Thursday, November 16, 2017

Today's Blind Items - Once In A Lifetime - Kindness

Back when I was in high school there was an old family friend of my parents who used to pull out a yearbook and show me the picture of a couple people she went to school with. It was cool she went to school with them, but most of us have someone famous we went to school with or a school close to us. I didn't really think she knew this particular person. The person, who by the way is probably a permanent A list mostly movie actress who has more than a handful of Oscar nominations/wins.

The family friend had a party one day and lo and behold the actress was there. Right there. Just as loud and lovely as you probably imagined she would be. She was very nice and loved/hated being the center of attention. At one point she started swearing and yelling at her wig which she was tired of adjusting and handed it to me. The rest of the party she was strolling through the party, talking and taking pictures while she consumed vast quantities of wine which ended up everywhere as she spoke. She was big into hand gesticulations which works fine if there is nothing in your hand. Wine would go everywhere, but no one seemed to mind.

Fast forward a few years. The family friend died of breast cancer. It was sudden and it still gets me in the feels all these years later. At the funeral, our actress was there. She was a complete 180 from the party. Somber. Dressed in black. Black mink coat too. I remember it was drizzling that day and she looked as if she was about to slip on some stairs. I took her hand and then she looked at me a couple of times and remembered from a few years back that I was the one who held her wig all night.

She then went on a 15 minute monologue about life and death and was just rambling away. She asked me if I was in school and I said yes. She then asked if I was working and I said yes. She made me give her my phone number and said she was going to check in on me. I really didn't believe it, but once every two or three months she would call and check up on me.

About a year after the funeral, she made one of her calls and we started talking about a charity she worked for and basically forced me to spend some time with. I was glad she did and because I was doing it she got me some jobs doing some things for some people which have made it into the blinds before.

Anyway, I told her the branch I was working at was having an auction and was missing something really big to auction off. There were lots of small and medium things but nothing big. Something that had been promised had been pulled. I asked if she had any ideas. She said she had one. She said to come meet her the next week in NYC and she was sure she could solve my problem.

It was a Saturday when we met in NYC and she said we were going to have tea. I had never had tea before. I mean I drank tea. Iced tea. Oh, I guess I would drink hot tea when I would eat st Chinese restaurants, but no high tea for me. I like real food. I actually thought we were going to a restaurant. Nope. We actually ended at an apartment building. This was not some 100 story tower rising into the sky. I remember the doorman wanting to be thorough, but our actress was having none of that and just walked to the elevators and we went up.

The actress had not told me who I was meeting or who we were having tea with, but I instantly recognized her when the door opened. I had only seen her in pictures. I am not even sure I really had seen her in video except for the one thing every one on the planet has seen.

I know I had my mouth open, but of course, our actress took care of that. I believe she said something like, "I hope you have some f**king whiskey to put in that tea, because I need a drink. Oh, and this is ___________. Say hi to __________."

The woman who answered the door is permanent A+ list in the whole world. Literally. She could not have been more charming or gracious and laughed just as loudly as our actress. It was three hours of each of them telling stories. Stories where I didn't know half the people they were discussing and only vague thoughts of who some others were, but it didn't matter. The stories were so good and they were having so much fun, that I didn't want the day to end. I'm not sure I talked for more than a total of 10 minutes. At the end of three hours, the actress pointed at me and said that I need something for this charity auction and did she have anything. The ask was so abrupt. It didn't seem to phase the A+ lister though and she disappeared for a minute and came back with some antiquity. She then rummaged through what looked like a library card catalog and pulled out a car which had all the information on the piece. She then took out a sheet of her stationary and wrote two sentences and signed it. You could tell she had done this before.

Apparently it was a crown that her second husband owned. Honestly, I had no idea how valuable it was, but I knew it wasn't something cheap. She even had boxes for everything and I remember thanking her. I remember her kissing my cheek goodbye. I remember the charity not selling it at auction during the event but put it up for auction at an auction house where the item sold for almost $500K.

The actress of course reminds me of this every chance she gets. Her two month phone call is due any day. Yes. For years and years she has kept to it. She has made some amazing things happen, but that one day is definitely once in a lifetime.

57 comments:

LJNDawson said...

Duchess of Windsor? But Edward VIII was her third husband. She's the only person I can think of who would have a crown.

MontanaMarriott said...

"video except for the one thing every one on the planet has seen."
Jackie Onassis the video being the day JFK died? She was a NY'er.

MontanaMarriott said...

I could see Ari Onassis owning a crown.

sandybrook said...

I'm a say Sissy Spacek for the actress friend and Jackie O for the friend of hers with the crown.

Diana said...

Thank goodness for a kindness blind today. Some of the last blinds, although interesting, have been horrific. It's nice to be reminded of the good in people.

Sunspirit said...

I like this blind. It makes a change from the BI's the past few weeks.

Sunspirit said...

I did think the friend was Jackie O but it doesn't say that the person is dead.

Joel Theriot said...

This was awesome. Thanks for sharing.

wolfmom said...

Shirley Maclaine and Jackie O

MontanaMarriott said...

