STARRDI'S WALL

 

                   

Anyone who's ever been to Sardi's, the definitive restaurant of Broadway, in the heart of the theatre district, in New York City, doubtlessly remembers the thousands of caricatures that line the walls.  The actors, directors, playwrights and other noted entertainment industry professionals whose portraits fill their space, date from the 1940s through the present, so it's often hard to tell exactly who's who.  In our case, it's a bit easier. 

                       

The non-presidential portraits shown here, that were incorporated into the productions of  Starr's on Broadway, were done by Sophia Ziburtovicz.  Those who held the highest office had their pictures taken from clip art.  

                         

I'm told that the owners of some restaurants in rural communities outside of New York, actually have summer camp pictures from their childhoods on their walls.  Still other establishments cover their plaster with pictures of celebrities that they've encountered.  However, when it comes to rubbing elbows with genuine camp celebrities from childhood, I think I have the market cornered.  These are just a few, who happened to have been around at the same time as a camera.

 

With my old friend, Grampa Al Lewis who, until the very end, still smoked cigars, still fought for political causes, still had a great sense of humor, and still came over to say hello to me, every time I ran into him.  You're missed, Al.  In a city of eight million colorful characters, you certainly held your own, and left a void that can never quite be filled.

 

And with my new friend, Ron Horshack Pallilo.  Hang in there, Ronald, Starr's will come to Broadway yet, and you're still my first choice for a director.

 

Including my beautiful, charming, enchanting and multi-talented new friend, Barbara Feldon, with the Camp Celebrities doesn't quite feel right, but since she did play Agent 99 on one of the great high camp television programs of all time, I guess she kind of fits in.  This picture  was taken at a Families of Freedom Foundation benefit that I helped coordinate talent for and that I invited Barbara to, in November, 2002.

 

No, he's not sitting on my knee, and I'm not auditioning as Bob's replacement on his.  However, this truly brilliant ventriloquist was arguably the most gifted performer in the most talented ensemble cast ever assembled for the single best and most extraordinary situation comedy to hit the airwaves when I was a teenager, or any time before and after.  In case anyone is still wondering, that's Jay Johnson, the man who was never more than an inch or two behind the sardonic dummy (sorry; I think the politically correct term is Wooden American) on the classic television sitcom, SOAP.   If you haven't seen SOAP, or if it's been a while, you'll send me a grateful E-Mail when you get buy the DVD.  I'm sorry I can't recommend Jay's rather brilliant one man, but multiple character Broadway show, THE TWO AND ONLY, but unfortunately, it closed long before it's time.

 

The familiar looking gentleman at the next table at Sardi's turned out to be yet another of my favorite television personalities from when I was growing up, Larry Corporal Agarn Storch.   Not all actors always work in the center of the limelight, and like Ron Pallilo, Larry probably has more of an extensive and diverse resume over the past twenty five years than even Robert De Niro.

 

Though the beautiful, enchanting and multi-talented  Ashley Brown is certainly not a camp celebrity, and she wasn't even born when I was in high school much less when most of the other people on this page were at their peaks, MARY POPPINS certainly qualifies as someone that I've wanted to meet, when I was growing up.   Ashley, of course, is playing Mary in the new, 2006 Broadway show, and if you haven't seen it, get off this page and order tickets.   This picture is from the recent opening night party. 

 

If you ever want to laugh, have your perspective forever altered and experience someone unlike anyone else that you've ever experienced, then I suggest you find a way to spend an afternoon with one of my true childhood heroes, Adam Batman West.  Of course, some of us might still prefer the company of the beautiful and charming Yvonne Batgirl Craig, but since they still frequent the same events, who says you can't spend a day with them both?

 

Jim Gomer Pyle Nabors, now a gentlemen flower farmer in Hawaii, still finds his way to New York, on occasion, like for the opening night party of Broadway's RAGTIME.  

 

For someone whose wife was shot in the face by his underage lover, Joey Butafuoco has always struck me as a warm, gregarious, family oriented man.  Also seated at our table at a diner, after one of Howard Stern's birthday bashes, were Joey's still lawfully wedded spouse, Mary Jo, John Lennon's noted assistant, Mae Pang, and Eddie Brigati, of the sixties rock band, THE RASCALS.     

 

Wasn't it this man who said God Bless Us All, Everyone (or was that a different Tiny Tim)?  Tiny was truly one of the most original and unique people that you could ever imagine meeting, and I'm ready to believe that this multi-faced mad man was a reincarnate of George Washington (look closely at pictures of them both).  I'm proud to say that Tiny and I were starting to become good friends, before his unfortunate demise.

 

 

 

Yes, that's the staunch Conservative who ran against my favorite president, and those are two letters that he wrote to me, after our single encounter.  Who knows, maybe he got confused and thought he was getting friendly with the NRA member in the blue shirt, who's standing behind us, in the top picture.  Or else, maybe he'd been overusing his drug of choice, and thought I could help him meet some wild New York women (figure it out).   Believe it or not, this man actually won me over with  charm, wit and what seemed like genuine sincerity.  Of course, Abraham Lincoln would have to resurface to get me to vote for a Republican over  Bill Clinton, but if my friend Bob had run against the contenders of 2000, I might have actually campaigned for him.

