PART TWO ... EGOS/INSECURITIES

 poor georgie’s almanack  

Part #2.  Egos and insecurities boot camp.      May 25, 2018.   300 words

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Diller.

Chicago, 1960.  Occasionally the famous comedienne Phyllis Diller appeared on Phil Lind’s WAIT radio interview program.  I was his booker (corralling and scheduling guests).  I loved sitting in the studio with Phil and Phyllis because she really was fun.

Some background … Mrs. Diller came to showbiz later than most, she was almost 40.  Phyllis raised five kids in the days before disposables, so she washed untold loads of loaded  cotton diapers.  Apparently, some ladies in the launderette liked her off-kilter takes on real life.  They encouraged her to come up with more stories.  During World War 2, Mr. Diller (she called him Fang on stage) worked in a factory making bombers.  I am a bit older than their eldest son. 

On two occasions she asked if I’d care to go shopping with her after the the Lind interview.  You bet I did.  

Both times we wandered up and down touristy streets in Chicago’s Rush Street area, stopping to browse in hat stores.  Hats were an important part of her stage persona. 

Off stage, Phyllis was neither frantic, nor funny, nor wore a hat.  We mostly talked about our families.  Her kids, it turned out, were not perfect, and that really bothered her.  

The two of us looked like a lot of the Midwest tourists passing by.  It was as if I was hosting one of my sweet aunts from Sioux City, Iowa.  But, the middle aged woman at my side was a certified star.  Millions followed her relatable antics on TV.  They showered love and other kinds of affection upon her, and her wacky hats, and hairdo.  And most must have thought she lived an ideal life. 

I saw an insecure lady from Lima, Ohio without any real friends in the big city, and lonely.  

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