She ignored my weak attempt at humor. “Oh, Mr. Lawrence, we were beginning to worry. Gee, you look great! Just like that handsome hunk in the Wind Song perfume commercials!”

“Well, young lady, never having seen those commercials, I don’t know whether I’m being complimented or placed in a category that I doubt would appeal to me.”

She tossed her head saucily and laughed. “Oh, yes you do! Follow me. I’ll take you to the famous green room. The other guests are all there, I think. Taping will begin in about thirty minutes.”

Inside the green room—that isn’t green—Mary introduced me to a young man on Johnny Carson’s staff whose name was Alfred. Then she kissed me lightly on the cheek, wished me luck, and was gone. Alfred asked if I would like to meet the other guests on the show, and I said I would. First I shook hands with Charles Nelson Reilly, comedian and director. Reilly admitted to having been a Lawrence fan for years and proved it by rattling off at least a dozen titles of mine. I responded by complimenting him for his sensitive direction of the Julie Harris tour de force portraying Emily Dickinson’s troubled life.

Next, Jimmy Stewart, looking bigger than life, came over and introduced himself. We found our common ground quickly, having both served in the Eighth Air Force during World War II. Finally, I shook hands with a ravishing brunette singer, Donna Theodore, who reminded me very much of our old squadron’s favorite pin-up girl, Jane Russell.

Eventually the friends of the guests were courteously asked to leave, and the four of us were left to uplift each other’s waning courage. We failed miserably. There’s something so mind-boggling, even to show-biz personalities, in knowing that what you say and do will be shown to fifteen million people that only a lunatic or a complete fool would not feel inhibited. Except for a few throwaway remarks about the ubiquitous smog and California’s Jerry Brown, little was said by any of us until we heard Ed McMahon exclaim, “He-e-e-re’s Johnny!” and everyone gratefully directed their undivided attention toward the huge RCA television set.