Even though she was one-hundred-and-six-years-old, I literally gasped when I read the sad news that the adorable Sister Jean, the beloved Chaplain of the Loyola University Chicago basketball team, had died. It’s truly a loss for the world.

Sister Jean.

I usually pay tribute here on INAM to only people I either really know or have at least met or have some kind of connection to. But Sister Jean was the person I’ve most wanted to meet in the seven years since I was first made aware of her. And she was absolutely darling, so I’m happy to laud her here to mark her passing.

Upon learning of her leaving this level of life, I looked over what I’ve written about Sister Jean through the years, in several of my March Madness* articles, and I can’t sum-up my feelings for her better now than I did then. So I’m sharing bits of what I wrote in those columns. *[Note: For you non sports fans, “March Madness” is the semi-official moniker for the annual big-deal college basketball tournament.]

Here are a few of those admiring thoughts:

In 2018, I wrote: “I took a few notes along the way, all three weeks of it, and I’m happy to say that my very first one was, ‘Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt—Loyola-Chicago.’ At their very first mention of her, I was all in. She was a star in my mind, so I’m thrilled that she became the biggest one of the tournament as it went on. I right away tweeted, ‘I sooo love that when Loyola-Chicago’s Ramblers won today, instead of interviewing the coach, the sideline reporter interviewed Sister Jean, the team’s adorable 98-year-old chaplain!!!  Good call, TruTV!’ ”

The “Sister Jean” patch the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers will wear this year.

In 2021, I wrote: “But the thing I’m looking the most forward in this entire three-week tournament is…seeing Sister Jean again! For you March Madness nescients, she’s the now-one-hundred-one-year-old Chaplain for the Loyola of Chicago team, who made it to the Final Four in 2018, but haven’t been back since. And this now-famous nun is just about the most pleasant person I’ve ever seen! I would love to meet her more than almost anybody else in the world! [Note: She’s being allowed to be at the tourney because all the safety protocols have been followed. I’m so happy for her, the team, and all of us, actually—Sister Jean is who the world needs right now!]”

In 2022, I wrote: “Also back, but very hopefully not even close to the last time, is Loyola Chicago’s good luck charm, one-hundred-two-year-old chaplain Sister Jean, the person in this world I’d most like to be friends with. She’s the most positive person I’ve ever witnessed! There’s always a smile on her face, no matter what is happening.”

In 2025, I wrote: “Every year, some very unexpected person emerges from March Madness as the star. And it’s rarely a player or coach. For example, in 2018, it was Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the now-one-hundred-and-five-year-old Chaplain for the Loyola-Chicago team. She’s adorable, and is the most universally-beloved person I’ve ever seen. And she’s still working!!!”

Sister Jean and Charles Barkley. Photo (from TV) by Karen Salkin.

And now I add to all of the above that I seriously never saw this woman without a gigantic smile on her face. She loved her team, she loved her school, she loved her job, and she absolutely loved life!

I remember when Charles Barkley met Sister Jean in 2018, and I was so jealous. Not of her to meet him, but of Charles for meeting the kind nun! No lie.

I adore that Loyola Chicago’s men’s basketball team will honor Sister Jean this season by wearing a patch, which features her image, on their jerseys.

I join all her fans, both in college basketball and beyond, in mourning this wonderful woman.

R.I.P. Sister Jean.

This is one tribute I never expected to write. And sincerely wish I didn’t have this reason to do so.

Nancylee Myatt.

I recently learned that my great old friend, writer and producer Nancylee Myatt, is no longer on this level of life. It’s taken me a while to come to terms with it, partially because I feel absolutely awful that we’d lost touch for many years. But, having been a big part of my life for well over a decade before that, she’s always been in my heart and mind, including thinking about her very recently, though I had not a clue that she was going through a health issue.

So please indulge me while I share some special memories of my lovely pal.

Nancylee and I met on a commercial audition when we were young actresses. We realized right away that we looked similar, mostly because we knew what we looked like, but also because we were up for the same part. (That happened to us a lot after that, which we loved, with Nancylee usually getting the gig!) We were sitting across from each other in the waiting area on that first audition, and she started a conversation, saying she recognized me from my TV show, Karen’s Restaurant Revue. The funny thing was that she didn’t even watch at her home because she didn’t have the appropriate cable system! But she knew of my show because the television company she worked for at the time always showed it to their employees. (She told me what that was but I’ve since forgotten the reason.) And between our similar looks, our same sense of humor, and our mutual admiration, we became friends that very first day! And she said the magic words—“Let’s do lunch!” And we did, just a couple of days later.

