80s TV Ladies

“This show makes me feel like I have a blanket around me and I'm eating mac & cheese.” -- Megan Ruble, 90s TV Baby, about The Facts of Life.Susan and Sharon welcome back the notorious “90s TV Babies” to find out what they think about The Facts of Life, which ran August 24, 1979 to May 7, 1988.  Did they “take the good” and “take the bad”?  Did the “World Live Up To Their Dreams”? We're gonna find out!Megan Ruble and Serita Fontanesi were asked to watch these FOL listener-suggested episodes:The Facts of Life AssignmentS1; EP13: “Dope”S2; EP1: “The New Girl”S3; EP15: “Starstruck”S4; EP22: “Take My Finals, Please”S5; EP6: “The Halloween Show”S7; EP1: “Out of the Fire”Plus, Bonus episodes: S1; EP1: “Rough Housing (The Pilot)”S2; EP2: “The New Girl: Part 2”S2; EP5: “Cousin Geri”S3; EP18: “Runaway”S5; EP10: “Store Games”S5; EP17: “A Death in the Family”S5; EP18: “Big Fish, Little Fish”S7; EP2: “Into the Frying Pan”S7; EP8: “Come Back To The Truck Stop, Natalie Green, Natalie Green”S7; EP14: “Tootie Drives”S9; EP16: “The First Time”THE CONVERSATIONSUMMER UPDATE: Serita's having a baby!  Little Theodore Fontanesi arrives the first week of August!SUMMER UPDATE: Megan is producing a show for the Hollywood Fringe Festival and acting in “Shakespeare by the Sea”!SIT LONG AND PROSPER: What does it feel like to be put in Vulcan make-up? Megan will tell you!BUFFY ALERT! -- Serita is concerned: Is Megan an “Angel Girl” or a “Spike Girl”?SPOILER ALERT! -- Both Serita and Megan LOVED Facts of Life!“Starstruck (S3; EP15)” -- Megan calls out how rare it is to see a show about “out of control fandom” and Serita calls out how para-social relationships are not a “new thing”.Serita's favorite characters: Tootie and Jo. Megan's favorite characters: Edna and Natalie.Why was Tootie always on roller skates?  To make her taller for the camera!S5; EP 17 “A Death in the Family”:  On February 1, 1984, The Facts of Life breaks ground featuring the first ever television portrayal of a “Shiva”.Is The Facts of Life “progressive” and “feminist”? Listen to 90s TV Babies to find out!So join Susan and Sharon -- and Serita and Megan -- as they talk C-sections, fan conventions, The Golden Girls, deep-dish pizza, making babies laugh at your jokes -- and how “Edna's Edibles” could be its own strain!AUDIO-OGRAPHYLearn more about The Facts of Life at https://www.facebook.com/thefactsoflifesite/ Watch Season 2 & 3 of Facts of Life for FREE on Tubi.com.Look for more episodes on Daily Motion or YouTube.Listen in on Serita's podcast at NotUglyPod.com.Send Serita diaper money for Little Baby Theo at Venmo.com/seritafonta! Check out Megan's Hollywood Fringe production “The Visitor” at DayforKnightproductions.com.Get tickets at HollywoodFringe.org.FREE Shakespear in the parks + Megan! See and Go see and support ShakespearebytheSea.org.Arts Funding is under attack in this country. Find out how to support Los Angeles arts at ArtsforLA.org.SHOUTOUTHappy Pride Month! Visit LAPride.org for things to do in Los Angeles.THANK YOU 80s LADIES LISTENERSEspecially those in sent in suggestions including:Christian KeysTee EllJason BrouxLisa Flory MendenhallChristopher Stroker@murphybrownpod@Treasure_ChamberTracyMolya MothmanVITAL DEMOCRACY READINGCheck out Democracy Docket here.Learn more about the ACLU here.Let your voice be heard! Call your reps. .Make 5 Calls makes it easy.CONNECTSign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON. Join the Facebook page discussion at Facebook.com/80sTVLadiesPLUS -- “80's TV LADIES” MERCH is available at Fourthwall.com.Or get FREE merch, cool video interviews, ad-free episodes AND support our podcast at Patreon.com/80sTVLadies 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.

Susan and Sharon keep the good times rolling with Part 2 of their conversation with singer, song-writer, actress, author and diabetes advocate Gloria Loring!  Known for her Number One hit “Friends & Lovers”, Gloria is also the legendary co-composer and singer of the impossible to forget Facts of Life theme song!In Part 2 of their conversation, they touch on Gloria's work for the Juvenile Diabetes Association, her wild career in TV and music and the benefits of living a spiritual and healthy life.THE CONVERSATION“EXPECT A MIRACLE” -- How a mysterious card found in her dressing room led Gloria to finance the Days of Our Lives Celebrity Cookbook -- and raise over $1,000,000.00 for diabetes research!When her son Brennan was diagnosed with diabetes at age four, Gloria was told he would be lucky to make it to 25.  He's now 50 and doing great!BE BRAVE, LITTLE ONE: What it feels like to forget the first line of the song you're singing at the Oscars!YOU CAN'T GO HOME AGAIN: Gloria returned to Days of Our Lives for the funeral of Bill Hays' character Doug -- but was surprised to find that almost everything had changed…The fun of working with Lanna Saunders & Maree Cheatham on Days of Our Lives Writing the Facts of Life theme song with Alan Thicke!  (And she's still getting residuals…)The benefits of an ayurvedic diet!So, join Susan and Sharon -- and Gloria -- as they talk James Brolin, Days of Our Lives, Jimmy Stewart, Hotel, Bob Hope, Diff'rent Strokes, Ann Jillian, Merv Griffin, Richard Crenna, Murder, She Wrote, Jane & Henry Fonda, Jack Lemmon -- and almost having a Chinese Chicken Salad Heart Attack!  AUDIO-OGRAPHYCatch up with all-things Gloria at her official website: GloriaLoring.comCheck out her Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/glorialoring/ Listen to Gloria's book “Coincidence is God's Way of Remaining Anonymous” at Audible or Apple Books. Or buy it at Abe Books.Watch Season 2 and 3 of The Facts of Life for free on Tubi.Buy the complete season on DVD at Ebay.VITAL READINGCheck out Democracy Docket here.Learn more about the ACLU here.Let your voice be heard! Call your reps. Make 5 Calls makes it easy.CONNECTVisit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON. Check out Democracy Docket here https://www.democracydocket.com/ Learn more about the ACLU here https://www.aclu.org/  Buy Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson at Bookshop.org. PLUS -- “80's TV LADIES” MERCH is available at Fourthwall.com.Or get FREE merch, cool video interviews and ad-free episodes at Patreon.com/80sTVLadies 

“When I sang, I knew who was on the stage. When I got off the stage, I was very shy, couldn't look people in the eye. But when I was ON the stage I was just filled with my own light.”  - Gloria LoringSusan and Sharon welcome Gloria Loring -- singer, song-writer, actress, author and diabetes advocate.  Known for her Number One hit “Friends & Lovers”, Gloria is also the legendary co-composer and singer of the impossible to forget Facts of Life theme song!THE CONVERSATIONWHERE THE MUSIC COMES FROM: Five generations of musicians -- all the way down to her son Robin Thicke, and grandson.Slamming doors, thrown dishes and late-night fights -- learning that her father, a brilliant musician, was also an alcoholic.ON SINGING: “It was the only thing that made me feel important or valued. When I sang, I was beautiful, I was powerful, people watched me, people listened to me -- every kid wants that."THE GLAMOROUS LIFE: Gloria's early days as a singer -- living in a cheap motel room and surviving on a quart of milk, a box of cereal and a can of peas!Arranging a “chance” meeting with Ed Sullivan -- and four years later she's on his show!Future husband Alan Thicke brought something special along on his first date with Gloria: his parents!THE DAYS OF “THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES”: Laughs, pranks, songs, love -- and a steady job for six-and-a-half years!SETTING INTENTIONS: Gloria says out loud to the universe: “I want to record a hit record” -- and a week later she's recording “Friends & Lovers”.ON COINCIDENCES: “I left ‘Days of our Lives', my divorce from Alan Thicke became final, my first book was released and “Friends & Lovers” hit number one -- all in the same week.” BECOMING A DIABETES BOOKWRITER: When her son Brennan was diagnosed with diabetes, she (and Alan Thicke) became creative fundraisers, spokespersons and she became an authorCOOKING ON DAYS OF OUR LIVES - Recipes traded by cast members led to the Days of Our Lives Celebrity Cookbook to raise money for Diabetes Research Foundation.So, join Susan and Sharon -- and Gloria -- as they talk Tommy Dorsey, Thicke of the Night, Carol Burnett, advocating for diabetes, Merv Griffin -- and hiding runaway potatoes under lettuce leaves at the White House!AUDIO-OGRAPHYWatch Season 2 and 3 of The Facts of Life for free on Tubi.Buy the complete season on DVD at Ebay.Visit the official website for GloriaLoring.comVITAL READINGCheck out Democracy Docket here.Learn more about the ACLU here.Let your voice be heard! Call your reps. Make 5 Calls makes it easy.CONNECTVisit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON. 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. 

"It is equally treacherous when you are very successful as when you are trying to get your foot in the door in terms of keeping the sense of who you are.”  -- Asaad Kelada, producer/director, The Facts of LifeIn Part 2 of their conversation with Asaad Kelada, Susan and Sharon talk with the director about the gifts and pitfalls of success; his reputation as a director who brings harmony to the most disharmonious sets in Hollywood; and the challenge of breaking into the “Hollywood TV Club” for an Egyptian with “a name with all of these vowels!”.In a career spanning four decades, Asaad Kelada has directed over 340 episodes of television, including Rhoda, Phyllis, The Tony Randall Show, Benson, WKRP in Cincinnati, One Day at a Time, Night Court, Valerie, Who's the Boss, Family Ties and The Office -- as well as four seasons of The Facts of Life and over five seasons of Who's The Boss?.  THE CONVERSATIONHow directing his first episode of network television -  "Rhonda Questions Her Life and Flies to Paris" - felt like coming home.THE “TIES” THAT BIND: An old friend, Gary David Goldberg, asked Asaad personally to direct the pilot of Family Ties.Michael J. Fox ad-libbed the “P” in “Alex P. Keaton” when picking up a call from his girlfriend -- and it got the biggest laugh of the night. That's when Asaad knew the show was going to be a hit.Michael J. Fox was actually the SECOND choice to play Alex Keaton. Matthew Broderick was first.ON PERSISTENCE: Observing and learning for five years to direct his first episode of television. “People would wave at me and say hello, but were they looking at an insane man, or were they looking at someone who was just determined? How am I being perceived by persisting and persisting? Was I somebody who was really deluded? When doesn't he take no for an answer? I think I just outlasted them.” Directing “Les on a Ledge” for WKRP in Cincinnati.DIRECTING WHO'S THE BOSS?: Tony Danza had a photographic memory and hated rehearsal.  Katherine Helmond and Judith Light loved to rehearse. Plus, the kids? Everyone had to be directed differently, but it all had to come together.The “Requiem” episode of Who's The Boss? is where Tony Danza and Asaad really connected. After that, he was invited to stay -- for four years.WHO REALLY WAS THE BOSS?  “No question -- it was Tony Danza.  Tony was volatile.  He made everybody feel good -- until he didn't.”GETTING TO KNOW BENSON:  Asaad only directed two episodes of Benson -- but he and Robert Guillaume became lifelong friends.“LOOKOUT FOR CLORIS LEACHMAN!” -- “I was told ‘She may try to take over, she is always changing things -- and she is a flirt.  Maybe you can use that to tame her'.”WELCOME TO THE “TV CLUB”: “Even when you get accepted into the TV club, it is a temporary membership. And it can be revoked at any time.”So join Susan and Sharon -- and Asaad -- as they talk Danny Pintauro, Alyssa Milano, Jan Hooks, The Last Resort, Julie Kavner, Todd Bridges, Designing Women, Justine Bateman, Chuck Lorre -- and getting stuck in the bathroom with Benson!AUDIO-OGRAPHYFind out more about Asaad Kelada at IMDB.STILL IN FLUX: Watch Season 2 and 3 of The Facts of Life for free on Tubi.Season 1 and 3 are available for sale on Amazon Prime.Buy the complete season on DVD at Ebay. Check YouTube for other episodes.Watch Asaad Kelada Television Academy interviews on YouTube.VITAL READINGCheck out Democracy Docket here.Learn more about the ACLU here.Check DontGetPurged.org to make sure your name has not been purged from voter rolls!Let your voice be heard! Call your reps. Make 5 Calls makes it easy.CONNECTVisit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON. 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.

