1 00:00:02,279 --> 00:00:05,280 Speaker 1: This is Alec Baldwin and you were listening to Here's 2 00:00:05,320 --> 00:00:10,040 Speaker 1: the Thing from iHeart Radio. James Naughton is known for 3 00:00:10,080 --> 00:00:14,160 Speaker 1: his decades of stellar work on stage in American classics, 4 00:00:14,320 --> 00:00:18,440 Speaker 1: from Tennessee Williams to Eugene O'Neill. The Drama Desk winner 5 00:00:18,720 --> 00:00:22,119 Speaker 1: made his off Broadway debut in nineteen seventy one in 6 00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:25,360 Speaker 1: Long Day's Journey in Tonight, which earned him a Theater 7 00:00:25,440 --> 00:00:30,160 Speaker 1: World Award. He directed the Tony nominated production of Arthur 8 00:00:30,200 --> 00:00:34,120 Speaker 1: Miller's The Price and Thornton Wilder's Our Town, which was 9 00:00:34,200 --> 00:00:39,760 Speaker 1: later broadcast on PBS's Masterpiece Theater. Naughton is equally comfortable 10 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:43,720 Speaker 1: with the Great American Songbook. He won his first Tony 11 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:47,760 Speaker 1: for the musical City of Angels in nineteen ninety. He 12 00:00:47,840 --> 00:00:51,319 Speaker 1: then originated the role of Billy Flynn in the hit 13 00:00:51,479 --> 00:00:56,840 Speaker 1: Broadway revival of Chicago, alongside Anne Rhymeking and B. B. Newworth. 14 00:00:57,200 --> 00:01:00,320 Speaker 1: It earned him his second Tony and became the second 15 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:03,000 Speaker 1: longest running show in Broadway history. 16 00:01:04,360 --> 00:01:10,319 Speaker 2: I don't care about expensive things, cashmere coats, diamond rings, 17 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:11,920 Speaker 2: stunt made a thing. 18 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:17,560 Speaker 3: All I care about is long That's what I'm here for. 19 00:01:18,280 --> 00:01:20,760 Speaker 3: I don't care for, where it's silk cravats. 20 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:25,839 Speaker 1: This is James Naughton with all I care about, from 21 00:01:25,880 --> 00:01:31,319 Speaker 1: the Broadway cast recording of the Chicago Revival, with all 22 00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:35,440 Speaker 1: of his theater bonafides. Naughton is no stranger to film, 23 00:01:35,720 --> 00:01:40,080 Speaker 1: appearing in the Devilwears product, nor television working on Who's 24 00:01:40,120 --> 00:01:43,480 Speaker 1: the Boss, Planet of the Apes and Ally McBeal. I 25 00:01:43,560 --> 00:01:47,600 Speaker 1: wanted to connect the dots between his great theatrical success 26 00:01:47,920 --> 00:01:51,000 Speaker 1: and his beginnings in Middletown, Connecticut. 27 00:01:51,760 --> 00:01:54,480 Speaker 3: I was born there, but grew up where in West 28 00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:56,800 Speaker 3: Hartford and West We moved to West Harford when I 29 00:01:56,840 --> 00:01:59,960 Speaker 3: was three and a half, and it was it was 30 00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:03,840 Speaker 3: the halcyon days of the early fifties. It was spectacular, 31 00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:08,120 Speaker 3: you know, playing baseball, football, basketball outside every day all 32 00:02:08,200 --> 00:02:11,120 Speaker 3: year long, depending on what the season was. That's what 33 00:02:11,160 --> 00:02:14,040 Speaker 3: the sport was. And your parents were both teachers. What 34 00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:17,560 Speaker 3: do they teach? My father would say, students, that's my father. 35 00:02:18,120 --> 00:02:21,040 Speaker 3: They taught everything, you know. He actually said, well, I 36 00:02:21,080 --> 00:02:22,919 Speaker 3: said to him, so when we moved to West Hartford, 37 00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:25,680 Speaker 3: you got a job teaching at a school that I 38 00:02:25,840 --> 00:02:28,919 Speaker 3: eventually went to a junior high school. And he said, yeah, 39 00:02:29,040 --> 00:02:31,320 Speaker 3: I was. I taught English, I taught math, I taught 40 00:02:31,320 --> 00:02:34,919 Speaker 3: social studies. I thought I taught students. And my mother 41 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:38,560 Speaker 3: was a business head person. She could do typing all 42 00:02:38,600 --> 00:02:41,480 Speaker 3: that stuff. Yeah, and my dad told a straight economics. 43 00:02:41,919 --> 00:02:44,760 Speaker 3: Of course, it's like contemporary problems they called it. Where 44 00:02:44,800 --> 00:02:46,840 Speaker 3: you got himself in a lot of trouble. Oh yeah, well, 45 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:50,680 Speaker 3: I Massapeaker was not Paris. It was not open minded 46 00:02:50,720 --> 00:02:51,320 Speaker 3: place on earth. 47 00:02:51,360 --> 00:02:55,360 Speaker 1: But the cultural scene in your home. Were your parents 48 00:02:55,360 --> 00:02:56,160 Speaker 1: into movies? 49 00:02:56,200 --> 00:02:56,239 Speaker 3: That? 50 00:02:56,320 --> 00:02:59,280 Speaker 1: Were they theater goers? Loved music concerts? Why did that 51 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:01,839 Speaker 1: get into your bloodstream? Well? 52 00:03:01,960 --> 00:03:04,680 Speaker 3: Music was I think a part of the deal. There's 53 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:08,160 Speaker 3: an old story in the family that my father, Bob 54 00:03:08,200 --> 00:03:11,280 Speaker 3: and ray Eberly had a hit called Pennies from Heaven 55 00:03:11,440 --> 00:03:13,880 Speaker 3: in the thirties I think, and they went to some 56 00:03:14,040 --> 00:03:17,639 Speaker 3: dance and it was a dance band, and somebody challenged 57 00:03:17,639 --> 00:03:20,360 Speaker 3: my father to get up and sing Pennies from Heaven 58 00:03:20,680 --> 00:03:24,600 Speaker 3: with the band. And the person with the challenger went 59 00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:26,519 Speaker 3: up to the band leader and said, we had Bob 60 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:29,680 Speaker 3: and Ray Everley's younger brother, Jimmy Everley here in the house, 61 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:31,040 Speaker 3: you know, would you like him to get up and 62 00:03:31,040 --> 00:03:33,520 Speaker 3: sing a song? So they said, and he got up 63 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:36,640 Speaker 3: and sang Pennies from Heaven. So that was an old 64 00:03:36,720 --> 00:03:39,040 Speaker 3: story in the family, and of course it was one 65 00:03:39,080 --> 00:03:40,280 Speaker 3: of the first songs I learned. 66 00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:44,280 Speaker 1: But for you, how did it begin? Like school productions or. 67 00:03:44,400 --> 00:03:47,040 Speaker 3: Yeah, you know, we used to do plays in school, 68 00:03:47,120 --> 00:03:48,360 Speaker 3: elementary school and you had. 69 00:03:48,320 --> 00:03:51,400 Speaker 1: An interest in that, yeah, in and around sports. Yeah. 70 00:03:51,520 --> 00:03:54,200 Speaker 3: And we remember in the cub Scouts we had these 71 00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:57,560 Speaker 3: pack meetings like once a month, and our den mother 72 00:03:57,760 --> 00:03:59,720 Speaker 3: was interested in that stuff, so she used to put 73 00:03:59,760 --> 00:04:03,320 Speaker 3: these little plays together. I remember playing King Arthur pulling 74 00:04:03,320 --> 00:04:05,440 Speaker 3: the sword out of the rock, and I was probably 75 00:04:05,560 --> 00:04:07,960 Speaker 3: nine years old. I was very authoritative, though. 76 00:04:09,880 --> 00:04:13,320 Speaker 1: But for you plays while you were athletic. 77 00:04:13,640 --> 00:04:17,400 Speaker 3: Well you know the story. My story is in high 78 00:04:17,440 --> 00:04:20,880 Speaker 3: school I was playing soccer and basketball and baseball, but 79 00:04:20,960 --> 00:04:23,240 Speaker 3: I quit basketball. I wasn't really very good at it, 80 00:04:23,680 --> 00:04:25,599 Speaker 3: but I was playing soccer and baseball and in my 81 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:28,800 Speaker 3: junior year I went to my coach and I said, Coach, 82 00:04:28,839 --> 00:04:30,520 Speaker 3: I have a problem. He so what I said, Well, 83 00:04:30,560 --> 00:04:33,560 Speaker 3: mister Lawer, who is the director of the choir and 84 00:04:34,160 --> 00:04:37,320 Speaker 3: the director of all the musicals, wants to cast me 85 00:04:37,360 --> 00:04:40,360 Speaker 3: as the lead in the musical this spring. And he says, Jimmy, 86 00:04:40,440 --> 00:04:42,560 Speaker 3: that's great, you have to do it, and I go, well, yeah, 87 00:04:42,560 --> 00:04:44,839 Speaker 3: but I want to play baseball. He said, well, let 88 00:04:44,920 --> 00:04:47,160 Speaker 3: me talk to mister Lawer, so that later that day 89 00:04:47,160 --> 00:04:49,400 Speaker 3: he comes back. He says, Bill Lawer, and I are 90 00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:51,480 Speaker 3: going to make it possible for you to do both 91 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:56,000 Speaker 3: in May, right, We're going to let you. And so 92 00:04:56,040 --> 00:04:57,680 Speaker 3: what was the part I was playing? I was a 93 00:04:57,760 --> 00:05:02,279 Speaker 3: sixteen year old am Beck. I thought I was really 94 00:05:02,400 --> 00:05:03,839 Speaker 3: I was really on it. And then I saw a 95 00:05:03,839 --> 00:05:05,880 Speaker 3: picture of myself a couple of years ago that somebody 96 00:05:06,160 --> 00:05:08,440 Speaker 3: gave me. Looked like a little boy with a little 97 00:05:08,520 --> 00:05:12,320 Speaker 3: white crap in his hair, you know. And anyway, they 98 00:05:12,320 --> 00:05:15,200 Speaker 3: did it, and so I played baseball, which meant I 99 00:05:15,240 --> 00:05:18,279 Speaker 3: always left rehearsal a little bit early after school, making 100 00:05:18,279 --> 00:05:20,520 Speaker 3: mister Lauer unhappy. And then I'd get to baseball a 101 00:05:20,560 --> 00:05:23,120 Speaker 3: little late, which made mister Key, who was a tough guy, 102 00:05:23,560 --> 00:05:26,280 Speaker 3: very unhappy. But the next year they did it again, 103 00:05:26,320 --> 00:05:29,839 Speaker 3: and we did Carousel, and I played Billy Biglow and 104 00:05:30,120 --> 00:05:33,479 Speaker 3: played baseball at the same time. So I've always done that. 105 00:05:33,600 --> 00:05:34,880 Speaker 3: What did you like about it? 106 00:05:35,160 --> 00:05:37,200 Speaker 1: About? What about getting up in front of an orders? 