Bewitched and Beyond: The Fan Who Came to Dinner (20 page)

WHAM!!!

I dropped the thousand responses on top of the glass table.

“These are the people that would like to see Sony’s current feature film attempt.” As I released them, three (yes THREE) pitiful pages fluttered from my hand.

“Point well taken,” was all this executive could say.

This wonderful lady really went to bat for us, but again, it was to no avail. Even within the confines of the same company, the feature film department would NOT release the rights back to the television department. As you know, the film was eventually made, but opened to dismal ratings and reviews.

My favorite quote was from one film critic who said: ”You know a film is bad when it leaves you wishing Dick
Sargent
was playing Darrin!” (Dick, wherever you are, forgive me. But it is a funny line and we all get his point!)

At least to some degree, Kasey and I were vindicated; the feature film speaks for itself. Thus, proving a new adage I continue to stand by…

…Never let a professional do a fan’s job!

Shortly after our meeting at Sony, our friend Steve turned 50. Steve had us flown down to Florida where he lived at the time to celebrate. And what a celebration it was! His backyard pool had been covered with tables and chairs, and the table arrangements had more flowers in them than Munchkinland! At midnight, fireworks shot out of those flowers right over everyone’s head! The biggest surprise of the evening was the entertainment. Steve had a barge that floated up the canal to his backyard and after dinner we were all treated to a concert by Patti LaBelle! What a kick listening to Patti LaBelle on a backyard barge!

I also recall a Christmas party Steve gave in 2001. This time, we had to go “cross-dressed” as our favorite movie/TV star. The entertainment that night was the well-known impressionist Jim Bailey performing as the legendary Judy Garland. Kasey was dressed as Michael Jackson (complete with sequined glove) and I was dressed as Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, in 300 yards of pink netting! Bailey took one look at me and said, “I see Billie Burke is here. Billie dear, you haven’t changed in 50 years… Not even your
dress
!”

“Peanuts” the hairdresser “Pilgrim-izes” Tabatha (Erin Murphy) for Thanksgiving dinner in the episode “Samantha’s Thanksgiving to Remember” shot on September 21st, 1967.

It takes nerve to put some of these photos in a book!

Chapter 29

The Glorious Gals of M-G-M

If Darrin Stephens were asked to write a slogan for the biggest Hollywood studio there ever was, he might have aptly chosen: “The Bigger They Are, the Harder They Fall” instead of M-G-M’s traditional: “More Stars Than There Are In Heaven.”

Sadly, in the early 1970s, M-G-M opted to close its doors for good, sell off its studio, build the M-G-M Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, and move to a single high rise rather than going the route of Universal Studios and selling tickets so eager fans could tour the most famous back-lot in Hollywood history.

Can you imagine what that might have been like? We could be reliving the burning of Atlanta, journeying down the yellow brick road, Meeting in St. Louis, and perhaps through the magic of technology, even dancing with Gene Kelly while singing in the rain! If the powers that be had only realized before it was too late… oh Hollywood… you will NEVER learn.

Among all the studios in their heyday, M-G-M was hands down, the most glamorous and prestigious of them all!

Much of its enduring legacy should be attributed to the immense talent of the actors and actresses who were a part of that golden era of Hollywood. I was lucky enough to know a few of those iconic stars.

Virginia O’Brien

Virginia O’Brien was an actress and singer best known for her comedic roles in several M-G-M musicals from the 1940s, including
Du Barry Was a Lady, The Harvey Girl’s with Garland, Till the Clouds Roll By
with Garland, and
Ziegfeld Follies
with… uhm… Garland.

This was actually her signature trademark, and gained her the nickname “Frozen Face” because early in her career, she once had become practically paralyzed with stage fright before one of her numbers, leading to a hysterical reaction with the audience, who thought it was part of the act.

I first met Virginia at a Western autograph show at a casino in Laughlin, Nevada. She was struggling with a suitcase full of CD’s and photos that she was selling at the show. Kasey noticed, and asked me to go over and help her.

I did.

She was very appreciative and in return, wanted to buy me a drink.

She did.

Did I mention it was 11 A.M?!!

Virginia was a lot of fun, but she did like to drink!

After the signing, we sat in on a Bingo game and had an absolute ball!

She autographed one of her CD’s and gave it to me.

Coincidentally, on the way home from Laughlin, Kasey and I actually came across a genuine “Harvey House” restaurant. We stopped to have a bite to eat. It was fun to say that we’d been, but they look
nothing
like the one in the movie — to be honest, it was more like a down and out
Denny’s.

Virginia lived in a town called Wrightwood nestled among the mountains of Southern California. She had once been its mayor. From time to time she would call me and act as if I were her only friend in the world.

