WEBVTT - Connie + Skylar 0:00:02.560 --> 0:00:05.600 You got me? You what? Yeah, you're there? Hold on, 0:00:06.760 --> 0:00:13.360 don't okay, okay, okay, okay, I'm here. I'm here lately 0:00:13.400 --> 0:00:16.040 I'm trying all my pants and all my pants are 0:00:16.120 --> 0:00:18.759 long on me, and I could you have gotten shorter? 0:00:18.960 --> 0:00:21.080 I had to get short of My pants are all 0:00:21.079 --> 0:00:24.120 along and I'm not investing in new pants. I'm just 0:00:24.200 --> 0:00:27.400 pulling them up. I listen, I'm gonna be ninety two. 0:00:27.440 --> 0:00:29.560 Doesn't pay to me to invest in a good pair 0:00:29.600 --> 0:00:33.720 of pants. How many years you think i'll bear them? It? Listen? 0:00:33.880 --> 0:00:35.800 And if you live in New York City, to take 0:00:35.840 --> 0:00:38.040 a pair of pants and to be shortened that they 0:00:38.159 --> 0:00:41.000 got lining, you could buy a new pair. Not worth 0:00:41.440 --> 0:00:44.839 That's very true. Bring them to me, read, I'll shorten 0:00:44.880 --> 0:00:52.320 them for you. Rita, are you excited? We're going to 0:00:52.400 --> 0:00:55.320 be speaking to Connie Stevens, who was one of my 0:00:55.840 --> 0:00:59.480 favorite actresses when I was younger. Oh my goodness, and 0:01:00.040 --> 0:01:04.839 granddaughter Skyler. This is our granddaughter with ex husband Eddie Fisher. 0:01:05.840 --> 0:01:09.400 Oh my goodness. Also one of our favorite when we 0:01:09.400 --> 0:01:12.520 were growing up. Connie Stevens. I could see her in 0:01:12.560 --> 0:01:15.400 front of me. Now she was and probably still lives 0:01:15.400 --> 0:01:20.000 a beautiful blond woman. She was gorgeous and she could sing. 0:01:20.280 --> 0:01:23.120 You know what, they don't have the beautiful musicals and 0:01:23.200 --> 0:01:26.440 love stories that they had in the day of Connie Stevens. 0:01:26.480 --> 0:01:30.039 I could hardly think of a starve today in that category. 0:01:30.360 --> 0:01:35.440 Can you know we gotta hear it's Connie Stevens exactly. 0:01:35.520 --> 0:01:42.400 Rina Scorchy is the funniest thing ever. You guys have 0:01:42.480 --> 0:01:46.280 to look up. Connie Stevens is Scorchy, the hottest cop 0:01:46.319 --> 0:01:49.880 on the force. She plays like a spy. She's like 0:01:50.080 --> 0:01:54.040 but she had nobody move a musself. Me and my 0:01:54.040 --> 0:01:56.200 cousins used to do that like all the time to 0:01:56.240 --> 0:02:01.240 each other. And you know the reproduction song from Greece 0:02:01.280 --> 0:02:11.359 to reproduction. Oh god, she was the teacher, the hot teacher. Okay, 0:02:11.400 --> 0:02:16.360 are you ready? I've been ready, I'm born ready. Connie 0:02:16.360 --> 0:02:19.800 Stevens is my grandmother. I call her Nana. She's eighty 0:02:19.800 --> 0:02:22.200 three years old and she lives in Los Angeles. I 0:02:22.280 --> 0:02:27.040 call her Sky, my precious gym and my best girl, 0:02:27.360 --> 0:02:30.280 my best girl. I've been here in that my whole life, 0:02:30.280 --> 0:02:33.440 and I'm like, sure that's front of the other grandchildren. 0:02:34.840 --> 0:02:38.040 You might know her from Scorchy Love Boat or being 0:02:38.360 --> 0:02:41.840 the hot teacher from Greece too. You're just so cool. No, 0:02:42.840 --> 0:02:48.360 I like her charm. She's always laughing, and she's steadfast 0:02:48.560 --> 0:02:52.440 and in charge. She's a leo, so I think lion, 0:02:52.600 --> 0:02:57.720 I think strong, and she's sparkly, sparkly. It wasn't like, oh, 0:02:57.760 --> 0:02:59.880 there's nothing else to do, let's go to Nana's house. 0:02:59.880 --> 0:03:01.680 As is like, no, that is the thing to do. 0:03:02.400 --> 0:03:05.000 She's like, here for a good time, not a long time, yes, 0:03:05.520 --> 0:03:09.360 just as long as you live life fully to the 0:03:09.520 --> 0:03:17.920 very very inch of it. There's definitely a difference between 0:03:18.080 --> 0:03:21.679 having like a famous nana versus a regular grandma. I mean, 0:03:22.040 --> 0:03:26.600 here's someone who has the most expertise and has been 0:03:26.600 --> 0:03:29.760 in the industry a long time. I mean after my 0:03:29.880 --> 0:03:32.280 dance shows, you know, you come out the stage door, 0:03:32.520 --> 0:03:34.800 people are giving flowers and you're talking to your family 0:03:34.840 --> 0:03:36.360 and there's a whole crowd of people, and then I 0:03:36.360 --> 0:03:39.000 would go, all right, it's time to go get nana's notes. 0:03:40.000 --> 0:03:42.960 Go get Nana's notes. Get your arm? How was it? 0:03:43.000 --> 0:03:45.080 And you'd be like, you know, you could extend your 0:03:45.240 --> 0:03:48.400 arm a little bit more than that one part couldn't help, 0:03:48.400 --> 0:03:51.160 But couldn't help that made me better though. You know, 0:03:51.360 --> 0:03:54.200 no one else's grandparents is going to be like, this 0:03:54.280 --> 0:03:56.480 is what you need to do tomorrow night to make 0:03:56.520 --> 0:04:01.160 it better. Every performance, Nana's there with flowers, with flowers 0:04:01.200 --> 0:04:08.840 and those very nice. Not only a grandmother and a 0:04:08.880 --> 0:04:13.120 grandchild of relationship, it's a professional relationship. She goes to 0:04:13.200 --> 0:04:16.240 all her performances and then gives a critique on it, 0:04:16.480 --> 0:04:19.320 just like we do. You think a critique on their relationship. 0:04:19.760 --> 0:04:23.320 That's our thing. We give critiques. That's our talent with 0:04:23.560 --> 0:04:26.880 critical critics, you know. But this was interesting. It's just 0:04:27.000 --> 0:04:29.479 sort of on a little different level. You can see 0:04:29.520 --> 0:04:31.920 she respects her grandmother all the way. And you can 0:04:31.960 --> 0:04:35.520 hear Connie Stevens love for that child too. Oh absolutely, 0:04:35.520 --> 0:04:39.120 you can absolutely hear. You don't have to be famous. 0:04:38.920 --> 0:04:45.560 That love that a grandmother has is just magical. Okay, 0:04:45.560 --> 0:04:48.560 wed To, The producers have handed me the part titles, 0:04:48.760 --> 0:04:55.680 and here's the first one, Part one, Grandma's Cocoon. What 0:04:55.760 --> 0:04:59.800 was the song something, Lend me your comb Cookie, lend 0:04:59.800 --> 0:05:06.640 me your combed. It was so stupid, cook sweetheart, I 0:05:06.680 --> 0:05:10.559 bought a house with that. It was like number one 0:05:10.720 --> 0:05:15.560 for years. So cool. What made you want to go 0:05:15.800 --> 0:05:20.359 into show business. Well, I was lonely as a little girl. 0:05:20.720 --> 0:05:23.400 My brother went in the army, my dad was on 0:05:23.480 --> 0:05:27.800 the road, my grandma passed away. So I used to 0:05:27.880 --> 0:05:31.039 go to the movies all the time for twenty one since, 0:05:31.279 --> 0:05:35.640 Oh my gosh, that's great, and I just grew up 0:05:35.640 --> 0:05:39.560 with the idea that I was going to do that. Ah. 0:05:39.880 --> 0:05:43.919 After I became popular, I went back to Brooklyn and 0:05:43.960 --> 0:05:46.920 I was so excited to talk to everybody on the block. 0:05:47.000 --> 0:05:50.440 And there was this lady. Your name was Mazie. Did 0:05:50.440 --> 0:05:52.640 I ever tell you this, I don't think. So. We 0:05:52.680 --> 0:05:58.600 had stoops and Mazie. She'd sweep the stoop every day, 0:05:58.640 --> 0:06:01.000 and if you went near her talk to her, which 0:06:01.040 --> 0:06:04.760 we did, we teased her. She tried to hit you 0:06:04.800 --> 0:06:07.800 with the broom. She said, get out of here, you 0:06:07.920 --> 0:06:11.600 damn kid, Get out of here. Said we'd laugh and 0:06:11.680 --> 0:06:15.840 run away. So I go home my pictures playing at 0:06:16.000 --> 0:06:21.200 Radio City Musical, and I see her across. She's an old, 0:06:21.320 --> 0:06:28.120 old woman, and I go quietly over there and I said, Mazie, 0:06:29.600 --> 0:06:32.719 do you remember me? And she looked at me and said, 0:06:33.160 --> 0:06:37.560 get out of here, you damn kid, Get out. That's 0:06:37.560 --> 0:06:42.159 so funny. Nothing changed, and that's the way life is. Really. 