Rarified Heir Podcast

Today on another episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we continue our conversation with actor Christopher Murray and delve deeper into some fun and fascinating new stories about his mother actor Hope Lange, father actor Don Murray and step father Director Alan J. Pakula. Christopher talks to us about one of the most interesting connections he and his parents have – Director David Lynch. Hope Lange starred in Blue Velvet and both Christopher and Don played roles on Twin Peaks all in three separate decades. A totally weird Lynchian through line that is perhaps only rivaled by Laura Dern and Diane Ladd.

Moreover we discuss some of the backstage jealousies of making the film Bus Stop which his parents were both cast in – although no one knew they were married. It sheds a light on some of the insecurities and well documented frailties of Marilyn Monroe. We also discuss Sean Connery’s golf game, Scarlett Johansen’s first role in the film Just Cause, how you ingratiate yourself into the good graces of a Scotsman and more.

This leads to a Christopher’s reminisces of his truly remarkable stepfather Alan J. Pakula both at home and at work. From his time on the set of the film Klute where he met Jane Fonda to the trips Alan took he and his sister on to Morocco & Italy we really feel like we are getting a story very few know about. Part two of our conversation with Christopher is filled with beautiful memories and some tragic losses. Thanks for taking us along for the ride Chris. The Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast we are talking to actor Christopher Murray, who we find out, was quite literally born into show business. From both his maternal and paternal grandparents as well as both of his parents, Christopher likely couldn’t have escaped a career in front of the camera if he tried. So who are his parents? Well, both are Oscar nominated and his mother is a two-time Emmy award winner. Can you guess? None other than actors Don Murray & Hope Lange.

Between his parents, they have starred in films and TV productions with Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Robert Wagner, Charles Laughton, Roddy McDowell, Michelle Lee, Kathleen Turner, Joan Crawford, Glenn Ford, Suzy Parker and more. And if that isn’t enough, his stepfather was a giant of a director,  Alan J. Pakula who directed some of the best films of the 70s as well.

Our time  with Christopher was more a conversation than an interview and frankly, those are the ones we love best on this podcast. We jumped around a lot but the connections were never more apparent than when we were discussing how it is that Charles Nelson Reilly spent so much time at his house. We delved into just about everything with Christopher to the story of how his parents helped displaced European war refugees from WWII & the Korean War that still functions to this day as well as the fabulous dinner parties his mother gave that were a safe haven for gay Hollywood couples in an era when things like that were very rare.

This conversation that spans the stage, film and television and involves everyone from Hubert H. Humphrey to Eleanor Roosevelt, Sean Connery to Ed Harris & Freddy Kruger to Don Deer. But to hear all of those stories, we had to spread this episode into two parts – there was just too much great stuff to cut out. You’ll have to take a listen to this episode, part one,  of the Rarified Heir Podcast to begin this verbal scavenger hunt.  Everyone has a story.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast we are talking to Christopher Lewis, son of entertainer & human juggernaut, the one, the only, Jerry Lewis. Chris was kind enough to reach out to us via a mutual connection at the Library of Congress and was pretty terrific about answering all our questions, big and small about the man known as “The King of Comedy.” The impetus for our chat was Chris’ book Jerry Lewis on Being a Person, a 300+ page book is packed with photos, ruminations, life lessons, antidotes and more. It’s a wonderful look at a complex comedian, director, writer, producer, golfer and philanthropist.

Chris talked to us about his father and was frank about why he looks at his father with “rose colored glasses,” his father’s lust for life and everything in between. Somehow we get to a vast amount of information on “Le Roi du Crazy” as the French called him. Our discussion hits everything from his love of audio and video technology to just how much of the Jerry Lewis archive was delivered to the Library of Congress. We also spoke about culturally significant high points like his guest appearance on Pink Lady and Jeff ans Slapstick (of Another Kind). Along the way we get to talking about The Day the Clown Cried, an true art imitates life Rupert Pupkin stalking situation that had everyone in the family on edge, why handshake deals were so important to Jerry and what comedians made Jerry Lewis laugh. All you have to do is sit back and listen to this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Take a listen.

Today on another encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Victoria Riskin, daughter of actress Fay Wray & screenwriter Robert Riskin. We first learned about Victoria in a Los Angeles Times interview with her about her book, Fay Wray and Robert Riskin: A Hollywood Memoir & boy are we glad we reached out. Better yet, Victoria was an engaging guest full of great stories about her mother and father, her years growing up in Los Angeles, long lost LA haunts, her mother’s fortitude over the years and her own career in Hollywood.

While the kids love the buzz word, ‘iconic’ these days, it’s also the only real word to capture Fay Wray. She had a wonderfully full career in Hollywood which we discuss but it’s her signature role as Ann Darrow in the 1933 film King Kong which fans remember as part of the golden age of Hollywood – and beyond. We also discuss her father, who wrote films for Frank Capra and we get a glimpse into their private life and courtship via our conversation about her memoir.

There’s also talk about Mary Tyler Moore, John Lithgow, Michael Caine, Bernadette Peters and Bob Hoskins. And if you’ve never heard of C.C. Brown’s Ice Cream Parlor, well you are missing out on more Hollywood lore you never knew existed. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast and everyone has a story.

Today on an encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are evolving into a new lifeform as we sit down with Julie Nimoy and husband David Knight to talk about Julie’s dad, Leonard Nimoy. Of course most of us know him as Mr. Spock, the Vulcan pop culture figure from the legendary TV show (and movies) Star Trek. But as you will hear from Julie, her father was a mercurial character who was fascinated with everything from cars to planes, from playwriting to photography, from painting to singing, there wasn’t much Leonard Nimoy didn’t do in his lifetime.

Julie & David let us in on everything you’d want to know about Leonard Nimoy including the documentary they made for PBS Remembering Leonard Nimoy to their second documentary Wilder! which came about due to an unlikely friendship between Leonard and actor Gene Wilder. Bonus points if you can tell us what film they met on. Somehow we work in Mission Impossible, Night Gallery, Baffled!, In Search of….and so much more. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast and everyone has a story.

Encore! Encore! Yes, today we present another encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, and this one was a doozy! Our guest today is Matt Asner, son of actor and activist of the beloved Ed Asner. Matt spoke with us on the podcast about a myriad of things such as his youth spent on the MTM backlot while his dad was playing Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, the story behind his dad’s controversial stint as head of the Screen Actors Guild,  films like Fort Apache The Bronx, Pixar’s Up, Elf and much more.

We also hear from Matt about his years as a musical youth in punk bands like Insect Idol & Grand Manner, time spent with his dad’s co-stars Ted Knight and Gavin McLeod as well as where his father liked to eat in Los Angeles. Most importantly we discuss Matt’s work at The Ed Asner Family Center, which provides virtual and in-person camps, adult day programs, relationship courses, arts, and vocational, enrichments for special needs individuals and their families as well as in-person and Telehealth counseling and support groups. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on another encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast we are talking to Richard Duggan, son of actor Andrew Duggan. Andrew was kind enough to talk to us about his father who had so many credits and tangential pop culture references, we’ll have you saying, “Ah, yeah right!” Before you know it. A star of stage, screen, television, commercials and more, Richard Duggan most recently would be known for his TV show Lancer which plays a pretty major role in the Quentin Tarantino movie Once Upon a Time In Hollywood. Believe me, we dig right in on that one. We also hear about his father’s roles opposite everyone from James Coburn, Meryl Streep, Don Knotts, Dan Aykroyd and Larry Storch. I ask you, where can you find a resume like that? From In Like Flint to Doctor Detroit, we hear all about his dad’s career in front of the camera. There’s even a few curve balls, as Andrew was the voice of a series of popular commercials for Bud Light & even won a Clio for “Friend of the Family (Rust in Peace)”.

Richard also tells us about his career in comedy & film as he passes along some great first-hand accounts of Robin Williams (who went to the same college), Andy Dick and the cult film The Toxic Avenger. I mean, how could you go wrong hearing about Kirk Douglas and Toxie? The fact is you can’t. So set your internal clocks back a tiny bit and take a listen to this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story. 

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Hugo Morley, grandson of  actor Robert Morley. Depending on what age you are and what country you grew up in, you might know Robert Morley for different things. If you are an American, you know him from his stint as the spokesman for British Airways or possibly the film Who Is Killing The Great Chef’s of Europe with George Segal and Jacqueline Bisset. It was fascinating to find out from Hugo, that Robert actually had a lot of leeway in the BA commercials direction. But if you grew up in England or Australia, you might know Robert Morley from the stage where he performed in about 100 films and starred in/wrote many plays. His career spanned more than sixty years and in fact, his first film role garnered an Academy Award nomination in 1939 as King Louis XVI in Marie Antoinette, starring Norma Shearer and Tyrone Power. That’s one hell of a debut.

Hugo was open with us and told us about (free) trips he took with his grandfather and family thanks to British Airways, of meals he shared with him and time spent in Robert Morley’s back garden. There was swimming and cigars….for Robert, not Hugo. We also learn about Hugo’s theater critic/actor father, Sheridan Morley who was quite well known in England. We learn about his influence on the musical Les Miserables, how an interview with Carol Channing led to Hugo becoming her Godmother and how Yul Brenner played a part in their relationship. Along the way we talk about everyone from Eli Wallach to David Tomlinson, Griff Rhys Jones, to Joanna Lumley and more.

This is the Rarified Heir Podcast and everyone has a story.

Today on another encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to the son of actor Albert Eisenmann. While that name might be unfamiliar to some, if you grew up in Houston in the 1960s, you KNEW Albert Eisenmann. This episode is about local television stars and as we hear from guest Ike Eisenmann, the show Cadet Don was a massively popular children’s program when he was a boy in the NASA obsessed hometown of Houston.

Ironically, Ike decided to try acting when the family moved to Los Angeles where the plan was to have Albert’s acting career take off on a larger scale. However, it was Ike whose career took off in Los Angeles in fact, not his father’s. As you will hear, you all know Ike from films like Escape from Witch Mountain & Fantastic Journey as well as multiple television series and commercials from the 1970s onward. He was THE go-to child and young adult actor.

Ike spoke with us about the good stuff and the not so great stuff of growing up with a celebrity father whose career he eclipsed before he was even 10 years old. It’s a bit of a rough go hearing Ike’s story and we appreciated him talking so frankly about his father as well as his own career. Today, Ike co-hosts his own podcast, Pop Culture Retro with Jonathan Rosen. It’s a good one. Be sure and check it out after this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on another encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Keaton Talmadge, great-granddaughter of silent film comedic genius Buster Keaton and silent film star Natalie Talmadge. It’s a good thing we love silent film as well as talkies because talkies we did with Keaton. What about you ask? Some things you might expect and some you might not. For instance, how at one time in her life, Keaton would mention the name Buster Keaton and get a blank stare. Was there ever such a time? We also talk about Buster’s legacy in the ‘20s……of the 21st century, not 20th.

We also learn about the outrageously famous and somewhat wacky Talmadge sisters. Los Angelenos today would know them from apartment buildings and street names in and around Hollywood.  But their legacy, and that of their mother is not so much a lost story but one that isn’t frequently told. It’s a good one, especially if you like the ‘golden age of Hollywood.’ We discussed at length on this episode

We also hear about Keaton carrying on the acting tradition, when so many family members prior did not. Her voice-over work you have surely heard. We learn about her time learning acting in college, auditions and a strange but not so strange new company she started recently that isn’t just for kids. This was a very fun episode and we learned a lot. And of course, this is the Rarified Heir Podcast and everyone has a story. This one goes back to the silent era.

Today on another encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to actress/director Jessica Pinfield, daughter of music personality & record exec. Matt Pinfield. Our conversation with Jessica was a very frank and open discussion that took us to some pretty fun places discussing early MTV and alternative radio and also to some pretty intense, dark places as well.

