McCook wasn’t the first celeb to inhabit his spacious digs. “Dinah Shore and Danny Kaye were here when they were doing their TV shows,” he recalls. “I found this worn-out desk chair in the hall one day, ready to be tossed. It turned out to be Tim Conway’s, so I had it redone. Now, Tim’s coming back here to do a new television show. If it goes beyond 13 weeks. I’ll wrap the chair up and send it back to him”. Other furnishings include an antique desk and sideboard. “ I put some wood in here to warm up the place; it was all chrome and mirrors. I like leather furniture, but mine is more contemporary than I prefer.”
A piano at the workplace was a must for McCook. “I’ll play sometimes to relax or, if I’m in a musical, I’ll practice here. We’ve also used it over the years to run through songs for B&B.” Because McCook’s room is adjacent to the stage, his co-stars inevitably congregate there during down time. “Susan Flannery [Stephanie] and I spend hours together in here, running lines. Everybody usually comes in and hangs out at one time or another.”
“I loved Red Skelton and watched his variety show as a child..” says McCook of the late comic. “A few years back, I saw this picture stuck up for some event and I stole it.” In addition to plenty of family photos, McCook prominently displays posters of musicals he’s starred in over the years. “I don’t have posters of shows I’ve done in my home. But this is the place for it because here, I’m in show business. Sometimes I forget that my career is steeped in musical theater and that’s why I keep his stuff here, to remind me.”
Soap Opera Digest, 05/09/00