The Legacy of 'The Waltons' & A Lifetime of Fascinating Families featuring Michael Learned
02/23/23 • 59 min
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Michael Learned is remarkable in her entirety. Growing up in Vienna, Austria, she despised her masculine name, developed nervous shakes and discovered that her “diplomat” father was a CIA spy. Her mother swore her to secrecy and sent her to a British boarding school where she developed a love and talent for acting.
Theater work led to an invitation to audition for a part as the mom to a brood of depression era children in a show that was not given much hope of lasting beyond half a season. She drove down from San Francisco and landed the iconic role of Olivia Walton which earned her three Emmys. The Waltons premiered in 1972 and quickly became a piece of our American cultural fabric.
And in an impressive demonstration of range, Michael recently won much acclaim for her portrayal of Jeffrey Dahmer’s grandmother in the Netflix original series, Monster.
With much to discuss, Michael joins us to talk about juggling her real-life kids with her TV family, she takes on a round of Waltons Trivia, shares her favorite Waltons episode, and divulges her authentic love for TV husband, Ralph Waite.
We also welcome Charity Buzz winner Susie Mains who talks about her experiences as a child actor talent rep.
In recommendations: Weezy's pick is Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano, now an Apple+ series and Fritz suggests the Hulu doc series, Stolen Youth.
Path Points of Interest:
Michael Learned is remarkable in her entirety. Growing up in Vienna, Austria, she despised her masculine name, developed nervous shakes and discovered that her “diplomat” father was a CIA spy. Her mother swore her to secrecy and sent her to a British boarding school where she developed a love and talent for acting.
Theater work led to an invitation to audition for a part as the mom to a brood of depression era children in a show that was not given much hope of lasting beyond half a season. She drove down from San Francisco and landed the iconic role of Olivia Walton which earned her three Emmys. The Waltons premiered in 1972 and quickly became a piece of our American cultural fabric.
And in an impressive demonstration of range, Michael recently won much acclaim for her portrayal of Jeffrey Dahmer’s grandmother in the Netflix original series, Monster.
With much to discuss, Michael joins us to talk about juggling her real-life kids with her TV family, she takes on a round of Waltons Trivia, shares her favorite Waltons episode, and divulges her authentic love for TV husband, Ralph Waite.
We also welcome Charity Buzz winner Susie Mains who talks about her experiences as a child actor talent rep.
In recommendations: Weezy's pick is Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano, now an Apple+ series and Fritz suggests the Hulu doc series, Stolen Youth.
Path Points of Interest:
Previous Episode
The Sitcom Set, The Broadway Stage & Taking it On The Road featuring Richard Kline
DO pay some attention to the man behind the curtain - in Wicked, he’s played by Richard Kline and he’s brimming with hilarious anecdotes and intriguing stories, spanning six show biz decades, and going strong!
Richard Kline played Jack Tripper’s pal, Larry Dallas in Three’s Company. And he’s the only cast member besides John Ritter to appear on the show and both of its spin-offs. Richie fills us in on the backstage skinny, the controversies, the antics, the friendships, the female co-stars’ struggles, the roughhousing with Ritter, the trip to Vegas with Don Knots and he tops it off with a spot on Norman Fell impression.
Richie goes on to talk about his first love, theater, including his Broadway moments with Wicked and Waitress, his life on the road in touring companies and his acting workshops.
Richard Kline is Media Path family, having directed the Fritz Coleman one-man shows that Weezy produced, It’s Me, Dad and The Reception so fair warning: reminiscing does ensue.
We round things out with some Three’s Company Trivia and a discussion on the disturbing nature of this year’s Oscar frontrunners!
Plus, Fritz recommends Women Talking (2022) in theaters and Weezy's pick is Dionne Warwick: Don't Make Me Over, the documentary currently streaming on HBO Max and Amazon Prime.
Path Points of Interest:
Next Episode
Finding Your Way Through a Funk & Show Biz Parenthood featuring Mindy Sterling & Janeane Bernstein
If you’ve wandered around Los Angeles and you swear you’ve spotted Frau Farbissina from Austin Powers or Miss Francine Briggs from iCarly or Linda Schwartz from The Goldbergs then you may have experienced a genuine Mindy Sterling encounter!
Mindy’s IMDB is vast and deep and it includes The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, A.N.T. Farm, Desperate Housewives, Captain Underpants, 2 Broke Girls and That’s So Raven. Many millennials have accidentally called her Mom.
Mindy shares her experiences growing up as a showbiz baby with a comedian dad and a showgirl mom, how she made her mark on the industry and how she then poured herself into raising a son on the Autism spectrum.
Mindy is Groundlings royalty and she elaborates on the history, discipline and legacy of improv comedy. Plus, she has worked extensively in children’s TV, including alongside Jennette McCurdy from iCarly whose best selling book, I’m Glad My Mom Died is a cautionary tale on the dangers of mixing kids with show business. Mindy shares her experiences working with Jennette and her fellow child actors.
All this plus anticipation on the Austin Powers front. Will there be another sequel...? Mindy has clues.
We're also joined by Journalist/Mental Health Advocate/Author Janeane Bernstein, EDd. Her books 'GET THE FUNK OUT! $%^& Happens, What to Do Next!' and the upcoming 'Better Humans: What The Mental Health Pandemic Teaches Us About Humanity' are changing the ways in which we look at mental and emotional health.
Janeane joins us to talk about the inspiration behind her talk show and books which explore how setbacks can become successes and how we can all better handle the inevitable challenges we face in life. All this plus we are recommending Hollywood on Netflix and Fire of Love on Hulu and Disney.
Path Points of Interest:
Mindy Sterling - Groundlings Alumni Page
Groundlings COOKIN' WITH GAS 30th ANNIVERSARY
Get The Funk Out! $%^& Happens, What to Do Next!
Better Humans: What The Mental Health Pandemic Teaches Us About Humanity
Outside The Box: Mental Health Initiative
Full Service: My Adventures In Hollywood And The Secret Sex Lives Of The Stars by Scotty Bowers
Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood on Hulu
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