LifeSoFarLaRue

In 1952 when I was eleven,  Jeffrey Hunter was an up and coming young star who made a personal appearance in Wichita, Kansas to promote his new film."Lure of the Wilderness" which co-starred Jean Peters and Walter Brennan. It was well publicized in the Wichita newspapers and I begged my mother to take me.  She loved shopping in Wichita and had deposited me at the Miller or Orpheum Theater on numerous occasions before, while she visited the local stores.  (Remember these were simpler times.....I don't think it would happened today.) On the appointed day, we arrived at the Miller Theater, I got my ticket and went inside.   Wait! No Jeffrey Hunter!    I asked an usher (they still had them then) and he informed me that Mr. Hunter would be signing autographs at the top of the stairs that led to the balcony after the movie.    Hurrrah! When the movie was over, I made my way up the stairs and there he was, sitting at a table with quite a long line...

My Grandmother raised nine children, (seven girls and two boys.....my mother being the youngest.) She became a widow in 1935 when my grandfather was killed in an auto accident just north of our small town of Corbin, Kansas.   From then on, she took turns living with her children for about a month at a time.   Eventually, it was decided to build her a small one room house on my parents property where she could have her own space but be close at hand.  (This "house" was constructed when I was thirteen or so.) A few years later, (now, in her eighties) she began receiving mail form an old beau that she had known in her youth and it soon blossomed into a certified romance.  (A long distance one, but a romance nonetheless.) All of her children went into shock when she announced at the age of 89 that she and her reunited beau were going to be married!  (Sadly, I no longer remember his name.... it may have been Leo.) At any rate, "Leo" made the trip from somewher...

Wonderful lady....I worked with her twice...... The first time was in "On a Clear Day you Can See Forever" at the Meadowbrook  (where else?')  and coincidently Fabian came out to see the show which had a  friend of his (Fred Cline) in the cast.   I don't remember meeting him but he claimed he rode back in the company car which I drove. Anyway, the second time I  worked with Dorothy was in "The Apple Tree."  As assistant stage manager (I also had a small role in the show) it was one of my duties to check on her each evening to see if she needed anything and be of service. One particular night, as I approached her dressing room (The door was always open, she was always available.)  I found her reading a script called "The Girls Upstairs."   She explained that she had just received it that morning and had been asked to do it on Broadway. The rest is history....."The Girls Upstairs" eventually turned into "Follies." (The St...

I don't know why we did it.   We must have been nuts.   Or should I chalk it up to adventuresome youth? In my Freshman year of College, a good friend, Mike Barton, and I decided to hop a freight train from  Emporia to Kansas City.  (I don't remember why.....maybe a movie we wanted to see?  It is forever locked somewhere in the recesses of my brain.) When the weekend was upon us and there would be no school for two days, one early Saturday morning we made our way down to the railroad tracks at the south end of town.   Mike knew the schedule of the trains so we didn't wait long until we could hear the whistle in the distance.   It seemed to be protocol that trains slowed down as they passed through our burg. Thus, as the open-doored boxcars crept past us, we easily attained entrance into one of them.  I don't remember how long the trip took, probably around two or three hours, but in due time, we found ourselves in the Kansas City rail yard....

I first met Bernadette Peters when we were both in a production of "The Boy Friend" (With Yvonne de Carlo) at the Wedgewood Dinner Theater in Glen Cove, Long Island. She had previously been a child performer starting at the age of three on the TV show "Juvenile Jury" and went on to many other venues of the day  (She did "Name that Tune" when she was five.)  And there are many other credits, I could relate. So, she  was a seasoned performer when we met. Almost every night, after the performance of "The Boy Friend," and before we started the trek back into the city, a bunch of us would retire into the bar, where Bernadette would usually sing a number or two with the pianist.   She was remarkable.  She would turn a song like "You made me love you" into a soulful agony with tears streaming down her face as she neared the end.   Just remarkable. Soon after she was doing "George M" on Broadway and "Dames at Sea'  of...

