Ever since my first trip to California on August 15, 1965, I knew instinctively I wanted to move to Los Angeles and be with some newly acquired friends affectionately known as “The Day Gang.”
Forty-eight years ago, on Monday, March 25, 1968 I set out to make the four-day road trip to Los Angeles. A friend of mine accompanied me to help with the 2070 mile drive to the “Land of the Stars.” It was thrilling to know I was finally going to be able to hang out with others who shared my love of Doris Day. My parents reluctantly said good-bye to me as they knew I was determined to live my dream. It was a dream I’d cherished since high school in my Catholic school, where my devotion to the star sometimes made me the object of teasing. I’d been in touch with the DD local admirers for a while and had come to know them.
I had already planned to get an apartment with one of the “Day Gang” members, Mary, who lived in Long Beach, CA. Her father lived in LA and we stayed with him until we found the right apartment. Our # 1 requirement for our apartment was that it be within bike riding distance to Bailey’s Bakery in the heart of Beverly Hills. Why? Bailey’s Bakery was THE place we knew Doris Day frequented; it was only four blocks from her Beverly Hills home. On most Saturdays when she was working, Doris would ride there on her bike and enjoy the companionship of Hilda Turner, the lady who was the manager. When she was on hiatus from filming her hit TV show, THE DORIS DAY SHOW at CBS, she often would be seen at Bailey’s several times each week.
Within a month, Mary and I found our ideal apartment on Olympic Boulevard, one block from Beverly Hills! We both had bikes and would get up early on Saturdays and ride into Beverly with Bailey’s Bakery as our prize destination. It was not unusual to see Doris’s 3 speed bike parked in front of the popular bakery. Needless to say, it was a thrill to see her bike as we knew that meant she was inside. Sometimes, however, Doris would park in back and enter the public part of the bakery from the employee door.
Those were the days, days which can never come again, when stars and fans could be relaxed together. Doris, always friendly and natural, made us feel welcome and was eager to hear our comments on her show. Naturally, we LOVED everything about her TV show and complimented her often. Sometimes I had to pinch myself when I realized I was sitting with my idol: we were friends, just sitting there chatting and having an incredible and memorable time. It was more than a dream come true. It was only a short time until, as the star come to know me and appreciate my skills, that the acquaintanceship in the bakery flowered into a job as secretary and then as a live-in aide in her lovely home.
As I look back on my incredible journey, I am grateful I made the opportunity to follow my dream. In closing, I just want to say: If you believe in something, go for it!
I enjoy sharing my dream-come-true story around the country: how a young girl from Indianapolis ended up in Doris Day’s home.
Mary Anne Barothy