Media Path Podcast

Jerry Mathers may be the most iconic performer in TV child-star history, shouldering the title role in Leave it to Beaver for six groundbreaking seasons. Jerry brought so much heart and relatable innocence to his performance that he has well earned his place in our hearts and in television history. You can partially credit Ward and June for raising such a fine boy but his real-life Mom, Marilyn ge...

The nightclub scene was magical in Chicago’s South and West sides in the late 1950s and during that time, white kids from the suburbs were finding The Blues at the end of their radio dials, buying the records, studying the music and traveling down to the clubs to meet and play with their idols! That story is told in the new Bob Sarles film, Born in Chicago. We are joined by musician/bandleader Jim...

Ken Levine’s captivating career is a buffet of boyhood wish fulfillment. Ken became a disc jockey, a sitcom writer, a Major League Baseball announcer, a cartoonist, an author and a playwright. He’s not done. New adventures include podcasting and standup comedy. Ken’s book, The Me Generation by Me: Growing Up in the Sixties chronicles his journey through a Southern California childhood with adventu...

We are witnessing exponentially rapid changes in technological advancement which  recall the dawn of the industrial age when newly harnessed electricity first lit up our houses and the assembly line sent Model Ts motoring down your street and out into the countryside to points heretofore unseen. During this period, the two men most responsible for these wonders drove off together with our nation’s...

An iconic TV character is immortal. That truth has become increasingly official in today’s digital age where every episode is but a click away. And as Alison Arngrim has well learned, if you played the villain, folks are still pissed. Alison’s portrayal of frontier hellion Nellie Oleson struck such a resonate chord with fans that Alison has learned to embrace the Nellie energy and use it for good....

In the 1950's, an extraordinary young woman lived, worked and performed her original music in New York City. Frustrated by a lack of commercial success, she left Manhattan and in 1974, disappeared entirely, never to be heard from again. In the 2000's, her astounding music was re-discovered and her legacy re-written.  The story of Elizabeth Eaton Converse, known professionally as Connie Converse, i...

Daphne Maxwell Reid is a trailblazing pioneer with many media firsts to her credit. She was the first black woman on the cover of Glamor Magazine. She and her husband Tim Reid owned the first full service movie studio in Virginia and she is probably best known for her role as Aunt Viv 2.0, alongside Will Smith, the first hip hop artist to star in a sitcom, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.  Ms. Maxwell...

We are exploring the infinite feedback loop between television and society with pop culture historian/author Herbie J Pilato and Eric Scott, who played Ben on The Waltons. Herbie’s newest book is called Retro Active Television: An In-Depth Perspective on Classic TV’s Social Circuitry which includes a forward written by Eric! We hear about Eric's childhood adventures with his fellow Walton kids on...

They were the King and Queen of TV westerns but this week’s guest called them, Grandma and Grandpa. Julie Rogers Pomilia’s father Tom was Dale Evans’ son. Roy and Dale were warm and attentive grandparents and Julie had the run of the Double R Bar Ranch as her backyard. In her book, Your Heroes, My Grandparents: A Granddaughter's Love, Julie details cherished memories spent with Roy, Dale, a gaggle...

We are serving up a film fan's dream discussion, as we plunge deep into the techniques, processes, challenges and craft of documentary filmmaking with two talented creators, Brandon Ogborn and Reed Harkness. Both are captivating storytellers whose productions are based on personal experiences and relationships, exploring the themes of family, community, ethics and society’s expectations. Brandon's...

Strap in for the show biz chat sesh of a lifetime: Legendary comedian Tom Dreesen and 80s TV icon Larry Manetti join us for story after story about Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. Smokey Robinson, Tom Selleck, Robert Wagner, Mike Connors, Robert Conrad, David Letterman, Johnny Carson and more! As epic as the stories are the story-tellers. Tom Dreesen’s mind-blowing C.V. traces his career path from...

Jazz/Rock Fusion greats Blood, Sweat & Tears were on top of their game in 1970, winning grammies, headlining Woodstock and racking up hit after hit with Spinning Wheel, And When I Die, and You’ve Made Me So Very Happy. And then they ventured behind the Iron Curtain. It was not their idea. Nixon was President. The Viet Nam War raged on and BS & T were blackmailed into acting as emissaries o...

At the dawn of the singer/songwriter era, there was a time when the genre was dominated by men. Then, along came Melanie. With but one minor hit charting at one radio station, she took the stage at Woodstock. Just Melanie. Her guitar and 500,000 peace loving new friends, holding candles in the rain. The experience inspired Melanie’s anthem, Lay Down, landing her new album in the collection of ever...

