00:00

Speaker 1
(jazz music plays) Let's remember together some of the greatest TV and movie stars of yesteryear with the woman who knew them. Mary Jane Pop hosted radio and TV shows for nearly five decades, meeting these stars and getting them to share their real-life stories. You'll meet them up close and personal as Mary Jane searches her extensive archives for the best and brightest real star talk on Pop Star Talk. And here she is, Mary Jane Pop.

00:32

Speaker 2
(jazz music plays) Hi, Mary Jane Pop here with another fun Pop Star Talk from my archive. Now, if you ever longed for a laugh a minute, then this episode should really get you going. Of course, my producer, Kenneth Segura Noll is with me to explore the life of comedian Rip Taylor, known for his exuberance and flamboyant personality, and his flair for whatever came at him on stage, TV, and film. Now he's no longer with us, but his character lives on. And also with us is radio host, film critic, and good friend Derek Zemrak to share some of his stories with this comic icon. Welcome, Derek. How you doing?

01:16

Speaker 3
I'm doing great. Thank you. Thank you for having me.

01:18

Speaker 2
You betcha. So let's start with you, Ken. Uh, I gotta ask you, do you have your confetti with you? (laughs) It's all part of that trademark for Rip Taylor, and it fits all that he did from the Ed Sullivan Show, the Jackie Gleason Show, and so many more appearances that it would take up the whole show just to mention them all. So what say you, Ken, about the confetti? Wasn't that crazy?

01:42

Speaker 4
Yeah, and his facial expressions, he was always-

01:45

Speaker 2
Oh. (laughs)

01:46

Speaker 4
... uh, amazing facial expressions.

01:49

Speaker 2
Absolutely. And that big mustache and the toupee that he would always take off and, and, you know, fan himself with a toupee. He always did all these crazy things. Now, now Derek, before you share your stories, how would you categorize Rip Taylor other than a one of a kind?

02:07

Speaker 3
Yeah. I mean, I always said, people always ask me, like, "Who, who's the funniest person you ever met in your life?" And I always say, "Charles Nelson Reilly and Rip Taylor."

02:15

Speaker 2
Mm-hmm.

02:16

Speaker 3
By far. Dom DeLuise was right there too. Both... All three of those guys just had it. They were always on. I know in years they, they alway- they almost can't be on, but in some aspect they are on, and that they're just funny indi- they were funny individuals. So, yeah.

02:32

Speaker 2
And, you know, I think it was a normal thing for them. Uh, like Rip Taylor had a, a rather kind of tough childhood. So I think some of that comes out in sharing and making people laugh and feeling better about himself. And he had so many stories. I know you and I both did this interview together.

02:51

Speaker 3
Right.

02:51

Speaker 2
Um, and we had so much fun with him because he was so honest and straightforward. I- I mean, we didn't have to work very hard. (laughs)

02:58

Speaker 3
Right.

02:59

Speaker 2
You never deal with a comedian. K- Ken and, and, uh, Derek, you both understand, all you have to do is say hello to a comedian and they pretty much take over. (laughs)

03:09

Speaker 3
They do. They-

03:09

Speaker 2
And he was like that.

03:10

Speaker 4
Yeah. I would add to Derek's list, uh, Robin Williams.

03:14

Speaker 2
Oh, yeah.

03:15

Speaker 3
Oh, yeah. Robin Williams too. Yeah. (laughs)

03:17

Speaker 2
Yeah.

03:17

Speaker 4
That's right.

03:17

Speaker 3
I never met Robin, so I saw Robin perform once, but I never personally met him, so. But very funny also.

03:24

Speaker 2
Now, Derek, I know you've got a couple of stories that you're gonna share with us, but, um, after you categorize him, and without further ado, let's listen to this man who made them laugh with a comedy every night.

03:38

Speaker 5
Something familiar. Something peculiar. Something for everyone. A comedy tonight. Something-

03:47

Speaker 2
And this man is the epitome of that song. They call him the King of Camp and Confetti. But you know what? He fools them all with his comedy shtick because he's a legitimate actor, too. Now, he played Demi Moore's surly boss in Indecent Proposal. Uh, he plays Kate Hudson's dad in, uh, Rob Reiner's movie, Alex and Emma. Uh, but Rip Taylor is so much more. And our film guy, Derek Zemrak, has invited him to pop off on Pop Off. (laughs) Nice to have you both with us today, guys.

04:20

Speaker 6
Darling, the, the something, the song, the something f- from Forum, I played that on, in the theater for a year.

04:26

Speaker 2
Are you serious?

04:27

Speaker 6
I played Pseudolus. Then I did Peter Pan, I was Captain Hook.

04:31

Speaker 4
Are you one of the Peter Pans?

04:32

Speaker 6
This, this, I'm not (inaudible)

04:34

Speaker 2
I know. (laughs) You know what? I just love your work. And by the way, I gotta do this, so just gimme 20 seconds here. Okay? << Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. >>

04:50

Speaker 6
(laughs)

04:50

Speaker 2
<< Happy birthday dear Rip, my love. >>

04:54

Speaker 6
Diamond cufflinks to Bert.

04:57

Speaker 2
(laughs) Your birthday's Monday, right?

05:00

Speaker 6
I know it. Uh, you can send it early. I'm, I'm, I'm not impatient. (laughs)

05:04

Speaker 2
(laughs) I just love your work. You are insane.

05:08

Speaker 6
Oh, honey, it helps.

05:10

Speaker 2
I know. But you know what? A lot of people... And Derek, I know you've done a lot of research on Rip, but I just did a little bit of reading. I had no idea. It didn't start out that way for Rip Taylor. It was a pretty rough start, wasn't it?

05:22

Speaker 6
Yeah. Well, everybody had that, especially Liberace. I found out how, I found out how Liberace died, you know.

05:28

Speaker 2
I know. I know.

05:28

Speaker 6
He had an impacted wisdom teeth. Did you know this?

05:30

Speaker 2
(laughs) Impacted wisdom teeth.

05:32

Speaker 6
No, that's... I'm not lying.

05:33

Speaker 2
Are you really? No, come on.

05:35

Speaker 6
There you go.

05:36

Speaker 2
Really? Now you, you're just making... You're just putting this... Putting me on.

05:39

Speaker 6
Mary Jane, you fall for everything. I love you so much.

05:41

Speaker 2
I know.

05:42

Speaker 6
(laughs)

05:42

Speaker 2
That's, yeah, that's the reason I'm asking. I'm a legitimate talk show host. I gotta ask these questions.

05:46

Speaker 6
I want you in the front row when I'm working, baby. (laughs)

05:48

Speaker 2
(laughs) But you know what? How did you come about doing the comedy? Uh, you know, your act itself? How did it come to you?

05:56

Speaker 6
Well, I was too nervous to steal.

05:58

Speaker 2
(laughs) Now, it actually started for you as a pantomimer though, did it?

06:03

Speaker 6
Well, well, I'll be real brief, okay?

06:06

Speaker 2
Yeah.

06:06

Speaker 6
... I (clears throat) had a very terrible childhood, (stutters) but all that automatically that goes. And then I got drafted in the army, but I had to get a, I had to go to start high school. So I got to high school in Washington, DC. So I got a job as a busboy in the kitchen of United States Capitol, the Senate in Washington, DC.

