Still Here Hollywood

Before millions of Americans knew Denise Nicholas as Liz McIntyre on the groundbreaking television series Room 222, she was living through history.
Denise traveled through Mississippi and Louisiana with the Free Southern Theater during the Civil Rights Movement, an experience that put her face-to-face with violence, racism and even death threats. In this remarkably candid conversation with Steve Kmetko, Denise recalls bombs being thrown at the stage, sleeping on the floor of Fannie Lou Hamer's home because of gunfire, and the terrifying moment a police officer put a gun to her head.
Then came Hollywood.
Denise takes us behind the scenes of Room 222, shares memories of Karen Valentine and Michael Constantine, and reveals how Carol O'Connor helped turn her from an actor into a television writer on In the Heat of the Night.
She also opens up about her relationship and marriage to legendary singer-songwriter Bill Withers, the unsolved murder of her younger sister, a deeply personal secret about the father who raised her, her decision to walk away from acting, and the writing career that became her passion.
Plus, Denise reveals the current television series that might just convince her to step in front of the cameras again.
It's a remarkable life spanning the Civil Rights Movement, groundbreaking television, Hollywood, love, loss and reinvention.
This is Still Here Hollywood. I'm Steve Kmetko.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Denise Nicholas joins Still Here Hollywood
01:18 Acting wasn't remotely part of the plan
02:48 Joining the Civil Rights Movement
03:04 Fearing for her life in Mississippi
04:01 Her mother stops speaking to her
05:13 What America gets wrong about the Civil Rights era
06:09 Bombs, gunfire and Fannie Lou Hamer
07:25 From Civil Rights activist to Room 222
10:42 Racism behind the scenes in Hollywood
13:50 A police officer puts a gun to Denise's head
15:10 The truth about Lloyd Haynes
15:21 Remembering Michael Constantine and Karen Valentine
17:31 Old-school Hollywood behind the scenes
19:31 Carol O'Connor turns Denise into a writer
21:25 What happened after Room 222
24:17 Turning down demeaning Hollywood roles
25:28 Race and opportunity in Hollywood
27:49 What Carol O'Connor was really like
29:45 The murder of Denise's sister
31:33 How Denise met Bill Withers
32:35 What Bill Withers was really like
35:00 Why marriage was difficult for Denise
36:03 Her massive celebrity wedding to Jim Hill
37:06 Becoming an author
40:19 Why she called her memoir Finding Home
40:51 Why Denise walked away from acting
42:49 Freshwater Road and owning her words
44:17 The family secret she carried for decades
47:18 The role that could bring Denise back
49:25 What gives her hope
49:53 A surprise message from Tai Babilonia
51:57 Looking back at race in America

Show Credits
Host/Producer: Steve Kmetko
All things technical: Justin Zangerle
Executive Producer: Jim Lichtenstein
Music by: Brian Sanyshyn


https://stillherehollywood.com
http://patreon.com/stillherehollywood
Suggest Guests at: stillherehollywood@gmail.com
Advertise on Still Here Hollywood: jim@stillherenetwork.com
Publicist: Maggie Perlich: maggie@numbertwelvemarketing.com


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Anson Williams became a television icon as Potsie Weber on Happy Days, but his Hollywood story goes far beyond Arnold’s Drive-In.
Anson joins Steve Kmetko for a revealing look back at more than five decades in show business, including how he stumbled into his first acting job with a young Steven Spielberg, what Garry Marshall taught the Happy Days cast about surviving Hollywood, and the extraordinary day John Lennon secretly showed up on the Happy Days set with his son Julian.
Anson also tells the remarkable story of how his connection to Dr. Henry Heimlich helped bring the Heimlich maneuver to national television, remembers his late Happy Days co-star Erin Moran, talks about working with Bette Davis and Hollywood legends including Milton Berle and Ethel Merman, and explains how Ron Howard helped inspire his second career as a television director.
Plus, Anson discusses his newest project, Crazy Mama, starring Linda Purl.
It’s an hour of Hollywood history from someone who was there for an astonishing amount of it.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Anson Williams joins Still Here Hollywood
01:00 Growing up in Los Angeles and trying to break into show business
04:00 The disastrous audition that launched his career
07:24 His first real break
09:00 How a sit-in at a talent agency changed everything
12:00 His first acting job, directed by Steven Spielberg
14:22 Would social media have changed his career?
17:05 Happy Days becomes his big break
17:26 The real story of the original Happy Days pilot
19:37 Why the Happy Days cast became so close
21:03 What made Garry Marshall special
22:11 How Anson turned Potsie into a second career
25:46 How Happy Days helped spread the Heimlich maneuver
30:34 Who made Anson laugh hardest on Happy Days?
33:23 John Lennon secretly visits the Happy Days set
35:43 What changed after Ron Howard left
37:19 Working with Bette Davis
41:47 Remembering Marion Ross
42:43 Becoming a television director
45:35 Growing up around Hollywood legends
49:38 Working with Ethel Merman
50:28 Remembering Erin Moran
52:19 The most important lesson he learned as a director
53:37 Learning to direct science fiction
56:03 Crazy Mama and Linda Purl
1:01:07 Anson Williams looks ahead