 

So

With the still quite exquisite and enchanting definitive television mom of the seventies, Marion Cunningham Ross, at an event at the broadcaster's museum in New York, in early 2008.

 

So Mr. Simon doesn't sue me for defaming his character, let me clarify that the rest of this page will not contain pictures of campy celebrities, but rather, serious superstars, like him.  This picture, that Paul reluctantly stood still for, was taken at the opening night party of his short lived Broadway musical, CAPEMAN.

 

I'm not sure I'd call any of these people camp either, at least not openly.  However, who's to say that future generations won't view them the way we perceive The Brady Bunch.

 

If THE SOPRANOS can be considered the third millennium's answer to FATHER KNOWS BEST, then the crypt keeping Fishers were definitely this generation's ADDAMS FAMILY.   With Michael C. Hall, the humble and charismatic star of musical theater,  the HBO mega-smash,  SIX FEET UNDER, and the Showtime sensation, DEXTER backstage at Madison Square Garden, after a summer of 2002 WHO concert.

 

It seemed like virtually everyone from the LAW & ORDER universe was at one of two Broadway opening night parties that I attended, over the course of a weekend in March of 2007.  Those who stood still long enough to be photographed with me include Sam Waterston, Stephanie March, Chris Noth, Richard Belzer and Eric Bogosian.  One of the parties was for Eric's compelling play, TALK RADIO, that co-starred Stephanie and Liev Schrieber, and the other was for PRELUDE TO A KISS, another rather intriguing play that no one in any of these pictures appeared in. 

 

It was truly a pleasure, and an honor, to spend time talking to the brilliantly talented Oscar winning actor, Kevin Spacey, at the 2007 opening night party for his Broadway production of MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN.   If you agree that Kevin, who is rather adept at playing a wide variety of comedic characters, would be ideal for the multiple roles of Kenneth Starr, LBJ, JFK and Harry Truman, please call him up and tell him.

 

Some of the principals from the Tony winning Broadway musical sensation, JERSEY BOYS, include Daniel Reichard, Peter Gregus and Michael Longoria.  On top, of course, are my good friends, keyboardist extraordinaire, Colin Fowler, with his enchanting bride, the beautiful and happening young actress, LAUREN ADLER.

 

More than seventy award winning, talented A-List actresses filled the stage of Madison Square Garden for a once in a lifetime event that I had the privilege of attending:  The anti-violence benefit performance of Eve Ensler's comically gripping and deeply profound play, THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES.   Photographed with me at the aftershow party  were the mesmerizing young actress, Julia Styles, the brilliant and bewitching feminist icon, Gloria Steinam, the dazzling leading lady of television's DALLAS, Linda Gray, the enchanting Ms. Ensler herself, and of course, the woman who immediately developed a fatal attraction to me, and offered to put me up in her house, on Sunset Boulevard (ah, the dreams of an idle mind).  

With my old friend, and grand patriarch of yet another royal entertainment industry family, Jerry Stiller, at the after party for Comedy Central's 2008 NIGHT OF TOO MANY STARS benefit for autistic children.   After many years, I'm still in awe, whenever I watch Jerry swim at my health club,  with a vigorous and enthusiastic energy that I couldn't have even imagined, when I was twenty.

 

Meeting Sir Bob Geldorf at a 2005 art opening was truly an honor.  This star of the film THE WALL, lead singer for the Boomtown Rats, and founder of the LIVE AID movement set out to use his art to make a difference in the world, and succeeded, beyond any imaginable expectation.  That's my friend, Sharon Harrell, smiling through from the rear center.

 

The one thing I doubtlessly have in common with everyone on this page, and with virtually every other entertainer and artist on every level of the business in New York, is that we've all been interviewed by my friend, the legendary talk show host who hasn't been without his own radio or television program since the forties, the genuine definition of a New York personality, Joe Franklin.

 

 My friend, Colin Quinn's one man Broadway show, AN IRISH WAKE, should have played for longer than it's planned limited run, but then, should have is probably the most used and abused term in the entertainment industry.

 

My favorite bass player from my favorite rock band, and widely considered the most proficient bassist in the history of rock and roll, John Entwistle of THE WHO and I sat at a table together, on more than a dozen occasions.  John, we love you and you left us far too early.  The two corner end pieces aren't Peter, but are in fact brothers, Paul and Simon Townshend.  The gorgeous brunette in the middle row was John's life mate and my good friend, Lisa Pritchett-Johnson, whose warm and sparkling presence I still feel. 

To your sweet, unique and always room enlightening memory, Lisa, I dedicate this page.

WATCH TEN MINUTE VIDEO MONTAGE

WATCH FIVE MINUTE COMMUNITY SERVICE MONICALOGUE

WATCH ERIC ZACCAR'S RIVETING NEW MUSIC VIDEO, TURN AROUND

(totally unrelated to STARR'S ON BROADWAY)

TAKE THE STARR'S ON BROADWAY HISTORY QUIZ!

(forever change your perceptions!)

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