Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast we are talking to Anne Serling, daughter of the great writer and as we learn, practical joker and pop culture figure Rod Serling. Of course we talk to Anne about beloved anthology shows her father created like The Twilight Zone as well as The Night Gallery but we also talk to Anne about her father's humanity, his years growing up in upstate New York, his religious beliefs and traditions, his career in radio, the films he wrote and much more.

But we also hear from Anne about why she wrote a book about her father, As I Knew Him: My Dad Rod Serling but also what it was like being the daughter of entertainment industry legend,…at home. We learned that Rod was a lover of animals and their home was filled with dogs, parakeets and even some very unconventional animals. We learn her father splurged only on two things which we will get to, his favorite restaurants in Los Angeles, the music her father sang to and even some of the inside jokes they shared together.

This episode is literally years in the making and we couldn't have been more thankful to Anne for taking the time to sit down with us to talk about someone we all know and love as a creator of two massively influential television shows but also about the humanity, humor and kindness of her father as only she would know. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast and everyone has a story. Or is it?

Hello and welcome to another episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Today, we are doing something different but  not totally unprecedented. Last year in 2024, we presented a bonus episode, recorded live at the Texas Theater in Dallas, Texas with Ernie Kovacs award winner, Gerald Casale from Devo at VideoFest. This year, we'd like to present this year's VideoFest's Ernie Kovacs Award recipient, comedian Fred Armisen. This is just one of the ways we keep the legacy of both Ernie and Edie Adams going and frankly, it's really a major impetus for this podcast itself. How better to keep someone's legacy alive than via the children of those who knew them best, their children?

Recorded on November 23, in the very same theater where Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested for the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, exactly 62 years prior, this episode exists only because of one person and we wanted to thank Dev Shapiro of Selig News for his recording. You see, we recorded this directly from the sound board for ideal sound quality but when we got the digital files, they were corrupted and unusable. Thankfully, it was Dev to the rescue and while Dev was not recording directly from the sound board, I think we can all forgive the minor audio issues because well, he saved our bacon by just being there. Preservation is key and we thank Dev for making that happen. And thank you to yours truly for some of the audio fidelity we goosed up for this episode too.

Big thanks to VideoFest's Founder Bart Weiss, the VideoFest team including Kelly Kitchens (who is also a Patreon supporter), Reid Robinson, Elijah Cruz Barron, Janeth Farnsworth, Jessica Spawn, Andy Streitfeld and Mark Wickersham as well as Barak Epstein of the Texas Theatre and Erin Barros of Concord Hospitality. More big thanks to Ernie Kovacs and Edie Adams archivist Ben Model for the tip to bring up the Ernie in Kovacsland book on stage prior to the interview as well.

And now, here's Fred Armisen. Take a listen. Everyone has a story.

Today on another encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are bringing you part one of our conversation with former child actor Radames Pera, best known for his roles on shows like Kung-Fu and Little House on the Prairie. We had to split this episode into two episodes because there as so much more than we bargained for when we sat down to record this episode. Somehow in addition to covering Radames' career, we got into spin art, the Coogan Law, punk rock, fitting in at school and so much more.

Part of that so much more involved his mother Lisa Pera whose acting career involved TV shows like Get Smart, Perry Mason, Hawaii 5-0 and many, many more. We discuss what it was like being raised in a Hollywood apartment by a young, single mother who was too emotionally mixed up from her own time as one of the many victims of being a Ukrainian – Russian in Nazi Germany during WWII. It's so unreal, it's hard to believe it's not more well known or talked about 70+ years later.

And somehow, this is just the beginning of Radames tale because there is an entirely different story in part two of the podcast as well. What starts as a story about seemingly idyllic roles as John Jr. and a young Caine that found Pera on the cover of teen magazines as a heartthrob for years turns very dark, very fast. It's emotionally honest and brutally so. Take a listen to this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story. But not like this one.

Today on another encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking with Daisy Torme and James Torme, the children of singer/musician Mel Torme actress Janette Scott. This episode was a true pleasure to record as not only were there terrific Mel & Janette stories but also some great stories about out host, Josh's dad as well. You see Mel and Martin Mills were buddies from as far back as the fifties who were runnin' young guns in the entertainment business in New York during the Eisenhower administration. They formed strong bonds in their youth and it extended into old age…with some more-than-occasional bouts of silence for some misperceived slight or two.

In a sense, our conversation was a familial one as it felt like the next generation was reliving their parents together with stories about everything from photography to chocolate, from childish pranks to hanging with Buddy Rich and Sammy Davis Jr and much more. We talk "The Christmas Song", Mountain Dew, Night Court & even a little known movie of Mel's "Challenge to Survive" with William Shatner.

What began as a Twitter message to Daisy became a lunch, then another lunch and soon it became a full-blown Rarified Heir Podcast episode. So take a moment, set your internal clock back and let's take listen to Daisy and James Torme talk about their father, The Velvet Fog, Mel Torme. Lucky for you that this is only part one! Part two is next week! Everyone has a story.

Today on Part two of our interview with Sam Nelson on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we talk about what it was like being the son of Rick Nelson and grandson of Ozzie & Harriet Nelson about growing up, well, Nelson. On part one we discussed with Sam how he became the keeper of the flame for the family business as the archivist & producer for the TV show & new DVD box set The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. But on this episode, Sam opens up to us about all sorts of things. From the wonderful and exciting to the tragic and the spooky.

Sam grew up very much the stuff of tabloid fodder while just in elementary school. Imagine going to the supermarket and seeing your picture on the cover of People magazine or the National Enquirer. We get into it. We also get into some really terrific stuff as well. What was Rick Nelson favorite hobby? What was his favorite ice cream shop? A-ha…you are going to have to listen to part two for details on this hard hitting topic.

Plus, we learn about the history and the ghostly stories surrounding the Nelson household that are the stuff of legend. Once owned by another very famous Hollywood actor, Sam tells us some truly bizarre and hair (not heir) raising tales of this haunted house in the Hollywood Hills. Evidently, a famous pop star owns it now. Again, you are going to have to take a listen to this second episode of our interview with Sam Nelson on the Rarified Heir Podcast to learn more. We promise, it's another all-encompassing, honest, raw and intense episode. Take a listen.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, it's part one of our interview with Sam Nelson, son of the great Rick Nelson, nephew to David Nelson and grandchild of Ozzie and Harriet Nelson  If you grew up in America in the 1950s The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet defined post War America. It was a massive hit and ran for 14 years. We take a deep dive into the restoration and recent release of the complete, 435 episode DVD box set of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. Beginning as a radio show in the 1940s (I betcha didn't know that!) & coming to television in the early 1950s. The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet was the longest running, live action sitcom on American television until 2021 when It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia celebrated it's 15th year. To say that this show was part of the fabric of American life in the 1950s and today is part of it's lexicon would be an understatement. Perhaps no other show from that era is as well-known or beloved that didn't feature Lucy or The Beaver as this show.

On this first of two episodes, we spoke with Sam about the interest and hard work in being the sole heir of the Nelson clan that not only wanted to make something of this show after decades of semi-neglect but put in the time, the effort and the sweat equity to bring it back. It's no small effort as Sam tells us how, why and what obstacles he had in making sure that people not only knew the name Ozzie & Harriet but knew the show again in 2024.

