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ISSUE VI

Behind the scenes at Talk Nation F r ank M ackay

L e e B u ono P u b li s h e r

P u b li s h e r TV and radio talk show host Frank MacKay engages America’s actors, business leaders and other newsmakers in one-on-one interviews that delve into the past to reveal significant moments in time that defined their success. Frank keeps his audience fixated and his guests enjoying the twists and turns of the conversation. He has conducted more than 2000 interviews, including Donald Trump, Nelson DeMille, Micky Dolenz, Charlie Daniels, BJ Thomas, David Cassidy, Carol Alt, Gary US Bonds, Kitty Kelley, and countless others. Breaking it Down may be heard daily on LI News Radio in New York, on the Talk of the Palm Beaches 900 AM, and throughout the nation via syndication. TV and radio shows are also available on Frank’s website, “Frank MacKay Media,” as well as Soundcloud, Blog Talk Radio, Talk Nation on Roku, Itunes and a host of other popular social media sites. www.FrankMacKayMedia.com

TA L K N AT I O N I S S U E V I

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breaking it down with frank mackay and Michael Learned

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B r e akin g it d o w n w it h f r ank mackay an d

Michael Learned Frank MacKay: Let me welcome everyone to Breaking it Down. Frank MacKay, here, but much more importantly, a wonderful actress who’s been around for a long time for a young lady, Michael Learned. Most people know her wonderful work from the mom from, the matriarch, of the Walton family. There’s so much more to her than just that. She is currently starring in Driving Miss Daisy. Michael Learned, how are you? Michael Learned: I’m in great shape for my dotage, and I’m very happy. I’m walking my dogs as we speak. Frank MacKay: That’s okay. What do you have? What kind of dogs do you have? Michael Learned: I have a rat terrier that I got when I was doing Driving Miss Daisy in Kansas. I had just lost another dog, and the artistic directors are animal people and lovely human beings. They rescue animals, especially animals of abused women, because very often the abuser will abuse the animals to get the family to come back. They said, “You have to have another dog!” I said, “No, I don’t want another dog, I’m just grieving my Paloma.” Paloma’s quite famous in Canada, actually. She was on one TA L K N AT I O N I S S U E V I

of your talk shows in Toronto doing her tricks for everybody. Anyway, to make a very long story even longer, they found Daisy for me and said, “You have to take her, because you’re doing Driving Miss Daisy, and her name is Daisy.” I’ve had this dog for fifteen years. It’s just been the most wonderful companion, and I’m bringing her to Canada when I go up to Petrolia as well. Frank MacKay: Now Petrolia, hopefully you’ll be putting Petrolia, Canada on the map. It’s Ontario, right? Petrolia? Michael Learned: Yes, it is. It’s about forty-five minutes from Sarnia. Everybody seems to know Sarnia, but very few people know Petrolia. It’s a charming little town. It reminds me very much of Southern Ontario back in the day. Frank MacKay: What’s the theater like? Nice theater? Michael Learned:The theater’s marvelous. It’s an absolutely wonderful theater. Ralph Wade and I were there, I think two summers ago. We did Love Letters there. This will be my first time doing an actual play there. I’m looking forward to it. They’re also developing an evening of talking, just me sitting there talking a bout myself, which will probably bore everybody to tears, but I’ll be interested. Frank MacKay: That’s the furthest thing from the truth. I’ve had you on this show before and I was blown away. I guess I had no prep for what I was expecting. I’ll refresh people’s memories that Michael’s dad, her father was an American spy, and he ended up spending some time with the family, bringing the family some time around 1950. Tell me how my

memory is. In a village in Austria that was formerly dominated by Hitler’s Nazi troops. You were, five years after the death of Hitler, you were growing up as a young lady in Austria. It just blew me away. I think you said, tell me how my memory is, the shoemaker was a Nazi and that somebody told youMichael Learned: I’m very impressed! Yes, he was. His daughter was a friend of my sister, she was younger than I. Everybody in the village knew that he was sort of up there in the SS, but nobody really talked about it. Nobody confronted anybody about it, but everybody knew. Frank MacKay: There was no pressure on your sister to maybe stay Publicity photo of Ralph Waite (John Walton, Sr.), Richard Thomas (John Boy), and Michael Learned (Olivia Walton) from the television program The Waltons. Public Domain away from this young lady, that the shoemaker was a former Nazi? Did your parents seem concerned, or did they not want to bring attention to the situation? Michael Learned: It was interesting because we as kids, we sort of just knew who the people were who were Nazi sympathizers, and who the people were who weren’t. There was a hardness, a coldness in their faces. You could just kind of tell. I don’t know if you remember, but on the sides of buildings, like a barn or something, there’d be a box, a square, with a cross inside of it. I remember saying to one of my friends, “What’s that?” And she said, “That was a swastika, but now it’s illegal, so they paint a box around it so it would be a cross instead of a swastika. It was all about TA L K N AT I O N I S S U E V I

“I look back and see all the things she accomplished, at a time when women were supposedly subservient. She was the president of the Pen Women’s Association, she spoke fluent French. She was invited to sit on the stock market when there were no women on the stock exchange, there were no women.” the war’s over, let’s not talk about it, move in. Frank MacKay: I get it. You got to normalize even the most bizarre situations, and that was certainly one of them. I am speaking to the matriarch, the matriarch of the beloved Walton family. Michael Learned is her name, just a wonderful actress. She’s done so much more in her, I should say her young years. Frank MacKay here with Michael Learned, and she is currently being driven by Hoke, right? Driving Miss Daisy. I’m making the assumption that you’re playing the Jessica Tandy role, onscreen role made famous by Jessica Tandy. I think she won the Academy Award for that, as well. Michael Learned: Yes, it was a wonderful movie, but you wait. The play is so much better. There’s so much humor in the play, because this woman is so biased and she has no idea that she’s biased. The audience finds that very funny, even though she’s really not very likable in the beginning of the play. Toward the end, because Hoke is such an incredible human being, he loves her so the audience ends up loving her, as well. Frank MacKay: She was obliviousMichael Learned: It’s a love story. It is a love story, from that period. My grandmother had a man who was her chauffeur, his name was Ambrose TA L K N AT I O N I S S U E V I

Lewis. She was, to us as children, the stabilizing force in our lives. He was the only one who could stand up to my grandmother, who was quite a bright, intelligent, domineering I might say, woman. He was the only one who ever stood up to her. She adored him, and he adored her. They had a very special love between them. I always think of them when I’m doing Driving Miss Daisy. Frank MacKay: Your grandmother, tell us a little something about her. Was she someone that it was helpful to stand up to? Was she somebody that would dominate you guys, personality-wise, if someone wasn’t there to rein her in? Michael Learned: She wasn’t domineering in a nasty way, she was just one of those women who didn’t buy into the whole pre-women’s lib thing that women aren’t, she went where she wanted to, and did what she wanted to do. In fact she said to me once, “Don’t grieve me when I’m gone. I did everything in this life that I wanted to do.” A second cousin of mine went to Europe with her, and when she came back she said, “Oh yes, we pooped and farted our way all through Europe.” It’s like she just was a steamroller, like a motor boat. She just forged ahead. I admire that now, as an adult. I look back and see all the things she accomplished, at a time

when women were supposedly subservient. She was the president of the Pen Women’s Association, she spoke fluent French. She was invited to sit on the stock market when there were no women on the stock exchange, there were no women. She was quite a person, but she was a little intimidating, too. Frank MacKay: Was she your maternal or paternal? Michael Learned: My father’s mother. Frank MacKay: Your father’s mother, wow. Was she aware of what your father was doing for a living? Michael Learned: No. Nobody was. My mother was, I was eventually. They didn’t tell me until I was a little older. Until we were leaving Austria, I used to take my mother her breakfast every morning, and she said, “Sit down. I have something to tell you. It’s a life and death secret. If you tell anyone, your father could die.” Then she told me he was working, I think she put it “Secret service.” I think that’s how she put it at the time. I kept the secret. I never told a soul. Frank MacKay: Were you concerned that it would slip out somewhere? Were you concerned that you couldn’t keep the secret? Michael Learned: Yeah, because I was

a kid. I think I was fourteen when she told me, and I didn’t keep secrets. But I learned, from that. That was my first, once I realized this was really a life and death situation, potentially, I just never opened my mouth again. I learned, I do pinkie secrets. You know kids. “Don’t tell anyone! You’re not supposed to know this, but,” that kind of thing. I couldn’t do that when my father’s life was poten-

but a multi-Emmy Award winner for the Waltons. How many Emmys did you win? Michael Learned: Four. Frank MacKay: Four, wow. Michael Learned: Four Emmys. One was for Nurse, three were for The Waltons. I would tell people there

of you to say that. I’m sure it’s true, I guess we’re all fortunate, he and she who have our health, we’re fortunate, and it’s a relative term. You have to realize that you had, it wasn’t just the hand of providence in this, or the hand of God or whatever, that you’ve earned this. They don’t hand you four Emmy Awards because there’s no competition. I imagine some of the women, wonderful actors back then,

“I think if I write a book ever, it’s going to be called In Retrospect, because so often we don’t really realize what good fortune is. It sometimes comes disguised as bad fortune, and then in retrospect, we actually realize it was something good.” tially at stake. Frank MacKay: W h a t burden.

heavy

Michael Learned: I remember wondering sometimes whether we were in danger, you know? I don’t know. Frank MacKay: What a responsibility. Again, I don’t mean, it’s just a highly unusual situation. If you’re just turning on your radio, Frank Mackay here, but more importantly, the star of Driving Miss Daisy on, I was going to say on Broadway, but in Canada. What’s the name of the town in Canada? Michael Learned: Petrolia. Petrolia, and it’s at the Victoria Playhouse, which is the longest, yeah. Frank MacKay: She is M ichael Learned. You certainly know her from the Waltons, she was the Matriarch of the Waltons, just a wonderful, multi-, I’m going by memory here,

wasn’t much competition back then, but it’s still nice to have them sitting in my study, it really is.

that there was no competition for it, because there was some won- ... Go ahead.

Frank MacKay: Ye a h , a r e y o u kidding? Four Emmys. There are people that spend their life trying to just get a gig, get a commercial, and make a living. Make a little bit of a name, but four Emmys is just an amazing-

Michael Learned: Well, yeah. That’s what I mean, though. There were wonderful actresses who were trying. Had red hair, and who were the right age, because I was about ten years younger than what they were looking for, and I have short, blonde hair. There was a women named Ethel Weiman who was the head of testing, I believe, for CBS. She really went to bat for me with Fred Silverman who was then the president of CBS. She apparently, I never knew this while she was alive, but somebody told me after she died. He didn’t want me, and she fought for me, because she used to come up to the American Conservatory of Theater, where my ex-husband, Peter Donat and I, were performing.

Michael Learned: You know, I’ve been very lucky all my life. I really have, professionally, been very lucky, until I hit that certain age. Most of my life, professionally, has been a gift. I don’t question it, I’m just very, very grateful, because when I got The Waltons, I was in very bad shape emotionally and in every way. It was like I was just being led. I like to say by the hand of God, because I don’t know what else to call it. I’m so eternally grateful for it. Frank MacKay: Let’s go back to something you just said. You said you’re very fortunate. It’s very humble

She would see the shows, and she just said, “You’ve got to hire this woman.” And he did. I was so lucky, because really I wasn’t right TA L K N AT I O N I S S U E V I

for the part, I didn’t want the part, I wanted to do theater. I was broke, I was getting divorced, I was a mess, and it helped me straighten out my life and put my kids through school. It was wonderful. I have two families, now. I have the Walton family because we’re all incredibly close, and my own kids and grandchildren, so I’m a very lucky woman. I didn’t always see it but I do now. I think if I write a book ever, it’s going to be called In Retrospect, because so often we don’t really realize what good fortune is. It sometimes comes disguised as bad fortune, and then in retrospect, we actually realize it was something good. You know what I mean? Frank MacKay: Yeah, of course! You got me thinking in a couple different directions. First of all, if you look at the world in retrospect, does that mean that during the Waltons, you didn’t necessarily know how great it was going at that time? Or because you had a bad experience, or you were going through a bad time prior to that, were you grateful for what was happening while it was going on? It’s kind of a conflict there, I imagine, emotionally, right? Part of you had, I imagine, emotionally, right? Part of you had to be relieved that “Oh god, better times are ahead and now I’m famous and I’ve made it.” Quote-unquote, “Made it.” By what you’re saying now, it takes you, it sounds like after the fact, to really realize what was going on, which I guess is commonplace for many of us. Was that a conflict? Michael Learned: In some ways, yes, because I loved theater. I love words, I love working on plays and discovering things. I really was very happy with my theater life at ACT. I liked living up north, and it was such a TA L K N AT I O N I S S U E V I

huge shift to come down here, but I was so broke and I had three kids to support. There was conflict, and also I kept thinking, “I’m spending fourteen hours on set and I have kids at home,” stuff like that. In truth, if I’d been doing theater, I would’ve been away, because you go where the work is, when you’re doing theater. I would’ve been making out okay, because you don’t get rich doing theater. Getting [inaudible 00:16:42] was the luckiest thing that ever happened for me, but in the beginning of it, Ralph and I both never thought for a minute that the show would become successful and would run as long as it did. We never did. We were very lucky, all of us. I think we’re all still grateful. I know Richard is, Ralph was. Frank MacKay: Everybody I’ve ever spoken to, and I’ve had several of your cast members on the show, everybody seems so down to earth, the way you would think a Walton would be. I guess, maybe it’s the luck of the draw and you had some quality people that were there in the first place. Let me ask you about your role when the cameras shut off. What I mean by that is, you mention you were playing ten years older than what you really were. Did you take on almost automatically as mentor or elder statesman or whatever you want to call it, because of the role you were playing on-screen? Michael Learned: Yeah. Absolutely. You ask very good, insightful questions, my god. Absolutely. I remember when I went to the first Emmy, which was fun because I never thought for one second I was going to win. I remember thinking, “What kind of a dress can I wear? I can’t wear anything too revealing in any way.” It was like I had to dress the way I thought my fans would expect me

to dress, you know? That was always very prevalent in my mind during those years, was, I don’t want to ... Then I struggled, because being an actor’s not easy. You’re always being someone else, and at the same time, if you’re like me, you also want to be authentic as a human being. You want to be authentic as a human being, and yet you spend your life pretending to be somebody else. It’s a bit of a struggle. Parts of me are very much like Olivia Walton. I think surprise, I think Fred, I loved my children. There was all that. I used to do diapers on a scrub board in the bathroom in New York with my first child, because we had no money. I knew how to do hard work, and I think that came across on the show. I think people realized, “Oh, she must’ve baked a pie, because she knows to do the roller thing.” The other side of it is, I wasn’t a perfect person like Olivia Walton, and unfortunately I didn’t have a husband like John Walton, and I didn’t have a grandma to help me out until much later. It wasn’t the same. Frank MacKay: You say that almost as if there is anybody like Olivia Walton. That’s not a common person, and the Waltons were the ideal country family. There are a lot of folks probably that grew up like that back then and during the depression, and all of that. You’re a different generation. I think it’s amazing, everything that you’d gone through, I can’t believe you don’t have a book. You got to have a book. It’s good that you want to call it In Retrospect. Let me just ask you, do we have you for a second segment? We’re coming up on a quick break. Michael Learned: Sure. Frank MacKay: Michael Learned is

our very special guest, if you’re just turning on your radio or if you’re just tuning into us. Frank MacKay here. You can see her, if you’re in for a little bit of travel up to Canada, she is starring in Driving Miss Daisy, and I’m sure she is wonderful. She’s wonderful in everything that she does. You know her from Olivia Walton, her role as Olivia Walton. Frank MacKay here, thrilled to have her for a second time. We’ve had you before. We keep playing your show, it’s so fascinating. It’s such a fascinating life. We’re going to take a quick break, Frank MacKay here, with Michael Learned. We will be back with her right after this.

Frank MacKay: Did that publisher ever contact you? I put somebody in touch with you. I don’t know if you guys ever got in touch.

We’ll jump right back into it.

Michael Learned: You know what I’d like to push is Conversations with Michael Learned, which is something that David Hogan and David Rogers and I are trying to develop while I’m there. We have three shows at the end of July, and the title for now is Conversations with Michael Learned.

Michael Learned: You’re so good! You just make it so easy. Frank MacKay: I’m telling you, you know what I’m going to do is, I’m going to transcribe, I’m going to have them transcribe the two interviews, and I’ll have them put it in a little book form. It’ll throw together for you, we’ll edit it a little bit, but almost verbatim what we’re saying. Take a look at it, and maybe it’ll get you motivated, not that you need motivation, but you’ll see that it’s not this big mountain to climb to get this book out. Michael Learned: I’m such a perfectionist, I have written quite a bit, I have pages and pages. I want to be able to tell the story and not make it about, “And then I did, and then I went, and then I slept with, and then I didn’t sleep with,” you know what I mean? I don’t want to write that kind of book. I want to be a good enough writer to write a book that’s textured with the people and the characters that I’ve met as a kid and young woman.

