Of all of the celebrities whom I met at the April 24, 2010, Hollywood Show in Burbank, I’d have to say that I was most impressed with Tom Lester. As an actor, he portrayed Eb Dawson, backwoods farmhand to Eddie Albert’s Oliver Douglas on the classic sitcom Green Acres. He became mostly disillusioned with the Hollywood scene and, except for a few brief appearances (one in a Green Acres reunion), he retired from the business. As a man, he always professed a strong commitment to God and today acts as an evangelist, often giving away to charity any of the proceeds he makes on selling his autographed photos.
I’m not sure if he was giving away the money that he made at this show, but I do know that he was the cheapest of any of the other performers present at the show. His photos were just $10 – almost unheard of in this day and age of greed. And there was no question as to whether he would pose for a photo with the fans.
But perhaps what impressed me the most was that he was handing out free autobiographical pamphlets which told both about his career and how he came to the Lord – and personalizing and signing them – for free (as seen at the top of the posting). He said, “now this one’s free, so I’m going to make it out to you!”
It’s guys like Tom Lester that give Christianity a good name. And restores my faith that some of the classic actors aren’t just in it for the buck.
Celebrity encounters from the Spring 2010 Hollywood Show will continue…
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