Of course we speak about his father, entertainer & rock star Rick Nelson & uncle David Nelson who starred on The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet and how Rick, then known as Ricky, single handedly brought rock and roll into America's homes. It was Rick, with his matinee idol good looks and spot on singing voice that perhaps kept this show on the air long after it likely should have petered out. And this is a topic that particularly interested host Josh Mills as legacies and archives are something he has been dealing with every day of his life for the past decade and a half.

This is the Rarified Heir Podcast and this is Part One of our interview with Sam Nelson. Take a listen.

Today on part two of our interview with Radames Pera, we continue our conversation with the former actor known best as Grasshopper from the TV-series Kung-Fu. Believe us when we say, we wish we had another hour or two with Radames to get to all the stories that make up his own story, that of his mother's story and that of his absentee father whose invention became a worldwide success that he unfortunately didn't patent it.

On this episode, we discuss the Coogan law, a law that if you don't know about you will get a crash course in this episode. Radames, like all child actors was protected under this law that was enacted in 1939 but was never totally enforced. We also learn through a YouTube video Radames posted about his mother actress Lisa Para whose addiction disorder became so acute, it had to be documented. Why? We discuss that on the episode and really we don't even scratch the surface due to time constraints. All we can tell you is, Radames has a healthy and wonderfully openness to plainly discuss some of the most personal stories from his life. And for that, we thank him. Take a listen to part two of our interview with Radames Pera on the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on the first part of a two part episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are speaking to Radames Pera whose name you might know as well as that of his mother actor Lisa Pera. Because this episode is so jam packed – and we honestly didn't even get to half of the stuff we wanted to talk about- so we split this episode into two parts. On this episode, we discuss Radames' being a child actor in not one but two of the 70s most beloved television series. He is best known as young Caine or Grasshopper, if you like, in the series Kung Fu, a show that not only launched the martial arts craze but also a film that launched a global phenomenon that still resonates to this day. Radames also starred in Little House on the Prairie in a recurring role as John Jr.

Lisa Pera on the other hand, got her start in film and television as well, beginning in 1965 on the show Combat! in an episode directed by Vic Morrow. From there, she starred in films like The Hindenburg as well as shows like Perry Mason, Get Smart Man from Atlantis and even Hawaii 5-0 where she starred with Radames as his mother. Novel casting, that.

Radames pulls no punches (no pun intended) on this episode as we explore his life being raised by a mother too young and emotionally unequipped to deal with raising a child after a horrific childhood of her own. Being a Ukrainian -Russian finding herself in Nazi Germany and eventually the United States after WWII is jaw dropping stuff that doesn't seem real. Suffices to say, this Part one is a 'buckle up, it's going to be a bumpy ride' episode. But it's frankly just a palette cleanser for episode #2, coming next week. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on this encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast we are talking to Nicky Trebek, daughter of Alex Trebek. Our conversation with Nicky was a fun one as host Josh Mills grew up on the same street as Nicky in the freewheelin' 1970s San Fernando Valley and as we discuss those years as a starting point and off we went. Along the way we had many wonderful tangents including what famous director and his actress wife lived on that street, the personal connection their parents had with the Italian Stallion – Sylvester Stallone & his first wife Sasha, the NHL hockey connection that Alex had when the Los Angeles Kings played their games at the Fabulous Forum, the allure of Leif Garrett*, what it was like working on & with her dad on the game show Jeopardy!, Nicky's mother Elaine who was a CBC broadcaster and even a discussion about fellow Canuck, comedian Eugene Levy whose impression of her dad on SCTV was letter perfect.

It was terrific to reconnect with Nicky as we learned so much about the icon as well as the father that was Nicky's dad. We learned what times were best for taping Jeopardy! if you wanted to eat dinner at home and the personal battle Alex Trebek fought after a pancreatic cancer diagnosis that took his life only a year and a few months after his very public announcement. It's one thing to be a fan pulling for Alex to get well, but it's quite another to hear about his private battle behind the scenes. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast we'd like to wish you a Happy New Year 2024 with this encore episode for first episode of our third season. Our guest today is talking to musician Rachel Haden about her father, influential jazz bassist Charlie Haden. Rachel was kind enough to talk to us about so many things including her memories of growing up as a triplets and going for walks with jazz trumpeter Don Cherry when the Haden's lived in New York. This led us down the path of many other genres of music including country, punk, jazz, indie rock and much.more as the Haden's all sang and played instruments growing up. Thanks dad.

We learn about the Rachel's time on the road with Todd Rundgren, her band That Dog, Brendan Perry of Dead Can Dance as well as Beck, Jimmy Eat World, Neil Hamburger and more. While we were at it we also discuss jaco Pastorius, Ornette Coleman, Ry Cooder, Jack White, Mike Watt and others. It's a very fertile musical well we draw from when talking to a Haden family member like Rachel as there are so many avenues and styles of music she and her family are connected to.

The story spans 1930s Iowa where Charlie was part of The Haden Family Band, who rivaled the Carter Family in popularity in the Midwest and runs all the way to the 2020's with the release of Rachel's solo albums including making music with Charlie's son-in-law, comedian Jack Black of Tenacious D. If you are a fan of music, this episode is the one for you. Take a listen, on the Rarified Heir Podcast encore edition with Rachel Haden, coming up here.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to a Connecticut Yankee in Hal Prince's Court. And while that might not make sense to you now, believe me, it will after you listen to this episode with guest Luke Yankee. Son of Oscar winning actress Eileen Heckart, Luke talked to us about his mother with great affection as well as great humor. You see Eileen didn't suffer fools gladly and it made for some very pointed (but funny) asides which we read about in his book about his mother Just Outside the Spotlight and discuss here.

I ask you, on what other podcast can you hear first-hand accounts of both Soupy Sales and Elizabeth Ashley, Sophia Loren and Bette Davis as well as Marilyn Monroe and, you guessed it, Edie Adams? While Eileen's love was Broadway and she played roles in everything from Butterflies Are Free to Barefoot in the Park, it was her roles in films lie The Bad Seed and the film version of Butterflies that fans might know her best from After all, she did win an Oscar for the latter and was nominated for the former.

Along the way we discuss roles as Aunt Flo on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, her drive for normalcy in New Canaan for her children and family while in show business and maybe one of the most poignant stories we've ever heard on this podcast that frankly, unexpectedly choked us up. Along the way we hear stories about the randy George Segal, the 'bad boy' Jack Cassidy and the play that Luke will have produced about his relationship with his mother in February 2024. So sit back and take a listen to this episode is the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast…we bring you something very different. Today, we mixed up our format and decided to bring on three previous guests who have been on the podcast individually to see how it would work when we brought them all together. It was a bold experiment. Today we bring you Jenny Brill, Shawn Kay and Carnie Wilson, three friends who have known each other (and our host Josh Mills) since they were in pedal pushers. We really did try and get off on the right footing here and ask the pertinent questions but frankly, with this jovial bunch, it quickly evolved (or is it devolved?) into a nostalgic trip through memory lane of 1970s Los Angeles, swearing and grade school antics.

