007

  I have written about celebrity encounters in person or online.  There are four more that I wanted to write about today.

 The first was Charlie Daniels.  He was mostly known as a Country Rock artist and was a Christian.  I had contacted him during one of my lowest times after being homeless.  I told him about my songwriting for The Cobbwebs, which was still based out of Nashville.  He listened to some of our music and told me that it was "catchy" but not something he would be interested in recording.  He asked me if I wanted him to give me some money, and I told him I didn't.  I just asked him if he could give me some emotional advice on how to stay strong despite adversity.  We chatted about character and strength, as well as the power of prayer.  He sent me an autographed picture of him and said that maybe I could sell it to make some money.  I haven't, and it is tacked up on my bedroom wall over my bed to remind me to stay strong.

 The next one was Dawn Wells.  She had played Mary Ann on "Gilligan's Island" back in the 1960's.  When I chatted with her, she knew she was dying from lung problems related to Covid.  One thing I have found with interacting with celebrities is to meet them on their level and don't fawn over their fame.  She and I talked about adversity in the business and not to give up.  She died shortly after our chat.  I may have been one of the last people who spoke with her.  She was probably best known for being Mary Ann, she had done a lot of other acting work.  She used much of her money for charity projects for the disadvantaged.  I think that is why we clicked on a personal level.  

 The next was Ruth Buzzi.  She was best known for being on the TV show "Laugh In".  She had retired and living on a ranch in Texas.  She was suffering from Alzheimer's but still liked to talk with her fans.  We talked about our love for Texas, and the laid-back lifestyle compared to California.  Ruthie, as she liked to be called, was a very down-to-earth person and loved the animals on her ranch.  She would tell me that her greatest joy was to sit on her porch swing and watch her horses and cows out in the fields.  She told me that I needed to slow down and appreciate the world that God has given us.  

 The last person was Pierce Brosnan, who played James Bond in four films.  When I contacted him, he was just about to display some artworks of his in a gallery in Los Angeles.  Despite his fame as an actor, he really enjoyed painting.  I wanted to talk with him about 007, but I found that I could connect with him about Art.  I told him about the sculpture I designed while in college.  He told me how painting was a relaxation technique for him, and he found that he was good at it.  Pierce had a bit of an ego, which I expected from him, but he was easy to talk with.  

 Despite their fame, celebrities are just people like you or me.  Some may think they are better than others because of their fame, but that's because the people around them tell them they are great.  I experienced that first-hand during my days as an actor.  It took a catastrophic event in my life to teach me that I was no better than the next person.  Sometimes, you just need to be hit over the head to realize that.  

Programming

  When I got home from Fort Worth, I was looking for some kind of creative work.  My goal to teach Theatre in a college somewhere had not panned out, so I went looking elsewhere.  CBN had offered a TV programming job to me, which I had turned down, because I knew nothing about TV production.  I was flattered that they had done so, but I had only one course in TV in seminary which didn't qualify me for a network job.  Then came WIS TV in Columbia.

 They were looking for a programmer.  I had watched TV almost my entire life and loved it.  I had seen just about every genre of show and knew what would be popular, so I applied for the job.  I got an interview and went in to be seen by the vice-president of WIS.  She asked me what experience I had in TV.  I told her that I had never worked at a local station, but I had lived in Columbia since I was 5, and I knew the area very well.  I knew what would be popular in that market.  

 She listened and then stood up.  She shook my hand and said they would call me.  They didn't.  That was okay, because I really wasn't qualified for the job.  Ironically, I have appeared on a few WIS TV news shows after that encounter. I would have made a good programmer for that station.  

Charlotte

  I had a friend who managed a store in a mall.  She was very good at what she sold and was invited to go to a company-wide meeting in Atlanta for an overnight stay.  She was very excited about being down there and for being recognized for her hard work.  When she got there, she found that they had put her in a hotel room with another woman that she didn't know.  As they were talking in the room about their stores, the other woman put her hand on my friend's leg and asked her if she would be interested in an intimate encounter.  My friend said no, and that she wasn't into that lifestyle.  

 When my friend got back to Columbia, she told me about that woman and how embarrassed she was.  We concocted a plan to get back at that woman.  The woman worked at a store in Charlotte at an upscale mall.  My friend told me some particular things about the woman like how she dressed and that she drank at the hotel bar.  Our plan was that I would drive to Charlotte and go into that store to say hi to the woman.  She had never met me, so this was a perfect plan.

 I got up to Charlotte one afternoon around five, knowing that the woman got off at six.  I went into her store and greeted her by her first name.  She looked at me strangely and asked how I knew her.  I told her that I met her in the hotel bar and had a few drinks together.  I told her that she said that if ever I was in Charlotte that I could come by her store, and we would go out.  I made the fictional Atlanta conversation very convincing.  Even though she didn't know me, my chat with her seemed plausible to her.  She told me to come back to the store at six, and we would go out for one thing or another.  I excitedly told her I would.  I got back in my car and drove back to Columbia.

 The next day, I told my friend how our plan went.  She laughed very hard.  She thanked me for getting back at this woman and for leaving the woman hanging at her store waiting for me to come back.  I suppose I could count that afternoon in Charlotte as one of my better acting roles.  At least, it was fun.

Charming

  I have been fortunate to meet a lot of famous people.  Some for work and others in public places.  I have written about many of these including Gary Oldman, Burt Lancaster, Dennis Hopper, Charlton Heston, Jack Palance, Joe Biden, Bill and Hillary Clinton, BB King, Gary Lewis, and many more.  I have also spoken online to some including Max Gail, Fess Parker, Hugh Hefner and others.

 I have also written about a trait of mine to keep some conversations private, and they have trusted me to do so including Yoko Ono and Ginger Lynn Allen.  They have trusted me with their lives, and I am glad to call them my friends.