06:27

Speaker 7
Oh, you poor thing.

06:28

Speaker 6
Wait a minute. Then there was a vacancy, and I got myself to be... I asked the Secretary of the Senate if I could become a page in the Senate. He says, "Where are you from?" I says, "Washington, DC." He said, "Well, no, it's not a state you have to have patronage."

06:40

Speaker 7
Huh?

06:41

Speaker 6
I said, "Well, Mr. Biffle, you could give me patronage," and I became a page in the Senate. And for six months, I got drafted in the army on the troop ship. We're all throwing up. I was nervous wreck. So I heard this man singing over the radio, which they played all day long to keep us quiet.

06:55

Speaker 7
(laughs)

06:55

Speaker 6
And I went in, and the radio announcer said, "Why don't you mouth the words of Mario Lanza?" And that's how it started. I was m- mouthing Mario Lanza, singing Be My Love Pantomime, Record Pantomime. Put on this soldier show, got to Tokyo, went into special services, and the rest is history.

07:11

Speaker 7
Derek, you know, this man has had such a variety of careers.

07:14

Speaker 6
Can you imagine all that? I can't believe I've done that.

07:17

Speaker 7
And more to come, by the way. (laughs)

07:18

Speaker 6
Oh, honey, please, I don't dare. This is it.

07:21

Speaker 7
(laughs) Derek, you know, he is just an unbelievable talent. Don't you think?

07:26

Speaker 5
Oh, absolutely, and he's so, so funny.

07:28

Speaker 6
Well, you're so hot. It's a gift, Rick.

07:28

Speaker 5
You're so funny, Rip.

07:30

Speaker 6
It's a gift. It is.

07:31

Speaker 5
(laughs)

07:31

Speaker 7
Well, you know, it... What amazes me is how you come up with every... I mean, anybody that gives you or throws anything at you, you've got a comeback.

07:39

Speaker 6
Well, you have to, darling. It, it... But my goodness, I opened a halfway house for girls who won't go all the way. I mean, I'm not-

07:45

Speaker 7
(laughs)

07:45

Speaker 6
... I'm not out in this business for nothing, for God's sakes.

07:48

Speaker 5
(laughs)

07:48

Speaker 7
What about your one-man show? Now, it was a major success in LA.

07:51

Speaker 6
Oh, golly, that was a trip, Joe. That was... But I had more fun than the audience would give me.

07:56

Speaker 7
(laughs)

07:56

Speaker 6
It's called It Ain't All Confetti, and I did it, and they all came and all liked it. I, they sat through it. I was so amazed.

08:01

Speaker 7
Now, where are you with putting this thing on Broadway?

08:04

Speaker 6
Well, honey, I'm gonna try take it next season to Off-Broadway and next fall because I think it's about time. I asked my dear friend, Chita, Rivera. You know Chita?

08:13

Speaker 7
Oh, yeah.

08:13

Speaker 5
Right.

08:14

Speaker 6
She'll, she'll tell... She'll open her mouth, tell everybody to come, and they'll all come.

08:18

Speaker 7
(laughs)

08:18

Speaker 6
So that'll be fun, and they'll all expect me to be, you know, A, on 24 hours, which I'm really not.

08:24

Speaker 7
Well, how can you be?

08:25

Speaker 6
Because that would be boring if you're on 24 hours, but they know... Then, then they'll know the story. And I got producers who wanna do it, so that's in the wind.

08:32

Speaker 7
Okay. That's cool.

08:34

Speaker 5
But, Rip, I, I, we think we should bring it up to Northern California.

08:37

Speaker 7
Yeah, why don't you?

08:38

Speaker 6
Well, I'll go to Southern California too. I'll go to Cleveland. I don't give a damn.

08:42

Speaker 7
(laughs)

08:43

Speaker 5
All right, we have to talk because I have theaters up here. So we gotta, we gotta get you up here.

08:46

Speaker 7
Yeah, Derek's-

08:48

Speaker 6
Oh, I'd love to do that. Where are you doing set-

08:48

Speaker 5
Derek's got two theaters in-

08:49

Speaker 6
What town are you in? Sacramento?

08:50

Speaker 5
Um-

08:51

Speaker 7
I'm in Sacramento, but Derek's in the Bay Area.

08:53

Speaker 6
Oh, good. Oh-

08:54

Speaker 5
San Francisco.

08:55

Speaker 6
... that would be fun because I, I... That would be... Yeah, they'd like it up there. I mean, it, it, it's, it's not a sad story. It's about showbiz.

09:02

Speaker 7
Sure.

09:03

Speaker 5
Right.

09:03

Speaker 7
So what are you like at home? I mean, seriously, when you're not on.

09:07

Speaker 6
Oh, no, I'm not on 24 hours. That would be very boring, and no one would pay to see it. 100 years ago.

09:12

Speaker 7
Well, you get tired too. How do you keep that energy level of yours up?

09:16

Speaker 6
I think it's a gift.

09:18

Speaker 7
Yeah? You think s-... I, yeah, I think you're right. I think you're right.

09:21

Speaker 6
I think it's a gift. Like, I, I don't want-

09:22

Speaker 5
Rip, I remember one show-

09:22

Speaker 6
... to, you know, for people. It's a gift.

09:25

Speaker 5
Right. Rip, I remember one show when I was a kid that you had. Was it the Dollar Ninety-Nine Beauty Pageant or something like that?

09:31

Speaker 6
Dollar Nineteen Eight. Dollar Nine-

09:31

Speaker 5
Dollar Nineteen Eight, okay, okay.

09:32

Speaker 7
(laughs)

09:32

Speaker 6
That was Chuck Barr-

09:33

Speaker 5
It was more expensive.

09:33

Speaker 6
That was Chuck Barris's dream, but it was just such fun to do. But I never ever knocked the performers. Uh, they... I had the announcer be rude to the la- the heavy ladies.

09:43

Speaker 5
Uh-

09:43

Speaker 6
I was the one who-

09:44

Speaker 5
Was that before The Gong Show or after?

09:46

Speaker 6
Pardon me?

09:47

Speaker 5
Was that before The Gong Show or after?

09:49

Speaker 6
Oh, it was during because he had all those shows.

09:52

Speaker 7
Oh, okay.

09:53

Speaker 5
Oh, okay.

09:53

Speaker 7
Yeah, he owned the whole, whole batch, didn't he?

09:55

Speaker 6
I wish he'd bring them back. They're such a fun thing to see now. Good God.

09:59

Speaker 7
And you know what? It was more fun because it wasn't necessarily gross and dirty. You know what I mean?

10:05

Speaker 6
Well, it wasn't rude either. I was never rude. I mean, I said, "Oh, we blood has some compromises."

10:09

Speaker 7
Yes. (laughs)

10:11

Speaker 6
You know, one of those things, and then I didn't say, "You heavy lady," and all that stuff. That's too easy to fall into that trap and be rude.

10:17

Speaker 7
Yeah.

10:18

Speaker 5
Right.

10:18

Speaker 7
But why was it... You know, even Bill Cosby has said, "Good comedy is good writing and delivery," not necessarily gross words all the time, you know, hitting, dropping the F-bomb all the time. And then-

10:30

Speaker 6
Aren't you tired of that? I mean, it's too obvious-

10:31

Speaker 7
Yes.

