Lucille Safford and her husband, Melvin, worked for my family for many years in Charlotte, N.C.—she as a housekeeper, he as a yardman. Lucille and Melvin were featured in one of my first films, Backyard, and also made appearances in Time Indefinite. One summer, Lucille announced that she and Melvin were headed to New York to do some singing, and I asked if I could tag along…