(My Travels with) Agnes Moorehead – The Lavender Lady (18 page)

Agnes’ show never went better and to have earned a standing ovation in your own stomping grounds was a great consolation for Agnes. I was glad this happened, for she needed this good stroke. She was looking quite tired and both Rochell and I became worried about her. But she wouldn’t rest. She seemed to be prodded on by some strange power demon that wouldn’t let her let up for a moment.

She must have felt bad physically and phoned long distance to Tanya about what, I never learned. Looking back now, I think it was about her health. Mollie had overheard her make the call and was LIVID when she found out that Agnes was talking to Tanya. An argument ensued and Mollie packed her bags and one morning asked Rochell to take her into New Concord. Mollie Moorehead was going back to her own home in Reedsburg. She was mad as a hatter at Agnes for Agnes’ contacting Tanya behind her back and she made no bones about it.

It was a sad situation and Rochell tried to talk to Mollie and I talked to Agnes, not realizing how serious Mollie’s feelings had been towards Tanya all this time. As it was, I think Rochell finally took Mollie to the bus station and Mollie went to Canton, Ohio to her sister.

I started to feel discontented with my financial arrangements with Agnes by now, but was so busy and was so involved that I hadn’t had time to sit Agnes down and seriously discuss it. I figured I would in due time, after we got the farm and the house problems settled. I had told Agnes before we left for the farm that, since I was so involved with so many facets of her career and in view of the fact she had had so much unfortunate dealings with the IRS who had challenged her earnings, etc . . . at it might be advantageous to both of us, if she would consider forming a corporation and letting the corporation pay me a weekly salary. This would be for fifty-two weeks a year so that I could live normally instead of paying me like a king while on the road, yet nothing in Los Angeles, even though I was doing many things while there. I told her it would be a good tax-shelter for her and for her to talk to her cousin-attorney in St. Louis and to her accountant, Mr. Namtz. I was sure they would see the merits of such a suggestion, for Agnes especially. And it would also guarantee me a steady position with the money I deserved and needed to live.

Agnes was interested, but would not commit herself. I mentioned to her a few weeks later that I might start my own corporation, to which she asked me if she could be a part of it. This puzzled me and I told her that I had to go out and get a job that I could depend on to pay me for my expertise, ability and worth. I had been offered an excellent position with Resthaven Psychiatric Hospital as the Public Relations Director at an enormous salary. Before I accepted it, I went to Agnes and told her of the offer and confided to her that I would rather work for her for even less money than take the job, but that I did have to eat and live.

She scornfully said, “I KNOW YOU DO,” and never let it go any further, so I took the job, assuring her that I would still be available for her to do her weekend one-woman shows, if she wanted me to. I was trying, in my own dumb way, to leave the door open.

Polly once told me that one should never ask Agnes for money she owed them for they would be sorry. I had to do it on several occasions, and this last time while at the farm, right before I left for Los Angeles. There were so many problems that I didn’t look at the check she had written for my previous month’s work at the farm. When I arrived in Los Angeles, I discovered the discrepancy of my check and immediately wrote to her in detail, enclosing a self-addressed, stamped envelope knowing that she always took care of any letter or bill where the envelope or postage was paid.

She didn’t send the difference, so I wrote her once more and she finally sent with proper amount with a rather sarcastic note rationalizing her reasons for not sending it. I knew she was upset with me for doing the unforgivable act of asking for what was rightfully mine. Polly had warned me, but I had to confront the situation in my own way.

I dared to confront the Lavender Lady.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

LAST ENCOUNTER

Even though I was now employed at the psychiatric hospital, I was keeping in touch with Agnes by letter and phone, for there were lots of business things that I had in the process of being executed. I had also attended to things she had asked me to do upon my return for she stayed at the farm since she wasn’t due back to film “Bewitched.” They were going to do the first segments of the new season on location in Salem, Massachusetts. So, she arranged to stay at the farm and go directly to Salem instead of returning to Los Angeles.

From what she would tell me on the phone, she said she would be suing Joe Moro and asked me to write down all the things he did wrong to use as a witness for her. I agreed to do so. She also called in my brother-in-law and with his help, and some new workers, they managed to get the new English cottage in the shape that met with Agnes’ approval. Agnes learned from the workmen who stayed on from Joe Moro’s crew that Joe never thought Agnes would catch on to what he was doing. She learned that he was bilking her like all the others, as she often accused the Ohio folks she engaged to work for her of doing.

Rochell stayed on with Agnes alone, since her mother and I were no longer there. However, about a month after I had been in L.A., Rochell came back to Los Angeles.

Tanya phoned me when she learned I was back from the farm. She badgered me to death with questions all about the farm, for she wanted to see it and be with Agnes in the worst way. Agnes, however, could not let her come because of her mother’s feelings about Tanya. I saw Tanya off and on and even invited her as my date to a fund-raising function at the hospital. During one of our conversations about Agnes, her health, the farm, etc., Tanya told me Agnes had told her why she had sent Rochell home. He was causing so much difficulty with the workers on the farmhouse, that he was giving orders, and upsetting the routine.

I didn’t believe this and told Tanya that I felt that I knew Rochell better than she and that he would not do this. He thought too much of Agnes, for one thing, and also he would not do such a thing to place his wife, Freddie, in jeopardy by acting in such a fashion.

Tanya insisted and somehow I felt it was a ruse schemed up between Tanya and Agnes to get rid of Rochell, so Tanya could have her dream of going to the farm come true.