She shared with me how terribly lonesome she had become since the death of her husband in 1996 (she had been married to the first Superman, Kirk Alyn) and that all of her friends were still down in the Los Angeles area.

Suddenly the phone calls stopped and I didn’t know what had happened to Virginia.

Later, I found she had passed away on January 16, 2001, and that she had spent her last days at the Motion Picture Home in Woodland Hills. She had been within walking distance of me and I never even knew!

God bless, Virginia, you are missed by me and so many others.

Margaret O’Brien

Another famous M-G-M “O’Brien” I had the pleasure of meeting, was Margaret (no relation to Virginia).

Margaret O’Brien was one of Hollywood’s most respected child actors and one of her best roles is that of “Tootie,” Judy Garland’s youngest sister, in M-G-M’s 1944 classic,
Meet Me in St. Louis
for which she won a special Oscar.

One of the most memorable and moving scenes in the entire movie is when the legendary Garland sings “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” to a tear-stained little Margaret.

One Christmas, I was asked to sing in the parlor of the Stagecoach Inn, as I had done at many other Stagecoach events in the past. In my festive repertoire, I planned to include “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” It seemed quite appropriate since the museum was Victorian, and “Meet Me in St. Louis” was set in the Victorian age.

Sometime before this, Margaret O’Brien had donated some beautiful antiques to the Inn and was going to be in attendance that year at the Christmas open house.

I found this out JUST as I was preparing to go on stage.

Now tell me, how do you sing a song to someone that has already had that song sung to them by
THE Judy Garland?
Of course this news made me a nervous wreck, but there was no time to do anything about it. So I took a deep breath and sang it as planned.

To my surprise, it went over quite well, and one of the nicest compliments I’ve ever received came from Margaret O’Brien that day.

She pulled me aside and said: “Every Christmas, Michael Jackson calls me up and sings that to me. [Pause]
You
do it much better!”

Thank you Margaret! Thank you so very much! That compliment will go with me forever.

I later attended a couple of Christmas Eve parties at the home of Margaret’s husband, Roy, in Thousand Oaks, where I was always called on to sing. (Smile).

Kathryn Grayson

“Goddess Extraordinaire”! OK,
second
only to Garland, but Grayson I got to actually meet!

As I mentioned earlier, Kasey and I got tired of beating the proverbial dead horse that “
Bewitched… Again!
” had become, so we COMPLETELY re-wrote the premise into
Son of a Witch!
We both wanted Kathryn Grayson to be one of our witches.

At the time, I was working at a tacky little design shop in the heart of Beverly Hills, and one day when there wasn’t much going on at the store, I called the Screen Actors Guild to get a contact number for Kathryn.

I phoned the number and a sweet sounding lady answered the phone. I explained who I was, what the project was about, who was already attached, etc. The lady listened very intently and was most gracious. After I finished, she said she’d pass the information on.

Before I hung up, I finally got around to asking the name of the lady I was speaking with… “Kathryn Grayson”!

I was flabbergasted and didn’t know what to say. Miss Grayson just giggled.

Shortly after that, Bernard Fox invited Kathryn for a dinner and show he had set up at the very exclusive, Magic Castle in Hollywood, home to the world’s greatest magicians. Kasey delegated me the task of picking up la Grayson.

Alone!

I arrived at her front gate in Westwood and rang the bell. The gate slowly opened. I got out of the car and went to the front door and knocked. The door was opened by her assistant, Sally.

As I entered, I can remember the foyer having very dark wood and lots of red velvet with a grand staircase that swept into view.

It was all
very
Sunset Boulevard!

The lady informed me that Miss Grayson would be right down.

Suddenly there she was… descending the grand staircase just as charming and stunning as can be… sigh!

Once in the car, we had a long travel down Sunset Boulevard to Hollywood. For a short while, we sat in uncomfortable silence. I, for once, was at a loss for words because I was afraid I’d be drooling and babbling on like an idiot.

Finally she turned to me and asked, “Do you know any of my songs?”

“I know ALL of your songs, Miss Grayson.”

“Good! Then let’s sing!”

If I hadn’t been driving I would have DIED on the spot!

So right there, on Sunset Boulevard, I
sang
“Make Believe” and “Be My Love” with the great Kathryn Grayson…(I could still wet my pants over the thought of it…)

We laughed and laughed, and then I told her that when I was doing night club work back in Georgia, my piano player and I would do a bit where he would be “Howard Keel” or “Mario Lanza” and I would be
her.

Well, THAT began the test… She kept making me sing
higher and higher and higher!!
“Try this note,” she’d say. ”Now try this one.”

Then she began to sing the ending to “Be My Love,” and then
I
had to do it.