We are exploring the infinite feedback loop between television and society with pop culture historian/author Herbie J Pilato and Eric Scott, who played Ben on The Waltons. Herbie’s newest book is called Retro Active Television: An In-Depth Perspective on Classic TV’s Social Circuitry which includes a forward written by Eric!

We hear about Eric's childhood adventures with his fellow Walton kids on the studio lot, how his relationship with his own parents ensured that his experience as a child actor was a positive one and why our social atmosphere in the 70s was open to positively receiving a warm and cozy show about a family weathering the Great Depression of 1930s. 

Herbie then gives us his extensively researched and passion-fueled perspective on the life-affirming TV shows of the past as he encourages us to avoid today’s darker content while embracing and revisitng the charm and magic of Golden Era TV which is so readily available to us now, across many platforms.

We talk about Kung Fu, TV Westerns, sit-coms then and now, the dawn of the miniseries event, After School Specials (some of which featured Eric!) and TV as an educational and inspiring resource. We address the urban/rural divide, the changing late night landscape, and Eric takes on a round of Waltons trivia!

Plus, Fritz and Weezy are recommending Little Richard: I am Everything on Apple and Amazon Prime and Judy Blume’s Are You There, God? It's Me Margaret, now in theaters.

Path Points of Interest:

Herbie J Pilato

Retro Active Television

Herbie's Amazon Author Page

Eric Scott on IMDB

Eric Scott on Wikipedia

Eric Scott on Facebook

Herbie + Eric Book Signings

At Barnes & Noble in Burbank on May 11:

And Book Soup in Los Angeles on June 12:

Little Richard: I am Everything on Apple and Amazon Prime

Are You There, God? It's Me Margaret - Film

Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret - Book by Judy Blume

Judy Blume Forever Documentary on Prime

They were the King and Queen of TV westerns but this week’s guest called them, Grandma and Grandpa.

Julie Rogers Pomilia’s father Tom was Dale Evans’ son. Roy and Dale were warm and attentive grandparents and Julie had the run of the Double R Bar Ranch as her backyard.

In her book, Your Heroes, My Grandparents: A Granddaughter's Love, Julie details cherished memories spent with Roy, Dale, a gaggle of sisters and cousins and Trigger. Her idilic, special scrapbook moments are filled with birthdays, Christmases and recitals and they are seasoned with Hollywood events, backstage explorations, movie sets and TV appearances. Then there’s the time her second grade teacher asked her if she could identify the cowboy on the cover of her Weekly Reader. Julie said, “That’s my grandpa,” and went home to ask her mom why Grandpa is famous.

Julie grew up singing with her sisters and parents, sometimes backing up her grandparents at shows, parades and rodeos. Iconic show biz figures were in and out of the ranch but mostly, Grandpa hung with Clark Gable because they shared hobbies and Nudie Cohn because he designed Grandma and Grandpa’s cosutmes.

Julie shares her most precious memories of riding on the back of Grandpa’s motorcycle and gunning it back and forth across an empty air strip, pheasant hunting… not because she likes it but because she loved making memories with Grandpa, traveling to Scotland with Grandma who made every adventure an event and the true story of Dale Evans’ heartbreaking journey towards stardom which required her to keep her son Tom a secret.

Also, whatever did happen to Trigger? Is he stuffed or mounted and/or living forever in our hearts? How did Roy and Dale jump start the merchandising industry? And so much more.

 Plus, Fritz and Weezy are recommending Under the Banner of Heaven on Hulu and Great Expectations… pick an adaptation and read the Dickens classic.

And, Fritz’s newest special, Unassisted Living is streaming now on Tubi!

Path Points of Interest:

Your Heroes, My Grandparents: A Granddaughter's Love

The Roy Rogers Show on Tubi

Unassisted Living Starring Fritz Coleman

Under The Banner of Heaven

Great Expectations - 2023

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (It's Free!)

We are serving up a film fan's dream discussion, as we plunge deep into the techniques, processes, challenges and craft of documentary filmmaking with two talented creators, Brandon Ogborn and Reed Harkness. Both are captivating storytellers whose productions are based on personal experiences and relationships, exploring the themes of family, community, ethics and society’s expectations.

Brandon's film, 'Damn, Dana' is a character study as well as a snapshot of an unprecedented time in our recent past, focusing on restaurateur Dana Tanner, whose refusal to close the doors of her Long Beach eatery during COVID-19 lockdowns sparked national interest and turned her into the poster child for one the pandemic's most controversial issues, the effect of government mandates on the service industry. 

