Lost Corners of the Internet: Reggie Nalder's movie idea

(This is a little tidbit that I had tucked away while working on the "Hutter had my dream bedroom" post in April. It shouldn't be hard to see how I wandered from Hutter to Reggie Nalder in my Google searches.)

Actor Reggie Nalder (1907-1991) was perhaps best known for his roles in 1956's The Man Who Knew Too Much, the 1979 Salem's Lot TV miniseries, and on an episode of Star Trek: The Original Series as a blue-skinned Andorian ambassador.

If you're a fan of any of his works, the "Lost Corner of the Internet" that you should check out is his 1989 interview with David Del Valle, as featured on Kinoeye. The entire interview is fascinating, as he discusses his long career as a character actor and his interactions with the likes of Vincent Price, Alfred Hitchock, Doris Day, Rock Hudson, Boris Karloff, Federico Fellini, James Mason and Bill Cosby.

But the little gem that stood out to me was this question and answer:

You once wrote a treatment for a film you would like to see produced. What was it?

It is entitled "Forgotten Idols" and it is based somewhat on my mother. It takes place in the 1920s, and the lead character is a celebrated stage actress who retires at the height of her career. It is a mystery. No one makes this type of film nowadays. I will keep offering until someone is intrigued.

I'm intrigued! What I want to know is if this treatment/script still exists. Does a family member or someone else associated with his estate have it? Did it end up in an auction? Or did it — and I hope this isn't true — get dumped in a landfill. I would love to read Nalder's script, and I bet a lot of other people would, too.