I'm writing this on the morning of Oct. 6 and started the day with no clue about a topic for a column. Like so many people, my day begins with the Press-Republican newspaper in my hands. Since we no longer have delivery to our doorstep, I present an interesting spectacle as I trudge down our long driveway in my nightclothes and reach into the long blue tube for my daily paper fix. Thank goodness it's not quite daylight and the risk of being reported as a vagrant is less at that hour.

I was thrilled to see a featured article under "Famous New Yorkers" about the late Anne Bancroft. Reading it opened the flood gates of memory for me. I immediately flashed back to our first meeting and the impression it left. As a college student on Long Island, I satisfied my thirst for all media by listening to radio, reading newspapers and attending as many live television shows as I could. I was especially attracted to the "Jack Par Tonight" show on NBC. Until today, I couldn't for the life of me recall the exact date of the Bancroft appearance. Thanks to the Internet, I now believe it was Oct. 27, 1960. I would love to find a copy of that show, as it made a poignant impact on me as a 23-year-old.

Bancroft had won a Tony for "The Miracle Worker" and was about to be cast in the movie version for which she would win an Oscar. She wasn't yet 30, but had become a mega-star. I sat in the front row of the studio theater that night while Jack Paar bombed with a set of jokes his writers had supplied as part of the monologue. "Is there a comedian in the house—" he asked. "Right here," I shouted and brashly raised my hand. The camera swung with him as he strode over, handed me the printed jokes and quipped, "Here, read these on the Ed Sullivan Show Sunday night." The line got a big laugh, and I was in fan heaven.

After the show, I found Paar and asked for an autograph. He was less than gracious but complied. I located his orchestra director, Jose Millis, who was delighted to autograph the jokes. Then I spotted Anne Bancroft in a hallway and she greeted me with a warm smile that remained her trademark until she died at 73 in 2005. I melted when she acted as though we were old friends. Unlike the others who hurried from the building, Bancroft stopped and chatted with me for what seemed like 20 minutes. She was humble and gracious and grateful for the success she had achieved. She encouraged me to pursue my dream of a radio career. And, yes, she did sign her name for me on the joke sheets. I keep them as treasures in my River Room and in my heart.

It has been said of Anne Bancroft that she was not only a fine actress, but a "real" person. I never quite knew what a "real" person was until I met her that night. I have never forgotten the brief encounter and followed her illustrious career until cancer claimed her life. I spotted an anonymous post on a website after her death and saved it: "She was one of those rare women that started out beautiful and just kept getting more attractive with age. She was one of the great ones. We miss you, Anne." My sentiments exactly.

Born Anna Maria Louisa Italiano in the Bronx of parents who were not in show business, she had a special personality and drive that led her to the top of the acting profession. She was destined for stardom and that became obvious from an early age. She was only four when she began taking acting and dancing lessons, but the article about her in the newspaper said she was a reluctant performer at first. She later attended acting school and became what we would call a "method actor." There were none better. She used the name Anne Marno for earlier television appearances, but was told to change it, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Here's a quiz. See if you can identify the movie containing the following line: "Would you like me to seduce you— Is that what you're trying to tell me—" Of course, it's "The Graduate" from 1967. Doesn't it just make you want to sing along with the Simon and Garfunkel smash hit "Mrs. Robinson" from 1968—

I offer thanks to the Press-Republican and the New York News Publisher's Association for the fine educational series "Famous New Yorkers" and especially the one featuring my all-time favorite actress, Anne Bancroft. Yes, she was a "real" person. We should all strive to be the same.

Have a great day and please, drive carefully.

Gordie Little was for many years a well-known radio personality in the North Country and now hosts the "Our Little Corner" television program for Home Town Cable. Anyone with comments for him may send them to the newspaper or e-mail him at gordandk@aol.com.