Show Credits
Host/Producer: Steve Kmetko
All things technical: Justin Zangerle
Executive Producer: Jim Lichtenstein
Music by: Brian Sanyshyn


https://stillherehollywood.com
http://patreon.com/stillherehollywood
Suggest Guests at: stillherehollywood@gmail.com
Advertise on Still Here Hollywood: jim@stillherenetwork.com
Publicist: Maggie Perlich: maggie@numbertwelvemarketing.com


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Linda Purl has spent more than five decades building an extraordinary career across television, film, Broadway and music. In this episode of Still Here Hollywood, Linda joins Steve Kmetko for a funny, candid and surprisingly personal conversation about Happy Days, Matlock, The Office, Andy Griffith, Garry Marshall, aging in Hollywood and the unexpected love story that brought her and Dallas star Patrick Duffy together.
Linda reveals what The Office was really like behind the scenes, why Happy Days had only one bathroom for the cast and crew, and the remarkable story Andy Griffith told her about fighting for his role in A Face in the Crowd. She also opens up about reconnecting with Patrick Duffy during COVID, their nightly Zoom conversations and the moment he finally drove from Oregon to Colorado to see if their friendship could become something more.
Plus, Linda talks about returning to the stage, her lifelong love of music, handling criticism, getting older without “giving up,” and how she and Patrick turned a 70-year-old family sourdough starter into Duffy's Dough and a mission to help fight food insecurity.
It's Linda Purl, still working, still laughing, still singing and very much Still Here.
#LindaPurl, #PatrickDuffy, #HappyDays, #TheOffice, #Matlock, #AndyGriffith, #GarryMarshall, #RonHoward, #Dallas, #StillHereHollywood, #SteveKmetko

YOUTUBE CHAPTERS
00:00 Linda Purl Is Still Here
01:02 Growing Up in Japan
07:34 Becoming an Actor
10:42 Auditioning for The Office
12:17 Garry Marshall and the Happy Days Family
14:49 The Truth About Improv on The Office
16:20 The Lasting Bonds of Happy Days
18:26 Returning to Happy Days as a Different Character
20:16 Working With Andy Griffith on Matlock
21:58 Andy Griffith's Wild Elia Kazan Story
24:30 Linda's Advice for Young Actors
27:43 Criticism and Bad Reviews
29:21 Social Media and the New Hollywood
32:37 Aging in Hollywood
34:20 Linda's Other Career as a Singer
38:55 Her New Album, From My Heart
41:33 Reinvention and Gregory Harrison's Life Lesson
44:22 Playing 16 Characters in Crazy Mama
47:55 Falling in Love With Patrick Duffy
53:05 Patrick's 70-Year-Old Sourdough Starter
56:36 Turning Duffy's Dough Into a Business
1:03:33 What Linda Hopes People Remember

Show Credits
Host/Producer: Steve Kmetko
All things technical: Justin Zangerle
Executive Producer: Jim Lichtenstein
Music by: Brian Sanyshyn


https://stillherehollywood.com
http://patreon.com/stillherehollywood
Suggest Guests at: stillherehollywood@gmail.com
Advertise on Still Here Hollywood: jim@stillherenetwork.com
Publicist: Maggie Perlich: maggie@numbertwelvemarketing.com


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Elisa Donovan became forever recognizable as Amber, Cher Horowitz's fabulously overdressed rival in the 1995 classic Clueless. But behind one of the most memorable characters of the '90s is an actress, writer and mother whose life took turns she never could have imagined.

Elisa joins Steve Kmetko for a candid conversation about landing Clueless, creating Amber from the mean girls she knew growing up, working with Alicia Silverstone, and the Clueless joke she didn't even understand when she delivered it.

She also opens up about Brittany Murphy, sharing a hilarious memory from the Clueless set and revealing the troubling signs she says she witnessed the last time she saw Brittany before her death.

Elisa talks about nearly landing the lead in Showgirls, climbing into bed with Jason Priestley on her first day of Beverly Hills, 90210, her frustration during Sabrina the Teenage Witch, losing her father to cancer, and the extraordinary dreams that changed the way she thinks about grief and death.

Plus, Elisa explains why she believes Hollywood is losing the kinds of movies that once gave actors and storytellers room to take chances.

