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#55 - Rich Little: "The Man of a Thousand Voices"

This entertaining, joke-filled interview with comedian and impersonator Rich Little has Bob and Suzanne breaking up in laughter throughout the conversation. Rich shares details of his childhood and early years as the ultimate “class clown” and talks about driving his teachers crazy by imitating them in front of fellow students just before the teacher walked in and repeated what young Rich had just said. You’ll hear Rich slip seamlessly into a series of characters with his uncanny impersonations of various celebrities including Cary Grant, Dean Martin, Johnny Carson, Bing Crosby, and Jimmy Stewart and of politicians like Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon and Donald Trump...all while telling the improbable story of his own unique career. Known as “the Man of a Thousand Voices,” Rich Little’s television career is the stuff of legend. He reveals his debt to singer Mel Tormé for getting him his first gig on The Judy Garland Show and how that lead to his appearances on hundreds of TV shows as guest star, host, and series regular over the past thirty years. Throughout the laughs, Rich talks about appearing weekly at the Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas and shares great “behind the scenes” backstage stories and details of his classic memoir Little by Little: People I’ve Known and Been.

#54 - Former CAA & WME Agent Marc Pariser

Marc Pariser is a former William Morris and CAA television packaging agent who represented a broad spectrum of talent ranging from writers, directors, producers, and production companies.  If you're a writer, director, producer, or actor looking for an agent, you need to hear what Marc has to say...

#53 - Actress Susan Sullivan

Susan Sullivan—perhaps the most prolific television actress of this generation or any other—joins the podcast in what is truly a personal reunion with Bob & Suzanne. It’s a free-wheeling, in-depth conversation that will take you from Susan’s Long Island origins to Hollywood’s red carpets. Uniquely candid and straightforward, Susan talks about her childhood dreams of someday becoming an actress...and then details exactly how she made her dreams come true. With wit, charm, and unabashed talent, it didn’t take Susan Sullivan long to go from college theatricals to the Broadway stage opposite Dustin Hoffman, to a Universal Studios contract and a starring role in television’s daytime soap A World Apart. In this interview, you’ll hear how Susan—while starring in Another World—learned the lesson of “being prepared” that she has carried her through more than 300 film and television appearances. Her list of credits is far too long to list here (check them out at imdb.com), but they include roles in Midway, The Incredible Hulk, Rich Man, Poor Man, Falcon Crest—where her portrayal of “Maggie Gioberti” won her multiple Soap Opera Digest awards—and most recently as “Martha Rogers” co-starring with Nathan Fillion on ABC-TV’s Castle. Susan Sullivan candidly shares her personal philosophy about the acting craft and the need for us all to “be in the moment of your life.” What she has to say will inspire anyone with ambitions to excel on any stage of life. Her remarks are far more than “acting tips”; they describe the life journey of an eminently successful, fulfilled artist that serves as a lesson in Life 101. Perhaps inspired by her life partner psychologist and best-selling author Connell Cowan, Susan emerges as far more than an erstwhile Playboy Bunny who made good as an actress; she’s someone who understands herself and appreciates “the moments” of our lives as few Hollywood stars ever have. Be sure to visit directly with Susan on her Twitter page (@realSSullivan) where she interacts with the world, shares her opinions, and enjoys her latest role as “the actor as teacher.”

#52 - Director Ray Austin

You can count on one finger those industry professionals who have transitioned from a career as a stuntman climbing the faces of Mount Rushmore in Hitchcock’s North by Northwest to that of Hollywood’s “go-to” television director. That man is Ray Austin, whose work as a director includes episodes on every hit TV series from the 1960s to the present day. In this incredibly entertaining conversation with Bob & Suzanne, Ray shares intimate stories of his wartime childhood and the events leading to his lifelong relationship with legendary film star Cary Grant. You’ll be infused with Ray’s unmatched energy and work ethic as he recalls his early conversation with Alfred Hitchcock that revealed his own ambition to someday replace Hitchcock in the director’s chair. Ray created and coordinated the amazing stunts for such epics as Cleopatra and Spartacus, and worked as an actor in classic films like The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner. More acting followed in TV series like The Saint and The Avengers, which only whetted his appetite for calling the shots from behind the camera. You’ll hear how Ray’s athletic prowess and charismatic personality were matched by a keen writing ability that soon won him his first directing gigs. The life and career of Ray Austin—with more than 300 directing credits ranging from The Saint and Black Beauty to Magnum, P.I., The Six Million Dollar Man, Highlander, Spenser: for Hire, and The New Zorro—and with a pantheon of show business celebrity friendships ranging from Cary Grant to TV’s iconic producer Quinn Martin--is nearly the stuff of fiction. Today, Ray—the bona fide holder of an historic feudal Irish title as The Baron Raymond John DeVere-Austin—is the renowned author of Find Me a Spy, Catch Me a Traitor as well as the Beauford Sloan Mystery Series, a page-turning trilogy which includes The Eagle Heist, Dead Again, and Your Turn to Die (all great reads now available at Amazon.com). The story of Ray Austin’s life and career is an inspiring and compelling piece of Hollywood history, the likes of which will never be seen again. It’s a conversation you don’t want to miss!

#51 - Legendary TV Writer-Producer John Wilder

Few show business professionals can lay claim to the track record of acclaimed TV writer and author John Wilder. Having amassed hundreds of credits as a writer and producer for his work in radio, television, and film, John is the creative force behind such iconic television fare as Spenser for Hire, Lonesome Dove, The Streets of San Francisco, The Yellow Rose and the epic adaptation of James Michener’s Centennial. In this informal conversation, you’ll hear how John worked his way into television and film acting, appearing in early teen movies and as a regular guest performer on dozens of shows like Broken Arrow, Wagon Train, and The Real McCoys. As so often happens in show business, it was a personal connection–this one with Chuck Connors, star of TV’s hit western The Rifleman—that led to his first television writing gig.   From that point on, John wrote and produced some of the most iconic TV series of the era, winning multiple Emmy nominations, the Chicago International Film Festival Award, a pair of Western Heritage awards, and two trips to the winner’s circle at the Writers Guild of America’s Awards. Listen carefully to this interview, and you’ll hear John outline for you his blueprint for Hollywood success and creative longevity. You’ll also get the inside story on Nobody Dies in Hollywood, John’s gritty debut novel–a compelling and rapid-fire read that rubs the reality of headline crimes against the underbelly of Hollywood at its glitzy best and introduces a uniquely contemporary hero into the literary private detective genre. This candid interview tells the unique story of John Wilder, a man who has literally “led three lives” with careers as an actor, producer-writer, and now as a major novelist. He’s truly a remarkable talent, and hearing him tell his own story is both entertaining for fans of his work and inspiring for those hoping to follow in his footsteps.