Media Path Podcast

The Walton family saga so deeply moved us that scores of devoted fans are now sharing the show with their children and grandchildren. 

Set in Depression era Virginia, The Waltons invited audiences to watch a family overcome adversity through their love, perseverance and the opening of their minds and hearts. 

During its nine year run, we watched the Walton kids grow up right along with us. Between the ages of seven and sixteen, Kami Cotler portrayed the youngest Walton, Elizabeth and while doing show she gained the additional families of her Walton co-stars and fans. 

Kami joins us to talk about a childhood spent on the set of an iconic historical drama, her illustrious and inspiring career as an educator  and the ongoing events and celebrations which continue to unite The Waltons and their audience.

Kami's career as a teacher and administrator was rooted in her own  education, a unique hybrid of inventive and creative on-set tutors and public schools. 

On-set learning did harken back to the one room schoolhouse where Kami learned alongside her older casemates and could easily audit some of their fascinating lessons which were way ahead of her grade level.

Additionally, The Waltons’ set doubled as a constantly evolving, hands-on classroom. Post-Waltons, Kami’s first teaching job was in rural Virginia, which provided a real life emersion into the fictional setting she had inhabited for nearly a decade, and it's where she developed her style and approach as an educator. 

We talk to Kami about her Youtube channel where she reacts to beloved episodes and interviews her wonderful Mom. She tells us what she wishes she’d asked Will Geer and Ellen Corby about working with Woody Guthrie and Laurel and Hardy and she shares how fans are consistently helping her better remember specific events and episodes!

Today, Kami organizes Waltons themed gatherings around the country that are proving to be an enormously rewarding experience for both cast and fans. And, Kami pretty much aces a round of Waltons Trivia! 

Plus, Fritz and Weezy are recommending Social Studies on FX and Hulu and Score on Prime.

Path Points of Interest:

Kami Cotler on Wiki

Kami Cotler on IMDB

Kami Cotler on Facebook

Kami Cotler on Instagram

Kami Cotler on Youtube

Gift of Democracy

Social Studies

Score - Amazon Prime

Happy Days is the iconically classic 70s TV sensation about the 50s. Its legacy is unparalleled, its popularity ongoing. The show  launched a character who remains the embodiment of cool, Fonzie, and it cemented its cast into icon status in perpetuity.  That cast includes Donny Most, who played wise-cracking Ralph Malph, who, complete with his own catchphrase, “I still got it!” took a minor role and turned it into the stuff of legend.

Don joins us this week to look back on his decades in Hollywood, the magic formula that brought Happy Days to fruition, and created a lasting legacy, and his tireless pursuit of creative expression that continues to keep his schedule full and fulfilling.

Don shares stories about his first foray into show business, as a Catskills performing teen, his early guest starring roles on Emergency and Room 222, how he dropped out of college to maintain his acting momentum and landed a small role on Happy Days which he initially turned down until a fateful basketball playing encounter between his manager and Garry Marshall upped the incentives and sealed the deal. Donny and his cast-mates developed a strong, life-long bond which he credits to the collaborative set atmosphere, the genius of Garry Marshall and the strong example set by Ron Howard, which helped anchor egos aboard the Happy Days rocket ride. 

Type-casting came with the Happy Days territory and it took years or hard work on stage for new opportunities to present themselves. Don has since gone into directing and producing and his most recent roles are the most compelling and diverse of his career. 

Potsie took most of the lead vocals in the Happy Days band but Donny has been a singer since childhood and his most recent big-band, American Songbook recording, New York High has a BBC reviewer calling him, “The new Sinatra.”

All this plus the truth behind the lawsuit against CBS,  Happy Days trivia and Don’s dramatic Baywatch rescue!

And, in recommendations, Fritz and Weezy are discussing Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval and Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story, both on Netflix.

Path Points of Interest:

Donny Most

Donny Most on Wiki

Donny Most on IMDB

Donny Most on Twitter

New York High on Apple Music

Far Haven

Harsen's Island Revenge

Unsung Hero

Gallatin Comic Con Appearance

Ellen DeGeneres: or Your Approval on Netflix

Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story on Netflix

Gift of Democracy

Media Path Podcast

You may know William Atherton from Day Of The Locust, The Hindenburg, Looking For Mr. Goodbar, and Real Genius or you may better remember him for vigorously questioning the environmental safety of ghost busting or for receiving a blow to the face which rings in a very Merry Christmas in Die Hard. 

