Holding Hands with a Legend

Here's another great tale about meeting the legendary Tony Curtis, as told by my ultra-hip friend from Chicago, Ken Mottet. He and I have been doing some Tony Curtis bonding every since the start of "Some Like it hot" passed and Ken was gracious enough to give me permission to publish this story here.

You can also see this in the online pages of Keep Rockin' Magazine. I suggest you check out the site, and get yerself a rockin'! Many thank to Ken for sharing!

Holding Hands with a Legend
By Ken Mottet
(© Ken Mottet. All Rights Reserved)

Several summers ago, one of the last stars of Hollywood’s golden age made a victory lap through Chicago. Possibly the most handsome men in celluloid history, Tony Curtis appeared at a west suburban movie complex along with his film “Some Like It Hot.” It was a fairly typical fast money meet and greet. The star attraction sat behind a long table. The faithful fans filed past their screen idol, dropped the appropriate amount of cash in the jar and got their autograph and their photo. There was, however, a slight difference. The star at this event was not some actress from “The Facts of Life” or the guy inside the robot costume on “Lost in Space.” This was Tony Freakin’ Curtis!!! Tony Curtis…as in “Spartacus,” “The Defiant Ones,” “Houdini” and “The Boston Strangler.” Tony Curtis who was married to Janet Leigh and was the father of Jamie Lee Curtis. Tony Curtis who was Jerry Freakin’ Lewis’ co-star in “Boeing Boeing.” THAT Tony Curtis.

Obviously the years had been a little rough on the leading man. After all, it isn’t exactly easy to be that good looking in your youth and then get older. Tony was finally back in public after a prolonged illness and time in the hospital. He arrived in a wheelchair but he walked to the stage before his film was shown. He told stories about making out with Marilyn Monroe…on and off cameraq And he was nothing short of absolutely marvelous to all his fans who were there to see him, thank him and shake his hand.

My wife Mary and I were nervous nervous nervous waiting in line to meet him. After all, it’s not every day that a real live movie star steps down from the screen and says hello. And boy, how he said hello. Even though he was in his early eighties at the time and even though there didn’t appear to be a single strand of that legendary wavy black hair left under his jaunty driving cap he still managed to make eyes at my wife the moment she said hello. She melted instantly. And so did her husband.

We only spoke with him for a minute or two. But it seemed like an hour. He took his time autographing the old 8x10 I brought. He even drew a wobbly heart in the corner with an arrow right through it. I managed to choke out how much I deeply love his film with Burt Lancaster “Sweet Smell of Success.”

He reached out and he shook my hand. It was not a frail old man hand at all. It was big-knuckled. It was broad. It was a Bernard Schwartz of a hand, born and raised on the wrong side of town. He shook my hand…and he didn’t let go. At first I was thrown off kilter. When shaking hands there is a time to shake and a time to release. Tony Curtis had gone well past the release point and he was still hanging on. And I let him. I was not going to let go until he did.

Mary and I huddled behind the table with Tony thanking him again and again for all he had done. The photographer stepped up and took our picture with the great man. And in that moment in that photograph Mr. Tony Curtis was holding hands…with me.

Tony Curtis, "At Last We Meet"

I am deeply saddened by the passing of "a true Hollywood legend, a gifted artist, and a true Las Vegan, Mr. Tony Curtis."

That phrase is how I introduced him when I emceed the monthly media club meeting back on June 21, 2010. It was a great honor to be there as he spoke so candidly and honestly about his life, his career, and even some of his past loves. One great comment I recall from that day, "I married all of my co-stars except for Jack Lemmon."

As per my usual, I tried not to hover around the man nor be much of a bother. I generally don't get all that "excited" around celebrities and try to respect their privacy. However, on that day, it was very difficult to be a fan. This was, after all, Tony freakin' Curtis sitting with me and having lunch.

I'd written before about the day and some of the things he spoke about. I thought today I'd add a few personal thoughts and share with you something that I've only told a few people about the day. Apologies for a longer post. I know nobody has any attention span online anymore. Sue me.

