Don't Miss: 'Tales From The Guttenberg Bible' At Bay Street Theater

SAG HARBOR, NY — Steve Guttenberg, the actor who rose to dizzying heights in the Hollywood stratosphere, riding on private planes and traveling the world while dazzling hits such as "Diner," "Police Academy" and "Three Men and a Baby" exploded on screens across the international canvas, has always kept his feet firmly planted on Long Island, where he grew up — his heart loyal to his family and the childhood friends that remain forever leading players in the rich story of his life.

Audiences at the Bay Street Theater & Sag Harbor Center for the Arts have been raving about Guttenberg's tour de force performance in "Tales from the Guttenberg Bible," which runs through Sunday, with three performances left this weekend. The show, directed by David Saint and produced by Julian Schlossberg, was written by Guttenberg, an homage to a career that began when he headed out to Hollywood at 17 with nothing more than a dash of a daring and a boatload of chutzpah.

The show, brought to Bay Street Theater in association with George Street Theater, is a "hilarious journey from the Guttenberg’s family home on Long Island to the glamour of Hollywood as Guttenberg himself tells all."

The show illuminates the true-life story of a hometown boy from Massapequa who made it big amongst literal Hollywood royalty, holding court with the likes of Laurence Olivier and other megawatt names gracing international marquees. Guttenberg describes working with Tom Selleck and Kevin Bacon and appearing with Merv Griffin on his lauded talk show.

Listening to Guttenberg, humble on a stark set in just jeans and a shirt, the kind of outfit any Long Island guy would wear on an average Saturday, the stories themselves delight and, often, amaze. How this teenager from Long Island had the courage to talk his way onto the Paramount lot, saying he was the son of then-CEO Michael Eisner and even going so far as to set himself up in an actual office — well, the story is a testament to his incredible determination, out-of-the box ingenuity, and innate likability. Who, really, can resist that winning smile?

And, of course, there's Guttenberg's fundamental truth: He's just a really, really nice guy. He's humble. That, coupled with talent and a deeply ingrained work ethic that broke records — at one point between the 80s and 90s, he performed in more movies back-to-back than any other actor in the Screen Actor's Guild — was Guttenberg's winning formula for the kind of Hollywood success kids from Long Island and small towns across America only dream of.

The project started out as a book, Guttenberg's autobiography.

"This story has been swirling around my brain for years, and I’ve gotten it out in pieces, but now I feel the tale must be told," he said. " My aim is to entertain and for people to learn what an actor really does to break in, break out and grab the opportunity when the door opens."

And, at its heart, it's a love story, a heart-achingly beautiful homage to his parents, his friends, his Jewish heritage, and to the homespun values that have shaped a man whose legacy will live longer, even, than any Hollywood screen credit, based on the human lives he's touched with kindness. "It’s a Valentine to my family, friends, and Hollywood. I have much to be grateful for," Guttenberg said.

Speaking with Patch, Guttenberg said his love for the arts took hold when he joined the Nassau County-based Teen Repertory Theater when he was 12. "I started doing children's play like 'Rumpelstiltskin,' 'Prince and the Pauper' and 'Snow White,'" he said.

At age 13, Guttenberg got encouragement from a family friend in California: actor Michael Bell, who was gaining success in TV and movies. It wasn't until Guttenberg was a senior at Plainedge High School that he would tell friends about his career desires. Before that point, “it wasn't in the conversation.”

Three days after graduating from Plainedge, Guttenberg, at age 17, looked to grab his rainbow as he left for Hollywood.

"Tales from the Guttenberg Bible," he said, takes a warm look at the actor's life during that time period when he became a familiar face on screens across the world.

"It's about being a Jewish movie actor," Guttenberg told Patch. "It's a story about career, ambition, innocence and kindness."

Guttenberg's good friend, Hollywood producer Julian Schlossberg convinced him to reshape the book into a play. The show was delayed a few years as Guttenberg's father was ill before he died in July 2022 — one of the show's most touching moments takes place when Guttenberg stands before a large photo of his father, the song "Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight," plays softly, sadly.

“He loved this idea,” Guttenberg said.

And, while Guttenberg and his cast mates delight as they tell his story with warmth, laugh-out-loud humor, and spot-on timing, what resonates after the lights have dimmed are the stories he tells about life, and love of family.

His parents, Guttenberg explained, were, like so many others, filled with trepidation as they saw him take off on an airplane for the opposite coast. At first, he'd promised he'd only stay a few weeks. But then the phone calls came from their son, asking for another week. Please? Another two. As the months and years passed and Guttenberg found his name in lights, his parents were delighted to meet the stars who'd left them awed as their son joined the ranks of Hollywood's A-list.

But always, his parents told him, on the many, many calls back to Long Island, they wanted him to know one thing: He could always come home. He'd achieved the dream, they told him. Home was always waiting.

In one soul-touching scene, Guttenberg, asked by a childhood buddy why he couldn't just come home for a visit, for a slice at the neighborhood pizzeria, decided to do just that. And, when he arrived at his childhood home, aglow with lights and the love of his mother, in the kitchen, and father, in the living room inside — still unaware of his surprise visit — he knew one shining truth. He might have found a place amongst the Hollywood mansions. But there was no place more beautiful than this parents' split-level ranch on Long Island. No place more beautiful than home.

Guttenberg also honestly described how it felt, to be a Hollywood heavyweight, and then, in a heartbeat, just to have the phone inexplicably stop ringing. It was daunting, and it was heartbreaking, and he was almost ready to throw in the proverbial towel and open a hardware store in Bay Ridge — the kind of business his parents might have delighted in, when he was a young kid starting out and the idea of stardom seemed as tangible as a wisp of smoke on the horizon.

But his father, the same father who'd, at first, held close such apprehensions about Hollywood, told him, in loving turnaround from those earlier days, never to give up — to keep following his dream with the same grit and determination that got him an office on the Paramount lot and his name illuminated in lights on the glittering Hollywood canvas.

He told his son to keep going, to keep trying, never to give up. And he told his son to get his book produced as a play, "on the boards."

Most of all, he reminded his son that Hollywood might be a glorious ride to stardom, but the real meaning of life could always be found within the four walls of home, where love is forever.

"Play the game, but nobody is bigger than the game," he told his boy.

Guttenberg did get the play produced, a promise kept to his father.

His values shine through, still — at a recent performance, he was thrilled to reunite with his childhood elementary school teacher from Long Island. He offered to walk her to her car.

Because that's the kind of man Guttenberg is: Loyal, kind, devoted to his family and lifetime friends. He holds steadfast to the values he worked tirelessly to adhere to throughout his entire career — work hard, be kind, stay forever true to the family and faith that gave you wings.

And do it with the power of determination and a healthy dash of chutzpah.

The remaining performances of "Tales from the Guttenberg Bible" take place Saturday and Sunday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. For additional information and to purchase tickets, click here.

With reporting by Jerry Barmash.

RELATED

• Actor Steve Guttenberg Recalls 'Wonderful Upbringing' In Massapequa
• Veteran Actor Steve Guttenberg Takes Memoir To Stage In New Brunswick
• Famed Actor Steve Guttenberg Reunites With Elementary School Teacher