Right away, we decided to work on projects together. We tried to get an all-female improv troupe going, but Nancylee, being the loyal pal to all of her friends, scuttled it when I nixed one of her best friends during the auditions—she didn’t want to leave the girl out. (I totally applaud that loyalty, of course. And I wasn’t being mean—I just didn’t think the girl was funny, so I felt she’d weigh the group down.)

I’m sorry that I don’t have any photos of the two of us to share because our friendship was in the days of real cameras, and I have no idea where all my paper pix are. But another friend snapped this one, and included it in a collage of all my friends that she made for one of my birthdays, and Nancylee thought it was a riot. So I think she’d laugh that I included it here. Photo by Karen Salkin.

Then we worked really hard on a treatment for a reality show where we would do all kinds of regular-person jobs, as girls who had absolutely no experience, so we’d be sure to mess-up, hence the comedy. Nancylee knew a lot of show biz people at the time, so I have no idea to whom she showed our proposal, but the next thing we knew, a version of that very same idea became a TV show for…Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie! So we were out, of course. Darn.

Outside of acting, Nancylee was a production secretary back then, usually on successful sitcoms. And she always invited me to her sets to get me in front of the bigwigs in attempts to boost my career. How many competing actresses do that?! (She did amusingly give me the advice to “not dress like a camera slut,” though—because of my usually-tiny dresses—which made us both laugh.)

Nancylee and I were so close that, despite both of our sets of parents living across the country from us, we knew each other’s fams! Once, when I was having a garage sale at my old apartment, (yes, that is how long I’ve known Nancylee,) knowing that I had just very reluctantly dumped many years worth of TV Guides, she showed-up with her parents, and had her dad, Pinky, ask me if I had any TV Guides for him to buy! My heart stopped at first, thinking I could have had a big sale and made someone happy at the same time, and then Nancylee started laughing, so I got their prank. Good one, Nance.

At that point in my life, I was having a birthday soiree every January, and then Nancylee would throw a Valentine’s fete exactly a month later. So we were the beginning-of-the-year party girls together.

She’s one friend whose home I was at quite a bit. We were the same young age, but she was already married, with a house. I knew her husband, and then her next boyfriend, (after the divorce,) and later on, her girlfriends. She, of course, knew Mr. X. While working on the team producing a comedy pilot he was supposed to be on, Nancylee was even privy to the secret information about just what happened when he had gotten the role and then mysteriously lost it immediately, (with one of the producers even calling him and saying, “You are now, and have always been, my one and only choice.”) We were so confused. So she risked her job by slipping me that private, behind-the-scenes info, so we would know just what the truth was. (The real situation would never, ever have occurred to us, nor to anyone! The lead girl’s father thought that he looked like Mr. X, so when X won the role, the father insisted that he play it instead! So the producers had to choose an actor who looked totally different, to avoid a big problem with the father. Shame.) That was so kind of Nancylee to let us know what really happened with it.

Nancylee Myatt.

A few years into our friendship, Nancylee wrote a movie about a group of girlfriends from college. She wanted me to be in it, but we couldn’t agree about which role I should play, so I wound-up doing basically a cameo, (shooting in the middle of the night, no less, in a diner in the South Bay,) but that was fine with me because I was just happy to support her and be included in her work.

I could go on and on about so many of our happy times—our many meals and events, hours on the phone giggling and breaking down the news of the world (and of our friends,) and also just being there for each other in hard times. But you get the drift.

The last time I saw Nancylee Myatt was at The Magic Castle in Hollywood. She had a new serious girlfriend, and wanted to take her to that private club, with which I had an in, so I was happy to set it up for them. I was out someplace else with a guy friend that night, but I wanted to stop by the Castle for a minute to make sure everything was going smoothly for Nancylee and her gal pal. I was hoping that my own friend, (who was one of my club guys, so I was a tad concerned that he might not want to go someplace as grown-up as the Castle,) wouldn’t try to talk me out of using our time to go help others. But, as soon as I mentioned Nancylee’s full name, he went nuts, in a good way. It turns-out that he was an aspiring writer, and knew of Nancylee and her work! And he was dying to meet her! Being her friend made me a hero in his eyes. I love that.

