Back in 1996, I was having a solo art exhibit at a gallery in Los Angeles.

My dear mother, Adele, flew out from NJ for my art show. While waiting for the opening evening of the exhibition reception some days away, we had free time. I wanted to show her a few of the tourist sites in LA.

One sunny afternoon, we headed over to the bustling Farmers Market that had trendy shops, restaurants, and gourmet offerings.

While we were sitting outside at a table near the clock tower, soaking up the ambiance, my mother leaned over and said: “I think that’s Shecky Greene over there.”

I looked. Sure enough, at a table about 20 feet away was Shecky talking to a heavyset man with a bold tie seated across from him.

“Do you want to meet him?”

It wasn’t unusual to see celebrities in the City of Angels. I’ve seen my share of movie stars here and there, but I’m not one to invade their space. In this case, I’d make an exception, as my Mom would get a kick out of this meeting.

“Oh, maybe he doesn’t want to be disturbed,” said Adele.

“Let’s find out, Mom.”

Meeting the Celebrity

We walked over to the table. Shecky and the other man suddenly looked up.

“Forgive me for intruding, but my Mom would like to meet you, Shecky … she’s a fan,” I said.

Shecky smiled, as did the other man.

“Well, he said,” his attention on Adele, “I don’t want to disappoint you, Mom, but I’m not Shecky.”

“What?” I said. Mom was puzzled.

“Sorry, but I’m a Shecky Greene look-alike celebrity.”

For a second, I was thrown off guard. Mom looked at me.

Not Shecky?

“You could be his identical twin,” I said.

“Yeah, I get that a lot. I’m here in LA for appearances at a few high-end surprise birthday parties.”

Then, I said: “Well, at least you’re working …”

Both broke out into hearty laughter. Shecky and the other man, his agent, understood my joke, implying that the “real” Shecky was not working and was no longer in demand.

The Comeback Kid

“You sure got me with that great comeback, kid,” said Shecky with a wink. “Here are two tickets to my new show in town.”

I thanked him, and so did Adele who was all smiles.

We walked off and could still hear Shecky laughing.

As we made our way back to our table, Adele said: “Why don’t you invite him and his agent to your art show?”

“Mom, you’re too much.”