Personal Glimpses: Behind-the-scenes Of The Lives Of The Famous

Wedding Woes

When it came to the subject of marriage Charles Darwin attacked the problem in his usual scientific manner—deliberately, carefully marshaling all the facts. “This is the question,” he wrote, and then, under separate headings (‘Marry’ and ‘Not marry’), listed the pros and cons. Eventually the pros (children, home, charms of female chitchat) outweighed the cons (terrible loss of time, cannot read in the evenings, if many children, forced to earn one’s bread) and he summed up: “Never mind, boy. There is many a happy slave.”

—From Newsweek, December 1958

Sharp wit

There was a writer who not only appropriated a lot of Bertrand Russell’s ideas for a book he was writing, but had the nerve to ask Russell to contribute an introduction when the work was completed. Lord Russell’s reply consisted of two words: “Modesty forbids.”

—From November 1959

What’s in a Name?

After publishing an article on Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond, Life received this letter from Mrs James Bond of Philadelphia: “In 1961, after learning how Mr Fleming had appropriated my husband’s name from his book Birds of the West Indies, I wrote him a letter to apprise him amiably of JB authenticus, winding up: “I tell my JB he could sue you for defamation of character, but he regards the whole thing as a joke.”

Mr Fleming replied that the name had struck him as brief, masculine, and just what he needed—and so James Bond II was born. He added: “In return, I can only offer your James Bond unlimited use of the name Ian Fleming. Perhaps one day he will discover some particularly horrible species of bird which he would like to christen in an insulting fashion.”

—From December 1967

Role Play

When Charlie Chaplin met Albert Einstein, he asked the scientist to discuss his theory of relativity. Einstein suggested that it would not be proper to try to explain it just then. “It would be,” he said, “as if I were to ask you to do some acting for me right now. You probably couldn’t do it.”

For the next hour, however, Chaplin expounded in mystical terms on mathematical theories until the confused Einstein was exhausted. The next morning, a messenger brought Einstein a photo of Chaplin, inscribed: “To a great mathematician. I hope you liked my acting.”

—By Leonard Lyons in September 1972

Heavy Mettle

In March, nurse Carol Balta was the victim of an elaborate hoax performed by a con man who claimed to know guitarist Eddie Van Halen. The man took Balta’s car, promising to bring the rock star to visit the quadriplegic children and adults she cares for at New Start Homes in Chatsworth, California When he failed to return, Balta lost her car—and her patients lost faith in her. Van Halen learnt how his name had been used, however, and decided to do something about it. Quietly, without media attention, he paid a surprise visit to New Start Homes.

“He talked to each patient, signed autographs, passed out CDs, posters and videos,” Balta says. “He was warm and caring, and took time with each person.”

“You should have seen the smiles on their faces as we wheeled them back to their rooms,” Balta continues. “Eddie’s become more than a rock star to them. He’s become a friend.” 

—By Dennis McCarthy, quoted in Los Angeles Daily News, October 1994

Supporting Role

When actress Sophia Loren sobbed to Italian movie director Vittorio De Sica over the theft of her jewellery, he lectured her: “Listen to me, Sophia. I am much older than you and if there is one great truth I have learnt about life, it is this—never cry over anything that can’t cry over you.”

—By E. Hotchner in Sophia: Living and Loving (Morrow), November 1979

Sweet Escape

ON ONE of his European tours, the master magician and locksmith Harry Houdini found himself locked in by his own thinking. After he had been searched and manacled in a Scottish town jail, the old turnkey shut him in a cell and walked away. Houdini quickly freed himself from his shackles and then tackled the cell lock. But despite all his efforts, the lock wouldn’t open. Finally, ever more desperate but completely exhausted, he leaned against the door—and it swung open so unexpectedly that he nearly fell headlong into the corridor. The turnkey had not locked it.

