She would let MI 6 know, but she was certain they would also be on top of it. The whole thing made me wonder what the real plan was. No one could be so stupid to think that with the information flowing so freely that Castro wouldn’t be prepared.
The whole thing must be a disinformation plan like The Man Who Never Was.
While I was thinking this through my phone rang. It was Mr. Droller calling me from Paris. He had called me back after a quick conference with the powers that be.
They didn’t want me to take things any further. They knew that I had high-level contacts all over the world. They were working according to a plan. Maybe not the best but it was what it was.
They had to count on an uprising of the Cuban people to support the initial troops after establishing a beachhead. They couldn’t land an army to counter Castro so had to raise it once landed. The only way they could do that was to let everyone know they were coming.
The only real secret was where they would land. The landing group would be accompanied by supply ships which would be loaded with weapons for the local population.
I promised that I would back off and not do anything else. What could go wrong with that plan? They were depending on locals to know when and where to show up while keeping it secret. They were assuming when and if locals showed up that they would be willing and able to fight.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the weapons they were providing were still packed in Cosmoline. None of them would have been sighted in. Would the new soldiers even know how to load it or where the safety was? The ammunition was probably shipped in spam cans so it would be needed to be fed into clips. Nah, it would all work out.
Deciding to clear my head by some beach time, I went back downstairs. A guy on the elevator looked very familiar but I couldn’t place him. It became clear when the door opened and a famous redhead ran up and gave him a hug.
I thought about asking for autographs but knew how I felt about it when I was trying to lead a normal life.
I did nod good morning to Jackie Gleason when I passed his table. Wait! That’s Jackie Gleason. I had to get his autograph. When I turned Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were approaching the table. Well in for a penny in for a pound.
I asked them each for an autograph. None of them had pens or pictures so I provided both. Once they saw my publicity picture Lucy knew who I was. Mr. Gleason had no idea and it had to be explained that I had a movie that had just been released.
They further mentioned that I was the one who had saved the Queen of England. That brought it together for him. He invited me to join them at their table. I did and promptly shut up and listened.
It seems that Lucy and Desi were big boosters of Miami. They were trying to talk Mr. Gleason into moving his show out of New York and to Miami. After they made their pitch he turned to me.
“What do you think?”
“I live in California and you should do your show from there, just kidding!”
I had to add that quickly as it looked as though Lucy was going to hit me.
“Really, I think Miami would be cool. It is a casual upscale kind of place. I could see the opening credits running with a large moon overhead while the orchestra plays, ‘Moon over Miami.’
“I like that.”
We continued the conversation for another hour. I was quizzed on my show business credits. That’s what counted with these people. When I told them I was thinking about stepping down from movies while I was at Oxford they piled on.
Lucy said it best, “How soon they forget. You have to ride the wave while you can.”
Since these people had an untold number of years in the business I took it very seriously. I would have a long talk with Mr. Monroe when I got home.
I did invite them to my opening tomorrow but they begged off because of other commitments. I did notice out of the side of my eye, Mr. Gleason giving the others a wink. I don’t know what that was about and probably didn’t want to know.
I had dinner at the Gotham Steak House that night. I was minding my own business when I heard a, “, Ricky”
It was my old singing pal Frank Sinatra. He joined me for a few minutes. He was in town on a follow up with his movie, ‘A Hole in the Head.’
We talked for a few. I told him about meeting Jackie Gleason and Lucy and Desi. He thought that was cool as he was a fan of all three. He said he was going to check to see if they were still staying at the hotel. Maybe he could get together with them for drinks.
He took off. His stopping at my table had consequences. From being an unknown enjoying his meal I was a guy who Sinatra knew. I spent the rest of the meal signing my ever-present publicity photos. This being a celebrity was fun, but at times I would like to slink away. It might have been more enjoyable if there had been girls my age. After that, I retired for the night.
Chapter 10
I was at the Olympia Theater early in the morning. Marshal Givens had breakfast with me so he was along for the day. I liked him a lot but didn’t think I would ever want to cross him up. He