Yes I think wolfmom got it, Shirley Maclaine and Jackie were friends. She even opened up SM one woman show for her.
http://www.gettyimages.ae/event/opening-of-shirley-maclaines-one-woman-show-75170451#jackie-kennedy-onassis-during-opening-of-shirley-maclaines-one-woman-picture-id105177794

Moose said...

It's an A not A+ actress, with serious New York connections and Oscar nods. And no spring chicken, but not ancient.

I think Susan Sarandon is the actress.

fouxdafafa said...

Carol Channing for the actress.

Ulf said...

Screams Shiley Maclaine to me

just sayin' said...

sounds like shirley and jackie, but i'll throw in elizabeth taylor for boozy, wig-wearing actress. she knew ari.

MontanaMarriott said...

Because Enty is expecting a call from her soon I think the actress is still alive. The other person he doesn't give enough clues to know whether she is or isn't.

Vik said...

We needed the kindness blind! Thank you!!!
I am on board with the Shirley Maclaine and Jackie O train.

Shirley Maclaine is a six-time Academy Award nominee who won best actress for 1984's "Terms of Endearment."

Dahling said...

+1 Wolfman. Jackie O's 5th Ave. apartment building was a mere 17 stories.

Shirley Mc Laine on wigs: "Soon after coming to Hollywood, I realized that wigs were the way to go, not only when playing parts on screen but also in life, because I never had to sit with curlers under the dryer."

Thanks for the uplifting blind today. Sorely needed after the last several weeks of "ugh"!

D Brown said...

I honestly thought the actress was Elizabeth Taylor until the last paragraph saying she still calls. While I hate to disillusion fans of Camelot, Jackie O was somewhat tight with money and cavalierly giving away $500K would be completely out of character.

Alexandria said...

Wow, amazing story, I'm curious who these ladies are..

2017RFED said...

Angela Lansbury?

Bally said...

I think the actress is Shirley Maclaine, because it says the woman would show a yearbook with pics of a couple she went to school with. Shirley Maclaine's brother is Warren Beatty. Are they close enough in age they'd have been in high school at the same time?

Moose said...

Would Brooke Astor be considered A+ all over the world? There certainly was a time when she was the centerpiece of NY High Society, making her A+ but I wonder if that translates worldwide.

Astor's generousity is legendary. And it would also make sense that her 2nd husband (who was the 12th richest man in the world at one time) would be in possession of collectibles such as a crown that valuable.

2017RFED said...

Yes, I think you’re right.

Itttt said...

Katherine Hepburn and a Princess Di? Gotta finish the story but damn it good read so far.

Moose said...

The donor of the crown had two husbands (at least), ltttt. That takes Diana out of the running.

just sayin' said...

moose: i think this makes it jackie onassis:

" I had only seen her in pictures. I am not even sure I really had seen her in video except for the one thing every one on the planet has seen."

i didn't catch the part about her still calling...so definitely shirley maclaine.

Moose said...

Yea, just sayin', that makes a lot of sense - the one thing everyone on the planet has seen Jackie O. in is the Zapruder film.

mrsw said...

I'm feeling Bette Miller as the first one, who calls to check in

Boldblonde said...

Bette Miller is definitely and would wear a fur coat to a funeral.

Unknown said...

Bette Midler only has 2 Oscar nominations. Shirley MacLaine worked with the Motion Picture Television Fund. That totally fits.

Unknown said...

I think this is Jane Fonda and Liz Taylor.

Count Jerkula said...

Not reading all that for a kindness. Where is the child rape we all clamor to read about?

aanjheni said...

I really love this BI. Thank you :)

dot said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Off With Her Head said...

Wrong sister. It's Lee Radzwill. Her second husband was Prince Stanislaus Radzwil (the crown).

Sara said...

MontanaMarriott, those photos are great. And the woman sitting in front of Jackie O is Louise Lasser! (look her up young 'uns - an actress once married to Woody Allen in the 60s and seriously famous in her own right in the 70s).

Also, another clue pointing to Shirley MacLaine is the black mink. Shirley did ads for Blackglama minks: http://www.gettyimages.ae/event/opening-of-shirley-maclaines-one-woman-show-75170451#jackie-kennedy-onassis-during-opening-of-shirley-maclaines-one-woman-picture-id105177794

Sara said...

oops wrong link! Try again: //i.pinimg.com/originals/90/a0/1b/90a01bc332fa30095d46707fcce280a4.jpg

Lucy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Lucy said...

Agree on the Jackie O & Shirley guesses, and this makes me love JKO even more. There have always been claims she was snobby and cheap, but this blind does a great job of putting those rumors to bed. Also, I don't think it can be her sister Lee - she was never in a video everyone on the planet has seen and I'm not sure the average person knows what she looks like (even though she basically looks like a smaller, blond-ish version of Jackie.) I'm sure JKO had plenty of amazing gifts from Ari, and a crown doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility. Lastly, she was very big into handwritten notes, and I think that mention was a slight clue.

ryan1814lamb said...

I misread this and have spent the last few hours thinking Jackie O is alive and in hiding lol

just sayin' said...

thanks for making us think of louise lasser and mary hartman, sara! 40 years later and ad execs still having women cleaning their floors in high heels. it blows my mind.