Through it all, Jessica is a fantastic and honest guest who talks to us about her early memories of growing up in New Jersey at alternative rock stations & indie record stores while also regaling us of stories of shows like 120 Minutes and more. Along the way however, we hear about a less than ideal side of the freewheeling world of 90s’s excess that she lived in with her dad and mom in a household that wasn’t quite Leave it to Beaver. Jessica is brutally frank about the things she saw as a kid but also as an adult in a slightly dysfunctional world of radio, television and the music industry in general. But thankfully, as we learn, Jessica and dad Matt are reconnecting and even living together in the same house all these years later, today in LA.

Better yet, we hear from Jessica about her acting and directing career she’s creating for herself today and it’s a beautiful counterbalance to everything that went on prior. Take a listen.

Today on another encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to two guests who have been on the podcast prior but not at the same time. We are speaking with David Jenkins, son of actor Paul Jenkins and Jordan Summers, son of actor Yale Summers.

This is a unique episode for a couple of ways, the first is that we don’t often have two guests on at the same time. And two, while they did not attend the same high school, both David and Jordan gravitated to music, rather than acting and began playing music in long gone LA clubs while still in high school, back in the 80s. What’s more is that that love of playing music never left them and they get together at the world famous (ahem) Kibbitz Room at Canter’s Deli in Los Angeles for monthly jam sessions. The thing is, these aren’t your regular jam sessions. Quite a few big name musicians have joined them on stage playing rock, soul, Motown, disco, pop and more. Like who you ask? Well, listen in to find out who was doing it in the “Middle of the Road” with a “Super Freak”

Talking to David & Jordan was like hearing to a strangely reminiscent version of host Josh Mills’ own youth as familiar names, places and people come up in our conversation, it’s almost like being there. Sort of. This encore episode is one is for all you music fans out there. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to James Tomlinson, son of actor David Tomlinson. James was incredibly gracious with his time and patient with the lag of an international podcast recording and really spent some time talking to us about the big, and small stuff, about growing up the son of Mary Poppins employer, Mr. Banks.

Of course we talk about the Disney films David Tomlinson was known for – the aforementioned Mary Poppins, The Love Bug and Bedknobs and Broomsticks but we also discuss his massive career prior to Walt & company on the British stage and screen. We hear about films like Warning for Warriors, Miranda and Up the Creek to name a few. We also hear about how a role in a light comedy on the London stage led him to his most famous character on the big screen.

James was also incredibly open as we discuss the tragedies his father endured and the very awkward family life that his father dealt him. We also discussed his dad’s time as a flight instructor for the RAF in WWII as well of that of his two brothers. Plus we hear about David’s own father who lived a very conventional life. I mean lives. I mean, more than one. We get into that shocking story and his grandfather’s backstory of WWI that is hard to believe.

This is the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story. And this one, you won’t forget.

Today on another encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to actor/impressionist Jim Meskimen, son of actor Marion Ross. We speak to Jim (and his many guises – he really has an amazing ear for voices) about growing up the child of everyone’s favorite TV mum, Mrs. C., Marion Cunningham from the 70s TV juggernaut Happy Days. We also delve into his mother’s ‘issues’ with her onscreen husband Tom Bosley but you are going to have to read her book, My Days: happy and Otherwise for those juicy details.

Our conversation with Jim centers around his years growing up with a single parent mother who struggled to make it in Hollywood after her divorce from Jim’s father. But we also talk about the salad days as well – checking out the set of Happy Days and the very homey, family atmosphere that show provided.  What started as a chance meeting with a casting director led his mother to becoming a household name in very little time at all.

We also spoke to Jim about his years acting in film and TV and commercials (he was Colonel Sanders after all in numerous KFC ads), his then-recent film Gaslight as well as his ‘breakthrough’ on America’s Got Talent with his amazing impressions, I mean Jim-pressions. (Ahem). Plus we hear some terrific stories about Rich Little, Phyllis Diller and Clark Gable that you won’t want to miss. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast. Another child of a celebrity, interviewed by a child of a celebrity. Take a listen.

Today on another encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast we are talking to Charlie Matthau, son of actor Walter Matthau. We spoke to Charlie about his amazing father & their special relationship but also his incredible mother, actor/author Carol Matthau. We quickly learn that she was (wait for it), the basis for Truman Capote’s Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany’s. There is one small difference between the character and the person however and we discuss that too. We also discuss Carol’s first husband, author William Saroyan and Charlie’s grandfather Charles Marcus of Bendix Aviation – which are both bigger-than-life stories unto themselves.

Somehow we were able to parse all this out and discuss what it was like growing up the son of one of the most beloved actors of his generation. Be it comedy or drama, we get into Walter Matthau’s career on stage & film as well as the weird and wonderful curios of his career. An uncredited cameo in Earthquake? We discuss it. His viewing habits of the television version of The Odd Couple? We discuss that too.

Along the way we discuss the Malibu beach house Charlie inhabited when host Josh Mills & family along with Walter’s best pal Jack Lemmon took to Broad Beach road in the 1970s. Plus, we get to hear about Walter’s penchant for card tricks, Christmas’ spent at the Lemmon’s house as well as what it was like for Charlie to direct his father in a film, The Glass Harp. Along the way we discuss Gloria Vanderbilt and Oona O’Neill, Howard Hughes, the unsung film Mikey and Nicky his mom starred in and much more. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast and everyone has a story.

Today on part two of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we continue our conversation with Patti Weidenfeld, daughter of stand-up comedian Pat Cooper. If you heard part one of our conversation last week, prepare yourself for part two because the second half of Patti’s story is unlike anything you have ever heard before.

An idyllic life as the only child of Pat Cooper and her mother Patti Prince, comes to a screeching halt after seeing Mickey Rooney and Ann Miller in Sugar Babies on Broadway at age 8. We learned in the first episode Pat Cooper wasn’t entirely truthful with his daughter about his first family and on this episode, for the first time ever, Patti tells us her remarkable story about how an idyllic life was pulled out from under her.  How family secrets her parents have kept rearing their ugly heads in the most intense way possible. It’s a story Patti’s never told anyone and we were honored she felt comfortable enough to share it with us. Thought it all, Patti maintains a grace and an understanding that are hard to believe. Ultimately, Patti’s story is one that could have made her bitter and angry and no one would have blamed her. Yet as you will hear, she is thoughtful, forgiving, contemplative and loving in ways we only wish we could be. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast. Another child of a celebrity interviewed by the child of a celebrity. And this is the first time, anyone has heard this story.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast we are talking to Patti Weidenfeld, daughter of comedian/actor Pat Cooper. An entertainer for more than 50 years, Pat Cooper was known as a ‘comedians comedian’, someone who other comedians look up to as a genuine talent and a show business icon. Born in Coney Island Brooklyn, Pat Cooper embodied the Mad Men era comedy scene up until last year when he passed away at age 93. What Jackie Mason was for Jewish comedians, Pat Cooper did for Italian comedians. And believe me he wore his Italian heritage proudly. One of his comedy album Spaghetti Sauce and Other Delights featured Pat posing in spaghetti sauce a la Herb Alpert’s Whipped Cream and Other Delights.

Many comedy fans today know Pat Cooper from his guest spots on Seinfeld and films like Analyze This and Analyze That. Unfortunately he’s also remembered for his many appearances on The Howard Stern Show where he became famous as an outrage comic who told tough, real family stories on air airing his dirty laundry for all to hear.

Patti on the other hand, talks to us about growing up in 70s Las Vegas and travelling with her father and mother to casinos on the strip and on the Atlantic City boardwalk opening for entertainers such as Paul Anka, Frank Sinatra, Jerry Lewis, Tony Bennett, Liza Minelli, Sammy Davis Jr. and more. When he wasn’t doing club dates, he was doing guest hosting slots on The Merv Griffin Show and The Mike Douglas Show upwards of 60 times…each. His infamous 1981 spot on Tom Snyder’s Tomorrow show interview revealed too much about headliners demands that he felt were ridiculous and got him blackballed from working in his adopted home town Las Vegas for years. Once again, Pat aired too much dirty laundry.

Still, Patti had an idyllic life with her father and mother until one day when Patti realized that some things she heard from her parents just didn’t add up. We discuss this with at length with Patti on part one of our interview which you are about to hear right now. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast, everyone has a story. This one, you haven’t heard before.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast we are talking to Ed Eckstine, son of singer Billy Eckstine and actress/model Carolle Drake. Our conversation with Ed was fun, fascinating, edifying and above all, full of stories of his life as the child of a celebrity but also his own career in the music industry. Our only regret was not keeping Ed for another 90 minutes because he has stories for days. We barely scratched the surface. Part two is a must.

Many of us only know Billy Eckstine as a jazz & pop singer whose baritone voice and smooth delivery made him one of the most in-demand singers from the 1930s well into the 1950s. But he also was a guitar player, trumpet player and this Billy Eckstine & his Orchestra was the first Bebop Big Band and his players and vocalists were a who’s who of Jazz -  Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Dexter Gordon, Miles Davis, Art Blakey,  Sarah Vaughan, Pearl Bailey, and Lena Horne all were part of the band in the 1950s.

By 1950, his popularity rivaled Sinatra - which as you will hear wasn’t a rivalry at all between these two friends. It was Eckstine’s talent as well as his good looks and dapper attire that made him perhaps the first black entertainer to become a crossover star in the segregated 1950s America. But as we learn from our conversation with Ed, one photo in a major American magazine essentially put an end to all that in the must ugly and vile way possible. But to hear Ed tell it, this terrible incident was a blessing in disguise as it opened up doors for him outside America and made him an international star, touring well into the 1980s in Europe, Australia and Japan.

Our conversation with Ed also focused on his own career in the music industry that took him from journalist to publicist to head of Quincy Jones Qwest Productions to stints at Polygram,  Arista and as the President of Mercury Records. As Nabil Ayers in the New York Times said, “Eckstine’s story is unique because he was the first black person to be let in — to be allowed by the predominantly white music industry to helm one of its largest entities.”

This is the Rarified Heir Podcast and everyone has a story. Ed Eckstine’s is like none other.

Today on part two of our encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we again talk to Alison Martino, daughter of singer Al Martino and guardian of her beloved LA and her Vintage Los Angeles social media properties. And because both Alison and host josh Mills are die hard denizens of the city of angels, there is a lot (and we mean a lot) of hand wringing over the changes that have happened to the city over the last few decades.

Of course we continue our conversation about what it was like growing up as the daughter of her popular singer pop as we again delve into Paramount+’s The Offer about the making of The Godfather. Or maybe it was the maiming of The Godfather. Well, it depends on the viewer of course. We also get into old  schoolLas Vegas and how it worked when it was run by ‘the outfit’ rather than corporations, why Vegas wasn’t on the Martino touring circuit and more. So sit back and take a second listen to the second part of our interview with Alison Martino. Another child of a celebrity, interviewed by the child of a celebrity. Take a listen.

Today on another encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Alison Martino for the second time about growing up the daughter of singer/actor Al Martino. As the founder of Vintage LA, Alison has created an online juggernaut that has hundreds of thousands of fans wanting to know more about significant current landmarks as well as lost LA as well.

We spoke to Alison in part one of this conversation on the heels of the Paramount+ series The Offer, which is based on the alleged story behind bringing The Godfather to the big screen. Of course, Al Martino plays the role of Johnny Fontaine in Part One and sings “I Have But One Heart” in the film. We also delve into her founding VLA and how it started almost as a lark. We also speak to Alison about her other gig, on Spectrum TV, bringing television viewers a slice of Los Angeles on the small screen in addition to devices of all kinds.

