A2 • SUNDAY, AUGUST 17, 2014
QUAD-CITY TIMES • QCTIMES.COM
Memories of Benny,
Bacall: Baby powder
and burning eyes
A few weeks ago, in a self–satisfying column, I
wrote a few lines about my favorite and least-favorite
personalities. Red Skelton was my favorite. Least
favorite was Lauren Bacall.
Bacall’s name comes
forth because she, the
widow of Humphey Bogart, died last week. I’m
sorry. I have memories of
her visit to Davenport. I
have never shared them
before. Many big names
have crossed my humble
path. All of them — and
Bill Wundram
I stress “all of them” —
have been courteous and
friendly. Bacall, cool and
snippy, was a little different.
I think of one star, of greater stature than Bacall,
friendly Jack Benny. The classic comedian was appearing at Wharton Field House in Moline. It was a torpid
Saturday night, and our visit was last-minute in
a closet-size dressing room. He was sweating and
uncomfortable. He joked, kidded about my butch haircut and, before we could talk, handed me a $10 bill and
said, “Kid, run out to some drugstore and get me some
baby powder for my prickly heat.” I did and sprinkled it
all over his back. By then, it was showtime. He shook my hand and said, “Kid,
you’re the greatest, my hero.” Nice guy,
but I never got an interview.
THE CORDIALITY of entertainment giants like Benny is a ballroom of
difference compared with Bacall. She
flew into the Quad-City Airport at 9:15
Bacall
on a November night in 2000. I showed
up with Quad-City Times photographer Jeff Cook and
expected there would be a welcoming committee for
the late Bogie’s wife.
We saw no “greetings” there when she stepped off
the plane. Her hair was a mess, understandable after
flying 20 hours from Sweden. I wanted to get a few
words, and she told me to get away. A few people had
gathered near the gate to board, and I shooed them
aside so I could get in small talk with Bacall and Cook
could get a picture. As Cook and I recall, she called us
something like “beasts.”
In the airport lobby, there was a welcoming group
from her hosts, the Quad-City Arts Festival of Trees,
who took her to the Radisson Quad-City Plaza in
Davenport, where Danny Holmes, the manager, had
arranged for her to have the most deluxe suite (including a dining room) in the place.
Next day, she ordered her outfit steamed. Danny
politely told her this wasn’t the Ritz. She stormed,
“Steam my clothes!” Danny and a cook held her outfit
high over boiling kettles of water in the kitchen to get
the job done as best they could.
THAT AFTERNOON, Bacall — who had been paid
high thousands of dollars to be here — appeared before
a group who had paid a respectable amount to listen
to her speak. The late Karen Getz, then the Festival of
Trees chairman, found her most hospitable. But then
again, dear, sweet Karen would find anyone hospitable.
Pat Miller, a leader with the Festival of Trees, later told
me that Bacall was so rude to her that she had tears.
That night, Bacall was to be the guest star at a Festival
of Trees gala at the Davenport RiverCenter. All the
audience expected the movie star to stroll to the stage
in that inimitable Lauren Bacall swagger and say a few
words. Or at least wave to the crowd. She did none of
that. She stayed, aloof, at her table.
I sat nearby. She spotted me. Her burning eyes were
like a leopard waiting to pounce upon its prey. She
stared a few seconds and then looked away prior to
leaving the party before it was over.
Bill Wundram can be contacted at 563-383-2249
or [email protected].
CORRECTIONS
The Quad-City Times strives for accuracy and regrets all
errors. If you notice inaccurate information, please call (563)
383-2375 and ask for the section where the error occurred. All
corrections will appear here.
Vol.
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Vol.
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Publisher: Greg R. Veon
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‘Leading Ladies’
DAILY
‘Leading Ladies’
A complete calendar of
events can be found at
qctimes.com/calendar
STARGAZING
Todd replacing Gregory
as ‘Meet the Press’ host
CBS FILMS
Zoe Kazan and Daniel Radcliffe in “What If.”
‘What If’ is
smart, lovable
“What If” is everything a romantic
comedy should be: Smart, sophisticated, with endearing characters.
Daniel Radcliffe has shaken off the
“Harry Potter” persona by now. Here
he is Wallace, a medical school dropout
who still is recovering from a breakup
with his girlfriend. He ends up living with his sister and he doesn’t go
out much.
One night, he meets Chantry (Zoe
Kazan, “Ruby Sparks”),
and they have a great
time talking. When he
walks her home, she tells
him that she has a livein boyfriend (Rafe Spall,
“Prometheus” and “The
Life of Pi”), but she gives
him her number anyLinda
way because she enjoys
Cook
his company.
Wallace figures a
REVIEW
friendship with a woman
is just fine, or at least better than
nothing. His best friend Allan (Adam
Driver, who delivered a show-stealing
performance in “Inside Llewyn Davis”
and who may become a household name
because he is part of the “Star Wars:
Episode VII” troupe) knows better, and
warns Wallace that danger is lurking.
We know that nothing good will
come of Wallace’s invitation to dinner at
the home of Chantry and her boyfriend,
although you probably won’t see what’s
coming — and that makes the sequence
all the more entertaining.
Director Michael Dowse (“Goon”)
gives us beautiful glimpses at Toronto
as a perfect background for a blossoming romance. He also gives us wellrounded secondary characters. We’re
interested in everyone we meet, whether
IF YOU GO
“WHAT IF”
★★★½
Running time: One hour and 35 minutes.
Rated: PG-13 for sexual situations and brief
nudity and violence.
it’s Chantry’s sister, Wallace’s sister or
Chantry’s boyfriend.