Michael Learned:Yes, he did, actually, but I dropped the ball. He did. He was very nice. Frank MacKay: He’s a good guy, he’s a very, very good guy. Let’s jump back into it, and feel free to steer me anywhere you’d like. Michael Learned: Okay. Frank MacKay: All right-

Frank MacKay: Great. Let me get that in right away. Okay, you ready? Here we go. Michael Learned: Yeah. Frank MacKay: I’d like to welcome everyone back to Breaking it Down. Frank MacKay here, but much more importantly, a wonderful actress. She’s starring in Driving Miss Daisy right now, but you know her work, her role that won her three Emmy Awards, Olivia Walton, and she got a fourth one for Nurse soon after that, or later on, I should say. Also we want to talk about, I want to talk to you about Conversations with Michael Learned, and that’s something that’s being developed in the next couple of months. We should see that into fruition. Michael, first of all, welcome back, and also, tell us

about Conversations with Michael Learned. Michael Learned: Bless them, David Hogan and David Rogers, who are just the most wonderful people to work for, I adore them, are helping me to develop a one-woman evening, I guess. They’re calling it Conversations with Michael Learned, which is a little stiff, I think, of a title. I’m going to ask them to find a little looser title. Maybe In Retrospect might be good, now that I’m talking about it. I want to talk about, I’ve worked with incredible writers, Arthur Miller and Edward Albee. I had a wonderful experience with Bill Ball. Anyway, they’ve accumulated all the pictures, I’ve been sending them pictures of productions and shows that I’ve done, and they want me to talk about my personal life, as well. Which, unless you would be there to ask the questions, I find it hard to do. Maybe a combination of both, and interspersed will be a little monologue, here or there. We’ll see what comes up! I’m breaking my onewoman show cherry in Canada. We’ll see what happens. Frank MacKay: Let me ask you one personal question, just a curiosity. What did the father of your children, what did he do for a living? Michael Learned: What do my kids do? Frank MacKay: No, what did the father of your children do, as you were getting divorced. Michael Learned: He’s an actor. He’s a marvelous actor named Peter Donat. He’s retired now, but he was Robert Donat’s nephew. Peter is Canadian, this is why we lived in Toronto for several years. I love Toronto. We were TA L K N AT I O N I S S U E V I

there before it became this wonderful cosmopolitan city that it is now. We lived in Toronto, and we’d usually spend the summers at Stratford, in the Shakespeare festival. That was a very happy time. Very happy time for me. Mostly I was Peter Donat’s wife at the time, I wasn’t really, I was raising my kids. It wasn’t until we moved to ACT in ... Sorry, I’ve got a dog here with me. It wasn’t until we moved to San Francisco that my career really took off. I did a lot of work for CBC actually then, when they were doing mostly, they did live classics. I worked with Oren Till, who was the wonderful director. It was amazing what we pulled off. We did Moliere, we did Ipsen, we did all kinds of wonderful

so big. That had to work on you a little bit in the back of your mind, right? This is something that’s achievable. Michael Learned: Sure. I was never ambitious. I’m still not. I’m kind of lazy that way. I never wanted to be, not consciously anyway, I never wanted to be famous. That was never my goal. I just loved the work, and anything that got me out of the kitchen was such a gift as far as I was concerned. I remember sitting, when we first went to ACT, I was doing, Under Milk Wood. I was playing Polly Garter. I was sitting on stage, listening to these words by Dylan Thomas, and thinking “I’m the luckiest woman in the world. I have three gorgeous kids, and I’m sitting on the stage, listening to Dylan Thomas.” It was magical for

“I love the work. My idea of heaven is rehearsal and discovering.” stuff, in costume. We’d be running down the hallway from one studio to the next to do a three-camera stuff. It was quite exciting, that’s the word. Frank MacKay: That must’ve been fascinating, too, and encouraging, that you were around somebody that had this success as Robert Donat. Goodbye Mister Chips, right, and he did some Hitchcock maybe. Michael Learned: Yeah. I never met him, actually, but Peter, my ex-husband, he’s the father of my kids, too. I think he became an actor because he admired Robert so much. Frank MacKay: You know what it is? It’s within reach, though. Even for you, even though you never met Robert, you know somebody who was related to someone who made it TA L K N AT I O N I S S U E V I

me. ACT was really the beginning for me breaking out of the whole house wife role. I hate house work. Frank MacKay: I don’t know, you mentioned lazy and ambitious, as if it’s the opposite. Like if you’re not ambitious it makes you lazy. There are a lot of people I know that are very conscientious about what they do. They get their work done and whatever, they’re not what you would call lazy, but at the same time, they’re not ambitious. Napoleon was ambitious. Different people are, but from what I hear, and you would never think of it, but people who knew Al Pacino early on, Al Pacino was ambitious, and Al Pacino was constantly asking questions when he was doing Panic in Needle Park, he was picking everybody’s brain. That surprised me with that, but you would never think of

him as being like that. I never would have, anyway. You think of him as shy and reserved and whatever. Meanwhile, he was what, according to some people at least, very, very ambitious. Is the opposite of ambition lazy, or vice versa? Michael Learned: No, I guess I mean I’m lazy in that way of promoting myself. I’ve got the things you’re supposed to do, and I’m a hard worker, I always was. I love the work. My idea of heaven is rehearsal and discovering. I’ve worked long, hard hours. I’m not slothful, but my goal was never “I’ve got to be a star,” but I liked it. It happened, and I didn’t dislike it. It was a huge adjustment in some ways. People come up to me with tears in their eyes sometimes and say, “You taught me how to be a mother.” That can really make you feel very special. I have to say to them and to myself, “I didn’t teach them how to be a mother, my character taught them how to be a mother.” I’m humbled to have been a part of that show that was so important to so many people’s lives. I hear it all the time. People say, “My life is, Thursday night is the only night I felt safe. I grew up in an abusive household.” Those things make you feel very humble, and make you feel like your life had meaning, but I didn’t do it. Frank MacKay: You used the word, humbled. Michael Learned: Providence is a good word, I love that you used that word. Providence. It seemed like it was meant to happen, that’s all. Frank MacKay: Humbled is a good word, too, because you are very

humble for a four-time Emmy winner. Three for the one show, and a fourth one just to boot. She’s the star of Driving Miss Daisy, and her name is Michael Learned. You know her work over the years for many, many things, but certainly Olivia Walton. She will never shake that, and why would she want to? Three Emmy Awards for that. She has just done an amazing, amazing job. Frank MacKay here, with Michael Learned. Let me ask you this, and I’ll try not to get too personal on this, but at the time, you’re going through a divorce and you’re raising three children, and then you’re playing a woman who is ten years older than what you are. You’re playing ten years older, so in your mind you’re getting there. I assume, and I’m not asking specifics or whatever, but I assume you’re dating and you’re in the dating world. Was it hard for you to think of yourself as a romantic being, a sexual being? Here you are, you’re a mom on one hand, and then you’re Olivia Walton on another hand. Was it a difficult, to transition into dating? Michael Learned: You know, I never dated. I got married, instead. I never really dated because of that! I was seventeen when I got married to Peter Donat. I never really had much dating experience. Suddenly I’m a single woman, I’m in this very demanding show in terms of time, so what little time I had I spent with the kids. Then if somebody came into my life, I married them. I’ve had more than one marriage, and I made some bad choices, but I’ve been happily married to husband John Doherty for twenty-seven years now. I think I finally got it right. Frank MacKay: Twenty-seven years, it’s getting serious.

Michael Learned: I wasn’t part of the scene, so to speak. Frank MacKay: Just terrific, though. You’re not a player, I’m not either. I’m married, I’m happily married, and I like it. I like being married. I don’t even like thinking outside. I enjoy it. Would it have been difficult if you weren’t like that, to maintain the pressure of being Olivia Walton? Would the producers, if you were, I’m not going to give a specific name, I’ll offend somebody, but if you were a woman who liked to date a lot and liked to socialize and go out and party and do whatever, I would imagine they would’ve had a problem, especially during that time period, during the 70s and a little later on. Michael Learned: You do have to sign a moral clause, when you do a show like that. Frank MacKay: You did? Michael Learned: Yeah. I had to get permission from Earl Handler when they wanted me to play a prostitute on Gunsmoke, and he gave me permission. I played a lady of the night. It was a lovely little part, I was a witness in some kind of a court scene. In costume, it was a beautiful costume, and I had a good time. But I did have to get permission to do that. I was offered things where I had to run down a beach topless, and I would turn them down. I’d think, “I don’t want my boys to go to school and have their friends say, ‘I saw your mommy’s titties,’” you know? I couldn’t do it. I’m a bit of a prude, I guess. It’s nice you hear you talk about marriage that way. That’s how my husband talks about marriage. It makes me feel wonderful that he’s

happily married to me. Frank MacKay: Definitely. We have four children, we’re thrilled to have four children. I throw myself into work, and she does, too. We’re both workaholics, but again, I’m glad we cleared it up. You’re very hard on yourself. You said lazy, you’re anything but lazy. Anything I know about you, you work your butt off. Michael Learned:I did. Frank MacKay: You’re not lazy, you’re just not a self-promoter, that’s what it is. Michael Learned: That’s what I meant. That’s really what I meant. I’m not a self-promoter. I always feel if it’s right, it will reveal itself. I’ve tried to do all the things people told me to do, hire this and do that, and you go out on auditions and duh duh duh duh, and none of that ever worked for me. Now I just say, “Okay, I’ll be led to what I’m supposed to do next.” Usually that works out better than when I try to manage it. Frank MacKay: You actually have a great publicist. Harlan Boll is a topnotch guy. Michael Learned: Harlan is a firstclass human being. He’s just a fabulous man. That’s what I want to be, with people like that. I don’t want, I’m old now. I don’t want to be doing work I don’t enjoy with people I don’t enjoy. Right now I’m doing a teeny little partFrank MacKay: A teeny little part where? Michael Learned: I just dropped my phone because the dog was trying to be smart. Frank MacKay: Is your dog okay? TA L K N AT I O N I S S U E V I

Michael Learned: Yeah. She’s fine. I have her on a leash, but she moved and it knocked the phone out of

around at these lines in security and I get impatient and I think “God!” Because I know what it used to be like, when you just could run up to

and she’ll probably move out at some point and be with friends, which is appropriate, but I don’t want her to go. I said, “You can get married and

“This is the way I want to finish my life. Just being with people I enjoy and doing what I like to do. It’s hard work, but it’s work I love.” my hand. I’m in a play, Christine Washing is starring in and I have a teeny tiny part in it, but I wanted to work with this director, and I’ve just been having the best time. At first I thought, I turned it down, actually, because I thought, “This part is so small. They don’t even need it in the play.” He was so kind and sweet, and I’ve always wanted to work with him. His name’s Michael Wilson. I’ve just had the best time, once I put my ego in my pocket and just showed up for rehearsal, I’ve had a blast. This is the way I want to finish my life. Just being with people I enjoy and doing what I like to do. It’s hard work, but it’s work I love. Frank MacKay: Keep in mind, there’s a lot of life left. Just because you’re playing Miss Daisy doesn’t mean you are Miss Daisy. People are living to a hundred and people are living to well beyond a hundred. It’s a different world. Your children, my children for sure, I’m forty-nine, my children who knows what they’re going to see in the way of medicine and treatments and everything else like that. You got to be enthused about that type of thing. Do you have grandchildren? Michael Learned: I have five incredible grandchildren, and I often wonder what they’re world is going to be like. They’re primed for it. I look TA L K N AT I O N I S S U E V I

the gate and buy a ticket and get on. I see the younger people who don’t know anything else, for them it’s just normal. I’m assuming that whatever’s ahead, god forbid a Holocaust or anything, just normal life, my grandchildren are going to just be there for it and handle it beautifully. I’m not worried about them. They bring me the greatest happiness, oh my gosh, I love them so much. You just get to enjoy grandchildren without any judgement. You don’t have to teach them right from wrong, that’s not your job, your job is to love them and have fun with them. Mine are great. I have one living with me right now. She’s studying to be an actress, and she’s going to AAMDA here. The American Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. She’s living with us until she can find a place with her friends. She doesn’t know how good she has it. I worry about when she’s out on her own and she has to pay for her food and gas and all that stuff. Frank MacKay: Is she getting work? Michael Learned: We love having her. My husband adores her and so do I. It’s wonderful to have somebody young in the house. Frank MacKay: Is she getting work? Michael Learned: She’s going to school. She’ll get a job this summer,

have kids and still live with us, as far as I’m concerned.” Frank MacKay: Do you find yourself almost automatically taking her under your wing as an actress? It seems like a perfect fit. You’re her grandmother, and here she is. Do you find yourself being this automatic teacher, and you’re constantly teaching her? The second part of that, because you’re grandma, does she take it as seriously as she would’ve if she just would’ve met Michael Learned on the street somewhere? Michael Learned: I like to flatter myself and think that maybe the fact that I’m an actress has something to do with her decision, but I suspect she might’ve gone there anyway. She does come from creative genes. Her grandfather is an actor, a wonderful actor, and I am. I don’t know whether she would’ve if we weren’t part of her life. She’s a hard worker, they’re working her tail off at this school, which is wonderful. She’s getting good training, and she did it all herself. She got herself a scholarship, and she’s just great. She happens to have been blessed with beauty and brains. She’s gorgeous. Frank MacKay: This is great, that’s very exciting. We’ve got a couple minutes left with Michael Learned, Driving Miss Daisy is her current project.

It’s up in Canada, so if anyone has a private plane and they want to get themselves up there, or if they’re anywhere near the border, they could see her there. Conversations with Michael Learned is something to look forward to coming up in the summer. Frank MacKay here, but much more importantly, Olivia Walton. She’ll never shake that name, nor would she want to. Four-time Emmy Awardwinning actress Michael Learned is our guest. We’ve got about a minute and a half left with Michael. Is there anything that’s on a bucket list of yours that doesn’t involve family? Is there anything acting that’s on your bucket list? Michael Learned: I’d like to go to Europe with my grandchildren, I really would, at some point. My fantasy is to rent a villa somewhere and have people come and go, so that they get a chance to see. I have one granddaughter who’s been to Europe, but the others haven’t. Two of my sons have never been to Europe. That’s a bucket list for me. I have to make some money again before I can do it. I don’t know, my life is good. I’m not crazy about living in Los Angeles, I don’t do traffic very well, but I love my husband, and he needs to be here, so this is where I am. I’m making myself sound like some kind of angel. I am not. I have a potty mouth that would floor you.

I’m being on my best behavior here. My husband is shocked. He said, “You sound like a stevedore,” and I do. Frank MacKay: Olivia Walton, some of those outtakes. Michael Learned: I know, I know. The first day of rehearsal, that’s the first thing that I do, I drop the F-bomb so everybody can just relax and get over it, you know? Frank MacKay: That’s so funny. Anyway, thank you very much for being here. Hopefully we can get a part three with you, and a part four and everything else. Good luck with Driving Miss Daisy, you’re wonderful, and I’m thrilled to have you. Congratulations on everything, the family and the success in acting, just wonderful. Thank you very much, Michael Learned, for being here. Michael Learned: Thank you! You create a wonderful interview. Thank you so much. Frank MacKay: Thank you very much! Thank all of you! I want to thank all of you on behalf of Michael Learned for listening to us have this conversation. Michael Learned has been our very special guest. Again, Conversations with Michael Learned coming up, look for that in the summer of 2016. Frank MacKay here signing off, we will see you next time on Breaking it Down.

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5 int e r io r d e s i g n t r e n d s to step up your style game (BPT) - As the temperatures continue to warm up outside, you may be ready to embrace the adage “out with the old and in with the new” when it comes to your home’s interior design. Whether you’re a first time homebuyer looking for ways to upgrade your starter home or a seasoned homeowner seeking a refresh, these tips will give you ideas to work with on any budget.

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“What I like most about this trend is how tranquil unstained wood can feel when used in an all white space,” says Flynn. There’s a reason for that tranquility - studies show people have reduced signs of stress and increased relaxation in rooms with natural elements like wood.

Less is more. If you own a home with strong architectural features, it often works best to decorate with practical pieces that keep the overall space comfortable and sparse, allowing the unique aspects of your home to shine through. If you have soaring ceilings or large windows that allow for an abundance of natural light, try incorporating low-slung, minimalistic furniture with comfortable upholstery. The best part? If you’re purchasing fewer pieces, that means you’re likely to save more money in the long run.

Design for social connection. Given the pace of today’s technology driven life, more and more people are turning to their home as a haven, a place where they can unplug from screens and reconnect with family and friends. “An easy way to accomplish this is to design your home to encourage personal interaction,” recommends interior designer Brian Patrick Flynn. “Group comfortable furniture in ‘conversation zones’ and banish TVs to smaller rooms, freeing up larger living spaces for screen-free entertaining and relaxing.”

