Bobby Hiers Skis into Hollywood
- Bob Gernert
- 48 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Carol Burnett recently celebrated her 92nd birthday. She is currently among the stars of “Palm Royale” on Apple TV. She spent seven decades sharing her acting and comedic talents. Winter Haven played a role with Burnett in the early days of her career.
It was January 1961 and Robert “Bobby” Hiers just returned to Winter Haven from working on an oil pipeline in the western U. S.. The twenty-nine-year-old Hiers moved here from Georgia with his family in 1938 and graduated from Winter Haven High School in 1950. Following graduation, like many other area youth, he went on to work and ski at Cypress Gardens. He even served as a stunt double (along with another Garden’s skier) for Van Johnson and Esther Williams in one scene from “Easy to Love” (1934). His height and rugged good looks had made him a favorite for photo shoots. His salary for a six-day week was a robust $37.46.
When he returned in 1961, he approached Robert “Bob” Eastman, then executive director of the Florida Citrus Exposition, inquiring about work. Eastman suggested he work as a back stagehand for the Garry Moore Show to be produced at Nora Mayo Hall – so he did.
One evening Eastman told him he should attend a Moore Show cast party to be held at LaMond’s Restaurant on Cypress Gardens Road (now Boulevard). He did so reluctantly and soon found the group socializing, dancing, and having a great time. As the evening progressed, he noticed one young woman standing off alone, so he asked her to dance. Little did he know that he and Carol Burnett would quickly become good friends.
In fact, they would become such good friends that when the show’s production ended, Burnett used her two-week vacation to stay and enjoy Winter Haven – and Bobby’s company. He offered to teach Burnett to ski and the photo presented below is the result.
Bobby Hiers professed he really didn’t realize Burnett’s star was on the rise. She returned in late summer that year and spent another four weeks in Winter Haven with Hiers as her escort. One local paper would even publish a photo listing Hiers as Burnett’s “boyfriend.”
At the suggestion of Cypress Garden’s founder Dick Pope, Hiers called the Columbia Restaurant in Tampa to make a reservation for he and Carol. Upon arrival, the entire Gonzmart family was on hand to make them feel welcome. Seated off to the side of the dining room, he and Carol enjoyed the evening in relative quiet. Upon asking for the check, the maître d’ informed Hiers that they would not be charging for the dinner as it was an honor to have them dine at the Columbia.
On the way home, Bobby turned to Carol and said, “If I’d known dinner was going to be free, I’d have ordered a margarita!”
Hiers relates that their dates were the result of an honest, straight forward friendship and simply enjoying each other’s company. By year’s end, Burnett and her career were off to new heights, and Hiers moved on.
In 1965 Bobby Hiers met his future wife Beth as they both worked at the New York World’s Fair. He would spend his career modeling for such companies as Piper Aircraft, Hilton Hotels, Maas Brothers, Bell Telephone, Sears, Ryobi, Sea World, Equitable Insurance, Busch Gardens, Crisco, Ford, Johnson Outboard Motors and many, many more. He also made appearances in movies such as “Barracuda”, “Goldfinger”, “Parenthood”, “Edward Sissorhands”, “China Beach”, “Splash II”, and of course, “Easy to Love.” He and his wife lived in Winter Haven where they raised two sons, Chris and Dana.
Not bad for the man that taught Carol Burnett to waterski.
This installment is based a personal interview with Bob Hiers conducted July 10, 2015. Mr. Hiers passed away on October 11, 2017
Garry Moore Show Sidebar: When Winter Haven “Had a Secret” ...
In 1957, “I’ve Got a Secret” (later evolving into “The Garry Moore Show”) was enticed to Winter Haven and broadcast live from the Lake Silver Amphitheater. The event was a promotional alliance with “The Florida Citrus Exposition” as the now-defunct citrus festival was known at the time. The quasi-game show was among the most popular television shows of the late 50s and early 60s.
Moore’s trademark flat top hair-cut and bow tie had made him the popular host of the show. Panel members included Bess Myerson, Betsy Palmer, Henry Morgan, and Marion Lorne.
The show was broadcast live at 10:00 a.m. each day throughout the Citrus Festival. Photo documentation of the events record zany sketches and the prominent involvement of many local leaders including Cypress Gardens founder, Dick Pope, and Exposition Manager, Robert “Bob” Eastman. More than 30 million people across America watched the live broadcast.
The Garry Moore Show returned in 1961 and brought their “new discovery,” a comedian named Carol Burnett. Local restaurant legend, the late Nick Christy named Burnett the most interesting celebrity he had met through the years.
“The Garry Moore Show” was broadcast from the mid 50s until 1967.
Just imagine ... live television from the Lake Silver Amphitheater.
