“Thank you for coming to speak to us.” After my most recent book talk a lady came up to chat. “I always loved Phyllis Diller. I saw her when she appeared here in Las Vegas back in the 70s.” “Wow! I was with her then. You saw her at the Riviera?” “Yes. Back when it was the classy hotel. That and the Desert Inn.” “Oh yes, I remember them well — the DI was the place for high rollers. It was beautiful.” We reminisced a bit, she bought a book and left, leafing through the first few pages as she headed for the door. It made me happy to connect with one of Phyllis’s fans. One of the things I like best about giving talks about Phyllis is that everyone seems to have loved her. I’ve not had a single person say anything like, “well, she was okay …” No. 100% of… Read More »
The Phyllis Diller royalty check
“How about an April 1 publication date?” Larry, my editor/publisher, said referring to my book: “Beyond the Spotlight: On the Road with Phyllis Diller.” “Sure,” I said, not realizing the significance of that day. It’s been just over a year since my book came out and whether the April Fool referred to me or Phyllis, I’m still not sure, but looking at my latest royalty check, I’m thinking it might be me. This check combined with the money I earned pouring wine last Saturday will just about cover the cost of my new shoes. Granted, they are Cole Hahn, so pricey, but still by now I expected that I would have made enough money to buy new shoes every week! (Where are Simon & Schuster when you need them?) “It’s not a big house publisher you need,” Shawn told me when I was lamenting this a few weeks back, “it’s… Read More »
Did Phyllis Diller Wear a Wig ?
“Did Phyllis always wear a wig?” The question came after one of my recent talks. I’ve had a great time visiting book clubs and other groups telling about my time as personal secretary to Phyllis Diller in the early 70s. “Yes, she pretty much did,” I answer the wig-question lady. One of Phyllis’s trademark looks was the wild hair which she teased to stand on end. That, along with the dresses that stopped at her knees and the boots which came just past the ankles gave her a decidedly awkward look — exactly what she wanted. She had started by teasing her hair until she realized that she was doing real damage, then she took to wearing wigs. At first the wigs were just for her stage act, but eventually she realized it was much easier to put on an already-styled head of hair than to set and style her own… Read More »
The Phyllis Diller Collection Keeps on Growing
“We bought some of Phyllis’s silver!” Dottie’s voice trilled over the phone. I could hear Bob in the background. My friends Bob and Dottie in Houston are avid sellers and buyers on eBay and got such a kick out of buying one of the lots of Phyllis’s silver at the live on-line auction last August that they couldn’t wait to tell me. Last week a long slender box arrived in the mail and inside were two silver serving spoons from the Phyllis Diller collection along with a note: “We wanted you to have a couple of Phyllis’s spoons. Do you remember them?” I have to say that I don’t remember them. I don’t remember Phyllis actually cooking at home. Well, maybe once or twice I saw her in the kitchen as I was leaving for the day. She said she enjoyed cooking because it relaxed her. Her son, Perry, says… Read More »
Is “The House” Still There?
“Hey! Let’s drive past Phyllis’s house and see if it’s still there!” At the time this inspiration struck a couple of days ago, I was with a couple of friends inching our way down Highway One through Malibu on our way back from the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley. We were nearing Sunset Boulevard and only a few miles from Phyllis Diller’s house where I used to work. “Do you think it will still be there?” Nancy asked as she waited for a chance to change lanes. “I don’t know. After it was sold, the new owners said they were going to demolish it. That was just about a year ago. Let’s go see.” This was going to be a brief detour but I didn’t think it would make us late for our dinner reservation. I hated the thought of the house being torn down. Outside of the memories for me… Read More »