This is Still Here Hollywood. I'm Steve Kmetko. Join us with today's guest, from Clueless, actor Elisa Donovan.

 

00:00 Elisa Donovan joins Still Here Hollywood

01:54 Knowing she wanted to become an actor

04:04 The personality trait that helped her survive Hollywood

05:32 Her first television break on Blossom

07:01 The Showgirls role she desperately wanted

10:14 Learning from rejection in Hollywood

11:41 Did anyone know Clueless would become a classic?

13:19 The intimidating Clueless audition

15:34 Learning how television really works

15:50 Her first day in bed with Jason Priestley on 90210

18:04 Nearly walking away from acting after Sabrina

19:53 Behind the scenes of Clueless

20:00 Remembering Brittany Murphy on set

22:00 Learning Brittany Murphy had died

22:46 The troubling signs Elisa says she witnessed

25:52 Still Here Hollywood

27:12 Breckin Meyer and remembering Brittany

28:25 The real girls who inspired Amber

30:07 Why Amber was so much fun to play

31:13 How Clueless changed Elisa's life

34:22 The improvised moments that made the movie

35:48 The Clueless joke Elisa didn't understand

36:29 Why Clueless still connects 30 years later

38:09 What Hollywood has lost

41:44 Becoming a writer

44:41 What writing gave her that acting couldn't

46:05 Writing Wake Me When You Leave

48:13 Losing her father and losing her way

50:32 The dreams that changed everything

53:18 Writing through grief

56:01 What Elisa would tell Amber today

Show Credits
Host/Producer: Steve Kmetko
All things technical: Justin Zangerle
Executive Producer: Jim Lichtenstein
Music by: Brian Sanyshyn


https://stillherehollywood.com
http://patreon.com/stillherehollywood
Suggest Guests at: stillherehollywood@gmail.com
Advertise on Still Here Hollywood: jim@stillherenetwork.com
Publicist: Maggie Perlich: maggie@numbertwelvemarketing.com


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Emmy and Golden Globe winner Michael Chiklis joins Steve Kmetko for a remarkably candid conversation about The Shield, Fantastic Four, The Commish, Hollywood, artificial intelligence, reinvention, family, failure, and the future of the entertainment business.

Chiklis opens up about the dramatic changes he's witnessed in Hollywood and why he believes the industry has contracted far more than many people realize. He discusses his concerns about AI, actors losing control of their own likenesses, and what happens when technology companies become some of Hollywood's most powerful players.

Michael also reveals how his wife helped convince him to completely reinvent himself after The Commish, how he developed Vic Mackey for The Shield, and why he still proudly defends his Fantastic Four movies and his portrayal of Ben Grimm, The Thing.

Away from Hollywood, Chiklis gets emotional talking about finally visiting Greece, becoming a grandfather, his family, and what he's learned about failure after decades in show business.

And then there's Elton John.

Michael tells an extraordinary story about randomly encountering Elton John in a Boston Versace store, discovering Elton was a fan of The Commish, and ultimately watching Elton change his concert for Michael's wife and perform "Candle in the Wind" especially for her.

It's Michael Chiklis, candid, funny, thoughtful, occasionally profane, and completely unfiltered.

This is Still Here Hollywood with Steve Kmetko.

 

00:00 Michael Chiklis Joins Still Here Hollywood
01:02 Growing Up in an Artistic Greek Family
04:32 The Moment Michael Knew He'd Be an Actor
07:01 Surviving Hollywood and a Changing Industry
09:00 Michael Sounds Off on AI and Owning Your Image
11:32 Tech Giants, Mergers and the Future of Hollywood
14:35 Why AI Worries Michael Chiklis
23:30 Finally Visiting Greece
27:17 "A Hard Guy With a Caramel Center"
28:03 Becoming a Grandfather
31:07 The Commish vs. The Shield
33:40 Creating Vic Mackey
39:26 How Michael Reinvented Himself
45:11 Fantastic Four and Becoming The Thing
48:13 Michael Chiklis, the Musician
53:42 Why Failure Is Necessary
55:21 What Makes Michael Happiest
58:15 The Incredible Elton John Story
1:06:45 What's Still Left on Michael's Bucket List
1:08:32 Why Michael Won't Talk Politics
1:09:12 Remembering Telly Savalas

Show Credits
Host/Producer: Steve Kmetko
All things technical: Justin Zangerle
Executive Producer: Jim Lichtenstein
Music by: Brian Sanyshyn


https://stillherehollywood.com
http://patreon.com/stillherehollywood
Suggest Guests at: stillherehollywood@gmail.com
Advertise on Still Here Hollywood: jim@stillherenetwork.com
Publicist: Maggie Perlich: maggie@numbertwelvemarketing.com


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.