Rarified Heir Podcast

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Rarified Heir Podcast #80 : Jessica Pinfield (Matt Pinfield) May 31, 2022

Show notes

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast we are talking to actress Jessica Pinfield, daughter of VJ, DJ, personality & record executive Matt Pinfield. When we booked Jessica for this episode, we had lots of questions that may have seemed superfluous. What we got was anything but.

Jessica was incredibly open and honest about her father, her mother and her family in ways we simply did not anticipate. What we thought might be an interview about what it was like hosting MTV's 120 Minutes or USA Network's Farmclub.com became a much deeper dive into addiction, parenting, therapy, Covid and even murder. Jessica spoke her truth about things we rarely talk about in person, let alone a podcast. Yes we talk about what it was like hanging out with dad when he was trading in records at the Princeton Record Exchange and answering phones at WHTG in New Jersey as well as hearing her story about growing up in a household not feeling love from either parent.

Thankfully, a lot of growth has taken place over the years and dad and daughter are living together now, mending fences and connecting in ways it would be hard to imagine they could even a few short years ago. So if you think this episode is about the 'wild and wacky days of MTV's golden years' this isn't the podcast for you. It's a brutally honest episode that frankly, we didn't see coming. It's next, on the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Rarified Heir Podcast #79 : Dave Jenkins & Jordan Summers (Paul Jenkins & Yale Summers) May 24, 2022

Show notes

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are trying something new. That's right, not one but two guests. Yes, we've had more than one guest on at a time but so far that's been siblings only. Today, we have two previous guests on the podcast talking about the genesis of what drove them to become musicians yet both come from a familial acting background.

Our returning champions are Jordan Summers, son of Yale Summers and Dave Jenkins, son of actor Paul Jenkins. Both grew up with parents who did a ton of television. Yale Summers starred in the hit series Daktari & had guest starring roles on The Outer Limits, McMillan and Wife and General Hospital among many others. Paul Jenkins was on The Waltons, Dynastyand Night Gallery and perhaps 200 more. So we posed the question: why did they choose music and not acting? The answer was fairly surprising. It was filmmaking and technology that led them from making Super-8 movies which led them to music.

We hear great stories about how a high school band can go from three years of rehearsing to playing their first gig at the world Famous Troubadour with a homemade demo cassette handed out directly to the venue as their calling card. We hear about how Jordan Zevon's grandmother would try and cut the bands cables after rehearsal to 'cut down that racket." We hear about the time Herbie Hancock showed up at an early gig. And then there was the time TV theme song guru Mike Post managed their band. What, that never happened to you?

We also hear about jam sessions at The Kibbitz Room with Rick James and Chrissie Hynde, of an all-star high school jazz band with Brian McKnight, superstar producer/musician Greg Kurstin and members of Buckcherry, The Wallflowers and more and long gone LA music venues like: FM Station, 14 Below, Luna Park, The Alligator Lounge and The Central. We're keeping time on this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story. Take a listen.

Rarified Heir Podcast #78 : Tony Cobb Encore (Lee J. Cobb) May 17, 2022

Show notes

Today we bring you yet-another encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast as we talk to Tony Cobb, son of acting great Lee J. Cobb. Tony was a great guest, full of stories and also doing a great impression of his dad that still has us laughing today. We talk about the storied career of a man who was known best for his stage and screen persona, Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman as well as his roles in classic films of all genres, including The Exorcistin the 1970s, In Like Flint in the 1960s and On The Waterfront in the 1950s.

We also touch an uncomfortable subject that we broached in an earlier encore episode, The Blacklist. And while it's absolutely true that Lee J. Cobb in fact, named names during a terrible period in US History during Senator Joseph McCarthy's HUAC witch hunts, it was truly edifying to hear Tony's side of things. Tony was able to crystalize the stress and the heartache of this time period, about the pressure and the stress his father was put under to give the government what they wanted. It's a horrific story about wire-tapping, passports being confiscated, not being allowed to work as an actor and being tailed by the FBI. And that's just the beginning. You'll have to hear Tony's story and for us, that's when we began to see that not everything is so black and white when taken at face value.

Thankfully, we get to hear great stories about how Cobb was an obsessive tinkerer in their San Fernando Valley house, but that he was very much a model kit maker and practical joker. We hear how Tony's sister dated a young actor who went on to star in American Graffiti prior to his Academy Award and how his dad's booming voice was both a source of teasing and worry to the adolescent Tony. And lastly, we hear what was one of Tony's best memories of his dad? Seeing a film at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood with his dad and their rolling out of the red carpet when they realized one of paying customers was Lee J. Cobb. It's all next, on this encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast.

Rarified Heir Podcast #77 : Dave Jenkins Encore (Paul Jenkins) May 10, 2022

Show notes

Today on another encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we bring you our conversation with Dave Jenkins whose father was character actor Paul Jenkins, his mother is famed casting director Jane Jenkins and his stepmother, actress Sally Kemp.

