By Liz Abrams, March 21, 2017 — Enjoying the excitement and the prestige of working at our local station, I was a very young mother of four children ages 1 3 4 & 5 – imagine that! In fact, I never knew any celebrity personalities or otherwise. Today I took a chance, walked boldly to the entrance of the WFILTV Station, and told the receptionist I was seeking employment. A very nice German lady, with a full accent, handed me the application. I filled it out and left. The HR people called me in 2 weeks and asked when I could start. I told her immediately…like tomorrow! I was so in shock and shaking, I couldn’t remember the rest of the conversation – a single parent, on welfare, living in the projects, and they offered me $75 a week. Not much even back then in 1965; but it expanded my income. Now, what about a babysitter? But that’s another story.
At the station, everyone and everybody was a celebrity or almost. I felt like an invisible bystander and outsider. I really was a fly on the wall, watching everything, sneaking around corners, going into offices, uninvited, identifying new staff, Captain Noah, Jim O’Brien, and guest celebrities. I carried folders, trying to look important and then one day, someone made an announcement in the hallway.
“Muhammad Ali is lunching at the Marriott across the street.”
I dropped everything. My girlfriend and hightailed it to the hotel and there he sat, with his wife, manager, and friends.
He was handsome, humble, like a king on the throne. We were introduced, I shook his hand and I almost curtsied. He rose, like a gentleman he was, and said,
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Hughes.” And so, that day I finally met a genuine star.
How’s that for being a fly on the wall.