The Girl in My Life

As a child Roberts's younger brother Richard lost half his leg in an oil pumping rig by a baseball park Robert saved his brother's life by tying a tourniquet. The people from the girl in my life had seen the news coverage and put his mother on their show. At the age of 17 Robert Vavla enlisted in the USMC and went to MCRD in San Diego CA where he scored expert company high shooter on their rifle ranges. In the 1980s Robert got married and enlisted the US Army. Robert was injured in Operation Desert Storm. SGT Vavla was moved to the USNS Comfort on Feb 24th 1991. He was moved one week later to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC) near Landstuhl, Germany. He was transferred to Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital LA. Robert Vavla was medically discharged in Jan 1992. He lives now in WA State with his wife Beth. Due to his injuries he now disabled and is on heavy pain medication he volunteers his time to sportsman and vets with disabilities and his 2 Dachshunds Mikie and Nickel.

I was also a contestant on this show when I was 9 years old. My guest silhouette was Danny Bonaduce dressed in a clown costume-----I had thrown a neighborhood carnival for my 9th birthday to raise money for muscular dystrophy, hence the reason for the clown suit and my appearance on the show. I didn't have any idea they were talking about me until Fred came and got me out of the audience to go onstage. I really don't remember much about it, but I was the talk at school when everyone found out I was kissed on the cheek by Danny Bonaduce......and I got to go to the soundstage for a day with the Partridge Family! I also would LOVE to show this to my kids. They would get a HUGE kick out of it. If anyone ever finds a copy of the show, please list here--although Wikipedia states that the footage appears to be "lost". Thanks! :-)

I was a guest on this TV show back in 1975. The show re-united me and my sisters after 17 years of separation. We 5 girls were placed in an orphanage in 1958 and left there by our father. My 2 youngest sisters were adopted (by the same family). We remaining 3 stayed in the orphanage until we were 18. We were in the Indiana Soldiers and Sailors Children's Home in Knightstown, Indiana. In 1975, we were united on national television!! What a fantastic moment for 5 little orphans.

Unfortunately, we did not tape the show. If anyone out there would have a taping of this show, I will be most happy to hear from you.

Thanks. Mona

I won the biggest prize ever on the show. It was a VW Bug they customized with my name on the side. A bright yellow VW that said "Cindy's Bug" prominently on the side! They flew my sister to L.A. from Detroit after judging her letter "Show worthy and/or good TV" for that year. It was a complete surprise to me and my mom got me to the studio on the pretext of possibly meeting David Carradine. At that time I would have jumped off a pier just to swim where David Carradine fished! The show usually ended up as a "tear jerker" and this one followed tradition. Fred Holliday was cheerful and debonair as he asked "Would you like to take a trip down memory lane?" Wow, I was still looking for David and why did this guy think I had some memories? I didn't have any idea that it was my sister in silhouette on the stage reading that heartfelt letter about me, nor did I identify her voice (It didn't sound like David). I was completely overhauled when I heard "My name is Nancy, Cindy is my sister".

I can't remember how I was duped into going to the studio, but it was a complete surprise when they came down to the audience and brought me up on stage. I was one if the organizers of a group that was planning a wagon train across the US to celebrate the bicentennial. I had also written a theme song for the group. Anyway, I would kill for a copy of the show but, apparently, the masters were lost.