Episodes

  • The Scarecrow and his Mrs. King | Bruce Boxleitner, Part One
    Oct 16 2024
    “Kate was able to go off script. Then I found I could go with her. Pretty soon we’re doing stuff that is not on the written page. That’s where we found the little ‘in-between’ moments.” - Bruce BoxleitnerSusan and Sharon are so excited to talk with the star of one of their favorite 80s TV shows of all time -- Bruce Boxleitner from Scarecrow & Mrs. King! Bruce’s television career started way back in 1973 with an appearance on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. He has since appeared in over 100 films and TV shows including Gunsmoke, Baretta, Police Woman, Hawaii 5-0, Babylon 5, Crossing Jordan, Commander in Chief, American Dad, Cold Case, Heroes, Chuck, NCIS, Supergirl, The Orville, When Calls The Heart, How The West Was Won, Bring ‘Em Back Alive, The Gambler and Tron.In Part One of this two-part interview, Bruce reflects on getting the role of Lee Stetson, working with Kate Jackson and the cast of Scarecrow & Mrs. King and filming some of the show’s most memorable episodes during the summer of 1984 in Europe.THE CONVERSATIONGETTING THE SHOW: "I was in a daze. I ended up on the roof... The security guard down below: 'What are you doing up there?' 'I don't know!'"UN-“HAPPY DAYS”: How Bring ‘Em Back Alive fought a losing battle on Tuesday nights against Richie Cunningham and the Fonz… But how it led to Bruce’s most famous TV role of all time!CALLING ALL SPIES: What was it like auditioning with Kate Jackson -- in front of the same executives that just cancelled his last show?On Mel Stuart: “He was the best. I miss him so much. He made me laugh more than anyone I’ve ever worked with.”THE OLD CAR: Driving that ’63 Porsche Speedster around Washington, D.C. during the pilot: “It died after every take.”THE NEW CAR: a 1984 Corvette: “It fit me like a pair of fiberglass pants.”Gary Davis -- Bruce’s secret stunt double -- did all Lee Stetson’s stunts, and doubled for Bruce more times than you might think.NOT TOO MANY GUNFIGHTS AT 8PM: The Scarecrow editors assembled a gag reel of all the times top agent Lee Stetson lost his gun.SAVING MS. SMITH: While filming in Munich, Bruce and Martha Smith walked into the wrong punk bar. Bruce got her out -- but only after throwing some Stetson-style punches!Working in the Alps and in Amanda's house with Jean Stapleton -- “I wish she could have done more episodes.”One of Bruce’s favorite episodes? S2; EP1 “To Catch a Mongoose”S2; EP21: “Burn Out” -- and the scene where Lee slaps Amanda. How did that feel for Kate -- and Bruce?So, join Susan and Sharon -- and Bruce -- as they talk Beverly Garland, James Garner, quirky humor, Scotland Yard, Lee Stetson’s wardrobe, “When should we kiss?” -- and what happened the day Moonlighting premiered!Make sure to join us NEXT EPISODE for Part Two of our conversation with Bruce Boxleitner!AUDIO-OGRAPHYFind out more about Bruce Boxleitner at Facebook.com Follow him at Instagram.com/BoxleitnerBruceCatch him on Cameo at Cameo.com/BoxleitnerBruceWatch S2, Ep. 21: Burn out on TubiRead the NY Times review of Bruce’s 1973 Broadway play debut, Status Quo Vadis. And guess who else was in the cast? (Hint: Sam from Cheers!) CONNECTVisit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON.VOTEWe're a 2024 Podcast Award Winner! We WON for Best Film & TV. Thank you Podcast Awards!REMEMBER: Register or Check your US Election Registration at Vote.orgMake a plan to Vote. Check out Ballot Ready.This year is the 45th anniversary of President Carter's Crisis of Confidence speech. Read Susan’s new play about the speech and the confidence it takes to be president in challenging times: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing.
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    41 mins
  • Casting Jeff Bridges, Anne Hathaway, Keira Knightly and more | Marcia Ross, part 2
    Oct 9 2024
    ‘The Princess Diaries’, ‘Romy & Michelle’, ‘10 Things I Hate About You’, ‘Clueless’… Whenever I think my work doesn’t mean anything to anyone at any time and never will… somebody says to me, ‘Those movies -- I watched them and I showed them to my kid.” -- Casting Director Marcia RossIn Part Two of our conversation with Casting Director Marcia Ross, Susan and Sharon discuss the changing business of Hollywood, favorite finds, shrinking budgets, and going from in-person auditions -- to auditioning on tape -- to just clicking on a link… Casting Director Marcia Ross has been instrumental in putting together amazing ensembles for classic films and TV shows since 1983. Susan and Sharon sit down this week with Ms. Ross to go behind the scenes and discover exactly how today’s “unknown” turns into tomorrow’s “big discovery” -- and who makes it happen. Among the young actors Marcia is credited with discovering: Anne Hathaway, Heath Ledger, Paul Rudd, Rachel McAdams, Jennifer Garner and Amy Poehler.THE CONVERSATIONTo cast the pilot of Models Inc. , they auditioned “one thousand women” -- including Carrie Anne Moss!Angelina Jolie didn’t get cast -- because she “didn’t have the right look” according to Aaron Spelling.8TL's own producer Melissa Roth worked on Models Inc, too -- as a camera assistant!Casting Princess Diaries: Anne Hathaway was perfect because “you had to believe she could be both things. (a real person and a princess)”Chris Pine in Princess Diaries 2: “He read for me and I was like, “Can you come back this afternoon?” He was an unknown, but within a day he had the part.The challenge of casting sequels -- how are you gonna get everyone back?BURNING BRIDGES: How do you tell your star Jeff Bridges that the actress he wants you to cast… just isn’t right?Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion -- Lisa Kudrow and Mira Sorvino got the lead roles … but SNL's Will Ferrel and Chris Kattan ended up on the cutting room floor.“It’s a hard business. And it’s hard to have longevity because people always want the next new thing.”So, join Susan and Sharon -- and Marcia -- as they talk Jean Smart, Jeremy Renner, Lizzie McGuire, Julie Andrews, Johnny Depp, Scarecrow & Mrs. King -- and watching The Flintstones Friday nights at 7:30!AUDIO-OGRAPHYFind out more about Marcia Ross and Jeff Kaufman’s documentary film work at FloatingWorldPictures.com.To see Nasrin, go to NasrinFilm.comWatch the Terrence McNally documentary Every Act of Life on YouTube, Amazon, or Apple.or search on Roku.Need some 80s TV Ladies merch?!? Check out our GRAND OPENING SALE.CONNECTVisit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts and more.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Check out Instagram/80sTVLadies.Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON.Find more cool podcasts at our host sight, Weirding Way Media.BREAKING NEWSWe just won Best TV & Film podcast at the People’s Choice Podcast Awards!Thank you to all who voted and to all our listeners and guests.VOTERegistration deadlines are coming up! Register or Check your US Election Registration at Vote.orgHappy 100th Birthday to President Jimmy Carter! Get Susan’s new play about Carter's White House in 1979: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing.
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    50 mins
  • Casting Thirtysomething & Creating Stars | Marcia Ross, Part 1
    Oct 2 2024
    “An actor is either compelling -- or they are NOT compelling. Doesn’t matter if they’re green. You want to watch them. That’s what makes them a star. How do I know? I just feel it.” -- Marcia Ross, Casting Director
    How did “Clueless” and “Princess Diaries” and “Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion” find their leads? Casting Director Marcia Ross has been instrumental in putting together amazing ensembles for classic films and TV shows since 1983.