0:06:42.560 --> 0:06:47.640 That's Brooklyn too, Yeah it is. I wish I could 0:06:47.680 --> 0:06:49.680 time travel and go back and see you when you 0:06:49.720 --> 0:06:53.360 were in Brooklyn. I wish you could. I lived in 0:06:53.440 --> 0:06:57.880 the Italian section and on the next side was the 0:06:57.960 --> 0:07:04.960 Jewish section, so my grandma spoke Yiddish and the lady 0:07:05.040 --> 0:07:09.040 next door spoke a little Italian, so they both spoke 0:07:09.080 --> 0:07:13.480 each other's languages. Yeah, that's very cute. What was your 0:07:13.520 --> 0:07:16.600 relationship like with your parents and your grandparents, because I 0:07:16.640 --> 0:07:19.600 know you had an interesting kind of dynamic. I was 0:07:19.640 --> 0:07:23.640 a daddy's girl and he was a musician, and he 0:07:23.720 --> 0:07:28.840 went on the road. So I was awarded by court 0:07:29.400 --> 0:07:34.720 to my grandparents, my Italian grandparents. Consequently, I spoke only 0:07:34.760 --> 0:07:38.480 Italian to allow us five. My dad, of course, came 0:07:38.520 --> 0:07:42.680 home off the road many times, and his beautiful packard 0:07:42.880 --> 0:07:46.880 convertible with his cashmere coat, that's where you got it from. 0:07:48.520 --> 0:07:51.440 When he came home, all the windows would go up, 0:07:52.360 --> 0:07:55.720 and the ladies in the neighborhood would say, your father's home, 0:07:56.160 --> 0:08:01.720 Your father's home, teddy, teddy, And he'd weighed, he just sparkled, 0:08:01.800 --> 0:08:04.280 you know, he just had it. I almost want to say, 0:08:04.320 --> 0:08:08.440 he's like the Godfather. He was funny, he was talented. 0:08:09.760 --> 0:08:13.680 I loved my family very much. I never knew that 0:08:13.760 --> 0:08:17.880 we were poor till I was about thirty. Right, I 0:08:17.920 --> 0:08:22.680 was in a cocoon. I feel like you've provided that 0:08:22.840 --> 0:08:26.360 for at least your grandkids. And I got it from 0:08:26.360 --> 0:08:29.480 my grandmother. Yeah, so it's been passed down for sure. 0:08:29.760 --> 0:08:32.240 I feel like I was in such a little cocoon 0:08:32.320 --> 0:08:35.280 and I felt very safe growing up. Well, that's the 0:08:35.320 --> 0:08:40.120 way you're supposed to feel. That's what we want for you. 0:08:40.120 --> 0:08:44.080 You're growing up to be self sufficient so that somebody 0:08:44.120 --> 0:08:48.359 can't come along and bust your bubble. And you're compassionate, 0:08:48.480 --> 0:08:57.240 which is my favorite attribute. Very sweet relationship. And she 0:08:57.360 --> 0:09:00.880 talks about the Brooklyn One side of this street was Jewish, 0:09:00.920 --> 0:09:04.480 one side of the street was it Tagian. Absolutely, that's 0:09:04.520 --> 0:09:07.040 the way Brooklyn was. That's how I grew up as well, 0:09:07.240 --> 0:09:10.520 exactly how I grew exactly. And I think it's still 0:09:10.559 --> 0:09:14.760 like that. There's a connection between Italian and Jewish grandmothers 0:09:14.800 --> 0:09:19.280 from families I alway Jewish and Italian. You can intermingle them. 0:09:19.280 --> 0:09:22.319 You'd never know the difference. From Italian people were your 0:09:22.320 --> 0:09:24.839 best friends and they felt the same way about Jewish. 0:09:24.920 --> 0:09:28.200 They knew were always there for each other exactly. You 0:09:28.240 --> 0:09:30.559 know what. I used to go to my grandmother's have 0:09:31.080 --> 0:09:33.080 and there was a woman, of course, is what she 0:09:33.200 --> 0:09:35.960 was talking about. I used to stand by my grandmother's 0:09:35.960 --> 0:09:39.480 window and watching yet yet a on the street. Everybody 0:09:39.559 --> 0:09:42.080 hang it up. She think the same thing. She was 0:09:42.120 --> 0:09:45.640 always cleaning up the street we had, Mrs Sweeney. It 0:09:45.720 --> 0:09:48.560 was the same thing. There was always somebody. There's always 0:09:48.600 --> 0:09:51.560 somebody and saying, get out of your kids. I'm telling 0:09:51.679 --> 0:09:55.720 you you lived in a neighborhood. It wasn't just your building. 