One fond memory that I have happened in 1984. I had been working with David Copperfield’s team on Project Magic. It was a volunteer program that taught Occupational Therapists and their patients magic, as a type of therapy. I volunteered weekly with therapists at The Therapy Center in Norfolk and at Riverside Hospital in Newport News and it was extremely rewarding.
Each year, when David’s show would come to Chrysler Hall, I got to spend the day (sometimes two) with him. I usually watched rehearsals and hung out backstage. At the show, I was given front-row tickets for my family and the therapists. This particular year, David was looking for a certain piece of music. He called it the “typewriter song”, but we really did not know the name of it. He wanted to use it in a new comedy bit that he was designing to use with his duck “Webster”. This was prior to the internet, and he asked if we could check out the record stores. I said sure! We went to Military Circle Mall and by mistake, we parked on the opposite side from the record store. As we walked through the mall, a group of girls began to follow us. Obviously, with his TV specials and the commercials for his show airing, they recognized him.
As we rounded the last corner before getting to the record shop, I saw David glance back at the 7 to 10 girls following close behind. I leaned over and said, “Don’t worry about that David, it happens to me all the time.” He laughed and we went into the store. They did not have the record, but on the TV special that aired several months later, that song was used.