Have You Ever Met A Movie/TV Star or Celebrity?

[Frunobulax]

Robert Conrad, when I was a young lad. A local department store (Rike's) used to do an annual promotion where they would have local celebrities and sports stars positioned around the store signing autographs, and usually somebody national as the big draw. Mom and I were on the elevator when Mr. Conrad walked on (this was Wild Wild West days).

Me (whispering): "Mom, that's Robert Conrad!"
Mom (loudly): "Well, ask him for his autograph!"
I recall him as being rather gracious and funny.

Martin Sheen grew up down the street from Mom, and both Mom and Dad knew him prior to his fame. He was the younger brother of the Estevez family - Mom and Dad were quite a bit older and Mr. Sheen was actually friend's with Mom's niece. However, a few times he was in town at some event, he would always recognize Mom and come over and talk for a bit.

I sort of met Neil Armstrong once. He was talking to my Congress critter at a dinner/event I was attending and I went over to say hi to my Rep. I was a bit star struck and acutely aware of Dr. Armstrong's desire for privacy; I only eked out a weak, "Hi."


Sent directly from my mind to yours.

 

[belfastboy]

When I was a 11 year old Little League ball player and I won Most Sportsmanlike award and Andy Bathgate the then famous NY Ranger hockey player showed up to present the trophy. I was a big kid even at 11 and I couldn't get over the impression "he's not that big a guy". In my young mind all my heroes should be towering over me not looking me in the eye.

 

[belfastboy]

Can I get two posts? When I was 14 I worked the carnival and my game booth was just around the corner from the side show tents which waaay back then included burlesque/strippers. Their change trailer was just behind my booth and they asked if I would allow them to pass through my canvas tented booth as that would save them a 100 yard walk around. So for the 17 days of the fair I had pretty ladies passing through my tent and each time I received a peck on the cheek in thanks. These were famous people to me at least!

 

[ChiTownScion]

It's been a point of great regret that I didn't approach Gregory "Pappy" Boyington at the Annual EAA Fly- In at Oshkosh (WI) back in 1987 when he was selling autographed copies of his autobiography. My wife asked me- no, BEGGED me- to approach and buy a book, but quite honestly, I felt that the man was a god and I was too intimidated to speak to him. By the following January, he was dead-- and from all that I've heard since he actually was quite personable and might have enjoyed a friendly encounter.

I vowed from that point on that if I ever had another realistic opportunity to approach someone that I admired and respected, I won't hesitate to express my admiration. I certainly don't wish to bother or stalk celebs, but to express appreciation and gratitude to a reasonable individual is something that most recipients like, I'd think. (Note to Miss LizzieMaine: Kirstie Alley is not one whom I admire or respect, or whom I'd call "a reasonable individual" based upon your accounts of her: if I see her coming I'll cross the street.)

 

[Fading Fast]

In the early '90s, I was in a steakhouse on a business dinner. At another table was Chuck Berry and one of the guys at my table knew someone at his table and we were invited to "say hello" to Chuck. It was a short hello and handshake which, I felt, was more than Chuck wanted, so I moved on.

I wouldn't even have mentioned it except that there were two notable things about Chuck. One, in a conservative NYC steakhouse where most customers were in navy or grey suits, Chuck was wearing a powder-blue, somewhat western suit with a bolo tie. And, two, sitting on each side of Chuck was a young, slim, long-limbed, blonde-haired and pretty-in-an-obvious-way woman.

 

[Tiki Tom]

During the mid-1980s I was a tour guide on the Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA. Out of the blue one day, the actor Leslie Nielsen was on one of my tours, along with the usual assortment of "normal" people. He was quiet and attentive throughout the tour. At the very end of my tour I asked the usual "does anyone have any questions?" A suburban mom directed her question at me: "Yes, Is that Leslie Nielsen??"
He laughed and confessed that he was. He turned out to be very personable and friendly and happily spoke to the group for a few minutes.

 

[MisterCairo]

"Yes, Is that Leslie Nielsen??"
He laughed and confessed that he was. He turned out to be very personable and friendly and happily spoke to the group for a few minutes.

The pride of Regina, Saskatchewan. His father was a Mountie, and his older brother Erik was a longtime Tory politician, indeed, he was deputy Prime Minister between 1984 and 1986 during the Brian Mulroney conservative government.

 

[Edward]

In the early '90s, I was in a steakhouse on a business dinner. At another table was Chuck Berry and one of the guys at my table knew someone at his table and we were invited to "say hello" to Chuck. It was a short hello and handshake which, I felt, was more than Chuck wanted, so I moved on.