“There was a sense of discovery about what this series was going to be about. It was going to be about young people -- with all of their shenanigans, and the maneuvering, and all the silliness that takes place with that. But it was also going to be about growing up. These five people, and the fabric that holds them together.”  -- Asaad Kelada - producer/director, The Facts of LifeSusan and Sharon welcome legendary Director Asaad Kelada. In a career spanning four decades, Asaad Kelada has directed over 340 episodes of television, including Rhoda, Phyllis, The Tony Randall Show, Benson, WKRP in Cincinnati, One Day at a Time, Night Court, Valerie, Who's the Boss and The Office -- as well as four seasons of The Facts of Life. In Part 1 of this wide-ranging interview, we touch on Asaad's relationship to the young actors on Facts of Life; learning to trust them -- and himself; and his beginnings as the lead singer in Egypt's first ever Rock ‘n' Roll Boy Band!  THE CONVERSATIONWHAT I REALLY WANT TO DO IS DIRECT! - How getting accepted to the Yale School of Drama taught Asaad which side of the stage he really wanted to be on.THE 5-YEAR DIRECTING SCHOOL: Observing all the MTM shows from the bleachers, for five years, got Asaad ready for his first TV job: Directing Valerie Harper in Rhoda!DAY ONE: On his first day directing The Facts of Life, the only person he recognized that he had worked with before was… Tootie (Kim Fields)!DOUBLE STANDARD: In this early episode of The Facts of Life, Asaad realized the potential of the show: “It was just like being in the theater, like working on a play --  with substance, with humor, with intelligence -- and yet they were young girls. This was television in a new form.RUNAWAY TRAIN: Asaad describes the increasing tension and hi-stakes artistry of a show as it speeds thru its season -- and how he learned to not fall off!ON CHARLOTTE RAE: “She and I were the grownups in the room. She was the centerpiece in a show about four girls.”STORY CONFERENCE -- WITH THE CAST: “After the table read, we'd just talk -- talk about what the episode is dealing with, what it's about, how it all ties together.”FACTS OF LIFE GOES TO PARIS: “It was a trial by fire. Every single shot, every single frame was filmed on location. We were at Notre Dame, the Champs Elysee… How can this be called a job?”So join Susan and Sharon -- and Asaad -- as they talk George Clooney, The Bob Newhart Show, Grant Tinker, Geri Jewel, speaking French, Bill Haley & the Comets, Nancy McKeon -- and being ready when your opportunity finally comes!GET READY FOR PART 2 -- NEXT EPISODE! Don't miss more Facts of Life stories, plus Family Ties and Who's The Boss!!AUDIO-OGRAPHYFind out more about Asaad Kelada at IMDB.STILL IN FLUX: Watch Season 2 and 3 of The Facts of Life for free on Tubi.Season 1 and 3 are available for sale on Amazon Prime.Buy the complete season on DVD at Ebay. Check YouTube for other episodes.VITAL READINGGet Handbook for A Post-Roe America by Robin Marty at Bookshop.org.Check out Men In Dark Times by Hannah Ahrendt at Bookshop.org.Read Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson at Bookshop.org.CONNECTVisit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON. 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.

Susan and Sharon continue their conversation with legendary 80s TV Lady -- and The Facts of Life writer/producer -- Margie Peters! In Part 2, the conversation turns to the challenges of making comedy out of date rape and toxic masculinity; “comedy sparring” in the Different World writer's room with Debbie Allen, Thad Mumford and Susan Fales-Hill; the creative opportunities for “women of a certain age”; and the lasting impact of the cruel moniker “The FATS of Life”. Margie Peters has written and produced over 140 hours of television, including The Love Boat, Valerie, One Day at a Time and A Different World. But her longest and best-known gig was the six years she spent on The Facts of Life.THE CONVERSATION “YOU'VE GOT SPUNK!” -- How watching The Mary Tyler Moore Show gave Margie the chutzpah to try her hand at TV writing!Margie shows off her 1989 IMAGE Award from Planned Parenthood for the “No Means No” episode of A Different World (S2; EP20): “It's in the living room next to my television.”The time Debbie Allen explained to Margie that Duane calling a girl “Big Butt Brenda” is a compliment -- not an insult!The joys of working with Valerie Harper on Valerie. And the charm of Jason Bateman.The Facts of Life Go To Paris -- everyone got to spend three heavenly weeks filming in France!Dinner on the Seine River Boat with Tootie, Natalie, Blair and Jo!  (Blair faces down a plateful of fried sardines -- and wins!)When two busloads of French high school girls chased The Facts of Life cast down the streets of Paris! The respect and adoration Margie has for all the girls: Charlotte Rae, Lisa Whelchel, Mindy Cohn, Kim Fields and Nancy McKeon.WHAT DO YOU MISS THE MOST? “Sitting down with a team and coming up with something that is way bigger than the sum of its parts.”LEAVING LOS ANGELES: What do you do when you leave behind a life of writing in Hollywood? A lot! Reinvent your life and make it count.So, join Susan and Sharon -- and Margie -- as they talk Bonnie Franklin, A Man on the Inside, Sally Struthers, Fame, Gladys Knight, 13 Queens Blvd, Eileen Brennan, Jerry Van Dyke -- and dressing up as The Flying Nun!  AUDIO-OGRAPHYFind out more about Margie Peters at IMDB.Watch Season 4 of The Facts of Life for free on Roku.Watch A Different World on Netflix.Check out Shawn Peters book: The Unforgettable Logan Foster at Harper Collins. STAY ACTIVEVisit DontGetPurged.org to make sure you are still registered to vote!Check out Americans of Conscience take action checklist.VITAL READINGGet Handbook for A Post-Roe America by Robin Marty at Bookshop.org.Check out Men In Dark Times by Hannah Ahrendt at Bookshop.org.Read Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson at Bookshop.org.CONNECTVisit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.Join the conversation at Facebook.com/80sTVLadies.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON. 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.

"We're thinking of doing this show with all women. Becasue women are becoming this big thing, ya know. And the leads of the show would all be women!"Susan and Sharon are excited to talk with legendary 80s TV Lady -- and writer/producer of 80 episodes of The Facts of Life -- Margie Peters! Margie Peters has written and produced over 140 hours of television, including The Love Boat, Valerie, One Day at a Time and A Different World. But her best-known gig was the six years she spent on The Facts of Life. From her first meeting to the final day, Margie relates how writing The Facts of Life taught her everything about “the facts” of making Hollywood television in the 80s!THE CONVERSATIONSECRET SITCOM WRITER: How Margie wrote a sitcom pilot "Under One Roof" based on her life at night -- while spending her days being a mother, a housewife, AND a journalist! Hollywood writer/producer Bernie Orenstien (That Girl!, Sanford & Son) reads it and calls her with these magical words: “I think you could have a career out here.”  Two weeks later she's on a plane to Hollywood!INSTANT CHEMISTRY: Actress Linda Marsh teams with Margie and a writing partnership begins…SPEAK YOUR TRUTH: Their first meeting at Facts of Life: “Why are the girls wearing hot pants and cut-off tops -- in New England? In winter?!? It's kiddie porn!”  Margie & Linda stay on Facts of Life from Season 2 through Season 6 -- working their way up from Staff Writers to Show Runners!THE ONE THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING:  Margie & Linda write S2:EP3 “Double Standard” -- showrunners Jerry Mayer and Jack Elinson tell them: “You have found the soul of the show”.THE ONE WHERE NATALIE'S FATHER HAS AN AFFAIR: “We loved the actor but we hated the character. So we killed him.”WORKING WITH THE GIRLS: Working with Charlotte Rae, Lisa Whelchel, Mindy Cohn, Kim Fields, Nancy McKeon and Geri Jewell.Lisa Whelchel balked when the writers pitched Blair losing her virginity. So Mindy Cohn said: “I'll do it!”WHAT'S NEXT? The day came when Linda Marsh said, “I'm done.”  But Margie kept going…Then Marcy Carsey called: “We'd like to bring you on ‘A Different World'”!THINKING IN THE CAR: How the award-winning “No Means No” episode came to be -- and almost didn't happen at all!"MAKE DWAYNE THE HERO" - How to solve the producer notes when tackling a story on campus rape in "No Means No" So join Susan and Sharon -- and Margie -- as they talk Mary Tyler Moore, Terri Hatcher, Jason Bateman, Asaad Kelada, Susan Fales Hill, Neema Barnette, HBCs, Cagney & Lacey, working for diversity…  and saying “No” to Norman Lear! STAY TUNED IN TWO WEEKS FOR THE FACTS OF LIFE WITH MARGIE PETERS - PART 2!  AUDIO-OGRAPHYWatch The Facts of Life: IN FLUX! Currently watch Seasons 4, 5, and 6 of The Facts of Life for free on ROKU channel. Season 3 is available on Amazon Prime and for sale on Apple TV. Check YouTube for other episdoes.THE AMBIES AWARDS ARE MARCH 31FINGERS CROSSED! 80s TV Ladies is nominited! We're up for an Ambies Award by The Podcast Academy for Best Indie Podcast Hosts. Visit Ambies.com and watch the Awards show LIVE on Twitch March 31st at 6pm CT.VITAL READINGGet Handbook for A Post-Roe America by Robin Marty at Bookshop.org.Check out Men In Dark Times by Hannah Ahrendt at Bookshop.org.Read Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson at Bookshop.org.You can also follow Richardson's substack.CONNECTGet transcripts and more at 80sTVLadies.comRate and review us at Apple Podcast.Join the conversation at Facebook.com/80sTVLadies.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON. 

Episode 315: “Everything I Ever Learned About TV Writing, I Learned From ‘The Facts Of Life' | Anupam Nigam”The Facts of Learning about Television Writing from The Facts of LifeThe Golden Girls of Eastland: TV Writer Anupam Nigam Shares His Lessons from The Facts Of LifeThe Golden Girls of Eastland: Top Lessons TV Writer Anupam Nigam Learned from The Facts Of Life For some people, a childhood spent lounging in front of the television leads to nothing but being sent to bed when Law and Order license plate comes on. But for Anupam Nigam, it led to a lifelong love of television – – and a successful career in TV writing and producing.  And his favorite show of all? The Facts of Life! The Facts of Life was a spin-off of Diff'rent Strokes and aired on NBC from 1979-1988. The show starred Charlotte Rae as Eastland School for Girls housemother Edna Garrett watching over an evolving cast of young female stars including Kim Fields, Mindy Cohn, Nancy McKeon and a very young Molly Ringwald! It ran for more than 200 episodes, and spawned three TV movies. Anupam Nigam has written and produced episodes of hit TV shows like Psych, Defiance, Cruel Summer, Mech-X4 and Station 19. He is currently writer and co-executive producer of the hit CBS drama Fire Country. Susan and Sharon talk with Anupam about his childhood as an Indian American kid in New Jersey, his early love of television, the insight of The Facts of Life -- and the facts he learned that have stayed with him to this day. THE CONVERSATIONGROWING UP INDIAN -- IN NEW JERSEY: For Anupam, who was raised in an immigrant Indian household, television was a window into the wider world of “American” families - and how they were alike, and different from, his.“I'M NOT A DOCTOR, BUT I WRITE FOR THEM ON TV” -- Anupam was pre-med, a lab researcher, and even a certified EMT -- briefly -- before realizing that TV blood was more his style.Anupam's first script was a spec episode of Star Trek: Voyager -- and after that he was hooked.Anupam's “scientist mind” cracked the code on how to write a Law & Order script, and it led to a coveted spot in the Warner Bros Writers Program -- and then a big move to Hollywood!His first job was on The Division -- starring Facts of Life's Nancy McKeon!YOU TAKE THE GOOD, YOU TAKE THE VERY, VERY BAD: Anupam actually learned about the facts of life from the many “very special” episodes The Facts of Life: Abortion, divorce, drug abuse and death, anyone?Natalie was a natural STAR - When Charlotte Rae toured Westlake School for research, her young tour guide was… Mindy Cohn. Charlotte insisted the producers meet her and the role of Natalie was created for her!Those roller-skates? Tootie had to wear them to make her taller!CHEAPER BY THE… TEN? The original first season cast had TEN main characters - The seven girls, Mrs. Garett (Charlotte Rae), teacher Emily Mahoney (Jenny O'Hara) and Headmaster Stephen Bradley (played by John Lawlor). The OG Eastlake students: Blair Warner (Lisa Whelchel), Nancy Olsen (Felice Schachter), Sue Anne Weaver (Julie Piekarski), Tootie Ramsey (Kim Fields), Molly Parker (Molly Ringwald), Cindy Webster (Julie Anne Haddock) and Natalie Green (Mindy Cohn).…AND THEN THERE WERE FOUR. After season one, the young cast was cut from seven girls down to the “Core Four”: Lisa Whelchel as Blair, Kim Fields as Tootie, Mindy Cohn as Natalie and bringing on newcomer Nancy McKeon as Jo Polniaczek.So, join Susan and Sharon -- and Anupam! -- as they talk Shondaland, The Golden Girls, shoulder pads, tea-time, Jermaine Jackson, Mech x4, Geri Jewel, Entertainment Weekly -- and “Who Shot J.R?”! AUDIO-OGRAPHY Follow Anupam Nigam: Instagram.com/anupamnigam1 and Twitter.com/anupamnigam Watch Season 4 of The Facts of Life for free at Roku.Watch Fire Country on CBS.  Check out CitizensforEthics.org Buy Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson at Bookshop.org PLUS -- “80's TV LADIES” MERCH is available at our SHOP!    CONNECTVisit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.Join the conversation at Facebook.com/80sTVLadies.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.In Honor of President Carter and to learn more about his presidency: Get Susan's new play about him and his Crisis of Confidence speech: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing. BREAKING NEWS! We're NOMINATED by The Podcast Academy Ambies for Best Indie Hosts!  Podcast Academy members, please VOTE for 80s TV Ladies at The Podcast Acadey voting. The Ambies are LIVE on March 31 at 6pm CT