As any listener to this podcast knows, we talk a lot about the Oakwood School in Los Angeles quite often and because that's where our guests solidified their friendship during the Carter Administration, this episode is one that gleefully goes off the rails almost from the word go. We discuss everything from the time Carnie and Shawn rode album covers down the carpeted stairs in the Wilson family home in Bel-Air, Jenny's 'on brand' observations about the opposite sex, long gone beloved pets, carpools, famous children we all went to school with and famous Oakwood parents and more.

There was a lot of laughter, a few tears, a few a-ha moments and more twisted humor than you could find at one of our quarterly lunches. Ah the Rarified Heir Podcast, bringing people together. So how did the children of Mitzi McCall, John Kay, Brian Wilson & Merilyn Wilson get along? In a word? Famously.

This is the Rarified Heir Podcast. Take a listen.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to professional photographer Donavan Freberg, son of actor, musician, author, advertising executive, comedian, musician & radio personality Stan Freberg & mother Donna Freberg. On the first part of this episode, we learn from Donavan about his years growing up in a somewhat dysfunctional (his words) but very loving home (also his words). We learn that every day was Christmas in the Freberg home and that school was more of an suggestion than a firm commitment. We also learn how and where Stan Freberg literally (my words, not his) came up with the term "Grammy". 

On top of that we learn that mother Donna was Frank Sinatra's assistant and likely was the person who booked both Stan and Josh's mother Edie Adams on The Frank Sinatra Show in 1958. We also talk about Stan's career in advertising where he won 21 Clio Awards, his puppet Orville the Moon Man and how his dad got into show business, when he literally (our words) got on a bus and said, "Take me to Hollywood," and landed on the doorstep of a talent agent.

In the second half of this episode, Donavan was brutally honest & raw and frankly it gets a bit dark. We've tackled this topic of aging parents on previous episodes and it's always a bit gut wrenching. It also hits home with our host Josh Mills who has his own story on this very topic. When hangers-on latch on to the celebrity, and look to grab whatever  specialness and the fame they crave for themselves,  in order to get what they want well…. take a listen to this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story. And this one is all too familiar.

Today on another encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to playwright, author and educator Luke Yankee, son of Oscar-winning actress Eileen Heckart. Luke spoke to us about his biography about his mother, Just Outside the Spotlight, his then upcoming play about his mother and the many, many tales he witnessed growing up the son of his actor/mother who was anything but a wilting flower. Eileen was a pistol and o're to be the subject of one of her pointed barbs!

We also talk about host Josh Mills' mother Edie Adams who Luke had a first person connection to as well as some of Luke's mother's best known films, The Bad Seed, Barefoot in the Park, Butterflies Are Free and more. Along with that comes great tales about Goldie Hawn, George Segal, Soupy Sales, Sophia Loren, Marilyn Monroe and many more.

While all of these amazing stories are told with a fun and mirth, there was one moment that genuinely choked us up in it's beautiful humanity that we just loved hearing. It was a pure and honest moment that gave us a truly well rounded picture of the complex woman that was Eileen Heckert. Broadway, the big screen and even a pivotal role on the small screen on The Mary Tyler Moore Show are all part of this episode with Luke Yankee. Everyone has a story.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast we are talking to someone who frankly, we didn't know we absolutely needed to talk to a month ago. We are talking to actress/voice over artist Pamela Dillman. Pamela's father was actor Bradford Dillman and her stepmother was supermodel, Suzy Parker. Yes, THAT Suzy Parker. But what makes this episode so special, at least for host Josh Mills, was that Pamela grew up with and was best friends with Josh's sister Mia Kovacs. Sadly, Mia passed away in 1982 so there are very few people who remember Mia and who remember what she was like. So it was a true thrill for Josh to be able to ask Pamela questions about his sister as well as his mother Edie Adams.

We do our best to try and make sure we connect about Pamela's life growing up in Beverly Hills at the very prim and proper John Thomas Dye school where she met Mia but also to talk about everything from how her father considered himself a working actor who just did his job and was honored to be an actor but how much of a cultural impact her stepmother Suzy made as literally the world's first supermodel. Hell, The Beatles wrote a song about her!

So mea culpa (or would that be Mia culpa?), this episode does focus heavily on someone other than Pamela's career and her famous parents. After all this is a podcast where a child of a celebrity interviews a child of a celebrity. But when you can finally talk to someone who knew your sibling when they were in elementary school, I hope you can forgive us for indulging a bit. Part therapy session, part remembrance and part fascinating foray into the San Francisco 49ers, RADA, moldy Chanel couture garments, Caesar's Palace and Morgan Freeman, this episode of the podcast was a real thrill. Everyone has a story.

Today on part two of our interview with Lili Haydn on this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we continue our story about how Lili grew up in the most unconventional way in Hollywood and came out of it a Grammy winner in spite of the amazing conclusion we discuss today.

In part one, Lili gave us the background on her mother Lotus Wienstock who was a trail blazing stand-up comedian who wrote books like The Lotus Position & opened The Comedy Store's Belly Room for female comedians. She  found herself as one of the new faces of stand-up comedy just prior to the 80's comedy boom that happened shortly thereafter. Lili's bond with her mother was palpable in this episode but we also learn more about her father, a man named David Jove who counted among his friends the Grateful Dead's L.S.D. connection/soundman Bear as well as musician Peter Ivers whose death as the host of a show conceived by Jove is still an unsolved mystery today,

This was one of those episodes that left us emotionally spent as Lili was incredibly open and honest about her complicated relationship with her father. She didn't hold back which was a very brave thing to do in an interview and we thank her for it. Take a listen to part two of our interview w/ Lili Haydn on this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we take a listen to part one of our conversation with Lili Haydn, the Grammy winning composer and performer who  has perhaps the most fascinating and most brutally honest story we've ever recorded. It was so jam packed and unbelievable that we didn't even get a chance to ask her about what it was like starring in Easy Money with Rodney Dangerfield and Joe Pesci. And if you are a listener to this podcast, does that sound like something Josh would pass up? Well, part one of our interview with Lili will tell you all you need to know as to why.

Oh the things we learn on this episode. Lili and Josh connect on the fact that he was once at a Mose Allison show and Lili asked to perform with him at the Catalina in Los Angeles back in the 90s. What are the odds? But it's Lili's mother, stand-up comedian/writer Lotus Weinstock and her father David Jove that take up the bulk of the conversation. And for good reason. We touch on subjects as diverse as performing with Jimmy Page, her mother founding The Belly Room at The Comedy Store, Lenny Bruce, the infamous Redlands bust of the Rolling Stones, New Wave Theater, The Source Family, Stanley Owsley, Chevy Chase, Peter Ivers and Joan Rivers.

All we can tell you is that this barely scratches the surface. This part one episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast is one of the most intense, harrowing, amazing and truthful episodes we have ever done. Take a listen.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to actress and author Dinah Manoff. It was a real thrill to talk to Dinah about her own career – in iconic films like Grease and Child's Play as well as her television career on shows like Soap and Empty Nest but we also loved talking about her mother, actress/director Lee Grant who is still with us at age 95. Or is it 97? Dates vary on the World Wide Web but either way we get to hear some fantastic stories about growing up the daughter of such a powerhouse entertainer.

