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Trick or treat! The 80s TV Ladies count down their top seven Halloween and spooky episodes of 80s TV, from Elvira to Facts of Life to Roseanne, and judge each one a trick or a treat. Happy Halloween!
“In a haunted house, the scariest thing is usually someone telling you that you’re imagining it.”
– Susan Lambert Hatem

Welcome to 80s TV Ladies, where we love to grab a blanket and some hot chocolate and watch scary shows peeking through our fingers! In Season 4, Episode 25, our 110th episode, hosts Susan Lambert Hatem and Sharon Johnson and producer Melissa Roth hand out full-size candy bars. Way back in Season 1, we tacked a fun-size Halloween list onto the end of our Robin Bernheim interview. This time, it’s the good stuff.

The rules are simple: the episode must be female-driven, it must be from the 1980s, and it must be spooky, silly, or both. Susan, Sharon and Melissa judge every pick a Trick or a Treat as they go chronologically, so you can watch the decade get spookier, then sillier, then really, really weird. Along the way, they share Halloween candy scares of the 70s and 80s, their own Halloween plans, and the scary movies and commercials that traumatized them as kids. Plus, Melissa has a spooky mystery for YOU to solve!

THE CONVERSATION

- Elvira’s Movie Macabre (1981): The Queen of Halloween herself! Cassandra Peterson’s campy horror host took the show national, built a whole brand, co-wrote the 1988 movie Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, and still owns the character. The ladies also discuss her 2021 New York Times bestselling memoir, Yours Cruelly, Elvira.
- Laverne & Shirley, “Ghost Story” (1983): Time for a confession: it’s a ghost story, not a Halloween story, and the ladies own up to putting it on their Season 1 list. Plus, Penny Marshall’s Hollywood history behind the camera as the director of Big, and why this episode is the lone Trick.
- The Facts of Life, “The Halloween Show” (1983): Edna’s Edibles, a vanishing customer, a butcher strike, and a very big knife. It’s The Facts of Life meets Sweeney Todd, with Charlotte Rae having a blast and a shout-out to director Asaad Kelada, our Season 3 guest.
- Punky Brewster, “The Perils of Punky” (1985): The two-part spooky cave adventure that traumatized a generation, plus the animated spinoff where Glomer turns everyone into pumpkins. A Treat with a warning: watch it before you show it to a child!
- Murder, She Wrote, “Reflections of the Mind” (1985): Jessica Fletcher, Angela Lansbury and a haunted mansion. It aired the Sunday after Halloween, so call it a Halloween hangover, and it’s a story about gaslighting and women believing women. Plus a shout-out to our Murder, She Wrote costumer guest, Eilish Zebrasky, and her “cuppa” stories with Ms. Lansbury.
- Kate & Allie, “Halloween II” (1986): Two divorced best friends and their kids go to war in a Halloween prank battle between the generations. Why is it called Halloween II when there is no Halloween I? And how did it help start a TV tradition that runs all the way to Roseanne and Brooklyn Nine-Nine?
- Roseanne, “Boo!” (1989): The Conners turn their house into a haunted tunnel of terror in a blood-and-gore battle of the sexes that kicked off the show’s annual Halloween tradition.
- Honorable Mentions: Hunter (Season 2, Episode 5), The Golden Girls’ “Nothing to Fear But Fear Itself” (Season 3, Episode 5), and Designing Women’s “Charlene Buys a House” (1990), a haunted house that is technically the 90s, but the rules are for ghosts, not live human beings doing podcasts about old television shows.
- Halloween Plans & Spooky Confessions: Susan’s first Halloween in the new house, Sharon’s plans for a very un-spooky evening, and Melissa’s candy-stealing reputation. Plus, the childhood scares: the Magic commercial, Count Yorga, Vampire, and the Nightmare on Elm Street phone call to Mom. And can you name the 70s movie with Sasquatch and a man covered in bees? Melissa needs to know!

NEXT EPISODE TEASER
The ladies are back with a new special feature! We’re starting 80s TV Movie Ladies - a look at the groundbreaking, heartbreaking and titilating 1980s, women-led, television movies and miniseries. Kicking it off with a little remembered gem, Stone Pillow (1985) starring Lucielle Ball and Daphne Zuniga! Subscribe now so you don’t miss it!

📦 AUDIOGRAPHY & RECOMMENDED WATCHING

- Elvira’s Movie Macabre: Watch on the Shout Studios TV channel onhttps://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Elvira%27s+Movie+Macabre+Shout+Studios+TV. 
- Laverne & Shirley, “Ghost Story”: Not on YouTube, but the episode is on https://pluto.tv/.
- The Facts of Life, “The Halloween Show”: Watch on https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=The+Facts+of+Life+The+Halloween+Show.
- Punky Brewster, “The Perils of Punky”: Find it onhttps://tv.apple.com/us/episode/the-perils-of-punky-pt-1/umc.cmc.76v1ncz1l13t9r3a3nw7cch26 orhttps://www.primevideo.com/detail/0PZNE7PSYN422ITBYIQC2LDTEDor https://www.peacocktv.com/watch-online/tv/punky-brewster/6539541549324649112/seasons/2/episodes/perils-of-punky-part-1-episode-6/791006dc-cd0a-3671-b288-65ad86ab50a0. The full episode isn’t on YouTube, but clips are.
- Murder, She Wrote, “Reflections of the Mind”: Find it on Philo,https://www.primevideo.com/detail/0NE7Z4M5658UP0LX0UN9JD9JIM, or buy it on https://tv.apple.com/us/episode/reflections-of-the-mind/umc.cmc.3aqh4raz4cm01je369rc11ysb. Or buy it onhttps://www.youtube.com/show/SCYoovpVRRQhbvB1_57b1XMg?season=2&sbp=CgEyGkkKGFVDdF91YXFRQzFXU2J4X2lnY29ubE5KZyItY25jbDoxMGYtNjcwMDA0MTgtMDAwMC0yZTVhLThjM2YtNTgyNDI5YmI4NGE0.
- Kate & Allie, “Halloween II” (Season 4, Episode 6): Watch on https://www.primevideo.com/detail/0FRO6Z3O86YFR4GVCJUYM1CKCI, https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Kate+and+Allie+Halloween+II, or https://therokuchannel.roku.com/details/4ede45c1404c5b2fa5fc5d477270f5d6/kate-and-allie-s4-e6-halloween-ii. 
- Roseanne, “Boo!” (Season 2, Episode 7): Stream on https://www.peacocktv.com/watch-online/tv/roseanne/6195887206535559112, or buy it on https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCAAB16B2CA92118A.
- Elvira Memoir: Read Cassandra Peterson’s https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/cassandra-peterson/yours-cruelly-elvira/9781549155932/ (also available at https://bookshop.org/p/books/yours-cruelly-elvira-memoirs-of-the-mistress-of-the-dark-cassandra-peterson/1a7f2c234894a006).
- Get Elvira Gear: Shop athttps://elvirasboutique.com/.
- Catch Up on Our Earlier Guests: Hear Asaad Kelada in https://www.80stvladies.com/episode/episode-318-the-facts-of-life-w-director-asaad-kelada-part-1at 80s TV Ladies, and our interview with Murder, She Wrote costumer Eilish Zebrasky, at https://www.80stvladies.com/episode/episode-207-80s-fashion-with-costume-designer-eilish-zebrasky. 

PROTECT THE VOTE
- Election Day is Tuesday, November 3! Check your voter registration at https://www.vote.org/. Make sure you and the young adults in your life are ready to vote. Stay engaged. Let your voice be heard.
- https://indivisible.org/: Visit to get involved in your community? 
- https://www.democracydocket.com/: Learn more about protecting our right to vote.

🌟 COMMUNITY CONNECT
- What are you doing for Halloween? Share your costumes, your favorite spooky 80s TV episodes, and the shows that gave you nightmares as a child! Email us at 80sTVLadies@gmail.com.
- And if you know Melissa’s mystery Sasquatch-and-bees movie, please tell us!
- Discover more great shows at https://weirdingwaymedia.com. 

🌟🛍️ SPECIAL 8TL PROMOTIONS!

• COZY EARTH: Get 21% OFF awesome bamboo sheets and pajamas at CozyEarth.com using promo code: 80STVLADIES.

• TORRAIN BAGS: Get 15% OFF recycled bags perfect for travel and work with promo code: 80sTVLadies.
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The 90s TV Babies take on the 1975 - 1984 One Day at a Time! Sailor and Spenser react to Ann Romano’s single-mom independence, teen sex talks, workplace harassment, proto-Kramer Schneider, and whether this Norman Lear classic is truly feminist.

“The 80s were a time of great change... There wasn’t the internet, there wasn’t TikTok, there wasn’t YouTube. There was television, and television was how new ideas got spread around.” – Susan Lambert Hatem

Welcome to 80s TV Ladies, where we look back in order to leap forward! This week, one of our very favorite segments is back: The 90s TV Babies Take on 70s and 80s TV! Hosts Susan Lambert Hatem and Sharon Johnson hand a 1975 - 1984 sitcom to two fresh-faced viewers who have never seen it, and then sit back to hear what lands, what shocks, and what still feels radical today.

Our subject is the groundbreaking Norman Lear-produced sitcom One Day at a Time (1975–1984), created by Whitney Blake and Allan Manings. Bonnie Franklin stars as newly divorced Ann Romano, who moves to Indianapolis with her teenage daughters Julie (Mackenzie Phillips) and Barbara (Valerie Bertinelli), with plenty of unsolicited “help” from tool-belt-wearing building superintendent Dwayne Schneider (Pat Harrington Jr.).

Returning 90s TV Baby Sailor and brand-new panelist Spenser Gerber Hatem (Susan’s stepson!) watched a hand-picked list of episodes and are now reporting back on single motherhood, teen sexuality, workplace harassment, disability representation, and the world’s most creepy (and eventually course-corrected) building super. Along the way, our Hoosier baby geeks out over Indiana shout-outs, everyone debates whether the show is feminist or merely progressive, and we all learn why you should never trust a man who announces he’s going to win back his ex… and then just sits there.

THE CONVERSATION

• The Assignment: The episodes our babies watched: Ann’s Decision (S1E1), All the Way (S1E8), Father David (S1E13), Ann’s Out of Town Client (S3E5), Schneider’s Helper (S4E5), Yes Sir, That’s My Baby (S4E6), plus extra credit episodes: The Runaways (S2E1), Schneider’s Pride and Joy (S2E9, with a pre-Star Wars Mark Hamill), The Older Man (S3E1), Miracle of Birth (S8E8–9), and the bonus-bonus Indianapolis Story (S6E21). Bonus clip: Julie and Barbara spoofing Elton John and Kiki Dee’s “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart.”
•  Meet the Babies: Sailor and Spenser introduce themselves, plus Susan on how Smokey and the Bandit and the 1970s CB radio craze led straight to Schneider’s “Super Stud” handle.
• A Hoosier Reacts: Kokomo, Logansport, Fort Wayne, and a lawnmower CEO who says “Terry Hot” (it’s Terre Haute, and Sailor will defend it!), plus driving I-65 from the couch. Sharon shares the Lyft driver who waxed poetic about the Indianapolis sitcom, and the ladies explain why a show set in Indiana was filmed in Hollywood.
•  Wait, There Was a Reboot? The 2017–2020 One Day at a Time reboot starring Justina Machado and Rita Moreno with a Latina cast, and why neither baby knew it existed.
• First Impressions: The very 70s live studio audience, the fabulous costumes and bell bottoms, Julie’s sharp wit, Bonnie Franklin’s ever-present smile, and why they had to remind themselves that this was “the blueprint” of a sitcom, not a parody of one.
• David the Lawyer & the Age Gap: Ann’s younger boyfriend (who was also her divorce lawyer!), why he’s the nicest man on the show by a mile, and why actor Richard Masur left the show early in season two.
•  Schneider’s Evolution: From creepy boundary-pusher (aka stalker?) in the early seasons to beloved goofball with a heart. The ladies and babies agree he’s a proto-Kramer, and Susan reminds us: no Schneider, no Kramer.
• Ann Romano’s Feminism: One of TV’s first leading divorced moms, a woman who kept her last name in 1975, and Susan’s personal story of seeing her own divorced mom and two daughters reflected on screen in Georgia circa 1977.
• How TV Reflected (and Led) Culture: Divorce, single parenting, and women in the workforce were changing American life, and television was the way new ideas spread. Sailor connects it to the kids she works with today.
• Teen Sex, Consent & Saying No: All the Way Julie’s getting pressured by boyfriend Chuck. The Babies on the great sex talk Ann gave her girls, why it’s frustrating that it takes David to get through to Chuck, and why Julie’s final “no” is the right message.
• Workplace Harassment, with Laughs: Ann’s Out of Town Client and how a very funny episode delivered a serious message. Ann wins by standing up for her value, though the group debates how realistic that ending was in 1977.
• Disability, Language & Representation: Schneider’s Helper and Jackie’s powerful line about never being allowed to try, plus the group’s honest take on outdated language and what the show missed on race.
• Lightning Round: Favorite characters, which character each baby is most like, favorite scenes (hello, beer bucket brigade!), and Sailor’s most-disappointing-episode rant about Indianapolis Story.
• Why So Many Cast Changes? Characters who come and go, Mackenzie Phillips’s absences during her struggles with addiction, and a series that spans nine seasons and a Carter-to-Reagan transition.
• Sibling Rivalry Done Right: Barbara and Julie’s fighting-while-helping dynamic, and why the sisters felt true to life even for both Babies who grew up without sisters!
• Last Thoughts: The hair, the applauding live audience that left Spenser confused, one very persistent audience cougher, and Sharon and Susan on why Norman Lear’s “very special episode” approach was a signature of his shows, not every 70s and 80s sitcom.

NEXT EPISODE TEASER
Don’t miss our next episode, when the ladies are back with our favorite Halloween and spooky episodes of 80s television! Grab your candy, your Punky Brester blanket, and your remote. It’s boooooo-tiful fun.

📦 AUDIOGRAPHY & RECOMMENDED WATCHING

• Watch One Day at a Time (1975–1984): Stream the original series for free on Tubi or purchase episodes on Apple TV and Amazon.
•  Episodes discussed: Ann’s Decision (S1E1), All the Way (S1E8), Father David (S1E13), Ann’s Out of Town Client (S3E5), Schneider’s Helper (S4E5), Yes Sir, That’s My Baby (S4E6), The Runaways (S2E1), Schneider’s Pride and Joy (S2E9), The Older Man (S3E1), Indianapolis Story (S6E21), Miracle of Birth (S8E8–9).
•  Watch “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”: Check out this clip from “Happy New Year” S2, Ep12. Julie and Barbara spoofing Elton John and Kiki Dees. On YouTube.  
• Norman Lear Documentary: Watch Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You (2016) streaming free on Roku or available to purchase on Amazon and Apple.
• Catch Up on Our One Day at a Time Series: Episode 423, One Day at a Time: The Top 10 Most Norman Lear Episodes, and Episode 421, our interview with Maude star Adrienne Barbeau, at   80sTVLadies.com.
• Smokey and the Bandit (1977): The CB radio craze that sparked Schneider’s “Super Stud” handle. Currently FREE on YouTube.

 COMMUNITY CONNECT
Connect with 80s TV Ladies: Join our mailing list, follow 8TL on Instagram (@80sTVLadies), support us on Patreon for ad-free episodes, and discover more great shows on Weirding Way Media!

PROTECT THE VOTE

• Vote.org: Check your voter registration. Make sure you and the young adults in your life are ready to vote. Stay engaged. Let your voice be heard.
• DemocracyDocket.com: Learn more about protecting our right to vote.

🌟 SPECIAL 8TL PROMOTIONS!

• COZY EARTH: Get 21% OFF awesome bamboo sheets and pajamas at CozyEarth.com using promo code: 80STVLADIES.

• TORRAIN BAGS: Get 15% OFF recycled bags perfect for travel and work with promo code: 80sTVLadies.
• All Promo Deals: See all special offers at MyDeals.Page/19wy.

Visit 80sTVLadies.com for more info.

Listen to 80s TV Ladies at YouTube. Subscribe and help us grow.

Don’t miss out. Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list!
Help us make more episodes and get ad-free episodes, video interviews, and exclusive content on PATREON.

Welcome to 80s TV Ladies, where we look back in order to leap forward! With our lovely producer Melissa out having some fun life stuff, hosts Sharon Johnson and Susan Lambert Hatem take the mic to break down the Top 10 Most Norman Lear-ish Episodes of One Day at a Time.

Susan and Sharon explore how TV titan Norman Lear revolutionized the 1970s and 80s sitcom landscape, using One Day at a Time to tackle second-wave feminism, workplace harassment, teen sex, runaway youth, and mental health without losing the comedy.

THE CONVERSATION

• The Legacy of Norman Lear: A tribute to Lear’s WWII service, 22 landmark sitcoms (including All in the Family, Maude, and The Jeffersons), and his passionate civic activism through People for the American Way and voter registration drives.
• What Makes an Episode "Lear-ish"? How One Day at a Time introduced the "sitcom dramedy" format—tackling taboo real-life issues with heart, humor, and authentic character conflicts.
• The Groundbreaking Top 10 List: Deep dives into landmark episodes and multi-part story arcs, including the unaired pilot Three to Get Ready vs. Ann's Decision (S1E1), Important conversations about teen sex in All the Way (S1E8), serialized storytelling in The Runaways (S2E1–4), workplace harassment in Ann's Out of Town Client (S3E5), teen depression in Barbara's Friend (S3E9–10), and natural childbirth in Miracle of Birth (S8E8–9).
• Schneider’s Evolution: How Pat Harrington Jr.’s iconic character shifted from creepy boundary-pusher to beloved family figure—plus his 1970s CB radio obsession and how he paved the way for characters like Kramer.
• Career Milestones & Series Arcs: Ann Romano’s journey from a newly divorced homemaker searching for independence to a successful account executive heading to London.

NEXT EPISODE TEASER
Stay tuned for our next episode, where the '90s TV Babies step up to give their fresh take on One Day at a Time! What will the Babies say?

📦 AUDIOGRAPHY & RECOMMENDED WATCHING
Watch One Day at a Time: Stream the original series for free on Tubi or purchase episodes on Amazon and YouTube.

Norman Lear Documentary: Watch Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You (2016) streaming for free on Roku or available to purchase on Amazon and Apple.

Norman Lear Memoir: Read Norman Lear’s biography, Even This I Get to Experience, onhttps://www.thriftbooks.com/w/even-this-i-get-to-experience_norman-lear/3135739/item/16656275/


 COMMUNITY CONNECT

• Connect with 80s TV Ladies: Join our mailing list, follow 8TL on Instagram (@80sTVLadies), support us on Patreon for ad-free episodes, and discover more great shows on Weirding Way Media!

PROTECT THE VOTE

• Vote.org: Check your voter registration. Make sure you and the young adults in your life are ready to vote. Stay engaged. Let your voice be heard.
• DemocracyDocket.com: Learn more about protecting our right to vote.

🌟 SPECIAL 8TL PROMOTIONS!

• COZY EARTH: Get 21% OFF awesome bamboo sheets and pajamas at CozyEarth.com using promo code: 80STVLADIES.

• TORRAIN BAGS: Get 15% OFF recycled bags perfect for travel and work with promo code: 80sTVLadies.

• All Promo Deals: See all special offers at MyDeals.Page/19wy.

Visit 80sTVLadies.com for more info.

Listen to 80s TV Ladies at YouTube. Subscribe and help us grow.

Don’t miss out. Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list!
Help us make more episodes and get ad-free episodes, video interviews, and exclusive content on PATREON.

Welcome to 80s TV Ladies, where we hold on tight and muddle through one day at a time! In this episode, hosts Sharon Johnson and Susan Lambert Hatem kick off a multi-part deep dive into the classic 1975–1984 sitcom One Day at a Time.

Susan and Sharon break down 25 of the most surprising facts about the ground-breaking series—from its real-life origins and pilot changes to backstage rock-star encounters, and the evolution of everyone's favorite - and 80s inappropriate - superintendent, Dwayne Schneider.
Real-Life Origins & Creators: How co-creator Whitney Blake based the show on her own life as a divorced single mother raising three kids (including future Family Ties star Meredith Baxter).

The Conversation:

• Pilot & Script Changes: The original pilot title Three to Get Ready, why Ann Romano was initially written as a nurse with only one daughter, and why Bonnie Franklin insisted on keeping her character’s maiden name.
• Schneider’s Evolution: How Pat Harrington Jr. created Schneider’s iconic look, his shift from early-season "creepy" to beloved family figure, and his late-70s CB radio obsession.
• Pop Culture & Rock Encounters: The time Elton John sent fan mail after Valerie Bertinelli and Mackenzie Phillips performed in full Elton drag, and how Valerie met Eddie Van Halen backstage.
• Behind-the-Scenes Secrets: Taping at three different studio lots, theme song history (and the Gloria Estefan reboot cover), and intriguing directors Michael Lembeck, Bonnie Franklin, and past 8TL guest, Asad Kalada.
• Series Finale & Backdoor Pilot: How the 1984 series finale doubled as an unsold spin-off pilot for Schneider - featuring a young Corey Feldman!

Next Episode Teaser: Stay tuned for our next episode, where we rank and break down the Top 10 Most Norman Lear-ish Episodes of One Day at a Time!


📦 AUDIOGRAPHY & RECOMMENDED WATCHING

• Watch One Day at a Time: Stream the original series for free on Tubi or purchase episodes on Amazon and YouTube.
• Mackenzie Phillips Books: Read High on Arrival: A Memoir and Hopeful Healing: Essays on Managing Recovery and Surviving Addiction on bookshop.org
• Valerie Bertinelli Books: Find her latest book, Getting Naked: The Quiet Work of Becoming Perfectly Imperfect, along with her memoirs and cookbooks bookshop.org
• Find out more about the ROAR Movement’s September 27th National Walk for Longterm Care Reform. Find a walk in your state. Go to ROAR4ltc.org   ​​

🛍️ PROMO DEALS, VOTING & COMMUNITY CONNECT

• Connect with 80s TV Ladies: Join our mailing list, follow 8TL on Instagram (@80sTVLadies), support us on Patreon for ad-free episodes, and discover more great shows on Weirding Way Media!

