Monday, February 27, 2017

The Stuff Daydreams Are Made Of

Rudy Vallee
HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:  (More on the Oscar snafu below!) Who's your heart throb? Not now, but oh so many years ago? I mean, when you were young, and crushing, and imagined anything was possible. (That's a drawing of Rudy Vallee from Photoplay in the 1930's.)  I ask because I was invited to write an essay for a book edited by the fabulous Elizabeth Searle… And it's about how our teen idols shaped our lives. 

 I had to think about that for a moment, because did my "teen idol"shape my life? I had never thought about it before. Let alone write eight pages about it.

We each had to pick one person, and after a ridiculous amount of contemplation, I finally did. When I finished writing the final draft of my essay, I have to admit to you, I burst into tears. I guess I had discovered something I didn't know I knew.

So we'll talk about the book more when the publication date comes, not till next year! But for now, did you have a teen heartthrob? I won't tell you who I chose until you all do!


DEBORAH CROMBIE: Oh, yes, Hank. I fell madly in love with Paul McCartney when I was eleven, and I don't think I ever completely got over him. I saw the Beatles in 1964, can you believe it? I saw McCartney again on tour in Dallas a few years ago and was just gobsmacked. I guess this goes some way towards explaining my lifetime of Anglophilia, doesn't it?

LUCY BURDETTE: Oh, Debs, I was a Paul fan too. But since you got there first, I will admit, Micky Dolenz of the Monkees was my first luv. I was completely gaga over him, and begged my parents to let me subscribe to TIGER BEAT so I could read up on all things Micky. 


Mickey Dolenz
And then my parents bought my best pal Laura and me tickets to see the Monkees for my 14th birthday--I looked it up, the concert was actually on my birthday in Detroit. Amazing that they arranged this! Laura and I spent hours putting together a birthday box for Micky. This contained all kinds of handmade stuff for a birthday party--paper hats, artistic napkins, and who knows what else lovesick, naive teenagers might have felt necessary to include. We handed the box over to a ticket taker when we got to the concert. And then we screamed our love for the whole show:). I never did hear back from Micky, but I did get a signed poster in the mail--sigh...


HALLIE EPHRON: This takes me back to the early nineteen sixties. I was fourteen years old and obsessed with my shortcomings (tall, skinny, pimply, smelly, hairy.) And just at the time when a person couldn’t get more self conscious, along came breasts…or in my case, didn’t. In the throes of self-conscious adolescent angst I first clapped eyes on Warren Beatty. My best friend and I took the bus to the Picwood movie theatre in Westwood to see Splendor in the Grass. I left besotted with Warren Beatty’s Bud Stamper, a sweet, sensitive, sex-starved, high-school quarterback who’s madly in love with beautiful, popular, passionate, virginal good girl, Deanie Loomis (Natalie Wood). They burned up the screen, those two.

He (Bud? Warren?) nailed me with those crinkly eyes, that goofy smile, and an endearing boyish awkwardness. He had the perfect inarticulate stammer and aw-shucks manner about him, a sweetened amalgam of Marlon Brando and James Dean. By the time Bonnie and Clyde came out six years later the bloom was off the rose. The movie magazines I devoured were telling me that my sweet Bud was sleeping around. And around. Ya let me down, Bud.


HANK: Oh, Hallie, I interviewed Warren Beatty (for Rolling Stone Radio News) when he toured for Shampoo. In Washington DC, at the Watergate Hotel. I have to say, he was--not exaggerating--the handsomest person I have ever seen. EVER. We will talk about it in detail another time, but he hit on me, I mean, seriously. (I guess he was enchanted by my pink acid-washed matching jeans and jacket.) I went home and wrote it all down, word for seductive-ish word. Bottom line, I turned him down. I thought it would be hilarious to be the only woman who ever had. Plus, he was married at the time, wasn't he? To JULIE CHRISTIE? I mean--gah. 

Speaking of Warren: poor thing, though! To be handed the wrong envelope? What did you think? I felt so sad for everyone...

Anyway. Rhys?


RHYS BOWEN: I was a terrible judge of men in my early teens. I was madly in love with British pop star Cliff Richard, with British actor Dirk Bogarde and with Rock Hudson, all of whom turned out to be gay!
When the Beatles came on the scene I was actually more attracted to John than Paul because John had that raw sexiness. I was disappointed when I found out he was married.
The only real crush I've had since then was Robert Redford. I still have a photo of him on my bulletin board!