Freddie and I both loved Agnes and were genuinely concerned for her well-being always. So, I went to Freddie and, in confidence, asked her why Rochell had returned from the farm, for Agnes had wanted him to stay on until she could find suitable caretakers for the place when she returned to L.A. She knew that Rochell would want to be with Freddie back in L.A. Freddie explained that Rochell came home of his own volition and that he explained to Agnes that he felt he wanted to be with Freddie, so he came home. He was not fired, sent home or let go as Tanya had said to me. I believed Freddie.

When Agnes finally returned to Ls Angeles, after her work in Salem, unbeknownst to me, Freddie decided on a confrontation. Freddie waited until one day when Tanya was at the Roxbury house with Agnes. She came downstairs and confronted them both about the rumor of Rochell being fired. Freddie was a fair lady and wanted both Agnes and Tanya to know that she didn’t like lies being perpetrated by either one of them about Rochell. In a conversation with me, Freddie said it was obvious that they both knew they were in hot water by the way they kept passing the buck. Freddie knew the truth and they both knew she knew it.

Almost immediately after this, I received a frantic phone call from Tanya who had just been through the torments of hell with Agnes. Agnes chewed her ass out to hell and back. I denied knowing anything about it to Tanya, yet told her it had served her right for talking about things and telling things about Agnes’ life to others. I had chided her many times before for telling things about Agnes to her co-workers and outsiders. I reminded her that when you work for artists, you do not repeat anything to anyone about what goes on in the artist’s private life.

In her tongue-lashing from Agnes, Tanya had involved me in some way. It wasn’t long before I received a telephone call from Agnes accusing me of lying about her. I told her I had never lied to her or about her up to this point. When she kept repeatedly asking me if I had told Freddie that Agnes had told Tanya that she had to fire Rochell and send him home, I did not answer her directly. I said, “You’ll have to ask Freddie,” for I felt it was Tanya who got herself into it, and I wasn’t about to involve Freddie or myself, since it was not me who made the statement.

From that time on, even after I had spoken to Freddie who reassured me she never told Agnes who her informer was, my relationship with Agnes was on the wane. It didn’t bother me too much, for I felt I had given Agnes every opening and chance to retain me if she really wanted to.

Again, looking back from where I am now, I think she had to re-evaluate who was the most important to her Tanya or me. Since I had remembered she asked me to take her to Chicago during one of our last trips, telling me that she hadn’t been feeling too well, and that she was going to the Mayo Clinic, but had made me promise—under pain of mortal sin—that I would tell NO ONE. I have since put two and two together and realized she was farther along in her illness than she realized and needed Tanya. I learned from Freddie and other persons in the know that Tanya was back in her life after I had exited for the hospital job. She was chauffeuring her to and from studio to home for filming of “Bewitched.” I also learned how the closing of the school had come to an abrupt end from Giuseppe who felt it was Tanya’s inefficiency and/or lack of interest that caused the school’s demise. He confided to me that on the last day, not ONE student had arrived to attend school. Agnes looked like a vicious diabolical witch when she learned no one had shown up. It was Tanya’s job to phone the students the week before to remind them that Agnes would be there, etc. Giuseppe feels that Tanya didn’t care about the school, but just wanted to be near the great lady. I felt sad when I heard the school had closed, for here was another hurt for Agnes and I knew it killed her to close the school that was one of the dearest things to her.

The next thing I knew, I received a telephone call from Lola Wilson Celebrities, Agnes’ concert booker. She rambled on to me that Agnes had called her and wanted Lola to phone me for some dates and information about some one-woman show dates she had played the previous year. When Lola asked her why she didn’t call me direct, Agnes said, “I don’t want to talk to vicious people” or something to that effect. Lola relayed the message to me that I was to phone her new attorney, who was now handling her new corporation called “Agnomina,” and give him the information Agnes requested of me through Lola.

I have never known Agnes to shrink back from confronting anyone in all the times that I knew her. So, I picked up the phone, immediately learning that she had called Lola from her home. I told her that Lola had just called me and I wanted to know what she wanted and why she didn’t call me directly. When she recognized my voice, Agnes was lost for words, for I think it threw her to think I could have the temerity to call her and confront her.

She refused to tell me why she called Lola and kept stumbling around for words. Finally, in a very detached and cool manner, she said that Mr. Rohner, her attorney, needed some figures and dates. Since she had always used her cousin, who was an attorney in St. Louis for most of the business that was contracted while I worked for her, I had to ask her for his full name, address and telephone number. She gave them to me very reluctantly. It was very evident and obvious to me that she did not want to talk to me in any way, yet would give no reason for her not wanting to do so. I asked her to have a meeting with me, but she would not consent to it.

Shortly afterwards, I learned that she was doing a revival of “Don Juan In Hell.” I kept in touch with mutual friends of ours because I was sincerely interested in Agnes and wanted to patch up any differences, if there were any, which I knew there were not. Of course, “Bewitched” had finally ended its nine year run, so it didn’t surprise me that Agnes would take to the road.

I learned that after the brief tour of “Don Juan” that she had gone to the Mayo Clinic. However, no one was supposed to know this. For all purposes, she was visiting her mother in Reedsburg. I found this out to be true from Freddie, my faithful friend who I knew was genuinely concerned for Agnes.

I sat down and wrote the following letter (see insert) to Agnes and mailed it to her mother’s home in Reedsburg, knowing that she would be sure to receive it there. I knew that Molly would be interested in hearing from me, too. I had sent greeting cards to Molly since leaving Agnes’ employment and had received same from her. I never received any answer . . . and I thought I would die for I knew instinctively that it was the final curtain for Quint Benedetti and The Lavender Lady.