Hollywood Obsessed

During the second part of Tony’s fascinating conversation with celebrated actress Rutanya Alda, she tells him all about the time she met the real Joan Crawford on the set of “Rosemary’s Baby”, how the role of ‘Carol Ann’ in “Mommie Dearest” came into her life, the research she did about Joan Crawford’s life before they started filming the movie, her thoughts on why Faye Dunaway still doesn’t like discussing her performance as Crawford or the film itself, why she decided to publish her book “The Mommie Dearest Diary: Carol Ann Tells All”, her surprise by how much love and admiration the gay community has had for the film “Mommie Dearest” throughout the years, and her experience filming her other cult classic movie “Amityville II: The Possession” and why that film also has such a passionate fan base.

RUTANYA ALDA

Rutanya Alda has been a distinguished actress in film, television, and theater for over 40 years. She is also the only Latvian-born actress who has been voted into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Rutanya has appeared in over 100 movies and television shows. She began her illustrious career with two early films by Brian De Palma, “Greetings” and “Hi, Mom!”, in which she starred with Robert De Niro. Following these, she appeared in such highly acclaimed films as “Panic in Needle Park”, “Scarecrow”, “The Long Goodbye”, Sam Peckinpah’s “Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid”, George Romero’s “The Dark Half”,”Last Exit To Brooklyn”, “Racing With The Moon”, the Christmas perennial “Prancer”, and the Oscar-winning film The Deer Hunter”, where she reteamed with Robert De Niro.

At present, Rutanya has the distinction of being a cult icon in two categories: “Amityville II: The Possession”, in which she stars opposite Burt Young, and “Mommie Dearest”, about which she published her first book, the critically and reader-acclaimed “The Mommie Dearest Diary”.

 Rutanya has appeared in dozens of theater plays, recently including Tennessee Williams’ “The Fat Man’s Wife”, “Murder at the Howard Johnson’s” at Theater Row, “The Portrait” at Theater 54, and John Guare’s new play “More Stars Than There Are In Heaven”.

She is presently writing a one woman show based on her childhood living in a displaced persons camp in Europe after World War II.

Rutanya Alda’s Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/RutanyaAlda/

To Purchase Her Book “The Mommie Dearest Diary: Carol Ann Tells All Click Here - https://www.amazon.com/Mommie-Dearest-Diary-Carol-Tells/dp/1515260607

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Music by⁠⁠ ⁠QubeSounds⁠⁠⁠ from ⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠⁠

On this episode of Hollywood Obsessed, host Tony Miros speaks with actress Rutanya Alda, who is best known for playing the role of Joan Crawford’s assistant Carol Ann in the mother of all camp classic films “Mommie Dearest”!

During her conversation with Tony, Rutanya tells him about her traumatic childhood as a survivor and refugee of World War II, the film she wrote about it during Covid called “Land of The Mustaches” – which is currently in post-production, memories of seeing her first movie with Gary Cooper at the age of six that inspired her to become an actress, moving to NYC to pursue a film career, how she starting her acting career working on experimental films with director Brian De Palma and an unknown actor named Robert DeNiro, how she worked as a stand-in for actress Mia Farrow in the Roman Polanski film “Rosemary’s Baby” and for Barbara Streisand in the movie musical “Hello Dolly” and her memories of working alongside John Cazzle, Meryl Streep, John Savage, and Christopher Walken in the critically acclaimed, Academy Award-winning Best Picture “The Deer Hunter”.

RUTANYA ALDA

Rutanya Alda has been a distinguished actress in film, television, and theater for over 40 years. She is also the only Latvian-born actress who has been voted into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Rutanya has appeared in over 100 movies and television shows. She began her illustrious career with two early films by Brian De Palma, “Greetings” and “Hi, Mom!”, in which she starred with Robert De Niro. Following these, she appeared in such highly acclaimed films as “Panic in Needle Park”, “Scarecrow”, “The Long Goodbye”, Sam Peckinpah’s “Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid”, George Romero’s “The Dark Half”,”Last Exit To Brooklyn”, “Racing With The Moon”, the Christmas perennial “Prancer”, and the Oscar-winning film The Deer Hunter”, where she reteamed with Robert De Niro.  