10:32

Speaker 6
... and it's so silly.

10:33

Speaker 7
It's like every other word-

10:34

Speaker 6
We should just get them. They're all doing it, and they don't mean nothing.

10:37

Speaker 7
No. Well, after a while, it doesn't mean anything. You know, once in a while, you're okay if you gotta, but it'll get your attention. But then after that, it's like, I don't, I don't hear anything else but that.

10:49

Speaker 6
Yeah.

10:50

Speaker 7
It's crazy.

10:50

Speaker 6
It's a shame they, that they allow it. That's the sad thing.

10:53

Speaker 7
I know. I know.

10:54

Speaker 5
Do it. Well, Rip, you're gonna, you're gonna be-

10:54

Speaker 6
And the ones who do it are desperate anyway.

10:56

Speaker 7
Yeah.

10:57

Speaker 5
Right. Rip, you got an exciting documentary coming out, I understand.

11:01

Speaker 6
Well, I'm take... Well, I took long enough to finish the darn thing. I had professional people, and it's been a- almost two years.

11:07

Speaker 7
Really?

11:08

Speaker 5
Wow.

11:08

Speaker 6
You and I would have done it in an hour and a half, if I know Jay, Matt Jay. I know, please.

11:12

Speaker 5
(laughs)

11:12

Speaker 7
Yep, I'm there for you. (laughs)

11:14

Speaker 6
You know, we're pros. We don't wait around. Well, it takes time, Rip. Yeah, please, leave me alone. Now stop lying to me. Fix the damn thing.

11:21

Speaker 5
(laughs)

11:21

Speaker 7
Well, you know what? Uh, your life has been so diverse, so wild and crazy. I mean, I can imagine they don't even know what to put on and what not to put on.

11:30

Speaker 6
You know, I saw Billy, Billy Crystal's show on Broadway, uh, five years ago, and again last month.

11:36

Speaker 7
Mm-hmm.

11:36

Speaker 6
And he did Record Pantomime too at the beginning, and, uh, well, the sad thing is I did it 20 years earlier, baby, so don't worry about that.

11:43

Speaker 7
(laughs) so are you-

11:45

Speaker 5
Tell us a little bit about the documentary.

11:45

Speaker 6
He made it sound like... He made it sound like it was the second coming of God. And please, and I love Billy, but don't give me this thing. No, please.

11:51

Speaker 7
(laughs)

11:52

Speaker 6
(laughs) I mean, I'm-

11:53

Speaker 5
In the documentary, I mean, did it take... Starts from your childhood all the way to, to current, or is it just-

11:57

Speaker 6
Yeah, it does. Uh, all the way to current. Clips and, uh, just sa- terribly sad things and then funny things.

12:05

Speaker 7
Is it hard to go-

12:05

Speaker 6
It isn't... It's not a pity party. I don't want a pity party.

12:08

Speaker 7
Yeah, is it hard though to go back and, and relive some of that?

12:10

Speaker 6
Oh my God, they... We had to stop taping an awful lot of times because it hit me so hard, especially the abuse in high school of all the bullying.

12:17

Speaker 7
Oh.

12:17

Speaker 5
Huh.

12:18

Speaker 6
Yeah. It was just horrendous.

12:20

Speaker 7
And isn't it sad that that doggone bullying is still going on?

12:24

Speaker 6
Oh, yeah. Well, it always... It'll never stop.

12:26

Speaker 7
Amazing.

12:27

Speaker 6
It'll never stop.

12:28

Speaker 7
So-

12:28

Speaker 6
And it, it, it broke my heart because every time I talk about it, it just (cries) .

12:32

Speaker 7
I'm sorry, Rip. I'm sorry.

12:33

Speaker 6
And I know you didn't bring it up, did you? But it does, it just hits me and it just...

12:37

Speaker 7
It-

12:38

Speaker 6
And, and my last speech at the, uh, high school reunion was I said, "We didn't know e- each other in the halls that night. We don't know each other in the halls today."

12:46

Speaker 7
Hmm.

12:47

Speaker 6
"And we could have been friends, so there's a..."

12:49

Speaker 7
Yes. But you know what? Their loss, not yours. You-

12:53

Speaker 6
I didn't say that. I just, you know, just left it there, and they got it-

12:56

Speaker 7
But, but truly, it's-

12:57

Speaker 6
... the idea.

12:57

Speaker 7
It is their loss because you have made so many friends through the people that you've shared your life with on stage. They'll never reach that epitome. Never, ever.

13:08

Speaker 6
God, I'm dying to meet Ava Gunn.

13:11

Speaker 7
Yes, I know. You're, you're marvelous. (laughs)

13:13

Speaker 6
(laughs) Will you stop it? I'm getting moist again. Blah, blah, blah.

13:17

Speaker 7
(imitates kissing) Okay. Kissy, kissy. Okay.

13:20

Speaker 6
(laughs)

13:20

Speaker 2
(jazz music plays) Hang in there with us 'cause we got more to come.

13:24

Speaker 8
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18:23

Speaker 2
(instrumental music plays) It's Pop Talk, and you know we do talk.Well, philosophy of life, do you have one?

18:31

Speaker 6
Yeah, charge it.

18:32

Speaker 2
Charge it? (laughs)

18:34

Speaker 6
That's it. Just char- ... I had to think fast for that one. (laughs)

18:37

Speaker 2
Yeah, no kidding. I-

18:39

Speaker 6
I made myself laugh. Please forgive me.

18:41

Speaker 2
Yeah, I'm, I'm not sure I wanna, uh, explore that. Okay.

18:44

Speaker 6
I don't know what it means either. I had to say something. This is The Mary Jane Show.

18:47

Speaker 2
Okay. What motivates you?

18:50

Speaker 6
I think it's, and it's not the desire to be loved, or seen, or heard, I just have to do it. It just comes out automatically. Not to push and be the first one to say, "Look at me." Uh, and God forbid that, that, that. It just was a gift, I think.

19:07

Speaker 2
Oh, yeah. Uh, there's, there's no-

19:09

Speaker 6
Oh, there's no mean-spiritedness in it, you know. It just re- it just pops out.

19:13

Speaker 2
Well, you know, I have found, and tell me-

19:15

Speaker 6
(clears throat)

19:15

Speaker 2
... if you don't think this is true. A comedian, somebody who's a com- a, a connoisseur of comedy like you are, can be a wonderful dramatic actor also.

19:24

Speaker 6
Now wait just a second. I knew all those men at the Friars Club, the... all the old comics.

19:28

Speaker 2
Yeah.

19:29

Speaker 6
50% of them were the rudest men I've ever met in my life.

19:32

Speaker 2
Really?

19:33

Speaker 6
The meanest, mean-spirited people I've ever met in my life, but I can say that now that they're all gone.

19:37

Speaker 2
No kidd- Who-

19:38

Speaker 6
I have never been-

19:38

Speaker 2
Who was the worst?

19:38

Speaker 6
... so hurt and surprised in my life as when I walked into the Friars Club.

19:42

Speaker 2
Who was the worst?

19:43

Speaker 6
I'm not gonna tell you 'cause they're all gone.

