My Journey in the World of Showbiz: Famous People, Personal Stories, Engaging Interviews
Story By Christene Meyers
Photos by Bruce Keller & courtesy Hollywood studios and historical archives
"The Carpe Diem Kids"
Favorite Performers: My Journey Through the World of Showbiz
Millions of people watch the world of show business from the audience -- I’m one of those. But I’ve also spent time backstage, in press rooms, at world premieres and sitting across the table from people whose names are known around the world.
Over my long career spanning music, theater, film, television, travel, and writing, I’ve had the good fortune to meet and interview talented performers and personalities, witness memorable moments and gather stories that can only come from being there. My recollection of favorite performers, chance meetings, interviews, plays, films, musicals, and premieres is a look back at show business. It is also an introduction to the stories which inspired my historical novel, “Lilian’s Last Dance,” published by a small Wyoming press 11 years ago and experiencing renewed interest.
A Life Spent Meeting Interesting People
My goal in an interview is to find the story behind the person.
Over the years, my journey in the world of show biz has taken me into the colorful and often unpredictable entertainment world. I’ve interviewed performers, attended concerts and theatrical productions, gone on location in Montana, London and Paris, experienced film premieres and met people whose careers have shaped the worlds of music, theater, television and film.
Some meetings were carefully arranged -- by managers, agents, studios or newspaper and magazine editors. Others were the result of being in the right place at the right time.
Those chance encounters can sometimes become the most memorable stories.
I have always understood that interviewing someone is about more than simply asking questions. “The best interviews are conversations,” Katharine Hepburn told me. An interview is about listening. It is about noticing little details -- the personality behind the public image, the humor, the unexpected answer, the vulnerability. These are moments when a famous performer becomes a fascinating human being with a good story.
I've been lucky to interview many interesting people with great stories.
From Interviews to Memories
A career filled with these interviews creates an unusual scrapbook.
My “star memories” connect people to places, performances, conversations, premieres, productions -- moments that stay with me after the curtain comes down.
I remember favorite performers, plays, films and musicals that made an impression.
I remembers the excitement of world premieres and the electricity surrounding a major entertainment event. And I remember the people.
That is what I hope makes my collection of favorite performers interesting. I’m inviting readers into my world -- to see entertainers through my eyes. That’s next week’s feature.
Unplanned Moments Are Often the Best in My Journey in the World of Show Biz
Show business is filled with surprises. Roger Moore liked my questions at a round table interview during the premier of “The Spy Who Loved Me.” Then, working through United Artists’ marketing executive Carl Ferrazza, Moore invited six film reviewers to his suite in Mayfair to interview him over hors d’oeuvres and wine.
That was an unforgettable conversation. The film was fun but the real “performance” was in that hotel suite, where Moore created a lasting memory. That chance interview opened opportunities with other studios and became a memorable chapter in my personal history, happening as it did during the Queen's Silver Jubilee.
I hope my stories capture a sense of possibility.
I’m from the “old school,” where a I walk into an event without knowing what it will bring -- but knowing I'll leave with a story. That spirit is at the heart of my work.
Why My Perspective Is Unique
Because I’ve spent decades in music, theater, film, television and travel, my perspective is shaped by experience, curiosity and a genuine love of talented people.
I’ve come to understand that the most interesting story isn't always the biggest celebrity.
Sometimes the memorable person is the performer who surprised me with generous time.
Sometimes it is the production nobody expected to become important.
Sometimes it is a conversation that happened between events or before a show.
Sometimes it is simply the feeling of being there when something special happened -- the night Sammy Davis Jr. took his final bow at the Sands Hotel or Tony Bennett's emotional farewell show.
I’m determined to make my memoir personal. It will be my history -- with plenty of show biz and family anecdotes -- told through the characters who influenced me and captured my imagination.
A Natural Path to 'Lilian's Last Dance'
For readers discovering my writing for the first time, I hope my stories provide an introduction to another important part of her life: my work as an author of books.
My first book, many years ago, was a poetry collection, “Cats As Gravity,” now out of print. I’ve taught workshops for Writer’s Voice and studied at Sarah Lawrence College. Lilian's Last Dance, my second book, weaves my storytelling instincts developed over decades of observing people, listening to stories, understanding that each person has a history.
While my interviews and entertainment memories are rooted in real experiences, Lillian's Last Dance takes readers into the world of character-driven fiction. It features a troupe of performers at the transition from silent movies to “the talkies” -- Hollywood's beginnings.
It was a collaborative effort with my late husband, William Jones, a reflection of the writer he was and the writer I've become. It’s a story from people fascinated by relationships, personalities, choices, secrets and the unexpected turns that can change a life.
For readers who would like to get to know me before opening the book, the upcoming story on favorite performers and entertainment memories offers an introduction to me.
You learn a bit about what catches my attention.
You’ll discover pieces of actors and singers who have influenced me.
Then I hope you will turn the page and enter the world Billy and I created in Lilian's Last Dance. Lilian is inspired by my grandmother, sharpshooter Annie Oakley and many more characters. She's smart, determined, outspoken, complicated and she's part of a romantic triangle including two colorful men.
The Story Isn't Over
For me, my writer’s journey is not finished.
After decades of interviews, entertainment stories and, travel writing, I am at work on my next book, a memoir. Lilian's Last Dance marks my continuing creative journey. For several years, I've been doing readings from the novel on cruise ships.
From my decades-long tenure at The Billings Gazette, to a freelancing career and now a novel and memoir, I still have stories to tell, people to remember, places to revisit. Colorful characters from my life are calling to me to bring them to life on the page.
My career as a writer has shown me that curiosity can lead somewhere unexpected.
One interview can become a memory.
A chance meeting can evolve into a story.
One performance can remain unforgettable for decades.
And my lifetime of experiences can eventually become a book.
Discover What Shaped my Writing
I’ve spent much of my life surrounded by talented people and memorable performances. I’ve listened to performers tell their stories, watched productions come to life from the first rehearsal, experienced premieres, followed careers, collected fascinating memories.
Now I invite you, gentle readers, to share some of my show biz memories.
My writing journey has moved from interviewing and experiencing the unique people of show business to creating stories of my own. Lilian's Last Dance offers up my storytelling in fiction. I hope you'll find memorable characters, relationships and tense, dramatic twists.
If you enjoy my stories about performers and personalities, Lilian's Last Dance is a chance to discover what happens when those observations finds their way into historical fiction.
COMING UP: Next week’s column, “Performers: Dancing Through the Life of Showbiz,” celebrates the people, performances, interviews, chance meetings, plays, films, musicals, and premieres that became part of my writer’s journey.
It focuses on favorite people met during interviews and travels, asI observed them and told their tales. If these stories make you curious about me, please take the next step and discover Lilian's Last Dance, available on Amazon.
The memoir is in the wings, already taking shape.
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