Who Can Turn the World on With His Smile | Bruce Boxleitner, Part 2

“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

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 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, and 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
Follow him at Twitter.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. 

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• This year is the 45th anniversary of President Carter's Crisis of Confidence speech. Read Susan’s new play about the speech and the confidence it takes to be president in challenging times: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing.