead, in a movie that Paramount bought.

You know, that's where I started. It's like, that's weird. You know, people usually have to climb the ladder to get to this place. Once again, my fate you know, I don't pay credit for it. I showed up and it was meant for me. And, it lasted for as long as it did. It was great. And it didn't last, and that's my fate too.

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Athan: For you, what was the most demanding, but emotionally satisfying segment of filming FRATERNITY ROW?

Peter: Well, back to that climax scene where the Zac character dies was intense and, you know, the reaction to it mostly played off of me, my character. So I had to be just distraught that this kid under my wing just choked it down. And just the whole set of emotions that came with that, it was a very, you know, challenging day for an untrained actor.

Well, you know, that was part of what we were talking about earlier was, I know this is coming, you better prepare yourself, however, you're going to do this because the camera's going to be right there on you and you better show up. That was my challenge.

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Athan: Have you kept in contact with any cast members and crew from FRATERNITY ROW?

Peter: Actually, a couple. Yes. A guy who was a camera assistant, a guy named Dow Griffith, he and I are still buds. It's been a while since I've gotten in touch with Tom Tobin, but he's a terrific guy. And Greg Harrison and I, you know, swap an email here and there, Christmas card, but yeah, that's, that's pretty much. Dow, Nancy, Tom Tobin, and Greg occasionally.

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Athan: FRATERNITY ROW was directed by Thomas J. Tobin, in his only film as director. What was it like being directed by Mr Tobin in FRATERNITY ROW?

Peter: Well, it was his first big step up to the plate and mine as well. I would say that being perfectly honest, we're both just regular guys. Ego was not a thing with him, I don't think. It is not a thing with me it, so it was just two guys, regular guys who wanted to do the best they could with his script.

And so we got along terrific. He has a great sense of humor. I have a pretty good sense of humor too. We enjoyed our company between setup, but he knew what he wanted. There was no ambiguity there. Every day he knew what we were there to do and we did it, and he's a terrific guy. He knew how to speak to actors, and I think when you do, that he knew how to tell that story, which is what the director's job is. And I think he did, yes. Yeah.

Yeah. I don’t know why that didn't happen for him. Whether he didn't pursue it like that or, yeah, it's hard to say. Part of it's that, you know, he's not a showman, he's a regular guy. You know, maybe Hollywood wanted somebody with more pizazz? I don’t know.

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Athan: Aside from cinema, you have also acted in scores of television shows over the years, with Family, The Waltons, Delta House, The Facts of Life, Hill Street Blues, 21 Jump Street, and The Young and the Restless among these. What, for you, are the main differences for you between film, and television?

Peter: Well, TV is more of, for instance, most of those shows I was on, like the Waltons or Murder, She Wrote or whatever, were hit shows. So they were well-oiled machines, right? You show up on the set, you know who your character is. It's a machine to get X amount of work done that day. We'd been doing it for eight years already, so how to do this. Whereas with FRATERNITY ROW we were all just a bunch of youngsters, you know, trying to figure out how to do this.

And like I said, Tom knew what he was doing and he hired the right crews, mostly students, almost all students, to help him achieve it. So the difference is, not for my experience, not that much different. There was just more machinery, and feeling of a machine work moving forward in TV shows, than in an independent film like FRATERNITY ROW.

Peter Fox and Michelle Pfeiffer on Delta House

I did another one called A Minor Miracle with the John Huston, and that was an independent film, so that has a little more urgency to it because of that machine behind it. So yeah, for me it was not that much different going from one to the other, just had a lot more money. Everybody was there, shoot six pages today, let's get six pages shot in general. That's what happened. I mean, there are a lot of Hollywood horror stories about egos and fortunately I didn't have that. I mean, I worked a lot for a long time and you would think, oh, there must be some horror story there.

No, people wanted to do the work, and get the job done. I'm glad for that because I know that there were, that there are, horror stories out there. It could have happened, but it didn't for me.

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Athan: You have been a visual artist for almost twenty years, producing innovative sculptures, and other installations. When did you first begin to create these art pieces, and what do you love about doing this?

Peter: I guess I started to do it a little bit in my last days in Hollywood, when my wife and I lived up in Hollywood Hills and, you know, as an actor, and especially if your career is sort of fading, you have a lot of time, a lot of free time. So I just, over the years, I collected these things on location and, and here and there and around the world. So I had this collection of things and I thought I'd look at them, and I started to put them together.

So that one plus one equals four, not two. And I really enjoyed it was a creative thing. Inspirational, creative. And I just took the free time I had and dug into that. When we moved up here to Ojai, California, I just really started making things. I've probably made two, two or three hundred different pieces of art.

Some of it's art, some of it's just clever and funny, and that's cool. I started when we moved here in 2005, probably started slipping my toe in around 2003 or 2004. I really dug into it and have done museum shows here, galleries up here and whatnot. And it's great, it's creative, you know, and if you can't be creative one way, here's another way you can be creative.

