Grandma's Celebrity Gossip -- The Bonnie Franklin Incident

In yesterday's post, Grandma referred to an encounter with television star Bonnie Franklin.  This pre-Idiosyncratist post from 2005 describes the situation in greater detail.

Grandma

I went with Adele's Hadassah group to a matinee of "Cats," at the Civic Arts Center in Thousand Oaks.  For years my kids have been trying to get me to see this musical, but I figure something I wouldn't have in my house what with the shedding and hairballs, I certainly wouldn't pay good money to see on the stage.

The show had actors as big cats, crawling across the stage and licking themselves, singing songs I never heard before except for "Memories," but not the Barbra Streisand one; that was "The Way We Were."

Luckily Adele and I sat on the aisle, so when they had the special extended intermission for us seniors, we made a beeline for the ladies' room, which was already crowded.  As soon as I got in a stall, the toilet flushed itself like it had a mind of its own.  I got so fartoost I could barely do my business.

Then the worst happened.  I got up, and the toilet wouldn't flush again.  There's no handle because it's automatic.  So I bounced around a little, hoping it would get the idea.  Nothing.  So I backed over it and swung from side to side.  Still nothing.

Now I was in such a panic.  I couldn't very well leave and let the next person see my business in there, so I paced back and forth, hoping all of a sudden an idea would hit me.

There was a rap at the door and an "Are you all right in there?"  I opened it to see none other than the TV star Bonnie Franklin, of "One Time or Another," the show with the two wisecracking daughters and the schnorrer handyman.  For her age she looks good, though she's still cross-eyed, and from the facelifts, bug-eyed like the meshuga runaway bride, but she's very nice.  We left the stall, then marched right back in, and miracle of miracles, the toilet flushed.

For this I have to thank Bonnie Franklin.