Thursday, July 30, 2015

Travels with Beaverhausen: Buddy B Hits Frisco!

An SF Patio Where I'm Staying
Oh, the ordeal of flying out of JFK (a/k/a "Private Hell 36")! 36 should have been my gate number this morning.

I arrived at American Airlines ticketing and baggage claim. It was incredibly disorganized and slow going. Everyone on the long line was grousing about how they were obviously going to miss their flights because of how long things were taking. When I got up to the counter, I was told it was too late to check my suitcase but it was small enough to bring aboard, which I really didn't want to do. (I intended to only bring my laptop bag on the plane.) Though I arrived at 6 am for my 8 am departure to the West Coast, by the time I got through security, I had about 15 minutes to board. My gate was #1. I entered the concourse starting at #37. I missed my flight.

I was then put on a 10 am flight to San Francisco. At that time, a rainstorm grounded us for 1/2 an hour.

The staff on the flight were very friendly, attentive and courteous. Honestly, I don't know how they do it! The attendants aboard were all blonde women. I didn't even know that was legal! I was reminded of Tina Turner who said (to Rolling Stone, I believe) that she always envied stewardesses for having such a glamorous job until one day she observed them and had this epiphany: "My God! They're just waitresses!"

I was seated next to a retired New Zealand couple just a little older than me and they were marvelous company that helped pass the 5 -1/2 hour flight time. We were in the typically cramped coach section, three abreast on either side. AA's first-class is private seating on either side. A chaise lounge with desk basically. Their business class is two seats with a small desk in-between.

It was a short taxi ride to my hosts, Ilene and Steve's, home by taxi. The temperature was 67. A nice respite from the heat and humidity in NYC! And, so, I ultimately got to relax after my airport ordeal. We also shared a little wine. Neighbors came by. They also shared the wine. Ilene and Steve's daughter, Katherine, was here with her grade-school friends as well.

Frisco is very easy and breezy. Very not NYC. A mixed blessing. For example, at the airport's taxi pick-up stand, there's no "stand here" sign. When I asked where the line began or ended, I was told, "Wherever. It's kind of free. But everyone eventually gets a cab." Gulp!

Where the Emmys Are.
Steven arrived for dinner about 7 pm Pacific time. He's an equity plan consultant who was able to give me some much-needed financial advice. Ilene is a two-time Emmy-winning producer for Guiding Light and for a sports network. Her dinner tonight was delicious and award-worthy in itself. We three planned my itinerary for the week over dinner. Expect lots of cool stuff from Buddy B coming direct from the Barbary Coast over the next few days!







Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Video Beaverhausen: Buddy B Looks Into the Eyes of Laura Mars

"There's nothing I can do about the baggage under those eyes," the make-up artist complained to producer Jon Peters on the set of Eyes of Laura Mars.

Peters bought a spec script from John Carpenter, a "nobody" at the time (1978), putting him on the track to success as a director/screenwriter. But, oy, is this a potboiler! Peters wanted his then-wife Barbra Streisand to star but she read the script and sagely turned it down, saying it was "too sleazy." She agreed, however, to sing the theme song over the ending credits. The song, "Prisoner" was a hit at the time.

Dunaway brought a madness to her Method in this film, not to mention her temperament to the set. She was difficult, had a rocky relationship (to say the least) with Peters, and sent the production well over budget due to her demands, diva attitude and showing up notoriously late on the set -- reputedly hung over from substance abuse the nights before shooting. She kept cast and crew waiting and waiting for hours. And sometimes didn't show up at all.

The hackneyed script is about a fashion photographer who suddenly discovers she has a psychic ability to see through the eyes of a NYC serial killer. This was made in the wake of the Summer of Sam, of course. Absolute exploitation at its nadir.

Eyes of Laura Mars is about as pleasant and as irritating as sitting in a flea pit. The killings are very by-the-book for the serial killer sub-genre. Tommy Lee Jones and young Raul Julia make brilliant film debuts while Brad Dourif is always suspicious in a movie like this. Renee Aberjonois (a Robert Altman fave (MASH, Brewster McCloud, etc.)) is terrific. But, if a woman's gay friend cross-dresses in her clothes and walks out on the street during a serial killer's female murder spree in Manhattan, you know what's going to happen. This is poorly and obviously by-the-numbers plotting.




Travels with Beaverhausen: San Francisco, Here I Come

I'm off to San Francisco tomorrow! I've decided to pack light, hoping to buy some new threads during my visit. The Gap has its headquarters there, by the way, which I take as a positive sign.

I'll be staying for almost a week with my friends-cum-relatives, Steven and Ilene Frankel Lott. My close friend of over 40 years now, Tracey, is Steven's sister. She was once married to my cousin. That's how we met. I'm still very close to the Lott family, many of whom live in Connecticut. Ilene and Steve lived in Stuyvesant Town in the East Village, but moved when Steve was offered a job in SF. Got all that? (There may be questions later.)

Among the things I must do today before I leave  -- packing, arranging car service to JFK (my flight's at 8 am; car at 6; bedtime 10-11 pm tonight's a must), etc. -- I've decided not to get the haircut I really need. I've been trimming my own hair over the summer and by now I have a modified mullet with poofy sides, a combed-back, uneven front and the frizzy blues!  I thought it might be fun to get my haircut in Frisco. Something smart, maybe around Castro Street way!

This is my third visit to SF, so I basically know the lay of the land, which was once my nickname in NYC, but never mind all that!. My first trip was with my best friend from high school, Michael Stein. That was 1969, the Summer of Love. Haight-Ashbury was as you might imagine it then. I was recently reunited with Mike for the first time since the summer of '69. http://djbuddybeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2015/06/travels-with-beaverhausen-parties-in.html In the 1990s, I visited SF again with my friend, Greg. Things hadn't changed all that much it seemed to me.

So, I'm ready for take-off and will be blogging about my adventures that I expect will include going with my hosts to Feinstein's at The Nikko to see Sally Kellerman perform, hopefully a trip to Fisherman's Wharf, visiting the Castro Theatre and trying out some restaurants. Now, where was that place that served the shrimp and avocado omelette?

San Francisco: high on a hill it calls to me. And one must be high if that what one's hearing! So, in honor of a previous California governor, I'll just say Hasta la vista, babies!

P.s.: Did I mention San Francisco is my disco?


Monday, July 27, 2015

Cine Beaverhausen: Viola Davis Meets Jennifer Lopez in Lila & Eve

Lila & Eve is kind of the 2015 version of  Lipstick. That 1974 film, starring Margaux and Mariel Hemingway, was about vigilante action taken by a fashion model against a serial rapist after the legal system fails her. Drubbed by critics, it was a big box-office success that year.