It was great to talk to Alison, someone whose passion for LA is found in her collection of menu’s, matchbooks, ephemera and other collections she passionately collects. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast and everyone has a story. Here’s part one of our Alison Martino interview, now.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Katharine “Kat” Kramer, daughter of producer/director Stanley Kramer. Now, you might have heard of a few films Stanley directed like The Defiant Ones, Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner, Judgement at Nuremberg, On the Beach and a comedy called It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. So it’s appropriate that this episode is airing two days after the Academy Awards. Why? Because Stanley Kramer’s films have received more than 80 Academy Award nominations, have received 16 Academy Awards and Kramer was given an Academy Award, the Irving Thalberg Award, in 1961. To say the man directed (and produced) some groundbreaking films with actors like Spencer Tracy, Marlon Brando, Katharine Hepburn and Sidney Poitier would mean you are just scratching the surface of his illustrious career.  

We talk to Katharine about everything about the themes of her father’s films and somehow, because host Josh Mills’ mum starred in It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, we end up talking about that film - a lot. We also talk about Phil Spector – who would have thunk? – Katherine’s one woman show, a Mick Jagger tribute album she recorded with many Stones alumni, her career as an actorvist, singing Judy Garland songs to Liza Minelli as a kid backstage, her haunted house growing up, the Kennedy assassination and much more. Katharine is absolutely the most motivated person we’ve had on this podcast as her career in TV, stage, music, charity and as a member of too many boards to count, will attest. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast we are talking to Matt Axton, son of singer, songwriter, commercial pitchman and actor Hoyt Axton. If you’re first thought is that Hoyt Axton was the dad in the film Gremlins, you’d be correct but you’d only be scratching the surface of this well rounded entertainer. We learn from Matt how his father wrote the smash hit “Joy To The World” made popular by Three Dog Night, how he became the house performer in the 1960s at the world famous Doug Weston’s The Troubadour for close to a decade and how bands like Steppenwolf & The Kingston Trio recorded his songs before the general public ever really heard of the name Hoyt Axton.

Matt also tells us about his grandmother Mae Boren Axton aka the “Queen Mother of Nashville” who was one of only two (yes you heard that right) in the music business in Nashville in the 1950s. She also penned more than 200 songs, got her undergraduate degree in journalism when most women simply did not go to college and she happened to be the person who introduced Colonel Tom Parker to Elvis Presley. Yes, you heard us correctly. But that’s not even half of it. She wrote Elvis’ first #1 hit song. Can you guess what that song was? Because you definitely have heard it. And that’s still not even the whole story.

It was great to talk to Matt, the third in his family to go into the entertainment business, as he also is a singer/songwriter and performer who talks to us about his own career on stage, the difference between how he, his father and grandmother toured and made records and how he’s bringing his own “Joy To The World” by practicing what his dad preached. That was:  “Be a conduit for good music and hopefully you can also be the satellite dish that pulls in the songs as they come in.” This is the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Denise Gautier, daughter of singer, comedian and painter Dick Gautier. As we discuss, many folks remember Dick Gautier as Hymie the Robot from the 60s sitcom Get Smart but as you will find out Dick Gautier was no one trick pony. He was a Tony award nominee for his role as Conrad Birdie in the original cast of the Broadway hit Bye, Bye Birdie, he wrote several books and several volumes of books on painting and caricature and he was a ground breaking stand-up comedian who got his start in show business at the Hungry-I in San Francisco in the 1950s.

Denise was happy to talk about her liberal and free spirited father who suntanned by the pool, was friends with fellow actors Dave Madden and Kenneth Mars, spent holiday parties at The Magic Castle in Los Angeles and made a life with his second wife, actress Barbara Stuart. But Denise also recalled a dad who often tried to show his daughter that there was another life away from her Jehovah’s Witness Mother where she could receive birthday cards and Christmas presents along with a more “worldly’ lifestyle as we discuss.

We talk to Denise about everything from her father’s frequent game show appearances on shows like Tattle Tales & Win, Lose or Draw, his two film scripts he wrote for AIP with Hollywood Squares host Peter Marshall, his infamous Cadillac, being on the set of his short-lived Mel Brooks sitcom When Things Were Rotten and even his comedic take on Quasimodo in a one man show that we need to know more about. Phew that was a mouthful. We even speak a bit about the recent Hulu film Pam & Tommy that directly talks about her life and that of her family. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on part two of our encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we continue our conversation with guests Daisy Torme and James Torme. And that can only mean one thing: more great stories about growing up the children of The Velvet Fog, Mel Torme, one of the greatest voices in all Jazz history.

We speak to Daisy and James not only about their father but also their mother, actress Janette Scott. Terrific stories abound. We hear about spending the Summer in Los Angeles with their dad, a bonkers story about how their parents met and there’s a heart-warming/hear breaking story about leaving their dad at the airport and returning home to England. Speaking of England, we learn more about their childhood as both their mother and grandmother Dame Thora Hild were nothing short of national figures in the U.K. I mean really, doesn’t everyone’s mother have an annual film festival in their honor or is namedropped in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Isn’t everyone’s grandmother a three-time BAFTA winner? But what makes this episode so terrific in our view is how enthusiastic Daisy and James were to talk about their parents and how much love and affection they exuded in doing so. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story. Take a listen.

Today on another encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking with Daisy Torme and James Torme, the children of singer/musician Mel Torme actress Janette Scott. This episode was a true pleasure to record as not only were there terrific Mel & Janette stories but also some great stories about out host, Josh’s dad as well. You see Mel and Martin Mills were buddies from as far back as the fifties who were runnin’ young guns in the entertainment business in New York during the Eisenhower administration. They formed strong bonds in their youth and it extended into old age…with some more-than-occasional bouts of silence for some misperceived slight or two.

In a sense, our conversation was a familial one as it felt like the next generation was reliving their parents together with stories about everything from photography to chocolate, from childish pranks to hanging with Buddy Rich and Sammy Davis Jr and much more. We talk “The Christmas Song”, Mountain Dew, Night Court & even a little known movie of Mel’s “Challenge to Survive” with William Shatner.

What began as a Twitter message to Daisy became a lunch, then another lunch and soon it became a full-blown Rarified Heir Podcast episode. So take a moment, set your internal clock back and let’s take listen to Daisy and James Torme talk about their father, The Velvet Fog, Mel Torme. Lucky for you that this is only part one! Part two is next week! Everyone has a story.

Today on Part two of our interview with Sam Nelson on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we talk about what it was like being the son of Rick Nelson and grandson of Ozzie & Harriet Nelson about growing up, well, Nelson. On part one we discussed with Sam how he became the keeper of the flame for the family business as the archivist & producer for the TV show & new DVD box set The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. But on this episode, Sam opens up to us about all sorts of things. From the wonderful and exciting to the tragic and the spooky.

Sam grew up very much the stuff of tabloid fodder while just in elementary school. Imagine going to the supermarket and seeing your picture on the cover of People magazine or the National Enquirer. We get into it. We also get into some really terrific stuff as well. What was Rick Nelson favorite hobby? What was his favorite ice cream shop? A-ha…you are going to have to listen to part two for details on this hard hitting topic.

Plus, we learn about the history and the ghostly stories surrounding the Nelson household that are the stuff of legend. Once owned by another very famous Hollywood actor, Sam tells us some truly bizarre and hair (not heir) raising tales of this haunted house in the Hollywood Hills. Evidently, a famous pop star owns it now. Again, you are going to have to take a listen to this second episode of our interview with Sam Nelson on the Rarified Heir Podcast to learn more. We promise, it’s another all-encompassing, honest, raw and intense episode. Take a listen.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, it’s part one of our interview with Sam Nelson, son of the great Rick Nelson, nephew to David Nelson and grandchild of Ozzie and Harriet Nelson  If you grew up in America in the 1950s The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet defined post War America. It was a massive hit and ran for 14 years. We take a deep dive into the restoration and recent release of the complete, 435 episode DVD box set of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. Beginning as a radio show in the 1940s (I betcha didn’t know that!) & coming to television in the early 1950s. The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet was the longest running, live action sitcom on American television until 2021 when It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia celebrated it’s 15th year. To say that this show was part of the fabric of American life in the 1950s and today is part of it’s lexicon would be an understatement. Perhaps no other show from that era is as well-known or beloved that didn’t feature Lucy or The Beaver as this show.

On this first of two episodes, we spoke with Sam about the interest and hard work in being the sole heir of the Nelson clan that not only wanted to make something of this show after decades of semi-neglect but put in the time, the effort and the sweat equity to bring it back. It’s no small effort as Sam tells us how, why and what obstacles he had in making sure that people not only knew the name Ozzie & Harriet but knew the show again in 2024.

Of course we speak about his father, entertainer & rock star Rick Nelson & uncle David Nelson who starred on The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet and how Rick, then known as Ricky, single handedly brought rock and roll into America’s homes. It was Rick, with his matinee idol good looks and spot on singing voice that perhaps kept this show on the air long after it likely should have petered out. And this is a topic that particularly interested host Josh Mills as legacies and archives are something he has been dealing with every day of his life for the past decade and a half.

This is the Rarified Heir Podcast and this is Part One of our interview with Sam Nelson. Take a listen.

Today on part two of our interview with Radames Pera, we continue our conversation with the former actor known best as Grasshopper from the TV-series Kung-Fu. Believe us when we say, we wish we had another hour or two with Radames to get to all the stories that make up his own story, that of his mother’s story and that of his absentee father whose invention became a worldwide success that he unfortunately didn’t patent it.

On this episode, we discuss the Coogan law, a law that if you don’t know about you will get a crash course in this episode. Radames, like all child actors was protected under this law that was enacted in 1939 but was never totally enforced. We also learn through a YouTube video Radames posted about his mother actress Lisa Para whose addiction disorder became so acute, it had to be documented. Why? We discuss that on the episode and really we don’t even scratch the surface due to time constraints. All we can tell you is, Radames has a healthy and wonderfully openness to plainly discuss some of the most personal stories from his life. And for that, we thank him. Take a listen to part two of our interview with Radames Pera on the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on the first part of a two part episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are speaking to Radames Pera whose name you might know as well as that of his mother actor Lisa Pera. Because this episode is so jam packed – and we honestly didn’t even get to half of the stuff we wanted to talk about- so we split this episode into two parts. On this episode, we discuss Radames’ being a child actor in not one but two of the 70s most beloved television series. He is best known as young Caine or Grasshopper, if you like, in the series Kung Fu, a show that not only launched the martial arts craze but also a film that launched a global phenomenon that still resonates to this day. Radames also starred in Little House on the Prairie in a recurring role as John Jr.

Lisa Pera on the other hand, got her start in film and television as well, beginning in 1965 on the show Combat! in an episode directed by Vic Morrow. From there, she starred in films like The Hindenburg as well as shows like Perry Mason, Get Smart Man from Atlantis and even Hawaii 5-0 where she starred with Radames as his mother. Novel casting, that.

Radames pulls no punches (no pun intended) on this episode as we explore his life being raised by a mother too young and emotionally unequipped to deal with raising a child after a horrific childhood of her own. Being a Ukrainian -Russian finding herself in Nazi Germany and eventually the United States after WWII is jaw dropping stuff that doesn’t seem real. Suffices to say, this Part one is a ‘buckle up, it’s going to be a bumpy ride’ episode. But it’s frankly just a palette cleanser for episode #2, coming next week. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on this encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast we are talking to Nicky Trebek, daughter of Alex Trebek. Our conversation with Nicky was a fun one as host Josh Mills grew up on the same street as Nicky in the freewheelin’ 1970s San Fernando Valley and as we discuss those years as a starting point and off we went. Along the way we had many wonderful tangents including what famous director and his actress wife lived on that street, the personal connection their parents had with the Italian Stallion – Sylvester Stallone & his first wife Sasha, the NHL hockey connection that Alex had when the Los Angeles Kings played their games at the Fabulous Forum, the allure of Leif Garrett*, what it was like working on & with her dad on the game show Jeopardy!, Nicky’s mother Elaine who was a CBC broadcaster and even a discussion about fellow Canuck, comedian Eugene Levy whose impression of her dad on SCTV was letter perfect.

