Ira's Everything Bagel

This week, Ira spoke with Sarah Murdoch,  professional tour guide, travel writer, artist and occasional architect. In this globetrotting episode of Ira’s Everything Bagel, Sarah talks about growing up and falling in  love with travel; how she ended up giving packing classes as part of her business; the basic strategy of packing; her best advice for a beginning traveler; her best advice for a veter...

This week, Ira spoke with Robert Wittman, author of author of Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World’s Stolen Treasures and The Devil’s Diary: Alfred Rosenberg and the Stolen Secrets of the Third Reich. He also finds time to be a keynote speaker at meetings and conventions across the country, as well as a zoom lecture series he is doing on Thursdays, September 8-29 for the University...

This week, Ira spoke with Worbey and Farrell, internationally acclaimed concert pianists, who are also authors of Well Strung: Terrific Tales from Two Turns. In this “key” episode of Ira’s Everything Bagel, Steven and Kevin talk about starting to work together by accident; their synergy; why their new book is like a conversation; why they don’t take anything for granted; how they changed the comed...

Author, Jumping The Broom The Surprising Multicultural Origins of a Black Wedding Ritual This week on Ira’s Everything Bagel Podcast, host Ira Sternberg delves into the fascinating world of Black wedding traditions with Tyler D. Parry, author of the acclaimed book, Jumping The Broom, The Surprising Multicultural Origins of a Black Wedding Ritual (published by UNC Press). This episode, perfec...

This week, Ira spoke with Debbie Wileman, a vocalist specializing in Judy Garland and other legendary singers (as well as a singer in her own right), whose new album is I’m Still Here. The album features Debbie performing songs from Judy's illustrious career and other tunes that she thinks the legendary singer would perform if she were here. In this Carnegie episode of Ira’s Everything Bagel, Debb...

Author, John Hervey Wheeler, Black Banking, and the Economic Struggle for Civil Rights Welcome to another enlightening episode of “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” where we have the privilege of hosting Dr. Brandon K. Winford, an esteemed associate professor of history at the University of Tennessee. Dr. Winford is a specialist in the late-nineteenth and twentieth-century United States and Afr...

This week, Ira spoke with comedy writer, songwriter and actor Bruce Vilanch. In this eclectic (and hilarious) episode of Ira’s Everything Bagel, Bruce talks about his connection to the comedians of the Catskills; his move from the East Coast to Ohio and on to Hollywood; writing for the Academy Awards shows, Joan Rivers and Bette Midler; his relationship with his mother, who adopted him and just re...

This week, Ira spoke with Laura McBride, author of We Are Called to Rise and In the Midnight Room. In this fanciful episode of Ira’s Everything Bagel, Laura talks about how her first novel was published as a result of extraordinary luck; growing up in a family that prized stories; why she likes to write as a practical person (because writing as a novelist has an impractical quality); how reading f...

Author , The Queen of Technicolor, Maria Montez in Hollywood This week, Ira spoke with Tom Zimmerman, author of The Queen of Technicolor, Maria Montez in Hollywood (published by The University Press of Kentucky). In this silver screen episode of Ira’s Everything Bagel, Tom talks about how he discovered Maria Montez and realized that he had to write about her; why she became a movie star despite no...

Author (with Jess Oppenheimer),  Laughs, Luck…and Lucy: How I Came to Create the Most Popular Sitcom of All Time  This week, Ira spoke with Gregg Oppenheimer , son of “I Love Lucy” creator-producer-head writer Jess Oppenheimer, and coauthor of  his late father’s humorous memoir, Laughs, Luck…and Lucy: How I Came to Create the Most Popular Sitcom of All Time . In this “Splain that if...

This week, Ira spoke with Heath Schneider, “The Bootlegger’s Grandson” from Bad Bear Enterprises. In this distilled episode of Ira’s Everything Bagel, Heath talks about his grandmother, Lorine Sextro, who created the recipe for Iowa Legendary Rye; why he has dedicated himself to taking back the history of his grandmother; how Whiskey Rich (a 5th generation bootlegger whose family got the recipe fr...

This week, Ira spoke with Charles Pignone, president of Frank Sinatra Enterprises and Sinatra archivist. In this Ol’ Blue Eyes episode of Ira’s Everything Bagel, Charlie talks about Frank Sinatra’s enduring appeal; his commitment to quality; the most surprising thing Charlie found out about the chairman of the board; the decision to release a newly mixed and remastered version from the original Re...

This week, Ira spoke with Betsy Rohaly Smoot, author of Parker Hitt: The Father of American Military Cryptology (published by the University Press of Kentucky). In this deciphered episode of Ira’s Everything Bagel, Betsy talks about Hitt’s contributions to the development of American military cryptology; his writing of The Manual for the Solution of Military Ciphers prior to World War I; why he wa...