Reed's feature 'Sam Now' is an examination of how individual family members processed the disappearance of his step-mother. Reed facilitated and filmed his brother Sam’s journey to find his mom which led to Sam ultimately finding himself. 25 years in the making, Reed’s brother bonding project inspired his entire family to better understand their own emotions and unique connections.

Brandon and Reed discuss the catalysts for each of their documentaries, the roles played by  family and friends, their storytelling approaches and directing styles, their subjects’ receptions of their films and what they learned from their respective themes… boys and men grappling with difficult emotions and how we all responded to the frightening early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Plus, Fritz and Weezy are recommending Waco: The Aftermath on Showtime, the podcast series, Long Shadow and American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing on Netflix.

Path Points of Interest:

Sam Now

Sam Now On Instagram

Sam Now on Twitter

Sam Now on Facebook

Sam Now on PBS

Damn, Dana on Youtube

Damn, Dana on Film Freeway

Brandon Ogborn on Instagram

Waco: The Aftermath on Showtime

The Long Shadow Podcast

American Manhunt - The Boston Marathon Bombing - Netflix

Telephone Stories: The Trials of Michael Jackson

Strap in for the show biz chat sesh of a lifetime: Legendary comedian Tom Dreesen and 80s TV icon Larry Manetti join us for story after story about Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. Smokey Robinson, Tom Selleck, Robert Wagner, Mike Connors, Robert Conrad, David Letterman, Johnny Carson and more!

As epic as the stories are the story-tellers. Tom Dreesen’s mind-blowing C.V. traces his career path from shoe shine boy in Harvey, Illinois to sharing a jet and a stage with Frank Sinatra. Along the way he pioneered the first integrated comedy team, Tim and Tom with Tim Reid, graced the tonight show stage 60 times, frequently guested and guest hosted for and with David Letterman and toured with Smokey Robinson and Sammy Davis Jr. 

Tom spent 15 years on the road with Sinatra, forming a friendship that informed and nourished both of them. 

Tom offers insights into forging a career in comedy, he shares revelations about his Chicago childhood and Tom and Fritz swap Tonight show baptismal stories. 

Larry Manetti tells us that he was discoverd in the Universal commissary and cast soon thereafter in Baa Baa Black Sheep thanks to the fervent support of Robert Conrad. Larry fills us in on his What’s Cooking With Larry Manetti pilot which featured the handsomest guest cast in cooking show history: Tom Selleck, Robert Wagner and Mike Connors! And Larry ’s lifelong friendship with Tom Selleck welcomes a new chapter this week as they star together in an upcoming episode of Blue Bloods.

Plus, Fritz and Weezy are recommending Any Given Tuesday by Lis Smith and The Pale Blue Eye novel by Louis Bayard which has become a Netflix film starring Christian Bale and Harry Melling. 

Path Points of Interest:

Tom Dreesen

Still Standing by Tom Dreesen

Tom Dreesen on Wikipedia

Tom Dreesen on Twitter

Tom Dreesen on Instagram

Larry Minetti on IMDB

Larry Minetti on Wikipedia

Article about Larry's upcoming Blue Bloods episode/Magnum reunion

What's Cookin' With Larry Manetti & Tom Selleck

Aloha Magnum by Larry Manetti

Any Given Tuesday by Lis Smith

The Pale Blue Eye by Louis Bayard

Article on The Pale Blue Eye on Tudum

The Pale Blue Eye on Netflix

Jazz/Rock Fusion greats Blood, Sweat & Tears were on top of their game in 1970, winning grammies, headlining Woodstock and racking up hit after hit with Spinning Wheel, And When I Die, and You’ve Made Me So Very Happy. And then they ventured behind the Iron Curtain.

It was not their idea. Nixon was President. The Viet Nam War raged on and BS & T were blackmailed into acting as emissaries on behalf of the U.S. State Department, touring the Soviet Bloc countries of Yugoslavia, Romania and Poland.

This precarious adventure and the ensuing stateside fallout are chronicled in the new doc, What The Hell Happened To Blood, Sweat and Tears? 

Director John Scheinfeld and BS&T Drummer Bobby Colomby join us to discuss this remarkable film, the newly unearthed tour footage, The State Departments’ and the Soviet Bloc countries’ respective agendas, and how America’s response in 1970 reflects a nation as fractured and polarized as the one we see today. 

