I have one meaningless Leslie Nielsen storiy. a few years ago in a Scottsdale country club, I saw Leslie Nielsen sitting in a corner booth having supper. Hard not to notice him - tall guy with distinctive hair wearing the face of a Leslie Nielsen. I never approach celebs unless introduced, which of course happens never, and for all I knew there was some unspoken country-club rule that says you can't go up to famous guys and say "you are hilarious, yes, but it's your genial nature, the way the confidence highlights the mayhem you have created by remain unaware of - I'm sorry, the mayhem of which you are unaware. You know what I mean." And then he'd smile and hope he could get back to his steak, and you'd feel stupid.

But as it happened he was heading back from the gent's just as I was strolling down the hall, and I shot him a thumbs-up, and he gave an expression that could be construed as a wink. AT least I think that's what happened. Give me a few years to embellish the story and we'll be playing 18 holes out on the course. And I don't even golf.

The great thing about Mr. Nielsen? He was in on the joke all along. The second great thing: he could play it straight without changing a thing, and he was pretty good then, too.

But it was routines like this for which we loved him: