We were at Newark International Airport, impatiently waiting our turn in the long line to step onto the down escalator to get to our gate. The airport was crowded because it was holiday time, and even though I knew it would be crowded I still felt agitated.
I was holding my son's little hand with my left hand and schlepping my carry-on luggage with my right. I prayed I wouldn't lose my balance by making a misstep. I tried to focus.
Then I looked up to check the line and noticed the man standing directly in front of me. He looked very familiar, like an old friend. I inspected him more closely as he chatted with the person next to him. It suddenly hit me who he was.
Peter Jennings, the highly respected (and very handsome) anchor from ABC's World News Tonight. I stared and felt like a school girl.
We were taking a tour of Manhattan with some friends who'd come in from Wisconsin. The Christmas tree was lit up in all it's beautiful glory, and Rockefeller Center was wrapped up tightly in a bow. Walking toward the skating rink was almost impossible. The crowds were thick and barely moving, so we put our "New York" on and began weaving around pedestrians like a prize fighter dancing toward the ring.
In other words, it was a typical day in New York City.
As we walked down the steps toward the skating rink I glanced up and quickly noticed a familiar face. It was David Halberstam, the Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and historian. Once again I felt like a school girl.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vw-xb3vAU90
What is it about famous people that makes me feel weak at the knees? My dad always taught me that everyone puts their pants on one leg at a time. Are their legs different than mine because of their accomplishments? I am no psychologist so I won't try to analyze it. But I will say that maybe it's because I'm in awe of people who have made a difference in their corner of the world. Intelligence, generosity, kindness and creativity all make me weak at the knees.
Speaking of weak at the knees, I remember vacationing in Florida with my family to visit my grandmother. We brought her back to our hotel after dinner, and as we walked through the lobby I noticed she suddenly stopped walking. She was frozen in place. We asked her what was wrong because we'd never seen her face look like that before.
Myron Cohen, the Borscht Belt comedian who delivered yarns in a thick Yiddish accent and was beloved by the Jewish community, had just walked by. I guess at that moment my grandmother also felt like a school girl.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgZiGD_QYss
I think if I were born at another point in time I'd feel weak if I saw Jane Austen or Edith Wharton, and I'd certainly feel that way about Emily Dickinson. I'd be like Owen Wilson in Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris" - in awe of great talent.
Weak at the knees? I guess it means we're grateful for their talent. Yep. I'll go with that one.
I get the same way when I see someone famous. And then I try hard to act nonchalant. 🙂
I have a tale I can't tell about John Le Carre, or maybe I can tell it one day, My face is usually buried in a book and I rarely look around me, but I should!
WOW. I once saw S Rushdie at a Jane Austen exhibit at the Morgan Library. He was looking at a the exhibit and everyone else was looking at HIM. I don't remember the exhibit at all. But I still remember Spotting The Celebrity.
I've seen so many famous people I can't count- always reminds me we're all in the same boat, usually trying to bail the sinking ship of air travel with a thimble. Humbling.
I think it's great to get those "giddy" feelings. And I agree with your Dad . We're all in this together!
I once saw Walter Matthau and Richard Benjamin at Muir Woods. I always snuck into the dressing room of Pablo Cruise with my roomie at Wake Forest. They were in there and let us stay, but then I realized I had no idea what to talk about and got sarcastic and they kicked me out. So, I have a sarcasm issue.
When I was a child, my dad was in several movies and TV shows, as an extra. He was an engineer working in L.A. He had the looks of a handsome mobster so the industry used him a lot. Los Angeles was a different town back then, very close. I remember going to a few movie premieres as a child and in awe of the way the movie stars dressed, more than who they were.
We have a café near my house and every time I go there, I see someone famous. And every time, I get all giddy. I have no idea why!
