In the pop culture pantheon there are those few and proud performers who have indelibly imprinted the landscape to the point where our digital age invites new fans to discover and embrace their iconic work. Among these are Dinah Manoff and JoBeth Williams.
Dinah breathed delightful life into Pink Lady Marty Maraschino in Grease. She has starred in Soap, Empty Nest and Neil Simon’s You Oughta Be In Pictures. JoBeth’s portrayal of Diane Freeling in Poltergeist is on repeat every Halloween and her turn in the generation-defining drama, The Big Chill is a boomer must. These two ground-breaking creators have much to share with us, including their exciting new projects.
Dinah’s brilliantly hilarious work of fiction is called The Real True Hollywood Story of Jackie Gold. We recommend you listen to the audio version, performed by a cast of gifted actors. Dinah wrote what she knows but not exactly. Jackie is a world famous, tabloid darling narrating her story from deep within a coma induced by an ill-fated, paparazzi dodging balcony leap. Dinah was simply raised by show-biz parents Lee Grant and Arnold Manoff in the star-sprinkled Malibu Colony.
Dinah shares her mom’s journey from being Dinah’s harshest critic to her biggest fan girl, and the harrowing story of her dad’s McCarthy-era blacklisting. We also learn how Dinah’s parenting of her own kids has taken a very different path.
JoBeth is currently starring, with Peter Strauss in the stage play, Love Among The Ruins. It is running through November 5th at North Hollywood’s El Portal Theatre. JoBeth and Peter are taking on roles portrayed by Katharine Hepburn and Sir Laurence Olivier and rising beautifully to that challenge!
She comes to us with spooky, inside-Poltergeist secrets, corset-wearing horror stories from Wyatt Earp, and tips on how to handle a nude scene with a five-year-old co-star from Kramer vs. Kramer. And, as President emeritus, JoBeth shares how we can all lend assistance to struggling actors through the SAG-AFTRA Foundation.
Plus, Weezy is strongly recommending Timothy Egan’s disturbing examination of the KKK in the 1920s, A Fever In The Heartland. And Fritz is very keen on Ken Burns' American Buffalo on PBS and Amazon Prime. All that plus an inspiring clip from Illinois Governor J.B. Prtizker's moving Northwestern commencement speech.
Path Points of Interest:
Dinah Manoff
JoBeth Williams
What is Media Path Podcast?
Have you ever become obsessed with a topic and taken a deep dive into consuming all you could uncover about it?
Media Path podcast is here to indulge your obsessions. hosted by Fritz Coleman and Louise Palanker, the show takes you along on a scenic tour through books, movies, TV, podcasts and music related to a given topic of captivation. We are exploring entertainment, politics, history, true crime, world events and all of their intriguing intersections.
Fritz Coleman is a legendary Los Angeles weatherman/humorist. Louise Palanker is a filmmaker/columnist and co-founder of Premiere Radio.
Hop aboard. Discover more layers, intrigue and substance. Go beyond binging with Media Path.