Lila & Eve, screened at the Sundance Film Festival in early 2015, was released theatrically July 17, though not very widely. It may, I suspect, be on the fast track to home video. I saw it tonight on a promo dvd, and it is by no means a bad movie but certainly not a great one.

In this film, Viola Davis (as Lila) co-stars with Jennifer Lopez (as Eve). As always, Viola throws caution to the wind and emotes like there's no tomorrow. Ms Lopez is... umm... Ms Lopez. Actually, she seems to be influenced by her co-star to raise the bar on her thespianism a bit, and certainly cannot be accused of hamming it up. Her naturalism is put to good use, in fact. Still, dramatically, they're no doubt an odd couple.

The plot revolves around two mothers whose sons were gunned down in a drive-by shooting by a gang. No sooner than JLo says Lila, Get Your Gun, Viola's got a pistol in her purse because, after all, she knows How to Get Away with Murder. Complications ensue. Not your typical "chick flick."

The movie scores points as both a drama and an action flick, and I recommend you give it a -- ahem! -- shot when you can download or rent it on video.

Click on the trailer below:




Sunday, July 26, 2015

Cine Beaverhausen: Buddy Beaverhausen Gets Down with Magic Mike XXL



Myrtle Beach is where the boys are in Magic Mike XXL. The sequel to Steven Soderbergh's 2012 Magic Mike is directed by his long-time Assistant Director Gregory Jacobs, who worked on the first Magic Mike film. Soderbergh did cinematography for the first time on this film and, while it has perfect focus, I found most outdoor shots overly lit and most indoor shots too dark.

Channing Tatum still has a hot bod for sure. And that comes into play in the stripper scenes. Is there one amongst us who'd kick him out of bed?

Jacobs has a secure handle on the film though it feels like an outline in search of a script. Much of the dialogue is obviously improvised. While the cast is generally sturdy, they're not Second City people and, sadly, it shows. Just give us some muscle, boys! A script with dialogue would really have helped.

Did you know Jada Pinkett Smith is in this? One of the few surprises this film offers. Most of it feels very gratuitous and, unlike the first Magic Mike film, not a serious look at the industry. 

The main reason to see Magic Mike XXL is to see Channing Tatum in all his glory. He truly is beautiful. And a good actor as well. That is my sole recommendation for seeing this film. But maybe that's enough. Magic Mike isn't really XXL this time around; I'll give him an M.

Buddy Beaverhausen's Goodbye to Bobbi Kristina Brown

Variety just announced that Bobbi Kristina Brown has passed away at age 22.

Miss Brown was, of course, the daughter of the late Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown. “Bobbi Kristina Brown passed away July, 26 2015, surrounded by her family,” the Houston family said in a statement to People magazine. “She is finally at peace in the arms of God. We want to again thank everyone for their tremendous amount of love and support during these last few months.” The family has endured much heartache over recent years.

On February 11, 2012, Whitney Houston was found dead in her bathtub. The memory of that night is still so vivid to me. I was downstairs, in my friend Kevin's apartment. A small group of us had just carried boxes up full of give-aways from Pottery Barn. I had only moved into my apartment three months earlier. We were celebrating in the living room when the news of Whitney's death came across the tv set. Needless to say, we were all shocked, sharing this together in disbelief.

Like her mother, Bobbi was found (by her partner, Nick Gordon) in her tub. She was unconscious and placed in a medically induced coma. Bobbi is from a long line of recording artists snd divas, starting with grandmother Cissy Houston. Her godmothers are Dionne Warwick and Darlene Love. Ms Love just celebrated her 74th birthday this past Friday.

Wrote Ms Love on Facebook: "Heart broken over the loss of this young, beautiful spirit. Rest in peace, my love."


Video Beaverhausen: Smash-up ~ The Story of a Woman

Buddy B loves this 1947 film and not as a camp classic. Written by Dorothy Parker (yes, the Dorothy Parker!), this is a nascient feminist movie. Smash-up ~ The Story of a Woman is a dark, unsentimental film with a harrowing, unforgettable climax. Nothing's better than Hayward when she's wayward, as she is in this film directed by Stuart Heisler who directed many of Hollywood's "women's films" of the 1940s and '50s. Smash-up was actually subversive in its day, luring ladies in as a tear-jerker but delivering a much stronger, progressive message about forfeiting your career and identity in a marriage.

Single Susan has a singing career. Before her performances at the clubs (film is largely set in NYC where a lot of the outdoor filming takes place), she bolsters her nerves with a drink. That's how it starts; one little stinky-poo and she's on her way to all-day cocktails and burning down the house.

She is wooed and wed by handsome and debonair Lee Bowman. They have a baby. Lee, a songwriter in this film, becomes a celebrity crooner on the radio and a recording star. Hayward, typical of the time, gives up her promising career and becomes a stay at home housewife. This is, of course, enough to drive anyone to drink. Candy is dandy but liquor is quicker our anti-hero discovers. (The story is reputedly based on Bing Crosby's marriage with his first wife.)

Ladies, please take note: If you find yourself in the powder room and Susan Hayward should enter, get out of there immediately. Because, faster than you can say "hold my earrings," all hell's about to break loose. It happened in Valley of the Dolls and it happens in Smash-up.

Marsha Hunt works with Bowman a bit too closely, perhaps, at the studio. When the tipsy Ms Hayward confronts her in the ladies room with the line, "Look at you. Not a hair out of place," you just know she's going for that hair. Oh, yes, catfight lovers, don't miss this!

Eddie Albert (Green Acres) is in this. He plays Susan's platonic male friend and pianist. He assayed a similar role in I'll Cry Tomorrow, Susan's other big alky blow-out portrayal.

There are some great songs in this film, especially the haunting "Life Can Be Beautiful." Susan Hayward was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in this film and the screenplay received a nomination as well..

Ah, the lush life!



Friday, July 24, 2015

On the Town with Sue, Lloyd, Sophe & Me @ Cinema Village

Susan, me & Loyd
I attended the first screening of the documentary The Outrageous Sophie Tucker high noon at the venerable art house, Cinema Village, on the big screen. Ok, it was Cinema Village, as I said, so it was a medium-sized screen.

I already reviewed a press video of the movie http://djbuddybeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2015/07/cine-beaverhausen-outrageous-sophie.html
and interviewed the filmmaking couple, the Eckers as well. Get them a reality tv series somebody!
http://djbuddybeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2015/07/exclusive-q-with-eckers-on-their-sophie.html

Susan and Lloyd Ecker are tirelessly doing Q&As after every screening to help promote the film. It was wonderful to finally meet them in person afterwards in the lobby, as you can see by the photo. Directed by William Gazecki, The Outrageous Sophie Tucker's executive producers are Phil Ramone and Gene Schwam.