JENN MCKINLAY: At age nine, I was a hard core Shaun Cassidy girl. I mean, come on, the feathered hair, the satin pants, singing Da Doo Run Run, and shaking his money maker - seriously, what was not to love? LOL. 

Of course, it helped that he also played the adorable Joe Hardy on the Hardy Boys television show. I wanted to be Nancy Drew but I wanted to date Joe Hardy - never Frank - always Joe. Huh. And now I write mysteries with amateur sleuths...hmm.


JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Oh, my gosh, Jenn, my sister and I were GLUED to the tube when the Hardy Boys came on. She got Joe, and I got Frank, played by the oh-so-good-looking Parker Stevenson. They were the perfect very early girl crushes - with their smooth skin and coiffed hair, there was no chance to threatening masculinity. The first man I crushed on was Paul Michael Glaser in, yes, STARSKY AND HUTCH. He had chest hair and five o'clock shadow, and made 13-year-old me feel all confused and excited whenever he got shot (which seemed to happen frequently)  and had to be nursed back to health.




Finally, seeing Frank Langella in DRACULA (1979) pretty much completed puberty for me. When
he glided into Kate Nelligan's bedroom in his undone white linen shirt and whispered to her, "I need..." I finally understood what sex was all about.

HANK: This is so fascinating, and so indicative of how old we were and when. (I loved Spin and Marty, too. I forget which one.) And Dirk Bogarde! And Frank Langella in Dracula--and Compromising Positions? Whoo.

And it's incredibly interesting, and indicative of the times, to see who we chose. Back then. My mom told me she skipped a day in junior high to see Frank Sinatra.  It'd be SO different now, right? Anyone know anyone who's 10? Who would they choose? 

But for my hearthrob, I chose the poetic, intellectual, brilliant Paul Simon. I was so sad and unpopular, and when he sang I am a rock, I thought, I'll be a rock. too! And he's still my idol.

How about you, dear Reds?

119 comments:

  1. Right now, I’m feeling so bad for Warren Beatty and for all those “La La Land” folks . . . everyone was so gracious, but it was heartbreakingly sad and awkward . . . .

    As for teenage heart throbs, both Richard Chamberlain as Doctor Kildare as Vince Edwards as Ben Casey managed to do quite well in that department . . . .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Richard Chamberlain was mine too...still was even after I learned he was gay😊

      Delete
    2. What? Richard Chamberlain. Gay? Who knew? Well,I didn't, anyway. He was one my throbs. My best friend Donna was into the tougher doc, Ben Casey. My other heartthrob was Little Joe Cartwright, Michael Landon. Wait, don't tell me. Was he gay too?

      (Oh durn. Can't comment with Name/URL any more. This is tricky.)

      Delete
    3. I'm laughing at this..we are so funny! Joan, I felt so bad, too!

      Delete
    4. Thank you for persisting, susanintoronto! xoxo Will I see you this summer?

      Delete
    5. Yup, it's engraved on my calendar.

      (aka Susan D)

      Delete
    6. Sorry, I'm confused. Every time I comment with my wordpress id, it uses a different name....

      Susan D/Dalyght/susan in toronto

      I'll figure this out yet.

      Delete
  2. Oh, yes,Joan, Richard Chamberlain! I love this post, and what your heartthrob says about each of you. "My" Beatle was George, always. I was madly in love with James Garner in Maverick, and with Omar Sharif ("Dr. Zhivago" - what can I say?). But I was just like Julia ("made 13-year-old me feel all confused and excited"), when I saw Tom Jones sing on TV. Way before I knew what sex even was, I thought he was sexy.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Another vote for Vince Edwards here, but I'm sure I was older than 10....