What's your favorite childhood show? If you grew up in Canada or watched Nickelodeon in the 80s, you know and loved The Elephant Show & Skinnamarink TV -- and if you didn't, you're about to find out all about it! Susan and Sharon welcome Sharon Hampson, one of the creators of The Elephant Show and Skinnmarink TV.  As part of the musical trio “Sharon, Lois & Bram” -- featuring Sharon Hampson, Lois Lilienstein, and Bram Morrison -- Sharon rose to fame on these two ground-breaking, award -winning children's shows. Also joining us is Sharon's daughter Randi -- who is now her mom's manager and singing partner! THE CONVERSATIONWATCHING KIDS TV:  Susan LOVED Schoolhouse Rock -- but HATED Mr. Snuffleupagus! Kevin loved the Big Comfy Couch!  Sharon loved Fraggle Rock, but Kids Inc? Not so much…In the 80s, kids TV animation became all about selling toys because THE TOYS WERE THE STARS OF THE SHOWS! Like He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.Once the Skinnamarink song gets in your head -- it will never leave!! For Sharon, Lois & Bram, music has always been a part of their lives -- each one of them learning to sing and play musical instruments from childhood.Sharon Hampson quit high school to sing folk music in coffee houses -- much to her parent's horror!After 50 years of performing, Sharon says: “Children are just the same. They get up, they sing, they dance…They're 100% ready to go!”MEMORY UNLOCKED! When Sharon meets grown up fans: “They start to cry, and I tell them, ‘Don't be embarrassed. You're having tears because you're having happy childhood memories! It's a good thing!'”After the show's Candian production ended, The Elephant Show got picked up in the US by Nickelodeon in1987, and their popularity exploded! “It really changed our career. We played incredible places, huge audiences. We went from playing high school gyms to playing stadiums.” “Sharon, Lois & Bram” have shared the stage with everyone from The Beach Boys, Randy Travis and James Taylor!So, join Susan and Sharon -- and Sharon and Randi -- as they talk Toronto, vinyl love, Andrea Martin, Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, Raffi, The Nylons, Chuck Mangione -- and genderless elephants!AUDIO-OGRAPHYCatch up on all-things “Sharon, Lois & Bram” at SharonLoisandBram.comFollow them on Instagram at Instagram.com/sharonloisbramWatch them on TikTok.Catch The Elephant Show on YouTube.Watch and sing-a-long to the loving and joyful "Talk About Peace" on YouTube. VITAL READINGGet Handbook for A Post-Roe America by Robin Marty at Bookshop.org.Check out Men In Dark Times by Hannah Ahrendt at Bookshop.org.Read Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson at Bookshop.org.You can also follow Richardson's substack.SEE SUSAN AND DONATE TO GOOD CAUSESJoin Susan at Jim and Huck, the reading of her new play! It's a fundraiser for Arts A La Carte and Union Station Homeless Services Fire Relief Fund.ARC PASADENA: March 1, 2025 at 7:30pmMore info and Tix: Tinyurl.com/JimandHuckCONNECTVisit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.Join the conversation at Facebook.com/80sTVLadies.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON. In Honor of President Carter and to learn more about his presidency: Get Susan's new play about him and his Crisis of Confidence speech: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing. PLUS -- “80's TV LADIES” MERCH is available at Fourthwall. 

They're BAAAACK!It's 2025 and the world-renowned 90s TV Babies have reconvened around the TV screen to gaze upon 80s classic sitcom, Mama's Family, starring Vicki Lawrence, Dorothy Lyman, Betty White, Rue Mclanahan and Carol Burnett. Do they see what Mama's fuss is all about!?Serita Fontanesi, Megan Ruble -- and A BRAND NEW 90s TV Baby, Sailor Franklin -- drop in on “Mama” Harper, take a seat on the floral print couch, and weigh in with their thoughts. What did they watch?  What did they think?THE HOMEWORK:S1: EP1 -- “Vint and the Kids Move In”S1: EP4 -- “The Wedding, Part 2”S1: EP6 -- “Cellmates”S2: EP3 -- “The Country Club”S2: EP21 --“Ask Aunt Fran” EXTRA CREDIT: S1: EP2 -- “Rashomama”S3: EP1 -- “Farewell, Frannie”S3: EP11 -- “Where There's Smoke” And… the very first “Family” sketch from The Carol Burnett Show! THE CONVERSATIONROOKIE MOVE: Sailor did ALL the homework -- AND the Extra Credit!EVERYBODY'S AWFUL:  How Mama's Family is just like… It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia???Serita likes how the cast is filled with a variety of female characters who aren't perfect people: “Women deserve to be bad, too!”BIG HIGH SCHOOL WIG: Vicki Lawrence's “Mama” looks vastly younger than her own children!Serita likes that the MEN were most often the butt of the joke.SAME AS IT EVER WAS: Megan says: “We really don't have classic sitcoms anymore where people DON'T grow and change. Mama's Family is comforting!”Serita says “these people act a fool” -- and she's here for it!ON CELLMATES - Sailor: “If I had a nickel for every time sitcom characters get locked up together in a jail cell, along with a sex worker, and then get mistaken for being a sex worker… I would have... several nickels.”Did Mama's Family portray sex workers with more equity than most?The shockingly honest way Mama's Family addresses marriage -- and how it's not always a romantic dream come true.Sailor was blown away by “Rashomama”: “'Mama's Family' is doing a riff on an Akira Kurosawa movie?? Yes!!” IS IT FEMINIST? PROGRESSIVE?Megan: “‘Mama's Family' is feminist -- but not progressive.”Serita: “'Mama's Family is feminist -- AND progressive.”Sailor: “'Mama's Family is semi-progressive -- and semi-feminist.”AND… The Babies challenge Susan and Sharon to watch It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia! So, join Susan and Sharon -- and Serita and Megan and Sailor -- as they talk Abbott Elementary, Alan Alda, August babies!, Golden Girls, Coors Light, Die Hard, test boobs, Whoopi Goldberg -- and the “Sailor Franklin SitCom Spectrum”! AUDIO-OGRAPHYUPDATE: Find all SIX seasons of Mama's Family free -- on Pluto TV.Buy the streaming series at Amazon.Buy the DVD set at Amazon.Check DontGetPurged.org to make sure your name has not been purged from voter rolls!Find out more about CREW at CitizensForEthics.orgVITAL READINGGet Handbook for A Post-Roe America by Robin Marty at Bookshop.org.Check out Men In Dark Times by Hannah Ahrendt at Bookshop.org.Read Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson at Bookshop.org.You can also follow Richardson's substack.SUPPORT FOR THE LA FIRESOnline at DisasterAssistance.gov On the FEMA App for mobile devices.More resources at Eaton Canyon Community Relief.Google List of LA County Resources. PLACES TO VOLUNTEERGoogle Doc for Wednesday and ongoing.Volunteer with the Red Cross.TALK TO SOMEONEReach out to friends and family. Take care of yourself:Pro Bono Therapy for LA Wildfires - Google Doc. More mental health resources at LARevive.DONATINGMaster GoFundMe List for LA Fire Victims Google Doc.Displaced Black families in Altadena Google Doc. Gofundme pages for EATON CANYON COMMUNITY RELIEFCONNECTVisit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.Join the conversation at Facebook.com/80sTVLadies.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON. In Honor of President Carter and to learn more about his presidency: Get Susan's new play about him and his Crisis of Confidence speech: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing. PLUS -- “80's TV LADIES” MERCH is available at Fourthwall.  

“You're in acting class and you're studying Chekov or ‘Waiting for Godot' -- and then you end up doing 80s tits-and-a**… You caught on pretty quick what it was about and where the power lay.” -- Actress Heather ThomasWhat was it like to be an 80s poster icon and sex symbol? Susan and Sharon welcome The Fall Guy star and “80s Poster Lady” Heather Thomas. She's an actor, writer and activist -- but may be best known for her “Pink Bikini” poster, one of the best-selling pin-up posters of all time. Heather Thomas had leading roles in television shows like BJ and the Bear, The Love Boat and TJ Hooker -- as well as the movie Zapped! with Scott Baio, Willie Aames and Felice Schachter. But her most famous role was playing stuntwoman Jody Banks on the hit 80s television series The Fall Guy. Running for five seasons on ABC, The Fall Guy spawned board games, posters, a video game -- and just last year, a major feature film starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt -- and Heather Thomas! Since her days as a TV star and pin-up queen, Heather Thomas has gone on to an extraordinary career as a novelist, political activist, organizer and fund-raiser.  NOTE: This episode was recorded Dec. 2024, before the LA Fires. Our thoughts are with Heather and her family, and all those impacted by the fires. Stay safe. Be well. THE CONVERSATIONWORKING WITH MONKEYS: Clyde, the orangutan from Every Which Way But Loose, was her co-star once: “He thought it was funny to keep grabbing my boob. I thought he was gonna rip it off!” And a stint on BJ and the Bear led to producer Glen Larsen tapping her for the co-starring role in The Fall Guy. WORKING WITH TV PRODUCERS: “All of them are crazy. You're not gonna find any normal ones, not in those days. Everyone was nuts. And they still are.”"Smile more": Early on, the ABC network executives were afraid that Heather Thomas wasn't likable. So they put her in a bikini. “I guess that made up for me not smiling enough.” STUNT WORK: “Lee Majors almost broke my nose once.” "I was good on rollerskates!"In preparation for a Fall Guy episode, Heather trained with the Los Angeles Thunderbirds roller-derby team: “They showed me how to ‘break my back' on the rail -- it was really fun!”Ted Lange -- Isaac, the bartender on The Love Boat -- was one of Heather's favorite directors on the Fall Guy.A GOOD DIRECTOR: For Heather, it was someone who brought her into the filmmaking process. For Lee Majors -- it was anyone who got him home by 5:00pm! THE POSTER: Once the show was a hit, a poster was the next big step: “It outsold Farrah Fawcett. I bought a house. I was thrilled.”DIS-LIKENESS: Heather's image has been hi-jacked and used for everything from lighters, to puzzles, to notebook covers -- to a pillow!ON HAVING A FAMOUS BODY: “My body was my living. That's how I saw it.  So I had to feed it, exercise it -- I couldn't have an ounce of cellulite. It was part of the gig. But I didn't care, I was grateful. I was making more money than I ever had in my life. I was a kid.”ZAPPED! -- Teen sex comedy -- or sexual harassment?  “They tried to get me topless, but my contract said uh-uh!  So, they used a body double. There's a big disclaimer at the end of the movie saying that it's not my tits.”Activism: “Ever since they said, ‘You can't climb the tree, the boys can' -- I was a feminist.”So join Susan and Sharon -- and Heather -- as they talk fly-fishing, Star Wars, David Letterman,Teen Beat, Shaun Cassidy & Parker Stevenson, “Gabor-lore”, Cliff Robertson's toupeé, organizing your phone by decade, not complying in advance -- and canoeing with Henry Winkler!AUDIO-OGRAPHYFind Heather Thomas on Twitter at Twitter.com/HeatherThomasAF And find Heather Thomas on BlueSky at HeatherThomasAF.bsky.social Watch Heather Thomas in The Fall Guy on Peacock, Amazon Prime or Flixfling!Check DontGetPurged.org to make sure your name has not been purged from voter rolls!Find out more about CREW at CitizensForEthics.orgVITAL READINGGet Handbook for A Post-Roe America by Robin Marty at Bookshop.org.Check out Men In Dark Times by Hannah Ahrendt at Bookshop.org.Read Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson at Bookshop.org.You can also follow Richardson's substack.SUPPORT FOR THE LA FIRESOnline at DisasterAssistance.gov On the FEMA App for mobile devices or Call the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362Calls are accepted every day from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. PST.More resources at Eaton Canyon Community Relief.Google List of LA County Resources. AIRBNB is offering temporary free housing for those displaced by the fires. Start here. PLACES TO VOLUNTEERGoogle Doc for Wednesday and ongoing.Volunteer with the Red Cross.TALK TO SOMEONEReach out to friends and family. Take care of yourself:Pro Bono Therapy for LA Wildfires - Google Doc. More mental health resources at LARevive.DONATINGMaster GoFundMe List for LA Fire Victims Google Doc.Displaced Black families in Altadena Google Doc. Gofundme pages for EATON CANYON COMMUNITY RELIEFCONNECTVisit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.Join the conversation at Facebook.com/80sTVLadies.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON. In Honor of President Carter and to learn more about his presidency: Get Susan's new play about him and his Crisis of Confidence speech: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing.

