I met the above star at Barrymore's, the now razed great theatrical bar/restaurant on West 45th corner Eighth in 1998. That day, I had begun drinking downtown when I left the Festival after work at 6, then walked uptown to Barrymore's where I met one of my proteges -- Carlos Martinez-- who had become a B'way stagehand. His show had just let out, so now it was 11. He hadda split after a couple of hours of hilarity, and I was leaving too, when another old buddy, a company manager-- Bob Tevyaw-- entered. He was with some people, and they took a table at the back and asked me to join them.
By this time I was feeling absolutely no pain, and at corner of the bar where Carlos and I had sat I spied a boy who looked terribly familiar to me. I asked him his name. "Andy." I then slurred that I thought perhaps he had worked with me (as a hand, which I did not say)-- so, please tell me your last name. "McCarthy." Then it all became clear. He was very sweet, soft-spoken, polite and absolutely gorgeous like in the picture.
I made it up to him (or attempted to) a few weeks later when I bought two full-price tickets to his B'way show (across from Barrymore's) SIDEMAN, but it was so dreadful, we left at intermission-- and went back to Barrymore's, where she and I had had our pre-show dinner.
Twenty-one years earlier, I had met the other McCarthy, Kevin, at a cast dinner following his op nite in BEST MAN for Chris at the Women's Club. I was a goody-goody then, and after we had eaten an egalitarian meal (where everyone on a given show was included as was Chris Manos' lovely custom), I walked to the head of the table and introduced myself, saying that I was merely a humble carpenter. I then told Mr. McCarthy that THE INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS was the best picture ever made. Kevy, who was happy as hell and had possibly been drinking, leaned across the table to Victor Jory and yelled, "Victor! This young man thinks the greatest picture ever made was one in which I had the leading role."
"What?" Jory snarled.
"Invasion of the Body Snatchers."
Jory: "Shit."
If I had remembered that Jory had played in GONE WITH THE WIND, I would have had to admit that it, in which he had a leading role, WAS the best picture ever made. But what's a white lie among McCarthy's?