In the spring of 1969 I, along with a few cohorts, ditched our seventh period high school classes and headed off to the L.A. County Arboretum and Botanic Garden in nearby Arcadia. It was there, meandering through the jungle surrounding the lagoon across from the Queen Anne cottage that I came across two men in military uniform laying side by side under a tree smoking cigarettes and conversing.
The man to the left was Michael Caine. The man to the right was Cliff Robertson. As I learned, they were shooting a pick up scene for "Too Late The Hero" and waiting for a technical glitch to be resolved.
There wasn't much said - I was fully taken aback by the encounter, but our exchange was pleasant and good humored. Mr. Robertson had recently received his Academy Award for his performance in "Charly", for which I congratulated him and to which he responded with genuine humility.
For a kid playing hooky, it was an awe inspiring and memorable event.
