Preceding Centrahoma

My life immediately changed after I traveled to Oklahoma to investigate a contemporary 'talking poltergeist' case. At the time of my 1995 research trip I was working as a publicity writer for Paramount Pictures. Among the movies I helped publicize in the 1980s and '90s are some with metaphysical themes, including "Scrooged," "Star Trek" movies, "Ghost," "Dead Again," "The Butcher's Wife," "Leap of Faith," "Fire In The Sky" and the 1989 re-release of "The Ten Commandments."

I became Paramount’s publicity department staff writer in December 1987 after working on freelance assignments for the Melrose Avenue studio. My office was on the third floor of the Zukor Building, where the publicity department was then located. My work encompassed publicity materials for more than 100 Paramount releases, including such well-known movies as "Braveheart," "Fatal Attraction," "Forrest Gump," "The Godfather Part III" and "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade."

Since 1971 when Columbia Pictures relocated to the valley, Paramount Pictures has been the only major movie studio actually located in the district officially designated Hollywood, although the true Hollywood can be said to have no geographical boundaries. It’s a metaphor for a state of consciousness where for a brief period of time one's attention is focused on some manufactured, usually frivolous narrative. The word 'Hollywood' has a variety of interesting Urban Dictionary associations.

Preceding my Centrahoma visit, I was employed in the Paramount publicity department for nearly four years and then served as an independent contractor to the studio for several more years while I was living in Echo Park.

I learned about one of the many ways that movies can foster a psychological influence on viewers with my work on "Permanent Record" (1988) with a cast that included Keanu Reeves. The plot of the drama revolved around a popular high school student’s suicide. I was sitting in my office one morning when suddenly the head of marketing and the senior vice president appeared in the doorway with a large file. I learned that the file contained the results of research into teen suicide. There were findings that made both executives feel uneasy. One conclusion of the research was the likelihood of a movie with this subject motivating impressionable viewers to imitate the character’s actions as a disproportionate means of gaining attention. I decided to deal with the subject directly in the press kit handbook of production information and include comments from cast and crew that encouraged reflection and discussion.

Sometimes a movie introduced me to subjects that I’d never before seriously considered to any important degree, such as reincarnation. This aspect of human existence provided the basis for the plot of "Dead Again" (1991). More recently (2012), I wrote a blog article about "Channeled Reincarnation Scenarios".

An advisor for the filmmakers and cast during the production of "The Butcher’s Wife" (1991)—a comedy about a clairvoyant wife starring Demi Moore following her "Ghost" success—was psychic Maria Papapetros. I met Maria in Burbank during a special evening for media visiting the set during filming. Giving me an indication of her abilities, she told me that she saw someone by the name of Michael was going to be responsible for getting my project done. My interview with her resulted with her giving me a complimentary psychic reading. The things she told me later turned out to be correct, such as my joining a fitness club and what people would be coming into my life in the future. What becomes clear upon considering case studies of psychics and mediums is that they are interpreting ideas communicated in a variety of sensory ways — sometimes intuitively, at other times clairaudiently or clairvoyantly. It is the Source of these thoughts and messages where there’s absolute knowledge.

"Leap of Faith" (1992) is about an evangelist discovering he can actually facilitate spiritual healing. Like many Paramount films, keen attention would be afforded the movie's musical elements that included the song "Ready for a Miracle" performed by Patti LaBelle. When I attended a test screening of the film in Pasadena, I noticed that the star of the movie, Steve Martin, was thrilled with the movie. I realized that his experience of his character included a full understanding of the protagonist’s spiritual awakening, something only superficially visible on the screen.

Working in studio marketing, one quickly learns about the psychological state of cast and filmmakers whose continued success is often regarded as dependent upon the reception of their current film. The usual result is that publicists interact with artists with the enthusiasm that their film is certain to be a big hit while carefully controlling the selection of writers and photographers allowed access to cast and filmmakers during production. I observed how a single negative press article could have a tremendous impact on perceptions about a movie prior to release.

Sometimes I could be perplexed by storylines selected to become studio releases. One such script was "Eye For An Eye" (1996). I wondered who would want to see such a grim and downbeat contemporary melodrama. As made evident with articles of this blog, accounts of 'unexplained phenomena' can expand one's understanding of the human condition and even moral quandaries. In particular, cases of transcendental communication encompass perspectives of human evolution processes involving what is expressed by terms such as 'soul,' 'karma' and 'reincarnation.'

In October 1991, I never suspected that my senior publicist job would be eliminated at the time of a corporate downsizing at Paramount. This happened when the merger with Viacom was close to completion. As a result of losing my job, the stock option I’d been given the previous December was nullified due to the term of employment required for the option to bond. Suddenly I found out just how much appreciation was afforded my work within the corporation. By being hired as a freelancer to the department, the company would forego the expense of employee healthcare benefits.

