Charles Nelson Reilly.

I just read that Charles Nelson Reilly passed away the other day.

Like many people of my era, I remember Charles mostly from his appearances on game shows such as Match Game or Hollywood Squares, but also from various guest spots on sitcoms.

My personal account of Charles Nelson Reilly was meeting him at a fund-raiser for a failing theatre. Mr. Reilly was the M.C. for a night full of stars, and I was his stage manager. As each star took to the stage, Mr. Reilly would head off stage to where I was and in typical fashion, crack wise about what was happening on stage. After the show, he walked off, took off his tie and tossed it to me. I asked if he wanted me to put it in his dressing room. What I recall is that he said, "I never wear the same tie twice."

I still have that tie.