PROTECT THE VOTE

• Vote.org: Check your voter registration. Make sure you and the young adults in your life are ready to vote. Stay engaged. Let your voice be heard.
• DemocracyDocket.com is protecting our vote. Learn more. 

COMMUNITY CONNECT

• Los Angeles Live Theatre ONE-NIGHT-ONLY Event: See producer Susan Lambert Hatem and 90s TV Baby and Stage Manager, Sailor Franklin at the incredible one-woman show, starring Victoria Libertore: 
  • LIZA (not) at the Palace!
  • Friday, Sept 18 at 7:30pm
  • Los Angeles LGBT Center.
  • Get info & tix at LALGBTCenter.org/events.

🌟🛍️ SPECIAL 8TL PROMOTIONS! COZY EARTH - Best Deal - 21% OFF!
At Cozy Earth.com - Get the best discount on awesome sheets and pajamas.Use promo code: 80STVLADIES

TORRAIN BAGS - 15% OFF
Good cause - Great bag. Perfect for travel and adventure and back to school!
Get your 80s TV Ladies deal: Code: 80sTVLadies

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🎁 Promo Code: 80STVLADIES



Visit 80sTVLadies.com for more info.

Listen to 80s TV Ladies at YouTube. Subscribe and help us grow.

Don’t miss out. Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list!
Help us make more episodes and get ad-free episodes, video interviews, and exclusive content on PATREON.

"Norman kept saying, 'If you don't trust yourself to know that you're good, trust me because I know you're good. This is what you're meant to be doing.'" — Adrienne Barbeau, on working with Norman Lear on Maude

Welcome to 80s TV Ladies, where we look back in order to leap forward, and where we say everyone has the right to body autonomy and boundless joy! In this episode, hosts Sharon Johnson and Susan Lambert Hatem are joined by six-decade stage and screen icon Ms. Adrienne Barbeau.

From her early performing days touring East Asia with the USO to her Broadway roots, Adrienne shares how she went from Fiddler on the Roof alongside Bette Midler to originating the role of Rizzo in Grease. She opens up about being selected by Norman Lear to play Carol, Bea Arthur’s independent daughter on Maude, and reflects on the cultural impact of the landmark 1972 "Maude's Dilemma" abortion episodes.

Plus, Adrienne takes us behind the scenes of her legendary genre career, her love for voice and audio description work, and her second career as an author!

In this episode, we discuss:

• Broadway Roots to Sitcom Stardom: How playing Rizzo in Grease earned her a Tony nomination and caught the attention of Norman Lear.
• Working on Maude: What it was like working alongside Bea Arthur and Rue McClanahan, the family culture on set, and learning comedic timing on the job.
• "Maude’s Dilemma": The groundbreaking two-part episode about abortion, working in a healthcare clinic during hiatus, and writing her 2022 Guardian op-ed.
• Cult Horror & Sci-Fi Royalty: Stories from filming The Fog, Swamp Thing, Creepshow, and the secret garage shoot behind her death scene in Escape From New York.
• Classic 70s & 80s TV Guest Spots: Her memories from Fantasy Island (including full-face prosthetics), Murder, She Wrote, The Love Boat, Quincy, and playing a Romulan on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
• Life as an Author & Voice Artist: Writing her vampire mystery novels, her memoir, and describing films for blind audiences.

Next Episode Teaser:
Don't miss our next episode, where we begin our deep dive into the classic 1975–1984 Norman Lear sitcom One Day at a Time, starring Bonnie Franklin, Mackenzie Phillips, and Valerie Bertinelli, featuring 25 surprising facts about the show!

📦 AUDIOGRAPHY & RECOMMENDED WATCHING

Learn more about Adrienne Barbeau at abarbeau.com or on Instagram @adrienne_barbeau.
Watch The Fog on Pluto,https://pluto.tv/us/movies/649f34440a21a30013a6957f/#open
Escape From New York or Maude on Tubi 

Check out the documentary Hollywood Does Abortion at hollywooddoesabortion.com.
Read Adrienne’s 2022 op-ed on Maude's Dilemma in The Guardian.

Pick up Adrienne's books—There Are Worse Things I Could Do on Amazon.
Listen to it on Spotify or Audible  
Grease: Tell Me More, Tell Me More at Bookshop.org
And her Vampire Trilogy (The Vampyres of Hollywood, Love Bites, Make Me Dead)—athttps://bookshop.org/Amazon

Watch the short film Oddities on YouTube. Oddities Short Horror Film | Screamfest
Watch Alice Jacobs is Dead on YouTube. Horror Short Film "Alice Jacobs Is Dead" | ALTER

Be ready for our next multi-episode primer on the classic sitcom, One Day at a Time, streaming on Tubi.

⭐️ Support the Pod: Loved this episode? Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts, subscribe on Spotify, and join our Patreon community at patreon.com/80sTVLadies for bonus content!

PROTECT THE VOTE

• Vote.org: Check your voter registration. Make sure you and the young adults in your life are ready to vote. Stay engaged. Let your voice be heard.
• DemocracyDocket.com is protecting our vote. Learn more. 

COMMUNITY CONNECT

• Los Angeles Live Music Event: See indie rocker Michelle Malone live at the Love Song Bar in DTLA on Friday, September 4th! Get tickets at Love Song Bar eventbrite.

🌟🛍️ SPECIAL 8TL PROMOTIONS! 

COZY EARTH - Best Deal - 21% OFF! At Cozy Earth.com
Get the best discount on awesome sheets and pajamas.Use promo code: 80STVLADIES 
https://torrain.org/
TORRAIN BAGS - 15% OFFGood cause - Great bag. Perfect for travel and adventure and back to school!Get your 80s TV Ladies deal: Code: 80sTVLadies

🔗 See ALL our special deals at: https://MyDeals.Page/19wy
🎁 Promo Code: 80STVLADIES


Visit 80sTVLadies.com for more info.

Listen to 80s TV Ladies at YouTube. Subscribe and help us grow.

Don’t miss out. Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list!
Help us make more episodes and get ad-free episodes, video interviews, and exclusive content on PATREON.

"As a TV junkie, the Fall TV Preview was the best time of the year. The network specials highlighted their new shows—they were always informative, joyful, and optimistic because everyone expected these shows to be big hits!" — Sharon Johnson

NEW EPISODE! Summer is winding down, back-to-school season is here, and the 80s TV Ladies are diving into one of the absolute best pop-culture traditions of the 80s: The Network Fall TV Previews! Join hosts Susan Lambert Hatem and Sharon Johnson, along with producer Melissa Roth and Carnegie Mellon summer intern, Shannon Lee, as they look back at how it felt when fall was approaching and a brand-new season of television was about to drop.

Before streaming, DVRs, or internet spoilers, catching a glimpse of upcoming shows meant waiting with bated breath for the extra-thick TV Guide Fall Preview issue and tuning into wild, star-studded prime-time network specials. Together, the ladies explore the history of TV Guide, the agonizing strategy of choosing between conflicting time slots, bizarre prime-time crossover promos, fever-dream Saturday morning cartoon previews, and the classic fall lineup shows that captured our hearts.
 THE CONVERSATION

• THE HOLY GRAIL OF TV GUIDE: Exploring the history of TV Guide magazine, from its iconic 1953 debut cover featuring Lucille Ball’s newborn son Desi Jr. to why the annual September Fall Preview issue was every TV junkie’s holy grail.
• TIME-SLOT WARS & STRIKE DELAYS: How pre-DVR audiences navigated brutal schedule conflicts (sacrificing new shows for established favorites!), how the 1980 SAG actors' strike delayed fall premieres, and the wild 1980 magazine ads for hard liquor, cigarettes, and brand-new Maxwell VHS videotapes.
• WACKY NETWORK PROMO SPECIALS: Recapping the gloriously surreal prime-time preview specials—from the 1983 ABC Love Boat crossover where real stars boarded in-character, to Kenny Loggins singing "We've Got the Touch" on CBS, and ABC’s bizarre 1985 parody of "I Love L.A."
• SATURDAY MORNING CARTOON FEVER: Remembering the surreal Saturday morning cartoon preview specials hosted by 80s icons like Mr. T, Joyce DeWitt, Ted Knight, Weird Al, and the cast of The Facts of Life.
• FALL SHOW HITS & MISSES: Reminiscing about short-lived gems, cult classics, and massive hits from fall lineups, including WKRP in Cincinnati, Hill Street Blues, Ladies' Man, Freebie and the Bean, Breaking Away, The A-Team, and Hardcastle & McCormick.

📦 AUDIOGRAPHY & RECOMMENDED WATCHING

• Check out the digitized 1980 TV Guide Fall Preview Issue (September 13–19, 1980) to browse the original schedules, ads, and show previews.
• Get Ready for our Next Guest: Watch The Fog on Pluto, Escape From New York or Maude on Tubi to get ready for upcoming dream-guest interview with the legendary Adrienne Barbeau!
• Be ready for our next multi-episode primer on the classic sitcom, One Day at a Time, streaming on Tubi.

THE PREVIEW AND PROMO SPECIALS
YouTube has a lot of the Fall TV Specials and promos. 

• Here is a curated playlist of many ABC Network Fall preview videos.
• Promo for the 1983 ABC Love Boat Special.
• The entire (we think) 1983 ABC Love Boat Fall Preview Special
• Article and review of The Love Boat Special at Tune in Tonight.
• 1980 You and Me and ABC - Fancy Dance number.
• CBS We've Got the Touch Kenny Rogers Promos 1985
• 1984 CBS Saturday Morning Preview Special with Ted Knight!
• 1983 NBC You've Got to NBC Be There" Short Promo
• 1985 ABC Fall Preview Promo "I Love LA" parody - Always Something Good to See... on ABC.

PROTECT THE VOTE

• Vote.org: Check your voter registration. Make sure you and the young adults in your life are ready to vote. Stay engaged. Let your voice be heard.
• DemocracyDocket.com is protecting our vote. Learn more. 

COMMUNITY CONNECT

• Los Angeles Live Music Event: See indie rocker Michelle Malone live at the Love Song Bar in DTLA on Friday, September 4th! Get tickets at Love Song Bar eventbrite.
• Connect with 80s TV Ladies: Follow along on Instagram and Facebook @80sTVLadies

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"A lot of production companies who decide to do stories about people of color are not used to having the people of color they hire coming in with an opinion. Coming in contradicting them on certain things." — Neema Barnette

REWIND EPISODE: Happy Summer! We made it to August. This is our last rerun episode of the summer. In a few weeks we’ll be bringing you brand new episodes! We loved rewatching A Different World and learning about the show from our incredible guests. We think this interview with legendary producer and director Neema Barnette is so powerful and timely. We hope you enjoy it, too!

Sharon and Susan welcome legendary producer-director Neema Barnette to talk about her incredible journey from Harlem to Hollywood. Ms. Barnette made television history in 1986 when she became the first African American woman to direct a prime-time sitcom (What’s Happening Now?). She followed this historic milestone with episodes of Frank’s Place, It’s A Living, and The Cosby Show before directing seven iconic episodes of A Different World. With over 50 film and TV directing credits to her name, she was also the first African American woman to sign a three-picture deal with Sony Pictures.

Neema also served as producer-director for Season 1 of Ava DuVernay and Oprah Winfrey’s Queen Sugar. In this episode, she shares stories of making the transition from New York theater to Hollywood sets, fighting for creative integrity, inspiring new generations with the truth, and applying actual "strategies for revolution" to transform the entertainment industry.

🗣️ THE CONVERSATION

• BARBARA CORDAY’S INSTANT YES: How one look at Neema’s directing reel prompted the head of Columbia Pictures to demand, "Get this woman a job!"
• STRATEGIES FOR REVOLUTION: Taking a college course on revolutionary strategy and directly applying those lessons to navigate, challenge, and disrupt Hollywood's power structures.
• MAKING SITCOM HISTORY: Directing the groundbreaking episode of What’s Happening Now? with support from Shirley Hemphill, and helming The Cosby Show episode where Bill gets pregnant.
• FROM HARLEM TO THE APOLLO: Growing up in the 1960s, grabbing Sherman’s BBQ, spending 12-hour days at the Apollo Theater watching Aretha Franklin, and bringing authentic New York theater sensibilities to West Coast sets.
• THE QUEEN SUGAR LEGACY: Being called away from teaching to produce and direct Queen Sugar, and how Ava DuVernay permanently shifted the industry landscape by hiring only female directors.

📦 AUDIOGRAPHY & RECOMMENDED WATCHING

• Watch A Different World -- streaming on Netflix and Philo.
• Follow Neema Barnette on Instagram.com/neemafilms 
• Black History Mini-Docs: Explore Neema’s educational micro-documentaries celebrating Black heritage at BlackHistoryMiniDocs.com.

🛍️ FAMOUS LAKE PARK FREE SCREENING!
See Susan at the NYC Film premiere of Famous Lake Park - the wild and hilarious puppet animation comedy short. Premiering at the International Puppet Fringe Festival in the Lower East Side! 

• Get your FREE Tickets at PuppetFringeNYC.com
• Saturday & Sunday, August 15 and 16.

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"We have to look back, not in anger, but in amazement and in hope over how much had changed... We're sending the message that all of our blackness is good." — Susan Fales-Hill

REWIND EPISODE! The 80s TV Ladies are almost done moving! A few more Bonus episodes to rerun, and we’ll be settled in and bringing you brand new episodes! We loved rewatching A Different World and learning about the show from our incredible guests. We think this interview with legendary showrunner, writer, and author Susan Fales-Hill is so insightful. We hope you enjoy it, too!

Content Warning: At approximately 53:00-58:00, this episode includes a short discussion of date rape and child sexual assault.

Susan shares what it was like rising from writer’s apprentice to showrunner on A Different World, working alongside Debbie Allen, writing for icons like Diahann Carroll and Patti LaBelle, and battling network executives to tell real, impactful stories about Black culture, college life, and social change.

Sharon and Susan continue their look at the groundbreaking 80s sitcom A Different World (1987–1993). In this episode, they sit down with award-winning television writer, producer, and author Susan Fales-Hill. Susan started her career on The Cosby Show before joining A Different World, where she rose from story editor to showrunner—making her one of the youngest and few Black female showrunners in Hollywood at the time.

Together, they dive deep into the behind-the-scenes realities of taking over the show alongside Debbie Allen, fighting network pushback to tackle heavy topics like AIDS and date rape, and using comedy as a powerful form of cultural resilience.

🗣️ THE CONVERSATION

• FROM WRITER'S APPRENTICE TO SHOWRUNNER: How Susan navigated pitching directly to Bill Cosby, "re-potting" her voice in the writers' room, and rising to executive producer at a record age.
• THE DEBBIE ALLEN RESET: How bringing in Debbie Allen transformed the tone of the show, allowing the cast to explore authentic college experiences, topical issues, and integrated dance sequences.
• LEGENDS ON SET: Writing iconic comedic moments for Diahann Carroll and Patti LaBelle, and the deeply moving moment Diahann Carroll shared with the young cast about Black representation in Hollywood.
• PUSHING BACK AGAINST THE NETWORK: Battles over covering real-world issues like The Amistad, the LA Uprisings, HIV/AIDS, and date rape, and how the show shifted public perception and inspired generations to attend college.
• THE POWER OF COMEDIC RESILIENCE: How growing up surrounded by theatrical legends shaped her approach to comedy, and how humor acts as a vital tool for survival and storytelling.

📦 AUDIOGRAPHY & RECOMMENDED WATCHING

• Watch A Different World: Stream the series on Max, or catch Seasons 1 and 2 via Hoopla through your local library (also available for purchase on Amazon Prime).
• Must-Watch Episode: Check out the Season 4 Thanksgiving episode "Faith, Hope, and Charity," featuring the legendary pairing of Diahann Carroll and Patti LaBelle.
• Discover Susan’s Books: Explore Susan Fales-Hill’s memoir Always Wear Joy and her four other published books at your favorite local bookstore or Bookshop.org.
• Met Museum Feature: Watch Susan's Met Museum video discussing her life, biracial identity, and creative journey "in the in-between."

AUDIOGRAPHY
Watch A Different World -- streaming on Netflix and Philo.
Find out more about Susan at SusanFales-Hill.com
Follow her at Instagram.com/madamefaleshill
Must-Watch Episode: Check out the Season 4 Thanksgiving episode "Faith, Hope, and Charity," featuring the legendary pairing of Diahann Carroll and Patti LaBelle.
Explore Susan Fales-Hill’s memoir Always Wear Joy and her four other published books at Barnes and Noble.


Get Susan’s President Carter play, Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing.
Help Abortion Access at Abortionfinder.org.

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"It was the first time that the idea of an HBCU was even a thought to me of a thing I could do... it was so eye-opening to me that there was this whole other part of life in Black culture that I just didn't know anything about... we're sending the message that all of our blackness is good." - Niceole Levy


REWIND EPISODE
The 80s TV Ladies are almost done moving! A few more bonus episodes to rerun, and we’ll be settled in and bringing you brand new episodes! We loved rewatching A Different World and learning about the show from our incredible guests. We think this interview with TV writer/producer Niceole Levy is so fun. We hope you enjoy it, too! 

Sharon and Susan begin an all-new series of episodes looking at the groundbreaking 80s sitcom A Different World (1987-1993). This Cosby Show spin-off starred Lisa Bonet, Kadeem Hardison, Jasmine Guy, Charnele Brown, Dawn Lewis and Marissa Tomei. It explored the lives of students at Hillman College, a fictional HBCU, and addressed issues such as race, sexual assault, HIV/AIDS and equal rights while still keeping the laughs coming. In 1988, Lisa Bonet and Marissa Tomei left the show and a new showrunner was brought on -- the legendary actress, producer, director and choreographer Debbie Allen.

To help kick off this in-depth look at A Different World, we welcome A Different World fan and amazing “2020s TV Lady” -- writer, producer, and author Niceole Levy.  Niceole’s numerous TV writing/producing credits include Cloak and Dagger, Shades of Blue, SWAT, The Recruit and Found. She is the co-writer, along with George Nolfi, of the 2020 feature film The Banker. She has also written a book for aspiring TV writers called "The Writer’s Room Survival Guide."

THE CONVERSATION

• 80s TV made marriage look easy and fun -- cuz the couples were usually crime-solving millionaires!
• How watching every syndicated show on TV -- Perry Mason, I Love Lucy, Marcus Welby, Dick Van Dyke Show, Ironside -- prepares you for a life of TV writing.
• Everything retro is new again: Getting that first gig -- with Blair Underwood -- on the 2013 re-boot of Ironside!
• Niceole’s advice for getting into TV and film -- DON’T GO TO FILM SCHOOL!
• For Niceole -- and so many others -- A Different World’s Hillman College was her first exposure to an HBCU.
• RUN THE NUMBERS: 20 of the 47 writers on ADW were women!
• SEASON 2 RE-SET: How the addition of show-runner Debbie Allen re-ignited the series with a new sense of excitement and vitality.
• A DIFFERENT LOOK -- How A Different World achieved a bigger, more expansive look than other sitcoms of the time.

So, join Susan, Sharon -- and Niceole -- as they talk Miami Vice, watching 1,000 television shows, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,keeping a TV journal, Boyz II Men, dancing with Kamala Harris, scheduling your life around a TV show -- and the importance of not messing up the lunch order!

AUDIOGRAPHY
Watch A Different World -- streaming on Netflix and Philo.https://www.max.com/shows/different-world/dcf05406-b0e2-458e-8a54-97acddf7ce21
Find out more about Niceole Levy at niceolelevy.com.
Read her article “What I Learned Watching 1,000 Television Shows” here. 
Buy Niceole Levy’s book "The Writer’s Room Survival Guide" at Bookshop.org.
Get Susan’s President Carter play, Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing.
Help Abortion Access at Abortionfinder.org.

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"When someone came at me or was very mean to me or made it clear that I was not welcome on the line, I still had my love for dance. I leaned into my dream as a child, and I was living it wholeheartedly, and they weren't allowed to take it away." — Jennifer Jones

For a century, the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes have represented the gold standard of precision dance, synchronized routines, and eye-high kicks. But for the first 63 years, that famous line failed to reflect the diversity of the audiences watching them, and the demographics of America herself. In 1987, that history changed forever when professional dancer Jennifer Jones was hired as the very first African American Rockette, making her unforgettable debut on television screens across the nation during the 1988 Super Bowl XXII halftime show!

In this episode, Sharon and Susan sit down with this groundbreaking icon to talk about what it was really like to break through a decades-old institutional barrier at just 20 years old. Jennifer shares the stage with us to discuss her incredible 15-year tenure on the line, her full-circle Tony Award-winning run on Broadway in 42nd Street, and her deeply personal, triumphant battle surviving Stage III colorectal cancer with that signature Rockette resilience.

🗣️ THE CONVERSATION

• STEPPING ONTO THE FIELD AT SUPER BOWL XXII: Overcoming intense nerves in a massive football stadium, learning complex precision terminology on the fly, and feeling the ultimate validation that she was exactly where she was supposed to be.
• NAVIGATING INSTITUTIONAL RESISTANCE: Dealing with antiquated industry mindsets regarding "uniformity," handling behind-the-scenes pushback from PR and management, and the crucial, historic knock on the door from the NAACP that forced Radio City to change.
• THE ART OF PRECISION DANCE: Moving your limbs "through peanut butter" to seamlessly look like a single dancer, and how the mental discipline of a professional athlete shapes a lifetime of character.
• FROM THE WIZ TO THE TONY AWARDS: How seeing vital Black representation on stage as a child inspired her dreams, and her breathtaking full-circle moment performing at the Tony Awards inside Radio City Music Hall.
• THE RHYTHM OF RESILIENCE: Her sudden diagnosis with Stage III colorectal cancer at age 50, learning to fiercely advocate for her own health when doctors brushed her symptoms aside, and her vital mission to spread awareness about early cancer screenings.

📦 AUDIOOGRAHY 
- WHERE TO FIND JENNIFER'S WORK

• Official Website & Socials: Connect with Jennifer at theofficialjenniferjones.com or on Instagram  and Facebook.com/RocketteJenn.
• The Books: Grab your copy of her powerful memoir, Becoming Spectacular: The Rhythm of Resilience from the First African American Rockette, or her beautiful children’s book, On the Line, online via HarperCollins and Bookshop.org or at your local bookstore.
• The Dancing Jen Doll! Check out the beautiful "Christmas Spectacular Dancing Jen" doll designed to accompany her children's book, available now at Walmart Marketplace.

