The nicest celebrity you've met?

[Rodney Mills]

Mine's Frankie Lane, here's how it came about.

Forty-odd years ago my first wife--then my girl friend--had her sixteenth birthday. I was away at sea. Her girl friends treated her to the London Palladium to see Frankie Lane, who at that time was the number-one singer, with huge 'hits' like Jezebel; Do not forsake me, Mule train, I believe, etc.. Now--between songs-- as the screaming from the 'teeny-bopper' girls packing the audience died down, my ex. screams out "Kiss me Frankie!" "Later baby," he replies. Screams and squeals from the predominiantly female audience.

1967, ten years later.

I'm the Executive Chef of a large hotel in Central California. It's largest banquet-room seated two-thousand, and between convention business--dark periods--would become a nightclub, headlining major singers or comedians. One month it was Frankie Lane. He--Frankie Lane-- was very friendly, and I told him about my then wife and his London tour.

F.L.. Are you bringing her to the show?

Me. Yes, the second show tonight.

F.L. Great, bring her backstage, I'd like to meet her.

Now, off-stage he wore glasses with lenses as thick as Coke bottles, blind as a bat!

That night my ex-wife and I are walking towards the entrance to the showroom, and Frankie Lane is walking down the ramp towards us. I say "Hello", He peers at me..."Hello Chef", he turns to my ex. peers really close, places a hand under his chin, appears deep in thought, snaps his fingers, "I know you!...You asked for a kiss...Well better late than never." He holds her and gives her a kiss on the cheek. She was twenty-six going on sixteen. " I'll never wash my face again," she screams.

Next day the Hotel Manager comes to my office in the kitchen to tell me there's a cocktail party that afternoon for Frankie Lane and his wife--Nann Grey--a former movie star--at the managers home.

Upon arrival, my ex. was collard by Frankie Lane and introduced to his wife as the cute-as-a-bunny little English girl he'd told her about, and they spent a couple of hours 'yarning', while I spent the time listening to the boring life of the shows opening act.

We had some great photos, but she got custody of them.

I've been fortunate to have met many celebrities, most were nice, two standouts, Floyd Patterson and Ronald Regan.

Jerk...Nat King Cole.

Rodney

[Tony Morcom]

I haven't met many celebrities but I did meet Harold Wilson and his wife Mary when I was 16. They were visiting Tresco on the Scilly Isles and I was on the last ever holiday I was to spend with my parents. In those days there was hardly any need for security as there is today.Consequently he was quite happy for people to walk up and say hello. He actually chatted to me for about 5 minutes and seemed very interested that I was just about to embark on my merchant navy career. Being so young I was very impressed by the fact that someone so important could be bothered to talk to me. Politics in those days was of no interest to me but I must admit I was in awe of speaking to the actual Prime Minister. Didn't get to speak to Mary as she was busy discussing the local plant life with my mum. I still have his autographed photo somewhere in the loft.

[Captain Kong]

I saw Frankie Lane at the Liverpool Empire, then I was in San Diego visiting my son who was a doctor at the Scripps Institute there, Frankie Lived in San Diego and this was in 2005 I think or 2007, I wanted to go and see him, My son drove me past his home and said go on Dad knock on the door. I didnt want to impose so I hesitated and we carried on. a few weeks later he went into hospital for an operation on his knee and died. he was I think around 94 years of age, I always regretted not knocking on the great mans door.
I have met many other Celebs, actors, Politicians and authors, etc.

[Lou Barron]

my wife and i had the pleasure of meeting and talking to Helen Clark who was then the Prime Minister of New Zealand it came about when the then goverment through the Ministry For Cultureand Heritage about the part the merchant navy played in world war2 and i had the privilegeof writing my story anyhow my wife and went to Wellington for a few days and we attended the ceremony in the beehive with all the goverment politicians and the Prime Minister after she gave me my book HELL or HIGH WATER she ask me about my time at sea then she ask me why did i come to New Zealand and did i emigrate to NZand i said i liked the country and all the pretty girls and i jumped ship she shook my hand and had a good laugh