Just a quick message and some ways to help from Susan and guest Richard Hatem (Richard Hatem's Paranormal Bookshelf) who live in Pasadena, CA. Links below on how to help. Thankfully, the 80s TV Ladies team are all safe - Sharon, Susan, Melissa, Kevin, Sailor, Sergio, Megan and Serita. Rich and I were lucky enough to be in a good spot. We housed evacuees from Altadena and La Canada this week. We know too many people who have lost homes, schools, churches, synagogues and more. Thinking of all of you and hoping we have gotten through the worst. Sending love and healing and recovery to Los Angeles - which is still a city on fire. The fires have decimated two entire communities within Los Angeles County, and destroyed tens of thousands of homes. The recovery will be immense. This disaster and the other recent disasters around the country and world are made worse by a changing climate, a warming earth. There's no escape. But there are solutions. There is hope. We can help each other. Donate or Volunteer if you can. We send best wishes for you to stay safe and find the light in the dark. TALK TO SOMEONEReach out to friends and family. Take care of yourself:Pro Bono Therapy for LA Wildfires - https://mac.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c6955712b931709f7b46b3067&id=5c10f09ac5&e=c2a6c4f49f More mental health resources athttps://mac.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c6955712b931709f7b46b3067&id=66ca1a18ce&e=c2a6c4f49f.PLACES TO VOLUNTEERhttps://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1eaSXTYlLY_spJ-_w43ac55qu6X4YtgApgRGfads3cM4/htmlview for Wednesday and ongoing.Volunteer with the https://mac.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c6955712b931709f7b46b3067&id=ac8e5b668f&e=c2a6c4f49f.DONATINGPeople we know or friends of friends gofundmes:https://mac.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c6955712b931709f7b46b3067&id=c949386ee8&e=c2a6c4f49fhttps://mac.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c6955712b931709f7b46b3067&id=417fad5f53&e=c2a6c4f49fhttps://mac.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c6955712b931709f7b46b3067&id=ee45e76e82&e=c2a6c4f49fhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/restore-hope-for-the-rosascamacho-familyMORE GOFUNDMEDisplaced Black families in Altadena https://mac.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c6955712b931709f7b46b3067&id=9973a4701e&e=c2a6c4f49f. Gofundme pages for https://mac.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c6955712b931709f7b46b3067&id=fe63638093&e=c2a6c4f49fTHANK YOU FIREFIGHTERSDONATE to the LAFD at https://supportlafd.kindful.comHELP Incarcerated Firefighters. CA uses incarcerated firefighters.Read more of their story https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/los-angeles-fires-inmates-speak-1235232001/.Donate to those firefighters at https://antirecidivism.org/donateType “firefighter fund” in the payment box. HELP THE ALTADENA GIRLSTeenagers who lost their school started a fund to help girls victimized by the Eaton Fire at https://www.instagram.com/altadenagirls. Donate to their cause at http://pledge.to/altadena-girlshttps://www.pledge.to/altadena-girlsPRICE GOUGING IS ILLEGALIf you see price gouging, you can report it:Call 311 or 213-473-3231.Or download myLA311 app to report illegally hiked rents and prices.Tracking Rental Price Gouging https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1RXWxLqTyWvAuq8A0PgaBuWeEn_G6qTLyTZ8lzfNEaNw/edit.THE SCALE OF ITIt is hard to get a sense of what is lost and the scope of the destruction. “LA has lost more than 20,000 homes and businesses. Its infrastructure has suffered significant damage; over 200,000 residents are without power due to the destruction of high transmission power lines. Water quality in reservoirs has been degraded from smoke particulates, meaning that hundreds of thousands of residents whose homes survived the fires will not have potable water service. Hundreds of thousands more remained locked out of their homes due to evacuation orders.” - https://open.substack.com/pub/roberthubbell/p/los-angeles-firestorms-literal-and?r=u3n9p&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=emailIf you want to understand the scale of destruction in these areas, here are satellite images that can show you a detailed zoomable visual.  EATON - https://mac.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c6955712b931709f7b46b3067&id=0d3105d0b0&e=c2a6c4f49f.PALISADES - https://mac.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c6955712b931709f7b46b3067&id=677c042027&e=c2a6c4f49f.Damage Destruction maps:- For https://recovery.lacounty.gov/eaton-fire/- For https://recovery.lacounty.gov/palisades-fire/We've heard a lot of blame and finger pointing in this disaster.APPLY FOR FEMA AIDOnline at DisasterAssistance.govor - On the FEMA App for mobile devicesor - Call the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362Calls are accepted every day from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. PST.You can apply for FEMA even if you have insurance. If you've lost your home and you're not sure where to start:United Policyholders is a nonprofit that can walk you through what to do. From the CA Gov.'s office: Check out Wildfire Debris Removal guide at wildfirerecovery.orgMore resources at Eaton Canyon Community Relief.Google List of LA County Resources. AIRBNB is offering temporary free housing for those displaced by the fires. Start here. We've heard a lot of blame and finger pointing in this disaster.But what we've seen on the ground and in the skies, are people going above and aboard to help. Everyone is doing their best to help others.The firefighters and emergency personnel who have worked nonstop to save lives and homes. The neighbors who have saved lives and animals and homes. The city and county of Los Angeles and communities across California, Mexico, Canada and the world have donated and sent love and support. People have opened their homes and businesses to help neighbors, friends and strangers. We are stronger together.We will recover and rebuild and remain a strong, loving and creative city.CONNECTVisit the website for transcripts and more http://80stvladies.comJoin the conversation at http://facebook.com/80sTVLadies.

On March 16, 1974, a sketch appeared on The Carol Burnett Show featuring Carol Burnett, Vicki Lawrence and Harvey Korman portraying a “normal” American family -- warts and all. This sketch, known as “The Family”, led by a then 25 year-old Vicki Lawrence playing a gray-haired 63 year-old ‘Mama', spawned 30 more sketches, a TV Movie (Eunice) and finally a spin-off series of its own (Mama's Family) which ran for 130 episodes over six seasons both on CBS and in syndication (1983-1990).In “The Family”, Carol Burnett played the melodramatic, ambitious, brow-beaten daughter of ‘Mama'. Mama, played by Vicki Lawrence, is an exaggeratedly mean-spirited and insult-spitting widow and mother of five children: three sons played by guest stars Roddy McDowell, Alan Alda and Tom Smothers -- and two daughters: Eunice & Ellen (played by Betty White). Eunice's husband Ed Higgins was played by Harvey Korman.How did one simple sketch take on such a huge life of its own, creating a sprawling TV empire that some are calling “The Mama-Verse”? Susan and Sharon put on their housecoats and curly gray wigs to find out!THE CONVERSATIONCarol Burnett's career started with a Broadway role starring as the lead in Once Upon a Mattress and then as a rising star on The Garry Moore Show.The Carol Burnett Show was hugely successful, running eleven seasons, garnering 70 Emmy nominations and winning 25.Carol Burnett was encouraged to “speak up for herself” by another TV comedy legend -- Lucille Ball.A fan letter from then 18 year-old Vicki Lawrence to Carol Burnett led to her actually being cast as a regular on the show!“HARVARD SCHOOL OF COMEDY”: Lawrence cites Harvey Korman and Carol Burnett as her show business mentors during the 11 years she spent on the show.ONE-HIT WONDER: Five years into her run on The Carol Burnett Show, Lawrence had a hit song, recording “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia”!In the TV movie Eunice, Mama suddenly only has three children instead of five -- what happened to the others? And why is one of them suddenly Ken Berry?Vicki Lawrence was nominated for an Emmy for her portrayal of ‘Mama' in Eunice.The TV series Mama's Family was aired first as a prime-time network comedy and later as a nationally syndicated series. It originally ran for two years on CBS, was cancelled in 1984 -- and then revived TWO YEARS LATER in 1986 by Lorimar Syndication to run for additional 100 episodes!NAME SWITCH: The character Ken Berry played started out as “Phillip” in the TV-movie but then became “Vinton” in the TV series.The TV show introduced “Fran” played by future Golden Girl, Rue McClanahan -- playing Betty White's aunt!The TV show also introduced Vinton's children Buzz and Sonya played by “80's TV Ladies” alum, Eric Brown and actress Karin Argoud.Mama's neighbor, Naomi Oates, was played by “Another World” “The Nanny” and now “80s TV Ladies” alum, Dorothy Lyman!So join Susan and Sharon as they talk Lou Grant, social justice, Julie Andrews and the first Live Televised Cinderella musical, “Raytown, Missouri”, Kamala Harris, Matlock, driving your own story -- and “Miss Fireball of Inglewood”!AUDIO-OGRAPHYWatch The Carol Burnett Show and Mama's Family across many platforms. Not all of them feature all seasons. The Carol Burnett Show can be seen for free on Pluto TV. Mama's Family can be seen for free on Pluto TV.The Carol Burnett Show “The Family” select episodes:S7, EP23 - Aired 3/16/1974 - Jackson Five and Roddy McDowall.The first of “The Family” sketches. “The Reunion  - Eunice's brother Phil (Roddy McDowall), a Nobel and Pulitzer prize winning author, returns home for a visit. On YouTube.S8, EP13 - Aired 12/21/1974 - Alan Alda“Home for the Holidays”Christmas sketch with Alan Alda on YouTube. VITAL READINGGet Handbook for A Post-Roe America by Robin Marty at Bookshop.org.Check out Men In Dark Times by Hannah Ahrendt at Bookshop.org.Read Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson at Bookshop.org.You can also follow Heather's substack.SHOPLAST WEEK FOR THE “80's TV LADIES” HOLIDAY SALE!15% off on all merch at the 8TL Shop. Make sure to use promo code “Festive80s”!CONNECTVisit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts and more.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON. In Honor of President Carter and to learn more about his presidency: Get Susan's new play about him and his Crisis of Confidence speech: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing.

What's the best Christmas episode of The Facts of Life? The Nanny vs Mama's Family? Let's find out!If you grew up in the 80s, tuning in to the special “Holiday” episodes of our favorite shows was a winter ritual. Susan and Sharon bring that tradition home as they dive into the “Best Holiday Episodes” of three favorite 80's and 90s TV shows -- The Facts of Life, Mama's Family and The Nanny. Musical numbers, mixed-up gifts, screwed-up travel plans -- and lots of hot cocoa!80's TV “Holiday” episodes had them all -- and we loved them for it! So grab some eggnog and fruitcake, and listen as Susan and Sharon choose their personal favorite holiday episodes of the some of our favorite 80s TV Ladies shows!THE EPISODESThe Facts of Life:S5, EP12 - “The Christmas Show”S6, EP13 - “Christmas in the Big House”S7, EP13 - “Christmas Baby”S9, EP12 - “It's A Wonderful Christmas”  Mama's Family:S3, EP13 - “Santa Mama”S6, EP14 - “Mama Gets Goosed”The Nanny:S1, EP8 - “The Christmas Episode”S3, EP14 - “Oy To The World”S6, EP10 - “The Hannukah Story”  BONUS! The Carol Burnett Show:S2, EP12 - Eileen Farrell, Bob Hope, and Marilyn HorneS8, EP13 - Alan AldaTHE CONVERSATION GO FIGURE -- Not a lot of Hanukkah or Kwanza episodes back in the 80s.Why did it take FIVE SEASONS before Facts of Life finally did a Christmas episode?S5, EP12 “The Christmas Show” - directed by Asaad Kelada.In S6, EP13 “Christmas in the Big House” -- Blair organizes a charity Christmas show for what she thinks is an orphanage -- but it turns out to be a men's prison!Mickey Mouse Club veteran former Mousketeer Lisa Whelchel shows off her singing skills! Heck, all the ladies get to sing! NO ROOM AT THE INN? In the third Facts of Life Christmas episode, Blair's mom gives birth -- It's a Christmas baby episode!IS IT A WONDERFUL SHOW? Cloris Leachman gets center stage in the fourth -- and final -- Facts of Life Christmas episode, S9, EP10 “It's A Wonderful Christmas”.Mama's Family S6, EP14 “Mama Gets Goosed” -- The family is horrified when they meet their dinner -- a live goose that Mama plans to kill and cook for Christmas!The Nanny got a jump on Christmas episodes in S1, EP8 -- where complications from a gift Mr. Sheffield gives to Fran ends up fulfilling Gracie's only Christmas wish!S3, EP14 “Oy To The World” -- The Nanny's one and only ANIMATED EPISODE!S6, EP 10 “The Hanukkah Story” -- Susan and Sharon BOTH loved this Nanny episode where cultures clash when Fran tries to teach the Sheffields the importance of Hanukkah.PLUS -- BONUS HOLIDAY EPISODES from The Carol Burnett Show! - Alan Alda, star of the M*A*S*H TV show hit, sings with Carol! And plays one of Mama's sons and Eunice's brother in “The Family” in a hilarious, homecoming Christmas sketch.But is that a better episode than the Christmas special with incredibly famous opera stars, Eileen Farrell, Marily Horne and a surprise guest star Bob Hope?AND -- A BIG THANK YOU to our PATREON MEMBERS! We'll tell you about NEW PERKS coming your way in 2025!So, join Susan and Sharon as they talk Ray Charles, Community, dreidels, Alan Alda, vegetarian Christmas dinners, talking dogs, opera, “Big Spender”, Bob Hope -- and confessional confessions!  AUDIO-OGRAPHYWatch three of The Facts of Life Christmas Episodes on YouTube. Watch “Mama Gets Goosed” on PlutoTV.And “Santa Mama” on PlutoTV.Watch The Nanny streaming on Peacock.The Carol Burnett ShowS2, EP12 - Aired 12/16/1968 - Eileen Farrell, Bob Home and Marilyn Horne on YouTube.S8, EP13 - Aired 12/21/1974 - Alan Alda Christmas episode clips:- Nobody Does it Like Me with Carol Burnett on YouTube.- “The Family” Christmas sketch with Alan Alda on YouTube. LIGHT READING Read On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder Read the Guardian article “How To Survive The Broligarchy” by Carol Cadwalladr.The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin at Baldwin and Co Books. Orwell's Roses by Rebecca Solnit at Bookshop.orgSHOPGET IN ON THE “80's TV LADIES” HOLIDAY SALE!15% off on all merch at the 8TL Shop. Make sure to use promo code “Festive80s”!CONNECTVisit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON. Get your Carter on: 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. 

