Friday, August 25, 2017

An Operatic Interlude #2

I must have been predestined to be connected to Opera-when I was a little guy-maybe 7 or 8-Grandpa Elmer took us all to the Hollywood Bowl.

Robert Merrill, Jan Pierce (I think) and a beautiful Blonde lady named MARY COSTA were singing.


Afterwards we went backstage and I was introduced to Miss Costa-I guess like Liz Taylor I was charming-My Mother had coached me to ask for an autograph...and in a moment of emotion she pulled off her elbow length kid glove and signed that-she even gave me a little peck on the cheek-she smelled like a million lilacs.

She was Sleeping Beauty you know-the voice anyway-for the Disney animated feature-my mother had to remind me who she was when we went to see Sleeping Beauty at the Wardman in Whittier.

Mary Costa went on to have an international career singing all over the world including the MET and SFO Operas-she sang for John Kennedy's inaugural concert and later was asked by Jackie to sing at his memorial service.





Now here comes my magical life again:

In the 80's (?) my voice coach and accompanist, Charles Ross Perlee, called an asked if I would like to go meet Mary Costa-she was passing through town with her 2nd husband.

I don't know why Wikipedia doesn't mention his-he was a handsome high powered fellow-we met him as well.

She looked amazing, petite and fashionable and we met them in their lavish room at the HERMITAGE-the same hotel where I had picked up Liz Taylor just a few years before...

Amidst the chatter I asked her for an autograph for my friend George McLeary ( a big Disney fan) and she signed it on an envelope from the hotel-to Prince Charming from Sleeping Beauty...

Not long after this meeting her husband was walking down the street in New York where his heart literally exploded and he hit the pavement, DEAD.

She would later be designated a Disney legend.


So I coloured with Liz Taylor and she stole my Movie Star colouring book and I flirted with Mary Costa and walked away with her glove.

Liz's husband died in a plane crash shortly after meeting me and Mary Costa's husband died horribly shortly after she met me (the 2nd time-it's still pretty strange) .

I guess Grandma's curse lived on.

Mary mailed me a lovely note an a colour 8 x 10 personally signed after the visit with Chuck...where it is I have no idea.



No comments:

Post a Comment

How the HELL did we get HERE???

 2020 - it's already November, where did this year go? I have been busy campaigning against the right wing on Facebook-I forgot I have a...