When I worked in television I met many "stars" and historical figures. I am proud to have met "Little Johnny" in the last few years of his life.
Johnny Roventini, the diminutive bellboy known by generations for his advertising slogan, “Cal-l-l-l for-r-r Phil-lip Mor-ray-iisss,” - “little Johnny,” 4 feet tall, was a living trademark for Philip Morris cigarettes. I first met him in 1971 at WTVR-TV during the Richmond Tobacco Festival dressed in his signature red usher’s jacket, striped trousers, black pillbox hat and white gloves. He made his famous call more than 1 million times, intoning it officially for the last time in 1974 to open the new Phillip Morris operations center in Richmond, Va. He died in 1998 at the age of 88.
The Tobacco Festival was still a major city event having started in 1948 and continued until 1984.
I also met James Arness, Parade Marshall many times.
Ironically, I left Richmond to work in the Cigar City.