Dinah was here to talk to us about her book The Real True Hollywood Story of Jackie Goldwhich was just released on audiobook and is out now. We spoke to Dinah about her not-too-far-off her own life book about a Hollywood actress who was either pushed or jumped & how she recounts her past from her hospital bed.

We also get to hear amazing stories about her mother and her early years dealing with being blacklisted, her roles in films like Shampoo where she won an Oscar as well as directing career. Dinah also talks to us her father, writer Arnold Manoff who wrote among many things, The Front about the blacklist. If names like Neil Simon, Marie Osmond and Marty Maraschino mean anything to you, you are in for a treat. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast.

Today on another encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we talk with Rain Pryor, daughter of the great comedian, writer and actor Richard Pryor. When you talk about stand-up comedy, Richard Pryor is a shoe-in to be on the Mount Rushmore of stand-up comedians. To this day, the legacy and humor Richard Pryor left behind is second to none and we talk about that with Rain along with much more.

Like her father, Rain does not pull punches and she doesn't have an issue speaking her mind. We speak about race, religion, her Jewish mother, her Madam grandmother, her recent ascent into higher education, how 'ho's gotta eat too!' as we discuss a wide range of topics. Along the way we learn about her scientist mother, how Rain had been to host Josh Mills' house and he didn't even know it, the chilly relationship she has with one of her father's ex-wives, her many siblings, her dad's drug use, her own search for normalcy and her years as a stand-up and actor in Hollywood.

Rain was a refreshing and wonderful interview and it was a huge thrill to talk to her as we REALLY wanted to talk to her for a very long time. So glad we got to and all you have to do is keep listening to the Rarified Heir Podcast like you are already to hear our conversation with Rain. Another child of a celebrity interviewed by the child of a celebrity. Everyone has a story.

Welcome to another encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast – our Halloween edition – with part two of our interview w/ Janna Taninbaum and Michael Ritz, the children of comedian Harry Ritz of The Ritz Brothers. On this second half of our interview, we talk about some of the hijinks Harry got up to as a performer and as a father as well. Like what you ask?

Janna tells us about life in Las Vegas growing up with her dad and his vanity plate in the 70s, we hear some terrific stories about gambling and the mob that Harry was part of and privy to, as well as Betty Grable's race horses & her aversion to the WC, stories about comic Jan Murray, how their father was 'the guy in the middle' as well as more on Harry and his brothers fame on Broadway, movies, television and the stage in their later years. We loved hearing these tales about the man who influenced everyon from Sid Caesar, Milton Berle, Jerry Lewis and Mel Brooks. In fact, it was Mel Brooks who said, "As far as I'm concerned, Harry Ritz is the funniest man ever." Take a listen. And a laugh, won't you to this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast? Everyone has a story. 

Today on another encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we bring you part one of our interview w/ the children of zany comedian Harry Ritz, Janna Taninbaum & Michael Ritz. The reason this became a two part episode was because of some terrible technical issues which forced us to abort our initial conversation and pick it up two days later. What's that old showbiz adage, "Never give a sucker an even break?" No, that's not it, it's "The show must go on" and true to their showbiz roots, Janna and Michael did just that. And we thank them for it.

For many of you, the Ritz Brothers were a comedy/dance team that has been spoken about in hushed tones for years but unless you were born before the Johnson Administration, you likely haven't had the chance to see the Ritz Brothers perform. Due to many strange and offbeat scenarios, we get into why that's the case on this episode. But in their day, the Ritz Brothers were not only wildly popular but were some of the highest paid performers in the world. Different than the Marx Brothers, The Ritz Brothers were essentially Harry Ritz who was THE comedian other comedians influenced. From Jerry Lewis to Don Rickles to Mel Brooks, everyone said Harry Ritz was the funniest, wackiest comedian they ever saw. So let's right some wrongs here and talk about the best and funniest comedy team you perhaps have never seen, The Ritz Brothers. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story. Sometimes two!

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we speak to Larry Strauss, son of actress Charlotte Rae. To say we were more than a little surprised at how many of you connected to this episode with all of you comments, likes and metrics, is an understatement. You really took a liking to this one and why not? Larry was incredibly open about how both his mother and Josh's mother both shared the stage in the Broadway musical Li'l Abner, about an indiscrete moment between Cloris Leachman and Martin Balsam,  how his mother turned a co-starring role on Diff'rent Strokes into a starring role on The Facts of Life and much more.

We also spoke to Larry about his books, the more recent biography of his mother The Facts of My Life as well as Lightman a book of fiction about two characters awash in catastrophe and possible redemption in 1973 New York City. What's more we delved into his teaching students in the LAUSD system in Los Angeles and how rewarding it is for him in an often difficult environment.

We also learn about Larry's father John Strauss who was a composer & editor whose credits run the gamut from The Phil Silvers Show, Amadeus, Take The Money and Run and so much more. This episode has a it all, some laughs, some heartache and some great storytelling. But it's the story about Larry's older brother Andrew that took place each Christmas season that still has us thinking about it today. Another child of a celebrity interviewed by the child of a celebrity. Everyone has a story.

Today on another encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast we are talking to Anne Marie Snyder, daughter of the great Tom Snyder. We selected this very episode for this very date because on October 15 it will mark the 50th anniversary of the Tomorrow show. And if that's not a reason to raise your glass and toast one of the greatest talk show hosts in history with a colortini, I don't know what is.

When we originally ran this episode, it quickly became one of our most listened to episodes. It was a true reminder that Tom Snyder connected with his fans in a way many in television did not. He was beloved by his fans for his one on one in-depth interviews, his ever-present cigarette in the early years and his penchant for a good stiff drink.

We spoke to Anne Marie about growing up with a firm but loving father, as well as her father's guests on the show specifically Charles Manson to Tom Petty and Bono from U2. We also learned about her goal about trying to save the legacy of the Tomorrow show by preserving as many episodes on tape as she could. This has led her to a project we can't really talk about but when it happens, we'll have her back on to tell us all about it. But for now, take a listen to Anne Marie Snyder, our guest on this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast as we salute the 50th anniversary of the Tomorrow show. Everyone has a story.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast we are talking, for a second time to Eric Bonerz, son of actor/director Peter Bonerz. We spoke to Eric a while back and what started out as a fun connection to our time together as kids at the Oakwood School became a pop culture potpourri of 1970s LA, celebrity, movies, film, trivia, television, music, weird video stores and more. In fact, there was so much to talk about, we didn't get to all of it so on this episode, we were able to go back to some of the things we missed. Like what you ask? How about dinner and a movie with cartoonist Chuck Jones at your house? Or being the drummer for Kim Gordon's band Free Kitten in 1993 as part of the Lalapalooza tour? Or how about the time Nine Inch Nails Trent Reznor mixed a track for one of Eric's projects in the living room of that infamous house on Cielo Drive? Got your attention? We thought so.