We hear all about growing up the son of Paul Jenkins who starred in more than 40 TV roles – from shows like Mannix to MASH. We learn about the ups and downs of trying to be a working actor in Hollywood and all that comes along with it. From Philly to LA, it was a grind but it was a what a person does to live out their dream to be an actor. Sally Kemp mines much of the same territory here – with roles on Bonanza to Bosom Buddies – for the classically trained actress. Again, we hear first hand accounts of perseverance, dedication to their craft and their dream.

For mom Jane Jenkins, her route to Hollywood from the East Coast brought her to the doorstep to some of the biggest films and A-List directors in the Easy Riders and Raging Bulls era and beyond. She worked for Rob Reiner and Francis Ford Coppola while casting the likes of Michelle Pfeiffer, River Phoenix and Michael Keaton in some of their earliest films, if not their first role ever. So take a listen, set your internal clock back a little bit and take a listen to Dave Jenkins on the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Rarified Heir Podcast #76 : Joe Gilford Encore (Jack Gilford) May 03, 2022

Show notes

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we bring you an encore edition with guest Joe Gilford, son of the great Jack Gilford. While most of you will remember Jack best from his role in the Ron Howard film Cocoon, there was a rich and varied career acting career that frankly almost wasn't. You see, Jack was blacklisted and was only able to work on stage and not in film or television for years. Joe's recollections of how the red scare, Joseph McCarthy and HUAC was frankly some of the most vivid and compelling first-hand accounts we've ever heard. Even to hear the word "Fink" aka someone who named names and also testified against others in Congress was eye opening. It's a real lesson of the devastation brought about by the U.S. Government's plan to root out communists on the backs of countless writers, actors, directors, producers in show business in the 1950s.

Thankfully, there are many laughs too as Jack Gilford was a funny, funny guy. Joe gives us a great window into what it was like growing up as Jack's son and we hear stories about everyone from Zero Mostel and Josh's mom Edie Adams to Cracker Jack's and the explosive producer Joel Silver. We also hear antidotes about being a working actor in New York in The 60s and 70s – from never waking your dad up while napping to never being able to see a Walt Disney film for reasons mentioned above. It's a fascinating listen. Another child of a celebrity interviewed by the child of a celebrity. Everyone has a story. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast.

Rarified Heir Podcast #75 : Chris Lemmon Encore (Jack Lemmon) Apr 26, 2022

Show notes

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we present to you an encore episode with guest Chris Lemmon, son of Jack Lemmon. Chris spoke with us last year in the midst of Covid and was holed up as his home on the East Coast due to a pretty intense compromised immunity which he speaks about at length. In addition to his health, we speak to Chris about what it was like growing up Lemmon, the son of one of America's greatest actors and why he chose to go into acting as well.

We further talked to Chris about some familial bonds as well – his father and Josh's mother Edie Adams were close friends beginning in the 1950s when Jack and Edie's first husband Ernie Kovacs starred in several films together. They were not only co-stars but fast friends. We talk about a trip to Venice Italy in 1984 that Chris and Josh attended where hotel guests included Hollywood super-agent, Sue Mengers, Gore Vidal and Christopher Walken, who was shooting the James Bond film "A View To A Kill" as villain Max Zorin. There were dinners, conversation and drinks at Harry's Bar all week that was both strangely normal and surreal.

It was a great conversation with Chris and a fun catch-up to have him on the podcast. So take a listen as this is the Rarified Heir Podcast encore episode with Chris Lemmon. Everyone has a story.

Bonus Episode : Ben Model & Josh Mills on the passing of Gilbert Gottfried Apr 21, 2022

Show notes

Today we bring you a first on the Rarified Heir Podcast, a bonus episode in tribute to Gilbert Gottfried and the Gilbert Gottfried Amazing Colossal Podcast. Our guest today is not a child of a celebrity but Ben Model is the archivist to the Ernie Kovacs and Edie Adams archive which is run by our host Josh Mills. In 2019, Ben and Josh were guests on the Gilbert Gottfried Amazing Colossal Podcast to celebrate the Centennial of Ernie Kovacs.

Truly shocked and saddened by Gilbert's passing last week, Ben and Josh wanted to share some stories about how terrific their time was on the Gilbert Gottfried Amazing Colossal Podcast and how warm, funny and truly insane Gilbert and co-host Frank Santopadre were n he best possible ways. Clearly not celebrities, Frank took a chance on having Ben and Josh on as guests because he knew Kovacs was an important comedy figure and perhaps they should take a chance to talk about Kovacs to listeners who maybe knew about him but perhaps not enough. Somehow by taking that chance, the episode in question became an odd mix of silent film accompaniment, risqué stories about Josh's mom that Gilbert loved and by both accounts, a moment that happens all too rare in life – a genuine connection.

