A Lesson in FAITH from Danny Thomas!

If there are any millennials reading this blog, chances are you haven't the slightest idea who the heck Danny Thomas is.  Well, was.  For your generation, think maybe......Steve Carrell meets ummmmm....James Corden?

Danny Thomas was an entertainer extraordinaire - he was a song & dance man, comedian, actor, producer and mogul whose career extended over 5 decades.  He also created a number of highly popular shows back in the day, many of which you can still catch on reruns today including: The Dick Van Dyke Show, That Girl, The Mod Squad, and one of my all-time favs, The Andy Griffith Show. However, his greatest legacy was when he founded St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, which to this day, provides care for sick children (at no cost)!

So why am I writing about Danny Thomas?  Well, when I was 16 years old, I had a very interesting "spiritual encounter" with Mr. Thomas.  At the time I was spending my 3rd summer working at the Starlight Theatre in my hometown of Kansas City, MO.  Previous summers I had worked as an usher, but by year 3 I had upgraded to being a ticket taker! Woohoo!  That position as I recall paid a whopping $1.50 more an hour and was more "prestigious" - but I did miss those 25 and sometimes 50 cent tips patrons would give me after seating them as an usher.

As I wrote in my previous Dionne Warwick blog, most performers performed week-long shows at the theatre.  Danny Thomas however was booked for 2 weeks.  His opening act was an unknown singing quartet of sisters called "Sister Sledge".   

Even back then I was trying my hand at different ventures and was writing entertainment and sports articles for a local (now historic) black-owned newspaper, the Kansas City Call.  About to celebrate its 100th anniversary, its still publishes weekly!

I asked my editor, Lucille Bluford (quite a historical figure herself), if I could interview the girls and write an article about them for the paper.  She obliged and got me a press pass while I set up the interview.  The sisters and I clicked immediately and since they were going to be in town for 2 whole weeks, knew no one, had no idea what to do or where to go - I volunteered to show them around. For the entire 2 weeks we bopped around the city doing everything our teenage energies allowed us to do - then in the evenigs they'd head to the stage to open for Mr. Thomas and I'd go off to my command post taking tickets!  😄 Incidentally, a few years later, my newfound "sisters", would go on to have a couple of monstrous hit songs with "We Are Family" & "He's the Greatest Dancer".  Lead singer Kathy & I are still the best of buds to this day!

But I digress.....back to Mr. Thomas!

The gate I was assigned to work during the second week of shows was a little off the beat and path from the rest of the theatre.  Mostly, only the customers seated in the orchestra section, closest to the stage entered this particular gate.  One night as I stood there bored because patrons were slow to come because of the threat of weather,  I was shocked to see the man himself walking towards me - Danny Thomas!  I wasn't really a fan (as he wasn't quite my generations cup of tea), but I was enjoying his show and told him so (the part about enjoying the show).  😇 Mostly though, I was awestruck that, for one, he wasn't backstage, and for two, that, such a well-renowned performer as Danny Thomas would so casually and comfortably engage me in conversation.   

FYI, Starlight Theatre is an open-air theatre, so when it rained a show could be easily canceled or postponed.  It had rained all day, and though by now it had let up, the sky was still dark and ominous.

After shaking hands and introducing ourselves to each other, (as if he needed to tell me who he was), we chatted about his visit to Kansas City, and when I asked, he told me he lived in Beverly Hills - which really perked up my ears!  He was so relaxed, friendly, charming, and the kindest spirit I had ever encountered, that I instantly became a fan just because he was so darn cool!

At one point he looked up at the sky and asked me, "can I tell you a story"? What was I gonna say, "No, not interested".  Of course I said yes and he proceeded.  

All these years later, I distinctly recall the emotion of his storytelling....his voice even quivering at times.  What I remember too is that we were both looking skyward the whole time he told the story.  

It may be slightly paraphrased, but the essence of what said that evening is deeply etched in my soul:


"The sky right now reminds me of the day we had the dedication ceremony for the opening of St. Jude's. It had rained all day and I was so afraid that we'd have to postpone. We had so many dignitaries and people who had come in from all around the country and this was the only day they could all be there at the same time.  I prayed my most ernest prayer to God and ask him to please let us be able to do the ceremony so we could begin our mission to help these sick children.  They desperately needed our help.  And you know what happened then young man? At the exact time we were to start the ceremony, the rain stopped, the clouds parted, and the sun came out and shined as if it hadn't rained all day. It was amazing and beautiful!  I knew it was God! I knew he had answered my prayer! Then the second, and I mean the absolute second the dedication ended, the clouds came back together and it poured down rain harder than you've ever seen.  You should have seen everybody run for cover! (He chuckled to himself recalling the site of everybody scattering).  But, I just stood there - grateful that we were able to have done that ceremony. Rain never felt so good!  You see, God always answers prayers and comes through just when you need him most!"


When we finally look back at each other, he had tears in his eyes recalling that day. I was touched because his emotions were so honest and real. It really was a beautiful moment and I secretly wished that we could had been friends forever!

Although I got the feeling he had probably told that story numerous times before, it was still a privilege that he chose me, little ol' teenage Byron Motley with a big ol' afro and pimply face to personally tell it to.  This story was his faith testimony - and it serves as a profound moment for me and one I think of often.  

Sometimes when things aren't going the way I want them to go and I get a little down in dumps from the bumps in the road of life, I think of that spirit-filled moment in time in the presence of Danny Thomas and the lesson of faith he inspired in that brief encounter - and, I reflect on his testimony, and trust and know that, "God always answers prayers and comes through just when you need him most"!