A bottle of Scotch sealed our friendship

By Jack Kindred

More than just colleages working for the same newspaper, we were close friends, a friendship that lasted 36 years. I started stringing for Variety early in 1970 after receiving permission from my chief editor at the German Press Agency wire service in Hamburg where I was a deskman. After a brief trip to New York where I met Syd and Abel, Harold Myers came to Hamburg that spring followed next by Bob Hawkins, who had hired me. Then Roger came to Hamburg shortly after he had rejoined Variety in London. We met at the Hotel Atlantic and found immediate rapport, especially since Roger had thoughtfully brought with him a bottle of Scotch, which sealed our friendship.
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Roger on my mind

By Peter Besas

It seems unreal that Rog is gone and that he is now the subject of my reminiscences on Simesite, the way Keith Keller and Jack Pitman were not so long ago. I spoke to Rog on the phone two weeks ago and well knew what was coming. Even so, the reality somehow always eclipses the expectation, no matter how much you prepare for it.
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Watt ankles this mortal coil

by Peter Besas

After doing his military service, and following a stint working for Bernard Chevry’s MIP-TV organization, Roger joined Variety in London as a junior salesman. Upon the temporary retirement of Harold Myers as London honcho, Bob Hawkins, who had been bureau chief in Rome, took on the job as European manager in London (thereby making way for Hanka Werba to move from Madrid and take over the Rome operation.) When Hawkins took charge of the London office, Watt ankled the paper.
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13th hour upset at sweepstakes

In a 13th hour upset for the Simesite Oscar sweepstakes, it was learned today (Mar. 9) that former Athens stringer Samantha Stenzel, now based in Chicago, sent in her vote on March 3, but mistakenly sent it to an old e-mail address of Peter Besas, who never saw it. Sam also guessed eight of the categories correctly, and thus is a co-winner with the other three winners. Virginia Michie will be working on those plaques over the weekend, and we’ll be sending them out to the winners shortly. We definitely will add a few obscure categories for next year’s sweepstakes to prevent such ties in the future, and apologize for the brief hours of confusion.

Revised results:
8 – Meyer, Adams, Hollinger, Stenzel
7 – Silverman (Mike)
6 – Price, Watkins
5 – Besas, Torres, Segers, Marich
4 – Silverman (Mark)
2 – Michie, Bryer