Meet Laurie Jacobson | writer, Hollywood historian

We had the good fortune of connecting with Laurie Jacobson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Laurie, why did you pursue a creative career?
Entertainment was very important in our house as I grew up. We went to movies as a family. My parents played music and comedy albums for their friends on Saturday night before hey went out to dinner. Books held a prominent place on many shelves. My mother was a painter and told me many stories about the lives of the Impressionists. Art was all around me. Of course, there were fewer job choices; but office life was not for me.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Today, I am a writer, but that’s not where I started. I first pursued acting…in college, in NY at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and HB Studios and more schools and workshops in LA. Then I found my way to a comedy improv workshop. Some of my fellow classmates were John Ritter and Robin Williams and John Larroquette. It was an amazing, incredible time. Many of my friends did stand-up and I tried that for awhile as well. All the while, I was falling in love with the history around me of those whose footsteps I walked in: Gable, Harlow, Chaplin, Hepburn…I spoke to career waiters and waitresses, studio guards, doormen all of who worked during Hollywood’s Golden Age. I had an uncle who’d been in publicity who gave me the real “low down,” not what you read in the papers. Slowly, I began to write about what what I learned. It eventually led to my first book. A friend introduced me to his agent and when he said, “I live in Alan Ladd’s old apartment,” I knew he was for me. It took a year, but he eventually sold my book to Simon & Schuster. I kept a box in the trunk of my car, hit every bookstore, radio station and TV station I could. All my acting and improv came in handy. At that time, most writers wrote because they couldn’t talk. I could do both. I was a great storyteller. There were very few women in my arena at the time. My book led to many magazines, documentaries and then to a TV series with Jack Haley, Jr., a wonderful producer who mentored me and taught me so much. Together we did many shows and specials, including The 20th Anniversary of the Mary Tyler Moore Show, one of the highlights of my career. I networked like crazy. Who you know is very important. Did I make mistakes? Yes. Do I have a few regrets? Don’t we all? But it was all wonderful. My most important lesson: go in any door that opens for you…the side door or the back door may take you a different path than the front door, but you’ll get where you’re meant to be all the same.

Today, I live in Northern California and continue to write books. My latest is Top of the Mountain: The Beatles at Shea Stadium 1965. My agent is currently pitching it as a multi-part series. The beauty of today is that no longer have to live in LA to continue to pursue my career. I can live anywhere I’d like.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live in wine country in Northern CA, so of course, I would take those who imbibe to wineries. Each one has its own personality — some, like Korbel — are glamorous; others are rustic. Francis Ford Coppola’s is magnificent with movie memorabilia. And the area is filled with award-winning chefs and their eateries. The California coast line up here are sheer cliffs and amazing views, quite different from Southern California beaches with great seafood restaurants. Bodega Bay where Hitchcock shot The Birds is on the way. I am on the preservation committee for the oldest cemetery in Santa Rosa which is full of history and beauty and quite near a more than 100-year-old street with fantastic homes built by the movers and shakers of this city…and where Hitchcock shot Shadow of a Doubt. (Clearly he loved the Bay Area.)

This is also an music lover’s area with many venues indoors and out to satisfy just about everyone’s taste from symphonies and opera to Gaga and the Stones to Santana and the Dead. Bay Area has a bit of everything.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My parents, my teachers, my friends and fellow travelers along the way…

Website: www.lauriejacobson.com

Instagram: lauriejacobsonhollywood

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriejacobson/

Twitter: @Laurie Jacobson

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lauriejacobson