Basically, this bonus episode is a tribute to Gilbert Gottfried and also a huge thank you to Frank Santopadre & unofficial podcast booker Gino Salamone for taking a chance on two nobodies who just thought it would be a fun idea. We miss you Gilbert. We are sorry there wont be a second chance to connect but we know you are cursing out Walter Brennan in heaven and that makes us smile. We'll miss you Gil.

Rarified Heir Podcast Episode #74 : Jim Meskimen (Marion Ross) Apr 19, 2022

Show notes

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Jim Meskimen, an actor, impressionist, comedian and oh so much more, who happens to the son of Mrs. C. That's right, he's the son of Happy Days' Marion Cunningham aka Marion Ross. Hailing from Albert Lee, Minneapolis, Marion Ross was drawn to acting at an early age. She even changed her name before high school because she thought it would read better on a theater marquee. In fact, her first love was indeed theater – which she did before, during and after her most famous role as America's mom. But it was television that made her a household name. In a career that spans more than 60 years, Marion Ross is still occasionally does voice overs at ninety -f'ing three years old. Her words, not ours.

It was great to learn from Jim about how a head of household, who happened to be a divorced mother of two was able to make it after quite a few years of struggle in show business. It was purely by chance that she took a bit part in Airport, the 1970 disaster movie, that led to a chance meeting with the head of casting for Happy Days. And although Tom Bosley wasn't particularly nice as Mr. Cunningham (which you can read all about in her autobiography My Days: Happy and Otherwise), a decade-long run on a hit television series was an ideal way to make a living doing what she loved.

It's a pleasure to talk to Jim about his mother as well as discussing his own career that launched a successful YouTube channel, iconic commercials playing Colonel Sanders for KFC and Geiko as well as starring in an upcoming Starz production called Gaslight with Julia Roberts and Sean Penn. We talk about his stints on America's Got Talent as well as stories about Rich Little, Phylis Diller and Clark Gable. It's all next on the Rarified Heir Podcast.

Rarified Heir Podcast Episode #73: Charlie Matthau (Walter Matthau) Apr 12, 2022

Show notes

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast we are talking to Charlie Matthau, son of acting great Walter Matthau and Carol Matthau. It's been a while since we've seen Charlie. You see, the connections run deep on this episode. Because our host Josh Mills mother, Edie Adams was close to Jack Lemmon, via the film The Apartment and Jack and Ernie Kovacs friendship on films like Operation Mad Ball, It Happened To Jane, Bell Book and Candle in the 1950s there was a familial bond. Cut to the 1970s and each Christmas, Edie and family would attend Jack Lemmon's Christmas party at his house which of course, always included the Matthau's. Additionally, all the families gathered on Broad Beach Road in Malibu each Summer which further cemented their friendship.

There was much to talk about including conversations about The Fortune Cookie, Truman Capote, Howard Hughes, Micky and Nicky, Don Siegel, The Bad News Bears, Charly Varick, Billy Wilder, Vic Morrow, The Grass Harp, the Mormon Church, 1920: The Year of the Six Presidents, Jimmy Stewart and much more. Furthermore, we discuss how Charlie's mom – then known as Carol Grace - was the basis of the Holly Golightly character in Breakfast at Tiffany's played by Audrey Hepburn, how Walter Matthau once hosted the Oscars with an earpiece listening to a ballgame, how Walter got hired for a role for being 'British.' Carol's much loved novella A Secret in the Daisy, Walter's middle name (cough) and much more. It was great to go down memory lane with Charlie on the latest episode of The Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story. Take a listen.

Rarified Heir Podcast Episode #72: Andy Marx Encore (Groucho Marx, Gus Kahn) Apr 05, 2022

Show notes

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are airing an encore episode of our conversation with Andy Marx, who has not one but two well known grandparents. Yes, you heard that right. Andy is our only guest so far who is the grandchild of a celebrity. One grandfather, as you might have guessed from his last name was indeed Groucho Marx, of, who else, Marx Brothers. What's more, his other grandfather was songwriter Gus Kahn who wrote standards as "It Had To Be You", "Dream a Little Dream of Me, "Makin' Whoopie" and many more. Gus was so famous, Andy heard from none other than George Harrison that Gus was one of his favorite songwriters.

We talk to Andy about everything from spending time with grampa Groucho at his Beverly Hills house in the late 70s and helping him preserve a truck full of "You Bet Your Life" episode that might have been tossed had it not been for Andy's insistence they stay. We also talk about a wide ranging number of celebrities such as Elton John, Jack Nicholson, Ron Wood and Marcel Marceau who all inhabited the Marx orbit. We even get into the wild and the wacky Erin Fleming who was Groucho's companion for the last years of his life. So say the secret word and stick around…it's all next on the Rarified Heir Podcast.

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