Teenage Journalist's Hilarious Prank Calls to Cary Grant and Lucille Ball

In his recently published memoir "The Uncool," filmmaker Cameron Crowe looks back on the night he prank called legendary Hollywood actors Cary Grant and Lucille Ball. As a teenager, Crowe obtained the private phone numbers of the stars from a friend and decided to pull off the mischievous stunt.

When Crowe dialed Grant's number, the "His Girl Friday" actor answered the phone in his iconic manner. Undeterred, Crowe adopted the persona of a "drunken drug dealer/street character" and attempted to catch Grant off guard. However, the seasoned actor simply responded with "delicious good humor," calmly engaging with Crowe's increasingly outlandish tactics. Ultimately, Grant had "vanquished" the young prankster without even breaking a sweat.

Crowe's encounter with Lucille Ball did not go as smoothly. Pretending to be a hotel staff member, Crowe informed the "I Love Lucy" star that he had found her purse. But the legendary comedienne was not amused, angrily shouting "Don't call me again, you A--HOLE" before forcefully hanging up the phone.

Looking back, Crowe fondly remembers his brief but memorable interactions with the two Hollywood icons, admiring Grant's quick wit and Ball's authentic delivery of the expletive.