Honey Vicarro
Anthony arrived in Hollywood in December of 1965. Unfortunately, not much is known about his time on the Honey Vicarro show. Many of his co-stars have since died, and the rest have left the business, fading into obscurity.. Cliff DiMarco, who played Chad on the show and was Anthony's drinking buddy off the set, has steadfastly refused to discuss anything to do with Honey Vicarro and the death of his two close friends, Kim Carlyle and Anthony. Gavin Hurrell, the show's creator/producer, became a recluse who, after the show was canceled, retreated to his Benedict Canyon home and went to his death in 1992 without granting a single interview request.
Although 26 episodes of the show were
filmed, the series was canceled after one airing because of strong objections
from
advertisers, network affiliates and the church over the blatant sexual content.
The reels for the other 25 episodes have never been recovered, and most of the
interviews and promotional material have been similarly lost.
After the show's cancellation, Anthony auditioned for the part of the blond guitarist on the TV show The Monkees, the role that eventually went to Peter Tork. He auditioned for bit parts on I Dream of Jeannie, Hogan's Heroes, and, Gilligan's Island, but was not cast in any of them.
At that
time in Hollywood, acting jobs were hard to come by. The very-public disaster
and controversy of Honey Vicarro didn’t help his cause. Movies were out of the
question—since Anthony had made his debut in television, he was pigeon-holed as
a "TV actor".
Fortunately, Anthony had used the money he earned for Honey Vicarro ($2,800.00 US per episode) to buy a small bungalow in Topanga Canyon. He loved California, and decided not to return to Manchester. He used his royalties from “Misty Monday Morning”, session musician studio work, and television commercials to make a living (Anthony voiced “Chin-Chin,” the short-lived animated Cockney pitch-man for Spic and Span floor cleaner).
Still welcomed at the Sunset Blvd. clubs due to his minor celebrity status, Anthony had a number of liaisons with Hollywood actresses, among them: Goldie Hawn, Dolly Read, Carol Wayne and Valora Noland.
While living in the Los Angeles area, Anthony was invited backstage for The Rolling Stones concert at the Los Angeles Forum
on August 11, 1969 by his old friend,
Mick Jagger. During their set, Anthony was called onstage and played guitar
and sang harmony with Mick on the
Chuck Berry song,
"Carol". Anthony was also a backstage guest of the Stones later in the year
for their free concert at the
Altamont Speedway on December 6, 1969 in northern California. This concert was
immortalized by the film
"Gimme Shelter" which documented the violence, and stabbing death of a
fan, caused by the interaction of the crowd and the
Hells Angels who were being used to provide security for the concert.
Anthony would become a backstage fixture at most of The Rolling Stones concerts
in California over the next few years.
Main Page Early History Forming the Band 1964 The Hit 1965 The Break-up Anthony in New York Honey Vicarro 1966-Lads In UK The Reunions The Tragedy Smithe-Jones Bio Biggs Bio Tolliver Bio St. John Bio Discography Webmistress