    Susan and Sharon sit down this week with Ms. Ross to go behind the scenes and discover exactly how today’s “unknown” turns into tomorrow’s “big discovery” -- and who makes it happen. Among the young actors Marcia is credited with discovering: Anne Hathaway, Heath Ledger, Paul Rudd, Rachel McAdams, Jennifer Garner and Amy Poehler.

    THE CONVERSATION
    • Channing Tatum’s first audition! He didn’t get the part. But the next time Marcia saw him, it worked out better: Step Up.
    • Casting Andre Braugher -- and how a single note changed the audition from flat, to making a roomful of people cry.
    • 10 Things I Hate About You -- Gabrielle Union was the only person who auditioned for her role.
    • HEATH LEDGER GETS A SECOND CHANCE: The first time around he just didn’t have it. Marcia gave him one more chance: “Be prepared!” It made all the difference.
    • DARE TO PIVOT: How she made the transition to producing documentaries: meeting Terrance McNally -- and then filming him…
    • THE SCIENCE OF THE ENSEMBLE: thirtysomething -- it started with Ken Olin. But it when Mel Harris came in, it was all about chemistry…
    So, join Susan and Sharon -- and Marcia -- as they talk Chita Rivera, Cujo, Angela Lansbury, same-sex marriage, Paul Rudd, Nathan Lane, human rights in Iran -- and finally getting a casting director academy award category!!

    And stay tuned for PART 2. Casting in the 80s, Jeff Bridges and more!

    AUDIO-OGRAPHY
    Find out more about Marcia Ross and Jeff Kaufman’s documentary film work at https://www.floatingworldpictures.com/about-us

    Need some 80s TV Ladies merch?!? Check out our GRAND OPENING SALE.

