Like many folks who live in L.A., I am good at spotting celebrities as I go about my daily routine. For some reason, I go through periods when I seem to run into the same ones over and over, and I occasionally find myself observing their public "performances." For instance, years ago, wherever I went, there was Rip Taylor. I saw him so many times in so many places, I figured it had to be some kind of franchise deal — you know, like Starbuck's or Mrs. Field's. Somewhere, a company was telling people that for a modest investment, they could open their very own Rip Taylor.
I once eavesdropped on, and was impressed by, the way he handled an awkward situation with some tourists who sort of recognized him. A couple from Dubuque (or wherever) began gushing over how much they loved him on TV and simply had to have his autograph…but as the lady fished out paper and something for him to write with, she said something that made it clear they both thought he was Paul Lynde.
Mr. Taylor did not show any sign of reaction, nor did he embarrass them by correcting their error directly. He knew that once he signed, the issue would be unavoidable so he made like he hadn't heard what she'd said and then told them, "Thank you for not yelling my name out and attracting attention. Sometimes people see me and they yell, 'It's Rip Taylor,' and everyone looks and it's embarrassing." You could see the tourists' expressions change as they realized this was not Paul Lynde, and both made the too-obvious gesture of saying, "Thank you, Mr. Taylor," hoping he hadn't noticed their mistake. But of course, he had…and he'd spared them a moment of humiliation.
Lately, I am unable to do any marketing without encountering Robert Klein and I am delighted to report that he is as funny and charming in the produce section of Gelson's as he is on stage. He's currently doing the Bob Patterson show, which neither I nor most of America is watching. Matter of fact, I suspect more people are seeing him in the market, where he jokes with other shoppers, greets folks who approach him with some tenuous connection ("My sister-in-law was the Production Assistant on your third HBO special") and makes no effort to either disguise who he is nor attract undue attention. Nothing I overheard was quotable, even when he was behind me in the checkout line, paging through some tabloid and registering shock, if not at the headlines than at the fact that folks pay good money to read them. Still, I have seen long-running TV shows that I thought were less entertaining than watching Robert Klein buy groceries. I think it's a series.