This week, Ira spoke with Zeke Levine, musician, doctoral candidate, and translator from Yiddish of a book-length collection of stories by the radical Yiddish humorist Sam Liptzin (these translations of Liptzin's work will be available through Farlag Press in 2023). In this farveylerishe episode of Ira’s Everything Bagel, Zeke talks about how he went down the Yiddish rabbit hole at a young age; wh...

This week, Ira spoke with George Stevens, Jr., author of My Place in the Sun, Life in the Golden Age of Hollywood and Washington. In this bicoastal episode of Ira’s Everything Bagel, George talks about growing up in Hollywood under the shadow of his famous father; moving to Washington DC to join Edward R. Murrow at the USIA; creating the American Film Institute and the Kennedy Center Honors; what...

This week, Ira spoke with Jon Ralston, CEO of The Nevada Independent, a nonpartisan, nonprofit news and opinion website founded in 2017. In this editorial episode of Ira’s Everything Bagel, Jon talks about why he decided to start The Nevada Independent; his goal of providing in-depth longer daily pieces than the typical newspaper; the reaction of the mainstream media to his new operation; how tech...

This week, Ira spoke with Joseph McBride, author of What Ever Happened to Orson Welles? A Portrait of an Independent Career. In this outsider episode of Ira’s Everything Bagel, Joseph talks about his third Welles book, which throws a new light on the famed filmmaker’s approach to Hollywood, budgets, and finishing projects; his reasons for living (and working) abroad; how Welles hired the author to...

This week, Ira spoke with Jason Steffen, Associate Professor of Physics at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, who helped organize Exoplanets IV, being held in Las Vegas through May 6 and presented by The American Astronomical Society. In this Interplanetary episode of Ira’s Everything Bagel, Jason talks about when he discovered his passion for exoplanets; why the sub-discipline of exoplanets contrib...

This week, Ira spoke with Robert Teitelbaum, coauthor (with Cindy Carter) of Frogs and Snails and Mobster Tales, and (with Carol Teitelbaum) Hiding in Plain Sight, both published by Teitelbaum publishing. In this syndicated episode of Ira’s Everything Bagel, Robert talks about growing up in Al Capone’s shadow; how his parents, Abe and Esther Teitelbaum, became mob lawyers, deeply involved in the a...

This week, Ira spoke with Marilyn Greenwald coauthor (along with Yun Li) of Eunice Hunton Carter: A Lifelong Fight for Social Justice, published by Empire State Editions (Fordham University Press). In this prosecutorial episode of Ira’s Everything Bagel, Marilyn talks about how she discovered the fascinating life and career of Eunice Hunton Carter (it happened in a visit to Las Vegas); how Carter...

This week, Ira spoke with Rebecca Weintraub and Steven Lewis, authors of InCredible Communication: Uncover the Invaluable Art of Selling Yourself (published by Bloomsbury Business). In this communicative episode of Ira’s Everything Bagel, Rebecca and Steven talk about their successful remote partnership (with only one in-person meeting at USC; why they wanted to make the book approachable, yet fil...

This week, Ira spoke with “Sweet” Dick Whittington, legendary Southern California air personality. In this personal episode of Ira’s Everything Bagel, Dick talks about his broadcast career in Southern California, including his “spiritual home,” KGIL, where he was given room to be himself ; his early start in radio, going from market to market to refine his personality and style; the people who inf...

This week, Ira spoke with Douglass K. Daniel, author of Anne Bancroft: A Life. In this miracle episode of Ira’s Everything Bagel, Douglass talks about the unique life and talents of Anne Bancroft; how he approaches a biography he wants to write; how Anne’s husband, Mel Brooks, turned him down for an interview, but Anne’s older sister agreed to participate; why Arthur Penn was the most important ar...

This week, Ira spoke with David C. Andersen, Digital Marketing Manager of knifecenter.com and host of Knife Center’s YouTube Channel. In this cutting episode of Ira’s Everything Bagel, David talks about the primal connection of humankind and knife; how he grew up with a pocket knife given to him by his dad (which he still has); why he invented the canteen knife; misconceptions of knives; how he ma...

This week, Ira spoke with Mark Richards, who hosted “Starcade,” cable television’s first original game show, was a contestant coordinator for “Jeopardy,” and hosted a nightly 3-hour game show on a major Los Angeles radio station. In this “come-on-down” episode of Ira’s Everything Bagel, Mark talks about his early passion for game shows beginning at age 12; his appearances on numerous shows, includ...