Plus, we learn about the jazz and soul origins of BS&T, Bobby’s foggy Woodstock memories, John’s story-telling principles and how the making of this documentary allowed Bobby, at long last, to recognize his own skill as a drummer!

All that and Fritz and Weezy are recommending Sin Eater: The Crimes of Anthony Pellicano on Hulu & HBO’s doc series, The Anarchists.

Path Points of Interest:

What The Hell Happened To Blood Sweat and Tears

Director John Scheinfeld 

John Scheinfeld on Instagram

Bobby Colomby 

Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon

L.A. Times Article on the Film

Rolling Stone Article on the Film

New York Times Article on the Film

Sin Eater: The Crimes of Anthony Pellicano

The Anarchists 

At the dawn of the singer/songwriter era, there was a time when the genre was dominated by men. Then, along came Melanie. With but one minor hit charting at one radio station, she took the stage at Woodstock. Just Melanie. Her guitar and 500,000 peace loving new friends, holding candles in the rain. The experience inspired Melanie’s anthem, Lay Down, landing her new album in the collection of every aspiring hippy girl the world over.

The hits kept coming. Ruby Tuesday, What Have They Done To My Song, Ma? And Brand New Key. Melanie was everywhere. Writing, touring and creating a soundtrack that inspired young girls to grow into women who went after their dreams.

Melanie Safka has raised a family but she’s never stopped making music. Her story-telling is as epic as her songs. She shares how she defied her parents’ debutant dreams for her and followed her passions, how she quite accidentally met her producer/manager/husband, Peter Schekeryk, her out of body Woodstock experience, featuring a pot of tea sent over by Joan Baez, her spiritual collaboration with The Edwin Hawkins Singers,  how fasting, hallucinating and McDonald’s inspired the roller skate song, Brand New Key and her recent backyard duet with super fan, Miley Cyrus.

Plus Fritz and Weezy recommend I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy and A Spy Among Friends.

Path Points of Interest:

A Spy Among Friends - Amazon

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

iCarly on Netflix

iCarly on Nickelodeon

Melanie Safka

Melanie on Youtube

Melanie on Wikipedia

Lay Down (Candles in the Rain) with the Edwin Hawkins singers

Melanie on Patreon

Melanie on Facebook

Melanie on Twitter

Melanie with Miley Cyrus

Surprise Duet with Todd Rundgren at Darryl's House

Melanie's son Beau Jarred Schekeryk 

Melanie's daughter Leilah Hayman

Melanie's daughter Jeordie Schekeryk

Upcoming Signing at Chiller Theatre in Parsippany, NJ

Filmmaker David Millbern’s award winning and Emmy-nominated documentary TV Special called 100 Years of Men in Love: The Accidental Collection tells 100 love stories that were almost lost forever to history. 

Based on a collection of vintage photos found at antique stores and flea markets, dating from 1850 into the 1950s and curated by Hugh Nini and Neal Treadwell in their book, Loving: A Photographic History of Men in Love, this moving and masterful documentary shines a light on the joy, romance and tenderness shared between male couples, in a time when their love was forbidden. 

David joins us to talk about how the collection, and the film, came together, the possible origins of the photos and stories of their subjects, what they tell us about the century and the particular generations they represent, how audiences have been receiving the film and what he most hopes the viewer will take away from watching it. Plus David shares insight into his additional LGBTQ-themed work at Here TV.

We open as always with recommendations, Weezy's is Shrinking on Apple TV+ and Fritz's is the PBS Frontline documentary Country Boys now streaming on Prime.

Path Points of Interest:

David Millbern

100 Years of Men in Love on Roku

100 Years of Men in Love on Here TV through Prime

100 Years of Men in Love Trailer

Loving: A Photographic History of Men in Love 1850s-1950s by Hugh Nini & Neal Treadwell

Here TV

Shrinking - Apple TV

Country Boys - Amazon Prime

Adam Schiff is a public servant who is devoted to his country, his duty and his local, podcasting constituents such as Fritz Coleman. Congressman Schiff carved out some time in his democracy saving day to speak with us about his bipartisan childhood, grabbing Fox “News” by the green, his Senate run and the threat he appears to be posing to Tucker Carlson.

Then, Dee Wallace has much to share. She’s got many projects about to land, including the new version of Fatal Attraction from Lizzy Caplan. Dee enlightens us on the healing energy of horror movies, her travels with “her boys,” Henry Thomas, Robert McNaughton and Danny Pintauro, celebrating important E.T. and Cujo anniversaries and her canine connection with Adam Schiff. They both co-star with their dogs in the photo book, In Good Company.  Dee also continues to shine her bright light, as she writes, teaches, lectures and coaches her life affirming and goal attaining principals.