BayAreaGirl said...

@ Bally - Yes! Shirley is 3 years older than Warren. Good catch.

whoareyouwearing said...

family friend: a family friend
loud actress: liza minnelli
just as loud nyc host: joan rivers
https://cdn.cltampa.com/files/base/scomm/cltampa/image/2014/09/960w/ba897_joanrivers_card_catalogue.jpg

Terri said...

I thought this was Joan Rivers and Camilla, Duchess of Corwall, but JR has passed. I know they were friends.

Samantha M. said...

Off With Her Head, I like where you're going with Lee Radziwill, makes a whole lot of sense. The only thing that doesn't fit is the "everyone on the planet" has seen her. I think that's why it has to be Jackie, because I could absolutely see Ari Onassis owning antiquities like it was no big deal, and maybe even legal to do so. The Greek Royal Family was exiled, so maybe the government sold off the crown jewels to make money?

lucy said...

@count I think "crown" is code for black market baby shhhh

Count Jerkula said...

Lucy: have you alerted the FBI and Interpol yet, or should I?

lucy said...

those organs have long since been harvested. we may as well hold off till after reveal day

John Doe said...

A very pretty story. Thank you Enty for the break from all the depressing pedo shit we've been reading lately. I concur with Jackie O and Shirley MaClaine, though I believe that they were more gossip buddies than really close friends. Shirley fits the blind as the loud alcoholic actress with the wigs. Shirley is old now, her commitments to her friends and relationships would be the most important things in her life. Staying in touch with people who have touched her life over the years is a totally believable priority. If this is Shirley then I now love her even more.

Shirley also knew JFK, but more as a political donor than as a close friend. I also believe that Shirley was the conduit though which Jackie met and slept with all those A-list Hollywood actors. Go, Jackie!

I have not been able to trace the crown mentioned in the blind to any of Jackie's appearances so I doubt that she ever wore it. I have also not been able to trace it to any of the famous auction houses, but it seems plausible that Ari might have owned such a piece and gave it to her as a gift. Jackie was a woman who owned many millions of dollars of worth of jewelry and she gave a lot of it away, so I believe that part of the blind.

Jackie must have been a very charming and lovely person because everybody liked her. I don't think that she was conventionally beautiful because she had a broad, square face and her eyes were too wide apart. But who cares, right? This is Jackie. She was beautiful in her own way. I recently read a report on a conservative website about how her public image was very carefully crafted. I believe every word of it, only because some of the gay men who were her stylists back in the day are still alive and they are the ones who were telling the story. I have to give those guys credit+++. Was there ever a bad photo of Jackie? I don't think so. She was immaculately and flawlessly dressed and made up for every occasion, and perfectly posed for every photo. Its many decades later, and STILL no other woman ----model, actress, whatever---even comes close to matching Jackie's style and star power. No other woman ever will. In fact, they're all still copying her. How can anyone not admire that? What a woman! What a life!

Despite his man-slutting behavior, I wish that JFK had survived. The world would be a very different place today if he had had the opportunity to complete his presidency. The Kennedy family however seems to be perpetually cursed.



AIP said...

I had thought the woman with the crown may have been Anna-frid from Abba (she’s a Countess via her second marriage and always seems like she has good stories in her interviews), but I think you guys are on the money with Jackie O

Unknown said...

I do hope it is Susan, I love her so much. Comes across as such a down to earth, lovely woman.

just sayin' said...

my mother grew up with jackie, and says that jackie was always considered a stunning beauty. quite exotic, with her "black irish" coloring compared to most of the other girls who were bland in comparison and deeply jealous.

i too searched for the crown and couldn't find it. google searches for "shirley maclaine charity" are complicated by the endless "sweet charity" hits, lol.

Mrs.MuHa said...

I think this is Shirley Maclaine and Elizabeth Taylor. There are photos of Taylor wearing a crown that Mike Todd gave her. She even said it wasn't fashionable but that was her King so on it goes. He was her third husband but I suspect she may not have considered Nicky Hilton hubby #1. As a person with a "starter " marriage..... yeah sometimes you forget about those guys.

just sayin' said...

if classic enty wrote this, here are clues i can think of to lead us to the crown:

shirley maclaine grew up in texas and enty makes frequent references to his time in austin. so let's assume he has childhood roots there, hence the family friend who grew up with shirley.

shirley's pet charity is the democratic party. arguably the biggest democratic fundraising movement of this era would have been the first election of bill clinton in 1992. this is a cause i can see jackie being so generous about. (clinton being the new jack, texas being primarily republican, etc. etc.)

enty was in austin in the '90's, so i'm trying to find an auction catalog for a big texas clinton fundraising auction. any one got one lying around?

Dahling said...

SM grew up in Arlington VA and attended HS there. Where is the TX reference @just sayin’?

just sayin' said...

dahling: once again i went down the wrong rabbit hole. ok, i'm done with this one. the important part's solved.

shakey said...

@Sara, Barbara Walters is sitting behind Jackie, too.

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