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Dinner with Mike Douglas

jokekajr,

In the late 80's I went to a Christmas party at a client's house and at my table were Charles Bronson, a singer called Kay Starr, and Mr. and Mrs. Mike Douglas. There was also some baseball player- with catch o' the day Ms. Silicone of 1988 in tow, but I can't remember who HE was,.. I was certainly the designated nobody at that table! The entertainment that evening was Tony Bennett with 16 pieces- before the "comeback" and though I never liked his music before, he made such a great show and seemed to enjoy himself so much I was really caught up by it- an amazing presence in person- I can't really expelain- I you feel he's singing for you- with utmost effort- personally. He sang, "I left my Heart in San Fransisco" among others.

Charles Bronson was among the quietest people I've met and Kay Starr among the most extroverted, but the Douglas' were delightfully in the middle- natural and at ease- confident, calm, and unpretentious.

I'd heard of Douglas as an extremely wealthy producer/ tv syndicator but as I didn't move to the US until 1980, I'd never seen his interview/variety show. He really had this wonderful conversational style- I instantly felt at ease and seemed a smart person and friendly- quite different from my expectation of an influential entertainment broker- these guys are usually a bit twitchy and often seem constantly calculating for effect- but not Douglas. He also dressed well- smart, and tailored, but low key and no show.

When this same client married the next year, Mike Douglas gave them as a wedding gift a sterling tea service- it was beautiful and easily cost $10,000+.

Douglas must have been a very good interviewer- he actually asked more questions of me than I of him- and he really wanted to talk. Of course I was curious abou thim- I'd heard he had just finished a huge house in Trousdale that included among other features, a four-lane driveway that was for parking 200 cars at parties- parking on the two sides with the centre two lanes kept open! Douglas seemed to have a very kind, devoted relationship with his wife too, and it seemed almost odd that they must've been married then a long time- usually these fellows change for a newer model- with each $100 Million a decade comes off the wife's age. But Douglas just didn't display even a touch of the nasty side of the show biz personality. All in all, I was impressed with Douglas personally and it was a memorable evening. He sems to have touched a lot people and the outpouring here in Los Angeles has been considerable- and all the comments I've heard or read have been similarly complimentary.

Cheers,

Bambi B


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