0:09:56.800 --> 0:10:00.840 Most of your shopping wasn't a footstore. A butcher. Absolutely, 0:10:00.880 --> 0:10:02.800 I remember there was a butcher that used to say 0:10:02.800 --> 0:10:07.080 to my mother, Mrs Binstein, I got for you a 0:10:07.120 --> 0:10:13.400 piece flesh. You'll die from eating it. Listen, times have changed. 0:10:13.640 --> 0:10:16.800 She's still good with her grandkids, and she's giving that 0:10:17.000 --> 0:10:19.480 sense of security and the what should I say, the 0:10:19.520 --> 0:10:23.800 cocoonness a grandchild too. Right. Oh, that's a good word. Right, 0:10:24.160 --> 0:10:25.800 It's a word I made up, but it's not in 0:10:25.880 --> 0:10:35.240 the dipitionary. Really still the words that I use. Okay, reader, 0:10:35.760 --> 0:10:40.000 Next up we have part two the last contract player 0:10:40.640 --> 0:10:46.280 were already So when you were young, the big Hollywood 0:10:46.320 --> 0:10:50.360 studios used to have contract players. They basically were on 0:10:50.520 --> 0:10:54.640 contract to perform just for those studios. Right, yeah, I 0:10:54.679 --> 0:10:57.280 know you were like one of the last ones. I 0:10:57.320 --> 0:11:00.680 was the last one, the very last one. I have 0:11:00.760 --> 0:11:05.240 a picture on the wall inside of all the contract players, 0:11:05.280 --> 0:11:08.440 as you know, Natalie Wood and Carol Linley in the 0:11:08.520 --> 0:11:12.760 dining room. Yes you saw, yeah, I've seen it. So 0:11:12.840 --> 0:11:16.400 that meant that you couldn't go work at any other studios. 0:11:16.440 --> 0:11:20.360 You had to do well, not without permission, right right, right? 0:11:20.640 --> 0:11:23.760 How did you first get to Hollywood? What was the 0:11:23.800 --> 0:11:27.080 big break? Well? I sang with three boys and we 0:11:27.160 --> 0:11:32.480 had a group called the Foremost. We sang four part 0:11:32.559 --> 0:11:36.400 harmony that was very intricate at the time. Then the 0:11:36.480 --> 0:11:39.800 boys went on to become the Letterman. I went to 0:11:39.880 --> 0:11:43.480 high school with them, and they're still popular today. I 0:11:43.520 --> 0:11:47.240 should have stayed with them. I got discovered from that 0:11:47.400 --> 0:11:51.920 group by Jerry Lewis. He made me laugh so hard, 0:11:52.840 --> 0:11:56.640 he always did. It was embarrassing. I was laughing so hard. 0:11:57.600 --> 0:12:03.000 So I went to meet Jerry Lewis and he said, 0:12:03.400 --> 0:12:07.400 she's got a funny bone. She's got the part, and 0:12:07.480 --> 0:12:10.920 Warner Brothers bought my contract and they put me in 0:12:10.960 --> 0:12:16.360 a series Hawaiian I, which became maybe number two in 0:12:16.400 --> 0:12:19.840 the world with Bonanza. The other big shure you did 0:12:19.960 --> 0:12:24.720 was love Boat right, love Boat I was the most 0:12:25.000 --> 0:12:30.000 frequent guest. I should be rich, but I'm not. They 0:12:30.000 --> 0:12:35.640 didn't give me any residuals. Warner Brothers so cheap. So 0:12:35.760 --> 0:12:39.920 I asked for permission to do a film and they said, no, 0:12:40.520 --> 0:12:44.960 your contract isn't up for another fifty thou dollars or 0:12:45.000 --> 0:12:48.120 some crazy thing. And I said, keep the money, let 0:12:48.160 --> 0:12:53.120 me go. That's what I did. Crazy Girl gave away 0:12:53.160 --> 0:12:59.400 my money. Guests who had their dressing rooms right above me, 0:13:00.160 --> 0:13:06.400 Sammy Davis, Joey Bishop, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, the rat Pack. 0:13:07.000 --> 0:13:09.920 They were the most popular people in the all of 0:13:10.040 --> 0:13:15.319 show business at the time. One day I'm walking by 0:13:15.400 --> 0:13:18.000 and they're all laughing and stuff, and they said, I 0:13:18.040 --> 0:13:22.640 think she is I said, she's what they said, shorter 0:13:22.760 --> 0:13:28.240 than Sammy Davis. So we had a contest and