I have found one wonderful way of combatting the "blues," i.e. those days when you are overwhelmed with loneliness.  It is the bear.  And that is his name....."Bear."  He hails from an upstate New York department store called Newberry's in the town of Warwick.  He came into our lives for no particular reason.....he just looked like he needed some love.  So we took him in.  He resided with us up north among other assorted stuffed kin. And now in Florida, many years later, he sits beside me, fairly near, he - on the sofa, me - in my chair.  He's been there for quite some time now and watches me with his ebony black eyes, snuggled and cozy in his best (and only) sweater.  He did venture forth to sit beneath the Christmas tree last December,  but usually he is happy on the sofa (which I know he thinks belongs to him.)  And perhaps it does. He never bothers anyone and is most tolerant of the cat should she come sniffing around.  He s...

I have been thinking about this post for a number of days and received some big help form my college love, Gayle, who filled in some blanks for me.   And I thank her for that and still love her.  In 1962, Shari Lau, a talented (albeit young) actress did a wonderful Elvira in Noel Coward's "Blithe Spirit" where Gayle and I both attended college.   And she did Joan of Arc in another play.  She also was "seeing/dating" my roommate at the time Ric (Ricardo) Sauceda.  Ric and I shared a "house" off campus with another guy (Mike Pryor?) where parties were always a weekend event.   (We even gave one for "The Kingston Trio" when they appeared on campus)  But that's another story. While I don't recall many "dates" with Shari and Ric, they were always hanging out a lot, be it at our house or elsewhere.  And they loved to drink.  Ric was mostly beer, but Shari had other tastes. When I gave up my college career to pursue "...

Perhaps one of my favorite roles that I ever played was Og, the leprechaun, in "Finian's Rainbow.  The star was Carmel Quinn a sweet Irish lass who had found fame with Arthur Godfrey on TV. It was a wonderful show to do and I received lovely billing as well as wonderful reviews, if I may boast.   I even got to spring up out of  the wishing well for my curtain call. And now, because it is St. Patrick's day,  I offer you a glimpse of myself singing "When I'm Not Near the Girl I Love (I love the girl I'm near).   The girl was a lovely dancer named  Sarah Jane Smith.  Halcyon days.

In all of the 1940's and well into the 50's, Dana Andrews was a major Hollywood star with films like "The Ox-Bow Incident" with Henry Fonda, "Laura" with Gene Tierney, "State Fair" with Jeanne Crain, "My Foolish Heart" with Susan Hayward, "The Best Years of Our Lives" with Frederick March and Myrna Loy and "Elephant Walk" with Elizabeth Taylor.  In 1958, he even had a fling with Broadway replacing Henry Fonda in "Two for the Seesaw."  In the mid-sixties he signed on to do a production of "Paint Your Wagon" at the Meadowbrook. Somewhere in his illustrious career, he began to drink (a little too much).  And while he fought to control it, the death of his eldest son David from a cerebral hemorrhage in 1964 pushed him over the edge.   Sadly, soon after, we met. He was a kind man, but had his demons.  (Janet Murray, his first wife and mother of David had perished from pneumonia after only three years...

In 1988, Madonna did a three character Broadway play by David Mamet called "Speed the Plow" co-starring Ron Silver and Joe Mantegna. It played at the Royale Theater on West 45th Street which was two blocks away from our abode.  On one sunny matinee day, Fabian and I were walking toward home, having just passed the theater.  Coming toward us, was a sunglasses clad woman with two rather burly young men.  (Body guards, I'm guessing,)   As the trio passed us, Fabian said (perhaps a little too loudly) "That was Madonna!" In a split second, we heard her respond "And still is!" as they continued toward the theater.  Looking back at the trio, we saw her hand rise up in the air and a slight wave in our direction without looking back at us.  Brief encounter, indeed, but it made us smile.

