People Who Knew Cole Porter

Kitty Carlisle Hart

Douglas Fairbanks Jr

Alexis Smith played Cole Porter's wife opposite Cary Grant in "Night And Day"

Lisa Kirk starred in the original Broadway production of "Kiss Me Kate"

In the spring of 1990, my old friend Allan Albert was directing an episode of American Masters for PBS on Cole Porter. I was called to take the still photos of all the people who knew him well.

Kitty Carlisle Hart was the most impressive - who else could pull off purple with such aplomb? Most people knew her from “To Tell The Truth” and other game shows, but to me she’ll forever be the ingénue in “A Night At The Opera” - never mind Cole Porter, I wanted to hear about the Marx Brothers.

The filming took place in her legendary apartment, an entire floor of a building on Madison Ave - it was filled with mementoes of her incredible life. She was the widow of Moss Hart, playwright and director, who staged “My Fair Lady”.

Kitty was late for the filming - finally, she stepped out of the elevator in her overcoat and saw the whole crew - it had slipped her mind as to why we were here. But, ever gracious, once she was reminded, Kitty slipped off her coat and was ready to roll - she looked this good all the time and she was in her eighties.

Kitty sat down and the interview began. However, after 30 seconds she insisted the filming stop. She just felt the lighting wasn’t right, but everyone assured her she looked beautiful. In desperation, she finally turned to me “Young lady, is this lighting right for me?” It wasn’t - way too harsh. Boy, was the film crew mad at me when I suggested a reflector to soften the face. And Kitty Carlisle Hart knew all this without needing a mirror.

At the age of 95, she was still doing her one-woman show of reminiscences  - what a life. I guess the only way to age well is to age expensively.

Douglas Fairbanks Jr was a charming old lecher, who pinched my butt every chance he got. Allan Albert suggested I go for it - here’s my opportunity to marry well and briefly. He really likes you, you could be Mrs. Douglas Fairbanks Jr - wouldn’t that be something?

I really enjoy photographing the performing arts, because of all the colorful people you meet from rock bands to movie stars of yesteryear. It’s also stressful, because you have to do them all justice - if they look bad, you look bad.

Images by Wolynski: March, April 1990, NYC