00:00

Speaker 1
(jazzy music) Let's remember together some of the greatest TV and movie stars of yesteryear with the woman who knew them. Mary Jane Poppe 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 Poppe.

00:34

Speaker 2
Wait till you hear this episode of Pop Star Talk. Now, we go back quite a way to a star who fought as the leader of the Sharks on the big screen. Now, that's a big hint for you folks. Hi, Mary Jane Poppe here, with, of course, my producer, Kenneth Segura Noll. And I have to tell you, I've always loved musicals, especially when they were huge productions that remain with you as you leave the theater humming the great songs. Hey, Ken, do you have any favorites? And, uh, I bet you kinda know what, which one I'm talking about, huh?

01:06

Speaker 3
Well, uh, you know, m- I have always loved musicals. I love music. But I, I recognize the, the songs, but I never rec- recognized the musical they were part until I-

01:16

Speaker 2
No kidding.

01:17

Speaker 3
... until I moved to Sacramento, and we had the wonderful Music Circus. And, uh, I would go listen and watch and, musicals at the Music Circus.

01:27

Speaker 2
Nice.

01:27

Speaker 3
And, uh, it was wonderful. You know, just, it's so exciting.

01:32

Speaker 2
Well, when you have the people who made this what it was, and that was Leonard Bernstein for the, you know, composer and Stephen Sondheim for the lyrics, you can't miss. I mean, these were greats, and they made so many wonderful musicals. And it was just something they had in their heart and soul. I honestly think so. Uh, you ha- that's k- When you talk about that kind of music, uh, and lyrics, it doesn't come from learning something. It comes from the heart. Don't you think so, Ken? You know, you're a musician.

02:06

Speaker 3
Yeah. I mean, it's people live the music in musicals. It's not just performing it. It's living it 'cause it goes along with, you know, along with the storyline that-

02:17

Speaker 2
Yeah.

02:17

Speaker 3
... you know, there's acting involved with it. So it's acting and the music. So actors love musicals 'cause they get to live, live the story.

02:26

Speaker 2
Well, and West Side Story, I mean, it was basically Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, you know? The star-crossed lovers, correct?

02:35

Speaker 3
Yes.

02:36

Speaker 2
And the tragic ending, of course (laughs) . That's the sad part.

02:40

Speaker 3
Yeah.

02:40

Speaker 2
But that's the way it is, you know?

02:42

Speaker 3
Yeah.

02:42

Speaker 2
Well, we've got some wonderful thoughts from George Chakiris. He was Bernardo. Didn't start out as Bernardo. I'll talk to you about that a little bit later on. But Bernardo was the head of the Sharks. And, uh, he actually did a 1950s production of West Side Story in London before all this, like in the nine- like I said, 1950s, before 1961 when the movie came out. But then it changed roles. He was Riff in the London production of West Side Story. He was the head of the Jets. But then when they went to the movie, they thought he had, you know, a little bit more of a Puerto Rican, uh, look, and that's why he got to be Bernardo. But still, you know, major star there. So, you know, now that you have an idea of folks with whom we're going to go back in time with, I want you to hear this song. And I won't even have to introduce the movie and one of its stars. Think Bernardo, head of the Sharks. (West Side Story theme music plays) Part of television. He is sexy, and he is handsome.

03:52

Speaker 2
And he made his film debut in the Chorus of Love way back when. But we've seen him in countless successes, from West Side Story and numerous films to so many television series. Uh, but, you know, there's really not enough time to mention them all. But as the iconic Rita Moreno said, "You will savor the story of a Greek boy in America who did well, very well indeed." And that's a quote. Um, she was referring to his memoirs entitled My West Side Story. As George Chakiris opens up about his life in and out of the spotlight, movies and television, to Broadway, ye- you know, he's had a great, fantastic life, and such a diversified life. And now George Chakiris shares his story with us on Pop Off. George, it's a pleasure to have you with us on Pop Off.

04:43

Speaker 4
Well, gosh, m- uh, Mary Jane. Thanks. It's great to be with you. I love your name.

04:47

Speaker 2
Oh (laughs) . It's for real. It's for real.

04:50

Speaker 4
(laughs)

04:50

Speaker 2
It's a Romanian name. Now, don't laugh. I gotta tell you something. Um, uh, you were born in Ohio, right? Norwood, Ohio?

04:57

Speaker 4
Yeah.

04:57

Speaker 2
Okay.

04:57

Speaker 4
That's right. Uh-huh.

04:58

Speaker 2
I was close by, Chicago. Okay?

05:01

Speaker 4
Okay.

05:01

Speaker 2
And in Chicago, very strong Greek community. And we-

05:06

Speaker 4
Oh, yes. Of course.

05:07

Speaker 2
Yeah, and we used to go to the, you know, they, we were always invited to their weddings and that because I was, I did a lot of singing back then. And so, they would invite me to come and sing at the weddings. And we had a wonderful, wonderful time.

05:18

Speaker 4
(laughs)

05:18

Speaker 2
Of course, the ouzo helped. Uh, but it, they used to always call us Mary Jane, or call me Mary Jane Papadopoulos, you know (laughs) 'cause they said-

05:27

Speaker 4
(laughs)

05:27

Speaker 2
... I was an adopted Greek girl. (laughs)

05:31

Speaker 4
(laughs)

05:31

Speaker 2
Isn't that amazing? Those were the good old days.

05:33

Speaker 4
Yeah.

05:33

Speaker 2
You know?

05:34

Speaker 4
Absolutely. So you were a singer?

05:37

Speaker 2
Yeah. Yeah. Actually, that's how I started, singing and doing some acting. And then someone dared me to go and audition for a television show. I did, got the show, and landed up doing interviews for the rest of my life, over 40 years.