Bill began his career on the stage, performing in Broadway plays by David Rabe, John Guare and Arthur Miller. The Ghostbuster and Die Hard franchises brought him to Hollywood and he joins us to discuss his fascinating history, his heroes and influences and his range of experiences with such performers as Anne Bancroft, George C. Scott, Donald Sutherland, Karen Black, and Diane Keaton. 

Did you know that Bill sings What’ll I Do in Nelson Riddle’s Great Gatsby score!? He tells us all about it and talks about recognizing the greatness of Stephen Spielberg even as a baby director when Bill stared in Sugarland Express. He remembers how Anne Bancroft would not stop talking about Mel Brooks on the set of The Hindenburg, he shares what he learned from the casts of Lost and Desperate Housewives and he addresses the internet’s most time-honored question, is Die Hard a Christmas movie?

Plus, Fritz and Weezy are recommending Will & Harper and Nobody Wants This on Netflix.

Path Points of Interest:

William Atherton

William Atherton on Wiki

William Atherton on IMDB

Gift of Democracy

Media Path Podcast

Nobody Wants This on Netflix

Will and Harper - Netflix

In the '90s, a group of legendary rock and pop artists banded together, blending inspirations, genres, influences and styles to form a uniquely collaborative sound. The Bangles, The Cowsills, REM, The dBs, and Hootie And The Blowfish were all represented in The Continental Drifters. 

Author and musician Sean Kelly has written the definitive Drifters tomb, White Noise & Lightning: The Continental Drifters Story and he joins us this week, along with iconic Drifter Peter Holsapple, to take us on a journey from Hollywood to New Orleans, in the late 90s, through the rich layers of alternative, folk, California pop and Americana that shaped the remarkable story of this legacy mega-group.

We kick off the show with comedian and Emmy winning comedy writer Brian Kiley, who shares his experiences in the writing trenches with Conan O’Brien and Ellen DeGeneres. Brian joins us fresh from his experiences performing overseas for the U.S. military and recording his Dry Bar Comedy special. Brian will be opening soon for Fritz at The El Portal Theater in North Hollywood!

Sean and Peter then offer a Continental Drifters deep dive into their origin story, their musical heritages and their founding members, including New Orleans legend, Carlo Nuccio who inspired the band’s move from a weekly residency at Raji’s in Hollywood to one at Howlin’ Wolf in New Orleans. The Drifters quickly ascended from a supergroup to a force of nature.

Peter talks about his time with R.E.M. and Hootie and the Blowfish, Sean and Peter give us an in depth look at the band’s inner wiring and how their on-stage chemistry met with conflicting ingredients in the studio. The beating heart of The Drifters was always the personal bonds and when the romantic energy within the group began to shift, just like within any family, the entire group was thrown off balance.

Sean and Peter relay their frustration with their record label's confusion as to how to market The Drifters, what members were seeking in contrast to their previous industry experiences, what inspired Sean to write the book, why Vermillion is Peter's favorite Drifters album and details about the brand new tribute album featuring Drifters songs performed by 25 artists including Marshall Crenshaw, Debbi Peterson and John Cowsill!

Plus, Weezy is recommending, the MSNBC doc, From Russia With Lev and Fritz is looking ahead with 'What's Next? The Future With Bill Gates' on Netflix.

Path Points of Interest:

Brian Kiley

Brian Kiley on X

Brian Kiley at Fritz Coleman's Unassisted Residency

The Continental Drifters

White Noise & Lightening by Sean Kelly on Amazon

Peter Holsapple on Wiki

Peter Holsapple on Instagram

Continental Drifters on Wikipedia

Continental Drifters on YouTube

Continental Drifters on Facebook

Continental Drifters on Instagram

From Russia With Lev

What's Next? The Future With Bill Gates

Gift of Democracy

Media Path Podcast

The fall of the Soviet wall and the opening of the iron curtain presented ample space for hope, optimism and opportunity for westerners eager to share culture, creativity, business and democracy concepts with the citizens of the former Soviet Union. David Junk leapt at the chance to work for Polygram/Universal Records in a country hungry for music and freedom. David’s 15 years in Russia were a unique window of time between Gorbachov’s Glasnost and Putin’s re-consolidation of power. 