Get outside. As lines are continually blurring between indoor and outdoor living areas, it’s just as important to consider your outdoor

oasis as it is your standard living room. Adding an outdoor project like a wood deck or pergola can add resale value to your home. There are many options to accessorize your outdoor space with furniture, lighting and rugs. Build a comfortable spot that bridges the gap between inside and out, and you’re certain to spend more time outside creating memorable experiences.

Go natural. Many residential designers today are embracing a classic, modern style that is characterized by white, neutral tones and light wood in its natural state. This look is DIY-friendly, since the only skills required involve a light sanding and a quick coat of clear sealant.

Don’t play it safe. It can be tempting to stick with what you know, but when it comes to interior design, that’s a recipe for lackluster beige walls. When it comes to paint, try new neutrals like greygreen, brown-grey, olive or muted blue-grey. Feel like a bigger project? It’s easy to give a room its focal point with a wood feature wall. “I like playing with lines through wall and ceiling cladding,” Flynn says. “While the look of horizontal shiplap continues to grow in popularity, I also like more of an unexpected look, such as installing planks vertically on walls.” From adding an accent wall to rearranging furniture, these are just some of the easy changes you can make to give your home a whole new look. For more interior design inspiration, visit woodnaturally.com. TA L K N AT I O N I S S U E V I

10 simple, week-by-week steps for a h e alth i er summer (BPT) - Summer’s arrival means more time outdoors and partaking in warm weather fun with family and friends. If your New Year’s resolution to be healthier has fallen by the wayside, summer can be a great time to reinvigorate your efforts. Here are 10 simple things you and your family can do - one for every week of the break - to have a healthier summer:

1. Spend time with Mother Nature. Take advantage of the warmer temperatures and reap the physical and mental health benefits of spending time with nature. You don’t have to travel far to a hiking trail or the distant woods (although go for it if that’s your thing); nature is right in your backyard. A walk in a nearby park or an hour in the garden can deliver the health benefits of communing with nature.

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2. Get serious about sunscreen. With more time outdoors, make sure to be diligent about applying sunscreen, especially when you’re outside for several hours. One in five people will develop skin cancer in their lifetime, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. When selecting a sunscreen, make sure it is SPF 30 or higher, broad spectrum and water resistant to effectively protect your skin.

3. Make more healthful meals at home. Eating out too much isn’t good for your health. You’re more likely to overeat and make poor nutritional choices when at a restaurant. “Cooking is the best way to make sure you are informed with what you are eating - because you are selecting everything in the dish you are preparing,” says Rebecca Lewis, a registered dietitian at HelloFresh, a meal-

kit delivery service which makes cooking at home simple, quick and rewarding for subscribers. Each kit features two to five meals depending on your desired box, step-bystep directions, and all the ingredients you need to make cooking easy, fast and enjoyable. Visit hellofresh. com/healthy to learn more about how the service works and redeem a special offer.

4. Learn to love water. Hydration is essential to a healthier life and summer heat can make it hard to stay hydrated, especially if you’re not a fan of water. Rather than opting for sugary drinks or caffeinated soda, flavor your water with a classic lemon or lime wedge, or a unique mixture of strawberry and basil.

5. Take up yoga. Increasing your physical activity is important to health, but it’s not

always fun to sweat it out in the gym or jog along a hot road on a summer day. Try taking up yoga, which can be tailored to people of all ages and fitness levels. Yoga improves both your physical and mental health, including increased flexibility and strength, as well as better breathing, according to the American Osteopathic Association.

6. Start hanging out at the farmer’s market. Fresh, seasonal produce is one of the perks of summer. In addition stocking your pantry and fridge with foods that are good for you and taste great, a trip to the farmer’s market means some extra exercise as you walk the open-air aisles. “Variety is the key to eating more fruits and veggies,” Lewis says. “What better way to see the variety of the season than at a farmer’s market? It’s there you’ll find treasures on a smaller local scale that your local grocery store doesn’t

carry!”

room to eliminate any disturbances.

7. Floss daily.

9. Make time to nap.

More than a quarter of adult Americans fib to their dentists about flossing, according to a survey by the American Academy of Periodontology. Flossing daily benefits more than your dental health; it helps prevent periodontal disease, which has been linked to a host of other serious health issues. Not to mention, flossing will make your teeth looking brighter.

If you’re like most Americans, you probably don’t get a full eight hours of sleep each night (even if you do stow your cellphone away from the bed). Napping for even just 20 minutes can help you feel more rested throughout the day. And few experiences are more relaxing and restorative than a nap in the shade on a summer afternoon.

8. Find a new night-time home for your phone. If you sleep with your phone by your bed, chances are it’s caused you to go to bed later or disrupted your sleep with a new text or alert. To get a more restorative and healthy sleep, stop looking at your phone 30 minutes before going to bed to help mentally wind down, then keep it in a separate

10. Laugh it up! It’s summer! Enjoy it with family, friends and lots of laughter. Laughing benefits your physical and mental health, increasing the oxygen intake and endorphins in your brain. It’s also a great stress reliever, so learn a new joke, find a funny meme, or attend a comedy show.

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B r e akin g it d o w n w it h f r ank mackay an d

Charlotte Rae Frank MacKay: I’d like to welcome everyone to Breaking It Down. Frank MacKay here, but much more importantly, a wonderful talent. A very, very seasoned actress. For young ladies, she’s been around a long time, and 90 years young, the wonderful Charlotte Rae. Charlotte, how are you? Charlotte Rae: I’m fine and dandy, thank God. How are you? Frank MacKay: Well, I’m great. I usually would introduce everything you do, and one of the things I’d have to add to it is author. Along with your son, Larry Strauss, you wrote “The Facts of My Life” and that’s gotta be very exciting. Charlotte Rae: Yeah. Wow. Did you read it? Frank MacKay: No, not yet, but I’m looking to get it. Tell us about it. Tell us about “The Facts of My Life.” Charlotte Rae: I will. One thing, I was very lucky. I was one of three sisters, and my mother and father were very,

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very…my father came from Russia, and we are Jewish. He worked very hard and always gave the three of the sisters lessons, piano lessons. They took us to concerts and opened up our lives to the arts. My two sisters are very talented as well.

that word, so I was so grateful that he was “artistic” and I almost sank to my knees to thank God, but I didn’t realize that it was a disease that I

I had the burning desire to go to New York, and they put me through college, which I’m so grateful for. Northwestern University. Some marvelous people came out of there. Cloris Leachman, Patricia Neal, Sheldon Harnick, who wrote Fiddler on the Roof. Frank MacKay: Charlton Heston, right? Charlton Heston. Charlotte Rae: Huh? Frank MacKay: D i d Heston…

Charlton

Charlotte Rae: Oh, Heston was before me. Yeah. He was a little before me. Then, on to New York. All the struggles and then getting married to a wonderful composer who, after the GI, came back on the GI bill and went to Yale and studied with a classical…I forget his name, a wonderful composer. He did a lot of work in film and in television and music editing and everything. We got married. There were a lot of struggles, as well as the joys of being in the arts. You know what I mean? Frank MacKay: Sure. Charlotte Rae: Our first-born, we didn’t know what was the matter with him, and they didn’t know very much about autism at that time. When they finally analyzed what it was, I thought they said he was “artistic.” Frank MacKay: Wow. Charlotte Rae: They were saying “autistic” but I had never heard of

didn’t know anything about. Nobody knew anything about autism. That changed my life. For a long, long time, I was busy trying to do everything to make him grow and be part of society and part of our lives. He was with us until he was about 45, and then he passed. Oh, the struggles we did have. There was no support system at all at that time, but you’ll read all about it in the book. Frank MacKay: And let me just remind folks, the name of the book is “The Facts of My Life” and this is actress, singer, dancer, and now author, Charlotte Rae. “The Facts of My Life” is the name of the book. Everyone should go out and get it right away. Charlotte, you mentioned autism and not knowing a lot about it back then. It’s only been the last 15 or 20 years that anybody’s even TA L K N AT I O N I S S U E V I

called it autism. It’s been such a positive awareness to come to autism. Have you seen that over the last couple of decades? Charlotte Rae: Yes, yes. They’re still struggling to find out why it’s happening more and more, but yes, at least there is help. They can learn and grow and improve and some of them

Charlotte Rae: Yeah, well I like to mention it, because it’s been a marvelous, wonderful thing for me. The most marvelous thing. I just can’t...I’m not supposed to talk about it, except I want people to know that I’m a very, very proud member, and want people to know that I’m a member of Alcoholics Anonymous. It’s been

“My life has been filled with much love and much joy, but it’s had its ups and downs.” fit into society. There’s so much love for these children and young adults and so on. If they don’t remember the people, the people who listen to your program, I was Mrs. Garrett on The Facts of Life.

an incredible experience, because of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Frank MacKay: I think they know that. I think everybody knows that. Not only The Facts of Life, but on Diff’rent Strokes before that. I’d liken you to Kelsey Grammer a bit, because he had the same role over two hit programs. He had Cheers, and then of course, Frasier. You kind of did that a little before him, where you had Mrs. Garrett prior to The Facts of Life. You had Mrs. Garrett on Diff’rent Strokes, a big hit there for a few years. Then a big hit with your own show, with Facts of Life. Did you ever see the comparison between the two of you, Kelsey Grammer just carrying that character over two shows?

Frank MacKay: My late father was sober for 42 years, and he swore by the program.

Charlotte Rae: That’s true, yes. Because of all the stress, I found myself into a situation where I did get into alcoholism, but I found AA, Alcoholics Anonymous, and I’ve been a member of the program, on August 7, it’ll be 42 years. Frank MacKay: Wow. Good for you. Congratulations. TA L K N AT I O N I S S U E V I

Charlotte Rae: Yeah, absolutely. Then along the way, after 25 years of marriage and 2 children, my husband who I still love, but he’s since passed, told me that he was bisexual. I joined AA, and eventually he joined. In the beginning he didn’t like it very much, but then he really fell in love with it, and he had to tell the truth, so he did. That was a tremendous shock to me. As much of a shock as when I found out that my boy was autistic. So I asked for a divorce, but we remained friends until the day he died. He died at the age of 90.

Charlotte Rae: Oh yes. Oh how wonderful! How great. I tell ya, you’re the lucky one. The people who fight against it, I feel so sorry for them. They’re missing the big, wonderful life, you know? Since you didn’t read the book, there’s a lot of interesting things about all the different people that I worked with. Cloris Leachman and I were roommates for a while in New York. Oh, golly. What else can I tell ya?

My life has been filled with much love and much joy, but it’s had its ups and downs. I decided the best thing to do is put my son my other son, my younger son Larry, Larry Strauss…he said, “Ma” - this was a couple of years ago - “You’re 87 and a half. It’s time you wrote your memoirs.” I said, well I’m not a writer. He said, “Well, I’ll work with you.” He is a writer. He’s written many novels, and he’s a wonderful guy. He teaches high school. I would relate to him my life, and he wrote it the way I talk. I’m so glad we did it, because I decided I would not do- and then I did. I would let it all hang out. I thought that would be the best way to share with people about my life. I’ve had a lot of physical things that have gone wrong, but by the grace of God, I’m still here. It’s amazing. I can’t believe it. I’m still here.

Frank MacKay: One thing I found interesting, and maybe I’m misremembering this, but did your mom grow up with Golda Meir?

Frank MacKay: Listen, people are living well past 100. I’ll tell you what, there’s a lot of life left in you. I can tell it in your voice.

Charlotte Rae: Yeah, they went to school together in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. That’s where I was born.

I want to remind folks that are just turning on their radio, or just tuning in, that this is Frank MacKay but much more importantly, Charlotte Rae. Actress and author Charlotte Rae. You know her work as

Frank MacKay: My father… Charlotte Rae: And, hmm?

Frank MacKay: Wow.

Mrs. Garrett, as she mentioned, on Diff’rent Strokes and on Facts of Life. The name of the book is “The Facts of My Life.” Car 54, Where Are You? - I remember you from there, watching it in the repeats.

free, just don’t hurt anybody.” Isn’t that the truth?

Charlotte Rae: Yes, but first would you tell them that they can get it from Amazon Fulfiller. You might have to order it from the bookstore, but Amazon has it.

Frank MacKay: For sure. So many people get concerned about what people are doing in their bedrooms. As long as they’re consenting adults, what business is it of anyone else’s what they do? I think that’s changed now. I think America and the world in general has become enlightened and they’re not going to be as prejudicial - certainly, they shouldn’t be prejudicial at all - but they’re not going to be as prejudicial as say, 40 years ago. 40 years ago, there was still a taboo involved with homosexuality or lesbianism. It’s a shame, but at this point, I think…

Frank MacKay: That ’s the best place to go. Go to Amazon to get the book, and make sure you buy it. “The Facts of My Life.” Everything I hear about it, it’s wonderful. What you just said there, it’s very compelling. I’m impressed with how candid you are and how straightforward you are about some very sensitive subjects. One being, and you just mentioned it and I didn’t get to follow up on it, but you mentioned that your husband who was also an alcoholic and he had joined the program, and he had admitted to you at that point that he was bisexual. Did he admit to the group? Did he admit that in group before he admitted it to you personally? Charlotte Rae: No, he had a sponsor in the program. A lot of people have sponsors that they report to and talk to about their problems. I guess his sponsor said, “It’s about time you told your wife about this.” So he had to realize that this is something that he should tell me. That’s how it came about after 25 years. In those years before, everything was hush-hush and shameful and not accepted by society. Things are changing, thank God. There are lots of people who have to be open and be accepting, and we have to accept them. There’s something from the musical called Hair, and I played this aunt who says, “I think you people are wonderful. Just enjoy yourself, be yourself, be

Frank MacKay: That’s the truth. Charlotte Rae: Don’t hurt anybody.

Do you have grandchildren, Charlotte? Charlotte Rae: What? Frank MacKay: D o grandchildren?

you

have

Charlotte Rae: Oh yes. I have two grandchildren. I have a granddaughter, Carly, who teaches art. She graduated from School of Design. And a grandson, who is in I think his sophomore year at school. Yeah. Frank MacKay: They grew up in a better world than you did, and their children, if they have children, they’ll grow up in a better world than they did. I just think it’s getting better. Are you optimistic about the future? Charlotte Rae: Am I what? Frank MacKay: Optimistic about the future. Charlotte Rae: I pray for the children. TA L K N AT I O N I S S U E V I

“It’s such a crazy time, but I pray. All of us, we have to really embrace the day. We have to live in the now. I know we have to plan for the future, but we have to really live in the day and cherish each day.” I do. It’s such a crazy time, but I pray. All of us, we have to really embrace the day. We have to live in the now. I know we have to plan for the future, but we have to really live in the day and cherish each day. Know what I mean? Frank MacKay: Of course, of course. You witnessed young stars and the troubles that they had, and you saw a lot of people who didn’t make it out of their 40s or make it out of their 20s. I don’t know how old Dana Plato was, but that show, Diff’rent Strokes, is pointed to as an example of the troubles of child stars. You were right there with Conrad Bain to witness to three young lives that had a lot of problems and a lot of concerns. Did you see them going on as you were filming? Charlotte Rae: You know, I was there the first year of Diff’rent Strokes and it was just a joy. The boys were adorable. Dana was a little flaky. Her mother and father adopted her, and then they got divorced, and she was very needy for a father. I don’t think the mother knew how to handle her. I really think she was on drugs, but I didn’t know. She seemed a little flaky. The boys were adorable, and we had so much fun. It was after I left, because they spun me off on The Facts of My Life- I mean, The Facts of Life, that they started to have problems. It was because, well I don’t want to talk about it, but it was about their parents who had problems. I’m very grateful that on The Facts of Life, the parents were very, very solid and the kids grew up okay, thank God. I TA L K N AT I O N I S S U E V I

feel so sorry for little Gary who was so adorable and so smart and so talented. He was the reason our show was such a big hit! It was because of him! As one producer said, he was your meal ticket. Frank MacKay: Charisma. He had charisma coming out of his ears. What charisma. Charlotte Rae: Yes, and then Todd straightened out. He’s fine now. He was in trouble for a while, and his parents were having problems, but he’s fine now. Just doing great. Little Dana, it’s so sad, I know. Frank MacKay: Let me give another reminder to people to buy this wonderful book, “The Facts of My Life.” It’s written by Charlotte Rae, and you know her work as Mrs. Garrett with Diff’rent Strokes and The Facts of Life. Again, the book name is “The Facts of My Life,” written along with her son, Larry Strauss, who’s a wonderful writer. He’s got some novels. Charlotte Rae: Where can they get it? Frank MacKay: They can get it on Amazon. Go to Amazon and get it right away. It’s worth the money. There’s no question about it. Charlotte, when you went to The Facts of Life, I didn’t realize you were only on Diff’rent Strokes for one year? For one season. Charlotte Rae: Yeah, because Fred Silverman came over to our network,

NBC, and was going to fix it to become a better, stronger, more powerful network. He was looking to get some new sitcoms, and he looked at me on Diff’rent Strokes, and said, “Charlotte Rae, Car 54.” He remembered me as Sylvia Schnauser on Car 54 with that great, that funny actor, Al Lewis. Frank MacKay: Grandpa Al Lewis. Charlotte Rae: Leo. He played Leo Schnauser. He said, “I want to spin her off” so they looked to try to find something to spin me off doing. The house mother at a girl’s school, that was very appealing to me. I was offered other sitcoms, but they didn’t seem to be a winner to me. They didn’t grab me as something I really felt strongly to do, but this sounded good, and it turned out to be good, didn’t it kinda? Frank MacKay: Well, you’re not kidding. You had great success with it, and you spun off some great careers. Molly Ringwald was in that first season and she turned out to be a star. She had tremendous success. Charlotte Rae: Yes, she’s wonderful. I celebrated my 90th birthday, she gave me an acknowledgment, which was very sweet of her. The girls have grown up beautifully. Three of them are married with children. All of them, now I relate to them. I’m close to them. Woman to woman, not mother to child. We’ve continued to be friends and love each other very much. Beautiful women. Frank MacKay: Just tremendous.