Nancylee Myatt, sometime after we lost touch. I love that she looked so happy.

Sadly, we just lost touch shortly after that. We just wound-up having very different lives, (she became a very successful TV writer and producer, while I reverted to teen-age life and ran hip-hop clubs with my very young posse, while still doing my TV show; my life was lived late at night while Nancylee was a normal person with normal life hours,) and despite all the social media out there, it’s very difficult to me to find time to keep up with most people these days; I seem to be either constantly working or dealing with crazy life problems. I saw her name on a mutual pal’s Facebook post in the past year, and excitedly wrote to that person to find Nancylee. But we failed to get in touch, something that I’m absolutely sick over right now. I’m ashamed of myself for not trying harder. I have to admonish everyone to please not make that mistake with anyone you really care about. You never know when it might be too late.

Please forgive me if any of this doesn’t make sense; I can’t stop crying through the entirety of writing it.

My heart goes out to her wife, loved ones, and friends. And me, of course. This is such a loss to all of us, and the world, actually.

R.I. P. Nancylee Myatt.

Although I never met Dan Tana, who passed away three weeks ago at ninety years of age, his eponymous West Hollywood restaurant is one of my two favorites in the world! So I feel the need to pay tribute to the man for starting that eatery, which gave me so many good memories over the years. Actually, over the decades!

The exterior of Dan Tana’s.

For those who don’t know, Dan Tana’s is the best Italian restaurant in Los Angeles. I’ve been dining there since my early twenties. The first one to take me there was a gal pal who’s an LA native, and who loves restaurants as much as I do, so she knew the good ones. And then one of my suitors began doing the same shortly afterwards. I’m not the only one who loves that place!

But it was not until I got together with Mr. X that we became regulars. The maître d’ back then was a wonderful guy named Jimmy. Everyone in this town loved him. I’m sure he was good to all their patrons, but he was especially wonderful to Mr. X and me. At first, Mr. X was the famous one of our duo, so whenever we stopped by for dinner, we appeared in the gossip columns of the day, (such as those in The Hollywood Reporter and Variety,) stating that we were “spied” or “sighted” there the night before. But it was always Mr. X’s name first, “with girlfriend, actress Karen Salkin.”

The late Jimmy Cano hosting at Dan Tana’s.

And then, as soon as I started doing my own local TV show, Karen’s Restaurant Revue, we were treated like extra royalty. We could pull up at 8 o’clock on a Saturday night, I’d run in and tell Jimmy, “I’m hungry,” he’d say, “Give me one minute,” I’d go back to the car and get Mr. X, and when we got back in, Jimmy would already have one of the best tables in the place ready for us! I still have no idea how he always got that done for us!

Actually, most of the tables at Dan Tana’s are pretty good, but there are a few that are not in the main room that are kind of out of the way. I sat in that room twice with friends, and it was definitely good enough, (especially the night that I was right next to Nick Lachey, whom I loved at the time.) But Mr. X and I were always seated right where we could see, and be seen by, everyone, (including Magic Johnson, Dave Mason, and a few Yankees!) It was wonderful to be treated that way.

The main room of Dan Tana’s.

And we usually had the most adorable little real Italian waiter, Tony, and at the end of every meal, he came over and offered us drinks on the house. He’d say something like, “We would love for you to have after-dinner drinks on us,” which was so lovely of them. But we’d gratefully decline because I don’t drink at all, and Mr. X drinks very rarely, and definitely not when he’s about to get back behind the wheel of a car. But we still loved hearing it all the time. As a matter of fact, we always ordered their amazing ice cream sundaes for dessert, which did have a tiny bit of alcohol in them. So one time, when Tony left the table after his kind offer, I whispered to Mr. X, “Since our dessert has pear liqueur in it, do you think they can count that as a drink?” I said it is a joke, of course, and after that, we’d always say it to each other after Tony’s perennial offer, and giggle like idiots.

Karen Salkin, (on the far right,) celebrating her birthday at Dan Tana’s with a few gal pals.