David stepped into a landscape that he called “the wild, wild, east,” teaming with gangsters and corruption and also talented, enterprising Russians, eager to explore new possibilities. David’s journey is documented in his book, Rockin’ The Kremlin which gives readers an inside look at boots-on-the-ground life and work in Russia from the perspective of a Russian speaking, idealistic American. 

David and his co-writer Fred Bronson join us for a fascinating dive into David’s adventures… Contract negations with Polygram which included kidnapping insurance, Russian kids’ obsession with hip hop, discovering and exporting Russian talent including two young girls called t.A.T.u. who kissed on The Tonight Show, wearing “F*** War” tee-shirts which they got past everyone because the words were written in Russian. David says that those tee-shirts are now being worn by kids in Ukraine. 

This window in time introduced a generation to a complex intersection of culture and politics which was ultimately snuffed by Putin’s coalition with the Russian Orthodox Church and a renewed, vehement opposition to LGBTQ rights and individual expression. Ultimately, it was David’s deep disappointment in colleagues’ support for the invasion of Ukraine and concerns for his family’s safety which brought him back to the states. But still, so much was learned and exchanged.

All this, plus Fritz and Weezy are recommending The English Teacher on FX (streaming on Hulu) and the making of The Sopranos doc, Wiseguy on HBO Max.

Path Points of Interest:

Rocking The Kremlin: My Incredible, True Story Of Gangsters, Oligarchs, And Pop Stars In Putin's Russia by David Junk with Fred Bronson

David Junk on Facebook

David Junk on Instagram

Fred Bronson on Twitter

Art During Wartime Podcast

Gift of Democracy

The English Teacher FX and Hulu

https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/english-teacher

Wiseguy - HBO

https://www.hbo.com/movies/wise-guy-david-chase-and-the-sopranos

Golden Globe-nominated actor, action movie star, martial artist, helicopter pilot, heartthrob, thrill seeker and  Hollywood royalty, Lorenzo Lamas joins us for an exhilarating ride through decades of entertainment history, from the Golden Age through the non-stop 1990's and beyond! Lorenzo is the son of classic era movie-making duo Arlene Dahl and Fernando Lamas. Lorenzo came into his own playing the grandson of Jane Wyman's character on the legendary prime-time soap, Falcon Crest, and then earned lifelong fans in action and martial arts TV and film, including Renegade and Snake Eater. Lorenzo joins us to talk about life lessons learned in military school, on the set and through fatherhood.

A child of Hollywood, Lorenzo’s parents divorced when he was two and he often felt like a guest in either home. His mother Arlene Dahl was a starlet in the 1940s and 50s, and a businesswoman, who married six times, disrupting Lorenzo’s childhood with moves around the world. Lorenzo later learned to appreciate his mother’s love for him and her groundbreaking achievements. As a child, he yearned deeply for the attention and validation of his father, larger-than- life film star, Fernando Lamas who married Esther Williams when Lorenzo was 11 and was often either living in another city or away on location. Summers with his dad meant everything. His father died in his sixties but lived to see his son’s success and even directed an episode of Falcon Crest!

Lorenzo gives us behind the scenes insights that he learned from Burt Reynolds, Elizabeth Taylor, Jane Wyman and Charlton Heston.  He fills us in on the un-aired final episode of Renegade. And on the values he has imparted to his own children of show business. Plus, Lorenzo takes on a challenging round of IMDB Roulette! 

In recommendations, Weezy is bingeingThe Perfect Couple on Netflix and Fritz enjoyed Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes on Max.

Lorenzo Lamas on Wiki

Lorenzo Lamas on IMDB

Renegade at Heart by Lorenzo Lamas

Lorenzo Lamas on Facebook

Lorenzo Lamas on Instagram

Stepmom from Hell

Prepare to Die

The Perfect Couple

Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes on Max

Geri Jewell is a Comedian/Actor/Motivational Speaker/Author and (thanks to Norman Lear) the trailblazing first person with a visible disability to appear as a TV show regular! Geri went straight from special ed to special treatment as a Facts of Life cast member, portraying Blair’s Cousin Geri and providing essential representation for kids growing up and living with Cerebral Palsy. 