“I was the highest paid actor in Hollywood -- if you were counting by the word.”           - actor Eric Brown THE CONVERSATIONTAKING THE PIPPIN BUS: Nine-year-old Eric played the lead in the original touring company of Bob Fosse's Pippin! “It was 1974. I was the only child in a cast of adults. One-and-two-night stands. In a bus. Thirty states. Six months.”PRIVATE LESSONS: The lead got fired -- so Eric was promoted to star!15 GOING ON 30: In Private Lessons, Fifteen year-old Eric Brown, played a fifteen-year-old -- being seduced by a thirty-year-old woman! “My wife is still mad at my mother for letting me play that role!”KICKED OUT OF SCHOOL: Eric was kicked out of St. Francis Prep School for being in Private Lessons: “They said, “We think you'd do better at another school considering your career goals.” It was a very Franciscan way of saying, “Get out”.”MAMA'S FAMILY: “You know the rumors that Betty White had a dirty streak? All true.”On working with Carol Burnett, Vicki Lawrence, Dorothy Lyman, Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Harvey Korman: “Everyone was so funny -- you were always laughing. They were constantly futzing, because they knew what was funny -- and if it wasn't, they would fix it."DIRECTOR SPLIT: Mama's Family had TWO directors: Harvey Korman worked with the actors, while someone else blocked out the camera moves (Roger Beatty).THE METAVERSE OF MAMA'S FAMILY: Vicki Lawrence started playing the at least 63-year-old “Mama” when she was in her late 20's!THE EPISODE THAT NEVER WAS: Eric pitched an episode where he and Ken Barry -- both tap dancers -- could dance together in a talent show.  But it never happened.TAKE THE TOUPEE: Carol Burnett would do anything for a laugh -- including pulling the hairpiece off a certain co-star during taping -- when no one was expecting it!BAD NEWS, GOOD NEWS, WORSE NEWS -- Mama's Family gets cancelled.  Then it comes back!  But not with Eric.LOVING LAURA HOLT: After Private Lessons, Eric did a replay on Remington Steele -- playing a kid with a crush on an “older woman”: “I was head over heels in love with Stephanie Zimbalist. In real life!”BE KIND, REWIND: After jobs dried up in Hollywood, Eric moved to Monterey and got a job in a video store: “I was renting movies to people that I WAS IN.”FIRST RULE OF COMMUNICATION: For the MacArthur Foundation or a lost chicken in Queens: Know your goal.WHAT CAN ONE PERSON DO TO HELP THE WORLD? Find what you love and offer that.So, join Susan and Sharon -- and Eric -- as they talk Listerine commercials, the Clinton campaign, Jon de Bont, Sarah Jessica Parker, Howard Hessman, Barry Williams, On Golden Pond, Ian Ziering, curfew “double standards”, working with women directors, Jerry Reed, Emmanuelle, Fred Willard -- and evil twins!  AUDIO-OGRAPHYWatch Mama's Family for free on Pluto TV.Listen to Eric Brown's podcast about philanthropy, Let's Hear it. Or on Apple. Check out what Eric Brown is doing now at Brownbridgestrategies.com.Enjoy Eric's blog about traveling the world with his wife at Eat, Bicker, Love.PLUS -- AN “80's TV LADIES” HOLIDAY SALE!Get 15% off on all merch at 80s TV Ladies Shop on Fourthwall.Make sure to use promo code “Festive80s”!  CONNECTVisit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON.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. 

“The roles I've played on soap operas are infinitely superior to any roles I've played anywhere else. They are about women and women's stories. The men are just there to screw you -- or screw you over.” -- Dorothy LymanJust three chicks sitting around talking...Susan and Sharon clean house -- and air some dirty laundry -- with The Nanny director and Emmy-award winning actress Dorothy Lyman. You may know her as Opal Gardner from the long-running soap opera All My Children or as Naomi Oates Harper from Mama's Family. But did you know she also directed an astonishing 74-episodes of the classic Fran Drescher comedy, The Nanny?THE CONVERSATIONOne-day of work a month on Search For Tomorrow was enough to keep Dorothy from “serving cheeseburgers.” The pay was $400 -- and rent in NY was only $65!COMING CLEAN ABOUT SOAPS: Soap operas addressed abuse and abortion and mental illness and many other issues long before prime time TV. “I think it helped a lot of women stuck at home feeling the same things.”ON SOAP OPERA FANS: “I couldn't buy myself a beer anywhere in America the whole time I was on the soaps. The fans are different. They feel like they know you.”WHEN CAROL BURNETT CALLS: “Carol Burnett and Vicki Lawrence would watch me as Opal on ‘All My Children' during their lunch hour on ‘The Carol Burnett Show' -- that was their ritual. And that's how I got the job on ‘Mama's Family'.”A COUPLA WHITE CHICKS SITTING AROUND TALKING: on directing the long-running, Off-Broadway hit starring Susan Sarandon and Eileen Brennan.TRY AGAIN: Mama's Family was completely reconceived after the first pilot. “We shot one that was really awful. I think the problem was, it was too mean. And it wasn't funny at all.” THERE'S THE DOOR: After directing three seasons of The Nanny, Dorothy says, “I never got another job directing a single moment of television. I spent many years thinking I'd done something terribly wrong. But it was because I was over 50 -- and I was a woman.”What do you do when Hollywood directing gigs go away? You buy a chicken farm in upstate New York and start writing plays, of course!ON CHANGE: “Change is where it's at. Nothing stays the same. And I've always been one of those people -- if I wanted to do something, I did it.”ON DIRECTING: “It fits my personality. I'm bossy.”So join Susana and Sharon -- and Dorothy -- as they talk Milton Berle, Edge of Night, Celine Dion, visiting Egypt, Another World, Bette Midler, The Women's Room, Fran Drescher, baked croutons -- and “Where do you keep your Emmys?”AUDIO-OGRAPHYWatch Mama's Family for free on Pluto TV.Follow Dorothy Lyman at Instagram.com/dorothy_lymanNative American Heritage Month Find out more at NativeAmericanHeritageMonth.govFor more information about the land you live on go to Native-land.caBLACK FRIDAY DEAL!It's an “80's TV LADIES” HOLIDAY SALE! - Get 20% off on all merch at tinyurl.com/8TLshopMake sure to use promo code “Festive80s”!  CONNECTVisit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON. SUPPORT OTHERSSupport those seeking abortion in states where it is outlawed or restricted. Go to ARC Southeast.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. Credits: 80s TV Ladies™ Episode 308. Produced by 134 West and Susan Lambert Hatem. Hosted by Susan Lambert Hatem and Sharon Johnson. Guest: Dorothy Lyman. Sound Engineer and Editor: Kevin Ducey. Producers: Melissa Roth. Sharon Johnson. Richard Hatem. Associate Producers: Sergio Perez. Sailor Franklin. Music by Amy Engelhardt. Copyright 2024 134 West, LLC and Susan Lambert. All Rights Reserved.

Susan and Sharon are thrilled to sit down with award-winning singer, songwriter, actress -- and stuntwoman -- Marneen Fields. As a gymnast, swimmer and stuntwoman in the 1970s and 80s, Marneen's career sky-rocketed with roles on Scarecrow & Mrs. King, Lou Grant, Quincy, Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, The Man from Atlantis, The Fall Guy, Murder She Wrote, Dynasty -- as well as the Clint Eastwood film The Gauntlet.But it was only after a devastating car accident ended her career as a stuntwoman that Marneen found her way back into life by finally embracing her childhood dream of writing and singing songs.  Her story is one of resilience, renewal -- and the power of persevering when life's challenges seem overwhelming.THE CONVERSATIONFIRST BASS: What do you do when you're the littlest girl in school -- but end up having to playing biggest instrument -- the stringed bass?How a background in gymnastics led Marneen directly into her career as a stuntwoman.IN DEMAND: As an experienced stuntwoman in Hollywood, Marneen's phone rang off the hook for 15 years.THE FALL GIRL: In 1976-77, Marneen was one of the top stuntwomen in the world.ROSES FROM BRUCE: One of her favorite acting jobs was playing Lee Stetson's long-lost love “Dorothy” on Scarecrow & Mrs. King.FALLING FOR “QUINCY”: What is it like doing a high-fall off a 76-story building in puffy slippers and a negligee?!?The secret of being a successful stuntwoman? Look like a lot of famous actresses!Getting pushed out of a jet by James Garner!Getting punched off a train by Clint Eastwood!PERFECT PITCH: Marneen's love for music survives her near total hearing loss in both ears.Just as her acting career was taking off, Marneen was involved in a car accident that nearly took her life -- and led to over a decade of operations and excruciating pain. But on the other end was a whole new life in music…So, join Susan and Sharon -- and Marneen -- as they talk Shirley Jones, Battlestar Galactica, scuba diving, dating stuntmen, mouth-to-mouth with Patrick Duffy -- and “becoming the broken-hearted songwriter I was meant to be!”AUDIO-OGRAPHYFind all of Marneen's work on Facebook.And Instagram at Instagram.com/HeavenlyWaterfallProductions.Find Marneen's book The Illusive Craft of Acting at Amazon.Get more info and help support Marneen's film, Who's Going To Take Care of Me? at Crowdfundr.CONNECTVisit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON.SUPPORT YOUR NEIGHBORSFind help or ways to help at AbortionFunds.orgSupport Democracy at DemocracyDocket.comSupport freedoms at ACLU.orgREMEMBER: Make sure your vote counted. Track your ballot at Vote.orgThis 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.

There is no fandom like the Scarecrow & Mrs. King fandom -- passionate, dedicated and absolutely obsessed with red hats, train stations, the Q bureau, and Cream-&-Wood 1983 Ford LTD Country Squire Station Wagons.In this episode, Susan and Sharon meet up with super-fans Taya Johnston, Jennifer Peterson and Miranda Thomas from The Mrs. King's Chronicles, a re-watch podcast about -- what else? -- Scarecrow & Mrs. King! From Beaverton, Oregon… to Clarkston, Michigan… to Florence, Kentucky -- these three women (plus their fourth partner, Lexie Fiema who couldn't make the recording) know their SMK! In this fast-moving and funny conversation, you'll find out everything you ever wanted to know about podcasting, Amanda King, Lee Stetson and Firefly -- but were afraid to ask… THE CONVERSATIONWhat do you do when you want to spend more time with your friends and your favorite show?  The answer is easy -- you do a podcast!GETTING HOOKED ON SMK: sometimes it's in college, sometimes it's a commercial, sometimes… it's your mom!IT WAS A THING: recording your favorite shows onto cassette tape so you could listen to them later.Lexie -- the “90s Baby” of the podcast -- wants to know why Lee and Amanda don't use their cell phones more often. And what's up with the “two Germanys” thing?PODCAST PIONEER: Miranda has also done internet radio and podcasts about Firefly and Felicity and Alias and Heroes and Chuck!Why do certain shows inspire rabid fandom? And others… not so much.SUBURBAN SPY: The compelling fantasy wish-fulfillment of “Being Mrs. King.”At the “Hollywood Show” fan meet-up: Bruce Boxleitner had his own fanboy moment when he saw TV's “Batman” -- Adam West. But he never got to meet him because he refused to cut in line in front of other fans…THE ELECTRIC CAMPFIRE: How television -- and now podcasts -- became our place of communal story-telling and shared emotional connection.Ship of Spies? Was there really an SMK cruise? Did anyone get married? Go to a strip club?So, join Susan and Sharon -- and Taya and Jennifer and Miranda! -- as they talk 80s retro-love, podcast tangents, Dungeons & Dragons, Miami strip clubs, sweater vests, the Star Wars Christmas Special, living in the Matrix -- and throwing rocks at Cincinnati! AUDIO-OGRAPHYListen to the Mrs. King's Chronicles podcast at MKCPodcast.com  Check out Taya's website CallMeaCab.comFind Miranda's Firefly podcast at Serenityfirefly.comFind out more about Columbia Willamette River Keepers Willamette-riverkeeper.orgGet The Ultimate Fan's Guide to Scarecrow & Mrs. King at Amazon.CONNECTVisit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON. VOTEThe Presidential Election is Tuesday, November 5!Get info and find your polling place at Vote.orgThis 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.

