But when his father answered the door in a bathrobe, Lowe had a fleeting feeling that he needed to know who this handsome old devil was. In his memory Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography, Lowe he wrote: “I have a vague awareness that Jen’s father is a former film actor, but I am ashamed to say that I know more about ‘Cary Granite.’ The Flintstones than movie icon Cary Grant.”

Grant invited Lowe inside, handed him a glass of milk, and then allowed the two teenagers to chat alone on the couch while they waited for the show to begin. But just before it started, Grant reappeared and asked: “Young man, do you mind if I watch with you?” Even though this would have completely derailed his mission to seduce the youngsters, Lowe thought he couldn’t say no to the older man and agreed to let him watch.

In an interview in 2011 NPRLowe admitted it was a good thing he had no idea about Grant’s iconic status, because otherwise he would have been afraid to let her watch his big screen debut. But all is well and it ends well. Grant praised Lowe’s performance, even saying he reminded him of a young Warren Beatty.

At one point, Lowe told the story to Conan O’Brien, enthusing: “He was so good and so charming. I saw myself on TV with Cary Grant for the first time. was full of great advice.” But this is where things get a little weird, because Grant’s main advice was to be weird, to say the least.

The screen veteran looked 16-year-old Lowe dead in the eye and implored him: “Young man, never eat a hot dog on the podium.” Leaving aside the incredible fact that Lowe knew what a “lectern” was, the question arose: Why shouldn’t he eat a hot dog on a raised platform for a podium or throne? The stunned teen just asked in confusion, “What?” when he said. Grant explained: “Because then you’ll have a photo of yourself with a hot dog in your mouth.”

Lowe didn’t know if this was Grant’s attempt at humor, but he also had no idea if the man was completely serious. Had he previously been caught in the lurid tabloid press with a salacious photo of himself stuffing a long hot dog into his mouth, and was the idea of ​​an innocent teenager like Lowe suffering the same fate too much to bear? Didn’t you like the sight of a man eating a hot dog, which could be interpreted as oral sex-like by the mentally deranged?

Ultimately, Lowe did not fully grasp the motivation behind Grant’s advice; But you can be sure that he has never eaten a hot dog in public in his adult life.

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