Ed McMahon's Bakersfield pal

Ed McMahon, the late-night sidekick of talk show legend Johnny Carson, had a Bakersfield connection — a friend who went way back with him and Carson all the way to the early 1960s.

McMahon, who died Tuesday at age 86, told the story of his first meeting with this platonic lady friend in his 2005 memoir about "The Tonight Show," titled "Here's Johnny!"

McMahon and the recently divorced talk-show host were having a drink at Sardi's in New York City. It must have been mid-1963, because "The Tonight Show" had just wrapped up its first season on the air with Carson as its star.

Carson noticed a pretty young woman across the bar who was smiling at him. According to McMahon, she was a wholesome-looking girl with "sandy blond hair" and "cheeks like red delicious apples." McMahon said she had the sort of look that might have deserved the Miss Sunflower title at the Nebraska State Fair.

Carson asked McMahon to invite her over to their table. Her name was Linda, she said, and she was from "just outside" of Bakersfield. Carson most definitely remembered the place, having performed at least one less-than-successful gig at the legendary Maisson Jaussaud's (now Golden West Casino).

After a few minutes of chat, Linda turned toward the door, where a young man had just walked in -- Stan, her date. More introductions were made and then the friendly young couple departed -- but not before Linda called McMahon "Skitch," mixing him up with the show's musical director, Skitch Henderson. Ouch.

"Linda" eventually became reacquainted with Carson and McMahon in Los Angeles, and they were friends for decades. I know this because, when I first recounted this story in a 2005 column in The Bakersfield Californian, I asked readers to help me locate her: "I'm putting out an all-points bulletin: Who was this wholesome-looking Linda from Bakersfield and where is she now?"

Well, "Linda" called and filled me in on the rest of the story. She became CEO of a major real estate association in Los Angeles, as I recall, and actually had some business dealings with Carson. And her name was not actually Linda. But, dummy that I am, I didn't write down any of the details. Like her name.

So, once again: Who was this wholesome-looking Linda from Bakersfield and where is she now? I think I know, but I'm just not certain.