    CONNECT
    Visit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts and more.
    Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.
    Check out Instagram/80sTVLadies.
    Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON.
    Find more cool podcasts at our host sight, Weirding Way Media.

    BREAKING NEWS
    We just won Best TV & Film podcast at the People’s Choice Podcast Awards!
    Thank you to all who voted and to all our listeners and guests.

    VOTE
    Registration deadlines are coming up! Register or Check your US Election Registration at Vote.org

    Happy 100th Birthday to President Jimmy Carter! Get Susan’s new play about Carter's White House in 1979: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing.
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    58 mins
  • When Women Invented Television | NY Times Bestselling author Jennifer Keishin Armstrong
    Sep 18 2024
    Welcome to Season 3!Sharon and Susan kick off a new season with Jennifer Keishan Armstrong, the New York Times bestselling author of Seinfeldia: How a Show about Nothing Changed Everything, When Women Invented Television, Sex and the City and Us, and Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted. Jennifer writes about entertainment and pop culture for the New York Times Book Review, Fast Company, Vulture, BBC Culture, and Entertainment Weekly. Her latest book So Fetch: The Making of Mean Girls (And Why We're Still So Obsessed with It) was published this year.In this fascinating interview, Jennifer takes us behind the scenes with four different women who, in their own ways, invented television: Irma Phillips, Hazel Scott, Gertrude Berg -- and Betty White. Each of them faced sexism -- and racism -- but triumphed during a time when opportunities for women in television were limited -- but strangely also more open than you may think….THE CONVERSATIONHow The Mary Tyler Moore Show gave a voice to women everywhere when they gave a voice to a host of female TV writers.The Oprah of the 1950’s was… Gertrude Berg?The Beyoncé of the 1940s was... reknowned Black jazz pianist, Hazel Scott.Find out how Scott became the first Black person to host a national primetime television show -- in 1950.The character of Suanne Nivens that Betty White played on The Mary Tyler Moore Show was based on a woman who did a LIVE Homemaking Show played by… Betty White!Irma Phillips was asked to make something that would appeal to women -- so she invented the Soap Opera.Phillips created As The World Turns -- AND the longest running show of all time, The Guiding Light.Gertrude Berg’s ground-breaking sitcom about a Jewish family -- The Goldbergs -- was so successful that it was considered to be the lead-in for a new, untested show that might need some help -- I Love Lucy.Why was 1955 the death knell of women working in television -- both in front of AND behind the camera?According to network executives in 1969, what were the THREE THINGS Americans didn’t want to see on television?How The Mary Tyler Moore Show made Ed Asner a feminist.So join Susan and Sharon -- and Jennifer -- as they talk “fat farms”, Mean Girls, the Black List, Seinfeld, Tina Fey, Shonda Rhimes, Father Knows Best -- and “On Wednesdays we wear pink”!AUDIO-OGRAPHYFind Jennifer Keishan Armstrong at her website, jenniferkarmstrong.com.Buy The Women Who Invented Television (and all Jennifer’s books) at Bookshop.org.Find Jennifer on Instagram.Find Women Who Invented Television at YouTube:Watch The Betty White Show (1954)Watch Betty White in her sitcom, Life with Elizabeth.Learn more about Hazel Scott.The Goldbergs with Gertrude Berg, Episode: “A Sad Day”Check out an Irma Phillips episode of The Guiding Light (1952). CONNECTVisit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON. VOTEWe're NOMINATED for Best Film & TV Podcast.Please VOTE for 80s TV Ladies at Women in Podcasting Awards.REMEMBER: Register or Check your US Election Registration at Vote.orgThis year is the 45th anniversary of President Carter's Crisis of Confidence speech. Get Susan’s new play about it: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing.
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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • SNEAK PEEK: Susan and Sharon Spill Secrets for Season 3
    Sep 4 2024
    In this special bonus episode, Susan, Sharon and Melissa spill a few secrets about our upcoming season and fun guests coming soon to 80s TV Ladies. Can you guess what female-driven television shows from the 1980s we’ll be covering in our upcoming season?

