One of the main things that puts the sparkle in the Big Apple are the large number of celebrities scattered around town, and the sooner a guide discovers this and
capitalizes on the readily available celebrity information, the better your tours will be. As a licensed guide for over 20 years, I discovered early on quite by accident that celebrity information can spice up any tour and add that "special something."
Call it the magic of creatively name-dropping but it works. One day on my step-on bus tour many years ago, I remember being stuck in a horrendous downtown traffic mess and after exhausting my New York knowledge of history and architecture of that particular SoHo block, I began listing celebrities I knew positively lived in the neighborhood.
I probably have many more celebrity stories than the average NYC guide because of my various jobs and friends over the years. As a young person I sold souvenirs
and programs at the Broadway show ANNIE and became acquainted with a LOT of Broadway people, including 13-year-old Sarah Jessica Parker and her family, Laurie Beechman, Andrea McArdle, Alice Ghostley and others.
I'm sure Sarah doesn't remember but I helped her and family (along with her friends
Brooke and Terri Shields) clean out her dressing room suite at the Alvin Theatre (now the Neil Simon) and load the car on her LAST day as ANNIE.
A few years later I worked backstage at Radio City Music Hall at Night of 100 Stars as "Green Room Talent Coordinator" —a fancy word for Go-Fer. Basically, I fetched celebrities to and from the stage and had access to all backstage areas! Still, I met everybody including Sir Laurence Olivier, Ginger Rogers, Myrna Loy (she kissed my cheek), Whoopi Goldberg (wonderful), Grace Kelly, Carol Burnett (she helped us clean up the Green Room), Jimmy Stewart, Ann-Margret, Lucille Ball, Lana Turner, Olivia DeHavilland and all the rest, giving me enough afterdinner celebrity stories for a lifetime. As a matter of fact, I saved my dressing room assignment sheets from the clipboard because they are a hoot…all those major stars crammed together in dressing rooms designed for the Rockettes.
I became chummy that evening with singer Vic Damone who was married to Diahann Carroll at the time. Such a nice man...very down-to-earth. As we were all leaving thru the 51st St. Music Hall stage door around 4am after a long, grueling day of rehearsals and taping, Vic spotted me and offered me a ride in his limo. I declined, saying "it's OK, I only live a few blocks away…I'll walk." He responded "It's 4am…we'll drop you…I insist. Move over, Diahann." The great diva Ms. Carroll shot him a look that said "you're giving THE HELP a lift?" but still she scooted her sequined butt over. I'll never forget that look she gave him. They broke up a short time later. I wasn't surprised…she's a diva and he's a down-to-earth guy. I later read that her mother was a maid and her Dad was a subway conductor but I guess she forgot where she came from...
It's funny...at Night of 100 Stars I noticed that some of the most legendary stars (Lucille Ball, Bette Davis, Myrna Loy, Ginger Rogers, Grace Kelly, Jimmy Stewart, etc.) were just as nice and down-to-earth as you please. Myrna Loy kissed me when I told her she was one of my favorite actresses, Lucille Ball heard my first name once and called me Jimmy all evening, Olivia DeHavilland and Esther Williams treated me like an equal, Petula Clark pushed me thru a crowded room to make sure I personally met Laurence Olivier! But the TV stars...oh brother! Talk about self-important ego-maniacs! Sitcom stars are especially the WORST, from my experience, also prime-time soap stars! The Dallas and Dynasty casts were just huge pains in the ass to deal with!
I now routinely tell many of these stories on my Rich & Famous Tour to spice things up and add a "personal" touch. Just another reason to come to New York and take the Rich and Famous Tour. http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LnJpY2hhbmRmYW1vdXN0b3Vycy5jb20=
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