It was terrific to reconnect with Nicky as we learned so much about the icon as well as the father that was Nicky’s dad. We learned what times were best for taping Jeopardy! if you wanted to eat dinner at home and the personal battle Alex Trebek fought after a pancreatic cancer diagnosis that took his life only a year and a few months after his very public announcement. It’s one thing to be a fan pulling for Alex to get well, but it’s quite another to hear about his private battle behind the scenes. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast we’d like to wish you a Happy New Year 2024 with this encore episode for first episode of our third season. Our guest today is talking to musician Rachel Haden about her father, influential jazz bassist Charlie Haden. Rachel was kind enough to talk to us about so many things including her memories of growing up as a triplets and going for walks with jazz trumpeter Don Cherry when the Haden’s lived in New York. This led us down the path of many other genres of music including country, punk, jazz, indie rock and much.more as the Haden’s all sang and played instruments growing up. Thanks dad.

We learn about the Rachel’s time on the road with Todd Rundgren, her band That Dog, Brendan Perry of Dead Can Dance as well as Beck, Jimmy Eat World, Neil Hamburger and more. While we were at it we also discuss jaco Pastorius, Ornette Coleman, Ry Cooder, Jack White, Mike Watt and others. It’s a very fertile musical well we draw from when talking to a Haden family member like Rachel as there are so many avenues and styles of music she and her family are connected to.

The story spans 1930s Iowa where Charlie was part of The Haden Family Band, who rivaled the Carter Family in popularity in the Midwest and runs all the way to the 2020’s with the release of Rachel’s solo albums including making music with Charlie’s son-in-law, comedian Jack Black of Tenacious D. If you are a fan of music, this episode is the one for you. Take a listen, on the Rarified Heir Podcast encore edition with Rachel Haden, coming up here.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to a Connecticut Yankee in Hal Prince’s Court. And while that might not make sense to you now, believe me, it will after you listen to this episode with guest Luke Yankee. Son of Oscar winning actress Eileen Heckart, Luke talked to us about his mother with great affection as well as great humor. You see Eileen didn’t suffer fools gladly and it made for some very pointed (but funny) asides which we read about in his book about his mother Just Outside the Spotlight and discuss here.

I ask you, on what other podcast can you hear first-hand accounts of both Soupy Sales and Elizabeth Ashley, Sophia Loren and Bette Davis as well as Marilyn Monroe and, you guessed it, Edie Adams? While Eileen’s love was Broadway and she played roles in everything from Butterflies Are Free to Barefoot in the Park, it was her roles in films lie The Bad Seed and the film version of Butterflies that fans might know her best from After all, she did win an Oscar for the latter and was nominated for the former.

Along the way we discuss roles as Aunt Flo on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, her drive for normalcy in New Canaan for her children and family while in show business and maybe one of the most poignant stories we’ve ever heard on this podcast that frankly, unexpectedly choked us up. Along the way we hear stories about the randy George Segal, the ‘bad boy’ Jack Cassidy and the play that Luke will have produced about his relationship with his mother in February 2024. So sit back and take a listen to this episode is the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast…we bring you something very different. Today, we mixed up our format and decided to bring on three previous guests who have been on the podcast individually to see how it would work when we brought them all together. It was a bold experiment. Today we bring you Jenny Brill, Shawn Kay and Carnie Wilson, three friends who have known each other (and our host Josh Mills) since they were in pedal pushers. We really did try and get off on the right footing here and ask the pertinent questions but frankly, with this jovial bunch, it quickly evolved (or is it devolved?) into a nostalgic trip through memory lane of 1970s Los Angeles, swearing and grade school antics.

As any listener to this podcast knows, we talk a lot about the Oakwood School in Los Angeles quite often and because that’s where our guests solidified their friendship during the Carter Administration, this episode is one that gleefully goes off the rails almost from the word go. We discuss everything from the time Carnie and Shawn rode album covers down the carpeted stairs in the Wilson family home in Bel-Air, Jenny’s ‘on brand’ observations about the opposite sex, long gone beloved pets, carpools, famous children we all went to school with and famous Oakwood parents and more.

There was a lot of laughter, a few tears, a few a-ha moments and more twisted humor than you could find at one of our quarterly lunches. Ah the Rarified Heir Podcast, bringing people together. So how did the children of Mitzi McCall, John Kay, Brian Wilson & Merilyn Wilson get along? In a word? Famously.

This is the Rarified Heir Podcast. Take a listen.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to professional photographer Donavan Freberg, son of actor, musician, author, advertising executive, comedian, musician & radio personality Stan Freberg & mother Donna Freberg. On the first part of this episode, we learn from Donavan about his years growing up in a somewhat dysfunctional (his words) but very loving home (also his words). We learn that every day was Christmas in the Freberg home and that school was more of an suggestion than a firm commitment. We also learn how and where Stan Freberg literally (my words, not his) came up with the term “Grammy”. 

On top of that we learn that mother Donna was Frank Sinatra’s assistant and likely was the person who booked both Stan and Josh’s mother Edie Adams on The Frank Sinatra Show in 1958. We also talk about Stan’s career in advertising where he won 21 Clio Awards, his puppet Orville the Moon Man and how his dad got into show business, when he literally (our words) got on a bus and said, “Take me to Hollywood,” and landed on the doorstep of a talent agent.

In the second half of this episode, Donavan was brutally honest & raw and frankly it gets a bit dark. We’ve tackled this topic of aging parents on previous episodes and it’s always a bit gut wrenching. It also hits home with our host Josh Mills who has his own story on this very topic. When hangers-on latch on to the celebrity, and look to grab whatever  specialness and the fame they crave for themselves,  in order to get what they want well…. take a listen to this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story. And this one is all too familiar.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast we are talking to someone who frankly, we didn’t know we absolutely needed to talk to a month ago. We are talking to actress/voice over artist Pamela Dillman. Pamela’s father was actor Bradford Dillman and her stepmother was supermodel, Suzy Parker. Yes, THAT Suzy Parker. But what makes this episode so special, at least for host Josh Mills, was that Pamela grew up with and was best friends with Josh’s sister Mia Kovacs. Sadly, Mia passed away in 1982 so there are very few people who remember Mia and who remember what she was like. So it was a true thrill for Josh to be able to ask Pamela questions about his sister as well as his mother Edie Adams.

We do our best to try and make sure we connect about Pamela’s life growing up in Beverly Hills at the very prim and proper John Thomas Dye school where she met Mia but also to talk about everything from how her father considered himself a working actor who just did his job and was honored to be an actor but how much of a cultural impact her stepmother Suzy made as literally the world’s first supermodel. Hell, The Beatles wrote a song about her!

So mea culpa (or would that be Mia culpa?), this episode does focus heavily on someone other than Pamela’s career and her famous parents. After all this is a podcast where a child of a celebrity interviews a child of a celebrity. But when you can finally talk to someone who knew your sibling when they were in elementary school, I hope you can forgive us for indulging a bit. Part therapy session, part remembrance and part fascinating foray into the San Francisco 49ers, RADA, moldy Chanel couture garments, Caesar’s Palace and Morgan Freeman, this episode of the podcast was a real thrill. Everyone has a story.

Today on part two of our interview with Lili Haydn on this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we continue our story about how Lili grew up in the most unconventional way in Hollywood and came out of it a Grammy winner in spite of the amazing conclusion we discuss today.

In part one, Lili gave us the background on her mother Lotus Wienstock who was a trail blazing stand-up comedian who wrote books like The Lotus Position & opened The Comedy Store’s Belly Room for female comedians. She  found herself as one of the new faces of stand-up comedy just prior to the 80’s comedy boom that happened shortly thereafter. Lili’s bond with her mother was palpable in this episode but we also learn more about her father, a man named David Jove who counted among his friends the Grateful Dead’s L.S.D. connection/soundman Bear as well as musician Peter Ivers whose death as the host of a show conceived by Jove is still an unsolved mystery today,

This was one of those episodes that left us emotionally spent as Lili was incredibly open and honest about her complicated relationship with her father. She didn’t hold back which was a very brave thing to do in an interview and we thank her for it. Take a listen to part two of our interview w/ Lili Haydn on this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we take a listen to part one of our conversation with Lili Haydn, the Grammy winning composer and performer who  has perhaps the most fascinating and most brutally honest story we’ve ever recorded. It was so jam packed and unbelievable that we didn’t even get a chance to ask her about what it was like starring in Easy Money with Rodney Dangerfield and Joe Pesci. And if you are a listener to this podcast, does that sound like something Josh would pass up? Well, part one of our interview with Lili will tell you all you need to know as to why.

Oh the things we learn on this episode. Lili and Josh connect on the fact that he was once at a Mose Allison show and Lili asked to perform with him at the Catalina in Los Angeles back in the 90s. What are the odds? But it’s Lili’s mother, stand-up comedian/writer Lotus Weinstock and her father David Jove that take up the bulk of the conversation. And for good reason. We touch on subjects as diverse as performing with Jimmy Page, her mother founding The Belly Room at The Comedy Store, Lenny Bruce, the infamous Redlands bust of the Rolling Stones, New Wave Theater, The Source Family, Stanley Owsley, Chevy Chase, Peter Ivers and Joan Rivers.

All we can tell you is that this barely scratches the surface. This part one episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast is one of the most intense, harrowing, amazing and truthful episodes we have ever done. Take a listen.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to actress and author Dinah Manoff. It was a real thrill to talk to Dinah about her own career – in iconic films like Grease and Child’s Play as well as her television career on shows like Soap and Empty Nest but we also loved talking about her mother, actress/director Lee Grant who is still with us at age 95. Or is it 97? Dates vary on the World Wide Web but either way we get to hear some fantastic stories about growing up the daughter of such a powerhouse entertainer.

Dinah was here to talk to us about her book The Real True Hollywood Story of Jackie Goldwhich was just released on audiobook and is out now. We spoke to Dinah about her not-too-far-off her own life book about a Hollywood actress who was either pushed or jumped & how she recounts her past from her hospital bed.

We also get to hear amazing stories about her mother and her early years dealing with being blacklisted, her roles in films like Shampoo where she won an Oscar as well as directing career. Dinah also talks to us her father, writer Arnold Manoff who wrote among many things, The Front about the blacklist. If names like Neil Simon, Marie Osmond and Marty Maraschino mean anything to you, you are in for a treat. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast.

Today on another encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we talk with Rain Pryor, daughter of the great comedian, writer and actor Richard Pryor. When you talk about stand-up comedy, Richard Pryor is a shoe-in to be on the Mount Rushmore of stand-up comedians. To this day, the legacy and humor Richard Pryor left behind is second to none and we talk about that with Rain along with much more.

Like her father, Rain does not pull punches and she doesn’t have an issue speaking her mind. We speak about race, religion, her Jewish mother, her Madam grandmother, her recent ascent into higher education, how ‘ho’s gotta eat too!’ as we discuss a wide range of topics. Along the way we learn about her scientist mother, how Rain had been to host Josh Mills’ house and he didn’t even know it, the chilly relationship she has with one of her father’s ex-wives, her many siblings, her dad’s drug use, her own search for normalcy and her years as a stand-up and actor in Hollywood.

