Bill Cassara - Hollywood in Monterey--Chronicles of a Cop

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Hollywood in Monterey: Chronicles of a Cop

2020 All Rights Reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopying or recording, except for the inclusion in a review, without permission in writing from the publisher.

This version of the book may be slightly abridged from the print version.

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Orlando, Florida 32804

www.bearmanormedia.com

ISBN 978-1-62933-643-5

Cover photo of Sgt. Bill Cassara by Kit Parker (2000).

Cover design by Jack Taylor with inserts of Doris Day, Joan Fontaine, Phyllis Coates, and Clint Eastwood.

eBook construction by

Table of Contents

What Is A Cop?

Clint Eastwood/Film Commission/9-11 Attack

Little Rascals/A Fork In The Road/1969

College/Wishy-Washy-Window Cleaners/Dan Pastorini/The Real World/Lake Tahoe/Baseball/Chris Pelekoudas/

San Jose PD/Patty Hearst/Sworn Officer/Jail Duty/Romance

The Streets/Dispatch/Hookers/John Lennons Death

Bob Hope/Sheriffs Office/Murder/Kwave Shooting/Slang/The Singing Sheriff Pat Duval

Video Business/David Hasselhoff/Playing Baseball With Willie Mays

Donuts/Bombs/Wild Boars On The Road

Ansel Adams/Doris Day/Sons Of The Desert/Henry Brandon

Characters/Crosby Pro-Am/Frank Sinatra/Dean Martin/James Garner

Deaths/A Revisit To The George Reeves Case/Pebble Beach Fire/Crime Prevention/In the Line Of Duty/ Monterey/County Film Commission

Phyllis Coates/Virginia OBrien/Clayton Moore/Steve Allen/Iron Eyes Cody/Tom Hanks/Rand Brooks/Public Information Officer

The 1959 Murder of Actress Clara Eloise Mohr

Bart Williams/Green Kraptonite

Fatherhood/Crime Prevention/Calamity Jane/Doris Day and Her Best Friends/Barry Gordy, Leonard Maltin/Les Brown/Susanne Summers/Jane Seymore, Vickie Lawrence/Brian Wilson/Midnight Patrol 10-Year Anniversary Banquet: Eleanor Keaton/Pineapple Jackson/Tommy Bond

Flood Of 1995/Colleen Kennedy Deach/Tony Hawes Death/Edgar Kennedy Celebration In Monterey/John Denver Killed/Pat Duvals Retirement/Clint Eastwood

Search Warrants/Unusual Calls/Impersonation of a Police Officer/Jamesburg

Raymond Daum/Kit Parker/2002 U.S. Open/ Tiger Woods/Film Commission/Art Carney/Monterey Film Tours/The Caddy/An Evening with W.C. Fields Grandson Ron Fields/Bandits/Billy Bob Thornton

President Of The Monterey Co. Peace Officers Association/Officer Involved Shootings/Paul Mccartney/ Citizens Academy/San Francisco Teens Found Dead/Promotion To Sergeant/Terry Melcher Dies/Edgar Kennedy/Michelle Enters My Life/Professional Services (I.A. Sergeant)

Michelle Benton/One-Eyed Jacks/Slim Pickens/Aimee Semple McPherson

Retirement/Book Author/Dorothy Deborba/Meeting Moe Howards Daughter/Cinecon/On The Field With Giants

1986.

Dedicated to my wife and muse, Michelle

Acknowledgments

Dave Allard, Mike and Nancy Bainter, Cliff Balcony, Lisa Ballantyne, Lloyd, Bill and Dotty Beardsley, Kimm Benton, John Burke, John Calzada, John Cassara, Gary Cohen, Bud Cook, Cassidy Cook, Tom Crompton, Lon Davis, John DiCarlo, John and Janet Duff, Bob Duncan, Pat Duval, Ron Fields, Bill Freeman, Paul Gardner, Jackie Gash, Rick Greene, Ron Guth, Tom Hagan, Larry Hannerfeld, Colin Hilton, Mike Kanalakis, Becky Kane, Del Kemptser, Glenn and Mark Kennedy, Mike Klein, Tim Krebs, Ted Meece, Shelly Milliman, Karen Nordstrand, Kit Parker, Chris Pascone, Ray Patterson, Terry Pfau, Jack Roth, Nick Santa Maria, Bob Satterfield, Randy Smith, John Soister, Stan Taffel, Jack Taylor, Tyler St. Mark, John Ullah, Irene Velasquez, Ed Watz, Jeffrey Weismann, the Wiley family, Nolan Zane, and Bob & Duon Zeroun. My Children, Diana (Dohnert) and Douglas Cassara, the gang at Niles, California, the Sons of the Desert, and all the men and women in law enforcement I had the pleasure of working with.

I am honored that Kit Parker of Kit Parker Films wrote the foreword to this book. He is an authority on films and is known worldwide, what a pal! To Pat Duval, a fellow deputy that inspired me with his people skills and his autobiography. Also to John Hansen, who is another colleague who wrote a book on his career case. To Leonard Maltin who encouraged me in all my book projects. For Ben Ohmart, the owner of BearManor Media publishing who always gives me the green light. I would especially like to acknowledge Jack Taylor, an old friend and artist who designed the front and back cover. And to my late father, Sam Cassara, who taught me the old comedians.

Foreword

A life well lived in service to others

I met Bill Cassara in 1986 when he was a Monterey County Deputy Sheriff. Bill discovered I was a lifelong Laurel and Hardy fan (as was he), and invited me to a Sons of the Desert (the Laurel & Hardy appreciation society) banquet where he introduced me to Stan Laurels daughter, Lois Laurel Hawes. That alone was a big deal to any L&H fan, but the best part was it marked the beginning of a friendship between us. We were kindred spirits.

Next, he invited me to a ride-a-long. This is where a citizen can spend a shift learning what peace officers contend with on a daily basis. In our case, it was an excuse to spend a whole day talking about old movies, which we definitely did, but a bonus was watching Bill interacting with the public. He was no just the facts maam cop, but a dedicated public servant with an uncanny talent for dealing with ordinary police issues, to those in distress. Crime victims knew he was their advocate just by his presence. Scofflaws, the opposite.

One ride-a-long led to another, and over time, our friendship grew.

At my prompting, Bill began shared his engaging life starting as a boy loving baseball, history and movies, which continues to this day. Both of us grew up watching Laurel & Hardy, but also The Three Stooges, Our Gang/The Little Rascals and The Adventures of Superman.

His policing beat was the beautiful Monterey Peninsula, which includes Carmel, Monterey, and Pebble Beach, has always been a magnet for stars, entertainers, sports figures and other VIPs. He interacted with many of them through the years.

Two examples were Doris Day and Joan Fontaine, classic movie stars known for protecting their privacy. They found Bills self-effacing, non-star struck nature, as an endearing quality. They trusted him implicitly both as deputy sheriff and friend, as did many others.

Ill never forget our ride-a-longs listening to a master raconteur tell the story of his event filled-life. I even learned why cops like donuts.

Turn the pages, and dont forget to fasten your seatbeltits time for your ride-a-long with Bill.

Kit Parker [Kit Parker Films]

Phoenix, Arizona

Prologue

What is a cop?

Its awkward having a policeman around the house. Friends drop in, a man with a badge opens the door, the temperature drops twenty degrees. You throw a party and that badge gets in the way. All of a sudden there isnt a straight man in the crowd. Everyones a comedian.