I love that I have been receiving texts and messages all day from people who caught the interview with Mitzi Gaynor on CBS Sunday Morning!
Mitzi always LOVED to tell people she was named after Mitzi Gaynor. AND that she was a dancer. Couldn’t have been more perfect that she had blonde hair and was cute and petite!
There was an afternoon at Hospice when the folks across the hall were playing Rodgers & Hammerstein favorites REALLY loud for their loved one. I actually walked into the hallway for a bit to listen and then outside to walk in the garden. Admittedly, I’m a total classic broadway junkie. While out there, I played Mitzi Gaynor singing “I’m Just A Cockeyed Optimist” as loud as my phone would go. The juxtaposition of where I was and why I was there with these upbeat and happy lyrics seemed so strange. Yet so appropriate. As the melody filled the garden where the butterflies were fluttering by, my mind wandered back to August 29th of last year when Queen Margie and I took Mitzi to see the 60th Anniversary of South Pacific that was playing at our local movie theatre. Even though Mitzi had trouble following movies, I insisted she go see this one with me because, seriously, how could I possibly miss an opportunity to take Mitzi Gay to see Mitzi Gaynor on the big screen?!
The best part of the whole experience was when her name, with great fanfare, appeared across the entire widescreen. Mitzi looked over at me and, total deadpan said, “Hey, think I should give out autographs to everyone?!” Priceless!
I’m not sure when the last time was that Mitzi Gaynor was featured on TV. But I don’t consider it a coincidence in the least that this aired the same week as Mitzi’s service. I have to believe this was her waving to us from Heaven, where she had everyone watching the show from their front row seats, just so she could let everyone know where her name came from. And you can be darn sure she offered to sign autographs!
Missed it? Check out the fun interview with Mitzi Gaynor here:
https://youtu.be/nnMr6WOeth0
