Where Are They Now?

 

my first headshot

I had one fan. I’m sort of lying. I did get a few pieces of fan mail in my life, but one wrote me on several occasions.  It was the 70’s and since I acted mostly in commercials, no one knew my name or how to find me. But when I did co-star in a few TV series episodes, I finally received a few letters of adoration. My fan mail, such as it was, had grown dog-eared from me reading and rereading. I was so elated to be recognized.  The letter from my one big fan was proof. I eagerly wrote him back with an enclosed 8 by 10 that he had requested. We started a long correspondence.

Me with Kimberly at a Malibu beach pad we rented. Photo by Julie Chrisite's then boyfriend

Me with Kimberly at a Malibu beach pad we rented. Photo by Julie Chrisite’s then boyfriend

But in the mid-70’s, I will never forget a day when I was hanging out with my best friend. She had just picked up a huge trash bag filled with her fan mail and it was on the floor by my feet, on the passenger side of her car. As she drove, some went spilling out. I looked down when we pulled up to her house and noticed handwriting that was so familiar to me. My fan. Glenn Stevens. His name and return address in that handwriting that I knew by heart.  I felt a sting. You know that sting. When you have been betrayed. And inadvertently, my fan is cheating on me with my best friend. Are you kidding? I was crushed momentarily, until I recovered enough to laugh at myself and reveal to Kimberly that one of her hundreds of fans is my one and only.   How was Glenn to know that Kimberly Beck and I were the best of friends? This was long before the internet, where he could have snooped to find pics of us. And, furthermore, how many other starlets was he writing proclaiming his love? I’m glad I was only audition acquaintances with Kay Lenz, Glynnis O’ Connor and even DebraLee Scott (and her best friend Annie Lockhart) and the lesser known, but best of all, Ayn Ruymen, or I bet I would have found tons of fan mail at their homes from my one and only.

Where are you now, Glenn Stevens?

Look at video below.  I am currently looking for the actor Lance Kerwin to make the updated version.  JAMES AT 68.  The one where he asks me to the assisted living dance.

Kimberly’s brilliant eggplant dish seen in an earlier blog.
Chop eggplant. Place in pan with a quarter cup of olive oil with chopped garlic. Add more olive oil as needed. Cook for around 15 or so minutes, then add a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and cook longer for around 10 and then add a small can of tomato paste. Serve with crackers or warm bread.

Letter from my fan Glen that had a 10 page hand written letter inside

Letter from my fan Glen that had a 10 page hand written letter inside

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

10 Responses to “Where Are They Now?”

  1. Pauli says:

    How could he not have fallen in love with Julie at first amoeba sighting?
    Love your honey silk voice that has not changed one iota. Eggplant dip?
    Interesting choice.

  2. Ellen B. says:

    Wait a minute, Fredde! There’s a Glenn Stevens that graduated in my BHHS class. He’s on Facebook and lives nearby! The same one?

  3. Mitch says:

    Heartbreaker! The girl, not the eggplant.

  4. kimberly clark says:

    Awww Fred! I love these stories but I swear your memory is impeccable! Mine, not so much. I remember things like taking diet pills and cleaning the kitchen floor of the Malibu house and putting out bowls of M&Ms there and feeling really great about being such a grown up! Hmmm diet pills, cleaning and candy are my idea of being grown up. Maybe we can put all our memories together in some sort of chronological order and have one great story!

  5. Laura Plotkin says:

    So SWEET! I loved seeing the clip!

  6. Kitty Kaufman says:

    He’s a little slow on the uptake.

  7. Doreen Ringer Ross says:

    Fredde Duke…..the human treasure chest!! You made Julie so pretty, smart, and funny…..that James is a jerk. Still laughing about James at 68 and the senior living dance. Love you.

  8. Keri Havel says:

    I was searching for Ayn Ruymen Ross for genealogy purposes (her great grandfather and my mother’s great grandfather were brothers) would love to chat with her if anyone knows her. She was mentioned in this interesting blog.

  9. RK Henderson says:

    Sigh. Why do foxes like Julie always fall for self-centred guys with thick blond hair? Thanks for the trip back to 70sville, where I too was “at 15”.

  10. Tracy Newman says:

    I would love to find out what Ayn Ruymen is up to. She was in Gary Austin’s class at the Cellar Theatre in 1972, which eventually became The Groundlings. I was there, too. I loved her work. It was comedy improv and she was always dramatic, which I loved. I’d just like to know where she’s living – what town, and what she’s doing these days. Thanks!

Leave a Reply