A childhood crush

Not only have I always been very good looking and reasonably smart, but I am usually a kind, caring and most importantly a loving human being. This compassionate personality trait probably began when I was a young good-looking pre-schooler. I was a faithful viewer of a television program called Romper Room. Romper room was important in my pre-school life because of one reason and one reason only…Miss Anne. Miss Anne was the hostess of the Canadian version of Romper Room and I had a huge crush on her.

Miss Anne began my day by looking in her magic mirror and asking if I had been a good boy. I was positive I was the only good boy in television land. She “had” me the day she looked in her magic mirror and “saw” me and said my name on television. My infatuation lasted until the day when Miss Anne disappeared from the airwaves and was unceremoniously replaced with some bimbo named Miss “Whatever.” I checked the national news, the newspaper, and expected Miss Whatever to fill me in on the disappearance of Miss Anne, who I was sure had been kidnapped. No longer a fan of Romper Room, I moved on to the world of movies, and quickly forgot Miss Anne because I saw a Doris Day movie and a new crush developed.

Doris Day passed away a few weeks ago. While I have acknowledged a lifelong fondness for Doris Mary Kapplehoff (her real name), I never realized how much her passing meant to me; I honestly thought about wearing a black armband. I was thinking about my “Doris Day” moments and could not remember a specific movie scene that highlighted her comedic or dramatic acting abilities, but when it came to her singing I had quite a list.

With over 650 recordings, her voice was instantly recognizable, and her smooth easy phrasing has been wisely compared to another of my lifelong crushes, Ella Fitzgerald. The two great singers have sung many of the same tunes. In fact, one of Ella’s greatest hits was one of Doris Day’s hits two years earlier.

Sentimental Journey was Doris Day’s first hit in 1945 when she was the singer for Les Brown and his orchestra; Ella duplicated the success in 1947 making it one of my favorite songs of all time. Another hit for Doris day was Que Sera, Sera (What Ever Will Be, Will Be). Looking back, I think it may have been my personal motto for acceptance and perhaps tolerance. Whatever will be will be, has covered a lot of ground for me. When Doris Day passed away at the age of 97 my honest first reaction was total sadness but then I thought “que sera sera” and it did ease the loss.

I am of an age now when my childhood heroes and idols are passing away with alarming regularity. For the past decade or so there have been many erroneous reports of these folks dying. Doris Day was in an elite group of personalities that have “died” many times in error. It was only a few years ago that there was a three-way tie for times dying in a single year; Doris Day joining Betty White and Willie Nelson at a whopping four times in a single year. 

After retiring from entertaining, my childhood crush, Doris Day, gave me yet another reason for continuing my crush-itude by supporting and advocating animal rights. In her later years, this activism may have been her legacy over and above her entertainment achievements.

So, how does a good looking and reasonably intelligent fan of Doris Day pay tribute to his lifelong crush? By continuing to support the SPCA and other animal rescue organizations. Que sera sera.