There’s so much more to talk about. We’re coming up on a break. Do we have you for a second segment? Charlotte Rae: What time is it? How much is a second segment? Frank MacKay: 11 more minutes? Charlotte Rae: Okay. Frank MacKay: All right, terrific. Charlotte Rae, again, is our very special guest. We need everyone to go out and get this book, “The Facts of My Life.” It is a wonderful story about a wonderfully talented lady who’s seen it all. We spoke earlier about her son and autism, something they knew very little about back then. So many other stories. Charlotte Rae, you know her as Mrs. Garrett. Frank MacKay here. We’ll be back right after this quick break. Frank MacKay: I’d like to welcome everyone back to Breaking It Down. Frank MacKay here, but much more importantly, actress Charlotte Rae is here. You need to get her book. You know her work in The Facts of Life, Diff’rent Strokes, Car 54. 90 years young, she’s got one heck of a story to tell and it’s told in the book, “The Facts of My Life.”“The Facts of My Life” is the name of Charlotte Rae’s book. Larry Strauss is the co-author, that’s her son who’s a wonderful author on his own, and together they put together a memoir, fantastic. You can get it at Amazon, so everyone go to Amazon.com and get “The Facts of My Life” by Charlotte Rae. Hey Charlotte, welcome back. Charlotte Rae: Thank you. Hi. Frank MacKay: Yeah. Your relationship with Cloris Leachman - and by the way she’s still going strong as an actress, she’s just amazing. You started out as roommates. At one

Charlotte Rae on the red carpet at the 40th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, 8/28/88 photo by Alan Light point, she took over for you when Mrs. Garrett left The Facts of Life. She did the last two seasons, right? Charlotte Rae: Yeah. Frank MacKay: You were roommates though, when you were both starting out. What can you tell us about that? There might be things you don’t want to tell us. Two single women in New York. Charlotte Rae: You gotta read the book about that. Frank MacKay: Okay. What can you tell in general, what can you tell us about people like Cloris Leachman… you saw George Clooney early on, you saw Molly Ringwald early on. You saw a lot of people that had huge careers, Fred Gwynne, early on in their careers. What can you tell us about them in general? You can include yourself. What is the common trait that the people who really hit it

big have? Charlotte Rae: Well, the common trait was extraordinary talent. Patricia Neal was an upperclassman at Northwestern. Cloris and I went to Northwestern, and so did Paul Lynde. Remember? Frank MacKay: Sure. Hollywood Squares. He did all types of work. Bewitched. Charlotte Rae: Yes, and we played opposite each other in the musical there, and in a play. We all came from Northwestern University, found a way to get to New York. Cloris left after her sophomore year and went right - she was so talented - right into The Actors Studio. She was in New York a couple of years, and then after I graduated I went to New York. Then we decided to room together, so we did for a while, which was a lot of fun. You’ll read in the book. Then Sheldon Harnick, who wrote the lyrics to TA L K N AT I O N I S S U E V I

Fiddler on the Roof, and a lot of musicals on Broadway. They’re gonna honor him, he’s 92. They’re gonna honor him at the Tonys this year with a special award. He’s got two musicals going on Broadway right now. Fiddler is back, and She Loves Me is back. He always attributes to me, no matter when he’s interviewed, that I brought him the album that changed his life. I was in New York, and he was still in Chicago playing his fiddle, and he was in the music department. He had done a little number that I did in the musical at Northwestern. I thought he was very talented, and I kept telling him to come to New York because I thought that the work in New York ... the writers were not as talented as he. I thought he was more talented than most of them. I finally went to see Finian’s Rainbow and it was by Yip Harburg and Burton Lane. Old Devil Moon, and all those wonderful songs. I mailed it to him and I said, “You’re made of the same stuff. You belong in New York.” He listened to it, and he said, “That’s what I want to do with my life.” He came to New York, and he worked and went to see all the musicals. I introduced him to Yip Harburg, the lyricist from Finian’s Rainbow. He gave him a lot of advice and guidance. So he always mentions me, because I was his channel to finding his way to his life’s work. Frank MacKay: That’s a wonderful story. You can hear these stories and more in “The Facts of My Life.” Get it at Amazon.com. Charlotte Rae, wonderful actress and storyteller, as it turns out. She is the author of her memoir, “The Facts of My Life.” You know her work from Mrs. Garrett in Diff’rent Strokes.

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I’m surprised it was only one year. Boy I didn’t know that. I thought it was just…I just assumed you were there longer than that. George Clooney was another one who came off of that. He kind of got his big break on The Facts... Charlotte Rae: He acknowledged my 90th birthday. I did something on TV, you know the Family Show? They put on a show with the girls and me honoring my 90th birthday, and George Clooney…they caught him as he came into L.A. for one day. He was in Germany promoting his film. He talked about me on the show, and I guess they filmed him. Then he signed my book. They gave him my book, and he wrote a beautiful thing about me. I knew when he was in Facts of Life, he was also in a play in a little theater in West Hollywood. I went to see him, and he was so good. I told him that if he had the right breaks, he was gonna be a big star, because he was so tremendously talented. I’m so proud of him, and I told him that the way he handles his career, he never did any drinking or drugging in a big way, and he’s very astute about the world and sensitive about people who are... Frank MacKay: Less fortunate. Charlotte Rae: There’s so much misery in the world. He tries to do things in Africa and in America. He is a really good citizen, you know? Frank MacKay: He is. When you noticed him as a co-star or co-worker, he was just coming up on The Facts of Life, he wasn’t a kid. He didn’t have life handed to him on a silver platter. He really had to work for it, George Clooney. Just like yourself. He had to work very hard to get where he is, from what I understand. It wasn’t like he was a teenager when he

made it. He was well into…I think he had done five pilots or ten pilots or somethingCharlotte Rae: Well, remember he went into E.R. That really hit good for him. Then he went up, up, up, up and I’m very, very happy for his success and for his successful marriage too. Yes. Frank MacKay: Tremendous. Just a tremendous career, and like you said, you’ve touched so many of these people, especially the young people. That’s very encouraging, to hear from someone like yourself who was having so much success, and who had had so much success. I’m sure he appreciated the early encouragement there. Let me remind folks again, Frank MacKay here. We’ve got a few moments left with Charlotte Rae. She’s the author of “The Facts of My Life,” a play on words of The Facts of Life, the show that she was so successful for her. She’s 90 years young, and she thankfully put her life story into a memoir. You can get it on Amazon.com. Everyone go and get this book on Amazon.com. “The Facts of My Life,” Charlotte Rae. Charlotte, we’ve got about a minute or two left with you here. What’s the future look like? What’s the near future? Next year or the next couple years? Do you have it all booked up, or are you kind of playing it by ear? Charlotte Rae: Well, I just finished doing a play and it was very successful. It’s by... I did a play called End Game, by Samuel Beckett, and I just finished last Sunday. Now I’m gonna take a break and celebrate life with my

family and my friends. Then, maybe my agent will have something waiting for me, and if he doesn’t I have a wonderful life one day at a time with all my friends and family. This wonderful country, I’d like to see more of it. I was supposed to go to Mount Rushmore, but I had to cancel it because of the play, but I’d love to go there. There are a lot of things in America that I’d like to see. Wonderful parks, national parks. Frank MacKay: Beautiful. Charlotte Rae: I was in New Orleans with a friend, and we had such a good time, because someone who lives there showed us all around. There’s so many things in this country I want to see. Okay? Frank MacKay: Well get to Mount Rushmore. It’s wonderful. I’ve been to all 50 states, and they all have beautiful things about them. Charlotte Rae, congratulations on a wonderful career, and still ongoing career. Congratulations on “The Facts of My Life.” Again, Amazon. com. Everyone go to Amazon.com and get “The Facts of My Life” by Charlotte Rae. You know her work from Diff’rent Strokes and Facts of Life as Mrs. Garrett and Car 54, Where Are You? And so much more out there. Charlotte, thank you very

much for being here and again, congratulations on everything. Charlotte Rae: Th a n k yo u fo r having me, and have a wonderful weekend. Frank MacKay: “The Facts of My Life,” everyone, is the name of the book. Go to Amazon.com and get it, please. Frank MacKay here. Charlotte Rae has been our very special guest. We will see you next time on Breaking It Down. Frank MacKay: Hey Charlotte, thank you very much. You’re wonderful. Charlotte Rae: Okay, thank you. You really plugged it good. Frank MacKay: All right. We’ll plug it on social media. Charlotte Rae: And read the book. Frank MacKay: Yes I will. I gotta get it. I’ve just been scrambling. I’ve been back and forth to L.A. four times since the new year. Charlotte Rae: Okay, I’m gonna take my call waiting now. Frank MacKay: Thank you. Thanks Charlotte. Okay, bye bye. Charlotte Rae: Bye.

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Fuel your day with FIVE energizing superfoods

(BPT) - With groggy eyes and slow movements, you peel yourself out of bed each day. Between the morning and afternoon slumps, you long for the energy of your youth. Does this sound familiar? Then you’ll be glad to know about five superfoods that can help energize you from the inside out, so you can feel your best all day. As a registered dietician, nutrition expert at On Target Living, and author of the newly released cookbook “Target To Table: Delicious & Healthy Meals One Superfood at a Time,” Kristen Johnson understands that food plays a big role in health and wellness, and believes there’s no such thing as anti-aging - only aging well. Here are the five energizing superfoods Johnson recommends to fuel your body the healthy way.

1. Ancient grains “Ancient grains have remained virtually untouched and unchanged for thousands of years compared to modern wheat or corn that’s been bred for higher yield and drought resistance,” says Johnson. Ancient grains are extremely high in protein, fiber and minerals. Johnson notes these grains can be helpful in managing inflammation and are a great source of energizing B vitamins for the brain and body. Ancient grains include spelt, quinoa, chia, amaranth, buckwheat, wheat berries, kamut, freekah, bulgur, barley, sorghum, teff, millet, oats, wild rice and farro. These grains can be used to make hot dishes similar to oatmeal, or can be cooked and used in salads and entrees.

2. Omega-3 fats “Mitochondria are the powerhouses of the human cell, meaning they TA L K N AT I O N I S S U E V I

supply the body with energy. The better you feed the mitochondria, the healthier and better performing the cell will be,” explains Johnson. “Cell membranes must be permeable to allow the cell to be fed and allow ‘fuel’ for the mitochondria. The omega-3 fats EPA & DHA found in fish and algae are a great way to make the cell soft and permeable. This will help to fuel the body and improve energy and stamina.” Our bodies cannot make omega-3 fats naturally, and therefore they must come from food or supplements, notes Johnson. “Because fresh, cold-water, wild-caught fish is not always available, I often recommend a high-quality supplement like Nordic Naturals orange-flavored Arctic Cod Liver Oil,” says Johnson. Cod liver oil has naturally occurring vitamin D that is needed to absorb calcium, an important factor for bone health. Nordic Naturals Arctic Cod Liver Oil is a great source of the omega-3s EPA and DHA that help contributes to a healthy heart and brain, hormonal balance, and a healthy immune response. Simply take 1 tablespoon daily or add to your smoothies or salad dressings.

3. Spirulina and chlorella “Spirulina and chlorella are fresh-water algae that are super high in chlorophyll, which is extremely energizing for the body,” says Johnson. “Because spirulina and chlorella are cell-builders, they also help to build the immune system and can help prevent you from getting sick.” Spirulina and chlorella are also very cleansing and detoxifying, which helps improve digestion. Because both are high in protein, they are also great for vegans. Swallow (don’t chew) the tablets with water 15-20

minutes prior to eating. Aim for 10-20 tablets a day.

4. Cacao Cacao is the raw, unprocessed form of chocolate. It is high in magnesium, manganese, zinc, and iron. Johnson notes that cacao has many potential health benefits, including supporting brain and heart health, mood, healthy body weight, and energy. Cacao can also enhance relaxation and promote a better night’s sleep. Because it is high in magnesium, it has also been shown to help build muscle and aid in muscle recovery. Cacao also contains more antioxidants than red wine, green tea and blueberries. Cacao nibs are easy to consume and can be mixed in oatmeal, smoothies or trail mix. You can also blend cacao nibs or cacao powder with coconut or almond milk and a little bit of honey in a blender for a healthy version of chocolate milk or hot chocolate.

5. Coconut “Coconuts contain a healthy saturated fat high in lauric, capric, and caprylic acids, which have antiviral and antifungal properties and help contribute to healthy digestion,” says Johnson. “Coconuts also contain medium-chain fatty acids (MCTs) that can enhance energy and metabolism.” Coconut water, coconut milk and shredded coconut are all great options to add to your diet. Using virgin coconut oil is also a great way to sneak in more coconut when cooking, baking, or snacking. Simply use it in place of oil in cooking and butter in baking. It’s great for spreading on bread and for making popcorn, too. TA L K N AT I O N I S S U E V I

B r e akin g it d o w n w it h f r ank mackay an d

Peter Gawenda

Frank MacKay : I would like to welcome everyone to Breaking it Down. Frank MacKay here, but much more importantly, a wonderful author, who we have spoken to in the past, Peter Gawenda. Today we are going to talk about his other book and the love of his life, The story of Irma. It is just a heartwarming story every which way you go. Professor Peter Gawenda is here with us, and we’ll be with him for a series on Irma. Anyone who has a heart I think will love it. Peter, how are you? Peter Gawenda: I’m doing fine. Thank you. How are you? Frank MacKay : I’m doing wonderful. I know a lot of cultures and a lot of people think in terms of intended ones, that there is someone out there for you, that is meant for you. I know that just from what I’ve read about what you and what I’ve spoken, that you felt that same way and, I believe, Irma. What can you share with us to start it off with that? What about the idea of an intended one out there for people? Peter Gawenda: O kay. Now, Irma Lozano was the daughter of Felipe and Josefa Lozano in McAllen, Texas. The story actually starts already in May, on May 10th of 1947 in TA L K N AT I O N I S S U E V I

McAllen. Irma at that time, 7 years old, is with her mother at the deathbed of her grandmother, who used to be referred as Mama Grand, Dona Jaciana Reyna Garcia, who tells her, the little girl, that she will marry what she called a caballero blanco, a white knight who will take her to foreign lands. From that time on, Irma was waiting and looking forward to whoever was supposed to meet her, but then when she was about

Both friends were looking at him kind of strange because he did not fit into this area. After they finished eating, the gypsy asked, Peter thought that it was a gypsy, asked Peter to show him his right hand and asked him, “Can I read your hand?” Naturally, Peter was intrigued and said, “Yes.” His friend tried to prevent that, but then Peter convinced him, “Come on, let him read it.”

thing then as life went on, many of those incidents Peter recognized and realized that it became true or that they were true now. One thing he said also that he would end up in Texas or at that time he said, “In the land of Benito Juarez,” who actually was a President of Mexico. Peter knew about him because he had read stories about young Benito and he had read a lot of stories about the Wild West. Peter naturally from that

“It was very fresh. I have to admit I did miss her tremendously but I wanted to make sure that I would recount everything exactly as it had happened.“ 17, she felt maybe she should give up. Maybe grandmother was not quite right in her head anymore and maybe it was just a fairy tale. Maybe grandmother was confused but she still would always think about what the grandmother promised. On the other side of the globe, in Bavaria, there was Peter Gawenda who lived, at that time, in Bavaria, in Memmingen, but he was a refugee actually, from Silesia, which is now Poland. This story begins in September ‘47. Leaving ‘47, ‘48, when he is in a train station in Memmingen with one of his friends on the way to the friend’s home, which is about 30 kilometers away, because he was always helping his friend with math. Peter was eating a sandwich and drinking lemonade and so did his friend, he also ate a sandwich. Opposite on the table from them sat a gentleman who looked like a gypsy. He had a slightly darker complexion. Peter recognized that he was hungry, so he just tore his sandwich in half and gave it to the gypsy who hesitantly took it and then started eating it. Then he also gave him half of his lemonade.