I don't think I have ever even met anyone famous before. I come from Kentucky and the only famous people there are on their way out not on their way in! If I could meet anyone I wanted.....Ameila Earhart
A few years ago, my sisters and I were visiting a cousin in Santa Monica. As we were walking up the main street, we noticed a crowd of people and paparazzi looking into a store window. They said Reese Witherspoon was in the store. I left my sisters to gawk with the others and ducked into a Philly Water Ice store next door to chat with the owner, a transplanted Philadelphian. I was the only one in the water ice store until I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was Reese Witherspoon who had come in through the back to buy some water ice for her children. I apologized for not noticing there was someone "in line" and turned to leave the store except my egress was now blocked by the gawkers and paparazzi, so I had to sit on a chair and wait for Reese to finish her purchase and slip out the back. My sisters told me my Reese Witherspoon encountered was wasted on the one of us who wasn't star struck.
I met Gloria Steinem once and couldn't remember my own name.
That's not a phenomenon I am familiar with...but I have never been face to face with Harper Lee, Peter Jennings or Anderson Cooper.
My Dad said the exact same thing, Cathy! And now I do too... haha. I love this story and think your conclusion is exactly right.
I lived off Fifth in the 60's for 16 years. The only celeb I actively disliked was Diana Ross and that's a story or two!
You've made some pretty interesting "weak in the knees" choices. I will tell you, though, when I saw Lewis Black (with Chris Rock and Mo Rocca) in McDonald's in Times Square (of all places!), I, too, got "weak in the knees". LOL!
Yes, in awe of their talent - that is it exactly! At least you are struck by really smart people!
Great story, Cathy! I saw Regis Philbin at Yankees stadium once. He got weak in the knees and was so excited to see me. lol. Kidding. I really did see him and say hi. But it didn't seem to impact him at all.
Those were all great stories. My "weak in the knees" is kind of embarrassing. Five or so years ago, a group of us women went to Bon Jovi. We had mid-level seats and were loving it. Singing at the top of our lungs, etc. Then at some point the stage went dark and after a moment -- Bon Jovi popped up four rows ahead of us to sing the next set. I about died. We were shrieking like those photos of the girls with the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. A fun memory but I'd never thought I still had the teenybopper in me.
I've met a lot of famous people and there's definitely something surreal about seeing someone you've admired only through some other medium in real life. Your dad is so right, though.
My parents didn't have that level of "stardom" if you will, but they (particularly my mom) had brushes with the "famous." Dad was on the old game show, "What's My Line" and had certain notoriety for the books he and mom wrote. Johnny Carson once called my mom a "moxie broad" and Marvin Hamlisch was turned away by my father when he sent a note asking to meet her. Neither my father nor mother were star struck by people, and in turn, raised us with the same philosophy you were raised with; celebrities are people just like us, but with different job titles. However, if I had seen Peter Jennings in person, I most certainly would have swooned!
During our Law School days we lived in Studio City and interacted with them all the time. I have a list of celebs I am personal friends or neighbors with and they're really just like us.
I think I'm a quintessential New Yorker-when I see someone famous I usually don't want to gawk at them-just want to give them their space.
Living in LA, I forget about the celebrity factor and usually someone has to say to me "hey wasn't that so and so" and by then then the person is gone. That happened once at cbs studios - we saw Vicky Lawrence (some friends and I) and then she had walked away before we realized. But what was interesting another time was when I joined weight watchers for the umpteenth time and Julia Sweeney was in my meeting! She was very regular. And we chatted about our struggles while waiting on line to get weight. Ha. Another time I did music therapy for a huge celebritiy at the hospice organization where I work. That was extremely interesting as I got to go to said celebrity's house. But I was too nervous about doing a good job that I coudnt enjoy the weak in knees feeling. I'm sure there are times stars pass me by with their dark sunglasses and I am oblivious. Lol.
Omgosh, Cathy - thank you - that's so kind. People often ask me if it's "depressing" to work with my clients, but it really really is noit at all. Thank you for your kind words.
One more memory of a star sighting - We were at a wedding (Orthodox Jewish) of a family friend back in the late 1990's, and we were invited from the bride's side. I had heard that the groom's dad knew Billy Crystal and that he was going to be there. So I looked out for him and sure enough, during the reception, there he was a few feet away from me...yikes! I wanted to go over and say that I enjoyed his "Analyze This" movie that had just come out, but I was too shy or afraid to sound silly because I didn't have much to say except that comment...so whatever...:). So much for that memory. Thanks, Cathy for reigniting these fun memories...