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is a fun topic! Mine are from the late '60's and early '70's. Who remembers the TV show Here Come the Brides? I loved Bobby Sherman, who was the youngest brother and who also put out an album (he didn't sing very well, but that hair!) during that time. I also liked Shaun Cassidy's older brother, David Cassidy. Again, the hair and singing (of a sort). I did like the Monkees (see a theme here?), but Mike Nesmith was my favorite. Did you know his mother, Betty, invented Liquid Paper (that brush-on stuff that you could use to correct typing mistakes)? OK, now that I've dated myself completely, I'll sign off. LOL

    ReplyDelete
  5. Chris Isaak. He was then and he still is. Those eyes, that hair, the voice, that broken nose. He is all five places on my Free Cheat list.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh! Dr. Kildare! I totally forgot… Thank you for reminding me. Yes indeed. I wasn't so hot on Vince Edwards, though, for some reason. It seemed like, back then, each person chise one or the other.

    and Maverick! Yeah, I never watched cowboy shows, but I know he was a big deal. And one of my friends was madly in love with… Sugarfoot?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh yes! I crushed on Sugarfoot. Will Hutchins played him. Clint Walker played Cheyenne and then someone else played Bronco Lane. All part of the Warner Bros. lineup. Then you had the dudes of 77 Sunset Strip. . .

      Delete
    2. Kookie! But the main guy was cooler, right?

      Delete
  7. Kay ! Oh my goodness… You don't have to explain what liquid paper is! I hope.... :-)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Free cheat list Aimee?? I haven't heard of that one...do explain so we can catch up...

    And wanted to let Julia know that I did go to college with Parker Stevenson, who was Richard Parker back in though days...

    Hank the pink outfit sounds divine!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Roberta, the pink outfit was indeed divine at the time! But thinking back on it, it was pretty horrible :-)
    Did everyone always know your classmate would be a star?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Lucy, the Free Cheat list or Freebie List is the list of five celebrities you can sleep with and your partner or spouse can't be upset. It's from an episode of Friends. So this video may help better than my explanation:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjJnx6FH7t8

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh, gosh when DIDN'T I have a crush? I'm a kid of the late 70s/early 80s. Shawn Cassidy, Donny Osmond, Richard Hatch as Apollo on Battlestar Galactica, Tom Selleck, the guy who played McGyver, Rick Springfield, the guy who played Mason on Santa Barbara ....

    ReplyDelete
  12. I saw Richard Chamberlain in Spamalot a few years ago. We had great tickets, so were up close, and he was the greatest sport! You could tell he enjoyed the silliness.

    When I was young, I had a massive crush on Sajid Khan and then Mark Spitz. Now, it's Justin Trudeau, because you're never too old to daydream!

    ReplyDelete
  13. When I was in my teens there was not room in my heart for a movie crush, or a tv or pop music crush, because I was head over ears for a fellow in my high school. He was divinely handsome, sweet-natured, and yet unapproachable in the way a tv star might be. He was a theater boy. I was a nerd in glasses and braces. I joined the dramatic club to skulk around and worship him. I knew he was probably Republican, but even that was not enough to cool my ardor. When he graduated—the year before I did—the light went out of my life. Sixty years later it dawned on me that he was probably too physically perfect to be straight. I never did have a chance.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Kate, that is hilarious. And truly, a wonderful plot for a YA novel. Or a rom-com. Really!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, this is Hank, forgetting to sign in with my own name...

      Delete
    2. Or a column for the New York Times Modern Love.

      Delete
  15. Ramona, Justin Trudeau had me at his perfect command of two languages. When he broke into French? Ah.

    PK that is a wonderful list--I am so fascinated by how different we all are. It's such an indication of the exact era, isn't it? Almost in 4 year chunks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have a crush on Justin Trudeau and David Cameron, who was the Prime Minister of Canada. David Cameron looks like my current boyfriend.

      Delete
    2. It was Pierre Trudeau who made my heart go pitterpat when he burst on the scene in 1968 (I was 18, he was 49). The word charisma was made for him; and girls our age all adored him. (And then he married one.)

      But yeah,I can certainly appreciate young Justin's undeniable charms too, despite my remembering him as a baby.

      Delete
  16. And part of my essay is about why we all seem to have these crushes...maybe because these people would never criticize us? I mean--I never thought I would MARRY Paul SImon. I just thought he understood me.

    And a crush is different from a role model, of course.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Aimee - YES on Chris Isaak! "Wicked Game" is the sexiest song ever written - at least when he sings it.

    Lucy, I want to hear more about your classmate Robert Parker! Please don't tell me he was called Dick.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And Baby Did A Bad Thing, Julia. That voice washes over you and just makes you think naughty thoughts.