At present, Rutanya has the distinction of being a cult icon in two categories: “Amityville II: The Possession”, in which she stars opposite Burt Young, and “Mommie Dearest”, about which she published her first book, the critically and reader-acclaimed “The Mommie Dearest Diary”.  

Rutanya has appeared in dozens of theater plays, recently including Tennessee Williams’ “The Fat Man’s Wife”, “Murder at the Howard Johnson’s” at Theater Row, “The Portrait” at Theater 54, and John Guare’s new play “More Stars Than There Are In Heaven”.

She is presently writing a one woman show based on her childhood living in a displaced persons camp in Europe after World War II.

Rutanya Alda’s Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/RutanyaAlda/

To Purchase Her Book “The Mommie Dearest Diary: Carol Ann Tells All" Click Here - https://www.amazon.com/Mommie-Dearest-Diary-Carol-Tells/dp/1515260607

The Official Hollywood Obsessed Website - ⁠⁠⁠https://www.hollywoodobsessedthepodcast.com/ ⁠⁠⁠

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Music by⁠⁠ ⁠QubeSounds⁠⁠⁠ from ⁠⁠⁠Pixabay

During the second part of Tony’s fascinating conversation with authors Paula Broussard and Lisa Royère they tell him about how Eleanor was a perfectionist in every way including sitting with the editors of her films to see how they were cutting her dance routines, how she would rehearse so much that her feet would bleed, the story of when Clark Gable gave her a convertible, how much Fred Astaire admired Eleanor and why they only did one film together at MGM, how Eleanor eventually felt misused by MGM and how she eventually left the studio after eight years of working there, her stormy marriage to leading man Glenn Ford who would cheat on her with his co-stars including Rita Hayworth and many others throughout their 16-year marriage, how she eventually divorced him, made her big comeback in Las Vegas, then died at 69 years old of cancer and what Paula & Lisa wanted their readers to take away from their incredibly entertaining and well researched book “Eleanor Powell Born To Dance”.

PAULA BROUSSARD

Paula Broussard is an experienced journalist. In addition to her years as a newspaper reporter, she has written extensively on dance for such publications as Dance Magazine, LA Weekly, Dance Spirit, and Dance Teacher. She holds a BA in mass media/communications from Chapman University with a minor in dance and also studied French at the University of Paris, Sorbonne. 

LISA ROYÈRE

Lisa Royère has a love of classic films, particularly musicals, and has extensive knowledge about the MGM era. Her years of dance training give her excellent critical insight into this field. An authority on Powell's career, she has written about Powell in American Classic Screen Profiles and served as a consultant on several book projects. Fluent in French, she has also done translation and editing work in the United States and France, where she lived for twenty-five years.

Official Website Eleanor Powell: Born To Dance https://www.kentuckypress.com/9780813197883/eleanor-powell/  

To Purchase On Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Eleanor-Powell-Dance-Screen-Classics/dp/0813197880

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Music by⁠⁠ ⁠QubeSounds⁠⁠⁠ from ⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠⁠

On this episode of Hollywood Obsessed, host Tony Miros speaks with authors Paula Broussard and Lisa Royère whose new book "Eleanor Powell Born To Dance" is a loving and faithful tribute to one of Hollywood’s great dance icons whose career throughout the years has been largely overlooked! 