We loved talking with Eric about car culture in LA, crowbar wielding truckers, the Wonderland Avenue murders, befriending a school librarian, driving Peter Bonerz AMC Eagle station wagon, befriending a young director Harmony Korine, interrupting De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest's pre-show doobie, an unmade version of Blade Runner starring his father and directed by Martin Scorsese and much more. So sit back, wind down and listen to our latest conversation with Eric Bonerz for this latest episode of the podcast. Somehow Bob Newhart and Friends never gets brought up…until Josh confuses the TV show with the movie Kids. It's all here on the today's episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on another encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to three prior guests of the podcast who are talking to us in the boldest experiment in Rarified Heir Podcast history! How so? We are talking to them all at once. Something we had never done before. But don't fret, Carnie Wilson, Jenny Brill and Shawn Kay have been friends for quite a long time and, in fact, they know each other and host Josh Mills from as far back as elementary school. There are laughs and some tears on this one.

Since the time of this recording, sadly we have lost two of the celebrity parents of our guests, as both Mitzi McCall, mother of Jenny Brill and Brian Wilson, father of Carnie Wilson have both passed away as of this encore episode. While it puts things in perspective rather quickly, it also helps us to realize that the entire point of this podcast is to make sure that in this fast paced world, we don't forget the names and stories about some of the most beloved entertainers of the 20th century.

And with that in mind, this episode is a rollicking one, a bit experimental as we said but also fast paced, filled with childhood memories and what it was like not only growing up the child of a celebrity but also with friends whose parents were also celebrities. We get into some ridiculous tales about the Oakwood school where they all met, insane stories about album jackets as modes of transportation and a nostalgic trip down a very 1970s memory lane. Which begs the question, just how did the children of Mitzi McCall, Charlie Brill, John Kay, Brian Wilson and Marilyn Wilson get along? In a word? Famously. Take a listen.

Today on another encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we talk to Rachel Pollack, daughter of actor/director Sydney Pollack. We talk to Rachel about some truly amazing experiences that only a child of a celebrity could tell you. Like what you ask? How about being on set of Out of Africa IN AFRICA with Meryl Streep and Robert Redford and still wishing you were home in LA with your high school boyfriend? Or having to tell your dad who Dave Matthews was before a meeting? When your dad's films are nominated for 48 Academy Awards, those things do tend to happen.

We also talk about Ben Stiller's impression of her dad as Frankenstein on The Ben Stiller Show (which she didn't know about), how her father met her mother in a very famous acting class in New York and how her mother gave up her dream so that they could raise a family together and – get this – her dad's obsession with making BBQed ribs. I ask you, what other podcast can tell you that Sydney Pollack started making his ribs 24 hours in advance?

We hear stories about Tom Cruise, Tootsie, The Sopranos, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Burt Lancaster and much, much more. It was a truly fantastic discussion with Rachel and you get to hear about it right now, on this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on another encore edition of The Rarified Heir Podcast we are talking to Cleto Escobedo III, who is the bandleader for late night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! We talk to Cleto about his years growing up in Las Vegas with Jimmy when his pop, Cleto Jr. was head of a fantastic live band, Los Blues who performed for years in the lounge of the Sahara Hotel doing sets well into the early morning. A 4am slot might not seem ideal to you but both Jackie Wilson and Sammy Davis Jr. sat in with the band and none other than Elvis Presley watched from the audience.

The younger Cleto tells us stories about his years growing up in Vegas and haunts like Circus Circus, The Golden Steer, The Peppermill and Battista's Hole in the Wall as well as his dads commitment to his family. Moving from the lounge to backstage butler at Caesar's Palace, it was none other than Sammy Davis Jr. who took Cleto Jr. under his wing and took care of him. Today, both father and son play in the band Cleto and the Cletones, the house band on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and the stories flow fast and furious about legends they now perform with. Along the way we also hear stories about Paula Abdul, Marc Anthony, Phillips Bailey & more.

It was great talking to Cleto about growing up the child of a celebrity on the Las Vegas Strip and hearing terrific stories about best friends Cleto and Jimmy who still hang together and their families camp together. Everyone has a story. Take a listen.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Noopy Rodrigues, daughter of comedian and singer Rose Marie and trumpeter Bobby Guy. Talking to Noopy was a fun and lively experience because the thing that became clear from the word go was how many connections we had that we didn't even know about. From Broadway theaters our mom's performed in, being brought out on stage by famous entertainers when we were likely not even in Kindergarten, strong single mothers who raised their families after devastating losses, growing up in the San Fernando Valley and more.

Noopy also somehow connected the dots to other guests – as she was a segment producer on the Tomorrow show with Tom Snyder, whose daughter Ann Marie Snyder was prior guest as well as how her mother saved all sorts of amazing things including the very recordings that make up the new CD Rose Marie Sings: The Complete Mercury Recordings & More. If that sounds amazingly familiar to what host Josh Mills is working on as well, don't worry, we made that connection already. Along the way we also talk Rosalind Russell, Phil Silvers, Morey Amsterdam, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis and some guy named Popcorn who really will blow your mind.

Take a listen to our conversation with Noopy Rodrigues on this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast we are talking to Peter Knego, whose parents actor Peter Coe and Model/Actress Rosalee Calvert really come alive in the conversation you are about to hear. What's our connection? Well Rosalee was in two films with Edie Adams, Josh's mother and both Peter and Josh both went to the same high school. But listening to Peter talk about everything from his firsthand accounts of Mel Brooks and Ed Wood to James Galanos and Sparks – herein lies the the story of his celebrity parents.

Peter and Josh barely scratched the surface but somehow we cover everything from growing up on food stamps in the Hollywood Hills to his difficult relationship with his eight-time married father who over time becomes a friend. We hear about real life actual Nazis, the 20thCentury train, Elektra Records mogul Ahmet Ertrgun, c-level actor Paul Marco, Cecil B. Demille, an unproduced Ed Wood musical, lunch at Pasta, Inc. on Sunset Plaza, the glory of Westwood in the 1980s as well as whaling songs from the 1930s. Actually that last part isn't true. But it's about the only thing Peter Knego didn't touch upon in our wide ranging conversation about being the child of a celebrity. Peter's story, is anything but normal. It's funny, tough to listen to at times, uplifting and sometimes too much to believe. So Kimono My House and take a listen to this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story

Today on another encore bonus edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we talk to last week's guests Kathleen Marshall and Scott Marshall, again this week. And again we learn first-hand what it was like to grow up the daughter and son of director Garry Marshall & the niece and nephew of actor director Penny Marshall.

This episode picks up where last week's episode ends with tales about school nap time and Lord of the Flies, growing up in Hollywood and the hermits of the Hollywood Hills and the importance of the next generation making their mark. Take a listen to the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on another encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we talk to Kathleen Marshall and Scott Marshall, the daughter and son of director Garry Marshall & the niece and nephew of actor/director Penny Marshall. We loved talking to two fellow albums of the Oakwood School which host Josh Mills attended with them because it was a great chance to reconnect and talk about all things Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, Mork and Mindy and a few pilots that didn't really make the grade. We did get to talk about Garry's films like Pretty Womanand The Flamingo Kid as well as Penny's film A League of Their Own.