      God love my husband who has taken me to see Chris Isaak a dozen times and every time he pulls people up from the crowd to dance on stage I see him cringe and I knew he's hoping they both do and don't pick me. Which makes me love him even more because he thinks I have a chance with Chris Isaak and if that's not unconditional love ... I don't know what is. :D

      Delete
    2. Baby Did a Bad Thing - makes me shiver just to think of that song. YES to Chris Isaak!

      Delete
  18. Is there still such a thing as a teen crush? DOes anyone know the current ones--or is that an old-fashioned construct?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes. The Girl still gets a little flutter when she thinks about Daniel Radcliffe. :)

      Delete
    2. My 12 year old grandson loves Adele. He got to see her in concert.

      Delete
  19. I think we all had a favorite Beatle -- mine was George Harrison. Then came Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and I was lost to Paul Newman and Robert Redford. My heart truly throbbed seeing Robert Redford in The Way We Were, and it always beat a little faster seeing ANYTHING with Paul Newman -- OMG those eyes!

    ReplyDelete
  20. This post is taking me down Memory Lane, and dredging up my teen obsession, Tony Curtis. Omigod, he was so sexy. I was also a skinny, glasses wearing need, and everyone's go-to babysitter, so I watched a lot of late night movies on someone else's couch, fantasizing that those eyes were really looking at me, and not Marilyn or whoever.

    PK, the guy who played Mason was Lane Davies, who is a brilliant Shakespearean, as well. Thanks for the reminder of that adult crush!

    The only other celebrity guy who ever really captured my heart was, don't laugh, Gene Wilder. Funny, smart AND sexy, a winning combination, in my opinion.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Ah crushes! I got George, too, because my sister already had Paul--isn't that funny, Julia, how those 'rules' were unspoken and universal? You couldn't 'take' your sister's/friend's crush. And Tom Jones--I had a 45 that I nearly wore out. My poor mother! And when I was older, another great voice--Gordon Lightfoot--even my mother said I could bring him home! ;-). And oh my yes, Chris Isaak.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Yes, Flora, Debbie Snively "had" Paul, but I wanted John anyway.

    ANd I have a photo of Gordon Lightfoot from ...1966? That someone took at a concert we went to. His voice is amazing, but I can't listen to Edmund Fitzgerald without crying . Still.

    Tom Jones. Huh. Never.

    ReplyDelete
  23. OH Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Talk about THE perfect movie! Swoon. ( I just noticed that my auto correct made it Bitch Cassiday. I guess that's the gay.version!
    And I decided that Ryan Gosling!s eyes were pretty darned appealing last night

    ReplyDelete
  24. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Robert Redford is another of the controversial ones for me--I NEVER liked him. Because in The Way We Were, he was mean to Barbra. But again, I was much older when that movie came out--college, right? Or when?
    I didn't understand the lure of Paul Newman until I was older. LIke, 50.
    Oh! Roddy McDowell.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Gah! I just clicked sign out and lost everything.

    I was a Mike Nesmith fan, but okay Davey Jones was adorable with that accent. I'm still a sucker for a British/Irish/Scottish/Australian accent. And I have a bottle of Liquid Paper on my desk at work for some inexplicable reason.

    But my real first crush? Johnny Depp. Those eyes, the cheekbones, the hair, the tortured soul. I saw him on "21 Jump Street" and just about melted. And he still looks good.

    I didn't see the Oscars snafu live, but have seen the replay this morning. Very awkward, but I can only imagine the backstage insanity of a production as large as the Oscars. I'm surprised it's never happened before.

    Mary, aka Liz Milliron

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Do they still make Liquid Paper? Ha!

      Delete
    2. They do! I don't know why, but it's just one of those office things that won't go away I guess.

      Delete
  27. Movie stars--well, I have to say, thinking about it, things have changed since the Photoplay days. :-) I didn't see one really classically handsome person last night--oh, wait. Sure I did. Denzel.

    But who do 10 year olds love today? Is it the same?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I will ask Miss B, my favorite girl, who just turned 11!

      Delete
  28. Oh, my gosh, yes, Mary/Liz, what is it about British accents?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have no idea, but the garbage man can recite the Dictionary with a British accent and I will listen for hours. Seriously.