05:48

Speaker 4
Wow.

05:49

Speaker 2
Yeah.

05:49

Speaker 4
How fantastic. And yet you sound like you're just gonna be wonderful at it. And you must love doing it.

05:54

Speaker 2
I do, eh, you know, and I love talking to people because I learn so much. Uh, I said it at the beginning (laughs) of this hour. I'm a nosy person. I like to find out about people and, and what they're doing and helping other people with information so they can make good decisions. You know what I mean?

06:10

Speaker 4
Yeah.Yeah. Great.

06:12

Speaker 2
So, now, what a life you've had. Oh, gotta tell you, uh, at White Christmas, um, I saw it at Christmastime, of course, this last year, and I, I immediately recognized you when I saw Rosemary Clooney when she sang the song in the club, and there was George Chakiris right next to her, doing the dancing. You were fabulous.

06:33

Speaker 4
(laughs) Well, I'll tell you, you know, the great thing about that number... Because there's... I loved, uh, dancing in the course of, of a lot of different, uh, movie musical numbers.

06:42

Speaker 2
Mm-hmm.

06:43

Speaker 4
And usually there were, there were quite a few of us, you know, in, in, in a given number, like, 10, 12, 16, and so on. And, uh... But I loved... The beautiful part, one of the beautiful things about doing that, being in that number with Rosie, there were just four of us.

06:57

Speaker 2
Yeah.

06:57

Speaker 4
So we were, we were more, we were more visible. And that was... That turned out to be a, a good thing. (laughs)

07:03

Speaker 2
Oh, yeah. A- And I mean, she was, like, right there with her hand on your shoulder, if I remember right. (laughs) So...

07:10

Speaker 4
Yeah. And, and she was, she was great. Rosie was just... E- Everybody loved... You know, you couldn't help but love her. She was so honest, so real, just a, a, a beautiful, lovely, lovely person. She was great.

07:21

Speaker 2
I... You know, I get the idea that a lot of stars back then, they were open to helping young people. I mean, you were just a kid back then. Uh-

07:30

Speaker 4
Yeah.

07:30

Speaker 2
... you know. And, you know, there-

07:31

Speaker 4
Well, and, and, and Rosie was pretty young herself, you know, so...

07:36

Speaker 2
But they were willing to share, and share information and help others. Isn't that amazing? That's amazing.

07:42

Speaker 4
Well, it, it is amazing, and it... And then... And you're right, yeah. There was, there was more generosity or something.

07:49

Speaker 2
Yeah, yeah. Now, you actually grew up really fast and big time when you did West Side Story. Um-

07:57

Speaker 4
Right.

07:58

Speaker 2
You played Bernardo, right?

07:59

Speaker 4
I, I... In, in the movie, I played, uh, Bernardo, the leader of, of Spark, yeah.

08:04

Speaker 2
Yeah, um-

08:05

Speaker 4
Maria's brother. (laughs)

08:06

Speaker 2
Yeah. (laughs) You... And, and you were a singer, too. Talking about singing, you actually cut a record at one time, didn't you?

08:15

Speaker 4
Oh, my God, yes. Oh, Mary Jane, I... Hey, you're a singer, so we both know what we're talking about here and how we feel. I loved singing, uh, so much. I still do. Um, but I absolutely loved singing, and, and I, I did, over the years, uh, uh, uh, have recorded some albums. I had a contract with Capitol Records and... Recording was just such a beautiful thing, you know, the music, the orchestra, and the, the whole... It all came together, uh, during a session and just... Music is so beautiful, but recording and singing, I love singing, absolutely.

08:49

Speaker 2
Isn't it amazing when you do a live audience, and all of a sudden, if you're singing a sad song, you see a tear or two or, you know, you know you're getting to that person because you, you, you can feel those people, uh, you know, that are watching you? There's nothing better than that.

09:06

Speaker 4
You, you're, you're right. There is nothing better than that. You know what comes to mind? There are two very famous singers that just come to mind as you say that that become... One of them was Judy Garland, of course-

09:16

Speaker 2
Mm-hmm.

09:16

Speaker 4
... because of her incredible, her incredible connection to her material. And then, uh, Lena Horne, in a, in a very different way, but again, very strong connection to her material. And the thing that I love about both of them is, as performers, they didn't need fire and ice and... They didn't need-

09:34

Speaker 2
(laughs)

09:34

Speaker 4
... fireworks around them or anything like that. They were able to just stand there by themselves and do something s- strong and beautiful.

09:42

Speaker 2
Yeah.

09:42

Speaker 4
They didn't need all the... Everything going on around them. It was just them, and I love that.

09:48

Speaker 2
Well, you know, what happened, uh, 196-... Was it '64 or '62? '64, I guess, when the Beatles came, you know, and all that went away. (laughs)

09:57

Speaker 4
Uh-huh, uh-huh.

09:58

Speaker 2
All the screaming and yelling. Remember when he was on, uh... When the, the, the group was on Ed Sullivan? And I remember, I was young, but I wa- I was watching television, and I was so angry because I couldn't even hear them from the screaming.

10:10

Speaker 4
(laughs)

10:11

Speaker 2
That, that always bothered me. It's like, "I want to hear them," you know?

10:14

Speaker 4
Yeah. Well, that, that's a, a, a legitimate concern. (laughs)

10:18

Speaker 2
Yeah. (laughs) But anyway, let's talk a little bit more about you here. In the, in the '70s and '80s, you did a lot of television series, didn't you?