Frank MacKay : If I can interrupt a second, why did your friend try to interrupt and not allow that to happen? Was he concerned for your safety? Peter Gawenda: Yes. At that time, there were so many strange people in Germany, the refugees etc. He was maybe afraid that something might happen that he couldn’t prevent. He was afraid. Now, Peter was not afraid, and the first impression or the first statement that this gypsy made was, “Well, your dad is alive and he should return from Siberia very soon.” Now, we didn’t know that he was alive, we meaning my family. I was really shocked. How would he know that Peter’s father was in Siberia, in a Russian prison, and how would he know that he would return? Naturally, that raised both their interest and this gypsy then predicted a whole series of incidents in Peter’s life, actually starting from the return of his dad all the way to when he would immigrate to the United States. He didn’t use some of those expressions, like United States. He would call it Benito Juarez’ land, which meant Texas. The strange

time on was always thinking about one of these days, he’s going to end up in South Texas. Frank MacKay : I’m going to remind folks that are just tuning in or just turning on their radios that this is Frank MacKay but more importantly, a wonderful author. I know his story from the series and that you can get it on the internet and so many different areas. It’s on the Children’s War. That’s his first book, 1939 to 1949. Is that correct? 1939 to 1949. Peter Gawenda: Correct. Frank MacKay : I know about Peter Gawenda’s gripping story about his father. I know Peter that your father was in a Siberian camp, a prisoner of war camp. How did the gypsy know about the circumstances? Peter Gawenda: We didn’t say anything. We just didn’t talk and was spellbound with what he was telling me or telling us and trying to remember or trying to figure out what all he had meant. What we did is after a short while when one of the trains came in, I looked out the window at the train. When I looked back, TA L K N AT I O N I S S U E V I

the gypsy was gone. We didn’t see where he had gone to but then we decided that we should write down and remember whatever the gypsy had said. I still have that report that I did as a kid at that time.

materials about their town. I placed them where we lived after the war, an actual refugee camp with wooden buildings. The whole wall of the boys’ bedroom was covered with all kinds of pictures of this area.

Frank MacKay: Was it an emotional writing process? Was it something that you just wrote the same way you wrote your first book, which I know obviously had to carry tremendous emotions, too?

Frank MacKay : Amazing. That’s just amazing.

At that time, mind you that was in the ‘40s. I didn’t come to this country until 1960. Everything seemed to be pretty predestined in my life. By the way, very similar with Irma.

Peter Gawenda: Yes.

Peter Gawenda: Yeah. The strange thing was that actually, I hadn’t seen the report for many years, almost decades. When my mother died, actually it was my sister, she had found a stack of my early high school and elementary school pamphlets that I had to write or I used in math. In those was that report. Actually, I then could see and recount what all had happened including the training in the US and becoming a pilot. By the way, a sergeant from the Occupation Forces in Germany back in the ‘40’s got me the addresses of the Chambers of Commerce from McAllen, Mission, San Antonio, even from Mexico in Reynosa. I had written to them to please send me

Frank MacKay : Wow. It’s just an unbelievable ... It sounds like a movie. It’s real life. It’s real life. Peter Gawenda: Correct. Correct. Frank MacKay : When you go to this, you would think this is a work of fiction but this is a true story. Irma’s Story is a true story written by the love of her life, Peter Gawenda who is our very special guest. Frank MacKay here but more importantly author, Peter Gawenda. All right. When did you decide to write all of this down? I don’t mean the original report. I mean, when did you mean to turn this into a book? Peter Gawenda: To turn it into a book was after ... It would have been the last years of Irma’s life because she had always told me the story about her grandmother. We had traveled the world, in this country, in different places but then also in Europe. I had started I would say to dictate into small tape recorder but then writing the book, at first I would say the first attempts were around maybe 2001, 2002. The books, then I really sat down and finished it and that was after Irma had died because I didn’t want to forget what all I had to experience and what we all had experienced.

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Frank MacKay : Different than the first book in any way emotion wise? Peter Gawenda: It was. It was partially emotional because the memory of Irma was so alive. Frank MacKay : Fresh. Peter Gawenda: Yeah. It was very fresh. I have to admit I did miss her tremendously but I wanted to make sure that I would recount everything exactly as it had happened. The first phase for me was the most difficult I have to admit but then it became fairly easy. No, not easy but it became easier to complete the writing. Especially when Irma always told me how she was waiting and waiting and then she knew that the grandmother had told her, “Don’t forget May 10th.” Whatever she meant by that. The very strange thing was that when I came to this country the first time in 1960. First, I was in San Antonio and then I came to Mission, Texas, to the school, to the first training, the basic training, which was very interesting for me. I used to go from Mission always to McAllen to do my laundry. Do you know the stop at the hamburger place which was called The Green Frog. Then I would have a hamburger while the laundry was washing. That one day, and it was on May 10th, I stopped next to a car, a very fancy car. It was a 1959 Chevy Impala. There was a girl sitting on the passenger seat, had her feet on

the dashboard and she was filing her nails. Gosh, I was impressed. I tried to get her attention. She just looked over, didn’t even smile kind of, “Quit bothering me,” look. Frank MacKay : Wow. Peter Gawenda: Her sister told her, “Irma, look. There seems to be someone interested in you.” I knew the first name, Irma. Irma didn’t want to have anything to do with me. The sister gave me her telephone number telling me that I should call. Now I had the name, first name and I have a telephone number. Frank MacKay : Wow. Peter Gawenda: I then had to move forward because in front of me, the car left. They moved forward and then they left. I thought, well, not even thinking about my laundry, I went to the next public telephone then I called that number. There was a little girl who answered. She asked me whether I wanted to talk to her mom or whether I wanted to talk to Mima. Mima was the name that the little girl had given her. Frank MacKay : Nickname. Peter Gawenda: Instead of Irma, she said Mima. Frank MacKay : Yeah. Peter Gawenda: I said, “Yeah. I want to talk to Mima.” She came briefly to the phone and just, “Who are you? What do you want?” I explained to her. “I just saw you and don’t you remember when I talked to you?”Then I said, “You are nobody or no one.” She just was quiet, didn’t say anything. She had actually, when I said that to her, when I saw her, she just stared at me also and disregarded me. She

said that she had to put down the phone because the mother needed the phone I think. Frank MacKay : You were persistent. You were persistent. Peter Gawenda: I was very persistent. About 4 or 5 times, I tried to get a date with her. She was always standing me up but then on the 10th of May, it was Veterans’ Day I remember. I had seen her in the theater when I was going there with all my German friends. We were double dating. I saw her in the back, standing in the back. I walked to her and talked to her. She said, on that Veterans’ Day weekend, they would go to the islands, to Padre Island and if I wanted to see her, I should just go there. It was obvious that maybe she wouldn’t, it was just something she said and she wouldn’t go there. I decided I have to go. My friend and I, we shared a car. We drove to the island already on Friday night but didn’t see her neither on Saturday. Neither on Sunday but on Monday morning, we saw that the car coming in a distance along the beach, along the water. All kind of kids, teenagers were on top of the car and really bothering them. We two got up, stood in the middle of the oncoming car and in German yelling for the guys to get down, which they did. Obviously, Irma was very happy that we faced her. She stopped and I have to admit, we hit it off immediately. We talked for a while and then I knew that she was the one that I’m going to have to get married to but I then also realized and TA L K N AT I O N I S S U E V I

the sister was talking about that. That their father forbade them to have anything to do with the fly boys. I was considered, we were considered fly boys because we were there with the Air Force being trained to become pilots. Frank MacKay : Maybe that’s why she was standoff-ish in the beginning. She was following her father’s wishes. Peter Gawenda: That’s what she said. She had to because otherwise, she couldn’t have gone out anymore. By the way, when we then started dating, every date, she had to be accompanied by either her sister or friend. Frank MacKay : Chaperone. Peter Gawenda: Chaperone, correct. I would say for at least 2 or 3 months, there was no way to be alone with her. I just accepted it because I knew she would be the one. I have to find some way of convincing her. I remember when I asked her how about getting married and make it official. Very official that I really would like to get married to her, would like to take her with me to Europe. She then said no. The father would say no. “Okay. Let me try it.” I actually try to ask your dad. I asked her to please let her father and mother know that I would like to invite them to dinner sometimes and then see what he says, which I did. We went to a real popular place, chicken all you can eat for a dollar. Not that I was cheap but knowing that he loves chicken, so I thought well, that’s what we should do. While we were eating, we’re almost finished then suddenly, Irma and her mom get up and they go to TA L K N AT I O N I S S U E V I

the bathroom. I knew that that was a sign that I now should ask him. I asked the father and he said, “No. Definitely not. You would not marry my daughter.” I smiled. What could I do? They came back and I realized Irma was crying. The mother was teary-eyed because they knew that the dad had said no. Frank MacKay : Did Irma’s mom tell her when they were in the ladies room that your dad’s not going to approve this or they knew by the expression on your face, in his face? Peter Gawenda: C o r r e c t . T h a t ’s what Irma was told. Just to forget it because I will never get permission. They will never get permission meaning her daughter and I. By the way, he has a barber shop in McAllen on 6th St. I had gone to that barber shop before already not even knowing that he was Irma’s father. Every second week, because we had to have very short hair, I would go and have my haircut and then always get a shave. After that was on Friday evening when we went out for dinner, on Saturday morning, I went to the barber shop. He shook his head. He couldn’t believe that I would walk in. He initially always thought that I was from Sweden or from Norway maybe. Never thinking that I would be, that I was a pilot or a pilot student. The funny thing was when I picked them up to go for dinner, I drove up with a car. I jumped out of the car and walked over and asked. He was sitting on a Hollywood swing with one of his nephews. I asked him I would like for you to go with me and you and your wife to go with me for dinner. He jumps out, runs into the house and hurries up his wife and his daughter to get into the car. Later I found out that he didn’t know that I was a fly boy. He TA L K N AT I O N I S S U E V I

thought that if they go with me, with a Swedish or Norwegian type guy, then they will avoid, he will avoid having the fly boy come and invite him or take him. We left afterwards and were laughing about it when we were already married. Anyway, I took him back after that dinner. I asked whether I still am permitted to date her. He said yes but always with chaperone. Well, I complied. When I picked her up and the chaperone, I always had to tell him where we were going. He would tell me at what time to be back and drop off his daughter. At that time, we never went any place longer than maybe 10 or 10:30. I had to bring her back by that time. Frank MacKay : How old was she? How old was Irma at that time? Peter Gawenda: She was about 19 at

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that time. Frank MacKay : You were how old? Peter Gawenda: I was 22, I think going to 23. Frank MacKay : Okay. This was the protocol back then. This is very proper and very old school. Peter Gawenda: Correct. I realized I didn’t know how difficult it was for Hispanic girls to date or to have friends who were not Hispanics. At that time, it was very, very ... I was told later on that Hispanics, the parents like to have their daughters. Mind you, it was in 1960. They like to remain in their culture and marry somebody from their background. To even get permission to date was quite a big thing but as I said, I didn’t know whether or not the father could be changed. Anyway, we

decided, what should we do? I suggested I would take her with me and we will get married either in Germany or someplace else. She said, no. She cannot like to do that. Maybe it was fairly late, it might have been July, August at one time on a Saturday, I had told her. I said, come on. Let’s go across and have lunch. Across to Mexico because McAllen was right next to Reynosa. I drove up. I had my suit on. At that time, jacket with tie, which was out of the ordinary because usually, it was warm. We had just short sleeves but I decided on that day, I will get dressed. What she didn’t know was that I had found out through one of our maintenance guys where the courthouse in Mexico was because I had heard that you could actually go and get married in Mexico. I had a little piece of paper where I had written down the address and

the name of the judge. I picked her up. I didn’t tell her. Strangely, the father he was actually in his barber shop. He didn’t know that I picked up Irma without a chaperone. We drove across to Mexico, to Reynosa. We stopped at one of the restaurants and then left the car. I wait down a taxi who came and asked the taxi whether you could please take us. I gave him the address. Irma looked at me very, very strange and smiling but I was afraid that in the last moment, she would say no and jump out of the car but she didn’t. She stayed. We drove to the courthouse there in Reynosa and we got out of the car. I had my German passport with me. Strangely, she had her birth certificate with her. Frank MacKay : Maybe she was expecting this. Peter Gawenda: Kind of, I think she had a premonition. We went inside the courthouse. I was asked what we wanted. I explained that I wanted to get married or we wanted to get married. Here comes the judge from one of the back rooms. He sees us and he asks her whether she’s there with free will or whether forced. She said no. She says she wants to. He made us first sit down and explained to us what marriage is all about. He was a really, really nice guy. When I gave him my passport, he got up because I had at that time, a diplomat’s passport. He must have recognized that. It was very, very nice. They then asked one of his secretaries to bring their big, it was a very thick volume, open it. He wrote down my name, her name and then he filled out the marriage certificate and stamped it and then he made us get up and then went through the official process of marriage. TA L K N AT I O N I S S U E V I

In the meantime, he asked the secretary to go next door and bring some coffee and some sweet bread. We talked at least for another 30 or 40 minutes. Irma just stared at me, held on to me. When I realized that he wanted to end our meeting, he got up and then we got up. He gave me this typical Mexican abrazo, which is like a hug. He kissed Irma on her cheek, wished us the best of luck. He spoke by the way, very good English. We went out. The taxi was still waiting and took us back to the restaurant. When we went into the restaurant, in fact before we went to the restaurant, she went into her purse and took out a piece of paper. She gave me the paper. I opened it, unfolded it. It had the same address of the court, the same name of the judge, so she was also prepared. [inaudible 00:28:14] then she would have had the paper. Frank MacKay : Talking about being on the same wavelength. Peter Gawenda: I did notice she was so prepared but anyway, by that time, I knew that we were determined for each other. I knew that we would have a life together. Now, we were married in court in Mexico. We had eloped. We didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tell anyone. Not even sisters, her friends, nobody. Now I thought I should convince the father somehow of the family to let us get married in this country, in the US, in church and also by the regular courthouse in the American system. I treated Irma actually very well. I was very, very positive with the parents and tried to do my best to leave a very good impression. Sometimes later, I drove up on an afternoon to pick up Irma and maybe go dancing. When I drove up to the house, sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s outside laughing, crying, holding her hands in front of her face. TA L K N AT I O N I S S U E V I

I asked her, “What’s going on?” I stopped. I always had this little spy camera, Minox and I took a picture. By the way, that picture is on the front of the book. Frank MacKay : Of Irma’s Story. Peter Gawenda: O f Irma’s stor y, yeah. Frank MacKay : Wow. Peter Gawenda: Then she says, “Peter, dad said yes.” Frank MacKay : Wow. Peter Gawenda: What? “Dad said yes and he wants you to come inside and ask for my hand.” We walked inside the house and actually asked for her hand. Her dad looked at Irma and he said, “Don’t you want to marry him? Say something.” Yeah. She hugged me and kissed me and then she said, “Yes, I want to marry him.” I knew that I had the father on my side and the mother came in and she cried. Irma cried. Brigitte is my daughter, by the way. She cried and then a few minutes later, her older sister, all her children arrived and there was a big almost like a celebration. Everybody was happy. I knew that now, Irma and her mom could prepare the wedding. Frank MacKay : Wow. Not a bad place to stop right there. Peter Gawenda. That’s a very romantic start to a

difficult thing. Convincing a man to give up his daughter, his 19-year old daughter, wants to make sure that she was going into good hands. I look forward to hearing much more of this. I’m sure the audience does as well. Peter Gawenda, the name of the book is Irma’s Story. It’s just a very amazing, sweet tale. It sounds like a work of fiction but it is absolutely true, every word of it. Everyone should get it. Peter, in closing, give us a place where people can buy the book and where they’re able to purchase Irma’s Story. Peter Gawenda: I t’s actually you go and look for my website. It’s Peter Gawenda and then you will find both books by the way as well. The Children’s War and then also Irma’s Story and then also, most of the book companies will have it if you ask them for that book. All you need is my name, Peter B. Gawenda and then the 2 titles, Irma’s Story and The Children’s War and they will be able to order them. The company that actually printed both books is ... I always need to check to have the exact ... It’s Brown Books Publishing Group in Dallas, Texas. They were the ones that actually published the books. One thingFrank MacKay : Go ahead. I was going to say your books are better than any work of fiction but they seem like they could only be made in Hollywood. Go ahead, Peter. I cut you off. I’m sorry.

