I loved Scarecrow and Mrs. King from the very first moment. I was only about five and a half when it first aired. As I got older I grew to love the show even more. I knew Bruce Boxleitner was from the movie The Gambler. From the time I was old enough to talk I would sing. Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers were the first celebrities I 'knew'. Transferring my 'star eyes' to Bruce and Kate Jackson was easy. Growing up was not always easy for me. Family situations and lack of good communication left me feeling lonely. (Long story) I would throw myself into watching SMK reruns and recording them. (Good ole' VHS!) I would write my own versions of the show. Once I asked friends if they would 'act out' what I had written. At the time there was no internet. I had no idea there were other people out there doing the same thing. Weird, huh? Looking back, I know I could have saved myself a lot of personal heartache by speaking up. At the time, I felt lonely and sad. SMK, Kate and Bruce kept me from going off the tracks. Why? I had so much respect for Kate and Bruce as people. All the things they had gone through in life, how strong they were (are). They made me want to be the best person I could be. I would tell myself: If I ever had the chance to meet them someday I would want to be proud of me. If I ever worked with them, I would want them to be proud of me. Not worry about what a tabloid might 'dig up'. I can not tell you how many times loving the show and them saved me from making some really bad choices. Oddly enough, all these years later, I still feel the same, even though, I have never met them and probably never will. When my hubby and I were engaged and expecting our first baby, I was cleaning all the things I didn't need. My baby took priority over everything. My pile of writings, news clippings, etc. were dropped with a loud thud to the bottom of the box I was using for garbage. My heart felt like it landed with a thud, too. But I did it anyway. My Grandmother looked at me mortified. She knew how much all that meant to me. I never went anywhere without my pencil and paper. I wrote all the time. Of course, I am sorry I did that now. I began writing again after moving four hours from the home I'd known my whole life. It was like holding a friend close. Watching the show while I was home alone with my babies, it became my company - again. Chasing away the loneliness. I try not to watch it much, as once I start, it's hard to stop, but I have everything. All the VHS recordings I made, all the TV on VHS that came out once upon a time - where we ended up with 20 episodes. And of course, I now have the DVDs. I can only hope that someday the archives are dug through and we end up getting to see bloopers and behind the scene recordings. Maybe interviews that were long lost and never aired, etc. (I did just read Dava's recap, I wonder what those bloopers were?!) I would love to bring the show back. If I ever win the lotto. . . But for now, reading and writing fan fiction and watching the show, or fan made videos, or just chatting with fellow fans, can turn a gloomy day into a sunny one. My kids like the show. My oldest likes it best. I'm hoping we can watch some episodes over Christmas break. Who knows, he may write his own fan fiction someday?
Like I said, I have never met Kate and Bruce. I would probably cry and not be able to speak. Then once I was able to speak I wouldn't be able to stop. It's crazy, but there it is. I've met 'celebrities' before. Some were nice and some were jerks. So like the Shania Twain song, meeting 'stars' "doesn't impress me much". It's who they are as person that matters. And in my opinion, we were very blessed to have a wonderful show with some pretty amazing people. SMK wouldn't have been what it was without Kate and Bruce.