10:26

Speaker 4
Right. Gosh, I did. I did a lot of television. Uh, I loved... I did a lot of episodic, uh, television here, uh, in the States. Um, I also did a, a, a BBC television series, uh, with Rosemary Harris, an incredible actress. She, uh... Uh, on the life of Georges Sand, the French novelist, and I played Frederic Chopin.

10:47

Speaker 2
Ooh.

10:47

Speaker 4
I also did a, a, a, a, a television series in Japan, of all places.

10:53

Speaker 2
No kidding.

10:53

Speaker 4
Again, again on, on a real person, on La Padre Hern, who became a Japanologist and lived in Japan. So, but NHK did a, a four-part series on that. And I did... So I, I, I've done a lot of stuff with the US, um, singing, uh, musical shows as well. Um, and so I've gotten a chance to sort of, um, do, do a, a bit of everything, if you like.

11:19

Speaker 2
You know, it is a... Like I said, you've had an amazing life. A- And some of the television series were some of my favorite. Uh, Medical Center, Hawaii Five-O, Dallas, Murder She Wrote. I mean, those were all... These are all iconic shows you were on.

11:33

Speaker 4
Abso-... You know, and, and they were great. They were wonderful shows. One of the things I remember about, uh, about Dallas was, um, when I was actually on the set wor- working, that, that was such an organized, comfortable set. It was so well-produced and so organized, that everybody on that set, everybody was happy, and so the work was smooth and, and no problems ever arose. But again, it, it came back to it being a show that was beautifully, uh, produced. Um, on other shows, and one of my favorite shows, and it was... On a downward trend, I, I ended up doing 11 episodes.

12:06

Speaker 4
It started off with just one-

12:07

Speaker 2
Mm-hmm.

12:08

Speaker 4
... and I ended up doing 11. But one of my favorite, uh, uh, eh- television shows where I did just one-... was, uh, Hawaii Five-O.

12:17

Speaker 5
Hmm.

12:18

Speaker 4
But again, it was, uh, uh, uh, some Jack, Jack Lord, uh, was so proud of that show and everything I'd done was beautifully done. It was a great script and it was, uh, uh, uh, a kind of, it was, uh, uh, a really good, uh, story.

12:32

Speaker 5
Mm-hmm.

12:32

Speaker 4
And so it was, you know, when, when the material was, is, is, uh, is really good, it's, of course, much more fun to do. But yeah, I've gotten to do, uh, Emergency Road, of course, uh, as you said. Um, yeah, I, I, I'm obviously remembering everything now, but I did do, I, as we all did, we all, everybody was doing episodic television.

12:54

Speaker 5
Yeah.

12:54

Speaker 4
So, 'cause, um, it, it was important to do it, uh, not just, uh, to, to be, to be working, but, uh, for a lot of people, just for exposure because it was the only way to actually be relevant and be seen, uh, as, 'cause you need to remind people that you're still alive, so to speak. You know what I mean?

13:12

Speaker 5
Yeah. Oh, sure.

13:13

Speaker 4
Um, and episodic television allowed a, a, a lot of us to do that.

13:18

Speaker 5
Hang in there with us 'cause we got more to come.

13:22

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17:22

Speaker 5
It's Pop Talk, and you know we do talk. Well, didn't y- you actually start out wanting to be a dancer though?

17:30

Speaker 4
Well, um, a- as a kid, I, I fell in love with movie musicals, um, so of course, I, I, uh, uh, as a kid thinking in, in a, a very naive way, but I, I loved dancing. But, uh, my primary love even as a kid was, uh, was singing.

17:46

Speaker 5
Hmm.

17:46

Speaker 4
Uh, but dancing was the first thing I, I, uh, came to study professionally. When I was 19, a girl I was in high school with, uh, found out about this wonderful school here in Los Angeles, the American School of Dance.

18:00

Speaker 5
Mm-hmm.

18:00

Speaker 4
And she told me that Syd, Syd Cerese and Leslie Carron take class there. Well, that, that was all I needed to hear. (laughs)

18:08

Speaker 5
(laughs)

18:08

Speaker 4
So, uh, so I took the train from Long Beach, uh, here to, to, to Los Angeles one morning to watch a professional class at the American School of Dance. There was nobody famous in class, but it didn't matter to me. I knew that that's what I wanted to do.So, I got a job working as an office boy in the advertising department at, at the May Company downtown. (clears throat) And I worked, uh, e- every day at, at the, um, at, at, at the May Company. And every night after work I, I took two classes. And that's how, uh, that was my first, uh, thing to learn technically as it worked.

18:42

Speaker 2
Mm-hmm.

18:42

Speaker 4
And, and, and also I loved dancing. Uh, singing and dancing, and I have a sister who is the same, came kind of naturally to us. We, we were sort of na- didn't, we still had to practice and learn and, and have the technique, but, but it, uh, movement was w- uh, in, in a, in a wonderful way 'cause it was natural for me. And, uh, so that was a, an advantage if you like. But, uh, when I was first taking class there, some of the kids I was in class with who I hadn't m- had n- known yet were already working in the chorus of Singin' in the Rain. So I was already around people who were already working on a movie.

19:19

Speaker 2
Wow.

19:19

Speaker 4
And especially that one. So little by little, uh, you know, you start to, uh, get the audition and start to work as a dancer yourself.

19:30

Speaker 2
Now, I mentioned West Side Story earlier, and isn't it true that your hand and footprints were actually placed in cement for actually all of history, uh, in connection with the 50th anniversary of West Side Story, which premiered at Grauman's like 50 years prior?