During their conversation with Tony, Paula, and Lisa discuss how they met Eleanor in the 1970s and became friends with her, how they started doing their research about her life after she passed away in 1982, how they put all their research away for decades until the pandemic and then started writing the book, the reason why Eleanor’s star hasn’t shined as bright as Astaire, Garland or Kelly’s throughout the decades, her career in vaudeville and Broadway, how Louis B Mayer got her to sign a contract for Metro Goldwyn Mayer and move to Hollywood, what it was like being a contract player at MGM during the Golden Age of Hollywood, how Eleanor met her favorite movie star Joan Crawford on the MGM lot, and how LB Mayer gave Powell her private rehearsal bungalow to keep her from using empty soundstages to practice her dance routines, and how Eleanor’s only son Peter Ford chose not to contribute to this book about his mom.  

PAULA BROUSSARD

Paula Broussard is an experienced journalist. In addition to her years as a newspaper reporter, she has written extensively on dance for such publications as Dance Magazine, LA Weekly, Dance Spirit, and Dance Teacher. She holds a BA in mass media/communications from Chapman University with a minor in dance and also studied French at the University of Paris, Sorbonne. 

LISA ROYÈRE

Lisa Royère has a love of classic films, particularly musicals, and has extensive knowledge about the MGM era. Her years of dance training give her excellent critical insight into this field. An authority on Powell's career, she has written about Powell in American Classic Screen Profiles and served as a consultant on several book projects. Fluent in French, she has also done translation and editing work in the United States and France, where she lived for twenty-five years.

Official Website Eleanor Powell: Born To Dance https://www.kentuckypress.com/9780813197883/eleanor-powell/

To Purchase On Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Eleanor-Powell-Dance-Screen-Classics/dp/0813197880

The Official Hollywood Obsessed Website - ⁠⁠⁠https://www.hollywoodobsessedthepodcast.com/ ⁠⁠⁠

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Music by⁠⁠ ⁠QubeSounds⁠⁠⁠ from ⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠⁠

During the second part of Tony’s fascinating conversation with director John Badham they discuss what it was like filming “Saturday Night Fever” on the streets of Brooklyn surrounded by thousands of John Travolta fans, what it was like filming at the 2001 Odyssey discotheque in Bay Ridge, the real story behind Travolta’s famous “You Should Be Dancing” solo dance scene, actress Donna Pescow’s flawless performance during the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge scene, Fran Drescher’s standout three-line part in the film, his surprise that ‘Fever’ is still loved by audiences after 40 years, his memories of working on the 80’s blockbuster action movie WarGames, how the film relates to what’s going on with A.I. today, how it affected U.S. policy when it came out and how the books he’s written about directing “I’ll Be In My Trailer, the Creative Wars Between Directors and Actors”, and "John Badham on Directing" are used as text books in film schools worldwide!

JOHN BADHAM

John Badham, BA, MFA Yale University, PHD (hon) Columbia College, is a Director and Producer of Theatrical Films and Television.

Badham worked in television for years, on Universal TV series like “Cannon” and “The Bold Ones”. He then directed several acclaimed TV movies, including “Isn't It Shocking?” (1973) and “The Law” (1974). His first feature film was “The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings” in 1976. 

His breakthrough came in 1977 when he replaced John G. Avildsen as the director of “Saturday Night Fever”, a massive worldwide hit starring John Travolta. His choices after that film were wildly eclectic, ranging from the action thriller “Blue Thunder” (1983) to the comedy-drama “Whose Life Is It Anyway?” (1981) to the comedy thriller “Stakeout” (1987) & its sequel “Another Stakeout” (1993). “WarGames” (1983), starring Matthew Broderick, is his other signature film, renowned for its take on popular Cold War fears of nuclear terror as well as being one of the first films to deal with the subculture of amateur hacking. Another sizable hit was “Short Circuit” (1986), a comedy about a robot who comes to life. 

In addition to his numerous film credits, he has also continued to direct and produce for TV, including credits for Rod Serling's “Night Gallery”, the A&E television series “The Beast”, TV movies like HBO's “The Jack Bull” (1999), and episodes of series including “Crossing Jordan” & “Criminal Minds”. He has also contributed commentary to the web series “Trailers from Hell”. 

