Now what made me think of this?

For some reason, a very specific moment popped into my head this evening. I am a little girl -- this was pre-Beatle, so I must have been 5. I am sitting in an aisle seat in the dark. A very, very tall man appears at my side, so light on his feet I didn't hear or sense his arrival until he was there. I'm not frightened, I am entranced by his agility. He bounces in place beside me for a few moments -- I don't think I ever looked up at his face, I only remember his big hands and his very long legs. Then the music gets louder and he runs up the aisle and onto the stage and everyone cheers.

I feel so connected to him that I mime a trombone gesture along with him. This amuses the adults around me, so I become embarrassed and stop.

As an adult, I recognize the song as "76 Trombones." I looked it up, and Forrest Tucker (6'4) played Harold Hill for 56 weeks in the Chicago production of The Music Man at The Shubert Theater (now The Bank of America Theater and still my favorite venue in the city -- maybe this long-ago moment is why).

My dad hated going into the city, but he loved musical theater, and that must have won out. I must ask my mom about this. This suddenly remembered moment is so vivid.

Look what just happens to be on eBay now -- the Playbill from that very run at the Shubert. If I wasn't in "Clean Me" mode, I'd bid on it.