19:47

Speaker 4
I know. It, it, it's- it's such a small world

19:49

Speaker 3
(laughs)

19:49

Speaker 4
brought this, all of this, you know, the connections are kind, kind, are, are lovely. But yes, Rita, uh, Moreno and Russ Tamlyn and I, uh, on whatever date that was, yes, we, uh, we did our hand and footprints at, at Grauman's. And, uh, it was, uh, hey, what can I say? It was great. Uh, because I remember when I was at the American School of Dance and taking class, I, I, I, I got a scholarship at the school, and in, in order to have the scholarship all I had to do was, uh, at the end of the day, uh, clean, you know, take the, take care of the studios, clean the floors, the mirrors, and all of that stuff-

20:26

Speaker 2
Mm-hmm.

20:26

Speaker 4
... and then lock up. And after I did that at, at the school every night about 11:00 in the evening or so, I was finished and I would wend my way home and I was renting a, a room at a rooming house on Hollywood Boulevard. And, uh, uh, on the, on my way home I would pass Grauman's Chinese Theater-

20:44

Speaker 2
Mm-hmm.

20:44

Speaker 4
... every night and just look at those footprints all by myself. It was great.

20:48

Speaker 2
Mm-hmm.

20:49

Speaker 4
Um, so i- i- it, it, you never know what's gonna happen in life, and that there's a lot of good things about that. But who would have thought, uh, uh, me looking at those footprints in 1952, whatever year it was-

21:04

Speaker 2
Oh my.

21:04

Speaker 4
... that lat- that later we would do it ourselves. I mean, it, it, it's kind of extraordinary happenstance, isn't it?

21:11

Speaker 2
Yeah, and that happened in 2012. I think (laughs) that's amazing.

21:14

Speaker 4
Okay, 2012. (laughs)

21:16

Speaker 2
(laughs) Oh, great. (instrumental music plays) You know, it is amazing how time flies by Ken. He is now 93 years old, and I'm actually looking into getting him back on just to find out what he's up to these days. But I understand from Harlan who knows him very well that he may well come back, because, you know, there's so much more that I wanted to talk to him about. And, you know, o- at 93 years old you think, "Well, do they have the capacity to talk anymore?" Boy, I'll tell you, some of these stars, they absolutely amaze me on how they can remember the, the beautiful parts of things that they did. And I don't know, it, it just, it, it's amazing. Can you imagine what it's like for him to walk past Grauman's, which is still there, it's not the same that it was Grauman's Chinese at the time, but to see his hands and footprints and, and those of Rita Moreno, and I believe Natalie Wood is, is there too because, of course she was in the movie.

22:18

Speaker 2
To have that there for eternity, (laughs) you know, and people to walk by. Isn't that amazing?

22:23

Speaker 3
Yes, it is. We were down in that area not too long ago, and I was up very early and I walked down to the, uh, Starbucks there on Sunset. They've really cleaned that place up, I mean, the, it's, it's beautiful. It's, uh, it, and, and during the day there's, in front of the theater there's thousands of people.

22:46

Speaker 2
Yeah.

22:46

Speaker 3
And, uh, what an honor. I mean, to be on the, on, on the sidewalk somewhere along, but to be right in front of Grauman's Theater-

22:54

Speaker 2
Yeah.

22:54

Speaker 3
... across from the Roosevelt Hotel, wonderful.

22:57

Speaker 2
It's historic. And I think tourists are still, you know, Hollywood and Vine, Sunset Boulevard, you know, (laughs) they're all gonna be drawn to that. That's part of the history of Los Angeles and Hollywood, and that's never gonna change. I hope it doesn't change, don't you?

23:13

Speaker 3
I, I hope not. And, you know, there's so many people, and, and he, he's, he's a good example. You've seen him over and over on, in theatrical musicals and, and the films and television, and you don't know their name.

23:29

Speaker 2
Uh-huh.

23:29

Speaker 3
It, it's not a everyday name. And then you walk down the, s- the, the, the strip there and, and you look name after name, and it's fun to, you know, do a little research.

23:42

Speaker 2
Mm-hmm.

23:42

Speaker 3
Well, who is this person? And then you go, oh, I know that person. Oh, I know that person. (laughs)

23:47

Speaker 2
Well, and the thing is when you do a lot of, especially like television, I mean, he did tons of stuff. My favorite was when he was on, um, with Angela Lansbury on Murder She Wrote, that was one of my favorite programs. But, you know, sometimes you don't even recognize these people.

24:02

Speaker 3
You know-

24:03

Speaker 2
They're different characters, they look different.

24:05

Speaker 3
You know, that's interesting, hm. I worked on Murder She Wrote, (laughs) I don't remember him.

24:10

Speaker 2
Really?

24:10

Speaker 3
Yeah.

24:11

Speaker 2
Yeah, he did Murder She Wrote, oh, a ton of them. Meet Me in Las Vegas, Under Fire, those are films that he did. I mean, he did a ton of films too.

24:20

Speaker 3
Mm-hmm.

24:20

Speaker 2
But-... smaller parts. It was nothing like, you know, Bernardo in West Side Story, but still, again, we don't always recognize a lot of these people, especially on the TV series. (laughs) And he did Dallas. I didn't know he did Dallas. A lot, lot of stuff I learned from him, (laughs) which was kind of fun. And I just... He surprised me in many, many ways because he's very down to earth. You can tell just by hearing him and listening to him, that he tells it like it is, and how he experienced it, and how he loved what he did. A- and to have... You know, start out as a dancer, but he was a singer and then actor. It all meshes together, you know. Uh, it kinda reminds me a little bit of, you know, me when I first started. Did a lot of singing, did a lot of musicals, club work, and then fell into the acting thing, and then fell into doing television. And it's so funny because instead of... It was supposed to be that people, like me, would be interviewing me. Instead, I- it's reversed.

