Diana Ross & The Supremes' 40th anniversary of their Farewell performance
story by Mason

Frontier Hotel - January 10, 1970

 

(Hard to believe, but I was only 2-½ years old at the time . . . Honest . . . would I lie to you?  Huh???).

 

My late best friend, Robert, and I took the Greyhound from Los Angeles to Las Vegas on Friday, January 9, 1970. This was my first trip out of Los Angeles (sort of).

 

When we arrived around midnight, we checked our baggage in at a motel, and then walked down the Strip to the Frontier Hotel. While in the lobby we each wrote little notes on Frontier stationery to Diana, Cindy and Mary. We left these notes with the hotel desk clerk. The notes basically just said we were going to see them the following night (Saturday) - both shows.

 

The next morning Robert and I again left our motel for the Frontier Hotel. I told Robert take your 8 x 10 publicity pictures, you just never know. Did he listen? Of course not. I took my four 8 x 10s . . . I was prepared.

 

Robert and I sat in the lobby of the Frontier Hotel for about an hour, just watching people walking back and forth.

 

Robert then tells me “there she is” - I ask who? He says Diana!! I turn around and Diana Ross walks right past in front of us!!! Diana had just left the elevator and was walking towards a lounge sofa a few feet away. Seated on this sofa was Ernestine, Diana’s mother and another lady . . . Diana sits down.

 

Diana was wearing black knee-high boots, red leotards, red long-sleeved turtle neck and a grey mini skirt and matching grey vest. The skirt and vest have “red slash” designs on them . . . Diana looked very stylish. And Diana wore NO MAKEUP!!!! But she did have my favorite wig on - the wig worn in the publicity picture of Cindy, Diana and Mary, where Diana has her arms up in the air standing in between Cindy and Mary.

 

Robert and I are starring at Diana and she glances at us but keeps talking to her mother and friend. When Diana bids her Mom and friend bye, Robert and I decide to approach her. Robert asks me for one of my 8 x 10 glossy pictures - and I tell him “didn’t I tell you to bring your pictures?!!! I am pissed cuz I have to give him one of mine. I give him my least favorite of the 4 pictures, where the gals are posing in front of a huge door.

 

Robert and I approach Diana. Robert asks for her autograph first and Diana gladly signs his ONE picture (mine, actually). I am nervous but I then ask Diana for her autograph and give her my THREE pictures. I tell Diana we are going to see the show that evening. Diana asks which show? I tell her both shows and Diana tells me: WOW, BOTH SHOWS HUH? My heart is beating so hard, I am so nervous and excited. I mean, this is my girl. This is the girl I have listened to every day for years - every single day!! This is the girl I have plastered all over my room. The girl I would wait and wait to appear on The Ed Sullivan Show and all the other variety shows out at the time - and here she is, standing right in front of me SIGNING MY PICTURES!!

 

Diana is busy signing my pictures and I tell her “good luck Diana with your new career” - Diana stops signing, picked her head up and looks me straight in the eye and tells me “thank you very much.”

 

When she hands back my pictures both Robert and I thank her and she says “have a nice time at the show boys” and dashes off, doesn’t just walk, no, she kind of runs through the lobby, out the entrance of the Frontier Hotel and jumps into her silver Jag and speed off.

 

Heads, of course, were all on us when we were with Diana. I still cannot believe my luck - OUR luck. To be at the right place at the right time.

 

Robert and I are so excited, we just keep babbling on “do you believe this”.

 

We then walk up to the hotel desk clerk and I ask him to please send my pictures up to Miss Birdsong’s room along with another note to Cindy asking her to please autograph my THREE pictures (“to Paul”), ask Mary to sign them too, and then return them to the hotel clerk and I’ll pick them up before their first show that evening.

 

Robert leaves Mary a note asking her to do the same with his ONE picture (actually, my picture!!).

 

By the way, Robert wrote to the Frontier Hotel back in November to make reservations for both shows on January 10, 1970.

 

When Robert and I return later that evening for the first show, we first approach the hotel desk clerk to check if Cindy and Mary returned our pictures. They had not. I ask the desk clerk to call Cindy’s room for my pictures. He calls Cindy’s room and tells her I am there waiting for my pictures. Cindy tells him she will send them down later.

 

Robert and I then go to the showroom to be seated for the first show. Our table is way in the back of the showroom and Robert and I are upset. Robert complains to the m’trade. The m’trade tells us to see him before the SECOND show and he’ll correct the situation. We are still upset.

 

The girls open the show wearing the gold lame gowns they wore for the closing of their G.I.T. T.V. Special.. These are the huge gold gowns (the also wore these gowns on their final Ed Sullivan Show performance). I did not like these gowns. I mean, they were pretty and glam and glittery, but I wanted to see the girls wearing something tight, a slit here, SEQUINS!!!! FEATHERS!!! Not these huge gowns.

 

The show is exactly like the Farewell album / cd. Their Let The Sunshine medley is awesome and the place was rocking.

 

However, after Diana sang My Man, Diana explained she was learning the lyrics to DIDN’T WE and apologized for having to read the lyrics from a piece of paper. Diana sat at the end of the stage during DIDN’T WE? At the end of the song Diana stood up, and at the end of the song when Diana is doing her humming / crying sound, she is walking very slowly towards the orchestra, with her head back - very DRAMATIC!!! The place went wild.

 

Their closing with SOMEDAY, WE’LL BE TOGETHER was very moving. The show ends.

 

Robert and I are babbling about how great the show was and head back to the hotel desk clerk for our pictures.

