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Kristy & Jimmy McNichol,
An unauthorized biography
TV's Talented McNichols
by Susan Katz
Chapter Two
Being known as "Kristy McNichol's older brother" could be a severe blow
to any
seventeen-year-old boy's ego, but not if you're James Vincent McNichol
III, preferably
known as Jim or James, but sometimes affectionately called "Pickle." (It
rhymes with
McNichol, get it?) James is very much a star in his own right, and
when the fans scream
"Jimmy, Jimmy," he knows it's all for him and what he's
done. In fact, it would be hard
to guess which one of them has more loyal followers Kristy or Jimmy.
They both get tons
of mail, and are equally besieged by eager fans whenever they make personal
appearances.
Just last summer, during a series of appearances to promote his and Kristy's
new album,
Kristy and Jimmy McNichol, thousands of teenagers stood patiently
in the Florida heat to hear
Jimmy sing three of the numbers from the album: "Girl
You Really Got Me Going," "Box On
Wheels," and "Rock 'n' Roll Is Here To Stay." He
was originally scheduled to autograph album
covers for an hour, but after just twenty-five minutes had passed, the
crowds were so
enthusiastic and excited, that a team of rather husky security guards had
to spirit James
off to someplace safer. They were prepared, though; the security
force had been increased
because everyone knew that with James there, they would need extra guards
to calm down
his near hysterical fans. When James hosted the Miss
Teenage Cheerleader Contest in
Cypress Gardens, Florida later that same day, the atmosphere was a little
bit quieter but
only because the arena was so much smaller, and James limited his autograph
signing to
the contestants themselves and their families.
Florida was just incredible for James. The very next day,when he was autographing
records in Orlando, more than 5,000 people passed through the doors of
the Camelot Music
and Bill Baer Music Stores on their way to buy the album. It was a hectic
four-hour
sign-a-thon, co-promoted by Orlando's WBJW-FM radio, which naturally played
cuts from
Kristy and Jimmy McNichol all day long. It was the
same way everywhere james went.
Thousands and thousands of ardent fans turned out in every city to greet
and hopefully
meet, their idol. Fans who had watched him in " The Fitzpatricks,"
and who now watched
him on his new show, "Hollywood Teen," together with the girls who had
written him
countless letters hoped that they would be singled out for his very special
attention.
James loves to meet the people who write to him, and if he could, he'd
like to get to
know all of them better. But of course, as James' popularity grows and
grows--along
with the number of fans--that becomes even more impossible than ever.
Meanwhile, he
just sticks to reading his considerable fan mail, answering as much of
it as possible, and
shaking as many hands, and signing as many autographs, as he can.
It's a delicious feeling
for seventeen-year-old James to know that he's loved for himself, his talent,
and his boyishly
handsome good looks. At a slim, athletic 5'8", 130 pounds, he's lean and
muscular, and his
flashing hazel green eyes are expressive and compelling. Giving his
longish brown hair a
shake, winking at the girls in the audience, and breaking into that big,
broad, thoroughly
engaging smile, James is irresistible.
James was born on July 2, 1961, the first son, and the first child, for
James and
Carollyne McNichol. He was a lively baby, full of tricks and
giggles, and destined for great
things right from the start. He could always make people laugh with his
antics, and even as
an infant, he had a definite leaning toward performing. It was james
who actually started
the McNichol talent steamroller on its successful course. When he
was just seven years
old, he was cast in a Band-Aid commercial. And considering that from
the time he was old
enough to crawl, James was into every kind of athletic activity imaginable,
he's certainly
had his fair share of scrapes, bumps and bruises, and was a rather likely
candidate for the
Band-Aid bunch. In the ten years since that first acting job, James
has come a long way,
and he's proud of every minute of it. When James was six years old,
and tagging along
with his mom while she was working on "Family Affair," he figured out,
much like his sister
did, that acting looked like it would be fun and besides, he could get
out of school for the
day at the very same time. In the next six years, between 1967-73,
James proved to be
one of the most consistently working kids on the airwaves. He made
somewhere between
four and six dozen commercials, for everything from Kool-Aid to Crest.
He was very much
in demand; he had the clean-cut, All-American-Boy charm that all those
advertisers were
looking for to sell their products. And he loved what he was doing
so much, it couldn't help
but show up in the commercials themselves.
By 1973, James was more ready for his first feature movie. He was
an old pro of twelve
by then, but even he couldn't add very much to Sunshine
,
his forgettable first effort. The
public may not have thought much of the film, but people in the industry
were impressed
with his acting abilities and he began to get offers to make guest appearances
on some of
the most popular series on TV. He did "Gunsmoke"
and "S.W.A.T."
and daytime shows for
children like "Run, Joe, Run" and
"Shazam."
