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It seems to me one drawback of fame is being imposed upon by members the media who ask the same — often silly — questions over and over and over. As a newspaper feature writer, I met several celebrities. Most, bless 'em, handled my questions with patience and grace, others turned the Q&A session into a game (often telling imaginative lies with a straight face), while a few simply said, "That's a stupid question!" and challenged me to smarten up in a hurry. Here, for better or worse, are recollections of some of those interviews:
Each in a class by herself
Pearl Bailey: Part entertainer, part philosopher
Zsa Zsa Gabor: All the Kardashians rolled into one.
Gypsy Rose Lee: My ignorance was her bliss
Della Reese: An irresistible force
Barbra Streisand: A diva from day one
Betty White: Who knew she was just warming up
 
'The Dick Van Dyke Show'
Dick Van Dyke: He wanted to be a pilot
Mary Tyler Moore: Some called her the weakest link
Richard Deacon: He played the cards he was dealt
Carl Reiner: He wrote it with himself in mind
Jerry Van Dyke: Sleepwalked his way to fame
Sheldon Leonard: "Failure" was not in his vocabulary
 
Bombshells
or duds?
You decide
Dagmar: More fizzle than sizzle
Diana Dors: UK's Marilyn Monroe
Joey Heatherton: You can't say she didn't try
Jayne Mansfield: Nothing like her image
 

They just happen to be
three people named Pat
Pat Carroll: World's easiest interview
Pat Finlay: I think I'm in love
Pat O'Brien: No wonder he seemed familiar.
 
'Gunsmoke'
Milburn Stone: Found his niche as Doc
Ken Curtis: His Festus fooled a lot of viewers.
 
They were once wed
Lola Albright: 'Peter Gunn' revived her career
Jack Carson: Versatile, but underrated
 
'Occasional Wife'
Michael Callan: A surprise awaited him
Patricia Harty: She couldn't miss, but she did
 
The Three Stooges
Their comedy was silly, but never dirty
 
'Route 66'
George Maharis and Martin Milner: The road was often bumpy.
 
The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriett
Ozzie and Harriet Nelson: Merrily they rolled along year after year after year.
 
'Love Story' interviews
They were like a game of musical chairs
 
Also
Steve Allen: If it's Tuesday, this must be Cleveland
Dana Andrews: Credits include two classics
Barbara Barrie: We met one night in Painesville
Theodore Bikel: He was at home everywhere
George Burns: I met him before he was God
Richard Chamberlain: A memorable day
Dabney Coleman: His shows were short-lived
Robert Conrad: Enjoyed tooting his own horn
Bobby Darin: Humbled, but not discouraged
Richard Egan: Like catching up with a friend
Jack Elam: From villain to comedy releief
Peter Fonda: His gamble paid off.
Beverly Garland: A monster magnet
Jackie Gleason: His publicity stunt topped them all
George Gobel: Spoke softly, that was his schtick
Merv Griffin: Easy to underrate him.
Andy Griffith: Not so easy-going
Sue Ane Langdon: The forgotten Alice Kramden
Jack Lord: A perfectionist
Joanna Moore: Oh, what might have been.
 
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