THE FINAL SALUTE WAS SCRIPTED… BUT THE TEARS WERE REAL
It started with a simple question during a quiet dinner in a small corner of Los Angeles. Mike Farrell and Loretta Swit were sitting across from each other,…
THE MAN IN THE DRESS… BUT THE MUD HAD OTHER PLANS
I was sitting in a quiet studio in Los Angeles a few years ago, recording a podcast that was supposed to be a standard retrospective on my career….
TV’S FAVORITE CROSS-DRESSER… BUT HIS REAL STRENGTH WAS UNSHAKABLE FAITH
In the heat of the Malibu sun, under the heavy canvas of a military tent, a man stood in a size-twelve evening gown and high heels. To the…
TV’S MOST ARROGANT ARISTOCRAT… BUT HIS PRIVATE LIFE WAS A QUIET SACRIFICE
The mist hangs heavy over the Oregon coast, a thick, salt-sprayed blanket that settles into the pines of Newport. For most of the world, the man who lived…
THE NIGHT MCLEAN STEVENSON TURNED A TRAGEDY INTO A TOTAL DESK DISASTER
I was sitting in a small television studio a few years back, doing one of those retrospective interviews that you do when you’ve reached a certain age and…
THE WORLD’S GREATEST COMMUNICATOR… BUT HIS HOME WAS A LANDMINE OF SILENCE
Most people remember the wit. They remember the rapid-fire delivery, the sharp blue eyes, and the way he could turn a tragedy into a punchline before the audience…
LORETTA SWIT RECALLS THE NIGHT THE OPERATING ROOM COLLAPSED IN LAUGHTER
I was just looking through some mail the other day, and I came across this lovely, handwritten letter from a veteran who served in Korea. He wanted to…
THE TOUGH MILITARY COMMANDER… BUT HIS HEART WAS VULNERABLE AND AFRAID
In the autumn of 1975, the television industry was holding its collective breath. One of the most beloved characters in history, Colonel Henry Blake, had been written off…
THE MAJOR NEVER FORGOT HER WORDS… BUT NEITHER DID THE MAN
David Ogden Stiers sat in the quiet of a late afternoon, the light catching the silver in his hair as he leaned forward. Across from him sat Kellye…
THE CAMP’S HUMBLE PRIEST… BUT HIS REAL PRAYER WAS AT HOME
Every Monday night, millions of people welcomed a gentle, unassuming man into their living rooms. He was the moral compass of the 4077th, a character who offered a…