Glancing At The Stars: Safety Harbor Woman Recounts Her Brushes With Greatness

People often wonder what certain celebrities are really like. 

Are they stuck up elitist snobs who treat ordinary people like gum on the bottom of their shoes, or are they just like you and me, average Joes and Janes who happen to have a talent that makes them famous?

Based on Barbi Glass Kiser’s experiences, the answer is the latter.

The Safety Harbor resident spent a number of years hobnobbing with Hollywood’s upper crust in the late 1980s, and she says that most of the stars she met were extremely cordial, kind and even caring. 

“A few were rude or demanding, but not the ones you’d think,” she said. 

So how did a girl from Alexandria, VA end up drinking margaritas with members of the Doors and being told jokes by John Belushi? Glad you asked… 

Long journey from VA. to L.A.

Kiser, who was then Barbi Glass, was the daughter of a government official; she was born in Austria and lived in Yugoslavia and Iran before settling in the Washington, D.C. area.

Bored with the rural life, she moved to California and went to work with her mother, who was employed by Universal Studios. 

“I moved to L.A. from Alexandria, VA in 1977, and in 1985 I went to work for MCA Home Video doing public relations,” Kiser, who now lives near Marshall Street Park with her husband, Jeff, said. 

“A lot of my work involved planning parties for the stars who had videos coming out on MCA. It was a lot of hard work, but it was a blast.” 

One of Kiser’s earliest brushes with greatness came when she threw a party for the surviving members of the Doors - Ray Manzarek, John Densmore and Robby Krieger. 

To her amazement, the guys she grew up idolizing were some of the kindest, most down-to-earth people she’d ever met. 

Stay connected to your community. Sign up for the free Safety Harbor Patch email newsletter and you won't miss a thing!

“Growing up in Alexandria I listened to the Doors and had their posters on my walls, never expecting to meet them one day,” she said. “Twenty years later I’m eating tacos and drinking margaritas with John Densmore and Ray Manzarek. It was amazing.”

“They were so nice and so kind. John treated me like a member of his family. It was incredible.” 

Kiser had a number of similar encounters with A-listers, including Jimmy Stewart, Jack Lemmon, Arnold Schwarzenneger, Julian Lennon, John Belushi, Donna Mills and Sting.

And nearly every one of them, she recalls, made her feel like she was no different from them. 

“Jimmy Stewart treated me like a granddaughter. Arnold was so nice and sweet. Donna Mills was so unlike her TV character – she was a total sweetheart.”

“It’s really surprising who’s nice and who’s not,” she added. “The one’s who shouldn’t be jerks are the ones who are.” 

Settling in Safety Harbor

Kiser soon grew tired of the L.A. scene and moved back to Virginia, where she reconnected with her high school friend, Jeff; eventually they married, and she moved to Safety Harbor five years ago.

She says she has no regrets about leaving L.A., and she admits that lifestyle can get old pretty quickly. 

“In Hollywood everyone’s playing the game, and I didn’t want to play it anymore,” she said. 

“I love Florida and I love this town,” she added. It’s such a beautiful hidden jewel. I’ll never leave.” 

Her home is now a shrine to those bygone days, filled with photos and albums and mementos from her Hollywood years. 

Not that she misses that life. She knows she’ll always have the memories.

“I remember I got invited to a private party the Doors were hosting at the Whisky A Go-Go for about 20 friends and family,” she recalled. 

“The three of them got up on stage and played a few songs, and my boss turned to me and said, “You’re seeing history.” I was thinking, I can’t believe I’m here. It was an amazing moment.”