During the audience Q&A, I asked the Eckers if they had any reservations or regrets after they saw the final edit of this film. They allowed as to how their only regret is, to get their documentary into a basically 90-minute format, so much footage was edited out. No worries as they promise deleted footage will be on the upcoming dvd.

The filmmakers also said that some of the talking heads during the closing titles sequence (Kaye Ballard, et al.) had no more footage or they'd have loved to include that in the film itself.

Brilliant summer afternoon. The Eckers are, in person, warm, kind and a privilege to have met. The film has already garnered many award nominations (including a Grammy) and is certainly worthy of New York Film Critics and Oscar consideration. And there's always a potential HBO deal. Wishing Susan and Lloyd lots of well-deserved luck. This film has a lot of commercial potential.





Thursday, July 23, 2015

Video Beaverhausen: Sixties Exploitation in Focus Part 2 Featuring Faster Pussycat, Kill Kill!

When this flick was released in 1965, it represented the dark side of Americana after the JFK assassination and during the escalation of the Vietnam War. It was directed by soft-core porn meister Russ Meyers and was not released in the UK until 1980.

I was 13 when this film was released. It played at porno grind houses. I first saw it in the late '70s at the old Bleecker Street Cinema. John Waters said, at the time, it was one of his favorite films and a big influence, which will be obvious to anyone watching. The movie received a huge revival via video in the 1980s and has remained popular until this day.

In the 1990s, I got to meet the film's star, underground icon Tura Satana, who passed away in 2011 at 72. At that point, Tura was working as a bodyguard in Vegas. The NYC bar Barracuda hosted this meet and greet, and Tura was quite sweet, actually, as we sat and spoke a bit. What's new, Pussycat? She told me making Kill Kill was "a gas" and everyone on the set had such fun.

The movie has such endless, rich dialogue, grand bad acting, but gorgeous black and white cinematography by Walter Shenk and editing by Meyer and Charles G. Schelling.

Tura, as Varla, and co-stars Haji (Rosie) and Lori Williams (Billie) are three hot-bodied strippers who go off on a crime spree, killing a man, taking his ingenue girlfriend hostage and moving in on a crippled old man who lives with two hot, hunky sons out in the California desert.

The print ads described this film as "an ode to the violence in women." And so, an off-screen narrator starts the film by declaring "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to violence." None too subtle. And, of course, welcome to sex while you'e at it (though nothing too hard core).

"The point is of no return," Varla announces at one point, "And you've just reached it!" So does this film at one point. Over-the-top fun that's not to be overlooked.

Available on dvd via Amazon.




Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Video Beaverhausen: Joan Crawford IS Queen Bee

"Any man's my man if I want it that way," Joan Crawford as Eva Phillips says in the 1955 film, Queen Bee. There's no doubt in my mind that this movie was a model for tv's Dynasty and the Alexis character.

Joan is the dominating, manipulative, Machiavellian character in a family that lives in the same mansion despite all the ongoing turmoil and drama there. She will stop at nothing and is totally without morals or sympathy for others; a complete sociopath on a drama spree.

Bosley Crowther, film critic at the time for The New York Times, called Joan's performance in this film "the height of mellifluous meanness and frank insincerity." On her part, Ms Crawford looks fabulous in her Oscar-nominated Jean Louis frocks. She admitted that people often identified her with her role in this film.

The film co-stars Barry Sullivan as evil Eva's alcoholic husband, hunky John Ireland as her lover, Betsy Palmer and Faye Wray. Joan is an even more formidable foe for Ms Wray than King Kong. I met Betsy Palmer once and, when I asked her about working with JC, she told me, "I was surprised Joan was so petite but had such a huge head! She was a bit stand-offish but that fed into the dynamics of our characters' relationship in the movie." 


The beautiful b&&w cinematography by Charles Lang was also Oscar nominated. Many diva staircase moments are on view, an obvious influence on Mommie Dearest.


Based on the novel The Queen Bee by Edna Lee, the story is like low-rent Tennessee Williams. The dialogue throughout is to be savored. But Joan is magnificent and rarely off-screen in this classic melodrama. On dvd (not yet on Blu-ray) from Columbia Classics.


By the way, film features the Best Bitch Slap Ever:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5i-0Ew5rslc

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Video Beaverhausen: Buddy Beaverhausen and Bette Davis Go Beyond the Forest

"What a dump!" The line immortalized in Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? was a reference to this King Vidor-helmed camp classic. "Some goddamned Warner Brothers classic starring Bette Davis," Martha brayed.

Beyond the Forest was released in 1949 and was the last movie Ms Davis made in her long contract with Warner Bros. Hardly considered a classic -- or a box-office success -- in its day, it was embraced by its gay audience of the time who immediately picked up on the so-bad-it's-good quality of it all.

Released on VHS here in the USA, it has not been available on dvd. Luckily, a friend converted this for me from a Region 2 dvd (European and other markets outside the United States). The quality is excellent.

"I'm Rosa Moline, Rosa Moline, Rosa Moline!" Davis howls out her character's name at one point. Rosa is unhappily married to Louis Moline, a small town doctor (Joseph Cotton). Bette has admitted the contempt she displayed in this movie was how she felt at the time about her studio. She begged Warner Bros. not to put her in the black fright wig and tight dresses they insisted on and that we see in the film. David Brian and Ruth Roman co-star.

The scheming, slatternly, two-timing, egomaniacal and, ultimately, murderous Rosa is like a Baby Jane Hudson in training. Bette Davis was criticized after the film's release for having turned into a parody of herself. Indeed, the actress pulls out all the stops and all the mannerisms, camping it up with the scorn she felt toward her studio. Rosa's interactions with struggling alcoholic Moose Lawson (Minor Watson) and her Native American maid, Jenny (Donna Drake), are sidesplittingly hilarious.

Jenny: Mrs. Moline, let's not start calling each other names. I got some fancy ones saved up just achin' to be used. 
Rosa: You get out of this house! No red Indian is gonna talk to me like that in my own house!

Moose: You're somethin' for the birds, Rosa, somethin' for the birds. 
Rosa: And you're somethin' that makes the corn grow tall!

When Rosa walks through the town, a neighboring woman says to her friend, "A small town like this must be hard on a woman like Rosa." Says the friend: "Ha! She's hard on the town!"