25:24

Speaker 2
I'm talking to all these people and interviewing them over five decades, and, y- I'm honored. I am so honored to have that, that privilege to do that because they're special, and I don't want them to be forgotten. We go through a lot of changes. I understand that, and the generations have... There are new people that they're proud of and, and happy to be with. But, you know, I don't want them to forget about how it all began. They really climbed on the shoulders of some of these major stars that we're gonna be talking to on Pop Star Talk. Don't you think?

25:55

Speaker 3
Yes. I hope we can get, get him back and a lot of these other people that we are trying to get back on.

26:01

Speaker 2
Yeah.

26:01

Speaker 3
And we will have a new, or we have a new part of our podcast where we're gonna have a subscription part where you can go in and add... and listen to this additional interviews or new interviews, and that's gonna be great.

26:17

Speaker 2
Yeah, because I got a ton of folks that I did not only a half an hour interview with, but I did an hour.

26:22

Speaker 3
Hm.

26:22

Speaker 2
You know, and I, I don't want them to miss the (laughs) second half of it. Uh, it's important that they hear it because the stories that they had to tell, I don't know, I just felt so privileged to be able to talk to these people. So, anyway, well, now that you know who it is and what he did, I had to ask George about working with so many greats over the years. But you know me. I'm nosy, curious, okay? I was curious if he had a favorite.

26:53

Speaker 4
(instrumental music) My, my favorite was Elayne Stritch. (laughs)

26:56

Speaker 2
Real... Oh, well, okay. (laughs)

26:58

Speaker 4
Be- because I really spent a great amount of time with her.

27:01

Speaker 2
Yeah.

27:01

Speaker 4
Uh, uh, Elayne and I did the national company of, of the Stephen Sondheim musical called Company, produced by Hal Prince.

27:08

Speaker 2
Uh-huh.

27:09

Speaker 4
And after... Th- the great thing, really, and I really mean it, the great thing about doing that show, well, of course was the... But the great thing was have... being able to spend that time with Elayne. She's... Gosh, I love her more than I can ever say, but she's so... She's s- she's so wonderful. She's so, uh, she's so, uh, vulnerable. And oh, she's, she's just an extraordinary person, but her-

27:36

Speaker 2
Well, sh- she was a one of a kind.

27:38

Speaker 4
... her honesty is-

27:38

Speaker 2
She was a one of a kind.

27:40

Speaker 4
Of course. She is one of a kind, absolutely. You know, um, uh, on, on, uh, the YouTube, just in the last couple of weeks, I, I looked her up and, and she was... uh, it was, um, a concert one evening, it was of, uh, uh, singers, w- female singers doing, uh, Stephen Sondheim: Sondheim's material.

27:58

Speaker 2
Huh.

27:59

Speaker 4
There were... Uh, Patti LuPone was there, Bernadette Peters and, and, uh, and, and of course Elayne. And, uh, Bernadette Peters was absolutely fantastic and all.

28:07

Speaker 2
Oh, yeah.

28:08

Speaker 4
But, but Elayne just... Th- the material, it goes further, deeper. I, I, I can't really say how she does it, but it's just... uh, it, it, it goes far past what anybody else ever tries to do.

28:23

Speaker 2
Well, like I said, one of a kind, you know. The, the... These are-

28:26

Speaker 4
Yeah.

28:26

Speaker 2
... all unique people that you've worked with. Hang in there with us 'cause we got more to come.

28:31

Speaker 6
(instrumental music) We're Sell My House Fast, and we've been buying unwanted houses for cash fast for 25 years. We buy old houses, new houses, abandoned houses, all types of houses, and we'll buy your unwanted house for cash fast. If you're relocating, inherited a home you don't want, if you've got a tenant you really don't want, Sell My House Fast will buy it fast. If you're behind on taxes, want to avoid foreclosure, if you're going through a divorce or just need cash fast, we'll buy your house at a fair cash price, and we'll close fast too. Sell with us and there's no real estate agent, which means no real estate commissions. We'll do all the repairs, all the cleaning, and cleanup. We've got hundreds of Google five-star reviews because our offers are fair and the process transparent. Call now to connect with a qualified local buyer. Call 1-800-735-8731. 1-800-735-8731. 1-800-735-8731.

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29:33

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31:31

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32:36

Speaker 2
I would say, what really, you know, got people to pay attention to George Chakiris, of course, was West Side Story.

32:44

Speaker 4
Absolutely, yeah.

32:44

Speaker 2
Why do you think the ma-... Why was it? What was the magic of West Side Story?

32:50

Speaker 4
Uh, uh, uh, first of all, I think the, uh, the story. Uh, it's, it's a classic story, you know, Romeo and Juliet, uh, Shakespeare. Um, and, but, but that story is, is relevant, uh, a- has... because of what it's about. Two people who fall in love, and b- because they're from opposing sides, and because of the discrimination and all of that that goes on between these two sides.

33:13

Speaker 2
Mm-hmm.

33:13

Speaker 4
Tha- that's happening in the world as we speak.

33:16

Speaker 2
Yes.

33:17

Speaker 4
So we all, uh, we have all, we all can identify with that without even trying to, uh, because none of that has changed. It, it's still going on. Um, and, uh, b- b- and then... And, and the beauty of West Side Story was the, uh, the four men who originated West Side Story f- for the theater, Jerome Robbins. I mean, it doesn't... He's a- another extraordinary man. Uh, again, one of a kind. Um, Stephen Sondheim's, uh, music and lyrics, uh, um, Arthur Laurents' script, and, uh, and of course, Leonard Bernstein's score.

