Shonda on a Honda – The Helen Geller Story

Almost everyone knows those actors of the 1950’s and 60’s who rose to fame and fortune on Broadway, on the silver screen and on network television. Marilyn Monroe, Ethel Merman, Elizabeth Taylor, Doris Day, Lucille Ball, and Carol Burnett just to list a few, became household names to millions of Americans. Their lives, open to public scrutiny, were often punctuated with rocky marriages, substance abuse, and in some cases, suicide. They lived in luxurious Bel Air mansions or extravagant New York penthouses, and were instantly recognized when they went out in public. But what about the thousands of actors who never became “stars”; those talented people who worked on the sidelines as auxiliary characters and made a modest living in a variety of movie and television roles, but whose names are not recognized by the public? 

Think of the expendable crew member on Star Trek who is killed by alien lasers, the invisible doorman on “Rhoda,” the annoying customer in Marty’s butcher shop, Pharaoh’s general in “The Ten Commandments,” or the human resources director on “The Big Bang Theory.”  All are necessary roles in the flow of the show, but rarely do these hardworking actors receive the recognition they so rightly deserve.

During a recent trip to Los Angeles, my wife and I had the opportunity to meet one of these unsung heroes of the entertainment industry, Ms. Helen Geller, a feisty 94-year-old veteran of Hollywood’s Golden age. 

During a recent trip to Los Angeles, my wife and I had the opportunity to meet one of these unsung heroes of the entertainment industry, Ms. Helen Geller. We had the honor of being guests of this feisty 94-year-old veteran of Hollywood’s Golden age. She lives in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood in a one-story home that is reminiscent of a 1950’s sitcom. Every available surface is lined with tchotchkes and every wall is plastered with photographs and awards. Helen welcomed us with open arms. Our accommodations consisted of a wood-paneled bedroom filled with souvenirs from every decade starting from 1940. Hats, dresses and furniture from the 40’s, LP’s and photograph albums from the 50’s and 60’s, a non-working boom box from the 1970’s, VHS tapes from the 1980’s, DVD’s and CD’s from the 90’s and a very out of place flat-panel TV that might only be a few years old.

Helen Gould was born in Rochester, New York on November 6, 1927. She was the twin sister of Herbert Gould and the youngest of eight children. Her name was never recorded on her original birth certificate. Instead, the document lists her name as simply “Baby Girl Gould” and she explained that many of her friends still call her Bee-Gee to this day. After much discussion between her siblings, who decided that their new sister’s name must also begin with “H,” they eventually chose Helen. In Rochester, Helen had fond memories of George Eastman, founder of the famed Eastman Kodak Company. According to Helen, Eastman would provide shoes, free dental care and even new violins to the less fortunate citizens of the area. Summers were often spent in a “Communist” camp in Canada where campers would receive free room and board in exchange for learning Communist doctrine and folk songs.

The family packed up the car and made the journey along Route 66 to Los Angeles in 1936. Helen’s first “gig” in acting was when she performed a singing and dancing act with her twin brother in a school amateur contest. As a child actor, she had bit parts in a couple of B-movie Westerns starring Gene Autry and Smiley Burnette. “All we had to do was sit on the fence of the corral and smile,” Helen explained. She attended Hollywood High School and graduated from Los Angeles Community College. 

Helen was part of the “Meglin Kiddies,” a well-known troupe of acting, music and dance performers, consisting of children up to the age of 16. The acting and dance studio would provide players for many well-known motion pictures and radio shows, and graduates included Shirley Temple, Jane Withers, Jackie Cooper and Judy Garland.  

Helen was a huge fan of actress and singer Deanna Durbin. One Sunday evening in November 1936, Helen’s family got tickets to the “Texaco Town” radio show starring Eddie Cantor. One of the guest stars on the show was thirteen-year-old Deanna Durbin. When Deanna sang in her beautiful operatic voice, Helen was enthralled. She has seen and re-seen every Durbin movie and is a lifelong member of the Deanna Durbin Society. 

Helen performed at the Mayfair Supper Club where she was known as the “French Chanteuse.” The opening act was a young comedian by the name of Dick Van Dyke. At the Mayfair she would belt out tunes made famous by Edith Piaf (“La Vie en Rose”) and Nat King Cole (“Darling,” “Je Vous Aime Beaucoup”). Although she never learned to speak the language, she was able to sing the tunes with perfect pronunciation and a very believable French accent. During our stay with Helen, she enchanted us with her versions of those songs. 

Helen was active in the Hollywood dating society, but she adamantly refused to succumb to “couch casting”. She turned down a leading role in a film when the director asked her to come to Palm Springs with him. She met the love of her life, Irving Geller, on a blind date. Helen had been working as a Navel Material Inspector and one of her co-workers, Pauline, was Irving’s sister-in-law. Pauline arranged the introductions. Irving had served under General Patton as a machine gunner and was a recipient of the Purple Heart. This was quite a contrast with his day job as a violinist and Associate Concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Together they had two children, Valerie, a world class first-chair violinist and maestra, and Paul, a production manager in the entertainment and music industry.  Their marriage lasted until Irving’s death in 2011.

Helen was active in the Hollywood dating society, but she adamantly refused to succumb to “couch casting”. She turned down a leading role in a film when the director asked her to come to Palm Springs with him.

Helen’s resume includes acting on radio, live theatre and television. She performed in “The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife” alongside Valerie Harper. She played Yente the Matchmaker in countless runs of “Fiddler on the Roof” and sang “A Gal’s Got To Do What A Gal’s Got To Do”, as Hazel Hunt in the West Coast premiere of the musical “Radio Gals” at the Pasadena Playhouse. She was in the cast of the summer stock production of “The Music Circus” at the Broadway Sacramento Theatre.

You may have seen Helen as a patient on the TV series “ER” or the comedy “Scrubs.” She was often cast as a habit-wearing nun, and her most memorable role was playing Sister Joselia in an episode of “Frasier.” She also appeared in such popular shows as “The Nanny”, “Will and Grace” and “The Practice.” Helen was Grandma Tessie in the short-lived sitcom “Bette” starring Bette Midler. She recently appeared as a mischievous granny in a Pizza Hut commercial. 

Helen wrote and performed a couple of parody songs: “Shonda on a Honda” about an observant Jewish girl who rides her motorcycle through the streets of Brooklyn and “High Colonics,” a tune about being on the receiving end of a dreaded enema. She was happy to perform these ditties for us during our visit with her. She is able to converse in perfect Yiddish and she enjoys listening to Klezmer music.

At 94 years old, Helen has retired from the stage and screen. She continues to entertain family and friends and we spent a very enjoyable week reminiscing about her acting days, the people she met and the stories of a Hollywood from long ago. I sat with Helen as we watched old movies on Turner Classic Movies and reruns of the “Dick Van Dyke Show” and “I Love Lucy” on the Decades channel. Helen was able to share valuable insights and colorful anecdotes about almost every scene. Every morning we would prepare Helen’s special drink, which she called a “Baverka,” made from caramel coffee creamer and boiling water. In the evening we would join her for some Manischewitz Elderberry wine. We were privileged to meet this wonderful lady from Hollywood’s golden age and hope we can be here to celebrate her 100th birthday.

Paul J. Starr is a recently retired systems analyst who has lived his entire life in Montréal, Canada. On Sunday mornings he is “living the dream,” hosting a two-hour Internet radio show featuring music from the 50s and 60s called “Judy’s Diner.”