Geri's life and career have always been an inspiration, as evidenced by her brand new coffee table book 'Geri's Jewels & Gems', which will provide you with a fresh, positive perspective on the inevitable hardships and struggles we all face. Brace for Geri's sunny outlook, grit and determination to shift your mood and encourage you to pursue your own dreams! 

As a child, Geri’s imagination took her to Wimbledon, standup comedy stages and Hollywood. She was soon exchanging letters with Carol Burnett, performing at the Comedy Store and playing doubles with John McEnroe and Arthur Ash! Her mother had warned her, “Be careful what you wish for.” 

Geri teaches us that kids with disabilities often grow up emotionally stunted because so much emphasis is placed on their physical development. Cast in an NBC sitcom at the age of 23, Geri was a rich target for unscrupulous managers and “friends.” She frequently lost her way while being misunderstood, underestimated and searching for the courage to live an openly gay life. 

The physical beating of Cerebral Palsy can be very painful and poor balance leads to debilitating falls. Geri was recovering from back and neck surgery, waiting in line at CVS to purchase botox for her neck pain when David Milch approached her and felt inspired to cast her in Deadwood! Your next miracle could be just around the corner! 

Geri talks to us about her first inspirational book called I’m Walking As Straight As I Can, her determination to defy expectations, how CP has provided her with unique insights into the human condition and her intention to help others reach their potential. Then Geri’s best friend, hearing impaired comedian Kathy Buckley joins us on the panel  to share more truly adorable anecdotes and adventures. 

Plus, Fritz and Weezy are recommending My Brilliant Friend on HBO and Daughters on Netflix.

Path Points of Interest:

Geri Jewell

Geri Jewell on Wiki

I'm Walking As Straight As I Can by Geri Jewell

Geri's Jewels and Gems by Gery Jewell

Geri Jewell on Youtube

Geri Jewell at Ability Magazine

Geri Jewell on Facebook

Kathy Buckley

Kathy Buckley on Instagram

My Brilliant Friend on HBO

Daughters - Netflix

Media Path Podcast

Gift Of Democracy

Rich Little has boldly done impressions of presidents for presidents! The man of a thousand voices is a show biz legend who has been delighting audiences for decades. His new one-man show is a multi-media event that includes TV highlights, his spectacular sketches and, of course, his phenomenal impressions! Rich joins us to give voice (often not his own!) to his unique show biz history!

Rich Little's first impersonations were of Canadian political leaders in his home country. His buddy Mel Torme sang his praises to Judy Garland who was blown away by his take on her A Star Is Born co-star James Mason and his appearance on her show launched him into the iconic, glittering age of 60s show biz! It was a time when the impressions he mastered were instantly recognizable and are still indelibly so… Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Don Rickles, Jimmy Stewart, Jack Benny and George Burns. 

Rich’s appearances on Dean’s roasts had him doing impressions of huge stars right in front of them while the rest of show biz intently surveyed their reaction.  He has opened for Las Vegas superstars and broken the record for the longest running one man show in Vegas history.  He has made hundreds of TV appearances, nine comedy albums, and three HBO specials. He’s befriended Presidents, guest-hosted The Tonight Show and entertained The Queen! 

Rich joins us with voices and stories! Which Hollywood Squares star openly hated Rich’s impression of him? How did Rich incur the wrath of Bette Davis and tick off Johnny Carson? And the Judge who swore Rich in as an American citizen asked him to read the Pledge Of Allegiance as what movie star?

All is revealed! Plus, Fritz and Weezy are recommending The Friday Afternoon Club: A Family Memoir by Griffin Dunne and Wyatt Earp and The Cowboy War on Netflix.