19:45

Speaker 2
Uh, well, they're all gone, so you can tell me.

19:47

Speaker 6
No, you'll tell. I know your mouth.

19:49

Speaker 2
No. Well, you know, I gotta share.

19:50

Speaker 6
They hear your show... They'll hear your show wherever they are.

19:54

Speaker 2
(laughs) They... (laughs)

19:54

Speaker 6
(laughs)

19:54

Speaker 2
I think I know where they are for the most part. (laughs)

19:58

Speaker 6
I mean, unnecessarily ru-... I mean un-... and unhappy, unhappy. I was shocked when I met these people. Wow.

20:05

Speaker 2
Yeah, but you know what? I think a lot of them, because th- they lack the talent that you have, because a dramatic actor-

20:10

Speaker 6
I think it was because I may have been a threat. I don't know why. I'm just saying that now-

20:13

Speaker 2
W- yes.

20:13

Speaker 6
... but not at the time.

20:14

Speaker 2
No, no, no. You were a threat, and I'll tell you why. Because a dramatic actor can't necessarily be a comedian, but you as a comedian, you can be a dramatic actor.

20:21

Speaker 6
Yeah, that's a good damn true. That's show. That, that's the gift we all have, yeah.

20:24

Speaker 2
Yep. Boy, that is a gift that he has, and Derrick, I know you'll agree. Uh, it's so interesting. I used to love watching him on Hollywood Squares. Uh, I don't know about you guys, but it was just incredible how he came up with all this stuff. It reminds me of, um, the, uh, TV series called Whose Line Is It Anyway? And-

20:52

Speaker 3
Right.

20:52

Speaker 2
... uh, in talking to some of the people that have been on that show, including Jim Meskimen, um, he's... I, I asked him, I says, "You know, do people, do they give you time to think about it, uh, or maybe let you know ahead of time what they're gonna do?" And he said, "No." He said, "They throw it at you, and it's improv to the max." And that's what Rip Taylor was. You know, n- no matter what, you throw anything at him, he'd have an answer, which is unbelievable. So, but anyway, you had a couple of stories, Derrick, you wanted to share with us.

21:21

Speaker 3
Yeah. Um, you know, Rip was always... He, uh, he said on his interview that he was... he wasn't on, but he was always on 'cause I'd have dinners with him and, you know, just in, uh, social settings and where it really wasn't somewhere where you had to be on, but he was just a funny, funny person, and he always carried confetti in his pocket.

21:40

Speaker 2
(laughs)

21:41

Speaker 3
And he would throw that out no matter where he was. It didn't matter. (laughs) You're in a restaurant, that restaurant got it. So... (laughs)

21:48

Speaker 2
Well, and that whole confetti story, uh, we'll probably get it from him too, but, uh, I thought it was fascinating because he actually was bombing on the Merv Griffin Show.

21:59

Speaker 3
Right.

22:00

Speaker 2
Uh, his jokes were terrible. Everything was amazingly bad. Uh, and Merv Griffin was pretty popular at the time. I mean, he had all the biggies on. And, um, so he just got so frustrated. He took his cards that he had, and he just ripped them all up and threw them in the air and walked off the stage.

22:17

Speaker 3
Right.

22:18

Speaker 2
And he thought, "That's the end of my career," you know? (laughs)

22:20

Speaker 3
Right.

22:20

Speaker 2
"I'm done. I'm not gonna get any more jobs to do anything." That night, I guess, the network was just inundated by phone calls that, "They love that crazy guy. Bring that wild, crazy guy back again." And his career launched. You never know what's gonna happen, Derrick.

22:37

Speaker 3
No, you never know. And, and like I said, I, I got confettied by him numerous times ............................

22:41

Speaker 2
Oh, did you? (laughs)

22:43

Speaker 3
He just, you know... I think he thought, "The hair's... hair is big, you know, let's throw, throw some confetti in there." I don't know what it was, but...

22:49

Speaker 2
Yeah. (laughs) That's amazing.

22:50

Speaker 3
And the other thing is, you know, Rip had also did a children's program called, um, Sigmund and the Sea Monster, which was, you know, uh, from the Sid and Mardy Krofft brothers, uh, show. It was in the Saturday morning show. And one time when they were on the set, the Kroffts... 'Cause we had done a Krofftcon in 2022. And, uh, both Sid and Mardy were there, and, uh, Johnny Whitaker, who we've interviewed over the times, was also on that TV show. But they always had a star that was also, you know, kind of bigger than, than life. And, uh, this time when they casted this TV show, uh, Sigmund and the Sea Monster, they cast, you know, Rip Taylor.

23:30

Speaker 2
(laughs)

23:31

Speaker 3
Uh, and then one time when they were on the set, there was actually a fire in the studio.

23:36

Speaker 2
Ooh.

23:36

Speaker 3
And the building basically burnt down.

23:38

Speaker 2
Oh.

23:39

Speaker 3
Well, he's in this green costume 'cause he was, like, a creature kinda guy from the sea. And Rip supposedly, and Sid and Mardy both told me the story that he got so mad at, uh, that he just stormed out of there, and he walked all the way down Hollywood Boulevard in his green costume.

23:57

Speaker 2
(laughs)

23:57

Speaker 3
And people were asking, honking the horn, asking what's going on, and he goes, "I'm done. I'm done. I'm not doing any more of this." And he's walking all the way home in his green monster costume.

24:08

Speaker 2
Oh.

24:08

Speaker 3
(laughs)

24:08

Speaker 2
You know, I believe that of Rip Taylor because he just was so open to doing anything and everything that made people laugh.

24:15

Speaker 3
Right.

24:15

Speaker 2
Or he didn't really care, you know.

24:18

Speaker 3
Yeah.

24:18

Speaker 2
If you got it, fine. If you didn't get it, fine. He didn't... it didn't matter to him.

24:23

Speaker 3
Yeah. And that's the thing is, like, he... y- you mentioned before, um, earlier that, you know, a lot of times, you know-... people have had bad childhood.

24:31

Speaker 2
Mm-hmm.

24:31

Speaker 3
And that's kind of a, a characteristic of a lot of celebrities, is early in their life, they've had some traumatic things and they able to create something that they wanna be in. So then tha- naturally are actors and performers because they're hiding from something.

24:47

Speaker 2
Yeah.

24:47

Speaker 3
Um, now you go down the list, you can, I mean, just by, by Paul Blindley, extremely successful. And he was very much similar to Charles Nelson Reilly. Charles Nelson Reilly had that same-

24:58

Speaker 2
Yes.

24:58

Speaker 3
... upbringing that was really bad. And, you know, they were... These guys were told as they were going along that, "You can't be on television because you're gay." And the television does not want people who are gay, you know?

25:10

Speaker 2
Yeah.

25:10

Speaker 3
And they dealt with it, and, uh, you know, they were pioneers to be able to open the doors for other performers, so.

25:17

Speaker 2
You, you mentioned Paul Lynde. I got (laughs) a quick story, okay? We got to... It's off the subject of Rip Taylor, but I gotta tell you. Uh, this was many, many years ago. I interviewed Paul Lynde and it was tel- for television. And he walked into the studio and I swear to goodness, he looked like he had pajamas on.