Peter Gawenda: Yeah. One thing that the gypsy had also told me that I will recognize my future because she will be dressed in blue. When we went, when I went to the island, when she showed up, she had a blue, 1-piece bathing suit, which was very, very strange. How could he have known? Frank MacKay : Yeah. Wow. Peter Gawenda: There were many, many things that confirm that she’s the one that I was supposed to marry, that I was supposed to meet. Frank MacKay : That’s just an unbelievable story. Like I said, Disney couldn’t have written it any better or produced it any better. I want to thank you very much for telling us the story and writing these wonderful books. The other book is The Children’s War, 1939 to 1949. Peter Gawenda is just a wonderful author, Professor Peter Gawenda has been our guest. Look forward to the rest of the story. Please get the books. They are absolutely wonderful. Peter, thanks for being here. Peter Gawenda: Thank you for having me. I enjoyed it. Frank MacKay : Peter G awenda, everyone. He is the author of Irma’s Story and stick right with us. We don’t mind binge listening and listen back to The Children’s War, 1939 to 1949. It is a gripping tale. We will see you next time on Breaking it Down.

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L a s t min u t e D I Y tip s for backy a r d hosting

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(BPT) - Summer means outdoor entertaining. Whether you’re hosting a wedding reception, a family reunion or a birthday party, you’ll want to make the backyard get together memorable. Here are some quick DIY ideas to help you get ready for a fun, stress-free gathering. Lawn prepA healthy green lawn is an inviting setting for outdoor activities. If your lawn isn’t quite up to snuff, a little last minute maintenance can help. Following are some tips from Grass Seed USA, a coalition of American grass seed farmers and academics:

* Fix bare or thin spots. You may not need as much time as you think to overseed thin or bare patches - some seed germinates in just a few days. Ask the turf specialists at your garden store or university extension office for help in selecting the right seed. Seed during the early morning or evening hours, then water lightly but regularly, keeping the reseeded areas damp until the new grass grows in. * Don’t overwater. On average, a lawn needs about an inch of water per week, from rainfall or irrigation. Unless it’s very hot or you have good soil drainage, don’t water for two or three days before your party. A soggy lawn might ruin your guests’ shoes, and furniture legs could sink into the ground. * Leave a little length. Don’t mow the grass too short before the event - a little extra length will provide more cushioning for the soil and your guests’ feet. As a general rule, wait until your grass is 3 inches tall before mowing, then cut it to 2 inches in height. Trimming no more than one-third of the blade length reduces stress on the grass and leaves enough leaf to protect the roots from the sun.

backyard. If you have the space, build a simple fire pit where you can gather after dinner to make s’mores and tell stories. Transform planters and pots into nightlights using glow-in-thedark paint.

games like croquet or lawn bowling are easy to set up and are great icebreakers if not everyone knows each other. You can mix things up and create your own variations on the rules.

* Make it cozy. In addition to traditional seating, set out blankets, pillows and rugs on the lawn. Set up a low table and place rugs on the grass next to it to create a magical Moroccan evening.

* Spray-paint your grass. Use groundmarking spray to create giant game boards directly on your lawn. Twister, checkers, tic-tac-toe - use your imagination!

* Keep bugs at bay. Annoying flies or hungry mosquitoes can take a lot of the fun out of an outdoor party. Light citronella candles to deter mosquitoes, or make natural DIY bug spray for your guests using essential oils such as peppermint or eucalyptus. Choosing activitiesYour get-together likely already has some built-in activities (eating, for one!), but depending on the type of event, you may want to have a few additional distractions planned - especially if there are kids at the party. Try a few of these: * Revive old favorites. Classic lawn

* Play putt putt. Set up a miniature golf course with plastic cups as targets, and make challenging obstacles using whatever random objects you have on hand. One of the great advantages of entertaining outdoors is that it’s usually easier and less stressful than trying to fit a large group into your home. So keep things simple and don’t worry if you don’t have time for elaborate preparations - your backyard will naturally do most of the decorating and ambiance creation for you, and you’ll have plenty of options for outdoor activities for kids of all ages.

Creating the ambianceBeyond the table arrangements - linens, tableware, flowers - you’ll want to think about creating a comfortable ambiance for your guests. Here are a few ideas to consider: * Throw some shade. Set up umbrellas or a shade sail if your gathering is in the heat of the day and you don’t have much natural shade. * Illuminate the area. If your get together is in the evening, create a welcoming atmosphere by setting out candles or lanterns and winding twinkle lights around trees in your TA L K N AT I O N I S S U E V I

10 Mississippi music destinations for your bucket list

Museum outside of Los Angeles. This museum presents visitors with a rich experience that explores current trends, music history and the story behind the creative process of recording. The 28,000 square foot space is full of interactive exhibits and displays. See outfits worn by celebrities like Cee Lo Green and Lady Gaga, and use a touchscreen table designed to look like the Mississippi River to explore Mississippi’s influence on renowned musicians.

(BPT) - Full of natural beauty and historic landmarks, Mississippi is a destination that attracts many travelers. But did you know the state is also home to a strong music legacy? Known as the Birthplace of America’s Music, Mississippi paved the path for modern music with its seminal contributions to blues, rock, country and gospel. No matter your favorite genre, Mississippi is the place to be for live music festivals, famous museums and more. Let these 10 music destinations help you plan your next trip to the South:

Held at the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center in Indianola, Mississippi, The B.B. King Homecoming Festival celebrates the cultural rich heritage of the Mississippi Delta. The festival honors its namesake as an internationally renowned musician who not only influenced blues music, but the entire local culture. After B.B.’s passing in 2015, he was buried on the museum grounds. The museum is constructing a memorial garden for fans, who come from around the world, to pay their respects.

1. Mighty Mississippi Music Festival

2. Americana Music Triangle Nine distinct musical genres came to life in the Americana Music Triangle, including blues, jazz, country and rock and roll. The Gold Record Road is 1,500 miles of driving trails with hundreds of attractions that let you experience the places where music made history. Pick your driving itinerary or plan an adventure along the entire route.

3. Mississippi Blues Trail & Country Music Trail

Pack a bag and get ready for the road trip of a lifetime. Made up of around The Mighty Mississippi Music 150 markers around the state, the Festival is three days of blues, rock Mississippi Blues Trail commemoand heritage music in Greenville, rates the area that gave birth to the Mississippi, at Warfield Point Park. blues. Meanwhile, the Country Music Held September 30 - October 2, Trail is the pathway to country music’s 2016, the festival features world-class deep roots. Trail markers share excluacts and some of the most popular sive music history that you can’t find Americana and Bluegrass bands, anywhere else. with the Mississippi River as a beautiful backdrop. This year’s performers 4 . G R A MMY M u s e u m include G. Love and Special Sauce, Mississippi Ryan Bingham, Steve Azar and The Kings Men, The Revivalists and Maren Newly opened in Cleveland, Morris. Mississippi, the GRAMMY Museum Mississippi is the first GRAMMY TA L K N AT I O N I S S U E V I

5. B.B. King Homecoming Festival

6. Tupelo Elvis Festival Located in downtown Tupelo, not far from the birthplace of Elvis, the Tupelo Elvis Festival celebrates the impact of his music on the world. Each year’s festival in early June hosts artists from across the nation for the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Contest. Enjoy local food vendors, a pet parade, beauty pageant, 5k run, disc golf and more.

7. Mississippi Delta Blues & Heritage Festival The longest running blues festival in the nation, the Mississippi Delta Blues

and Heritage Festival is known as the “king of blues festivals.” Falling on the third Saturday in September and featuring blues artists from near and far, the festival has been one of the most popular events in Greenville since 1997. Since it began, it has attracted hundreds of thousands of fans from the world over.

8. Jimmie Rodgers Music Festival In downtown Meridian, not far from the Jimmie Rodgers Museum, the Jimmie Rodgers Music Festival honors “The Father of Country Music” and is one of the longest running music festivals in the United States. At Green City Hall, this family-friendly event in May welcomes guests of all ages and features two days of musical acts from around the country.

9. Double Decker Arts Festival Named for the Double Decker buses imported from England that tour visitors around town, the Double Decker Arts Festival in Oxford, Mississippi is a two-day celebration of food, music and the arts. Held in late April and centered around the historic Courthouse Square, the event hosts crowds of more than 60,000 people and 200 art and food vendors.

Etta James and Big Joe Turner performed at 100 Men Hall, which still hosts live music today. Also on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, you’ll find the Crawfish Music Festival, which spans two weekends and includes a crawfish cook-off and a beer garden. For more information on exploring the birthplace of America’s music, visit: visitmississippi.org/americana.

10. Music on the Mississippi Gulf Coast The Mississippi Gulf Coast regularly draws well-known musical acts to its casino hotels, which include the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Beau Rivage, and the IP Casino Resort. In the 1940s through the 1960s, musical greats like

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10 simple, week-by-week steps for a h e alth i er summer (BPT) - Are you living your happiest life? How does your mood affect your health? Is happiness contagious? Researchers are finding these questions are worth asking, and multiple studies show happiness dramatically improves health, productivity, family bonds and even life expectancy. So it’s no surprise that the impact happiness has on people has spawned an initiative to spread happiness throughout the world. So what can you do to live your happiest life? Researchers say it starts with choosing happiness. Making a conscious choice to be happy positively affects a person’s mood, and over time, can reset a person’s default happiness level, according to two recent studies published in The Journal of Positive Psychology. Here’s a look at several ways to choose to be happy, including: Savor happy moments, in the moment. An individual’s brain is hardwired to remember bad experiences more than good ones as a basis for survival. When something good happens, stopping to savor that moment helps to solidify it in TA L K N AT I O N I S S U E V I

the brain and re-wire it for happiness, according to Rick Hanson, a neurop- Choose experiences over things. The sychologist and author of Hardwiring value of new life experiences also Happiness. creates happiness. That’s the finding of research from San Francisco State Connect with happy people. To University, which shows that having a be happy, spend time with happy new life experience outweighs matepeople. It may seem like common rial purchases when it comes to longsense, but researchers from Harvard term impact on happiness. found over the course of a 20-year study, the happiness of one person New life experiences don’t have to can increase the happiness of others be expensive trips to exotic locain their network by an astounding 25 tions; they can be as simple as taking percent. a dance class, mastering a cooking skill, trying a new food or learning “In my job, I see firsthand how easily how to speak another language. happiness spreads from one person to the next,” says Courtney Gastelo, Exercise. Hitting the road or the a bartender at RA Sushi, which has weights can turn a bad day into several locations across the U.S. a good one. Research from the “That’s why RA Sushi’s Happy Hour University of Bristol shows exercisis so popular - we bring our guests ing on workdays has an even bigger together in a fun atmosphere where impact on mood. It’s because exercisthey can relax and enjoy great food ing releases endorphins that have a and drinks with their friends.” powerful effect on happiness. Gastelo recommends not waiting for the weekend; invite friends out for sushi and enjoy Happy Hour any day of the week. Doing so will positively affect the mood of everyone involved, “and science says it’s good for humanity,” she says.

Going for a walk or hike outside has the added benefit of sunshine and fresh air, too. For an even more powerful happiness boost, researchers suggest finding an exercise buddy.

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NEW ARTISTS Back From Nothing, a band from Westchester New York, is made up of Henry – drummer, Nick rhythm guitarist/vocalist, Marlon – Bassist,Harrison - lead guitarist and Stephanie - lead singer The name Back From Nothing came from their bassist, Marlon. Henry, Marlon and Nick were all in a band that taught them a lot but in the end didn’t work out. While they were transitioning to start their new band, Marlon came to the realization that their old project led us to nothing and

now they were Back From Nothing. The name was originally going to be the title of the album not the band name but they decided it fit so perfectly it became both.

as much as they can. Recording and writing is something they are very comfortable with and do a lot of, but they are itching to play more gigs and open for more bands.

Nick writes all of the songs on his acoustic guitar and writes the lyrics. Marlon adds the bass lines, Harrison adds the leads, and Henry adds the drums. All of the songs Nick writes are true stories and are very important to him. There hasn’t been one thing he wrote about that hasn’t happened to him or someone he knows. Nick says “Music is the way I can let go of all of the negative things that I feel or think of and it is a very positive outlet.”

A bit of advice from the guitarist and vocalist “Don’t give up. The only reason I can understand for a musician to stop producing music is by giving up. If you never stop trying to improve yourself individually as an artist whether that be part of a group (band) or solo, then there is no chance of you failing. That’s just the way I look at being successful.”

The biggest obstacle for the band is getting gigs. They are willing to play

Their album is available on YouTube, Spotify, iTunes, Google Play, etc. Instagram @backfromnothing. Check out their Facebook at Back from Nothing.

B a c k From Nothing Keep a look out for their extensive i n t e r v i e w in Talk Nation’s next issue TA L K N AT I O N I S S U E V I

B r e akin g it d o w n w it h f r ank mackay an d

Charlotte Stewart Frank MacKay: I’d like to welcome everyone to Breaking it Down. Frank MacKay here, but much more importantly, a wonderful actress and author. You’ve known her work over the years in so many things. Little House on the Prairie, Miss Beadle, and Twin Peaks, and also just a tremendous amount of work. Always early on, I think there was a Waltons episode. Charlotte : Yeah. Frank MacKay: I saw you in and all that. Charlotte Stewart is our special guest. Now I’m going to try this. It’s a long title, but the name of the book ... Everyone should go out and get it. It’s available right now. Go to Amazon. Go to anywhere books are sold. “Little House in the Hollywood Hills: A Bad Girl’s Guide to Becoming Miss Beatle, Mary X, and Me.” How is that? Charlotte : That is perfect. I love it. You got it right. Frank MacKay: W e l l listen. Congratulations on the book. Everything I’m hearing about it is just wonderful. Congratulations on an ongoing, wonderful career. Charlotte : Thank you, Frank. Thank TA L K N AT I O N I S S U E V I

you very much. I appreciate that. I have had a wonderful career. I’m one of the luckiest people on earth. Frank MacKay: Yeah. Well luck always has something to do with it, but talent does, too. You obviously have worked with so many different people and you were selected by so many different casting people, that it’s a little more than luck. Let’s do a little bit of your history, if you don’t mind, Charlotte. Charlotte : I don’t mind at all. Frank MacKay: Let’s start from the beginning. Where were you born and where were you raised? Charlotte :I was raised on a farm in Yuba City, California. My dad was a peach rancher. I grew up there and I stayed there until I was 17. I left for Los Angeles to go to the Pasadena Playhouse. It was the state theater of California. I was one of those fortunate people that within two years, my first two years in LA, I got my first professional Screen Actors Guild role on the Loretta Young Show. Do you remember that, Frank?

even heard of those, but that’s what you did then. You did all those little episodic, funny, fluffy television shows. Then I was lucky enough to get into all the other episodic television shows. FBI, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Mannix. Frank MacKay: Yeah. Well let’s go back to Loretta Young. Charlotte :Okay. Frank MacKay: S h e w o n t h e Academy Award for Country Girl, if I remember correctly. Right? It was with Ben Crosby. Charlotte : Wow. I believe she did. That was the name of the first episode of Little House on the Prairie that I did. Frank MacKay: Was Country Girl?

Frank MacKay: That’s irony or it’s appropriate. Charlotte : It is. Oh hey, you know what? My whole life is irony. I tell you. My friend used to say, “Charlotte, you could fall down a manhole and come up with a set of dishes.” Frank MacKay: That’s terrific. When you look at some of that resume, it’s wholesome stuff. You said fluff, but that’s what was available at that point and that’s what was on TV. Charlotte : Exactly. We had three networks. ABC, CBS, and NBC. There was no internet. There was no cable. All of that came later. Now you can have a thousand shows on in a day and have your pick, but network TV was really important then. That’s what we all strived to be on.

Charlotte : I did. Frank MacKay: You did.

Charlotte :Loretta Young was a big movie star. It was one of the first television shows that had a big movie star as their main character. She did an anthology series, so it was different actors every week. I ended up doing three episodes of her show. Frank MacKay: Wow.

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Charlotte : Yeah.

Frank MacKay: Am I mis-remembering this, or did you meet your future husband on My Three Sons?

Frank MacKay: Well I don’t, but I know of it. Of course I know of it. She was an Academy Award winner.

Charlotte :From then, I met a lot of people. Gosh, I just started working. Back then, it was all the shows like Bachelor Father and My Three Sons and Margie. A lot of people haven’t

Frank MacKay: No kidding. Wow.

Charlotte : It was called Country Girls.

Charlotte : I did three episodes of My Three Sons. I played different characters in every episode, and I met Tim Considine, who when I was little, I had a huge crush on. I couldn’t believe it when I was going to do a TV show with him. I actually met him the night before I was to shoot on the show. We were both at a birthday party. It was a birthday party for a friend. I looked across the room, and there was Tim. I thought, “Oh my god. He’s so cute.” In 1965, we ended up getting married.

