Back to the Floating Light Parade:
Barbara knew that part of the duties of, "Grand Marshall", was to take a yacht around the harbor, on the day of the parade, and visit "Ports O' Call Village", and the hotels and restaurants along the route to have their pictures taken, sign autographs, you know, the usual. 
We all had a special lunch on the W.W.II (Kaiser built) ship, "Lane Victory", and when we got back on the Grand Marshall’s yacht, it started to rain…it poured. By the time we pulled up in front of the first restaurant, we were told that because of the rain, it didn't look like we were going to have many, if any, people; not as many as were expected at the other locations. We arrived at the, "Ports O' Call Restaurant", and we were told that only two people were there. Tony, Ken, and the others said that they preferred to stay on the yacht, but Barbara said that she would be happy to meet "whoever showed up". I, of course, escorted Barbara and we were greeted by, yes, only two people.
I immediately focused on the lady standing there. She must have been in her late 30's or early 40's, but she had the look of a young girl. She was poorly dressed, showed quite a lack of personal hygiene, and looked as if she had really had a "hard life". The man she was with looked quite normal but he sort of stood back from her.
When Barbara and I saw the camera around the man's neck, we naturally assumed that they wanted a picture and probably an autograph. When Barbara asked them what they wanted her to do for them. The lady simply said, "WOULD YOU PLEASE JUST HUG ME!?!" That seemed like a strange request and the man moved even further away from his companion. Barbara, without a moment of hesitation, put out her arms and embraced the enthusiastic "fan". I was standing where Barbara's back was facing me, so that I could see the lady's face. I didn't plan it that way, but was glad that I did. The man never toughed his camera, but simply moved further away, almost trying not to see what was happening. Barbara gave her a REAL HUG, not a, "Hollywood hug", but a "Motherly Hug", and kept the lady in her embrace for over a minute.
Now, I know that I like to romanticize things, but seeing the look of euphoria on the young ladies face, with her eyes closed, I couldn’t help doing some speculating. It seemed to me that the way that the lady was dressed and her basic demeanor indicated that she came from a poor household and probably didn't have much of a relationship with her family, maybe, especially her mother. She seemed to feel as so many "Baby Boomers" in the 1950's felt, when they saw the "epitome of Motherhood", like "Mrs. Cleaver", and so many of the other "Mothers" like June Lockhart, Donna Reed, Jane Wyatt, etc. When our own mothers fell far short of this make-believe stereotype, this young lady probably had always felt that somehow she was switched at birth and that "Mrs. Cleaver" was her "real" mother and that the other, often abusive and neglectful, mother was someday going to be replaced by her real TV mother. After all these years, they were finally REUNITED!
The look on the lady's face was one of a child being hugged by an angel, her loving mother! Barbara never stopped hugging her, but kept the embrace until the lady let go. I have NEVER seen a happier, more "complete" look on anyone's face, as I saw in the face of that woman/child. After a few moments of silence, she joined her companion and left. I accompanied Barbara back to the yacht.
I was in a major daze! I sat next to Barbara, who acted as if nothing unusual had happened, but it took me a few moments to break the silence. "Can you believe what just happened!?!" "What?", Barbara said. "That lady ONLY wanted to HUG you!!!" "So?", Barbara was now getting a bit surprised at my reaction. "Does that happen very often?" Barbara smiled and said that it happens quite a lot. In fact she said that she has been hugging countless Baby Boomers since the show began and is STILL doing it whenever someone recognizes her!
I realized that those "perfect" T. V. families of the 50's did not represent the reality that most kids were facing at home and so many of them fantasized, as this lady most likely did of what it would be like to be "truly loved" by their mother, i.e. "Mrs. Cleaver". I then saw what a truly sensitive woman Barbara was and what a service she had performed over the years in allowing so many of her "kids" to act out their most basic need to be loved!