And so that's when things are slow or not happening at all, I can make something. And oftentimes, it's kind of cool. At least it is to me, and some people buy them. I don't make a living at it, but people, most people do.

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Athan: The theatre is also something close to your heart, directing plays at various theatrical companies. You were artistic director of the Alliance Repertory Company, and Chairman of the Board for many years. What is the feeling of overseeing a production, and witnessing all the pieces come together when it is performed?

Peter: Well, that's a really good question. I've enjoyed acting, and I've been astonished that I had some success at it. Like I say, that wasn't why I came here. When I made myself join the theater company, I found out that being in plays, and then directing plays, was really what I enjoyed doing. I enjoyed directing, enjoyed writing, and having joined this theater company, I guess that started me on those paths.

And that's what I mostly pursued these last years. I've written a lot. Since I'm a published playwright with a big play publishing company, I directed things in both in LA and here. And a couple of short films. 

My short film is The Sorrowful Mysteries of Boomer Pastor, check it out on YouTube. I wrote and directed that, and it won at film festivals. And so that was an even more intense want to be creative because when you're the director, it all goes through you, you know. There are so many creative decisions that have to be made, and it's thrilling and scary and really rewarding when it works.

So I made a couple of short films. I recently made another one called Good Vibrations, which I think might be on YouTube as well. But directing both on stage, and short films is really rewarding. You're not, as an actor, you're a piece of this whole thing like, you know, whether it works or not. It can be really rewarding, and it can also be really stressful if It's not working and getting along.

I haven't had that experience of yeah, having thirty people standing, looking at you saying, okay, what are we doing now? And you say, okay, let's do this. Everybody do it. You get it done. It's, you know, you’re making something, I think to me is a really human thing to make something. Whether it's you making these blogs of yours, or me making my art pieces or people making movies. It's just to make things very satisfying. And I suspect anybody who actually makes something that they're proud of knows what I'm about. I think it's a real human drive, all the time.

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Athan: Do you have any upcoming projects of which you would like to tell readers?

Peter: The art center here in Ojai, California, want me to write up an evening to honor them, so that's what I'm doing right now.

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Thank you so much today for your time Peter, and for the insight you have provided into the art of acting, FRATERNITY ROW, cinema, theatre, and visual art. It has been wonderful having you on CINEMATIC REVELATIONS. You are welcome to return whenever you wish.

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Peter Fox links

+Peter Fox IMDb Actor Page

+FRATERNITY ROW movie IMDb page

+Peter’s art website

FRATERNITY ROW (1977)

Title: FRATERNITY ROW

Year of Release: 1977

Director: Thomas J. Tobin

Genre: Drama

Synopsis: At a college fraternity for young men in the 1950s, hazing rears its ugly head, culminating in tragedy.

Within a film history context: Hazing in academic environments was not a common topic in cinema. One of the first to deal with this was Jack Conway's A YANK AT OXFORD (1938). In this story of a young American man trying the find his way at Oxford, he pushes a replacement runner out of the way in the baton race, which leads to his hazing at the hands of fellow students in this comedy-romance. With comedy MR. BELVEDERE GOES TO COLLEGE (1949), directed by Elliott Nugent, an older man enters college as a freshman, and is subjected to a humorous form of hazing for shaving in Whisker Week. Gordon Parry's TOM BROWN'S SCHOOLDAYS (1951), was more serious. The experiences of a young boy at an English public school, with hazing the order of the day from other students, provided the repercussions of such behaviour in this drama. FOR MEN ONLY (1952), directed by Paul Henreid, looked at how a young man in a college fraternity is subjected to intense hazing, which leads to his death. A professor at the college aims to stop hazing at the establishment in light of this tragic outcome. FRATERNITY ROW dealt extensively, and with sensitivity, with the topic of hazing in its story.

The treatment of hazing in FRATERNITY ROW was, far and away, utterly serious, as was the case in FOR MEN ONLY. In this respect, it was fully removed from the light-hearted depictions of hazing in A YANK AT OXFORD, and MR. BELVEDERE GOES TO COLLEGE. These were in line with the overall comic tone of both of these movies, but their intentions were humorous, and not meant to lower the dignity of the person being hazed. FOR MEN ONLY showed how the young man being hazed, in the end, was indirectly killed by being forced out of the fraternity by the other members, and loses control of his car from the emotional stress. The fallout from this brings hazing, and the person mainly responsible for the young man's death, into the spotlight. 

In FRATERNITY ROW, a young man partakes in a dangerous hazing ritual by a sadistic member, and chokes on a piece of liver. The young man's experience here is brought forth in all its horror, and the tragedy of his death affects not only his closest friend but also, his fellow fraternity members, and the members of a female fraternity. The man who caused this event is castigated by the dead man's best friend, and is not as high and mighty as he was prior to this taking place. There is a keen sadness by the spectator felt for Zac in FRATERNITY ROW, to say that a promising young life has been taken away by a cruel and unnecessary ritual that leaves shock, and death, in its wake. Both FOR MEN ONLY, and FRATERNITY ROW express this sentiment, with the latter's presentation heartrending, and a move for change on this front. A solid account of the effect of hazing, FRATERNITY ROW does a creditable job handling this hot topic.