      Delete
  29. I have a sister 11 years older than me, and by my teen crush years my dad had passed, so I have a fairly vivid memory of my mom, my sister and myself watching "Here Comes the Brides" together and bickering over who was the cutest -- I liked Bobby Sherman, of course, my sister swooned over David Soul, and my mom thought we were crazy not to see the charms of Robert Brown as the oldest brother. I have often remembered that with amusement -- we were sort of like the three bears of crushes.

    Also, Hank, I have to tell you I'm not sure my crush on Paul Simon has ever fully ended. Last year when the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame did a special exhibit on his work, I insisted my husband and I take a day off work to go to Cleveland to see it. I think all of his work has been brilliant, but those original Simon & Garfunkel hits are still especially magical to me. (I have a pet peeve that I think, in general, his work is far underrated!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh,Susan, yes, my crush is fully alive,too. We can make a list of our faves. Can you imagine how difficult it was to write my easy on Paul Simon--and not be able to use lyrics?

      Here Comes The Brides--never saw that, though. I fear...I am too old. xoxo

      Delete
    2. I'm too old for Here Come the Brides, but I sure remember Bonanza. Most of my friends loved Little Joe but I like Pernell Roberts. In later years, I thought I'd been blind not to appreciate Lorne Greene! Remember The Equalizer? I started my silver fox appreciation society around that time. And then I discovered Tom Conti in American Dreamer - I still adore that movie!

      Delete
    3. Hank, until you wrote that it had never crossed my mind that you might be older than me. How is it possible that you still look like a freaking supermodel?!? I realize to some extent it is a professional requirement (for your "day job") but WOW!!!

      Delete
  30. Hank, my young niece is obsessed with Ross Lynch. He is part of a music family, and they have a band called R5. He's appeared in some beach movie and a Disney Channel show, and one of his brothers was on Dancing with the Stars. The family seems very much like the Osmonds or the Cowsills. Things change, but they stay the same, too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cowsills??? Yeesh. I haven't thought of them for years. Now I am singing. Someone stop me.

      Ross Lynch. R5. Sure. Great. Off to Google. xoo

      Delete
  31. Aimee - my free pass is George Clooney. I fell for him on Roseanne then ER and then he destroyed me in Up in the Air. How does he just get better looking and more charming with age? But, yeah, I totally get the Chris Isaak thing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, Up in the Air. I wasn't hot on him in ER, but later, definitely. Plus, he seems like an authentically cool guy. Is he?

      Delete
    2. Jenn, I had a crush on George Clooney too. I had a boyfriend in high school who looked like him.

      Delete
  32. Oh, Hank, I may not have had a crush on Paul Simon, but he is now one of my heroes. I think he is the greatist artist/songwriter of an entire generation.

    Matt Damon is a long-time grown-up crush, ever since Good Will Hunting. And he looked pretty darned good at the Oscars last night.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Totally agree about Paul Simon. Absolutely. It was incredibly difficult, as I said above, to write that essay without lyrics! Luckily, the titles often say it all. Still Crazy After All These Years.

      Delete
  33. Julia and Jenn, I got to see Shaun Cassidy in concert back his Da Doo Run Run days. OMG, so cute. And I got to MEET Parker Stevenson last summer! More mature, but still a hottie!

    I've had crushes on many of those mentioned above, but I want to add Pete Duel to the list. His death was the first major devastating loss I experienced and I still mourn every New Years Eve on the anniversary of his passing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, I remember Pete Duel! I loved him too - Alias Smith and Jones. Wow. This is such a 'remember when...' post!

      Delete
    2. Annette, what did you say to Shaun? xoo

      Delete
    3. Oh, I didn't get to speak to Shaun. Just sat in the cheap seats for one of his concerts when he was hot stuff. I met Parker, but briefly and don't have a clue what I said. Hopefully nothing too stupid!

      Delete
  34. PK - I was a Lt. Starbuck girl. OMG, I loved Battlestar Galactica! And Rick Springfield - Yes! Really wanted to be Jessie's girl :) Clearly, you are my people.