Kazan is one of the most natural
actresses around. Her wide-eyed
waif-like appearance makes her all the
more endearing — she amazed me in
the far-too-unseen “Ruby Sparks,” a
clever screenplay that Kazan herself
wrote. Radcliffe sympathetically plays
a man who has been burned once and
now is adrift … that is, until it seems as
though he may put himself in a hopeless
situation. It’s likely he’ll remind you
of someone you know: He will settle
for friendship when he really wants so
much more.
Dowse adds a bit of animated whimsy
that’s a reflection of Chantry’s character
(this ties in with her occupation). At
first I found it a bit off-putting, but
because Dowse presents the animation
sparingly, I began to happily anticipate
it once I understood what it signifies.
The characters struggle with contemporary dilemmas that challenge
young people: What’s the ideal job? Can
a long-distance romance endure separation? How do you know that you’re
really in love? There’s something oldschool, but never quaint, about their
quests for love that’s such an integral
part of the human condition.
This would be an enjoyable date
movie that might lead two people to ask
each other the question in its title.
Memoir: Gritty view of prairie life
foundation for the popular series — is slated to
PIERRE, S.D. — Laura be released by the South
Dakota State Historical
Ingalls Wilder penned
Society Press nationwide
one of the most beloved
this fall. The not-safechildren’s series of the
for-children tales include
20th century, but her
stark scenes of domestic
forthcoming autobiogabuse, love triangles gone
raphy will show devoted
awry and a man who
“Little House on the
lit himself on fire while
Prairie” fans a more
drunk off whiskey.
realistic, grittier view of
Wilder and her daughfrontier living.
ter Rose Wilder Lane,
“Pioneer Girl: The
herself a well-known
Annotated Autobiography” — Wilder’s unedited author, tried and failed
draft that was written for to get an edited version
of the autobiography
an adult audience and
published throughout the
eventually served as the
Affordable
Family Vacation
Destination!
• Historic Sites
• State Parks
• River Cruises • Casino
• Recreational Paradise
• 40+ Lodging Properties
Free 64-Page
Visitor’s Guide!
Embattled “Meet the Press”
moderator David Gregory is
leaving NBC
News, and
Chuck Todd
will replace
him on
the venerable Sunday
morning
public affairs
Todd
program,
NBC said.
Todd begins his new role
Sept. 7. He remains NBC
News’ political director, but will
relinquish his duties as chief
White House correspondent
and anchor of MSNBC’s “The
Daily Rundown.” He has been
a frequent guest on “Meet the
Press” as a political analyst.
The 42-year-old Todd came
to NBC in 2007 after working for the National Journal’s
“The Hotline,” where he was
editor-in-chief.
He becomes only the 11th
permanent host of “Meet the
Press,” which premiered in
1947 and bills itself as “the
world’s longest-running television program.”
Gregory had been the moderator since 2008. Before that,
he was NBC’s chief White
House correspondent for the
eight years of the George W.
Bush presidency.
Hudson back to Chicago
to deliver school supplies
Experience all the area has to offer on
the Upper Mississippi River!
Rud
Rudy’s Tacos is raising money to provide
free prostate screenings to men in the
Quad Cities area. You can donate buy
purchasing a “Little Rudy”– and get a
coupon for your next visit to Rudy’s.
‘Alice in Wonderland’
2 p.m.
Prairie du Chien
More Tacos. Less Cancer.
Join us in the “Rudy Quijas Fight
Against Prostate Cancer” to fund
Prostate Cancer Screenings.
‘Shout!’
Associated Press
Executive Editor: Jan Touney
(888) 406-6450
Personal, dependable delivery and billing
service: Our representatives are here to serve you
5:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and
5:30 a.m. to noon Saturday and Sunday. Walk-in
hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through
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TODAY’S BEST BETS
1-800-732-1673
www.prairieduchien.org
Prairie du Chien Chamber/Tourism Council
early 1930s. The original
rough draft has been
preserved at the Laura
Ingalls Wilder Historic
Home and Museum in
Mansfield, Missouri,
for decades but hadn’t
been published.
The children’s series
never presented a romanticized version of life on
the prairie — in “Little
House in the Big Woods,”
Laura and her sister Mary
gleefully help dissect
the family pig before
bouncing its inflated
bladder back and forth in
the yard.
Jennifer Hudson has again
returned to Chicago to give
away school supplies ahead of
the upcoming
school year.
The Oscarand Grammywinning artist
was joined
Thursday by
her sister,
Julia Hudson,
Hudson
in handing
out supplies
at a Salvation Army community center on Chicago’s South
Side.
It’s the fourth year for the
Hatch Day celebration, as
Hudson calls it. During the
event, enough supplies for
5,000 kids, including backpacks, notebooks, pens and
pencils, are handed out.
BIRTHDAYS
Actress Maureen O’Hara is
94. Actor Robert DeNiro is 71.
Actor Robert
Joy is 63.
International
Tennis Hall
of Famer
Guillermo Vilas
is 62. Country
singer-songwriter Kevin
Welch is 59.
Gold
Olympic gold
medal figure
skater Robin
Cousins is 57.
Singer Belinda
Carlisle is
56. Author
Jonathan
Franzen is
55. Actor
Sean Penn is
Carlisle
54. Singer
Maria McKee
is 50. Actor David Conrad is 47.
Singer Donnie Wahlberg is 45.
Retired NBA All-Star Christian
Laettner is 45. Rapper Posdnuos
is 45. International Tennis Hall
of Famer Jim Courier is 44.
MLB player Jorge Posada is 43.
Actor Mark Salling is 32. Actor
Bryton James is 28. Actor Brady
Corbet is 26. Olympic bronze
medal figure skater Gracie Gold
is 19.
— Associated Press