Even with the intermittent rain, the parade went off quite well. Well wishers along the bank were excited to see the cast members of "Leave It To Beaver" and yelled out to their favorite characters, Barbara getting her fair share of the enthusiastic response.
We all had a special lunch on the W.W.II (Kaiser built) ship, "Lane Victory", and when we got back on the Grand Marshall’s yacht, it started to rain…it poured. By the time we pulled up in front of the first restaurant, we were told that because of the rain, it didn't look like we were going to have many, if any, people; not as many as were expected at the other locations. We arrived at the, "Ports O' Call Restaurant", and we were told that only two people were there. Tony, Ken, and the others said that they preferred to stay on the yacht, but Barbara said that she would be happy to meet "whoever showed up". I, of course, escorted Barbara and we were greeted by, yes, only two people.I immediately focused on the lady standing there. She must have been in her late 30's or early 40's, but she had the look of a young girl. She was poorly dressed, showed quite a lack of personal hygiene, and looked as if she had really had a "hard life". The man she was with looked quite normal but he sort of stood back from her.
When Barbara and I saw the camera around the man's neck, we naturally assumed that they wanted a picture and probably an autograph. When Barbara asked them what they wanted her to do for them. The lady simply said, "WOULD YOU PLEASE JUST HUG ME!?!" That seemed like a strange request and the man moved even further away from his companion. Barbara, without a moment of hesitation, put out her arms and embraced the enthusiastic "fan". I was standing where Barbara's back was facing me, so that I could see the lady's face. I didn't plan it that way, but was glad that I did. The man never toughed his camera, but simply moved further away, almost trying not to see what was happening. Barbara gave her a REAL HUG, not a, "Hollywood hug", but a "Motherly Hug", and kept the lady in her embrace for over a minute.
Now, I know that I like to romanticize things, but seeing the look of euphoria on the young ladies face, with her eyes closed, I couldn’t help doing some speculating. It seemed to me that the way that the lady was dressed and her basic demeanor indicated that she came from a poor household and probably didn't have much of a relationship with her family, maybe, especially her mother. She seemed to feel as so many "Baby Boomers" in the 1950's felt, when they saw the "epitome of Motherhood", like "Mrs. Cleaver", and so many of the other "Mothers" like June Lockhart, Donna Reed, Jane Wyatt, etc. When our own mothers fell far short of this make-believe stereotype, this young lady probably had always felt that somehow she was switched at birth and that "Mrs. Cleaver" was her "real" mother and that the other, often abusive and neglectful, mother was someday going to be replaced by her real TV mother. After all these years, they were finally REUNITED!
The look on the lady's face was one of a child being hugged by an angel, her loving mother! Barbara never stopped hugging her, but kept the embrace until the lady let go. I have NEVER seen a happier, more "complete" look on anyone's face, as I saw in the face of that woman/child. After a few moments of silence, she joined her companion and left. I accompanied Barbara back to the yacht.
I was in a major daze! I sat next to Barbara, who acted as if nothing unusual had happened, but it took me a few moments to break the silence. "Can you believe what just happened!?!" "What?", Barbara said. "That lady ONLY wanted to HUG you!!!" "So?", Barbara was now getting a bit surprised at my reaction. "Does that happen very often?" Barbara smiled and said that it happens quite a lot. In fact she said that she has been hugging countless Baby Boomers since the show began and is STILL doing it whenever someone recognizes her!
I realized that those "perfect" T. V. families of the 50's did not represent the reality that most kids were facing at home and so many of them fantasized, as this lady most likely did of what it would be like to be "truly loved" by their mother, i.e. "Mrs. Cleaver". I then saw what a truly sensitive woman Barbara was and what a service she had performed over the years in allowing so many of her "kids" to act out their most basic need to be loved!
Even with the intermittent rain, the parade went off quite well. Well wishers along the bank were excited to see the cast members of "Leave It To Beaver" and yelled out to their favorite characters, Barbara getting her fair share of the enthusiastic response.
More to follow...
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