    ReplyDelete
  35. The very first was Yul Brynner. At the age of seven (I think) I saw The King and I. Despite intrusions from those 60s British Invasion guys, I remained faithful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, yes Yul! He was so powerful! And I don't remember one thing about it, but my father tells the story about how he once "talked" to me. My Dad was the music critic for the old Chicago Daily News, and took too-young me to the ballet. I fidgeted and whispered, and finally the man in the seat in front of us turned and said SHHHHH. Yup, Yul. How hilarious is that? Can't you picture it?

      Delete
    2. I am stunned with envy.
      I had to be removed from the theatre at the death scene in The King and I because I was so upset.
      And did you know he had an album of gypsy music?

      Delete
  36. Rock Hudson and Peggy Lee. Yes, I was confused back then. His gentleness, and both their voices, still wow in my mind.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rock Hudson was pretty great. Peggy Lee! Did you want to be like her?

      Delete
    2. I liked Roger Smith from 77 Sunset Strip and I also thought his wife, Ann-Margret, was awesome. I recently saw a rerun of 77 Sunset Strip. Ed Burns (Kookie) was the big heart throb from that show, but watching it now, I much prefer Efram Zimbalist, Jr.

      Which makes me think of his daughter, which makes me think of Remington Steele. So I'd better add Pierce Brosnan to my hot list. I LOVED Remington Steele!

      Delete
    3. Funny! I liked Roger Smith too. And I met Efrem in Austin years ago. What a gracious man.

      Delete
  37. Just to get us old women up to date: anyone for Paterson Joseph?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Paterson Joseph is very cool (I can't believe I still use that expression) but I'm all about Idris Elba. *thunk*

      Delete
  38. I also loved Rock Hudson in Pillow Talk ~

    ReplyDelete
  39. My movie crushes are Cary Grant, James Stewart, Gregory Peck and Rock Hudson. My college boyfriend looked like James Stewart.

    When I was a kid, I had a crush on this actor from a science fiction television series. He was nice when I met him as a kid. It was a different story when I met him again as an adult - he seemed nice then all of a sudden, he said horrid things. Now I do not like him personally though I still like him as an actor. Since this actor is still living, I do not want to mention his name.

    Hank, you are not alone. That Warren Beatty was really horny! I really felt bad for him and Faye Dunaway last night when they announced the wrong name for Best Picture. It must have been embarrassing for them. The La La Land guy was very gracious about it.

    I thought that either Moonlight or Hidden Figures or Fences would win Best Picture. It was a tough choice. Out of all categories, I only got three right! The Costume Design, Production Design and the category that Piper was in all won!

    Hallie, please forgive me for the following comment. I was surprised that your post was about recipes instead of Oscar predictions yesterday.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Whenever I think of Gregory Peck, I think of Hank's Charlotte McNally books. I think Hank had Gregory Peck in the back of her mind when she wrote those.

      Delete
    2. I did, I did! I absolutely did. I think Charlie even says so, right? LOVE that! Thank you!

      Delete
  40. Oh, you all have wonderful taste! My best friend and I were all about "our Paulie" and were devastated we never got to see the Beatles perform live. I've seen Paul perform many times as an adult (best concert, hands down, was Wings at Hammersmith Odeon in London in 1975). Another of my best friends was madly in love with George, and I grew to appreciate George when I got older. John was definitely the sexy one, but he was a little too mature for pre-pubescent me.

    I also loved the Monkees - Peter Tork was the only blond I was ever attracted to - Davy was cute but tiny. I loved Mickey's sense of humor and Mike's singing and songwriting skills.

    I also thought Dave Clark of the Dave Clark 5 was pretty cool. And years later, Eric Clapton. *more sighs*

    A friend of mine from high school found some success as an actress, and performed with Warren Beatty in HEAVEN CAN WAIT. I never made it to the h.s. reunions - would have loved to ask her what he was like in person.

    I appreciate the gorgeousness of George Clooney (who doesn't?)and Brad Pitt reminds me of a young Robert Redford (*sigh*), but my movie star heroes were Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant and, later, Tom Hanks.

    BTW, since I never got to see the Beatles live, I made a point of making sure my daughter had lots of opportunities to see her dreamboats (remember that phrase??), the Backstreet Boys. Our whole family saw them in concert many times. Howie was her favorite - he lived in Orlando, and we were there once on Mother's Day. We stopped by his house and my daughter knocked on the door with a grocery store flower bouquet for Howie's mom. His dad came out and said hi, and later when we were driving on the expressway, his dad honked and waved at us. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jimmy Stewart. Sigh. But I think..he came later for me. When I saw Philadelphia Story. SO great.

