Thu Oct 29, 2009

ON THURSDAY'S SHOW:

Eric Braeden (born April 3, 1941) is a German-born film and television actor, best known for his role as Victor Newman on the soap opera The Young and the Restless. Braeden won a Daytime Emmy Award in 1998 for Lead Actor in a Drama Series for the role. Eric Braeden was born Hans Jörg Gudegast in Bredenbek, Germany (near Kiel) where his father was once mayor. He emigrated to the USA in 1959. In the United States, Braeden attended The University of Montana in Missoula. Although an American citizen, he also considers himself a loyal citizen of Germany, and holds dual citizenship. He has been awarded many German civic awards. Braeden accumulated many TV and film credits during his first two decades in America, most notably a role as the German Hauptmann (Captain) Hans Dietrich on the TV series The Rat Patrol (1966–1968), as well as a starring role in the movie Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970), in which he first took the stage name of Eric Braeden, and a supporting role in the 1971 film Escape from the Planet of the Apes. He was also kept busy during the early 1970s in a variety of guest starring roles in such TV series as The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Wonder Woman and as a guest star in several episodes of the CBS western Gunsmoke. He also appeared, uncredited, as Bradford Dillman's de facto stunt double in the 1978 film Piranha--Braeden had originally been cast to play Dillman's character, Paul Grogan, and had shot some underwater swimming footage before the role was recast; Braeden's stunt footage ended up in the finished film anyway.

In 1980, he was offered the role of self-made magnate Victor Newman on The Young and the Restless for a 26-week run. His character imprisoned his wife's lover, and became so popular the character became a love-to-hate villain, and his contract was renewed. Still on the show today, Braeden won a Daytime Emmy for his work in 1998. In 1997, he played Colonel John Jacob Astor IV in the blockbuster film Titanic, picked because he strongly resembled the powerful millionaire. His current project, "The Man Who Came Back," an independent Western film of double-cross and revenge, is written and directed by Louisiana's Glen Pitre. Braeden recently starred in a How I Met Your Mother episode (November 3rd, 2008) as Robin Sr., Robin's father, trying to make his daughter act like the son he never had. He then has an emotional breakdown when he realizes that he "has no son". Braeden is regarded as a very good tennis player. He and his wife, Dale Gudegast, were witnesses at the wedding of Bob Crane and Sigrid Valdis while on the set of Hogan's Heroes. Their son, Christian Gudegast, is a screenwriter who co-wrote the film A Man Apart and is the father of a daughter. Actor Clarence Williams III and former boxer Ken Norton are two of his best friends. He recently received a star on the "Hollywood Walk of Fame".

Thu Oct 22, 2009

Dick Van Patten is the guest with Bob on this week's show.

Richard Vincent "Dick" van Patten (born December 9, 1928) is an American actor.Van Patten was born in New York City, the son of Josephine Rose (née Acerno), who worked in advertising, and Richard Byron Van Patten, an interior decorator. He is the older brother of actress Joyce Van Patten and film Director Tim Van Patten and the uncle of Talia Balsam. He has been married to Patricia Poole (aka Pat Van Patten) since 1954. They have three sons, all actors: Vincent Van Patten, Nels Van Patten, and James Van Patten. Nels is named for the character Dick played on the CBS TV series Mama. Van Patten started his career in showbiz as a child actor on Broadway in 1937 in The Eternal Road as Dickie Van Patten; he went on to appear in twelve other Broadway plays as a teenager. He moved on to television and movies with the 1949 TV series Mama which ran from 1949 to 1957, and as patriarch Tom Bradford on Eight is Enough, 1977 to 1981. Patten also appeared in episodes of Sanford and Son, Arrested Development, The Brian Keith Show, and Happy Days. He has appeared in several Mel Brooks films, including High Anxiety, Spaceballs, and Robin Hood: Men in Tights, as well as cameos in the music videos for "Smells Like Nirvana" and "Bedrock Anthem" by "Weird Al" Yankovic, and on The Weird Al Show. Van Patten co-founded Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Pet Foods in 1989. He also was a commentator for the World Series of Poker from 1993 to 1995.