Frank MacKay: Wow. Charlotte : In fact, even though we divorced in 1969, we were very good friends. In fact, he did the photograph on the back of my book. Frank MacKay: No kidding. Charlotte : Yeah. Frank MacKay: Oh, that’s nice. That’s something that the rest of us outside of Hollywood will never completely get, how people stay in friendships with their ex’s, but let me remind folks who just may be turning on the radio or who may be just tuning into us right now, that this is Frank MacKay, but much more importantly, Charlotte Stewart is our very special guest. So many people I think know you as Miss Beatle, but they certainly know you from the Twin Peaks series, which has such a cult following. It has an amazing following.

friends make it....bring it to my attention that I needed help, and I did get help. I’m just hoping that if anybody who is reading this book and identifies with it, whether it’s yourself or a son, daughter, father, mother, whatever, don’t give up hope, because there is always help. In any community, there’s help available. I did suffer through an addiction. Thank God I got through it and today, I’m very happy. I just turned 75, Frank, and I just got married. Frank MacKay: Wow. Good for you. Hey, congratulations. Charlotte : I ran into an old, old friend of over 30 years and we are now married. Frank MacKay: I s business?

the

Charlotte : No, not at all. He doesn’t get it at all. This guy, his business is meteorites. Rock people.

Charlotte : We have a great time. We go to rock shows, but it’s not the kind you think of. Frank MacKay: T h a t ’s t e r r i f i c . Congratulations on all of that. Charlotte : Thank you. Frank MacKay: Back to sobriety, congratulations on that, as well. So many people, especially in Hollywood and the business, have such issues with drug and alcohol abuse. Charlotte : Yeah. Frank MacKay: One of the things that came to mind, I know you did a Waltons episode. Charlotte : Yes. Frank MacKay: At least one Waltons episode that I know of. I’ve interviewed a bunch of the actors, actresses from The Waltons on this show. One of the things that they all told me was that there was ethics clauses in their contracts, because of course it was so wholesome. It was such a wholesome show.

Charlotte : Yes.

Frank MacKay: Wow. Yeah.

Frank MacKay: Again, the name of the book, and everyone should go get this wonderful book, is How’s that?

Charlotte : It’s a whole different world. I go with him to his conventions and he comes with me to Hollywood. It’s the best.

Charlotte : Oh, it sounds exciting. I’ll have to run out and get it.

Frank MacKay: Is he an astrogeologist? Is that what he is?

Frank MacKay: Well what’s the bad girl part? I can’t imagine you as a bad girl.

Charlotte : He is a meteoriticist.

Charlotte : Oh, Frank. You know, I lived in Hollywood. I was a small town girl who went to Hollywood. How bad is that? No, I had a wonderful career, but I did have some pitfalls and I write about it in my book. I had an addiction and I’ve recovered from alcoholism, but back in 1984, I was lucky enough to have my

Charlotte : He studies cells and deals with meteorites. He writes papers for meteor magazines, he lectures at museums. He’s a real egghead.

Frank MacKay: Here they are, kids growing up in the 70s, and God forbid you get seen with the wrong crowd or you’re on the back of a Harley Davidson, going down Hollywood Boulevard or whatever. Even though the paparazzi isn’t what it was…what it is now, but there were these ethics clauses. Did you guys have that for Little House?

Frank MacKay: Yeah, that’s nice. Hey, listen. Eggheads don’t run around on you.

Charlotte : No. No, we didn’t. God forbid if we did, because half the time, Michael Landon’s coffee cup

Frank MacKay: Oh, okay.

Charlotte : Yeah, yeah.

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was full of bourbon. Of course we didn’t know it at the time, but I’ve traveled a lot with a lot of the cast members from Little House, and I’ve heard all the…these little kids, they were very astute. Frank MacKay: Yeah. Charlotte : They picked up on a lot of stuff, but Mike was a great boss. He really knew what he was doing when he wrote and directed and produced and starred in Little House on the Prairie. I don’t know if you were a big fan, but in every episode you would watch, there would be a story for the parents, a story for the kids, and you would cry at least once. He really knew his audience. I don’t care what he did in his personal life. Frank MacKay: Sure. Right. Charlotte : He influenced a lot of people with some wonderful television. God bless. We never really were close friends because he was my boss. I don’t know. It just wasn’t appropriate, but I remember going with him to Victor French’s memorial and we were just knocked out by the memorial for Victor French. I don’t know if you knew Victor or knew anything about him. He played Mr. Edwards on Little House.

got up at his memorial and said...It was held at the museum, which is an open air patio. He said, “I want you all to know that you are all invited specifically by Victor, because Victor knew he was dying of lung cancer, and he planned this whole event.” There was music. There were three bars. He had people to drive people home if they drank too much. He planned every detail. His attorney said, “Now if you look up in the sky, there’s a message from Victor.” We looked up and there was a plane going over. It had a banner, a lit banner that said, “Eat shit. Love, Victor.” Frank MacKay: Wow. Charlotte : Michael Landon was actually holding my hand at the moment, trying not to cry at this memorial. I thought he was going to break my wrist. Frank MacKay: Wow. Charlotte : I swear to God. None of us had cellphones in those days. We all wanted to run to the one payphone there and call everybody we knew and say, “Look in the sky! Look in the sky!” Frank MacKay: Wow. That is funny. That’s terrific.

Frank MacKay: Yep. Also Touched By an Angel.

Charlotte : Oh, Victor. He was great. I loved him.

Charlotte : I don’t know if I can say this on radio.

Frank MacKay: Let me remind folks once again if they’re just tuning in right now, Frank MacKay with Charlotte Stewart, actress, wonderful actress and author, Charlotte Stewart. You know her work as Miss Beatle on…I keep going back to that, because that was a really memorable role, but also....

Frank MacKay: Go ahead. Charlotte : I’m going to say it anyway, and if you want to bleep me out, you can. Frank MacKay: Go ahead. Charlotte : Victor French’s attorney TA L K N AT I O N I S S U E V I

Charlotte : Oh, thank you.

Frank MacKay: Twin Peaks. So much else out there. The name of the book. Please everyone, go get this book. It’s called “Little House in the Hollywood Hills: A Bad Girl’s Guide to Becoming Miss Beatle, Mary X, and Me,” which is a heck of a...that’s a mouthful to say. Charlotte : Oh, thank you. Frank MacKay: Yeah. How did you come up with the... Charlotte : I’m in a new series now. The new Twin Peaks is coming out next year, 2017. Frank MacKay: Wow. That’s nice. Charlotte : Yeah. Frank MacKay: How long do you think…well, what did you sign out for? Is it like 13 episodes to start? Charlotte : To tell you the truth, I don’t know. I have no idea. We had to sign a confidentiality agreement. All I did was they flew me out to Seattle. I did my work, I came home, and I don’t know anything else, but it’s going to be on and I hear it’s terrific. Frank MacKay: Well it’ll be more terrific if you are involved. Anything that you’re involved in is always so nice. Charlotte : Thank you, Frank. Thank you. Frank MacKay: Eraserhead. Were you in Eraserhead? Charlotte : I was. That was David Lynch’s first film as a student. Frank MacKay: Wow. Charlotte : I was one of the leads. I believe there’s only like five actors in

the movie. I starred in it along with Jack Nance, who played Henry. It won the Film Festival in Los Angeles and went on to win many awards. He was a student at the American Film Institute at the time. My roommate, Doreen, was working as a volunteer there, helping with production. She came home one day and she said, “I’m working on this thing with this student. His name is David Lynch. He needs an actress for his movie. I told him my roommate was an actress, so I’ve invited him for dinner.”

you go to dinner, you bring flowers or a bottle of wine, he brought me a sack of wheat seed. I guess because I lived in the country. I was living outside of Los Angeles in Topanga Canyon, which was and still is a very rural area in Los Angeles. I was living on the side of a hill and there was mountains all around me. That’s what he brought me, a sack of wheat seed, which incidentally, we planted.

Frank MacKay: Wow.

Charlotte : No, no. He was perfectly serious.

Charlotte : He came to dinner. He brought me the script. He said, “Great, you’ll be Mary.” I thought, “Well great. This will take me four or five days.” That’s what student films usually took. It took four years. Frank MacKay: Oh my gosh. Charlotte : Off and on. I was doing The Waltons, I was doing Little House on the Prairie, while I was shooting Eraserhead at night. Frank MacKay: No kidding. Oh, man. Charlotte : No kidding. Frank MacKay: Yeah, Eraserhead is a cult classic. Charlotte : Yeah. Frank MacKay: Just like Twin Peaks. It’s a different cult, but it’s just like Twin Peaks. David Lynch, what can you tell us about your first impression of him? Charlotte : Oh, I thought he was a little odd. First of all, he came for dinner with his wife, Peggy. As a house gift, you know how sometimes

Frank MacKay: Was it a joke in bringing it to you?

Frank MacKay: No kidding. You planted it? How did it grow? Charlotte : Oh, you know what? I don’t even know. We weren’t really farmers. We just threw it over the balcony and hoped it would take seed. Frank MacKay: You know what that would mean today? I don’t know, on some kind of Twin Peaks auction or something. The first present David Lynch ever gave Charlotte Stewart, who is our very special guest. Again, if you’re just joining us, Charlotte Stewart is here. The name of the book…let me keep giving the name of the book. Charlotte : Okay. Frank MacKay: It is a novel. “Little House in the Hollywood Hills: A Bad Girl’s Guide to Becoming Miss Beatle, Mary X, and Me.” Frank MacKay here, but much more importantly Charlotte Stewart. You know her from Twin Peaks and you will know her again from Twin Peaks, which is very exciting. Charlotte : Well you know, Frank, I

was telling you about David Lynch. You asked about my first impression of him. He was in his very early 20s and he arrived. He had on a panama hat, a straw hat, that had seen better days. It had a big hole in the top. He was wearing two neckties. Frank MacKay: Wow. Charlotte : I found that he did this quite often, because I worked with him for the next four years on Eraserhead. He always wore two neckties. He would wear his lucky tie, as he called it, and then he would wear a tie for the day. They were completely knotted up with the top button buttoned. Then there would be holes in both elbows, where it had worn completely through. Yeah, he was a character. I love David. I was just with him the week before last. We had the big wrap party for the new Twin Peaks, and gosh, it was a joyful occasion. Everybody was celebrating. We were all so happy. David looked great. I don’t know if you’re familiar with this, what he wrote on the back of my book. Frank MacKay: No. What did he write? Charlotte : He wrote, “Charlotte Stewart is my kind of girl. A talented, courageous actress, a loyal friend, and one who brings happiness to work.” Frank MacKay: Wow. Charlotte : Isn’t that sweet? Frank MacKay: Yeah. That’s nice. That’s not a normal type thing that you just say as a polite gesture. That’s thought out. Charlotte : No.

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Frank MacKay: He put a lot of thought into it. Charlotte : Then I’ll read you the one that Neil Young wrote. Neil Young wrote, “I didn’t know Miss Beatle knew so much about sex, drugs, and rock and roll.” Frank MacKay: That’s terrific. Charlotte : I go from one extreme to the other, Frank. Frank MacKay: What’s the relationship with Neil Young? Where does that come in? Charlotte : Oh, gosh. Well back in the early 70s, before Little House on the Prairie, I had a clothing store. It was called the Liquid Butterfly. It was in a building on La Cienega Boulevard across from Electra Records. The building also has the manager for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Jackson Brown, Joni Mitchell. We had rock and rollers in and out of my store all the time. Just in the last…let’s see. It was 25 years ago approximately. Neil approached me about being in a movie he had written called Human Highway. It was a funny little movie. It was a nuclear comedy about the last day of the world. Dennis Hopper was in it and Russ Tamblyn. It was Devo, the band Devo. Frank MacKay: Yeah. Wow. Charlotte : We had quite fun. We had quite a good time. Frank MacKay: That’s interesting. I think Electra Asylum was the name of the label, the twin labels that were there. I think he was on Asylum. Charlotte : Yeah, I’m sure he was. You know what? I didn’t follow it very much. I never used to go to concerts TA L K N AT I O N I S S U E V I

and things. I was in another world of TV and stuff. I didn’t understand it all, but had a lot of rock and rollers through my store. Frank MacKay: You met him at a different point in his career that you met David Lynch. What was your first impression of Neil Young? Charlotte : Well, that skinny guy with the high, squeaky voice? Frank MacKay: Yeah. Right. Charlotte : Well I knew him pretty well. I was at the time dating his manager, so I used to spend a lot of time going to…now, he wasn’t playing big concerts in those days. This was pre Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. We used to go to dinner and stuff. When he’d play the local clubs, he used to open for Joni Mitchell. Or maybe Joni Mitchell opened for him. I’m not sure.

thrilled. Thrilled to have you. Charlotte Stewart is my very special guest here. Frank MacKay, but much more importantly, buy this book, “Little House in the Hollywood Hills: A Bad Girl’s Guide to Becoming Miss Beatle, Mary X, and Me.” Charlotte Stewart. You know her work from Little House on the Prairie, The Waltons, Twin Peaks, and Eraserhead. What a resume this... Charlotte : Wow. Frank MacKay: ...lady has and is still going strong. The new Twin Peaks season is coming up in 2017. Look for Charlotte there. Just a wonderful read. Everything I understand about this book is it’s just fantastic. Don’t take my word for it. David Lynch and also Neil Young will vouch for it. We’ll be back right after this with more with Charlotte Stewart. Charlotte : Okay.

Frank MacKay: Let me just do a quick timeline here. You said 25 years ago this was, right?

Frank MacKay: Terrific. All right. We’re going to jump right back into it.

Charlotte : Yeah.

Charlotte : Okay. Whatever you want to do.

Frank MacKay: Yeah, 25... Charlotte : No, more than that. Frank MacKay: Yeah, it had to be more than that. Charlotte : 25 years ago is when we did Human Highway. Frank MacKay: I gotcha. Okay. Yeah, that makes sense. By the way, we’re coming up on a commercial break. Do we have you for a second segment? Charlotte : You do. Thank you. Frank MacKay: Wo n d e r f u l .

I ’m

Frank MacKay: Do you want to steer me somewhere? I don’t want to take too much...I want people to buy the book and I don’t want them to get so much from this, but is there someplace you want to steer me that we haven’t gone? Charlotte : Oh, gosh. Well yeah, it wasn’t all flowers and roses and perfume. Frank MacKay: Yeah, they like that. Viewers, listeners like that. Charlotte : There were some little dark times, too. I will talk about that,

“I’m just so fortunate, because I’ve done so many wonderful and iconic television shows and films.” if you want. Frank MacKay: Okay, great. I just didn’t want to put you in a tough spot. Okay. Charlotte : No, no, honey. I wrote a book. I don’t want it to be a piece, you know? Frank MacKay: Right, right. Terrific. Here we go. You ready? Charlotte : Yeah. Frank MacKay: I’d like to welcome everyone back to Breaking it Down. Frank MacKay here, but much more importantly, Charlotte Stewart, the author of the book, “Little House in the Hollywood Hills: A Bad Girl’s Guide to Becoming Miss Beatle, Mary X, and Me.” Charlotte Stewart is a wonderful actress and you know her work from Twin Peaks and Little House on the Prairie and Eraserhead and The Waltons. Welcome back, Charlotte. Charlotte : Thank you, Frank. Thank you. Frank MacKay: You know, I think I misspoke. It’ll show you how much I watch The Waltons, but you were on…you didn’t just do one episode of The Waltons, right? You did a run? Charlotte : No, I only did one. The only episode I was in was their very first one. They actually didn’t shoot that as the first episode, but when they were going to put their lineup on TV, they decided that was the one they wanted to introduce the family.

Frank MacKay: O h , interesting.

t h a t ’s

I had no money, I was in debt, and then he died.

Charlotte : Yeah. I was thrilled.

Frank MacKay: Oh, man.

Frank MacKay: We l l e s p e c i a l l y looking back and the success that that show had. We talked about the wholesomeness. You were in Bonanza and a lot of shows that you think of as being wholesome.

Charlotte : I had no recourse. I’m also not going to say that it was all his fault, because I was playing hard. I had a drinking problem. Led me into a bit of cocaine use, which in the late 70s was extremely popular in Los Angeles.

