Posts Tagged ‘Freddy Duke’
Thursday, July 10th, 2014
My mother showed up on the playground at school to deliver some of the best news in all of my ten years. We would be visiting my dad, her ex-husband, and we’d be traveling as a family on a six -week, four-country tour of Europe.
Her enthusiasm was infectious and I was jumping up and down for joy. Or, was I just relieved that my brother and I wouldn’t have to attend the dreaded summer school we were registered for? I kept jumping.
Enter an up-until-then-offstage character: Granny. Before this moment in time, I have no recollection of my mother’s mother, Granny. Suddenly, she was needed for some long overdue babysitting — only this would be for our three cats. I would understand when I became an adult the need to drop off my animals at my own mother’s house when I went off to Europe, but that isn’t part of this story.
My mother went straight to the fabric store and set to work sewing our summer European wardrobe. She made two stunning chocolate brown lace dresses lined in silk of the same color. One for her, one for me. A white eyelet dress for me. A few other matching dresses for both of us. A gold brocade jacket for herself. Evelyn Duke, more excited than I had ever witnessed her, meticulously packed us up for the adventure of our – and especially her — lifetime. I had been missing my dad and it was the most devastating loss of my then short life. He went off to London to produce a play. I’d stare longingly at his framed photo over my bed in our ghetto apartment on Olympic in Beverly Hills. The slums. I stared into his dancing green eyes and cried. Finally, I would be reunited with the love of my life. (more…)
Tags: 1963 family trip to Europe, Alan Duke, best sardine sandwich, Debbie Reynolds Eddie Fisher, Eveyln Duke, fredde duke, Freddie Duke, Freddy Duke, Liz Taylor Richard Burton, Maurice Duke, Mike Todd, scandals in 1960's, South of France, the Beatles, trips of a lifetime
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Tuesday, June 3rd, 2014
I know a man who gave up smoking, drinking, sex and rich food.
He was healthy right up until the day he killed himself.
~Johnny Carson
I finally tuned into “Mad Men.” At least, the first show of this last season. I’m a little late to the craze. I had heard for years about the sets and the wardrobe, but what hit me most was the food. They nailed the food. And it’s what I miss most about that era.
Truth is, I still eat like that — but I’m alone. All the restaurants that serve “old school” food are dying. Everyone’s dropping gluten, dairy and sugar. We are bombarded with studies about how bad they are for you. Gluten triggers stomach problems and brain disorders. Sugar generates cancer. All three cause inflammation that will kill me. Well, kill me now, because all I really want is bread, butter, sugar and a big cold glass of milk. And I don’t want so many choices of milk that I have to read the carton. I want to live again in the late 60’s and early 70’s. (more…)
Tags: Arts Deli in Studio City, Brents Deli Northridge, Canter's Deli in Hollywood, fredde duke, Freddie Duke, Freddy Duke, Kate Mantelini's in Beverly Hills closing, Mad Men food, Mastro's Ocean Club, Nate n' Als deli, Restaurants closing, restaurants in the 1970's, The Chart House restaurant
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Tuesday, May 20th, 2014
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. (more…)
Tags: actresses from the 70's, Ayn Ruymen, best eggplant dish, best friends for life stories, brilliant eggplant dish for parties, DebraLee Scott, fans, fredde duke, Freddie Duke, Freddy Duke, Glynnis O'Connor, James at 15, James at16, Kay Lenz, Kimberly Beck, Where are They Now stories
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Wednesday, May 7th, 2014
First question from my husband this morning was, “Did you hear the birds?” I’m obsessed with the wild parrots that live together on Chautauqua, just a few blocks away so I asked if it might be them. “No,” he said, “big black birds.” Then I went straight for it, saying with so much conviction he was floored: “Oh, it was probably a crow funeral in a tree”.
And then I went on. Crows have this super intelligence that no other animal has. They remember the face of any human that slighted them and they tell all the other crows in the WORLD about that human’s face and then he or she is fucked (among crows, anyway) for life. Talk about a vendetta. I’m really up on crows. I saw a Ted talk about them. Am I a black crow in my grudge keeping? I used to say I have the memory of an elephant but I’m changing it to the memory of a crow. (more…)
Tags: blackbirds, crows and their super intelligence, Donna Ebsen, Donna Freberg, Donna Jean Freberg, Dr. Pepper, drinking tea with girlfriends, fredde duke, Freddie Duke, Freddy Duke, lost flocks of parrots, naked women and parrots, parrots, saving birds, Spectacular chocolate cake for July 4th
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Monday, April 28th, 2014
Forget Airbnb — what about FreeB&B? I just had the best service of my life. Door-to-door service for days in a row. Great hospitality at a B & B reminds me of the worst I’d had at one. Remind me to get back to that.