🩺 HEALTH RESOURCES & VITAL ADVOCACY

• Get Screened Early: Colon cancer is being diagnosed in younger adults more than ever before. The routine screening age has officially dropped from 50 to 45. Listen to your body, advocate for your health, and learn more at coloncancercoalition.org
• Your Vote is Your Voice: Don't let your voice be silenced. Head over to Vote.org to check your registration status or register to vote today.

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"Music videos were an avenue for women to break into directing, which was really important at the time. A lot of women basically got their start directing music videos because nobody wanted to do them... until they became super popular." — Susan Lambert Hatem

The great mid-season packing and moving marathon continues! In the second half of this double-header special, hosts Susan Lambert Hatem and Sharon Johnson return to count down the remaining legendary music videos that defined the MTV golden era. As they sort through decades of personal boxes, memorabilia, and old memories, they track the evolution of 1980s visual storytelling—from simple performance videos to cinematic masterpieces.

Along the way, they highlight the unsung female directing pioneers who shaped the medium and share unforgettable insider Hollywood stories involving space shuttles, Aerosmith rehearsals, and the infinite grace of Whitney Houston. Grab your headphones and join the ladies for the final leg of this high-energy, nostalgic tour down memory lane!

THE CONVERSATION

• The Mid-Season Packing Hiatus: Susan and Sharon share an update on their respective moves, navigating the emotional and physical heavy lifting of downsizing and uncovering hidden historical gems in old storage boxes.
• Female Directing Pioneers: The ladies discuss how music videos served as a vital gateway for groundbreaking female filmmakers like Mary Lambert and Penelope Spheeris at a time when traditional Hollywood doors were shut.
• Choreographers Step Out Front: Sharon breaks down Paula Abdul's iconic black-and-white debut for "Straight Up" (directed by David Fincher), mapping her legendary transition from behind-the-scenes Laker Girl choreographer to a front-and-center music superstar.
• Classic 80s Cameos & Cameo’s Word Up: A celebration of Cameo's "Word Up" featuring a remarkably baby-faced LeVar Burton as an overwhelmed police officer, alongside a dive into the origins of the phrase "wave your hands in the air like you don't care."
• The Reality of the Road: A look at Bon Jovi's cowboy-tinged "Wanted Dead or Alive" leads to a touching tribute to the grueling, marathon work ethic required of touring bands traveling from city to city.
• Sepia Tones & Lake Pedal Boats: Susan explores the Americana aesthetic of Rod Stewart & Jeff Beck's "People Get Ready" cover, pulling back the curtain on a rare 1965 pre-MTV performance by The Impressions filmed on pedal boats with the young stars of Dick Clark’s Where The Action Is.
• Susan's Disney & Cape Canaveral Tales: Susan shares an extraordinary behind-the-scenes story from her time in Disney broadcast publicity, recounting the legendary, high-budget Armageddon premiere launch party where Aerosmith played a private rehearsal concert directly in front of a lit-up space shuttle.
• Sharon's Oscar Rehearsal Memories: Sharon looks back on attending Academy Award rehearsals, offering a beautiful memory of Whitney Houston's profound kindness and grace toward a young fan while at the rehearsal for her iconic duet with Mariah Carey.
• The Welder with a Dream: The ladies champion Irene Cara's "Flashdance... What a Feeling" as an essential piece of 1980s feminist representation, reflecting on the film's rousing choreography and the publicity crew's spontaneous cubicle performances of "Armageddon: The Musical." But Susan wonders if the movie holds up on a rewatch?
• Fan Favorite Reruns Coming Up! To give the hosts time to complete their big moves, 80s TV Ladies announces an exciting lineup of fan-favorite rebroadcasts featuring insightful interviews with writer Nicole Levy and legendary showrunner Susan Fales-Hill exploring the legacy of A Different World.

AUDIO-OGRAPHY

📹 REVOLUTIONARY 80s MUSIC VIDEOS PLAYLIST - PART 2
Artist | Song Title | Release | Picked By | Link

Paula Abdul | Straight Up | 1988 | Sharon | Watch on YouTube 
Pat Benatar | Hit Me With Your Best Shot | 1980 | Susan |https://www.google.com/search?q=https://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DV7BAnX1XidIWatch on YouTube
Eurythmics | Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) | 1983 | Sharon | Watch on YouTube 
Cyndi Lauper | Girls Just Want to Have Fun | 1983 | Susan | Watch on YouTube 
Cameo | Word Up | 1986 | Sharon | Watch on YouTube 
Bon Jovi | Wanted Dead or Alive | 1987 | Sharon | Watch on YouTube 
Rod Stewart & Jeff Beck | People Get Ready | 1985 | Susan | Watch on YouTube
The Impressions | People Get Ready | 1965 | Watch on YouTube
Genesis | Invisible Touch | 1986 | Sharon | Watch on YouTube
Van Halen | Jump | 1984 | Sharon | Watch on YouTube 
Irene Cara | Flashdance... What a Feeling | 1983 | Susan | Watch on YouTube 
Whitney Houston | I Wanna Dance with Somebody  | 1987 | Sharon | Watch on YouTube

PROTECT THE VOTE

• Vote.org: Check your registration. Stay engaged, make your voice heard.
• NoKings.org: June 13. Get ready for the real 250 Anniversary. Rise Up. Sing out. Keep organizing!
• DemocracyDocket.com is protecting our vote. Learn more. 

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"The more that things change, the more they stay the same... Nevertheless, we have to keep pushing forward. We have to keep moving that line forward in order to make a better tomorrow for all of us." - Sharon Johnson

Welcome to 80s TV Ladies The Winds of Ch-ch-ch-change!
In this special episode—the first half of an epic two-part spectacular—hosts Susan Lambert Hatem and Sharon Johnson are joined by their fabulous producer Melissa to talk about the massive personal transitions currently unfolding in all of their lives. With both Susan and Sharon in the middle of major moves, the ladies take a heartwarming, funny, and deeply honest look at packing up decades of memories, downsizing, and the emotional weight of nostalgia.

But a season of change wouldn't be complete without the ultimate 1980s soundtrack! The ladies kick off Part 1 of their definitive countdown of the 20 Most Revolutionary 80s Music Videos, diving into the first 13 incredible videos on their list. They explore how the golden era of MTV transformed visual storytelling, artist autonomy, and pop culture forever. From groundbreaking feminist rap anthems and synth-pop milestones to a full-blown Madonna masterclass and jaw-dropping stop-motion animation, this conversation is a sparkling, nostalgic reflection on turning the page to the next chapter.

THE CONVERSATION

- THE WINDS OF CHANGE: Sharon, Susan and Melissa discuss the nature of personal and professional transitions—navigating the "two steps forward, one step back" rhythm of life and why we must keep pushing forward for a better tomorrow.
- THE FOREIGN COUNTRY OF THE PAST: Susan opens up about packing up her home after 19 years, three kids, a house full of pets, and how digging into old boxes feels like visiting a foreign country where “they do things differently there.”
- MOVING ACROSS THE U.S.A.: Sharon shares the bittersweet reality of leaving Southern California after 42 and a half years to move back to the Midwest, explaining how she is judiciously sorting through her life to downsize into her mother's home in Indianapolis.
- CUE THE ROBIN, DEER, AND EAGLE: Producer Melissa shares an incredibly moving, cinematic story about losing her mother and brother Dougie, and a persistent red robin that visited her window in Pennsylvania alongside a herd of deer and a majestic bald eagle overhead.
- LOVELY PARTING GIFTS & PRECIOUS VHS TAPES: The ladies talk about finding new homes for nostalgia, including Sharon giving away her classic Mark and Brian radio memorabilia on Facebook and her absolute refusal to let go of her original Star Wars trilogy on VHS—because the prequels simply do not exist!
- FRESHMAN YEAR AT THE COLISEUM: Susan reminisces about discovering her oversized 1984 Bruce Springsteen Born in the U.S.A. concert souvenir tour program from her freshman year at USC, back when legendary stadium tickets were only $25. (Actually, according to the internet, the tickets cost $17.50!)
- CH-CH-CH-CHANGES (PART 1): The main event kicks off as the ladies begin their countdown of the most revolutionary music videos of the decade, highlighting how the rise of MTV reshaped the cultural landscape.
- THRILLER (Sharon’s Pick): Sharon kicks it off with the music video credited with transforming music videos into the stratosphere - and into short, storytelling films. She also talks about learning the zombie dance and how it transformed her exercise routine!
- TAKING CONTROL (Susan's Pick): Susan spotlights Janet Jackson's seminal "Control" music video, directed by Mary Lambert (no relation, though Susan wishes she had pretended otherwise!). This was quite literally the album and song when Ms. Jackson declared her independence over her career after leaving her new husband, James DeBarge, and firing her manager (and father) Joseph Jackson. A revolutionary move and every song speaks to finding her voice.
- I'M STILL STANDING (Susan's Pick): A deep dive into Elton John's ultimate comeback anthem, exploring his personal resilience and the hilarious realization by the ladies that Dancing with the Stars judge Bruno Tonioli is one of the featured neon dancers in the video.
- LOVE SHACK (Sharon's Pick): Sharon and Susan takes a trip down the Atlanta highway looking for the B-52s' legendary "Love Shack" and celebrating its pure, joyful energy.
- LADIES FIRST (Susan's Pick): Susan pays tribute to Queen Latifah’s revolutionary 1989 feminist rap anthem "Ladies First" (featuring Monie Love) from her debut album, All Hail the Queen.
- THE MADONNA TWO-FER (Sharon's Picks): Sharon talk about her favorite two Madonna songs and music videos,  "Crazy for You" and "Express Yourself" and the groundbreaking visual style of the 80s Pop Queen.
- STUNNING ANIMATION (Sharon's Pick): The ladies marvel at Peter Gabriel's award-winning stop-motion animation masterpiece "Sledgehammer" created by Aardman Animation.
- PEOPLE HAVE THE POWER (Susan's Pick): Susan closes out Part 1 by honoring Patti Smith's powerful, timeless 1988 anthem "People Have the Power."

AUDIO-OGRAPHY

📹 REVOLUTIONARY 80s MUSIC VIDEOS PLAYLIST (PART 1)

Artist | Song Title | Release | Picked By | Link
Michael Jackson |  Thriller  | 1983  |  Sharon | Watch on YouTube
Janet Jackson | Control | 1986  | Susan  | Watch on YouTube 
Janet Jackson | Rhythm Nation | 1989 | Sharon | Watch on YouTube
Elton John |  I'm Still Standing | 1983 | Susan  | Watch on YouTube
The B-52's |  Love Shack | 1989 | Sharon | Watch on YouTube
Queen Latifah | Ladies First (w/ Monie Love) | 1989 | Susan  | Watch on YouTube
Madonna  |  Crazy For You | 1985 | Sharon | Watch on YouTube
Madonna  |  Express Yourself | 1989|  Sharon | Watch on YouTube
Public Enemy | Fight The Power | 1989 | Susan  | Watch on YouTube
Watch Do The Right Thing Opening Credits on YouTube
Tracy Chapman | Fast Car | 1988 | Sharon | Watch on YouTube
Tracy Chapman | Talking About A Revolution | 1988 | Susan | Watch on YouTube
Peter Gabriel | Sledgehammer | 1986 | Sharon | Watch on YouTube
Patti Smith  | People Have The Power  | 1988 | Susan  | Watch on YouTube
Watch the 2019 Patti Smith at the Public Theatre with 250 singers on YouTube (See Stewart Copeland play the frying pan!)


- Watch the 1971 film adaptation of The Go-Between. Find it on https://www.netflix.com/title/60011150. Or https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/the-go-between/umc.cmc.85tbxz7spm4ahwfo6qcfxue9.
- Dust off your VCR and watch the original Star Wars trilogy on VHS. Find it on https://ebay.us/m/OtvLP0. 

PROTECT THE VOTE
- Check out Democracy Docket https://www.democracydocket.com/case-status/filed/.
- Learn more about the ACLU https://www.aclu.org.
- Make sure you're registered to VOTE at http://vote.org/

PROMO DEALS

SPECIAL PROMOTION! NOW Thru June 1st: Get 30% OFF at Cozy Earth.
- After June 1st, you can still get 21% OFF on awesome sheets and pajamas at https://cozyearth.com.
Be sure to use the promo code: 80STVLADIES for the best deal they’re offering. Happy Shopping!

🔗 Get them at: https://MyDeals.Page/19wy
🎁 Code: 80STVLADIES


📻 CONNECT WITH 80s TV LADIES
Visit http://80stvladies.com/ for transcripts.
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“Katie and I, our relationship could be a little exciting -- I had to watch my step, I had to toe the line. I had to behave myself or I’d get taken to the principal’s office... And she was the principal.” -- Bruce Boxleitner

REWIND EPISODE: The 80s TV Ladies - Sharon and Susan - are both moving! More details in our next episode. Meanwhile, please enjoy a few of our favorite episodes on repeat - consider it early summer rerun season. Let us know what you think about Bruce, Lee Stetson, and Scarecrow and Mrs. King. We think it's one of the most adorable interviews with Bruce Boxleitner ever. :)

In Part Two of their conversation, Bruce reflects on the differences between doing TV then and now, his relationship with Kate Jackson -- and how the long hours can sometimes turn your co-stars into your family…

Bruce Boxleitner’s television career started way back in 1973 with an appearance on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and 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.

THE PART 2 CONVERSATION

• THE UGLY SIDE OF LEE STETSON: When Lee slaps Amanda in “Burn Out” (S2; EP.21) What was going on? --  “Kate said, “Hit me.” It was no fun. I didn’t enjoy doing it at all.”
• ON THE JAZZ: In Europe, Mel Stuart -- a saxophonist -- fell in with some local jazz musicians and ended up sitting-in in clubs all over Munich.
• DOUBLE TROUBLE: Bruce finds out the strange reason his stunt double Gary Davis did the pilot’s helicopter stunts with no safety cable!
• On doing network TV: “This is where I come off sounding like a grumpy old man, but in my day, we had fun. Nobody is having fun anymore. Because we have cell phones on the set, everyone’s on their cell phone. No one’s talking.”
• WHO CAN TURN THE WORLD ON WITH HIS SMILE? Bruce got his first gig on The Mary Tyler Moore Show because the producer owed his agent a favor.
• On doing a streaming series: “I’m doing a series now -- six episodes. They call that a series? I call it a two-parter.”
• Bruce gets a surprise walking onto the Gunsmoke set when he discovers the entire town is built inside a soundstage.
• On filming pilots: “George Clooney says he’s the king of the unsold pilots. Well, buddy, I’m the runner-up!”
• While shooting The Orville, Bruce finds out that the biggest SMK fan… is Seth McFarlane!
• How do you marry Lee and Amanda? Should you marry Lee and Amanda?

So, join Susan and Sharon -- and Bruce -- as they talk How The West Was Won, Ted Knight, Tron, Juanita Bartlett, Susan Diol, Police Woman. Plus pranking Martha Smith -- and Kate Jackson -- AND Beverly Garland… and the sad, tragic life of “Dean, the Boyfriend”!


AUDIO-OGRAPHY
Find out more about Bruce Boxleitner at Facebook.com
Follow him at Instagram.com/BoxleitnerBruce
Catch him on Cameo at Cameo.com/BoxleitnerBruce
Watch S2, Ep. 21: Burn out on Tubi

Get The Ultimate Fan’s Guide to Scarecrow & Mrs. King by David Johnson, Taya Johnston and Sabine Ludewig 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.


AUDIO-OGRAPHY
Find out more about Bruce Boxleitner at Facebook.com 
Follow him at Instagram.com/BoxleitnerBruce
Catch him on Cameo at Cameo.com/BoxleitnerBruce
Watch SMK for free at Internet Archive.
Watch S2, Ep. 21: Burn out on Internet Archive here. 

Read 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!)   

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
REMEMBER: Make sure you're ready.
Register or Check your US Election Registration at Vote.org
Be sure to vote in your primaries. 
Find out what's on your ballot at BallotReady.org

• July 15th this year is the 47th anniversary of President Carter's Crisis of Confidence speech. Read Susan’s play about the speech and the confidence it takes to be president in challenging times: Confidence (and the Speech) at Conchord Publishing DPS. 

Credits: 80s TV Ladies™ Episode RERUN 305: Produced by 134 West and Susan Lambert Hatem. Hosted by Susan Lambert Hatem and Sharon Johnson. Guest: Bruce Boxleitner. Sound Engineer and Editor: Kevin Ducey. Producers: Melissa Roth, Richard Hatem, Sharon Johnson. Associate Producers: Sergio Perez, Sailor Franklin. Music by Amy Engelhardt. Copyright 2024 2026 134 West, LLC and Susan Lambert. All Rights Reserved. 


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“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 Boxleitner

REWIND EPISODE: The 80s TV Ladies are both moving! More details in a later episode, so please enjoy a few of our favorite episodes on repeat - consider it early rerun season. Let us know what you think about Bruce, Lee Stetson, and Scarecrow and Mrs. King. We think it's one of the most adorable interviews with Bruce Boxleitner ever. :)

Susan 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 CONVERSATION

• GETTING 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-OGRAPHY
Find out more about Bruce Boxleitner at Facebook.com 
Follow him at Instagram.com/BoxleitnerBruce
Catch him on Cameo at Cameo.com/BoxleitnerBruce

Watch SMK for free at Internet Archive.
Watch S2, Ep. 21: Burn out on Internet Archive here. 

Read 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!)   

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
REMEMBER: Make sure you're ready. Register or Check your US Election Registration at Vote.org
Be sure to vote in your primarys. Find out what's on your ballot at BallotReady.org

• July 15th this year is the 47th anniversary of President Carter's Crisis of Confidence speech. Read Susan’s play about the speech and the confidence it takes to be president in challenging times: Confidence (and the Speech) at Conchord Publishing DPS. 

Visit 80sTVLadies.com for more info.

Listen to 80s TV Ladies at YouTube. Subscribe and help us grow.

Don’t miss out. Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list!
Help us make more episodes and get ad-free episodes, video interviews, and exclusive content on PATREON.

"It was very dangerous to be a friend of the Harts because... yes, they were always getting killed." -- Stefanie Powers

Get ready for a masterclass in sophisticated glamour!
In this episode of 80s TV Ladies, hosts Susan Lambert Hatem and Sharon Johnson sit down with the incomparable Stefanie Powers. Known to millions as the elegant and erudite Jennifer Hart from the smash-hit series Hart to Hart, Stefanie redefined what a TV marriage could look like alongside co-star Robert Wagner—showing us a partnership that was sexy, equal, and genuinely fun.

But Stefanie’s legacy goes far beyond the "chauffeur and limousines" of the 80s. We dive into her history as a true television pioneer, including her groundbreaking role as the first woman to lead an hour-long series in the 1966 spinoff The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. Whether you're a die-hard fan of the Harts or a lover of television history, this conversation is a sparkling look back at one of the most iconic eras of TV.

THE CONVERSATION

• THE FIRST LADY OF ACTION: Exploring Stefanie’s groundbreaking role in The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. as the first woman to headline her own hour-long action series.
• THE LOVE OF HER LIFE: Led her to her 45-year lifetime legacy of conservation. Creating the William Holden Wildlife Foundation to honor and expand the work of William Holden.
• THE GREATEST STRIKE EVER: Getting the call from Aaron Spelling, writer Tom Mankiewicz, and Robert Wagner – and the lucky newspaper strike that led to her starring in Hart to Hart, instead of going to Broadway with Stacy Keach.
• HART TO HART: Diving into the "tennis match" rapport with Robert Wagner and the creation of a TV marriage built on equality, sexy banter, and high-stakes mystery.
• SOFTBALL COACH TO SHOWRUNNER: Stories of Sidney Sheldon, Leonard Goldberg, and how Aaron Spelling was Stefanie’s softball coach before he became the legendary showrunner and creator of so many hit shows, they often called ABC, Aaron’s Broadcasting Company.
• THE LA SCALA “THREE ROOMS: A look at the old Hollywood social hierarchy when Hollywood was a very small town.
• KIDDIES BALLET CLASS: The surprising shared history between Stefanie, Natalie Wood, and Jill St. John.
• STUDIO SYSTEM SURVIVOR: Stefanie reflects on her early days at MGM, being one of the last contract players, and working under the rigorous eye of brilliant - and monstrous - Jerome Robbins in West Side Story.
• WORKING WITH “FREEWAY”: Behind-the-scenes secrets of their canine co-star, including the hilarious truth about how they made such a friendly dog look like a fierce protector.
• A GLOBAL LEGACY: Stefanie discusses her 45-year journey as Founder and President of the William Holden Wildlife Foundation and her hands-on work in conservation and education in Kenya.
• SUCCESS VS. FAILURE: A candid look at why the industry prepares artists for failure, but rarely gives them the tools to navigate massive, life-changing success.
• WILLIAM HOLDEN WILDLIFE FOUNDATION: Why Stefanie believes that if you have a passion for a cause, you can’t wait for others—you have to be the one to step up. “Participation is not just asked for, it is required.”

AUDIO-OGRAPHY

• Watch episodes of Hart to Hart on Tubi or Roku.
• Catch The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. on DVD at Ebay.  Or find it at Internet Archive.
• Learn more about the work of the William Holden Wildlife Foundation at WHWF.org
• Go directly to the WHWF DONATE page. 
• Check out her official website: StefaniePowersOnline.com
• Follow Ms. Powers on Facebook and Instagram.
• Watch Stefanie guest star in The Rockford Files episode, The Real Easy Red Dog at Apple TV.

VITAL READING

• Check out Democracy Docket here.
• Learn more about the ACLU here.
• Make sure you're registered to VOTE at Vote.org

PROMO DEALS

• Get 21% OFF on awesome sheets and pajamas at COZY EARTH.
  Be sure to use the promo code: 80STVLADIES.
  Happy Shopping!
  
  MARCH 8TL DEALS BLOCK:
  80s TV Ladies deals and discounts:
  Cozy Earth (21% Off)
  🔗 Get them at: https://MyDeals.Page/19wy
  🎁 Code: 80STVLADIES
  
  📻 CONNECT WITH 80s TV LADIES
  
  • Official Website: 80sTVLadies.com 
  • Email Us: 80sTVLadies@gmail.com
  • Support the Show: Get ad-free episodes and bonus content | Support on Patreon
  
  🎭 SUSAN'S NEW VENTUREArts A La Carte – A non-profit dedicated to helping develop new works in theater.
  
