The Man Who Fell for Eartha

Driving home from work I listened to Eartha Kitt. I hate how all of the legends that I grew up knowing are one bu one departing this earth. Like most my age, my first encounter with Eartha Kitt was when she played Catwoman on Batman. My father taught me more about her: his Aunt's husband was a major investor in "New Faces of 52" the Broadway show that made her a star (and had my friend Ellen's mother, Faith Stewart-Gordon in the chorus).

I bought her albums, I went and saw her at The Ballroom, at Cafe Carlyle, any chance I could get. Then there was that one special night: It was partner David's birthday, and we had planned to see Eartha at the Carlyle. Unfortunately, her night off was the same as David's and we had to cancel the plans. David had a friend, Jon, who worked with her on tour and remained friendly with her, and we were all going to go and have a drink with her afterwards. We were bummed.

We planned to just have a dinner party instead. I had graduated from cooking school and was eager to show off. We invited Jon and a friend of mine for a small party. A few minutes after David left for the matinee Jon called. He told me that he was bringing a guest to dinner and that it was Eartha. I scrambled to get the house spotless and really pull out all the stops.

When David got home, things were buzzing. A few minutes later, the doorbell rang and I asked David to get it. I heard the door open and David call out "Oh my God! Eartha Kitt's come to dinner." And so she had.

We had no dining room or real table to eat at and usually gathered around a huge square coffee table. Eartha pulled off her boots, sat on the floor at the table and we spent the next six hours talking politics, theatre, anything and everything. We were all overwhelmed by her intelligence, her intensity, her warmth. She admired a wooden bird my father had carved, and I had Dad send her one the next day!

Just a few years ago, David was hired to design the hair and provide the wigs to the Off-Broadway musical "Mimi LeDuck," in which Eartha was starring. It was another chance to ge to know her. She liked the wigs David made for her for the show so much, she ordered more after the show closed.

It's odd that most of the people around here that I encounter don't have any idea who she is. I'm feeling old, very old...how can one compare an Eartha Kitt, a Hermoine Gingold, a Marlene Dietrich to Britney Spears, Kindsay Lohan or any of these contemporary "performers"?

If you don't know about her look up what she said a luncheon held at the White House by LadyBird Johnson.