I began my career working in media during the late 1960s. Like anyone else of that era, I was in awe of the celebrities television had created for us. When you work in media, even locally, there are stars that come through town trying to promote something.
Let’s just say that the more you get to know these so-called “celebrities” the less you are in awe of them. In fact, most celebrities are not very nice people. I went from asking for any assignment to interview a celebrity to asking to stay away from those tasks as much as possible.
If you have lived in the Indianapolis area long enough, you likely remember the Hilton U. Brown Theater on the Butler University campus (since torn down). It housed the summer series called Starlight Musicals for 30 years.
In 1975, one show that came to Starlight was The Jim Nabors Show. Nabors had become a national celebrity playing the role of Gomer Pyle on the Andy Griffith Show, then landed his own television series where he (& his character Gomer) starred.
Part of the Jim Nabors Show on stage was a singer who had her own TV series….Florence Henderson, who had a leading role in “The Brady Bunch.” I was never a big fan of the Brady clan but my younger siblings were.
I was assigned to interview Florence Henderson in her Starlight dressing room in July of 1975. Since my past encounters with big-name stars were anything but memorable, I wasn’t looking forward to the interview.
Once at Starlight, I was told there would be three other media types interviewing Ms. Henderson at that same time, a sort of mini-news-conference. That didn’t bother me. If the interview went south, as it often did with big name acts, at least I wouldn’t be alone.
When we were ushered into the dressing room, Forence Henderson could not have been more gracious. She was down-to-earth, friendly and answered all our questions. There were no questions about the Brady Bunch…that show didn’t become really popular until later.
I remember asking about her singing career and if she had any immediate plans to record an album. She was clearly unhappy about the state of the music business at that time and the lack of interest from record executives (yes, that’s what we called them then) for music she performed.
After the session ended, Ms. Henderson had to ask her assistant for some change so she could call her kids from a pay phone. This was way before cell phones and Starlight didn’t even have a telephone in the dressing rooms. I later found out she called her children at least once a day to check in on them while on the road.
Of all the celebrities I had the chance to meet during those years, Florence Henderson was right at the top of my list. I enjoyed spending time with her and ran the entire interview session on my radio program “Night Action” that same evening.
It is sad to learn of Florence Henderson’s passing. She had become a fixture each year at the Indianapolis 500. She was a big star. Most importantly, she was a good person.