“Katie and I, our relationship could be a little exciting -- I had to watch my step, I had to toe the line. I had to behave myself or I'd get taken to the principal's office... And she was the principal.” -- Bruce BoxleitnerIn Part Two of their conversation, Bruce reflects on the differences between doing TV then and now, his relationship with Kate Jackson -- and how the long hours can sometimes turn your co-stars into your family…Bruce Boxleitner's television career started way back in 1973 with an appearance on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and he has since appeared in over 100 films and TV shows including Gunsmoke, Baretta, Police Woman, Hawaii 5-0, Babylon 5, Crossing Jordan, Commander in Chief, American Dad, Cold Case, Heroes, Chuck, NCIS, Supergirl, The Orville, When Calls The Heart, How The West Was Won, Bring ‘Em Back Alive, The Gambler and Tron.THE CONVERSATIONTHE UGLY SIDE OF LEE STETSON: When Lee slaps Amanda in “Burn Out” (S2; EP.21) What was going on? --  “Kate said, “Hit me.” It was no fun. I didn't enjoy doing it at all.”ON THE JAZZ: In Europe, Mel Stuart -- a saxophonist -- fell in with some local jazz musicians and ended up sitting-in in clubs all over Munich.DOUBLE TROUBLE: Bruce finds out the strange reason his stunt double Gary Davis did the pilot's helicopter stunts with no safety cable!On doing network TV: “This is where I come off sounding like a grumpy old man, but in my day, we had fun. Nobody is having fun anymore. Because we have cell phones on the set, everyone's on their cell phone. No one's talking.”WHO CAN TURN THE WORLD ON WITH HIS SMILE? Bruce got his first gig on The Mary Tyler Moore Show because the producer owed his agent a favor.On doing a streaming series: “I'm doing a series now -- six episodes. They call that a series? I call it a two-parter.”Bruce gets a surprise walking onto the Gunsmoke set when he discovers the entire town is built inside a soundstage.On filming pilots: “George Clooney says he's the king of the unsold pilots. Well, buddy, I'm the runner-up!”While shooting The Orville, Bruce finds out that the biggest SMK fan… is Seth McFarlane!How do you marry Lee and Amanda? Should you marry Lee and Amanda?So, join Susan and Sharon -- and Bruce -- as they talk How The West Was Won, Ted Knight, Tron, Juanita Bartlett, Susan Diol, Police Woman, and pranking Martha Smith -- and Kate Jackson -- AND Beverly Garland… and the sad, tragic life of “Dean, the Boyfriend”!AUDIO-OGRAPHYFind out more about Bruce Boxleitner at Facebook.comFollow him at Instagram.com/BoxleitnerBruceFollow him at Twitter.com/BoxleitnerBruceCatch him on Cameo at Cameo.com/BoxleitnerBruceWatch S2, Ep. 21: Burn out on TubiGet The Ultimate Fan's Guide to Scarecrow & Mrs. King by David Johnson, Taya Johnston and Sabine Ludewig at Amazon. CONNECTVisit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON.We're a 2024 Podcast Award Winner! We WON for Best Film & TV. Thank you everyone who voted!VOTEREMEMBER: Register or Check your US Election Registration at Vote.orgMake a plan to Vote. Check out Ballot Ready.This year is the 45th anniversary of President Carter's Crisis of Confidence speech. Read Susan's new play about the speech and the confidence it takes to be president in challenging times: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing.

“Kate was able to go off script. Then I found I could go with her. Pretty soon we're doing stuff that is not on the written page. That's where we found the little ‘in-between' moments.”  - Bruce BoxleitnerSusan and Sharon are so excited to talk with the star of one of their favorite 80s TV shows of all time -- Bruce Boxleitner from Scarecrow & Mrs. King!  Bruce's television career started way back in 1973 with an appearance on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. He has since appeared in over 100 films and TV shows including Gunsmoke, Baretta, Police Woman, Hawaii 5-0, Babylon 5, Crossing Jordan, Commander in Chief, American Dad, Cold Case, Heroes, Chuck, NCIS, Supergirl, The Orville, When Calls The Heart, How The West Was Won, Bring ‘Em Back Alive, The Gambler and Tron.In Part One of this two-part interview, Bruce reflects on getting the role of Lee Stetson, working with Kate Jackson and the cast of Scarecrow & Mrs. King and filming some of the show's most memorable episodes during the summer of 1984 in Europe.THE CONVERSATIONGETTING THE SHOW: "I was in a daze. I ended up on the roof... The security guard down below: 'What are you doing up there?' 'I don't know!'"UN-“HAPPY DAYS”: How Bring ‘Em Back Alive fought a losing battle on Tuesday nights against Richie Cunningham and the Fonz… But how it led to Bruce's most famous TV role of all time!CALLING ALL SPIES: What was it like auditioning with Kate Jackson -- in front of the same executives that just cancelled his last show?On Mel Stuart: “He was the best. I miss him so much. He made me laugh more than anyone I've ever worked with.”THE OLD CAR: Driving that '63 Porsche Speedster around Washington, D.C. during the pilot: “It died after every take.”THE NEW CAR: a 1984 Corvette: “It fit me like a pair of fiberglass pants.”Gary Davis -- Bruce's secret stunt double -- did all Lee Stetson's stunts, and doubled for Bruce more times than you might think.NOT TOO MANY GUNFIGHTS AT 8PM: The Scarecrow editors assembled a gag reel of all the times top agent Lee Stetson lost his gun.SAVING MS. SMITH: While filming in Munich, Bruce and Martha Smith walked into the wrong punk bar. Bruce got her out -- but only after throwing some Stetson-style punches!Working in the Alps and in Amanda's house with Jean Stapleton -- “I wish she could have done more episodes.”One of Bruce's favorite episodes? S2; EP1 “To Catch a Mongoose”S2; EP21: “Burn Out” -- and the scene where Lee slaps Amanda. How did that feel for Kate -- and Bruce?So, join Susan and Sharon -- and Bruce -- as they talk Beverly Garland, James Garner, quirky humor, Scotland Yard, Lee Stetson's wardrobe, “When should we kiss?”  -- and what happened the day Moonlighting premiered!Make sure to join us NEXT EPISODE for Part Two of our conversation with Bruce Boxleitner!AUDIO-OGRAPHYFind out more about Bruce Boxleitner at Facebook.com Follow him at Instagram.com/BoxleitnerBruceCatch him on Cameo at Cameo.com/BoxleitnerBruceWatch S2, Ep. 21: Burn out on TubiRead the NY Times review of Bruce's 1973 Broadway play debut, Status Quo Vadis. And guess who else was in the cast? (Hint: Sam from Cheers!)   CONNECTVisit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON.VOTEWe're a 2024 Podcast Award Winner! We WON for Best Film & TV. Thank you Podcast Awards!REMEMBER: Register or Check your US Election Registration at Vote.orgMake a plan to Vote. Check out Ballot Ready.This year is the 45th anniversary of President Carter's Crisis of Confidence speech. Read Susan's new play about the speech and the confidence it takes to be president in challenging times: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing.

‘The Princess Diaries', ‘Romy & Michelle', ‘10 Things I Hate About You', ‘Clueless'… Whenever I think my work doesn't mean anything to anyone at any time and never will… somebody says to me, ‘Those movies -- I watched them and I showed them to my kid.” -- Casting Director Marcia RossIn Part Two of our conversation with Casting Director Marcia Ross, Susan and Sharon discuss the changing business of Hollywood, favorite finds, shrinking budgets, and going from in-person auditions -- to auditioning on tape -- to just clicking on a link…      Casting Director Marcia Ross has been instrumental in putting together amazing ensembles for classic films and TV shows since 1983. Susan and Sharon sit down this week with Ms. Ross to go behind the scenes and discover exactly how today's “unknown” turns into tomorrow's “big discovery” -- and who makes it happen. Among the young actors Marcia is credited with discovering: Anne Hathaway, Heath Ledger, Paul Rudd, Rachel McAdams, Jennifer Garner and Amy Poehler.THE CONVERSATIONTo cast the pilot of Models Inc. , they auditioned “one thousand women” -- including Carrie Anne Moss!Angelina Jolie didn't get cast -- because she “didn't have the right look” according to Aaron Spelling.8TL's own producer Melissa Roth worked on Models Inc, too -- as a camera assistant!Casting Princess Diaries: Anne Hathaway was perfect because “you had to believe she could be both things. (a real person and a princess)”Chris Pine in Princess Diaries 2: “He read for me and I was like, “Can you come back this afternoon?” He was an unknown, but within a day he had the part.The challenge of casting sequels -- how are you gonna get everyone back?BURNING BRIDGES: How do you tell your star Jeff Bridges that the actress he wants you to cast… just isn't right?Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion -- Lisa Kudrow and Mira Sorvino got the lead roles … but SNL's Will Ferrel and Chris Kattan ended up on the cutting room floor.“It's a hard business. And it's hard to have longevity because people always want the next new thing.”So, join Susan and Sharon -- and Marcia -- as they talk Jean Smart, Jeremy Renner, Lizzie McGuire, Julie Andrews, Johnny Depp, Scarecrow & Mrs. King -- and watching The Flintstones Friday nights at 7:30!AUDIO-OGRAPHYFind out more about Marcia Ross and Jeff Kaufman's documentary film work at FloatingWorldPictures.com.To see Nasrin, go to NasrinFilm.comWatch the Terrence McNally documentary Every Act of Life on YouTube, Amazon, or Apple.or search on Roku.Need some 80s TV Ladies merch?!? Check out our GRAND OPENING SALE.CONNECTVisit 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.BREAKING NEWSWe just won Best TV & Film podcast at the People's Choice Podcast Awards!Thank you to all who voted and to all our listeners and guests.VOTERegistration deadlines are coming up! Register or Check your US Election Registration at Vote.orgHappy 100th Birthday to President Jimmy Carter! Get Susan's new play about Carter's White House in 1979: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing.

“An actor is either compelling -- or they are NOT compelling. Doesn't matter if they're green. You want to watch them. That's what makes them a star. How do I know? I just feel it.”  -- Marcia Ross, Casting DirectorHow did “Clueless” and “Princess Diaries” and “Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion” find their leads? Casting Director Marcia Ross has been instrumental in putting together amazing ensembles for classic films and TV shows since 1983.Susan and Sharon sit down this week with Ms. Ross to go behind the scenes and discover exactly how today's “unknown” turns into tomorrow's “big discovery” -- and who makes it happen. Among the young actors Marcia is credited with discovering: Anne Hathaway, Heath Ledger, Paul Rudd, Rachel McAdams, Jennifer Garner and Amy Poehler.THE CONVERSATIONChanning Tatum's first audition! He didn't get the part. But the next time Marcia saw him, it worked out better: Step Up.Casting Andre Braugher -- and how a single note changed the audition from flat, to making a roomful of people cry.10 Things I Hate About You -- Gabrielle Union was the only person who auditioned for her role.HEATH LEDGER GETS A SECOND CHANCE: The first time around he just didn't have it. Marcia gave him one more chance: “Be prepared!” It made all the difference.DARE TO PIVOT: How she made the transition to producing documentaries: meeting Terrance McNally -- and then filming him…THE SCIENCE OF THE ENSEMBLE: thirtysomething -- it started with Ken Olin. But it when Mel Harris came in, it was all about chemistry…So, join Susan and Sharon -- and Marcia -- as they talk Chita Rivera, Cujo, Angela Lansbury, same-sex marriage, Paul Rudd, Nathan Lane, human rights in Iran -- and finally getting a casting director academy award category!!And stay tuned for PART 2. Casting in the 80s, Jeff Bridges and more!AUDIO-OGRAPHYFind out more about Marcia Ross and Jeff Kaufman's documentary film work at https://www.floatingworldpictures.com/about-us Need some 80s TV Ladies merch?!? Check out our GRAND OPENING SALE.CONNECTVisit 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.BREAKING NEWSWe just won Best TV & Film podcast at the People's Choice Podcast Awards!Thank you to all who voted and to all our listeners and guests.VOTERegistration deadlines are coming up! Register or Check your US Election Registration at Vote.orgHappy 100th Birthday to President Jimmy Carter! Get Susan's new play about Carter's White House in 1979: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing.

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 CONVERSATIONHow 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-OGRAPHYFind 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). CONNECTVisit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON. VOTEWe'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.orgThis 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 CONVERSATIONDo 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-OGRAPHYRead 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.CONNECTVisit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON.VOTEWe'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.orgThis 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.

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-OGRAPHYStephanie Zimbalist on Facebook/StephanieZimbalistFanPage.Steele Watching Podcast w/ Kerry Carlock. CONNECTVisit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON.VOTEWe'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.orgThis 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-OGRAPHYStephanie Zimbalist on Facebook/StephanieZimbalistFanPage.Steele Watching Podcast w/ Kerry Carlock. Native Land Digital at Native-Land.ca Read about Land Acknowledgment at LAist.CONNECTVisit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON.VOTEWe're NOMINATED for Best Film & TV Podcast. Please VOTE for 80s TV Ladies at Women in Podcasting Awards.Suppport Kamala Harris for President - KamalaHarris.comRegister or Check your Registration at Vote.orgThis 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 CONVERSATIONHow 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”!AUDIOGRAPHYKeep up with Tyne Daly at Tynedalyonline.com Visit the Official Cagney & Lacey Facebook page.Tyne Daly's Official Facebook page.WHERE TO WATCHCagney & 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.comOn Apple TV.BOOKSRemembering Cagney & Lacey with Sharon Gless & Tyne Daly by Brian McFaddenPoems New and Collected by Wisława SzymborskaThe New Handbook for a Post Roe America by Robin MartyCONNECTVisit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON.VOTEVOTE for us at the PodcastAwards.com Suppport Kamala Harris for President - KamalaHarris.comRegister or Check your Registration at Vote.orgIt'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 CONVERSATIONTHE 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!).AUDIOGRAPHYFind 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!CONNECTVisit 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 CONVERSATIONPREGNANCY 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!AUDIOGRAPHYWatch 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.orgFind out about Sergio's production of “CinderAlice” at tinyurl.com/cinderalice.NOMINATE US FOR A PODCAST AWARD 2024You 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!CONNECTVisit 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 WorldSusan 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 CONVERSATIONHead 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!”AUDIOGRAPHYWatch 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.CONNECTVisit 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 CONVERSATIONBeing 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!AUDIOGRAPHYWatch 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".CONNECTVisit 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 CONVERSATION80s 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!AUDIOGRAPHYWatch 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.CONNECTSign 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 Eliasberg80s 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 CONVERSATIONHow 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!AUDIOGRAPHYFind 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 NEWSCatch 90s TV Baby Serita Fontanesi's “Not Ugly” podcast at Apple.CONNECTRead 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 BookshelfAnd 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.CONNECTRead 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/vote80tvlThanks 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 CONVERSATIONWHAT 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!AUDIOGRAPHYWhat 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 NEWSCatch 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!  CONNECTRead 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 CONVERSATIONThe 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??AUDIOGRAPHYOfficial 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 MoneyWHERE TO WATCHCagney & 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 CONVERSATIONDON'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”!AUDIOGRAPHYWatch 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 MONTHHistory - 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 NEWSMarch 26 - 29: The 80s TV Ladies will be at Podcast Movement Evolutions. Come say hello! CONNECTRead 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, MoonlightingSusan 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 CONVERSATIONExperiencing 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!AUDIOGRAPHYCheck 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 NEWSSusan's new play Confidence (and the Speech) has been published!Now available for purchase and licensing at DPS via Broadway Licensing.CONNECTRead 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 CaronIn 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 CONVERSATIONGetting 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!AUDIOGRAPHYWatch Moonlighting on Hulu.Stream it on Apple TV or at Amazon Prime Video.Follow Glenn Gordon Caron on Twitter.com/GlennGCaron.80s TV LADIES NEWSSusan's new play Confidence (and the Speech) has been published!Now available for purchase and licensing at DPS via Broadway Licensing.CONNECTRead 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 MoonlightingSome 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 CONVERSATION300 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.CONNECTRead 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 CONVERSATIONHow 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! AUDIOGRAPHYThe 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.CONNECTRead 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.

