With the Oscars at had, I was reminiscing about a number of the old celebrities I’ve had the good fortune to have met and sold iron beds to over the years. Paul Newman & Joanne Woodward were two of the more famous celebrity couples I met when I first came to Los Angeles back in 1975.
I had been in the store one day when an attractive woman came in wearing big “Jackie O” sunglasses. She asked a number of intelligent questions about the iron beds I had on the floor and said she’d be back the following day with her husband to pick out a bed. Before she left she asked what time I usually closed. I told her and she asked if I’d be willing to stay open a little longer if she called ahead to let me know she was on her way. I said of course. Still not knowing who was behind those “Jackie O’s”.
The following day I was getting ready to close when I got a call from her asking if I’d still be able to stay. I said of course. No more than a minute later she and Paul walked in the front door. I introduced myself to both of them and Joanne asked if I’d mind locking the front door. It seems wherever they went, Paul particularly, they were never afforded the privacy to enjoy shopping. So when they found something they liked and wanted to spend some time looking at, they would show up at closing time and ask the shop owner to close the doors while they were there. I did notice while they were in the store, there were a number people milling about out front looking through the window.
Paul was exceptionally nice. I was especially impressed with the courtesy and respect he showed Joanne……not always the case with people that have been married the length of time they had been. His treatment of her reminds me of one of my favorite quotes , that had been attributed to him, when asked why he never was unfaithful to Joanne: “Why fool around with hamburger when you have steak at home?” He was a class act, as was she.
They selected one of the best iron beds I’ve seen or had since then……..until just last year, nearly 35 years later when I, once again, had the good fortune of finding another one just like the one they had gotten. I had a photo of the one Paul & Joanne got from me as it was assembled. The other photo I have in this posting is of the second time I found this bed and as it had been refinished for two of my favorite clients up north in Canada, Shawn & Bob.
This particular iron bed must carry with it very good karma, as both the Newman’s and Shawn & Bob couldn’t be nicer people. I’m very lucky to have met both of them and am reminded how
lucky I’ve been over the years I’ve been dealing in iron beds to have met so many great individuals like them.