Rain was a refreshing and wonderful interview and it was a huge thrill to talk to her as we REALLY wanted to talk to her for a very long time. So glad we got to and all you have to do is keep listening to the Rarified Heir Podcast like you are already to hear our conversation with Rain. Another child of a celebrity interviewed by the child of a celebrity. Everyone has a story.

Welcome to another encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast – our Halloween edition – with part two of our interview w/ Janna Taninbaum and Michael Ritz, the children of comedian Harry Ritz of The Ritz Brothers. On this second half of our interview, we talk about some of the hijinks Harry got up to as a performer and as a father as well. Like what you ask?

Janna tells us about life in Las Vegas growing up with her dad and his vanity plate in the 70s, we hear some terrific stories about gambling and the mob that Harry was part of and privy to, as well as Betty Grable’s race horses & her aversion to the WC, stories about comic Jan Murray, how their father was ‘the guy in the middle’ as well as more on Harry and his brothers fame on Broadway, movies, television and the stage in their later years. We loved hearing these tales about the man who influenced everyon from Sid Caesar, Milton Berle, Jerry Lewis and Mel Brooks. In fact, it was Mel Brooks who said, “As far as I’m concerned, Harry Ritz is the funniest man ever.” Take a listen. And a laugh, won’t you to this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast? Everyone has a story. 

Today on another encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we bring you part one of our interview w/ the children of zany comedian Harry Ritz, Janna Taninbaum & Michael Ritz. The reason this became a two part episode was because of some terrible technical issues which forced us to abort our initial conversation and pick it up two days later. What’s that old showbiz adage, “Never give a sucker an even break?” No, that’s not it, it’s “The show must go on” and true to their showbiz roots, Janna and Michael did just that. And we thank them for it.

For many of you, the Ritz Brothers were a comedy/dance team that has been spoken about in hushed tones for years but unless you were born before the Johnson Administration, you likely haven’t had the chance to see the Ritz Brothers perform. Due to many strange and offbeat scenarios, we get into why that’s the case on this episode. But in their day, the Ritz Brothers were not only wildly popular but were some of the highest paid performers in the world. Different than the Marx Brothers, The Ritz Brothers were essentially Harry Ritz who was THE comedian other comedians influenced. From Jerry Lewis to Don Rickles to Mel Brooks, everyone said Harry Ritz was the funniest, wackiest comedian they ever saw. So let’s right some wrongs here and talk about the best and funniest comedy team you perhaps have never seen, The Ritz Brothers. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story. Sometimes two!

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we speak to Larry Strauss, son of actress Charlotte Rae. To say we were more than a little surprised at how many of you connected to this episode with all of you comments, likes and metrics, is an understatement. You really took a liking to this one and why not? Larry was incredibly open about how both his mother and Josh’s mother both shared the stage in the Broadway musical Li’l Abner, about an indiscrete moment between Cloris Leachman and Martin Balsam,  how his mother turned a co-starring role on Diff’rent Strokes into a starring role on The Facts of Life and much more.

We also spoke to Larry about his books, the more recent biography of his mother The Facts of My Life as well as Lightman a book of fiction about two characters awash in catastrophe and possible redemption in 1973 New York City. What’s more we delved into his teaching students in the LAUSD system in Los Angeles and how rewarding it is for him in an often difficult environment.

We also learn about Larry’s father John Strauss who was a composer & editor whose credits run the gamut from The Phil Silvers Show, Amadeus, Take The Money and Run and so much more. This episode has a it all, some laughs, some heartache and some great storytelling. But it’s the story about Larry’s older brother Andrew that took place each Christmas season that still has us thinking about it today. Another child of a celebrity interviewed by the child of a celebrity. Everyone has a story.

Today on another encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast we are talking to Anne Marie Snyder, daughter of the great Tom Snyder. We selected this very episode for this very date because on October 15 it will mark the 50th anniversary of the Tomorrow show. And if that’s not a reason to raise your glass and toast one of the greatest talk show hosts in history with a colortini, I don’t know what is.

When we originally ran this episode, it quickly became one of our most listened to episodes. It was a true reminder that Tom Snyder connected with his fans in a way many in television did not. He was beloved by his fans for his one on one in-depth interviews, his ever-present cigarette in the early years and his penchant for a good stiff drink.

We spoke to Anne Marie about growing up with a firm but loving father, as well as her father’s guests on the show specifically Charles Manson to Tom Petty and Bono from U2. We also learned about her goal about trying to save the legacy of the Tomorrow show by preserving as many episodes on tape as she could. This has led her to a project we can’t really talk about but when it happens, we’ll have her back on to tell us all about it. But for now, take a listen to Anne Marie Snyder, our guest on this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast as we salute the 50th anniversary of the Tomorrow show. Everyone has a story.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast we are talking, for a second time to Eric Bonerz, son of actor/director Peter Bonerz. We spoke to Eric a while back and what started out as a fun connection to our time together as kids at the Oakwood School became a pop culture potpourri of 1970s LA, celebrity, movies, film, trivia, television, music, weird video stores and more. In fact, there was so much to talk about, we didn’t get to all of it so on this episode, we were able to go back to some of the things we missed. Like what you ask? How about dinner and a movie with cartoonist Chuck Jones at your house? Or being the drummer for Kim Gordon’s band Free Kitten in 1993 as part of the Lalapalooza tour? Or how about the time Nine Inch Nails Trent Reznor mixed a track for one of Eric’s projects in the living room of that infamous house on Cielo Drive? Got your attention? We thought so.

We loved talking with Eric about car culture in LA, crowbar wielding truckers, the Wonderland Avenue murders, befriending a school librarian, driving Peter Bonerz AMC Eagle station wagon, befriending a young director Harmony Korine, interrupting De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest’s pre-show doobie, an unmade version of Blade Runner starring his father and directed by Martin Scorsese and much more. So sit back, wind down and listen to our latest conversation with Eric Bonerz for this latest episode of the podcast. Somehow Bob Newhart and Friends never gets brought up…until Josh confuses the TV show with the movie Kids. It’s all here on the today’s episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on another encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we talk to Rachel Pollack, daughter of actor/director Sydney Pollack. We talk to Rachel about some truly amazing experiences that only a child of a celebrity could tell you. Like what you ask? How about being on set of Out of Africa IN AFRICA with Meryl Streep and Robert Redford and still wishing you were home in LA with your high school boyfriend? Or having to tell your dad who Dave Matthews was before a meeting? When your dad’s films are nominated for 48 Academy Awards, those things do tend to happen.

We also talk about Ben Stiller’s impression of her dad as Frankenstein on The Ben Stiller Show (which she didn’t know about), how her father met her mother in a very famous acting class in New York and how her mother gave up her dream so that they could raise a family together and – get this – her dad’s obsession with making BBQed ribs. I ask you, what other podcast can tell you that Sydney Pollack started making his ribs 24 hours in advance?

We hear stories about Tom Cruise, Tootsie, The Sopranos, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Burt Lancaster and much, much more. It was a truly fantastic discussion with Rachel and you get to hear about it right now, on this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on another encore edition of The Rarified Heir Podcast we are talking to Cleto Escobedo III, who is the bandleader for late night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! We talk to Cleto about his years growing up in Las Vegas with Jimmy when his pop, Cleto Jr. was head of a fantastic live band, Los Blues who performed for years in the lounge of the Sahara Hotel doing sets well into the early morning. A 4am slot might not seem ideal to you but both Jackie Wilson and Sammy Davis Jr. sat in with the band and none other than Elvis Presley watched from the audience.

The younger Cleto tells us stories about his years growing up in Vegas and haunts like Circus Circus, The Golden Steer, The Peppermill and Battista’s Hole in the Wall as well as his dads commitment to his family. Moving from the lounge to backstage butler at Caesar’s Palace, it was none other than Sammy Davis Jr. who took Cleto Jr. under his wing and took care of him. Today, both father and son play in the band Cleto and the Cletones, the house band on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and the stories flow fast and furious about legends they now perform with. Along the way we also hear stories about Paula Abdul, Marc Anthony, Phillips Bailey & more.

It was great talking to Cleto about growing up the child of a celebrity on the Las Vegas Strip and hearing terrific stories about best friends Cleto and Jimmy who still hang together and their families camp together. Everyone has a story. Take a listen.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Noopy Rodrigues, daughter of comedian and singer Rose Marie and trumpeter Bobby Guy. Talking to Noopy was a fun and lively experience because the thing that became clear from the word go was how many connections we had that we didn’t even know about. From Broadway theaters our mom’s performed in, being brought out on stage by famous entertainers when we were likely not even in Kindergarten, strong single mothers who raised their families after devastating losses, growing up in the San Fernando Valley and more.

Noopy also somehow connected the dots to other guests – as she was a segment producer on the Tomorrow show with Tom Snyder, whose daughter Ann Marie Snyder was prior guest as well as how her mother saved all sorts of amazing things including the very recordings that make up the new CD Rose Marie Sings: The Complete Mercury Recordings & More. If that sounds amazingly familiar to what host Josh Mills is working on as well, don’t worry, we made that connection already. Along the way we also talk Rosalind Russell, Phil Silvers, Morey Amsterdam, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis and some guy named Popcorn who really will blow your mind.

Take a listen to our conversation with Noopy Rodrigues on this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast we are talking to Peter Knego, whose parents actor Peter Coe and Model/Actress Rosalee Calvert really come alive in the conversation you are about to hear. What’s our connection? Well Rosalee was in two films with Edie Adams, Josh’s mother and both Peter and Josh both went to the same high school. But listening to Peter talk about everything from his firsthand accounts of Mel Brooks and Ed Wood to James Galanos and Sparks – herein lies the the story of his celebrity parents.

Peter and Josh barely scratched the surface but somehow we cover everything from growing up on food stamps in the Hollywood Hills to his difficult relationship with his eight-time married father who over time becomes a friend. We hear about real life actual Nazis, the 20thCentury train, Elektra Records mogul Ahmet Ertrgun, c-level actor Paul Marco, Cecil B. Demille, an unproduced Ed Wood musical, lunch at Pasta, Inc. on Sunset Plaza, the glory of Westwood in the 1980s as well as whaling songs from the 1930s. Actually that last part isn’t true. But it’s about the only thing Peter Knego didn’t touch upon in our wide ranging conversation about being the child of a celebrity. Peter’s story, is anything but normal. It’s funny, tough to listen to at times, uplifting and sometimes too much to believe. So Kimono My House and take a listen to this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story

Today on another encore bonus edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we talk to last week’s guests Kathleen Marshall and Scott Marshall, again this week. And again we learn first-hand what it was like to grow up the daughter and son of director Garry Marshall & the niece and nephew of actor director Penny Marshall.

This episode picks up where last week’s episode ends with tales about school nap time and Lord of the Flies, growing up in Hollywood and the hermits of the Hollywood Hills and the importance of the next generation making their mark. Take a listen to the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on another encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we talk to Kathleen Marshall and Scott Marshall, the daughter and son of director Garry Marshall & the niece and nephew of actor/director Penny Marshall. We loved talking to two fellow albums of the Oakwood School which host Josh Mills attended with them because it was a great chance to reconnect and talk about all things Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, Mork and Mindy and a few pilots that didn’t really make the grade. We did get to talk about Garry’s films like Pretty Womanand The Flamingo Kid as well as Penny’s film A League of Their Own.

Kathleen and Scott give us first hand looks into what it was like being on set in the 70s and into the 90s, how they were not allowed on one set due to their age but another was pretty much a second home when growing up. What’s more, we learned how their mother, Barbara kept the kids feet on the ground as she was not one who loved the limelight and wanted to make sure the kids had a regular, everyday family life. Of course we talk about Garry’s passion for sports and why he pushed it on his kids, we hear Scott’s spot on impression of his dad from Albert Brooks Lost in America, tales of Scott’s post college indie band Chavez who once played the Hollywood Bowl & much more. It was a pleasure to reconnect with both Kathleen and Scott on this edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast Take a listen.

