Angie Dickinson

Back in the day, I used to get weekly massages from Louise Long who was known as the masseuse to the stars in Hollywood. Visiting her ranch style home situated on a property in the north Valley was like entering a private enclave where the most beautiful women in film at the time could be seen wrapped in towels going into or coming out of their sessions with Louise or one of her capable assistants. I think I may have been her only male client and that was fine with me.

One day I arrived early for an appointment and was sitting outside in my Berlinetta Lusso reading a James Bond novel when this unusual, silver Alfa Romeo pulls up and parks next to me. I'd never seen one like it. After checking out the car, I noticed the driver. It was Angie Dickinson in all her glory. We exchanged smiles and I said, "Great car!" and she replied with a few words about how she loved the Alfa. That was the first time I saw that Alfa but it wasn't the last as it seemed Angie and I often booked the same time slots for our massages.

One day, as I was coming out of my session, I heard someone playing piano in Louise's living room. Whoever was playing was so good that I thought at first that the music was coming from the stereo. When I came around the corner into the living room, I saw that it was Burt Bacharach playing one of his latest hits. He was waiting for Angie who was still in a massage room.

A lifetime later, I received a phone call one afternoon from Tita Cahn, the wife--now widow--of the legendary Sammy Cahn. Tita had been watching an episode of one of my (Interview) shows on cable and called to tell me how much she enjoyed watching the series. She said that she and her friend Angie Dickinson would call each other to say that (Interview) was airing and to turn on the television. Those are dedicated fans and it was very gracious of Tita to go out of her way to call and relate this to me. It was also interesting to hear that, so many years later, Angie Dickinson and I were still on the same wavelength.