A MOVIE/TV STAR COMES FOR LOBSTER ROLLS!

Michael Gross — who starred as Steven Keaton in the 1980s TV sitcom FAMILY TIES and later as Burt Gummer in the hysterical TREMORS movie franchise — came for lunch at our home in the Wells woods this week, accompanied by his lovely wife Elza, my former sister-in-law.

That connection, I believe, makes Michael a relative. Perhaps once or twice removed, or some such, but whatever. Mr. Wonderful and I greeted him like a treasured member of the family.

It’s not every day that I serve lobster rolls to a graduate of the Yale University School of Drama, an actor with roles in more than 20 films, plus countless television shows including “Law & Order,” “Parks and Recreation” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

(Did I mention that Michael is the step-father of my beloved niece Katie and nephew Theo? So we ARE related, I’m quite sure.)

Before they arrived, we spiffed up our condo (Mr. W on Dyson duty, me setting the table and arranging flowers), the entire time questioning what to call our guest.  “Mr. Gross” sounded awkward. “Cousin Michael,” though, had a nice ring. After he strode into our condo in casual attire, while also sporting a cool fedora, then watching him immediately kneel down on the floor to pet and cuddle Sunshine who purred contentedly and loudly, I realized our lunch guest had no pretensions. He might be a Hollywood actor but he was also a regular guy. We called him Michael.

We asked Michael about various roles he had played over the years, including Burt Gummer on TREMORS which neither of us had seen. (“We’ll watch it tonight,” I assured him.”) Now settling into the twilight of his career, Michael reminisced about the acting life. “It was all great fun — I enjoyed the various roles, met fabulous people, many of whom I’ve kept in touch with, especially Meredith Baxter who played Elyse on ‘Family Ties.’”

Currently, he pursues his passion for train travel (he and Elza have enjoyed countless and unusual train travel) while also serving as a spokesman for the B&O Railroad Museum (now known as the National Museum of Railroad History & Innovation) in Baltimore. He also hosts the B&O Railroad Museum Television Network on YouTube and is a member of the Santa Fe Railway Historical Society. 

How did it happen that Elza and Michael were in Maine, thousands of miles from their homes in Santa Fe and California? They came to attend two weddings, fortunately only days apart. They enthusiastically complimented the Maine weather and the beauty of York harbor.

Their car had hardly pulled out the driveway when Mr. W and I raced to the TV to watch TREMORS on Prime. It’s a ridiculously amusing farcical movie that we laughed our way through. And for us, it was especially enjoyable to point at the Samsung and say, “There he is!  Cousin Michael!” 

Well he is.  Sorta.