Ronda Rich
Syndicated Columnist
This story sounds too remarkable to be true. You may doubt its veracity.
But trust me: the truth it is. It began decades ago. Some stories happen quickly but the most remarkable ones unfold over years.
This is one of those stories. I have a dear friend of 30 years who was a fabled Hollywood stuntman. He was Paul Newman’s stunt double and looked so much like Newman, they looked like brothers. He and Newman were best friends. He was so dear to John Wayne that he gave Stan his favorite station wagon.
One night, about 20 years ago, Stan mentioned during a phone call that a friend of his had bought Ricky Nelson’s house. Ricky, of course, grew up on television with his parents, Ozzie and Harriett, and brother, David. As a rockabilly singer, he sold over 60 million records, making him the third best-selling rockabilly singer in history. Elvis is first.
My friend, the stuntman, said, “Boy, that was a debauched house.”
“Debauched?” I replied, puzzled. “How can a house be debauched?”
“Secret passageways and such. Things I don’t feel comfortable telling you.” Stan is a good, Christian man who works faithfully with Samaritan’s Purse.
After we completed the call, I relived that horrific New Year’s Eve. I was working at USA Today in Washington. As a low person in the newsroom, I worked all holidays. After work that day, I had dinner with a friend, then returned to my apartment in Foggy Bottom.
Every detail of the next 30 minutes has never left my mind. I remember putting my key in the lock, opening the door, dropping my purse on the bed, then turning on the television.
Almost immediately, Walter Cronkite interrupted the broadcast with a news bulletin. “Tonight, television star and rock legend, Ricky Nelson, was killed in a plane crash in Texas, while en route to an engagement. All on board were killed.”
I was heartsick for days. A few months ago, I ran across a book called “Errol Flynn Slept Here.” Of course, I bought the book and discovered Flynn was the one who built the “debauched” house. Songwriter Stuart Hamblin owned it next — then he sold it to Ricky Nelson. I found a video clip of Ricky on The Tonight Show telling him how weird the house was.
I became obsessed with learning more about Ricky Nelson. This often happens to me. Something catches my attention — then I study it from every angle.
Ricky married Kris Harmon and she became a cast member on The Ozzie and Harriett Show. Her father was a Heisman Trophy winner, Tom Harmon, and her brother is another television icon, Mark Harmon, who is a buddy to my husband, John Tinker (Tink). They kinda grew up on television together, starting with St. Elsewhere and continuing with Chicago Hope. They stay in touch and both have tremendous admiration for the other.
According to documentaries that include interviews with Ricky’s children and friends, his divorce from Kris was one of the nastiest in Hollywood history. It lasted over two years and put Ricky into financial ruin.
Tink’s brother later married Kris Harmon Nelson and it, too, ended difficultly.
Since Tink has such close connections to Ricky, I kept telling him about the stories I read. One night, Tink was away from home, working. We were on a video call.
“Listen, to what I read about Ricky Nelson today.”
Tink’s face scrunched up. “If I hear the name Ricky Nelson one more time…” It was a serious warning. From then on, I kept my Ricky stories mostly to myself. Then, I read about Ricky starring with John Wayne and Dean Martin in “Rio Bravo.” During filming, he became enthusiastic about horse riding. Ozzie and Harriett gave him a horse.
“Guess what his name was?” Tink rolled his eyes. “What?” “Tinker Toy.” I told you that it was a good story.
Ronda Rich is the best-selling author of the new Stella Bankwell mystery entitled “Sapelo Island.” She has dropped her obsession with Rick Nelson and moved on to World War II.