—By Harold Kellock, Houdini (Harcourt), April 1982

Second Opinion

Paul Newman recalls the worst role he ever accepted: Once I played a newspaper guy who was something of a ladies’ man. My wife, Joanne Woodward, read the script first and said, “Hey, this would be fun to do together.” I read it and said, “Joanne, this is just a bunch of one liners.” Then she said, “You blankety blank, I’ve been carting your children around, taking care of them, you, and your house at the expense of my career.” And I said, “It’s a terrific script. I can’t think of anything I’d rather do.” 

—Quoted by David Ragan in Cosmopolitan, May 1995

Mr Brightside

The comic Martin Short has found success as a film and stage actor. As a young man, he suffered a series of tragedies, with the loss of both parents and a beloved older brother. But he realized his parents gave him gifts no one could take away. “I was the child of a very funny family,” he recalls. “There was lots of humour in our house. I truly believe that when you’re funny, you’re blessed.” 

“When I saw my mother fight to survive, it gave me an early view of bravery and what life was about,” Short says. “Your mother dies and you’re 18, and you face a choice. Are you going to take drugs or are you going to become more spiritual? Why not go with the thing that seems more positive?”

—By DOTSON RADER in Parade, January 2001

Noble Cause

From the moment her parents’ car slammed into a logging truck in 1987, Shania Twain never had the chance to fully mourn their deaths. Just 21, Twain took on a great deal of responsibility for her family. Her singing paid the mortgage on the house she and her three younger siblings lived in. Twain, one of country music’s hottest new-comers, won a Grammy Award this year. But back then, she sang for her family’s survival.

“Taking care of my family was a blessing in disguise,” she says . “It was a total distraction from my grief. If you focus instead on people who need you, you may do yourself the biggest favour.”

—By Jeffrey Zaslow in USA Weekend, September 1996

Peacemaker Bahu

“The Past 18 months have been fantastic for me,” says Smriti Malhotra Irani, leading lady of Star TV’s Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, where she plays Tulsi, the Virani family’s older daughter-in-law and resident peacemaker. Last year Smriti got married to her long-time friend Zubin and gave birth to a son, Zohr. And she’s just started playing Sita in B.R. Chopra’s new TV serial, Ramayan. 

“Most people don’t realize it but, like Tulsi, women can be traditional yet strong and influential,” says the young actress. “I’m like that in real life too. The key is understanding relationships, and knowing when to give in and when not to. Your strength comes from that.”

At times when she’s felt that Kyunki’s script wasn’t realistic, or that it made her look too weak, she has discussed it with either the writer or the director. “I tell them, I’m not convinced by this bit. Either you change it or explain your point of view. One important scene she managed to get changed was her reaction when her screen husband Mihir Virani dies in the serial. “I was given some lines to say over his body. But they didn’t seem right. So I told the director ‘Why don’t you let me do it my way?’ I then imagined that Zubin had died. I didn’t say a word—I simply cried.” 

How’s she looking forward to playing her new role as Ramayan’s Sita? “I’ll try to make Sita look strong.”

—By Mohan Sivanand, March 2002

Playing It Cool

Actor and martial arts expert, Chuck Norris knows might doesn’t always make right. He explains: Not long ago, after a day of filming my TV series, I went alone to a small Texas bar for a cold beer. As I sat in a corner booth, savouring my drink, a large man towered over me and said with an edge to his voice that I was sitting in his booth. I didn’t like his tone or his implicit threat, but I said nothing and moved to another booth.

A few minutes later, though, the big fellow headed back in my direction. Here it comes, I thought, a local tough out to make a name for himself by taking on Chuck Norris in a fight. When he arrived at my new booth, he looked directly at me.

“You’re Chuck Norris,” he said. I nodded. 

“You could have whipped my butt back there a few minutes ago,” he said.“Why didn’t’ you?”

“What would it have proved?” I asked.

He thought that over for a moment and then offered me his hand. “No hard feelings?” he said.

“None,” I said, and shook his hand.

I had avoided a confrontation and made a friend. I won by losing.

—By Chuck Norris, in The Secret Power Within (Little, Brown), March 1996