ABC grabbed him for some of their "After-school
Specials"--"A Smart Kid Like You" was one--and
James was on his way. James longed for a
steady spot on some TV series, though, and his wish almost came true. He
was cast as
Harry Baker in "Little House on the Prairie,"
and the role was going to be a continuing one. But
James' own natural bent for cutting up got him written out of the show
after just four
episodes. "Jimmy gets himself into trouble with as little effort
as anyone I've ever seen!"
his mother says with a mixture of humor and exasperation. He usually
manages to keep it
under control when he's working, but this time he didn't, and even his
mom wasn't laughing
when his part was cut. "First he got in trouble with his teacher
on the set because he
couldn't sit still," Cayollyne explained. "Then he tossed a pencil at a
girl in the cast and
nicked her eye." That was enough. So much for "Little House
on the Prairie." James was
rather upset by losing that chance, but not for very long.
"Stranded" came his way, a pilot
for a new series, and James' old enthusiasm and excitement came bubbling
back. But
"Stranded" just didn't make it, and James
was playing second fiddle to his constantly working
sister. The rivalry between them was good-natured and fun, nothing
serious or bitter, but
it was there nevertheless. So when the chance to play Jack in the
"Fitzpatricks" came
along, James grabbed it. It looked like a sure winner to everyone,
and James was in
seventh heaven.
"I can now hold my head up in this family again," he joked when the show
aired. And
Kristy was absolutely delighted for her big brother. As Jack in the
"Fitzpatricks,"
James was
ideal. He and his character were very similar, and it was easy for him
to slip into the role.
"The fact that Jack isn't athletic is the only way we're not alike," James
said at the time.
"That and the brainy big words he uses that I would never say." But
the "Fitzpatricks"
was
canceled. James was heartbroken this time. It was the biggest
disappointment in his
young life so far, and he admitted then that he was feeling more than just
a little left
behind. He didn't have long to wait. James was star material,
and everyone knew it.
First, there were offers to record, as a solo artist and together with
Kristy. He decided
that a brother and sister album would be the best thing, and he was absolutely
right, as it
turned out. They each recorded songs individually and together, and the
album has been
doing extremely well. Right on the heels of the recording session
came another big
surprise for James, the chance to host his own TV show, "Hollywood
Teen." It's sort of a
"Mike Douglas Show" for the teenage set, with James and the genial host,
who raps, sings,
dances and has a good time with his guest stars. The show is syndicated
to ninety-five
stations all over the country, and has a tremendous audience. The
response to "Hollywood
Teen" has been phenomenal--all James and his
producers could ever hope for.
A third big thing happened for James, just around the same time.
He landed a starring
role in a made-for-tv movie, for CBS, called Champions--A
Love Story, about two ice skaters who
fall in love with each other. James practiced like a demon with skating
partner and co-star
Joy DeLuc, every day for three hours, for more than six months, to make
sure he had each
and every routine down perfectly. The finished product turned out
so well, CBS is already
planning a sequel. *Note*Why plan a
sequel? As a person who has seen this film, where would they write
in Jimmy's part??? He's the only reason that the movie was so good in the
first place!!!!!
Since James is a natural athlete, he didn't mind the intensive
skating sessions. He'd
almost rather be doing something connected with sports than anything else.
He's an expert
swimmer, high diver, water skier, surfer, and scuba diver. But he
doesn't in any way confine
himself to water sports. Put him on a horse, and he looks as if he was
born to ride. On a
skateboard, he's pure motion, graceful and exacting. He shows the
same great skill on a
trampoline, and in pretty much anything else that calls for perfect concentration
and
balance. And what's more important, he makes it all look so easy.
But, James' two very
special sports favorites are tennis and skiing. He's at home on a
tennis court or a ski slope
as he is on a stage, maybe even more so, and he's never really totally
given up the idea of
making skiing or tennis his career at some point in the future. He
can do practically
anything on a pair of skis, even though he has only been at it for four
years. Hot-dogging is
one of his favorite kinds of skiing, and he makes it look totally effortless.
James loves
trying out new sports, and his biggest thrill came when he got to do some
parachuting
while he was on vacation in Mexico. If James ever does give up sports,
he might very well
go into photography. He's becoming quite a lensman, and his collection
of photographs is
quite impressive. What are the subjects for Jimmy's pictures? "Things I
want to remember,"
he says. And that seems to cover an awful lot of ground.