I, regretfully, haven’t dined at Dan Tana’s since before the pandemic, when a group of my female friends took me there for my birthday. (I’ve actually celebrated several b-days there over the years, even one where I had to leave the table and do a radio interview on the phone out in the back in the middle of the dinner!) But you can bet that now that I’ve been reminded of the place, I’ll be going back there very soon. And I’ll be raising my alcohol-laden sundae to Dan Tana himself.

R.I.P., Dan Tana. Thanks for giving me so many good times!

The late actor, Tom Troupe, may not be familiar to everyone, but those in the theatre world really know his name. He and his wonderful late wife, Carole Cook, were beloved and respected among show biz denizens.

Carole Cook and Tom Troupe.

My previous column was about two new show biz couples whom I admire. In the article, I also wondered where all the long-time twosomes were, (besides Mr. X and me, of course.) Well, the Troupes were the King and Queen of those! They were married for fifty-nine years, until Carole’s passing two years ago.

I’m happy to report that I knew them a bit, if only very briefly. So I’m sorry that I didn’t do a tribute to Ms. Cook in this e-zine back then.  But, because Mr. Troupe and I once had such a lovely conversation, I must laud him here. And tell you about our meeting.

When I was doing my TV show, Karen’s Restaurant Revue, I was asked to be a judge for a cooking contest a popular Creole-Cajun restaurant in town. I usually had a friend with me at every event, (as I always still do, because I want to share my advantages in life,) but, because of circumstances, and being reliable enough to not cancel when my friend did that night, I showed up alone. That was a tad uncomfortable for me, but two other judges took me under their wings and hung-out with me all night, even after some of the others befriended me, as well. And the kind duo was—you guessed it—Tom and Carole!

Karen Salkin, (second from left,) Carole Cook, (center, with the bright red hair,) and Tom Troupe, (standing to Carole’s left.)

Carole was always the life of the party, and this night was no exception. But my convo with Tom that night has always stuck with me. He asked me a simple question, which no one else ever has. He inquired, “So, Karen, tell me—who are your favorite actor and actress?” I didn’t have to think twice—I readily answered, “Anthony Hopkins and Gene Tierney!” He was definitely a bit taken aback that a young girl had such surprising answers—they were both far from my generation! He said, “Great choices!,” and then asked me why I chose them. He seemed generally entertained as I went on and on about my love of those two.

[Side note: I had met Mr. Hopkins a few years earlier, at a party at Lynn Redgrave’s house, when he wasn’t as famous and revered as he is now, and I told him that he was my fave. Instead of just a quick, “Thank you,” he thoughtfully asked me which of his roles I most especially liked. And when I told him it was that of Bruno Hauptmann in the TV movie, The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case, he seemed genuinely pleased. There’s something about that older group of actors that can never be replicated, in my humble opinion.]

I’ve always been grateful to Tom and Carole for making my night at that eatery so easy. And memorable!

Tom Troupe.

And, by the way, as a teenager, I had seen Tom on stage in a play in Hollywood in my first year out here in LA! So to be ostensibly “working” with him all those years later, was a delight. And a privilege.

I didn’t run into them again for many years, except once when they were walking quickly down the street in my direction, and I didn’t want to stop them. I also spied them a time or two at opening nights, when we were all engaged by others, and I thought I’d get over to them afterwards. (But never did.)

And then about a dozen years ago, I was celebrating my birthday with a friend at the trendy eatery, Craig’s, in West Hollywood, and was seated near the, as I described them back then, “married-forever couple Carole Cook and Tom Troupe.” So our hello that night was just a brief one because, as I knew several other diners there that night, I didn’t want to schmooze long at any one table.

I’m happy that Tom is now reunited with his precious wife after being on this level of life for just about ninety-nine years! It’s a blessing that he appeared to live a good, long life.

And now, R.I.P., Tom Troupe. (And Carole Cook, too.)

I had the pleasure of meeting singer and actor Bobby Sherman twice in my life, and trust me—both times really were a pleasure! He was a darling person. So I was especially sad to learn of his recent health issues and then his subsequent passing. I had actually just thought of him two days before I read the sad news.

Karen Salkin and Bobby Sherman.

After the second time I met him, (which I’ll tell you about in a minute, because it was so worthwhile,) Mr. X and I watched some of Bobby’s performances from his teen idol days. Mr. X correctly noted that Bobby always had a smile on his face. I love that!