107 00:05:37,240 --> 00:05:38,440 Speaker 1: You like performing in front. 108 00:05:38,320 --> 00:05:41,240 Speaker 3: Of people well, you know you should know something about this. 109 00:05:41,440 --> 00:05:44,200 Speaker 3: You know, they say, if you're Irish or Irish American, 110 00:05:44,240 --> 00:05:47,400 Speaker 3: you either want to sing or fight, or possibly both. 111 00:05:47,839 --> 00:05:50,040 Speaker 3: And I think the deal is first you fight and 112 00:05:50,120 --> 00:05:51,000 Speaker 3: then you sing about it. 113 00:05:51,200 --> 00:05:53,600 Speaker 1: I mean, you sing and then you got to punch 114 00:05:53,600 --> 00:05:55,239 Speaker 1: somebody out. And I don't like you're saying. 115 00:05:55,160 --> 00:05:57,920 Speaker 3: Right, But it's always been that way. And even when 116 00:05:57,920 --> 00:06:00,719 Speaker 3: I was in college, I didn't get into the theater 117 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:04,200 Speaker 3: until really late, and all my friends were jocks. My 118 00:06:04,279 --> 00:06:07,160 Speaker 3: roommate was a hockey player and a football player, and 119 00:06:07,279 --> 00:06:09,039 Speaker 3: I was a soccer player and a baseball player. 120 00:06:09,080 --> 00:06:11,880 Speaker 1: You went to Brown for American civilization was your major? 121 00:06:11,960 --> 00:06:14,440 Speaker 1: American literature actually, is what I wound up being. I 122 00:06:14,440 --> 00:06:16,440 Speaker 1: went there thinking I was going to be in pre med. 123 00:06:16,960 --> 00:06:19,279 Speaker 1: But you couldn't do pre med and do labs in 124 00:06:19,279 --> 00:06:21,800 Speaker 1: the afternoon and go to soccer practice. So you know, 125 00:06:21,880 --> 00:06:24,240 Speaker 1: if you're like me, were you you had really lofty 126 00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:26,680 Speaker 1: goals that were very academic in lecture, and they. 127 00:06:26,600 --> 00:06:29,160 Speaker 3: Were like, nah, I go becoming active. Lofty goals are 128 00:06:29,240 --> 00:06:30,880 Speaker 3: chief I'll go to law. 129 00:06:30,800 --> 00:06:33,240 Speaker 1: School and I'm like, nah, maybe not that yeah, but 130 00:06:33,320 --> 00:06:35,200 Speaker 1: when you go to Yale, I mean you go to 131 00:06:35,200 --> 00:06:38,120 Speaker 1: one of the great drama school drama schools in the world, 132 00:06:38,160 --> 00:06:40,599 Speaker 1: and you go for there for the MFA. By the 133 00:06:40,720 --> 00:06:43,080 Speaker 1: end of the Brown thing, what's making you want to 134 00:06:43,120 --> 00:06:44,920 Speaker 1: go get an advanced degree in theater? 135 00:06:45,160 --> 00:06:47,600 Speaker 3: Well? I walked into the theater for the first time 136 00:06:47,640 --> 00:06:51,120 Speaker 3: in my junior year because this girl at Pembroke, which 137 00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:53,800 Speaker 3: is now part of Brown, had told me, Hey, by 138 00:06:53,800 --> 00:06:55,440 Speaker 3: the way, there's something going on at the theater today. 139 00:06:55,440 --> 00:06:57,920 Speaker 3: You should you should come by tonight. I had never 140 00:06:58,000 --> 00:07:02,080 Speaker 3: been in the theater out time there it's November. I 141 00:07:02,120 --> 00:07:05,040 Speaker 3: wander her in there auditioning for a musical Guys and dolls, 142 00:07:05,680 --> 00:07:07,680 Speaker 3: and the guy he said, okay, who's next, and she 143 00:07:07,760 --> 00:07:10,560 Speaker 3: did one of these you know, she pointed and get 144 00:07:10,640 --> 00:07:13,440 Speaker 3: him up there. So the guy said come on, and 145 00:07:13,480 --> 00:07:15,680 Speaker 3: I said, I'm not here to audition. He said, don't 146 00:07:15,720 --> 00:07:17,520 Speaker 3: be shy. What have you done? I go, I haven't 147 00:07:17,520 --> 00:07:19,560 Speaker 3: done anything. I did a couple of high school musicals. 148 00:07:19,920 --> 00:07:21,480 Speaker 3: He goes, all right, we'll sing a song from one 149 00:07:21,520 --> 00:07:23,440 Speaker 3: of those. I don't have any music. I'm not here 150 00:07:23,440 --> 00:07:26,040 Speaker 3: to audition. I'm just here to visit my friend Judy. 151 00:07:26,280 --> 00:07:27,880 Speaker 3: He says, get up here and sing a song. So 152 00:07:27,920 --> 00:07:29,520 Speaker 3: I got up and sang a song. He said, okay, 153 00:07:29,640 --> 00:07:31,560 Speaker 3: here go take this scene and go out in the 154 00:07:31,560 --> 00:07:33,000 Speaker 3: hall and look at it and come back in ten 155 00:07:33,040 --> 00:07:34,920 Speaker 3: minutes and read it. So I did, and he said, 156 00:07:34,920 --> 00:07:38,280 Speaker 3: all right, everybody, take five. He said, come here. You've 157 00:07:38,280 --> 00:07:40,560 Speaker 3: obviously been on the stage before. What are you a freshman? 158 00:07:40,600 --> 00:07:42,960 Speaker 3: And I said no, I'm a junior. He goes, well, 159 00:07:42,960 --> 00:07:44,640 Speaker 3: where the hell have you been, That's what he said, 160 00:07:44,680 --> 00:07:46,880 Speaker 3: and I said, I've been playing soccer and baseball and 161 00:07:46,920 --> 00:07:49,840 Speaker 3: he said, oh, one of those he actually did, and 162 00:07:49,880 --> 00:07:51,840 Speaker 3: I said yeah. He said, well, i'd like you to 163 00:07:51,880 --> 00:07:53,920 Speaker 3: be in the show and I said I couldn't do both. 164 00:07:53,960 --> 00:07:56,520 Speaker 3: We're still playing. We're in the NCAA tournament. We played 165 00:07:56,560 --> 00:08:00,560 Speaker 3: to get eliminated. I couldn't do both. He said, no, 166 00:08:00,600 --> 00:08:03,200 Speaker 3: you couldn't. Will you come see me in January? So 167 00:08:03,280 --> 00:08:05,160 Speaker 3: I forgot about it, and it was Christmas vacation when 168 00:08:05,160 --> 00:08:06,680 Speaker 3: I went back, and I was trying to find an 169 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:10,360 Speaker 3: arts course that would satisfy I had to take one 170 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:14,240 Speaker 3: for a graduation, and I don't have any visual artistic 171 00:08:14,240 --> 00:08:18,040 Speaker 3: ability at all, graphic ability, so I thought maybe maybe drama. 172 00:08:18,200 --> 00:08:20,520 Speaker 3: So I went and found him and he opened the door, 173 00:08:20,560 --> 00:08:22,240 Speaker 3: and he sat me down and he said, Jim, I'm 174 00:08:22,280 --> 00:08:22,880 Speaker 3: glad you came. 175 00:08:23,280 --> 00:08:23,640 Speaker 1: Listen. 176 00:08:24,080 --> 00:08:26,120 Speaker 3: I think if you wanted to, I think you could 177 00:08:26,120 --> 00:08:30,119 Speaker 3: do this. And I said, what you mean for real? 178 00:08:30,200 --> 00:08:33,640 Speaker 3: And he said yes. And I said, how do you 179 00:08:33,720 --> 00:08:35,840 Speaker 3: know that? I just sang you a song and read 180 00:08:35,880 --> 00:08:37,880 Speaker 3: a couple of pages. He says, cause I've been doing 181 00:08:37,880 --> 00:08:39,680 Speaker 3: this for forty years and I'm telling you if you 182 00:08:40,600 --> 00:08:42,120 Speaker 3: And I said, so, how do I get there from here? 183 00:08:42,160 --> 00:08:44,079 Speaker 3: He said, should take my class. It's a scene study 184 00:08:44,120 --> 00:08:47,080 Speaker 3: class that meets three hours every afternoon, four. 185 00:08:47,000 --> 00:08:47,520 Speaker 1: Days a week. 186 00:08:47,559 --> 00:08:49,360 Speaker 3: I said, wow, that's a lot of time. He goes, Yes, 187 00:08:49,360 --> 00:08:51,679 Speaker 3: it is, he says, and when you graduate in a 188 00:08:51,760 --> 00:08:53,640 Speaker 3: year and a half, you go to Yale Drama School. 