OCR Text |
Show “The usual Don Juantype leaves me completely unmoved.I findtheir pants too tight,their chests too big andtheir belts too low. Give methe slightlyshort, slightly middle-aged, slightly paunchy gentleman whoisn’t constantly trying to provehis masculinity.” . Bennett Cerf Frank Sinatra Oskar Werner Richard Nixon Henry Kissinger David Frost Dukeof Windsor hack Lawrence Durrell Groucho Marx Zeppo Marx Here Are Ten Men I Find Most Appealing By Barbara Walters of TV's “Today” Show flattered—that 1 continued the rest of the interview in a mild daze. Our producerlater said that he felt like walking out on the set and throwing a pail of cold Last year I wrote a booktitled, “Howto Talk with Practically Anybody AboutPractically Anything,” and in it | said that I found Richard Nixon rather sexy, and still haven't heard the end ofit. But to me, sex water on us. Manypoliticians are known fortheir charm, but not appealis an extension of charm, and whenever I have been in the companyof Richard Nixon, he has always put himself out to be particularly charming to me. usually their sex appeal. What makesthe difference? Sex appeal is something much more personal. That's Beyond that, he seemed much moreattractive in per- why it surprised everyone when I added Richard Nixon son... taller, suntanned, and—well, rather sexy, that's all. I admit I have been very fortunate in my work.{ have met some of the most exciting, interesting and important men in the world. Buc the fact that a man is important doesn’t necessarily make him charming, and it certainly doesn't mean he has sex appeal. So to mylist of charmers. Even his admirers tell me that they find him cold and stiff, and his detractors use moreinteresting Janguage. I can’t verify the accuracy of any such descriptions because I only know that you take people the way you find them, and I've been charmed by him every time we've met. Thefirst oc- casion was in the White House whenI wasinterview- perhaps I should begin at the beginning and define whatI amtalking about. In the motion picture, “Love Story,” the definition oflove is “never having to say you're sorry.” It seems came outofhis office unexpectedly and joined us. I asked himif I could have mypicture taken with him. te me that the definition of a charmingperson is some- his most important authors to strangers who stop him onthe street for his autograph. Heis,asI said, in his one who never makes youfeel as if you have to say late sixties, but he is the youngest man I know. couldn’t have been more courteous. He took meinto hisoffice and put meatease bytelling me that I was I find Frank Sinatra sexy. That shouldn't be too much newsto an awfullot of women whofind him the sitting in the same chair occupied the week before by Mrs. Golda Meir, the Prime Minister of Israel. With same way. But perhaps most would consider him to this opening, we talked for awhile about her and her country’s problems, and I was grateful that Mr. Nixon was makingit so easy for me to be with him. you're sorry. If that someoneis of the same sex, then he or she is charming. If that someone is of the opposite sex and is making youfeel intelligent, witty, important and smashing-looking, then that somebody, he orshe, has sex appeal. “Whomdo I find sexy?” I'll get back to President Nixonlater, butlet melist someothers. Oneis publisher Bennett Cerf, and Bennett is well into his late sixties. So, the first thing I have to say about appeal is that it has nothing to do with age. Bennett's mostnoticeable characteristicis his curiosity. A celebrity himself, he is nevertheless frankly thrilled to meet other celebrities. But celebrity or not, he is endlessly fascinated by people, all kinds of people— rich, poor, old, young—andhe wants to know howthey live, what theyeat, howthey feel about themselves and what is happening in their families. Myhusbandand I gave a large party one time, and mysecretary, Mary Hornickel, cameto help me with the guests. The next dayI asked her whether she enjoyed herself and whom she had met. I wasn’t sur- prised when she said she had had a long talk with Bennett, He wanted to know howshegotherjob, what she did, how she liked it, what boy friends she had. She was absolutely charmedwith the frank attention andinterest. Bennett's questions are always like that penetrating and sometimes outrageously personal. But people realize that heis trulyinterested in paying attention to what they say, and they bask in his presence. He can communicate with anyone, from one of ‘ ing his daughter Trica for “Today.” President Nixon Family Weekly, September12, 1971 have sex appeal because of his brand of rough and tough “whocares”attitude. I feel just the opposite aboutSinatra; it’s his old-fashioned courtliness, rarely written about, that touches me. I can vouch for the* fact that he treats most womenasif they were made of It was a corny request, maybe, but the President This, by the way, was the conversation that led to the P.esident obtaining an exclusive interview for me glass. He’s as concerned with their comfort and dignity with Prince Philip. The President was having astag dinner for Prince Philip that evening, and when I as a Victorian. He has another little-known quality— grace. My husbandandI werestrangers to Frank when jokingly complained that this was discrimination against women, the President said: “Aren't youinter- we attended the same party some years ago. We were standing a distance epart, very much aware of his Viewing himon your program?”I said: famousface, when hedisarmed us by approaching with gram.” The President said: “I'll ask if he won't do it.” a warm smile, putting out his hand and saying: “I’m Frank Sinatra, how do youdo.” He did, and the Prince did. You can’t have better agent than the President of the United States. ‘Sne nexttime I saw Richard Nixon wasjust before a White House dinner for Andrew Wyeth, and the President lingered much longer thanhis aides wanted himto with a group of womenreporters. Somepeople have been cynical when I enthuse about his informality Butit isn’t just celebrities who seem able to charm or verbally seduce you. As a matter of fact, mostfilm actors are usually so self-concerned that they don’t ‘ave the genuineinterestin other people which makes for a spontaneousrelationship, however brief. There are, of course, exceptions. | remember an interview with Oskar Werner one morning on the “Today” program. I had not met himin advance, but as we sat downto talk, I said: “Mr, Werner, I understand from various teporters and newspaper interviews that you havethe reputation of being quite difficult.” He looked medirectly in the eye (indeed, he nevertook his eyes off me) and said: “How do you know? Wehave never had an affair.” I was so flabbergasted—and I must say, “No, we hadn't been able to get him to agree to appear on the pro- and friendliness, claiming that he is just buttering up the press. But I have known a great many important people who never bathered to be gracious on such ‘occasions. The last time I saw President Nixon was when he requested that I do an exclusive interview with him for the “Today” program. I was the first television te porter to do an extended interview with the President alone, and when the President of the United States |