Romancing the grown

Lolita Harper

Frank Darlow is a man on the prowl, and women are just dying to meet

him, he said.

The light-hearted, outgoing mortician was the lucky bachelor in a

pre-Valentine’s Day affair Thursday at Maggiano’s Little Italy in

Costa Mesa.

“Don’t let the gray hair fool you,” Darlow said. “I still like to

chase women. It’s just after I catch them, I can’t remember what I’m

supposed to do with them.”

That morning, however, the tables were turned. Nearly a dozen

women were in hot pursuit of Darlow. The 74-year-old Costa Mesa

resident had his pick of 11 bachelorettes, between the ages of 70 and

80, with whom to dine.

Beautiful, sharp, well-dressed women lined the booths at the South

Coast Plaza eatery, chatting it up while waiting for their personal

interview with Darlow. After three-minute sessions with each woman,

he picked his match.

The winner was announced by host and dating game organizer Frank

Groff, who kept his audience in suspense before revealing the name of

the lucky lady.

“I know you guys are all waiting for the action,” he began.

“I didn’t know we were going to get any action,” said one of the

women in the audience. Her comment was met with laughs.

“He was crazy about all of you, and it practically came down to a

game of eenie-meenie-miney-moe,” Groff said.

With a long-stem red rose in hand, Darlow walked over to Donna O’

Keefe and presented it to her.

She smiled, accepted the flower and stood up to meet her beau, who

was already retreating.

“Now, don’t you go anywhere, Frank,” she teased.

The two stood together and smiled, holding each other around the

waist while the rest of the women filed out of the restaurant -- but

not empty-handed. Each participant won a gift certificate to

Maggiano’s for their sportsmanship.

Forever the bachelor, Darlow reassured the other women they were

lovely and that he struggled to make a final decision.

“Don’t think you were neglected,” he told Barbara Wilson of

Newport Beach as she walked out of the dining room. “I just shuffled

around all the papers and put my finger on one.”

O’Keefe, a Seal Beach resident, had a slightly different theory

about her triumph.

O’Keefe said it was her appearance and personality she thought put

her over the top. Her look was indeed striking, as the attractive

70-year-old wore a bright orange wraparound dress with a large-brim

orange hat to match. Decorating the hat was a large orange ribbon.

Just under its rim hung bold gold earrings in the shape of fish.

“I’m very off-beat and a little over-the-edge,” O’Keefe said.

Her distinct characteristics made her the perfect match for the

clown/mortician, she said.

“We are both very outgoing and love to have a good time,” she

said.

Somewhere between the two versions lies the truth. While Darlow

was mulling over his choice in a secluded booth with Groff, he said

he liked O’Keefe because she told him she would like to spend time

with him.

“You like her because she showed interest in you?” Groff asked.

“Yeah, I think so,” Darlow answered.

O’Keefe said she “just winged” her interview and couldn’t recall

the comment that had won Darlow’s affection.

“I don’t even remember saying that,” she said.

* LOLITA HARPER writes columns Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and

covers culture and the arts. She may be reached at (949) 574-4275 or

by e-mail at lolita.harper@latimes.com.