189 00:08:53,920 --> 00:08:55,600 Speaker 3: And I said, just like that and he said, yeah, 190 00:08:55,760 --> 00:08:58,360 Speaker 3: just like that done. So he didn't tell me you 191 00:08:58,360 --> 00:09:00,199 Speaker 3: had to audition. But a year later I audition and 192 00:09:00,280 --> 00:09:02,800 Speaker 3: I got in and I went with the idea, well, 193 00:09:02,840 --> 00:09:05,160 Speaker 3: we'll see how this goes, right, me too? But I 194 00:09:05,240 --> 00:09:09,560 Speaker 3: was there two days and I went Finally I found 195 00:09:09,600 --> 00:09:11,520 Speaker 3: out where the hell I belonged, because while I was 196 00:09:11,520 --> 00:09:13,760 Speaker 3: in college, I didn't know where, you know, I didn't 197 00:09:13,800 --> 00:09:17,800 Speaker 3: know what to do, like drama school, law school, go to. 198 00:09:17,920 --> 00:09:19,480 Speaker 1: It's a tough time. It's a tough time that you 199 00:09:19,520 --> 00:09:22,000 Speaker 1: when I did it, Remember I said to my dad, 200 00:09:22,120 --> 00:09:23,720 Speaker 1: I mean the joke in my family. I've told this 201 00:09:23,800 --> 00:09:25,920 Speaker 1: joke on the show before, which is I call my 202 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:28,680 Speaker 1: parents and I go. I got offered a full scholarship 203 00:09:28,720 --> 00:09:31,880 Speaker 1: to go to and drama tuition scholarship. It's a need 204 00:09:31,920 --> 00:09:33,880 Speaker 1: based scholarship. I go, but I auditioned and I'm going 205 00:09:33,880 --> 00:09:36,200 Speaker 1: to get a full scholarship and I'm gonna leave after 206 00:09:36,240 --> 00:09:38,880 Speaker 1: three years at GW, only one more year left to go. 207 00:09:38,880 --> 00:09:40,960 Speaker 1: I'm gonna go to NYU for drama. My mother is 208 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:41,840 Speaker 1: screaming on the phone. 209 00:09:41,840 --> 00:09:43,120 Speaker 3: Are you out of your mind? 210 00:09:43,840 --> 00:09:46,160 Speaker 1: So you go to Yale? What's that like? Hard? 211 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:51,320 Speaker 3: Well, you know, basically, I think all drama schools say 212 00:09:51,720 --> 00:09:53,280 Speaker 3: what we're going to do is we're gonna break down 213 00:09:53,320 --> 00:09:55,840 Speaker 3: all your bad habits and then we're going to build 214 00:09:55,880 --> 00:09:58,640 Speaker 3: you back up. And they're very good at breaking down 215 00:09:59,160 --> 00:10:03,040 Speaker 3: your ego, and you know, like, oh, we're at a 216 00:10:03,120 --> 00:10:04,720 Speaker 3: time we try and then then I don't have a 217 00:10:04,760 --> 00:10:05,960 Speaker 3: clue as to how to do the rest of it. 218 00:10:06,040 --> 00:10:08,360 Speaker 3: So you kind of have to go there and survive it, 219 00:10:08,480 --> 00:10:12,120 Speaker 3: and you know, it's kind of like the survivitoro you want. Yeah, 220 00:10:12,360 --> 00:10:15,600 Speaker 3: and if you get through it okay, it maybe makes 221 00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:18,400 Speaker 3: you a stronger person because you've had to survive all 222 00:10:18,400 --> 00:10:21,240 Speaker 3: that tearing down of your of your self confidence and 223 00:10:21,240 --> 00:10:25,719 Speaker 3: everything else. My classmates were Henry Winkler and Jill Iikeenberry. 224 00:10:26,120 --> 00:10:28,800 Speaker 3: Henry and I got hired into the al rep out 225 00:10:28,840 --> 00:10:31,400 Speaker 3: of the school. So that was my first job, and 226 00:10:31,400 --> 00:10:34,120 Speaker 3: that was wonderful because I had a wife and a child, 227 00:10:35,080 --> 00:10:38,520 Speaker 3: and you and Pam had your daughter Greg Greg, ye, 228 00:10:39,720 --> 00:10:42,480 Speaker 3: he's older than Kira. Yeah. And I was looking for 229 00:10:42,520 --> 00:10:45,120 Speaker 3: a job that could pay me some money. And of course, 230 00:10:45,160 --> 00:10:47,720 Speaker 3: you know, the options were go to the Guthrie and 231 00:10:47,760 --> 00:10:50,160 Speaker 3: work for fifty dollars a week and become a journeyman 232 00:10:50,200 --> 00:10:52,360 Speaker 3: for seven years and then maybe you'll be an equity 233 00:10:52,360 --> 00:10:54,679 Speaker 3: act fort and bross, you know what I mean. And 234 00:10:55,320 --> 00:10:57,200 Speaker 3: this was all of a sudden full equity card. 235 00:10:57,320 --> 00:10:57,600 Speaker 1: Bam. 236 00:10:57,760 --> 00:11:00,080 Speaker 3: I'm you know. I was making big money, like one 237 00:11:00,120 --> 00:11:03,000 Speaker 3: hundred and sixty dollars a week, which was a lot 238 00:11:03,040 --> 00:11:07,880 Speaker 3: in New Haven at the time in nineteen seventy. Yeah, 239 00:11:08,200 --> 00:11:10,120 Speaker 3: and then a year later I was working in New 240 00:11:10,160 --> 00:11:13,240 Speaker 3: York and you know, I've been lucky enough to keep working. 241 00:11:13,520 --> 00:11:16,960 Speaker 1: So when you leave Yale, what's the first job you 242 00:11:17,040 --> 00:11:20,520 Speaker 1: get the play you mentioned? Oh, I got so lucky. 243 00:11:21,360 --> 00:11:24,480 Speaker 3: I was at Yale rep from the someth We worked 244 00:11:24,480 --> 00:11:27,880 Speaker 3: all summer out at Guildhall in East Hampton. That was 245 00:11:27,880 --> 00:11:30,280 Speaker 3: our first something. We did the whole summer season, and 246 00:11:30,320 --> 00:11:31,920 Speaker 3: then we came back to New Haven and we did 247 00:11:31,920 --> 00:11:34,640 Speaker 3: a bunch of plays and I was impossibly the worst 248 00:11:34,679 --> 00:11:36,960 Speaker 3: production of the Scottish play that's ever been done. But 249 00:11:37,120 --> 00:11:38,800 Speaker 3: everybody I know says no no. I was in the 250 00:11:38,840 --> 00:11:42,280 Speaker 3: Worst Scottman and it was directed by Robert Brustein, who 251 00:11:42,320 --> 00:11:46,160 Speaker 3: was not a director, he was a critic. And anyway, 252 00:11:46,360 --> 00:11:49,720 Speaker 3: we got hammered. My friend David Ackroyd played McDuff and 253 00:11:49,800 --> 00:11:52,200 Speaker 3: I played the guy and we had a sword fight together. 254 00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:52,600 Speaker 1: Yeah. 255 00:11:52,679 --> 00:11:53,760 Speaker 3: I can't even remember the character. 256 00:11:53,760 --> 00:11:55,360 Speaker 1: Who who is the thinge? 257 00:11:55,600 --> 00:11:59,800 Speaker 3: Lee Richardson, Lee Richardson, do you remember him? Yeah? And 258 00:12:00,760 --> 00:12:04,120 Speaker 3: Carmen de Lavalla played Lady McDuff, the dancer. She was 259 00:12:04,160 --> 00:12:07,040 Speaker 3: a lovely woman. Anyway, I got hired out of that 260 00:12:07,120 --> 00:12:10,040 Speaker 3: show to come to New York and do Long Day's 261 00:12:10,080 --> 00:12:14,720 Speaker 3: Journey in Tonight with Robert Ryan, Geraldine Fitzgerald, and Stacy 262 00:12:14,960 --> 00:12:15,960 Speaker 3: Keach playing. 263 00:12:15,640 --> 00:12:18,720 Speaker 1: My That was my audition monologue. I did Edmund and 264 00:12:18,760 --> 00:12:24,320 Speaker 1: the guy in the auditions like sag oh Jesus, everybody 265 00:12:24,320 --> 00:12:24,880 Speaker 1: did Edmund. 266 00:12:25,120 --> 00:12:28,160 Speaker 3: Yeah, where'd you do it? At the Promenade Theater which 267 00:12:28,200 --> 00:12:31,120 Speaker 3: doesn't exist anymore? In seventy six and Broadway and Arvin 268 00:12:31,200 --> 00:12:33,600 Speaker 3: Brown directed it, and yeah, it was like sort of 269 00:12:33,640 --> 00:12:36,280 Speaker 3: starting at you know, at the top of the game 270 00:12:36,360 --> 00:12:36,800 Speaker 3: if you're. 271 00:12:36,679 --> 00:12:39,839 Speaker 1: Doing on Robert Ryan and Geraldine Fitzgerald. 272 00:12:40,760 --> 00:12:42,480 Speaker 3: She was the most fun to be on stage with. 273 00:12:42,600 --> 00:12:44,400 Speaker 3: She used to come in if I did something a 274 00:12:44,400 --> 00:12:47,839 Speaker 3: little differently, you know, instead of coming by the numbers 275 00:12:47,880 --> 00:12:50,200 Speaker 3: what we always did. I could see the fire would 276 00:12:50,240 --> 00:12:51,800 Speaker 3: light up in her eyes and she'd go, oh boy, 277 00:12:51,840 --> 00:12:53,640 Speaker 3: here we go. Yeah, And so she would come in 278 00:12:53,640 --> 00:12:56,480 Speaker 3: to me every night before the show and she goes, well, Ducks, 279 00:12:56,559 --> 00:12:59,160 Speaker 3: what do you want to do different tonight? And you know, 280 00:12:59,280 --> 00:13:02,319 Speaker 3: she loved it, and that was fun because then we 281 00:13:02,320 --> 00:13:04,880 Speaker 3: were playing with each They call us the players, right, 282 00:13:05,240 --> 00:13:06,480 Speaker 3: we were playing with each other. 283 00:13:06,559 --> 00:13:08,240 Speaker 1: That's I like that too. I like it when you 284 00:13:09,240 --> 00:13:11,439 Speaker 1: I try as the as it goes on, just as 285 00:13:11,440 --> 00:13:13,960 Speaker 1: a as an exercise maybe, but it does lead to 286 00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:16,600 Speaker 1: something which is to expand my relationship, not just with 287 00:13:16,679 --> 00:13:18,959 Speaker 1: the other actors on the catch, but with the set. 288 00:13:19,440 --> 00:13:20,800 Speaker 1: You know. I used to do this thing. We did 289 00:13:20,800 --> 00:13:22,320 Speaker 1: a play where the guy came in and the guy 290 00:13:22,400 --> 00:13:24,920 Speaker 1: was his childhood home and his family's poor and he's 291 00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:27,960 Speaker 1: rich now, and the place repulsed him. He wouldn't touch 292 00:13:27,960 --> 00:13:30,520 Speaker 1: anything or sit down. He thought you could catch a 293 00:13:30,559 --> 00:13:32,880 Speaker 1: disease from every just being in this space with us. 294 00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:35,880 Speaker 1: This is entertaining mister Sloan and with his sister and 295 00:13:35,920 --> 00:13:38,760 Speaker 1: her father's father, and the whole play unfolds and my 296 00:13:39,120 --> 00:13:40,880 Speaker 1: character is this rich guy that comes in. He's paying 297 00:13:40,880 --> 00:13:43,080 Speaker 1: for everything and maintaining them. And I'd come in and 298 00:13:43,080 --> 00:13:44,800 Speaker 1: by the end of the play, I was like rubbing 299 00:13:44,840 --> 00:13:48,240 Speaker 1: the couch and not going on this couch. So many 300 00:13:48,360 --> 00:13:51,120 Speaker 1: memories of this couch, you see, just something to play, 301 00:13:51,400 --> 00:13:53,640 Speaker 1: I mean. But when you would do that with her, 302 00:13:53,880 --> 00:13:56,000 Speaker 1: she was cool with it. Oh, she she welcomed it. 303 00:13:56,040 --> 00:13:59,280 Speaker 3: She thrived on it. Yeah, so did Joanne Woodward when 304 00:13:59,320 --> 00:14:03,760 Speaker 3: we did Glass and Aerie. You know, Joeanne plays Amanda Wingfield. 