The Bellows

Written By Brett White

Welcome to The Bellows, a blog about a biography about Dr. Bellows. I’ve struggled over the past two years (well, almost two years) to find a way to keep people updated on this project’s progress. You can generally get a good idea of where I’m at and what I’m doing by following me on Twitter and Instagram, but there is a chance that you may not want pictures of my outfits and action figures getting in the way of your Hayden Rorke content. So, The Bellows.

I’m gonna try to quickly update this after I finish a session working on the book. I make no promises, though, because the only thing I should feel pressure to work on is the book and not a blog about the book! I’m letting myself off the hook.

For those who are just now learning about this project, welcome! You can find an overview of the biography and a bit about what I’ve done so far over on The Book. Beyond that…

  • I paid a visit to Hayden’s grave in mid-April, when I found myself in the Los Angeles area. I knew it would be an emotional experience, but I could not have prepared myself for how emotional it actually was. And while I’m an over-sharer by nature, I think I want to keep most of these details for myself. It was a good visit.

Me at Hayden’s resting place at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City

  • I finished the Dream Girl section of the biography, which topped out at 10,000 words across three chapters. This is the stage play that Hayden starred in with Lucille Ball, a play that was directed by Hayden’s partner Justus Addiss. Since I started working on this section in January, it’s grown to become an incredibly exciting part of the biography. It’s a comparatively unknown story from Lucille Ball’s life that reframes how we should look at her career’s trajectory. I know that sounds like hyperbole, but I don’t think it is!

  • I’ve updated the website a bunch.

That’s what’s going on right now. Now that I’m almost 50,000 words into a manuscript, I might hit pause for a minute and focus on trying to sell this thing. This feels like an impossible dream that I’m going to have to will into reality. If you’re in the business of making dreams come true, please reach out.

Brett White