If the square dance sequence looks messy, it's because Davis refused to return to the set for any further re-shooting. Her next film would be All About Eve. The tagline for Beyond the Forest was "Nobody's as good as Bette when she's Bad!" And she is bad in more than one sense of the word. And that, it turns out, is so good.




Saturday, July 18, 2015

On the Town with Buddy Beaverhausen: Matt Beckoff Brings Sixties Girls to NYC's Metropolitan Room

Me & La La Brooks of the original Crystals
What an awesome afternoon delight this Saturday when three of the great girl-group divas of the 1960s appeared together at the Metropolitan Room. I met with La La Brooks in the lobby, ahead of her being onstage. I've interviewed La La and also reviewed her album from late last year. I was so happy she remembered Buddy Beaverhausen and showed such love! "Buddy Beaverhausen! I really enjoy your little sarcasms and that your blog has an edge to it," La La said to me. I can die happy now.

My friend Ron Giles and I went inside and were seated at one of the comfy booths at the back of the room. Matt Beckoff was a wonderful host to Ms Brooks (original lead singer of Phil Spector's The Crystals), Barbara Harris (of The Toys) and Margaret Ross Williams (lead singer of The Cookies). All were native New Yorkers. The Chantels' Arlene Smith was to be part of this but had to cancel over purported safety issues. Ms Smith uses a motorized wheelchair and thunderstorms were predicted (though failed to develop, gratefully, until much, much later) that could possibly spell danger. May-aybe.

with Barbara Harris and Margaret Ross Williams
What incredible true recollections were discussed by the ladies who lived through it all, however. Racism and segregation -- especially when touring in the South -- was a major focus, most of it harrowing and tragic, as well as the conditions under which the girls had to change and do their make-up and hair during that era.

Influences for this trio? Frankie Lyman and Brenda Lee were cited. Gospel music was a huge part of these women's early foundations and singing. Of course, the backstage stories were especially fabulous. The ladies talked about Phil Spector, Carole King, Neil Sedaka, Sam Cooke, Dick Clark, Little Eva, the Mob, Tony Orlando, Eydie Gorme among others.

Am I a pygmy? Is Matt a giant?
La La was, if nothing else, very outspoken. Our Ms Brooks is from Brooklyn, after all, and has the attitude and outspokenness to prove it. She referred to Darlene Love as a "sicko" (i.e., pathological liar and phony). In my Q&A with La La on this blog, I intentionally avoided asking her about Ms. Love. But Matt was fearless; he went there! "If she were here," the soft-spoken Books added tersely, "I'd tell her that to her face." Thankfully, the fellow Phil Spector alumnus wasn't present.

But La La really brought down the house when she gossiped about being on tour with Diana Ross (then of the Supremes) and how Miss Ross' diva attitude and prissiness pissed the young singer of The Crystals off. She also mentioned how today's divas, like Beyonce and Rihanna, don't know what girls in the Sixties went through, paving the way. "If it weren't for us, there wouldn't be them."

Matt, thank you so much for getting these ladies to talk. Brilliant work! We all loved hearing these amazing backstage stories. When the three women sang "Da Doo Ron Ron" at finale, it brought down the house. Can the Metropolitan Room take any more authentic girl-group power? We shall see.








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Friday, July 17, 2015

Buddy Beaverhausen's Exclusive Q&A with Kathryn Crosby

Kathryn Crosby is a star. I made certain to call her at our appointed time right on the dot. Her voice has not changed a bit; she still has that vivacious lilt she possessed since her youth. Doing this Q&A was quite a lovely experience for me, taking me back to my childhood initially. We talked about her upcoming show, The Melody Lingers On, July 25 in Rockville Centre, NY (further details in the interview and further below). Ladies and gentlemen, Buddy Beaverhausen is proud to present this exclusive Q&A with the fabulous Ms Kathryn Crosby! Many thanks to Richard Skipper for arranging this interview.

BB: You know, I have to start off by telling you that, at age six, I had such a crush on you when my mom took me to see The 7th Voyage of Sinbad. What was it like working on that set?

KC: Oh, that's so sweet, thank you. It was wonderful shooting that film! We shot all over Spain. Madrid, Barcelona, Majorca. So beautiful and the food was delicious. And then, of course, once Ray Harryhausen added the special effects, the final result was magical. We all had such fun working on that film.

BB: Were you close with Kerwin Matthews during and/or after the shoot?

KC: Oh, yes, absolutely! A wonderful human being! We remained good friends right up until his death a few years back.

BB: Where do you call home today? L.A., New York?

KC: San Francisco.

BB: I'm visiting San Francisco at the end of this month, actually.

KC: Wonderful! I hope you have a great time when you get there.

BB: What attracted you to perform in the Irving Berlin tribute, The Melody Lingers On, at The Madison Theater, 1000 Hempstead Ave in Rockville Centre, NY with Sarah Rice and a band of highly accomplished musicians? Will you be doing any singing?

KC: Yes indeed. I'll be singing "White Christmas" and "Alexander's Ragtime Band." I was drawn to this because I always loved the work of Irving Berlin and here was the opportunity to be part of a tribute to one of this country's great songwriters.

BB: You stepped in to replace Lee Merriwether. Are you friends?

KC: Well, no, we don't really know one another. We've met. She's very beautiful, a Miss America, you know.

BB: You were married to Bing Crosby up until his death. What was it like to be married to such a tremendously popular screen idol? And what was Mr. Crosby like personally?

KC: Well, he was really the love of my life. Bing was a perfect example of what you see is what you get. Calm, always very calm. And self-assured. I just adored him. He was a great husband and father to our children. He was devoutly religious; we went to church every Sunday.

BB: You and Bing had two sons and a daughter. He also had children from his previous marriage and one of them, Gary, wrote a commercially and critically unsuccessful autobiography that was quite critical of his father. Did you and/or Bing read this "tell-all"? And if so, what did you think?

KC: Sad. Very sad.

BB: What is your favorite Bing Crosby movie? Favorite song?

KC: "White Christmas" and "White Christmas." We met on the set of the movie and that's how we got married, and also how I got to become good friends with Rosemary Clooney.

BB: What do you feel are the best assets you're bringing to The Melody Lingers On?

KC: Good question. I'd have to say my vocal and acting skills.

BB: Ms Crosby, truly a privilege and pleasure to speak with you. Any last words you'd like to share with our readers around the world?

KC: Yes! Come see us in The Melody Lingers On at The Madison Theatre, Molloy College, 1000 Hempstead Avenue in Rockville Centre, NY, Saturday July 25 at 8 pm. And it's just one show only. See you there!