His books “I’ll Be In My Trailer, the Creative Wars Between Directors and Actors”, and "John Badham on Directing" are used as text books in film schools worldwide. His films have been nominated for five Academy awards and two Emmy awards. He has won three Saturn Awards from the Academy of Science fiction and Fantasy and the Grand Prize from the Paris International Science Fiction Festival. 

For the past 20 years he has been the Dodge Professor of Film and Media at Chapman University where he teaches beginning, intermediate and advanced directing and production to both undergraduate and graduate students. 

John Badham website - ⁠https://www.johnbadham.com⁠

The Official Hollywood Obsessed Website - ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.hollywoodobsessedthepodcast.com/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Music by⁠⁠ ⁠⁠QubeSounds⁠⁠⁠⁠ from ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠⁠⁠

On this episode of Hollywood Obsessed, host Tony Miros speaks with legendary director JOHN BADHAM who is best known for directing the iconic 1977 classic disco film “Saturday Night Fever”!

During their fascinating two-part conversation John tells Tony all about growing up in Birmingham Alabama with his sister, Mary Badham, who was nominated for an Oscar for her role as "Scout" Finch in the film “To Kill a Mockingbird”, working with the larger-than-life director William Castle on his film “Let's Kill Uncle”, starting his own extraordinary career directing episodes of Rod Serling’s “Night Gallery” for television, his memories of interacting with Oscar-winning actress Joan Crawford who was filming the pilot episode of the series with a very young Steven Spielberg, his experience directing his first feature film “The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings” starring Billy Dee Williams and Richard Pryor, how his breakthrough film “Saturday Night Fever” landed in his lap when he replaced John G. Avildsen as the director of the film, his memories of meeting then TV sitcom star John Travolta (“Welcome Back Kotter”) for the first time at the Beverly Hills Hotel, how leading lady Karen Lynn Gorney came to the project and the great chemistry she and Travolta had on screen.

JOHN BADHAM

John Badham, BA, MFA Yale University, PHD (hon)

Badham worked in television for years, on Universal TV series like “Cannon” and “The Bold Ones”. He then directed several acclaimed TV movies, including “Isn't It Shocking?” (1973) and “The Law” (1974). His first feature film was “The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings” in 1976.

His breakthrough came in 1977 when he replaced John

In addition to his numerous film credits, he has also continued to direct and produce for TV, including credits for Rod Serling's “Night Gallery”, the A&E television series “The Beast”, TV movies like HBO's “The Jack Bull” (1999), and episodes of series including “Crossing Jordan” & “Criminal Minds”. He has also contributed commentary to the web series “Trailers from Hell”.

His books “I’ll Be In My Trailer, the Creative Wars Between Directors and Actors”, and "John Badham on Directing" are used as text books in film schools worldwide. His films have been nominated for five Academy awards and two Emmy awards. He has won three Saturn Awards from the Academy of Science fiction and Fantasy and the Grand Prize from the Paris International Science Fiction Festival.

For the past 20 years he has been the Dodge Professor of Film and Media at Chapman University where he teaches beginning, intermediate and advanced directing and production to both undergraduate and graduate students.

John Badham website - https://www.johnbadham.com

The Official Hollywood Obsessed Website - ⁠⁠⁠https://www.hollywoodobsessedthepodcast.com/ ⁠⁠⁠

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Music by⁠⁠ ⁠QubeSounds⁠⁠⁠ from ⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠⁠

During the second part of Tony’s fascinating conversation with actor, dancer, singer and author George Chakiris, they discuss his move from Hollywood to New York to find work on Broadway, how he was cast in the role of Riff, leader of the Jets, after auditioning for Jerome Robbins for the London production of “West Side Story”– which he worked on for two years before winning the role of Bernardo for the film version directed by Robert Wise, his memories of filming the multi-award winning movie classic "West Side Story" with Rita Moreno, Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, and Russ Tamblyn, fun behind-the-scenes stories of filming “The Prologue” on the streets of NYC and legendary musical numbers like “America “and the gym dance sequence at the Samuel Goldwyn Studios in West Hollywood, as well as what it was like winning the Academy Award of his role in the film and his post Oscar-win interaction with movie star Joan Crawford!

