Is Jerry Herman fan friendly?

[EthelMinnelli]

Posted: 3/14/12 at 10:04pm

Anyone ever met him? I'll be at an event that he will also be at coming up, and wanted to get my Mame OBC album signed - does he tend to do that kind of thing?

[jv92]

Posted: 3/14/12 at 10:15pm

I have a lovely note from him from a few years back-- but I've heard he's become a bit more reclusive the past two years or so. No idea really.

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 3/14/12 at 10:31pm

I met Mr. Herman briefly three decades ago and he was utterly charming and a total sweetheart.

A close friend of mine appeared with him for years in JERRY'S GIRLS and she swears he is one of the nicest people she has ever met in show business.

However, he is 81. He is open about having been HIV+ since 1985. I don't have any inside info about his current health, but I think you have to expect that anyone of his age may not be able to give individuals fans as much time and attention as he might like.

But assuming he is able, I think you will find him very gracious indeed.

[justoldbill]

Posted: 3/14/12 at 10:47pm

The event is not mentioned. If it's not a "fan-appropriate" event, I'd let it go.

[SondheimFan5]

Posted: 3/14/12 at 11:55pm

The one time I met him he was one of the most lovely people I've ever met. This was about 10 yrs ago. I have heard from some people that he can be a bit of a ... "diva" ... but as another poster said, he is in his 80s, is HIV-positive, and has had a long and successful career from which he is very wealthy.

[Brian07663NJ]

Posted: 3/15/12 at 8:15am

I met Jerry Herman in 1998 when he was performing on Broadway in his show "An Evening with Jerry Herman." After the show he did come out the stage door. He chatted briefly and did sign autographs. My cousin had more then one item. Jerry was gracious but suddenly as he was finishing a signature on a CD he got flustered and said "I...I...I can't do this any more." He stopped and walked away. Now my cousin has an autograph that reads "Jerry Her." Jerry didn't finish! ahhaah We laugh about it all the time.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 3/15/12 at 9:09am

Unless the event is specifically set up for autographing--and I'm guessing it's not--it would probably be rude of you to intrude.

Why not simply enjoy the fact that you are at an event with someone you admire and not insist on quantifying your experience with an autograph?

Much more valuable, IMHO, would be to see if there were an appropriate moment to mention to him how much you admire his work and maybe even ask an intelligent question about a song or a moment.

Both you and he would walk away with a better experience than if you interrupted an event by shoving something in an elderly man's face and saying "SIGN THIS!" and then scampering away, like a woodland creature after stealing a nut.

"Hello, Mr. Herman. I just wanted to thank you for a lifetime of beautiful songs" might elicit a smile and a thank you and maybe even a brief conversation.

Updated On: 3/15/12 at 09:09 AM

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 3/15/12 at 9:39am

I enjoy the deliberately drastic characterizations of both possibilities there.

[nasty_khakis]

Posted: 3/15/12 at 9:53am

Jerry Herman punched me in the face once. It was awesome.

[nealb1]

Posted: 3/15/12 at 10:36am

Perfectly said, PalJoey.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 3/15/12 at 10:47am

He is legendarily ff.

[Brian07663NJ]

Posted: 3/15/12 at 10:58am

you are right PalJoey...I did have a brief conversation prior to "shoving" the item in his face. I just didn't mention every detail, words exchanged or farts emitted. He was very nice. He did smile. It was an enjoyable moment for all. To this day we don't know what suddenly flipped his switch...the possibilities are endless.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 3/15/12 at 11:14am

"Hello, I just wanted to thank you for a lifetime of beautiful songs"

I used the same line when I met Barbra the first time.

Her reactions was, "Whatever..."

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 3/15/12 at 11:20am

And to this day, the phrase "Get Jerry her!" is popular in the drag lexicon.

[Brian07663NJ]

Posted: 3/15/12 at 11:36am

I overheard an exuberant fan try the pleasantry line on Lauren Becall one night after Waiting in the Wings... "I've seen ALL your movies..." and then he went on to list many of them. With a deadpan delivery she sarcastically responded "Aren't you luuuuuuu-KEY!"

