Today on another episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to professor Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor, daughter of the great comedian, writer, director Richard Pryor. Elizabeth was terrific to talk to as recently we had the great pleasure to see a book reading & conversation with her at Book Soup in Los Angeles for her new book, Something We Said: Richard Pryor, a Notorious Word and Me. Part memoir as well as a historical look at one very difficult word, the book meshes together how that notorious word connects to her personally and American landscape as well. Recently covered in NPR, the New York Times and Forbes, the book is getting much attention for its deeply personal autobiographical look from Elizabeth's first hand recollections of one of the greatest comedians this country has ever produced, her own story of connecting with her father as well as deep dive into America's deeply troubled use and context of THAT notorious word.

Now if you remember, we actually spoke to Elizabeth's sister Rain Pryor in a previous episode and one of the things we love on this podcast is speaking to more than one sibling of celebrities because it's a fascinating look at how two people intimately remember the same person. Elizabeth spoke to us about everything from her time growing up in Massachusetts with her Jewish mother and family and moving to Los Angeles to be closer to her father when her mother sensed she needed her father. Moreover we get a look at what it was like in the Pryor household, the cars he drove (you will never guess which was his favorite) as well as the foods he loved.

We also dig into the Elizabeth's life as a professor at Smith College and how an incident with a student in her classroom, quoting a line from the film Blazing Saddles that included that notorious word in her book title begat her journey in trying to understand how that incident led to the writing of this book. While likely a line her father wrote for the movie, the question in her classroom, none the less set up a sort of crisis for Elizabeth that we discuss in the upcoming episode. Our conversation jumps around from light to intense as we discuss race, family trauma and the understanding that Richard Pryor was more than a comedian. He was a seeker, a thinker, a regular person thought it all and also a father who was there when it counted. Take a listen to this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on part two of an encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to returning guest, voice actor Cam Clarke, who we know from last week's episode is perhaps 1/37th of the massive "First Family of Song", the King Family. We recorded this episode just before Cam's massive coffee table book, Not Their All Here: the King Family: Over 100 years of Entertainment from America's First Family of Song was released in 2025. It's one heck of a book that covers a century of music and performance from literally generations of this family who started in vaudeville and somehow goes all the way though to video games. It's a wild and often untold story.

We spent some time on King family / Cam Clarke specific projects like his main gig as the voice actor behind the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles character Leonardo for more than 30+ years, performing in the Mormon/Christian rock opera Saturday's Child, written by his brother Lex de Azevedo at 16 years old, his father, actor Robert Clarke who is star of an iconic B-movie, his bizarrely hilarious interaction with Jeff Goldblum, a surreal and wonderful meeting with a cast member of One Day at a Time and stalkers. Ooooooo, scary.

So take a listen to part two of our conversation with guest Cam Clarke on his return visit to the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story. Ah, but do you have 37 of them? Now therein lies the rub.

Today on part one of an encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to returning guest, voice actor Cam Clarke who is one part of "The First Family of Song", The King Family. We spoke to Cam once before but this time, we spoke to him on the eve of his book Not Their All Here: the King Family: Over 100 years of Entertainment from America's First Family of Song being released. At 312 pages, this coffee table book is a whopper of book, with tons of photos, antidotes, stories that span Vaudeville & radio in the early days to film & television in the 1960s as well as Broadway, cartoons, sci-fi B-movies and even video games. It's a fantastic book that Cam assembled himself with help from his famous family.

Cam spoke to us about his own career as well as his family's which somewhat begins and ends with being one of the most iconic voice actors of the last 30 years or so. For now generations of fans, Cam is the voice of Leonardo, from The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. We spoke more about his time meeting his fans at ComiCon events and offshoots where kids and occasionally fans who are who are on the Autism Spectrum Disorder connect with meeting their favorite star in ways that are heart-warming and beautiful.

We also spoke to Cam about his connections to other guests of the podcast (some family, some not) and learn the story of his famous family which numbered at one time well in the thirties. And how did they get paid? We discuss. Be it a Vegas showroom, the set of a television show or a soundstage, Cam gives us a first-hand look into what it was like being a child star within a family of stars. Take a listen to the Rarified Heir Podcast.

Today on another encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to musician Jamie Perrett, son of Peter Perrett from the band The Only Ones, of the first wave of English punk rock circa 1976. To say Jamie was open and honest would be an understatement. He was brutally honest. Perhaps more so than any other guest we've had on the podcast. What's so amazing is that through all the stories of neglect, abuse and unbelievable circumstances with which he grew up, Jamie and his father, as well as his mother, have somehow managed to move forward in their relationship that frankly, few could. It's a remarkable story. It's raw, like an open wound and Jamie bares all.

in fact, Jamie not only does discuss his upbringing but we also get into his own music as well as his time recording and touring with his father today. How he's been able to get to this point is a story you have to hear on this episode. We found Jamie to be a resilient and incredibly forgiving person who has clearly been through the worst of it and come out the other end a more empathetic person. Much more than we frankly could be.