      Delete
  41. Here's a list from Gen x-er Missye Clarke from my post on Facebook--interesting, huh?

    Ralph Macchio
    Emilio Estevez
    Rob Lowe
    Michael Jackson and Charlie Sheen (pre-freak days)
    Daryl Hall (met him, John Oates, too, 1989 in Queens.Very sweet guys!)
    Andrew McCarthy
    Rick Schroeder
    Patrick Swayze
    and nowadays, just two, Daniel Radcliff and Logan Lerma

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I didn't really appreciate Rob Lowe until he was in West Wing. Now I'm a fan!

      Delete
    2. Emilio Estevez is here in Cincinnati right now, working on a movie with Alec Baldwin. I saw an interview with him last night; he's looking for a house here, since he loves making movies in this area.

      They showed a shot of his son, who looks so much like Charlie Sheen when he was young.

      Delete
  42. Mine as a teen was Paul McCartney. Then Tom Selleck in my 30s. One of my Gen-X DILs loved Prince and said he was so sexy; I couldn't get that at all!

    ReplyDelete
  43. My first celebrity crush was on Johnny Crawford, once I was old enough to stay up until The Rifleman was on TV--I was even in his fan club! My friend Judy and I actually had a crush on Prince Charles, and later on Roger Ewing, who was on Gunsmoke for a couple of years later on in its run. Paul was my favorite Beatle. Other crushes I can remember--Mel Gibson (I think I still have his Rolling Stone cover--as beautiful a man as I have ever seen!), Richard Chamberlain, Dennis Quaid. One of my longest crushes was on Scott Bakula, especially during the Quantum Leap years. Lately I'd have to say my main celebrity crush is Lin-Manuel Miranda (highly inappropriate since he was born a couple of weeks after my older son).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. QUANTUM LEAP!! Loved that SO much. (But I was older then....)

      Prince Charles, definitely. (I met him, as a reporter. He was charming! But short.)

      And fan clubs, Margie, how cute is that?

      Delete
    2. Johnny Crawford! My sister crushed on him. We saw him and Chuck Connors ages ago at The Houston rodeo. He had just come out with his 45 record (scratches head, can't remember the name) but didn't get to sing.

      Delete
  44. Paul McCartney, Davey Jones, Herman from Herman's Hermits -- anyone see a trend and it goes on today. Colin Firth, Craig Daniel, etc.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, the Brits! How many of us practiced our accents?

      Delete
    2. At the end of my junior year of high school, a new kid transferred to my school. He was English, his dark hair was a lot longer than any of the boys at school, and he had that wonderful accent!

      Reader, I married him.

      Delete
  45. Coming in here from my sick bed where sleep is my friend today. I'll just say that my crushes were Paul McCartney, Richard Chamberlain, Robert Redford, Michael Landon, Peter O'Toole. The female I wanted to be was Natalie Wood or Julie Christie.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Peter O'Toole! In Lawrence. But that was later, right? I am SO dating myself.

      Delete
    2. Yes! I fell in lust with Peter O'Toole after Lawrence of Arabia.

      Delete
  46. My mom always laughed about how as a kid I was a perpetual motion machine, but I would always stop and watch an entire episode of Here Come the Brides and shush anyone who dared talk whenever Bobby Sherman stuttered any of his lines. Honestly, I can't remember the show at all, but I had a crush on Bobby Sherman all through elementary school and I still smile when I see an old picture of him. But I've probably had a longer crush on Cary Grant--all through the ages.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can't even picture Bobby Sherman! But he does seem to have some devoted Reds fans!

      Delete
    2. So cute, Keenan. And with you on Cary!

