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CNN Live Today

Interview with Debra Winer

Aired July 01, 2002 - 10:41   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: A song in her heart, a twinkle in her eye, Rosemary Clooney charmed both fans and colleagues with whom she shared the stage. The legendary singer died over the weekend at the age of 74.

Joining us now is a Rosemary Clooney's biographer and friend. Debra Winer is the author of "The Night and The Music," a biography on Rosemary Clooney and she joins us from New York.

DEBRA WINER, FRIEND OF ROSEMARY CLOONEY: Good morning.

KAGAN: Thanks for joining us on what I'm sure is a very bittersweet morning for you.

WINER: Hi, yes, it's been kind of tough for everybody the last few days, but I'm glad to be here.

KAGAN: And let's use your presence to talk about what was just an incredible career for Rosemary Clooney not just -- not just once, twice. If you count it up, she had about three great careers where she enhanced and entrenched many different generations.

WINER: Yes, well she had been through a lot. And you know something? I defy you to find anybody who didn't like Rosemary Clooney. I mean she was absolutely adored and she was one of those American icons that was loved by everybody. And it's interesting because if you look at Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald, people worshiped them as did Rosemary and yet, people felt they knew Rosemary.

Everybody thought that she was an old friend, that she was part of their family. And strangers would come to her and say, "Hey, you know, they played 'Tenderly' at our wedding" and she loved that. She loved being part of peoples' lives.

KAGAN: Something very approachable about her. And as I was saying, what, like the 40s, she was big and then, she kind of went away for a while, and then came back and then, as late as just even the 90s came back again.

WINER: Yes, she was really a survivor. And she loved young people. She always had a lot of young people around her. And it's funny because the last engagement she did in New York was with this Hawaiian big band. And there were all these guys in their 20s in the Hawaiian shirts. And it was a hoot. She had an absolute blast because she was up there. She said, "I felt like I was beginning as a band singer 50 years ago with the Tony Pastor Band, only the musicians are still in their 20s and I'm not."

KAGAN: This is woman though who had many personal challenges to overcome.

WINER: Yes, she did. She had been through a lot. She had a breakdown. She was unemployable for a while after that. No one would hire her and she started again with nothing. She had these five wonderful children who are just terrific people. And she had 10 grandchildren. And she was also the funniest person I ever knew.

It's interesting. With Rosemary, what you saw was what you got. And I think that a lot of people who saw her perform would like to know that the way she was personally was exactly the way she seemed to be to them. And...

KAGAN: And I guess that's a part of her appeal. She had personal challenges, but one who hasn't. But what was the neat thing about Rosemary Clooney, she pulled it together and she got her act back together.

WINER: Yes, and she had that sense of humor. She had the weirdest, wackiest sense of humor. And the last few days have been a little bit rough. And I was thinking back over our times together and I realized that most of the memories I have of spending time with Rosemary are funny. They're funny and they're wacky.

I mean her favorite story -- and she was very, very smart. That's another thing that people may not realize who just listened to her singing. She was one of the smartest people that I knew. And she was -- had a very, very quick wit and stuff would just come out of her mouth. And it was funny because one of her favorite stories recently was when she met the pope. And she went to meet the pope and was on- line waiting to meet him. And it was her turn and she got to him and the pope suddenly sneezed. And Rosemary actually said, "Bless you." And everybody around them froze.

KAGAN: Can you bless the pope?

WINER: And the pope said -- with his twinkle in his eye, he said, "No, I bless you." And stuff would just come out of her mouth. She was very spontaneous and very funny. And I think that people got that she was authentic. She was -- she was very real and she was very natural. And she just had a way of communicating with people whether it was in her songs or whether it was in life.

KAGAN: And also, as part of her life and her very varied life, what's kind of nice is getting recognition at the end, both professionally and also, finding love and marrying late in life.

WINER: Yes, well, it's funny because Dante and she had been together for 25 years ongoing and then they had dated before she married her husband, Jose Ferret in the 50s. So the idea that she decided to get married -- when -- the year she was turning 70 and decided to marry this man, she said, "For the sake of nine grandchildren." It was a hoot. We gave her a bridal shower.

KAGAN: You did not.

WINER: We did. We did.

KAGAN: With lingerie and everything?

WINER: But with the whole thing and with the paper plate on her head and the whole thing. And she said, If you ever show those pictures... that she would come and find and hunt us down. But yes, she -- and she enjoyed -- and it was lovely.

The wedding was in hometown of Maysville, Kentucky where -- in the church where she had been baptized. And the priest married them and then her brother had the reception back at his home and invited the whole town. And we had White Castle hamburgers.

KAGAN: Nice.

WINER: Yes, it was great.

KAGAN: Thanks for sharing some warm memories with us.

WINER: Well, thanks for having me on.

KAGAN: We appreciate it.

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