Kathleen and Scott give us first hand looks into what it was like being on set in the 70s and into the 90s, how they were not allowed on one set due to their age but another was pretty much a second home when growing up. What's more, we learned how their mother, Barbara kept the kids feet on the ground as she was not one who loved the limelight and wanted to make sure the kids had a regular, everyday family life. Of course we talk about Garry's passion for sports and why he pushed it on his kids, we hear Scott's spot on impression of his dad from Albert Brooks Lost in America, tales of Scott's post college indie band Chavez who once played the Hollywood Bowl & much more. It was a pleasure to reconnect with both Kathleen and Scott on this edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast Take a listen.

Today on another encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Sara Ballantine, daughter of comedian and magician Carl Ballentine. Or how some of you may know him: The Amazing Ballantine. Or maybe it's The World's Greatest Magician. Whatever the case, you might also remember Carl from his "magic act" or stints on McHale's Navy, episodes of The Monkees, films like Speedway with Elvis Presley or via master magician David Copperfield who is a massive fan of Carl Ballentine.

We talk to Sara (or Saratoga – so named after the horse racing track her father liked to frequent) about her years with her dad and mother Ceil Cabot a New York actor who was every bit as wild and outrageous as her father – in the best says possible. Sara tells us about her growing up in Hollywood in the 1970s, her own voice over career in commercials and animated shows as well as stories about the famed Los Angeles venue, The Magic Castle, how her dad came up with the name Ballentine, his groundbreaking Las Vegas gig which purportedly was the first-ever magician to grace the stage on the Las Vegas Strip and much more. When both George Carlin and Steve Martin tell you how funny your dad was, you know just how funny Carl Ballentine was.

Take a listen on this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on the Rarefied Heir Podcast encore edition, we are talking to Cory Tyler, son of ventriloquist Willie Tyler & Lester. Taking to Cory was a great thrill as his dad was one of those celebrities you saw constantly when we were growing up - from successful runs on stage, to network television, on cable TV and even one place we did not know about - vinyl. Yes there is a fairly tough to find comedy album released when his dad was signed to Motown Records. In fact, we talk to Cory about this as we discuss the famed Motown Revue tours of the 1960s his dad was a part of during civil rights, that was famous not only for the performers but for the social progress they made at that time.

We also talk to Cory about having an inanimate family member, a long lost favorite coffee shop he and his father frequented, his years growing up in the San Fernando Valley that sounds familiar to host Josh Mills and his parents unique living arrangement hat while certainly not the norm, worked well for Cory and his brother. Talking to Cory was easy, fun and educational. We learned a lot. So where does one get a passion for ventriloquism in America post WWII that spans through to today? You'll just have to listen to this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast and find out. Everyone has a story. 

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Dick Smothers Jr, son of, yes, you guessed it, Dick Smothers of the famed Smothers Brothers comedy team. We spoke to Dick Jr. about growing up with one of the best straight men in the business – his father, how his father and uncle Tom Smothers founded their musical comedy act, how they launched their massive CBS show of the 1960s The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and much more. We talked about the dichotomy between the real life personality traits of both brothers offstage and what it was like growing up in Beverly Hills, Woodland Hills and Santa Cruz, California as a young adult with a dad who clearly loved attention.

We also talk about Dick's heavy metal band, Kamikaze of the 1980s who were part of the Northern California metal scene, how the band made their television debut on a Smothers Brothers special covering a track from the Great American Songbook and more. It was at about this point when our interview got very honest and while we don't want to give anything away, let's just say, if you know the names Ona Zee or Alister Crowley, you might have an idea where our interview headed. If not, well, all we can tell you is we've never broached either of these two topics on this podcast before. "Not that there's anything wrong with that" to quote Seinfeld, but, it does make for some very enlightening and honest conversation from Dick Jr. about his life and his beliefs and we certainly appreciate that.

This is the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Kristi Callan, daughter of actress and author K Callen. That's K as in the letter, no period.

We talk to Kristi about her mother's 50+ year career in stage, film, television and commercials in everything from an iconic All in The Family episode to the recent Knives Outbuzzed about film. Along the way we talk about Sanka commercials, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Carnivale, American Gigolo, Deep Space Nine, A Touch of Class, The Onion Field and much more. We even discuss a long lost Benson & Hedges cigarette commercial. You remember the 'healthy' cigarette!

We also take time to discuss Kristi's musical career in bands like Wednesday Week, The Roswell Sisters, Goat Deity, Dime Box Band and even aCheap Trick cover band, Cheap Chick. We hit upon everything from Hootenanny's, several cross country moves, a great Norman Lear story, the LA punk rock scene of the late seventies, early eighties, The Ramones recognizing her mother on a flight, seeing Eddie Van Halen on the set of One Day at a Time, meeting The Brady Bunch's Christopher Knight, long lost LA venues like The Starwood and the Music Machine and much more.

It's evident from this interview just how much Kristi loves her mother who is going strong and sill acting at age 87. So much so, Kristi barely wanted to talk about her own career and wanted to focus almost exclusively on her mother alone. But we persevered and got her to talk about it all on this brand new episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Nikki Nash, daughter of musician, trombonist Dick Nash. Now, you may not know the face or the name, Dick Nash but you certainly know his work with Henry Mancini, or should we say Hank Mancini with some of his best known work. Before the Wrecking Crew, Dick and a small group of side-men WERE the Wrecking Crew, playing on hundreds of studio dates for film, TV and major label albums in the 50s and 60s. But as we learn, Dick Nash didn't take every date offered for a very specific reason.

Our conversation with Nikki centered around her new book, Collateral Stardust: Chasing Warren Beatty and Other Foolish Things, an autobiography about her life in and around show business that is one hell of a read. Some of the things we talk about in our conversation with Nikki include notable run-ins with everyone from the aforementioned Warren Beatty, as well as Dennis Miller, Louise Lasser, Don Cornelius, Robert Hays, the Black Panthers, Robert Altman and many others. We also discuss long-lost LA restaurants like The Old World and The Luau, the best toast, the job of an A.D. behind the camera, addiction, painting, depression, growing up in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles and much more.

Nikki was open, honest, funny, matter-of-fact, attentive and gave us all we could handle in discussing her life and her book. And like her book, our interview was breezy and also had a lot of depth below the surface. But don't take my word for it, take a listen to this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast and see for yourself. Everyone has a story.

Today on the Rarified Hair Podcast we are sending you across the orthicon tube with a special edition bonus episode in celebration of the upcoming Fantagraphics book, "Ernie in Kovacsland: Writings, Drawings and Photographs from Television's Original Genius". Our host today is co-author Pat Thomas (although left to Pat, you'd never know that as you will soon hear), co-author Ben Model and our Rarified Heir Podcast host & co-author Joshua Mills is talking about the in's and out's of creating this new book, coming July 25.