GEORGE CHAKIRIS

Academy Award winner George Chakiris is a triple threat who has established an international career on the big screen and in theatre. The son of Greek immigrants, this actor, dancer, and singer is recognized for his credits in nearly two dozen films, several acclaimed mini-series in Europe and Japan, BBC performances, and concert tours in Las Vegas and around the world. 

In 1947, he made his film debut in the chorus of the MGM motion picture “Song of Love”. Later he was one of the dancers in Marilyn Monroe's “Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend” number in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" released in 1953. He again appeared as a dancer alongside Rosemary Clooney in “White Christmas” in “Love, You Didn't Do Right by Me.” 

In 1958 he traveled to New York hoping for a Broadway "break." Hearing that Jerome Robbins was casting the London company of "West Side Story", he auditioned and was awarded the co-starring role of Riff. He played the part for almost two years on the West End stage before acting, singing, and dancing as Bernardo in the Robert Wise film version (West Side Story (1961)), a performance that earned him a Golden Globe and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. 

Since then, he starred in a succession of films, including “Diamond Head” (1962) with Charlton Heston, “The Young Girls of Rochefort” (1967) with Catherine Deneuve and Gene Kelly, and “The Big Cube” (1969) with Lana Turner.

In the 1970s & 1980s, his career focused on television and music. He appeared as a guest star in several TV series such as “Hawaii Five-O”, “Wonder Woman”, “CHiPs”, “Scarecrow and Mrs. King”, “Murder, She Wrote”, and he joined the cast of “Dallas” from 1985 to 1986. 

His hobby of making sterling silver jewelry turned into a new occupation, working as a jewelry designer for his brand, George Chakiris Collections, consisting of handmade original sterling silver jewelry.

In 2011, his hand and footprints were placed in the famous forecourt of the Chinese Theater in Hollywood, along with his West Side Story co-stars Rita Moreno and Russ Tamblyn. 

In December 2021, his memoir “My West Side Story, co-written with Lindsay Harrison, was published by Lyon Press and can be purchased online and bookstores nationwide.

George Chakiris website - ⁠https://www.georgechakiris.com⁠

The Official Hollywood Obsessed Website - ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.hollywoodobsessedthepodcast.com/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Music by⁠⁠ ⁠⁠QubeSounds⁠⁠⁠ ⁠from⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠⁠⁠

On this episode of Hollywood Obsessed, host Tony Miros speaks with legendary actor, dancer, singer, and author GEORGE CHAKIRIS who is best known for winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for playing the role of Bernardo in the 1961 film version of WEST SIDE STORY!

During their fascinating two-part conversation George tells host Tony Miros about writing his memoir “My West Side Story” with co-author Lindsay Harrison, making his film debut at the age of 15 in the chorus of the MGM film “Song of Love” (1947) starring Katharine Hepburn, what it was like working with some of the biggest stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood including Marilyn Monroe in the number “Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend” for the film “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” (1953), the wedding dance number in the film “Brigadoon” (1954) with Cyd Charisse and Gene Kelly, “Heat Wave” & “A Sailor’s Not a Sailor (til a Sailor’s Been Tattooed)” in “There's No Business Like Show Business” (1954) with Mitzi Gaynor and “Love, You Didn't Do Right by Me” with Rosemary Clooney in “White Christmas” (1954) – which got him signed to a 7-year contract at Paramount Studios - and lots of other fun behind-the-scenes stories from his years working as an actor/singer/dancer in Hollywood prior to his Oscar-winning performance in “West Side Story”.