305 00:14:03,760 --> 00:14:04,559 Speaker 1: When did you do that? 306 00:14:05,120 --> 00:14:07,080 Speaker 3: We did it at Williamstown in the eighties and then 307 00:14:07,120 --> 00:14:09,800 Speaker 3: we did it once again at Long Wharf like six 308 00:14:09,840 --> 00:14:13,200 Speaker 3: months later, and on closing night, I came into the 309 00:14:13,200 --> 00:14:16,200 Speaker 3: theater at Long Wharf in New Haven and joe Anne 310 00:14:16,240 --> 00:14:18,760 Speaker 3: said she grabbed me, pulled me in the corner. She said, 311 00:14:19,760 --> 00:14:21,120 Speaker 3: I figured this is going to be you know the 312 00:14:21,240 --> 00:14:24,120 Speaker 3: end right, And she said, we're going to make a 313 00:14:24,160 --> 00:14:27,040 Speaker 3: movie of this and Paul's going to direct it. You 314 00:14:27,120 --> 00:14:30,040 Speaker 3: want to be in it? Did you sure? Laura was 315 00:14:30,200 --> 00:14:34,240 Speaker 3: Karen Allen and Joanne was Amanda and we had three 316 00:14:34,280 --> 00:14:38,280 Speaker 3: different times. John Sales did it first the movie Directory 317 00:14:38,440 --> 00:14:42,040 Speaker 3: Writer Treat Williams, The Late Treat Williams did it second 318 00:14:42,040 --> 00:14:45,240 Speaker 3: at Long Warf and Malcovich did the film and Michael 319 00:14:45,280 --> 00:14:47,840 Speaker 3: Ballhouse shot the film and Paul directed it. 320 00:14:48,240 --> 00:14:50,400 Speaker 1: You did the thing with Joeanne. You did it at 321 00:14:50,400 --> 00:14:54,200 Speaker 1: Williamstown first? Was that your debut at Williamstown? No, you've 322 00:14:54,240 --> 00:14:55,280 Speaker 1: been at Williamstown before? 323 00:14:55,360 --> 00:14:55,480 Speaker 4: Oh? 324 00:14:55,560 --> 00:14:57,720 Speaker 1: Yeah? What was it about that place that everybody made 325 00:14:57,760 --> 00:14:59,240 Speaker 1: that a home for a period of time? 326 00:14:59,360 --> 00:15:01,600 Speaker 3: Well, I mean, you know, we all talk about a 327 00:15:01,640 --> 00:15:05,600 Speaker 3: company making a company, we talk about an ensemble, but 328 00:15:05,640 --> 00:15:07,640 Speaker 3: that's what it really was. And we all came back 329 00:15:07,680 --> 00:15:12,040 Speaker 3: there every summer together and Nicos who was I mean, 330 00:15:12,080 --> 00:15:15,560 Speaker 3: he was a gifted entrepreneurs what he was? You know, 331 00:15:15,640 --> 00:15:18,880 Speaker 3: he really was waiting for your explanation. Well, he was. 332 00:15:19,280 --> 00:15:22,880 Speaker 3: He could be a terrific director, but he was a 333 00:15:23,080 --> 00:15:26,960 Speaker 3: producer in addition to that, and so he put people together. 334 00:15:27,040 --> 00:15:29,160 Speaker 3: He was trying to get Joanne to come up, and 335 00:15:29,360 --> 00:15:31,640 Speaker 3: so finally they did and he said to me, what 336 00:15:31,680 --> 00:15:33,160 Speaker 3: are you doing for the rest of the summer. I 337 00:15:33,240 --> 00:15:35,920 Speaker 3: was in like the first play of the summer, and 338 00:15:35,960 --> 00:15:37,640 Speaker 3: I said, well, I don't know. I hope we're going 339 00:15:37,680 --> 00:15:39,800 Speaker 3: to go to Maine for a while because my family 340 00:15:40,040 --> 00:15:42,960 Speaker 3: we grew up there. He said, well, will you keep 341 00:15:43,120 --> 00:15:46,040 Speaker 3: August open because I think Joanne's going to come. We 342 00:15:46,120 --> 00:15:48,320 Speaker 3: might do glass Man Azri and if we do, i'd 343 00:15:48,360 --> 00:15:52,040 Speaker 3: like you to come and be in. Said, oh, okay, yeah, sure, 344 00:15:52,400 --> 00:15:54,680 Speaker 3: I'll see what I can do. Keep my schedule open 345 00:15:54,720 --> 00:15:57,200 Speaker 3: for that. And that turned out to be a home run. 346 00:15:57,360 --> 00:16:05,240 Speaker 1: You know, actor and director James Naughton. If you enjoy 347 00:16:05,400 --> 00:16:09,880 Speaker 1: conversations with musical theater greats, check out my episode with 348 00:16:10,080 --> 00:16:12,200 Speaker 1: the legendary Patty Lapone. 349 00:16:12,560 --> 00:16:14,480 Speaker 4: I don't go out there going They're gonna dig me. 350 00:16:14,600 --> 00:16:16,480 Speaker 4: I go out there and I do know that the 351 00:16:16,520 --> 00:16:19,160 Speaker 4: people that have come to see me know that I 352 00:16:19,320 --> 00:16:22,960 Speaker 4: have them in mind and that I already have them 353 00:16:23,080 --> 00:16:25,920 Speaker 4: on my side. They know that I'm doing it for them. 354 00:16:26,120 --> 00:16:29,000 Speaker 4: It could be a persona could be a body language thing, 355 00:16:29,040 --> 00:16:31,560 Speaker 4: but they know that I know they're there. And the 356 00:16:31,640 --> 00:16:35,400 Speaker 4: difference is when actors don't acknowledge the audience, the audience 357 00:16:35,920 --> 00:16:40,560 Speaker 4: can't come. When an actor acknowledges the audience, then you 358 00:16:40,560 --> 00:16:47,320 Speaker 4: can have a moment of ecstasy. 359 00:16:47,640 --> 00:16:50,720 Speaker 1: To hear more of my conversation with Patty Lapone, go 360 00:16:50,800 --> 00:16:55,440 Speaker 1: to Here's the Thing dot Org. After the break, James 361 00:16:55,480 --> 00:16:59,720 Speaker 1: Norton shares his experience being directed by and then directing 362 00:17:00,440 --> 00:17:15,080 Speaker 1: Paul Newman. I'm Alec Baldwin and you're listening to hear 363 00:17:15,280 --> 00:17:18,840 Speaker 1: the thing. James Naughton starred in the nineteen eighty seven 364 00:17:18,960 --> 00:17:23,320 Speaker 1: film adaptation of the Tennessee Williams classic The Glass Menagerie. 365 00:17:23,800 --> 00:17:26,800 Speaker 1: The movie was directed by Paul Newman and began a 366 00:17:26,840 --> 00:17:29,679 Speaker 1: lifelong friendship for the two actors. 367 00:17:30,119 --> 00:17:33,280 Speaker 3: I met Paul after because I was doing Glass Menagerie 368 00:17:33,320 --> 00:17:36,280 Speaker 3: with Joanne and we were up in Williamstown doing it, 369 00:17:36,320 --> 00:17:38,439 Speaker 3: and you know, he'd come up for a couple of days, 370 00:17:38,840 --> 00:17:42,000 Speaker 3: like the husband right of the actress, and he felt 371 00:17:42,040 --> 00:17:43,800 Speaker 3: so out of it. And you know how Paul could 372 00:17:43,800 --> 00:17:48,239 Speaker 3: be socially awkward and shy and all those things, and 373 00:17:48,280 --> 00:17:51,400 Speaker 3: because he was basically ye talk about that, yeah, yeah. 374 00:17:51,480 --> 00:17:52,360 Speaker 1: And so he'd. 375 00:17:52,160 --> 00:17:55,760 Speaker 3: Come up and I realized we'd all felt kind of crazy, 376 00:17:55,880 --> 00:17:58,720 Speaker 3: like there's Paul Newman. And you know, Joanne was a 377 00:17:58,720 --> 00:18:00,800 Speaker 3: part of our company. She was like, you know, someone 378 00:18:00,880 --> 00:18:03,679 Speaker 3: I'm I'm working with, I'm playing with. We felt great together, 379 00:18:03,960 --> 00:18:07,440 Speaker 3: but then Paul would committed and everybody be so awkward. 380 00:18:08,280 --> 00:18:10,320 Speaker 3: And then I realized he's the one who feels really 381 00:18:10,320 --> 00:18:12,640 Speaker 3: awkward because he's not a part of the company. He's 382 00:18:12,680 --> 00:18:15,439 Speaker 3: the husband coming up to visit. So anyway, when we 383 00:18:15,520 --> 00:18:18,560 Speaker 3: started to when they said he's going to make the film, 384 00:18:18,560 --> 00:18:20,919 Speaker 3: he's going to direct the film, he insisted on a 385 00:18:20,920 --> 00:18:23,720 Speaker 3: couple of weeks of rehearsal, and I think it was 386 00:18:23,760 --> 00:18:27,000 Speaker 3: partly so that he and we could all break down 387 00:18:27,320 --> 00:18:30,400 Speaker 3: that stuff, you know, And and he'd come over. Karen 388 00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:33,119 Speaker 3: and I'd be sitting there together because we were playing 389 00:18:33,119 --> 00:18:36,000 Speaker 3: all the scenes together, and he'd come over and he'd 390 00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:39,440 Speaker 3: tell us some ridiculous jokes, and and then he turned 391 00:18:39,440 --> 00:18:41,080 Speaker 3: around and walk away, and we look at each. 392 00:18:40,920 --> 00:18:44,080 Speaker 2: Other like, whoa is that he's gotten this far with 393 00:18:44,160 --> 00:18:47,000 Speaker 2: that man? We were so we were so everybody was 394 00:18:47,040 --> 00:18:49,359 Speaker 2: so awkward. But in the course of a couple of 395 00:18:49,400 --> 00:18:51,600 Speaker 2: weeks that broke down and then we became really close. 396 00:18:51,640 --> 00:18:54,359 Speaker 2: And then he discovered that he and I live five 397 00:18:54,359 --> 00:18:57,520 Speaker 2: minutes from each other in Connecticut, and he discovered, oh yeah, 398 00:18:57,640 --> 00:18:59,639 Speaker 2: I like to shoot pool too, and I like to 399 00:18:59,720 --> 00:19:02,200 Speaker 2: drink beer two and so that's what we did. 400 00:19:02,920 --> 00:19:05,160 Speaker 1: So you go and do the film, and he wants 401 00:19:05,160 --> 00:19:08,719 Speaker 1: a couple of weeks of rehearsal. And you hadn't directed 402 00:19:08,760 --> 00:19:10,800 Speaker 1: anybody yourself by then, had you? No? 403 00:19:10,920 --> 00:19:14,439 Speaker 3: Not at that point. The first time I directed anything, 404 00:19:14,480 --> 00:19:19,680 Speaker 3: I directed Maria Tucci, my friend who had translated Filomena 405 00:19:20,200 --> 00:19:24,399 Speaker 3: by Eduardo di Filippo for the stage, and then she 406 00:19:24,480 --> 00:19:26,680 Speaker 3: played it, and I directed her because she and I 407 00:19:26,760 --> 00:19:29,399 Speaker 3: had done a lot of stuff together on stage the 408 00:19:29,440 --> 00:19:33,879 Speaker 3: Crucible and at Williamstown and Yet and Rose Tattoo and 409 00:19:33,920 --> 00:19:36,720 Speaker 3: a whole bunch of stuff, you know, at Williamstown. And 410 00:19:36,760 --> 00:19:38,120 Speaker 3: so that's the first time I directed. 