    THE CONVERSATION
    • Do we know what we did this summer? How was your summer?
    • What is that feeling in the air? Is it hope?!! Are you ready to Vote?
    • Does Melissa even want to talk about her summer?
    • Okay, for real: what shows are we gonna cover in Season THREE?!
    • Can you guess the shows?
      • The Vickie Lawrence-starring, Carol Burnett Show spin-off sitcom, Mama’s Family.
      • You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have… The Facts of Life.
      • Yes! And finally yes: The Golden Girls!
    • What are the recurring themes we are discovering through Season 1 and 2 interviews?
    • Yes, there will be more special series guests this season: More Director Ladies, Star Trek Ladies, Stunt Ladies and more surprises!
    So join us as we spill Season Three secrets about what guests we will for sure be talking to: like Mama’s Family’s Dorothy Lyman and Eric Brown, women in television expert and pop-culture author, Jennifer Keishan Armstrong. And can you guess who will be our very special guest from The Golden Girls?

    AUDIO-OGRAPHY
    Read about our first guest for Season 3: Jennifer Keishan Armstrong at jenniferkarmstrong.com
    Get info on Jennifer’s books and prep for episode 301:
    • Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted: And all the Brilliant Minds Who Made The Mary Tyler Moore Show a Classic at Jennifer's website.
    • When Women Invented Television by Jennifer Keishan Armstrong at Bookshop. At Barnes & Noble. At Amazon.
    CONNECT
    Visit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.
    Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.
    Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON.

    VOTE
    We're NOMINATED for Best Entertainment Podcast. Please VOTE for 80s TV Ladies in the Entertainment category at Women in Podcasting Awards.

    REMEMBER: Register or Check your US Election Registration at Vote.org
    This year is the 45th anniversary of President Carter's Crisis of Confidence speech. Get Susan’s new play about it: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing.
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    39 mins
  • ENCORE: Revisit Stephanie Zimbalist Talks Remington Steele, Part 2
    Aug 28 2024
    BONUS: Check out this exciting encore episode from Season 1: Part TWO of our interview with true show business icon and classic 8os TV Lady -- “Remington Steele’s” one-and-only Laura Holt -- Stephanie Zimbalist.

    In a career spanning six decades, Stephanie has performed on stage and screen with everyone: Alec Baldwin, Walter Matthau, Jessica Tandy, Anthony Hopkins, John Goodman, Patricia Neal, Alfred Molina, Tommy Tune, Jimmy Stewart AND her own father, the legendary Efrem Zimbalist Jr.


    Steele Talking: Susan and Sharon continue their interview with the award-winning stage, TV and film actress…

    THE CONVERSATION

    - Working with her real-life dad – showbiz legend Efrem Zimbalist Jr – How he became a father figure for co-star Pierce Brosnan. (And how he taught Stephanie the secret to “playing drunk”…!)
    - Her decades-long friendship with Alec Baldwin.
    - When James Stewart was almost on Remington!
    - The Amazing Remington Steele Guest Stars, including…
    - Paul Reiser – and how Pierce broke up every time he said a line.
    - Louie Anderson – and that horse…
    - And Beverly Garland – Laura’s mom! (Wait -- were Laura Holt and Amanda King sisters??)

    - How she was cast in – but had to quit – ROBOCOP.
    - Why she has never gone back to rewatch “Remington Steele.”
    - Why “the blood isn’t real on “Remington Steele” -- and how humor on TV has changed…
    - How curiosity leads to love.
    - New York, noodles – and a “rude awakening” in the theater…

    Listen in as Susan, Sharon and Stephanie talk “Moonlighting”, memories and Mary Tyler Moore!

    AUDIO-OGRAPHY
    Stephanie Zimbalist on Facebook/StephanieZimbalistFanPage.
    Steele Watching Podcast w/ Kerry Carlock.

    CONNECT
    Visit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.
    Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.
    Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON.

    VOTE
    We're NOMINATED for Best Film & TV Podcast.
    Please VOTE for 80s TV Ladies at Women in Podcasting Awards.
    Register or Check your Registration at Vote.org

    This is the 45th anniversary of President Carter's Crisis of Confidence speech. Get Susan’s new play about it: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing.
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    1 hr and 7 mins
  • ENCORE: Revisit Stephanie Zimbalist Talks Remington Steele, Part 1
    Aug 14 2024
    It's more Summer Reruns. Check out this cool encore episode from Season 1:
    Susan and Sharon sit down with a true show business icon and classic 8os TV Lady -- “Remington Steele’s” one-and-only Laura Holt -- Stephanie Zimbalist.

    In a career spanning six decades, Stephanie has performed on stage and screen with everyone: Alec Baldwin, Walter Matthau, Jessica Tandy, Anthony Hopkins, John Goodman, Patricia Neal, Alfred Molina, Tommy Tune, Jimmy Stewart AND her own father, the legendary Efrem Zimbalist Jr.