Overview: Thomas J. Tobin is an American director of a single movie, being FRATERNITY ROW. He has been much more active as a producer, editor, and assistant director not only in cinema but also, on television. As FRATERNITY ROW is Thomas Tobin's sole contribution to feature films as a director, the overview with naturally concentrate on his vision for FRATERNITY ROW.

With FRATERNITY ROW, Thomas J. Tobin has crafted a well-structured, intense motion picture. The story of a college fraternity in 1954, particularly spotlighting the insidious practice of hazing in the institution, and the consequences of an incident gone wrong, it is a movie which flows at a leisurely, but assured pace, and never lags or bores. In establishing the characters, and milieu, the initial opening stretches of FRATERNITY ROW are, to be honest, slightly sluggish. Once this passes, though, the film picks up the pieces, and is compelling for its remainder. FRATERNITY ROW possesses attention to detail not only in informing viewers about fraternity life, but also ensures that the viewer cares about the characters. This is a quality which makes the ending so heart-rending but also, elicits anger in the spectator, with a call to take action. There is both a hardness, and softness to this film which give it balance, and works with the material. It is very interesting to note that the movie was a project in which cast and crew from the University of Southern California participated, and is anything but an amateurish production. Additionally, the screenplay by Charles Gary Allison was based upon his university dissertation about a real-life fraternity occurrence resulting in death. Both of these hold the movie in good stead, imbuing it with realism. An above-average picture about a topic which will always be a bone of contention, FRATERNITY ROW makes one wish that Thomas J. Tobin had helmed another movie.

Acting: An attractive and talented cast have been assembled for FRATERNITY ROW who give their best on screen. As college pledgemaster Rodger Carter, Peter Fox provides the human core of the story, and his interactions with the other characters ensure its emotive delivery. With his strong but earnest presence, Mr Fox is the perfect lead. Rodger's best friend, Zac Sterling is given panache, and appealing idealism by Gregory Harrison. The teaming of both Peter Fox and Gregory Harrison is another asset to FRATERNITY ROW, their relationship real for all to witness, and savour. Rodger's love interest, the vituperative, by the book Betty Ann Martin, is given edginess, and style, by Wendy Phillips. With her ability to play not only the malevolent but also, the vulnerable sides of Betty Ann, Miss Phillips is a three-dimensional, fascinating spitfire. 

At the opposite end of the spectrum is Jennifer Harris, Zac's girlfriend, played with delicacy by Nancy Morgan. Aside from a nice chemistry with Gregory Harrison, Miss Morgan's explosive scene with Wendy Phillips' Betty Ann is something to behold. The final acting of note was by Scott Newman as sadistic pledgemaster Chunk Cherry, whose preoccupation with hazing sets up the film's final act. Mr Newman brings it all to the table with his larger-than-life persona and physical presence, but whose facial expressions make sure that the audience can attest to some glimmers of humanity. A skilled actor for whom this was his final role, Mr Newman was gone way too soon, but here is at his best.

Soundtrack: FRATERNITY ROW showcases a number of tunes throughout its running time, but interspersed nicely at appropriate moments in the story. The movie is careful to never overwhelm with its musical choices, which works in its favour. The best use of music is during the closing credits sequence, played to Don McLean's ethereal rendition of 'If You Can Dream'. This beautiful piece sums up the raison d'etre of FRATERNITY ROW, and adds a palpable emotional force to what is already a potent, compelling motion picture.

Mise-en-scene: The onscreen experience is especially convincing for viewers of FRATERNITY ROW. Cinematographer Peter Gibbons' subtle use of colour is effective, capturing the 1950s in a muted manner which is anything but longing for the nostalgic, which is not the movie's intent by any means. Authenticity is also established by the employment of real-life university locations which command attention, and verisimilitude. Interiors are also of a high standard, with the young mens' fraternity house a standout. One of the most notable features of FRATERNITY ROW is both its opening, and closing credit sequences. The contrast between these speak of the picture as a whole. The opening, with its shots of both male, and female fraternities, seeks to inform the viewer of the history of these, with its lively musical accompaniment. The closing credits are entirely contrary, with its rolling credits set against a black background, and solemn tune. This reflects what has taken place during the course of the film, and what the audience has learned not only about the characters, but about the fragility of life, and the impact of this on their own existence.

Notable Acting Performances: Peter Fox, Gregory Harrison, Wendy Phillips, Nancy Morgan, Scott Newman.

Suitability for young viewers: Parental discretion advised. Adult themes, low-level violence.

Overall Grade: B

Link: IMDB Page

Trailer