Third time is the charm! Twice scheduled to grace my living room pre-pandemic, what a Thanksgiving gift Academy Award and Golden Globe Winner, George Chakiris is. Perfectly timed. Ridiculously easy on the eyes, he defies the passage of time and is as gracefully humble in word and deed as he is gliding across a dance floor, or the streets of the barrio, as the case may be.

Forever, Bernardo, we dove into a multitude of his other films, from his first, singing with a boys choir opposite Katherine Hepburn in Song of Love, to background dancer alongside Marilyn Monroe, Rosemary Clooney, Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosalind Russell, and Cyd Charisse, to name but a few. Taking his first dance class at 19, he did over a dozen films almost immediately, and went from gypsy to starring in the London production of West Side Story, as… wait for it, Riff. George had not only never acted, he’d nary taken an acting class, and yet in short shrift, he was earning an Oscar, as Bernardo opposite Rita Moreno, in the winningest musical of all time, besting Montgomery Clift, Peter Falk, George C Scott, and Jackie Gleason. A multitude of dramatic films followed, starring opposite Yul Brenner, Charlton Heston, Gene Kelly, Richard Widmark, and Yvette Mimieux, which names but a few.

Fabulous stories about fabulous women, Judy Garland (genuis), Liza Minelli, Elizabeth Taylor, Marlene Dietrich, Shirley Jones, Natalie Wood, Elaine Stritch, and a great one about Elvis.

As taken with all of the above as I think we’d be, George’s refreshing humility is a gentle kiss to Hollywood glitz and glamour. Speaking of glitz, George parlayed his talent from the silver screen to sterling silver Jewelry, featuring necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and more. BLING! I was shocked to discover he not only designes the gorgeous pieces, he silversmiths them into reality. Perfect holiday gifts for that very special someone. You? I’ve got my eye on one or two. georgechakiris.com

I’m currently devouring George’s memoir, My West Side Story, with story upon story of the movie and all that is George Chakiris’s delicious life. https://amzn.to/30OeD36

These have been challenging days. Spending time with gorgeous George fills my gratitude jar to the rim. Just in time.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Please pardon the sound at the top of the show. Tech issues glitched the glitz.

George Chakiris on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson

Wed, 11/24/21, 6pm PT, 9pm ET

Streamed Live on my Facebook

Replay here:

https://bit.ly/3oVgkUl

All BROADcasts, as podcasts, also available on

iTunes apple.co/2dj8ld3

Stitcher bit.ly/2h3R1fla

tunein bit.ly/2gGeItj

Also on iHeartRadio, SoundCloud, Voox, OwlTail, Backtracks, PlayerFM, Himalaya, Podchaser, and Listen Notes

Thanks to Rick Smolke of Quik Impressions, the best printers, printing, the best people people-ing. quikimpressions.com

Nicole Venables of Ruby Begonia Hair Studio Beauty and Products, for the best dressed. http://www.rubybegoniahairstudio.com/

Blue Microphones and Kevin Walt