PHYLLIS DILLER …. AND THE DALLAS ACES

I read with great sadness of the passing of one of my favorites .. Phyllis Diller.   Believe it or not, she bore a surprising connection to The Dallas Aces many eons ago – sometime in the seventies.  For those of you who haven’t read The Lone Wolff or haven’t heard the story by word of mouth, Ira Corn, a business mogul, was the originator and moneyman behind The Aces and  loved to invite and entertain bridge playing celebrities at his lovely home in Dallas for a lavish Sunday brunch followed by an afternoon game.

Ira adored the game though he was not a playing member of the team.    At the time of it’s formation, he realized he needed a Public Relations person for both Michigan General (his successful business conglomerate) but also to bring the name of The Dallas Aces to the forefront as well.    He had a Dallas Aces Bridge Column (since his death taken over by Bobby) and was eager for the public to be made aware of The Aces.     Every Tuesday the column was dedicated to someone in the entertainment field who loved the game as well and featured a hand  they played or defended outstandingly.  To attract attention to Ira’s enterprises,  he hired Mrs. Jean Carpenter (whose first husband was Charles Schulz, famous creator of the comic strip “Peanuts”).   Incidentally Schulz loved bridge himself and made reference to it in some of his cartoons. 

One of  Jean’s bridge-related jobs was to sniff around in Hollywood to learn which famed stars were “into the game” and then she would check to see what road shows would be coming through Dallas and  invite an eager bridge-loving celebrity to the legendary Sunday Brunch and Bridge.  Phyllis Diller was one of those who charmed the Aces coterie.  Also attending on other occasions were Meredith Baxter, Carol Channing and the one and only George Burns (whom Bobby felt was by far the best of the lot).   The luncheon was a fun-filled social gathering, but when they got to the card table, things became very serious!  There were other celebs (some from the sports world as well) who also graced the Sunday outings — but these were the standouts !

So, besides being a super entertainer, the late Phyllis Diller was one of us!