 

The clerks see us coming and looks nervous. I asked him if our pictures had been sent back down and he says no, but he’ll call Cindy again.

 

We are waiting right there in the lobby, at the registration desk. Then Robert tell me “Paul, here comes Cindy!!”

 

I turn around and I see this angel in full gear walking towards me. Cindy is with her then fiancé, hot looking man Charles Hewlett. And he was HOT looking.

 

Of course, Cindy is wearing full stage makeup and looks beautiful. When she approaches the registration desk the clerk points to me and Cindy asks “are you Paul?” I stammer yes and Cindy says hi, and tells me she’s sorry for returning my pictures late and hands them to me. I am floored. All eyes are on Cindy, Robert and I. I tell Cindy how much I like her and the Supremes, that we just caught their first show and are going to see the second show too, I was such a big fan of hers, blah, blah, blah, going on like a babbling idiot. Cindy tells me she is glad we liked the show.

 

After a few minutes of chit-chat, Cindy thanks me and tells me she has to go and get ready for their second show. I asked her hot looking man, Charles, if it was okay for me to give Cindy a kiss on her cheek and Charles tells me yes. I plant a kiss on Cindy’s cheek and she thanks me, tells me to have a nice time at the show, turns and walks away.

 

Cindy is wearing a gold-lame-lounge-bathrobe-type-outfit, with jewels on the lapels - and the girl is SPARKLING!!!!

 

And this was jus the beginning.

After getting over the shock of meeting Cindy and her personally coming down to return my pictures, Robert and I go see the m’trade before being seated for the second show. (Mary returned Robert’s picture with Cindy).

 

The m’trade then walks Robert and I straight to the front of the showroom, and seats us one seat away from the stage, right in front of where Cindy will be standing. NOW, THIS IS MORE LIKE IT!!

 

Being this close was much more exciting. The show opens and the girls hit the stage. This time they are wearing the pink, tight, Bob Mackie creations they also wore in their G.I.T. T.V. Special, with pink feathers at the bottom and also with a pink feather wrap (they took this wrap off after their medley of hits).  This is what I wanted to see the girls wearing, something tight and sexy.

 

The three girls looked absolutely FLAWLESS. At one point Diana catches my eye and gives me a wink . . . CAN YOU IMAGINE?

 

Cindy also looked at Robert and I and waved and smiled at us during the show. The show was so much more this time. During MY MAN and DIDN’T WE Miss Ross NAILED IT.

 

And during their Let The Sunshine, Cindy hands me the microphone but I of course am such a dumb ass and just shake my head no. I was too shy. You know, being 2-½ years old.

 

During SOMEDAY, WE’LL BE TOGETHER, this was so sad / dramatic. Cindy had tears rolling down her face during this number. Never forget this.

 

The show ends and Robert and I are out in the lobby, in heaven.

 

We couldn’t let this evening end, not now.

 

Robert tells me he read in Jet Magazine that the girls usually had a trailer as a dressing room. Robert stops a busboy or waiter and asks him in Spanish how to get to the kitchen. The waiter tells Robert what elevator to take.

 

Robert and I take an elevator down and who gets off the elevator? None other than their conductor, Gil Askey. We know we’re on the right track. Robert again asks a waiter where the Supremes’ dressing room is and the waiter tells him to “go through the kitchen”, and we walk straight through the kitchen of the Frontier Hotel!!

 

Sure enough, at the end of the kitchen, we walk for a bit and low and behold, there is a trailer. We call for Cindy and Mary (like the idiots we are) and would you believe they both come out? Cindy of course remembered me and we begin talking. This is our first encounter with Mary and Robert is in heaven. Mary is Robert’s favorite Supreme.

 

We must have chit-chatted with the girls for at least one half hour and WE decide to leave. Robert asked Mary for a memento and she took a huge bobby pin from her wig and gives it to him. Robert had that bobby pin for years!!!

We say our good-byes; thank Cindy and Mary for such a wonderful, unforgettable evening, and leave.

 

We are back in the lobby area. Robert and I just talking away. After about an hour we see Mary walking down a hallway with a date.  Mary is wearing brown suede boots, a brown mini skirt and matching vest. I don’t have a piece of paper for another autograph so I yank a piece of paper from the registration desk, approach Mary and ask for another autograph. She tells me “Paul, you must have a hundred of mine by now” and laughs. But I get my autograph.

 

I asked Mary where is Diana and Cindy and Mary tells me Cindy is gambling and doesn’t know where Diana is.

 

Robert and I go into the gambling room (I am underage). We stay for about a half hour just watching Cindy and Charles gambling. When we leave I approach Cindy again and thank her for a wonderful evening.

 

That was my dream encounter with none other than Diana Ross, Cindy Birdsong and Mary Wilson.

 

This was the third time seeing Diana, Cindy and Mary in person, but the very first time to meet and speak with them. An evening embedded in my memory forever and ever.

 

To be 2-1/2 years old, travel to Las Vegas and just by chance be able to meet and speak with Diana, Cindy and Mary!!!!  I have angels looking over me, I really do. 

 

It just so happened that the Los Angels Times Newspaper had an interview with Diana in between shows on January 10, 1970, the evening Robert and I caught their shows.

 

Pictured in this article was a picture of the girls on stage during the second show, wearing those pink Bob Mackie gowns. Attached is that picture from the Los Angeles Times.

 

Even though this chance encounter with the girls occurred 40 years ago and I was just a baby of 2-½ years old, this evening seems like it just happened yesterday

Labor Day Weekend

Lake Tahoe - 1976
by Mason
Special thanks for sharing youre memorys!