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It seems to me one drawback of fame is being imposed upon by the media representatives who ask the same — often silly — questions over and over and over. As one whose job had me asking questions, I met several celebrities. Most, bless 'em, handled the 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!" Here, for better or worse, are recollections of some of the interviews:

Lola Albright: 'Peter Gunn' turned her career around
Jim Backus: His voice was as famous as his face
Barbara Barrie: Is this the Twilight Zone?
Theodore Bikel: His career was like a three-ring circus

Richard Chamberlain: My sister's timing was perfect
Leslie Charleson: She made a career of 'General Hospital'
Dabney Coleman: His TV shows had a habit of dying
Wally Cox: He lived up to his image

Bob Crane: If only we knew who he really was
Bob Denver: 'Gilligan's Island' came along just in time
Richard Egan: Like chatting with an old friend
Linda Evans: Years later, I hardly recognized her

Peter Fonda: 'Easy Rider' was a career-changer
Tony Franciosa: Talent overshadowed by temperament
Beverly Garland: A monster magnet
Ben Gazzara: He made a terrific first impression

Andy Griffith: Not as laid back as he seemed
Dave Ketchum: He grunted, we groaned
Sue Ane Langdon: The forgotten Alice Kramden
Robert Loggia: Puzzled by low ratings

Jack Lord: He threw himself into his roles
Joanna Moore: Suddenly, her luck ran out
Denise Nicholas: Success can be a muzzle
Susan Oliver: Movie stardom beyond her reach

Nancy Olson: Placed children ahead of career
Barbara Rush: Typecast as queen of melodrama
Henry Silva: Not just another pretty face

Julie Sommars: I lied to her
Robert Vaughn: No more good guy after 'UNCLE'
Henry Winkler: He ages, Fonz remains forever young

Sammy Davis Jr.: His series was dead on arrival
Patty Duke: Her announcement seemed ill-advised

Mark Harmon: Perhaps too good to be true
Ricardo Montalban: He played along with Hollywood

Dick Van Dyke: Luckily, quality trumped low ratings
Mary Tyler Moore: From weak link to superstar
Richard Deacon: He played the cards he was dealt

Carl Reiner: He was wrong for his own show
Jerry Van Dyke: He sleep-walked to fame
Sheldon Leonard: 'Failure' wasn't in his vocabulary

George Maharis: He couldn't wait to leave the show
Martin Milner: He had only one demand
Bill Bixby: Not quite the next Jack Lemmon

Ray Walston: Member of Scene Stealers Hall of Fame
Patricia Harty: She couldn't miss, but somehow she did
Michael Callan: Our call was bad news — for him

Dagmar: More fizzle than sizzle
Diana Dors: UK's answer to Marilyn

Joey Heatherton: Overstayed welcome
Jayne Mansfield: Not like her image

Pat Carroll: Interviews don't come any easier
Pat Finley: I think I'm in love

Pat Harrington Jr.: Early identity crisis
Pat O'Brien: Like one of the family
Pat Paulsen: He came from out of nowhere

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: Her faith made her fearless
Barbra Streisand: She always hated during interviews
Betty White: Who knew she was just getting started?

Joseph Cotten: Maybe he was in a bad mood • Raymond Massey: Too many stupid questions
Martha Raye: We got off to a bad start, and then things got worse

Peggy Fleming: She was just one of the guys • Dorothy Hamill: The fairest of them all
Janet Lynn: My apology is long overdue

Dana Andrews: He starred in the best film of all time
Jack Carson: Under-rated, he did it all
Richard Crenna: Refreshingly candid

Buddy Ebsen: TV was an unpleasant fact of life
Dennis O'Keefe: A hit series eluded him
Robert Ryan: Brother, can you spare a ride?

Steve Allen: Multi-talented, always moving
Dick Cavett: Rave reviews, so-so ratings

Merv Griffin: He was no lightweight
Ed McMahon: Carson's faith was rewarded

The Three Stooges: There was method to their madness
Don Adams: His priority was well-cooked bacon

George Burns: I met him before he was God
Bill Cosby: Who would have guess what awaited him?
Bill Dana: Meal more memorable than the interview

Phyllis Diller: Made up for lost time
Jackie Gleason: His publicity tour was a wild success
George Gobel: Lucky that Alice had a sense of humor

Frank Gorshin: For awhile he was What's-his-name
Jackie Mason: Please tell him he's funny
Soupy Sales: He thought he deserved better

John Astin and Marty Ingels: One was Dickens, the other was Fenster
Harriet Hilliard and Ozzie Nelson: I thought they'd adopt me

Herb Alpert: Elvis and The Beatles had nothing on him
Nat King Cole: His future would be cut short
Petula Clark: Harbored no illusions about herself

Bobby Darin: Humbled,, but not discouraged
Jack Jones: Sadly, family history did not repeat
Gene Pitney: Fared better overseas

Frankie Avalon & Annette Funicello: Friends, not lovers
Bobby Rydell: Unlike some teen idols, he could sing

The Supremes: You knew who'd emerge a big star
Andy Williams: Not exactly the life of the party

Bonanza: Dan Blocker, Lorne Greene and Michael Landon: The day the Cartwrights rode into Akron
Gunsmoke: Milburn Stone: A young reporter was overcome • Ken Curtis: Not at all like Festus
The Virginian: James Drury: Don't mess with his shadow"

The Rebel: Nick Adams craved attention
The Wild, Wild West: Robert Conrad toyed with us
The Dakotas: Jack Elam became funnier with age
Rawhide: Eric Fleming was headed for tragedy

Maverick: Jack Kelly felt show ended too soon
Cimarron City: George Montgomery was self-sufficient
Wyatt Earp: Hugh O'Brian carefully plotted success
Cheyenne: Clint Walker made a big impression

Pat Woodell, Jeannine Riley, Linda Kaye Henning: The day I met "Petticoat Junction's" original daughters

Ray Milland, Ali MacGraw, Ryan O'Neal: "Love Story" stars were here one minute, gone the next

The Lost Six:
For various reasons,
my conversations with
the women on the left
were brief or
non-productive
 
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