I’m proud to say that Bobby and I had a mutual admiration—both times I met him, he told me that he was a fan of my show back in the day, which I still can’t believe. And in an amusing auxiliary situation, I did something I’ve rarely ever done—I called into a radio talk show that Mr. X was listening to because Bobby was on it discussing…the working model of Disneyland that he built in his backyard!!! Oh my God. I would have loved to see it.

So here are some things I appreciated about Bobby Sherman, even more than his very public music and acting career. First of all, at the height of his success, he decided to leave show biz and become a…paramedic! And reserve policeman for the Los Angeles Police Department! Part of his duties were to train police officers in first aid and CPR. He was even once named LAPD’s Reserve Officer of the Year.

Brigitte and Bobby Sherman. Photo by Jason Kempin.

But what I came to admire the most about Bobby was his kindness. He and his lovely wife founded The Brigitte and Bobby Sherman Children’s Foundation, which raises money to bring quality education to students in Ghana. I love a couple who care so much to help others like that.

As a matter of fact, the second time I met Bobby was at one of their amazing Galas. Their holiday party for The Brigitte and Bobby Sherman Children’s Foundation was truly the absolute best event I have ever been to! Hardly a one even comes close! They thought of everything! Actually, of more than everything, because there were soooo many parts to the fete.

Even more than the fun-themed cocktail portion of the evening, the delicious dinner, the generous gifts, the take-home dessert buffet, and Sidney Poitier being there—yes, Sidney Poitier and Bobby Sherman were pals!—the highlight of the evening, (for all in attendance, not just me,) was Bobby performing a few of his hits, (including Easy Come, Easy Go, and Julie, Do Ya Love Me.) He was about seventy-two-years-old at the time, yet he still looked and sounded just like he did in the clips from the ’60s music show, Shindig, which I watched when I got home that night!

Bobby Sherman, (in the middle,) with the Cowling Band at his wonderful soiree. Photo by Karen Salkin.

I know that Bobby was rightfully so proud of the work his and Brigitte’s foundation does, so I want to continue to laud it for him. If you have a moment to look into, I highly suggest that you do so, especially if you’re a fan of his.

My heart goes out to his family, friends, zillions of fans, and especially his loving wife, Brigitte.

R.I.P., Bobby Sherman.

I have loved Brian Wilson’s music for what seems like my entire life. And then I grew up to meet the icon several times, and liked him as a person almost as much as I admired his talent. He was such a humble guy; if you didn’t know who he was, you never would have guessed he was famous. My heart broke when I read that he passed away last week, even though I had a feeling it was coming sooner than later; I had seen how frail he looked in a photo with the other Beach Boys just a short while before his passing.

Brian Wilson in recent years.

Brian Wilson is one of the absolute most important people the music business has ever seen! His classic songs, such as Good Vibrations, California Girls, Wouldn’t It Be Nice, Help Me, Rhonda, and God Only Knows, are a big part of the soundtrack of many of our lives. Brian Wilson means so much to so many, and it will stay that way in perpetuity.

I recently attended a concert where Dean Torrence, of the popular ’60s duo, Jan and Dean, and his band performed several songs that were actually Beach Boys hits, rather than his own, most likely because he rightly knew that the crowd would go nuts for them. And way back in the day, at close to the start of all of their music careers, Dean wrote one of his and Jan’s biggest hits, Surf City, with none other than Brian Wilson! Brian’s work is much more far-reaching than just his own group’s hits.

He actually began composing in his teens! How was such a young guy able to write like that??? It boggles the mind. What a true genius Brian Wilson was.

Brian Wilson leaving one of his local haunts. Photo by Karen Salkin.

On a personal level, I can tell you that Brian was such a sweet guy. We’ve lived near each other for the past couple of decades, (which I still find pretty strange.) When I used to go on my neighborhood power walks, (prior to the pandemic lockdown,) I’d see Brian from time to time, and we’d always say a quick hello.  Believe me, I’ve always been in shock about having THE Brian Wilson say hello to little old me!

Actually, one of my shining moments in life came when Brian and I were both guests at a party that Renee Taylor threw way back in the day, (when I was still doing my little TV show,) and Brian asked for a picture with me! (The photographer was kind enough to make me a copy, as well, but, among all my cluttered career memorabilia, I haven’t been able to find it right now.)

