A celebrity encounter with actor Claude Rains, who once lived in West Chester, left a lasting mark on a man whose family owned a small inn in the Pocono Mountains in the 1950s and early 1960s, writes John Kelly for The Washington Post. 

Watson Bullock first met the popular actor when he arrived at the inn, looking for a quiet place to spend the honeymoon with his sixth — and final — wife Rosemary. 

“I was too young to be aware of his distinguished career, but his hair still had traces of dye from his most recent picture, The Lost World,” recalled Watson. Rains’ stardom cemented in the 1940s and continued until his death in 1967.

At the time, the young Watson was most impressed by the classic Mercedes-Benz 300SL roadster Rains was driving. 

“He let me start it and move it away from an overflowing gutter during a heavy rain,” said Watson. 

The actor liked it there so much he continued to visit the inn throughout the years. In the process, becoming a friend of Watson’s mother. 

“I’ll always remember that Claude Rains drove up from his home in West Chester to pay his respects at her funeral,” he said. 

Read more about Claude Rains in The Washington Post.

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Editor’s Note: This post first appeared on VISTA Today in July 2023.