>        Thanks, Gary, for reminding me, for the first time in a
>        very loooooooong time, of "California Dreaming." It was
>        certainly no classic, but I have fond memories of enjoying
>        it so many years ago. My question here is:  What was the
>        name of the young actor who was the principal character?
>        I remember that he was also in "Breaking Away"; he was, in
>        fact, the best of the bikers in that film. He also later
>        had a cameo in "Chariots of Fire."  Ernie.
 
Hi Ernie,
 
The guy you're thinking of is Dennis Christopher (Breaking Away).
I was thinking it could have been Robby Benson, but on second thought,
it was Christopher!
 
Yes, I remember the scene that you have "fond memories" of! The plot
was also surprisingly good - or was it the sub-plot?
The plot involving Seymour was of a down-and-out guy on the beaches of
California who told one-too-many stories about his younger days of
being a great surfer (or something along those lines) which sounded so
exaggerated that no one believed him anymore ie. he told of his
Olympic medal he won at the 1956 Olympic Games in Mexico. Well, someone
looked it up to verify his story and found that the 1956 games were
in Melbourne and not Mexico. So, they caught him lying and never
believed any of his stories. Actually, he did win the metal but he
exaggerated the year so people wouldn't think he was so OLD!!!
 
If you can find it, rent the video...
 
Bill
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