they 0:13:28.400 --> 0:13:31.560 measured me and I was shorter thant Sammy, so I won. 0:13:33.240 --> 0:13:35.760 I took the brunt of it. All the time, were 0:13:35.760 --> 0:13:39.760 they loud yes, until they went to work. What did 0:13:39.760 --> 0:13:43.240 you do in your breaks? Played basketball? Oh my gosh, 0:13:43.360 --> 0:13:47.160 because we had a lot of time together, so in 0:13:47.240 --> 0:13:51.880 between we would get our shots together. That's cool. It 0:13:52.040 --> 0:13:59.120 was fun. She was a star, absolutely a big star. 0:13:59.520 --> 0:14:02.920 And I can't imagine that she's shorter than Sammy Davis. 0:14:03.040 --> 0:14:05.720 She must be my height. I love her that. I 0:14:05.840 --> 0:14:09.280 love her and basketball. I could never play basketball. I 0:14:09.360 --> 0:14:11.840 just was a little bit bigger than the ball. I mean, 0:14:12.720 --> 0:14:15.160 I don't know how she played. I gotta meet her. 0:14:15.280 --> 0:14:18.640 We have to arrange for us to meet her. She's sweets, 0:14:18.679 --> 0:14:21.640 she's really sweet, and she's very humble. Um kind of 0:14:21.760 --> 0:14:24.080 you know, she's not afterwards. She was a big I 0:14:24.080 --> 0:14:28.000 love Bote. I used to love that. I remember, I 0:14:28.120 --> 0:14:32.000 do love boat. Yeah no, no, no, no. It was 0:14:32.080 --> 0:14:35.000 really a nice program. I don't know if you got 0:14:35.040 --> 0:14:39.720 the feeling that it was a little bit not anger. Regret, regret, 0:14:39.880 --> 0:14:43.720 a little regret exactly. They did take advantage of her, yes, 0:14:43.800 --> 0:14:46.280 but I think that they took advantage of everybody in 0:14:46.320 --> 0:14:49.560 those days. They did. The Water Brothers had that reputation 0:14:49.640 --> 0:14:51.800 to start with. They were not easy to deal with it. 0:14:51.880 --> 0:14:55.160 I don't know that any of the studios were particularly 0:14:55.280 --> 0:14:59.200 kind to their players. That's true. That's true. Listen, everybody 0:14:59.240 --> 0:15:01.440 has regrets. I should have, I should have, I could have. 0:15:02.080 --> 0:15:05.160 That's the way life is. The movie stars handed well 0:15:05.240 --> 0:15:08.680 as the public. I guess we all have nothing major 0:15:08.760 --> 0:15:11.360 that I could think of, and if I did certain 0:15:11.360 --> 0:15:14.160 things and I could, I'm not telling me. Well, we 0:15:14.200 --> 0:15:16.520 have to take a little break now so you can 0:15:16.600 --> 0:15:19.200 find out how to buy a new mattress, or get 0:15:19.200 --> 0:15:23.880 a new website, or or the stamps. Very exciting stuff. 0:15:23.920 --> 0:15:37.760 So hang in there, folks. Okay, guys, we're back Cookie 0:15:37.800 --> 0:15:40.440 Cookie letting me. I don't remember the tune, but I 0:15:40.600 --> 0:15:42.560 remember the words. What have they say? Don't give up 0:15:42.600 --> 0:15:47.600 your day job? That's right, that's right, okay rider. Next up, 0:15:48.040 --> 0:15:56.920 we have part three, sixteen Reasons Why I Love You. 0:15:56.920 --> 0:16:02.360 Your most famous song, though, was sixteen res Why I 0:16:02.400 --> 0:16:12.960 Love You? Why they comb you here? See, you don't 0:16:13.040 --> 0:16:16.440 think of things like that anymore. We used to think 0:16:16.480 --> 0:16:19.880 of you the way you comb your hair, the way 0:16:19.960 --> 0:16:26.480 your tie whatever. Now they go to first base immediately 0:16:29.000 --> 0:16:35.760 you stay off first base. I wanted to ask you 0:16:35.800 --> 0:16:40.800 how you met Eddie, how you met my grandfather, because 0:16:40.840 --> 0:16:43.320 I don't think I ever heard the full story. Well, 0:16:44.040 --> 0:16:49.000 I was in trouble. I was confused. I was coming 0:16:49.000 --> 0:16:52.640 out of a divorce with Jim Stacy. I didn't know 0:16:52.720 --> 0:16:54.840 what I was gonna do. I was going to go 0:16:54.880 --> 0:16:59.560 to Broadway or stay and do another television show. And 0:16:59.800 --> 0:17:03.280 I took a job and I played the Plaza Hotel 0:17:03.360 --> 0:17:07.800 in New York and he had just finished there, so 0:17:07.880 --> 0:17:10.800 he came to see my show. And he was really 0:17:10.960 --> 0:17:14.359 kind and sweet, and he was the kind of guy. 0:17:14.400 --> 0:17:18.320 I'd say, I love the New York pretzels on the street. 