33:53

Speaker 4
I mean, that score-

33:54

Speaker 2
Mm-hmm.

33:54

Speaker 4
If you could hear the score, I mean, that is, it's, it's, it's just a m-... It's so beautiful. So that was quite a collaboration between these four extraordinary men, and they created something that really has remained in people's thoughts and so on because it's, it's about something that is r- relevant, uh, in today's world as well.

34:18

Speaker 2
Not only that, it... The music, it's the kind of music that when you leave the theater, you'll never forget 'em.

34:24

Speaker 4
Uh, yeah.

34:25

Speaker 2
And, and there's a lot of-

34:26

Speaker 4
Yeah.

34:26

Speaker 2
... movies out now and, you know, every time I see the Academy Awards and they talk about the best movie, uh, be- best song, (laughs) I'm going, "They're not memorable, I'm sorry."

34:35

Speaker 4
Yeah, yeah. Well, I, I think that's probably maybe has always been true, but you're, you're right. Yeah, uh, uh, it takes something special to, to be special, I guess.

34:46

Speaker 2
Yeah. Yep, yep, absolutely. Now you, you were singing, dancing, acting, and now you are designing jewelry.

34:55

Speaker 4
(laughs)

34:55

Speaker 2
How'd that start?

34:57

Speaker 4
Yeah. Well, um, I, I, I don't remember exactly how. It started as, as a hobby. Um, and, uh, I fell in love with, uh... I went to, uh, uh, uh, an art school here in Los Angeles where I was, uh, learning, uh, uh, soldering and, and waxing. I went really to, uh, actually make, uh, make jewelry. Uh, I, I, the class was great. I loved it. It was, it was social as well, so being with like-minded people, all of us wanting to... working on the same thing was great. And, uh, but without trying to, I became very familiar with the, the Jewelry District, uh, the Jewelry D- District, excuse me, in Downtown Los Angeles. I was learning everything, uh, and, uh, and I loved it. Uh, and so, uh, again, without trying to, I, I, uh, made a, a number of pieces, um, and, uh... which, and I... But one of the beautiful things about jewelry is what... however you, uh, uh, make it, once you've made it, you can actually hold it in your hands, and there's something so gratifying about that.

36:03

Speaker 2
Mm-hmm.

36:04

Speaker 4
But... And then, uh, I got familiar with the, uh, uh, manufacturers Downtown Los Angeles, so I started to, uh... People wanted me to make more, and I was able to do it because of the manufacturer. But also that, uh, through that manufacturer Downtown, a Japanese distributor saw my thing, and liked them, and wanted to represent me in Japan as a distributor. And so that happened. I've been working with him. Uh, Yoshito is his name. I've been working with him ever since. So it, again, started as a hobby, and it's just... it became more. But the bottom line is, it's, it, it...... it's such a gratifying thing to do, 'cause it, again, you know, it's creative, it's fun.

36:45

Speaker 2
Yeah.

36:46

Speaker 4
It's fun.

36:47

Speaker 2
I love your, your, you know, one of, I, I looked at some of the ones that you've done, the Love and Hope, the Silver Heart. That is so, that is so unique.

36:56

Speaker 4
Oh, thank you. You, you know, one of the, one of the, uh, things that I like about that, that, that heart-

37:02

Speaker 2
Uh-huh.

37:02

Speaker 4
... is that, is because it, uh, it, it has, it has a, a little bit more dimension, di-, uh, dimension to it because it, because of the way it, it's sculpted.

37:12

Speaker 2
Yep.

37:13

Speaker 4
Um, and, and I'd always ... (laughs) I've always liked that particular piece because of that.

37:17

Speaker 2
Yeah. The other one, the Lotus Charm Pendant with the, the pink sapphires. Wow. That is the ... That's incredible.

37:25

Speaker 4
Yeah. Yeah.

37:25

Speaker 2
I mean, do they just come to you, or the designs, or, you know, you sketch them out?

37:29

Speaker 4
Well-

37:29

Speaker 2
How do you do it?

37:30

Speaker 4
The, the very first ... You know, I, I had some, uh, uh, books, magazines on different kinds of, uh, uh, jewelry made over the, over the centuries. And one of, uh, my sister had been to the, uh, the Tut exhibition a long time ago here in Los Angeles. And she had the, the book from that particular exhibition. And in that book you see all them amazing things that were, uh, were found in the King Tut, uh, crypt, uh, uh, and, and the jewelry. Uh, and so, and, and, the scarab is a, a very important part of, of Japanese ... I'm sorry, of, of, of Egyptian culture.

38:06

Speaker 2
Oh, yeah.

38:06

Speaker 4
So, one of, one of the first things I started with, just because of that influence, was, was a scarab. And the interesting, once you've, uh, once you take one, uh, once you make one piece, let's say that that was a, a pendant.

38:20

Speaker 2
Mm-hmm.

38:21

Speaker 4
Once I've made it into a pendant, uh, it turns out you, you, you could ... There are other ways you can use that very same design. It can be a ring, it can be earrings, it can be a belt. Uh, so, and that's the beauty of, of ... So it, it, it, it, it's an ongoing process. And, and, uh, the creative thinking never stops. And one design makes you, without trying to, come up with another design.

38:44

Speaker 2
Oh.

38:44

Speaker 4
So, they're all related in a way.

38:46

Speaker 2
Yeah. Yeah. Well, they're beautiful. I mean, you have a beautiful collection.

38:50

Speaker 4
Yeah.

38:50

Speaker 2
As a matter of fact, now how can people see your collection?

38:53

Speaker 4
Well, uh, uh, uh, just, just on my website, uh, georgeshakiris.com.

38:58

Speaker 2
Okay.