25:35

Speaker 3
(laughs)

25:35

Speaker 2
And I think he had maybe wore sheets to the wind (laughs) when he came in the studio. But he sat down. He was so cordial, just a, a doll. But-

25:45

Speaker 3
Right.

25:45

Speaker 2
... I, it was summertime and I was wearing a sundress, and I was wearing, um, sandals. And he was fascinated with my toes through the whole (laughs) interview.

25:56

Speaker 3
(laughs)

25:56

Speaker 2
And I'm going, "Paul, we're on TV here," you know? "What are you doing with my toes?" "Well, you just have the most gorgeous toes." And he just went on and on a whole bit about my toes during the whole interview. (laughs)

26:08

Speaker 3
Yeah.

26:09

Speaker 2
But they just were-

26:10

Speaker 3
Yeah, they are-

26:10

Speaker 2
... amazing people.

26:11

Speaker 3
Yeah.

26:11

Speaker 2
Just amazing people.

26:11

Speaker 3
Yeah, that's a talent. I mean, all of those guys in that era, they just, you know, they were classic comedy and able to do it on, on a dime, and come up with stuff like that.

26:21

Speaker 2
Absolutely.

26:21

Speaker 3
Same, similar to Robin Williams, as you mentioned. I mean, he was am- amazing at what he did also, so.

26:27

Speaker 2
Well, I... That reminds me of Ken. He's always got, has an answer for everything, don't you, Ken?

26:33

Speaker 4
I don't know if I have an answer for everything, but I, I got an interesting, uh, fact about Rip Taylor that I found out.

26:38

Speaker 2
Oh, okay.

26:40

Speaker 4
I, I was... Uh, Derek Pride doesn't know this, but I was an extra in Easy Rider.

26:45

Speaker 2
Oh.

26:45

Speaker 3
Oh, really?

26:45

Speaker 2
Literally.

26:46

Speaker 4
That was my exper- first exposure to movie making. Well, uh, Rip was, uh, it was... Uh, pulled a knife on Dennis Hopper in the pre-production of the film.

27:04

Speaker 3
Wow.

27:04

Speaker 4
And according to Hopper, Torn was originally cast in the film, but was replaced by Jack Nicholson after the incident.

27:13

Speaker 3
Woo!

27:13

Speaker 4
How about that one?

27:15

Speaker 2
(laughs)

27:15

Speaker 3
Wow. That is a interesting fact. I never heard that one (laughs) .

27:18

Speaker 2
Yeah, you never know what goes behind the scenes, that's for sure.

27:21

Speaker 4
(laughs)

27:22

Speaker 2
Right.

27:22

Speaker 4
Yeah. It, it was the scenes of that, uh, Easy Rider were shot in my hometown of Las Vegas, New Mexico.

27:30

Speaker 2
Huh.

27:30

Speaker 4
And I got, I got to be an extra. I was 13 years old.

27:35

Speaker 2
Oh, my gosh. That's amazing.

27:38

Speaker 4
12 or, 12 or 13.

27:39

Speaker 2
Yeah. Well, you-

27:39

Speaker 4
And my first exposure to filmmaking, I had never seen a movie being made, and that's where I got the bug.

27:46

Speaker 2
I was gonna say, you got hooked (laughs) big time.

27:49

Speaker 4
Yeah (laughs) .

27:49

Speaker 2
(laughs) But the other thing, too, is these comedians, they make us laugh, which is wonderful, but my question to Rip was, what makes you laugh? What makes Rip Taylor laugh?

28:03

Speaker 6
(instrumental music plays) A lot of things, but nothing in particular. And I don't wait all day long to find humor in everything, you know? It isn't one of those things. If I laugh at a gift that I enjoy more than anybody else.

28:16

Speaker 2
Okay.

28:17

Speaker 3
Now, Rip, of all the stuff you've done... I mean, you've done voiceover work, you've done theater, you've done television, you've done motion pictures.

28:23

Speaker 6
Isn't that amazing?

28:23

Speaker 3
Which of the dramatic is actually your, your favorite? Which, which do you like the best?

28:28

Speaker 6
The next one.

28:29

Speaker 2
The next one.

28:30

Speaker 3
(laughs)

28:30

Speaker 2
See, that's what, that's what I love to see, because so many people are always looking back. Don't you hate it when you run into people and go, "Oh, the best days of my life were when I was in high school or in college."

28:41

Speaker 6
Yeah.

28:41

Speaker 2
Get over it.

28:42

Speaker 6
Yeah.

28:42

Speaker 2
It should be tomorrow.

28:44

Speaker 6
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

28:46

Speaker 2
Uh-

28:46

Speaker 6
But you can't tell them that. They don't buy it. They don't believe it.

28:48

Speaker 2
No, it... But what kind... That means they don't have a life.

28:51

Speaker 6
And they want you... They want me on 24 hours, and I'm not on. I'm sitting at a restaurant a month ago. A woman come over to my table and opened one of those little artificial sugar cane, you know, sugar things like sweetener-

29:01

Speaker 2
Yeah.

29:02

Speaker 6
... and poured it in my wig. At the time, I was naked.

29:04

Speaker 2
No. Are you serious?

29:06

Speaker 6
And, and the woman next to me said, "You know, she put that in your hair." I said, "You're kidding." I said, "Why'd you do it?" She said, "Well, you do it to us on TV." That was all she said. I said, "You see a camera in this room?" (laughs)

29:16

Speaker 2
Amazing.

29:16

Speaker 6
So I went over to her table.

29:19

Speaker 2
Well, this-

29:19

Speaker 6
Four women.

29:20

Speaker 2
Yeah.

29:21

Speaker 6
Opened up her mustard jar, put a spoon of mustard in a spoon, put it very close to her breast. She said, "You wouldn't." I said, "I have to."

29:29

Speaker 2
(laughs)

29:30

Speaker 6
"I have to pour it there because you did it to my wig."

29:33

Speaker 2
Did you?

29:33

Speaker 6
I did not do it, but I scared the hell out of these three women.

29:36

Speaker 2
Good. Good. They needed a lesson.

29:39

Speaker 6
When I did it, they weren't laughing.

29:42

Speaker 2
Good. I'm glad to hear that. I'm glad to hear that. I mean, they should have respect. There-

29:46

Speaker 6
Well, I don't know about that, but good god, leave me alone. I didn't go to your table. You came to mine.

29:51

Speaker 3
Right.

29:51

Speaker 2
I- if you could go back-

29:52

Speaker 6
And I don't, I don't surmise that they know me because I walk in a room.

29:57

Speaker 2
That's true.

29:57

Speaker 6
I never have done that. Now, that, that surprises me. And I, I mean, I know because I don't dress to go unnoticed. Don't you dare forget that, nevertheless.

30:04

Speaker 2
(laughs) I won't. I prom-

30:05

Speaker 3
(laughs)

30:05

Speaker 2
Neither do I.

30:06

Speaker 6
With that hairy face and that dead rat in a mustache? Are you kidding me?

30:08

Speaker 2
(laughs)

30:09

Speaker 4
(laughs)

30:10

Speaker 6
But the point is, they know, you know. They, they know, because they, they watch, they remember, and you know that.

30:17

Speaker 2
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30:20

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31:20

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32:21

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33:20

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34:19

Speaker 5
(jazz music plays) And here she is, Mary Jane Fox.

