After graduation from Louisiana State University in the mid 1950's, John Dunaway relocated to NYC, living with a group of LSU expatriates in the NYC East Village. On the fringe of the entertainment industry, John worked in a New York theatrical agent's office as a secretary, handling contracts and negotiations. With success, John learned the Otto Preminger Production office needed a secretary, where he landed the job, assigned to Otto Preminger's current and varied film productions, filming in NYC and on locations. His job performance was recognized by Otto, with Preminger making John his private secretary, in the Preminger New York production office. Dunaway moved to an apartment on Park Avenue and Fifty-Seventh Street, which was near the Preminger Production offices. Acquiring a small French poodle, named "Talousse", John spoiled the pet rotten! Friends with fellow LSU graduates, John's friendships included CBS TV set decorators Gene Callahan, Bill Harp, composer Claibe Richardson, singer-actors Vern Lanegrasse, John Castello, and Joanne Woodward. The NYC-LSU group's gossip focused upon former class-mate Joanne marrying a "hunk!" and ultimately moving to Hollywood. With Preminger's production deal with Paramount Studios in the early 1960's, Preminger set up offices at the Hollywood Paramount Studios, moving John Dunaway and his pet "Talousse" to Hollywood, where John rented a first floor front corner apartment in the Harper Apartment building, on Harper Boulevard, in West Hollywood. Buying a 1965Ford Mustang convertible to drive down Sunset Boulevard to the Paramount Studios DeMille Gate, located on Melrose Avenue, John had his own private parking spot adjacent the studio's Producers production office building.