Post #469019 by Doctor Z on Tue, Jul 14, 2009 3:04 PM

When I was a toddler, Clark Gable was in my hometown filming a movie at a little amusement park & was looking for an 'extra' for him to help off the merry-go-round and (apparently) selected me from the crowd, much to my mother's delight. Unfortunately, the producer went with another kid.

When I was in 8th grade, my best friends dad was chief of police in Rancho Palos Verdes and took us to the annual "Police-Celebrity" Golf Tournament that year. I got about 40 different celebrity autographs on a single sheet of binder paper, but the best came from Richard Anderson, famous at the time for his role as "Oscar Goldman" on The Six-Million-Dollar Man. As I handed him my program to sign, he automatically flipped open to his photo - which I had earlier defaced with a pen (I'd blacked out all but one of his teeth, gave him an eye patch and some Frankenstein stitches). He was not amused by my 'alterations' and proceeded to shout something to the crowd about "Who did this?!?" When I stepped forward, he started laughing and then attempted to draw on MY face with the pen. Kinda awkward. For both of us.

Later on at the same golf tourney, we all had dinner under a big tent, and I sat next to Don Knotts for the whole meal, at least an hour! This was when he'd just started as "Mr. Furley" on Three's Company, one of my favorite shows at the time. He told me all about what it was like being on TV & in movies, the rehearsals, the make-up, his co-stars. He also told me about making "The Incredible Mr. Limpet". It was incredible! Across the table from us was Paul Moyer (Los Angeles news anchor) and he seemed just as enamored with Mr. Knotts as I was! My friends dad was partnered with James Hampton (from the original The Longest Yard) Just as nice as AmioTiki said he was. Got to meet Scatman Cruthers, too. Signed my piece of paper & gave me a big hug.

Got to go onstage & meet Dr. Demento and Weird Al Yankovic at a show at Magic Mountain. Got to stay 'in the wings' for the rest of the show and talk with them in turn as they 'switched-off' performing. Sat at a table with Weird Al at the Comedy & Magic Club many years later. He claimed to remember me. I think they're both great.

In my late teens, I partied many, many times with Butch Patrick, the guy that played "Eddie Munster". He was a total lightweight and laughed a lot.

Later in life, I met Ronnie James Dio backstage at a Scorpions concert. He's really short. And polite.

Met both Alicia Silverstone and Billy Corgan backstage at a Counting Crows show. She's really pretty, he's really quiet. The Counting Crows were really, well, they were OK...

Sat behind Don Felder (of the Eagles) at a David Bowie concert, sat in front of Ron Jeremy (c'mon - you don't know who Ron Jeremy is?) at a Neil Young concert. Talked with them both briefly. Don was very nice, Ron was, well, very 'Hedgehog-y'...

I managed a bookstore for a few years, and one day Charlotte Rae (Mrs. Garrett from The Facts of Life) came in. It was a slow Sunday and she & I were the only folks in the store. She stayed most of the day and we talked about all kinds of stuff, mostly about the books she was interested in, nothing at all about her show. She spent about $500, mostly cookbooks and dictionaries (?). Very nice lady.

Oh, and when I was in 6th grade, I watched Van Halen (known as 'Mammoth' at the time) play a backyard party in Torrance, CA. Sat on the wall behind them until the party ended. Didn't actually meet them, but...