      Delete
    3. One of my girls' night buddies from when I lived in Cincinnati is STILL in a Bobby Sherman fan club. Those early crushes are the hardest to let go. :-)

      Delete
  47. I'm afraid I've been jumping in here and there adding my two cents worth. My favorite Monkee was Mickey Dolenz. I even wrote him a fan letter. That was a first and a last.
    I loved watching old movies in high school and college and absolutely fell for Jimmy Cagney. Don't ask why. He could play tough or sweet and could dance like all get out. I also fell hard for Laurence Olivier after seeing his movie of Hamlet. I was definitely a Starbuck fan from the original Battlestar Galactica and I'll take Scott Bakula in anything. Except CSI:New Orleans. That show is so fakey I cannot watch it. Sean Connery was also an object of lust in the past; I think I may have outgrown that now!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Isn;t it funny how we change, PatD? Yes, Yes, Olivier's Hamlet. Hamlet himself, actually. And I had big dreams about Henry V. But in college.

      Delete
  48. When I was five my first crush was Christopher Reeves as Superman. I'm told I used to kiss the TV screen! Then onto Patrick Swayze in 6th grade (I was in the fan club) and onto Jon Bon Jovi by 7th. From there on out I had a string of crushes on everyone from Jeremy Irons to Christopher Walken. Guess I liked the more cerebral types...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do, too, Sonia! More King Arthur than Lancelot, too. But maybe that's another blog! Jeremy Irons got creepy though, right, portraying a perfect Von Bulow.

      Delete
    2. Sonia, one of my sisters used to run up to the TV to kiss Roy Rogers!

      Delete
  49. I'll make it 100 comments!! Hot Topic. Warren Beatty -- I won't say which one but you can easily guess -- I worked in a presidential campaign during which there was a big fund-raiser, and the big prize was dinner with Warren Beatty. In the office a few days later, I was called in and asked if I had a raffle ticket. I did not. Even so, I won the "dinner" which never happened.

    My heartthrob from 5th grade forward -- ELVIS!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Either Warren said screw it or they never meant for it to happen -- and they used me, a low man on the staff.

      Delete
  50. The dinner never happened?? That sucks!

    ReplyDelete
  51. Early crushes include Prince Charles(when I was about 13; he and I are around the same age, and I had so many questions I would have asked him!); Eddie Hodges, Robert Logan(what ever happened to him?), George Harrison and Paul McCartney(it was perfectly fine to be infatuated with more than one Beatle!), Cary Grant. CARY GRANT! Ahh...,Tom Selleck-until I started losing inches of height. Now when I'm around tall men, I get anxious, as though they might accidentally step on my head!

    My mom told us she had a crush on Christopher Plummer, which I just didn't get. He did nothing for me!

    Deb Romano

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, my comment disappeared! Do you think because of SOund of Music, DebRo?

      WHo was the man in Hart to Hart? Robert..Wagner?

      Delete
    2. Probably Sound of Music, yes.

      Robert Wagner was in Hart to Hart.

      Robert Logan was in 77 Sunset Strip, and I don't think I've heard of him since then. But my 8th grade self sure had a crush on him, after I got over Prince Charles!

      Delete
  52. Just for the fun of it, I'll add this, even though it's very late in the day and the conversation: I loooooved Cat Woman when I was a little girl, you know, Bat Man's sidekick. And Emma Peal (sp?) in the Avengers. Gorgeous women in leather. Hmmmmmm. Guess part of me knew early on that I was gay. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cat Woman! SO fabulous. Julie Newmar? Gorgeous and powerful ANd Emma--wonderful. Smart and slinky. Yes, great crushes!

      Delete
  53. See you all tomorrow--with a giveaway, a great guest, and a question for you! Cannot wait to hear what you say!

    xxxo

    ReplyDelete
  54. I'm from a later generation (born in the late 80s, grew up in the 90s), so my very first crush was Jonathan Taylor Thomas (JTT) from the show Home Improvement. I absolutely loooved him. Even had posters of him hanging in my room, ripped from the pages of those Teen Beat (or was it Tiger Beat?) magazines.

    I don't really follow many celebrities now, but off the top of my head, I love:

    Chris Evans (Captain America)
    Joseph Gordon-Levitt (500 Days of Summer, Inception)
    Rahul Kohli (iZombie)
    TOP (Korean pop star)

    A somewhat diverse list ^^

    ReplyDelete
  55. Just for the fun of it, I'll add this, even though it's very late in the day and the conversation: I loooooved Cat Woman when I was a little girl, you know, Bat Man's sidekick. And Emma Peal (sp?) in the Avengers. barbie pink jacket . Hmmmmmm.

    ReplyDelete