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Welcome to Season 3!
Sharon and Susan kick off a new season with Jennifer Keishan Armstrong, the New York Times bestselling author of Seinfeldia: How a Show about Nothing Changed Everything, When Women Invented Television, Sex and the City and Us, and Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted.
Jennifer writes about entertainment and pop culture for the New York Times Book Review, Fast Company, Vulture, BBC Culture, and Entertainment Weekly. Her latest book So Fetch: The Making of Mean Girls (And Why We're Still So Obsessed with It) was published this year.
In this fascinating interview, Jennifer takes us behind the scenes with four different women who, in their own ways, invented television: Irma Phillips, Hazel Scott, Gertrude Berg -- and Betty White. Each of them faced sexism -- and racism -- but triumphed during a time when opportunities for women in television were limited -- but strangely also more open than you may think….
THE CONVERSATION
How The Mary Tyler Moore Show gave a voice to women everywhere when they gave a voice to a host of female TV writers.The Oprah of the 1950’s was… Gertrude Berg?The Beyoncé of the 1940s was... reknowned Black jazz pianist, Hazel Scott.Find out how Scott became the first Black person to host a national primetime television show -- in 1950.The character of Suanne Nivens that Betty White played on The Mary Tyler Moore Show was based on a woman who did a LIVE Homemaking Show played by… Betty White!Irma Phillips was asked to make something that would appeal to women -- so she invented the Soap Opera.Phillips created As The World Turns -- AND the longest running show of all time, The Guiding Light.Gertrude Berg’s ground-breaking sitcom about a Jewish family -- The Goldbergs -- was so successful that it was considered to be the lead-in for a new, untested show that might need some help -- I Love Lucy.Why was 1955 the death knell of women working in television -- both in front of AND behind the camera?According to network executives in 1969, what were the THREE THINGS Americans didn’t want to see on television?How The Mary Tyler Moore Show made Ed Asner a feminist.So join Susan and Sharon -- and Jennifer -- as they talk “fat farms”, Mean Girls, the Black List, Seinfeld, Tina Fey, Shonda Rhimes, Father Knows Best -- and “On Wednesdays we wear pink”!
AUDIO-OGRAPHY
Find Jennifer Keishan Armstrong at her website, jenniferkarmstrong.com.
Buy The Women Who Invented Television (and all Jennifer’s books) at Bookshop.org.
Find Jennifer on Instagram.
Find Women Who Invented Television at YouTube:
Watch The Betty White Show (1954)
Watch Betty White in her sitcom, Life with Elizabeth.
Learn more about Hazel Scott.
The Goldbergs with Gertrude Berg, Episode: “A Sad Day”
Check out an Irma Phillips episode of The Guiding Light (1952).
CONNECT
Visit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.
Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.
Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON.
VOTE
We're NOMINATED for Best Film & TV Podcast.
Please VOTE for 80s TV Ladies at Women in Podcasting Awards.
REMEMBER: Register or Check your US Election Registration at Vote.org
This year is the 45th anniversary of President Carter's Crisis of Confidence speech. Get Susan’s new play about it: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing. -
In this special bonus episode, Susan, Sharon and Melissa spill a few secrets about our upcoming season and fun guests coming soon to 80s TV Ladies. Can you guess what female-driven television shows from the 1980s we’ll be covering in our upcoming season?
THE CONVERSATION
Do we know what we did this summer? How was your summer?What is that feeling in the air? Is it hope?!! Are you ready to Vote?Does Melissa even want to talk about her summer?Okay, for real: what shows are we gonna cover in Season THREE?!Can you guess the shows?The Vickie Lawrence-starring, Carol Burnett Show spin-off sitcom, Mama’s Family.You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have… The Facts of Life.Yes! And finally yes: The Golden Girls!What are the recurring themes we are discovering through Season 1 and 2 interviews?Yes, there will be more special series guests this season: More Director Ladies, Star Trek Ladies, Stunt Ladies and more surprises!So join us as we spill Season Three secrets about what guests we will for sure be talking to: like Mama’s Family’s Dorothy Lyman and Eric Brown, women in television expert and pop-culture author, Jennifer Keishan Armstrong. And can you guess who will be our very special guest from The Golden Girls?
AUDIO-OGRAPHY
Read about our first guest for Season 3: Jennifer Keishan Armstrong at jenniferkarmstrong.com
Get info on Jennifer’s books and prep for episode 301:
Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted: And all the Brilliant Minds Who Made The Mary Tyler Moore Show a Classic at Jennifer's website. When Women Invented Television by Jennifer Keishan Armstrong at Bookshop. At Barnes & Noble. At Amazon.CONNECT
Visit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.
Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.
Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON.
VOTE
We're NOMINATED for Best Entertainment Podcast. Please VOTE for 80s TV Ladies in the Entertainment category at Women in Podcasting Awards.
REMEMBER: Register or Check your US Election Registration at Vote.org
This year is the 45th anniversary of President Carter's Crisis of Confidence speech. Get Susan’s new play about it: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing. -
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BONUS: Check out this exciting encore episode from Season 1: Part TWO of our interview with true show business icon and classic 8os TV Lady -- “Remington Steele’s” one-and-only Laura Holt -- Stephanie Zimbalist.
In a career spanning six decades, Stephanie has performed on stage and screen with everyone: Alec Baldwin, Walter Matthau, Jessica Tandy, Anthony Hopkins, John Goodman, Patricia Neal, Alfred Molina, Tommy Tune, Jimmy Stewart AND her own father, the legendary Efrem Zimbalist Jr.
Steele Talking: Susan and Sharon continue their interview with the award-winning stage, TV and film actress…
THE CONVERSATION
- Working with her real-life dad – showbiz legend Efrem Zimbalist Jr – How he became a father figure for co-star Pierce Brosnan. (And how he taught Stephanie the secret to “playing drunk”…!)
- Her decades-long friendship with Alec Baldwin.
- When James Stewart was almost on Remington!
- The Amazing Remington Steele Guest Stars, including…
- Paul Reiser – and how Pierce broke up every time he said a line.
- Louie Anderson – and that horse…
- And Beverly Garland – Laura’s mom! (Wait -- were Laura Holt and Amanda King sisters??)
- How she was cast in – but had to quit – ROBOCOP.
- Why she has never gone back to rewatch “Remington Steele.”
- Why “the blood isn’t real on “Remington Steele” -- and how humor on TV has changed…
- How curiosity leads to love.
- New York, noodles – and a “rude awakening” in the theater…
Listen in as Susan, Sharon and Stephanie talk “Moonlighting”, memories and Mary Tyler Moore!