*********************************************************************************

For press reservations, interview requests, or more information, contact Richard Skipper Celebrates at Richard@RichardSkipper.com or 845-365-0720








Thursday, July 16, 2015

On the Town with Buddy Beaverhausen and The "Marvelous" Marvelettes at the Metropolitan Room NYC!


I was greeted in the Metropolitan Room's lobby by the graceful Joanne Camilleri-Furshpan, owner Bernie's wife, and ushered in by her. I love her gentle accent! It was the first time we met in person.

Lead vocalist Denise Spann-Morgan later appeared on-stage in a sparkling beige, sleeveless gown between her back-up "Marvelos" Marvelettes (who sometimes got a chance to also snag the lead), the magnificent Annette Bland McCoy and LaRita Gaskin. Ms McCoy wasn't coy at all, it turned out, when she bitched that the stage lighting was making her sweat too much under her wig. She quickly removed it, revealing her real hair pulled back into a bun, walked out into the audience and put it on the head of yours truly!



















On a scale of 1 to 100, this show was 110. The packed house was joyously jubilant in its wild enjoyment. Not only is Ms Morgan a powerhouse belter of a singer, but she is a hilarious raconteur and monologist; as raw and raunchy as any diva working today, putting Ms Midler to shame.

The ladies opened with "The Hunter Gets Captured By the Game," then moved on to "Playboy" and "My Baby Must Be a Musician." Towards the end of the act that had the girl-group doing a very upbeat, soulful version of "Please Mr Postman," Denise had given me a personal shout-out and club owner Bernard Furshpan thanked me for bringing the group to the club, calling Buddy Beaverhausen Metropolitan Room's "matchmaker and yenta."

The song set included Baby Washington's "That's How Dreams Are Made" and Otis Redding's "Try a Little Tenderness," both expertly interpreted. A perky "Beechwood 45789," "Too Many Fish in the Sea" and "Don't Mess with Bill" rounded out the night to lots of audience clapping along, applause and bopping around in our seats; even getting to our feet to dance a little.

The "Marvelous" Marvelettes blew the roof off Metropolitan Room and the Metropolitan Room loved every minute of it, it seemed. My friend Nick Lion and I had to later go for a couple of cocktails at The Monster just to recover from our cabaret experience, and to rave -- and share photos -- with everybody about what we'd just seen. Truly, The Marvelettes are one of the best-loved girl-groups of all time. Denise even told her audience that they were Motown's #1 girl group; not The Supremes. Motown's dirty little secret! Hallelujah and amen from your little old yenta, me!

This was the first night of The "Marvelous" Marvelettes' residency at Metropolitan Room. It was also Denise's birthday, by the way. The diva was thrown a little surprise party when the audience sang The Birthday Song and the club served cake to all. An extremely touching moment, especially for our star.

I'll be back for the next "Marvelous" Marvelettes show for sure. http://metropolitanroom.com/enhancedCalendar.cfm

Video Beaverhausen: Sixties Exploitation in Focus Part 1 Featuring Lady in a Cage

In today's world (today being 1964), nobody gives a damn, and we're all going to hell in a hand basket. One of the first images we see is that of a young black girl running her roller skate over a dead drunk's leg. Then there's that dog lying out in traffic. It's set on the 4th of July, so you may consider it a film for your holiday celebration next year.

Olivia's handsome, young gay son decides to leave his smothering mother that day. Then a series of unlikely coincidences create a power failure that traps Olivia (an oxymoronic wealthy poetess) in her elevator, 12 feet off the ground floor.

Ms De H gives a tour de force performance as she goes from calm to upset to terrified to hysterical. Her alarm bell, it seems, only brings in street trash. First, Jeff Corey and Ann Southern (who nearly steals the film), then violent punks including a very hot-looking James Caan in his screen debut, throwing Method acting all over the place as if trying to be the new Brando. He makes eating an apple sexier than any other man on Earth possibly could!

But Olivia gives a performance that would be Oscar worthy if she wasn't in such tripe. If only they had cell phones back in the day. By the way, why didn't she need to use the rest room during all that caged time! I'd definitely have soiled myself, especially considering what was going on in that house.

Joan Crawford was originally to star in this but thankfully it went to Olivia who, as much as I adore Joan, can deliver a more naturalistic performance in this sort of venture. Can you imagine Caan belching in Crawford's face? SLAP!

By the time Caan gets into the "cage" with De Havilland, its sets off a dramatic climax like few others. Caan's character gets to work out some Oedipal issues shall we say. On Olivia's breasts: "You must have kept [her son] sucking for years."

Quite a climax! Don't miss this perhaps underrated classic. Not for the squeamish.






Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Cine Beaverhausen: ACTION! Mad Max Meets The Terminator This Summer

The burning question on my mind upon watching Terminator Genisys is why, if its a prequel, does the Terminator look noticeably older?  Even if he was sent from the future, he's a robot. Do robots age? And why did they design a robot with an Austrian accent in the first place?

The first Terminator movie was great; very simple storyline. Its first sequel was even better and easily understood. The plot of this movie is so convoluted, I can barely attempt to describe it. But here goes:

Kyle Reese is sent back in time. When Reese arrives, he discovers a terminator which is not like ones he's already encountered. He is saved by Sarah Connor who knows who he is and why he is there. He also discovers she has a terminator with her. She tells him the terminator he encountered was sent to kill her when she was nine and the current terminator was sent to save her. Got that? Neither did I really.

Despite the f/x and violence, this film was a big yawn for me. I had no way of relating to this tangled jumble of a storyline. Staring and meditating on your buttered popcorn is never a good sign at the movies.


Much more successful is the Mad Max franchise reboot that kicked off the summer fare this year and is still at many theaters. Mel Gibson got rebooted out. At least the producers of this film know when an action hero is too old for a role. British actor Tom Hardy is actually a refreshing presence in the part.

Mad Max: Fury Road takes our hero well beyond Thunderdome in Australia's post-apocalypse world.

The fact that he's joined by Oscar and Golden Globe Award-winning actress Charlize Theron only sweetens things. This is a grade A action film. A sequel is already in pre-production.

American Tea Party heads exploded over an empowered female in a macho action film. That only heightened my enjoyment of Fury Road.


Monday, July 13, 2015

Video Beaverhausen: Bette Davis & Olivia DeHavilland in In This Our Life

What a melodrama this is! Bette Davis is pure, full-throttle bitch opposite good sister Olivia De Havilland. Interesting that their character names are Stanley and Roy.

John Huston directed this 1942 film with such panache, you won't be able to take your eyes away from it.

Rosa Moline from Beyond the Forest, perhaps Bette's most famous evil character, actually pales  in comparison to Stanley Timberlake.