[Keith Moody]

over the years one meets a number of celebrety people, some good some not so good, the first one i met was Spile Millign, he travelled on the Ruahine down to NZ with us, he put on a one man show that lasted for about 2 hours, talking to him was the same as talking to any of your friends, plus he was a gentleman. the next one i met was the londoner Max Bygraves, he used to tour and one of his stops was Dover at the gaumont theatre, when the shows were over him and anumber of the show used to visit my mothers pub in the market sq. because he came in quite often (in the early years) my mother got to know him on a first name basis, on of the times he came in i was home on leave and got introduced to him.next on the list was a Fijian Prince comming over to England to meet the Queen, unfortunatly he got took ill with cancer and my job was to look after and feed and comfort him whilst he was in hospital, unfortunaty he died and was off loaded in Bombay and flown back to Fijji, he had 3 wives on board with him,a letter was given to me thanking me for what i had done and if you are ever in Fijji come up to the palace, never did though. the next gentleman was a man named Bill Morris he was a VIP on the Arcadia and i looked after him from London to Australia, on the coast and back to Londn, a man of around 78 he was very easy to talk to and every Saturday night he would give me a bottle of brown ale, under the table of course, every morning at breakfast he had to have a bowl of Porridge made with milk, you may know him as Lord Nuefield maker of the Morris Cars.
Not a big name in England was a gentleman called Mr. White. they owned department store all over Australia, he offered me a job but as i was just about to get married i turned it down, (wonder where i would be now????)
nexy was Sophia Loren, when i was working on the cross channel ferries, what a beautiful woman and what a sexy accent when she spoke English. then along came those famous 4, The Beatles and also Cilla Black, by this time i was working for the airlines (British Eagle) and we had just taken over the Liverpool airline "Starways", they used fly to and from London on a number of occassions but i only met them once. Whilst I was with the airlines I also met the London Philomonic Orchastre, Harry Secome and Anita Harris, the last two were going out to Singapore for a far east tour to entertain troops in the area. I also had the pleasure of meeting Sterling Moss on a trip to Bermuda there wer quite a few other celeb. mostly Lords or lady something who Didn`t make much impression on me.
then i moved to Canada where i had the honour to set up and fly with Princess Margret and Anthony Armstrong- Jones from Miniapolis to Winnipeg, following this a year later i did a 5 week far east trip with a band called Deep Purple, after picking them up in Los Angeles we stopped at Vancouver, Hawaii, Fijji, Tour of New Zealand (didn`t see any ofyour old girlfriends) , then onto tour Australia , followed by a trip to Jakartaand onto Tokyo, the band did a tour here whilst i went with the aircraft over to Taiwan, sent the aircraft back to canada loaded with freight. whilst i wasved the aircraft goodby i was surounded by police and informed i should have left with the aircraft, so then i had a poliman stay with me until i caught my China airways flight back to tokyo where i met up with the band again for their trip across the pacific to Los Angeles, where we parted company, i did meet up with with Dave Coverdale again when he started Whitsnake and performed in winnipeg, again I met up with Deep Purple on a trip to Denver where they were putting on a show. a great crowed of people
.
just as a side note, this band at one time was considered the loudest band in the world. for the five musicians we carried 20 tons of equipment throughout the trip.
keith moody
R635978

[Red Lead Ted]

Walked into the New York bar Barbados with a gang of geordie crew 1971. A good mate Terry Owens said to me theres a scouse mate of yours sat around the corner i said who!!!!!!!! Stuck my head around the corner and there was John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Cant rememmber my exact words but can remember his after he left the bar the barman brought me a bottle of trelawny rum signed bon voyage Terry J Lennon.Rolled of my desk at sea a few weeks later and smashed to bits You cant have it all in life Terry.

[Evan Lewis]

On the Queens,Mary & Elizabeth. The Q.M.s relieved the Watch five mins .early.
Reason being ,the two coming off .Wheel and Stand-by ,at Midday ,one would go to the Steam and Electric whistles ,the.other to the Telegraphs. The Watch coming on ,One first wheel. Stand- by Would take the days.run Info ,3 copies and post them in the Glass cases , Tourist ,Cabin and First Class. Not neccessarily in that order , as I was to find out later on my First ttrip .Being confronted by an irate Deck Stwd.Who was hurrying up along the Prom.Deck, almost snatchiing it from me , yelling ,"Where have you been, ?" "You should come here first, " then turns and skelters in to the Foyer.[Seconds later the days run was announced over the Tannoy system "Queen Mary ,from noon yesterday til noon today ,has stea
med a distance of six hundred and forty -two nautical miles:" whatever! (As later confirmation convinced me,}those