0:17:18.760 --> 0:17:21.320 So he said, can I get you anything? I said, 0:17:21.359 --> 0:17:24.200 he didn't get me a pretzel, and he came back 0:17:24.240 --> 0:17:27.040 with ten of them. Oh my gosh, I like that. 0:17:28.920 --> 0:17:31.639 And he could say he could just open up his 0:17:31.720 --> 0:17:36.200 mouth and just say five o'clock in the morning. I 0:17:36.240 --> 0:17:40.840 have often. He was kind. He would give you the 0:17:40.880 --> 0:17:45.720 shirt office back if you liked it. And he was fun. 0:17:45.960 --> 0:17:49.040 He was a fun guy. His problem with the drugs, 0:17:50.040 --> 0:17:54.600 otherwise I'd probably still be with him. Yeah. Mom always 0:17:54.600 --> 0:17:57.920 said he was very charming, like everybody was charmed by him. 0:17:58.040 --> 0:18:02.239 He was. He was just the golden boy, you know, 0:18:02.480 --> 0:18:06.320 he really was. I didn't really know him. That's right, 0:18:06.400 --> 0:18:09.399 you didn't. He would have made you laugh. He was 0:18:09.440 --> 0:18:12.760 good at that. Yeah, he was a little strange character. 0:18:13.400 --> 0:18:15.399 What do you mean by strange? You know, he was 0:18:15.520 --> 0:18:18.640 from another era and he was from the old country 0:18:18.680 --> 0:18:22.720 and he acted like it. And I was a shick sah, 0:18:23.160 --> 0:18:26.840 that's a non Jewish girl. And he say, Eddie, what 0:18:26.880 --> 0:18:30.240 are you doing with another shick sah? Well, there is 0:18:30.320 --> 0:18:33.919 like kind of a special club of Eddie Fisher's wife. Yeah, well, 0:18:34.800 --> 0:18:40.720 never mind, you gotta lay it on me. What's the 0:18:40.800 --> 0:18:46.440 dating advice? Dating advice? I go with you. I gotta 0:18:46.480 --> 0:18:51.280 see what he looks like, check his pockets, Nana's approval. Yeah, no, 0:18:51.520 --> 0:18:54.160 I think you can pick the n ice guy. We've 0:18:54.200 --> 0:19:02.040 trained you. Well, Well, can we talk about Elvis? Little Bill? 0:19:02.760 --> 0:19:06.280 Elvis was the best kisser. Oh la la la to 0:19:06.320 --> 0:19:10.360 hear that. He was the sweetest. He was a lot 0:19:10.400 --> 0:19:18.000 of fun and we were friends till he died. I 0:19:18.080 --> 0:19:20.560 think she's holding back, and though he is, it doesn't 0:19:20.560 --> 0:19:23.000 stop at a kiss. But so on, you don't know, 0:19:23.160 --> 0:19:25.960 I don't know, nobody knows. You know, there used to 0:19:26.040 --> 0:19:29.000 be rumors about her and Elvis, So whatever it is, 0:19:29.000 --> 0:19:32.160 it wasn't you know what I don't care about what's 0:19:32.160 --> 0:19:36.119 doing in anybody else's bed. I really don't. No listen, 0:19:36.119 --> 0:19:39.439 what's good for them. It's good for them, that's all. Absolutely. 0:19:39.920 --> 0:19:43.240 How long was Connie married to Eddie? Long enough to 0:19:43.320 --> 0:19:47.159 give her two daughters and grandchildren. Eddie Fisher in his 0:19:47.359 --> 0:19:50.400 day was a big deal. He had songs like, oh 0:19:50.440 --> 0:19:54.399 my Papa, Oh my Papa, Oh my Papa. I really 0:19:54.520 --> 0:19:57.240 was a very big Eddie Fisher fan. Everybody was. I 0:19:57.280 --> 0:20:00.359 had an autography picture of him that hung on my mirror. 0:20:00.440 --> 0:20:02.919 He had a beautiful voice, he really did. And he 0:20:03.000 --> 0:20:07.040 had curly hair especially. I hate to say that, I 0:20:07.080 --> 0:20:09.480 don't want if he were Jewish, he was like you know, 0:20:10.040 --> 0:20:12.000 that was a big thing. That was a big thing. 