I’d also occasionally see him at a popular local eatery that we all frequented. He’d often get their coffee, and sometimes a bit more. I once saw him savoring a bowl of soup there. And nobody bothered him. (I sometimes wish that I had done so a time or two because he might have been happy to see an amiable acquaintance.)

Brian Wilson enjoying a meal at one of our local eateries. Photo by Karen Salkin.

On top of all my Los Angeles sightings of the leader of the Beach Boys, when I was spending the summer of 2008 in Brooklyn with my mother, I had the good fortune to see Brian Wilson perform an outdoor concert in Coney Island. It was a famous series in that part of town, and people came from far and wide to see the shows. But, even though it was just a ten-minute drive away for me, I had never wanted to bother with the beachside crowds in those half dozen summers I had spent at my original home. However, when I learned that Brian was doing a concert, I was very happy to meet my friends for my first experience there.

And I got such a kick out of everything about that performance. First of all, I was getting to see and hear the absolute original and most powerful Beach Boy, which was a treat unto itself. But I also had the added fun of seeing my neighbor perform, which gave it extra importance for me.

I thought of going over to see him afterwards, for myself, of course, but also knowing what he had gone through in life, I thought that perhaps seeing a friendly face from LA would give him a sense of home. But my friends wanted to get going while we were still on the high of the concert, rather than walking sort of far in that sketchy-at-night-area to get to the backstage.  And I also worried that seeing someone so out of context might be a tad weird for Brian. So I thought better of it at the time, a decision which I regret now more than ever.

Brian Wilson, in the center, in orange, performing in Coney Island. Photo by Karen Salkin.

Brian Wilson was incredibly beloved by everyone. I really hope that he knew in life what he has meant to so many people around the world. And that at least he does now, in heaven.

My heart goes out to his family, friends, and billions of fans. May he finally rest in true peace.

R.I.P., Brian Wilson.

Even though actor Richard Chamberlain was ninety-years-old, (and about to be ninety-one in two days,) when he passed away last week, he’ll always be his gorgeous young self in my mind.

Richard Chamberlain as Dr. Kildare.

I was actually in love with him as Dr. Kildare when I was the youngest of youngsters. (Even though I saw the series in syndication, I have one of those memories where I remember much of my life, back to two-years-old.)  I never saw anyone more gorgeous than that man when I was little! (And actually, to this day!)

And he had that lovely deep voice with beautiful speech, to boot. My parents even bought me his record, which I’m sure I wore out! (It had the theme from the show, Three Stars Will Shine Tonight, on one side and Richard’s version of the classic song A Kiss to Build a Dream On on the other.) I’m proud of myself for having such great taste when I was so young!

Yvette Mimieux and Richard Chamberlain in the Tyger, Tyger episode of Dr. Kildare.

As a matter of fact, some of those Dr. Kildare episodes have stuck with me my whole life. And actually sort-of influenced some of my adult life. For example, there was the very famous Tyger, Tyger with beautiful guest star Yvette Mimieux. What a stunning duo those two were! Yvette played a surfer who developed epilepsy, so the doctor told her she could never risk surfing again. But, of course, she did, because, in her words, the “waves were as smooth as glass.” And, also of course, they fell in love. So when I had a couple of seizures in my early twenties, and wound-up in the hospital, and my doctor told me I had epilepsy, I thought that maybe he was really trying to tell me he loved me, ala Kildare! (If only he had looked like Richard Chamberlain, it would have been okay.)

Richard Chamberlain in The Thorn Birds.

Another one was Hastings’ Farewell, where the character played by a superb Harry Guardino had aphasia, which is a language disorder that impairs a person’s ability to communicate. Until I just did research on the condition, (because of Mr. Chamberlain’s death bringing it front and center into my mind,) which can be caused by a stroke, I thought it was the same thing as a stroke. (Keep in mine, I was just a toddler when I saw the show.) I swear—I’ve remembered that episode for my entire life. And then, when I had a mini-stroke almost a decade ago, the only thing I could think of to equate my own experience to was this Dr. Kildare story! It made me feel somehow not so alone. (But no worries for me—I never lost my ability to speak, even though I’m sure several people wish I had it at least lessened a bit.) [Note: Ironically, it’s complications from a stroke that Richard just died from.]

And then seeing Richard Chamberlain as the most beautiful priest ever, in The Thorn Birds, almost made me want to turn Catholic! (Didn’t he do that for all of us?)

