Today I am grateful for Little Jimmy Dickens. While I worked for the entertainment show, “Prime Time Country,” I was charged with doing a theme night by the higher ups at The Nashville Network: Hunk Night. HUNK night? For someone who seeks to recognize the inner beauty of people, not whatever set of characteristics society has deemed desirable for that decade, I was not particularly excited. Halloween, Bluegrass -- these were themes I could wrap my imagination around. Hunk Night left me feeling superficial. So, when our talented talent bookers came up short on “hunks” with so many artists on the road that summer… I had an idea. And that idea was Little Jimmy Dickens. I had worked with Little Jimmy a few times and he was one of the most agreeable, “over it” artists there was – which is saying a lot, since in Country music, I would learn, most of them are agreeable, “over it,” artists. No ego, no pretense, no long rider demanding Smart Water Only. He just showed up in his rhinestones and hat and smiled. “Let’s ask Little Jimmy,” I said, to my boss. “Let’s turn the whole Hunk thing upside down and make it fun.” (I kept talking quickly as I knew I had a limited window of pitching opportunity on this one so I continued without stopping) “He could be our Resident Hunk for the evening. We could keep coming back to him in and out of breaks and ask him “Questions on Romance” – it could be hilarious. (pause) But he also has a touching story about his wife and how they met. They’ve been married a long time -- so he can give some real advice about relationships, too. (pause) Women would love that. (pause) Plus, if we can’t actually get any of the younger guys and TNN won’t back down on the theme, we have to do SOMETHING. Ah--- the deal closer: Product Delivery. My boss narrowed his eyes. Which meant one of two things. “Get out of my office, you’re making me crazy” or “Go for it. But it better work.” The former was always followed by a long slow but audible intake of air; the latter was followed by a mischievous turn at the corners of the mouth. This time, it was followed by a grin. A call to Little Jimmy was made, and an agreement was struck. “Would Little Jimmy come be our “Resident Hunk” for the evening on Thursday?” With bells on. There was always something so heart-tugging to me about Little Jimmy Dickens. To walk onto a stage at 4’ 11” as a man… to navigate this world of power and “might is right” so very far down from the conversation… was it hard? Had he suffered? Plus, he had such a sweet demeanor; he seemed so genuine as a person that it made him seem even more vulnerable to me. Had he had his masculinity called into question as I had had my femininity done so? Did he get tired of being the short end of the joke? Did he ever just want to be Jim? If he did, I never saw it. All that sparkle and verve was a man who genuinely loved being an ambassador -- not only of the Opry or Country music, but of the universal show. I don’t think he thought about whether other people were making fun of him because he was too busy making fun for other people. He walked out onto a stage with a guitar about as tall as he was like he was 6 foot 4. Because, I guess, on the inside, he was. Still, as a woman on the other end of the height spectrum. I wanted to make sure he knew we respected him as an entertainer. That he knew we weren’t laughing at him – we just wanted to laugh with him. But for a man who had donned a tutu for Riders in the Sky and climbed ladders for his publicity shots, being the Resident Hunk at 75 was a piece of cake. He was fine with everything we had planned. Hunk Night was everything I had hoped for that summer at TNN. We asked Mr. Dickens silly questions all night in-between the other guests and he answered the prepped punch lines with perfect dead pan delivery. He sold it that night Little Jimmy did. He didn’t hold back or try to make it any less or more than it was. He bantered with our delighted host like he did everything else – unselfconsciously. And when he talked about his wife -- listening to his records as a young girl; pinning his poster to her wall, longing for the day she would marry him -- though she had never met him -- a woman much taller than the Country star she fell in love with over the radio – he teared up. And, in the producer’s booth, so did my boss and me. Hunk Night became one of my favorite shows I did for “Prime Time Country,” because of Little Jimmy Dickens. He taught me something that night. He taught me that dignity is not a size nor an age… it is not your background or income or what other people say about you. It is how tall you hold yourself -- on the inside. I danced with Jimmy that night. On national cable TV. One of the questions I thought would be fun to ask him was if height made a difference when it came to romance. To which he stood up and replied in a dignified manner, “Absolutely.” And Little Jimmy Dickens and I waltzed to the break. Today I am grateful for Little Jimmy Dickens.
Posted on: Sat, 03 Jan 2015 17:10:15 +0000
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