A JOLT FOR JILL: TOUCHES OF FAME

by Jill Rumbley-Beam

I usually don’t like to brag on myself, in fact the Bible in Jeremiah 4:30, tells us not to dress ourselves in scarlet and put on jewels of gold or adorn ourselves with makeup. In other words, don’t be vain but, this issue of Celebration Magazine, Dan Price, the great editor of the magazine, told us to talk about our moments of fame. So here goes.

When I was 8 years old, I appeared in my first musical at Sunset High School, in Dallas. A gentleman by the name of Bill White was the drama teacher. He was going to give the musical Plain and Fancy. It’s a story of the Amish people. There are two children’s parts in this show. I was so excited to appear with my brother, Phil. In one of the scenes, I am lifted on a barrel, and I got to sing the Alphabet Song-A to Z. I still remember it to this day. The most memorable thing about appearing in that show was all of the other cast members wanting to play with our Etch-A-Sketches, which was supposed to keep us entertained when we weren’t on stage. Looking back, I guess the Etch-A-Sketch was our answer to the iPad, which the kids of today have.

Another touch of fame, or I guess it was also my mom’s, Rose Mary Rumbley was when she appeared in the musical No No Nannette, at the Dallas Summer Musicals. Mom appeared opposite Ginger Rogers. Of course, me being a tap dancer, I could hardly wait to meet Ginger Rogers and when I finally met her, I had her sign the sole of my tap shoe. I still have them today.

Another brush with fame was in 1983. I became a certified Jazzercise Instructor in 1980, and Jazzercise would have what they corporate called Jazzer Jams. Judi Missett, the creator, loved to bring famous people to speak at these conventions. One year, she brought in Dana Carvey and I got to meet him. Another year, she had Dr. Ruth, the sex therapist, and I got to meet her. But the crème de la crème, was when she had Gregory Hines. I happened to be on the second row of the convention with more than 2,000 attendees and he picked me out of the crowd, and I got to tap dance with Gregory Hines. What a thrill.

But my highest brush with fame is this: in 2006, mom and I traveled to New York to see a new Broadway musical, The Drowsy Chaperone. This musical is the story of a middle-aged theater goer, who is feeling blue, and he gets out his favorite LP, (you do remember what that is???) the Drowsy Chaperone, and the show comes alive on stage. The Drowsy Chaperone is a parody about the 1920’s written by two guys and a girl at a party. The star of the show was my favorite actress, Sutton Foster. In this musical, she is a big star but decides she doesn’t want to be a star any longer because she wants to get married. In the show, she sings a song titled Show Off. I fell in love with this song. In 2015, I decided to enter the Ms Texas Senior America Pageant. First, you must be at least 60 years of age. You compete in four categories, philosophy of life, evening gown, interview with judges and talent. I decided I wanted to use the song Show Off, from the Drowsy Chaperone, for my talent. I found a great choreographer, Amy Cave, to help me. Since the song is titled Show Off, Amy said, “Why not show off. “Believe it or not, I sang, twirled the baton, played my piccolo and tap danced. Much to my surprise I won the title of Ms Texas Senior America. One month later, I traveled to Atlantic City, to compete in Senior America. There were forty-eight contestants, and I made it to the Top 10! I was thrilled.

In the song, Fame, written by Irene Cara, it says:

Baby, look at me and tell me what you see,

You aint seen the best of me yet

Give me time, I’ll make you forget the rest.

I got more in me, and you can set it free

I can hold the moon in my hands

Don’t you know who I am?

Remember my name…

Humble Jill Beam with a little vanity today!