Meeting the Hollywood Stars of Yesteryear
Mr C Roberts

Clive Roberts is unique: he is the only Otley resident and Men’s Forum member to have met and been photographed with Doris Day, Debbie Reynolds, Frankie Laine, Jane Russell, Clint Eastwood, Gregory Peck, and Bob Hope. He visited Las Vegas and Hollywood when the actors of the day were real stars and today he told us about these visits.

 Formerly from Halifax , Clive was working as a proof reader in Eastbourne and in his spare time listening to Frank Sinatra. This interest and his wife’s enthusiasm were catalysts that caused Clive to arrange a tour to Las Vegas and Los Angeles for The Frank Sinatra Appreciation Society. The tour, originally planned for about thirty people but taking ninety one, was such a great success that Starline Tours, located on the West Coast of USA, offered him the position of British Agent.  

For twenty three years he worked for Starline and led tours that enabled British people to meet and see the stars of Hollywood .

He told us about these meetings. We heard that the eight times married Stan Laurel was paid more than his partner Oliver Hardy,  that Betty Grable had a long standing love affair with George Raft and that Clint Eastwood’s favourite film is “Dirty Harry”. Clive and his wife Shirley, after they visited Sinatra’s private office, received a personally written and signed letter from him. This they retain as a prized possession.

And in conclusion we saw a professionally made film of his travels that included a Bob Hope interview and a Frankie Laine concert.

Our next meeting takes on a seasonal theme when Dr B Boffey will tell us about “Christmas Customs” at 10-00am in the Main Hall at Otley Civic Centre on Thursday 4^th December.