Category Archives: Memory Lane

A nod from Orson Welles was good enough

Posted on May 6, 2015 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – I never spoke to Orson Welles – who was born 100 years ago today and will be the subject of a two-month season at the BFI Southbank – but he did respond with a nod … Continue reading →

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Recalling … Ernie Harwell, voice of the Detroit Tigers

Posted on May 4, 2015 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – The first baseball game I ever saw was at Tiger Stadium in Detroit in 1970 and a bonus of living across the river in Windsor, Ontario, was that I was able to hear the club’s … Continue reading →

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Why Carolyn Jones did not want to kiss Elvis Presley

Posted on April 28, 2015 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – When I interviewed Carolyn Jones, who would have turned 85 today, she told me she had been sick but she did not tell me she was dying. Famous as Morticia in the 1960s TV series … Continue reading →

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The serious side of Playboy’s Hugh Hefner

Posted on April 9, 2015 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – At the Festival de Cannes in 1999, the Croisette was filled with promotions for “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me” and the buzzword was “shagadelic”. When The Hollywood Reporter Cannes Daily ran a picture … Continue reading →

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When electronic darts machines made me weep

Posted on April 7, 2015 by admin

By Ray Bennett A long time ago in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, the local taverns began to sprout loud and offensive machines that, for a price, offered electronic darts. As a player of real darts, I took immediate offence and expressed … Continue reading →

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A birthday card from Paris from Gregory Peck

Posted on April 5, 2015 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – Gregory Peck and I were born on April 5 and when he turned 80 he sent me a card from Paris on which he wrote, “This French graffiti describes perfectly how it feels to be 80 … Continue reading →

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How I introduced Martin Short to Steve Martin

Posted on March 26, 2015 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – The memory of how I introduced Martin Short, who is 65 today, to Steve Martin still cracks me up but I’ve discovered that I’m the only one who thinks it’s funny. It was backstage at … Continue reading →

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Dashing into action to the aid of Rachel Weisz

Posted on March 5, 2015 by admin

By Ray Bennett Oscar-winning actress Rachel Weisz, who turns 45 on March 7, is Mrs. Daniel Craig now but there was a moment, a single moment, when she only had eyes for me.

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When Mr. Spock invited me on a day out

Posted on February 27, 2015 by admin

By Ray Bennett It was the familiar voice of Mr. Spock on the phone although Leonard Nimoy, who died today aged 83, at the time was soon to publish his defiant memoire, “I Am Not Spock”.

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Why vet and author James Herriot never got rich

Posted on February 24, 2015 by admin

By Ray Bennett The stories of veterinarean James Herriot, who wrote “All Creatures Great and Small” and died 20 years ago today aged 79, remain immensely popular and they attract many tourists to Yorkshire but they did not make him … Continue reading →

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