Have you ever said anything so stupid it still makes you wince 30 years later?

You don't have to answer that. But I'll tell you my story.

Once in the mid-1980s, I had gone to The Peabody Hotel in Memphis to interview Tennessee's own Dinah Shore. She was promoting a cookbook.

My editor wanted me to ask her a bunch of dumbass questions about her relationship with Burt Reynolds. I brought it up halfheartedly and when she declined to dish any dirt, I moved on.

One thing that impressed me about her was just how great she looked for a woman her age. She really did look fabulous.

And so, for some inexplicable reason, I mentioned having seen her a few nights earlier in an old movie. I can't recall how I worded it, but I might as well have said "Boy, you were quite the babe way back when."

As I'm sure you realize, that's not something a gentleman says to a lady of a certain age.

As I recall, she was totally gracious about it.

I have a copy of that cookbook on a shelf in the room where I get dressed. And sometimes, when it happens to catch my eye, I recall my crass "compliment" and wince.

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