THE FORTUNE CHRONICLES   Part Three:  NEW YORK            Page Two
by Joe Bonelli   (Copywright 2001 by Joseph H. Bonelli)

The role of “Smitty” was taken by a young actor and dancer named Mark
Shannon. He was quite good in the role, but again, couldn’t muster the intensity of Don
Johnson in L.A. (Don was, I believe, approached to do the role in N.Y., but had embarked on
the movie career that would lead him on a checkered path toward stardom that would
explode a dozen years later on the tube in MIAMI VICE  and, later through such films as
TIN CUP, to longevity as tv’s NASH BRIDGES.)

“Mona” was taken over by a young actor from Texas named Jeremy Stockwell.  He
brought a sensitivity to Mona that was wonderful.  We became great friends,
though Jeremy could have done without my southern accent which just brought his own
back"on.”  

“The Guard” was portrayed beautifully by a fine actor named Joe Dorsey.  
This guy would step in the shoes of his L.A.predecessor Tom Reese, as a character actor of
note-- going on to play prominent supporting roles in such films as THE GREAT SANTINI (he
was the basketball coach who clashed with his player’s father, Robert Duvall) and
BRAINSTORM (Natalie Wood’s last film, in which Joe played a guy who almost
orgasm’d himself to death with a virtual reality machine).  

And “Queenie” was again the irrepressable, ultra-talented Michael Greer.  
Michael opened in the role and was replaced several months later by, once again, Robert
Redding.  How wonderful it was to be re-united with my old room-mate in New York.  But that
was several months down the line.

FORTUNE was doing well in previews.  Word of mouth was generally good.  But
opening night and the New York critics lay in wait.
Opening night was just the kind of staid, un-fun theatrical evening I had
always heard about.  The audience  (dressed to the nines!!) sat in stony silence and filed
out quietly.  We all dressed and went to that most traditional of opening-night party places,
SARDI’S.  A lovely spread was laid out on the second floor.  It was great.
I don’t remember whether seating was by name or not, but I wound up eating
with a couple of people including the delightful and REALLY beautiful Jill Haworth.  
She was as lovely to chat with as to look at and it made my evening to be seated with
her.  When the Clive Barnes review was brought in (following a not-so-great one on
television), we all held our breaths.
Clive Barnes was (and IS) a theatre critic whose greatest expertise is
ballet. Why this overblown pencil-pusher was EVER given the power over the American Theatre he was in the 60’s, is beyond me!!!  Mr. Barnes has proven himself over the last 40
years to be one of the most destructive journalists ever to attack the theatre.  I didn’t
like his posturings BEFORE the Fortune review, and nothing he has written in the last
thirty years has made me think any differently of him.  He DOES know a bit about ballet,
though!!! None of this would have mattered if his “bad” review of Fortune was based on
a true feeling for the show and the production of it.  But Clive Barnes is a
destroyer, and he revelled in attacking Sal Mineo personally, as though he was some kind of
interloper in the