Just to show you how dedicated I am to writing this column, it is 38 degrees outside with the wind blowing at 20 miles an hour. So what, you're thinking. It's not as if I'm sitting outside at my computer all bundled up in a parka, scarf, touque and gloves. You're right, dear readers, as always, but you aren't taking in the emotional and psychological effect it has on me. I'm living in Las Vegas, not Fargo, N.D. It's supposed to be, according to the weather people, 61 degrees and no wind.
I chose to live here for the sun and the warmth, so when anything upsets that cycle, I get upset -- despondent, depressed, so much so that I have contemplated climbing up on my couch and throwing myself to my death some 18 inches below. But no, deep down I know that I have to get a column out. No shirking my responsibilities. It's called dedication and I hope like hell my boss, who writes my checks, reads this. If he doesn't, I've wasted all this space for nought.
OK, as promised last week, let me tell you more about my visit with Rich Little. Little, as well as being a great impressionist and talented artist, is a wonderful storyteller. Looking back over his career, he has a lot of stories to tell about his famous friends. What makes it even more enjoyable is that I feel like I'm in a room with all the great stars who, for the most part, I'd only seen on the big screen.
He loves telling stories about Ronald Reagan, who he came to know very well through his many visits to the White House. "I could write a book on just him. He was such a fascinating person and not what you'd expect. Here's a guy who was president of the United States telling joke after joke, funny story after funny story, and getting such a kick out of everything."
He gives an example by recalling an incident that happened one day when Reagan was talking to the press and Little was by his side. "All of sudden he just walks away, saying 'Rich, you do me better than I do, finish this. I'm hungry and going for a sandwich.' Then he'd stop just inside the door to listen to what I had to say. And every time I said something funny, he'd lean out and give me the V sign."
Or, "We'd be at the White House and I'd say something that would break him up. He'd say, 'Go over to Nancy' -- who was standing with Merv Griffin -- 'and tell them. That's hysterical.' So I'd go over to Nancy and Merv and interrupt their conversation to tell them the story and he'd come around and listen like a little kid and start laughing again. Then he'd say, 'Would you mind if I used that in some of my addresses?' He loved humor and he would do impressions for me.
"One day when we were talking, he did a great impression of Jimmy Stewart and John Wayne, but then he did Truman Capote and it absolutely floored me. Then he looked at me and said, 'What do you think, should I open the State of the Union speech with my Truman Capote? Might be a little much though, don't you think?' He was hilarious."
Little remembers another time when he had been invited to the White House for a dinner honoring some foreign dignitary. "Everyone in the dining room was waiting for the President and he'd be out in the hallway telling me a story. Nancy came to get him and he said, 'I'm telling Rich about the time Errol Flynn wouldn't come over the hill when we were doing "Desperate Journey".' And she'd say, 'Oh, Ronnie, that's a long story.' And he'd tell her, 'I'll cut it short,' but 10 minutes later he'd still be talking and she'd have to come out and drag him in to the dinner. One time, he took so long telling me a story, that an angry Nancy came out to tell him that all the guests had left. He said, 'Everyone's gone?' She said yes, they had all got tired of waiting. 'Good,' he says, 'now I can tell Rich about the time ...'
"He was a wonderful, wonderful man and they were a wonderful couple. There are just so many stories to tell and incredible memories. I've been very fortunate throughout my life and I'm still enjoying every minute of it."
We'll all be able to enjoy these and many more stories when he publishes his book, "People I Have Known and Been," which he hopes will be in bookstores next year. "It's chapter after chapter of stories about the people I've known and I'm going to illustrate each chapter with a sketch of the person. I hope after that to turn it into a talking book, which would be great, as that way everyone could listen to the stories being told in the voices of that particular person. I've been working on this book for some 15 years, so it's about time I got it published." Something to look forward to.
LEATHER SALE BENEFITS UMC
Here's something you might be interested in and it would help a good cause. University Medical Center of Southern Nevada Auxiliary is hosting a Leather Fashion fundraising sale from Wednesday (today) through Friday, Dec. 1, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The sale will be located in the main entrance lobby, next to the Adult Emergency Room. UMC is located at 1800 W. Charleston Blvd. Proceeds benefit UMC.
GIN RUMMY TOURNAMENT
For all you gin rummy players, the Gin Rummy Association will have a tournament Dec. 10-13 at the Riviera Hotel. There will be a one-day partnership and a three-day singles event. For more information contact the GRA at 888-786-6910 or go to: www.ginrummytournaments.com/.
Good luck and I'll see you on the Strip. And don't forget to check out www.valleyblogs.com and tune into Lenny's Las Vegas at 7 p.m. every Friday on KLAV 1230AM.
If you have a question or a Las Vegas experience you would like to share with my readers, please e-mail me at lennylv@cox.net. Please include your full name and the city or town where you live.