AUDIO-OGRAPHY
Stephanie Zimbalist on Facebook/StephanieZimbalistFanPage.
Steele Watching Podcast w/ Kerry Carlock.
CONNECT
Visit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.
Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.
Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON.
VOTE
We're NOMINATED for Best Film & TV Podcast.
Please VOTE for 80s TV Ladies at Women in Podcasting Awards.
Register or Check your Registration at Vote.org
This is the 45th anniversary of President Carter's Crisis of Confidence speech. Get Susan’s new play about it: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing. -
It's more Summer Reruns. Check out this cool encore episode from Season 1:
Susan and Sharon sit down with a true show business icon and classic 8os TV Lady -- “Remington Steele’s” one-and-only Laura Holt -- Stephanie Zimbalist.
In a career spanning six decades, Stephanie has performed on stage and screen with everyone: Alec Baldwin, Walter Matthau, Jessica Tandy, Anthony Hopkins, John Goodman, Patricia Neal, Alfred Molina, Tommy Tune, Jimmy Stewart AND her own father, the legendary Efrem Zimbalist Jr.
THE CONVERSATION
Growing up Zimbalist: what it’s like to be born into a true show business dynasty.How Stephanie started writing, directing and producing – at the age of seven. How she attended Julliard with friends and classmates Robin Williams and Christopher Reeve -- and then got kicked out!Winning – or not winning – an “Enema” (oh wait -- “Emmy”)A Life in the Theater: performing award-winning roles in classic plays by Shakespeare, Chekhov, Tennessee Williams and more.The gift of making “big choices” on stage – and screen. And the pleasure of refining and reinventing a performance over a long run.Playing Katherine Hepburn in “Tea at Five” – and how she discovered they’re cousins!Turning down the role of Laura Holt three times before finally taking it on.“Backwards and in High Heels” – on water skis! Stephanie takes us through doing her own stunts on “Remington Steele” -- and working with legendary stuntwoman Debbie Evans. Join Susan and Sharon (and Stephanie) as we talk fame, fedoras – and wet-biking in France with Pierce. PLUS -- MORE listener mail!!
AUDIO-OGRAPHY
Stephanie Zimbalist on Facebook/StephanieZimbalistFanPage.
Steele Watching Podcast w/ Kerry Carlock.
Native Land Digital at Native-Land.ca
Read about Land Acknowledgment at LAist.
CONNECT
Visit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.
Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.
Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON.
VOTE
We're NOMINATED for Best Film & TV Podcast. Please VOTE for 80s TV Ladies at Women in Podcasting Awards.
Suppport Kamala Harris for President - KamalaHarris.com
Register or Check your Registration at Vote.org
This is the 45th anniversary of President Carter's Crisis of Confidence speech. Get Susan’s new play about it: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing. -
Encore! Encore! For the summer break, Sharon and Susan take you back to the 80s with reruns, and back to Season 1 with a very special encore presentation of Ep. 119.
Meet the woman behind Mary Beth Lacey. Sharon and Susan are excited and honored to talk with Emmy and Tony Award winning actress and the star of Cagney & Lacey, Tyne Daly. In a career spanning eight decades, Tyne Daly has appeared on stage and screen in over 100 roles in everything from “The Mod Squad” and “Judging Amy” to co-starring with Clint Eastwood in the Dirty Harry film “The Enforcer”.
She has received six Emmy awards – four of them for her outstanding portrayal of Mary Beth Lacey on “Cagney & Lacey.” In this intimate interview, Tyne Daly shares stories of her childhood, barely finishing high school, her early days acting in New York, her eventual move to Los Angeles with then-husband actor/director Georg Stanford Brown -- and a lifetime of acting, politics and poetry.
THE CONVERSATION
How Dustin Hoffman opened the door for “non-perfect” people on film and TV.Coming to California -- and being “done at 21”!How the internet is the death of conversation.The power of words. Doing her early pilots – and hoping they didn’t go!“I Did My Cop” - How Dirty Harry almost kept Tyne from doing “Cagney & Lacey”How Tyne went to the mat for Meg Foster at the end of season one – and almost lost her job for it.What it was like to read with the (many) actresses auditioning to play the third Cagney – and how it felt to hear what the producers said about them when they left the room.Why Tyne hasn’t re-watched the show – and doesn’t want to.Tyne’s idea for a new holiday: Interdependence Day – a day celebrating everything we have in common as a people.Tyne reads the poem “Life While You Wait” by Wisława SzymborskaHow after a lifetime of striving and struggling – as an actress and woman – Tyne sees that certain battles are never over…What's Tyne's one word to explain the 21st century? And what's yours?So join Susan, Sharon – and Tyne -- as they talk Bette Davis, Angela Lansbury, Jimmy Stewart, “Colleagues with penises” and “Lining up with the pigs”!
AUDIOGRAPHY
Keep up with Tyne Daly at Tynedalyonline.com
Visit the Official Cagney & Lacey Facebook page.
Tyne Daly’s Official Facebook page.
WHERE TO WATCH
Cagney & Lacey on Roku.
The Bread Factory, Part 1 and Part 2 - Stream it for free using your library card or university log-in at Kanopy.com
On Apple TV.
BOOKS
Remembering Cagney & Lacey with Sharon Gless & Tyne Daly by Brian McFadden
Poems New and Collected by Wisława Szymborska
The New Handbook for a Post Roe America by Robin Marty
CONNECT
Visit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.
Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.
Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON.
VOTE
VOTE for us at the PodcastAwards.com
Suppport Kamala Harris for President - KamalaHarris.com
Register or Check your Registration at Vote.org
It's the 45th anniversary of President Carter's Crisis of Confidence speech. Get Susan’s new play about it: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing. -
"One of the things I love about looking back at 80s television is you get to see some early and amazing young stars and very exciting stunt casting."
It's Guest Stars Galore on 80s TV Ladies! We're taking a nostalgic trip back to the iconic 80s sitcom "A Different World." Susan and Sharon debate -- and celebrate -- the amazing roster of guest stars that walked the halls of Hillman College during the six seasons of A Different World. As one of the only black-centered shows of its time, A Different World was in many ways “the only game in town” for a certain generation of black performers, and under show-runner Debbie Allen it became a real showcase for black celebrities who -- even in the 80’s and 90’s -- didn’t have as many opportunities when it came to network television exposure.
Legendary performers—such as Lena Horne, Josephine Premice, Patti LaBelle, Diahann Carroll, Robert Guillaume, Gladys Knight—and modern stars like Whoopi Goldberg, Raven Symone, Halle Berry… and Tupac Shakur—found a spotlight. Susan and Sharon get out their red pens and grade books and fight it out, narrowing down who will finally be “Best in Class” -- The Top Ten Guest Stars of A Different World!