Path Points of Interest:

Rich Little

Rich Little at the Laugh Factory Covina on 9/8/24

Rich Little on Wikipedia

Rich Little on Facebook

Rich Little on Instagram

People I've Known and Been by Rich Little

Rich Little on the Dean Martin Roast of Jack Benny

Rich Little on Jackie Gleason

Rich Little on Judy Garland

The Friday Afternoon Club: A Family Memoir by Griffin Dunne

Wyatt Earp And The Cowboy War - Netflix

Words like 'legend', 'icon' and 'star' were created to describe Mae West! Our guest, Michael Gregg Michaud has written his third Mae West book, Mae West And Her Adonises which focuses on her revolutionary 50s nightclub act featuring a chorus line of muscle men. Mae set the stage for the male revue, now a staple of Vegas bachelorette parties and girls’ nights out! 

Michael’s book is packed with photos, press interviews, Mae’s wickedly quippy and saucy one-liners and details about an act that was literally stopping traffic in every town it visited. Mae’s first and only love was the stage but much like any episode of The Bachelorette, the Adonises found themselves lost in love for her and competitively pining for her attention, ultimately coming to blows when Chuck Krauser threw a punch at Mickey Hargitay. Hearts and jaws were broken and a high profile court case ensued. 

Mae was the O.G. of branding, literally carving her image out of strategically erected costumes, padding, wigs, headdresses and heals. She wrote and produced her own content, walking right up to the wall of naughty and bawdy but never crossing into tasteless. She artfully tap-danced around censors and male industry leaders, knowing innately what her audience would embrace. Mae famously jabbed and feuded with Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield and W.C. Fields and maintained lifelong friendships with Louise Beavers, her boxer buddies, and the animals she adored. 

All this Plus Fritz and Weezy are recommending Bad Monkey on Apple + and Wicked Little Lies on Netflix. 

Path Points of Interest:

Michael Gregg Michaud

Michael Gregg Michaud on Amazon

Mae West and Her Adonises

Michael Gregg Michaud on Facebook

Michael Gregg Michaud on Instagram

Mae West on IMDB

Mae West Stage Show - 1957

Bad Monkey on Apple +

Wicked Little Letters on Netflix

Gift of Democracy

Media Path Podcast

Illeana Douglas is an avid student of the movies who grew up, stepped onto a set and entered the big screen of her childhood dreams. Her deep interest and knowledge of film legend and lore provided her with rich opportunities to engage in meaningful conversations with the stars and directors she has imagined meeting and then encountered along her way, including Robert De Niro, Robert Redford, Marlon Brando, Martin Scorsese, Roddy McDowall and so many more. 

With a rare ability to manifest full circle moments, Illeana has  worked with the two men who upended her childhood, Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda. Their film, Easy Rider had inspired her father to check out of suburbia and into a hippy commune, leaving the family financially destitute. That struggle is documented in her award winning book, I Blame Dennis Hopper. 

As a starving actress, Illeana went to work for a publicist in the Brill Building and years later, starred in Grace of My Heart, about songwriters in the Brill Building. 

Her fascination with her lost suburban childhood led her to write a new book called, Connecticut in the movies, WHILE she was restoring her own Connecticut dream home, a similar desperate effort to that of Mr. Blandings. 

Connecticut’s role in American movies has evolved over the years from that of a metaphor for healthy, country living (Holiday Inn, Christmas In Connecticut) to a representation of our post-war suburban shift, the strain the work commute placed on marriages and the racism found in planned communities, (The Man In The Gray Flannel Suit, Gentleman’s Agreement) to a depiction of dark suburbia and societal collapse (The Swimmer, The Ice Storm), to horror and dystopia. (The Stepford Wives, Let’s Scare Jessica To Death.) 

Illeana, is a complete delight and she joins us for an in depth discussion about all things movie and many things Connecticut. Plus, elections are coming and Myra Page and Joan Bowman are here from Commit To Democracy to teach us how we can all do more than just vote this critical election season!

Path Points of Interest:

Illeana Douglas

Connecticut in the Movies: From Dream Houses To Dark Suburbia

I Blame Dennis Hopper: And Other Stories Lived From In And Out Of The Movies

Illeana Douglas on Wikipedia

Illeana Douglas on IMDB

Illeana Douglas on Instagram

Media Path Podcast

Gift of Democracy

Commit To Democracy

Commit To Democracy Facebook

Commit To Democracy Youtube

Commit To Democracy Instagram