Julie London

Julie London: I was really stupid about it. I thought, 'Oh, that's nice.' My first song, 'River,' was No. 1 for four months, but I didn't know the business then; I didn't know what it meant.

Julie London: (Of having both of her daughters following in their mother's footsteps - as actresses) It really doesn't matter how I feel. They'll do what they damn well please anyhow. My 10-year-old daughter Kelly was on an Emergency! She'd read my script and found a part for someone her age. She asked me to call and see if she could play it. I said, 'No way. You want it badly enough, you call.' She did, and got the part. She was on the road with me when she was 2 weeks old. I thought: 'I'll be damned if I'll let her stay home; later, she'll wonder who the hell I am.' I love it when we're on hiatus. From February to June, I just cook and do crazy things like that. I even try to help the kids with that new math. But forget it. Bobby's a Phi Beta Kappa, but he can't do their homework. They use phrases in the textbooks that I never heard of.

Julie London: If I had to cook three times a day, I wouldn't be entranced with it, but I do love to cook breakfast. I make a 10-minute or a 45-minute breakfast, depending upon my mood and appetite. I'm a great bacon fan, our favorite eggs are basted with bacon fat, and I mean the drippings from the bacon I've just fried. I hate the taste of burned butter. Frequently I make bacon gravy by browning flour in the drippings. Then I add milk and coarsely ground pepper and cook it until its rich and thick. I make ham gravy the same way, it's my husband's favorite, and my kids adore it.