Meadowbrook again.....Pinky Lee (remember him?)  Nice man.  As the "Technical Assistant" on this show, one of my duties was to drive him (and usually his wife) to rehearsals....(They always were supplied a limo during the run.)  I picked them up regularly during this period at the Beverly Hotel on Lexington Avenue in Manhattan and drove them into the "wilds" of  New Jersey.  During the trip, they were always very talkative and inquisitive about me. (He may have been impressed that I knew he had been in "Lady of Burlesque" with Barbara Stanwyck which was based on a Gypsy Rose Lee 1941 novel called "The G-String Murders.") There is not much to tell about the Meadowbrook production.  We did have a swimming pool/tank at one end of the stage which was a requirement for this look at "summer camp" and Pinky was very funny as the camp counselor, incorporating some of his "vaudeville shtick" into the script. Pinky thanked me at the...

As I have posted earlier, I did "West Side Story" with Tab Hunter.   A few years later, at the Wedgewood Dinner Theater, I played Hugo Peabody in a production of "Bye, Bye, Birdie" with Tab again as the star of the piece.  And it was one of my favorite roles.   Upon closing, Tab gave me this picture which reads...."To Lash LaRue - You've been a real BRICK throughout - Many thanks. Tab Hunter" Fade out, Fade in..... Don, my roommate at the time had done a show with Jonathon Frid (that Barnabas guy from TV's "Dark Shadows") and he was invited to a party at Jonathon's house.  Upon hearing my name and our affiliation from the Pittsburgh Playhouse days,  (I did a production of "Taming of the Shrew with him) ,Jonathon told Don to "by all means bring him along." At the party. we were greeted by a butler and ushered into the living room which was practically overflowing with various types who barely acknowledged our arriv...

Some more moments in my life so far..... 1. I don't remember what they called the performance...but it was at Radio City Musical Hall and it was Liza Minnelli..... I don't think it was the opening number, per se, but perhaps an intro to the opening number.  All I remember is Fabian and I were seated in the 2nd Balcony of this enormous venue.  The lights dimmed and Ms. Minnelli appeared on stage (far below us) wearing a yellow slicker/raincoat.  There was no music.  She began acapella............"It's not the pale moon that excites me....that thrills and delights me....." (and taking a pause, she pulled a pair of binoculars from the pocket of her coat and scanned the entire hall, even up to the 2nd balcony)....."Oh no, it's just the nearness of you!"  The place erupted. 2.  Southern Florida seems to be flooded with arts and crafts shows (in season) and we have attended a few over the years.  One of the earliest I remember was held in a town a few ...

No pictures on this one....just some random thoughts about some random moments in my life so far. l.  Around 1964, I  lived on east 74th Street  and frequently walked down Third Avenue to Bloomingdales or to the movies, window shopping along the way.....Antiques, Re-sale shops, etc. One day as I was peering in a re-sale window, two girls joined me, both dressed in items from the shop, I surmised.  They were chatting at breakneck speed and I realized the one in the floppy hat was Barbra Streisand.  We didn't speak and they moved on. 2. Around the time that my brother/cousin Jerome passed away, I received, in the mail, two pristine steel pennies from 1943 with a note from his wife, Judy saying  that he wanted me to have his "two cents worth." I loved it and Judy and him. 3. Tag Sales (Garage Sales?  Whatever.)   When we lived in upstate New York, we had dear friends named Chris Olert and Sheila O'Mara.  (Yes, they were married but she ch...

In the 60's, Mamie Van Doren was a minor star (sex-kitten was the term of the day) appearing in many "B" pictures (Although her best performance was  in "Teacher's Pet" with Clark Gable and Doris day)  Married five times, she was on husband number three, a minor league baseball player named Lee Meyers  (who never missed a performance), when we worked together in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" at the Meadowbrook Dinner Theater. I liked Mamie.  She was a flirt with a wicked sense of humor and not a bad actress at all.  Her comic timing was first rate in the role of Lorelei (previously handled by Carol Channing on stage and Marilyn Monroe in the movies.) She was also one smart cookie and knew why the audiences showed up to see her.  (We always had more men than usual).   As I have stated before, it was theater in the round at Meadowbrook and Mamie got a big kick out of dropping a prop, bending over to retrieve it, and thrusting her derriere toward so...