34:25

Speaker 7
Uh, you know, if there was ... If you look back, is there anything you would change in your life?

34:30

Speaker 6
Uh, I think I'd change ... I'd add another day to the week, so I'd have more time to have fun.

34:35

Speaker 7
Well, you've got plenty of time, because you-

34:40

Speaker 6
I need more time.

34:40

Speaker 7
You-

34:40

Speaker 6
When I hear how old I'm getting now from anybody else, I'm gonna smack them.

34:43

Speaker 7
Okay.

34:43

Speaker 6
(laughs)

34:44

Speaker 7
Am I gonna embarrass you if I ask you how old you are?

34:46

Speaker 6
Yes, you would. I don't want to say it 'cause my mouth will ... I'll have a coronary attack.

34:50

Speaker 7
(laughs) Well, I-

34:53

Speaker 6
I didn't think I'd live to be this old! Oh my God.

34:55

Speaker 7
Hey, would you believe I'm not that far behind you? How's that?

34:58

Speaker 6
Oh no, stop it. Not with that voice.

34:59

Speaker 7
Of course. Uh, yes I am.

35:01

Speaker 6
Oh, stop it.

35:01

Speaker 7
Yes, I am. But you know what?

35:03

Speaker 6
Yeah, you're from- Look at

35:04

Speaker 5
I'm-

35:04

Speaker 6
I'm right behind you too.

35:05

Speaker 7
There you go. And see, Derek-

35:06

Speaker 6
Two years.

35:07

Speaker 7
You know how it looks? You know how it looks? When you're behind a microphone, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter.

35:13

Speaker 6
Oh, really? Okay, I'll remember that. (laughs)

35:15

Speaker 7
You're sharing-

35:15

Speaker 6
But I- I'm visual.

35:17

Speaker 7
(laughs)

35:17

Speaker 6
I gotta see all this visually.

35:18

Speaker 7
But even T- See, that's what really ticks me off more than anything else about TV and films and everything else. It shouldn't have anything to do with the features, you know, the outside, the skin sag, or whatever the heck-

35:30

Speaker 6
Yeah.

35:30

Speaker 7
... they're looking at. It should be the talent inside that comes out and either makes you laugh or makes you cry.

35:36

Speaker 6
Well, never will be. Never is. No, never is.

35:37

Speaker 7
And, and it should be that, because otherwise people are gonna miss out on such talent. (laughs) I mean that seriously.

35:43

Speaker 6
They are.

35:44

Speaker 7
So-

35:45

Speaker 5
So Rip, what ... Your documentary, when ... It's coming out on your birthday, correct?

35:49

Speaker 6
Yes. Thank you, Jesus.

35:50

Speaker 7
Monday? Monday, really?

35:51

Speaker 6
Monday. Monday the ... Monday the birthday. Thank you, Jesus.

35:54

Speaker 7
Oh.

35:54

Speaker 5
Now, have you seen the final cut?

35:56

Speaker 6
No. They're gonna show it to me on Monday afternoon. I'm going to a birthday little soiree tomorrow night with Ruta Lee and a few friends.

36:04

Speaker 7
Oh. You know what?

36:06

Speaker 6
Debbie and I still do our act together. We've done it for 30 years. Wow.

36:09

Speaker 7
Gi- give my love to Ruta Lee. I've done several interviews with her over the years.

36:13

Speaker 6
Oh, I certainly will. I adore her.

36:14

Speaker 7
And also Debbie Reynolds. I've interviewed her over the years too.

36:17

Speaker 6
Oh, of course.

36:17

Speaker 7
So I-

36:18

Speaker 6
We're funny. The best thing about Debbie and I is we don't care who gets the laugh, and that's very rare for two funny people.

36:24

Speaker 7
But again, I think, uh, you know, if you guys ever say you're gonna retire, I'm gonna be so ticked off it's gonna be unbelievable.

36:30

Speaker 6
Oh no, no, no. We said that ... We don't know the meaning of that word.

36:32

Speaker 7
I, I love it. Now again ... Now where can we see the documentary?

36:36

Speaker 6
Well, I don't know. They're gonna tell me tomorrow, next day, and you call and I'll let you know.

36:40

Speaker 7
Oh, would you? I, I will call-

36:42

Speaker 6
Sure.

36:42

Speaker 7
I will call you Monday and then I'll let everybody know on the air.

36:45

Speaker 6
Yeah, but I won't know until Monday night. So, uh, call, call... Call Harlan Boll. He'll tell you. He'll know more than I will.

36:51

Speaker 7
Harlan? Okay, I'll give a call to Harlan and Harlan-

36:52

Speaker 6
He'll know more than I will. They tell him first, then they'll tell me.

36:56

Speaker 7
(laughs) Oh, okay.

36:56

Speaker 6
Uh, we, we, we gotta get this movie up here in San Francisco, and we gotta get your one-man show up here in San Francisco. That's what... That's our goal. I think the show would be fun, would be fun to do. There... When was I up there last? I did some television thing, the mo-, morning show or something.

37:09

Speaker 7
Well, I'm telling you right now, you would have a packed house. And, and Derrick and I would be right in the front row, won't we, Derrick?

37:16

Speaker 6
Oh, right. We did one of those AIDS things at the, uh, opera house or something like that.

37:21

Speaker 7
Oh, yeah. When was that?

37:23

Speaker 6
About two years ago.

37:23

Speaker 7
About two years ago? Well, I'm telling, you gotta come back again. That's all there is to it.

37:28

Speaker 6
Oh, I loved it. I just love the place. My God, I had such fun there.

37:32

Speaker 7
Well, San Francisco, it's, it's, it's a unique place. Right, Derrick?

37:35

Speaker 6
Yes, absolutely.

37:36

Speaker 7
And-

37:37

Speaker 6
And didn't Joan Fontaine used to live there, too? Yes.

37:41

Speaker 7
Yep, absolutely. Well, all-

37:42

Speaker 6
I think she lived there a moment in time, yeah.

37:44

Speaker 7
All the best people lived there at one time or another.

37:46

Speaker 6
It's just marvelous city.

37:48

Speaker 7
Yep.

37:48

Speaker 6
It's so full of piz-... I love-

37:50

Speaker 7
If, if you could pick out something that you want to accomplish yet, uh, before you have to write your own epitaph, and I know you will, uh, what, what would you like to do?

37:59

Speaker 6
You know what my epitaph's gonna be?

38:00

Speaker 7
What?

38:02

Speaker 6
R.I.P., R.I.P.

38:03

Speaker 7
Uh-huh.

38:04

Speaker 6
Rest in peace, Rip.

38:06

Speaker 7
Aw.

38:06

Speaker 6
(laughs) Rip, Rip, RIP.

38:08

Speaker 7
RIP, RIP. I think I like that.

38:09

Speaker 6
Isn't that funny?

38:10

Speaker 7
That is so cool.

38:11

Speaker 6
I thought so, too.

38:12

Speaker 7
That's cool. Okay, so what, what do you wanna do yet?

38:17

Speaker 6
Uh, I wanna do the play off-Broadway, not on, and make 'em come and do more shows. If they come, I'll do more shows, you know, rather than have a limited engagement.