  • Website: ArtsALaCarte.org
  • Instagram: @ArtsALaCarteLA

"Playing tennis you have to have a kind of rhythm and you have to hit the ball back. And good acting partners are good tennis players. They hit the ball back to you." -- Stefanie Powers

Visit 80sTVLadies.com for more info.

Listen to 80s TV Ladies at YouTube. Subscribe and help us grow.

Don’t miss out. Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list!
Help us make more episodes and get ad-free episodes, video interviews, and exclusive content on PATREON.

“We asked her daughter, our friend Karin, to come on and talk with us about her mom, Linda, and what it was like to grow up the daughter of an eighties TV lady.” - Susan Lambert Hatem

Susan and Sharon welcome Karin Elstad — a modern TV powerhouse and Vice President at HBO — to celebrate the incredible life and legacy of her mother, the legendary television writer Linda Elstad. From the high stakes of Dallas, to family comedy One Day at a Time, to the hallowed halls of Fame, Linda was a prolific voice who helped shape the landscape of 80s television.

THE CONVERSATION

• A PROLIFIC LEGACY: Linda’s impressive career spanning over 20 television shows, including her work on iconic hits like Dallas, Fame, and The Facts of Life.
• ONE DAY AT A TIME: Diving into Linda’s time as a staff writer from 1983 to 1984 on the beloved series that defined a generation.
• AWARD-WINNING WRITING: Remembering Linda’s 1982 Humanitas Prize win for the television movie Divorce Wars: A Love Story, starring Tom Selleck and Jane Curtin, and her nomination for her work on Fame.
• SERVING THE GUILD: Linda’s impactful leadership serving on the Writer’s Guild Board of Directors from 1986 to 1990. And a ground-breaking cultural exchange between Award-winning United States and USSR screenwriters.
• MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS: Karin shares personal stories of growing up in the heart of the television industry and how her mother’s trailblazing career influenced her own journey to becoming a top executive at HBO.
• THE SCINTILLATING LADIES OF THE 80s: A look back at the shows that featured the complex mother-daughter dynamics we love, from The Golden Girls and Mama’s Family to Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Roseanne, and Kate & Allie.
• GREEN ENVELOPE DAYS: How much is the green envelope residual check Linda’s daughter receives for her mom’s 1980s television shows being rerun and streamed? Can you guess before the check is opened on-air?

AUDIO-OGRAPHY

• Watch episodes of Fame on Peacock and Dallas at YouTube or Amazon Prime.
• Catch One Day at a Time streaming on Tubi.
• Find Divorce Wars: A Love Story and other classic TV movies on DVD via Amazon or eBay.

VITAL READING

• Check out Democracy Docket here.
• Learn more about the ACLU here.

PROMO DEALS

• Get 21% OFF on awesome sheets and pajamas at COZY EARTH.
  Be sure to use the promo code: 80STVLADIES.
  Happy Shopping!
  
  MARCH 8TL DEALS BLOCK:
  80s TV Ladies deals and discounts:
  Cozy Earth (21% Off)
  🔗 Get them at: https://MyDeals.Page/19wy
  🎁 Code: 80STVLADIES
  
  📻 CONNECT WITH 80s TV LADIES
  
  • Official Website: 80sTVLadies.com 
  • Email Us: 80sTVLadies@gmail.com
  • Support the Show: Get ad-free episodes and bonus content | Support on Patreon
  
  🎭 SUSAN'S NEW VENTUREArts A La Carte – A non-profit dedicated to helping develop new works in theater.
  
  • Website: ArtsALaCarte.org
  • Instagram: @ArtsALaCarteLA
  
  
  

Visit 80sTVLadies.com for more info.

Listen to 80s TV Ladies at YouTube. Subscribe and help us grow.

Don’t miss out. Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list!
Help us make more episodes and get ad-free episodes, video interviews, and exclusive content on PATREON.

"I said, John, you know, it's a visual art. You don't give me something to do, at least I'm gonna be something to look at." - Morgan Fairchild 

To celebrate the 100th episode of our podcast 80s TV Ladies, hosts Susan Lambert Hatem and Sharon Johnson welcome actress, activist, and podcaster Morgan Fairchild to discuss her decades-spanning career and how television and auditioning have changed from in-person meetings to self-tapes and fragmented audiences. 

Fairchild recounts moving from Texas to New York after a young divorce, breaking in through open calls, landing Search for Tomorrow, then relocating to Los Angeles and getting an early role on Rafferty with Patrick McGoohan. She explains shaping layered “bad guy” roles with comedy, including Initiation of Sarah, Flamingo Road (and being labeled “too sexy for TV” by the Moral Majority), and Falcon Crest, where she pushed for a promised incest-repercussions storyline and used fashion as a visual hook.

She shares behind-the-scenes stories from Pee-wee’s Big Adventure with Paul Reubens, friendships with classic Hollywood stars, her AIDS activism and COVID education, and her new podcast with sister Catherine Hart, Two Bitches from Texas.

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro
02:48 How TV Has Changed
04:46 Texas to New York Breakthrough
07:21 First Hollywood Job Story
11:43 Making Characters Pop
13:21 Becoming the Power Bitch
16:25 Too Sexy for TV
18:03 Falcon Crest Storyline Fight
21:38 Pee Wee Movie Chaos
26:27 Old Hollywood Friendships
31:53 Doubts and Survival
33:25 Career Doubts Persist
34:06 Divas Christmas Set
36:20 Sequel Push Lifetime
36:55 AIDS Activism Costs
39:17 Staying Engaged Today
44:29 Podcast With Sister
48:08 Guests And Format
49:33 Naming The Show
53:14 Bonnie And Clyde Double
55:28 Finding The Set and Meeting Warren Beatty
01:00:15 Podcast Plugs Farewell
01:01:55 Call Your Reps
01:02:23 Next Series Tease

AUDIOOGRAPHY
Find Morgan Fairchild at Morganfairchild.com
Listen to Morgan Fairchild and Catherine Hart at their website Two Bitches from Texas or wherever you find your podcasts.

Check out Morgan Fairchild's book, Morgan Fairchild Super Looks, at eBay
Find out more about Catherine Hart's acting classes at her website Heart and Soul
Connect with 80s TV Ladies at 80sTVLadies.com
Take action at 5Calls.org  

PROMO DEALS
Get awesome sheets and pajamas at COZY EARTH.
Be sure to use the promo code: 80STVLADIES.
Happy Shopping!

MARCH DEALS BLOCK
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Cozy Earth (21% Off)
🔗 Get them at: https://MyDeals.Page/19wy
🎁 Code: 80STVLADIES

NEW DEALS - Just added!
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📻 CONNECT WITH 80s TV LADIES
Official Website: 80sTVLadies.com 
Email Us: 80sTVLadies@gmail.com
Support the Show: Get ad-free episodes and bonus content | Support on Patreon

🎭 SUSAN'S NEW VENTURE
Arts A La Carte – A non-profit dedicated to helping develop new works in theater. You can help us. Support the Arts! DONATE at ArtsALaCarte.org
Instagram: @ArtsALaCarteLA

Visit 80sTVLadies.com for more info.

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Help us make more episodes and get ad-free episodes, video interviews, and exclusive content on PATREON.

“ Barney and I were interviewed about that episode on Entertainment Tonight because the word “condom” had never been used on television before.” - Georgia Jeffries, Cagney & Lacey writer

Hosts Susan Lambert Hatem and Sharon Johnson welcome writer-producer-professor Georgia Jeffries, an Award-winning writer known for Cagney & Lacey, China Beach, and Sisters. Jeffries recounts growing up as an only child, loving The Twilight Zone, reading history, and finding an early spark for writing through school assignments and UCLA journalism and creative writing courses.

She talks about her time working as a freelance journalist while caring for her family. And the pivotal LAPD ride-along that inspired her first produced Cagney & Lacey episode, “An Unusual Occurrence,” which won a WGA Award. 

She compares the culture of Cagney & Lacey with China Beach, discusses unproduced pilots and projects (including HBO series, and an unmade Cher/Jessica Lange/to-be-directed by Frank Oz movie, Confessions) She reflects on writing episodes that tackled addiction, AIDS-era conversations, and sexual assault. Jeffries also shares details about her novel, The Younger Girl, current writing projects, and advice to emerging writers.

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro
01:33 Childhood TV Influences
03:56 Good Girl Expectations
05:16 Finding Writing Path
07:48 Early Jobs and Teaching
10:43 LAPD Ride Along Story
14:34 Cagney and Lacey Breakthrough
16:09 Feminism and California Move
18:09 Film Journalism to Screenwriting
19:34 Unmade Cher Lange Film
24:16 Women in Film Opens Doors
29:47 HBO Script to Book Rights
34:54 Working Mother on Set
36:14 Writers Room Culture Then
39:55 Favorite Episodes Tease
40:09 Why This Story Matters
40:47 Writing Cagney and Lacey
44:28 TV Breaking Taboos4
6:45 Breaking Into Screenwriting
48:17 Saying Yes and No
49:11 Joy and Rejection
51:11 Unmade Pilots Heartbreak
52:55 China Beach Bigger Canvas
55:55 Writers Room Culture
57:50 Showrunner Dream Team
58:39 Vista Clara and Timing
01:00:31 Teaching at USC
01:01:07 Resist AI Stay Original
01:02:00 You Write Like a Man
01:04:33 Working on Sisters
01:06:27 The Younger Girl Novel
01:14:36 Prose Versus Screenwriting
01:16:49 New Work and Wrap Up
01:19:11 Where to Find Everything
01:21:58 Final Thanks and Callouts

AUDIOOGRAPHY
Find out more about Georgia Jeffries at georgiajeffries.com
Get Georgia’s book, The Younger Girl at Bookshop.org
Find out more about the groundbreaking and Emmy-winning show at CagneyandLacey.com
Call your Reps. Let your voice be heard. Go to 5calls.org
Watch on Roku for Sisters and China Beach. 

PROMO DEALS
Get awesome sheets and pajamas at COZY EARTH.
Be sure to use the promo code: 80STVLADIES.
Happy Shopping!

MARCH 8TL DEALS BLOCK:
80s TV Ladies deals and discounts:
Cozy Earth (21% Off)
🔗 Get them at: https://MyDeals.Page/19wy
🎁 Code: 80STVLADIES

📻 CONNECT WITH 80s TV LADIES

• Official Website: 80sTVLadies.com 
• Email Us: 80sTVLadies@gmail.com
• Support the Show: Get ad-free episodes and bonus content | Support on Patreon

🎭 SUSAN'S NEW VENTUREArts A La Carte – A non-profit dedicated to helping develop new works in theater.

• Website: ArtsALaCarte.org
• Instagram: @ArtsALaCarteLA

CELEBRATE 100!
OUR 100th EPISODE is coming! Don't miss our special episode with Ms. Morgan Fairchild!! 

Visit 80sTVLadies.com for more info.

Listen to 80s TV Ladies at YouTube. Subscribe and help us grow.

Don’t miss out. Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list!
Help us make more episodes and get ad-free episodes, video interviews, and exclusive content on PATREON.

90s TV Babies Meet The Golden Girls: Uncovering Timeless Comedy | 80s TV Podcast

Join co-hosts Susan Lambert Hatem and Sharon Johnson as they welcome back the “’90s TV Babies”—Sergio Perez, Sailor Franklin, and Serita Fontanesi—plus first-time (almost silent) guest: the 20s² TV Baby Theo —for a 2026 discussion of The Golden Girls.

The group is assigned a lineup of key episodes across Seasons 1, 2, 4, 6, and the two-part series finale.

They catch up on the last six months: Serita welcomes baby Theo (nearly six months old), shares his love of his Paddington bear, and talks about returning to work; Sailor celebrates a new solo apartment in South Pasadena, a promotion to visual and performing arts associate at a nonprofit, and performing in a 134 West variety show (“Merry Queerness: A Wildly Inappropriate Holiday Show”) featuring a “Last Christmas” number; Sergio describes his first “adult summer” without children’s theater, a year in a new apartment with Koji, and travel to the dunes at Pismo Beach.

Theo’s teething, sock-removing, and foot-in-mouth milestones frequently steal the spotlight.

On The Golden Girls, the guests discuss its lasting impact, rapid-fire joke writing, and how boldly early seasons tackled topics like LGBTQ+ themes, age gaps, consent/power dynamics, teen pregnancy, grief, and loss—often balancing heart with humor. 

Sergio admits he’s watching the series for the first time and praises the show’s intelligence and influence on later sitcoms; Sailor highlights the value of 24-plus-episode seasons and names Dorothy as her favorite; Sergio chooses Rose and admires Betty White’s performance.

They single out “Mrs. George Devereaux” for its emotional weight and structure, and critique the pacing and feel of the series finale’s ending. They also touch on behind-the-scenes context discussed on the podcast, including Estelle Getty’s later-season memory issues and reported tensions between Bea Arthur and Betty White, and briefly fan-cast a hypothetical reboot.

The episode includes a Cozy Earth ad read (41% off with the show’s promo code - ONLY GOOD UNTIL MARCH), mentions a 40th anniversary Golden Girls special on Hulu (2025), shares Serita’s Venmo for diaper money, and plugs Susan’s arts organization Arts à la Carte

The hosts preview upcoming episodes featuring writer/producer/professor Georgia Jeffries (episode 99) and announce Morgan Fairchild as the special guest for the show’s 100th episode.

THE ASSIGNMENT
If you want to watch what the 90s TV Babies watched…
Here is your assignment should you choose to accept it:

S1E1 Pilot, The Engagement
S1.E9 Blanche and the Younger Man
S1.E13 A Little Romance
S1.E25 The Way We Met
S2.E02 Ladies of the Evening
S2.E24 To Catch a Neighbor
S4.E15 Valentine’s Day
S6.E9 Mrs. George Devereaux
S7.25 & S7.26 One Flew Out of the Cuckoo’s Nest

BONUS EXTRA CREDIT EPISODES
S2.E5 Isn’t it Romantic
S2.E21 Dorothy’s Prized Pupil
S6.E14 Sister of the Bride
S7.E2 The Case of the Libertine Bell
S3, Ep1 - Friendship and Memories


00:00 Welcome Back + Golden Girls Episode Assignment
02:24 Meet the Nineties TV Babies (and Baby Theo!)
03:24 Serita’s Life Update: New Baby, Time Off, Paddington Bear
05:04 Sailor’s Update: Shows, Audio Fixes, and Holiday Performance
11:11 Sailor’s Big News: New Apartment + Promotion
12:20 Sergio’s Update: Post-Theater Freedom and Travel Adventures
18:57 Back to the Show: Everyone’s Golden Girls History
24:29 Sailor’s Take: Why Golden Girls Still Hits in 2026
28:39 Campy vs. heartfelt: unpacking the dream episode’s wild tonal mix
30:00 Bring back 24-episode seasons: why filler, flashbacks & character color matter
32:20 Sergio’s first-time watch: rapid-fire jokes, smart writing, and trusting the audience
34:15 Standout lines & bold topics: teen pregnancy, grief, and jokes that land
36:16 Sponsor break: Cozy Earth bamboo sheets (41% off)
36:59 Why Golden Girls still feels ahead of its time (and the case for a reboot)
39:53 Surprises on rewatch: dramatic acting, theater-style sitcoms, and that gut-punch ending
46:38 Favorite Girl debate: Dorothy vs. Rose, and what makes each character click
49:00 Behind-the-scenes: cast dynamics, Estelle Getty’s memory issues, and Betty White lore
53:14 Finale reactions: hating Stan, rushed romance, and an ending without a button
57:26 Monoculture is gone: streaming chaos, reboot realities, and dream fan-casting
01:01:50 Wrap-up & plugs: anniversary special, links, Patreon, and what’s next

AUDIOOGRAPHY

🎙️ FEATURED GUESTS

• Sergio Perez – Associate Producer, actor, writer & "90s TV Baby"
• Sailor Franklin – South Pasadena based stage manager, performer and Visual & Performing Arts Associate | Connect on Instagram
• Serita Fontanesi – New mom to baby Theodore; host of Not Ugly | Venmo Theo diapers!  Visit Serita.co or Listen to Not Ugly Pod

👵 GOLDEN GIRLS RESOURCESFIND GOLDEN GIRLS
Watch On Hulu or Philo
Also YouTube and Apple TV

• DVDs are available through eBay, Walmart, and your local library.
• 40th Anniversary Special (2025) – 40 Years of Laughter and Friendship | Watch on Hulu
• Official Social Media – Stay updated with the girls | Follow on Facebook

📻 CONNECT WITH 80s TV LADIES

• Official Website: 80sTVLadies.com
• Email Us: 80sTVLadies@gmail.com
• Support the Show: Get ad-free episodes and bonus content | Support on Patreon

🎭 SUSAN'S NEW VENTURE
Arts A La Carte – A non-profit dedicated to helping develop new works in theater.

• Website: ArtsALaCarte.org
• Instagram: @ArtsALaCarteLA

🛌 SPECIAL DEALS FOR LISTENERS
Get awesome sheets and pajamas at COZY EARTH.
Be sure to use the promo code: 80STVLADIES. Happy Shopping!

FEBRUARY 8TL DEALS BLOCK:
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Cozy Earth bamboo sheets and pjs (41% Off) - This DEAL ENDS SOON!

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NEW DEALS - Just added!
Bear Knuckles premium leather work gloves (15% Off)
Afuera Coffee sustainable coffee (15% Off)
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🎁Code: 80STVLADIES


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"Golden Girls is just so good. It's been with me my entire life, and there were opportunities to do more than just a rewatch podcast. We could bring in historical stuff and the history of the show." - Patrick Hinds, Golden Girls Deep Dive podcast

Join hosts Sharon Johnson and Susan Lambert Hatem on 80s TV Ladies as they chat with the award-winning podcaster Patrick Hinds. Known for his work on Theatre People, Broadway Backstory, True Crime Obsessed, and The Golden Girls Deep Dive podcast, Patrick Hinds is a familiar name for fans of podcasting. In this episode, Hinds delves into his experiences creating podcasts, his episode walkthrough of The Golden Girls, and his journey from theater to true crime. He discusses working with Jennifer Simard, the impact of Golden Girls on the LGBTQ community, and his book 'Failure is Not, Not an Option.' 

Patrick also talks about working with Gillian Pensavalle on creating the True Crime Obsessed podcast. The conversation touches upon behind-the-scenes stories, the enduring appeal of The Golden Girls, getting hated on by Bea Arthur, and the importance of community and storytelling. Perfect for those who delight in 80s TV, podcasting, and theater.

AUDIOOGRAPHY

Explore the world of Patrick Hinds and his shows:
Golden Girls Deep Dive Podcast 
True Crime Obsessed Podcast 
Get Patrick's book, Failure is Not, Not an Option 

Connect with Patrick at PatrickTours.com  
Or at Instagram.com/patrickhinds

FIND GOLDEN GIRLS
On Hulu or Philo
Also YouTube and Apple TV

•  For those interested in physical copies, DVDs are available through eBay, Walmart, and your local library.

Dive into the beats of nostalgia and learn more about your favorite shows, actors, and the intricate stories behind them with the "80s TV Ladies" podcast!

SPECIAL 8TL PROMO DEALS
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Old Glory iconic music, movies, TV and sports shirts (15% Off)

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NEW DEALS - Just added!
Bear Knuckles premium leather work gloves (15% Off)
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🔗 Get them at: https://MyDeals.Page/19wy
🎁Code: 80STVLADIES


00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome
01:02 Golden Girls Deep Dive with Patrick Hinds
01:41 Working with Jennifer Simard
02:59 From True Crime to Golden Girls
04:04 Theater Podcasting Journey
05:33 Memorable Interviews and Broadway Stories
13:13 The Birth of Broadway Backstory
16:27 Creating a True Crime Podcast with Gillian Pensavalle
20:38 The Appeal of True Crime
25:36 Golden Girls: A Cultural Phenomenon
33:54 Different Standards for Women in Media
34:20 Interviewing Wendy Mallick
35:20 Stan Zimmerman and Theater Connections
37:32 Balancing Podcast Episodes and Interviews
38:09 Challenges of True Crime Podcasting
44:14 Golden Girls: A Timeless Classic
46:54 The Impact of 80s and 90s TV Shows
48:07 Patrick Hinds' Book: Failure is Not, Not an Option
50:10 Bea Arthur's Tough Exterior
52:41 Favorite 80s TV Shows and Final Thoughts

Visit 80sTVLadies.com for more info.

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"It's interesting how relevant these conversations remain today." - Jennie Wetter

Join 80s TV Ladies hosts Susan Lambert Hatem and Sharon Johnson with guest Jennie Wetter, director of the RePros Fight Back Initiative at the Population Institute, as they explore the groundbreaking two-part 'Maude' episodes addressing abortion - Maude's Dilemma, Part 1 and 2.

They discuss the historical context of reproductive rights in America, the impact of the Roe v. Wade decision, and the portrayal of women's healthcare on television before and after its airing. The episode dives into the relevance of these discussions in today's political climate, offering insights on supporting reproductive rights. Featuring reflections on impactful pop culture moments, this conversation underscores how far we’ve come and the battles still ahead.

AUDIOOGRAPHY
Find RePROs Fight Back Podcast at Reprosfightback.com
   - FInd them on major podcast platforms and socials under "RePROs Fight Back"

Find Shout Your Abortion at ShoutYourAbortion.com
Support Abortion Funds at abortionfunds.org
Need an abortion? Go to AbortionFinder.org or Ineedana.com
Abortion pills by mail: PlanCpills.org
Lawyering for Reproductive Justice at ifwhenhow.org
Donate to TRR Foundation (started by our own Melissa!) 

Select RePROs Fight Back  episodes on Later Abortions:
Access to Later Abortion Will Always Be Needed
Everything You Need to Know about Abortion Later in Pregnancy

Watch Maude for free at Tubi TV. 
Purchase Maude on DVD via Shout Factory, now Gruv.com
Or at Ebay.  

SPECIAL 8TL PROMO DEALS
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Click through from this page, the discount should automatically apply. If not, use the promo code: 80STVLADIES. Happy Shopping!