Thu OCT 15, 2009

THIS WEEK: RONNIE SCHELL CRNTALK.com

This week Bob welcomes veteran comedian and TV Star Ronnie Schell to the show.
Ronald Ralph "Ronnie" Schell (born December 23, 1931) is an American actor, stand-up comedian and cartoon voice actor (notably Peter Puck). Early in his career he appeared as himself as a contestant on You Bet Your Life opposite Groucho Marx, demonstrating a comic barrage of jive talk. Schell was born in Richmond, California. His first choice of careers was to play professional baseball. He got as far as the semi-pro league level before enlisting in the Air Force, where he performed in variety shows as both an emcee and comedian and also did record pantomimes. Schell studied at San Francisco State University and by happenstance formed a nightclub comedy duo which took off. He turned solo within a year and progressed to Las Vegas work as an opening act. Perhaps Ronnie will always be best remembered for playing Private Duke Slater on the Jim Nabors vehicle Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.. He played this role for three years, starred as a disc jockey for one season in his own sitcom, Good Morning, World. He then returned to Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. as a Corporal for its fifth and final season. He used this experience to humorously refer to himself in his stand-up routine as "America's slowest-rising young comic." Schell also acted in a few Pacific Southwest Airlines Commercials such as "Smile Inspection" and "PSA Gives You A Lift Pageant". At the end of a Jerry Lewis PSA Jingle, a voice said "That was Jerry Lewis for PSA, and this is Ronnie Schell. What did I do wrong?".[1] He also did a commercial with Don Adams where he parodied Don's TV character Maxwell Smart.
His television guest credits include Phil of the Future, Yes, Dear, The Wayans Bros., Step by Step, Coach, The Golden Girls, 227, Saved by the Bell, Empty Nest, Mr. Belvedere, Santa Barbara, Trapper John, M.D., Too Close for Comfort, The Brian Keith Show, The Love Boat, Alice, Mork & Mindy, One Day at a Time, Charlie's Angels, The Dukes of Hazzard, Sanford and Son, Emergency!, Happy Days, Adam-12, The New Dick Van Dyke Show, That Girl and Hogan's Heroes. He is currently starring in the Off-Broadway production of "Don't Leave it All to Your Children!", a comedic and musical revue dedicated to those Baby Boomers everywhere who are about to enter into the golden age of Senior Citizenship.

Thu Oct 8, 2009

Robert Conrad welcomes Joanne Worley to the show this week:

Jo Anne Worley (born September 6, 1937) is an American actress. Her work covers television, movies, theater, game shows, talk shows, commercials, and cartoons. She is best known for her work on the comedy-variety show Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. Worley was born in Lowell, Indiana, the third of five children. In 1962, her father remarried and his second union gave her two half-brothers and two half-sisters. Always remembered for her loud voice, Worley once said that when she attended church as a little girl, she never sang the hymns but would only lip-synch them for fear that she would drown out everyone else. Before graduating from high school, she was named School Comedienne. After graduating from high school in 1955, Worley moved to Blauvelt, New York, where she began her professional career as a member of the Pickwick Players. This led to a drama scholarship to Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas. After studying at Midwestern for two years, she moved to Los Angeles to study at Los Angeles City College and the Pasadena Playhouse. She was soon given her first musical role in a production of Wonderful Town. In 1961, she received her first major break when she appeared in the musical revue Billy Barnes People in Los Angeles; this production moved to Broadway, where it ran for only six performances. However, the New York Times reviewer wrote: "Jo Anne Worley has an earthy style that suggests she could be a rowdy commedienne." In 1964, Worley was selected to appear as a stand-in on the original Broadway production of Hello, Dolly! One year later, she created her own nightclub act in Greenwich Village, where she was discovered by Merv Griffin in 1966. Impressed by Worley's talents, Griffin engaged her to be one of his primary guest stars on his show, where she made approximately 40 appearances on The Merv Griffin Show. In 1966 she appeared Off-Broadway in The Mad Show, a musical revue based on Mad Magazine. In 1967, her stint on Griffin's show led to her discovery by George Schlatter, who soon cast her in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. In 1970, she left Laugh-In to pursue other projects and has made guest appearances on several TV shows, including Hot Dog, Love, American Style, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, The Andy Williams Show, and different game shows such as Hollywood Squares. She continued working in various movies, TV shows, and theatrical performances (original productions and revivals alike) over the years; and she also became known for her work as a voice provider for several cartoons, animated movies, and video games. Her voice work includes Nutcracker Fantasy (1979), the Disney movies Beauty and the Beast (1991), A Goofy Movie (1995), Belle's Magical World (1998), and the voice of the Wardrobe in the video game Kingdom Hearts II (2005). She performed in regional theater, such as the Melody Top Theater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she appeared in Gypsy: A Musical Fable as Rose (1984), Annie Get Your Gun (1982), Hello Dolly! (1980), Anything Goes (1978), and Once Upon A Mattress (1974), She also appeared at the Welk Dinner Theater in San Diego, California in Same Time, Next Year in 1985., Call Me Madam at the California Music Theatre, Pasadena, California, in 1987. , and Nunsense at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, La Mirada, California, in 1991. In 1989, she returned to Broadway to appear in Prince of Central Park, but the show was canceled after one performance. Worley was cast as The Wicked Witch of the West in a 1999 musical production of The Wizard of Oz, directed and adapted by Robert Johanson, with Mickey Rooney playing the eponymous role. The production had a limited run at the Pantages Theater, Hollywood, California and at the Theater at Madison Square Garden, and she also joined the limited US tour. Worley played Mrs. Tottendale in the Broadway musical, The Drowsy Chaperone at the Marquis Theatre from July through December 2007. On January 1, 2008, she replaced Carol Kane as Madame Morrible in the Los Angeles cast of Wicked. She played the role for seven months and left the show on August 24, 2008 when Kane returned to the role. Jo Anne Worley continues to perform today in several acting circuits in New York and Los Angeles, and she has also been active at times in the lecture circuit. She is currently President of and also serves on the Board of Directors for Actors and Others for Animals.