When I got home one night last week, I decided to check my phone messages. I’m sadly inconsistent about this duty and the messages often sit untouched for days. This one only sat unheard for 24 hours or so, so that’s pretty good for me.
“Mr __________, if I may I’ll call you __________ , this is Gene Reynolds calling,” he began.
Gene Reynolds, child actor (BAD LITTLE ANGEL, BOYS TOWN, EDISON, THE MAN), adult actor (99 RIVER STREET, THE COUNTRY GIRL), writer/director/producer (M*A*S*H*, LOU GRANT, LIFE GOES ON, MY THREE SONS, ROOM 222, need I go on?), winner of six Emmys, and all around industry giant then talked for five minutes to my answering machine about one subject, Virginia Weidler.
He apologized for his delay in responding and then talked of “an old, dear friend I’ve known since she was a small child, Virginia Weidler.
"I knew her brothers, two of them, and they were really great guys and a lot of fun. Very devoted musicians. I knew them because we were all in the business, I a lot longer I guess.
"Virginia was a lovely, sweet girl with a great sense of humor, a lot of fun and a very decent girl. I also knew them [Virginia and Lionel Krisel] as a couple and I ran into him again in a writing club at the Writer’s Guild. He was a very conservative guy politically, he had made a lot of money, He was a very kind and nice man and not of show business, very far from it.
"I don’t know how Virginia parted from MGM. The part [you wrote me] about Jeanie Porter saying Virginia was unhappy at MGM…[Virginia] made some great films at MGM like THE PHILADELPHIA STORY, she had a lot of great roles in some big league films and she had a long run at MGM, so I don’t know how sore she was but people are always disappointed when they don’t get put into a job so maybe [Jean] caught her at one of those times.
"Generally speaking, she was such a bright and cheerful and funny and very attractive young lady and great to work with. A friend of mine named Johnny Walsh, who died recently, was very close to the brothers and to Virginia and they all enjoyed one another. I didn’t see them socially too much, we were friendly and chatted and we probably went ice skating together a couple of times.
"I wish I could tell you more about Virginia except that I often think of her and I was very happy to see her in a nice marriage with a man who adored her. I was very touched and saddened when I heard that she’d passed.”
With that he offered to talk again and he began to thank ME on her behalf for my interest when my 5 minute voicemail time was up.
