100 New Yorkers of the 1970s | Page 2

helping her
for a few months, she accepted a full-time job as headwriter for a new
soap. I had told her of my ambition and shown her some of my writing,
so she recommended me to Bruce as her replacement.
For my first assignment, Bruce sent me to interview Delores Hall, star
of a Broadway musical with an all-black cast, _Your Arms Too Short
to Box With God_. I went to the theater, watched the show, then met
Delores backstage. The first question I asked her was: "Is that your real
hair?" She smiled good-naturedly at my lack of diplomacy and didn't
answer, but made me feel completely at ease. She led me outside the
theater, and without embarrassment, asked me to hail the taxi for us.
Then she directed the driver to a favorite soul food restaurant, where
she stuffed herself while I conducted the interview. She was as gracious
in my company as she had been on the stage while bowing to a
standing ovation. Later, her role in the show won her the Tony Award
for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.
After completing my Delores Hall story, I was kept constantly busy at
the TV Shopper for as long as I stayed in New York. At first Bruce
gave me all the leads, many of whom were people who had requested
to be on the cover. But soon I was after bigger game, and began to
systematically hunt down people whom I had grown up admiring. I
scanned People magazine each week to find out which celebrities were
New Yorkers. When I landed an important interview, I often visited the
New York Public Library of Performing Arts in Lincoln Center to
study the clipping files and prepare my questions.
A few interviewees were distant and arrogant, making it clear that they
wouldn't be wasting their time with me if not for the insistence of their
agent. A cover story in the TV Shopper could possibly extend a
Broadway run for a few days or sell another $10,000 worth of tickets to
the ballet or opera. But the vast majority of my interview subjects were
friendly, respectful, and even a little flattered by the thought of being
on the cover. In general, the biggest people were most likely to be
unpretentious and generous of spirit.
It was thrilling experience to meet and interview the people who had

been my idols only a few years before. When we were alone together in
a room, I felt that -- if only for that brief period -- I were the equal of
someone who had achieved greatness. I had grown up reading
Superman comics, and one day it flashed on me: this is Metropolis and
I'm Clark Kent!
My subjects probably found me somewhat of a rube. I didn't dress well,
I had little knowledge of New York, I asked some very simplistic
questions, and until 1979 I didn't use a tape recorder. So perhaps some
of the stars were put off their guard and revealed more of themselves
than they would have to a more professional interviewer. I was struck
by how single-minded they were for success. Probing their brains was
like getting a second college education. Their main message was: Don't
waste your life and don't do anything just for money.
Of course, many people declined my request for an interview. Among
those I fished for, but failed to reel in, were Richard Chamberlain, Isaac
Bashevis Singer, Bob Keeshan (Captain Kangaroo), Rex Reed, Halston,
Carrie Fisher, Russell Baker, Ted Sorensen, Joseph Heller, Margaret
Meade, Helen Gurley Brown and Ira Gershwin. Then there were the
Eastsiders and Westsiders too famous to even approach, such as Woody
Allen, Bob Hope and Mikhail Baryshnikov.
The person who did more than anyone else to secure first-rank
interviews for me was Anna Sosenko, a woman in her late 60s who
owned an autograph collectors' shop on West 62th Street filled with
elegantly framed letters, manuscripts and autographed photos of some
of the greatest names in the history of entertainment. Despite her
treasures, she always talked with one hand over her mouth to hide the
fact that she had practically no teeth.
For 23 years Anna had managed the career of cabaret superstar
Hildegarde Sell, and had penned Hildegarde's theme song, "Darling, Je
Vous Aime Beaucoup." Anna was still a formidable figure in showbiz;
every year she produced a spectacular fund-raising all-star show in a
Broadway theater that paid tribute to Broadway legends. Her 1979
show, which I attended, included live performances by Julie Andrews,
Agnes DeMille, Placido Domingo, Alfred Drake, Tovah Feldshuh,

Hermione Gingold and Rex Harrison.
I met Anna through her friendship with Bruce Logan, and she became
my direct link to many stars of the older generation, including Douglas
Fairbanks Jr., Lillian Gish,