411 00:19:38,640 --> 00:19:41,280 Speaker 1: What was Newman's directing technique was he light? Was he 412 00:19:42,560 --> 00:19:46,520 Speaker 1: really straightforward? And to the point. Yeah, he was. 413 00:19:47,840 --> 00:19:51,840 Speaker 3: He was remarkably light handed, gentle, not a lot of 414 00:19:52,040 --> 00:19:54,040 Speaker 3: crazy stuff, and you know, not a lot of direction. 415 00:19:54,840 --> 00:19:57,879 Speaker 3: But he spent some time with Michael Ballhouse, who shot it, 416 00:19:58,400 --> 00:20:00,320 Speaker 3: and he was about as good as it gets. Yeah, 417 00:20:00,359 --> 00:20:03,199 Speaker 3: and a wonderful guy. Yeah, yeah, as you know, and 418 00:20:03,240 --> 00:20:05,680 Speaker 3: they'd be they'd discuss stuff, and then you know, he'd 419 00:20:05,680 --> 00:20:09,080 Speaker 3: committed say blah blah blah, Okay, I want to do 420 00:20:09,119 --> 00:20:11,720 Speaker 3: that again. Yeah, okay, anything different, No, it was okay, 421 00:20:11,760 --> 00:20:13,800 Speaker 3: that was good. You just keep doing that, you know, 422 00:20:13,880 --> 00:20:14,760 Speaker 3: that sort of suff. 423 00:20:14,520 --> 00:20:17,719 Speaker 1: And then the tables turning, you direct him. Yeah, how 424 00:20:17,720 --> 00:20:18,080 Speaker 1: did that go? 425 00:20:19,240 --> 00:20:23,280 Speaker 3: Well? That that went awfully? Well? Yeah, we did Our 426 00:20:23,320 --> 00:20:27,560 Speaker 3: Town at the Westport Playhouse. Well, actually, Joanne called me 427 00:20:27,640 --> 00:20:30,960 Speaker 3: up one night in about two thousand and three, after 428 00:20:31,080 --> 00:20:33,800 Speaker 3: nine to eleven, and she said, Jimmy, you know i've 429 00:20:33,800 --> 00:20:36,160 Speaker 3: aw She was the artistic director of the Westport Playhouse. 430 00:20:36,520 --> 00:20:38,199 Speaker 3: She said, you know how I've always wanted to do 431 00:20:38,440 --> 00:20:41,600 Speaker 3: a production of Our Town. And I said, yeah, actually 432 00:20:41,640 --> 00:20:44,080 Speaker 3: you have talked about that before. She said, well, I 433 00:20:44,119 --> 00:20:47,440 Speaker 3: think now's the time. I think we could all use 434 00:20:47,880 --> 00:20:50,719 Speaker 3: a little our Town right now. After nine to eleven 435 00:20:51,480 --> 00:20:55,120 Speaker 3: she said, and Paul wants to play the stage manager. 436 00:20:55,760 --> 00:20:58,120 Speaker 3: I go, what she and I have been I was shocked. 437 00:20:58,320 --> 00:21:00,679 Speaker 3: We'd been after him for twenty years to try to, 438 00:21:00,960 --> 00:21:02,639 Speaker 3: you know, to do something on the stage, and he 439 00:21:02,640 --> 00:21:05,639 Speaker 3: would go, oh, no, no, I can't. My brain's all foam, 440 00:21:05,680 --> 00:21:08,600 Speaker 3: that's what he'd said. But he was excited about it, 441 00:21:08,640 --> 00:21:10,760 Speaker 3: and she said, I just walked out of the room 442 00:21:11,119 --> 00:21:12,919 Speaker 3: and he said I want to do this. And I 443 00:21:13,000 --> 00:21:14,639 Speaker 3: was out of the room for twenty five minutes. I 444 00:21:14,680 --> 00:21:17,920 Speaker 3: came back in and he had learned the first monologue, 445 00:21:18,520 --> 00:21:20,359 Speaker 3: and I said, you got to be kidding. She said, So, 446 00:21:20,400 --> 00:21:23,119 Speaker 3: we were wondering if maybe you'd like to direct it. 447 00:21:24,480 --> 00:21:26,879 Speaker 3: You say, no, my brain is all phowed. Well, you 448 00:21:26,920 --> 00:21:29,400 Speaker 3: know what I said to her, It was true. I said, Joanne, 449 00:21:29,520 --> 00:21:32,399 Speaker 3: I'm probably the only American actor who's never seen a 450 00:21:32,440 --> 00:21:35,240 Speaker 3: production of this play or read it or worked on 451 00:21:35,320 --> 00:21:38,120 Speaker 3: a scene from it in an acting class. So why 452 00:21:38,119 --> 00:21:40,119 Speaker 3: don't I have a copy of it in my library? 453 00:21:40,119 --> 00:21:42,280 Speaker 3: Why don't I read it tonight and I'll call you tomorrow. 454 00:21:42,880 --> 00:21:46,199 Speaker 3: She said, Okay, So I read it that night and 455 00:21:46,280 --> 00:21:50,440 Speaker 3: I and I said, wow, I had just somehow I'd 456 00:21:50,520 --> 00:21:52,760 Speaker 3: escaped ever working on it. You know up to that point, 457 00:21:53,720 --> 00:21:56,520 Speaker 3: and so I called her and I said, okay, I'd 458 00:21:56,600 --> 00:21:59,720 Speaker 3: love to Paul hasn't been on the stage for thirty 459 00:21:59,720 --> 00:22:03,080 Speaker 3: six years, so that's going to take a little doing. 460 00:22:03,240 --> 00:22:05,480 Speaker 3: And I don't think it would be helpful for him 461 00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:08,040 Speaker 3: to just be in a room with tape on the floor. 462 00:22:08,400 --> 00:22:10,040 Speaker 3: We got to find a place where you can actually 463 00:22:10,080 --> 00:22:12,879 Speaker 3: get up on the stage and be in and so 464 00:22:12,960 --> 00:22:16,320 Speaker 3: we rehearsed it at the White Barn Theater over in Wilton, 465 00:22:17,160 --> 00:22:19,720 Speaker 3: and that was a great idea because he was very 466 00:22:20,119 --> 00:22:23,040 Speaker 3: uncomfortable being up on the stage and he used to 467 00:22:23,040 --> 00:22:25,960 Speaker 3: do this he crossed his arms like this and sort 468 00:22:25,960 --> 00:22:27,240 Speaker 3: of looked down at his feet. 469 00:22:28,160 --> 00:22:29,879 Speaker 1: Well, Spencer, Tracy's calling acting. 470 00:22:29,960 --> 00:22:32,800 Speaker 3: Well, he's standing on the stage supposedly, and he's addressing 471 00:22:32,840 --> 00:22:34,840 Speaker 3: the audience. And I actually went up to him and 472 00:22:34,840 --> 00:22:37,359 Speaker 3: I said, you know, this would even be a lot 473 00:22:37,400 --> 00:22:39,560 Speaker 3: better if you kind of share some of this way 474 00:22:39,640 --> 00:22:43,359 Speaker 3: with the audience. And he goes, you know, I know, 475 00:22:43,440 --> 00:22:48,000 Speaker 3: he said, but I'm just terrified that I'm going to 476 00:22:48,080 --> 00:22:53,320 Speaker 3: make eye contact with somebody in the audience. So I said, okay, look, 477 00:22:53,640 --> 00:22:55,040 Speaker 3: you know you're going to be on the stage and 478 00:22:55,200 --> 00:22:56,919 Speaker 3: there's going to be a lot of lights shining on you. 479 00:22:56,960 --> 00:22:59,239 Speaker 3: It's going to be hard to see the audience. And 480 00:22:59,280 --> 00:23:02,520 Speaker 3: you know how a balcony at the playoffs, and the 481 00:23:02,520 --> 00:23:05,480 Speaker 3: facade in front of the balcony the bars, you know 482 00:23:05,480 --> 00:23:07,400 Speaker 3: what I mean. I said, if you just look at that, 483 00:23:07,600 --> 00:23:11,280 Speaker 3: it'll look like you're looking at the metal. Yeah, and 484 00:23:11,320 --> 00:23:15,119 Speaker 3: you know you'll be protected. So I mean, over the 485 00:23:15,119 --> 00:23:17,480 Speaker 3: course of the first couple of weeks while we were 486 00:23:17,480 --> 00:23:21,880 Speaker 3: playing it in performance, that had eventually kind of started 487 00:23:21,920 --> 00:23:23,760 Speaker 3: to come up a little more and a little more 488 00:23:23,920 --> 00:23:26,560 Speaker 3: and a little more. And we shot it. By the way, 489 00:23:26,600 --> 00:23:30,000 Speaker 3: we shot it for Masterpiece Theater and a co production 490 00:23:30,119 --> 00:23:31,720 Speaker 3: Masterpiece Theater and Showtime. 491 00:23:31,760 --> 00:23:34,080 Speaker 1: I want to find that it's wonderful. I saw the show. 492 00:23:34,160 --> 00:23:34,840 Speaker 1: I went and saw it. 493 00:23:34,920 --> 00:23:39,320 Speaker 3: Well, he's even better in the film version. And he's bigger. 494 00:23:39,720 --> 00:23:42,200 Speaker 3: He's bigger in the film. And I said to him afterwards, 495 00:23:42,200 --> 00:23:44,600 Speaker 3: I said, you know, the book is that when you 496 00:23:44,640 --> 00:23:46,240 Speaker 3: get on film, you don't have to be as big 497 00:23:46,280 --> 00:23:48,400 Speaker 3: as you are on the stage. But you've gotten bigger. 498 00:23:48,480 --> 00:23:52,040 Speaker 3: You're actually doing more and I can will you explain 499 00:23:52,119 --> 00:23:54,040 Speaker 3: that to me, because this guy is a guy we 500 00:23:54,119 --> 00:23:58,280 Speaker 3: know is a wonderful film actor. And he said, Oh, 501 00:23:58,560 --> 00:24:00,960 Speaker 3: I don't know. It just seemed like was just the 502 00:24:01,000 --> 00:24:03,000 Speaker 3: camera there. So I guess I had to. I just 503 00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:08,840 Speaker 3: felt I ought to do more. It's contrary to everything 504 00:24:08,880 --> 00:24:10,720 Speaker 3: we think about, right, he was more at home there. 505 00:24:10,800 --> 00:24:12,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, he was more at home there. 