THE CONVERSATION
THE TOP TWO: How Patti LaBelle and Diahann Carroll are so hilarious -- and perfectly cast -- as the moms of Dwayne and Whitley: two parents from very “different worlds”.Whoopi Goldberg was the secret weapon that allowed the show to do an “AIDS Episode” (“If I Should Die Before I Wake” S4; EP23). Once she signed on, the network couldn’t say no. It became the highest rated episode of the season.Josephine Premice played the art dealer that Whitley works for in S4 -- and is the mother of writer/showrunner Susan Fales-Hill! (She later plays Dwayne and Whitley’s landlord in S6!)The beautiful Billy Dee Williams plays a former baseball player (S6; EP23) who decides to finish college -- and ends up in the classroom of his old flame: Leslie Uggams!But is it a true 80s TV Ladies show? Sharon calls out showrunner Debbie Allen. She directed 83 episodes of the show (104 were directed by women) and steered it through most of its run.Jennifer Lewis -- as Dean Dorothy Dandridge Davidson -- hits the heights in the Lena Horne Episode -- “A Rock, A River, A Lena” (S6; E22)Susan calls out Gladys Knight in “Three Girls Three” (S2; EP5) -- a classic 80’s stunt casting coup that is everything you want it to be!Can you believe it? Susan also loves a very “guy-centric” episode: “Citizen Wayne” (S2; EP21) -- starring Jesse Jackson. But this isn’t on Sharon’s list for reasons…Who are the TWO GUEST STARS who get cut from the list? One is a guy… And one is… ALSO A GUY!So -- join Susan and Sharon as they talk Brian’s Song, Kris Kross, Tisha Campbell, high-kicks, the “Evolution of Whitley,” Gilbert Gottfried, “checking the gate” -- and showering with Blair Underwear (we mean Under-wood!).
AUDIOGRAPHY
Find out more about “A Different World College Tour 2024” at adwtour.com.
Read about Whoopi Goldberg and the A Different World AIDS episode at Hollywood Reporter.
Read an oral history of A Different World in Vanity Fair.
Watch A Different World -- streaming on MAX.
Find out more about A Different World at the official Facebook page.
Check out Tammy at the true-crime podcast: Grits with a Side of Murder.
Sign up to nominate 80s TV Ladies for a Podcast Award! Go here to sign up & nominate us.We're in the running for Best TV & Film and Best Female Hosted podcast!
PS - You can also vote in other categories for our pals at Richard Hatem's Paranormal Bookshelf, SoCal Voices and Grits With a Side of Murder!
CONNECT
Visit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.
Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Check out Instagram/80sTVLadies.
Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON.
Find more cool podcasts on our host sight, Weirding Way Media.
It's the 45th anniversary of President Carter's Crisis of Confidence speech. Get Susan’s new play about it: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing. -
The 90s TV Babies are back to examine the 80s sensation A Different World!
Serita Fontanesi, Sergio Perez and Megan Ruble signed up for classes at Hillman College TV. But now it’s time for finals. This will ALL be on the test. Professors Lambert and Johnson assigned these episodes to watch:
S1: E1 -- “Pilot”
S2: E1 -- “Dr. War Is Hell”
S2: E20 -- “No Means No”
S6: E9 & 10 -- “Faith, Hope and Charity: Part One and Two”
So -- will the Babies return for another semester at Hillman College? Or will they drop out? Find out -- right now!
THE CONVERSATION
PREGNANCY ROULETTE: Serita is stunned by how much “pee” is involved in getting pregnant.Megan knew nothing about A Different World -- had never seen a single episode.Sergio has binged all of Seasons 1 & 2 - and helped Susan and Sharon create social media for the podcast.For Serita, A Different World has been a part of her TV life pretty much since she was born. She’s seen the whole series, front to back, multiple times.The Babies know OF “The Cosby Show” -- but none of them ever watched it!SERGIO THE RULE-BREAKER: As a little kid he watched Nick-at-Night even though he wasn’t supposed to.Megan LOVED A Different World -- and was surprised by how much the show CHANGED every season…SERITA’S HOT TAKE: You can skip Season One -- the “Lisa Bonet” Season. Sergio disagrees.Serita calls out how grounded the show is -- while still having “wacky” episodes tossed in for spice!Sergio: “Can we please go back to TV shows with 23 episodes a season -- not 8?!?”Do Megan and Sergio agree about Jaleesa and her storyline?Serita’s favorite character is Whitley -- but she relates the most to Kim.Does this show need a reboot?NO MEANS NO: Megan thought the episode about sexual assault was excellent and totally on-point -- except for one key moment…So, join Susan, Sharon -- and Serita, Sergio and Megan -- as they talk Patti LaBelle, Diahann Carroll, AIDS, is it feminist and is it progressive? -- and all the ways to say “Shut Up!
AUDIOGRAPHY
Watch A Different World -- streaming on MAX.
Check out Tammy at the true-crime podcast: Grits with a Side of Murder.
Check out Serita’s podcast “Not Ugly Pod”.
Find out about Megan’s “Shakespeare By The Sea” at Shakespearebythesea.org
Find out about Sergio’s production of “CinderAlice” at tinyurl.com/cinderalice.
NOMINATE US FOR A PODCAST AWARD 2024
You can help us win. We need your vote. Nominate 80s TV Ladies for a Podcast Award! Go here to register & nominate us. We're in the running for Best TV & Film and Best Female Hosted podcast!
PS - You can also vote in other categories for our pals at Richard Hatem's Paranormal Bookshelf, SoCal Voices and Grits With a Side of Murder!
CONNECT
Visit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts and more.
Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.
Check out Instagram/80sTVLadies.
Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON.
Find more cool podcasts at our host sight, Weirding Way Media. -
“A lot of production companies… who decide to do stories about people of color are not used to having the people of color they hire coming in with an opinion. Coming in contradicting them on certain things.” -- Neema Barnette, director, A Different World
Susan and Sharon welcome legendary producer-director Neema Barnette to talk about her journey from Harlem to Hollywood. Ms. Barnette made history in 1986 when she became the first African-American woman to direct a prime-time sitcom (What’s Happening Now?). She followed this up with episodes of Frank’s Place, It’s A Living and The Cosby Show before directing seven episodes of A Different World. She has directed over 50 movies and television shows and was also the first African-American woman to get a three-picture deal with Sony Pictures.
Neema was also the producer-director of Season One of Ava DuVernay and Oprah Winfrey’s Queen Sugar. She shares stories of making the transition from New York theater to Hollywood films and television, fighting the good fight for herself and others, and inspiring a new generation -- with the truth.