Charlotte : Yeah. Frank MacKay: We l l I ’ l l t a k e Eraserhead out of that. That was a different type of thing, right? A lot of wholesomeness there. Right in your title, it says “bad girl” so I’d be remiss if I didn’t ask you about some of these times. Charlotte : Absolutely. Frank MacKay: Again, look, it’s 2016. We’ve become much more open as a society. How bad were you? Charlotte : Well at one point, it got pretty bad. I had a nice run on Little House on the Prairie. It ended and I was still doing fine. It gets a little thin. Work gets a little thin as you approach 40 for an actress in this town. I’m not going to blame that. I’m not going to blame that at all, but quite frankly what happened, I got a business manager and he was handling all the things that I needed. I bought a house. I had investments. I had partners and stuff. I think he used his addiction to cocaine to juggle money around with a variety of clients. The end result was I lost my house, I lost all my investments,

Frank MacKay: No doubt. Charlotte : Almost any party you would go to, there was plenty of drugs and lots of alcohol. I was sticking along, thinking this thing was going forever. It didn’t. I moved to San Francisco, thinking that Los Angeles was the problem, as many people do. They’re going to do anything except come to terms with their own addiction. I came back from San Francisco and my house was foreclosed. My money was gone. I had no income. It was pretty, pretty dark and I really hit bottom, but I have a wonderful family and great friends. Even though some of them tried to talk to me about I had to get help, I did not want to listen. That happens to a lot of people who have an addiction or are going through an alcoholic period, where they don’t want to hear it. It’s like, “It’s none of your business. It’s my life. Leave me alone.” It’s very common. God knows, I finally got to the point where I couldn’t ignore it. I called up my doctor and I said, “I have a problem with alcohol.” He directed me toward a rehab. That TA L K N AT I O N I S S U E V I

was in 1984. I went in there and my family backed me all the way, and my friends. I came out the other side. I’m just so fortunate, because I’ve done so many wonderful and iconic television shows and films. I worked with Elvis Presley, Jimmy Stewart, Loretta Young. Frank MacKay: Yeah. Charlotte : It was just a miracle. Today,

Frank MacKay: So many high profile people have battled. Charlotte : It’s a dark hole to get out of, especially in the entertainment industry, where everybody’s eyes are on you and looking at every move you make and are so willing to criticize. There is help out there and I hope, that’s why I didn’t want to pull any punches in my book. I don’t want this. It’s not a fluff piece. There’s

“I worked with Elvis on a movie called Speedway. I had a very small part, but it was fun because it allowed me to sit all day long, talking with him.” I’m alive and well. I live in the Napa Valley with my new husband and I just turned 75. Life is good. Frank MacKay: Yeah. Well it sounds like it. Again, congratulations on that. Congratulations on sobriety. That’s the big prize in the whole situation. Charlotte : Well I wanted to share it because there are going to be people who read the book who have either a problem themselves or a sister, brother, aunt, mother, father, son, daughter, who are in a problem…having problems with drugs or alcohol. I just wanted to let them know that there is help available, that there’s a lot of places to turn to. They’re not alone. If they can come to terms and be honest about what’s going on, there’s plenty of help available. Frank MacKay: Yeah. That’s so important. If anyone out there is thinking that they’re alone, they’re not. Charlotte : No. TA L K N AT I O N I S S U E V I

a lot of humor in it. I’ll tell you, I did a lot of funny things and I met some great people and had some wonderful adventures. It’s all in there, too. I didn’t skimp on the hard parts. Frank MacKay: She mentioned the book. I’ll remind everyone to get the book. Go to Amazon.com or go anywhere that books are sold. Look for, and you can’t mix it up with any other book, “Little House in the Hollywood Hills: A Bad Girl’s Guide to Becoming Miss Beatle, Mary X, and Me.” That’s Charlotte Stewart, who is our very special guest. She is the author of this wonderful book. Frank MacKay here. Charlotte Stewart, you know her work from Twin Peaks and Little House on the Prairie, Eraserhead, The Waltons, little bit of everything out there. She has played with some of the biggest stars out there. She’s 75 years old and just recently married, which is great. Let me bring up something. Charlotte : Yeah. Frank MacKay: I’m going to be very

careful. Just so you know, I’m being as respectful as I possibly can about this, but you’re Miss Beatle and you’ve been on The Waltons and you have a wholesome resume. Now in Hollywood, there’s vultures, just like there’s vultures in New York and Memphis and anywhere else. Charlotte : Yeah. Frank MacKay: There are these guys out there. Now here you are, battling an alcohol problem and a cocaine problem. Is it like a huge conquest for...I would imagine. This is almost a rhetorical question, but it’s a conquest for these Don Juans, these Romeos out there to say, “Oh, I went out with Miss Beatle. I slept with Miss Beatle. I did this.” Charlotte : Oh, listen. I can see where you’re going with this, but it really wasn’t that way. I’ll tell you why, because when I was…when we were doing Little House on the Prairie, nobody cared in Los Angeles. They were too hip, slick, and cool to care anything about somebody playing a schoolteacher on Little House on the Prairie. I did have a lot of hookups, but they were my choice. You know what I mean? Frank MacKay: Okay. Yeah, that’s good. Charlotte : They were my choice. I don’t think anybody ever took advantage of me or tried to go, “Woo woo, look who I’m with,” because nobody cared, really. Frank MacKay: Yeah. You’re taking responsibility for your actions, which is incredible. I think that’s a big part of sobriety, right? You tell me. Is that the idea that you’re not going to push off blame? I’ve heard you say it a couple times in this interview already. You’ve

taken responsibility for everything that’s happened. Charlotte : Absolutely. I would hate to think somebody that just thought that I was name dropping in my book, but these are the people I worked with. If I was around rock and roll, that’s who I was hanging out with. When I was doing television shows, FBI or Medical Center and the lead actors were handsome and well to do and were interested, that was cool, too. Frank MacKay: Well you mentioned Elvis. I’d be remiss not to bring up Elvis. What did you work with Elvis on? What film? Charlotte : I worked with Elvis on a movie called Speedway. I had a very small part, but it was fun because it allowed me to sit all day long, talking with him. He was a perfect gentleman, I have to say. This was really early. He was doing all these silly movies. He said, “Oh, yeah.” He said, “I’d never read the scripts. I sing a song that I never hear again.” He said, “I get the best car and the prettiest girl. I’m just doing one of these after another.” Of course, that’s when Colonel Parker was selling him to doing all these cheap, horrible movies, but he knew they were bad. He said, “Yeah, they’re bad,” but he was making money. I really enjoyed talking with him. I was there for two days and he just couldn’t have been sweeter. I was a gawk because I was only probably 24 years old when I was doing this. He had been a big star when I was in high school, so I couldn’t believe that Elvis Presley was actually holding my hand and telling me about his mother. Frank MacKay: Yeah. Wow. It’s so interesting, the amount of people… if you ever did the six degrees of Charlotte Stewart, it would be...

Charlotte : Oh my God. Yes. Well you’re now six degrees of Kevin Bacon. You are two degrees of Kevin Bacon.

part in the show, and the director was too busy with 30 cast members to pay any attention to me.

Frank MacKay: Right.

I wore it in the scene, but the fans, the fans started writing and sending me pictures of happy

Charlotte : Because I did Tremors with

“I worked with Elvis on a movie called Speedway. I had a very small part, but it was fun because it allowed me to sit all day long, talking with him.” Kevin Bacon. Frank MacKay: Yeah. Oh, that’s right. You were in Tremors. That’s right. Charlotte : Yeah. Frank MacKay: In Twin Peaks, you wore the smiley face to the funeral. Charlotte : Oh, Frank. I’ve got to tell you about that. Frank MacKay: Yes, please. Charlotte : It is so funny that you mention that, because that is true. I played Betty Briggs, the eternal optimist who wore a smiley face button to Laura Palmer’s funeral. The day I did that, it was the biggest cast we had ever had, because everybody in the show was there on the set that day at Laura Palmer’s funeral, because theshow is based around who killed Laura Palmer. I got dressed. It’s all wardrobe and all. They gave me this very conservative suit to wear. I’m there with my husband, Major Briggs, in his blue Air Force uniform. At the last minute, I picked up this little happy face button and I put it on my suit. Nobody noticed. Nobody in the show noticed, I guess because everybody was concerned about their own

face buttons. People would send me a deck of tarot cards that were Betty Briggs wearing a happy face button. They went nuts about it. Now that’s what they know about Miss Betty Briggs, is her philosophy is, “You’re never truly dressed without a smile.” Frank MacKay: That’s terrific. I mentioned it earlier. I eluded to it, at least, that the cult followings that much of your work has gotten, they don’t necessarily spill over into each other. Charlotte : Oh, god. They couldn’t be further apart. Frank MacKay: Yeah. They’re really different. Alison Arngrim, I’ve had her on the show a couple times. I had her on the TV show. Charlotte : Oh, she is a hoot. Isn’t she? Frank MacKay: Yeah, she’s wonderful. She really is. Charlotte : I’m going to be with her in Green Bay in August. I love traveling with Alison, because we usually go off on some adventure. We were staying at the Palace Hotel in New York and it was like…what was the little girl that lived in the Palace TA L K N AT I O N I S S U E V I

Hotel? The story book thing. I can’t remember. She was a mischievous little girl. Well, we had two of them with me and Alison. Frank MacKay: Pippy Longstocking? No, not Pippy Longstocking. Charlotte : Oh no. Eloise. Frank MacKay: Eloise. Okay. Yeah, Eloise. Charlotte : Yeah. It was like having two little Eloise in the Palace Hotel. We had the best time. That was we did the shoot for Entertainment Weekly Magazine. Frank MacKay: Wow. That’s got to be a paparazzi’s lucky day, if they ran into you and Alison. Charlotte : Oh, god. We went shopping. Yeah, she was going to be on The Today Show and I wasn’t invited to be on that, but we went shopping to get her some clothes. I made her buy the hottest pink suit you could ever imagine. She thanks me for it now, but I thought, “Oh my God.” Everybody on The Today Show wore black. It was just awful. Here’s Alison, shining like a star in the background. Frank MacKay: Are you surprised that your star, the little star of Little House, went on to have a political career? Or at least become the President of SAG. Again, you saw her from such a little girl, Melissa Gilbert. Charlotte : Absolutely. I was surprised when she had become the President of SAG, because I don’t know. I didn’t know Melissa that well. She was a little girl. We didn’t socialize that much. I followed her a little bit in the gossip columns and stuff, but she did a really good job. Now TA L K N AT I O N I S S U E V I

she’s running for Congress that I just read in the paper this morning. She’s had to drop out of the race. Frank MacKay: S e e , I d i d n ’ t even know she was running for Congress. Charlotte : She was running for Congress. Yes. In Michigan, I think, where she lived with her husband, Timothy. Frank MacKay: She’s got some ambition. Charlotte : Oh, she does. It’s so brave of her, but apparently she had a rather bad injury, I don’t know, maybe 10 years back, when she was traveling with the musical, Little House on the Prairie. She played Ma in the musical and she broke her back when she was doing that, and had to be hospitalized. Then later on, just a couple years ago, she was on Dancing with the Stars and she took a fall and had another injury. Apparently, it’s really coming back and bothering her. She’s in a lot of pain. She decided yesterday, I heard on the news, that she’s dropping out of the campaign for Congress. Frank MacKay: Well it’s a shame. She seems like she was heading in that direction. I mean it. When I mentioned political, I meant SAG. Charlotte : Yeah. Frank MacKay: That’s a political title, when you become the President. Charlotte : She’s a very smart girl. In fact, all the kids on our show were very smart. Alison, I don’t even know what her IQ must be, but she is extremely smart and once again, somebody who is really busy politically. She started out very young,

speaking out for gay rights, and now she has Protect, which is Protect the Children. She’s spoken in front of Congress. Those girls take their lives very seriously and what they can do to help all of us. Frank MacKay: Yeah. I’m always impressed with Alison. She spoke out about AIDs awareness very, very early on. Charlotte : Very early. Yeah. Frank MacKay: I think her husband on the show ended up passing from AIDs. Am I correct on that? Charlotte : Yes. Yes, he did. Absolutely. Yeah. Frank MacKay: At the time, it was still a scary subject. Of course it’s always scary, but it was a subject that a lot of people didn’t want to take on directly because it was such a taboo. Charlotte : Yeah. Frank MacKay: Whatever, but she dove right in there, Alison. Charlotte : Yes, she did. She’s very outspoken. I wouldn’t ask her her political views, because I never ask anybody, but she’d let you have an ear full there, too. Frank MacKay: No question. Let me remind everyone that we have about three or four minutes left with… it goes very quickly. With Charlotte Stewart. We’ve got to get a part two and a part three with you one of these days. Frank MacKay here with the author of “Little House in the Hollywood Hills: A Bad Girl’s Guide to Becoming Miss Beatle, Mary X, and Me.” You know her work again from Twin Peaks, from Little House, Eraserhead, all types of work. She’s

worked with everyone from Elvis to Jimmy Stewart. Where Jimmy Stewart? Where did you work with Jimmy Stewart? Charlotte : It was a film called Cheyenne Social Club. Frank MacKay: Oh, yes. Charlotte : He was partnered with Henry Fonda on that. It’s a wonderful movie. It’s not a puff piece, but it’s great to see these two guys together. It was really good. I loved Henry Fonda in it, but like I say, I only worked a couple of days. Guess who directed it? Gene Kelly. Frank MacKay: No kidding. Oh, I didn’t know that. Charlotte : Another icon. In fact, one day he invited me to go to lunch with a couple of the people in the cast and crew. We walked down Formosa Avenue in Hollywood and it’s a dead end street. I said, “Mr. Kelly, I took up dancing when I was at the Pasadena Playhouse. Would you do the scissor step with me?” He looked at me and we went down Formosa Avenue doing the scissor step together. It was like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy and the scarecrow or the tin man. Frank MacKay: That’s terrific. Charlotte : It was great. I can say I danced with Gene Kelly. Frank MacKay: Yeah. Well, right. You wouldn’t be lying, that’s for sure. Charlotte : No. Frank MacKay: Legends. All over your career, legends. Charlotte : Yeah, just because I lived

so long. That’s why. Frank MacKay: No, no, no. That’s early on. Listen, you could have disappeared 30 years ago and still have worked with Elvis 40 years ago, right? Charlotte : Oh, a long time ago. Yeah. I was still married to Tim when I did the movie with Elvis. That was in 1968, I think. ‘67 or ‘68. Frank MacKay: Yeah. Charlotte : Yeah. Frank MacKay: Just terrific. You’ve seen a lot of changes in the industry. Now again, we have 500 television channels or 1,000, whatever we have. Charlotte : Right. Not to mention podcasts and everything on the internet. I could never have imagined all this. Not only that. The cameras that we used to use then, the big Mitchells, they were huge things. They had a cinematographer riding on it. It was enormous. I did a movie a couple years ago, where the director, cinematographer, used a little tiny Cannon camera. I thought he was taking stills. He was actually shooting. I had no idea. Frank MacKay: Wow. Yeah, there were films that have won Academy Awards that, for independent films, that were shot on iPhones. Charlotte : I know! I know. I think it’s fabulous. I would love to be starting out again today with everything that’s available. Frank MacKay: Well speaking of that, again, you’re 75, 75 years young. You’re just married. You’re clean and

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sober, which is just…again, congratulations on all of that. You can stop right now and just say, “Boy, I had a great, wonderful career,” but you’ve got Twin Peaks coming up and that should be very interesting. Let me tell you, 75 is not old anymore. Charlotte : That’s what I hear. I hear it’s the new 40. Frank MacKay: Right. I’ve seen pictures. I’ve even seen you in person, but I’ve seen pictures of you. You look like you’re 40. You’re in such wonderful shape. Charlotte : Aww. Well I’m active. I work every day in my studio. I don’t believe in just plopping into a chair, although I will do it this afternoon, because the Giants game is on. I will sit down and have some guacamole and watch my Giants, which I love. Frank MacKay: At this point, they’re playing very well. They’re in first place. Charlotte : Yes, in the Western Division, they are. Frank MacKay: Yeah. Listen, that’s nice to know, also. Look, we’re out of time unfortunately with Charlotte Stewart. Again, the author of “Little House in the Hollywood Hills: A Bad Girl’s Guide to Becoming Miss Beatle, Mary X, and Me.” Little House star and Twin Peaks star, Eraserhead star. Charlotte Stewart, thank you very, very much for being here. Charlotte : Oh Frank, thank you. Frank MacKay: Give us a website

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and a social media site that people can follow what you’re doing. Charlotte : Well I’ll be on Facebook. Anybody can friend me on Facebook. You can write to CharlotteStewartBook.com, find out about my book and other things that I’ll have available. It’s a new website and I’m just getting it up and running. Hopefully I’ll have lots of stuff on there that will be fun. Frank MacKay: Listen, it’s been fun speaking to you. Just congratulations on everything. A wonderful, wellspent life, and it’s still going strong. Congratulations on your new marriage with your old friend, somebody you’ve known for 35 years, which is always nice to hear, as well. Charlotte : Yeah. Old friends are the best friends. Frank MacKay: No doubt. Well listen, thank you very much. Again, please promise to come back for a second and a third go at it. We’ll catch up. Charlotte : I will. Frank, call me any time. Love to talk to you. Frank MacKay: Thank you ver y much. I want to thank all of you for tuning in. Charlotte Stewart, again, author…I’m going to give it one last time. “Little House in the Hollywood Hills: A Bad Girl’s Guide to Becoming Miss Beatle, Mary X, and Me.” Frank MacKay here and our special guest has been the author of that wonderful book and actress. Please, look it up. Buy the book. We’ll see you next time on Breaking it Down.