506 00:24:12,280 --> 00:24:15,399 Speaker 3: Anyway, his performance is quite spectacular, and so are the 507 00:24:15,440 --> 00:24:18,359 Speaker 3: other people in the Jeff Demon and Jane Atkinson and 508 00:24:18,440 --> 00:24:21,400 Speaker 3: Jane Curtin and Frank Convers, Frank. 509 00:24:21,119 --> 00:24:23,240 Speaker 1: Converse, who I thought was the best Mitch I've ever 510 00:24:23,280 --> 00:24:28,480 Speaker 1: seen in Streetcard. In Nicos's production, Blythe was probably, you know, 511 00:24:28,600 --> 00:24:30,399 Speaker 1: one of certainly one of two or three of the 512 00:24:30,400 --> 00:24:33,040 Speaker 1: best Blanches I've ever seen. Blithe was a great Blanche. 513 00:24:33,680 --> 00:24:36,160 Speaker 1: Aidan Quinn was They did a Lincoln Center and zachar 514 00:24:36,200 --> 00:24:38,280 Speaker 1: Ropp was. I auditioned and didn't get the part, and 515 00:24:38,280 --> 00:24:42,560 Speaker 1: Aiden got the part, and Aiden and blythe Frank and 516 00:24:43,240 --> 00:24:48,640 Speaker 1: Francis McDormand Is Stella and she was good. But Frank Converse, Yeah, 517 00:24:48,720 --> 00:24:51,080 Speaker 1: Frank Converse, man, he was great. I loved anyway. I 518 00:24:51,080 --> 00:24:54,159 Speaker 1: said that a million times now, God that I go 519 00:24:54,240 --> 00:24:57,280 Speaker 1: up to that camp. I've got so many memories of 520 00:24:57,280 --> 00:24:58,600 Speaker 1: that camp. I haven't been up there in a while. 521 00:24:58,640 --> 00:25:00,840 Speaker 1: Since he was there. But you know all those the 522 00:25:00,880 --> 00:25:04,440 Speaker 1: lifestyle things are going to the pizza place after the show, 523 00:25:05,080 --> 00:25:08,200 Speaker 1: and knew man just being like so kind. He didn't 524 00:25:08,240 --> 00:25:09,560 Speaker 1: have to be kind. And the people I've got to 525 00:25:09,600 --> 00:25:12,240 Speaker 1: meet there, I mean, especially as he got older. This 526 00:25:12,320 --> 00:25:14,359 Speaker 1: is not me making fun of him, but Tony Randall 527 00:25:14,359 --> 00:25:16,119 Speaker 1: would sit there in a chair like he was a 528 00:25:16,119 --> 00:25:18,920 Speaker 1: toy you had to wind up. He would literally sit 529 00:25:18,960 --> 00:25:21,720 Speaker 1: there and he wouldn't move. He'd be on the couch 530 00:25:21,760 --> 00:25:23,760 Speaker 1: in the green room and there's all the snacks everywhere 531 00:25:23,800 --> 00:25:25,960 Speaker 1: and the shit everywhere, and his kids are on the 532 00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:28,160 Speaker 1: floor and Heather's on the other side of the room 533 00:25:28,240 --> 00:25:30,480 Speaker 1: and his kids are like coloring on the floor and 534 00:25:30,520 --> 00:25:32,080 Speaker 1: he's to sit there and kind of stare at them 535 00:25:32,160 --> 00:25:35,600 Speaker 1: very quietly. I'm assuming he's husbanding his energy. Then all 536 00:25:35,560 --> 00:25:39,280 Speaker 1: a sudden they say, Tony, you're on. He'd be like hello, Yeah. 537 00:25:39,280 --> 00:25:40,080 Speaker 3: He was wonderful. 538 00:25:40,240 --> 00:25:41,080 Speaker 1: Oh he just turned on. 539 00:25:41,280 --> 00:25:45,040 Speaker 3: He could make the most out of bad to mediocre material. 540 00:25:45,480 --> 00:25:47,480 Speaker 3: He was very funny, so charming. I'll tell you a 541 00:25:47,520 --> 00:25:50,680 Speaker 3: funny story about Tony. He had his first child when 542 00:25:50,680 --> 00:25:54,600 Speaker 3: he was seventy eight years old. He had married Heather 543 00:25:54,960 --> 00:25:57,520 Speaker 3: and who had been an intern of his when he 544 00:25:57,840 --> 00:26:02,880 Speaker 3: founded the National. Yes, Tony was just a wonderfully generous 545 00:26:03,240 --> 00:26:06,960 Speaker 3: actor and funny, funny guy. Jack Klugman told me that 546 00:26:07,280 --> 00:26:10,680 Speaker 3: they were doing The Odd Couple in Manchester in England 547 00:26:11,000 --> 00:26:14,000 Speaker 3: or Noddingham or saying yeah, they were doing it somewhere together. 548 00:26:14,600 --> 00:26:17,120 Speaker 3: And Tony got the word that Heather was pregnant, and 549 00:26:17,280 --> 00:26:19,879 Speaker 3: Jack said that he had a knock on his dressing 550 00:26:19,960 --> 00:26:22,119 Speaker 3: room door. He opened it and it was Tony. Tony says, 551 00:26:22,480 --> 00:26:28,120 Speaker 3: the machinery still works. And then Heather told me, asked 552 00:26:28,160 --> 00:26:32,280 Speaker 3: me if I would sing the Chicago song Razzle Dazzle 553 00:26:32,760 --> 00:26:35,320 Speaker 3: had his memorial service in the Theater in the York 554 00:26:36,160 --> 00:26:38,480 Speaker 3: and I said, geez, you know, Heather, I've never done 555 00:26:38,520 --> 00:26:40,520 Speaker 3: that song except in the show, and it's a big 556 00:26:40,520 --> 00:26:42,919 Speaker 3: production number and it kind of lays there. It's not 557 00:26:42,960 --> 00:26:48,680 Speaker 3: a great solo number. Give them the old She said, well, 558 00:26:48,680 --> 00:26:51,119 Speaker 3: here's the reason I want you to do it. Just 559 00:26:51,320 --> 00:26:54,159 Speaker 3: Tony always wished that he could play that part. And 560 00:26:54,200 --> 00:26:56,200 Speaker 3: he used to make us a martini and then we'd 561 00:26:56,200 --> 00:26:58,080 Speaker 3: go into the living room and he'd put on your 562 00:26:58,200 --> 00:27:03,920 Speaker 3: CD and he would lip sync to you, singing Razzle dazzle, 563 00:27:04,600 --> 00:27:06,359 Speaker 3: and I said, you got to be kidding me. I 564 00:27:06,400 --> 00:27:06,919 Speaker 3: didn't know that. 565 00:27:06,960 --> 00:27:08,159 Speaker 1: She said yeah. 566 00:27:08,440 --> 00:27:10,320 Speaker 3: So I went out and I said to the audience, Okay, 567 00:27:10,359 --> 00:27:13,639 Speaker 3: I've never sang the song except in the show, but 568 00:27:13,720 --> 00:27:15,800 Speaker 3: Heather told me that Tony used to like to do it, 569 00:27:15,840 --> 00:27:18,400 Speaker 3: and he would. So I want you to picture. I'll 570 00:27:18,400 --> 00:27:20,520 Speaker 3: sing you the song, but you got a picture Tony 571 00:27:20,600 --> 00:27:23,560 Speaker 3: doing it for Heather in their living room in their 572 00:27:23,600 --> 00:27:26,720 Speaker 3: apartment up on Central Park West after dinner at night 573 00:27:26,760 --> 00:27:29,240 Speaker 3: with a martini, and I sang it. And I came 574 00:27:29,280 --> 00:27:31,439 Speaker 3: and I walked off the stage and Jacques den Boise 575 00:27:31,520 --> 00:27:34,400 Speaker 3: was there, and Jacques said, Jim, you know, he said, 576 00:27:34,440 --> 00:27:36,240 Speaker 3: I've seen an awful lot of guys play that part. 577 00:27:36,280 --> 00:27:38,760 Speaker 3: He said, you sang that pretty well. I think you 578 00:27:38,800 --> 00:27:41,120 Speaker 3: should play. You should think talk to your urgent about 579 00:27:41,200 --> 00:27:44,160 Speaker 3: maybe playing that part. So I told Charlotte that who 580 00:27:44,200 --> 00:27:47,280 Speaker 3: had played the part after Annie ryin King left and 581 00:27:47,320 --> 00:27:50,639 Speaker 3: she says, oh, God, Daddy, you know because I had 582 00:27:50,680 --> 00:27:52,240 Speaker 3: played the part. That's why they asked me to do 583 00:27:52,280 --> 00:27:53,000 Speaker 3: it in the first. 584 00:27:52,760 --> 00:27:56,520 Speaker 1: Place, which brings me to your version of the Legend 585 00:27:56,520 --> 00:28:00,520 Speaker 1: of Chicago. So I hear, I know Walter Encore Walter 586 00:28:01,200 --> 00:28:04,200 Speaker 1: Weissler's come wrap it up exactly as it is, don't 587 00:28:04,280 --> 00:28:06,639 Speaker 1: change anything. We're gonna take it right to Broadway. Booty Boom. 588 00:28:07,040 --> 00:28:12,120 Speaker 1: And you originate the row Billy, You originate Billy, Yeah, yeah, 589 00:28:12,160 --> 00:28:14,240 Speaker 1: And you weren't in the encorese thing I was. So 590 00:28:14,280 --> 00:28:16,560 Speaker 1: you were in the encourse yeah? And was everybody or 591 00:28:16,560 --> 00:28:17,960 Speaker 1: did they replace some of the cast. 592 00:28:17,880 --> 00:28:19,840 Speaker 3: Well, maybe one or two people, but it was pretty 593 00:28:19,920 --> 00:28:23,479 Speaker 3: much the entire production that we did Encourse. And then 594 00:28:23,560 --> 00:28:27,320 Speaker 3: the following fall we went into production for the Broadway show, 595 00:28:27,880 --> 00:28:29,760 Speaker 3: and there was some talk about whether or not to, 596 00:28:30,000 --> 00:28:32,359 Speaker 3: you know, open it up and bring on sets and 597 00:28:32,400 --> 00:28:34,240 Speaker 3: all this. Suff they decided not to do that, and 598 00:28:34,280 --> 00:28:37,159 Speaker 3: guess what, it's still going twenty eight years later, So 599 00:28:37,200 --> 00:28:38,560 Speaker 3: I guess they made the right decision. 600 00:28:38,560 --> 00:28:39,480 Speaker 1: And how long did you do it? 601 00:28:39,520 --> 00:28:39,600 Speaker 4: For? 602 00:28:39,960 --> 00:28:41,280 Speaker 3: About a long year? 603 00:28:42,080 --> 00:28:42,560 Speaker 1: That was it? 604 00:28:42,680 --> 00:28:44,920 Speaker 3: A long year? You could still be doing it now. 605 00:28:45,440 --> 00:28:45,760 Speaker 3: I know. 606 00:28:46,120 --> 00:28:49,760 Speaker 1: They rotate back and forth, like it's asked Harlem Globetrotters. 607 00:28:49,760 --> 00:28:50,240 Speaker 1: These people. 608 00:28:50,280 --> 00:28:52,280 Speaker 3: I went in once for like three weeks when they 609 00:28:52,280 --> 00:28:54,760 Speaker 3: didn't have a Billy, about ten or fifteen years ago now, 610 00:28:54,920 --> 00:28:57,280 Speaker 3: and they called me up and asked me Gretchen mal 611 00:28:57,400 --> 00:28:59,480 Speaker 3: was going to be going in and they didn't have 612 00:28:59,520 --> 00:29:01,320 Speaker 3: a billion. They said, could you do it for like 613 00:29:01,440 --> 00:29:02,440 Speaker 3: three weeks? 