“Every new Star Trek show ‘ruins' Star Trek.” – Nana VisitorIn the second episode of their two-part conversation, Susan and Sharon open a channel into Star Trek: Deep Space Nine with Nana Visitor who starred as “Kira Nerys” on the classic television series. Nana reflects on the differences between working in television then vs. now, balancing work and personal life -- and what it's like to forever be a part of the singular Star Trek family.THE CONVERSATIONGOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS: Auditioning for L.A. Law – casting director Junie Lowry told her, “You're not getting it. But there is a show you'd be great for…” Yes - It was DS:9On the demands of a Star Trek television show: "Deep Space Nine was forty-nine of the best years of my life. I know it was just seven. But it felt like forty-nine.”On Star Trek - Discovery: “Women are writing, women are directing, women are executive producing... Women being in the room changes the dynamic.”On the set: David Hasselhoff or Andy Griffith? Daniel Hugh Kelley or Brian Keith? Who was “lovely”? And who definitely was not?On attending a Star Trek convention: “It was like a flock of exotic birds had descended. It was fascinating.”Being a role-model: What was it like talking to astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti while she was in orbit on the International Space Station as Cristoforetti told Nana she followed her dreams into space because of Kira Nerys?On Sci-Fi fandom: “A percentage of (the fans) are weirdos, but if you take any apartment building in New York – it's the same percentage. And it's wonderful.”Doing Cameos for parents who named their daughters “Kira”.On being a working actress and a mother: “I was in labor on the set. And I went behind the set to get through the worst of it… I tried to have my baby and have it bother no one. And I said to myself, ‘If anyone has to suffer because I'm working and I have an infant, it's gonna be me'. And that's not sustainable.”So join Susan and Sharon – and Nana – as they talk Avery Brooks, podcasting with your son, managing fear -- and “Opening A Channel” to greater opportunities for women!AUDIOGRAPHYVisit the “Nana Visitor Library” on Youtube.Listen to Nana Visitor's podcast, Sunday Dinner with Nana and Django.Find Nana Visitor on Instagram and Twitter.Pre-order Nana Visitor's book: Star Trek: Open a Channel: A Woman's TrekWhere to begin? How to Watch Star Trek in chronological and release order on ToyNK.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: "Be The Disruptor" -Use code "8TL24" at checkout at TheNextish.com.CONNECTRead 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.LISTENER FEEDBACKSend us a message on our 8TL website:What Star Trek Lady should we cover next?Who is your favorite Star Trek Lady?What show should we cover at 80s TV Ladies?HAPPY NEW YEAR! Let's get more out of 2024.

“I remember an agent saying to me: ‘You're not pretty, you're not fat – I don't know what to do with you.'… They still don't know what to do with me.” – Nana VisitorAll-New 8TL Pop-Up Series - "Star Trek Ladies". Explore out-of-this-world conversations with and about the women of the Star Trek universe! Sharon and Susan begin with Nana Visitor, who starred as “Kira Nerys” on the classic television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.In Part One of a two-part conversation, Nana talks about her early days as a Broadway dancer in the 70's, and starring in 80's TV favorites such as Remington Steele, Scarecrow & Mrs. King, Matlock, Hunter, Knight Rider, MacGyver, Highway to Heaven, and In The Heat Of The Night.THE CONVERSATIONA Dancer's Life: Growing up with Jerome Robbins, Gwen Verdon and Bob Fosse dancing around your parent's apartment!All That Jazz – singing, acting and dancing with Bob Fosse -- and the life-changing advice he gave her about doing drugs.What is it like kissing your best friend's husband for a guest role in 1991's Baby Talk – especially when it's George Clooney?Riding horses for years on Wildfire… even though she's terrified of horses!Vixen, Murderer or Dead Body – Nana has played them all. But which one is almost always blonde?Getting a warm welcome on the Remington Steele set – from Stephanie Zimbalist and especially Pierce Brosnan!So join Susan, Sharon – and Nana – as they talk It's A Living, Angela Lansbury, Ryan's Hope, Kate Jackson – and “dancing through the pain”….AUDIOGRAPHYSharon's favorite: Watch Deep Space Nine on Paramount+.Susan's favorite: Own the OG Star Trek Original Series on Special Edition DVD. Find Nana Visitor on Instagram and Twitter. Keep the Holiday fun going: Susan, Sharon, Melissa and 90s TV Baby Serita Fonanesi recorded a hilarious live watch-thru of Lifetime's Ladies of the 80's: A Diva's Christmas!Try it for FREE ON PATREON!CONNECTRead transcripts and more at 80sTVLadies.com.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.LISTENER FEEDBACKSend us a message on our 8TL website:What Star Trek Lady should we cover next?Who is your favorite Star Trek Lady?And what is your favorite show or movie in the Star Trek universe/franchise?HAPPY NEW YEAR! Let's get more out of 2024.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5585115/advertisement

“The thing I loved about the theater was ‘the puzzle'. And in television, it was a new puzzle every week. And I LOVED that.” – Mary Lou Belli, on the joy of directing.In a career spanning five decades, Emmy Award-winning director Mary Lou has directed episodes of Charles In Charge, Major Dad, The Hughleys, Girlfriends, Monk, The Game, Heart of Dixie, Devious Maids, Station 19, Black Lightening, NCIS: New Orleans, Sweet Magnolias and The Ms. Pat Show. She is the co-author of four books: Director's Tell the Story, The Sitcom Career Book, Acting For Young Actors and The NEW Sitcom Career Book.She has also opened doors for the next generation of women directors through diversity programs at ABC and CBS, and teaching and mentoring young directors through DGA, AFI, Women in Film, Film Fatale, Women in Media and Alliance of Women Directors. Ms. Belli reflects on her transition into directing, and how the landscape of opportunities has changed for women in Hollywood over the past four decades.THE CONVERSATIONSTARTING SMALL: After graduating college at Penn State, Mary Lou still “looked 14 years old” -- so she went to New York where she immediately got roles playing children on stage and in films.Domestic Life – learning about “perfection, refinement and improvement” with Steve Martin and Martin Mull.Teaching “Anne Shirley” (Megan Follows, Anne of Green Gables) how to drive on the back lot at Universal Studios!How Jack Riley – Mr. Carlin from The Bob Newhart Show – lit the fire that led to Mary Lou becoming a director.Getting her start as a director at Betty Garrett's Theater West in Los Angeles.Being mentored by Debbie Allen, Nancy Malone, Lee Shallat-Chemel, Linda Day, Joan Darling.MARY LOU IN CHARGE: Directing Ellen Travolta and Scott Baio on Charles in Charge.How identifying women as minorities opened up the playing field – and how affirmative action overwhelmingly helps open up career pathways.How being “the only woman in the room” leads to a lack of opportunity – but with MORE women in the room, generosity of opportunity follows.Running into CCH Pounder at Trader Joe's!So join Susan and Sharon – and Mary Lou – as they talk road trips, Estelle Getty, Sydney Pollack, Emmy nominations, “Don't Touch My Hair”, the joy of Scott Bakula – and the wisdom of passing out Xerox copies of your good reviews!AUDIOGRAPHYFind out more at her website, MaryLouBelli.com.Buy Mary Lou Belli's books at Bookshop.org.Watch The Ms. Pat Show on BET. On Amazon Video.Listen to Julia Louis-Dreyfus' podcast Wiser Than Me.SPECIAL PATREON-ONLY EPISODE! – Listen to a live watch-thru of Lifetime's Ladies of the 80's: A Diva's Christmas with Susan, Sharon, Melissa and 90's TV Baby Serita Fontanesi! Don't miss it on Patreon (Try it for FREE for 7 days!).CONNECTRead transcripts and more at 80sTVLadies.com.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.LISTENER FEEDBACKSend us a message on our 8TL website:What 80s Ladies Directors should we have on the show?What show should we cover next on 80s TV Ladies?And let us know: Do you watch holiday movies? Where do you watch them? What are your favorites?Wishing you a wonderful holiday, Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5585115/advertisement

Is “Reservations for Eight” your favorite or LEAST favorite episode of “Designing Women”? How can a simple television comedy cause us to dive into a deep discussion of First Wave Feminism? Yes, it's time for the 90's TV Babies to weigh in on Linda Bloodworth-Thomason's Designing Women.Serita Fontanesi, Sergio Perez and Megan Ruble were given the assignment: Watch nine seminal episodes of the series, from the first season to the last, that feature all seven main cast members -- and be prepared to discuss. Find out who loved it, who hated it – and who wants a reboot!Here are the episodes they watched – in case you want to check them out, too:S1, EP1: “The Pilot”S1, EP2: “The Beauty Contest”S2, EP22: “Reservations For Eight”S4, EP11: “They Shoot Fat Woman, Don't They?”S6, EP8: “The Strange Case of Clarence and Anita”S7, EP1: “Of Human Bondage”S7, EP7: “Fools Rush In”S7, EP 18: “It's Not So Easy Being Green”S7, EP 20: “A Difficult Cross To Bear” (a.k.a. “The Lying Game)THE CONVERSATIONCan Serita, Sergio and Megan agree what makes the best Thanksgiving sides?Did Designing Women help invent First Wave Feminism?Was Anthony straight? Gay? Gay coded? Or just Southern?A 90's TV Babies drinking game?? It's on. Let's go!Shipping Anthony and… Julia? Okaaaaaaaay…Did Sheryl Lee Ralph confront Harry Thomason at a political event for the Clintons – and end up with a role on the show?Cos-playing Mary Jo? Megan's considering it…SERITA ON DELTA: How discussions of body image issues have – and haven't -- changed over the past 30 years.Sharon and Megan could NOT be further apart when it comes to their feelings for “Reservations for Eight” (S2, EP22)THE LEVEL OF DISCOURSE: What the show got right in its political discussions and comedy – and what hasn't aged as well.So join Susan and Sharon – and Megan and Sergio and Serita – as they talk sweet potato mash, big Texas hair, RuPaul's Drag Race, Beyoncé – and “the 11:00 o'clock rant”!AUDIOGRAPHYWatch Designing Women on Hulu, Amazon Prime, Pluto!Read the 2016 MTV News article on "Confirmation" and The Strange Case of Clarence and Anita.Watch Ladies of the 80's: A Divas Christmas on Lifetime. THE 90s TV BABIESListen to Serita Fontanesi's podcast: Not Ugly Pod. Also on Apple Podcasts and Goodpods. A weekly podcast challenging traditional colonial beauty standards one conversation at a time. CONNECTFor transcripts, contact info and more, visit 80sTVLadies.com.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 pods on WeirdingWayMedia.LISTENER FEEDBACKSend us a message on our 8TL website:What modern day show talks to current events in ways similar to Designing Women? When the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation hearings were taking place, did any scripted show – comedy or drama – do an episode highlighting their characters' reactions?And let us know: Do you watch holiday movies? Where do you watch them? What are your favorites?What are your favorite episodes of Designing Women? And what do you prefer: mashed potatoes or rice pilaf?Have a beautiful Holiday season!This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5585115/advertisement

