John Kelly, writing for The Washington Post, describes how a guy whose family ran a modest inn in the Pocono Mountains in the 1950s and early 1960s was profoundly impacted by a celebrity encounter with actor Claude Rains, who had previously resided in West Chester. Rains had been a resident of West Chester.
At the time when Watson Bullock arrived at the inn, he was looking for a peaceful spot to spend his honeymoon with Rosemary, his sixth and final wife. It was there that he first encountered the well-known actor.
Watson noted that he was too young to be aware of his famous career, but his hair still had traces of dye from his most recent film, The Lost World. “I was too young to be aware of his distinguished career.” The decade of the 1940s marked the beginning of Rains’ rise to fame, which lasted until his passing in 1967.
The antique Mercedes-Benz 300SL roadster that Rains was driving was the thing that left the young Watson the most enthralled at the moment.
Watson stated, “He allowed me to start it and move it away from an overflowing gutter while it was raining heavily throughout the day.”
Over the course of his career, the actor made numerous trips to the inn since he enjoyed his time there so much. As a result of this, Watson’s mother eventually became a friend of mine.
The fact that Claude Rains traveled all the way from his home in West Chester to attend her funeral and offer his respects is something that he will never forget, he added.
