... continued
A
little while later, Julie came back to her chair in the production area and sat
down to rest. There were quite a few guests in the audience that evening and someone
who works on the show brought his daughter up to meet her. When some of the
people in the audience saw this, they followed, and began asking Julie for her
autograph. At that point, one of the pages came down and bawled people out.
“You
are not allowed on the stage!” he told them.
...
Just
at that point, I had to leave again! But the show tonight was so good (also
having so many songs from the 20s and 30s, a period I love), that I made up my
mind to come back again. I just needed to find a ride. I ran back to
International House and got a key to the front door so I could get in if the
taping continued after midnight . Then, I went to my
room and put some cookies in a bag....
![]() |
Ruth and Vannie Schaufelberger at ABC Studio November 1972. You can see the edge of the patio that leads into the studio, and the parking lot where some of the opening of the first show was filmed. |
When
I arrived, Julie was working on a new scene, but a few minutes later, they took
a dinner break and the crew turned on all the lights in the studio.
Someone pointed out Julie’s fan mail secretary, Claire Priest, so I went over to sit and talk with her. She introduced to a mother and daughter who were visiting fromFlorida . Ruth Schaufelberger
was a retired school teacher, and her daughter, Vannie, was just about my same
age. They were big Julie Andrews fans, not fancy people, but as the old
expression goes, “salt of earth,” decent, kind people. Ruth and Vannie were so
thrilled to be at the studio. It was a lifetime dream come true for them to watch
Julie Andrews at work. They were very respectful as well...
Someone pointed out Julie’s fan mail secretary, Claire Priest, so I went over to sit and talk with her. She introduced to a mother and daughter who were visiting from
During
this time the lighting and camera crew were testing the lights. There was
orange lighting that turned yellow and then gray, but on the monitor it appeared
to be orange against total blackness – a wonder to see the difference of
effect!
***
By
now, I was very hungry so I stopped at the covered patio outside the studio
door and bought a small can of hot spaghetti from the vending machine that had
hot meals. It cost $1.00. I also bought some corn chips and a Butterfinger bar....
...
For
the next scene, the audience was supposed to smoke, making the place look like
an old English Music Hall . When Rich Little came
on stage and looked around he said, “That smoke looks great on the screen. It
looks like the theater is on fire.” It did!
Julie
peeked out of the curtains. “Hello!” she giggled. When she came out from behind the curtains,
she was dressed all in pink lace, with pantaloons and a hooped skirt. She had
flowers on her head and little curls on either side of her face. She curtseyed
like a little girl (and seemed to feel like one).
“Aaaaahhhh,”
said the audience....
![]() |
From the Ruth and Vannie Schaufelberger Collection |
....
Finally,
Bill Davis said, “Come on, now. We want to get finished and go home tonight.”
I
was surprised by how quickly everyone settled down. Julie and Alice did the
number again. We laughed, but it wasn’t nearly as funny as it had been.
To be continued...
.
Please note: This article has been edited down. The complete account will be included in a new book presently in the works.
.
Please note: This article has been edited down. The complete account will be included in a new book presently in the works.
All Photos here are for entertainment purposes only.
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