Old Friends, Fantasies and Strippers
This evening was a special treat. My very first friend and her husband are passing through town and we met them and some other friends for dinner. I love visiting with Barb. We go back to kindergarten, so you can imagine the memories we have to share. Here we are starring in Rumpelstilsken. That’s me on the left and Barb on the right and our classmate Carol between us. Actually, we were not starring at all. We were the “ladies in waiting”, sort of like the “extras” in a Hollywood movie. I had one line–“Maybe it’s Needlenose”–as my character tried to guess Rumpelstilsken’s name.
But here is one of my favorite Barb memories (which will give away both my age and my pre-adolescent yearnings). 77 Sunset Strip was a popular detective show when we were kids. We both had a crush on one of the characters, Jeff Spencer, played by Roger Smith (top guy in the picture). Since we both wanted him, we pretended that one of us was married to Jeff (we think it was Barb) and the other to Roger (we think it was me). I was so obsessed with Roger Smith that when it came time to pick my middle name for my confirmation, I picked his wife’s name (which, at that time, was Victoria. He has long been married to Ann Margret. Imagine picking Ann Margret over me!)
One time on the show, the characters were talking about “strippers”, and we somehow figured out that strippers had tassles on their breasts. So we got the tassles off our sisters’ graduation caps and taped them to our flat chests and tried to make them whirl around. I’m so glad we had no video cameras back then! (I added strippers to the blog post title just to get more hits. I’m shameless!).
So here we are tonight, all grown up, trying to remember which one of us was married to Roger and which to Jeff and very glad we ended up with the real men in our lives.
ps: How do you spell Rumpelstilsken??
Diane, I think you spelled Rumplestilsken just right…cause I knew exactly who you meant 😉 I am so glad you shared this story with us. My best friend from high school is coming into town this weekend, and I don’t remember the last time I saw her. She was my Maid of Honor when I got married. Then we had kids, moved away, moved back and away..she left the state. We have lost touch over the years back and forth. But I always remember that we had a great time in high school. The things we did when we were out “Cruising” in her Orange Ford Torino. It looked like this http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/03/1970_ford_torino_cobra_sportsroof_chiolero.jpg/250px-1970_ford_torino_cobra_sportsroof_chiolero.jpg She could drive and watch the cars and the guys driving the cars…I could never remember who drove what, and when I was suppose to be watching for someone…well forget it. I could never do that if I was driving..Good thing we took her car most of the time. One time we were parked out along the Strip that we cruised. A guy on a motorcycle stopped and asked us if we wanted a ride. Big dummy me… I said yes..He took me somewhere I don’t know where to a house on the other side of the City…and I was on the back of that MC with out a jacket and my long hair was blowing in the wind…tangled by the time I got back. Can you believe how stupid I was and lucky, because he brought me back and all was well, but it could have ended very differently. But we had a good time and I am so looking forward to seeing her this weekend.
Sorry about that last post..I was trying to put a picture there. Hmmm Guess it didn’t work out so well…
ROTFLMAO over the tassles. That is way to funny.
You made me laugh after a hard day…love the tassel story. If only they knew all the crazy and funny things us gals did behind closed door and secret crushes we have all had them!
what a wonderful story Diane. this past weekend was my 35th grad reunion in my old hometown. I roomed with Deb – a friend I walked to school with in elementary school. Was so nice reconnecting. Told her she had to read your books as we liked many of the same authors. It was so nice to see my “old” friends as basically we all arrived in town at the same time (a boomtown that started when I was 7) and went to school right through to grade 12 with. Danced too much, laughed too much but it was well worth it. Good friends are precious.
Glad you enjoyed yourself so much last night.
Rumpelstiltskin?
Did you notice you’re flipping your friends off in the photo?! LOL
Love this!
Just loved the post, Diane! How funny, especially the image of taped graduation cap tassles whirling! Oh my! This reminds me of my infatuation with Richard Chamberlain when he starred in Dr. Kildare. I must have written to him or joined a Richard Chamberlain fan club because I remember my elation upon receiving a signed 8 x 10 glossy of him in the mail. As I recall, I wanted to marry him, too! Thanks for jarring my memory a bit. I have not thought about this in years. I wish I still had his photo!
Diane, this is one of my favorite posts! It’s so wonderful to see two beautiful women who have been friends for life – love it!!
PS – Adorable kid pic 🙂
What a fun post to read! Love the childhood photo and the photo of the 2 of you now! No, I don’t believe that I was ever a goofy kid (jk)!
Diane, you and your childhood friends look absolutely adorable on stage! I’d know you anywhere!…wonderful that you stayed connected through the years.
Rumpelstiltskin (I think this is the correct spelling)
I too was a goofy kid. When my childhood friend Ester and I were about seven , our elderly neighbour asked us to go to the store for her. She supplied us with a wicker basket like the one little red riding hood had, that contained the empty glass milk bottles that needed filling and money to buy her some unmentionable items one of which was a family size box of Ex lax . It was chocolate and it came in easily break off pieces. It was only a ten minute walk back from the shop but that was time enough for Ester and I to eat all but the last two pieces in case the poor old lady needed some relief. As the afternoon progressed and we both got greener around the gills, we confessed our manifold sins and wickedness. Poison Control was called and warm water dosed with a very unhealthy amount of salt was ingested by us both to make us sick. Boy were we sick.lol. Ester moved away the year we were ten( my partner in daring and doing) and I just reunited with her by Facebook this year. The first message I got from her said. ‘Know where a girl can get a box of Ex Lax?’ Sure do Ester.
oh Sheree, you’ll never forget that experience no matter how hard you try!
lol. That’s for sure Diane. It was a cleansing experience:)
Your story made me think of my Mom’s long time friends, Helen and Ruth.
I take care of my mom who has advanced dementia. One of my “lean on” people is Mom’s long time best friend, Ruth. They have been friends since junior high. (They are both 85.) Helen died in 2007. Mom had known Helen since Kindergarten. The three were best friends for many years..and all three had their first child the same year.
Now when I need help with Mom and Ruth comes over…as I leave I always tell them, “Have fun, but don’t dance naked in the streets.”
As to the tassles – my niece, Wendy, was 3 when Sonny and Cher were on TV. She was sitting on the floor one day since “vamp” and trying to imitate Cher…Wendy said, “Nothing moves.”
* singing – not since
Just too funny, all of you! My cousin, Kathy, and I still laugh about the time we heard that drinking 8 glasses of water a day helped with weight loss. If 8 is good, much more is better, right? And even more effective if you drink them all at once? Not. My daughter turns 13 this month, and I watch her with her BFF. I smile knowing they are building wonderful memories like those shared here.