Interview #3:
Mario Munoz
Worked to get Patsy a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
August 3, 1999 at 6160 Hollywood Blvd.
Patsy's star is in between Yul Brynner's and Barry Sullivan's!
(Photo by Raymond W. Hansen, Lakewood, CA)
How did you first become a Patsifan?
Channel surfing... although I didn't know it at the time, I found the movie "Sweet Dreams" just as Jessica Lange was lip-syncing "I Fall to Pieces" at the Ryman (and became hooked instantly ~ in fact, before that I hated country music and had never heard of "The Cline").
Describe an incredible Patsy moment that you've experienced.
The first time I went to her grave, June '95. After sitting at the little bench near her marker, I was "talking" to her, not out loud ~ just saying things to her in my head. Then I just blurted out "Damn it! I wish there was some way for me to know that you could hear me, and that you know that people down here still love you. Just any little sign will do, ya know!" As I said this, I was looking up and noticed a leaf jump off its limb (now, mind you this was early summer, not a brown leaf on the whole tree, and no wind was blowing, but this leaf just started falling). I watched it flip and turn about 12 feet down and it landed smack in the middle of her name on her grave marker. (Green leaves don't usually just fall off, do they?) So after that, I smiled, stood up and left a single red rose, then drove back to the hotel, with "I Fall to Pieces" blaring on my tape deck.
Which picture of Patsy tends to be your very favorite?
That first pic taken after the Arthur Godfrey win (I think), which she used as a publicity shot. It's on the cover of Disc 2 of the boxed set. She's looking up towards the camera and smiling so beautifully and her hair is done perfectly. (Or any of the pics with her in a TIARA!)
courtesy MCA
What's your favorite song from the Four Star years? The Decca years?
"That Wonderful
Someone"
"You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want to Do It)"
What was the first Patsy song you ever heard?
"I Fall to Pieces"
Tell us the story behind the Patsy Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame… how long did it take, how much effort, etc.
Long, LONG story, but here is the short version. I had found a book on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and started looking through it, wanting to find out where Patsy's star was located so I could go down and clean it, as I had seen fans do on a documentary about Los Angeles. After noticing her name missing from the index, I wrote the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, asked where hers was, and if she didn't have one, how do they decide who gets one. I was mailed an application, sent it in, and it was deemed invalid because I didn't have a letter from the entertainer's manager (or in Patsy's case, being nominated in the posthumous category, a letter from her estate).
Well, I had wanted to visit Nashville and Winchester, so I packed up and flew to Nashville. Looked up Patsy's husband and we had breakfast on Father's Day '95. I told him about what I wanted to do for Patsy and that I would need a letter from him approving of Patsy's name being used on the sidewalks of Hollywood. So I waited til the next nomination period, mailed in my TEN-page biography listing Patsy's achievements, an 8x10 photo, and the letter on behalf of the estate. Motion picture, radio, recording, live theater and television categories are available, but only one deceased entertainer is honored each year, and it was announced in June '96 that the posthumous star was being given to Irving Berlin.
So, I waited another year, requested another application, only to see the words "NO POSTHUMOUS STAR WILL BE AWARDED DURING THE '97 SEASON." Total heartbreak. So I was gearing up for the '98 season and decided to pull out the big guns and ask for letters of support from members of the Grand Ole Opry. I typed up a cover letter explaining what I was trying to do, and requested a letter on their behalf asking the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce to consider Patsy's star. Knowing that they all wouldn't have time to sit down and write a letter, I created a letter on the Opry members' behalf, stating their support of Patsy's star, and typed each of the members' names on their own letterhead with a stamped envelope. All they had to do was sign it and drop it in the mailbox, and I had my signature to send along with another biography, pic and letter from Patsy's husband. By this time, the cost of the star had been elevated to some crazy price because they were in the process of restoring old stars (at the new inductees' expense), so Patsy's husband and I mutually agreed to drop this project, since the price was just too far "out there."
Well, on July 18, 1998 (yes, I remember the date!), I got a call from the Hollywood Walk of Fame committee. And I'm thinking that they are just calling to ask why I had not submitted Patsy's name for '98. Then she says, "SHE'S IN!" Great... who's in? This was totally unexpected, since we hadn't sent in a nomination. Turns out that nominations are good for two years, and since there was no posthumous star given in '97, her first official nomination in '96 was still valid! They resubmitted it and Patsy beat out over 200 other deceased entertainers that were nominated during the '98 season! So, after the Winchester events in '98, I drove down to Nashville and Patsy's husband, her daughter Julie and I sat down at Legacy, Inc. and picked out a date for the ceremony. (YES, THERE IS A LONGER VERSION!) ;)
Are you the caretaker of the star? If so, how do you take care of it?
Yes, I have officially signed up and "adopted" Patsy's star on the Walk of Fame. From March through September I polish it once a month (the polish doesn't adhere to the terrazzo and brass in the cooler months). The Hollywood Historic Trust lists products I can use, and there is a step-by-step process they have developed to ensure that the stars aren't damaged during cleaning. Patsy's star is by far the shiniest!
What's your favorite Patsy session?
February 12th, 1962 ~ "You Belong to Me," "You Made Me Love You," "Heartaches," and "Your Cheatin Heart."
If you could play any instrument in any Patsy song, what would it be?
Pedal steel in "I Fall to Pieces."
The one thing you'd have to save from your Patsy collection if a tornado hit your house?
My platinum record of Patsy's "Greatest Hits" album, given to me by Patsy's husband and her daughter Julie in Hollywood, just before the ceremony.
Who are some of your favorite artists other than Patsy?
I listen to everything ~ Sugar Ray, George Strait, Madonna, Journey, the Eagles, the Supremes, the Ronettes, Fleetwood Mac, the Go-Go's... just about anyone I can turn up and sing out loud with.
What is on your mousepad?
Mae West... you should come up and see it some time.
What's your favorite indulgence?
CHOCOLATE!!!!!!!!!!!
What are you most likely to complain about in a restaurant?
Not enough chocolate desserts on the menu!
What do you carry in your pockets right now?
A receipt for Estee' Lauder "Pleasures" cologne, 63 cents and some lint.
Have you ever attended the Patsy Weekend in Winchester?
Yes, every year since '95.
Have you ever been to the crash site in Camden?
Yes, once... very quiet there. Jimmy Walker, Margery Harris and I went one year, and a little puppy ran out of the woods to greet us.
What's your favorite meal?
Lasagna with tiramisu for dessert.
What's your favorite season?
End of summer... that's when I get to see all my Patsy buddies!
Your worst time of day?
5:30 am, when the alarm goes off.
Your favorite/least favorite subjects in school?
Loved art, hated math.
A place you'd love to visit someday.
Australia.
Where's your hometown?
Fresno, California, USA
Are you right-handed, left-handed, or both?
Right-handed (unless there's chocolate involved, then I'm ambidextrous)....
Pick 4 words that best describe you.
Diamond in the rough! Or funny, stubborn, stylish, creative.
What Patsy song do you want played at your funeral?
"Fingerprints."
What Patsy discovery do you wish someone would find?
Her appearances on "American Bandstand."
What performer do you think would best be able to portray Patsy in a movie?
Ooh... Delta Burke, I saw her the other day and she looked fabulous. She can be kinda mouthy too, I like that.
Which Patsy concert would you love to travel back in time to attend?
Patsy's performance at the Hollywood Bowl.
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