0:20:12.160 --> 0:20:13.919 That was a big deal for the Jews. I mean, 0:20:13.960 --> 0:20:18.399 how many they were, all Italians, Victor Moone, Frankie Valley 0:20:18.600 --> 0:20:21.439 all then, not one was a Jew. He was the 0:20:21.520 --> 0:20:32.280 only Jew, Oh my Papapa, to medful, Oh my Papa. 0:20:32.480 --> 0:20:36.480 He was so good, Oh my Papa was like a 0:20:36.560 --> 0:20:40.320 Jewish love song. Reata. Do you remember that? When he 0:20:40.359 --> 0:20:42.919 was married to Debbie Reynolds and they were like the 0:20:42.960 --> 0:20:47.320 hottest couple in Hollywood, Alright, they had two children and everything, 0:20:47.480 --> 0:20:51.000 one of which was Carrie Fisher Harry Fisher, right right, 0:20:51.560 --> 0:20:55.560 And then all of a sudden he divorced Debbie Reynolds 0:20:55.720 --> 0:20:59.439 and he married Elizabeth Taylor. Oh my goodness. Mike Todd 0:20:59.560 --> 0:21:03.000 was married to Elizabeth Taylor, and Eddie Fishing was his 0:21:03.080 --> 0:21:07.879 best friend. When Mike Todd died, he tried to console 0:21:08.280 --> 0:21:13.359 Elizabeth Taylor, and that consoling became, I mean to get 0:21:13.560 --> 0:21:16.920 Elizabeth Taylor to marry you. It was not a big deal. 0:21:17.000 --> 0:21:21.440 She only had eight or nine my right, absolutely right. 0:21:21.640 --> 0:21:27.280 And after Elizabeth Taylor left him for Richard Burton, Eddie 0:21:27.280 --> 0:21:32.199 went from Elizabeth Taylor to Conne But she said he 0:21:32.240 --> 0:21:35.000 had a problem of drugs. That's a big problem in 0:21:35.040 --> 0:21:39.280 a relationship. Sweet and kind is nice, but that's that's 0:21:39.320 --> 0:21:42.919 a big thing. Yeah, And you know what, it was 0:21:42.960 --> 0:21:46.040 a marriage that didn't work out. But look what she 0:21:46.119 --> 0:21:50.200 got from it, exactly. She had wonderful children and grandchildren. 0:21:50.359 --> 0:21:54.960 So that's where heart is at this point. Alright, time 0:21:55.000 --> 0:21:57.800 for another ad break. What should we do this time? Ellen? 0:21:58.359 --> 0:22:00.720 You know what, maybe we should better her us And 0:22:00.880 --> 0:22:04.480 on a horse. I'm lucky reading, I am very very lucky. 0:22:04.680 --> 0:22:06.560 The first time I ever went to a horse race. 0:22:06.680 --> 0:22:09.320 I bet on a horse, Barnie's boy. I made a 0:22:09.400 --> 0:22:12.640 killing my close to a thousand dollars. Peter said, whatever 0:22:12.720 --> 0:22:15.560 made your bet on Bonnie's boy? I said, your father 0:22:15.720 --> 0:22:20.159 is Bonnie and your Bonnie's boy. So all that was 0:22:20.240 --> 0:22:23.359 so killed. That's as good as reason to bet on 0:22:23.400 --> 0:22:33.520 a horse as any Okay, we're back, reader. How much 0:22:33.560 --> 0:22:36.320 did you put on that head break? Oh? My goodness, 0:22:36.359 --> 0:22:38.440 that's it. You know, I went to a a on 0:22:38.600 --> 0:22:42.120 a bet on horses anymore, I was the only one 0:22:42.160 --> 0:22:45.480 that famous the a a with a gambling problem. Reading, 0:22:45.560 --> 0:22:49.000 you needed to see a psychiatrist for that. It's for nothing, 0:22:49.000 --> 0:22:52.639 and so conscious quants you a lot of money. And 0:22:52.720 --> 0:22:55.520 I'm back on the headphones, ready to start the rest 0:22:55.560 --> 0:22:59.320 of the podcast. Okay, reader, let's see what happens. It's 0:22:59.359 --> 0:23:04.359 really like an enticing novel. Part four. Singing for the 0:23:04.440 --> 0:23:09.240 Troops with Bob Hope. Oh, Bob Hope was the entertainer 0:23:09.320 --> 0:23:12.880 of that era, and he used to gather together the 0:23:12.920 --> 0:23:16.600 top entertainers and bring them to where the troops were 0:23:17.000 --> 0:23:19.240 and put on a big show. And it was such 0:23:19.280 --> 0:23:22.159 a shot in the arm for these people who are 0:23:22.359 --> 0:23:25.320 battle weary it was a wonderful thing for the boys, 0:23:25.760 --> 0:23:28.640 and I guess Connie Stevens was one of them that volunteered. 0:23:29.000 --> 0:23:36.159 We're about to find out. I'm like fascinated that you 0:23:36.240 --> 0:23:41.600 were there, not just alive, but present for so many 0:23:41.680 --> 0:23:45.760 crazy world events that I can only read about. But 0:23:46.240 --> 0:23:49.720 let's talk about this. Were are you dating Neil Armstrong? 