It's a deep dive today with details about the genesis of the book, why the book was even created and some great stories about how this book came to be. We talk Ernie. We talk Edie Adams. We talk Mia Kovacs and we talk about Josh's dad, photographer Marty Mills. This time the child of a celebrity is interviewed not by the child of a celebrity but co-authors Pat Thomas and Ben Model. Everyone has a story. Here's one about Ernie in Kovacsland. Take a listen.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Precious Chong, daughter of Tommy Chong, aka The Man, aka THE Chong in the comedy team Cheech and Chong. It was a real thrill to talk to Precious as she is someone Josh had never met before but was part of his peripheral circle as she was friends with a few of his childhood friends while we were growing up. Oh and Josh's mom, Edie Adams, co-starred in Cheech and Chong's Up In Smoke as Chong's mother, Mrs. Stoner. Talk about connections!

We spoke to Precious about her very lean years growing up as Tommy Chong's daughter which suddenly became very different with the success of the Cheech & Chong comedy albums, live shows and films in the mid 1970s and ballooned into superstardom in the 1980s. We also spoke to Precious about her years as an assistant in Hollywood (listen for the Val Kilmer story), her own career in comedy as well as her directing debut which was quite the buzzworthy indie film.

Along the way, we talk about long lost shooting scripts, lost LA restaurants, the comedy scene in Toronto, her dads incarceration on debatable charges, his status as a the elder statesmen of pot and much more. Precious had such a viv and verve talking to us that it was a real pleasure to have that energy at the other end of North America. So sit back and take a listen, to this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast with Precious Chong. Another child of a celebrity interviewed by the child of a celebrity.

Today on the 4th of July edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Jazmin Erving, daughter of Julius Erving or as we all know him, Dr. J. To say Josh was psyched to talk to Jazmin would be an understatement. To those of us who grew up sports in the United States in the 1970s and 80s (ahem), Dr. J was an almost mythical figure who transcended basketball and the NBA to become some sort of cultural icon. Muhammad Ali, Evil Knievel, Reggie Jackson and Dr. J dominated the cultural sports landscape with their extraordinary skills that made them icons in during the time of America's bicentennial year in 1976. They were the 'must see' TV before there was such a thing. Let's just say, if you haven't seen the film The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh, you really don't know Dr. J.

We talked to Jasmin about growing up in Philadelphia and what it was like having a dad who was the biggest star in the city and also the entire basketball landscape. For trainspotters, we talk old school restaurants like Bookbinders and random Philadelphia 76er players like Mark Iavaroni and for a more macro view we talk about Julius days wowing them at the Harlem courts of Rucker Park, THE place to be seen one-on-one playing basketball and Jazmin having the run of The Spectrum, home to the 76ers when she was a girl.

We also talk about Jazmin's crystal business and perhaps one of the most remarkable stories to come out of the pandemic that we can think of. It's one of warmth, love and humanity that somehow led her to a new business that keeps on growing. So let's hear it, it's Jazmine Erving on this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast encore edition, we are talking to Innis Casey, son of writer/producer J. Rickey Dumm who worked with friend, classmate and iconic TV show hitmaker Stephen J. Cannell on many of his hit shows including Magnum PI, Silk Stalkings, Renegade and Rockford Files among others. Innis is brutally honest about his writer/producer father and his years growing up which was both fantastic and downright scary. This episode pulls no punches and I don't' think Innis would have had it any other way.

Aside from his years growing up with trips to Hawaii for Magnum, we learn that for a good period of time in the early 2000s, Innis made quite a name for himself in Latin music, becoming the much sought after star, Innis (like Charo, no last name) touring Mexico, Spain and both South America and Central America as a Latin pop star. Really, how many among our guests did a photo shoot for a magazine cover with Christina Aguilera? And believe me, we've seen it when someone gets all aflutter seeing Innis out and about in public in Los Angeles.

So how does a white dude from LA become a Latin pop star? Ah-ha! That's the rub. You will have to listen to his story, right here, right now on this edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on the second part of another encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast we again are talking to Cathy Cole, a member of both The first family of song, the King Family as well as the King Cousins. So if you didn't get enough of Cher, Ray Charles, Jonathan Winters and her amazing father Buddy Cole, we have much more to share with you.

It's all about reunion shows, recording new albums in Japan, surprise songwriters, LA restaurants, live dates at LA's premiere jazz club The Catalina and much more. So take a listen to part two of this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story. And Cathy's involve John Davidson, Rosemary Clooney, Gil Evans and more! Hot diggity!

Today on another encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast we are talking to Cathy Cole, who like a prior guest was born into the King Family, The First Family of Song. It's a fun and fascinating conversation with Cathy as she talks to us about her family (of course) but also of her own career in the King Cousins with fantastic stories about hanging with a new comic named Richard Pryor, guesting next to the Rolling Stones as well as hanging with Cher, Ray Charles and more.

Along the way we learn about her remarkable father, musician Buddy Cole and her stories about his home studio – maybe one of the first ever? – and his pipe organ in the garage blew us both away – for Cathy literally, for us figuratively. We also get to talk to Cathy about concerts in Tahiti, long lost LA restaurants, how Mad magazine parodied her and her family & a lot more. We end on Jonathan Winters and pick up on….well, you will have to tun in next week for that. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast….everyone has a story.

Today on this encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we talk to Hollye Dexter, who has an amazing and unusual story about growing up with actor Dan Haggerty. While we bend the rules slightly on this episode, we talk to her Uncle Dan, the man behind The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams, a fuzzy family television show from the 70s that made him a star. Along the way, we discuss bikers, Battle of the Network Stars, the film Easy Rider, step-siblings Kristy McNichol and Jimmy McNichol, domesticated wolves, circus performers, a step-father named Bullet and much more.

We also learn about Dan's restaurants and fur/hide stores post Grizzly Adams, Hollye's years singing with Dionne Warwick, Don Felder & Stephen Bishop, her political activism and her book Fire Season based on a harrowing real life story that you won't believe. So while technically, Dan Haggerty wasn't Hollye's biological father, she grew up with Dan and was raised alongside his kids, her cousins, in very 70s LA, post hippie domesticity. As we like to say, take a listen to another child of a celebrity interviewed by the child of a celebrity. Everyone has a story. But this one has one about a lion named Samson that lived at home.

Today on another encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we speak with Chrissy Quinn, who has not one, but two famous parents. Her father, Louis Quinn is perhaps best remembered for his role on televisions 77 Sunset Strip where he played lovable Roscoe The Bookmaker. However his show business career goes back to radio when he wrote for Milton Berle and we discuss some legends Louis worked with like Ray Bolger and Edd "Kookie" Byrnes. We also talk about her mother, Christine Nelson, a funny lady who is deeply connected to Allan Sherman – she is in fact Sarah Jackman from his My Son The Folk Singer as well as her own comedy album Didj'a Come Here to Play Cards, Or to Talk? for all you deep dive comedy nerds. We say that with affection by the way.