JANUARY 8TL DEALS BLOCK:
Get your 80s TV Ladies deals and discounts:

Cozy Earth bamboo sheets and pjs (41% Off)
Old Glory iconic music, movies, TV and sports shirts (15% Off)
🔗 Get them at: https://MyDeals.Page/19wy
🎁Code: 80STVLADIES

NEW DEALS - Just added!
Bear Knuckles premium leather work gloves (15% Off)
Afuera Coffee sustainable coffee (15% Off)
🔗 Get them at: https://MyDeals.Page/19wy
🎁Code: 80STVLADIES

00:00 Introduction to 80s TV Ladies
00:40 Controversial TV Episodes of the 70s and 80s
02:50 Vital Women's Healthcare in TV
03:37 Introducing Jennie Wetter
05:32 Jennie Wetter's Career and Podcast Journey
08:31 Golden Girls and Reproductive Rights
11:00 Challenges in Accessing Abortion
18:47 Pop Culture and Personal Influences
23:16 Maude's Dilemma: A Groundbreaking Episode
46:21 Exploring Abortion Portrayals in Media
47:01 Grey's Anatomy and Real-Life Experiences
49:56 Historical Context and Impact of 'Maude'
52:57 Rue McClanahan's Role and Show Dynamics
01:01:24 Abortion Representation in Modern Media
01:15:53 Supporting Reproductive Rights Today
01:25:32 Final Thoughts and Upcoming Episodes

Visit 80sTVLadies.com for more info.

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SPECIAL PRESENTATION: The Love Boat Podcast with Loretta Swit

80s TV Ladies is thrilled to introduce you to The Love Boat Podcast with this exclusive Feed Drop from The Love Boat Podcast. 

Before we set sail, we pause to honor the remarkable Loretta Swit.

Emmy-winning star of MASH, beloved guest on The Love Boat, and an icon of television’s golden age. In what would become her final recorded interview, Loretta joins Fred, Ted, Jill (and Bernie Kopell) for an unforgettable conversation about craft, chemistry, and courage. From her trailblazing portrayal of Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan to her heartfelt stories about The Love Boat and co-star Bernie Kopell, Loretta reflects on breaking barriers for women in television, finding humanity in every role, and the joy of creating something that lasts.

Warm, witty, and full of love, this episode is both a celebration and a farewell — a reminder that true classics never fade. Listen to more episodes of The Love Boat Podcast and follow the podcast: https://play.megaphone.fm/dlvu8lpmsfctfxvsxfylxq


https://www.loveboatpodcast.com
https://www.instagram.com/loveboatpodcast

See The Flirt Bar concert reading in Atlanta.
Written by Susan Lambert Hatem. Songs by Amy Ray and Michelle Malone.
Directed by Amanda Wansa Morgan.

January 10-11, 2026
Synchronicity Theatre
Get tix and info at Eventbrite.

Visit 80sTVLadies.com for more info.

Listen to 80s TV Ladies at YouTube. Subscribe and help us grow.

Don’t miss out. Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list!
Help us make more episodes and get ad-free episodes, video interviews, and exclusive content on PATREON.

 ”Dorothy's tale of how she and her husband ended up together implies that he slipped her something and had sex with her. Without protection… Yeah…” - Susan Lambert Hatem

Susan Lambert Hatem and Sharon Johnson dive deep in this episode into the beloved TV show 'The Golden Girls,' discussing its groundbreaking impact and the not-so-great aspects. While celebrating its progressive approach to hot-button topics and its iconic cast, they discuss ten aspects they found problematic, from mean-spirited humor to racial and cultural insensitivity. The episode, inspired by a Vulture article by Steven W. Thrasher, seeks to balance admiration with candid critique, acknowledging both the show's achievements and its shortcomings. Tune in for a balanced look at one of the most iconic TV shows from the '80s, filled with both love and critique.

Wishing you all a Happy Belated Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Wonderful Holidays! May you all have a hopeful and very Happy New Year!

HOLIDAY PROMO DEALS
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Click through from this page, the discount should automatically apply. If not, use the promo code: 80STVLADIES. Happy Shopping!

DECEMBER 8TL DEALS BLOCK:
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Cozy Earth (41% Off)
Old Glory (15% Off)
🔗 Get them at: https://MyDeals.Page/19wy🎁
Code: 80STVLADIES

AUDIOOGRAPHY
Listen to Grace Anna at ArtMuse Podcast at artmusepodcast.com
The Golden Girls Streaming: Watch on Hulu
Get DVDs on eBay

Vulture Article: "The Real Mud on Golden Girls" by Steven W. Thrasher
Read the article on Vulture

OUR 100th EPISODE is coming! What should we do to celebrate?Send us your ideas via: 80sTVLadies @ gmail dot com 

Other TV Shows Referenced:Mama's Family -Mama's Family (Wikipedia)
Married with Children - Married with Children (Wikipedia)
All in the Family - All in the Family (Wikipedia)
How to Marry a Millionaire (film) - How to Marry a Millionaire (Wikipedia)

People
Brandon Tartikoff (NBC executive, inspiration for the show)
Brandon Tartikoff (Wikipedia)

Susan Harris (Creator of The Golden Girls)
Susan Harris (Wikipedia)

Charles Levin (Actor who played Coco)
Charles Levin (Wikipedia)

Steven W Thrasher (Author of the Vulture article)
Steven W Thrasher (Official Site)

CONNECT
Go to 80sTVLadies.com for more info and transcripts.
Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON. 
Join the Facebook page discussion at Facebook.com/80sTVLadies
Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review! Join us for more conversations with the people who shaped TV and pop culture.

00:00 Welcome to 80s TV Ladies Podcast
00:29 Introducing the Golden Girls Discussion
01:02 10 Things We Don't Love About the Golden Girls
02:28 Mean-Spirited Humor in the Golden Girls
04:05 Sexism and Controversial Jokes
07:10 Racism and Cultural Insensitivity
14:36 Ageism and Stereotypes
17:37 Inconsistencies and Lost Characters
20:20 Final Thoughts and Listener Engagement

Visit 80sTVLadies.com for more info.

Listen to 80s TV Ladies at YouTube. Subscribe and help us grow.

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Help us make more episodes and get ad-free episodes, video interviews, and exclusive content on PATREON.

"Achieving this milestone was a dream come true. It made all the hard work and sacrifices worth it."  - Marsha Posner Williams

In this 80s TV Ladies episode, hosts Susan Lambert Hatem and Sharon Johnson continue their interview with Emmy-winning producer Marsha Posner Williams, exploring further chapters of her illustrious career in television. Marsha discusses her work on the short-lived yet memorable show 'Hail to the Chief,' including behind-the-scenes challenges and humorous moments, like dealing with unprepared nuns in the audience. She delves into the transition to producing 'The Golden Girls,' touching on pivotal moments such as reworking the pilot, the removal of the character Coco, and the creation of the show's iconic theme song and opening credits.

Marsha also reflects on inter-cast dynamics, particularly the tension between Bea Arthur and Betty White, and shares broader insights on her career achievements, inspirational encounters, and the empowering message she delivers in her college lectures.

00:00 Introduction and Recap
00:32 Hail to the Chief: Behind the Scenes
05:42 Golden Girls: Season 1 and Casting
08:29 Golden Girls: Creating the Iconic Theme and Opening Credits
15:52 Golden Girls: On-Set Dynamics and Challenges
20:58 Golden Palace Origins
21:09 Tales from the Set
22:18 Navigating Hollywood's Gender Dynamics
22:45 The Me Too Movement
26:18 Working on Amen
32:24 Transition to College Lectures
36:18 Reflecting on a Hollywood Career
43:31 Conclusion and Farewell

AUDIOOGRAPHY
Listen to Grace Anna at ArtMuse Podcast at artmusepodcast.com


HOLIDAY PROMO DEALS
Get awesome sheets and pajamas at COZY EARTH.
If you click through from this page, the discount should automatically apply. If not, use the promo code: 80STVLADIES. Happy Shopping!

DECEMBER 8TL DEALS BLOCK:
80s TV Ladies deals and discounts: Cozy Earth (41% Off)
Old Glory (15% Off)
🔗 Get them at: https://MyDeals.Page/19wy🎁 Code: 80STVLADIES

OUR 100th EPISODE is coming! What should we do to celebrate?
Send us your ideas via: 80sTVLadies @ gmail dot com 

Visit 80sTVLadies.com for more info.

Listen to 80s TV Ladies at YouTube. Subscribe and help us grow.

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Help us make more episodes and get ad-free episodes, video interviews, and exclusive content on PATREON.

“Even more so than All in the Family, we had protesters outside our office... We used to keep our curtains closed because we were afraid someone was gonna throw a brick through the window.” - Marsha Posner Williams on 'Soap'

In this episode of 80s TV Ladies, hosts Susan Lambert Hatem and Sharon Johnson interview Marsha Posner Williams, an Emmy and Golden Globe-winning producer known for her work on hit shows such as ‘Soap,’ 'Benson,' 'Night Court,' and 'The Golden Girls.' Dive into Marsha's fascinating career journey as she shares intriguing and hilarious anecdotes about her experiences in Hollywood, including her connection to Marlo Thomas's fan club.

She tells us about working with Danny Thomas, Paul Junger Witt, Tony Thomas, and Susan Harris! And shares the trials and triumphs of producing controversial yet iconic TV shows alongside Danny Thomas, Paul Junger Witt, Tony Thomas and Susan Harris. From typing jokes and working as a hostess dancer to her involvement in groundbreaking, controversial and iconic TV shows, Marsha's story is one of resilience, ambition, and a keen sense of humor. Tune in to hear her insights on the evolving landscape of television and her contributions to the most memorable shows of the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Stay tuned for more in Part 2!

AUDIOOGRAPHY
Listen to ArtMuse Podcast at artmusepodcast.com


HOLIDAY PROMO DEALS
If you click through from this page, the discount should automatically apply. If not use the promo code: 80STVLADIES. Happy Shopping!

Get some awesome sheets and pajamast at COZY EARTH.

NOVEMBER 8TL DEALS BLOCK:

80s TV Ladies deals and discounts:
 Cozy Earth (41% Off)
Old Glory (15% Off)

🔗 Get them at: https://MyDeals.Page/19wy
🎁 Code: 80STVLADIES

OUR 100th EPISODE is coming! What should we do to celebrate?
Send us your ideas via: 80sTVLadies @ gmail dot com 


00:00 Welcome to 80s TV Ladies
00:37 Introducing Marcia Posner Williams
01:51 Marcia's Early Inspirations
05:28 Journey to Hollywood
08:05 Struggles and Breakthroughs
11:05 First Big Break in Hollywood
20:23 Working with Danny Thomas
23:11 Unpredictability of Live TV
23:28 First Steps in Television
23:45 Working with Susan Harris
25:15 Controversies of 'Soap'
26:39 Fan Reactions and Personal Stories
32:39 Promotion to Script Supervisor
34:17 Transition to Producing
38:34 Memorable Moments on Set
46:39 From 'Benson' to 'Night Court'
47:34 Negotiating Conditions for 'Hail to the Chief'


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Join hosts Susan Lambert Hatem and Sharon Johnson on 80s TV Ladies, where they chat with Jim Colucci, TV writer, author, and entertainment journalist, known for his deep dive into the cultural impact of the Golden Girls. In this episode, Jim discusses his unauthorized retrospective book, 'Golden Girls Forever,' sharing behind-the-scenes stories and the show's lasting cultural influence. From interviews with Golden Girls cast members to exploring themes of diversity and acceptance in 80s television, Jim provides stories about the cast Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty. 
 
The conversation explores Jim's experiences writing about other iconic shows like 'All in the Family,' 'Will and Grace,' and his upcoming book on 'The Love Boat.' Get inside these legendary 80s pop culture shows with insights, laughter, and nostalgic reflections on the power of television to shape our views.Filling in for Melissa this week is Associate Producer Sailor Franklin.

And we kept talking. So many more stories about Golden Girls, The Love Boat, James Lipton, Cloris Leachman and more! Get the full supersized Jim Colucci episode at Patreon.com/80sTVLadies


AUDIOOGRAPHY
You can find Jim Colucci at JimColucci.com  
And on Instagram.com/Jimcolucci
Get Jim's book Golden Girls Forever: An Unauthorized Look Behind the Lanai at Harper Books. 

Get the FULL 2-Hour amazing interview with Jim at Patreon.com/80sTVLadies
The Golden Girls Streaming: Hulu, Disney+, Philo
Purchase:  Apple TV, YouTube (for rent/purchase).

Hulu has the documentary ​​The World According to Allee Willis. So fun!

Read more about the GG 40th Anniversary celebration at ABC. Now streaming on Hulu/Disney+
Watch The Golden Girls: 40 Years of Laughter and Friendship Trailer at YouTube. 

JOIN THE FUN
Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review! 5-stars means a lot.
Join us for more conversations with the people who shaped TV and pop culture.

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Help us make more episodes and get ad-free episodes, video interviews, and exclusive content on PATREON.

Join hosts Susan Lambert Hatem and Sharon Johnson as they welcome back prolific writer, director, producer, and actor Stan Zimmerman. Known for his work on iconic female-driven comedies like 'The Golden Girls,' 'Roseanne,' and 'Gilmore Girls,' Stan shares insights from his illustrious career and discusses his new book, The Girls: From Golden to Gilmore. 

From recounting behind-the-scenes moments with Betty White, Bea Arthur, and other legends, to addressing the challenges of being a gay writer in Hollywood, Stan's stories are both entertaining and enlightening. Tune in for a journey through 80s TV history, writing partnerships, and lessons learned along the way.

00:00 Introduction and Host Welcome
00:43 Introducing Stan Zimmerman
01:51 Stan's Writing Journey
02:37 The Personal Side of Writing
03:36 Journaling and Reflection
05:13 Challenges and Resilience
10:18 Golden Girls Insights
14:30 Writing Partnerships and Hollywood Politics
17:27 Spec Scripts and Early Career
25:50 Golden Girls Episodes and Legacy
36:50 Pitching Jokes to Soap and Benson Writers
37:39 Evolution of the Writer's Room
39:04 Golden Girls and Changing Times
42:23 Stories from the Book: Celebrity Encounters
50:59 Theater and Making a Difference
56:01 Challenges and Triumphs in Hollywood
01:00:41 Friendship with Lily Tomlin
01:10:45 Reflections on Writing for Golden Girls
01:12:19 Conclusion and Podcast Shoutouts

AUDIOOGRAPHY
Find more about Stan at ZimmermanStan.com
Book Recommendation: The Girls: From Golden to Gilmore by Stan Zimmerman.
Get it at Indigo River Publishing. Or at Barnes and Noble.

The Golden Girls Streaming: Hulu, Disney+, Philo
Purchase: Apple TV, YouTube (for rent/purchase), on DVD, and more.

Get Involved in Your Community
Indivisible: Find a group near you and get involved at indivisible.org
Contact Your Representatives: Check out Five Calls to quickly and easily call your representatives.




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In this captivating episode of 80s TV Ladies, hosts Sharon Johnson and Susan Lambert Hatem interview the legendary Cindy Fee, best known for singing the iconic theme song for 'The Golden Girls'. The conversation covers Cindy's extensive career, beginning with her professional singing at a young age, and her work with notable artists such as Kenny Rogers, Lionel Richie, and Dolly Parton.

Cindy shares behind-the-scenes stories from her career in jingles, commercials, and studio work, as well as her experiences performing live. She also reflects on the enduring appeal of 'The Golden Girls', the impact of TV theme songs, and the evolution of the music industry. Cindy's anecdotes and insights offer a unique glimpse into the life of a versatile and prolific singer.

00:00 Introduction and Hosts' Welcome
00:32 Introducing Cindy Fee: A Musical Journey
01:57 Early Beginnings in Music
04:13 Moving to LA and Career Breakthroughs
06:04 Recording Demos and Working with Diane Warren
10:58 Family Life and Balancing Career
12:57 Studio Work and Jingle Singing
25:58 Golden Girls Theme Song and TV Music
29:41 The Evolution of TV and Music Industry
39:25 The Impact of AI on Performers
39:58 The Role of Unions in Protecting Talent
41:06 Misconceptions About Golden Girls Contributions
41:25 Golden Girls Conventions and Fan Interactions
42:53 A Career in Music and Jingles
49:11 Memorable Collaborations and Advice for Singers
59:20 The Emotional Connection of 'Thank You for Being a Friend'
01:09:45 Future Plans and Final Thoughts

AUDIOOGRAPHY

Learn more about Cindy Fee at CindyFeeSings.com
Find Cindy at TikTok.com/@goldengirlfee

Be a part of Cindy Fee's new "Thank You For Being a Friend" music video. Learn more at her Instagram

Check out Golden Girls LIVE! This December in San Francisco

COMMERCIALS:
Hoover Nobody Does it Like You on YouTube.
Wheaties What the Big Boys Eat on YouTube.
Pontiac Ride Pontiac Ride on YouTube.

The Golden Girls Streaming: Hulu, Disney+, Philo
Purchase: Apple TV,  YouTube, on DVD at Ebay

Book Recommendation - Golden Girls Forever: An Unauthorized Look Behind the Lanai by Jim Colucci. Find it at Harper Books. 

Visit 80sTVLadies.com for more info.

Listen to 80s TV Ladies at YouTube. Subscribe and help us grow.

Don’t miss out. Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list!
Help us make more episodes and get ad-free episodes, video interviews, and exclusive content on PATREON.

Hosts Susan Lambert Hatem and Sharon Johnson dive deep into the beloved 'The Golden Girls' with a delightful overview and 50 fun facts about the show. Discover fascinating show details, cast secrets, and notable legacy moments as they share their passion for this iconic series. 

Learn about the iconic characters played by Bea Arthur (Dorothy Zbornak), Betty White (Rose Nylund), Rue McClanahan (Blanche Devereaux), and Estelle Getty (Sophia Petrillo). Along the way, explore production quirks and the enduring impact of 'The Golden Girls' on TV history. 

Explore the show's legacy, including its international remakes and impact on pop culture. Packed with laughter, nostalgia, and insightful anecdotes, this episode is perfect for longtime fans and new viewers alike. 
Stay tuned to learn about our next episode with a special upcoming guest - Cindy Fee, the voice behind the theme song 'Thank You for Being a Friend.' Don't miss it!

CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
01:30 General Show Facts
08:09 Cast Facts
15:43  Production Facts 
24:47 Legacy Facts
32:26 Break
32:45 Character History Facts
48:55 Audioography


AUDIOOGRAPHY
The Golden Girls Streaming: Hulu, Disney+, Philo
Purchase: Apple TV, YouTube (for rent/purchase), on DVD, and more
Maude Streaming (free): Tubi, Pluto TV
Book Recommendation Golden Girls Forever: An Unauthorized Look Behind the Lanai by Jim Colucci.  Check it out at Amazon. Find it at Harper Books. 
https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-golden-girls-tales-from-the-lanai-alfred-l-martin/0dd781f8db5641c4In Memoriam Todd Cochrane: Learn more about the founder of the Podcast Awards and early podcaster in these obituaries: Obituary in Podnews, Obituary from Eagle Funeral Homes

Get Involved in Your Community
Indivisible: Find a group near you and get involved at indivisible.org
Contact Your Representatives: Check out Five Calls to quickly and easily call your representatives.

CONNECT

Go to 80sTVLadies.com for more info and transcripts.
Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON. 
Join the Facebook page discussion at Facebook.com/80sTVLadies

Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review! Join us for more conversations with the people who shaped TV and pop culture.

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Help us make more episodes and get ad-free episodes, video interviews, and exclusive content on PATREON.

Join hosts Sharon Johnson and Susan Lambert Hatem for an exciting episode as they take an in-depth look at the legendary 90s TV show, Xena: Warrior Princess. This episode features special guests RJ Stewart, head writer and co-creator of the series, and Anna Schekel, an artist and lifelong Xena fan. The discussion covers the evolution and impact of 'Xena: Warrior Princess,' the chemistry between Lucy Lawless and Renee O'Connor, and how the series became a cult classic. RJ shares insights into the show's creation, the importance of female empowerment in TV, and his new post-apocalyptic novel 'Crazy Hawk.' Don't miss this blend of nostalgia and deep dive into one of the most beloved series of the 90s.

00:02 Theme Music
00:23 Audio Note and Season 4 Introduction
01:02 Discussing Zena Warrior Princess
03:10 Interview with Anna Scheckel
05:36 Anna's Favorite Episodes and Characters
08:30 Welcoming RJ Stewart
11:04 RJ Stewart's Writing Journey
37:31 Cult Classic Status and Conventions
44:15 Discussing Creative Control and Story Arcs
47:34 Hero Protection and Character Development
48:17 The Impact of Female Empowerment Stories
50:44 Working with Lucy Lawless and Renee O'Connor
54:27 Navigating Industry Challenges and Gossip
55:34 The Bond Controversy and Career Reflections
58:57 Exploring Xena's Lesbian Subtext
01:07:09 Memorable Moments and Industry Insights
01:17:02 Final Thoughts and Future Projects
01:20:47 Ad-Break
01:20:49 Audioography

AUDIOOGRAPHY
Xena: Warrior Princess
Streaming: Amazon Prime Video
Purchase: eBay

Crazy Hawk by RJ Stewart (Book)Purchase: Bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble
Audiobook read by Katie Hagaman: Audible.

See Susan at Rich's LIVE show for Richard Hatem's Paranormal Bookshelf - Final NY dates: Sept 24 and Sept 27! Get Tix at Eventbrite.


CONNECT
Visit 80sTVLadies.com for info and transcripts.
Join the Facebook page discussion at Facebook.com/80sTVLadies

Visit 80sTVLadies.com for more info.

Listen to 80s TV Ladies at YouTube. Subscribe and help us grow.

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Help us make more episodes and get ad-free episodes, video interviews, and exclusive content on PATREON.

"Listeners, what would be the answer for you? Is it Buffy or Xena?”

Welcome to Season Four of 80s TV Ladies with hosts Sharon Johnson and Susan Lambert Hatem. In this episode, we dive into a nostalgic showdown between two iconic 90s TV heroines: Xena, the Warrior Princess, and Buffy, the Vampire Slayer.

Susan and Sharon discuss the origins, cultural impact, and strengths of both shows, debating who would win in a head-to-head fight, which show was more influential, and which had the best musical episode! They also speculate on which heroine iconic Wonder Woman iterations (70s WW played by Linda Carter and 2017's WW, played by Gal Gadot) would prefer.