So I can't say that her response was the memorable moment that fan hoped to receive.

[jv92]

Posted: 3/15/12 at 12:26pm

Oh yeah, if the event isn't a book signing, etc., I wouldn't bring the album. Now that I've learned this, I would say just approach him, say "Hello", etc.

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 3/15/12 at 10:42pm

I overheard an exuberant fan try the pleasantry line on Lauren Bacall one night after Waiting in the Wings... "I've seen ALL your movies..." and then he went on to list many of them. With a deadpan delivery she sarcastically responded "Aren't you luuuuuuu-KEY!"

So I can't say that her response was the memorable moment that fan hoped to receive.

I worked with Betty. I helped her plan a party for her cast though it wasn't my job. She was a total bitch who swore like a sailor.

I've loved some of her stage and film performances, but I wouldn't use her as a model of celebrity behavior. I promise you the sophisticated and elegant persona she plays on the screen is a total act.

(And in fact in the last interview I read about her just a few years ago, the reporter described her going to the Russian Tea Room or some such place, ordering nothing but a tea bag with a lemon and a pitcher of hot water, and then publicly berating the waiter because he didn't keep the water hot enough throughout the interview. Exactly as I remember her: mean and cheap.)

Updated On: 3/15/12 at 10:42 PM

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 3/15/12 at 11:06pm

^ Maybe that explains her Oscar loss in 1996, good will playing such a large part in deciding the winner.

And I agree with just saying a few nice words to Jerry Herman - you will think of those with more fondness than a rushed scribble.

[Brian07663NJ]

Posted: 3/16/12 at 8:23am

It is one of those decisions you will just have to make for yourself (asking for the signature or not). When I saw Rita Moreno at the Oak Room in the Algonquin Hotel in 1999. I brought flowers to give to her after the show. She was very gracious and asked if I could wait on the side after she thanked each guest and said good night to them. Then she asked if I had time to have a drink with her in the lobby! Rita was wonderful and spent 20 or 30 minutes with me. Then when she found out I had my West Side Story album with me she reminisced, flipped through the pictures and insisted on signing her name next to every picture and on the front too. Yes I had brought the record with me in the hope she would sign it. She decide to sign it multiple times. So there are all possible outcomes and I do not think any are wrong as long as you can live with your choice and not regret it after the fact...that you didn't ask or that the response was negative and you feel bad that you did. Just be polite and respectful of whatever their decision is.

[inlovewithjerryherman]

Posted: 3/16/12 at 9:02am

I love Jerry Herman!

wakka wakka.

[mamaleh]

Posted: 3/16/12 at 12:13pm

Five or six years ago I encountered him in the Radio City Music Hall lobby shortly before the Tony Awards ceremony got underway. I thanked him for all his lovely songs, and he couldn't have been sweeter or friendlier. That's a memory I will always treasure. A true talent--and a mensch.

[newintown]

Posted: 3/16/12 at 12:25pm

Jerry Herman ate my dog, but only to save it from Lauren Bacall.

[Patash]

Posted: 3/16/12 at 12:36pm

I'm amused also at the dramatic (mis)interpretation of what the OP was describing:

"Both you and he would walk away with a better experience than if you interrupted an event by shoving something in an elderly man's face and saying "SIGN THIS!" and then scampering away, like a woodland creature after stealing a nut."

Yea, I'm sure that's the exact scenario the OP had in mind.

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 3/16/12 at 3:09pm

Maybe that explains her Oscar loss in 1996, good will playing such a large part in deciding the winner.

I honestly don't know how she behaves with her peers or how they see her. I thought she was terrific in the film.

And I'm ashamed I didn't show more restraint in my post above. Not because what I wrote was untrue, but because she's an old woman now and none of it matters any more. Frankly, it wouldn't have been notable at the time except for the contrast between public and private personae.

But the fact that Bacall was unkind in response to a compliment is no indicator of how other celebrities will respond. I'm not an autograph collector myself, but any performer I've ever complimented has been as gracious as time permitted in response.