who believed there was no racket ,regarding ,the gambling associated with the Days run, "believed in Fairies at the bottom of the garden" the Hans Christian Anderson ones. not the" Get You Darling!"ones As they could be at the bottom of anyones garden. Haven't checked my neighbour out yet!.
Anyway ,back to the Wheel house ,,young sturdy lad is in there ,,came up there on a regular basis in the afternoons, He was Winston Churchill's grandson. the bridge boys couldn;t stand him ,gesturing behind his back. Suppose he did present as rather stand -offish..believe he later became M.P. for Manchester.
2nd Trip.two days out of S,hampton. five to 12 ,relieved the Wheel. ,couple mins .later Capt. Sorrel enters ,says to his officers, Miss Deborah Kerr is visiting. In walks Miss kerr . accompanied by her two young daughters, and anothe lady, I guess may have been their nurse.?
Miss kerr props right in front of me ,gazing out through the bridge windows. It's mid-day. I hit the eight Bells,which was the cue also to sound the whistles and test the Telegraphs
.She clapped her hand to her ears ,turnig round looking directly at me. When the noise subsided she said "What's all the cacaphony?'i explained it was an exercise to Test ,The whistles and Telegraphs , noon every day at sea. From ther it was pretending to let the children in turn ,Steering before goung back down ,She told the children to come over and say' Thank You, which they dutifully did.
Couple or so days later , 12-4 watch in the Hudson river , Capt walks in announces misss Kerr would like to be up here for the New York Pilot .My watchmate , the Chief Q.M. Swinnerton has the wheel ,as always, entering and leaving port.
.We,re almost stopped ,Pilot arrives. Capt. and Miss Kerr. Who this time props right in front of me .leaning back on the Telegraphs.we're at Dead Slow ahead, Fist order comes, "'Slow ahead port For'd. " responded accordingly,
next order'Half ahead Port fr.d . I.m getting a bit concerned now, expecting Full Ahead any second,Pondering , Should i ask her to Move? Too Late ,Full Ahead order comes , .caught her not too heavily ,near the right shoulder blade. Twas her who turned round and said ",I'm awfully sorry".
Others coming up or going down the gangway in those days was Liberace,Helen Hayes Wearing I Like Ike !Messages
re. his coming election . just myself and Noel Coward in the Foyer ,4-8 watch early ,kept prancing back and fore ,to see when the gangway would be open ,for disembarking Cherbourg. Read in the daily mirror next day .reason for leaving cherbourg, .he was a couple of days inside the the tax exemption limit, so was en route to Eire
missed Bill Haley and the Comets. .my trip off!

[happy daze john in oz]

Met a few, Cliff Richards when he started out singing in the Black and White cafe in New Cross.
Reg Kray in Lyons corner house Marbel Arch.
sir Ralph Richardson, Micheal Regrave, a most peculiar man, and all his family and a number of other actors when I was working at the Yvone Arnaud Theatre in Guildford.
The English and Pakistan cricket teams at the MCG here in Melbourne when the Pakis beat England in the cricket World cup final 1991. Iwas a guest of Schweppes and was introduced to them all.

[Neil Morton]

As a 15 year old commis waiter I was working at The Hyde Park Hotel near Marble Arch in London. The Queen and Prince Phillip hosted a grand banquet and I was one of two commis chosen to assist the waiters at the top table. However that is not the story.
Twenty six years later I had a stint as Maitre d'otel at a posh Melbourne venue. Prince Phil and son Charles came to some special do in the banqueting hall. I mentioned my previous encounter with royalty to the general manager who in turn mentioned it Prince Phillip. To my amazment he asked to meet me on his way out and very civil and chatty he was, not all condescending, whereas Charlie said not a word.
Biggest jerk I met would be a toss up between Joan Crawford and James Robertson Justice.

[Captain Kong]

Hi Neil, Biggest jerk I met would be a toss up between Joan Crawford and James Robertson Justice
.
He should have known better as he used to be an Engineer on the Good Ship GEORGIC. and other ships at sea.
Cheers
Brian.