GEORGE CHAKIRIS

Academy Award winner George Chakiris is a triple threat who has established an international career on the big screen and in theatre. The son of Greek immigrants, this actor, dancer, and singer is recognized for his credits in nearly two dozen films, several acclaimed mini-series in Europe and Japan, BBC performances, and concert tours in Las Vegas and around the world.

In 1947, he made his film debut in the chorus of the MGM motion picture “Song of Love”. Later he was one of the dancers in Marilyn Monroe's “Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend” number in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" released in 1953. He again appeared as a dancer alongside Rosemary Clooney in “White Christmas” in “Love, You Didn't Do Right by Me.”

In 1958 he traveled to New York hoping for a Broadway "break." Hearing that Jerome Robbins was casting the London company of "West Side Story", he auditioned and was awarded the co-starring role of Riff. He played the part for almost two years on the West End stage before acting, singing, and dancing as Bernardo in the Robert Wise film version (West Side Story (1961)), a performance that earned him a Golden Globe and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Since then, he starred in a succession of films, including “Diamond Head” (1962) with Charlton Heston, “The Young Girls of Rochefort” (1967) with Catherine Deneuve and Gene Kelly, and “The Big Cube” (1969) with Lana Turner,

In the 1970s & 1980s, his career focused on television and music. He appeared as a guest star in several TV series such as “Hawaii Five-O”, “Wonder Woman”, “CHiPs”, “Scarecrow and Mrs. King”, “Murder, She Wrote”, and he joined the cast of “Dallas” from 1985 to 1986.

His hobby of making sterling silver jewelry turned into a new occupation, working as a jewelry designer for his brand, George Chakiris Collections, consisting of handmade original sterling silver jewelry.

In 2011, his hand and footprints were placed in the famous forecourt of the Chinese Theater in Hollywood, along with his West Side Story co-stars Rita Moreno and Russ Tamblyn.

In December 2021, his memoir “My West Side Story, co-written with Lindsay Harrison, was published by Lyon Press and can be purchased online and bookstores nationwide.

George Chakiris website - https://www.georgechakiris.com

The Official Hollywood Obsessed Website - ⁠⁠⁠https://www.hollywoodobsessedthepodcast.com/ ⁠⁠⁠

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Music by⁠⁠ ⁠QubeSounds⁠⁠⁠ from ⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠⁠

During the second part of Tony’s riveting conversation with actress, director and author Dinah Manoff, they discuss her winning the Tony Award for her performance in the Broadway production of Neil Simon's “I Ought To Be In Pictures”, portraying Richard Mulligans daughter "Carol Weston," on the beloved TV sitcom “Empty Nest” – which ran from 1988 until 1995, working with Estelle Getty and Bea Arthur on “The Golden Girls” and her first novel “The Real True Hollywood Story of Jackie Gold” which has recently been released as an audio book!

DINAH MANOFF

Manoff was born in New York City to actress Lee Grant and writer Arnold Manoff.

She won both a  Theater World and Tony Award as Best Featured Actress for her performance in the Broadway production of Neil Simon’s "I Ought To Be In Pictures."  She reprised the role in the motion picture of the same title.

Her numerous theater credits include Broadway's "Leader of the Pack," "Alfred and Victoria" at the Los Angeles Theatre Center, Tenessee William’s "Kingdom of Earth" at Theatre West and Donald Margulies “Gifted Children” at the JRT Off-Broadway. She won a Dramalogue Award (Best Director of the Year,) for directing "Telegrams From Heaven," a play starring Renee Taylor - which she co-wrote with Dennis Bailey - - based on her late father's (Arnold Manoff) novel. 