38:27

Speaker 7
That's good. I like that idea. But-

38:29

Speaker 6
Because a lot of them still don't know that I can walk and chew gum at the same time.

38:33

Speaker 7
(laughs)

38:34

Speaker 6
Mea- meaning be serious.

38:36

Speaker 7
I know. I know. And see-

38:37

Speaker 6
And I'm not... I'm not on Earth to prove that I can be serious. It's just that the play is so interesting to other people, and I enjoy ta- talking about it. It... I didn't know they would be interested when I first did it.

38:50

Speaker 7
Of course, they would be.

38:51

Speaker 6
Well, I don't know that. I'm not... you know, I did, I did the... and I said, "Will they come?" Like, every night when it opened, when I went to the theater, "Is anybody out there?" And it was. Thank God.

39:00

Speaker 7
Oh. And they will always be out there for you, Rip.

39:03

Speaker 6
Well, it was fun to do. That was fun. I was quite surprised that I got through it, and then I enjoyed doing it because I couldn't wait to hear what I was gonna say next. (laughs)

39:11

Speaker 7
I... But that's the talent you have.

39:14

Speaker 6
(laughs)

39:14

Speaker 7
You've got... I know, I bet you any money, you've got an outline, but it depends on your audience, right?

39:19

Speaker 6
Yes, yes.

39:21

Speaker 7
And, and you go with what's in the au- who's in the audience and how they respond.

39:24

Speaker 6
Yeah, but it's not... I'm not... It's not all funny, you see. It was all... It's a different thing, the play.

39:30

Speaker 7
Uh, but again, that's the important part.

39:32

Speaker 6
It wasn't an act of jokes. You know what I'm saying?

39:34

Speaker 7
Yeah, yeah. I see what you're saying. But... And they need to know that side of Rip Taylor. They really do.

39:40

Speaker 6
Well, I did. That's what made me insa- uh, "Is there anybody out there? Does anybody care? Does anybody give a damn if they wanna know about the outs-..." You know, that's what's like very...

39:48

Speaker 7
And they do care. And-

39:49

Speaker 6
Well, they came, and I was surprised.

39:51

Speaker 7
And you gotta make a promise to me. Would ya?

39:55

Speaker 6
What, darling?

39:56

Speaker 7
You've gotta come back and visit with us again.

39:58

Speaker 6
Oh, yeah. Oh, by golly. Uh, plea- we're joyed at the hand for you, Stepha.

40:01

Speaker 7
And you bet-... And the second promise is that at least you'll talk to Derrick about coming back up to Northern California and doing a show.

40:07

Speaker 6
Well, I want Derrick to keep in touch with me, too, 'cause then I'll let you know when I'm doing it and he could see it. And why don't I, not right this minute, but, uh, ask Harlan to send him a DVD of the play? Oh, that'd be cool.

40:20

Speaker 7
Very good. Very, very good. And again, thank you so much for taking the time with us today. I was so looking forward to it. When Derrick said-

40:26

Speaker 6
Oh, my God.

40:26

Speaker 7
... "Rip Taylor's coming," I'm going, "Yes, I love it."

40:30

Speaker 6
Oh, thank golly, my God. Rip's the best. Now, Derrick, are you gonna... If you get the flyer, give the address to Harlan. He'll send you a copy 'cause you, you have connections there with theaters up there? Yeah, I own... I own two theaters up here. Oh, well, gosh-

40:42

Speaker 7
He owns 'em, so it's not like he's the middleman here.

40:45

Speaker 6
Oh, gosh. Oh, I didn't wanna impose. I didn't know. (laughs)

40:47

Speaker 7
Oh, d- you don't impose it, Derrick. He's a, he's... You're a open guy. Right, Derrick?

40:51

Speaker 6
Uh, yeah. I'll get on that. Derrick, Derrick, you have my number. Call me back, and I'll give you my address, and you give it to Mary Jane. Okay.

40:57

Speaker 7
Absolutely. And again, thank you so very much. A very happy birthday to you. We'll have a-

41:03

Speaker 6
Oh, thanks, darling.

41:03

Speaker 7
A- and I think, I, I think I have you as a friend on my Facebook page, so I'm gonna wish you a happy birthday.

41:08

Speaker 6
Oh, good. I hope so.

41:08

Speaker 7
(laughs) ... you know, so there, too.

41:10

Speaker 6
Good.

41:10

Speaker 7
Thanks so much, Rip.

41:11

Speaker 6
All right.

41:11

Speaker 7
God bless you.

41:12

Speaker 6
Happy birthday, Rip.

41:12

Speaker 7
Keep up-

41:13

Speaker 6
Thank you a lot, both of you. Bye-bye.

41:14

Speaker 7
Keep up the good work. Bye-bye.

41:16

Speaker 6
I will. Bye.

41:17

Speaker 7
Oh, my God. Is he not a... This is such a great guy.

41:22

Speaker 3
Hang in there with us 'cause we got more to come.

41:26

Speaker 10
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41:50

Speaker 9
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42:00

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42:25

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43:25

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44:25

Speaker 5
(instrumental music plays) And here she is, Mary Jane Fox.

44:29

Speaker 2
He is a great guy. And we did that interview, Derek and I did that interview in 2014. Uh, he passed away, Rip passed away in 2019. But did he ever... Derek, did he ever get in touch with you with that documentary? Because I tried to find it and I couldn't find anything.

44:45

Speaker 3
Yeah, he, he did. We corresponded for quite a while about the documentary specifically because I had the California Independent Film Festival were gonna show it or at the theater, or wha- whatever we were, were gonna do. And th- the guy he had mentioned in the interview that he didn't see the stuff and he was, they always asked him what took so long.

45:02

Speaker 2
Yeah.

45:03

Speaker 3
I don't think it ever got completely finished. I'm not sure 'cause he was very frustrated. Every time I would talk to him he said, "I still haven't got a copy, a final copy. I'm so upset."

45:13

Speaker 2
Mm-hmm.

45:13

Speaker 3
So, I don't know whatever happened to that documentary. I looked a little bit online and I couldn't really see too much about it, so-

45:20

Speaker 2
No.

45:20

Speaker 3
... it's hard to ..........................

45:21

Speaker 2
Yeah, I did some research, same thing, trying to figure it out where, where it might be or whatever.

45:26

Speaker 3
Ken, any ideas that you've... Oh-

45:28

Speaker 2
Who Ken? I-

45:30

Speaker 3
... thought of? No.

45:30

Speaker 2
No.

45:31

Speaker 8
I do have a, I do have a mea culpa.

45:34

Speaker 2
Uh-oh. What?

45:36

Speaker 8
It was Rip Torn, not Rip Taylor on my story about Easy Rider.

45:41

Speaker 2
Oh. (laughs)

45:43

Speaker 3
Oh. (laughs)

45:43

Speaker 2
That's okay. That's a good one though.

45:45

Speaker 8
I mixed the Rips up.

45:47

Speaker 2
Yeah. (laughs)

45:47

Speaker 3
Well, yeah. (laughs) I was kinda wondering 'cause I was like, "I can't pinch him." Rip Taylor was, you know, an actor, but-

45:54

Speaker 2
Yeah.

