Having been an actor in New York City in the late 1970's I had an occasional brush with the rich and famous. My acting career was nothing to brag about and many of these celebrity encounters happened during my day job working in a pawn shop on Broadway. From Dr. Ruth to Caroll Spinney (Big Bird), Madonna to Tony Randall, John Lithgow to soap stars Michael Zazlow, Clint Richie, Cindy Pickett and Jerry verDorn, they (and many others) passed through our doors at a regular pace.
It's actually pretty common to see celebrities in New York City. A lot of them live there because they can lead somewhat normal lives without fans bothering them wherever they go. They can do normal things and fit into life like everyone else. And that's exactly what Diane Keaton was doing on the night we met.
My roommate and I were walking down the street and discovered this bowling alley on Amsterdam Ave. We lived near by and didn't know it was there, so we decided to check it out. To our surprise it was pretty crowded.
They sat us in this lane right next to another couple, so we had to share the area that held the bowling balls. It turns out that couple was Diane Keaton and the actor Bob Balaban (Close Encounters of the Third Kind). My roommate and I minded our own business and Ms. Keaton and Mr. Balaban minded theirs, although it was pretty hard not to stare, especially after Diane Keaton would throw a cutter ball - which she did several times.
At one point I was seated right next to her. And that's when it happened. She turned to me and said, "I'm terrible". I responded by saying, "No, you're not".
I lied. My only conversation with Diane Keaton and I lied. Sorry, Diane. I hope you understand. I just didn't have the nerve to tell you that you sucked at bowling.
Anyway, that was the extent of our conversation. It's something I know she has long forgotten, but I'll always cherish that night.
It's actually pretty common to see celebrities in New York City. A lot of them live there because they can lead somewhat normal lives without fans bothering them wherever they go. They can do normal things and fit into life like everyone else. And that's exactly what Diane Keaton was doing on the night we met.
My roommate and I were walking down the street and discovered this bowling alley on Amsterdam Ave. We lived near by and didn't know it was there, so we decided to check it out. To our surprise it was pretty crowded.
They sat us in this lane right next to another couple, so we had to share the area that held the bowling balls. It turns out that couple was Diane Keaton and the actor Bob Balaban (Close Encounters of the Third Kind). My roommate and I minded our own business and Ms. Keaton and Mr. Balaban minded theirs, although it was pretty hard not to stare, especially after Diane Keaton would throw a cutter ball - which she did several times.
At one point I was seated right next to her. And that's when it happened. She turned to me and said, "I'm terrible". I responded by saying, "No, you're not".
I lied. My only conversation with Diane Keaton and I lied. Sorry, Diane. I hope you understand. I just didn't have the nerve to tell you that you sucked at bowling.
Anyway, that was the extent of our conversation. It's something I know she has long forgotten, but I'll always cherish that night.
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