Plus Fritz and Weezy are recommending Aftersun and Daisy Jones & The Six.

Path Points of Interest:

Adam Schiff

Midnight in Washington by Adam Schiff

Dee Wallace

Dee Wallace on Twitter

Fatal Attraction

Dee Wallace Books

In Good Company: Notable People With Their Pets by Johanna Siegmann

Aftersun

Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Daisy Jones and The Six - Prime Series

If you’ve wandered around Los Angeles and you swear you’ve spotted Frau Farbissina from Austin Powers or Miss Francine Briggs from iCarly or Linda Schwartz from The Goldbergs then you may have experienced a genuine Mindy Sterling encounter!

Mindy’s IMDB is vast and deep and it includes The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, A.N.T. Farm, Desperate Housewives, Captain Underpants, 2 Broke Girls and That’s So Raven. Many millennials have accidentally called her Mom.

Mindy shares her experiences growing up as a showbiz baby with a comedian dad and a showgirl mom, how she made her mark on the industry and how she then poured herself into raising a son on the Autism spectrum.

Mindy is Groundlings royalty and she elaborates on the history, discipline and legacy of improv comedy. Plus, she has worked extensively in children’s TV, including alongside Jennette McCurdy from iCarly whose best selling book, I’m Glad My Mom Died is a cautionary tale on the dangers of mixing kids with show business. Mindy shares her experiences working with Jennette and her fellow child actors.

All this plus anticipation on the Austin Powers front. Will there be another sequel…? Mindy has clues.

We're also joined by Journalist/Mental Health Advocate/Author Janeane Bernstein, EDd. Her books 'GET THE FUNK OUT! $%^& Happens, What to Do Next!' and the upcoming 'Better Humans: What The Mental Health Pandemic Teaches Us About Humanity' are changing the ways in which we look at mental and emotional health.

Janeane joins us to talk about the inspiration behind her talk show and books which explore how setbacks can become successes and how we can all better handle the inevitable challenges we face in life. All this plus we are recommending Hollywood on Netflix and Fire of Love on Hulu and Disney.

Path Points of Interest:

Mindy Sterling - Groundlings Alumni Page

Groundlings COOKIN' WITH GAS 30th ANNIVERSARY

Mindy Sterling on IMDB

Mindy Sterling on Wikipedia

Janeane Bernstein 

Get The Funk Out! $%^& Happens, What to Do Next!

Better Humans: What The Mental Health Pandemic Teaches Us About Humanity

Get The Funk Out on KUCI

Outside The Box: Mental Health Initiative 

Hollywood series on Netflix

Full Service: My Adventures In Hollywood And The Secret Sex Lives Of The Stars by Scotty Bowers

Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood on Hulu 

Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood on Prime

Fire of Love on Hulu 

Fire of Love on Disney

Fire of Love on Prime

Michael Learned is remarkable in her entirety. Growing up in Vienna, Austria, she despised her masculine name, developed nervous shakes and discovered that her “diplomat” father was a CIA spy. Her mother swore her to secrecy and sent her to a British boarding school where she developed a love and talent for acting.

Theater work led to an invitation to audition for a part as the mom to a brood of depression era children in a show that was not given much hope of lasting beyond half a season. She drove down from San Francisco and landed the iconic role of Olivia Walton which earned her three Emmys. The Waltons premiered in 1972 and quickly became a piece of our American cultural fabric.

And in an impressive demonstration of range, Michael recently won much acclaim for her portrayal of Jeffrey Dahmer’s grandmother in the Netflix original series, Monster. 

With much to discuss, Michael joins us to talk about juggling her real-life kids with her TV family, she takes on a round of Waltons Trivia, shares her favorite Waltons episode, and divulges her authentic love for TV husband, Ralph Waite.

We also welcome Charity Buzz winner Susie Mains who talks about her experiences as a child actor talent rep. 

In recommendations: Weezy's pick is Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano, now an Apple+ series and Fritz suggests the Hulu doc series, Stolen Youth.

Path Points of Interest:

Michael Learned on Wikipedia

Michael Learned on IMDB

Michael Learned on Facebook

The Waltons

The Waltons on Prime

Monster Netflix Series

Dear Edward novel by Ann Napolitano

Dear Edward Series on Apple +

Dear Edward Trailer

Stolen Youth - Hulu