First off, let me say that there was a moment of classic, "Andy Meets Legend" about that day. If you've read my blog or asked me about chance celebrity encounters before, you know I can say some rather irreverent (but not rude) things upon meeting (See: Robert Altman and Audrey Hepburn for examples). I'm sure I do this as some sort of gut reaction in an attempt to try and be funny. Of course, in the case of people like Sam Phillips, I funny admit to just being a moron. In any event, this meeting was no exception.

Tony's appearance at the meeting was, for the most part, a complete surprise. The Media Club is primarily long-time Las Vegas residents, many (but certainly not all) of whom have ties to the media in some way. It is actually a wonderful group comprised of mostly seniors who share memories about Las Vegas long before there was an interstate running through the town. I enjoy the stories and get to make some excellent connections regarding my El Rey Club research.

While so many of the club's members were milling about, waiting for the meeting to start, that is when Mr. Curtis and his best friend Gene Kilroy (another very cool man) arrived. Mr. Curtis was in his wheelchair (He could still walk, just not much anymore.) and Gene was bringing him into the room. As it happened, I think I was the only person who recognized Mr. Curtis right away, not unlike when Malcolm McDowell entered the room at the Robert Altman shoot. Perhaps it was because he wasn't looking quite like his iconic Hollywood images, maybe it was because so many were otherwise occupied, or it simply could have been the white cowboy hat he was wearing, but nobody noticed that Tony Curtis had entered the room.

Gene Kilroy wanted to find someone from the group to let him know Curtis had arrived to be our guest speaker and went up to me, where I was standing with a few of the group's leaders, pointed to the guy in the wheelchair, and simply said, "Tony Curtis". I, in my "probably should know better" way, replied with a slight smirk and a sarcastic tone, "Yeah. I've heard of him." While nobody else immediately found it funny. Mr. Curtis looked up from his chair right into my eyes, and began to smile and laugh a bit, clearly getting the joke and I was SO RELIEVED!

Later, after he had spent some time chatting with me, signing my movie ticket, and generally being a very cool man to speak with (I am still touched by how generally interested he was in my life, and the lives of those around him) he began to address the entire group.

From the moment I met him I kept noticing how at 85 he looked like a combination of Carl Reiner and my dad. There was obviously plenty of Tony Curtis in his features, mannerisms, and demeanor, but there were those physical similarities as well.

Listening to Mr. Curtis speak so eloquently and fondly about his life and career, I kept getting the impression that he felt he was not long for this world. He was genuinely saying, "Thank you" to not only the people in the room for supporting him in his long career, but in a way, thanking the world helping "this skinny Jewish kid" enjoy what he described as "the best life." He spoke quite softly, never having fully recovered from pneumonia the year before, and in a room filled with otherwise chatty seniors who often complain they can't hear the speaker at the meeting, not a soul uttered a sound. Everyone was fully engaged by what Curtis had to say.

During his discussion, like a teacher, he briefly went into a little bit of acting theory and truly had some insightful things to say about his artwork and the artists who influenced him. It was during his talk about acting and how he survived in the business I walked into a different position in the room to try and get a few snapshots of the moment on my camera and then focus even more on what he was saying about the life of an entertainer.

Out of the corner of my left eye, I was certain I saw someone behind me and I moved to my right so as to not be in the man's way. Another glance to my left and I saw the man again, much more clearly this time, so much so that I really believed I SAW the man's face in full. It was then that I literally froze for a moment. The man I saw behind me looked EXACTLY like my dad. Now I knew it couldn't have been dad because he'd been dead for so many years, but I SAW him right behind me, listening to Tony Curtis speak.

Not knowing what the heck was going on I turned around to see who this guy at the meeting was that resembled my father so much, if for no other reason to simply make sure I was out of the man's way. When I turned around and looked at the table behind me I found that there was nobody there. All seats were empty and nobody had disturbed a chair, a place setting, or even a water glass.

I looked around the room to see if there could have been anyone in the room that resembled my father so much, or see if anyone could have been behind me at that moment. There wasn't. I just smiled, held back a laugh, and turned around to see Tony Curtis in his wheelchair looking right at me, gesturing to me as he spoke about how blessed a man is who can make a living in show business. It was a most amazing moment for me personally.

It is not uncommon to "see" people you knew after they have passed. Most people encounter such things after a parent or relative has gone. Generally it happens in the most immediate time after a death. This particular phenomena hasn't happened to me in YEARS.

Until now I'd only told a few people about that moment as it does sound kind of corny, if I'm being honest. However, it seems that much more important to me now. Right now I'm not exactly "living the dream". While I am working a fair amount of corporate events and am hopeful "Red Light" will get off the ground soon, I'm not as busy as I was then, not making as much money nor feeling as accomplished in the business as I'd hoped I'd be by the time I turned 40 and hit my 25th anniversary as an entertainer. Thinking again about that day, my dad, and the things Tony Curtis said to me and the whole group, I am reminded that I am blessed because, for the most part, I have made a living in show business.

At the end of the day, when Mr. Curtis had to leave, he received a standing ovation from the crowd. He shook a lot of hands and posed for many photos. When I asked if I could take one photo with him, he actually rose from his wheelchair for the photo.



Near as I figure, if I had to have one chance to meet a guy like Tony Curtis, I walked away with a lot of great memories.

Random Celebrity Photos Vol 9: Tony Curtis!

Perhaps it is just something that "happens" if you live in Vegas long enough. Maybe it was just a lucky day for me. Ultimately, it was one more reason why I love living in Las Vegas.

Today, I was fortunate enough to make the acquaintance of the legendary Hollywood actor, the gifted artist, and a true Las Vegan, Tony Curtis.

Now 85 years old, Mr. Curtis (even though he insisted, I respect him too much to simply call him, "Tony") was a guest at a luncheon I attend once a month. This "Media Club" luncheon is filled with long-time Las Vegas residents, many of whom have ties to public relations, newspapers, and other media in the area who get together to share memories. I was fortunate enough to not only attend, but emcee the thing.

As you know I generally don't get all "can I have an autograph" or "please take a photo with me" around celebrities in general. However, for me this was something of a rarity as I was truly giddy at the though of sharing a lunch, a story, and a few moments of conversation with the man.

Mr. Curtis was easily one of the more charming and gracious people I'd ever met in show business. He was a true gentleman and as interested in what I did for a living as I was in what he does. Without even batting an eye, he was more than kind enough to share some stories, and sign a little piece of memorabilia I bought at a local antique store some time ago.

What you are looking at is a ticket for admission to see "40 pounds of Trouble!"(watch the trailer on imdb.com) which came out in 1962 and starred Suzanne Pleshette, Phil Silvers, and Larry Storch, among others. I bought this for three reasons.

1) It was just too cool and would make a fine addition to my wall of Vegas oddities (Check out the perforated playing cards on the ticket!)
2) The price was right
3) I knew Mr. Curtis lived in Las Vegas and I thought that MAYBE someday I'd get a chance to meet the guy and have him sign it.

Not even a full couple of years later I had my chance to meet him.

Not only did he sign it, and was genuinely pleased to see such an artifact, but he took the time to ask me about it, about me and my life, and my time in Las Vegas - all while sketching out a little scene on top of the ticket to memorialize out meeting at a luncheon. He added the little tag "Andy - At last we meet."

If you were not aware, Mr. Curtis is an accomplished artist and his works are truly respected across the world. To have him simply sketch out a silly doodle and personalize it to me in such a fashion make the whole memory of the event that much more amazing and surreal to me. What a great honor!

During his time as our guest speaker he spoke fondly about his life, his career, and the friendships he's made. he reflected upon how wonderfully Las Vegas and the world has treated him over the years. He even offered to come and see my show at the Four Queens (being a magician himself), though I'm confident I'll not see him there anytime soon. Mr. Tony Curtis was and is a class act and it was my honor to meet him and be able to share these images with you today.

UPDATE: September 29, 2010

With the passing of Mr. Tony Curtis I thought I'd add more form that day. CLICK HERE to read more.