I Saw Karen Valentine live in Dayton, Ohio doing BUS STOP in summer stock in 1975. She had been a favorite of mine for about 5 years by that point. Karen played the role Marilyn Monroe portrayed in the film version with Don Murray. Her co-stars were her HOLLYWOOD SQUARES friend Rose Marie and James Naughton. Naughton had just starred in the short-lived PLANET OF THE APES TV series but would go on in later years to become a major, Tony-winning, Broadway star as well as a familiar TV commercial voice.
I had decided to write to Karen at the theater a few days before she arrived for the play's run, figuring the manager would hand her the letter. It worked! After she returned home a few weeks later, she mailed me a lovely autographed photo with a brief note. It was the first actual signed celebrity photo I ever got! Thanks, Karen!
If you're still a fan of Karen Valentine as I am, there's a new Facebook group (not mine) that you can join here:
No comments:
Post a Comment