Van Johnson died Friday

Lance, in the late '70's when they started the "Great Steamboat Race" between the DQ and MQ, they brought a number of celebrities on both boats to act as "judges" and attract passengers. Van Johnson was one of these personalities. Others were Helen Hayes, Will Geer, Barney Oldfield, Betty White & Allen Ludden and Olivia DeHavilland, to name a few. They had a number of contests between passengers and crews on both boats in addition to several heats of actual boat racing, and these folks were the judges for those contests.

Speaking of celebrities: one year Hildegard, a singer, showed up on the Belle of Louisville. She was a big gal and very pretty. When she was introduced to Captain Paul Underwood she said, "You're cute!" reached down, picked him up off his feet to her level and kissed him. I caught his hat as it fell.

Lance, Bob is correct about the stars on board in the late 70’s There was at least one season which had to be between 78-80 when some specialty cruises were scheduled in February to draw out the early season customers. The MQ would schedule a Big Band Cruise and the DQ would schedule Movie Star Cruises. I was already on the DQ by then but the cruises did not sell well enough to run both. So as was the custom in those early MQ days the DQ passengers and stars were moved over to the MQ. The lucky passengers that booked one of those cruises got the bonus having both the Big Bands and the Movie Stars on the same trip. Van Johnson was on one of those trips on the MQ. I don’t know when he must have come back to cruise on the DQ. I guess it was after I left at the end of 1980.
Not a Van Johnson story but related to those cruises. One of those combined cruises in 1979, I was asked to come back to the MQ to help the DQ Cruise Director, Terry Severns, to host the DQ’s star on that trip. This particular star was Olivia de Haveland. She did a presentation in the theater where she talked about her movie experiences. Another event was a screening of Gone With The Wind. She was traveling alone which is why Terry or I was asked to accompany her on or off the boat at her request. She was the most gracious person I encounter during my time on the boats. She took her time to talk to everyone that approached her. I got to sit next to her during the screening of GWTW, the only living leading cast member at the time, and SHARE MY POPCORN WITH HER. How is that for name dropping?!?! If it had been a movie and my name would have appeared in the rolling credits at the end it would have read something like “Assistant to Ms. de Haveland.” I also remember seeing Pat O’Brien, Helen O’Connell, The Glen Miller Orchestra, The Duke Ellington Orchestra, and The Lee Castle Orchestra although I was not assigned any particular duties with any of those groups or individuals.

Great memories, Ted. I remember well the cruises they billed as "Hollywood Heyday" - with the likes of Olivia de Havilland (I still have one of the boat photographer's photos with you and Terry in it with the gracious Ms. deHavilland). We also had June Allyson on board, who was a real sport and came up and played the calliope. She also like for the crew to call her June. The same season we did a couple of famous authors trips. Arlene Francis, Lowell Thomas, Jerry Baker (who never met a houseplant he didn't like), George Plimpton, Robin Cook were some of the literati on board. What struck me was how many of them remarked how relaxed and "at home" they felt on the steamboat, which said to me the experience was a welcome change from their usual celebrity appearances.

Baseball stars on the MQ

Were either of you on the MQ when they had several baseball Hall of Famers ride? My hero Stan Musial was on one trip, but as I recall, we were already back in school so I couldn't ride. It seems to me Bob Feller was another. Curious, but other than the fact that it was harder to fill the MQ, would they have put the celebrities on the MQ rather than the DQ because there was a chance for some privacy if they wished, like the private verandas? And the availability of the theater for a presentation area also? I always felt funny sitting in the theater and feeling the water hit the floor, which was the hull..

Judy Patsch;14708 wrote: Were either of you on the MQ when they had several baseball Hall of Famers ride? My hero Stan Musial was on one trip, but as I recall, we were already back in school so I couldn't ride. It seems to me Bob Feller was another. ..

Hi Judy,

We had a few 50's cruises on the AQ. On one of them, Bob Feller was aboard and gave a wonderful talk, taking questions afterward. Being a life long Red Sox fan, I had to ask him what it was like to pitch to Ted Williams. His answer?

"Trying to get a fastball past Ted Williams was like trying to get a sunrise past a rooster"

Priceless.