It started last weekend with an offer from my friend Lynne to pick me up and take me to a show. This performer sings about her vagina. Does anything sound better? I think not. While I hemmed and hawed because I had wanted to visit my son and his girlfriend at their new house in Marin, she invited her other friend. Guess what? Lynne’s husband, a friend since childhood, bought an extra ticket for me, and now it would be three of us. She would still pick me up and drop me off. This was turning out well. Except it would be yet another weekend that I hadn’t gone up north to visit my son. On the way to Hollywood, we stopped at her other friend’s house for a great meal she had cooked – eggplant parmesan. I brought a chunk of the favorite cake I make, a light chocolate with southern pecan frosting. The singer –- Storm Large — blew us away. You cannot get her song, “My Vagina is 8 Miles Wide” out of your head. Catchy tune. (more…)
Tags: Best Beignets in Northern California, Best friends for life, Chez Panisse Cafe, Crab Roll at Fish in Marin, fredde duke, Freddie Duke, Freddy Duke, Lobster eggs benedict at Hummingbird in Fairfax Marin, Marin B&B, song by Storm Large
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Wednesday, April 9th, 2014
In case you are not familiar with the cast of characters in my life, let me introduce you to Domy. She is the housekeeper, former babysitter to my kids. We are very close. Sometimes just a little too close. I can get on her nerves. She can get on mine. Domy is profoundly loyal to me and vice versa. We speak in a language we made up twenty-two years ago. It’s part Spanglish, part 60’s movie Chinese. (more…)
Tags: babysitters that become family, best coffee cake recipe ever, fredde duke, Freddie Duke, Freddy Duke, I love to bake cakes, speaking in Spanglish
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Friday, March 28th, 2014
When my daughter Augie and I left St. Johns to visit the first of her friends from the Palisades to have a baby she said to me, “ You and your friends are like the mafia, mom. You’re such a close group and you always have each other’s back and the backs of each other’s kids. It’s amazing. I like it.”
The remark stunned me. She’s right. We are a tight group. This is not something that was role-modeled, as my own mother had very few friends. On the other hand, my father had more associates than Don Corleone. (more…)
Tags: augie duke, cancer, Feast from the East, fredde duke, Freddie Duke, Freddy Duke, Friendships, Kimme Winter, Mafia type friendships, New baby
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Tuesday, March 11th, 2014
I had no plans for Wednesday. None. The only vague plan was to go get the vaccine for shingles . Those are the kind of plans I make now. Planning ahead to prevent a medical disaster. I don’t, however, own an earthquake kit, so clearly I’m not well prepared. I woke up and wasn’t feeling it. I would do what I always do: stay at home. It was cold outside and threatening to rain.
To be honest, my day was derailed by an e-mail from my husband. It was a link to a scone recipe and attached was a picture of a piping hot biscuit. That did it. I knew what my new plan was. I looked in the refrigerator and the buttermilk would expire in two days. Meant to be!! I would be making biscuits. I have some big productive days!! (more…)
Tags: best pressed juice in L.A., Burger from Barneys in Brentwood Mart, El Rodeo chums, Fredde Duke's for now biscuit recipe, Freddie Duke, Freddy Duke, growing up in the 60's, Libbie Aroff, Nikila Rigby, nothing to do on a random Wednesday, Pressed Juicery, Rick Caruso bought the Palisades village, Robin Hofstein, Stephanie Blank
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Monday, March 3rd, 2014
In the chill air at 7:30 in the morning, I would head out. Heavy books that I never opened were piled high in my arms. They weighed me down, but I was used to it. These were pre-backpack years. Teachers required you to cover books then, and mine wore clumsy jackets of recycled brown Safeway grocery store bags. The covers barely hung on, despite the many pieces of Scotch tape randomly applied in all directions.
My bare, skinny legs descended from short, orange and yellow culottes as I crisscrossed the sidewalk, crunching hard on those fall leaves. Never stepping on cracks for two blocks — from Roxbury to pick up my best friend Susie on Peck Drive. She was freckled like me, but taller and more mature. Now I could be distracted, not having to concentrate on my steps. Instead, we’d talk about our plan for the weekend. Compromising and strategizing. Your best friend in school is really your first important relationship, almost a rehearsal for a some day marriage. (more…)
Tags: candy necklaces, fredde duke, Freddie Duke, Freddy Duke, fur scraps, Going to Wil Wrights for candy necklaces, horseback riding, my childhood in Beverly Hills, Other side of the tracks in Beverly Hills, Susan Dilamarter, Susie Lohn, Wil Wrights ice cream, William Morris Agency in the 60s
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Friday, February 7th, 2014
Have I ever met a Hollywood agent that’s not a prick?
Trying to wrack my brain. Trying. Thinking. Still thinking. Thinking harder.
NOPE. Can’t think of one. No would be the answer.
I’m exaggerating. There are two agents I sort of like– I think.
Here is the current story I like to tell about an agent. A prick. Or is that redundant?
Poor guy didn’t know he would be outed the day he met me. (more…)
Tags: claustrophobia, fredde duke, Freddie Duke, Freddy Duke, funerals, Golden Globes, Oscars, prick agents, scary elevator rides, sweet and spicy baked almond recipe
Posted in Uncategorized | 5 Comments »