Today on another encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Sara Ballantine, daughter of comedian and magician Carl Ballentine. Or how some of you may know him: The Amazing Ballantine. Or maybe it’s The World’s Greatest Magician. Whatever the case, you might also remember Carl from his “magic act” or stints on McHale’s Navy, episodes of The Monkees, films like Speedway with Elvis Presley or via master magician David Copperfield who is a massive fan of Carl Ballentine.

We talk to Sara (or Saratoga – so named after the horse racing track her father liked to frequent) about her years with her dad and mother Ceil Cabot a New York actor who was every bit as wild and outrageous as her father – in the best says possible. Sara tells us about her growing up in Hollywood in the 1970s, her own voice over career in commercials and animated shows as well as stories about the famed Los Angeles venue, The Magic Castle, how her dad came up with the name Ballentine, his groundbreaking Las Vegas gig which purportedly was the first-ever magician to grace the stage on the Las Vegas Strip and much more. When both George Carlin and Steve Martin tell you how funny your dad was, you know just how funny Carl Ballentine was.

Take a listen on this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on the Rarefied Heir Podcast encore edition, we are talking to Cory Tyler, son of ventriloquist Willie Tyler & Lester. Taking to Cory was a great thrill as his dad was one of those celebrities you saw constantly when we were growing up - from successful runs on stage, to network television, on cable TV and even one place we did not know about - vinyl. Yes there is a fairly tough to find comedy album released when his dad was signed to Motown Records. In fact, we talk to Cory about this as we discuss the famed Motown Revue tours of the 1960s his dad was a part of during civil rights, that was famous not only for the performers but for the social progress they made at that time. We also talk to Cory about having an inanimate family member, a long lost favorite coffee shop he and his father frequented, his years growing up in the San Fernando Valley that sounds familiar to host Josh Mills and his parents unique living arrangement hat while certainly not the norm, worked well for Cory and his brother. Talking to Cory was easy, fun and educational. We learned a lot. So where does one get a passion for ventriloquism in America post WWII that spans through to today? You’ll just have to listen to this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast and find out. Everyone has a story. 

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Dick Smothers Jr, son of, yes, you guessed it, Dick Smothers of the famed Smothers Brothers comedy team. We spoke to Dick Jr. about growing up with one of the best straight men in the business – his father, how his father and uncle Tom Smothers founded their musical comedy act, how they launched their massive CBS show of the 1960s The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and much more. We talked about the dichotomy between the real life personality traits of both brothers offstage and what it was like growing up in Beverly Hills, Woodland Hills and Santa Cruz, California as a young adult with a dad who clearly loved attention.

We also talk about Dick’s heavy metal band, Kamikaze of the 1980s who were part of the Northern California metal scene, how the band made their television debut on a Smothers Brothers special covering a track from the Great American Songbook and more. It was at about this point when our interview got very honest and while we don’t want to give anything away, let’s just say, if you know the names Ona Zee or Alister Crowley, you might have an idea where our interview headed. If not, well, all we can tell you is we’ve never broached either of these two topics on this podcast before. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that” to quote Seinfeld, but, it does make for some very enlightening and honest conversation from Dick Jr. about his life and his beliefs and we certainly appreciate that.

This is the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Kristi Callan, daughter of actress and author K Callen. That’s K as in the letter, no period.

We talk to Kristi about her mother’s 50+ year career in stage, film, television and commercials in everything from an iconic All in The Family episode to the recent Knives Outbuzzed about film. Along the way we talk about Sanka commercials, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Carnivale, American Gigolo, Deep Space Nine, A Touch of Class, The Onion Field and much more. We even discuss a long lost Benson & Hedges cigarette commercial. You remember the ‘healthy’ cigarette!

We also take time to discuss Kristi’s musical career in bands like Wednesday Week, The Roswell Sisters, Goat Deity, Dime Box Band and even aCheap Trick cover band, Cheap Chick. We hit upon everything from Hootenanny’s, several cross country moves, a great Norman Lear story, the LA punk rock scene of the late seventies, early eighties, The Ramones recognizing her mother on a flight, seeing Eddie Van Halen on the set of One Day at a Time, meeting The Brady Bunch’s Christopher Knight, long lost LA venues like The Starwood and the Music Machine and much more.

It's evident from this interview just how much Kristi loves her mother who is going strong and sill acting at age 87. So much so, Kristi barely wanted to talk about her own career and wanted to focus almost exclusively on her mother alone. But we persevered and got her to talk about it all on this brand new episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on the Rarified Hair Podcast we are sending you across the orthicon tube with a special edition bonus episode in celebration of the upcoming Fantagraphics book, “Ernie in Kovacsland: Writings, Drawings and Photographs from Television’s Original Genius”. Our host today is co-author Pat Thomas (although left to Pat, you’d never know that as you will soon hear), co-author Ben Model and our Rarified Heir Podcast host & co-author Joshua Mills is talking about the in’s and out’s of creating this new book, coming July 25.

It's a deep dive today with details about the genesis of the book, why the book was even created and some great stories about how this book came to be. We talk Ernie. We talk Edie Adams. We talk Mia Kovacs and we talk about Josh’s dad, photographer Marty Mills. This time the child of a celebrity is interviewed not by the child of a celebrity but co-authors Pat Thomas and Ben Model. Everyone has a story. Here’s one about Ernie in Kovacsland. Take a listen.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Precious Chong, daughter of Tommy Chong, aka The Man, aka THE Chong in the comedy team Cheech and Chong. It was a real thrill to talk to Precious as she is someone Josh had never met before but was part of his peripheral circle as she was friends with a few of his childhood friends while we were growing up. Oh and Josh’s mom, Edie Adams, co-starred in Cheech and Chong’s Up In Smoke as Chong’s mother, Mrs. Stoner. Talk about connections!

We spoke to Precious about her very lean years growing up as Tommy Chong’s daughter which suddenly became very different with the success of the Cheech & Chong comedy albums, live shows and films in the mid 1970s and ballooned into superstardom in the 1980s. We also spoke to Precious about her years as an assistant in Hollywood (listen for the Val Kilmer story), her own career in comedy as well as her directing debut which was quite the buzzworthy indie film.

Along the way, we talk about long lost shooting scripts, lost LA restaurants, the comedy scene in Toronto, her dads incarceration on debatable charges, his status as a the elder statesmen of pot and much more. Precious had such a viv and verve talking to us that it was a real pleasure to have that energy at the other end of North America. So sit back and take a listen, to this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast with Precious Chong. Another child of a celebrity interviewed by the child of a celebrity.

Today on the 4th of July edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Jazmin Erving, daughter of Julius Erving or as we all know him, Dr. J. To say Josh was psyched to talk to Jazmin would be an understatement. To those of us who grew up sports in the United States in the 1970s and 80s (ahem), Dr. J was an almost mythical figure who transcended basketball and the NBA to become some sort of cultural icon. Muhammad Ali, Evil Knievel, Reggie Jackson and Dr. J dominated the cultural sports landscape with their extraordinary skills that made them icons in during the time of America’s bicentennial year in 1976. They were the ‘must see’ TV before there was such a thing. Let’s just say, if you haven’t seen the film The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh, you really don’t know Dr. J.

We talked to Jasmin about growing up in Philadelphia and what it was like having a dad who was the biggest star in the city and also the entire basketball landscape. For trainspotters, we talk old school restaurants like Bookbinders and random Philadelphia 76er players like Mark Iavaroni and for a more macro view we talk about Julius days wowing them at the Harlem courts of Rucker Park, THE place to be seen one-on-one playing basketball and Jazmin having the run of The Spectrum, home to the 76ers when she was a girl.

We also talk about Jazmin’s crystal business and perhaps one of the most remarkable stories to come out of the pandemic that we can think of. It’s one of warmth, love and humanity that somehow led her to a new business that keeps on growing. So let’s hear it, it’s Jazmine Erving on this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast encore edition, we are talking to Innis Casey, son of writer/producer J. Rickey Dumm who worked with friend, classmate and iconic TV show hitmaker Stephen J. Cannell on many of his hit shows including Magnum PI, Silk Stalkings, Renegade and Rockford Files among others. Innis is brutally honest about his writer/producer father and his years growing up which was both fantastic and downright scary. This episode pulls no punches and I don’t’ think Innis would have had it any other way.

Aside from his years growing up with trips to Hawaii for Magnum, we learn that for a good period of time in the early 2000s, Innis made quite a name for himself in Latin music, becoming the much sought after star, Innis (like Charo, no last name) touring Mexico, Spain and both South America and Central America as a Latin pop star. Really, how many among our guests did a photo shoot for a magazine cover with Christina Aguilera? And believe me, we’ve seen it when someone gets all aflutter seeing Innis out and about in public in Los Angeles.

So how does a white dude from LA become a Latin pop star? Ah-ha! That’s the rub. You will have to listen to his story, right here, right now on this edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on the second part of another encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast we again are talking to Cathy Cole, a member of both The first family of song, the King Family as well as the King Cousins. So if you didn’t get enough of Cher, Ray Charles, Jonathan Winters and her amazing father Buddy Cole, we have much more to share with you.

It's all about reunion shows, recording new albums in Japan, surprise songwriters, LA restaurants, live dates at LA’s premiere jazz club The Catalina and much more. So take a listen to part two of this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story. And Cathy’s involve John Davidson, Rosemary Clooney, Gil Evans and more! Hot diggity!

Today on another encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast we are talking to Cathy Cole, who like a prior guest was born into the King Family, The First Family of Song. It’s a fun and fascinating conversation with Cathy as she talks to us about her family (of course) but also of her own career in the King Cousins with fantastic stories about hanging with a new comic named Richard Pryor, guesting next to the Rolling Stones as well as hanging with Cher, Ray Charles and more.

Along the way we learn about her remarkable father, musician Buddy Cole and her stories about his home studio – maybe one of the first ever? – and his pipe organ in the garage blew us both away – for Cathy literally, for us figuratively. We also get to talk to Cathy about concerts in Tahiti, long lost LA restaurants, how Mad magazine parodied her and her family & a lot more. We end on Jonathan Winters and pick up on….well, you will have to tun in next week for that. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast….everyone has a story.

Today on this encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we talk to Hollye Dexter, who has an amazing and unusual story about growing up with actor Dan Haggerty. While we bend the rules slightly on this episode, we talk to her Uncle Dan, the man behind The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams, a fuzzy family television show from the 70s that made him a star. Along the way, we discuss bikers, Battle of the Network Stars, the film Easy Rider, step-siblings Kristy McNichol and Jimmy McNichol, domesticated wolves, circus performers, a step-father named Bullet and much more.

We also learn about Dan’s restaurants and fur/hide stores post Grizzly Adams, Hollye’s years singing with Dionne Warwick, Don Felder & Stephen Bishop, her political activism and her book Fire Season based on a harrowing real life story that you won’t believe. So while technically, Dan Haggerty wasn’t Hollye’s biological father, she grew up with Dan and was raised alongside his kids, her cousins, in very 70s LA, post hippie domesticity. As we like to say, take a listen to another child of a celebrity interviewed by the child of a celebrity. Everyone has a story. But this one has one about a lion named Samson that lived at home.

Today on another encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we speak with Chrissy Quinn, who has not one, but two famous parents. Her father, Louis Quinn is perhaps best remembered for his role on televisions 77 Sunset Strip where he played lovable Roscoe The Bookmaker. However his show business career goes back to radio when he wrote for Milton Berle and we discuss some legends Louis worked with like Ray Bolger and Edd “Kookie” Byrnes. We also talk about her mother, Christine Nelson, a funny lady who is deeply connected to Allan Sherman – she is in fact Sarah Jackman from his My Son The Folk Singer as well as her own comedy album Didj’a Come Here to Play Cards, Or to Talk? for all you deep dive comedy nerds. We say that with affection by the way.