Stay tuned for exciting details about our next guest, RJ Stewart, co-creator of Xena, and some engaging audio recommendations and show notes. This episode promises a delightful mix of history, pop culture analysis, and fanfare for these beloved series.

00:00 Welcome to 80s TV Ladies Season Four!
00:58 Introducing RJ Stewart and the Xena vs. Buffy Debate
01:35 History of Xena: Warrior Princess
02:50 History of Buffy the Vampire Slayer
04:45 Buffy vs. Xena: Who Would Win in a Fight?
07:17 Best 90s TV Ladies Superhero Show
12:25 Musical Episodes: Xena vs. Buffy
17:46 Buffy vs. Xena: The Ultimate Showdown
18:03 Wonder Woman's Preference: Xena or Buffy?
19:43 Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman: A New Perspective
24:18 90s TV Heroines: Beyond Buffy and Xena
26:00 Final Tally: Buffy vs. Xena
27:37 Upcoming Episodes and recommendations
30:07 Sign off and Farewell

AUDIOOGRAPHY

Xena: Warrior Princess
Streaming: Amazon Prime Video
Purchase: eBay

Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Streaming: Tubi (free), Hulu, Disney+
Purchase: eBay

Crazy Hawk by RJ Stewart (Book)Purchase: Bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble
Audiobook read by Katie Hagaman: Audible.

Guess What? We’re nominated!
For TWO People’s Choice PODCAST AWARDS!: Podcastawards.com

CONNECT
Visit 80sTVLadies.com for info and transcripts.
Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.
Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON. 
Join the Facebook page discussion at Facebook.com/80sTVLadies

Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review! Join us for more conversations with the people who shaped TV and pop culture.

Visit 80sTVLadies.com for more info.

Listen to 80s TV Ladies at YouTube. Subscribe and help us grow.

Don’t miss out. Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list!
Help us make more episodes and get ad-free episodes, video interviews, and exclusive content on PATREON.

“It’s not just because it’s a masterclass in comedy or because it has one of the greatest television theme songs of all time, I think it’s because it’s about friendship.”

Get ready for a brand new season of 80s TV Ladies! In this special sneak peek, hosts Sharon Johnson and Susan Lambert Hatem dish out all the details on what’s coming up in Season Four.

What's next for 8TL: Golden Girls, Kate & Allie, and One Day at a Time!

From the iconic laughs of The Golden Girls, to the heartfelt journeys of One Day at a Time, and the long-awaited fan favorite Kate & Allie, we’re diving deep into the shows that defined a generation of women living life on their own terms. We’ll share behind-the-scenes stories, spotlight unforgettable characters, and welcome some very special guests and sidebar episodes—including a showdown between Xena and Buffy to kick things off! 

Plus, we’ve got tips on where to stream or find these classic series, and ways you can help support the show.

AUDIOOGRAPHY

The Golden Girls

• Streaming: Hulu, Disney+
• Purchase: Apple TV, YouTube, Walmart, eBay

One Day at a Time

• Streaming: Tubi, YouTube
• Purchase: Shout Factory, eBay

Kate & Allie

• Streaming: The Roku Channel
• Purchase: Walmart, Best Buy, eBay

So grab your bitchin’ shoulder pads and settle in—Season Four is about to bring you more joy, laughter, and fabulous TV than ever before. Don’t miss it!

Guess What? We’re nominated!For TWO People’s Choice PODCAST AWARDS!: Podcastawards.com


CONNECT
Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.
Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON. 
Join the Facebook page discussion at Facebook.com/80sTVLadies

Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review! Join us for more conversations with the people who shaped TV and pop culture.

Visit 80sTVLadies.com for more info.

Listen to 80s TV Ladies at YouTube. Subscribe and help us grow.

Don’t miss out. Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list!
Help us make more episodes and get ad-free episodes, video interviews, and exclusive content on PATREON.

Dive into the fascinating world of LGBTQ representation in 70s, 80s, and 90s television with hosts Sharon Johnson and Susan Lambert Hatem on '80s TV Ladies.' This special summer rerun, featuring expert Matt Baume, highlights iconic queer moments and characters. Originally aired on June 7th, 2023, the episode covers groundbreaking shows like 'Bewitched,' 'All in the Family,' 'Golden Girls,' and more. Matt discusses his unique journey as a content creator focused on queer pop culture and shares his insights on evolving media representation. Don’t miss this engaging and enlightening episode, perfect for Pride Month or any time of year!

00:00 Introduction to Queer TV with Matt Baume
00:43 Meet the Hosts and Guest Introduction
02:41 Matt Baume's Journey into Queer Pop Culture
04:54 The Impact of Television on Cultural Understanding
13:30 Early Gay Representation on Television
15:07 The Significance of 'Bewitched' in Queer Representation
20:52 Norman Lear's Contributions to Queer Representation
28:57 The Golden Girls and Its Gay Fandom
33:58 Michael Scott and Archie Bunker: A Comparison
34:40 The 'I Can't Believe It's Not Heterosexual' Trope
37:52 Backlash and Acceptance of Queer Representation
41:08 Lesbian Representation on TV
49:15 Trans Representation on TV
53:01 The Role of Gatekeepers in TV Representation
59:18 Demanding Representation and Change
01:01:15 Upcoming Projects and Final Thoughts
01:03:34 Conclusion and Farewell

AUDIOGRAPHY
Find Matt and his podcast “Sewers of Paris” - at MattBaume.com
Get Matt Baume’s new book “Hi Honey, I’m Homo” at Bookshop.org.
Or at Elliott Bay. Watch Matt’s YouTube Videos.

LGBTQ Advocacy: Consider supporting orgs like The Trevor Project and The Okra Project.

CONNECT
What does representation mean to you? Email us at 80sTVLadies@gmail.com

SUSAN and RICHARD HATEM ON TOUR
Richard of Richard Hatem’s Paranormal Bookshelf is going on the road! Susan will be there, too - producing and hosting! We’re kicking off Rich’s 2025 multi-city show, the “LIGHT IN THE DARK” tour, debuting an all-original LIVE episode, you can only hear it live!

Confirmed dates:
Sept 20th - The Mothman Festival. Point Pleasant, WV
Sept 22nd - Washington D.C.
Sept 27th - Centereach, NY

More dates are being added soon:
Check out rhpb.eventbrite.com or go to https://www.richardhatemsparanormalbookshelf.com/events to learn more!

Visit 80sTVLadies.com for more info.

Listen to 80s TV Ladies at YouTube. Subscribe and help us grow.

Don’t miss out. Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list!
Help us make more episodes and get ad-free episodes, video interviews, and exclusive content on PATREON.

In this episode, hosts Susan Lambert Hatem and Sharon Johnson revisit season one, episode six of 'Scarecrow and Mrs. King,' originally launched on September 28, 2022. The rerun features actress Martha Smith, the first actress/celebrity guest on 80s TV Ladies. They dive into Smith's experiences and roles, from her motion picture debut in 'Animal House' to her portrayal of Agent Francine Desmond in 'Scarecrow and Mrs. King.' The conversation covers various topics such as acting in the 80s, the dynamics of the show, and the evolution of female-driven TV shows. Martha shares personal anecdotes about her career, her time with Playboy, on-tour adventures with Rod Stewart, and her unique character development on the show.

00:00 Introduction and Episode Overview
00:26 Voting Reminder and Importance
01:11 Meet the Hosts and Special Guest Introduction
01:51 Martha Smith's Early Career and Animal House
02:41 Behind the Scenes of Animal House
07:59 Martha's Playboy Experience
11:33 Transition to Acting and Early Roles
19:36 Landing the Role in Scarecrow and Mrs. King
39:41 Francine and Amanda's Dynamic Duo
40:44 The Core Fan Base of Scarecrow and Mrs. King
43:37 Behind the Scenes: Changes and Challenges
46:58 Memorable Episodes and Character Development
53:09 The End of an Era: Season Four and Beyond
01:00:32 Reflections and Future Endeavors
01:06:31 Final Thoughts and Farewells

AUDIOOGRAPHY
Watch Scarecrow and Mrs. King On Tubi or On Roku.
Check out ‍‍Television’s Female Spies And Crimefighters by Karen A. Romanko at Barnes and Noble.
Fansite: CallMeaCab.com by Taya Johnston

80s TV Ladies is nominated for TWO 2025 Podcast Awards. Check us out at  PodcastAwards.com https://www.podcastawards.com If you’re a selected judge, please vote for us in Best Female Hosted Podcast and for Best TV & Film Podcast.

Help us out: Be sure to subscribe, rate, and review!
Have a great summer, y’all!

Visit 80sTVLadies.com for more info.

Listen to 80s TV Ladies at YouTube. Subscribe and help us grow.

Don’t miss out. Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list!
Help us make more episodes and get ad-free episodes, video interviews, and exclusive content on PATREON.

Join hosts Susan Lambert Hatem and Sharon Johnson as they revisit a beloved episode featuring the co-creator of 'Scarecrow and Mrs. King,' Eugenie Ross-Leming. Originally aired on August 31, 2022, this rerun dives into Ross-Leming's storied career, from her early days at Second City to creating the iconic 80s TV series. Delve into the casting choices, character dynamics, and behind-the-scenes challenges that shaped this female-driven show.

Whether you're a longtime fan or new to 80s television, this episode offers rich insights and nostalgic reflections. Don't miss out on personal stories, industry trends, and the show's lasting impact on viewers. Plus, stay tuned for shoutouts to dedicated fan sites and podcasts celebrating 'Scarecrow and Mrs. King.' Perfect for any enthusiast of 80s TV and the evolution of women in television.

00:00 Introduction and Episode Overview
01:05 Meet the Hosts: Susan and Sharon
01:18 Special Guest: Eugenie Ross Leming
01:55 Eugenie's Early Career and Second City Days
05:19 Transition to Writing and Hollywood Experiences
11:12 Creating Scarecrow and Mrs. King
15:07 Casting and Character Dynamics
28:01 Challenges and Reflections on the Show
34:50 Legacy and Fanbase of Scarecrow and Mrs. King
36:15 Reflecting on Career and Relationships
40:25 Women in Television: Past and Present
42:55 Defining Feminist and Female-Driven Shows
50:02 Memorable Moments from Scarecrow and Mrs. King
54:49 Supernatural: A Phenomenal Experience
56:59 Favorite Female-Driven TV Shows
01:02:25 Directing Lois and Clark: A Personal Anecdote
01:07:12 Closing Remarks and Fan Shoutouts

AUDIOOGRAPHY
We’ve been nominated for TWO 2025 Podcast Awards.
Check us out at  PodcastAwards.com  - If you’re a selected judge, please vote for us in Best Female Hosted Podcast and for Best TV & Film Podcast.

PODCAST MOVEMENT 2025: Susan will be at the Podcast Movement Convention in Dallas, August 18-20. Reach out if you will be there, too 80sTVLadies@gmail.com

Richard of Richard Hatem’s Paranormal Bookshelf is going on the road! Susan will be there, too - Producing and hosting! We’re kicking off Rich’s 2025 multi-city show, the “LIGHT IN THE DARK” tour, debuting an all-original LIVE episode, at the On Rotation Brewery in Dallas on Monday, August 18. Get tickets for the August 18 Dallas show: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dallas-richard-hatems-paranormal-bookshelf-live-tickets-1520485967459

Find out if we’re coming to a city near you. Check out rhpb.eventbrite.com or go to https://www.richardhatemsparanormalbookshelf.com/events to learn more!

Check out On Rotation Brewery https://on-rotation.com/
Help us make more episodes and get ad-free episodes and exclusive content! Join PATREON. Free trial!
Get transcripts and more at 80sTVLadies.com
Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.
Join the Facebook page discussion at Facebook.com/80sTVLadies
Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review! 

Visit 80sTVLadies.com for more info.

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Help us make more episodes and get ad-free episodes, video interviews, and exclusive content on PATREON.

In this special summer rerun reminiscent of those hot and fabulous days of 1980s television, hosts Sharon Johnson and Susan Lambert Hatem take listeners back to the very first episode of our own 80s TV Ladies. 

Originally dropped July 20, 2022, this throwback episode revisits the launch of the podcast and the cultural moment that inspired it—emerging from the pandemic, navigating a changing world, and celebrating the iconic women of 1980s television. Sharon and Susan dive deep into the pilot of "Scarecrow and Mrs. King," exploring its unique blend of action, comedy, and romance, and discussing why the show remains a beloved, feminist classic.

Along the way, they reflect on the evolution of female-driven TV, the impact of trailblazing showrunners, and the enduring appeal of stars like Kate Jackson and Bruce Boxleitner.Packed with personal stories, pop culture insights, and plenty of laughs, this episode is both a nostalgic look back and a celebration of the groundbreaking women who shaped TV history. Whether you’re a longtime fan or discovering 80s TV Ladies for the first time, this is the perfect place to start your journey.

THE CONVERSATION

• Beverly Garland: the hotel AND the actress – Plus, Is she Amanda King’s mother – or Laura Holt’s (Remington Steele)?
• Kate Jackson’s previous hit show: Was it Alley Cats or Harry’s Angels or….?
• Did the writers change Amanda from being married to divorced in the pilot script?
• Who was the first female showrunner in TV history – and why did it take 30 years before there was another?
• What was Amanda King’s superpower?
• And what does all this have to do with Parks and Recreation’s Leslie Knope?

Join us for our “First Time” as we solve the mystery of whether or not Scarecrow and Mrs. King was a feminist show – a progressive show – or both?

Have no fear: Susan and Sharon are on the case!

OUR AUDIO-OGRAPHY

Why does Susan call it Audio-ology in this episode? Cause she’s silly, and we’re still figuring out what we’re calling it.

Watch Scarecrow and Mrs. King On Tubi or On Roku

Get "How Tall Are You? A Memboir by Greg Morton" at BooksaMilion.com
Check out ‍‍Television’s Female Spies And Crimefighters by Karen A. Romanko at Barnes and Noble.

Fansite: CallMeaCab.com by Taya Johnston  
Podcast:‍ The Mrs. King Chronicles – Hosted by Lexie Fiema, Taya Johnston, Jenn Peterson, Miranda Thomas

We’ve been nominated for TWO 2025 Podcast Awards.
Check us out at  PodcastAwards.com
If you’re a selected judge, please vote for us in Best Female Hosted Podcast and for Best TV & Film Podcast.

HELLO, TEXAS! Susan will be at the Podcast Movement Convention in Dallas, August 18-20. Reach out if you will be there, too! Email Susan at 80sTVLadies@gmail.com

Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.
Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON. 
Join the Facebook page discussion at Facebook.com/80sTVLadies
Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review! 

Visit 80sTVLadies.com for more info.

Listen to 80s TV Ladies at YouTube. Subscribe and help us grow.

Don’t miss out. Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list!
Help us make more episodes and get ad-free episodes, video interviews, and exclusive content on PATREON.

"Darrin is super comfortable in himself. Darrin knows he is not the powerful one 'cause he is like, ‘I married a witch'…  It's nice to see a dude that loves his wife.” - Marty Schneider

Hosts Susan Lambert Hatem and Sharon Johnson team up with Marty Schneider and Dan Ludwig of the Breaking Mayberry podcast for a magical, hilarious crossover! In this bonus episode, the crew dives into the world of “Bewitched,” focusing on Season 2, Episode 2: “A Very Special Delivery,” where Samantha is pregnant, Darrin is doting, and then not. Chaos (and comedy) ensue when Endora curses Darren to experience pregnancy symptoms himself. In this episode:

• The legacy of “Bewitched” and its place among TV’s “magical women” sitcoms
• Comparing 1960s and 1990s TV, and the evolution of family and gender roles on screen
• The real-life pregnancy of Elizabeth Montgomery and how it shaped the show
• A deep-dive into the episode’s plot: overprotective husbands, meddling mothers-in-law, and the infamous “pickle scene”
• The gender-bending, trope-twisting humor of making a man “pregnant” on 1960s TV
• Endora’s iconic role as both antagonist and secret hero
• The surprising (and sometimes cringeworthy) moments of 60s sitcoms, from beds on TV to threats of domestic violence
• Fun behind-the-scenes trivia: recurring character actors, colorized vs. black-and-white, and more!

“Who's the figure from Greek myth, the oracle that was like both a man and a woman, which made them incredibly wise? I feel like Darrin by season six is going to be the ultimate version of that because he has been a man, a woman, a monkey, a dinosaur, probably a race car driver.” - Dan Ludwig

Plus:

• The “Breaking Mayberry” team shares insights from their own podcast, which explores the weird messages and generational impact of classic TV
• Crossover fun: Listen to Part 1 on Breaking Mayberry, where the group covers “Alias Darrin Stephens” (Season 2, Episode 1)
• Where to watch “Bewitched” for free, and how to find more from both podcasts

“I think in terms of Endora, this was one of the best episodes for her character. She was really, really standing up for her daughter in this one.” - Sharon Johnson

Links & Resources:

• Listen to Breaking Mayberry. Find your favorite player at pod link. On Apple Podcast. Or at Spotify.
• Watch “Bewitched” for free at Internet Archive.
• Or find select seasons on Roku.

Vote for us:

• Help us get THREE PODCAST AWARDS!
• GO HERE: Podcastawards.com
• Give an email and register. It’s easy! CLICK ON: Sign Up To Vote Now. NOMINATE 80s TV Ladies for: Best Female Hosted, People's Choice and TV & Film

PS: While you're there, also NOMINATE Richard Hatem's Paranormal Bookshelf in Religion and Spirituality. Podcastawards.com

CONNECT

Visit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.
Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.
Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON. 
Join the Facebook page discussion at Facebook.com/80sTVLadies

Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review! Join us for more conversations with the people (and witches) who shaped TV and pop culture.

Visit 80sTVLadies.com for more info.

Listen to 80s TV Ladies at YouTube. Subscribe and help us grow.

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Help us make more episodes and get ad-free episodes, video interviews, and exclusive content on PATREON.

Welcome to our final Season Three episode of 80s TV Ladies! Hosts Sharon Jonson and Susan Lambert Hatem continue their in-depth conversation with actor Jon Cryer. In this second part, Jon shares behind-the-scenes stories from his television and film career, including his start in 80s television with "The Famous Teddy Z," the ups and downs of sitcom life, and his experiences working with legends like Charlie Sheen, Christopher Reeve, and Gene Hackman.

In this episode:

• Jon’s journey from 80s movies to TV stardom
• The making (and unmaking) of "The Famous Teddy Z"
• Working with one of his idols, Hugh Wilson (WKRP in Cincinnati, Frank’s Place)
• Lessons learned from sitcoms like "Partners" and "Getting Personal"
• The inside story of landing "Two and a Half Men" and working with Chuck Lorre and Charlie Sheen
• Favorite guest stars and the casting of Holland Taylor and Conchata Ferrell
• Reflections on the show’s humor, its approach to masculinity, and Lorre’s ability to write for women
• Jon’s Emmy wins and what they meant to him
• Playing Lex Luthor in the Arrowverse and being a lifelong comics fan
• Producing podcasts, including the award-winning "The Man Who Calculated Death"
• The importance of storytelling, speaking truth, and making art in today’s world

Plus:

• A special trailer for "The Man Who Calculated Death" podcast
• Fun anecdotes about the joy of making art and how he was involved in the making of the k.d. lang and Roy Orbison duet, “Crying”

Links:

• The Man Who Calculated Death
• Jon Cryer on IMDb
• Lawyers, Guns and Money Podcast
• Listen to Jon Cryer, Part 1 at 80sTVLadies.com

Vote for us:

• Help us get THREE PODCAST AWARDS! GO HERE: Podcastawards.com
• Give an email and register. It’s easy! CLICK ON: "Sign Up To Vote Now". NOMINATE 80s TV Ladies for: Best Female Hosted, People's Choice and TV & Film
• PS: While you're there, also NOMINATE Richard Hatem's Paranormal Bookshelf in Religion and Spirituality. Podcastawards.com

Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review! Follow us for more conversations with the women (and men) who shaped 80s TV and pop culture.

Visit 80sTVLadies.com for more info.

Listen to 80s TV Ladies at YouTube. Subscribe and help us grow.

Don’t miss out. Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list!
Help us make more episodes and get ad-free episodes, video interviews, and exclusive content on PATREON.

Susan and Sharon are thrilled to welcome director, writer and actor Jon Cryer to 80s TV Ladies!
Jon Cryer is an Emmy-winning film and television icon, known for starring as “Duckie” in the 1986 John Hughes teen classic Pretty in Pink -- and then going on to star in all twelve seasons of Chuck Lorre’s long-running, award-winning sitcom, Two and A Half Men.

Along the way, Jon has starred or appeared in dozens of television shows including The Famous Teddy Z, Partners, Dharma & Greg, Family Guy, The Practice, CSI, NCIS, Will & Grace and The Kominsky Method, and such films as No Small Affair, Hiding Out, Hot Shots!, Holy Man, Dudes and Due Date. For three years, Jon Cryer gave an award-winning performance as the legendary evil genius Lex Luthor on CW’s Supergirl.

Jon authored the 2015 autobiography So That Happened and currently executive produces two hit podcasts: The Man Who Calculated Death and Lawyers, Guns & Money (which he also narrates). In Part 1 of a two-part conversation, Jon reflects on growing up in a show biz family and learning acting the hard way. Plus what it’s like playing the romantic lead opposite two of the most famous actresses of our time: Demi Moore and Molly Ringwald…

THE CONVERSATION

• Susan and Sharon share the crazy story of how they met Jon Cryer and got him on the show!
• BEING AN ACTOR IS CRAP: First day, first film, Jon is 20 years-old -- and Robert Altman is throwing fake bird shit all over him. That’s showbiz!
• THE FACTS OF LIFE: Jon was a huge fan of the show -- and then got to work with 8TL alum director Assad Kelada on Two and A Half Men!
• ACTING FOR TOOTIE: Jon just worked with Kim Fields -- she was his director!
• No Apology Necessary: Demi Moore recently apologized to Jon in her autobiography Inside Out for not being more sensitive when she “took his virginity” while shooting No Small Affair. But it turns out he wasn’t a virgin: “I just seemed like one.”
• On opening day of No Small Affair, Jon snuck into a theater just in time to see himself take off his shirt on screen -- and hear someone yell: “Where’s the beef?”
• When Jon met Andrew McCarthy and Molly Ringwald on the Pretty in Pink set, he thought they didn’t like him. Turns out he was only half-right.
• The original ending of Pretty in Pink has Molly Ringwald’s Andie politely shutting down Andrew McCarthy’s Blane, and dancing in solidarity with Cryer’s Duckie (to Davie Bowie’s Heroes) -- but test audiences HATED it! So, the ending was changed making sure that Andie ended up with cute and sensitive, rich-boy, Blane.
• GETTING MOSHED: While filming Dudes, Penelope Spheeris had Jon and castmate Dan Roebuck thrown into the mosh pit at a Vandals concert -- and they barely lived to tell about it!

