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SY: -- Ralph Lazo, which is really interesting, but now I would love to go back to talking about Lou Frizzell, who was the music teacher at Manzanar. And how was it that you got into music? Was that an interest, long time interest?

AM: Well, no. I really don't remember... they told me that I had enough English and so I have many other choices, and I chose music and drama. I'm glad I did because it helped me later.

SY: Later in your career?

AM: Uh-huh. When I was looking for a job, I couldn't find a job and the last place I was checking, I was checking for something else, but the man I was asking about a job said that, he had invited me to join the sales force some years back, and I was approaching the age where I couldn't be much older to become a salesman in life insurance, so he said, "How about it? Why don't you try life insurance sales?" And I said, "Oh, I can act to be a salesman." [Laughs] I thought of Lou Frizzell, I guess, because he had me play certain parts in his play.

SY: So it was an acting job.

AM: But it wasn't, you couldn't do that in life insurance.

SY: It didn't work?

AM: No, you have to be very sincere.

SY: But at least the idea came to you.

AM: Yeah. [Laughs]

SY: So you had big roles in these plays that Mr. Frizzell put on. Were you, were you one of the, did you have big, one of the bigger roles?

AM: Yeah, I think so. Although, I don't know, it could be that some of the younger people's parts were heavier.

SY: And was it because you could sing? Or was it --

AM: No. It could've been my, we had to audition for the part, and he could've liked something about me, my accent or, I don't know what.

SY: He never told you? He never said that he cast you because...

AM: No. No. I just, I was looking through my album and there was somebody that had written a review, review -- there goes my Bell's palsy -- and he said something about my accent or something that fitted the part. I played the part of Professor McIntyre.

SY: And this, was this a play that he wrote?

AM: No. Growing Pains is a well-known play.

SY: But he wrote music, right?

AM: He wrote the music to Loud and Clear.

SY: I see. And describe what kind of person he was.

AM: Who?

SY: Can you describe a little bit about...

AM: Lou Frizzell?

SY: Uh-huh.

AM: Well, he was a young man, fresh out of, I think UCLA. And he may have been a Quaker. That I'm not sure about. Many teachers were Quakers, and they liked to help people like us, that were in camp. In fact, they encouraged many of the students, certain schools to go to back East or Midwest.

SY: So there were other Quaker, you remember other teachers besides Mr. Frizzell that you had that were...

AM: No. I really, I really don't know about that. But I understand that there'd be a lot of Quakers.

<End Segment 12> - Copyright &copy; 2012 Densho. All Rights Reserved.