Paul

Yep, Judy , I sure remember the MQ baseball cruises, I've got a ball signed by Red Scheindienst ( spelling?). For several years on the MQ at Christmas, early 1990's I think, we featured movie star cruises in December: Helen Hayes ( frequent floater on MQ), Patricia Neal, Steve Allen/ Jayne Meadows, Dick Sargent, etc. Did the same on the DQ to a lesser extent & I remember being on her with Art Linkletter. He had a great story, said every week on House Party they asked the kids what religious denomination they were. One little boy said, "My daddy is a Catholic... but my mommy is a Prostitute."

My memory of seeing Van Johnson on the DQ was during a layup in New Orleans, in a shipyard. Now why on earth would he pay a visit to the DQ in a shipyard? Am I dreaming?

I can picture myself visiting the DQ in a shipyard, if the worst happens and Deb and I visit NOLA again, guess what I want to visit, promptly for a cry, but none-the-less? I can see Van Johnson being attracted, the DQ works her magic seamlessly on everybody, why not Van Johnson? My theory is her magic takes about 3 days...

I am amazed that in our DQ travels, I only heard one passenger really complain on the last day of the cruise, and she needed better life through chemistry I suspected. The first day of a never before DQ cruise, complaints galore, but after three days or so, the magic prevailed, the smiles came out, the conversations started, and the discussions about "What is the best..." started...

Yes, Judy - those baseball cruises were neat. Elroy Face, Bill Mazeroski and Don Larsen were on one of the MQ ones that I remember. Don Larsen autographed a baseball for my son, adding to it the date that he pitched the only World Series no hitter in history. Though he never rode the DQ, Johnny Bench would have been a logical man to have on as a legend of baseball. He and Betty Blake were friends, and I used to tune Johnny's two pianos at his home when he lived in the Vineyard Hills section of Mt. Lookout in Cincinnati. He didn't play a darn note of music, and one of his pianos was a beautiful Baldwin grand that he won on a bet with the president of Baldwin Piano Company in Cincinnati, concerning how many home runs he would get in the 1977 World Series. Sure glad that JB won the bet! The other piano was an old upright he kept in his trophy room, so there I was tuning a piano surrounded by Golden Glove Awards and other priceless baseball treasures. Johnny likes ragtime piano music, and invited me to play at his house when he had the entire Cincinnati Reds team over for a steak cookout when he retired from major league baseball. What a thrill! One thing he liked to do was ask his guests to autograph a baseball for him before they left his house - not a real baseball, but one of the big ones that was part of the pattern of his downstairs bathroom wallpaper. On the back of the toilet there was a jar of felt-tipped pens, and you signed one of the balls on the wall. Talk about some famous signatures - lots of golf celebrities and celebrities with whom Johnny played, as well as many sports figures. So, that's an almost steamboat baseball story. I guess you could say Johnny Bench was one degree of separation from the steamboat world, knowing Betty, etc.

And then there's Annie Lebeaux's Baseball Bingo ("basesphere" Bingo?) that became a fun little steamboat tradition. I would be the announcer (bingo number caller) and Annie would supply the color commentary. When a number came up that recalled a certain year when a significant baseball event happened, she would relate a story, or the number might be a famous player's jersey number, and she would name the player, the team he played for, and some of his statistics. Annie is a veritable encyclopedia of baseball, to say nothing of her wonderful musical talents.

Steamboating and baseball - two great all-American pastimes!

Jazzou and Ted were either of you on for the Phil Donahue show in Nov. or Dec. 77? He had Glen Campbell, Loretta Lynn, Larry Flynt, and I cannot remember who else. When Larry Flynt got off in St. Francisville I remember shaking his hand as I was on stage watch. 20 years later I happen to live in Lynchburg Va., Jerry Falwells town and ran into Jerry one night and asked to shake his hand. After doing so I said "there Ive shaken both the hand of Larry Flynt and Jerry Falwell" and proceeded to tell Jerry the story and he got a big laugh out of it. Also I remember Larry handing the porter a 20 dollar bill but drawing it back and saying "no I'm going to give this to Jesus in your name son". I was also on in 82 or83 for REAL PEOPLE. That was an interesting cruise. Oh and I got to drink a couple beers with James McArthur, Helen Hayes' son, in the Center Bar on one of the race cruises. And of course one of my all time favorites was listening to a conversation between June Lockhart and Harry Louden. And Chatting with Paul Harvey was interesting.