Richard Chamberlain and Karen Salkin. Photo by Libby Slate.

To my delight, I got to meet Richard a baker’s dozen years ago. I could not believe that it was really happening. He was starring as the emotionally abusive father in The Heiress at the Pasadena Playhouse, (which he was excellent in, of course,) and at the opening night after-party, the PR person was kind enough to introduce us. As I was telling Richard what he meant to my younger self, the photographers started taking pix, which mortified me because I was looking far from my best, so I cut the convo waaay too short. But he got the gist of my love. (As did everybody witnessing our meeting!)

I feel the world is a little dimmer without this exquisite man in it. But he’ll live on in our minds. And on classic television, of course.

R.I.P., Richard Chamberlain.

I feel that a piece of all of our childhoods/teenage-hoods died earlier this week when film and television star James Darren passed away.

James Darren and Deborah Walley as Moondoggie and Gidget in Gidget Goes Hawaiian.

My perennial favorite movie, throughout my entire life, is Gidget Goes Hawaiian. I’ve watched it many a time, and can even recite many of the lines from it. (I’ve never seen any of the other Gidgets—just this one.)

So some years ago, when Mr. X was being directed in a television movie by Gidget’s gorgeous boyfriend, “Moondoggie”—James Darren, of course—I knew I had to visit the set in hopes of being introduced to him. (Mr. X did invite me there, but he hates to intrude on anyone, especially in a professional situation, so there was no guarantee of the private meet-and-greet with Mr. Darren.)

At that point in time, Gidget was years behind him, (but never me,) so I was a bit apprehensive about mentioning my love of that film to someone who had gone so far beyond it. But happily for me, Mr. X had apprised his director about my obsession before I arrived, and James was totally fine with it. He actually even seemed amused by it.

After all those years of rooting for him as Moondoggie, I was so happy to see that James Darren was lovely to me. He even invited me to hang around and watch them filming.

James Darren recently.

The only thing I regret about that day is not asking for a picture together. But this happened many years before selfies. And more importantly, he and Mr. X were working—I was just interloping. I have a feeling he would have very pleasantly accommodated me, but even with a cell phone camera, I would never have imposed on James. (Or on anyone!)

But I have never forgotten that meeting. He was many years on from being Moondoggie, but James Darren was still one beautiful man.

I hope that seeing so many tributes to him now has been warming the hearts of his loved ones. I’m so happy that James leaves a plethora of filmed works so that future generations can have the fun of watching him that many of us have had for decades. You know that I will be re-watching Gidget Goes Hawaiian for the umpteenth time this week, and seeing him in all his handsome glory!

R.I.P., James Darren

Daytime talk show legend, and renowned husband of the beautiful Marlo Thomas, (whom all of us little girls wanted to grow-up to be when she was starring on That Girl,) Phil Donahue passed away earlier this week. Even though he was eighty-eight, it was semi-shocking news.

Phil Donahue running down the aisle on his eponymous talk show back in the day.

I was on Phil’s show just once, which means that I obviously didn’t know him well at all. But he deserves this bit of recognition from me just for having given my own local Los Angeles TV show, Karen’s Restaurant Revue, a national audience at that time in my career. And for allowing me to show a clip with my little mother as my guest, which made her a star to her friends around the country for a while.

I love that I got to see in person the man who basically invented the daytime talk show do his famous running up-and-down the aisles to put his microphone up to the various audience members to ask their questions. And it seemed pretty clear that they did not screen them in advance. What a big chance to take! (But I believe that none of his shows were live. I know that mine aired the next day, which was perfect because it was taped in New York, so I got to be at my parents home to watch it with them, and be there when their phone rang non-stop with love for my mother!)

Karen Salkin, (in the blue blouse and her signature two different color Reeboks at the time,) on the Phil Donahue (standing on the left) Show.

On the episode, (which was about the very few cable TV “successes” there were at the time,) Phil introduced me, we talked about my show for a little while, and then he led into the first clip of my show by telling the audience, “Karen is a hit!” I adored that!

One of my favorite aspects of my appearance on The Phil Donahue Show was having an audience member stand-up and ask Phil, “Have you noticed that Karen looks just like Marlo?” To which he replied, ‘Yes, and I’m sure they’re both very flattered.” I loved that, especially since when I was in the green room backstage, waiting to go on, the producers told me to not mention that I looked like Marlo. So, obviously, they noticed the resemblance, as well. (But why on earth would I have brought it up???)