I wouldn't even have mentioned it except that there were two notable things about Chuck. One, in a conservative NYC steakhouse where most customers were in navy or grey suits, Chuck was wearing a powder-blue, somewhat wester suit with a bolo tie. And, two, sitting on each side of Chuck was a young, slim, long-limbed, blonde-haired and pretty-in-an-obvious-way woman.

Sounds about right. I remember the one time I got to see him live, in Belfast in 1995; I got to speak to his piano player afterwards, who simply said that Chuck was a musical legend but "not a very nice person". In more recent years, I heard much the same from the band who supported him that night - shattered a lot of fan illusions for them. I suppose when it comes to artistic greatness we just have to accept that they aren't always also going to be nice people. Then you get BB King and Johnny Cash who by all accounts couldn't have been nicer....

 

[Fading Fast]

Sounds about right. I remember the one time I got to see him live, in Belfast in 1995; I got to speak to his piano player afterwards, who simply said that Chuck was a musical legend but "not a very nice person". In more recent years, I heard much the same from the band who supported him that night - shattered a lot of fan illusions for them. I suppose when it comes to artistic greatness we just have to accept that they aren't always also going to be nice people. Then you get BB King and Johnny Cash who by all accounts couldn't have been nicer....

If you haven't seen it, you might want to check out "Chuck Berry Hail, Hail Rock and Roll!" a '87 documentary that, IMHO, is one of the more honest views I've seen into Chuck. Plus, the music in it is incredible.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Even show business people who aren't actors have to do a lot of "acting," and many of them can turn it on or off like a light switch. When you see it from their perspective, they hear the same thing every day at every show from an infinite number of fans, and they have to smile and nod and act like it's the first time they're hearing it. You can watch them in action and see the toll it takes on them to do this, and some of them are better at hiding it than others.

The whole fan-interaction business tends to make most show people very very cynical about "fandom." Fred Allen used to dismiss the people who came to the studio to watch him do his radio show as a bunch of slobbering yucks who had nothing to do with their lives but sit around watching a bunch of people in business suits reading scripts into a microphone, and yet in the next breath he'd hand a hundred dollars, no strings attached, to some audience member with a sob story. You can never tell, in a short interaction with a celebrity, what they're really like.

 

[3fingers]

Not really a movie star or anything, but I picked up a national news correspondent along the highway on a below zero night when his car broke down. I called a local guy to tow the car in and he ended up at my house talking at my kitchen table until somebody was able to come to pick him up. Neither of us mentioned his job until he was leaving. The look on his face when he realized I knew who he was and hadn't said anything was priceless. A couple days later I got the biggest meat, cheese and candy tray I have ever seen.

 

[Edward]

If you haven't seen it, you might want to check out "Chuck Berry Hail, Hail Rock and Roll!" a '87 documentary that, IMHO, is one of the more honest views I've seen into Chuck. Plus, the music in it is incredible.

Oh, yes - that's the one where he even wears out Keith Richards, isn't it? It's definitely a fair picture of the man, good and bad.

Even show business people who aren't actors have to do a lot of "acting," and many of them can turn it on or off like a light switch. When you see it from their perspective, they hear the same thing every day at every show from an infinite number of fans, and they have to smile and nod and act like it's the first time they're hearing it. You can watch them in action and see the toll it takes on them to do this, and some of them are better at hiding it than others.

The whole fan-interaction business tends to make most show people very very cynical about "fandom." Fred Allen used to dismiss the people who came to the studio to watch him do his radio show as a bunch of slobbering yucks who had nothing to do with their lives but sit around watching a bunch of people in business suits reading scripts into a microphone, and yet in the next breath he'd hand a hundred dollars, no strings attached, to some audience member with a sob story. You can never tell, in a short interaction with a celebrity, what they're really like.

It definitely must get wearying. I've gotten to know a few folks a bit here and there over the years who've done long runs in the Rocky Horror Show, and it is fascinating to watch the guard go up and down as they deal with the casual fans, both nice and some borderline stalkers - and all points in between. I've seen some do very professionally charming in person even when you know they're ill or have had enough or whatever, others find it much harder.

Not really a movie star or anything, but I picked up a national news correspondent along the highway on a below zero night when his car broke down. I called a local guy to tow the car in and he ended up at my house talking at my kitchen table until somebody was able to come to pick him up. Neither of us mentioned his job until he was leaving. The look on his face when he realized I knew who he was and hadn't said anything was priceless. A couple days later I got the biggest meat, cheese and candy tray I have ever seen.

TBH, I think a lot of people in the public eye appreciate being treated just like another human being. I've always felt they were fair game to try for an autograph at the stage door, but unless the situation merited it or they clearly welcomed it, I'd never dream of disturbing them when out and about privately. Some of the most interesting conversations I've had with known faces has been when they felt at ease and I was treating them as clearly just a person rather than trying to 'hang out with the rock star'.