We also hear about Chrissy’s own comedy career, a bonkers story about befriending Robin Williams before he was a megastar on Mork & Mindy as well as stories about having the real Bozo-The Clown appear at her birthday, her Godfather Sammy Davis Jr. & her dad’s role in the film: Vasectomy : A Delicate Matter. So join us won’t you on this encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast we are talking to Kiki Ebsen, daughter of the great Buddy Ebsen. Now, originally, I was going to say the great actor Buddy Ebsen and he definitely was a great actor. But after talking to Kiki we learned that not only did her father act but he also danced, he sang, he wrote books, he was a master sailor of catamarans and he had great comic skills. Some of this we might have known from shows like The Beverly Hillbillies or Barnaby Jones but did you know Buddy Ebsen’s career began when he was discovered by newsman Walter Winchell with his sister as part of a dancing team? Or he was cast in the original The Wizard of Oz but wasn’t able to be on screen due to reasons we discuss with Kiki? Or that he was the test case for Walt Disney and modern animatronics? No? Well keep listening.

We spoke to Kiki about her upcoming June residency at the El Portal Theater in Los Angeles each Friday in June for her one woman show about her father, My Buddy, The Other Side of Oz. Part memoir, part cabaret and part tribute to her father, the show showcases Kiki’s storytelling but her singing as well. It’s a love of music that led her to Cal Arts which then led in quick succession a job on the road with the band Chicago and then gigs with Tracy Chapman, Boz Scaggs, Christopher Cross & Al Jarreau among others. Working as a professional musician for other people led Kiki to record nine of her own solo albums in the past decade or so and just recently licensing her songs from the 80s to a label who will release them later this year.

Along the way we talk about shows & movies like Matt Houston, Davy Crockett, Tom Sawyer, The Kent Chronicles as well as actors Lee Meriwether, Mike Connors, James Arness and more. It was a blast talking to Kiki for this episode and we certainly hope you will like it too. So take a listen to the Rarified Heir podcast with Kiki Ebsen, coming up right now. Everyone has a story.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, it’s Halloween in May as we talk to Victoria Price (and her dog Allie), daughter of the great Vincent Price. Victoria is a truly wonderful guest – smart, engaging, thoughtful, self-reflective and more. Perhaps that goes hand in hand with her life and career of finding joy (which we discuss) as well as being an inspirational speaker, author, holistic entrepreneur and ‘family brand ambassador’ for her father and her terrific mother, costumer designer Mary Grant.

We had pages of notes, things we wanted to ask Victoria and somehow, we barely even looked at them. Our interview somehow turned into a fun, insightful conversation. We of course discuss her father’s acting career, his love of food, how he loved being a public figure, his artwork and so on. However our conversation became more about growing up as the ‘family brand ambassador’ (there’s that word again), her education from a young age that people wanted to be associated with her father more than her or her artwork and how much fun it was to be with her dad just trying to find the best taquito in Los Angeles. We also learned about how and why Vincent became such a foodie via his family roots, her mother’s designing gigs on Broadway and in film and how important it was that her parents remained cordial after their divorce.

Along the way we discuss The Kenley Players, Hamburger Hamlet, Carol Burnett, crème brule, The Witchfinder General, Sears department stores, Broadway, Nat King Cole and much more. We thank you for taking a listen to Victoria Price on the episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast who is coming up now. Everyone has a story.

Today on an encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast we spoke to John Denney, founding member and lead singer of the iconic punk band The Weirdos whose mother could make a sunrise and sprinkle it with dew, the one and only Dodo Denney. You likely remember Dodo as Mike TV’s mother in Williy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory but chances are you will remember her from a ton of television commercials, sitcoms, movies and the like. And if you lived in Kansas City during the 1950s, you likely remember her as Marilyn The Witch, a local horror movie host which brought the young John some fame when his mom came to school for career day. Since this original broadcast aired, John’s brother Dix Denney, guitarist for The Weirdos passed away so we’d like to dedicate this encore episode to him for helping form the first LA punk rock band in history. And to that end, we’d be remised if we didn’t mention the recently released, limited edition album vinyl-only Bomp Records Live! At The Club Azteca from 1978 which is out now at bompstore.com.

What other podcast has discussions of George “Goober” Lindsey, Iggy Pop, Dustin Hoffman, Alice Ghostly and the like? The Rarified Heir Podcast and guest John Denney is coming up next! Take a listen!

Today on another encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Cam Clarke, whose face you might not recognize but whose voice, you certainly will.  Cam is a member – the youngest member perhaps – of the King Family as well as the son of cult actor Robert Clarke. As a member of “The First Family of Song”, Cam literally grew up around show business, starting as a child in an oh-so-very wholesome family show who sang at inauguration of US Presidents as well as The Hollywood Bowl, multiple Las Vegas casinos and more. We talk to Cam about his family as well as his career as an indemand voiceover actor who made his mark beginning in the 1980s as the voice of Leonardo in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles which make him a huge hit at Comic-Con and more. We also talk about his one man stage shows, his uncle, the great guitarist Alvino Rey, his nephews in the rock band Arcade Fire and we even dig into his LDS roots and his status as a “recovering Mormon” and more. It’s all right here, right now on Diners, Drive In’s and Dives….oh, whoops, I mean the Rarified Heir Podcast.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast we are talking to Bobby Brooks Wilson, son of Mr. Excitement, Mr. Soul, the amazing singer/performer Jackie Wilson. Now as you know, the theme of this podcast is : a child of a celebrity, interviewed by a child of a celebrity. So that hasn’t changed at all with this interview. However, there is something vastly different about thisinterview with Bobby Brooks Wilson than any other interview we have ever done and likely, will ever do. And it’s coming up next.

We talk to Bobby about his life growing up in South Carolina, far from the spotlight, far from his father, and how he’s forged his own musical career as a singer, performer, impressionist and songwriter in his own right. He’s shared the stage with Bruno Mars as part of his the band Peter and the Love Notes in Waikiki after a Navy discharge, he was ‘discovered’ by Paul Revere of (you guessed it) the iconic 60s band Paul Revere and the Raiders and Bobby talks to us about his deep roots connections to Billy Davis, The Four Tops, The Temptations and more. But no spoilers….we are going to leave it here for now. You are just going to have to listen to this episode to find out just what makes this story so unique, so different and so truly unbelievable that you simply could not make it up. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast. Take a Listen.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast encore edition, we are speaking with Gigi Garner, daughter of actor James Garner. Gigi was a fun interview to do because she spent so much time with her father both on camera and off. Yes she was on the set of The Rockford Files, yes we talk about her dad’s breakout role in Maverick which led to a very public and very personal lawsuit that Jim ultimately won, but also how they shared the camera in a Polaroid commercial, that was omnipresent in the 1980s.

We talk about Jim’s upbringing, his fantastic film career in movies like The Americanization of Emily, The Great Escape and Victor/Victoria as well as Gigi’s own career as a singer in the 70’s and 80s in the UK. And believe us, we’ve found some of those vinyl 7”’s on Discogs and Ebay and have been meaning to pull the trigger and having them shipped international for our personal collection. If that’s not all, Gigi tells us about her years as a skip tracer, tracking down criminals, something we did NOT expect to hear.  Oh and we also talk about Gigi’s animal charities, something her father would fully support as well as her own artwork that is in galleries now.

It’s all right here, on this encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Take a listen.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast encore edition, we talk to Eden Alpert, daughter of great trumpet player and record label owner, Herb Alpert. We talk about Herb’s youth growing up in LA, his Jewish roots, his songwriting career and ultimately his massive instrumental hits “A Taste of Honey” with the Tijuana Brass, his solo hit “Rise” as well as his vocal smash “This Guy’s In Love With You.” Put it this way, in the 1960s, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass were the only other artist to knock The Beatles off the #1 spot on the charts. His records were massive.

We also talk about his record label, A&M Records which was a powerhouse in the music industry by signing artist like, The Carpenters, Sergio Mendes, Joe Cocker, Cat Stevens in the 70s, The GoGos, Squeeze, Oingo Boingo and Janet Jackson in the 90s and during the 90s, Soundgarden, Sheryl Crow, Sting and Monster Magnet. You know, just a few small artists that barely anyone knows. Ha! (guffaw).

We also talk to Eden about running Vibrato, the jazz/supper club owned by Herb that she runs and books as well as the many music education charities Herb has founded which cement his legacy as true mench (MEN-CH) of the highest order. All “Rise” and take a listen to this encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast with Eden Alpert, right now

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to journalist Michael Simmons whose father, Matty Simmons was the Chairman of the Board and guiding force behind the National Lampoon empire. It’s tough to overstate just how important National Lampoon has been to American comedy and comedy they world over. Launching in the1970s and continuing throughout the 1980s, this satirical magazine begat radio shows, stage plays, television shows and films like Animal House and Vacation, National Lampoon was at the center of mass entertainment for two decades. In fact, National Lampoon is the connective tissue in our comedy DNA that links us to Saturday Night Live, Second City, This is Spinal Tap, The Credibility Gap and much more. So how is it that one of the founders of the very first credit card company, Diners Club and later the publisher of Weight Watchers magazine came to kick off the counter culture comedy quake in the latter half of the 20th century? Ah, therein lies the rub and Michael was there to see it all.

From being given rides on the shoulders of basketball star Wilt Chamberlain, to tour managing John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Bill Murray and Harold Ramis on the road, to tripping on mushrooms with Rip Torn, Michael Simmons has been there for the good and the not so good times, as Matty Simmons son. Somehow we get around to talking about LA vice squad busts which won him an LA Press Club award, being the scapegoat in interoffice squabbles to playing in Kinky Friedman’s band. We get the lowdown on pretty much all things National Lampoon. Matty Simmons was the most mercurial of characters in the Lampoon story, but not anymore. Michael Simmons gives us a firsthand account of being at the genesis of a legendary comedy magazine that became a brand. It’s all right here, on this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Take a listen.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we talk to musician and ace copy editor Jon Klages, whose grandfather, musician/producer/record label owner Enoch Light likely was the genesis of the Stereo revolution. Yes, you heard me right, classically trained violinist Enoch Light was one of, if not the first, to realize that by placing more than one microphone in a recording studio, you could create a fuller, more dynamic sound to your then, Hi-Fi, and now Stereo system today. Whoa.

While Enoch released 25 plus records in his career, it was his record labels Grand Award, Project 3 and Command that really are his legacy. The labels, specifically Command, were known for their audio fidelity as well as their groundbreaking abstract artwork, gatefold sleeves and extensive liner notes that make them so unique. Be it space age pop, jazz, classical, film scores, Bossa Nova or anything else under the sun, Enoch Light was a pioneer in bringing the best music to the consumer in the best light (pun intended) possible.

We talk about Jon’s being in the recording studio with Enoch and mother Julie Light Klages at many sessions Enoch oversaw with his pipe at the ready. We also spoke about Jon’s father, lighting designer William Klages, winner of seven Emmy awards, who worked with both Ernie Kovacs and host Josh Mills’ mother Edie Adams at NBC in the early 1950s. We talk to john about his own musical career in the 80s as part of the “Hoboken Sound” with The Individuals, his move to Los Angeles and playing with the LA music scene surrounding the Paisley Underground and his 2021 solo debut Fabulous Twilight. Oh and did we mention that Jon copy edited the upcoming Ernie Kovacs book Ernie in Kovacsland from Fantagraphics coming July 18? Or that he’s copy editing Edie Adams second autobiography as well? No? Well, take a listen to this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast for some serious greatness.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we speak to Sara Karloff, daughter of the great Boris Karloff. We spoke to Sarah about her English gentleman father who loved animals and gardening and rose bushes as well as being the face of the iconic monster in Frankensteinand it’s many offshoots. In fact, we talk about just how different the man was from the role he’s best known for. We talk about Karloff’s acting, spoken word albums and silent movie career, including a nearly four hour cut of King of the Congo, a film that is currently being restored now. Is it a serial? A full-length feature? We’ll just have to wait and see.

