Famous People Sightings

I love celebrity sightings.  I'm not sure what started me on this, but it goes back to my childhood.  The family was at Atlantic City on the Boardwalk when my mom got all excited.  There were Xavier Cougat and Abbe Lane stepping out of a pedi-cab and waving to their fans.  I didn't know who they were, but they sure had the crowd in a frenzy.  Later on, I discovered many autographed pictures mixed in with the family albums.  My grandfather had been a cop in Philadelphia and he moonlighted as a security guard for an inner-city black nightclub.  I remember holding a picture of Louis Armstrong calling my grandfather his good friend. Wow. I wanted some of that.

Living in King of Prussia, we were near a big mall and the Valley Forge Music Tent.  Yes, it started out as an actual tent and many famous people appeared there.  In performance, I saw Joel Grey, Frank Sinatra, Richard Chamberlain, Barbara Eden, and Robert Goulet to name a few.  (Robert Goulet actually passed gas while on stage, and his body mike made sure we all heard it.) I can also brag that I saw Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in Private Lives in Washington DC.  The play was horrible, but Liz was delightful.  At one point, she spilled a cup full of tea.  Well, she started to laugh in a robust manner, and soon the play had been abandoned by an audience rolling in laughter with her.

My most memorable famous people sightings are the ones that happened outside the performance venues.  When I was a teenager standing in line to purchase a book at Korvettes, I looked up to see Liberace hurrying from the music department to the escalator.  My mouth dropped.  He smiled, put his finger to his lips to whisper "shhh," waved, and scurried on his way.  I drove out west one summer.  While in St. Louis, I was "this close" to Debbie Reynolds when she walked past me to appear at a department store opening.  She was soooo tiny!  While researching the author S.E. Hinton in an Oklahoma library, I heard a musical ruckus in the courtyard.  It was Famous Amos promoting literacy.  Security guards were ready to run me over until Gregory Peck called them off when I approached him to take a picture at the Rose Bowl Parade.  Cal Ripken visited my school and I made sure to have a picture taken with him.  If you saw the original, you know I had to blow it up and cut Lois out in order to appear to be Cal's one and only new best friend.  Once in New York, I saw Bernie Koppel (Doc on The Love Boat) at a corner eatery.  His companions were very friendly, and that's all I have to say about him.  Another time in New York, I saw Conan O'Brien waiting for his car.  He is one funny looking man, very tall and very skinny with a big pumpkin head balanced on his slender shoulders.  I also regretfully remember the near misses.  One that hurts the most happened after seeing The Lion King. While I was back in the theater getting an extra program for my friend Tommy, my girlfriends were chatting it up with Henry Winkler.  Sniff, I missed him. When Bill Clinton came to Havre de Grace, only the sixth grade was allowed to go to the park to see him.  The rest of us stood on the street to wave his car into town, but he didn't roll down the window, so I didn't get to see my President.  Double sniff.

However, my most exciting sighting was the time I met Dennis Quaid.

I was in California for my cousin Randy's wedding.  They were taking pictures at some fancy hotel in Malibu when I saw Dennis Quaid walk towards the elevator.  Dennis Quaid, my not-so-secret crush since falling in love with him in the movie The Big Easy. I stood straight up, forgetting my niece was on my lap, and dropping her -hard- on the floor.  My sister was not happy with me, and took her crying daughter to the bathroom to calm her down.  And that's when Dennis appeared at the top of the steps on his way out the door.  I stopped him from leaving by blocking his path and asking him to take a picture with me.  My relatives dropped their jaws in shock when he agreed, and I handed my camera to a cousin.  I babbled. Told him I was a middle school teacher, and this was the biggest thing to ever happen to me.  He called me darlin', squeezed me so hard my eyes popped out, then kissed my hand before running up the hill to escape. Sadly, I ended up losing the roll of film with our picture.  I thought all was lost, but my sister contacted the wedding photographer and she gave me a framed 8"x10" of me and Uncle Dennis (that's what we told Reba to call him) for my birthday. I will always love that man (and my sister for getting me the picture).

So, there you have it, my star sightings.  Feel free to share yours.  Especially you Cousin Randy.  For those of you who don't know, my cousin has worked for the OWN network.  Talk about degrees of separation!  Why, I almost know Oprah!