THE CONVERSATION
Head of Columbia Pictures Barbara Corday took one look at Neema’s reel and said “Get this woman a job!”“I’ve had two jobs in my life. Directing and teaching. And they have a lot of similarities. ‘Sit down. Shut up. Move over.’Supportive words from the great Shirley Hemphill on the ground-breaking episode of What’s Happening Now?: “We’ve got your back.”IN THE 60s: Getting Sherman’s BBQ and going to the Apollo from noon to midnight to see everyone -- especially Aretha Franklin.The troubles and battles with Ron Howard, Brian Grazer and National Geographic during the making of Genius: Aretha.“When I was in college, I took a course called ‘Strategies For Revolution’. I took that course and I applied it when I came to Hollywood.”Directing The Cosby Show -- in the episode where Bill gets pregnant!Working with Tyra Ferrell, Mare Winningham, Rosilyn Heller and Gloria Steinem on Better Off Dead.Getting pulled away from teaching to do Queen Sugar. “The ratings came out and I started getting calls.”How Ava DuVernay changed the landscape of television by hiring only women directors on Queen Sugar -- and supporting their careers ongoing.So, join Susan, Sharon -- and Neema -- as they talk Michael B. Jordan, Superfly, The Young Lords, Queen Latifah, Seventh Heaven, Pam Grier -- and “Cut--print that sucker!”
AUDIOGRAPHY
Watch A Different World -- streaming on MAX.
Find Neema Barnette at instagram.com/neemafilms. On Twitter https://x.com/neemrick
Watch Neema’s mini-docs on BlackHistoryMiniDocs.com.
Check out Tammy at the true-crime podcast: Grits with a Side of Murder.
Get & read Susan’s new play Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing.
Abortion access in America is severely limited – Help or Get Help at AbortionFinder.org.
CONNECT
Visit 80sTVLadies.com for more.
Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.
Check out Instagram/80sTVLadies.
Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON.
Find more cool podcasts at our host sight, Weirding Way Media. -
“You can be anything you want in this world, darling. But if you become an actress or a nun, I’ll kill myself.” -- legendary actress Josephine Premice to her daughter, writer/producer Susan Fales-Hill.
Susan and Sharon welcome writer and showrunner Susan Fales-Hill as they continue their look back at the classic 80’s comedy series A Different World. Ms. Fales-Hill’s writing career began on The Cosby Show and continued on A Different World where she rose from story editor all the way to executive producer during the course of the show’s seven-year run. Content Warning: Sexual Assault/Child Sexual Abuse. At approx. 53:00 - 58:00 short discussion of date rape and child sexual assault.
Susan Fales-Hill is currently writer/executive producer on HBO’s Sex And The City sequel series And Just Like That. She is also the author of four books including her memoir "Always Wear Joy." Susan shares stories of growing up bi-racial in a show biz legacy family, how comedy comes from pain, and the help (and hinderances) she got from men, women and people of color along the way…
THE CONVERSATION
Being Whitley Gilbert’s alter ego: “She said a lot of the things I wanted to say -- but was too polite!"FINDING YOUR VOICE: Susan reflects on learning how to speak up in a writer’s room even though she was the youngest, newest writer -- and a woman.GO WEST YOUNG WOMAN: The “Big Move” from The Cosby Show in New York to A Different World in Los Angeles.THE IMPORTANCE OF A NEW POT: Sometimes you have to "re-plant" yourself to grow.HOW DO YOU SOLVE A PROBLEM LIKE MARISA? The challenge of featuring a white character attending an HBCU.JUST A TIME SLOT SUCCESS? Some people grumbled that ADW only succeeded because it followed the massive hit The Cosby Show.How Debbie Allen insisted the show be topical -- and the surprise when Bill Cosby agreed.The story of how Susan personally got Diahann Carroll to be on the show.Being told by her agents after running a Top Ten show: “We can’t get you on a white show.”On the joy of casting your own mom -- singer, dancer, actress Josephine Premice.Susan reflects on which “issue” episodes worked -- and which ones maybe missed the mark (looking at you, Los Angeles Uprising…)The network was adamantly opposed to the “Los Angeles Uprising” episodes -- and some believe it signed the shows death warrant.So, join Susan, Sharon -- and Susan -- as they talk pig noses, possible spin-offs, Billy Dee Williams, The Amistad, “Benevolent Karens”, Jennifer Lewis… and the danger of saying “shut up” to your mom!
AUDIOGRAPHY
Watch A Different World -- streaming on MAX.
Watch the classic 2-part Thanksgiving Episode “Faith, Hope & Charity” (S6; EP 9 & 10) -- with Diahann Carroll AND Patti LaBelle! on HBO Max.
Get Susan Fales-Hill’s books and find out about all her projects at SusanFales-Hill.com.
Watch Susan Fales-Hill “In Praise of Complexity” at the Met Museum "Met Speaks".
CONNECT
Visit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts and more.
Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.
Check out Instagram/80sTVLadies.
Support our show and get ad-free episodes on PATREON.
Find more cool podcasts at our host sight, Weirding Way Media. -
Sharon and Susan begin an all-new series of episodes looking at the groundbreaking 80s sitcom A Different World (1987-1993). This Cosby Show spin-off starred Lisa Bonet, Kadeem Hardison, Jasmine Guy, Charnele Brown, Dawn Lewis and Marissa Tomei. It explored the lives of students at Hillman College, a fictional HBCU, and addressed issues such as race, sexual assault, HIV/AIDS and equal rights while still keeping the laughs coming. In 1988, Lisa Bonet and Marissa Tomei left the show and a new showrunner was brought on -- the legendary actress, producer, director and choreographer Debbie Allen.
To help kick off this in-depth look at A Different World, we welcome A Different World fan and amazing “2020s TV Lady” -- writer, producer and author Niceole Levy. Niceole’s numerous TV writing/producing credits include Cloak and Dagger, Shades of Blue, SWAT, The Recruit and Found. She is the co-writer, along with George Nolfi, of the 2020 feature film The Banker. She has also written a book for aspiring TV writers called "The Writer’s Room Survival Guide."
