Los Angeles is a big city. Hollywood and Beverly Hills are small towns within Los Angeles. Back in the late 70 and early 80’s the stars that I grew up watching at the movie all went about their daily business. The stars shopped on Rodeo Dr or had breakfast at Nate and Al’s on Beverly Dr. Lunch at The original and first Cheese Cake Factory. Dinner was at Ma Masion or Le Dome. On every Thursday night you could see Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner eating at the Italian restaurant on little Santa Monica Blvd just a few blocks from their home. I forgot the name. I loved dinning at Pips a private club they had pretty good food. Every movie star was there at one time or another. I met them all. I had drinks at the bar with the big names too. You were screened and had to be a member or you could not get in. The stars were ok with that because they knew everyone in there was in the biz. They could relax and be themselves. They made the best liver and bacon smothered in onions. The department stores were Saks 5th Ave on Wilshire Blvd As well as Neiman Marcus. All of this was in a radius of just a few blocks. If your timing was right you would see your favorite movie star. If you were in the business you were invited to all the money raising parties, opening night, and stars birthday parties. I remember The Right Bank shoe store, on Camden Dr, they always had big store events. One night they had a brown cow party. Gene Kelly was there and so many stars. I was there too and I met so many stars. At the nights end I wound up sitting on the stairs that go to the storage room with Nancy Czar the owner and Tony Bennett’s x wife. She dished him so bad and I loved hearing it because I was never a fan of his and his reputation as not a nice man. Tony came from my old neighborhood in Astoria Queens. I worked in a beauty shop owned by his brother John Bennett another thief and S.O.B.. My children and I lived on Spaulding Dr diagonally across from Beverly Hills High school. Our neighbors were Rita Hayward she lived across the street in a tall condo building she lived in penthouse 4. Next door to me on the right was Barbara Parkins from the TV show “Peyton Place” and a host of big movies. To my left was Craig Morrison from “Mission Imposable” the hit TV show… Behind me was my very good friend Andréa King. Around the corner was Angelina Jolie better known to us as Angie Voight? After we left Beverly Hills, we moved home to Manhattan for a few years. Then we moved back to Beverly Hills to Lasky Dr and there on my left lived the sweetest girl in the entire world Linda Sagan, Carl’s wife and their son Jason. To my left lived the meanest man I have ever met the very nasty Richard Widmark. Surrounding us were Burt Lancaster, Doris Day, Louie Jordan, Richard Chamberlain. The list goes on and on. When I lived in Palm Springs my neighbors were My friend Sherrill Crane, Lana Turner’s daughter, up the hill was Barry Manilow down from him was Elizabeth Taylor up the hill from him was Suzanne Sommers. Who else lived in Palm Springs, Eleanor Parker, Carol Channing, My friend Kay Ballard. Who went there for the winters? Stella Stevens, Stephanie Powers, Mr. Blackwell, Jane Russell, everyone’s friend George Hamilton. I saw him at so many parties there. The list goes on and on. Now back to LA. It’s like this, let’s say you buy a red corvette and as your driving it you suddenly see only red corvettes on the road. You never noticed them before but now that you are in one you do. When you love with all your heart and soul my biz, show biz you notice everything about it. The stars that share a film with you or the nice camera man you knew on the set. I’m sure most of you who live in NY or LA have seen stars in the street and never cared to know them. I ran into Jessica Lang on the street. Madeline Kahn lived around the corner from me in Manhattan I got to know her from meeting her at the bakery store under my building. When you’re an actor, stars to you are just like the folk you know who live on your block or around the corner. When you speak of your friends I do not call you a name dropper so when I speak of my friends don’t call me a name dropper. I write all this stuff because it is history. My history of the Hollywood stars I have known and am still friends with. This is my life, as yours is yours, we live the same life except my names people pay to see.
Posted on: Wed, 03 Jul 2013 15:25:59 +0000
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