On this special Bonus Holiday-themed episode, Susan and Sharon welcome Stan Zimmerman, co-writer of Ladies of the '80s: A Divas Christmas.Stan Zimmerman is a prolific producer and director but is perhaps best known for his work with writing partner James Berg on A Very Brady Sequel and on the classic television as Roseanne, Gilmore Girls and The Golden Girls. In Ladies of the 80's: A Divas Christmas, Loni Anderson, Morgan Fairchild, Linda Gray, Donna Mills and Nicolette Sheridan star as five glamorous ‘80s soap opera icons who reunite to share the spotlight to shoot the final Christmas episode of their long-running soap opera.Lifetime's Ladies of the 80's: A Divas Christmas premieres tomorrow!-- Friday, December 2nd @ 8:00 EST!THE CONVERSATIONSTAN TV: As a kid Stan created an imaginary “Fourth Network” in his bedroom, programming a show lineup 7-days a week -- including giving Lily Tomlin her own comedy-variety series!Stan started out as a writer so young he had to wear a pair of fake glasses to pitch meetings to appear older.In 1985, Stan and his writing partner James Berg were one of the first gay writing teams on network TV – but their agents insisted they stay in the closet for fear they'd be fired.LOOKING FOR A ‘BEA ARTHUR TYPE': How Susan Harris – the creator of The Golden Girls -- ended up snagging the real thing!THE BIRTH OF ST. OLAF: Stan tells the story of finding Betty White's character Rose Nylund's hometown in the first season of The Golden Girls.How Stan and James had to trim their scripts -- because they were getting too many laughs!In the 1980's, you could walk down Santa Monica Blvd on a Saturday night and hear The Golden Girls playing in all the gay bars!What happened the night they filmed an episode on the day Bea Arthur's mother died.“ADULT EDUCATION” – how this classic episode came about when Rue McClanahan specifically asked the writers to “challenge my character”.The huge network fight about airing the “Lesbian Kiss” episode of Roseanne.Which Golden Girl was Stan's favorite to write for?And which one had terrible stage fright every time they filmed an episode?How Joan Collins and Jacklyn Smith were almost in A Divas Christmas!So join Susan and Sharon – and Stan – as they talk Meryl Streep, Fame, teachable moments – and emailing with Lily Tomlin!AUDIOGRAPHYPremieres Friday, December 2nd. Watch Ladies of the 80's: A Divas Christmas on Lifetime. Pre-order Stan's book on Bookshop.org: The Girls: From Golden to Gilmore.CONNECTFor transcripts and more, visit 80sTVLadies.com.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 on our network, Weirding Way Media.BEST FEMALE HOSTED - BEST TV & FILM - BEST ART PODCAST80's TV Ladies WON three People's Choice Podcast Awards!This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5585115/advertisement

Susan and Sharon continue their discussion with the creator of Designing Women, Linda Bloodworth-Thomason (also Evening Shade, Hearts Afire, Filthy Rich, and more!).In Part Two of their conversation, Linda touches on the challenges of television production, her experiences with Dixie Carter, Delta Burke's struggles on the show -- and the differences between the north and south.THE CONVERSATIONLOVE IS IN THE AIR: We get the inside scoop on the real-life romances between the cast members of Designing Women and their male co-stars.When CBS refused to cast Delta Burke as Suzanne Sugarbaker – and only changed their minds three days before the pilot was shot!How Julia and Suzanne Sugarbaker's mother was almost played by Elizabeth Taylor!DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH: How Linda and casting director Fran Bascom discovered Jean Smart and Annie Potts -- playing a pair of Arkansas diamond thieves… in Amsterdam?!?The president of CBS actually apologized for Designing Women at the network upfronts in New York – and was booed by the press who had seen the pilot and loved it!“KILLING ALL THE RIGHT PEOPLE”: How a comment Linda overheard while caring for her mother who was dying of AIDS led her to write one of her most memorable scripts.SEND THE MESSENGER! Most of the first season scripts were written by Linda on the weekend before they were shot.The telegram Oprah Winfrey sent Linda that she still has to this day.“RESERVATIONS FOR EIGHT” – this “Battle of the Sexes” episode is a favorite of Sharon's – and Linda's!So join Susan and Sharon – and Linda – as they talk therapy, Dolly Parton, southern racism -- and Designing Women: The Play!BONUS EPISODE COMING: Find us THIS FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1st --With special guest, television writer/producer Stan Zimmerman (“Gilmore Girls” “Golden Girls”), talking about “The Girls”, working with Rosanne, Betty White, and most recently – writing the new Lifetime Network movie, Ladies of the 80's: A Diva's Christmas!AUDIOGRAPHYRead Linda's 2018 Hollywood Reporter column: Not All Harassment is SexualRead Linda's 2017 Hollywood Reporter column: Lessons From Witnessing Four Decades of Harassment in HollywoodStream Designing Women on Hulu, Amazon Prime, Pluto!The Facebook page: Facebook.com/DesigningWomenOfficialRead Designing Women producer/director Harry Thomason's autobiography:“Brother Dog: Southern Tales and Hollywood Adventures” on Amazon.Read Linda Bloodworth Thomason's romantic Southern novel, “Liberating Paris” - on Amazon.CONNECTFor transcripts, contact info and more, visit 80sTVLadies.com.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.BEST FEMALE HOSTED - BEST TV & FILM - BEST ART PODCAST80's TV Ladies WON three People's Choice Podcast Awards!This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5585115/advertisement

Susan and Sharon are honored to speak with the creator and writer of Designing Women, Linda Bloodworth Thomason. Novelist, playwright, documentary filmmaker and philanthropist, Linda is a five-time Emmy Award nominee who has created, written and produced such signature hits as "Evening Shade", "Hearts Afire", "Women of the House" and "Filthy Rich".Her TV writing career began with episodes of classic shows including "Rhoda", "Paper Moon" and "MASH". In a career spanning six decades, Linda Bloodworth Thomason is known for her singular style, mixing humor with serious topics; her lovable, outspoken characters; her unique blending of the romantic and the political, and her indelible portrait of the modern South.In Part One of a wide-ranging conversation, Linda touches on her early days working with TV legends James L. Brooks, Larry Gelbart, and Norman Lear; her astonishing success with Designing Women; living through – and writing about – historic times, and the challenged state of feminism in 2023.THE CONVERSATIONBUILDING THE PERFECT CAST: How legendary casting director Fran Bascom helped Linda nab everyone from Burt Reynolds to Delta Burke to John Ritter – and discover future Oscar winners Billy Bob Thornton and Hilary Swank!Bringing the Southern accent back to primetime TV – by way of Dixie Carter's eloquent, melodic voice. And wait, how did Susan lose her accent, anyway?All of the original four Designing Women were from the South and used their real, regional accent – except one. Can you guess who??A BOOK OF VERSE, A JUG OF WINE AND THOU -- Jimmy Carter's romantic nights at the White House with First Lady Rosalynn!The Designing Women Foundation (also known as The Claudia Foundation) – started with Linda's income from Designing Women under the umbrella of The Claudia Foundation to honor of her mother, Claudia Bloodworth. The Foundation provides scholarships and opportunities for young women in Southeast Missouri.BENEVOLENT MASCULINITY: How a certain kind of Southern man became a new archetype on Linda's shows: “Find yourself a jock who also reads poetry and loves his mother.”A GIRL, A CANOE AND THE WORLD: How a canoe from her father changed Linda's life – giving her the courage to discover herself and the world by exploring the Current River in Missouri.DARKNESS AND LIGHT: Finding out that Designing Women was picked up to series on the same day as finding out that her mom had AIDS from a blood transfusion."What's Happened to Women?" Podcast - How the next generation of women is facing our culture's onslaught of misogyny and greed with kindness and equality – and how we can help.So join Susan and Sharon – and Linda – as they talk The Idol, Shakespeare, the KKK – and Hilary Clinton's mom! AUDIOGRAPHYCheck out the fan website: Designing Women Online. Stream Designing Women on Hulu, Amazon Prime, Pluto!The Facebook page: Facebook.com/DesigningWomenOfficialFind more cool podcasts at Weirding Way Media.Visit our friends Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess at their podcast “Astonishing Legends".CONNECTFor transcripts, contact info and more, visit 80sTVLadies.com.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Get ad-free episodes and exclusive videos on PATREON.BEST FEMALE HOSTED - BEST TV & FILM - BEST ART PODCAST80's TV Ladies WON three People's Choice Podcast Awards!NOMINATED80s TV Ladies is shortlisted for an International Women's Podcast Award!This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5585115/advertisement

“She didn't twirl just a baton. That baton was on fire. And when she threw that baton into the air, it flew higher, further, faster than any baton has ever flown before, hitting a transformer and showering the darkened arena with sparks!” - Julia SugarbakerSusan and Sharon continue “‘Designing Women' November” with an episode devoted to the actresses – all seven of them – who played all those outspoken Southern Women! We're talking the Original Fab Four: Dixie Carter, Delta Burke, Jean Smart and Annie Potts – PLUS the three cast members that joined up later in the run: Jan Hooks, Julia Duffy and Judith Ivy.With audio clips from the show, we'll learn about each of the women, who they are, what they stand for (and what they won't stand for), and how each of the actresses carved out a special place for themselves and their characters in a show that was designed to be all about women!THE CONVERSATIONWho was Number One on the call sheet at Designing Women?Delta Burke was born in Orlando, Florida – and was named “Miss Flame” for the Orlando Fire Department!DELTA & GERALD & SIMON & SIMON: Delta Burke met her future husband Gerald McRaney on HIS show “Simon & Simon” – and then she brought him on to HERS…SIX DEGREES OF “REMINGTON STEELE”: How many Designing Women also shared the screen with Steele and Laura? Almost all of them…Julia Duffy shows up Season 6 as Sugarbaker cousin, Alison. Didjaknow? She almost played Diane Chambers on “Cheers” – and appeared later on that show as Diane's best friend!SNL alum Jan Hooks played Carlene – sister to Charlene.MORE SHERYL LEE RALPH! She turns up in Season 7 as Anthony's new wife.Alice Ghostly -- as the hilariously loopy Bernice Clifton – appeared in all 7 seasons!BY THE NUMBERS: How many women behind-the-scenes helped created the show? 20 writers, 6 producers, 3 directors – a significant percentage and huge numbers for the 80s!So join Susan and Sharon as they talk Peter Scolari, “Hacks”, ex-husbands – and our upcoming interview with the creator of Designing Women herself -- Linda Bloodworth-Thomason!AUDIOGRAPHYCheck out the fan website: Designing Women Online. Stream Designing Women on Hulu, Amazon Prime, Pluto!The Facebook page: Facebook.com/DesigningWomenOfficialFind more cool podcasts at our network, Weirding Way Media.For spooky Halloween Season fun, visit our friends Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess at their podcast “Astonishing Legends".CONNECTFor transcripts, contact info and more, visit 80sTVLadies.com.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Get ad-free episodes and exclusive videos on PATREON.BEST FEMALE HOSTED - BEST TV & FILM - BEST ART PODCAST80's TV Ladies WON three People's Choice Podcast Awards!NOMINATED80s TV Ladies is shortlisted for an International Women's Podcast Award!This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5585115/advertisement

Susan and Sharon get to sit down with writer/producer/show-runner Maggie Friedman to talk about the show that inspired her to embark on a career in television: Designing Women.Designing Women (1986-1993) was created by the legendary Linda Bloodworth-Thomason and starred Dixie Carter, Delta Burke, Jean Smart, Annie Potts and Meshach Taylor as the owners and staff of the Atlanta-based interior design firm “Sugarbaker & Associates”. In its seven-year run, Designing Women was known for sharp writing, big laughs and taking on issues from a feminist angle in a way that no other show had done before – or since. Maggie Friedman is best known for creating, writing and executive producing Witches of East End for Lifetime Television and Firefly Lane currently on Netflix. She has also written and produced episodes of Dawson's Creek, Jack & Bobby, Once and Again, Wasteland, Spellbound and No Tomorrow.THE CONVERSATIONHow an Ally McBeal spec script got Maggie into a room with Kevin Williamson – and onto the staff of his first show, Dawson's Creek.Maggie set her sights on getting into AFI – and did -- because a mean girl told her she couldn't!HE DID IT/SHE LIED: Those T-Shirts from the Designing Women Anita Hill episode, and the impact it had on Maggie.Which of the Designing Women are you? Sharon is a Julia, but is Susan Mary Jo – or Anthony?“Guns, and AIDS, and condoms – OH MY!” How Designing Women took on all the current issues, that are unfortunately still current today.SPOILER ALERT: What happens when you write HUGE CLIFFHANGERS – and then your show gets cancelled!Big Hair, Big Shoulders! Was the Atlanta of Designing Women accurate? Susan grew up in Georgia -- and has thoughts.Republican Dixie Carter's deal: “For every liberal rant you make Julia say, I get to sing a song!”“Georgia On My Mind”: Ray Charles sings with the Designing Women!Young Susan's brush with fame: Mark Harmon and Peter Scolari – both in one hour!“WOMEN OF THE HOUSE” – the little-known 1995 “sequel” where Suzanne Sugarbaker goes to Congress to fill her late husband's house seat.So join Susan, Sharon – and Maggie – as they talk Jackie Collins, Witches of East End, Scott Bakula, --- and how sexy Richard Hatem is!AUDIOGRAPHYFollow Maggie Friedman on Instagram.Check out the fan website: Designing Women Online. Stream Designing Women on Hulu, Amazon Prime, Pluto!Find more cool podcasts at our network, Weirding Way Media. For spooky Halloween Season fun, visit our friends Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess at their podcast “Astonishing Legends".CONNECTFor transcripts, contact info and more, visit 80sTVLadies.com.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Get ad-free episodes and exclusive videos on PATREON.BEST FEMALE HOSTED - BEST TV & FILM - BEST ART PODCAST80's TV Ladies has WON three People's Choice Podcast Awards!NOMINATED: Best Moment of Raw Emotion80s TV Ladies is nominated for an International Women's Podcast Award!This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5585115/advertisement