Phil Donahue and Marlo Thomas falling in love at first sight on his talk show!

Speaking of Ms. Thomas, I feel like everyone in America had seen the future Mrs. Donahue in her first guest spot on his show in 1977, and watched them crushing on each other. I distinctly remember that at the very end of the show, they sat on the edge of the stage, and he took her hand and declared, “You are really fascinating.” She put her other hand on top of his, and told him, “You are wonderful. You are loving and generous and you like women and it’s a pleasure. Whoever the woman in your life is is very lucky.”

I’m pretty sure that Mr. X is one of the millions who witnessed that, and then thought, “Couple alert!,” as he does all the time these days. I sure did back then, although not in those words. I actually remember thinking, “They are sooo into each other! ” I knew they were meant to be.

And now my heart goes out to Marlo to be without her “sweetheart,” as she refers to Phil. They’ve been together from that fateful day forward, for forty-seven years! I’m also sparing a thought for his children and their families, his friends, and fans.

R.I.P. Phil Donahue. And please tell May Rose Salkin that you recognize her from the tape of her on your show!

One of the most iconic game show hosts in history, Peter Marshall, the host of the original Hollywood Squares for the entire fifteen years of its run, passed away last week.

Peter Marshall on Hollywood Squares.

He might seem like an odd person for me to have had a show business connection with, but Peter and I had the same variety agent for many years. Industry insiders found it amusing that the guy who represented all the old school host types, such as Peter, also worked with my much younger and female self. It was quite the dichotomy, but I was proud to be included in the same stable as these men I had grown-up watching on TV.

With tongue a bit in cheek, I share with you that now I’ll never find-out if Peter Marshall ever forgave me for something that is possibly amusing to us. (It’s the only way for me to look at it, or else I’ll see red.)

A couple of decades ago, I was asked to host a new shopping television enterprise, The Panda Shopping Network. That genre is not my cup of tea, being all phony and all, but the producers promised me that they had a new take on how to present televised shopping to the world. They assured me that they wanted me to be exactly myself, as I was at the time on my cable show, Karen’s Restaurant Revue. The team chose me as the face of their channel, but we all knew that we needed a heavy-hitter to join me.

Peter Marshall on the left, with our late mutual agent, Fred Wostbrock on the right.

So I went to my agent, the fabulous Fred Wostbrook, and asked if any of his grown-up hosts would be interested in the gig. And to my surprise, the most famous and working one of those men, Peter Marshall, said yes! So we worked together for a few weeks, doing all that on-air nonsense. And then I noticed that I wasn’t receiving my checks. So I asked Fred if Peter was getting his pay, and it turned-out that he was not, either! He knew enough of the biz to get out immediately, but with big promises from the producers, they convinced me to stay. They even tried to make the entire presentation more like a talk show for me to host!

But it was still a nightmare, so I, too, quit, which forced the entire operation to go down. And I never received one dime for all my work. (I did somehow force them to pay my make-up artist, but that’s all I got done in the financial category. They didn’t even give me any of the merchandise I was selling for them! But meanwhile, Mr. X surprised me by buying two very expensive items of jewelry that he saw me “sell” on-air, and even paid shipping and handling! What a no-win endeavor that was in my crazy career.)

So, after that whole debacle, I was curious to know if Peter was angry at me for getting him into that predicament to begin with. I didn’t want to ever ask Fred what Peter’s feelings on it were, just to not bring-up what had to be an unpleasant memory for all of us concerned. But I’ve often wondered about it.

Peter Marshall and his wife after landing in New York in 2012. Photo by Karen Salkin, as she waved so long to them.

The last time I saw Peter Marshall was a dozen years ago. We were both in the small First Class area on a flight from LA to New York. Peter was sitting directly across the aisle from me. I re-introduced myself and reminded him that we were both represented by Fred, but I was loath to discuss our joint horrible experience with that show biz disaster.

By the way—it was wonderful to get to work with Peter Marshall! I would have never thought of that as a possibility previous to that experience.

I send my condolences to his family, friends, and fans, while acknowledging that we should all be so lucky to live such a long, (he lived to ninety-eight!,) and productive life.

R.I.P. Peter Marshall.