I was flipping through channels the other day and came
across Law and Order. I know, what
a shock…it is on more than Seinfeld.
It was an older episode with Lenny Briscoe, portrayed by Jerry
Orbach. Law and Order used to be a
weekly ritual for me but I never watched it much after he left the show. He would appear in 274 episodes.
As many of you know, I used to work for the North Shore
Animal League. I was lucky enough
to get the chance to meet many a celebrity that lent their name to support the
orphaned animals. I was not in
Public Relations…I ran the Computer Department. However, I happened to share the same part of the office
building with PR. This led to my
staff and I being asked to assist with events, and for that we would be
rewarded. Among the opportunities
I had were to go to Yankee Stadium to meet Paul O’Neill, to a recording studio
to meet LeAnn Rimes and, in 2003, I had lunch with Mr. Jerry Orbach.
I had seen Mr. Orbach in person years before, not across a
table, but up on the stage…and I didn’t even know it. It was May of 1983 and many a classmate was preparing for
the prom. A close friend of mine
came up with an alternate agenda.
Instead of actually attending the prom itself, we would bypass it and go
out on the town. I didn’t mind
missing my prom. I was not about
to be named Prom King nor did I care to see the majority of kids hitting their
only peak. Anyway, most of my
other friends would not be attending.
It was an easy sell to my girlfriend too. She was a sophomore and would have her own prom in a few
years. Four other couples would
happily join us. We did it right
too, dressed to the nines…limos and all. Sent off by parents and pictures our limos whisked
us away to our first stop, dinner at Mama Mia’s. We dined like royalty, feeling sorry for those eating lesser fare at the prom. After indulging,
it was the show part of the proverbial “Dinner and a Show”. It was off to Broadway! Our choice was the play 42nd
Street. I was not familiar with it
or the actors. However, I was
taken aback by the booming baritone of the lead male character.
It wasn’t until a few years later that I found out who that
actor was. I no longer had the
playbill from that night, nor the girlfriend for that matter. Also, keep in mind too there was no
IMDB, let alone the internet. We
did have televisions…I am not THAT old.
It was a Sunday evening in 1986 and my TV was still tuned to channel 2
after a football game. Pat Summerall was right...it was
“Murder, She Wrote…coming up after 60 Minutes on CBS, except for those of you on the West
Coast”. Shortly thereafter I heard
the voice, THAT voice. I turned
towards the tube and there he was, Harry McGraw. The same guy I had seen on stage three years earlier. A quick flip through the TV guide and
his identity was revealed.
Lunch was a catered in affair, held in the conference room
of our new office building. About 10
people were invited to attend and I among them. Mr. Orbach sat across from me, his 2nd wife
Elaine to my right. Mr. Orbach
regaled us with stories of the Law and Order set. At one point I thought he was still in Lenny Briscoe
character. I had brought with me
my 20-year-old ticket stub from 42nd Street…I didn’t save much from
that “prom” night, but I still had that.
I thought Mr. Orbach would get a kick out of it and I told him the story
attached with it. He joked “What,
did you find this in an old Tux?”
He went on to speak about Broadway as he handed me back the ticket. I leaned into his wife and said
quietly, “Do you think Mr. Orbach might sign this for me?” She quickly interrupted her husband,
“Jerry, why didn’t you sign it for the kid?” A comical banter began back and forth with Mr. Orbach
mumbling to her, “Well, he didn’t ask…”
Lunch was a rap and he signed my ticket. Mr. Orbach then gave me a hardy handshake goodbye and his
wife gave me a peck on the cheek.
The following year, at North Shore’s awards luncheon, I
would briefly get to visit with Jerry Orbach again…before his passing in 2004.
He asked me if I had any more tickets for him to sign…
I remember that day so well - pretty good since I don't remember too much lately - haha! I love telling people I had a tuna sandwich with Jerry Orbach! I too had seen him in 42nd Street (many years before) and was so mad when you had your ticket stub signed - because I DID have a playbill at home. Also was a true Law & Order fan with Lenny Briscoe - on and off afterwards! Thanks for the trip down memory lane!
ReplyDeleteAlways loved him, and he had the best last line of the opening scene to his Law & Order episodes.
ReplyDeletemy wife had the distinct pleasure of working with elaine on the book "remember how i love you," which contained love notes that jerry left for her every day. (http://stonesong.com/books/remember-how-i-love-you) sadly, she died just as the book was being published. (and don't forget that jerry was also the father in "dirty dancing.")
ReplyDelete