Screenplay by Howard Koch from a novel by Ellen Glasgow, music by Max Steiner, featuring Charles Coburn, Billie Burke, Dennis Morgan, George Brent and Hattie McDaniel, this is Warner Bros. in all its glory.

Bette steals sister Olivia's boyfriend, blames a drunk driving accident on a young black man studying to be a lawyer. (Of course the cops believe her because she's white and privileged. Still socially relevant, folks!) Bette's climactic scene with Coburn is dramatic fireworks, especially when she shouts at him, as he's dying, near the end:

All right, so you're going to die! But you're an old man, you've lived your life - I haven't lived mine! Mine's hardly begun! Think of me, uncle! Think of what'll happen to me if you don't get me out of this! You're not even listening! You don't care what happens to me any more than the others. You'd let me go to prison. All you're thinking of is your own miserable life. Well you can DIE for all I care! DIE!

Over the top? You bet! 


Now available on dvd. Not to be missed!

Sunday, July 12, 2015

On the Town with Buddy Beaverhausen @ the Beaux Arts Society's Summer Soiree

getting seated @ Etcetera Etcetera
It was a hot summer afternoon in NYC on Sunday. I ventured out to the fringe of the Broadway theater district and there, on the second floor of the restaurant Etcetera Etcetera, enjoyed hours of entertainment and a free buffet of delicious food (the restaurant's lasagne with green noodles and tiramisu dessert were especially scrumptious). But the smorgasbord of talent really dominated the day. Hours of entertainment from spoken word to demonstration to comedy and, of course, song.

I was seated with friends Kathy Towson, Paula Hoza and Ron Giles among several others, a couple of who got up to be part of the entertainment. Broadwayworld's Malka Gittel Bas Reuven was there. Luv huh!

Tom Stevens & Me
Beaux Arts founder Tom Stevens was our host. There were two intermissions. Highlights included Denny Daniel's lively show-and-tell of items from his Museum of Interesting Things in SoHo, like the first tv remote from 1955. He shared many interesting true stories like how we actually see two of everything but, shortly after birth, our minds combine them into one 3-D image. 3-D itself, Denny told us, began in the 19th century. He passed around an antique device for seeing three-dimensional photographs. And I thought 3-D began with House of Wax!

With Malka Gittel Bas Reuven and Sean Bennett
Sean Bennett, an attractive, bright and openly gay young man seated at our table, discussed his book Luxury Steals and Deals, things all travelers might find of great interest. Also from our table, comedian Ben Rosenfeld garnered much laughter from his schtick about Russian vs. Western culture. He has also published a very funny and nicely illustrated book, the rather oxymoronically titled Russian Optimism.

Singers Ron Fowler and Ron Giles brought the show to a wonderful close with their great covers of classics from the 1950s and '60s. Great show, great food, fabulous company. Thank you to the bevy of talented performers who kept us enraptured with their variety of material, to Beaux Arts Society and Etcetera Etcetera, and especially to Tom Stevens and Beaux Arts' Executive V.P. George Strum for a Sunday afternoon well spent.
Tom and Ben Rosenfeld


On the Town with Buddy Beaverhausen: Gloria Gaynor, Maxine Nightingale and The Blue Notes @ Resorts World, Queens

Smiles of a summer night! Few nights can compare to Saturday this week for pure joy and celebrating nightlife in New York City as well as life itself!

I went out to Resorts Casino in Queens with my friend, Kevin, whose recent birthday we were honoring. It was a night of wine, women and song or, more specifically, cosmos, divas and a concert.

We had a great livery car driver, a neighbor it turned out, taking us there and back in his sedan. The ride from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn to Jamaica, Queens (extremes of both boroughs) is like international traveling to me. The long drive to the casino was wonderful, as it was all along the waterfront with cooling breezes on a hot day and the smell of salt water was in the air.

Resorts could have its act more together on their ticketing/ admissions but I won't elaborate. They could also provide more seats for the space their showroom occupies, too. Traffic had us arriving just a little late. Harold Melvin's Blue Notes opened. We walked in just before they sang "Don't Leave Me This Way," a song they recorded ahead of Thelma Houston's better known version.

The crowd for this show wasn't all that diverse. Mostly disco dinosaurs, many with canes and walkers, so there wasn't a lot of booty-shaking (well, not in the dance sense anyhow) with all the probable hip replacements except for one septuagenarian gentleman who dramatically busted a move early on. (Was it The Hustle or a seizure?)

Maxine Nightingale, who is 62 years old now, looked all fab and glam. Much hotter than Madonna, almost 57, in fact. She ended with her two hits, "Lead Me On" and "Right Back Where I Started From" after a series of strong disco covers by others like SOS Band's "Take Your Time (Do It Right)" and Alicia Bridges' "I Love the Nightlife." She was in good voice throughout her set.

But the glorious Gloria Gaynor blew everyone away. She has survived and thrived. Go, Glo! She opened with her famous disco version of "Going Out of My Head" and then her '80s dance version of Kander & Ebb's "I Am What I Am" from La Cage aux Folles. Her long set included other disco hits like "I Never Can Say Goodbye" as well as a dance-music version of Christine Aguilera's "Beautiful," another positive, self-empowerment number. Ballads like "Killing Me Softly" and a great gospel version of "Every Breath You Take" were included for balance and diversity mid-way through her act. The audience was teased, tantalized and craving more throughout it.

Donna Summer said if she was The Queen of Disco, then Gloria Gaynor was The First Lady. The two formed a friendship and not a diva rivalry. GG did a Donna tribute that was admired by all. The evening's medley included "Last Dance," "MacArthur Park" and "Heaven Knows."

Of course, our prima diva ended with "I Will Survive," a 10-minute version that left no one disappointed. This has got to be one of the most famous songs, internationally, ever recorded. Even today's younger generations know it.

After the show, I cried and then I held my head up high and went with Kevin to the casino. Beginner's luck, I spent $10 and immediately won $65. I cashed out. However, I did get the opportunity to lean over the balcony and see part of the later show by Robin S doing "Love for Love" and "Show Me Love." Our '90s diva's voice has definitely deepened. She now sounds like Barry White and looks very ghetto in her denham, rag-tag and very "street" outfit. Very butch but still a big belter.

So we were back, from out of space and into our car home. Same driver. We mentioned the show and "I Will Survive" and our commander-in-chief played that song in various languages and English interpretations from his cell phone over the car's speakers, then segueing into other artists like Rihanna and Usher before we got home. Disco on wheels. A party night, right to the bitter end!












