hollywood on the 378

On Monday I was running late for an appointment in Bondi Junction so instead of walking through the park as I normally would I caught the 378 bus. A few stops after mine a former Hollywood child star got on. I'm sure I was the only one who realised. Now I understand this is mainly due to the fact that his starring role was in 1965 when he was 15 years old, but the film in which he shot to fame was The Sound of Music so you'd think someone would notice. Besides, he's continued to work as an actor... I have to add here that this film is not one of my personal favourites. I enjoyed it as a kid, but I can't bear it when people burst into song with Doe a bloody Deer or that stuff about a Few of Their Favourite Things (sorry, I'll hand my gay membership back now). Yes, there are a couple of songs I don't mind (the one about the goat herd for instance), but you're not likely to find me at Sing-a-Long Sound of Music and I've never understood how the soundtrack found its way onto the jukebox at the Price of Wales Hotel in St Kilda (or why anyone ever bothered wasting $2 of good drinking money on a selection).

Anyway, seeing the actor - Nicholas Hammond - got me thinking about the nature of fame and how one day you can be riding in limousines and another day you'll be riding the 378 to Bondi Junction. He was reading a script too, so perhaps he was on his way to an audition. I used to see actress Cornelia Frances on the same bus before she revived her career with The Weakest Link (and she hasn't looked back), so who knows? Maybe Nicholas will soon get his second wind too.

By the way, Nicholas is pretty handsome, but I'd've been far more excited if I'd seen his SoM co-star (and Lost in Space's Penny) Angela Cartwright on the bus.

That's Nicholas on the left. Angela Cartwright is front row second from right