614 00:29:02,720 --> 00:29:02,920 Speaker 1: Yeah? 615 00:29:02,960 --> 00:29:05,440 Speaker 3: I suppose so. And you know so, I said, they said, 616 00:29:05,480 --> 00:29:07,520 Speaker 3: you're gonna need a lot of rehearsalcle No, I don't 617 00:29:07,520 --> 00:29:09,920 Speaker 3: think so. I'll just kind of give me the I'll 618 00:29:09,960 --> 00:29:11,880 Speaker 3: look at the book. And then I called them back 619 00:29:11,920 --> 00:29:17,080 Speaker 3: a week. I said, yeah, I can probably rehearsal there, dude. Yeah, yeah, 620 00:29:17,120 --> 00:29:19,440 Speaker 3: And you went back, was it fun? Well, after three 621 00:29:19,480 --> 00:29:22,800 Speaker 3: weeks I was definitely finished. Yeah, it was like and 622 00:29:22,800 --> 00:29:23,360 Speaker 3: it was it? 623 00:29:23,400 --> 00:29:25,800 Speaker 1: Is it psychological? Is it like, I don't want to 624 00:29:25,840 --> 00:29:29,800 Speaker 1: say boredom per se? But is it psychological insofar as 625 00:29:30,160 --> 00:29:32,160 Speaker 1: when you do something that's got a shelf life. 626 00:29:32,000 --> 00:29:35,320 Speaker 3: And you're duck someone variety? You know, some people can 627 00:29:35,360 --> 00:29:38,120 Speaker 3: go on and they do these things five years. I 628 00:29:38,160 --> 00:29:41,480 Speaker 3: can't do that. I mean, I go out there. I 629 00:29:41,560 --> 00:29:44,440 Speaker 3: have to confess that after you know, six or eight 630 00:29:44,480 --> 00:29:47,000 Speaker 3: weeks of playing it, after you've opened it, and you 631 00:29:47,120 --> 00:29:50,440 Speaker 3: know you're doing it now eight times a week, and 632 00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:53,560 Speaker 3: the matin these days are tough. My buddies are out 633 00:29:53,600 --> 00:29:57,280 Speaker 3: there on the golf course. It's Wednesday afternoon, it's to 634 00:29:57,400 --> 00:30:00,720 Speaker 3: Southampton yeah, and I got to go out there. I 635 00:30:00,760 --> 00:30:03,240 Speaker 3: will say this though, about doing a musical as opposed 636 00:30:03,240 --> 00:30:05,640 Speaker 3: to doing a straight play. When the music starts, that 637 00:30:05,680 --> 00:30:06,240 Speaker 3: does help you. 638 00:30:06,720 --> 00:30:09,240 Speaker 1: Then you win the Tony. You won City of Angels 639 00:30:10,240 --> 00:30:14,160 Speaker 1: a few years before. Who directed City of Angels Michael 640 00:30:14,160 --> 00:30:16,800 Speaker 1: Blake Blakemore And if I remember, that was kind of 641 00:30:16,800 --> 00:30:20,880 Speaker 1: at the apex of Blake Moore's West End and Broadway career. 642 00:30:20,920 --> 00:30:22,200 Speaker 1: He was doing a lot of big shows. 643 00:30:22,360 --> 00:30:24,280 Speaker 3: He was a good guy and he was an actor, 644 00:30:24,440 --> 00:30:28,080 Speaker 3: you know, right. And my co star Greg Edelman, who's 645 00:30:28,120 --> 00:30:30,320 Speaker 3: just a wonderful guy and has one of the best 646 00:30:30,400 --> 00:30:33,760 Speaker 3: voices on Broadway, went up to Michael at one point 647 00:30:33,800 --> 00:30:36,520 Speaker 3: and he said, you know, Michael, you're the first British 648 00:30:36,760 --> 00:30:38,840 Speaker 3: director I've ever worked with who wasn't a real son 649 00:30:38,880 --> 00:30:41,560 Speaker 3: of a bitch or something like that. And Michael said, 650 00:30:41,640 --> 00:30:44,000 Speaker 3: that's because I'm Australian, dear boy. 651 00:30:46,160 --> 00:30:51,560 Speaker 1: Most actors I know, regardless of their pedigree and training 652 00:30:51,640 --> 00:30:53,920 Speaker 1: and experiences, you know, they want to win and they 653 00:30:53,920 --> 00:30:55,960 Speaker 1: want to win an Oscar. They think that's the sexiest 654 00:30:56,000 --> 00:30:58,680 Speaker 1: award to win. And then there's a group that I 655 00:30:58,720 --> 00:31:00,720 Speaker 1: always kind of identified with the award. Do you want 656 00:31:00,720 --> 00:31:03,640 Speaker 1: to win as a Tony and that really is much 657 00:31:03,640 --> 00:31:06,960 Speaker 1: more of a of a mountain to climb. You win 658 00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:09,600 Speaker 1: the Tony Award the first time City of Angels was 659 00:31:09,640 --> 00:31:12,440 Speaker 1: a big hit. Does that change things for you at all? Now? 660 00:31:12,880 --> 00:31:14,800 Speaker 3: You know, I've never lived in the city. I've always 661 00:31:14,800 --> 00:31:18,240 Speaker 3: lived out And so to add to the deal and 662 00:31:18,320 --> 00:31:23,239 Speaker 3: the kids you got commuting and that that adds a 663 00:31:23,280 --> 00:31:27,400 Speaker 3: couple of levels of exhaustion to the whole day. I've 664 00:31:27,440 --> 00:31:30,360 Speaker 3: lived in Connecticut forever and I drove home the other 665 00:31:30,480 --> 00:31:33,239 Speaker 3: night for the first time in a long time. How 666 00:31:33,280 --> 00:31:34,840 Speaker 3: the hell did I do this every night? 667 00:31:35,160 --> 00:31:35,440 Speaker 1: You know? 668 00:31:36,000 --> 00:31:39,160 Speaker 3: Because this are you know, two Balentine hles actually in 669 00:31:39,200 --> 00:31:40,880 Speaker 3: the car on the way home, and by the time 670 00:31:40,920 --> 00:31:44,560 Speaker 3: I got there, I was maybe kind of coming down, ready. 671 00:31:44,280 --> 00:31:47,000 Speaker 1: To go to sleep by the fire. Yeah. Now for you, 672 00:31:47,160 --> 00:31:50,480 Speaker 1: a couple more questions for you when you're on stage, 673 00:31:50,520 --> 00:31:52,640 Speaker 1: when you're in film, when you're in TV. And I'm 674 00:31:52,720 --> 00:31:55,240 Speaker 1: literally not joking when I'm referring to the Buddy Ebsen's 675 00:31:55,280 --> 00:31:58,200 Speaker 1: of the world. Are you doing shows and your your 676 00:31:58,280 --> 00:32:03,000 Speaker 1: heroes are around you? Who are you excited to work with? Oh? 677 00:32:03,280 --> 00:32:05,680 Speaker 3: This wasn't on Broadway, but it was a TV show 678 00:32:05,920 --> 00:32:10,880 Speaker 3: version of Look Homeward Angel with Geraldine Page. And here 679 00:32:10,960 --> 00:32:13,280 Speaker 3: was the cast of the show. This was done in 680 00:32:13,360 --> 00:32:21,520 Speaker 3: the seventies for CBS Playhouse ninety. Charlie Derning, Barney Hughes, E. G. Marshall, 681 00:32:22,320 --> 00:32:26,560 Speaker 3: Pamela Payton Wright, Barbara Colby, Geraldine Page. I mean that 682 00:32:26,680 --> 00:32:30,000 Speaker 3: was terrific. They did a rap party after we finished 683 00:32:30,040 --> 00:32:33,400 Speaker 3: shooting it, and Pamela Payton Wright said to me, Jimmy, 684 00:32:33,600 --> 00:32:37,440 Speaker 3: go ask Jerry to dance. Jerry Page. She was playing 685 00:32:37,440 --> 00:32:41,560 Speaker 3: my mother, Geraldine Page. She'd played the Princess Cosmonopolis with 686 00:32:41,600 --> 00:32:44,680 Speaker 3: Paul you know, in the Sweet Pew and Sweet Purview 687 00:32:45,120 --> 00:32:49,120 Speaker 3: on Broadway and in the movie. And so I said, really, 688 00:32:49,160 --> 00:32:51,200 Speaker 3: go ask Jerry to dance. She'd go ask her to dance. 689 00:32:51,640 --> 00:32:53,160 Speaker 3: So I go over. I see Jerry want to dance, 690 00:32:53,200 --> 00:32:56,960 Speaker 3: and we have a band playing. You know, well, Alex, 691 00:32:57,040 --> 00:32:59,080 Speaker 3: she can dance the way she can act. I mean, 692 00:32:59,120 --> 00:33:01,480 Speaker 3: you can do anything with her. And it's like she's 693 00:33:01,520 --> 00:33:04,720 Speaker 3: been your partner for your whole life. She's wonderful. So 694 00:33:04,760 --> 00:33:08,080 Speaker 3: I figured the song's over, she's gonna she's gonna leave. 695 00:33:09,000 --> 00:33:11,720 Speaker 3: She stands there with me. So the music starts up 696 00:33:11,760 --> 00:33:14,720 Speaker 3: and we dance again. We go back over and sit 697 00:33:14,800 --> 00:33:18,040 Speaker 3: down and Geraldine sits down next to Pala. I hate 698 00:33:18,040 --> 00:33:21,280 Speaker 3: to dance, and Plma is Jared, what do you mean 699 00:33:21,320 --> 00:33:22,040 Speaker 3: you hate to dance? 700 00:33:22,200 --> 00:33:23,560 Speaker 1: You're wonderful dancers. 701 00:33:23,640 --> 00:33:25,760 Speaker 3: I hate to dance? Why do you What do you mean? 702 00:33:25,800 --> 00:33:28,280 Speaker 1: I hate? It makes you want to do the real thing? 703 00:33:32,960 --> 00:33:36,960 Speaker 1: Actor James Naughton. If you're enjoying this conversation, tell a 704 00:33:36,960 --> 00:33:40,080 Speaker 1: friend and be sure to follow Here's the Thing on 705 00:33:40,160 --> 00:33:45,160 Speaker 1: the iHeartRadio app, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. 706 00:33:45,520 --> 00:33:49,520 Speaker 1: When we come back, James Norton shares the unexpected campaign 707 00:33:49,520 --> 00:33:53,040 Speaker 1: he's undertaking to an act of change in his home state. 708 00:34:03,760 --> 00:34:06,920 Speaker 1: I'm Alec Baldwin and you're listening to Here's the Thing. 709 00:34:07,800 --> 00:34:12,280 Speaker 1: Actor James Naughton lost his first wife, Pamela Parsons Naughton, 710 00:34:12,640 --> 00:34:16,560 Speaker 1: to cancer in twenty thirteen. She was sixty six at 711 00:34:16,600 --> 00:34:20,399 Speaker 1: the time. The loss began his engagement but the fight 712 00:34:20,480 --> 00:34:23,480 Speaker 1: for a right to die law in Connecticut. 