Mel, Yes I was on for the Phil Donohue cruise. I remember checking in Mr. Donohue at the Purser’s Desk. We were tied off the NOLA dock on the Port side that day and passengers were boarding on the Cabin Deck and entering through the small door to the left of the Pursers Desk. I was bent over the desk when Donohue popped in the door suddenly and I looked up to find him right in my face. It surprised me and I was a bit flustered for a moment and said something stupid like a star struck fan and embarrassed myself.

Once on that trip I had to make a Marine Radio phone call for Larry Flint from the Purser’s Office. The old timers will remember that we did not have telephone service to shore in those days and no such thing as cell phones. He was not the friendliest person that I ever met.

Mel you may remember more about this situation. The Goodyear Blimp was following us on at least part of that trip. The producers or someone wanted to talk to the blimp pilot over the MQ radio in the pilot house and were disturbed with the Captain or Pilot when told they could not communicate on that radio because of the frequency difference. They evidently got a little testy and wanted to know what kind of a boat we were running that could not talk to a blimp. I believe the response was appropriately testy from the way I heard the story.

There was also a big name clothing designer on that trip but cannot remember the name just now. I think he designed a lot of Jackie Kennedy clothes. Was it Oleg Cassini?

That trip had so many famous names coming and going all week. I would almost bet the MQ had the largest number of famous people on board in one week than any other steamboat. How’s that for a proposition?

Yes Ted it may have been Casini because after you mentioned it I thought about it and remembered that about a famous Designer. Oh and I do remember the Blimp Following but dont remember much else. Seems like it all happened in a few short days, people getting on and off everyday. but it was one of the cruises I remember like the Real People cruise and the Jaques Cousteau deal with them following us up to Vicksburg I believe.

Mel, I was not there since I didn't start on the MQ until April, 1978. But about a month into my first rotation, a reception was held in port in NOLA on the MQ to celebrate the fact that one of the local television stations started carrying The Phil Donahue Show. Phil and Marlo were on board, and I had a chance to chat with them. Phil seemed interested in the interesting monikers adaopted by Paddlewheel Lounge piano players - Catfish, Jazzou, etc.

Another celebrity studded week happened in September 1982 when Conway Twitty and entourage came aboard for a week to film "Conway Twitty On the Mississippi." He brought along Loretta Lynn (they recorded "Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man" at the Calliope Bar when we were landed in Natchez....Conway brought his high school class from Vidalia, LA aboard for the occasion and they were all calling him Harold, his real name), George Lyndsey (Goober from Andy Griffith), announcer Ralph Emery, Tammy Wynette, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Charley Pride. Each star was featured one evening recording their feature song for the show and the passengers were often treated to some ad lib antics between "takes" - like when Loretta and Tammy did some gospel jamming while the lighting was being set. Charley Pride sang "Roll On, Mississippi," his chart topper at the time, dedicating it to baby Jennifer Chengery who was riding along with her illustrious parents, Captain Gabe and Cindy. The country folks were some of the most approachable and friendly famous people you'd ever want to meet, and they loved their week of steamboating.

I wish Doc was online so he could relate his wonderful story of hosting Dolly Parton aboard the Natchez. Maybe someone can tell it for/from him, Judy?

I'm not quite sure what in particular Doc talks about regarding Dolly Parton, but he said she was the nicest celebrity he ever dealt with on the boat. I worked that trip, and it was nice to see her chatting with the extras between takes and being so obviously friendly to everyone. When she was doing the pilothouse interview, she asked Doc if she could blow the whistle, and of course she did, with some help. I think Doc's got a line for that situation. If you know Doc, you know how nonchalant he always looks - in the picture with Dolly next to him, he looks very formal and 'uneasy'. He and Dolly are about the same height with her heels, and he was getting a good view I believe. Vic Tooker played the calliope and they did a bit up on the roof, something about the calliope calling the cows home I think. It was very windy and they were worried about her wig blowing off, so they hurried the scene. Vic also looked unusually tense, and when he came downstairs, he told us because of the wind they had told him to speak directly into the microphone, which had been attached out of the wind in Dolly's dress... That was a fun day, they had chartered the boat for the entire day and we served lunch to the whole film crew. Dolly ate out in her trailer before coming aboard. Pete Fountain was also in that filming on board. March 1988. An aside: the red letters Natchez on the back of the pilothouse were painted on there for that show. They wanted the name in the background for the calliope scene...

Yeah. I can just see Vic homing in on Dolly's clea..., uh, dress concealed mike. That's a good one. What program or show were they filming on the N?