Roscoe Lee Browne

Saw the obit for Roscoe Lee Browne yesterday. The night before I had just seen him on "All In The Family", trapped in an elevator with Archie Bunker (Carol O'Connor). He was a very good character actor. It was a funny situation that worked.

When I had my convenience store, Happy Mart, in Studio City, California, he was a frequent customer. He smoked Newport 100s and never talked about his career or success. Very low key guy. He might just as well have been an accountant. But I do remember this one time he was in the store for his cigarettes and this young black guy of about 26 was behind him. "Hey, you the guy on TV. You're cool, man. Can I get your autograph?" Roscoe turned to the man and regarded him warily. "I don't believe in autographs, young man. You should go out and make it yourself. You're still young, the worold is ahead of you." The young black guy did not seem to like this advice. Roscoe smiled, grabbed his Newport 100s and walked out. He was a nice guy.