On this episode we discuss the single that made Peter Perrett famous, "Another Girl, Another Planet," as well as his latest album The Cleansing which Jamie is a major part of. We also speak about Jamie's work as a producer, his time in bands like the cause célèbres U.K. band Babyshambles as well as his latest single & much more. This episode is one you won't soon forget. The Rarified Heir Podcast, everyone has a story.

Episode #291: Valerie Long (Richard Long, Mara Corday)

Today on another encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Valerie Long, daughter of actors Richard Long and Mara Corday. It took some time for Valerie to come around to the idea of being on the podcast and frankly, we get it. As you will hear, her recollections about her father's passing at an early age and her difficulties with that loss play a part in this conversation.

For many of us, Richard Long is best known from either television shows The Big Valley or Nanny and the Professor. We discuss those shows as well as The Twilight Zone, 77 Sunset Strip, Maverick as well as his films – he made his debut on the silver screen with Orson Wells and Claudette Colbert, in Tomorrow is Forever. I mean….. We also discuss her actress, dancer, model mother Mara Corday who passed away after this episode was recorded. In fact, we got a call from the New York Times regarding her career when they wrote her obituary as they wanted to confirm a few things we discussed on the podcast with Valerie. It's almost unfathomable to know that the New York Times would site our podcast when talking about the life and career of Mara Corday. Thanks to Valerie for being so open and honest about everything and for being on the podcast to tell her story.

Along the way, we discuss family friends like Clint Eastwood, Roddy McDowell, Dan Rowan, Peter Marshall and many others. Additionally we discuss a story we frankly never knew about prior to this episode. Prior to her parents' marriage, Richard was married to an up-and-coming actress named Suzan Ball who died shortly after their wedding at age 22, when Richard was only 23. It's a tragic story that we uncover talking to Valerie who gives us the details about how this likely affected her father. The Rarified Heir Podcast, everyone has a story.

Today on another encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are continuing a theme from last week's episode (and the week prior) with guest Carrie Mithchum, daughter of actor Christopher Mitchum and granddaughter of the towering figure Robert Mithcum. So what's the theme? Well, Carrie is related to guest Suzanne Lloyd and right after our conversation with Suzanne, she asked us if we wanted to talk to Carrie and welp, here we are. So thanks Suzanne.

Like her father and grandfather (as well as her son, her uncle, brother) Carrie Mitchum began her career as an actress and as we learn, she pivoted to a career as a chef after a stint at the Cordon Bleu in Paris. She's also a philanthropist since our last chat launched a website, Mitchums Kitchen with recipes, merch, a blog and much more. Carrie talks to us about growing up around acting with her dad Christopher as they travelled around the world as he tool parts that took him to foreign countries like Thailand and Hong Kong for films like H-Bomb and Spain for a film called Nightmare City. Her story about her youth on sets in the middle of nowhere are fascinating.

We also speak to Carrie about what it was like spending time with her grandfather on the set of the film, That Championship Season as well as discussing his time as riding the rails before he became an actor, his poetry, his music career with albums like Calypso – Is Like So and That Man Robert Mitchum…Sings. We discuss Mitchum's favorite food, the dreaded tabloids, the Harold Lloyd collection and her love of animals. Take a listen to this encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast.

Today on part two of another brand new encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Suzanne Lloyd, granddaughter to silent film comedy icon, Harold Lloyd. Suzanne, as you heard in last week's episode is quite the steward for her grandfather's work and his legacy. She's the one who controls it entirely and she's done a tremendous job keeping it all alive, nearly a century after his career was at the very top of young Hollywood.

Aside from the creative genius of the comedy of Harold Lloyd in films like Safety Last, which has the famous scene of his dangling from a clock, Suzanne tells us about the almost fairytale existence her fun loving grandfather provided in their estate known as Green Acres. We hear about all his passions – including Christmas, bowling which he did with Howard Hughes, the Shriner's hospital, early hi-fi audio and a very specific type of photography. 3-D photography. Did you even know that existed? Harold Lloyd sure did.

This episode should come with a pop culture handbook of a who's who in the entertainment industry from the last century. We hear first-hand stories about the Rolling Stones, Debbie Reynolds, Disneyland, Roddy McDowell, Rick Nelson, Paul McCartney, Marilyn Monroe and many more. Much of it revolves around the Green Acres estate and an almost Barnum-like extravaganza for bringing the circus to your front door. The conversation begins mid-stream (which we salute Suzanne for btw) comparing her grandfather, the silent film star with early television icon Ernie Kovacs, Television's Original Genius. The parallel universe of these two comedic giants begins now, on the Rarified Heir Podcast with Suzanne Llloyd. Take a listen.