THE CONVERSATION
80s TV made marriage look easy and fun -- cuz the couples were usually crime solving millionaires!How watching every syndicated show on TV -- Perry Mason, I Love Lucy, Marcus Welby, Dick Van Dyke Show, Ironside -- prepares you for a life of TV writing.Everything retro is new again: Getting that first gig -- with Blair Underwood -- on the 2013 re-boot of Ironside!Niceole’s advice for getting into TV and film -- DON’T GO TO FILM SCHOOL!For Niceole -- and so many others -- A Different World’s Hillman College was her first exposure to an HBCU.RUN THE NUMBERS: 20 of the 47 writers on ADW were women!SEASON 2 RE-SET: How the addition of show-runner Debbie Allen re-ignited the series with a new sense of excitement and vitality.A DIFFERENT LOOK -- How A Different World achieved a bigger, more expansive look than other sitcoms of the time.So, join Susan, Sharon -- and Niceole -- as they talk Miami Vice, watching 1,000 television shows, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,keeping a TV journal, Boyz II Men, dancing with Kamala Harris, scheduling your life around a TV show -- and the importance of not messing up the lunch order!
AUDIOGRAPHY
Watch A Different World -- streaming on MAX.
Find out about Niceole at niceolelevy.com.
Read her “What I Learned Watching 1,000 Television Shows” here.
Buy Niceole Levy’s book "The Writer’s Room Survival Guide" at Bookshop.org.
Get Susan’s President Carter play Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing.
Help Abortion Access at Abortionfinder.org.
CONNECT
Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.
Follow 8TL on Facebook.Check out Instagram/80sTVLadies.
Get ad-free episodes and exclusive videos on PATREON.
Find more cool podcasts at our host sight, Weirding Way Media. -
“I was quite set on theater. I was going to go out to Los Angeles for one year -- and that was it. Then I was going to go back to New York and devote myself to the theater. It didn’t work out that way.” -- Jan Eliasberg
80s TV Ladies "Director Ladies" series continues as Susan and Sharon welcome legendary director Jan Eliasberg. Jan began her television director career in the 1980s with an episode of Cagney & Lacey -- and she went on to be the first female director ever on Miami Vice, Crime Story and 21 Jump Street. She has also directed episodes of Dirty Dancing, L.A. Law, Dawson’s Creek, Party of Five, Sisters, Parenthood, Nashville, Supernatural, Bull and NCIS: Los Angeles. Jan recently published her first novel, Hannah’s War.
In this enlightening conversation, Jan discusses how the American Film Institute (AFI) and “The Original Six” opened up opportunities for her and other female directors; how to navigate directing a network television show for the first time -- and how courage, tenacity and little guile can make all the difference …
THE CONVERSATION
How do you get 10,000 hours of experience when directing requires so much time, money and people: Europe or Yale?What can Shakespeare and Ibsen teach you about directing TV? Everything…Frances McDormand, Angela Bassett, John Turturo, Tony Shalhoub and Courtney Vance -- how do you quickly figure out what different actors need to create great performances?What happens when you direct a play about South African apartheid in St. Louis in the early 1980s?On shadowing directors: “I’m already a director -- what am I doing watching these people? I mean, they’re good, but I’m good, too. And that was the kind of confidence -- or maybe you could say arrogance, fearlessness - -that it takes to go into a field that is predominantly male and actually make a dent and get a job.”How a twisty game of cat-and-mouse with Barney Rosensweig led to Jan’s first directing gig -- on Cagney & Lacey. (S5, EP13 -- “Act of Conscience”).Directing L.A. Law -- and David Kelly’s very first script!How asking others for advice is a gift that goes both ways.Directing two classic, fan-favorite episodes of Miami Vice.Jan gets her first feature film in 1988: How I Got Into College -- but you won’t believe what happened to her on Day Two of filming…Past Midnight -- working with the great Rutger Hauer and Natasha Richardson.Is the window for women directors opening or closing? Jan gives us her take.So, join Susan, Sharon -- and Jan -- as they talk Dennis Farina, Michael Moriarty, Rutger Hauer, Paul Giamatti, Daniel Craig, Meg Foster, Sela Ward, Swoosie Kurtz, Kirsten Dunst, George Clooney, Patricia Arquette, Stanley Tucci -- and creamsicles!
AUDIOGRAPHY
Find out more about Jan at JanEliasberg.com.
Buy Jan’s new novel Hannah’s War at Bookshop.
Read Michael Cieply's 1988 article on Jan and other fired women directors at LA Times.
80s TV LADIES NEWS
Catch 90s TV Baby Serita Fontanesi’s “Not Ugly” podcast at Apple.
CONNECT
Read transcripts and more at 80sTVLadies.com.Get ad-free episodes and exclusive videos on PATREON.Find more cool podcasts at our host sight, Weirding Way Media. -
The Best Indie Podcast nomination IS the award!
Susan and Sharon thank ALL the listeners who came out to support “80’s TV Ladies” as Best Indie Podcast for the WEBBY AWARDS. A big welcome to all our new listeners! And a sincere thank you to all who voted and to our listeners who reached out.
BIG THANKS to our friends who shouted us out, including:
Chris Stachiw from Weirding Way Media Network and the Kulturecast Podcast.Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess of the Astonishing Legends podcast.Richard Hatem of Richard Hatem’s Paranormal Bookshelf podcast.And an extra special thank you to TikTok superstar and creator of Phineas and Ferb, Dan Povenmire, and all his fans.
All of you went the extra mile to support us and bring new listeners to the show, so THANK YOU!
And of course, the biggest thank you of all -- TO OUR LOYAL FANS!
And listen in on the first official 8TL Mailbag, where we get feedback and answer questions and get feedback from you, our fans! PLUS -- an April 2024 “In Memorium Salute”.
AUDIOGRAPHY
Check out the Webby Nominee Press Release with our names and Michelle Obama. We’re 26 lines ABOVE Michelle Obama. Just saying.
Watch Matt Baume’s YOUTUBE Channel episode “Bewitched: It Was Gay All Along?”
Listen in on the new podcast, Richard Hatem’s Paranormal Bookshelf
And Chris Stachiw’s movie review podcast, The Kulturecast.
Explore the world of Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess’s Astonishing Legends podcast.
Find Dan Povenmire on TikTok And Twitter.
Watch Hamster and Gretel and Phineas and Ferb.
Abortion access in America is severely limited – if you need help go to Abortionfinder.org.
CONNECT
Read transcripts and more at 80sTVLadies.com.Tell us what shows we should cover at 8TL Facebook or via 80sTVLadies.com.Get ad-free episodes and exclusive videos on PATREON.Find more cool podcasts at our host sight, Weirding Way Media. -
Help us win a Webby Award - Vote at WebbyAwards.com.
Vote for 80’s TV Ladies for Best Indie Podcast at the Webby Awards Now!
Voting ends Thursday, April 18th, 2024. Vote: tinyurl.com/vote80tvl
Thanks to our dear friends, Weirding Way Media and Astonishing Legends for all their support!
