“Showcase interviews Gregory Moffett
On Being a Former Child Star”
Gregory Moffett grew up in Los Angeles in a show business family and in the 1950s, found himself performing too. We asked him about the appeal of classic cinema and TV and the stars he appeared with. Today he lives in Bakersfield with wife Sandy, chair of the Southern Region of the California Writers Club.
Showcase: A radio version of A Christmas Carol featured you as Tiny Tim. Do you have a favorite memory of that?
Greg: Not really, I might have been 5 when we did that program.
Showcase: You were about seven years old when you played Betty Hutton’s son in Let’s Dance. How did you learn your lines?
Greg: We began filming in early March, 1949, I celebrated my 6th birthday on the set. In your introduction you mentioned my family heritage. My older sister, Sharyn Moffett was in her first film before I was born. Our mom taught both of us to read pretty well by the time we were 4, and I would run lines with Sharyn when she was working to help her learn her lines. It was pretty simple for me when I got my chance. My first speaking part was in one of Sharyn’s films, The Judge Steps Out. I was 4, and the scene was a children’s birthday party, my line was “Can I have a piece of cake?” Do you know how many ways there are to ask that question? Lol.
Showcase: What about working with Fred Astaire?
Greg: Fred Astaire and Betty Hutton were both wonderful folks, along with the rest of the cast, on and off the set. Very helpful in letting me know how to pace my lines, and both very forgiving when I blew them. Lol. We finished all the post production work sometime that August. It was a sad day for me, it had been such a wonderful time. But it got better later. At Christmas time, a delivery truck showed up with two bikes, one from Fred and one from Betty. It was a great surprise. It turned out that neither of them knew about the other’s gift.
Showcase: What did you learn from them about talent and creativity?
Greg: I mentioned the pacing of dialogue earlier, but I learned about how to use my physical responses, how to improve vocal inflections, and more than a little dancing.
Showcase: How did Sandy react when you told her you’d been a child star?
Greg: I’m not sure that I was the one to tell her, it’s more likely that a relative said something at one of my family functions when we were dating. She has always been very proud of my past.
Showcase: Why do you feel the old films and television shows hold such appeal?
Greg: When you ask people my age that question, you will invariably get several different responses. The first reason given is almost always that great films and performances deserve to be remembered. Another is that those movies and TV shows are a great link to our country’s history. They also serve as “life bookmarks” for all of us. The songs and movies and TV shows of our past are usually personal treasures for all of us. The song “Get A Job” was hot when I was in 9th grade. Lol. As the current youngsters age, the same will happen to them.