38:58

Speaker 4
Um, the only other sort of real s- ... I, I do sell, uh, in, in Tokyo, but at the, uh, n- ... Nobody wants, nobody ... I don't want anyone to travel to Tokyo.

39:07

Speaker 2
No, no. (laughs) Not yet, anyway.

39:09

Speaker 4
But, uh, uh, uh, an incredible, uh ... Yes, exactly, and like I said, I don't, uh, uh, uh, uh, Mits, uh, Mitsukoshi, uh, Department Store, an extraordinary department store. So, uh, with my Japanese distributor, we sell there, and otherwise, uh, on my website.

39:23

Speaker 2
On- online. Uh, it, it is beautiful. And now, what about your book, My West Side Story? Available every place, I assume?

39:30

Speaker 4
Yeah. Um, uh, it's ... I think it just became available in the last week, if I'm right.

39:35

Speaker 2
Okay.

39:35

Speaker 4
Um, on, uh, on, on, on Amazon. I don't know about bookstores, but I, I don't know how to answer that part of it. Uh, I sold the book-

39:42

Speaker 2
Oh, they can still, they can still order it through, like, independent bookstores and they'll, they'll, they'll get it for them.

39:47

Speaker 4
Oh, okay.

39:48

Speaker 2
Yeah.

39:48

Speaker 4
Okay.

39:48

Speaker 2
So that's not a problem.

39:49

Speaker 4
But I, I do understand it's available on, on Amazon. Yeah.

39:52

Speaker 2
Yeah. Well, you know, there's so much more I wanna talk to you about. Um, can we schedule another time? 'Cause you know, half hour's-

40:00

Speaker 4
Oh, my gosh.

40:00

Speaker 2
... not very much.

40:02

Speaker 4
Yes, of cour- ... I'd love that. Sure.

40:04

Speaker 2
You know, it's been so fun but, uh, there's ... I, like, I got a million more questions to ask you. (laughs) So ...

40:10

Speaker 4
(laughs) Well, I've talked too much. My answers were so long I wasted time.

40:13

Speaker 2
No, it's not.

40:14

Speaker 4
(laughs)

40:14

Speaker 2
Stop that. No, it isn't.

40:16

Speaker 4
(laughs)

40:16

Speaker 2
I love hearing the story. That's the whole thing. I love the story behind the, the story. You know what I mean? The backstory.

40:22

Speaker 4
Yeah. Yeah.

40:23

Speaker 2
Yeah. It, to me-

40:24

Speaker 4
Yeah.

40:24

Speaker 2
... that's more interesting than anything. I wanna find out more about George Shakiras and what his likes and dislikes, what he thinks about today. There's so much more. So, I have to definitely invite you back, if you would come.

40:36

Speaker 4
I, I would love that. Thanks. Thank you. Thank you very, Jane. Thank you.

40:38

Speaker 2
You betcha. I'll, I'll get with Harlan and we'll schedule a new time, okay?

40:42

Speaker 4
Okay. I would love that.

40:44

Speaker 2
A-

40:44

Speaker 4
Yeah.

40:44

Speaker 2
And thank you so much for taking the time to be with me. Uh, I, like I said, I'm a fan. I'm even a bigger fan now.

40:50

Speaker 4
Okay. (laughs)

40:52

Speaker 2
(laughs)

40:52

Speaker 4
Okay. Thank you so much. Thank you.

40:54

Speaker 2
Yes, you take care and stay well, okay?

40:56

Speaker 4
Okay. You too.

41:00

Speaker 2
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41:04

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43:03

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44:03

Speaker 4
(instrumental music plays) And here she is, Mary Jane Fox.

44:09

Speaker 2
What a nice guy, Ken, don't you think?

44:12

Speaker 3
Yeah. (laughs) You know, just an everyday guy.

44:15

Speaker 2
Yeah. And I think we've found, at least I have over the years, and I know you have too because you've talked to a lot of stars over the years, too, once you get past (laughs) the PR people, uh, and the people who are trying to protect them all the time, they're just people like you and me. They're let, they have the same hopes and dreams and, and they have a family. It, it's just, it, they're not that much different from us, except for their talent. Their talent is absolutely amazing. And, yeah, I just... I love saying he went from the silver screen to silver jewelry, you know? And some of these pieces, uh, th- they're still online. I googled silver jewelry by George Chakiris. It's also on his website, by the way. So, you can still see all his jewelry. He's still doing it. I imagine not as much as he was doing it the time that we did the interview, which was around 2016 or something like that. But it's still up there. My West Side Story, his book, is still up there.

45:15

Speaker 2
I googled that, and by golly, it came up, (laughs) you know? And I'm saying, "Well, that's great." I, had... Have you ever... I didn't read this book. I'm gonna, I'm gonna have to get the book and, and read it now because I'm sure there's some really interesting stories behind the scenes that we did not know of when we saw the movie on the big screen.

45:32

Speaker 3
It's interesting.

45:33

Speaker 2
Yeah. (laughs)

45:34

Speaker 3
Now, what, what's, what's the book again?

45:36

Speaker 2
My West Side Story.

45:38

Speaker 3
I'll have to look it up.

45:39

Speaker 2
Yeah, me too. I'm, I'm gonna get the book. At the, at the time that we did the interview, I was doing so many other things, I didn't get a chance to really read the book. So, now I think I've got the time to just go back and see that, and if... Especially if I'm gonna have him come back again. And we're working on that right now.

45:55

Speaker 3
Right.

45:56

Speaker 2
So, to see if he'll be able to do it. I think he will. Some of these people, they can't anymore, and I under- I fully understand that. You get to a point in your life where either you don't want to do it or you can't do it. And, and they're, they're entitled, you know?