We also hear about Chrissy's own comedy career, a bonkers story about befriending Robin Williams before he was a megastar on Mork & Mindy as well as stories about having the real Bozo-The Clown appear at her birthday, her Godfather Sammy Davis Jr. & her dad's role in the film: Vasectomy : A Delicate Matter. So join us won't you on this encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast we are talking to Kiki Ebsen, daughter of the great Buddy Ebsen. Now, originally, I was going to say the great actor Buddy Ebsen and he definitely was a great actor. But after talking to Kiki we learned that not only did her father act but he also danced, he sang, he wrote books, he was a master sailor of catamarans and he had great comic skills. Some of this we might have known from shows like The Beverly Hillbillies or Barnaby Jones but did you know Buddy Ebsen's career began when he was discovered by newsman Walter Winchell with his sister as part of a dancing team? Or he was cast in the original The Wizard of Oz but wasn't able to be on screen due to reasons we discuss with Kiki? Or that he was the test case for Walt Disney and modern animatronics? No? Well keep listening.

We spoke to Kiki about her upcoming June residency at the El Portal Theater in Los Angeles each Friday in June for her one woman show about her father, My Buddy, The Other Side of Oz. Part memoir, part cabaret and part tribute to her father, the show showcases Kiki's storytelling but her singing as well. It's a love of music that led her to Cal Arts which then led in quick succession a job on the road with the band Chicago and then gigs with Tracy Chapman, Boz Scaggs, Christopher Cross & Al Jarreau among others. Working as a professional musician for other people led Kiki to record nine of her own solo albums in the past decade or so and just recently licensing her songs from the 80s to a label who will release them later this year.

Along the way we talk about shows & movies like Matt Houston, Davy Crockett, Tom Sawyer, The Kent Chronicles as well as actors Lee Meriwether, Mike Connors, James Arness and more. It was a blast talking to Kiki for this episode and we certainly hope you will like it too. So take a listen to the Rarified Heir podcast with Kiki Ebsen, coming up right now. Everyone has a story.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, it's Halloween in May as we talk to Victoria Price (and her dog Allie), daughter of the great Vincent Price. Victoria is a truly wonderful guest – smart, engaging, thoughtful, self-reflective and more. Perhaps that goes hand in hand with her life and career of finding joy (which we discuss) as well as being an inspirational speaker, author, holistic entrepreneur and 'family brand ambassador' for her father and her terrific mother, costumer designer Mary Grant.

We had pages of notes, things we wanted to ask Victoria and somehow, we barely even looked at them. Our interview somehow turned into a fun, insightful conversation. We of course discuss her father's acting career, his love of food, how he loved being a public figure, his artwork and so on. However our conversation became more about growing up as the 'family brand ambassador' (there's that word again), her education from a young age that people wanted to be associated with her father more than her or her artwork and how much fun it was to be with her dad just trying to find the best taquito in Los Angeles. We also learned about how and why Vincent became such a foodie via his family roots, her mother's designing gigs on Broadway and in film and how important it was that her parents remained cordial after their divorce.

Along the way we discuss The Kenley Players, Hamburger Hamlet, Carol Burnett, crème brule, The Witchfinder General, Sears department stores, Broadway, Nat King Cole and much more. We thank you for taking a listen to Victoria Price on the episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast who is coming up now. Everyone has a story.

Today on another encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are speaking to Donavan Freberg, son of the genius humorist, comedian, advertising executive and writer Stan Freberg. Donavan was a guest we had tried to get on the podcast for quite some time and thankfully he finally agreed to be in the hot seat and we can't thank him enough. Our conversation with Donavan was frank and not always easy but at other times wonderful and whimsical. You'll see what we mean after you take a listen.

Our chat with Donavan often started with the almost Wonka-like existence of growing up with a dad who had a fondness for Christmas, often took his son out on adventures late at night and sometimes not requiring him to go to school was part of his daily existence. It was more like a movie or an adventure that most of us ever get to experience in our own childhood When you mom breaks you out of school, you know you are living in rarified heir. We get into that hilarious story and a lot more on this episode.

We learn from Donavan that his father was a genius ad man who created some of the funniest, most memorable commercials of the 60s and 70s which garnered him 21 Clio awards, the ad biz's equivalent of the Academy Awards for commercials. We also talk about our Frank Sinatra connection that likely brought us to this interview in some ways. We also learn from Donavan that a very, very rough change took place in his father's life after his mother passed away which is both heartbreaking and remarkable at the same time. Heartbreaking for the loss Donavan felt with his father and remarkable that he still has such affinity for his dad. This episode is all about duality. Take a listen. Everyone has a story.

Today on an encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast we spoke to John Denney, founding member and lead singer of the iconic punk band The Weirdos whose mother could make a sunrise and sprinkle it with dew, the one and only Dodo Denney. You likely remember Dodo as Mike TV's mother in Williy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory but chances are you will remember her from a ton of television commercials, sitcoms, movies and the like. And if you lived in Kansas City during the 1950s, you likely remember her as Marilyn The Witch, a local horror movie host which brought the young John some fame when his mom came to school for career day. Since this original broadcast aired, John's brother Dix Denney, guitarist for The Weirdos passed away so we'd like to dedicate this encore episode to him for helping form the first LA punk rock band in history. And to that end, we'd be remised if we didn't mention the recently released, limited edition album vinyl-only Bomp Records Live! At The Club Azteca from 1978 which is out now at bompstore.com.

What other podcast has discussions of George "Goober" Lindsey, Iggy Pop, Dustin Hoffman, Alice Ghostly and the like? The Rarified Heir Podcast and guest John Denney is coming up next! Take a listen!

Today on another encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Cam Clarke, whose face you might not recognize but whose voice, you certainly will.  Cam is a member – the youngest member perhaps – of the King Family as well as the son of cult actor Robert Clarke. As a member of "The First Family of Song", Cam literally grew up around show business, starting as a child in an oh-so-very wholesome family show who sang at inauguration of US Presidents as well as The Hollywood Bowl, multiple Las Vegas casinos and more. We talk to Cam about his family as well as his career as an indemand voiceover actor who made his mark beginning in the 1980s as the voice of Leonardo in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles which make him a huge hit at Comic-Con and more. We also talk about his one man stage shows, his uncle, the great guitarist Alvino Rey, his nephews in the rock band Arcade Fire and we even dig into his LDS roots and his status as a "recovering Mormon" and more. It's all right here, right now on Diners, Drive In's and Dives….oh, whoops, I mean the Rarified Heir Podcast.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast we are talking to Bobby Brooks Wilson, son of Mr. Excitement, Mr. Soul, the amazing singer/performer Jackie Wilson. Now as you know, the theme of this podcast is : a child of a celebrity, interviewed by a child of a celebrity. So that hasn't changed at all with this interview. However, there is something vastly different about thisinterview with Bobby Brooks Wilson than any other interview we have ever done and likely, will ever do. And it's coming up next.

We talk to Bobby about his life growing up in South Carolina, far from the spotlight, far from his father, and how he's forged his own musical career as a singer, performer, impressionist and songwriter in his own right. He's shared the stage with Bruno Mars as part of his the band Peter and the Love Notes in Waikiki after a Navy discharge, he was 'discovered' by Paul Revere of (you guessed it) the iconic 60s band Paul Revere and the Raiders and Bobby talks to us about his deep roots connections to Billy Davis, The Four Tops, The Temptations and more. But no spoilers….we are going to leave it here for now. You are just going to have to listen to this episode to find out just what makes this story so unique, so different and so truly unbelievable that you simply could not make it up. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast. Take a Listen.