This is the 30th anniversary of the Film Mao to Mozart, and of Isaac’s Stern’s historic trip to China opening it up to the musical West as written up lavishly in a recent New York Times article. Inspired by this, I would like to add a personal footnote to the memories of Wally Scheuer that appeared in the Gazette several years ago on the occasion of his death.

Wally and I were neighbors on Menemsha Pond since 1961. I was the director-producer of From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China. Wally was the executive producer and financier of the film, which won an Academy Award. I was extremely touched that for Wally this project was the epiphany of his career, as mentioned in his official obituary notices, despite his successful, multifaceted activity as a venture capitalist.

None of the letters, however, have captured the vivacious and unbridled personality that was Wally. He was larger than life and his enthusiasm, once started, knew no bounds. When we first became acquainted he insisted on coming to all my major screenings and even to the working process in the editing room. It was out of this relationship that the Isaac Stern project was developed. Our trip to China involved a kaleidoscope of experiences, harrowing, depressing, inspiring and fanciful. And he took it all in stride, almost as a child entering a new theme park for the first time. As you can imagine, the production of a film, especially in such a high-pressure environment (China was not easily open to foreign production at that time) led to a fair amount of tension and disagreements. One such disagreement was especially surprising between Wally and myself in an unusual role reversal. Whenever I tried to save money, Wally stepped in and disagreed, getting me to order more film, more equipment, never stinting. It was a directorial paradise from that point of view.

Wally was always hands-on and contributed a lot creatively while on location as well. After the completion of the production and the basic preliminary edit we drifted apart, partly because of other working disagreements but partly because I lived in California for thee next three years doing other projects.

However, in the last years of his life, Wally and I spoke again about films and possible future projects. We also shared a mutual passion for Menemsha Pond and were involved in efforts to save the pond from overdevelopment and conserve its historical character.

I still miss his infectious humor and dynamic involvement in the Vineyard life we shared.

Murray Lerner is a seasonal resident of Chilmark.