Me and Robert Conrad
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Robert Conrad as Tom Lopaka in “Hawaiian Eye”
It was 1961 and I was 11 years old. My father took me, my older sister, Bella, who was turning 12 years old, and my younger brother, Boy, 9, to travel with him to Europe and then meet up with my mother in New York. We skipped school for almost a month. There were many cities we visited -- Milan, Munich, Amherst, Frankfurt, Wiesbaden, Copenhagen, London –- before seeing Mom in New York and then Los Angeles and Honolulu, before heading back to Manila.
Like any adolescent, I had my “crushes” and idolized Hollywood leading men. My favorite was Robert Conrad in “Hawaiian Eye.” The show debuted in 1959. Conrad played a private investigator named Tom Lopaka. Connie Stevens was a regular in the show. I watched every episode and drooled at Conrad’s good looks and deep, blue eyes. The show went on for five seasons.
Robert Conrad and Connie Stevens in “Hawaiian Eye”
When we were in Los Angeles, my father had arranged for us to have a special tour of Universal Studios. We entered two studios where an actual shooting was happening. The first one was the set of “Leave it to Beaver” where we met the stars, Jerry Mathers and Tony Dow. The second studio was the set of “Hawaiian Eye,” and there in front of me, live, was Robert Conrad. He was filming a kissing scene with some brunette. It wasn’t just one take; they did it three times!!!! My hands started to sweat and I couldn’t keep still, fidgeting from side to side.
Our “tour guide” whispered to me, “Are you okay?”
My sister, Bella, replied for me. “She is so excited right now because Robert Conrad is her favorite actor. She cannot believe he is here in person.”
The “tour guide” left us and approached somebody on the set, whispering something in his ear.
“Cut!” the director shouted. The “tour guide” and the man he was talking to approached the director, who then spoke to Robert Conrad. Before we knew it, Robert Conrad was walking towards us.
Now my whole body was sweating!
Robert Conrad and Connie Stevens in “Hawaiian Eye”
Conrad extended his hand to my mother and said, “Hi, I am Robert Conrad and I am very happy to meet you.”
“Oh, it is a pleasure, Mr. Conrad. These are my children, Bella, Boy and Lisa.”
“My sister has a terrible crush on you,” Bella, the traitor, blurted.
Conrad came to me, and extended his hand and said, “How do you do, Lisa. I am happy to meet a fan of mine.”
“Oh, my God, she is dying right now,” Boy, my brother, added.
I was speechless. Even if I wanted to tell him how much I “loved him,” no words came out. And then, he was called back to the set for more scenes to shoot.
I was in a daze when we left the studio of “Hawaiian Eye,” and I don’t remember anything more about Universal Studios that day.
Robert Conrad (right) and Ross Martin in “The Wild, Wild West”
For the next two weeks, I refused to wash my right hand, the hand Robert Conrad shook. I would take showers with my hand outside the shower curtain. Dad, Mom, Bella and Boy were laughing at me and said I was crazy in addition to having dirty hands!
A week later, we were in Honolulu for a few days before heading to Manila. It was a Sunday, and we were strolling along Ala Moana Boulevard. There were so many people. They seemed to be waiting for something to happen. I approached somebody and asked, “Excuse me, what are you waiting for?”
“Didn’t you hear? There will be a motorcade with the stars of ‘Hawaiian Eye.’”
“You….mean….Robert Conrad?” I was speechless again.
“Yes. He is supposed to come with Connie Stevens and Troy Donahue,” the stranger said.
I turned to Mom, “Can we please stay and wait for the motorcade? Please?”
We sat on the sidewalk like some people did, waiting for the motorcade. After about 30 minutes of waiting, the crowds began to cheer. We all stood up. The convertible with the three actors moved very slowly along Ala Moana Boulevard. They were waving to the crowds.
“Conrad came to me, and extended his hand and said, “How do you do, Lisa. I am happy to meet a fan of mine.” “Oh, my God, she is dying right now,” Boy, my brother, added.”
“Mom, it’s him again! I cannot believe this is happening a second time,” I gushed.
And then, Robert Conrad turned his head and spotted us. He asked the driver to stop the car, and he walked towards us. He greeted Mom and said, “Nice to see you again.”
“Yes, we are heading back to Manila tonight,” Mom replied.
“Have a safe trip, all of you,” he answered with a wink. I think the wink was intended for me (and I don’t care if anyone disputes it).
Then he quickly ran and jumped into the convertible to join the others, and continued waving to the crowds.
I was still reeling in shock when a stranger came up to us and asked, “So is Robert Conrad a friend of the family?” Mom just gave her a knowing smile.
On the plane Mom asked me if I was okay. “Yes, I am more than okay. I still cannot believe what happened, but it made me believe in miracles. I mean, once was enough, but two times? I must be the luckiest girl in the whole world!”
“When you’ve landed on earth, young lady, don’t forget to give your hands a really good scrubbing, okay?”
“Yes, Mom.”
The above story is true. I wrote about it in more detail for a creative writing class I took in the late ‘80s at UC Berkeley. I am hoping to include this coming-of-age experience in a personal book I intend to write one day. The title I had already chosen some years ago, was going to be “Searching for Robert Conrad.” He gave me more than miracles that day.