2007 Gold Circle Inductee Luncheon

On Sunday, April 15, 2007, William Asher was presented with the National Academy of Television Arts and Science’s Gold Circle Award, honoring his more than 50 years in television.

Held in the Grand Ballroom of The Las Palmas Resort and Spa in Rancho Mirage, CA, I had the privilege to attend, along with Mark Wood, Erin Murphy, and the entire Asher Family.

After spending Saturday morning trying to figure out what to wear, I picked up Mark Wood and we left for Palm Springs at about 4:00pm. After missing a couple of turn-offs, stopping at Mark’s mother’s house, and finally getting back on track, we arrived in Palm Springs about 3 ½ hours later (it’s usually about a 2 hour drive from Los Angeles). After checking into our luxury suite at the Motel 6, we met up with my friend, Richard and had dinner at the Blue Coyote Bar & Grill.

As we walked down Palm Canyon Drive towards the car after dinner, we located William Asher's star on the Palm Springs Walk of Fame, which was, luckily for me, right outside a coffee shop, The Coffee Bean (not Starbuck's, but it was still pretty good)...I NEEDED a latte!!. Mark and I decided to return to the motel, while Richard elected to check out the Palm Springs nightlife.

The next morning, we got up and prepared for the Emmy Awards Luncheon, which started at 11:30am. After stopping for coffee, and to take some pictures of Bill Asher’s Star, we arrived at the Las Palmas Resort and Spa about 11am, and the valet parked my little Hyundai Accent, along with all of the Mercedes, BMW's and Jaguars. We walked inside and found the Grand Ballroom, where the Emmy Awards Ceremony would be taking place. While having a cranberry juice and taking in the ambiance, Erin Murphy arrived. We greeted her and while chatting, others began to arrive, including Billy Asher and his wife Jessica.

After having pictures taken with Erin, Mark got a call from Meredith Asher. She and Bill had arrived and he was asked to help get him inside. Unfortunately, he is pretty much confined to a wheelchair these days. Mark and Meredith got him out of the car and we wheeled him into the hotel. Bill, Meredith and I waited near the entrance while Mark went to find an alternate way into the Ballroom, so as to avoid the crowd as much as possible. While waiting, in walked Elinor Donahue and her husband. Elinor and Bill have been friends for many years, and she was there to see him receive his award.

Several people stopped and congratulated Bill, and he was so completely overwhelmed at seeing so many old friends, tears filled his eyes.

Then, who walked in the door, but Barbara Eden!!! She was there to present a tribute to the late Sidney Sheldon, creator of "I Dream of Jeannie". She looked so absolutely beautiful!!! She said "hi" to Bill and bent down and gave him a hug. The press (and myself) took a couple photos and she was on her way inside!!

We then wheeled Bill towards the Ballroom. Outside, where we had been talking to Erin, was a man playing a grand piano, who turned out to be Harpo Marx's son, Bill! As soon as he saw Bill Asher, he started playing the theme to "I Love Lucy"!!!

We went inside and and everyone found their tables. The Asher's had 3 tables, and I was at table #15 with Bill's daughter Liane (his first marriage to Dani Nolan), her husband, Eric Sears, their daughters, and Robert Asher, his wife Dana and their 3 children.

The first awards presented were the Silver Circle Awards, for 25 years in television, which included David Garcia, formerly with NBC News, David Lee, creator of "Cheers", "Wings", "Frasier", and many other TV series, and Judith Chapman, currently appearing on "The Young and the Restless".

Then it was time for the Gold Circle Awards (50+ years in television). Bill's award was presented first. After a short video presentation about his career, his plaque was accepted by Meredith, who gave a lovely acceptance speech.

Following Bill, was the award presented to the late Sidney Sheldon. Barbara Eden told about her first meeting with Sidney, and how he chose her for "I Dream of Jeannie".

Other awards were presented to Velma Dawson ("Howdy Doody" puppeteer) and the wonderful Kaye Ballard.

The ceremony lasted approximately 2 hours, after which, there were more photo moments, and finally everyone prepared to leave. It was then, that Mark Wood said, "Come on, we're going over to Bill and Meredith's".

We arrived at the Asher residence in Palm Desert, just after Bill and Meredith, and were welcomed inside. We made our way into Bill's Memorabilia Room, which has photos on the walls highlighting his 50+ year career, and, there on the bookshelves, were Liz's leather-bound, original scripts from every "Bewitched" episode, as well as many other TV shows and movies directed/produced by Bill, including “Johnny Cool”.

Mark handed me one of the books, containing 4 scripts from the first season of "Bewitched" and I was in awe as I flipped each page containing notes, doodles and line changes, all written in pencil by Elizabeth Montgomery herself!!!

Also included were many black and white photos, many of which I had never seen before!!

Next, I took the book marked "Johnny Cool", the feature on which Bill and Liz met and fell in love. Inserted between the pages of the script were many rare photos from the set, mostly of Liz, that I had never seen before!!! I was completely overwhelmed, as I tried to figure a way to get the book out of the house and into my car without anyone noticing!!!

I had given Bill a packet, which included a DVD of "FANatical", and Peter Alachi's books on the TV Land "Samantha" Statue, the filming of the Salem "Bewitched" episodes, and photos taken of the cast and crew while filming in Gloucester. He really enjoyed seeing the items, and as I looked though the scripts, Bill was reading Peter's book, smiling all the while!!!

While there, Bill's first son Brian, along with his wife and son, Kevin, stopped by. We all chatted for a while, with Bill in his recliner, who eventually fell asleep.

Finally, it was time go, and head back to Los Angeles, ending one of the most wonderful days of my life. I was so afraid of feeling somewhat out of place, and having the Family members wonder who the heck I am and why I was there. It was quite the opposite!!! The entire Asher family made me feel so welcome, and once the kids found out who I am and what I do, they were most fascinated and appreciative of my love and respect for their Mother!! Robert expressed interest in seeing my "Bewitched Museum"!!!

I will be flying off this high for some time to come!!! As a little kid growing up in Portland, Maine, and watching "Bewitched" on television, I never could have imagined the wonderful things that have happened to me, or meeting all of these wonderful people, and being able to say that I know them!!!