First Day on the Job!

The Dean Martin Show. My very first day as an NBC Page in Burbank—​they didn’t exactly ease me in. My first weekday encounter with a real star was Elke Sommer. Elke was guesting on The Dean Martin Show. I escorted her to Studio 4’s dressing rooms, and suddenly I was swimming in it—crew members hustling, background singers warming up, lights swinging into place… that glorious, organized chaos that only live television can deliver. On the walk over, I gave Elke a quick tour of the NBC maze. First stop: Floyd’s famous shoeshine stand tucked behind The Tonight Show. Frank and Dean's were regulars. Then past the rehearsal halls, echoing with music and laughter.And there I was—day one on the job—walking side by side with one of the most beautiful women in the world. Maria Gambrelli in A Shot in the Dark (1964), Not a bad way to punch in at NBC. "Let's have a Vino for Dino."