Cheers and welcome to any Richard Hatem's Paranormal Bookshelf fans.
One Day More! -
BREAKING: 80s TV Ladies has been nominated for a Webby Award! Help us win. VOTE HERE!
Back to our episode: Sharon and Susan burst into the Blue Moon Detective Agency and hire Maddie and David to help them answer ONE BURNING QUESTION: What are their Top 8 favorite episodes of the entire series?
Maddie: “Eight? Eight? Why not ten?” David: “Can’t do it. It would make them too tens.” In the words of Miss Dipesto: “We’re never late, we won’t make you wait, but if you want favorite episodes -- you only get eight!”
1) The Pilot (S1; EP 1)
2) The Next Murder You Hear (S1; EP 4)
3) The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice (S2; EP 4)
4) My Fair David (S2; EP 5)
5) ‘Twas The Episode Before Christmas (S2; EP 10)
6) Big Man on Mulberry Street (S3; EP 6)
7) Atomic Shakespeare (but only for one of them!) (S3; EP 7)
8) It’s A Wonderful Job (but only for one of them!) (S3; EP 8)
9) The Straight Poop (S3; EP 9)
THE CONVERSATION
WHAT WAS HE THINKING? Glen Gordon Caron had a secret plan for what he wanted Moonlighting to do to network television: he wanted to kill the detective genre once and for all!Why were the seasons so short? Well, there was a little problem with getting episodes done on time...If Maddie was the “parent” and David was the “child” -- did David ever grow up?Is the show feminist? Or progressive? Susan and Sharon have thoughts!Why is the agency always broke? Maybe it’s all those people in the office who don’t do anything!That time when Susan got thrown off the set of The A-Team by George Peppard!Which Season of Moonlighting is the Moonlighting-est?What the hell happened with Season 4?? Warring stars, a missing showrunner -- and Die Hard!So join Susan and Sharon as they talk Dirk Benedict, Cybill Shepherd, Bruce Willis, Melissa’s candy, The Princess Bride -- and the challenges of producing a show AND a baby at the same time!
AUDIOGRAPHY
What are YOUR favorite Moonlighting episodes? Let us know!!
Watch Moonlighting on Hulu. On Apple TV or at Amazon Prime Video.
Check out Moonlighting: The Podcast.
Read Moonlighting: An Episode Guide and Moonlighting: An Oral History. Both ON SALE at Tucker Press.
80s TV LADIES NEWS
Catch 90s TV Baby Serita Fontanesi’s “Not Ugly” podcast at Apple.
80s TV Ladies is nominated for a Webby Award! Help us win. VOTE HERE!
CONNECT
Read transcripts and more at 80sTVLadies.com.Tell us your fav Moonlighting episodes at 8TL Facebook or via 80sTVLadies.com.Get ad-free episodes and exclusive videos on PATREON.Find more cool podcasts at our host sight, Weirding Way Media. -
Encore! Encore! In celebration of the premiere of Cagney & Lacey 42nd years ago this week, here is a look back at the special Sharon Gless interview we dropped one year ago today!
Sharon and Susan are at Podcast Movement Evolutions and The Ambies this week! So here's a look back to when they go to sit down with show business legend Sharon Gless. Multi-Emmy and Golden Globe winner, Sharon Gless has appeared in dozens of television shows such as “Nip/Tuck”, “Rizzoli & Isles”, “The Rockford Files”, “House Calls,”The Bob Newhart Show”, “Station 19” and “The Exorcist.” She has created iconic and ground-breaking characters in the shows “Burn Notice”, “Queer as Folk”, “The Trials of Rosie O’Neill” and of course “Cagney & Lacey”.
In 2021 she published her bestselling, no-holds-barred autobiography “Apparently There Were Complaints”. In this in-depth interview, Sharon Gless talks frankly about feminism, her ongoing friendship with Tyne Daly, her affair, marriage and almost-divorce from Barney Rosenzweig, her struggles with substance abuse and recovery -- and the lasting legacy of the characters she’s played.
THE CONVERSATION
The moment Sharon Gless knew she wanted to be an actress – and knew she would not fail“The first feminist I ever met…” -- Barney Rosenzweig??How Cagney and Lacey we’re NEVER friends.How Sharon was actually the VERY FIRST person approached to play Christine Cagney – and why she turned it down.Earning $186 a week as the last contract player at Universal.“The Woman Behind the Woman”: how talent manager Monique James left her position as VP at MCA/Universal to become Sharon’s personal manager – and changed her life.Being forced to watch herself on film to learn what she was doing right -- and wrong.Hashing out billing, and rehearsing her first table read as Cagney, with Tyne Daly over a bottle of champagne.Why Christine Cagney wanted to be first through the door with a gun.Improvising and window shopping for the Cagney & Lacey main titles.Participating with Tyne Daly and Gloria Steinem in the 2004 Women’s March on Washington –- and seeing the true impact of “Cagney & Lacey” for the first time.Being Stephen J. Cannell’s “good luck charm!”Falling in love with Debbie Novotny on “Queer as Folk”.
So join Susan, Sharon – and Sharon Gless -- as they talk poker nights with Tyne, the “C”-word, the other “C”-word -- and what did she really say to that flasher??
AUDIOGRAPHY
Official website: SharonGless.com
Sharon Gless Facebook page.
Sharon Gless’ autobiography “Apparently There Were Complaints” at Bookshop.
Watch the trailer for Sharon’s Award-winning documentary - Show Her The Money
WHERE TO WATCH
Cagney & Lacey on ROKU. On PLUTO. On Apple TV.
Trials of Rosie O’Neill on Roku. On Amazon Prime.
Queer as Folk on Amazon. On Apple TV.
Burn Notice on HULU. On Apple TV.
Visit 80sTVLadies.com for podcast episode transcripts.
Help us AND get ad-free audio, video and other goodies: We're ON PATREON! -
The 90’s TV Babies return: Serita Fontanesi, Sergio Perez and Megan Ruble are back to do a little Moonlighting! Do you agree with the 90s Kids about Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis' hit show?
Susan and Sharon served up five key episodes for the Babies' viewing pleasure:
S1: E1 – “Pilot”
S2: E3 – “Money Talks, Maddie Walks”
S2: E4 – “The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice”
S2: E18 – “Camille”
Bonus Episode: S3: E6 “Big Man on Mulberry Street”
Plus -- YouTube scenes and snippets….
So, did the Babies ask for seconds – or send their meal back? Do bears bear? Do bees bee? Do wah diddie diddie dum diddie do? We’re going to find out!
