My Robert Redford Brush

Outside of David Cassidy and Bobby Sherman, my first star crush was Robert Redford. I was 12 years old when both The Sting and The Way We Were came out. Robert Redford was the perfect 12 years old old girl’s fantasy of what a boyfriend should be. He was cute and funny and seemed oh so approachable.

I lived in Connecticut, in the next town over from Westport, where Paul Newman, Redford’s best movie star buddy lived. I knew one of Newman’s daughters, Lizzie and would hear about visits by “Bob.” We were not close enough that I ever got to hang at her house when Bob would come by.

When my father went to work at Warner Amex, the cable company that became Time Warner I finally had a real life encounter with Robert Redford. Warner Brothers owned the cable company with American Express. My Dad’s office in Manhattan was the Warner Brother’s NY offfice. One day when I was in college, I was going in the building to see my Dad and as I was approaching the revolving door to his building I saw a blond, not very tall man in blue jeans entering the revolving door from the inside.

He was immediately recognizable as Robert Redford. Rather than enter the revolving door as I was poised to do, I froze. Standing just outside it on the sidewalk. This meant that when Mr. Redford revolved out he practically ran right into me as I should have gone in before he got out. I didn’t mean to do this. I was just so star struck I could hardly move.

He said, “Pardon me,” as he breezed by me, not touching me in any way. I said nothing, still frozen. I am certain my mouth must have been agape. When I finally recovered I went in to my Father’s office and told him I almost ran into Robert Redford on the sidewalk. My Dad said he had heard they were trying to get him from something, and I was quite excited. Turned out Warner Brother’s never landed him and so my hope of actually meeting him went out the window.

A few years later when my Dad went to work for MCI and was casting movie stars in commercials. I begged him to get Robert Redford. No such luck, he got Burt Lancaster and Joan Rivers. I got to meet them, they were no Robert Redford.

On this sad Day when the world no longer has Robert Redford in it I will always think of him as THE MOVIE STAR. I think I need to go watch Out of Africa right now.