In 1978, with the help of family friend Adrienne Hospital Gaff and uncle turned slave owner Barnaby Sicherman, David Sicherman was introduced to American film. His debut, Dark Was the Color of My Dinner, also marked the debut of director Marcus DeMarcus, a former welterweight boxer who drunkenly stumbled upon the set one night and woke up the next morning to find he had just directed his first feature film.

The film he directed turned out to be his greatest masterpiece, largely as a result of his death the following summer at the hands of his estranged cat. DeMarcus' death aside, "Dinner" is most remembered as the first of many occasions on which Sicherman would see the great love of his life, Drew Barrymore.

"I've loved her since the first time I saw her." Sicherman said. "I loved her in The Wedding Singer, in ET, in that terrible movie she was in, I even loved her in the one that was worse than that one. It's a shame she hasn't spoken to me since 1978."

Gaff had set Sicherman up with only a walk-on role, but his talents shone so brightly that his improvised "murder attempt" on Barrymore eventually made the final cut. In an interview following the "Dinner" premiere, DeMarcus told reporters, "That kid was awesome. I thought for sure that was in the script, but I found out later that he just up and tried to kill her on his own. I couldn't let that go, could I? Freakin' A awesome. I'm definitely going to work with him again. Has anybody seen my cat?"

Sicherman created a name for himself with that film, and is listed in the credits as Johnny Bravado, but it was decided by his uncle, his agent, and every right thinking person who was asked, that a four year old boy should not be allowed to name himself, and from that point forward he was again known as David Sicherman.

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