Ironically, as a freelance publicity writer/editor for Paramount, I soon found myself working in my home seemingly longer hours than I’d put in when working on the studio lot. In retrospect, doing so much work for a single client I didn’t meet federal guidelines at all for being defined as an "independent contractor" according to IRS Common Law Rules.

Working on the "Braveheart" (1995) campaign, my responsibility was to write publicity materials that would ‘position’ a film’s storyline and provide other information that would make people want to see the movie. When I went to the Central Library downtown and reviewed various sources addressing the life of William Wallace, it became evident that this was a legendary and controversial hero of Scottish lore. There seemed no way of denying that he was a brutal and vengeful figure, not at all what fit my expectations of heroism derived from reading the screenplay. However, where books and movies are concerned there seems a common acceptance toward presenting any historical protagonist in a magnanimous way. In the press kit production information, I decided to suggest historical aspects of the storyline and overlook the accounts that William Wallace was a barbarian who showed no sorrow for the taking of lives. The screenplay for "Braveheart" emphasized the protagonist as a courageous underdog whose "ill-fated romance results in the Scottish rebellion gaining a selfless and single-minded leader" — as stated in the movie’s press kit.

I still have a couple dozen microcassettes of interviews conducted during this period in my life. Among them is a telephone conversation with Travis Walton that was conducted while I was working on the press kit production information for "Fire in the Sky" (1993). I’d read many books about UFOs over the years but none had mentioned Walton’s case. I’d seen the telefilm "The UFO Incident" based on the Barney and Betty Hill case that aired on October 20, 1975 and the interlude reported by Walton was reported to have taken place on November 5 that same year. My first priority when interviewing Walton was to get a few quotations relevant to publicity goals. I also interviewed several prominent UFO researchers along with "Fire in the Sky" screenwriter Tracy Tormé and co-producer Nilo Rodis-Jamero, who’d worked with the film’s director, Robert Lieberman, to conceptualize the film’s scenes utilizing special effects. The filmmakers never intended to remain faithful to Walton’s written account.

Another film released by Paramount that I helped publicize was "Andre" (1994), based on the true story of a seal that became the pet of a Rockport, Maine family. One scene of the film featured the character played by Keith Carradine attempting to retrieve a mooring line when the title character, Andre—a sea lion was used for the film when the actual case had involved a harbor seal—began butting his head into him. I included a quote from Carradine about this in the film’s handbook of production information: ". . . it turned out Harry was actually pulling in an underwater explosive, and he didn’t know it — and apparently this seal did." This seemed unbelievable yet as I researched the case, I discovered that the event was included in the screenplay because it was something that had actually taken place. One is left to consider animal intelligence and ‘second nature’ — what is described in the New World Dictionary as "habits, characteristics, etc. acquired and fixed so deeply as to seem part of a person’s nature" (or animal’s in this case).

During the making of the movie adaptation of the Stephen King novel "Pet Sematary" (1989), I learned that crew members had occasionally sighted a mysterious Bigfoot-like creature during principal photography in the vicinity of Ellsworth, Maine. This had struck me as one of the most bizarre situations imaginable. The storyline involved a murderous infant among other gruesome situations. Then during an interview, I inquired about the matter and a filmmaker told me about a moonlight sighting of the apparent hominid revealing a silhouette that didn’t show any detectable head. I decided this data was just too far-out yet the information would later become significant upon seeing a published Bigfoot photograph with this unexpected physical attribute. I've read at least one anthropological book mentioning "wild men" with "brown, hairy fur" and "no necks"; and I received an Email about a reported Bigfoot encounter where the 'no neck' description was also made.

Sometimes a mysterious aspect of a historical account won’t make it to the final version of a movie. This was the case with "1492: Conquest of Paradise" (1992) directed by Ridley Scott and starring Gerard Depardieu. Just prior to reaching land, Columbus had noted in his diary about sighting in the distance what sporadically appeared like the light of a wax candle moving up and down. I thought the sighting of a mysterious light was an intriguing element when I read the dramatized scene in the draft of the screenplay presented to me for the initial press release positioning. Later, I found that this incident wasn’t given interpretation in the final version of the film. One can only speculate about how many mystical or spiritual circumstances have been ignored or overlooked by filmmakers depicting ‘historical’ events.

Regardless of whatever activity one chooses in life, it is essential to allocate time to developing one's spiritual understanding and learning about what has been expressed in fascinating accounts of transcendental communication as the "higher faculties" and "the soul or psychic faculties of the self" . . . "Man must learn to use his faculties."