 One of these people was someone who had a lot of mistrust for anyone who they didn't know.  In 2024, I was desperate for money to survive.  I was writing a lot of celebrities to see if any would contribute to me and my Go Fund Me page.  One of these people was a man who had been in the spotlight for all of his life.  His mother and father were very famous.  I didn't know this man, nor anyone close to him, but I thought I would give it a shot.  I found his email address and wrote him a letter about how much I admired his mother, who had tragically died years before.  He wrote back to me, and I could tell he was hesitant to even do that.  He gave me his phone number and said that he would rather talk via text than on email.

 At first, I didn't know that he was who he said he was.  I had been burned before by impostors.  My trick is to ask an obscure question that only the recipient would know.  He answered it correctly.  One of his conditions to our chats was not to reveal his identity to anyone.  He feared that somebody could get hold of his words and use them against him.  I assured him that I would be discreet. He also asked not to share his phone number with anyone and that my phone contact would only be listed as "Prince Charming".  We had a good laugh over that designation. So, we would chat once or twice a week about our lives.  

 I think one reason why we hit it off was that we both had lived in the spotlight growing up, although his childhood was much different than mine.  We both were expected to behave in a certain way, and we both rebelled later on.  He told me that his public persona with his family was much different than his private one.  We talked about his family and his life away from his extended family.  In one of our chats, he asked me if I would like to have a job working for his father.  I was flattered but explained that I was over 70 years old and didn't have a passport.  He told me that he could arrange for me to get a diplomatic passport.  He was very gracious, but I couldn't just up and move to another country like that.

 During our last chats together, he was telling me his thinking about moving back to his country of birth, if his wife and children were up to the move.  I told him that I thought it would be good in the long run.  No one should hold a grudge, and it is better to mend fences than to harbor dislike for people. When I saw the news that he had decided to move back, I felt good.  My friend may have gotten a lot of bad press over the years, but he is a good man who cares about people who don't have a life as good as his.  That is a lesson that his mother taught him.  Thanks, Prince Charming, for being a good listener, and I would like to think I was for you, too.

Agent

  When I moved back to South Carolina from Texas, people told me I needed an agent to get more acting parts in movies and television.  I couldn't just do it on my own.  The agent would have connections with all of the studios to get auditions for me, and I could make more money.  At the time, I had just left my federal government job after being "phased out", so I needed work.  I saw an ad in the newspaper for a woman, who said she was an agent, and was looking for clients.

 I answered the ad and went to her house over in the Shandon area of Columbia.  She lived in an area known for rich people.  Her house was next door to the Shandon Presbyterian Church. There were other people who had answered her ad, and we all sat in her living room as she explained what an agent does.  She said that we all needed 8x10 pictures of ourselves known as "head shots" for the casting directors to see.  She knew a photographer that we could use, but I knew a guy at church who could do mine for free.  It turned out she got a commission for every person she recommended to her photographer.  She also told us that she would take 15% of our income from acting work for representing us.  That sounded like a lot, but I could get work which was all that mattered to me.

 Each week, I would call her to ask if she had any roles for me, and she would say no.  I asked a couple of others she was representing to find out if they had gotten any parts, and they said no.  Things were seeming a little fishy. We had all paid her an upfront fee to represent us, but nothing was happening.  One day, I called her and found that her phone had been disconnected.  She had skipped town with our money and moved to Atlanta.  She hadn't told anyone.  We discovered that she was a con artist and had no interest in being an agent.  We contacted the police, but they told us that they couldn't do anything.  

 A year or two later, the church next door bought the land that her house sat on.  They bulldozed the house and used the land for parking.  I guess it was a fitting end to that woman in Columbia for taking our money.  I got an agent a little later on who was more reputable.  That is until I had a chance to play a role in "Forrest Gump", but I took a part in "The Program" instead.  That's another story.

Fonda

  I am naturally a very shy person. For those who have seen me on the stage or in a public forum, you might think differently, but I know how to put on a front. In unfamiliar social situations, I would rather go sit in a corner and be alone. 

 I have also met some very famous people. Actors, musicians, politicians, religious leaders, and more. From a young age, I saw these people as just people. Just because they might be well-known doesn't mean they aren't people just like you or me. 

 There was a bookstore in Columbia called The Happy Bookseller. They would bring in famous people who had written books to be signed for the public. That's where I met Jack Palance, and we laughed about if Burt Lancaster knew how to dance. 

 One person who came to the store was Jane Fonda. She had written an exercise book. I got to the store before the line formed to meet her, but I couldn't bring myself to go up and introduce myself to her. Instead, I hid in the shelves and looked at her from afar. My shyness took over. Maybe it was because I had seen her naked in films. Maybe it was because of her larger than life family. I don't know, but I regret not at least saying hello. Whatever you may think of her as a person, she is someone that triggered my shyness. I wish it wasn't so.

Lights

  I was up in Charlotte for a Belk meeting and stayed overnight.  They usually gave us a company car to drive, when we went up there.  I didn't have anything to do that night, so I took the car to an adult bookstore to see what I could see.  

 I didn't buy anything, and I headed back to the motel.  The streetlights were very bright along the way.  There were cars flashing their headlights at me, so I thought they were thinking that I was blinding them by my headlights.  I just ignored them.  When I got back to the motel, I found that I hadn't turned on my headlights all the way back from the bookstore.  The street was so bright that I hadn't noticed.  I felt kind of stupid and relieved that a policeman didn't see my faux pas.  I blamed it on two things, because I could never blame myself.

 First, that the streetlights were very bright.  Second, that I was driving an unfamiliar car.  Maybe this is sacrilegious after visiting an adult bookstore, but I thanked God for protecting me that night.  It could have been a lot worse.