Rarified Heir Podcast

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Episode #160: Donavan Freberg (Stan Freberg) Dec 12, 2023

Show notes

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.

Episode #159: Pamela Dillman (Bradford Dillman, Suzy Parker) Dec 05, 2023

Show notes

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.

Episode # 158: Lili Haydn (Lotus Weinstock, David Jove) (Part Two) Nov 28, 2023

Show notes

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.

Episode #157: Lilli Haydn (Lotus Weinstock, David Jove) (Part One) Nov 21, 2023

Show notes

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.

Episode# 156: Dinah Manoff (Lee Grant) Nov 14, 2023

Show notes

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.

Episode # 155: Rain Pryor (Richard Pryor) Nov 07, 2023

Show notes

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.

Episode # 154: Janine Taninbaum, Michael Ritz (Harry Ritz) (Part Two) Oct 31, 2023

Show notes

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.

Episode #153: Janine Taninbaum & Michael Ritz (Harry Ritz) (Part One) Oct 24, 2023

Show notes

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!

Episode # 152: Larry Straus (Charlotte Rae) Oct 17, 2023

Show notes

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.

Episode # 151: Anne Marie Snyder (Tom Snyder) Oct 10, 2023

Show notes

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.

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