AUDREY MEADOWS
Actress - Wife to Ralph Kramden (Jackie Gleason) - Honeymooner's
Born February 8, 1926 - Died February 3, 1996
On May 13, 1994, Steve Allen drew me a map to Audrey's house. Around noon I pulled into her driveway to see the groundskeeper mowing around the pool area in front of her walled, white, one story home covered with the most beautiful red bougainvillea I had ever seen.
We shook hands on the run as I caught her scurrying around her house in the middle of doing some remodeling.
"You have something you want me to sign? We have to do this fast, I have a million things to do today," she let me know right off.
"But Audrey, what about the picture?"
"Picture, what picture? Nobody told me anything about doing a picture," she scowled. "I don't have time and
I don't have my makeup or anything to do pictures, I've got so much to do today," she went on. "How long are you going to be in town?" "Audrey I'm driving back to St. Louis in two days," I said firmly. "You look beautiful, just put on a little lipstick and you'll be perfect," I insisted as I handed her a small photo album. She was quickly impressed with that as she thumbed through it.
"Are you in a big hurry right now," she asked. "I have the rest of the day just for you," I informed as I smiled at her. "Oh, all right. Wilma will fix anything you want to drink. This will take me 20 or 30 minutes to get ready," she said as she turned to walk down the hallway. Wilma was Audrey's Mexican maid, who kept me in Coca-Cola and celebrity conversation till her quick return looking outstandingly beautiful. "Wow Audrey, it's a good thing you didn't show up looking like this when you auditioned for the Honeymooner's Show," I told her. "You would never have gotten that job." Her hair, face and eye makeup, pink blouse, gold choker necklace, bright red nail polish, the works. " It's Showtime."
Now we were in Audrey Meadow's Theatre. She took charge. Lights, Camera, Action. Move this, change that, adjust those curtains, rearrange those books in the background, get the lighting right, focus the camera, change the desk top, do a meter reading, sit behind the desk, change positions, look through the lens, on and on she went smiling and sometimes laughing but enjoying every moment. What a show I was enjoying. When she was satisfied with everything, turned, handed the camera to Terri, her secretary and said "this camera has a critical center focus Terri."
We posed and reposed. Seven pictures later it was over. Audrey was at her best that day. What was supposed to have been a five minute autograph signing, turned out to be a three hour photo and tablecloth signing session I will never forget. It took me three years to get that appointment with her and now I'll remember it the rest of my life. Audrey Meadows stole my heart that day and saddened it terribly less than two years later when I learned that Audrey had succumbed to lung cancer. My special "Legend."