Lollipops

Another life memory, which came to mind this morning for some odd, unknown, neuron-firing down an old path reason. Just the phrase “Who loves ya, baby?” and the word lollipop. Which can only connect to ’70s TV icon Telly Savalas–Kojak.

I met him once at the Meadowlands Race Track when I was in high school. My parents used to have a thing for the trotters (that’s the kind of horse race where the jockey sits in a little cart behind the horse, also known as harness racing) and would go fairly often. Every few months they would take my sister and me on a Saturday night and we always sat in the nice restaurant part. My mom noticed Savalas sitting a few rows in front of us. He was there with another older bald man, not his brother, and two extremely hot young blondes. Of course my mom made us go over for an autograph.

My sister, although only 14 or so at the time, was a very attractive, tall blonde and easily looked more like 17 or 18 so Savalas gave most of his attention to her. Didn’t bother me because his female companions were more or less falling out of their dresses and I was 17, no way I was looking anywhere else. He signed our programs and we left him and his dates to each other’s pleasure.

Odd Hollywood connections: Savalas is the father of Nicolette Sheridan and godfather to Jennifer Aniston.