Episodes

  • Heather Thomas on The Fall Guy, Activism and The Poster

    Heather Thomas on The Fall Guy, Activism and The Poster
    Jan 29 2025
    “You’re in acting class and you’re studying Chekov or ‘Waiting for Godot’ -- and then you end up doing 80s tits-and-ass… 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 ...
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • Bonus: Message from a City on Fire | How to Help

    Bonus: Message from a City on Fire | How to Help
    Jan 15 2025
    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...
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    9 mins
  • Carol Burnett, Vicki Lawrence and all about ‘The Family’

    Carol Burnett, Vicki Lawrence and all about ‘The Family’
    Jan 8 2025
    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.
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    48 mins
  • The Facts of Life, The Nanny, Carol Burnett & Mama’s Family | Who Has the Best Holiday Episode?

    The Facts of Life, The Nanny, Carol Burnett & Mama’s Family | Who Has the Best Holiday Episode?
    Dec 18 2024
    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.
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Mama’s Family, Crushing on Stephanie Zimbalist & Private Lessons | Actor Eric Brown

    Mama’s Family, Crushing on Stephanie Zimbalist & Private Lessons | Actor Eric Brown
    Dec 11 2024
    “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.
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    1 hr and 23 mins
  • All My Children, Mama’s Family, The Nanny | Giving Thanks for Dorothy Lyman

    All My Children, Mama’s Family, The Nanny | Giving Thanks for Dorothy Lyman
    Nov 27 2024
    “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.
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Punched off a Train by Clint Eastwood and the Path to Resilience | Stuntwoman Marneen Fields

    Punched off a Train by Clint Eastwood and the Path to Resilience | Stuntwoman Marneen Fields
    Nov 13 2024
    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.
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    58 mins
  • Fan Bar: Get Insider Info on Scarecrow and Mrs. King w/ The Mrs. King’s Chronicles

    Fan Bar: Get Insider Info on Scarecrow and Mrs. King w/ The Mrs. King’s Chronicles
    Oct 30 2024
    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 CONVERSATION
    • What 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-OGRAPHY
    Listen to the Mrs. King’s Chronicles podcast at MKCPodcast.com

    Check out Taya’s website CallMeaCab.com
    Find Miranda’s Firefly podcast at Serenityfirefly.com
    Find out more about Columbia Willamette River Keepers Willamette-riverkeeper.org
    Get The Ultimate Fan’s Guide to Scarecrow & Mrs. King at Amazon.

    CONNECT
    Visit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.
    Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.
    Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON.

    VOTE
    The Presidential Election is Tuesday, November 5!
    Get info and find your polling place at Vote.org

    This year is the 45th anniversary of President Carter's Crisis of Confidence speech. Get Susan’s new play about it: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 6 mins