![\"Art](\"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/0_The-Tonight-Show-Starring-Johnny-Carson-e1631418562621.jpg\")
<\/a>Art Metrano doing his famous comedy magic.<\/p><\/div>\n
I was introduced to Art by our great mutual friend, Elliott Gould. Art was always kind to me after that. In my experience, he was one of the most honest people I have ever known, which is especially rare in show biz folks. There was no baloney with him.<\/p>\n
Sadly, in the middle of all his success, he had a horrific accident; he fell off a ladder\u00a0while working on his house, breaking his neck and severely injuring his spinal cord. I saw him some time after that, and, as I\u2019m sure everyone else did, I told him how lucky he was to have not gotten killed. He answered, \u201cNo, I\u2019m not lucky at all\u2014I fell off a ladder!\u201d His delivery of that line made me laugh, and I agreed with him. Ever since then, I think of Art every time I hear anyone tell someone they’re lucky that something worse didn’t happen.<\/p>\n
Now here\u2019s the tale of how he helped me: For about a year after I had started doing my TV show, my skinny self, (which I totally took for granted,) was a frequent guest at the Playboy Mansion on Sunday nights. (But don\u2019t judge me for that\u2014I was not at all a part of the creepy goings-on; I wasn\u2019t even there for the dinners<\/em>, which were far from gourmet food, by the way. I went on Sunday nights solely<\/em> for the movies because I adored the fabulous sound system!) One summer evening, James Caan, (whom I had also met through Elliott,) was bartending. He knew that I don\u2019t drink, so he offered to whip me up a special non-alcoholic drink, and bring it to my table.<\/p>\n Elliott Gould and Art Metrano in 2018.<\/p><\/div>\n I was relieved to see Art there, who was one of the few non<\/em>-creeps in attendance, and thankfully, he sat with me at dinner. We were having a fun convo when Jimmy brought over the drink he had made me. It looked great\u2014all creamy and frothy, like the best virgin Pina Colada ever.<\/p>\n When he walked away, Art said to me, \u201cYou don\u2019t need that.\u201d When I explained that it wasn’t alcoholic, Art said, \u201cBut you still don\u2019t need it.\u201d I asked why not, and he explained that the drink was caloric. So I jokingly asked, \u201cArt, do you think I\u2019m chubby?\u201d And he answered, \u201cYeah, you’re a little chubby for you<\/em>.\u201d I was shocked! Not that Art had said that, but that he was perhaps right<\/em>! I went home and took a good look in the mirror and realized that he was<\/em> correct! Not one of my friends, nor my agent, nor manager, etc., had been good enough to point-out my weight gain to me. (I have a feeling they all said it behind my back, though!) I wasn’t even close to being really<\/em> chubby, but was on the way to it. And at that point in my career, (and life<\/em>,) it was best to keep my looks status quo.<\/p>\n<\/a>