Made for TV movie special

 

 Way back in 1973 when I was a 10 year old, I walked to Eugene Field Elementary school one day (April 25, 1973 as it turns out)  and got to the playground.

I was then immediately surrounded by a mob of kids.

   They were all excitedly shouting   "We're going to watch you on TV tonight!"  

Me: "What are you talking about?"

Crowd: "It's in the TV Guide!"

Me: "Must be a mistake"

Crowd:  "No my mom told me it's about your story"

Me: "Really? I have a story?  Could this have happened somehow without me knowing it?"

Crowd: " "You are going to be FAMOUS!"

Me: <thinking> "Hmmm Maybe this is how that works?"

All day long kids and even teachers kept coming up to me and telling me how they were going to watch me and my story on TV that night.   After a while I started to think that maybe I did have a special story somehow and that it would be on TV that night.

I ran home after school and found the TV guide that indeed showed that my life's story was going to be on that night as a TV Movie Special   "The Going up of David Lev"    It was a story about a 10 year old boy. 

With Brandon Cruz as David (Cruz was the kid in "Courtship of Eddie's father"

also with Melvyn Douglas and Claire Bloom

The Going Up of David Lev IMDB

MOM! MOM!!!!!    I'm going to be on TV tonight!!!!

Mom: "No you're not..."

Me: "But it says right here."

Mom: "That isn't you."

Me: "It's about a 10 year old named David Lev  I'm 10 and am David Lev so..."

Mom: "Listen kid it isn't about you ok?"

"It's about a Jewish boy in Israel, Lev is a common last name there and so is David, 

it's like John Smith over here"

Me:  I don't know any other Lev's and If there are so many David Lev's out there why does dad keep telling me I have to keep the family name alive?

Mom: Sorry to shatter your illusions here.  

So we watched about half of the movie on tv till I realized it wasn't my story and that the movie kinda sucked.  Then we changed the channel and watched something else....