THE CONVERSATION
DON’T FIGHT HIM ON THIS: Sergio, on his mom and the recipes of Pampanga, the culinary capital of the Philippines.Megan struggles with translating her personal worth into a dollar amount!Serita’s dog gets sent to reform school!Wait?!? Sergio has never seen “Die Hard” or “The Sixth Sense” – or any other Bruce Willis movie! What?!?ACCORDING TO THE BABIES: Moonlighting feels like Bruce’s show – Cybill feels like a secondary character.90’s BABY ADVANTAGE: Megan just skipped ahead to the “good parts” episode – where David and Maddie finally get together! No fair!Which Baby thought the show was too… SLOW?!?!And which Baby thinks the show isn’t feminist but “femin-ish”?When Serita’s mother was a baby, she was quieted from crying by… ORSON WELLS?!?! So join Susan and Sharon – and Megan, Sergio and Serita – as they talk civil rights, shoulder pads, “throwing vases”, Judd Nelson, Whoopi Goldberg – and “Muppet-level nonsense”!
AUDIOGRAPHY
Watch the special Moonlighting playlist clips at YouTube.com/80sTVLadies.
Check out the book Sergio raved about: Atching Lillian’s Heirloom Recipes.
Watch Megan in Bardic Inspiration’s Twelfth Night’s on Twitch.
Catch Serita’s “Not Ugly” podcast at Apple.
Watch Moonlighting on Hulu.
See more great Moonlighting content at Moonlighting21.com.
WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH
History - and Herstory - is happening right now. Abortion access in America is severely limited – if you want to help or need help go to Abortionfinder.org
80s TV LADIES NEWS
March 26 - 29: The 80s TV Ladies will be at Podcast Movement Evolutions. Come say hello!
CONNECT
Read transcripts and more at 80sTVLadies.com.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Get ad-free episodes and exclusive videos on PATREON.Find more cool podcasts at our host sight, Weirding Way Media. -
“I was never so tightly wound as the night we transmitted the show directly from ABC in Los Angeles to New York. We basically went live.”– Sheryl Main, post-production supervisor, Moonlighting
Susan and Sharon take you “behind the scenes” with Moonlighting post-production supervisor – and legendary publicity strategist Sheryl Main. As a Unit Publicist, she’s worked on such films as Creed 3, Judas and the Black Messiah, The Expendables, Terminator 3, The Perks of Being A Wallflower and collaborated with hundreds of celebrities including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Clint Eastwood, Emma Watson – and everyone in between!
But she "cut her teeth" with Moonlighting. Sheryl talks about the “insanely creative” atmosphere created by Glenn Gordon Caron, the long hours and crazy good times – and the lifelong friends she “met on the way.”
THE CONVERSATION
Experiencing sexism and harassment in the movie industry: The Pope of Greenwich Village director “Stuart Rosenberg sent me home for wearing pink jeans. So Mickey Rourke said: “$*@! him. Work with me. Be my assistant.”When she interviewed to be Bruce Willis’s assistant, she recognized him – as “Bruno Radolini” – his musical alter ego from New York!Moonlighting on Moonlighting: “The editors pulled all-nighters. They slept there. But we had fun.”On Glen Gordon Caron: “He changed TV when you think about it. Everything we did from ‘Atomic Shakespeare’ to the black and white episode to… well, we thought we killed Orson Wells.”ARNOLD AND SLY AND BRUCE AND ME: “They all impacted my career and my life in different ways."On Arnold the Governor: “We went up there thinking ‘Woo-Hoo! We’re gonna change the world! But the mechanism in place doesn’t want you to change the world.”On Bruce Willis: “He was a craftsman with words. He could memorize a scene in a minute. What’s happening with him… it’s heartbreaking. I wouldn’t have a career without him.”So, join Susan and Sharon – and Sheryl – as they talk crisis-managing Rust, partying in Cybil’s trailer, Dennis Dugan, The Expendables, Jed the Fish on KROQ -- and the “Curtis Armstrong Day” parade!
AUDIOGRAPHY
Check out Moonlighting: The Podcast: https://moonlightingthepodcast.com/
Watch Moonlighting on Hulu.
Stream it on Apple TV or at Amazon Prime Video.
Follow Glenn Gordon Caron on Twitter.com/GlennGCaron.
80s TV LADIES NEWS
Susan’s new play Confidence (and the Speech) has been published!Now available for purchase and licensing at DPS via Broadway Licensing.
CONNECT
Read transcripts and more at 80sTVLadies.com.Tell us your fav Moonlighting episodes at 8TL Facebook or via 80sTVLadies.com.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Get ad-free episodes and exclusive videos on PATREON.Find more cool podcasts at our host sight, Weirding Way Media. -
“I said to Cybill Shepherd, ‘You are a Prima Donna!’
And she said, ‘Yes. I am. Do you know what ‘Prima Donna’ means, Glenn? It means First Woman. And don’t you forget it.”
– Glenn Gordon Caron
In the second of our two-part conversation with Moonlighting and Medium creator Glenn Gordon Caron, we cover everything from Al Jarreau’s iconic theme song to sparring with Cybill Shepherd, to a forty-year career spent working with “audacious people”…
Moonlighting, which ran from 1985-1989 starred Cybill Shepherd, a then-unknown Bruce Willis, Allyce Beasley and Curtis Armstrong, and become a landmark classic of 1980s television. Glenn also directed movies such as Clean and Sober, Picture Perfect and Love Affair.
THE CONVERSATION
Getting invited to the horse races by Cary Grant – who then dies before they could go!How dinner with Stanley Donen led to Glenn asking him to direct the dance sequence from “Big Man on Mulberry Street” as a favor. But what did Donen ask in return? That Glenn co-write that year’s Academy Award show with Larry Gelbart!How a chance meeting with Rona Barrett resulted in one of the weirdest -- and most talked-about -- episodes of Moonlighting ever!On Cybill Shepherd: “The topography of her life fit the topography of the story. She was a model. She became a huge movie star. And then she lost everything.”On Bruce Willis: “He was like thirty guys I grew up with. And I understood, underneath all that bravura, and all that jazz, there’s a genuineness that’s hard to resist."WHEN LES IS MORE: How Now and Again was born when Les Moonves told Glenn: “Write me a pilot, and if I don’t make it, I’ll give you one million dollars.”How for Glenn, the TV show Medium is less the story of a mystic – and more the story of a marriage.So, join Susan and Sharon – and Glenn – as they talk Pierce Brosnan, Love Affair, Jennifer Aniston, Clean and Sober, -- and Susan’s Vicodin mood swings!
AUDIOGRAPHY
Watch Moonlighting on Hulu.
Stream it on Apple TV or at Amazon Prime Video.
