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Intro to Stories by Steve J. Hill
Paula was a natural storyteller. To a young man from Ohio falling off the potato truck onto the streets of New York in 1984 I was primed for stories and experiences. I met Paula later in my life in 1998 and was immediately attracted to her stories and her theatricality. I often told Paula she should write a memoir. She humbly disagreed and thought there was plenty of time for all that. She often said that she was too busy experiencing the present than reminiscing about the past. There were things she had to get done first. Paula was not a name dropper or one to kiss-and-tell, but over time I did pry some good stories from her. As Paula seemed to be a witness that placed her at certain events at certain times I tongue-in-cheek suggested she call any potential memoir The Forrest Gump of Forrest Hills. Because… • As a little girl at summer camp she would sneak out of her bunk at night and watch a budding Jerry Herman practice his tunes on a piano in the activity room. |
• She would watch from the wings as her father—Larry Best, a successful Borscht belt comic—did his act. Sometimes he would bring her out and incorporate her into a routine. Paula was star struck at age six. • She went to her junior prom with a young Art Garfunkel. • In her twenties she lived across the street and was a regular at the old Improvisation Comedy club on 44th street. She became somewhat of a comedy groupie. She got to know the owners, managers, comedians and assorted odd characters. Amongst them being Stiller and Meara, Robert Klein, Rodney Dangerfield, Richard Prior and Bette Midler to name a few. • She worked for a very short time as a Playboy bunny. To Paula it was just another short-term waitress job that just happened to pay more money than most. Her time at the New York club overlapped Gloria Steinem’s undercover employment. Only later did Paula put it together that the bunny named Marie that had gained her confidence was in fact Gloria Steinem. Here are a few stories that I found amusing ... |
Click on the picture below to go to that story
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The Mary Martin Story
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The Cary Grant Story
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The Day NYC Stood Still
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Amazin' Grace
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What Paula and
Trouper taught me |
Goggles, Mel !
The Paula J Riley Story |