So, join Susan and Sharon -- and Jon -- as they talk Morgan Freeman, Escape From Alcatraz, Richard Gere, Wonder Woman, Al Pacino, Cher, Annie Potts, Mark Hamill, The Bad News Bears -- and getting naked for laughs on Two And A Half Men!

AUDIO-OGRAPHY
Listen to Suzanne Rico’s podcast The Man Who Calculated Death (produced by Jon Cryer and Lisa Joyner) at TheManWhoCalculatedDeath.com
And Jon's other podcast, Lawyers, Gun & Money at Apple. 
Watch all 12 seasons of Two And A Half Men on Peacock.
Watch Jon Cryer as Lex Luthor on Supergirl on Apple or on Netflix.
Buy Jon Cryer’s autobiography, So That Happened at Bookshop.org.
Or Listen to So That Happened on Spotify or Audible. 

Arts Funding is under attack in this country. Find out how to support the arts, locally and nationally at  https://www.artsforla.org/

VITAL DEMOCRACY READING
Check out Democracy Docket here.
Learn more about the ACLU here.
Let your voice be heard! Call your reps. .Make 5 Calls makes it easy.

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

VOTE FOR US
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GO HERE: Podcastawards.com
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NOMINATE 80s TV Ladies for: Best Female Hosted, People's Choice and TV & Film

PS: Whiile you're there, also NOMINATE Richard Hatem's Paranormal Bookshelf https://www.podcastawards.com/ in Religion and Spirituality. 

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“This show makes me feel like I have a blanket around me and I’m eating mac & cheese.” -- Megan Ruble, 90s TV Baby, about The Facts of Life.

Susan and Sharon welcome back the notorious “90s TV Babies” to find out what they think about The Facts of Life, which ran August 24, 1979 to May 7, 1988.  Did they “take the good” and “take the bad”?  Did the “World Live Up To Their Dreams”? We’re gonna find out!

Megan Ruble and Serita Fontanesi were asked to watch these FOL listener-suggested episodes:

The Facts of Life Assignment
S1; EP13: “Dope”
S2; EP1: “The New Girl”
S3; EP15: “Starstruck”
S4; EP22: “Take My Finals, Please”
S5; EP6: “The Halloween Show”
S7; EP1: “Out of the Fire”

Plus, Bonus episodes: 
S1; EP1: “Rough Housing (The Pilot)”
S2; EP2: “The New Girl: Part 2”
S2; EP5: “Cousin Geri”
S3; EP18: “Runaway”
S5; EP10: “Store Games”
S5; EP17: “A Death in the Family”
S5; EP18: “Big Fish, Little Fish”
S7; EP2: “Into the Frying Pan”
S7; EP8: “Come Back To The Truck Stop, Natalie Green, Natalie Green”
S7; EP14: “Tootie Drives”
S9; EP16: “The First Time”

THE CONVERSATION

• SUMMER UPDATE: Serita’s having a baby!  Little Theodore Fontanesi arrives the first week of August!
• SUMMER UPDATE: Megan is producing a show for the Hollywood Fringe Festival and acting in “Shakespeare by the Sea”!
• SIT LONG AND PROSPER: What does it feel like to be put in Vulcan make-up? Megan will tell you!
• BUFFY ALERT! -- Serita is concerned: Is Megan an “Angel Girl” or a “Spike Girl”?
• SPOILER ALERT! -- Both Serita and Megan LOVED Facts of Life!
• “Starstruck (S3; EP15)” -- Megan calls out how rare it is to see a show about “out of control fandom” and Serita calls out how para-social relationships are not a “new thing”.
• Serita’s favorite characters: Tootie and Jo. Megan’s favorite characters: Edna and Natalie.
• Why was Tootie always on roller skates?  To make her taller for the camera!
• S5; EP 17 “A Death in the Family”:  On February 1, 1984, The Facts of Life breaks ground featuring the first ever television portrayal of a “Shiva”.
• Is The Facts of Life “progressive” and “feminist”? Listen to 90s TV Babies to find out!

So join Susan and Sharon -- and Serita and Megan -- as they talk C-sections, fan conventions, The Golden Girls, deep-dish pizza, making babies laugh at your jokes -- and how “Edna’s Edibles” could be its own strain!

AUDIO-OGRAPHY
Learn more about The Facts of Life at https://www.facebook.com/thefactsoflifesite/ 
Watch Season 2 & 3 of Facts of Life for FREE on Tubi.com.
Look for more episodes on Daily Motion or YouTube.

Listen in on Serita’s podcast at NotUglyPod.com.
Send Serita diaper money for Little Baby Theo at Venmo.com/seritafonta! 

Check out Megan’s Hollywood Fringe production “The Visitor” at DayforKnightproductions.com.
Get tickets at HollywoodFringe.org.
FREE Shakespear in the parks + Megan! See and Go see and support ShakespearebytheSea.org.
Arts Funding is under attack in this country. Find out how to support Los Angeles arts at ArtsforLA.org.

SHOUTOUT
Happy Pride Month! Visit LAPride.org for things to do in Los Angeles.

THANK YOU 80s LADIES LISTENERS
Especially those in sent in suggestions including:

• Christian Keys
• Tee Ell
• Jason Broux
• Lisa Flory Mendenhall
• Christopher Stroker
• @murphybrownpod
• @Treasure_Chamber
• Tracy
• Molya Mothman

VITAL DEMOCRACY READING
Check out Democracy Docket here.
Learn more about the ACLU here.
Let your voice be heard! Call your reps. .Make 5 Calls makes it easy.

CONNECT
Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.
Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON. 
Join the Facebook page discussion at Facebook.com/80sTVLadies

PLUS -- “80’s TV LADIES” MERCH is available at Fourthwall.com.
Or get FREE merch, cool video interviews, ad-free episodes AND support our podcast at Patreon.com/80sTVLadies 

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.



Visit 80sTVLadies.com for more info.

Listen to 80s TV Ladies at YouTube. Subscribe and help us grow.

Don’t miss out. Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list!
Help us make more episodes and get ad-free episodes, video interviews, and exclusive content on PATREON.

Susan and Sharon keep the good times rolling with Part 2 of their conversation with singer, song-writer, actress, author and diabetes advocate Gloria Loring!  Known for her Number One hit “Friends & Lovers”, Gloria is also the legendary co-composer and singer of the impossible to forget Facts of Life theme song!

In Part 2 of their conversation, they touch on Gloria’s work for the Juvenile Diabetes Association, her wild career in TV and music and the benefits of living a spiritual and healthy life.

THE CONVERSATION

• “EXPECT A MIRACLE” -- How a mysterious card found in her dressing room led Gloria to finance the Days of Our Lives Celebrity Cookbook -- and raise over $1,000,000.00 for diabetes research!
• When her son Brennan was diagnosed with diabetes at age four, Gloria was told he would be lucky to make it to 25.  He’s now 50 and doing great!
• BE BRAVE, LITTLE ONE: What it feels like to forget the first line of the song you’re singing at the Oscars!
• YOU CAN’T GO HOME AGAIN: Gloria returned to Days of Our Lives for the funeral of Bill Hays’ character Doug -- but was surprised to find that almost everything had changed…
• The fun of working with Lanna Saunders & Maree Cheatham on Days of Our Lives Writing the Facts of Life theme song with Alan Thicke!  (And she’s still getting residuals…)
• The benefits of an ayurvedic diet!

So, join Susan and Sharon -- and Gloria -- as they talk James Brolin, Days of Our Lives, Jimmy Stewart, Hotel, Bob Hope, Diff’rent Strokes, Ann Jillian, Merv Griffin, Richard Crenna, Murder, She Wrote, Jane & Henry Fonda, Jack Lemmon -- and almost having a Chinese Chicken Salad Heart Attack!  

AUDIO-OGRAPHY
Catch up with all-things Gloria at her official website: GloriaLoring.com
Check out her Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/glorialoring/ 

Listen to Gloria’s book “Coincidence is God’s Way of Remaining Anonymous” at Audible or Apple Books. Or buy it at Abe Books.

Watch Season 2 and 3 of The Facts of Life for free on Tubi.
Buy the complete season on DVD at Ebay.
https://www.glorialoring.com/
VITAL READING
Check out Democracy Docket here.
Learn more about the ACLU here.
Let your voice be heard! Call your reps. Make 5 Calls makes it easy.

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

Check out Democracy Docket here https://www.democracydocket.com/ 
Learn more about the ACLU here https://www.aclu.org/  
Buy Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson at Bookshop.org.
 
PLUS -- “80’s TV LADIES” MERCH is available at Fourthwall.com.
Or get FREE merch, cool video interviews and ad-free episodes at Patreon.com/80sTVLadies
 

Visit 80sTVLadies.com for more info.

Listen to 80s TV Ladies at YouTube. Subscribe and help us grow.

Don’t miss out. Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list!
Help us make more episodes and get ad-free episodes, video interviews, and exclusive content on PATREON.

“When I sang, I knew who was on the stage. When I got off the stage, I was very shy, couldn’t look people in the eye. But when I was ON the stage I was just filled with my own light.”  - Gloria Loring

Susan and Sharon welcome Gloria Loring -- singer, song-writer, actress, author and diabetes advocate.  Known for her Number One hit “Friends & Lovers”, Gloria is also the legendary co-composer and singer of the impossible to forget Facts of Life theme song!

THE CONVERSATION

• WHERE THE MUSIC COMES FROM: Five generations of musicians -- all the way down to her son Robin Thicke, and grandson.
• Slamming doors, thrown dishes and late-night fights -- learning that her father, a brilliant musician, was also an alcoholic.
• ON SINGING: “It was the only thing that made me feel important or valued. When I sang, I was beautiful, I was powerful, people watched me, people listened to me -- every kid wants that."
• THE GLAMOROUS LIFE: Gloria’s early days as a singer -- living in a cheap motel room and surviving on a quart of milk, a box of cereal and a can of peas!
• Arranging a “chance” meeting with Ed Sullivan -- and four years later she’s on his show!
• Future husband Alan Thicke brought something special along on his first date with Gloria: his parents!
• THE DAYS OF “THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES”: Laughs, pranks, songs, love -- and a steady job for six-and-a-half years!
• SETTING INTENTIONS: Gloria says out loud to the universe: “I want to record a hit record” -- and a week later she’s recording “Friends & Lovers”.
• ON COINCIDENCES: “I left ‘Days of our Lives’, my divorce from Alan Thicke became final, my first book was released and “Friends & Lovers” hit number one -- all in the same week.” 
• BECOMING A DIABETES BOOKWRITER: When her son Brennan was diagnosed with diabetes, she (and Alan Thicke) became creative fundraisers, spokespersons and she became an author
• COOKING ON DAYS OF OUR LIVES - Recipes traded by cast members led to the Days of Our Lives Celebrity Cookbook to raise money for Diabetes Research Foundation.

So, join Susan and Sharon -- and Gloria -- as they talk Tommy Dorsey, Thicke of the Night, Carol Burnett, advocating for diabetes, Merv Griffin -- and hiding runaway potatoes under lettuce leaves at the White House!

AUDIO-OGRAPHY
Watch Season 2 and 3 of The Facts of Life for free on Tubi.
Buy the complete season on DVD at Ebay.
Visit the official website for GloriaLoring.com

VITAL READING
Check out Democracy Docket here.
Learn more about the ACLU here.

Let your voice be heard! 
Call your reps. Make 5 Calls makes it easy.

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

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. 

Visit 80sTVLadies.com for more info.

Listen to 80s TV Ladies at YouTube. Subscribe and help us grow.

Don’t miss out. Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list!
Help us make more episodes and get ad-free episodes, video interviews, and exclusive content on PATREON.

"It is equally treacherous when you are very successful as when you are trying to get your foot in the door in terms of keeping the sense of who you are.”  -- Asaad Kelada, producer/director, The Facts of Life

In Part 2 of their conversation with Asaad Kelada, Susan and Sharon talk with the director about the gifts and pitfalls of success; his reputation as a director who brings harmony to the most disharmonious sets in Hollywood; and the challenge of breaking into the “Hollywood TV Club” for an Egyptian with “a name with all of these vowels!”.

In a career spanning four decades, Asaad Kelada has directed over 340 episodes of television, including Rhoda, Phyllis, The Tony Randall Show, Benson, WKRP in Cincinnati, One Day at a Time, Night Court, Valerie, Who’s the Boss, Family Ties and The Office -- as well as four seasons of The Facts of Life and over five seasons of Who's The Boss?.  

THE CONVERSATION

• How directing his first episode of network television -  "Rhonda Questions Her Life and Flies to Paris" - felt like coming home.
• THE “TIES” THAT BIND: An old friend, Gary David Goldberg, asked Asaad personally to direct the pilot of Family Ties.
• Michael J. Fox ad-libbed the “P” in “Alex P. Keaton” when picking up a call from his girlfriend -- and it got the biggest laugh of the night. That’s when Asaad knew the show was going to be a hit.
• Michael J. Fox was actually the SECOND choice to play Alex Keaton. Matthew Broderick was first.
• ON PERSISTENCE: Observing and learning for five years to direct his first episode of television. “People would wave at me and say hello, but were they looking at an insane man, or were they looking at someone who was just determined? How am I being perceived by persisting and persisting? Was I somebody who was really deluded? When doesn’t he take no for an answer? I think I just outlasted them.” 
• Directing “Les on a Ledge” for WKRP in Cincinnati.
• DIRECTING WHO’S THE BOSS?: Tony Danza had a photographic memory and hated rehearsal.  Katherine Helmond and Judith Light loved to rehearse. Plus, the kids? Everyone had to be directed differently, but it all had to come together.
• The “Requiem” episode of Who’s The Boss? is where Tony Danza and Asaad really connected. After that, he was invited to stay -- for four years.
• WHO REALLY WAS THE BOSS?  “No question -- it was Tony Danza.  Tony was volatile.  He made everybody feel good -- until he didn’t.”
• GETTING TO KNOW BENSON:  Asaad only directed two episodes of Benson -- but he and Robert Guillaume became lifelong friends.
• “LOOKOUT FOR CLORIS LEACHMAN!” -- “I was told ‘She may try to take over, she is always changing things -- and she is a flirt.  Maybe you can use that to tame her’.”
• WELCOME TO THE “TV CLUB”: “Even when you get accepted into the TV club, it is a temporary membership. And it can be revoked at any time.”

So join Susan and Sharon -- and Asaad -- as they talk Danny Pintauro, Alyssa Milano, Jan Hooks, The Last Resort, Julie Kavner, Todd Bridges, Designing Women, Justine Bateman, Chuck Lorre -- and getting stuck in the bathroom with Benson!

AUDIO-OGRAPHY
Find out more about Asaad Kelada at IMDB.
STILL IN FLUX: Watch Season 2 and 3 of The Facts of Life for free on Tubi.
Season 1 and 3 are available for sale on Amazon Prime.
Buy the complete season on DVD at Ebay. Check YouTube for other episodes.

Watch Asaad Kelada Television Academy interviews on YouTube.

VITAL READING
Check out Democracy Docket here.
Learn more about the ACLU here.
https://www.aclu.org/Check DontGetPurged.org to make sure your name has not been purged from voter rolls!
Let your voice be heard! Call your reps. Make 5 Calls makes it easy.

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

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.

Visit 80sTVLadies.com for more info.

Listen to 80s TV Ladies at YouTube. Subscribe and help us grow.

Don’t miss out. Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list!
Help us make more episodes and get ad-free episodes, video interviews, and exclusive content on PATREON.

“There was a sense of discovery about what this series was going to be about. It was going to be about young people -- with all of their shenanigans, and the maneuvering, and all the silliness that takes place with that. But it was also going to be about growing up. These five people, and the fabric that holds them together.”  -- Asaad Kelada - producer/director, The Facts of Life

Susan and Sharon welcome legendary Director Asaad Kelada. In a career spanning four decades, Asaad Kelada has directed over 340 episodes of television, including Rhoda, Phyllis, The Tony Randall Show, Benson, WKRP in Cincinnati, One Day at a Time, Night Court, Valerie, Who’s the Boss and The Office -- as well as four seasons of The Facts of Life. In Part 1 of this wide-ranging interview, we touch on Asaad’s relationship to the young actors on Facts of Life; learning to trust them -- and himself; and his beginnings as the lead singer in Egypt’s first ever Rock ‘n’ Roll Boy Band!  

THE CONVERSATION

• WHAT I REALLY WANT TO DO IS DIRECT! - How getting accepted to the Yale School of Drama taught Asaad which side of the stage he really wanted to be on.
• THE 5-YEAR DIRECTING SCHOOL: Observing all the MTM shows from the bleachers, for five years, got Asaad ready for his first TV job: Directing Valerie Harper in Rhoda!
• DAY ONE: On his first day directing The Facts of Life, the only person he recognized that he had worked with before was… Tootie (Kim Fields)!
• DOUBLE STANDARD: In this early episode of The Facts of Life, Asaad realized the potential of the show: “It was just like being in the theater, like working on a play --  with substance, with humor, with intelligence -- and yet they were young girls. This was television in a new form.
• RUNAWAY TRAIN: Asaad describes the increasing tension and hi-stakes artistry of a show as it speeds thru its season -- and how he learned to not fall off!
• ON CHARLOTTE RAE: “She and I were the grownups in the room. She was the centerpiece in a show about four girls.”
• STORY CONFERENCE -- WITH THE CAST: “After the table read, we’d just talk -- talk about what the episode is dealing with, what it’s about, how it all ties together.”
• FACTS OF LIFE GOES TO PARIS: “It was a trial by fire. Every single shot, every single frame was filmed on location. We were at Notre Dame, the Champs Elysee… How can this be called a job?”

So join Susan and Sharon -- and Asaad -- as they talk George Clooney, The Bob Newhart Show, Grant Tinker, Geri Jewel, speaking French, Bill Haley & the Comets, Nancy McKeon -- and being ready when your opportunity finally comes!


GET READY FOR PART 2 -- NEXT EPISODE! Don't miss more Facts of Life stories, plus Family Ties and Who's The Boss!!

AUDIO-OGRAPHY
Find out more about Asaad Kelada at IMDB.
STILL IN FLUX: Watch Season 2 and 3 of The Facts of Life for free on Tubi.
Season 1 and 3 are available for sale on Amazon Prime.
Buy the complete season on DVD at Ebay. Check YouTube for other episodes.

VITAL READING
Get Handbook for A Post-Roe America by Robin Marty at Bookshop.org.
Check out Men In Dark Times by Hannah Ahrendt at Bookshop.org.
Read Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson at Bookshop.org.

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

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.

Visit 80sTVLadies.com for more info.

Listen to 80s TV Ladies at YouTube. Subscribe and help us grow.

Don’t miss out. Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list!
Help us make more episodes and get ad-free episodes, video interviews, and exclusive content on PATREON.

Susan and Sharon continue their conversation with legendary 80s TV Lady -- and The Facts of Life writer/producer -- Margie Peters! In Part 2, the conversation turns to the challenges of making comedy out of date rape and toxic masculinity; “comedy sparring” in the Different World writer’s room with Debbie Allen, Thad Mumford and Susan Fales-Hill; the creative opportunities for “women of a certain age”; and the lasting impact of the cruel moniker “The FATS of Life”. 

Margie Peters has written and produced over 140 hours of television, including The Love Boat, Valerie, One Day at a Time and A Different World. But her longest and best-known gig was the six years she spent on The Facts of Life.

THE CONVERSATION

• “YOU’VE GOT SPUNK!” -- How watching The Mary Tyler Moore Show gave Margie the chutzpah to try her hand at TV writing!
• Margie shows off her 1989 IMAGE Award from Planned Parenthood for the “No Means No” episode of A Different World (S2; EP20): “It’s in the living room next to my television.”
• The time Debbie Allen explained to Margie that Duane calling a girl “Big Butt Brenda” is a compliment -- not an insult!
• The joys of working with Valerie Harper on Valerie. And the charm of Jason Bateman.
• The Facts of Life Go To Paris -- everyone got to spend three heavenly weeks filming in France!
• Dinner on the Seine River Boat with Tootie, Natalie, Blair and Jo!  (Blair faces down a plateful of fried sardines -- and wins!)
• When two busloads of French high school girls chased The Facts of Life cast down the streets of Paris! 
• The respect and adoration Margie has for all the girls: Charlotte Rae, Lisa Whelchel, Mindy Cohn, Kim Fields and Nancy McKeon.
• WHAT DO YOU MISS THE MOST? “Sitting down with a team and coming up with something that is way bigger than the sum of its parts.”
• LEAVING LOS ANGELES: What do you do when you leave behind a life of writing in Hollywood? A lot! Reinvent your life and make it count.

So, join Susan and Sharon -- and Margie -- as they talk Bonnie Franklin, A Man on the Inside, Sally Struthers, Fame, Gladys Knight, 13 Queens Blvd, Eileen Brennan, Jerry Van Dyke -- and dressing up as The Flying Nun!  

AUDIO-OGRAPHY
Find out more about Margie Peters at IMDB.
Watch Season 4 of The Facts of Life for free on Roku.
Watch A Different World on Netflix.
Check out Shawn Peters book: The Unforgettable Logan Foster at Harper Collins. https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-unforgettable-logan-foster-1-shawn-peters/18256941?ean=9780063047686&next=t


STAY ACTIVE
Visit DontGetPurged.org to make sure you are still registered to vote!
Check out Americans of Conscience take action checklist.

VITAL READING
Get Handbook for A Post-Roe America by Robin Marty at Bookshop.org.
Check out Men In Dark Times by Hannah Ahrendt at Bookshop.org.
Read Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson at Bookshop.org.

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


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.

Visit 80sTVLadies.com for more info.

