Sunday, July 20, 2014

my first love

I wake up to the news that James Garner has died.  He was 86, and my first crush.

I was only 6 when Maverick debuted on ABC.  I can’t remember the time slot of shows I watch today, but I do remember that Maverick aired from 7:30 to 8:30 every Sunday night.  And though this was past my normal bedtime, my parents would always let me stay up and watch my favorite show.

Bret Maverick was my hero.

I was too young to imagine him my boyfriend, so instead, I imagined him my father.  Not that I didn’t love my own father, but I liked to fantasize growing up in a home where James Garner was always there.

When my friend Marcie went to summer camp in Maine, she befriended a girl named Kim; she was James Garner’s stepdaughter. My hope was that Marcie would be invited to LA to visit Kim, and be told she could bring a friend.  That of course never happened.


I would even create ideas for Maverick episodes, where I would appear as Bret’s daughter.  I was more than a little obsessed.  In fact, it was perhaps around this time I developed an interest in becoming a film star.  That, too, never quite materialized.

But boy, did I love that show, and its 29-year old star. 



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