 

[Frunobulax]

Not really a movie star or anything, but I picked up a national news correspondent along the highway on a below zero night when his car broke down. I called a local guy to tow the car in and he ended up at my house talking at my kitchen table until somebody was able to come to pick him up. Neither of us mentioned his job until he was leaving. The look on his face when he realized I knew who he was and hadn't said anything was priceless. A couple days later I got the biggest meat, cheese and candy tray I have ever seen.

I use to work for Paul Harvey.

Not that Paul Harvey, but once when we flew to DC, we had a car to pick us up and there's a guy standing there with a sign, "Paul Harvey." So Paul walks up while everybody else is rubbernecking for the radio star and says, "I'm Paul Harvey." We go out to find this big stretch limo with all the bells and whistles. On the way back, we got a van.


Sent directly from my mind to yours.

 

[Frunobulax]

Oh, yes - that's the one where he even wears out Keith Richards, isn't it? It's definitely a fair picture of the man, good and bad.

If by "wearing out" you mean "punches in the face." Great show, though, and features Chuck, warts and all.


Sent directly from my mind to yours.

 

[Fading Fast]

Oh, yes - that's the one where he even wears out Keith Richards, isn't it? It's definitely a fair picture of the man, good and bad...

That's the one. Chuck came across as very real, as Frunobulax said above, "warts and all."

I have no illusions that I can "take the measure of the man" form the brief encounters I've had with the few stars noted above. But that Gere and Bradshaw weren't jerks maybe says something; conversely, if they had been jerks, I would have said it told us something else about them. Chuck was basically, "hey, you got your 'hello,' now move along." He only did the bare minimum, but was not a jerk (I'm sure he was annoyed as heck as it happens to him everyday, all the time, but we were actually invited over).

 

[Zombie_61]

I shook Keye Luke's hand outside a revival theatre in Santa Monica where two Charlie Chan movies were shown...

In the early '90s, I was in a steakhouse on a business dinner. At another table was Chuck Berry...sitting on each side of Chuck was a young, slim, long-limbed, blonde-haired and pretty-in-an-obvious-way woman.

I'm combining these two posts for reasons that should become obvious.

At some point during the last decade of his life Mr. Luke became a semi-regular at the Marie Callender's restaurant that was (and still is) across the street from the hospital in which he would die in 1991. My best friend was the manager of the restaurant at the time, and he said Mr. Luke was almost always accompanied by two very well-dressed and attractive women who were at least half his age, but that they were rarely the same two women each time. He also said, unlike Mr. Berry, that Mr. Luke was always very kind when fans approached him, and that the restaurant staff enjoyed serving him because he was very polite and friendly and seemed genuinely appreciative of the service he received.

 

[Bugguy]

I played hockey with Jason Priestly, Richard Dean Anderson, Kelsey Grammar, Jerry Houser, Dave Coulier, Alex Trebek, and the Hanson Brothers. Back in the 80's we hosted a celebrity hockey challenge with the Hollywood "Old Time Hockey" celebrity team. We played at the Petit Center in Milwaukee, Wi. As I was the director of the organization that was benefiting from the fund-raiser, we partied on my credit card for two days. Trivia... Kelsey Grammar (Fraiser) had a bandage on his forehead for two episodes of Cheers because of a puck he blocked with his head. Most these guys were Canadian and skated like fiends.

When I was 10, I met a young Ernie Banks (Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame'r).

 

[Wyldkarma]

I got to meet the whole cast of "Office Space", I had a very small bit part as an extra on that movie. I am to the next to Milton in both photos. Was able to score 17 different screen shots in the film. I even got one of the many red staplers and some coffee mugs from the set.

 

[Frunobulax]

Shoulda swiped a red Swingline stapler!


Sent directly from my mind to yours.

 

[Zombie_61]

I got to meet the whole cast of "Office Space", I had a very small bit part as an extra on that movie...

This reminds me that I spent two days in 1990 working as an extra on Oliver Stone's movie The Doors (1991). That's me under the arrow as "indistinguishable audience member #847" sharing about 1.3 seconds of screen time with some guy named Val Kilmer (the gyrating bearded fellow in the lower left corner) during the "Miami Concert" sequence:

During official breaks the actors were separated from we commoners so they could do whatever they needed to do--eat, relax, prepare for the next scene, etc.--without being interrupted. But during one lengthy pause in filming I had the opportunity to meet and speak with character actor Dennis Burkley (who appeared to be genuinely surprised when I knew his name) and musician/singer/songwriter/actor Billy Idol (who I barely recognized under the long dark wig he wore in the movie). It was nothing more than the usual "killing time chit chat", but they were both very down-to-earth and treated everyone they spoke with in a very friendly manner like they/we were old friends.