Casey Kasem at the 41st Emmy Awards, Spet. 19, 1989 (Photo – Alan Light, flickr).
The last time I talked to Casey Kasem was many years ago. I had sent him a draft of my first full length feature script and I was eagerly awaiting his response the following day.
By Wafic Khalil
I was still getting used to L.A.; a wide eyed ‘green’ individual in grad school. It was my thesis film and Casey Kasem had agreed to take a look at it.
We talked on the phone the following day and he immediately started scolding me about making the main character sell out at the end of the movie in order to succeed.
I explained that it makes for good drama and he fired back:
It’s bad enough minorities are depicted badly in movies. Do not make YOUR main character sell out.”
Then he went through all the positive ideas in the script as if to assure me that the “selling out” was a slip that needed to be corrected. At the end of the phone conversation he reminded me by saying:
No one should compromise their principles for anything. Ever.
I changed the ending of the film that same night.
At the following review, some of my advisers were not happy with the major change. One advisor mentioned that it had changed the tone of the ENTIRE story.
I stuck to my decision. My conscience was satisfied.
Casey was always on the right side, protesting, at times getting arrested, while lending his celebrity stature to good causes and making sure right is never wronged.
Good night Casey…may you rest in peace and may peace come to the entire world.
May Casey rest in peace. I remember listening to the top 40’s on Saturday night, my sisters and friends would gather around the radio and try to guess what the # 1 record would be.
He was a very nice person and he will be missed