RSC LA – Stephanie Zimbalist and Gregory Harrison

In 1979, before either of these two actors became mega-stars in television (Stephanie on Remington Steele and Gregory on Trapper John, MD), Stephanie and Gregory were appearing in a play and graciously accepted our invitation to be guests on Reasonably Spontaneous Conversation. What a wonderful time we had!

RSC LA – Mel Blanc

In 1979 in Los Angeles, Dennis had this RSC with iconic voice artist and actor Mel Blanc who brought to life so many cartoon cartoon characters including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Foghorn Leghorn and a myriad of others.

The graphic open (and actually SAVING this video from obscurity) was done by the astonishingly funny and talented Ken Lieck.

RSC LA – Anna Russell

I had the delight to have an RSC with the delightful, brilliant and hilarious Anna Russell in Los Angeles in 1979. What an honor!

Anna Russell was an English–Canadian singer and comedian. She gave many concerts in which she sang and played comic musical sketches on the piano. Among her best-known works are her concert performances and famous recordings of The Ring of the Nibelungs (An Analysis) – a humorous 22-minute synopsis of Richard Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen – and (on the same album) her parody How to Write Your Own Gilbert and Sullivan Opera.

RSC LA – Sheldon Leonard

Sheldon Leonard was an actor, writer, producer and director. My first visual of Sheldon was as a mob heavy in one of the gangster films of the 1940s. He expanded beyond his acting to behind and off camera roles.

Sheldon produced and contributed creatively to The Danny Thomas Show, The Andy Griffith Show, Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C, The Dick Van Dyke Show, and, and, and……………… So much more. If you want to dig deeper go to Sheldon’s Wiki page and you will see what a Hollywood influencer this guy was on creating the foundation for our television sitcom culture. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheldon_Leonard

RSC LA – Doris Roberts

The iconic actress Doris Roberts and I sat down for RSC in 1979 at Theta Cable in Santa Monica, CA. Doris was one of America’s most brilliant comedic actresses and we talked about acting, life, being over weight and the challenges in the business and so much more. Enjoy!

RSC LA – Danny Arnold

This RSC from 1979 is with Danny Arnold, the creator, writer and show runner of the iconic television series Barney Miller. We talk about his creative process, the series and the challenges of making television.

RSC LA – Peter Tork

In 1979, I had a Reasonably Spontaneous Conversation with Peter Tork, after his spectacular career with the Monkees — his experience and his perspectives. Peter called it one of the best interviews of his life.

Lotus Weinstock

Lotus was my very first guest on Reasonably Spontaneous Conversation at the public access studios in Santa Monica.

Lotus was an iconic comedienne who paved the way for so many women standup comics. A good amount of Lotus’ humor had to do with being a woman. She was always a feminist, however, and was optimistic about what that meant for the comedy world. She’s quoted saying, “Ten years ago, a woman would not laugh before her date did, so if you did something from a woman’s point of view, the woman wouldn’t want to laugh and expose herself. Now, women will lead the crowd.” Lotus’ optimistic stance on the power that women have in comedy influenced many other women comedians.

Charles Champlin

Charles Champlin is a Harvard graduate who was a writer for Time and Life magazines before going to work for the Los Angeles Times as an entertainment editor in 1965, specializing in the motion picture industry. A few years later he became the paper’s chief film critic and served in that capacity until 1980. He has written many articles and books on the film industry, and has hosted several television programs where he interviews actors, directors and others involved in the business.

Marty Ingles

American actor, comedian, comedy sketch writer and theatrical agent Marty Ingles and Dennis have a Reasonably Spontaneous Conversation from 1979 in Los Angeles.

Pam Dixon

Hollywood casting icon Pam Dixon and I talked on my public access talk show from 1979 in LA. Pam went from a secretary to a senior VP at ABC when ABC was the #1 network at the time.