Me & Robert G
I had the chance to meet Robert Goulet twice over the course of my broadcasting career.
The first time was in Utah. I'd been sent to Provo by the local television station I worked for to learn about the Children's Miracle Network charity. Robert Goulet and his wife were there, obviously volunteering their time to the cause, and they couldn't have been nicer or more down-to-earth.
I met Goulet again many years later when I was an anchor for CNN. He had been booked to appear on one of the newscasts that I anchored. You probably know that when celebrities are booked for interviews, there's usually little news value. They're being trotted around by public relations types to promote various projects. The "booker" for CNN who was responsible for getting Goulet on our program strictly informed me that he was there to talk about his appearance in "Camelot" and nothing else. I was not to deviate.
I can't remember everything Goulet and I chatted about off camera before the interview, but I do remember we laughed a lot and that he was one of the nicest, least-stuffy celebrities I'd ever dealt with. I asked him what he wanted to promote during the interview and he said well, if there was time, he might mention a new album he had worked on. I asked if he wanted to talk about "Camelot," and he said he certainly he would if I wanted him to, but he was willing to talk about anything and just happy to be there.
During the interview with me and my co-anchor Lou Waters, Goulet spoke of his love of travel, how good life had been and other topics that came to mind. He didn't do the hard sell on his "projects" so I prompted him a bit. "What are you working on now?" He talked a little about the album. "Anything else you want to talk about?" Nope, he told me.
The next day, the CNN guest booker let it be known that she was furious (with me) because Goulet had not talked much about "Camelot" during his interview. She even passed along word that Goulet had been "just furious, furious" about not "getting the chance to talk more about 'Camelot.'"
I didn't know Goulet very well, but I knew he hadn't been furious about anything. He'd done exactly the interview he'd wanted to do. He may have been escorted around by handlers or press people, but he had a mind of his own and did things in his own polite way. That might have been frustrating at times to people who tried to handle and promote him. But in my mind Goulet, even today, stands apart as a gentleman on and off camera whom I'll remember as an unpretentious, warm, pleasant personality.