0:23:51.000 --> 0:23:54.239 I don't know if that's the word. Of course. I 0:23:54.280 --> 0:23:57.400 went on the road with Neil and that was really something. 0:23:57.520 --> 0:24:00.119 You went on tour with Neil Armstrong? Well, I was 0:24:00.200 --> 0:24:03.320 in Vietnam. Oh so this was a part of the U. 0:24:03.480 --> 0:24:07.080 S O tour. Yeah, so Neil Armstrong went with you 0:24:07.200 --> 0:24:09.679 for that to like entertain the troops. Right after he 0:24:09.800 --> 0:24:12.800 landed on the moon. He went with us. So that 0:24:12.920 --> 0:24:16.000 was an interesting part of my life. Oh my gosh. 0:24:16.280 --> 0:24:20.760 Neil and I met in Vietnam and continued our relationship. 0:24:21.000 --> 0:24:27.240 We got a long, really great So it's kind of 0:24:27.240 --> 0:24:29.879 a big deal that he performed with Bob Hope. Oh, 0:24:30.000 --> 0:24:33.240 I went all over the world with Bob. You're my 0:24:33.320 --> 0:24:35.960 kind of girl. You've got everything, talent, beauty and me. 0:24:36.200 --> 0:24:40.879 I was in Vietnam many times, Bob, and you're my 0:24:40.960 --> 0:24:43.280 kind of guy. Well, when you've got it, you've got it. 0:24:43.560 --> 0:24:47.480 I was in Vietnam and the mood of the country 0:24:47.600 --> 0:24:52.040 was not happy, and everybody wanted the soldiers to come home, 0:24:52.280 --> 0:24:55.640 and there was a lot of unrest. So I went 0:24:55.680 --> 0:24:59.879 out and sang, and I noticed that the whole country 0:25:00.320 --> 0:25:04.520 was acting differently. As a matter of fact, they caught 0:25:04.600 --> 0:25:10.160 some Viet com two young guys, and I ran over 0:25:10.240 --> 0:25:13.200 there and they couldn't have been more than fifteen years old. 0:25:13.680 --> 0:25:16.840 And I said, what are you doing? What they're fifteen 0:25:16.920 --> 0:25:20.440 years old? What are you doing? You know, I said, 0:25:20.440 --> 0:25:24.560 their babies, And of course they shut me up. That 0:25:24.680 --> 0:25:27.719 was the first time I spoke up, and I wanted 0:25:27.800 --> 0:25:31.000 us to get out of there, and I could see 0:25:31.040 --> 0:25:34.840 what was happening politically, but they told me not to 0:25:34.920 --> 0:25:39.159 attend any more press conferences. And then we came home 0:25:39.320 --> 0:25:42.480 and I had a different opinion than when I went. 0:25:44.640 --> 0:25:47.760 And you know, Uncle ralphin my own brother was there, 0:25:47.920 --> 0:25:53.000 My nineteen year old brother was on clean up. Clean 0:25:53.119 --> 0:25:56.920 up was the soldiers that went into a village and 0:25:57.200 --> 0:26:01.280 cleaned up the mess. Whether they had to kill people 0:26:01.720 --> 0:26:04.040 or get rid of the huts. It was not a 0:26:04.119 --> 0:26:08.000 nice job, and a lot of Vietnamese people got hurt 0:26:08.280 --> 0:26:13.200 in that, and Uncle Ralph did that. He was nineteen, 0:26:13.840 --> 0:26:17.120 and he was so upset, and just because I had 0:26:17.320 --> 0:26:21.320 stepped foot over there, he felt like he could talk 0:26:21.400 --> 0:26:25.280 to me about it. And he called me and say, 0:26:25.760 --> 0:26:29.320 I can't do this. I can't do this anymore. You know, 0:26:29.440 --> 0:26:33.840 sometimes things happen and you don't believe they're real. I've 0:26:33.840 --> 0:26:43.080 had a lot of those. Did you feel like you 0:26:43.400 --> 0:26:48.080 got more into politics and into activism and stuff like that? After? Definitely? 0:26:48.960 --> 0:26:51.680 I wanted him to come home, and I wanted all 0:26:51.760 --> 0:26:58.080 those boys in that area, and especially cleanups to come home. 0:26:58.240 --> 0:27:02.440 They didn't need to do that, and nobody, no government 0:27:02.480 --> 0:27:11.119 should ask them to do that. Yeah, how about you 0:27:11.240 --> 0:27:16.040 with your activism, You're amazing. I have it on tape, 0:27:16.080 --> 0:27:21.600