713 00:34:24,120 --> 00:34:27,040 Speaker 3: It's a law that is now legal in ten states 714 00:34:27,040 --> 00:34:29,239 Speaker 3: and the District of Columbia, but not in the rest 715 00:34:29,239 --> 00:34:32,480 Speaker 3: of the states yet. It's also known as a right 716 00:34:32,520 --> 00:34:35,080 Speaker 3: to die with dignity I have a friend, a woman 717 00:34:35,080 --> 00:34:40,359 Speaker 3: who just lives in Connecticut. Connecticut doesn't have this law. 718 00:34:40,440 --> 00:34:44,880 Speaker 3: I've been trying since I lost my wife eleven years ago, Pam, 719 00:34:45,040 --> 00:34:47,920 Speaker 3: whom you knew, after a four year battle with pancreatic cancer. 720 00:34:47,960 --> 00:34:50,800 Speaker 3: One morning she looked at me and she said, Jimmy, 721 00:34:50,800 --> 00:34:55,560 Speaker 3: I don't want to wake up anymore. And when she 722 00:34:55,640 --> 00:34:57,399 Speaker 3: saw the look on my face, she said, well, we've 723 00:34:57,440 --> 00:35:00,400 Speaker 3: always known this was a fatal disease, and it was 724 00:35:00,480 --> 00:35:02,879 Speaker 3: finally coming in to get her. It was taken her down. 725 00:35:03,440 --> 00:35:05,200 Speaker 3: And that night, when I crawled into bed with her, 726 00:35:05,239 --> 00:35:08,279 Speaker 3: she said, oh, she woke up and she looked at 727 00:35:08,320 --> 00:35:10,640 Speaker 3: me through the darkness and she said, I thought I 728 00:35:10,719 --> 00:35:13,440 Speaker 3: wasn't going to have to wake up anymore. And I 729 00:35:13,440 --> 00:35:15,680 Speaker 3: got to tell you, Alec, you know when she said that, 730 00:35:16,280 --> 00:35:23,000 Speaker 3: I felt so guilty that I couldn't help her out 731 00:35:23,160 --> 00:35:27,760 Speaker 3: give her what she wanted. Now, in these ten states 732 00:35:27,760 --> 00:35:31,000 Speaker 3: and the District of Columbia, you can, you know, if 733 00:35:31,000 --> 00:35:32,839 Speaker 3: you get two doctors who say you have six months 734 00:35:32,920 --> 00:35:35,440 Speaker 3: or less to live and your sound mind, you're not 735 00:35:35,600 --> 00:35:39,000 Speaker 3: just depressed, you know, you can get a medical cocktail. 736 00:35:39,040 --> 00:35:42,279 Speaker 3: So the when a time comes, Rene obergianoa used this 737 00:35:42,360 --> 00:35:45,880 Speaker 3: in California. He had stage four metastatic lung cancer, and 738 00:35:45,880 --> 00:35:47,880 Speaker 3: he kept it to the end, and finally when he 739 00:35:47,920 --> 00:35:50,239 Speaker 3: got to the end, he availed himself of this and 740 00:35:50,280 --> 00:35:52,920 Speaker 3: he said to his wife, Judith, I'm just right to 741 00:35:52,960 --> 00:35:54,400 Speaker 3: our friends that I'm proud that I live in a 742 00:35:54,440 --> 00:35:57,320 Speaker 3: state that recognizes a person's right to die with dignity. 743 00:35:57,400 --> 00:36:00,239 Speaker 3: So I've been working very hard, really hard for like 744 00:36:00,239 --> 00:36:01,960 Speaker 3: the last six years to try to get this. I 745 00:36:02,000 --> 00:36:05,000 Speaker 3: go up there and testify before the Public Health Committee, 746 00:36:05,440 --> 00:36:07,680 Speaker 3: and we've gotten through the Health Committee the last couple 747 00:36:07,719 --> 00:36:09,880 Speaker 3: of years after not being able to get there. The 748 00:36:09,920 --> 00:36:12,240 Speaker 3: first time this was brought up in Connecticut was nineteen 749 00:36:12,360 --> 00:36:15,520 Speaker 3: ninety four, and we're still trying to get it done. 750 00:36:16,440 --> 00:36:20,239 Speaker 3: There's a woman named Linda Shannon Bluestein who went up 751 00:36:20,239 --> 00:36:24,000 Speaker 3: to Vermont. She was a friend of mine in Fairfield, Bridgeport, 752 00:36:24,719 --> 00:36:29,600 Speaker 3: and she sued the governor of Vermont because all these 753 00:36:29,640 --> 00:36:33,480 Speaker 3: states have a residency requirement, and she sued to say 754 00:36:33,520 --> 00:36:37,360 Speaker 3: the residency requirement was not legitimate, and she won in court, 755 00:36:37,440 --> 00:36:40,120 Speaker 3: and so they did away with the residency requirement. And 756 00:36:40,160 --> 00:36:43,879 Speaker 3: then she went up from Connecticut got two doctors, got 757 00:36:43,880 --> 00:36:47,040 Speaker 3: a place, got a house an airbnb, got a hospice 758 00:36:47,120 --> 00:36:49,040 Speaker 3: nurse to commit and take care of her, and she 759 00:36:49,080 --> 00:36:52,640 Speaker 3: went up there about four weeks ago, early in January 760 00:36:53,320 --> 00:36:57,120 Speaker 3: and availed herself of their law because she had stage 761 00:36:57,160 --> 00:36:59,719 Speaker 3: four Phillippian tube cancer and it was taken her down. 762 00:37:00,080 --> 00:37:02,239 Speaker 3: Was getting to the point where if you have one 763 00:37:02,239 --> 00:37:05,440 Speaker 3: of those terrible ones that really, really, you know, is 764 00:37:06,040 --> 00:37:09,680 Speaker 3: torturing you. That's why this is for those few people, 765 00:37:09,680 --> 00:37:11,719 Speaker 3: and there aren't many people who avail or need to 766 00:37:11,760 --> 00:37:15,440 Speaker 3: avail themselves of it when hospice isn't enough. That's what 767 00:37:15,480 --> 00:37:17,000 Speaker 3: this is about. So I'm working hard on that. 768 00:37:17,560 --> 00:37:19,760 Speaker 1: Thank you for mentioning all that as it relates to Pam. 769 00:37:20,080 --> 00:37:23,280 Speaker 1: You are remarried, of course, to your wife, Sarah, Sarah, 770 00:37:23,280 --> 00:37:26,320 Speaker 1: who's lovely. I want to but it's funny I remember 771 00:37:26,680 --> 00:37:30,640 Speaker 1: vividly because your reaction was vivid, and that is We're 772 00:37:30,640 --> 00:37:34,040 Speaker 1: sitting at the pizza place and I meet Pam and 773 00:37:34,080 --> 00:37:36,400 Speaker 1: I'm doing what everybody did around Pam. I'm just staring 774 00:37:36,440 --> 00:37:39,400 Speaker 1: at Pam because she was such an amazing woman. Everybody loved, 775 00:37:39,440 --> 00:37:42,200 Speaker 1: they were in love with Pam. Yeah, one of the 776 00:37:42,280 --> 00:37:44,759 Speaker 1: questions real quickly. Have you done any full productions with 777 00:37:44,800 --> 00:37:48,319 Speaker 1: either Greg or Kira or yeah, you did a full 778 00:37:48,320 --> 00:37:48,839 Speaker 1: show with them? 779 00:37:49,160 --> 00:37:52,279 Speaker 3: Greg. You know, my son Greg started and ran for 780 00:37:52,360 --> 00:37:54,640 Speaker 3: seven years in New York the Blue Light Theater Company. 781 00:37:54,920 --> 00:37:57,080 Speaker 3: We did a production of Golden Boy where he plays 782 00:37:57,160 --> 00:38:00,720 Speaker 3: the fighter and I play his manager and Joanne who'd 783 00:38:00,760 --> 00:38:04,360 Speaker 3: directed us. Yeah, that was a one production we've done together. 784 00:38:04,520 --> 00:38:06,360 Speaker 3: Kira and I have done a bunch of stuff together. 785 00:38:06,480 --> 00:38:09,439 Speaker 3: My daughter Kira is an actor and a director. She's 786 00:38:09,480 --> 00:38:12,320 Speaker 3: directed me in a play up in the Berkshires written 787 00:38:12,360 --> 00:38:14,960 Speaker 3: by Eric Tarloff at the Berkshire Theater Festival. 788 00:38:15,040 --> 00:38:16,799 Speaker 1: Anything lined up to you next in the theater now? 789 00:38:17,320 --> 00:38:17,719 Speaker 1: Hope not. 790 00:38:18,440 --> 00:38:20,680 Speaker 3: You know. I did a production last spring at the 791 00:38:20,680 --> 00:38:25,239 Speaker 3: Iveryton Playhouse in Connecticut of on Golden Pond, playing the 792 00:38:25,239 --> 00:38:29,800 Speaker 3: old geezer who's losing it and has dementia with Maya Dylan, 793 00:38:29,840 --> 00:38:32,360 Speaker 3: who's a wonderful actor. She was in our production also 794 00:38:32,480 --> 00:38:36,520 Speaker 3: of Our Town, and it was pretty good and we 795 00:38:36,520 --> 00:38:39,640 Speaker 3: were It was fun because it's a unlike the movie, 796 00:38:39,680 --> 00:38:43,440 Speaker 3: it's really funny and the old guy who says all 797 00:38:43,520 --> 00:38:47,200 Speaker 3: kinds of inappropriate things and is a curmudgeon, that's a 798 00:38:47,239 --> 00:38:50,200 Speaker 3: great part to play well, you know, the laughs, timing 799 00:38:50,239 --> 00:38:53,440 Speaker 3: the laughs with the audience. Guy came out and said, 800 00:38:53,440 --> 00:38:55,839 Speaker 3: would you guys consider maybe coming back and doing this 801 00:38:55,920 --> 00:38:58,919 Speaker 3: again next year in my theater. I looked at Maya 802 00:38:58,920 --> 00:39:02,279 Speaker 3: and we both went, I don't think so, been there 803 00:39:02,280 --> 00:39:02,759 Speaker 3: and done that. 804 00:39:04,920 --> 00:39:10,480 Speaker 1: Boo boom my thanks to James Norton. I'll leave you 805 00:39:10,520 --> 00:39:13,520 Speaker 1: with a little more of All I care About from 806 00:39:13,560 --> 00:39:18,680 Speaker 1: the Broadway cast recording of the Chicago revival. I'm Alec Baldwin. 807 00:39:18,719 --> 00:39:22,160 Speaker 1: Here's the thing, is brought to you by iHeart Radio 808 00:39:23,200 --> 00:39:24,480 Speaker 1: about Tuller. 809 00:39:25,120 --> 00:39:29,800 Speaker 3: Let me see her run free and keep your money. 810 00:39:29,840 --> 00:39:31,600 Speaker 3: That's enough for me. 811 00:39:34,960 --> 00:39:39,560 Speaker 1: I don't care for driving packing cars. 812 00:39:39,520 --> 00:39:42,880 Speaker 3: Or smoking law buck cigars. 813 00:39:43,440 --> 00:39:47,800 Speaker 1: No, no, not me. All I care about is doing 814 00:39:47,880 --> 00:39:53,799 Speaker 1: a guy and first picking on you, twisting the rest that's. 815 00:39:53,600 --> 00:39:55,080 Speaker 2: Turning the scroll 816 00:40:02,000 --> 00:40:02,040 Speaker 4: S.