What a wonderful experience, to have run into Bob Hope in Houston, Texas!! Who ‘da thunk? Besides going to a local comic-con show with my son where I met Boris Karloff’s daughter Sara, Ernie Hudson, Linda Blair, and a few others, when I was a kid, my parent’s took my brother and I to New York City sometime in the 60’s. I caught a glimpse of Richard Burton coming out of the theatre where he’d been performing Hamlet. He ran out and got into a limo. I also got to shake hands with RFK when he was running for NY Senator, and when I was in NY City back in the 80’s with a friend, we were crossing the street, and coming towards us I recognized actor Robert Englund. Back then, I recognized him as Willie from the TV series “V.” It was long before he started his Freddy Krueger character. I worked in uniform for NY State Corrections, so probably came across more famous murderers in my career, than I ever did Hollywood or political figures. What can I say. Somebody had to do it.
I’ve met a lot of people. Arnold when he was selling his first book. Ann Margaret who was beautiful. Buddy Hackett who would not say anything off color because kids were around. Jay Leno who is super funny in person. Bill Clinton who was creepy. Penn & Teller who were kind of odd. Rick Perry who I did not like until I met him. The odd thing about Rick is that he remembers every person’s name he ever met. John McCain who was a total idiot but his wife was smoking hot at the time. John Glenn when I was at NASA but then I got kicked out for telling him he was an ass for bumping others off the shuttle. I got drunk with Estelle Gettleman (Estelle Gettys from the Golden girls) in the Rainbow Room at a party but didn’t recognize her because she was made up on TV to look older. Every other word she said was motherf***. She was insanely funny.
There are more, I was at a comedy show in Houston with a buddy and he got into a fight with the guy on stage. I literally looked down by the table and the comedian and my buddy were rolling on the floor. We all got kicked out of the club then the comedian went across the street, climbed up on a 7-11 sign then “crucified” himself while yelling “look what they did to Jesus” until the cops and the comedy club owner came and talked him down. That guy was Sam Kinison.
I used to hang out in downtown Houston with Christopher Cross before he became famous and with Gino Vinelli who is an amazing talent.
I have not drank in a while but got drunk with Dennis Rodman once, that guy is crazy. I was a cable TV convention once and had a little to drink and ran across Neil Bush. I stepped in front of him and called him a “f’ing crook” but that was not a good idea because the Secret Service guys with him literally picked me up and moved me. IMO, the entire Bush family were crooks and still are. They had their fingers in so many companies in Houston and were involved in a lot of pump and dump schemes.
Most all of these encounters were happenstance or at parties.
The most impressive person I ever met was many years ago on a flight from Austin to Houston. I was sitting in the very front of a Southwest flight and they rolled this lady in a wheelchair in and put her right next to me in a spot for wheelchairs. I chatted with her the whole way back to Houston and she was mesmerizing. He name was Barbara Jordan.