Friday, July 10, 2015

Richard Malavet's Very Good Years: the Intimate Sinatra

Old Blue Eyes is definitely back, There has been no shortage of Frank Sinatra tributes in NYC this year, perhaps because of Sinatra's centennial come December. The latest, Very Good Years: the Intimate Sinatra, came to NYC's Metropolitan Room tonight.

Richard Malavet looks like actor Richard Beymer's love child and enraptures us with a well modulated baritone that can be caressingly gentle or dramatically powerful as needed.

Malavet especially impressed us with his bouncy opener, "You Make Me Feel So Young," the Oscar-winning song "All the Way" from the film The Joker Is Wild, "Yellow Days" sung in its original Spanish and Richard's encore number, "Put Your Dreams Away." The full house, including a few recording and cabaret notables, obviously enjoyed the show immensely.

Malavet was well served by a four-piece band with multi-Grammy nominee music director John di Martino on piano, twice Grammy winner Boris Kozlove on bass, Shinnosuke Takahashi on drums and James Chirillio on guitar.

Very Good Years, however, suffered from one major flaw, and that was bringing crib sheets onstage that Mr Malavet proceeded to get visibly flustered over. Malavet flubbed his way through these with obvious chagrin. The performer certainly knows enough about Sinatra to do his patter off-the-cuff and put his notes aside rather than diminish the patina of an otherwise very polished presentation. As you yourself sing, Richard, when it comes to pleasing your audience, it's All or Nothing at All.


RIP, Nicky Arnstein and Dr Zhivago


May he forever walk in peace through that great sunflower garden in the sky. Academy Award nominated and three-time Golden Globe winning actor Omar Sharif has died of a heart attack at age 83. He also suffered, late in life, from Alzheimer's Disease.

The suave, debonair actor was swept to success by his combination of talent and sex appeal. Born to a well-to-do Catholic family in Egypt as Michel Dimitri Chalhoub, he later converted to Islam to marry actress Faten Hamama.

He began his career in Egyptian films before making his breakthrough role in David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia. He went on to star opposite Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl and Julie Andrews in The Tamarind Seed. Lean cast him again in the titular role in Dr. Zhivago. In '60s Hollywood, who cared if you were Egyptian or Eastern European as long as you had an accent.

Many Arab countries banned Funny Girl because  of Shatif's playing a Jewish character. Said Streisand at the time, "You think Cairo was upset? You should see the letter I got from my Aunt Rose!" She told the press today:

“Omar was my first leading man in the movies. He was handsome, sophisticated and charming. He was a proud Egyptian and in some people’s eyes, the idea of casting him in Funny Girl was considered controversial. Yet somehow, under the direction of William Wyler, the romantic chemistry between Nicky Arnstein and Fanny Brice transcended stereotypes and prejudice. I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to work with Omar, and I’m profoundly sad to hear of his passing.”

Of his co-star, Mr Sharif had said, "I was madly in love with her. I thought she was the most gorgeous girl I'd ever seen in my life.... I was lusting after her."


Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Cine Beaverhausen: The Outrageous Sophie Tucker



Right from the start, The Outrageous Sophie Tucker sweeps you up with its rare archival footage that shows what a groundbreaker and grand influence she was, and still is, in the world of entertainment. Where would Bette Midler and Mae West or even Judy Garland be without this fabulous icon?

The film, from Menemsha and Innovative Films, opens with her singing in the pre-Code film, the ironically titled Gay Love. Sophie's ribald humor and camp posturing immediately made her a major figure amongst her gay audience. The zaftig Tucker wasn't afraid to push the boundaries of taste, as is immediately seen when the film, ahead of its title credits, flashes the quote: "I believe in tit for tat. And if that's the case, someone owes me a lot of tat."

The Outrageous Sophie Tucker skillfully melds performance footage with talking heads (Barbara Walters, Michael Feinstein, Tony Bennett, Carol Channing), photographs, recordings and discussion by filmmakers Susan and Lloyd Ecker. Tucker's vaudevillian roots are explored as are her relationships with other show business greats.

Controversy is not skirted: Sophie Tucker's brief dalliance with blackface during her vaudeville days, her relationship with the Mob, her many marriages, her bisexuality, her penchant for gambling, her weight problem, her friendship with J. Edgar Hoover who loved to wear Sophe's hand-me-downs. But so is her feminist approach to women's sexuality and her genius ability to market herself (advertising everything from exercise machines to plus-sized clothes for women (ahead of its time)), as well as her signature handkerchief.

Tucker sang "Last of the Red Hot Mamas," and that became her moniker from the first motion picture talkie starring a woman (Tucker).

Now, at just over 90 minutes, this film is the very essence of infotainment, people! I learned so much while being thoroughly entertained from this film by the Eckers. Viva, La Sophe!

Favorite line: "My hair makes Marie Antoinette's look like a flat-top!"

My exclusive Q&A with the Eckers: http://djbuddybeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2015/07/exclusive-q-with-eckers-on-their-sophie.html

The Outrageous Sophie Tucker can be seen at Cinema Village, 22 East 12th St., NYC beginning Friday, July 24th.

For press reservations, interview requests, or more information, contact Richard Skipper Celebrates at Richard@RichardSkipper.com or 845-365-0720




Monday, July 6, 2015

Exclusive Q&A with The Eckers on Their Documentary, The Outrageous Sophie Tucker

     
      It was such a pleasure to interview Lloyd and Sue Ecker. They are ready for a stand-up comedy gig. I think you'll be royally entertained reading this.

      Buddy Beaverhausen: Look forward to seeing your Sophie Tucker documentary at Cinema Village. What was it that drew you to her as a subject?

