The Lively Set celebrates Troy Donahue

by Barbara Samsell, October 2000

He was one of the guest celebrities signing autographs at an antiques and collectibles show in Gaithersburg, Maryland outside of Washington, D.C. earlier this month. He looked wonderful, stunning in fact ... very tall and slender, dressed entirely in black, with gray hair and incredible blue eyes.

I walked up to him and he extended his hand to shake mine. "Hi," he said. "I'm Troy Donahue."
No kidding! I laughed and told him I knew that.

I asked him to sign one of my lobby cards from Parrish, which also featured a picture of Diane McBain. When he saw it, Troy remarked that he had just spoken to her several days ago. "How is she doing?" I asked. "Fine," he replied.

That led me to query him about Sandra Dee, and he responded that she had her good days and her bad ones. His subsequent remarks led me to conclude that he cared very deeply for Sandra’s welfare, and that their friendship had survived the years.

Oh yes, I also asked him to name his all-time favorite movie role. "For sentimental reasons," he said, "my favorite was A Summer Place because that’s where I really got my start." He then added that Parrish was also a favorite because it gave him the privilege of working with a great supporting cast ... Claudette Colbert, Karl Malden and Dean Jagger to name a few.
Throughout all, he was wonderfully patient, giving out autographs and posing with me for a photo.

I'll tell you, meeting Troy Donahue was one experience I'll never forget ... I'm still flying high! And I'm so very glad I could share it with you.

VISIT WWW.TROYDONAHUE.COM

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