Follow Glenn Gordon Caron on Twitter.com/GlennGCaron.
80s TV LADIES NEWS
Susan’s new play Confidence (and the Speech) has been published!
Now available for purchase and licensing at DPS via Broadway Licensing.
CONNECT
Read transcripts and more at 80sTVLadies.com.Tell us your fav Moonlighting episodes at 8TL Facebook or via 80sTVLadies.com.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Get ad-free episodes and exclusive videos on PATREON.Find more cool podcasts at our host sight, Weirding Way Media. -
“They said I could do whatever I want. So I thought, I’ll write a boy-girl detective show that kills this stupid genre.” – Glenn Gordon Caron, creator of Moonlighting
Some walk by night, some fly by day… Susan and Sharon cross paths with legendary writer, director, producer and creator of the classic 80’s series Moonlighting for a rollicking conversation about David, Maddie, Ms. DiPesto – and everything in between!
Moonlighting ran from 1985-1989. It starred Cybill Shepherd and a then-unknown Bruce Willis and would become a landmark classic of 80s television. Tasked with making “one of those boy-girl detective shows” Caron agreed on the condition that he could do whatever he wanted. What he – and as it turns out, we – wanted, was Moonlighting. Glenn Gordon Caron has been a force in television for over four decades, since his first job on Taxi – followed by a stint on Remington Steele -- before going on to create the seminal 80s romantic comedy/detective series Moonlighting. Caron later went on to create the long-running Patricia Arquette show, Medium. Moonlighting is now streaming on Hulu.
THE CONVERSATION
300 SONGS in 66 episodes – the MANY hurdles of getting the music rights for Moonlighting for the Hulu broadcasts.Glenn’s first pilot turned out to be for a little actor named… James Stewart.Steven Bochco asked Glenn to come work on his new show, then called Hill Street Station: “I said no – this is never gonna go.”On the crazy tone of Moonlighting: “I’m showing the episodes to my youngest child, who’s fourteen. He’s come to believe that I’m mentally ill.”Cybill Shepherd signed on to Moonlighting -- after reading only half the pilot!On casting the role of David Addison: “I brought Bruce Willis in to audition eleven times. They rejected him ten times.”The role of David Addison’s brother was originally written for… David Lee Roth?!GETTING PAST THE CENSORS: ABC censors wouldn’t allow David & Maddie to say “frig”. But “fig”? Um, Okay.On being a maverick: “I was young and arrogant and didn’t care about my reputation. I would live to regret that.”So, join Susan and Sharon – and Glenn – as they talk Aaron Spelling, Pierce Brosnan, Peter Peter Bogdanovich, 100-page scripts, directing Orson Wells – and getting kicked by nuns!
AUDIOGRAPHY
Watch Moonlighting on Hulu.
Check out the Moonlighting fan website, DavidandMaddie.com
Susan’s new play Confidence (and the Speech) has just been published! Now available for purchase and licensing at DPS via Broadway Licensing.
8TL EXCLUSIVE OFFERS!
Special 80s TV Ladies offer!
Invest in yourself at TheNextish.com - Get 10% off an already 30% off promotion on their newest online course that will help you chart a course forward: "Be The Disruptor" - Use code "8TL24" at checkout at TheNextish.com. Act now. Offer expires: Feb 15.
CONNECT
Read transcripts and more at 80sTVLadies.com.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Follow 8TL on Facebook.Check out 8TL on Linkedin.Get ad-free episodes and exclusive videos on PATREON.Find more cool podcasts at our host sight, Weirding Way Media.The 80s TV Ladies traveled to ShePodcasts UNPLUGGED and Podfest Expo 2024! We were thrilled to be learning from and meeting many wonderful fellow podcasters. -
Susan and Sharon sit down with actor, director, and writer Elayne Heilveil. Elayne has worked with Mike Nichols and Mark Rydell in the classic 70s television series Family and has guested on such shows as The Rockford Files, The Waltons, Emergency!, Hawaii 5-0, Hill Street Blues and The Mary Tyler More Show. She has appeared opposite such legendary stars such as James Garner, Rip Torn, Ben Vereen, Jeff Goldblum, Valerie Bertinelli, David Jansen, Robert Culp and Dame Judith Anderson.
In this layered conversation, Elayne discusses standing up for yourself on set, learning to trust your instincts, navigating dicey auditions -- and discovering the joy and artistic rewards of writing.
THE CONVERSATION
How a “mystical” experience reading “The Creation” by James Weldon Johnson at eleven years old led to Elayne’s start in show business.Going to the Fame school –the movie and TV show barely scratched the surface!Topless go-go dancers and drunk bodies in the streets: living and acting in 70’s New York.What do you say when an agent wants you to change your name – to Daisy Astor?On being asked to take her top off at an audition: “I broke out laughing and said, ‘Are women buying this bullshit?’ ”On casting quirks: “I’ve played three nuns. It’s every Jewish girl’s dream to be a nun.”Being “beyond nervous” auditioning for Mike Nichols.Doing the TV movie, A Cry For Help – and wearing Columbo’s trench coat the whole time!What do you do when your lines aren’t quite right on The Waltons? Give them to Richard Thomas’ John-Boy!LIVING WITH AN ‘ANGEL’ – what’s it like secretly living with Stuart Margolin, and then getting “married” on-screen?What’s the best therapy after an abusive moment on set? Try throwing drinking glasses at a brick wall.So join Susan and Sharon – and Elayne – as they talk nude photos, James Garner, reverse nepotism, finding your sweet spot – and getting tear-gassed by Rip Torn!
AUDIOGRAPHY
The Rockford Files is streaming FREE on Roku.
So Fetch, The Making of Mean Girls (and Why We’re Still Obsessed with It) by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong. Get it at Bookshop or your favorite bookstore.
Pre-order the book: The Girls: From Golden to Gilmore by Stan Zimmerman. Will ship Feb. 13.
Read The Creation by James Weldon Johnson.
8TL EXCLUSIVE OFFERS!
Invest in yourself at TheNextish.com - Special 80s TV Ladies offer! Get 10% off an already 30% off promotion on their newest online course that will help you chart a course forward: "Be The Disruptor" - Use code "8TL24" at checkout at TheNextish.com.
CONNECT
Read transcripts and more at 80sTVLadies.com.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Follow 8TL on Facebook.Check out 8TL on Linkedin.Get ad-free episodes and exclusive videos on PATREON.Find more cool podcasts at our host sight, Weirding Way Media.The 80s TV Ladies travel to Podfest 2024! If you'll be there, find us and say hello to Sharon and Susan. - Visa fler