On television, she was a series regular on "Soap," and has appeared in numerous TV movies, including "Maid For Each Other," which she wrote the story for as well.  Manoff is best known for her portrayal as Richard Mulligans daughter “Carol Weston” the character she played for seven years on "Empty Nest".  More recently she spent two years starring in the highly acclaimed ABC family series “State of Grace,” for which she received a Jewish Image Award. Manoff has also worked as a television director, helming episodes of “Sabrina,” “Movie Stars,” Brothers,” and numerous episodes of "Empty Nest". 

In feature films, Manoff played the role of Pink Lady Marty Marachino in the movie of Grease. Other film credits include "Ordinary People,"  Bloodhounds of Broadway," "Child's Play," "Staying Together," "Backfire," “I Ought to be in Pictures,” "Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael,” and the independent film, “Bart Got a Room.”

Currently Manoff resides with her family on a beautiful island near Seattle where she writes directs theater and teaches acting. Manoff also brings weekly acting classes to the Purdy Women’s Correctional Institute.

Her debut novel “The Real True Hollywood Story of Jackie Gold,” was recently published in July of 2021 by Star Alley Press and is available at bookstores, Amazon, and Bookshop.com

Official Website of Dinah Manoff – https://dinahmanoff.org  

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Music by⁠⁠ ⁠QubeSounds⁠⁠⁠ from ⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠⁠

On this episode of Hollywood Obsessed, host Tony Miros speaks with actress, director, and writer Dinah Manoff who is best know for playing the role of "Pink Lady" Marty Marachino in the blockbuster musical film “Grease” starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton John!

During their eye-opening conversation, Dinah tells Tony about growing up in Malibu, California, making her television debut on the hit TV sitcom “Welcome Back Kotter”, becoming a series regular on the hilarious ABC sitcom “Soap”, making her feature film debut playing ‘Pink Lady’ Marty Maraschino in the smash hit movie musical "GREASE" alongside Stockard Channing and Frankie Avalon and her first novel “The Real True Hollywood Story of Jackie Gold”, published in 2021, which has recently been released as an audio book!

DINAH MANOFF

Manoff was born in New York City to actress Lee Grant and writer Arnold Manoff.

She won both a  Theater World and Tony Award as Best Featured Actress for her performance in the Broadway production of Neil Simon’s "I Ought To Be In Pictures."  She reprised the role in the motion picture of the same title.

Her numerous theater credits include Broadway's "Leader of the Pack," "Alfred and Victoria" at the Los Angeles Theatre Center, Tenessee William’s "Kingdom of Earth" at Theatre West and Donald Margulies “Gifted Children” at the JRT Off-Broadway. She won a Dramalogue Award (Best Director of the Year,) for directing "Telegrams From Heaven," a play starring Renee Taylor -- which she co-wrote with Dennis Bailey - - based on her late father's (Arnold Manoff) novel. 

On television, she was a series regular on "Soap," and has appeared in numerous TV movies, including "Maid For Each Other," which she wrote the story for as well.  Manoff is best known for her portrayal as Richard Mulligans daughter “Carol Weston” the character she played for seven years on "Empty Nest".  More recently she spent two years starring in the highly acclaimed ABC family series “State of Grace,” for which she received a Jewish Image Award. Manoff has also worked as a television director, helming episodes of “Sabrina,” “Movie Stars,” “Brothers,” and numerous episodes of Empty Nest

In feature films, Manoff played the role of Pink Lady Marty Marachino in the movie of Grease. Other film credits include "Ordinary People,"Bloodhounds of Broadway," "Child's Play," "Staying Together," "Backfire," “I Ought to be in Pictures,” "Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael,” and the independent film, “Bart Got a Room.”

Currently Manoff resides with her family on a beautiful island near Seattle where she writes directs theater and teaches acting. Manoff also brings weekly acting classes to the Purdy Women’s Correctional Institute. 

Her debut novel “The Real True Hollywood Story of Jackie Gold,” was recently published in July of 2021 by Star Alley Press and is available at bookstores, Amazon, and Bookshop.com

Official Website of Dinah Manoff – https://dinahmanoff.org

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