46:11

Speaker 3
Mm-hmm.

46:11

Speaker 2
A lot of these people are in their 90s.

46:13

Speaker 3
Right.

46:13

Speaker 2
They're entitled to retire (laughs) when they want to.

46:16

Speaker 3
Right.

46:17

Speaker 2
But, you know, it's just one of those things. I, I, I love the people that we talk to. And like I said, they're so honest and straightforward. I was surprised that his favorite personality was Elaine Stritch.

46:28

Speaker 3
Yeah.

46:29

Speaker 2
But I've talked to other stars that said not many people know about Elaine Stritch.

46:35

Speaker 3
Hmm.

46:35

Speaker 2
But she was a huge major talent, and I've heard that from other stars, too. But there's always that kind of section of people-

46:43

Speaker 3
Right.

46:43

Speaker 2
... who are major talents, but they didn't get the, the hoopla that a lot of the others did.

46:49

Speaker 3
Again, hopefully we'll get him on and, and we'll include it into our exclusive content, and-

46:56

Speaker 2
Good.

46:56

Speaker 3
... our listeners can subscribe to the exclusive content and listen to more about his life and story. This is an important thing that we're doing because we want to not add any commercials to this side of the podcast.

47:11

Speaker 2
Yeah.

47:11

Speaker 3
So, listeners, uh, we're out there getting more interviews and very special exclusive content for you to, to listen to.

47:20

Speaker 2
Yeah. And we've got some side stories, you know. We've got stars, obviously, but I'm not sure that some of the other people that I did interviews, which I've held on to, like Caspar Weinberger, Bugliosi, he's the prosecutor for Manson, and Nancy Reagan, Rosalynn Carter. I know they say, "Well, they weren't on the big screen," but they were well-known, (laughs) you know?

47:44

Speaker 3
Oh, yes.

47:45

Speaker 2
And we might just add those on the other side. If you're a subscriber, you get to hear some of these people that I just... I felt so privileged, Ken, so very privileged to be able to talk to these people. And, and like I said, I have never run into anyone that didn't open up and be, be honest. I, maybe it was because they knew I was there to hear their story. I wasn't there to beat them up or make it sleazy or anything like that. I, I never went after that. I was honest. If something was in a s-... you know, a story, I'd ask them about it, but I also gave them the opportunity to answer and to let us know who they are and what they are and what they've done instead of reporters, you know, or interpreting a story or changing the story or coming up with conspiracy story. I don't, I don't believe in that. I believe going to the source and finding out what the people are really about. And, well, I'm gonna continue doing that. I'm still doing it.

48:45

Speaker 2
(laughs)

48:45

Speaker 3
Hmm.

48:45

Speaker 2
I'm still interviewing these people, and I think it's, it's important for that to be on. And that's, that's gonna be our legacy, Ken, to leave these stories for future generations, too, don't you think?

48:57

Speaker 3
Yes, I agree.

48:58

Speaker 2
(laughs)

48:58

Speaker 3
Did you hear that bell ring?

49:00

Speaker 2
Yes.

49:00

Speaker 3
That was another great thought I had.

49:02

Speaker 2
Uh-oh. What was that? It went away again. (laughs)

49:05

Speaker 3
Okay.I just wanted to point out when I get great thoughts, that the, some bell goes off, I don't know.

49:12

Speaker 2
Some bell goes... (laughs) I love it. Yeah. It rings true, right through your mind and into your, your voice so that we can hear the story. I love it. I love it, I love it.

49:23

Speaker 3
I think it's Jake hitting a triangle next to me. Ding.

49:27

Speaker 2
(laughs) Yeah. We don't have time to, to remind them who Jake is, but we'll, sometime we'll, we'll come back and tell them about Jake too, which, which is your friend, sort of, imaginary friend or real friend?

49:39

Speaker 3
Yeah.

49:39

Speaker 2
I'm not sure. But, (laughs) you kept him as a friend for life. Anyway, Ken, as always, it's a pleasure, you know, to have you and, and, and Greg too, so. Again, folks, that took us back to some great musical times with George Chakiris, but I hope that you learned more about him. I know I did, especially that he's still doing great work with his art in designing jewelry. Now, you can check out more about this, I'm gonna remind you that, uh, famous movie start for him was My West Side Story. And since he was in West Side Story, you gotta get the book and find out all the backstory about it. And you can actually go to his website for the jewelry at georgechakiris.com, and let me spell it for you 'cause l- it's a good Greek name, C-H-A K-I-R-I-S, georgechakiris.com. And, Ken, I know you know this too, a lot of stars had hobbies so that when they either retired or semi-retired, like Red Skelton, artist, um, Buddy Ebsen, uh, he also was an artist.

50:50

Speaker 2

 

And th- that kind of, I think helped them with anxiety, helped them with a lot of stuff that was going on in their lives. But now that is their legacy, not only the movies and the television that they did, but the artistry too. So, okay, folks, thank you again so much for being with us. Uh, I'm Mary Jane Popps along with Ken Meaux and our engineer, Greg, hoping that you'll be back with us for another episode of the Pop Star Talk. And don't forget to live simply, laugh often, love deeply, and above all else, dare to dream.

51:25

Speaker 12
(singing) The Jets are coming out on top tonight. We're gonna watch Bernardo drop tonight. That Puerto Rican panco go down. And when he's hollered, "Uncle," we'll tear up the town. We'll beat him back at you, boy. Right. Tonight will be just anything. You're gonna flatten him good. Right. Tonight there will be some party starting. From the two, one bird in the word. And then we'll have us a ball tonight. We're gonna rock it tonight.