Natalie Schafer(1900-1991)

Schafer had said she initially did the pilot to Gilligan's Island (1964), for the free trip to Hawaii. Afterwards, Schafer was in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on holiday when she got a telegram from the States. She read it and burst into tears. Everyone had thought Schafer's mother (who was ill at the time) had died, and offered their condolences, but Schafer had said no she didn't die, the reason she was crying was because the pilot for "Gilligan's Island" sold, and she had to stay in Los Angeles, and could not move back to New York City.

[working with Joan Crawford on Female on the Beach (1955)] Now, Female was another story. By this time I presumed Joan and I were friends, at least colleagues, so I made a point of stopping by her trailer for cocktails and such. Now the leading man on this film was Jeff Chandler, a terribly nice young man, very good-looking, and he and Joan were in the middle of a very steamy affair. I remember Joan staying on after filming and Jeff remained as well. We were about halfway through the film when Joan invited me to her house for a small dinner party and I really had made very definite plans and had to decline. Well, she seemed alright with it, until the next morning I arrived on the set only to find my trailer had been physically moved almost to the parking lot of Universal. You learn not to say 'no' to Miss Joan Crawford unless you wish to suffer the consequences.