Listen to 80s TV Ladies at YouTube. Subscribe and help us grow.

Don’t miss out. Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list!
Help us make more episodes and get ad-free episodes, video interviews, and exclusive content on PATREON.

"We're thinking of doing this show with all women. Becasue women are becoming this big thing, ya know. And the leads of the show would all be women!"

Susan and Sharon are excited to talk with legendary 80s TV Lady -- and writer/producer of 80 episodes of The Facts of Life -- Margie Peters! 

Margie Peters has written and produced over 140 hours of television, including The Love Boat, Valerie, One Day at a Time and A Different World. But her best-known gig was the six years she spent on The Facts of Life. From her first meeting to the final day, Margie relates how writing The Facts of Life taught her everything about “the facts” of making Hollywood television in the 80s!

THE CONVERSATION

• SECRET SITCOM WRITER: How Margie wrote a sitcom pilot "Under One Roof" based on her life at night -- while spending her days being a mother, a housewife, AND a journalist! 
• Hollywood writer/producer Bernie Orenstien (That Girl!, Sanford & Son) reads it and calls her with these magical words: “I think you could have a career out here.”  Two weeks later she’s on a plane to Hollywood!
• INSTANT CHEMISTRY: Actress Linda Marsh teams with Margie and a writing partnership begins…
• SPEAK YOUR TRUTH: Their first meeting at Facts of Life: “Why are the girls wearing hot pants and cut-off tops -- in New England? In winter?!? It’s kiddie porn!”  
• Margie & Linda stay on Facts of Life from Season 2 through Season 6 -- working their way up from Staff Writers to Show Runners!
• THE ONE THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING:  Margie & Linda write S2:EP3 “Double Standard” -- showrunners Jerry Mayer and Jack Elinson tell them: “You have found the soul of the show”.
• THE ONE WHERE NATALIE’S FATHER HAS AN AFFAIR: “We loved the actor but we hated the character. So we killed him.”
• WORKING WITH THE GIRLS: Working with Charlotte Rae, Lisa Whelchel, Mindy Cohn, Kim Fields, Nancy McKeon and Geri Jewell.
• Lisa Whelchel balked when the writers pitched Blair losing her virginity. So Mindy Cohn said: “I’ll do it!”
• WHAT'S NEXT? The day came when Linda Marsh said, “I’m done.”  But Margie kept going…Then Marcy Carsey called: “We’d like to bring you on ‘A Different World’”!
• THINKING IN THE CAR: How the award-winning “No Means No” episode came to be -- and almost didn’t happen at all!
• "MAKE DWAYNE THE HERO" - How to solve the producer notes when tackling a story on campus rape in "No Means No" 

So join Susan and Sharon -- and Margie -- as they talk Mary Tyler Moore, Terri Hatcher, Jason Bateman, Asaad Kelada, Susan Fales Hill, Neema Barnette, HBCs, Cagney & Lacey, working for diversity…  and saying “No” to Norman Lear! 

STAY TUNED IN TWO WEEKS FOR THE FACTS OF LIFE WITH MARGIE PETERS - PART 2!  

AUDIO-OGRAPHY
Watch The Facts of Life: IN FLUX! Currently watch Seasons 4, 5, and 6 of The Facts of Life for free on ROKU channel. 
Season 3 is available on Amazon Prime and for sale on Apple TV. Check YouTube for other episdoes.

THE AMBIES AWARDS ARE MARCH 31
FINGERS CROSSED! 
80s TV Ladies is nominited! We're up for an Ambies Award by The Podcast Academy for Best Indie Podcast Hosts. Visit Ambies.com and watch the Awards show LIVE on Twitch March 31st at 6pm CT.

VITAL READING
Get Handbook for A Post-Roe America by Robin Marty at Bookshop.org.
Check out Men In Dark Times by Hannah Ahrendt at Bookshop.org.
Read Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson at Bookshop.org.
You can also follow Richardson’s substack.

CONNECT
Get transcripts and more at 80sTVLadies.com
Rate and review us at Apple Podcast.

Join the conversation at Facebook.com/80sTVLadies.
Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.
Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON. 

Visit 80sTVLadies.com for more info.

Listen to 80s TV Ladies at YouTube. Subscribe and help us grow.

Don’t miss out. Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list!
Help us make more episodes and get ad-free episodes, video interviews, and exclusive content on PATREON.

Episode 315: “Everything I Ever Learned About TV Writing, I Learned From ‘The Facts Of Life’ | Anupam Nigam”
The Facts of Learning about Television Writing from The Facts of Life
The Golden Girls of Eastland: TV Writer Anupam Nigam Shares His Lessons from The Facts Of Life
The Golden Girls of Eastland: Top Lessons TV Writer Anupam Nigam Learned from The Facts Of Life
 
For some people, a childhood spent lounging in front of the television leads to nothing but being sent to bed when Law and Order license plate comes on. But for Anupam Nigam, it led to a lifelong love of television – – and a successful career in TV writing and producing.  And his favorite show of all? The Facts of Life!
 
The Facts of Life was a spin-off of Diff’rent Strokes and aired on NBC from 1979-1988. The show starred Charlotte Rae as Eastland School for Girls housemother Edna Garrett watching over an evolving cast of young female stars including Kim Fields, Mindy Cohn, Nancy McKeon and a very young Molly Ringwald! It ran for more than 200 episodes, and spawned three TV movies.
 
Anupam Nigam has written and produced episodes of hit TV shows like Psych, Defiance, Cruel Summer, Mech-X4 and Station 19. He is currently writer and co-executive producer of the hit CBS drama Fire Country.
 
Susan and Sharon talk with Anupam about his childhood as an Indian American kid in New Jersey, his early love of television, the insight of The Facts of Life -- and the facts he learned that have stayed with him to this day.
 
THE CONVERSATION

• GROWING UP INDIAN -- IN NEW JERSEY: For Anupam, who was raised in an immigrant Indian household, television was a window into the wider world of “American” families - and how they were alike, and different from, his.
• “I’M NOT A DOCTOR, BUT I WRITE FOR THEM ON TV” -- Anupam was pre-med, a lab researcher, and even a certified EMT -- briefly -- before realizing that TV blood was more his style.
• Anupam’s first script was a spec episode of Star Trek: Voyager -- and after that he was hooked.
• Anupam’s “scientist mind” cracked the code on how to write a Law & Order script, and it led to a coveted spot in the Warner Bros Writers Program -- and then a big move to Hollywood!
• His first job was on The Division -- starring Facts of Life’s Nancy McKeon!
• YOU TAKE THE GOOD, YOU TAKE THE VERY, VERY BAD: Anupam actually learned about the facts of life from the many “very special” episodes The Facts of Life: Abortion, divorce, drug abuse and death, anyone?
• Natalie was a natural STAR - When Charlotte Rae toured Westlake School for research, her young tour guide was… Mindy Cohn. Charlotte insisted the producers meet her and the role of Natalie was created for her!
• Those roller-skates? Tootie had to wear them to make her taller!
• CHEAPER BY THE… TEN? The original first season cast had TEN main characters - The seven girls, Mrs. Garett (Charlotte Rae), teacher Emily Mahoney (Jenny O’Hara) and Headmaster Stephen Bradley (played by John Lawlor). The OG Eastlake students: Blair Warner (Lisa Whelchel), Nancy Olsen (Felice Schachter), Sue Anne Weaver (Julie Piekarski), Tootie Ramsey (Kim Fields), Molly Parker (Molly Ringwald), Cindy Webster (Julie Anne Haddock) and Natalie Green (Mindy Cohn).
• …AND THEN THERE WERE FOUR. After season one, the young cast was cut from seven girls down to the “Core Four”: Lisa Whelchel as Blair, Kim Fields as Tootie, Mindy Cohn as Natalie and bringing on newcomer Nancy McKeon as Jo Polniaczek.

So, join Susan and Sharon -- and Anupam! -- as they talk Shondaland, The Golden Girls, shoulder pads, tea-time, Jermaine Jackson, Mech x4, Geri Jewel, Entertainment Weekly -- and “Who Shot J.R?”!
 
AUDIO-OGRAPHY
 
Follow Anupam Nigam: Instagram.com/anupamnigam1 and Twitter.com/anupamnigam
Watch Season 4 of The Facts of Life for free at Roku.
Watch Fire Country on CBS.
  
Check out CitizensforEthics.org 
Buy Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson at Bookshop.org
 
PLUS -- “80’s TV LADIES” MERCH is available at our SHOP!   
 
CONNECT
Visit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.
Join the conversation at Facebook.com/80sTVLadies.
Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.

In Honor of President Carter and to learn more about his presidency: Get Susan’s new play about him and his Crisis of Confidence speech: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing. 

BREAKING NEWS! 
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What's your favorite childhood show? If you grew up in Canada or watched Nickelodeon in the 80s, you know and loved The Elephant Show & Skinnamarink TV -- and if you didn't, you’re about to find out all about it! Susan and Sharon welcome Sharon Hampson, one of the creators of The Elephant Show and Skinnmarink TV. 

As part of the musical trio “Sharon, Lois & Bram” -- featuring Sharon Hampson, Lois Lilienstein, and Bram Morrison -- Sharon rose to fame on these two ground-breaking, award -winning children’s shows. Also joining us is Sharon’s daughter Randi -- who is now her mom’s manager and singing partner! 

THE CONVERSATION

• WATCHING KIDS TV:  Susan LOVED Schoolhouse Rock -- but HATED Mr. Snuffleupagus! Kevin loved the Big Comfy Couch!  Sharon loved Fraggle Rock, but Kids Inc? Not so much…
• In the 80s, kids TV animation became all about selling toys because THE TOYS WERE THE STARS OF THE SHOWS! Like He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.
• Once the Skinnamarink song gets in your head -- it will never leave!! 
• For Sharon, Lois & Bram, music has always been a part of their lives -- each one of them learning to sing and play musical instruments from childhood.
• Sharon Hampson quit high school to sing folk music in coffee houses -- much to her parent’s horror!
• After 50 years of performing, Sharon says: “Children are just the same. They get up, they sing, they dance…They’re 100% ready to go!”
• MEMORY UNLOCKED! When Sharon meets grown up fans: “They start to cry, and I tell them, ‘Don’t be embarrassed. You’re having tears because you’re having happy childhood memories! It’s a good thing!’”
• After the show's Candian production ended, The Elephant Show got picked up in the US by Nickelodeon in1987, and their popularity exploded! “It really changed our career. We played incredible places, huge audiences. We went from playing high school gyms to playing stadiums.” 
• “Sharon, Lois & Bram” have shared the stage with everyone from The Beach Boys, Randy Travis and James Taylor!

So, join Susan and Sharon -- and Sharon and Randi -- as they talk Toronto, vinyl love, Andrea Martin, Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, Raffi, The Nylons, Chuck Mangione -- and genderless elephants!

AUDIO-OGRAPHY
Catch up on all-things “Sharon, Lois & Bram” at SharonLoisandBram.com
Follow them on Instagram at Instagram.com/sharonloisbram
Watch them on TikTok.
Catch The Elephant Show on YouTube.
Watch and sing-a-long to the loving and joyful "Talk About Peace" on YouTube. 

VITAL READING
Get Handbook for A Post-Roe America by Robin Marty at Bookshop.org.
Check out Men In Dark Times by Hannah Ahrendt at Bookshop.org.
Read Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson at Bookshop.org.
You can also follow Richardson’s substack.

SEE SUSAN AND DONATE TO GOOD CAUSES
Join Susan at Jim and Huck, the reading of her new play! It's a fundraiser for Arts A La Carte and Union Station Homeless Services Fire Relief Fund.
ARC PASADENA: March 1, 2025 at 7:30pm
More info and Tix: Tinyurl.com/JimandHuck

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

In Honor of President Carter and to learn more about his presidency: Get Susan’s new play about him and his Crisis of Confidence speech: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing. 

PLUS -- “80’s TV LADIES” MERCH is available at Fourthwall. 

Visit 80sTVLadies.com for more info.

Listen to 80s TV Ladies at YouTube. Subscribe and help us grow.

Don’t miss out. Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list!
Help us make more episodes and get ad-free episodes, video interviews, and exclusive content on PATREON.

They’re BAAAACK!
It’s 2025 and the world-renowned 90s TV Babies have reconvened around the TV screen to gaze upon 80s classic sitcom, Mama’s Family, starring Vicki Lawrence, Dorothy Lyman, Betty White, Rue Mclanahan and Carol Burnett. Do they see what Mama's fuss is all about!?
Serita Fontanesi, Megan Ruble -- and A BRAND NEW 90s TV Baby, Sailor Franklin -- drop in on “Mama” Harper, take a seat on the floral print couch, and weigh in with their thoughts.
 
What did they watch?  What did they think?

THE HOMEWORK:
S1: EP1 -- “Vint and the Kids Move In”
S1: EP4 -- “The Wedding, Part 2”
S1: EP6 -- “Cellmates”
S2: EP3 -- “The Country Club”
S2: EP21 --“Ask Aunt Fran”
 
EXTRA CREDIT: 
S1: EP2 -- “Rashomama”
S3: EP1 -- “Farewell, Frannie”
S3: EP11 -- “Where There’s Smoke”
 
And… the very first “Family” sketch from The Carol Burnett Show!
 
THE CONVERSATION

• ROOKIE MOVE: Sailor did ALL the homework -- AND the Extra Credit!
• EVERYBODY’S AWFUL:  How Mama’s Family is just like… It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia???
• Serita likes how the cast is filled with a variety of female characters who aren’t perfect people: “Women deserve to be bad, too!”
• BIG HIGH SCHOOL WIG: Vicki Lawrence’s “Mama” looks vastly younger than her own children!
• Serita likes that the MEN were most often the butt of the joke.
• SAME AS IT EVER WAS: Megan says: “We really don’t have classic sitcoms anymore where people DON’T grow and change. Mama's Family is comforting!”
• Serita says “these people act a fool” -- and she’s here for it!
• ON CELLMATES - Sailor: “If I had a nickel for every time sitcom characters get locked up together in a jail cell, along with a sex worker, and then get mistaken for being a sex worker… I would have... several nickels.”
• Did Mama’s Family portray sex workers with more equity than most?
• The shockingly honest way Mama’s Family addresses marriage -- and how it’s not always a romantic dream come true.
• Sailor was blown away by “Rashomama”: “’Mama’s Family’ is doing a riff on an Akira Kurosawa movie?? Yes!!” 
• IS IT FEMINIST? PROGRESSIVE?
  • Megan: “‘Mama’s Family’ is feminist -- but not progressive.”
  • Serita: “’Mama’s Family is feminist -- AND progressive.”
  • Sailor: “’Mama’s Family is semi-progressive -- and semi-feminist.”

AND… The Babies challenge Susan and Sharon to watch It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia!
 
So, join Susan and Sharon -- and Serita and Megan and Sailor -- as they talk Abbott Elementary, Alan Alda, August babies!, Golden Girls, Coors Light, Die Hard, test boobs, Whoopi Goldberg -- and the “Sailor Franklin SitCom Spectrum”!
 
AUDIO-OGRAPHY
UPDATE: Find all SIX seasons of Mama’s Family free -- on Pluto TV.
Buy the streaming series at Amazon.
Buy the DVD set at Amazon.

Check DontGetPurged.org to make sure your name has not been purged from voter rolls!
Find out more about CREW at CitizensForEthics.org

VITAL READING
Get Handbook for A Post-Roe America by Robin Marty at Bookshop.org.
Check out Men In Dark Times by Hannah Ahrendt at Bookshop.org.
Read Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson at Bookshop.org.
You can also follow Richardson’s substack.

SUPPORT FOR THE LA FIRES
Online at DisasterAssistance.gov 
On the FEMA App for mobile devices.
More resources at Eaton Canyon Community Relief.
Google List of LA County Resources. 

PLACES TO VOLUNTEERhttps://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1eaSXTYlLY_spJ-_w43ac55qu6X4YtgApgRGfads3cM4/htmlview
Google Doc for Wednesday and ongoing.
Volunteer with the Red Cross.

TALK TO SOMEONE
Reach out to friends and family. Take care of yourself:
Pro Bono Therapy for LA Wildfires - Google Doc. 
More mental health resources at LARevive.

DONATING
Master GoFundMe List for LA Fire Victims Google Doc.
Displaced Black families in Altadena Google Doc. 
Gofundme pages for EATON CANYON COMMUNITY RELIEF

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

In Honor of President Carter and to learn more about his presidency: Get Susan’s new play about him and his Crisis of Confidence speech: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing.
 
PLUS -- “80’s TV LADIES” MERCH is available at Fourthwall. 
 

Visit 80sTVLadies.com for more info.

Listen to 80s TV Ladies at YouTube. Subscribe and help us grow.

Don’t miss out. Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list!
Help us make more episodes and get ad-free episodes, video interviews, and exclusive content on PATREON.

“You’re in acting class and you’re studying Chekov or ‘Waiting for Godot’ -- and then you end up doing 80s tits-and-a**… You caught on pretty quick what it was about and where the power lay.” -- Actress Heather Thomas

What was it like to be an 80s poster icon and sex symbol? Susan and Sharon welcome The Fall Guy star and “80s Poster Lady” Heather Thomas. She’s an actor, writer and activist -- but may be best known for her “Pink Bikini” poster, one of the best-selling pin-up posters of all time. Heather Thomas had leading roles in television shows like BJ and the Bear, The Love Boat and TJ Hooker -- as well as the movie Zapped! with Scott Baio, Willie Aames and Felice Schachter. But her most famous role was playing stuntwoman Jody Banks on the hit 80s television series The Fall Guy. 

Running for five seasons on ABC, The Fall Guy spawned board games, posters, a video game -- and just last year, a major feature film starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt -- and Heather Thomas! Since her days as a TV star and pin-up queen, Heather Thomas has gone on to an extraordinary career as a novelist, political activist, organizer and fund-raiser.  

NOTE: This episode was recorded Dec. 2024, before the LA Fires. Our thoughts are with Heather and her family, and all those impacted by the fires. Stay safe. Be well. 

THE CONVERSATION

• WORKING WITH MONKEYS: Clyde, the orangutan from Every Which Way But Loose, was her co-star once: “He thought it was funny to keep grabbing my boob. I thought he was gonna rip it off!” And a stint on BJ and the Bear led to producer Glen Larsen tapping her for the co-starring role in The Fall Guy.
• WORKING WITH TV PRODUCERS: “All of them are crazy. You’re not gonna find any normal ones, not in those days. Everyone was nuts. And they still are.”
• "Smile more": Early on, the ABC network executives were afraid that Heather Thomas wasn’t likable. So they put her in a bikini. “I guess that made up for me not smiling enough.” 
• STUNT WORK: “Lee Majors almost broke my nose once.” "I was good on rollerskates!"
• In preparation for a Fall Guy episode, Heather trained with the Los Angeles Thunderbirds roller-derby team: “They showed me how to ‘break my back’ on the rail -- it was really fun!”
• Ted Lange -- Isaac, the bartender on The Love Boat -- was one of Heather’s favorite directors on the Fall Guy.
• A GOOD DIRECTOR: For Heather, it was someone who brought her into the filmmaking process. For Lee Majors -- it was anyone who got him home by 5:00pm! 
• THE POSTER: Once the show was a hit, a poster was the next big step: “It outsold Farrah Fawcett. I bought a house. I was thrilled.”
• DIS-LIKENESS: Heather’s image has been hi-jacked and used for everything from lighters, to puzzles, to notebook covers -- to a pillow!
• ON HAVING A FAMOUS BODY: “My body was my living. That’s how I saw it.  So I had to feed it, exercise it -- I couldn’t have an ounce of cellulite. It was part of the gig. But I didn’t care, I was grateful. I was making more money than I ever had in my life. I was a kid.”
• ZAPPED! -- Teen sex comedy -- or sexual harassment?  “They tried to get me topless, but my contract said uh-uh!  So, they used a body double. There’s a big disclaimer at the end of the movie saying that it’s not my tits.”
• Activism: “Ever since they said, ‘You can’t climb the tree, the boys can’ -- I was a feminist.”

So join Susan and Sharon -- and Heather -- as they talk fly-fishing, Star Wars, David Letterman,Teen Beat, Shaun Cassidy & Parker Stevenson, “Gabor-lore”, Cliff Robertson’s toupeé, organizing your phone by decade, not complying in advance -- and canoeing with Henry Winkler!

AUDIO-OGRAPHY
Find Heather Thomas on Twitter at Twitter.com/HeatherThomasAF 
And find Heather Thomas on BlueSky at HeatherThomasAF.bsky.social 
Watch Heather Thomas in The Fall Guy on Peacock, Amazon Prime or Flixfling!

Check DontGetPurged.org to make sure your name has not been purged from voter rolls!
Find out more about CREW at CitizensForEthics.org

VITAL READING
Get Handbook for A Post-Roe America by Robin Marty at Bookshop.org.
Check out Men In Dark Times by Hannah Ahrendt at Bookshop.org.
Read Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson at Bookshop.org.
You can also follow Richardson’s substack.

SUPPORT FOR THE LA FIRES
Online at DisasterAssistance.gov 
On the FEMA App for mobile devices or Call the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362
Calls are accepted every day from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. PST.

More resources at Eaton Canyon Community Relief.
Google List of LA County Resources. 
AIRBNB is offering temporary free housing for those displaced by the fires. Start here. 

PLACES TO VOLUNTEERhttps://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1eaSXTYlLY_spJ-_w43ac55qu6X4YtgApgRGfads3cM4/htmlview
Google Doc for Wednesday and ongoing.
Volunteer with the Red Cross.

TALK TO SOMEONE
Reach out to friends and family. Take care of yourself:
Pro Bono Therapy for LA Wildfires - Google Doc. 
More mental health resources at LARevive.

DONATING
Master GoFundMe List for LA Fire Victims Google Doc.
Displaced Black families in Altadena Google Doc. 
Gofundme pages for EATON CANYON COMMUNITY RELIEF

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

In Honor of President Carter and to learn more about his presidency: Get Susan’s new play about him and his Crisis of Confidence speech: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing.

Visit 80sTVLadies.com for more info.

Listen to 80s TV Ladies at YouTube. Subscribe and help us grow.

Don’t miss out. Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list!
Help us make more episodes and get ad-free episodes, video interviews, and exclusive content on PATREON.