A prolific songwriter, whether it be for the lit stage or the one that surrounds us every day, Rupert Holmes has also delved into the world of dramedic prose on more than one occasion.
Accomplice, Holmes' Edgar Award-Winning mystery play within a play within a play is probably what personally influenced me to become a professional writer. To delve into the play anymore than to describe it as fantastic would be breaking a sacred vow. All I can say is that you must obtain a copy of this play immediately if you ever hope to become a dramatic success. I was able to scout out a copy at Barnes & Noble, but if you can't find one there, Samuel French Inc. does carry it. So what are you waiting for?
Solitary Confinement followed Accomplice's success. This one-man show set a new Kennedy Center box-office record. Unfortunately, I have not yet been able to obtain a copy of the play, and am not sure whether or not it is even in print. If you have any information, please drop me a line.
Remember WENN is what first clued me into Rupert Holmes. This show about an independent radio station in Pittsburgh, PA, going through the ups and downs of a nation newly at war is the epitomy of television. Unjustly cancelled in its prime, WENN delighted fans and made critics rave that television had hope after all. No laugh track, no cheap snickers; if the episode didn't have at least two or three double or triple entendres it had more. It was witty, intelligent and gave you something to look forward to on a Friday night.
I major in television and have professors that study the craft, sitting in their Ottomans for up to seventy hours a week, telling me what makes "good" TV. I smile and nod and think of WENN, and wonder if I should let them in on the secret. The sad thing is, they, like most viewers in America, have been so programmed by the generic offerings that they wouldn't understand the beauty and magic of Rupert Holmes' delve into television.
From a professional viewpoint, three things make or break a show: affiliates, advertisers, and audience. AMC had no affiliates; we're talking basic cable. Advertisers they lacked due to their own choosing. Although, during the reruns, a few did sign up for the WENN slot (not surprisingly...wouldn't you rather have your name tacked to a half-hour dramedy in comparison to 'Godzilla Plays Beach Blanket Bingo with Frankie'?). Audience is what AMC claimed was the real problem, but it wasn't WENN's fault. How can you blame brilliance for defeat? If anything blame the networks, the other cable stations, and AMC themselves for being so sold on the ordinary that they forgot what makes the ordinary extraordinary: extra, spelled H-O-L-M-E-S.
Rupert Holmes' writing has three things I admire and aspire to as one studying the craft: creativity, intelligence, and talent. He should certainly be put on the roster along with Shakespeare, Austen, and Fitzgerald for having such a wonderful gift and being gracious enough to share it with us, and inspire us with it.
Anything in the entertainment industry, whether it be a television show, a play, or even a movie, could not compare in literary terms to the writing of Rupert Holmes. Not only does Mr. Holmes hone his skill, his words are a fine and delicate tapestry woven aurally to entertain and evoke the entire spectrum of human emotion.