45:54

Speaker 8
(laughs)

45:54

Speaker 3
... to pull of the Jack Nicholson role, it's like that's always a little bit of stress. (laughs)

45:58

Speaker 2
Do you know what Rip Taylor's middle name was? You, you'll laugh. And I, I know why he didn't use it. It was Elmer. (laughs)

46:08

Speaker 3
Oh. (laughs)

46:11

Speaker 2
Rip Elmer Taylor, you know. No wonder he just went by Rip Taylor. (laughs) That was it.

46:16

Speaker 8
But Rip can't be his name. Is that a nickname? How did he come up with Rip?

46:21

Speaker 2
Good, good question. I, I don't... Uh, 'cause it, it... From the very beginning of the research that I did from his childhood, it was always Rip Elmer Taylor.

46:31

Speaker 8
Oh.

46:31

Speaker 2
So, who knows? Maybe one of our listeners can, uh, email me or, um, maybe Facebook, on my Facebook. Let me know if you have a story behind that and what his name is. You know, we should always invite people to do that. Come on to my Facebook page anytime you like and, you know, get a hold of me or, or Ken for that matter. We, we're both a-available on that. Um, but he's just... He... It's an icon. I, I'm, I miss him. Don't you, Ken?

47:01

Speaker 8
I miss all these, these, these, uh, great comedians.

47:05

Speaker 2
Oh, by the way, his original name was Charles Elmer Taylor.

47:10

Speaker 8
Yeah, so-

47:11

Speaker 2
So I don't know where the Rip came... Maybe the Rip... Well, like he said on his tombstone, he wants to have Rip, Rest In Peace. (laughs)

47:18

Speaker 8
Yeah. (laughs)

47:20

Speaker 2
Oh, he always, what a guy.

47:21

Speaker 3
Yeah, I would just guess that probably when he was coming up maybe, you know, often they did have a bit of a ............................ and everyone else had a, a name that they put in that was kinda catchy at that time, so I think-

47:32

Speaker 2
Yeah.

47:32

Speaker 3
... somebody came up with Rip. (laughs)

47:34

Speaker 2
That's true. They, they came up with some, some wild and crazy ones. And they had to be very careful 'cause if somebody... And Derek, you can, um, say whether this is true or not. Uh, if someone else had that name already, they had to change it slightly so that they didn't duplicate the other person's name. It was crazy time.

47:53

Speaker 3
Right. Yeah, especially for the screen actors, it'd get a little bit k- difficult back then to figure out like, okay, there's two, you know, Rip Taylors and who gets paid and all that kind of stuff. So they were really, you know, wanted to make sure people had individual names, they didn't have to assign something else, so.

48:08

Speaker 2
M- Now, Ken, pretty much people use their own names, don't they?

48:12

Speaker 8
Mm-hmm.

48:13

Speaker 2
Instead of-

48:13

Speaker 8
You know, it's kind of, kind of strange isn't it? Rip Taylor and Rip Torn, both had Rips on... Hmm.

48:20

Speaker 2
I'll have to... We'll do a little research on that and find out why, how that all came about. (laughs)

48:27

Speaker 8
Yeah.

48:27

Speaker 2
I'm sure there's somebody in the business that will know. (laughs) That's for sure. Well, I guess that takes it to the end for our wonderful interview with Rip Taylor, and I want everyone to know some of these people because, you know, they're, they're gone now. Uh, but you know what? Their, their comedy, their talent, their feeling for people and love for the stage and the work that they did, they were hard workers. I don't want that to be lost. And that's the reason, you know, Ken, that we do this, right?

48:57

Speaker 4
Yeah, I, I, you know, I thought he would've been great in the Wizard of Oz.

49:01

Speaker 2
Ah.

49:02

Speaker 3
Yeah.

49:02

Speaker 4
And then I found out he played, uh, in The Brady Bunch, I believe, a remake, not a remake, but in the show they, they did the Wizard of Oz, and he plays one of the characters in the Wizard of Oz-

49:16

Speaker 2
Wow.

49:16

Speaker 4
... in the TV show. But I thought he would, he would be the perfect cowardly lion, I guess, you know.

49:21

Speaker 2
Oh, yeah. (laughs) Yeah, that would be great. And Derrick?

49:25

Speaker 3
I think he might have played in, in, um, Wicked on Broadway or Off-Broadway.

49:31

Speaker 4
Yeah.

49:31

Speaker 3
Or on tour in Nashville, but I think he played the wizard.

49:35

Speaker 4
Could be.

49:35

Speaker 2
Oh, oh. Yes, he did. Yes, he did.

49:37

Speaker 3
Yeah, he did.

49:37

Speaker 4
He did play a wizard. Yeah, that's right.

49:39

Speaker 3
Yeah.

49:40

Speaker 2
So what are you up to these days, Derrick?

49:43

Speaker 3
Um, same old stuff, you know? Doing movie reviews. I just went to see a couple movies last, in the last couple days, and, um, you know, opening theaters in one theater now.

49:54

Speaker 2
One theater only. (laughs)

49:56

Speaker 3
And film festivals, curating programs, doing a lot of cabaret shows. Not me performing, producing. (laughs)

50:03

Speaker 2
Yeah. (laughs) I love it.

50:04

Speaker 3
Uh, we just had, you know, we had everyone at the, the theater, from Marina Moreno doing cabaret, to John Lloyd Young, who won the Tony Award for Jersey Boys-

50:12

Speaker 2
Oh.

50:12

Speaker 3
... and also was, um, in the Clint Eastwood Jersey Boys. And, um, yeah, so just a lot of stuff, keeping, but yet, you know, trying to pull back a little bit, you know, getting tired of going to events every single week. So... (laughs)

50:26

Speaker 2
You're never gonna pull back.

50:28

Speaker 3
Yeah. Well...

50:28

Speaker 2
Ken's never gonna pull back.

50:29

Speaker 3
(laughs)

50:29

Speaker 2
I'm never gonna pull back. (laughs) We just, it's in our blood, you know?

50:33

Speaker 3
Right.

50:34

Speaker 2
We'll go to our graves in it. Don't you think, Ken? (laughs)

50:37

Speaker 4
Yeah, pretty much.

50:39

Speaker 2
Yeah, absolutely.

50:41

Speaker 4
Yeah.

50:41

Speaker 2
Okay, folks. Well, that's about it for this edition of Pop Star Talk. Uh, we will miss this man, who led an incredible life right up to the end, Rip Taylor. Thanks for all you do, Ken, to get Pop Star Talk produced. And Derrick, what a pleasure sharing your time and reminiscences with us. Come back soon, okay? Promise?

51:03

Speaker 3
Thank you, yeah.

51:03

Speaker 2
Huh?

51:04

Speaker 3
It was actually great to hear the old interviews, so appreciate that. (laughs)

51:07

Speaker 2
I, I, absolutely. I've held onto 'em. I didn't know why.

51:10

Speaker 3
Yeah.

51:10

Speaker 2
But I was holding onto 'em, so... (laughs)

51:12

Speaker 3
(laughs)

51:13

Speaker 2
But anyway, I'm Mary Jane Popp, hoping that you enjoyed this walk back in time, with so many more icons to come. Till our next time together, I always wish you this thought from Pop Star Talk... Live simply, laugh often, love deeply, and above all else, dare to dream. (music)