We talk about Sara’s concerns and ideas for her father’s legacy and how she has guarded and guided that legacy lovingly to make sure that her father’s name, likeness and his likeness as the character of Frankenstein and in The Mummy are seen in the twenty first century, just as they were in 1931. It’s a terrific talk with Sara that includes everything from Boris’ love of Cricket, his favorite drink, his favorite breed of dog, his intense desire to become an actor, his love of his final American film Targets and an appearance on The Ernie Kovacs Show Sara didn’t know existed and more.

We talk about upcoming projects like a Kickstarter campaign from Legendary Comics and the need to animate some of Karloff’s audio recordings. It’s about the past, the present and the future on this wonderful episode. All this, from a truly fun and funny daughter of one of filmdom’s most famous names, facse and voices – Boris Karloff. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Deanna Brown-Thomas, whose father was none other than Mr. Dynamite aka, The Godfather of Soul aka “The Hardest Working Man in Show Business”. We are of course talking about the legendary James Brown. When Deanna agreed to be a guest on the podcast we had no idea just how honest and forthcoming she would be talking about her father. In fact, she used the word ‘transparency’ and that’s exactly what our interview was like. Outspoken, honest, joyful and genuine, Deanna spoke to us about everything from what it was like meeting (or perhaps being set up with) Eddie Murphy backstage as an adult to meeting Soul Train host Don Cornelius on camera as a four year old. As we discussed on this episode, there were very few entertainers who were as well-known across the world other than James Brown and we dig into it.

We also learned of James Brown 75/25 rule about show business which frankly was a life lesson we should all learn from. For a man who was known for his explosive live act, it was the school of hard knocks that made him learn that without the business, there was no show. When you work as hard as James Brown did onstage, you better believe, it was taken care of offstage. We also spoke about Deanna’s career in radio, in running the James Brown Family Foundation and the James Brown Academy of Music Pupils in Augusta, Ga which provides musical education for local school children as well as a James Brown tour – the only one you can see in the world. We also learned about the James Brown estate which Deanna was very, yes transparent about.. We also discussed James Brown’s role in the civil rights movement, his love of Jazz, his ownership of radio stations, what it was like behind the scenes and one subject we like to talk about - life on the road. It’s sometimes not all it’s cracked up to be. In fact, you might find yourself ordering room service instead of attending an afterparty on the road with her dad. You’ll have to listen for yourself.

Deanna was a fantastic guest, a warm and frank person who wasn’t afraid to ‘go there’. So take a listen, to this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast and you’ll see what we are talking about.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Amanda Gari, granddaughter, old Banjo Eyes himself, Eddie Cantor. Amanda was a great guest who talked about her loving, if somewhat. compromised grandfather she knew after a series of medical events slowed him down. We talk to Amanda about the massive star Eddie Canter was from the 1920s to the 1960s. He worked with everyone from Will Rogers & W.C. Fields, wrote an iconic song we all know as “Merry Melodies” and made a hit of the song “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”. Eddie even shows up in the HBO series Boardwalk Empire played by Stephen DeRosa). And we are barely scratching the surface here.

We also talk to Amanda about her father, Roberto Gari who was a painter and actor whose portrait of Judy Garland hangs in the Museum of the City of New York and his rebirth in his later years as Amy Sedaris dad Guy Blank in her hit series Strangers with Candy was as unexpected as it was funny. Not to be outdone, we talk to Amanda about her birth being announced on The Ed Sullivan Show, her acting and singing career in cabaret as well as her own ‘Banjo eyes” that she’s used to comedic effect in many of her stage and screen gigs. We’re “Makin’ Whoopie” on this encore episode, as we tip our caps to the man who started the March of Dimes charity. Everyone has a story. Take a listen.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, “in the morning, in the evening…ain't we got Funt?”* That’s right, it’s an encore episode with Bill Funt, son of Allen Funt. We speak to Bill about growing up the son of perhaps THE pioneer of reality television whose Candid Camera TV show was a major hit on American television for decades and was just one of the versions in a long line of Candid incarnations which spanned radio, cable TV and film as well.

We spoke to Bill about everything from a legitimate air hijacking to Cuba he was a part of as a toddler as well as his dads beginnings in radio in the military which launched the idea for Candid Microphone, Candid Camera, Candid Candid Camera and (ahem) What Do You Say To A Naked Lady. More on that later. We also spoke to Bill about his songwriting aunt who got him on the set of Sesame Street, his mother Marilyn Funt, whose book Are You Anybody? was a precursor of sorts to this podcast and his dad’s love of The Beatles. Not.

There’s a lot to unpack here including Bill’s ribbing of hist Josh Mills’ imitations, his own career as a musician and stints working on classic television that was not Candid Camera. Take a listen, to this encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast we are talking to master illustrator, painter and cartoonist Drew Friedman, son of writer/screenwriter Bruce Jay Friedman. And when we say writer, we mean a writer – short stories, essays, Broadway plays, films, novels – you name it and Bruce Jay Friedman did it. From screenplays like hit films like Splash and Stir Crazy to less, how do we say this, successful films like Doctor Detroit, Bruce Jay Friedman walked in both the literary and pop culture worlds, seamlessly. We also talk Bruce’s novels like Scuba Duba and A Mother’s Kisses, which were lauded for their humorous look at social and societal issues of the day. With contemporaries like Joseph Heller and Thomas Pynchon, you are in some pretty impressive company.

We also talk to Drew about growing up in New York with a father who had his own table at the fashionable Elaine’s in Manhattan for 30 years as well as his own obsession with drawing as a child. It’s led Drew to be known as one of the most well-known portrait artists and cartoon artists of the last 50 or so years. His works have appeared in everything from the Wall Street Journal to Heavy Metal. His latest book, Maverix and Lunatix : Icons of Underground Comix is out now on Fantagraphics books. His other books you might ask?  How about Old  Jewish Comedians? Or Heroes of the Comics? Or All The Presidents. Somehow we talk find time to talk to Drew about Topps baseball cards, Groucho Marx, National Lampoon, Joe Franklin, Tor Johnson, Sammy Petrillo, Dick Shawn, Ernie Kovacs and much much more. It’s a lively interview that became a conversation and that’s always a great thing for this podcast.

So sit back and take a listen to the latest episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast with Drew Friedman. Everyone has a story.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Josh Langsam, the grandson of the one and only Cab Calloway. Now aside from having a great name, Josh tells host Josh Mills about the legacy, the history and the future of one of America’s greatest entertainers of all-time. Starting in the 1920’s Cab Calloway was a band leader, performer, author, singer, actor, song writer and his  influence ranged from live performances, recorded music, film, animation, fashion – the guy did it all. He was the first black entertainer to sell one million copies with his signature song, “Minnie The Moocher” in 1931. He was also the first black entertainer to have his own radio show. None other than George Gershwin based the character Sportin’ Life from Porgy and Bess after Cab. Pioneering animator Max Fleischer invented the Rotoscope and animates Cab as a Walrus in a Betty Boop cartoon based on “Minnie The Moocher”. Are you getting the picture, yet?

We spoke to Josh about the Harlem Renaissance, the famed Cotton Club, the infamous Dizzy Gillespie spitball that wasn’t, how our host Josh’s family played a major part in Cab’s career, Cab’s iconic fashion sense and much more. Of course, we talk about Cab’s “Minnie The Moocher” disco hit in the 80s, the movie Cotton Club and indeed, The Blues Brothers, which introduced Cab to a whole new, younger audience and revitalized his career. If you’ve ever wanted to know what someone does or wants to do with a legacy/estate as an heir to a famous person, this is the episode for you. It’s very fun and frankly, an educational episode which hits upon both the entertainer and the man Cab Calloway. Take a listen to this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast we are talking to Gary Hall, son of actor/comedian Huntz Hall. Like many of our episodes, we find that there are way more questions than there is time to answer and this episode was absolutely one of them. We talk to Gary about, of course, The Bowery Boys and the Dead End Kids of which Huntz Hall a part of since the first Broadway show in 1935 to the last incarnation of the gang in 1958. As Sach Jones, Hall was featured in literally a couple hundred short films and features and became known for his comic relief, his upturned cap and his outrageous behavior, both on and as we learn from Gary, and off the camera.

We also spoke with Gary about his mother, Louise Hall who was a pioneer wardrobe and costumer in the 1970s. She worked on shows like The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Bewitchedand Get Smart meaning….his mother not only dressed Elizabeth Montgomery, Barbara Feldon and Mary Tyler Moore, she basically was at the forefront of the women’s movement figuratively and literally because of her genius. She was quite the trail blazer as we learn from Gary because as a woman she could not get a job in another part of the business because of her sex.  

Gary was a fascinating person to talk to as he is now the second person we’ve had on the podcast from a pretty unique profession. He also talks about his stint as the principal at the Oakwood School where Josh went to school from K through 9th grades. Gary’s insight  gives us a fascinating background on why and how the school was founded and it’s roots in the progressive movement and show business and why they intersect. Oh and did I mention, that Gary’s father and Josh’s mother Edie Adams starred in a Florida production of Arsenic and Old Lace in 1988 co-starring Dody Goodman, James Mac Arthur and Dark Shadow’s Jonathan Frid? Yeah this is a good one. Take a listen to the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we present another encore episode, this time with Kelly Carlin, daughter of iconic stand-up comedian George Carlin. We spoke with Kelly, who we met at the National Comedy Center in 2018 and who was essentially the impetus for the podcast about a variety of subjects. Some of the great things we chat about with Kelly are her memoir, A Carlin Home Companion : Growing Up with George, her career as a monologuist and therapist, her iconic dad’s humor, his early comedy partner Jack Burns and much more.

This is both a funny and deep conversation with Kelly as we delve into Ram Dass, Jungian therapy and her Women on the Verge program as well as what made her dad laugh, how his humor influenced her own humor and his ‘time on the road’ being at home without dad. It’s a spiritual and deep episode with a few well timed laughs as well. We hope you like listening to this one as we did making it. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast and this is one great episode if we do say so ourselves.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast we bring you an encore edition with brothers Josh Davis and Anthony Davis, whose father Jerry Davis wrote and produced episodes of classic television shows like “Bewitched,” “The Odd Couple” and “Bewitched” among many others. We love this episode because frankly with all the connections to guests we’ve had in the past, host Josh Mills and both Davis’ have known each other since Kindergarten and spent the majority of their youth growing up together. From school to holidays to vacations to camp, from motorcycles to steam cleaning car engines to seeing wildly inappropriate movies in Bakersfield, Ca. to basketball/football games, the Mills’ and the Davis’ were inseparable.

We spoke to Josh and Tony about everything from their half siblings Matt (whose mother was actress Marilyn Maxwell) and Jeff (a screenwriter and comedy writing professor) to their dad’s incredible raconteur lifestyle. In fact, it’s revealed on this episode that it was Jerry Davis who introduced Ronald and Nancy Reagan to one another. We talk about classic sitcoms, their amazing mother Berle Davis, the street they lived on with a ton of celebrities, a Dean Martin story that is one for the record books and a Groucho Marx story that will blow your mind. So enough of my yackin’. Let’s boogie. Let’s take a listen to this encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast