Ronald Reagan and friends
My friendship with “Ronnie” Reagan when I was a very young girl in show business, is inspired by this wonderful painting of Ronald Reagan and friends playing cards. I don’t know this artist – but if I did, I would tell him that he really captured the love of life and humor that Ronald Reagan, our 40th President of the United States had. reagan2020.us/biography/ronald_reagan.asp. This isn’t about the greatness of his Presidency but rather his greatness as a human being.
I was still in my teens when I got my first starring role in one of the most popular shows of the time – a show in which Ronald Reagan was also starring. To say that I was nervous is the understatement of the universe. Television is tedious work – in that no matter how good the actor -it is the technique of working in that venue that is also paramount to a good performance – not to speak of ever being hired again. In general, if you had the leading role, you could be in makeup as early as 6 am and work overtime until 7 or 8 pm – with 5 pages of dialogue to learn for the next day…no big deal, as most actors know the drill. But my problem was one of youth and being frozen with fear that I wouldn’t step up to the mark. So, there I was – finishing up with wardrobe and the make up man – when who comes in to greet me? None other than Ronald Reagan. I immediately jumped out of the chair, extended my hand and squeaked out, “It’s a pleasure to meet you Mr. Reagan.” Immediately he put his hand up and said, “Stop! Now don’t you be calling me Mr. Reagan again – I’m just your friend and you are supposed to call me “Ronnie.” He sensed my nervousness and immediately put me at ease. He said, ” Well what are you waiting for? – let’s get move on. You’re coming with me.” He put his arm around my shoulders and walked me to the set and said, “Look – there’s your name on your chair.” He then introduced me to the director, producer and other pivotal actors. In short, he became like a father to a young girl for that one grueling week of hard work. To be specific, he personally saw to it that I learned all the techniques of television. During close ups, he stood in the background and gave me hand signals (which we had worked out between us) to not do this or to do that. So when I look back on my friendship with “Ronnie” Reagan, a fountain of warm feelings bubble up inside.
In all my professional years in that venue, I can’t remember a total stranger extending that type of sensitivity and kindness to help out without any self interest or motive. He was the type individual that if he saw something or someone that required a helping hand – he just got to it without any grandstanding. That was the Ronald Reagan I knew. If he believed firmly in something – he saw it to the end. And humor…he had the greatest sense of humor imaginable. I can still see the laugh lines around his eyes when he told a joke or someone said something that made him laugh. politicalhumor.about.com/cs/quotethis/a/reaganquotes.htm For instance, as he entered the operating room following the 1981 assassination attempt, he said to the surgeons in attendance, “I hope you’re all Republicans!
On the last day of the show, there was a long shot that required the two of us riding in an old buckboard drawn by a team of horses. In general, such long shots would be done by doubles but for some reason he said, “No, we’ll do this ourselves…no doubles needed.” I honestly don’t know how the early Americans survived those rides without getting callouses the size of watermelons on their butts because those were “hard arse rides.” But there we were, me sitting beside him on that wooden buckboard, as he held the reins of a team of horses galloping across the plains, grinning from ear to ear and shooting me a look every now and then to see if I was having fun. He was enjoying every minute of it and so was I. At one point, he looked at me and said, “Well, this isn’t too easy on the old behind is it?” I’ve often wondered why my friend, “Ronnie” opted to do that because in this type long shot, the faces of the actors can’t be seen. I think he did it because he thought it would be a fun experience for a young girl. And Wow! It really was. So when I think of my friendship with “Ronnie” Reagan, It brings such a smile to my face. I also wonder, where are those type great leaders of yesteryear? My friend “Ronnie” was the real deal when I knew him and there was no difference when he became President of the United States.
Attila the Honey
Deep Thought for the Day: “Politics is supposed to be the second-oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first.” quote by Ronald Reagan
