Can’t Hurry Love

Can’t Hurry Love’s Annie (Nancy McKeon) and Didi (Mariska Hargitay), coming up short for cab fare, rummage through the seats for spare change and come across Elizabeth’s pearl necklace. Believing it to be a fake, they offer it to the cab driver along with the few dollars they do have as payment, but he refuses to accept it. Later, Annie, still thinking the pearls are worthless, decides to wear the necklace to the policeman’s ball. Her friends learn on TV that they’re actually the missing $300,000 black pearls on loan to Elizabeth and rush to the ball to tell her. But they’re too late. Annie lost them while dancing the “whirling Carlucci” and, unbeknownst to her, a waiter slips them into his pocket.

Later still, when Annie and Didi are in a department store trying on clothes, they hear an announcement inviting customers to drop by the cosmetics counter to meet Elizabeth Taylor, who is making an in-store appearance to introduce her new fragrance. “What do you know, I’ve always wanted to meet her,” says Didi. Annie, however, wants to steer clear: “we are not going within spritzing distance of that woman.” “Oh, Annie, would you relax. It’s not as if Elizabeth Taylor knows you’re the one who lost her $300,000 pearl necklace.”

Little do they know that Elizabeth, who is in the dressing room next to them, overhears everything. Annie explains to Elizabeth what happened and confesses that it was Didi who thought they were fake. “I took them out of the backseat of a cab,” explains Didi. “What, I’m supposed to rub them against my teeth?” Elizabeth, exasperated by this point, says, “I keep cheating death to meet people like this.” Annie apologizes and Elizabeth eventually forgives.

“Wow,” says Didi, after Elizabeth has turned to make her departure. “I wish I had just an ounce of her class.” “Well, now you can, with my fabulous new perfume available at fine stores everywhere,” Elizabeth says, handing them a sample of Black Pearls with a flourish. Didi suggests Annie wear the fragrance on her next date with her policeman. Annie fills in an intrigued Elizabeth, who imparts some sage advice: “Honey, whatever you do, don’t marry him.”

Annie and Didi may be off the hook, but Pearl Search ‘96 is still underway.