Prior to working as a publicist, I'd been a talent agent. Before these occupations, I’d been a cinema major at the University of Southern California. This provided the opportunity to see many of the movies I’d been interested in studying — foreign films, documentaries and a variety of American genres fostered analysis of the cinema as an art form. In the following years beginning with the 1980s, it was disheartening to see the increasing influence of corporate values and a franchise mentality concerning entertainment products geared to the lucrative teen demographic.

I can recount some of my insights about the film industry although these have little relevance to my life now. Considering how many different talents combine in the making of a movie, it is worth realizing how movies are a form of expression that ‘happens’ to the creators; while individually or collectively their values and philosophy will be apparent to some extent. In my youth, I was impressed by the themes and techniques of such directors as Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini, Luis Buñuel, Jean-Luc Godard and Rainer Werner Fassbinder.  I recall that Fassbinder once mentioned something to the effect that ‘if you have to give an actor direction then he or she is the wrong person for the role’ and Francis Ford Coppola once stated an insight about how it is difficult to know when and if all the ingredients of a movie will 'take spark' in the editing room.

Movies have rarely been useful in relation to someone contemplating metaphysical aspects of life. It has always been more enlightening to read nonfiction books written by authors whose motivation wasn't primarily commercial. Developing one’s spiritual values should encompass considering the life experiences of wisdom seekers, scientists, philosophers and experiencers of 'anomalous phenomena' who’ve left personal testimonials of their insights and life lessons and/or inspired others to chronicle the experiences.

In my free time during my school years through the first half of the 1990s I was an aspiring author/screenwriter. One of the subjects I researched was the ‘Bell Witch’ talking poltergeist case of nineteenth century Tennessee. Where talking poltergeists were concerned, it was apparent one needed more than a superficial knowledge of the various cases in order to understand the dearth of firsthand testimonials.  There are many parallels between the cases that have occurred throughout the centuries across the world — as previously mentioned in some articles of this blog.

I'd read about curious cases involving the speaking of unseen entities and the telekinesis and materialization of objects such as rocks and coins, among a gamut of other strange occurrences. A case on the Isle of Man included a reputed 'talking mongoose.' The case of Mary Jobson involved unseen communicators informing about God, the Son of God and angels. There are testimonials from diverse countries, including Italy, Iceland and Scotland. There are also a plethora of chronicled poltergeist cases without any reported vocal manifestations — one 1985 British documentary included the case of 14-year-old Michael Collindridge, who in 1965 was suffering from tonsillitis when he watched such curious displays as a walking stick tapping out "Jingle Bells."

In 1995 after learning about "America’s Talking Poltergeist", I decided to visit Centrahoma and explore firsthand the talking poltergeist phenomena involving a manifesting entity known as 'Michael.' My letter to the Mc Wethys in Oklahoma was answered around the beginning of August 1995 with a collect telephone call from Maxine as I’d requested. I was startled upon learning of the many parallels with the Bell Witch case. I told her about my planned book about talking poltergeist cases, which I was now calling The Encroachers. By the end of the conversation, we’d begun making preparations for me to visit the family.

I arranged to fly to Oklahoma City on Thursday, August 10, changing planes at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The date was two days after my 39th birthday and I estimated this to be an interesting way to begin my fortieth year. One of the things I did to prepare for the trip was purchase some new shirts to wear. I was delighted when I found just what I was looking for at Structure (Beverly Center) and at the discount store Ross Dress for Less.

Twyla Eller snapped this photo for me and 'Michael' in Centrahoma in 1995. Below: this week Mary Zarate photographed me holding the other two shirts selected for my 'talking poltergeist' research expedition. These two shirts have Nino Cerruti labels.

The week of the expedition in 1995, I dropped by the publicity department on the Paramount studio lot as customary to turn in invoices and pick up copies of completed press kit materials. I thought it was fortuitous that a bunch of leftover "Star Trek Generations" bookmarkers bearing the message "Boldly Go!" were spread out on the courtesy table. I turned in drafts for press kit production information for three upcoming movies so I was planning to be able to give my full attention to preparing for my interview with the family. I even left a copy of the Fortean Times article about the case for the department head. Taj, one of the new assistants among the staff told me, "You look like a wise old owl." He explained that this was the first time he’d seen me wearing glasses. I would soon learn that the former name of Centrahoma was 'Owl.' Following the visit to the studio, I unexpectedly received a call from a director of publicity to write drafts of news releases for two films being announced: "Thinner" and "Night Falls on Manhattan." I found myself staying up late on Wednesday to complete the assignments.

Now when I reflect about those days working at Paramount, I recall watching many times the logo with those stars appearing over the mountain at the beginning of Paramount movies viewed in theaters or studio screening rooms. I never could’ve imagined this symbol being relevant to the journey of spiritual discovery I’d already begun.