Scarecrow and Mrs. King | 35th Reunion

Thirty five years?

The fact that I still feel as awkward and silly as thirteen year old me makes it difficult to believe that thirty five years have passed since Scarecrow and Mrs. King debuted on CBS. But if folks are working hard to put together a whole day event, and other folks are flying in from the places like Canada, England, Germany, Austria, New Zealand, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Maryland, New York, Florida, Ohio, Oregon, Michigan, New Mexico, and Santa Monica (ha ha ha…Ahem.), then it must be true.

And if I’m using words like “folks” then I must be older than I feel.

Anyway, I’m sure I forgot a state or two. As I had mentioned more than once on Saturday, I had traveled all the way from the state of Confusion just to be there, and was clearly jet lagged.

Jennifer at my dinner table asked how I felt about all of these people coming out to see us and celebrate a show that has been off the air so long. The truth is, I think the fans of the show are awesome. I’m honored just to be a small part of it. And I think you’re all a little weird. And I LOVE IT. A lot of the SMK fans know they’re weird and they own the hell out of it. It is all so incredible to see.

Speaking of my dinner table, I wanted to offer my warmest and most sincere thanks and appreciation for making the evening fun and entertaining. My wife and I were fortunate enough to sit with Andrea, Jennifer, Alon, Marci, Kristie, Teresa, Jess and Heather. Each of us took a blood oath to never speak of the secrets we told at our table. It was all very Illuminati.

Actually, I told a lot of jokes. Half of the table laughed at most of them, most of the table laughed at half of them. For me, that’s success.

Maybe you don’t know me well enough to know that when I think you’re weird, that’s a compliment. Seriously. If you met me on Saturday, you know that I, myself, am weird. Very, very weird. I talk a lot, move a lot, make jokes a lot, talk some more, move some more, laugh hysterically and then break out in random dance or exercise routines that are awkward (but healthy for my heart, I’m just sayin’) and that embarrass the hell out of my wife when we’re in line at the grocery store. I may have also behaved this way at the reunion.

I mean, really, Sabine carved “SMK 35” into her head. That’s dedication, but that’s also weird.

It’s a good weird. The show itself was a good weird. Plausibly, a divorced mom of two young boys venturing off with some debonair secret agent to fight bad guys probably isn’t going to happen. If an agent had really walked up to a mom in a housecoat and said he needed her help, she probably would have said “YOU need help? I need help. I have a PTA meeting, and then the Scouts are coming over and they are going to need snacks and the boys are growing so fast we’ll need to go shopping so they have clothes for school and then we’ll need to eat dinner and I need to make sure the kids do their homework and I still have to clean the house and then…”

The agent would have left skid marks he would have been out of there so fast. Not that all of that is true, mind you. I was 8 years old the entire series, so shopping for new clothes because I was growing out of the old ones is ha ha ha, ha ha…Ha ha. I can’t even finish that sentence with a straight face. I’m pretty sure I’m still wearing some of the clothes I did on the show. Thirty five years later. All that other stuff is true, though.

You’re weird, I’m weird. I’ll stop writing the word weird now. Weird. One last shot for good measure. Ok, now I’m done. Where was I?

I’m still in awe and disbelief that we filled a room with fans of this show from so long ago. And that some of them weren’t even born when the show originally aired. And that Kristie at my dinner table went out of her way to point that out. And then I was a little sad at how old I am. And cried a little in my salad. Kristie is a sweetheart, but she sure knows how to do some damage.

I’m kidding of course. But really, some of the people in that room were born post 1987. But fans of the show. How crazy is it the show is getting new fans?!?!? I can’t even begin to imagine, it’s all so amazing.

I was just honored to be in the room, to be honest. And that they used tables I could see over. It’s the little things for me or rather, the things littler than I. I stood most of the day anyway, just to be sure. I’m very astute that way. Cautious, I am.

I stood in large part because the fans had me on my toes. If I was talking to Donna’s husband Tom, then I was on my tippy toes. You all had such fascinating stories. Many of you traveled so far, and told fantastic tales of how the show impacted your life. Or how you like this episode or that scene. So great.

From the bottom of my heart, you don’t know what it means to me that so many of you had read one or more of my books, that you stood in line to see me, that you wanted a picture and an autograph. That three of you laughed at my jokes. I’m so incredibly, sincerely touched.

I took three pictures the whole day. One of Bruce and Stephen Macht chatting. One of Sabine’s hair, and one of me and Bruce I sent to my mom when she asked me what I was up to. I had mentioned doing Facebook Live, but never got the chance. I’m sorry for those that couldn’t make it that were maybe expecting to see something live. I feel like I let you down. There were people there I wanted to speak to more, but didn’t get the chance. It was such a whirlwind. Hopefully, next time.

I wish we could do a reunion every year. You are all so wonderful, thank you!

Cheers!

Greg