I want to give Suzanne Pleshette a much deserved shout-out - one that seems to have been underplayed by the media. Was saddened by the news of her death as not only was the Bob Newhart Show in my top five all time favorite sitcoms, I used to be told fairly regularly that I looked like Suzanne. Which is funny because my family always thought my father had a lot in common with Bob Newhart.
I had one encounter with Ms Pleshette circa 1990. I was working at Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills as a display designer at the time. I always carried a pair of dykes (diagonal cutters) in my back pocket, always at the ready to snip mannequin wires. 99% of the time I forgot to leave them at the store when going to lunch and then would realize they were there when I sat down to eat.
So there I was with my coworker at the infamous Nate 'n Al's deli seated at the tiny, inches-apart tables right next to Suzanne and her companion. Maybe it looked like a magic trick in those seconds that it took me to pull out the dykes AND a screwdriver from my back pocket and plunk them down on the white tablecloth because as I did so, Suzanne practically did a spit-take and cracked up. (Actually now I think we have - had - more of the same cackle than looks.)
I probably shrugged a little innocently, we all smiled and then we went about ordering and eating our pastramies on rye and our split pea soups - anonymously. Together. I made Suzanne Pleshette laugh. With a prop.
Props, Suzanne. Only now is your timing too quick.
Posted by nora murphy at January 21, 2008 08:23 AM | TrackBack