Filmmaker David Millbern’s award winning and Emmy-nominated documentary TV Special called 100 Years of Men in Love: The Accidental Collection tells 100 love stories that were almost lost forever to history.  Based on a collection of vintage photos found at antique stores and flea markets, dating from 1850 into the 1950s and curated by Hugh Nini and Neal Treadwell in their book, Loving: A Photograp...

Adam Schiff is a public servant who is devoted to his country, his duty and his local, podcasting constituents such as Fritz Coleman. Congressman Schiff carved out some time in his democracy saving day to speak with us about his bipartisan childhood, grabbing Fox “News” by the green, his Senate run and the threat he appears to be posing to Tucker Carlson. Then, Dee Wallace has much to share. She’s...

If you’ve wandered around Los Angeles and you swear you’ve spotted Frau Farbissina from Austin Powers or Miss Francine Briggs from iCarly or Linda Schwartz from The Goldbergs then you may have experienced a genuine Mindy Sterling encounter! Mindy’s IMDB is vast and deep and it includes The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, A.N.T. Farm, Desperate Housewives, Captain Und...

Michael Learned is remarkable in her entirety. Growing up in Vienna, Austria, she despised her masculine name, developed nervous shakes and discovered that her “diplomat” father was a CIA spy. Her mother swore her to secrecy and sent her to a British boarding school where she developed a love and talent for acting. Theater work led to an invitation to audition for a part as the mom to a brood of d...

DO pay some attention to the man behind the curtain - in Wicked, he’s played by Richard Kline and he’s brimming with  hilarious anecdotes and intriguing stories, spanning six show biz decades, and going strong! Richard Kline played Jack Tripper’s pal, Larry Dallas in Three’s Company. And he’s the only cast member besides John Ritter to appear on the show and both of its spin-offs. Richie fills us...

Iconic comedic character actor Paul Dooley carved out a role as Hollywood’s go-to movie Dad while his own children were missing. Paul played dad to Julia Roberts, Mia Farrow, Toni Collette, Dennis Christopher in Breaking Away and Molly Ringwald in Sixteen Candles, all as his ex-wife was on the run with his kids. The pandemic pause compelled Paul to chronicle his story in the new book, Movie Dad: F...

Warning: Listening may result in an overwhelming compulsion to read! First, Diane Bay finally received her birth mom’s name from the state of Illinois. She nervously typed it into Google… Her birth mom is New Hollywood darling and cult movie queen, Karen Black, who starred in Easy Rider, The Graduate, Five Easy Pieces and so much more! Diane’s journey to self discovery pulls her from elation to de...

Kelly Lange began her trailblazing TV career when women in broadcasting were treated as a “novelty.” But armed with brains and ingenuity, Kelly carved out a career path which led to her becoming the first female news anchor in Los Angeles and a nightly fixture at KNBC. Kelly and our cohost, former KNBC weatherman Fritz Coleman are back together at long last, recounting story after memorable story...

We welcome the new year with a rich buffet of guests, starting with husband and wife filmmaking team, Anayancy and Jess Thomas whose project, God & Salsa tells the story of a grieving therapist and a troubled teen who save each other. The film explores suicide, depression, divorce, parental alienation, narcissism, hope and healing. Next, we are joined by Dr. Logan Westbrooks a groundbreaking b...

In 1951, 15-year-old Bruce Belland sneaked into a backstage door at Ciro’s Nightclub to get a glimpse of his idols, The Mills Brothers. That fateful night inspired Bruce to form The Four Preps and forge a vocal harmony career that brought us the hits, “26 Miles” and “Big Man.”  Bruce has spent 70 years loaded with questions for his musical heroes and, at long last, he gets to pose them to John H....

Shawn Pelofsky and Vicki Barbolak are fellow standup comedy besties who are taking their friendship to the next level. Yes, they would like to announce their podcast. Shawn and Vicki host Trailer Park Diaries. Partly truth, mostly make believe, as if Prairie Home Companion moved into a double wide. We go behind the trailer with Shawn and Vicki to learn just how much of their diary stories are true...

John Sebastian’s rich musical catalogue reflects a life deeply steeped in craft, cultural resonance and history. John’s career has taken him from The Lovin’ Spoonful to Bob Dylan to Mama Cass to Woodstock to movie soundtracks and beyond.  John joins us to share stories of his creatively colorful Greenwich Village childhood, surrounded by folk and classical luminaries, his harmonica virtuoso father...