*** This page is a Bobby G work in progress.  Please excuse the brevity, nonsensical brain dump of thoughts and/or grammatical errors.  Check back later for the full scoop. ***

YES, MICHAEL - I'll be filling in the details about the fan mail on the table, my discussions with Billie about Marion and Valentino and I'll dig into the Marion photos as well.

"What the hell is Shoosha?", I was thinking to myself as the old lady hushed me and led me into the sitting area of her small kitchen. 

I had snuck through the entrance of the gated Thunderbird Country Club community in Rancho Mirage by following a repair truck when the gates opened.  I was there to see if I could find the homes of Alice Faye and Billie Dove.  

And I DID find the house belonging to Billie Dove; a silent movie star once billed as “The American Beauty” in the 1920’s.  Noticing her rear gate open, I peeked my head into her yard and saw a leaf-filled pool that clearly hadn't been swum in or cleaned in quite a while. 

The lady at the sliding door seemed to be expecting me.  (Yes, very much like “Sunset Boulevard”) As I walked towards her and started to introduce myself, she told me to be quiet, that "Shoosha" was on and it's her favorite program.  So, there I was sitting in Billie Dove's kitchen watching the Brazilian singer/TV celebrity Xuxa on TV with her.  (More to follow about my time with Billie Dove ... and being forced to watch "Magnum P.I." on the edge of a bed with another female silent star, Patsy Ruth Miller!) 

And so it was only because of Billie Dove that I even noticed a "Xuxa" album from 1989 when I saw it in a Thrift Store for $1.50.  Yes, I must have this, I said. And you know what?  It's actually a pretty good album! This song "Ilarie" was Number One in Brazil for TWENTY WEEKS and it made #11 on Billboard's Hot Latin Song Chart  

So NOW I know who the hell Xuxa is!!! 

Great interview with Billie Dove - lots of good nuggets!