Lloyd: Bette Midler. She did her Sophie jokes in her act the first time we saw her perform in 1973 at Ithaca College. I was the one responsible for getting Bette to come to our school, so after the show we had dinner with her.
      Susan: It was a pretty unbelievable first date. After that,we got married, had three great kids and sold our family business.  Thanks Bette!
BB: Can you give our readers a brief synopsis of your professional career together?
 S: Both of our parents always worked together when we were growing up.  So it was a natural that we would too.  In 1983 we started selling Father-to-Bee hats, using a bumble bee logo instead of the word “BE”.
L: Everything had our “BEE” logo on it.
S: We sold maternity gifts for the rest of the pregnant family—fathers-to-bee, grandparents- to-bee, aunts and uncles-to-bee. We found our own little niche.
L: After the Internet arrived, we became the #1 collector of pregnant names from a website called Babytobee.com.
L: We both were really bored after we sold our baby business in 2006. So we came up with this Sophie idea that we’ve been working on ever since.
S: We decided we were going to become the world’s foremost authority on Sophie Tucker and then develop a new entertainment franchise based on the life story of ‘The Last of the Red Hot Mamas’. 
BB: In the world of documentary filmmaking, who are your idols?
L: I guess we should say the Burns boys, but to tell you the truth, since this is our first documentary, we would have to go with our director, William Gazecki.
     BB: What was it that drew you to Sophie Tucker as a subject?
L: Bette Midler. She did her Sophie jokes in her act the first time we saw her perform in 1973 at Ithaca College. I was the one responsible for getting Bette to come to our school, so after the show we had dinner with her.
S: It was a pretty unbelievable first date. After that,we got married, had three great kids and sold our family business.  Thanks Bette!
BB: Can you give our readers a brief synopsis of your professional career together?
 S: Both of our parents always worked together when we were growing up.  So it was a natural that we would too.  In 1983 we started selling Father-to-Bee hats, using a bumble bee logo instead of the word “BE”.
L: Everything had our “BEE” logo on it.
S: We sold maternity gifts for the rest of the pregnant family—fathers-to-bee, grandparents- to-bee, aunts and uncles-to-bee. We found our own little niche.
L: After the Internet arrived, we became the #1 collector of pregnant names from a website called Babytobee.com.

L: We both were really bored after we sold our baby business in 2006. So we came up with this Sophie idea that we’ve been working on ever since.
S: We decided we were going to become the world’s foremost authority on Sophie Tucker and then develop a new entertainment franchise based on the life story of ‘The Last of the Red Hot Mamas’. 
BB: In the world of documentary filmmaking, who are your idols?
L: I guess we should say the Burns boys, but to tell you the truth, since this is our first documentary, we would have to go with our director, William Gazecki.
S: I don’t know the names either, but we loved Man on a Wire, the dolphin movie and Sugarman and whoever made those.
L: I’m sure those directors will be thrilled that we don’t know their names!
BB:  Can you tell us how working together as married people influences and/or affects a marriage and your careers?
L: As Sue said, working together as a married couple is in our DNA.  We don’t know any other way to be married and do a project of any type at the same time.  It’s either both of us or not at all.  For me the project switch is always ‘ON’, morning, noon and night.
S: I’m not as crazy as Lloyd.  I have to read a good book to escape for a few hours every day or I would go nuts from ‘Mr. ON’.  Otherwise we wouldn’t have made it to being together for 40 years.
L: When are you reading?  That’s gonna have to stop.
S: Did I mention were married for 40 years?  I think I deserve a medal!                                                         
BB: Who usually got the last word in decision-making on this film?
S&L: ME!
L: To be honest, I make the mess…
S: …and I clean it up.
L: Maybe we both better take the 5th so we can make it to 41 years together.
      BB: Bette Midler -- who I saw recently in her latest show -- always devotes part of her act doing Sophie jokes. Any opinions?
      
       L: As we said, if Bette didn’t do those Sophie jokes back in 1973, we wouldn’t be talking to you today.  We are lifelong fans of Midler, have seen her perform over a dozen times and met her in person a half dozen times.
      S: Even though all of Bette’s Sophie jokes are written by our friend Bruce Vilanch, we will always be thankful that Bette was responsible for this project and our long marriage.
      L: So I can blame Bette about our marriage?
      S: Next question.
BB:Will your film portray Tucker "warts and all"? Tell us about some of the more controversial aspects of her life and career.

 L: This woman did it all: beer halls, burlesque, vaudeville, silent movies, one of the first talkies, major film musicals and Broadway shows, and finally she played at every swanky and not so swanky nightclub in the world.
S: Tucker knew all the presidents from Taft to Johnson.
L: She even had JFK’s personal White House number and called him any time she liked.
S: She performed for and palled around with two English Kings, the current Queen Elizabeth, two former Princes of Wales and the Mountbattens.
L: She also hung out with all the well-known gangsters in the 20’s including Al Capone and got herself arrested a couple of times for indecency for singing lewd songs.
S: She was also personal friends with J. Edgar Hoover.
L: That’s a good one. We have an unbelievable interview with one of Sophie’s friends who was sitting in between her and J. Edgar when Hoover leaned over and asked Tucker if he could have one of her fancy beaded gowns after she was done with it.
BB: Ha! That's a good one!
S: Which reminds me, there is a whole segment in the film which discusses her lifelong bisexuality.
L: One thing is for sure. We now have more than enough material to go forward with our plan to develop a new entertainment franchise based on the life story of The Last of the Red Hot Mamas. 
BB:  Sophie Tucker is credited with influencing a variety of women in comedy and song. Not just Bette Midler but everyone from Mae West to Carol Channing, Ethel Merman, Joan Rivers, to Mama Cass Elliot. What are your thoughts on the influence she's had on women who sing and tell jokes in show business?
S: Everyone is talking on the Internet these days about ‘fat shaming’. Sophie was probably the first ever to be ‘fat shamed’ back in 1906. We have a whole segment in our film discussing her weight which fluctuated between 175-215 pounds her whole life.  Instead of being mortified, Tucker embraced her heft and made it part of her livelong act. 
L: Add Lena Dunham and Amy Schumer to your list. They should thank Sophie too. We loved Joan Rivers, but we got a kick out of some of the quotes in her obituaries a year ago, attributing her as a breakthrough woman performer.  Without Sophie Tucker first, there would have been no Joan Rivers or any of the others you mentioned.
BB:How do you two like to relax?
S: Visiting the Caribbean as often as possible.
L: And when were not there, we keep our pool at 94 degrees so we can ‘swim’ under the stars each night.
S: Of course, wherever we ‘swim’ ‘Mr. On’ is still talking about our Sophie project.
BB: Any last shout-outs to our readers?
S: Yes. We want everyone to come visit us starting on July 24 at the Cinema Village in Greenwich Village.  We will be there every day, 5 showings a day at 12, 2:15, 4:30, 6:45 and 9pm.  Lloyd and I will doing a live show after every screening. It will include a Q&A and a preview about our future SOPH Broadway musical.  
L: We also want everyone to know our first of three novels called I Am Sophie Tucker is on sale at Amazon, your local bookstore or our site at SophieTucker.com in both hardcover or as an eBook. We need everyone to buy it so it can become the next big #1 NY Times bestseller. This is the novel that that is the basis for our future new Broadway Best Musical and Academy Award winning Best Picture. Then after that we’ll write the other 2 books and produce a great six year run, Emmy Award winning Best Drama TV series.
S: Did I mention that I have been married to ‘Mr. ON’ for 40 years? It better be a GOLD medal.

For press reservations, interview requests, or more information, contact Richard Skipper Celebrates at Richard@RichardSkipper.com or 845-365-0720