    THE CONVERSATION

    • Growing up Zimbalist: what it’s like to be born into a true show business dynasty.
    • How Stephanie started writing, directing and producing – at the age of seven.
    • How she attended Julliard with friends and classmates Robin Williams and Christopher Reeve -- and then got kicked out!
    • Winning – or not winning – an “Enema” (oh wait -- “Emmy”)
    • A Life in the Theater: performing award-winning roles in classic plays by Shakespeare, Chekhov, Tennessee Williams and more.
    • The gift of making “big choices” on stage – and screen. And the pleasure of refining and reinventing a performance over a long run.
    • Playing Katherine Hepburn in “Tea at Five” – and how she discovered they’re cousins!
    • Turning down the role of Laura Holt three times before finally taking it on.
    • “Backwards and in High Heels” – on water skis! Stephanie takes us through doing her own stunts on “Remington Steele” -- and working with legendary stuntwoman Debbie Evans.
    Join Susan and Sharon (and Stephanie) as we talk fame, fedoras – and wet-biking in France with Pierce. PLUS -- MORE listener mail!!

    AUDIO-OGRAPHY

    Stephanie Zimbalist on Facebook/StephanieZimbalistFanPage.
    Steele Watching Podcast w/ Kerry Carlock.
    Native Land Digital at Native-Land.ca
    Read about Land Acknowledgment at LAist.

    CONNECT
    Visit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.
    Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.
    Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON.

    VOTE
    We're NOMINATED for Best Film & TV Podcast. Please VOTE for 80s TV Ladies at Women in Podcasting Awards.
    Suppport Kamala Harris for President - KamalaHarris.com
    Register or Check your Registration at Vote.org

    This is the 45th anniversary of President Carter's Crisis of Confidence speech. Get Susan’s new play about it: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing.
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • ENCORE: Revisit Cagney & Lacey with Tyne Daly
    Jul 31 2024
    Encore! Encore! For the summer break, Sharon and Susan take you back to the 80s with reruns, and back to Season 1 with a very special encore presentation of Ep. 119. Meet the woman behind Mary Beth Lacey. Sharon and Susan are excited and honored to talk with Emmy and Tony Award winning actress and the star of Cagney & Lacey, Tyne Daly. In a career spanning eight decades, Tyne Daly has appeared on stage and screen in over 100 roles in everything from “The Mod Squad” and “Judging Amy” to co-starring with Clint Eastwood in the Dirty Harry film “The Enforcer”.She has received six Emmy awards – four of them for her outstanding portrayal of Mary Beth Lacey on “Cagney & Lacey.” In this intimate interview, Tyne Daly shares stories of her childhood, barely finishing high school, her early days acting in New York, her eventual move to Los Angeles with then-husband actor/director Georg Stanford Brown -- and a lifetime of acting, politics and poetry.THE CONVERSATIONHow Dustin Hoffman opened the door for “non-perfect” people on film and TV.Coming to California -- and being “done at 21”!How the internet is the death of conversation.The power of words. Doing her early pilots – and hoping they didn’t go!“I Did My Cop” - How Dirty Harry almost kept Tyne from doing “Cagney & Lacey”How Tyne went to the mat for Meg Foster at the end of season one – and almost lost her job for it.What it was like to read with the (many) actresses auditioning to play the third Cagney – and how it felt to hear what the producers said about them when they left the room.Why Tyne hasn’t re-watched the show – and doesn’t want to.Tyne’s idea for a new holiday: Interdependence Day – a day celebrating everything we have in common as a people.Tyne reads the poem “Life While You Wait” by Wisława SzymborskaHow after a lifetime of striving and struggling – as an actress and woman – Tyne sees that certain battles are never over…What's Tyne's one word to explain the 21st century? And what's yours?So join Susan, Sharon – and Tyne -- as they talk Bette Davis, Angela Lansbury, Jimmy Stewart, “Colleagues with penises” and “Lining up with the pigs”!AUDIOGRAPHYKeep up with Tyne Daly at Tynedalyonline.com Visit the Official Cagney & Lacey Facebook page.Tyne Daly’s Official Facebook page.WHERE TO WATCHCagney & Lacey on Roku.The Bread Factory, Part 1 and Part 2 - Stream it for free using your library card or university log-in at Kanopy.comOn Apple TV.BOOKSRemembering Cagney & Lacey with Sharon Gless & Tyne Daly by Brian McFaddenPoems New and Collected by Wisława SzymborskaThe New Handbook for a Post Roe America by Robin MartyCONNECTVisit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON.VOTEVOTE for us at the PodcastAwards.com Suppport Kamala Harris for President - KamalaHarris.comRegister or Check your Registration at Vote.orgIt's the 45th anniversary of President Carter's Crisis of Confidence speech. Get Susan’s new play about it: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing.
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    1 hr and 18 mins