Today on part one of another brand new encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Suzanne Lloyd, the granddaughter who was raised like a daughter of iconic silent film star & business mogul Harold Lloyd. Suzanne is the steward of the Harold Lloyd estate and runs the archive of her grandfather's groundbreaking early Hollywood silent films which the creative genius and shrewd businessman almost single handedly owned throughout his career. Ah a preservationist in the mold of Edie Adams, host Josh Mills' mother who did the very same thing for the career of television's original genius, her first husband, Ernie Kovacs. Be still our hearts.

Suzanne was incredibly gracious with her time when we talked to her and it was evident early on that she had so much to say about her years growing up, her grandfather's career, her parent's lives, the preservation of Lloyd's films as well as his opulent and ridiculously large house and grounds in Beverly Hills, we knew this conversation was a two parter. Suzanne was an eager guest who wanted to talk about her grandfather's work which ranks right up there with Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. Perhaps to the causal film fan, Harold Lloyd's name isn't as well-known some 90 years after the apex of his career simply because he owned his own films, not a film studio. So showings on television and screenings at film festivals were more sporadic through the years. But no doubt, with Suzanne's help, more fans than ever are able to see Harold Lloyd's comedy in 2026.

This episode is a film lover's dream as we talk about early Hollywood icons like Mary Pickford, Daryl Zanuck, Hal Roach and many more – including her grandmother, Harold's wife, Mildred Davis. Davis gave up her own career once she married her comedic genius husband. Why? You'll hear about that shortly. Suzanne's ability to talk about the legacy of Harold Lloyd is only matched by her recall of facts, dates, productions, screenings, studios and more that it's almost uncanny how anyone could have total recall like that. So buckle up, this is only part one. Part two has stories about the famed Christmas tree that lived year round in the living room, the estate they lived on and the Paul McCartney party she attended after the estate was donated to the city. This episode spans decades. Take a listen.

Today on another encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are speaking to childhood friend from youth baseball, JD Lobue Jr. as our guest today. Back in the 1970s, host Josh Mills and JD played on the Little League Dodgers team at Studio City National Little League and became fast friends in elementary school. And while he'd known about his father, JD Lobue Sn., was a television director, it really wasn't something they talked about on the baseball diamond.

Cut to, oh several years later, while reading issue #59 of the ultimate rock 'n roll magazine, Ugly Things, which bills itself as Wild Sounds from Past Dimensions, that an in-depth article on the 60s Mississippi garage band The Gordian Knot caught his eye. Turns out, JD Lobue Sr. was a band member of saif Knot and after making their way west to Hollywood in the last 1960s, the band got their big break. Signing to Verve Records and recording their only album, the band befriended Nancy Sinatra, Aside from their lone LP, The Gordian Knot also became THE band to have play your swanky Hollywood party. Or in some cases, join Nancy on USO tours in Asia during the Vietnam War.

All of this later lead to stints for Lobue Sr., in television after the band broke up. Starting with black dance party juggernaut, Soul Train with host and creator Don Cornelius, JD became an in demand television director. We get into all of this as well as beloved television shows like Soap, Newhart, It's A Living, Dharma & Greg and Two and a Half Men with Jr. which were just a few of his credits. We discuss life growing up in Hollywood with JD as well as a rather unique love of a sport that flew under the radar – not pun intended - in ultimate frisbee which the younger JD excelled at. We can thank garage rock from a superior music magazine Ugly Things for this episode. All it took was a Google search to bring us this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Take a listen.

Today on part two of our return interview with Patricia Weidenfeld, daughter of comedian Pat Cooper, we wrap up another very, very intense conversation about the love and the heartache of being the daughter of "The Comedian of Outrage." On this episode, Patti goes into more of the family drama as well as the reconciliation of between two sides of Pat Cooper's family: his first and his second families to be exact. We hear about some of the dark, unnecessary communication with some of her extended family as well as the heartwarming and loving communication she heard and feels from others in her extended family as well. It's a ying and yang situation for sure.

But what really comes across in this final episode is the humanity Patti extends to those who have seemingly wished her only bad feelings and pain. She credits her mother as well as her former profession as a special education teacher with the compassion and the forgiveness she extends here, that frankly, I doubt most of us could if we were faced in a similar situation. It frankly is a bit inspiring to see an everyday person faced with mountain of anger and hatred respond not with hate but with love. And in 2026, that humanity is in short supply. More please.

Patti delves more into the psychology of her father and the decisions he made as well as her own reactions to those hurtful decisions. But what we also learn is that, ironically, just because one person is wishing you pain, it doesn't mean everyone in her father's first family is speaking from the same point of reference. Far from it. In fact, her simply being on the podcast for the first time in 2024 might have brought her closer to extended family members that she barely knew about and didn't know personally at all. And now, because of this podcast, she does. It did our hearts good knowing that our podcast could do anything remotely as wholesome and good as what we learn here. We couldn't have ever imagined that was even possible when we started in 2020. So take a listen to this episode, part two with Patricia Weidenfeld on her return to the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.