Went out to the Hollywood Collectors Show today. This is a quarterly (or so) event where dozens of movie and TV stars sell autographed photos of themselves. The whole list can be found at this site, where you can also find details on the next one, which is April 15-16. But among those who were scribbling their names on glossies for fans were Soupy Sales, Jennifer O'Neill, Lou Ferrigno, Carroll Baker, Jay North, Frank Stallone, Tanya Roberts and many more. Among those I spoke with were Buddy Hackett, Jerry Vale and Mousie Garner. Mousie, at age 93, is a vaudeville legend who was kind of the "Pete Best" of the Three Stooges.
Also had a nice chat with comedian Rip Taylor, who has recently undergone successful eye surgery. Rip is reaching "show biz legend" status and as they used to say in a commercial no one remembers, he did it the old-fashioned way: He earned it. I can't think of anyone in the field who's worked harder at a career, always going out on tour with something and/or taking small roles and turning them into big ones. He also works hard once he gets the job. I saw him in Vegas not long ago and he took the stage with an attitude that seemed to say, "This audience paid to see me so I'm not leaving until everyone in this room is sick from laughter."
An awful lot of comedians — an ever-growing number, it seems — don't have that devotion. They seem to adopt a posture of: "My act is funny. People have laughed at it in this past. I'm going to do that act and if this audience doesn't laugh, something's wrong with them."
Rip isn't like that. He worked his ass (and toupee) off for the crowd — which I think goes halfway to explain why he's been around so long. The other half is that he's pretty funny, at least when they let him do a whole act. The last few years, his TV appearances have rarely allowed for this, which is a shame. If you get the chance to see him live, do it. A list of upcoming appearances is posted from time to time at www.riptaylor.com, along with other Rip-roaring stuff.
Now, I have a story to tell you. In 1976, Sid and Marty Krofft produced a short-lived but highly memorable segment for The Krofft Supershow on ABC. It was called ElectraWoman and DynaGirl, and it can best be described as a knock-off of the Batman TV show, but with two very attractive ladies in the title roles. Deidre Hall, who is now a superstar in the world of soap operas, played the older, more experienced ElectraWoman. Judy Strangis, who was then best known from the TV series Room 222 and about eight million commercials, played the teen DynaGirl. An awful lot of young males — and even some fathers — got up on Saturday morn just to see them prancing about in Spandex. (Given what's now on the cable channels, and even the major networks, it's insane how we used to tune in a given show just because it had thirty seconds of some cute lady wearing something skintight.) I went to work for the Kroffts not long after that show had ceased production.
One day, I was wandering through their warehouse-factory when I spotted some glittery, satiny wardrobe peeking out of a trash can — outfits that had been worn by dancers on the Kroffts' variety shows. As I was then living with one of those dancers, I asked and received permission to take some of these unwanted costumes home for her. Somehow, I was also given the ElectraWoman and DynaGirl suits and no, they didn't fit me. They wound up in my closet.
In 1981, I met Judy Strangis when she did the voice of the lead character on Goldie Gold, a cartoon show I worked on. I told her I had the DynaGirl costume and that if she wanted it, I'd be glad to give it to her. (Before you ask: I've never met Deidre Hall but I'm told she wants to forget the show and won't even sign photos from it. So the ElectraWoman costume is staying in my closet until I can give it to a TV museum or some other appropriate venue.)
For years, I ran into Judy in restaurants and at parties and we talked about having lunch or otherwise getting together so I could give her the costume. Somehow, this never transpired. Finally, today — around 22 years since I promised it to her — I took it up to the Hollywood Collectors Show and handed it over. She was, of course, floored. It's faded and the Velcro is coming off, but it's still more or less in one piece. Judy said she couldn't wait to take it home and see if it still fits. I'm betting it does. She looks like she's aged about five years since '76. (By the way, she had a pretty good crop of guys my age lined up to buy signed photos today. Gonads never forget.)
Another great sex symbol, Don Knotts, had the longest line — out the door and through the parking lot. So many were waiting that I felt guilty cutting in to say howdy, but I did. The charming thing about Don is that he is just about universally loved and respected. I've been at gatherings of stars where he was among some pretty big names…but no matter how big, everyone wanted to meet Don and tell him how much they worshipped him. And, like Jimmy Stewart, he is genuinely unspoiled by this, no matter how often it happens. Yesterday and today at the Hollywood Collectors Show, it happened over and over and over, maybe 30-50 times an hour, and he was still polite and friendly and appreciative. Every time.
I don't know who the nicest person in show business is. But Don Knotts is certainly in the top two.