autobiography

A Star at Every Stage: Marsha Mason’s “Journey”

Bill Thompson

Marsha Mason began her acting career in the 1960s, appearing in various theater productions before making her film debut in 1965 In the somewhat forgettable “Hot Rod Hullabaloo.” Other, more successful, films followed as she built her reputation.

And one of her big breaks, it turns out, was working with playwright Neil Simon in 1973. They fell in love and married. They worked together on several projects Including the Oscar nominated “The Goodbye Girl.”

Mason has been nominated for an Oscar four times, and has won two Golden Globes. She’s also been on a number of TV shows, including recurring guest roles on “Frasier” and “The Middle.”

In 2000, Marsha Mason wrote a memoir called Journey: A Personal Odyssey. I met her one day that fall when she was on a book tour.

So here now, from 2000, Marcia Mason.

Marsha Mason is 83 now, and lives in Connecticut.

he Timeless Genius of Stan Freberg

Bill Thompson

Stan Freberg had so many hyphens after his name it’s kind of hard to sort out everything he was.

He was a writer. He was a comedian. He was a radio actor. He was a voice actor for cartoons. He was an advertising executive. He was a recording artist.. Should we go on?

The kid from Pasadena who displayed a sardonic wit from an early age created a creative life for himself the made him a star in several media.

It seemed like every few years Stan Freberg was back in the public Spotlight, often doing something new and creative and fun.

And much of his work lives on to this day.

Freberg published his autobiography — or at least, Part 1 of it – in 1989. He called the book It Only Hurts When I Laugh. He arrived at our interview a bit bedraggled by an exhausting book tour, but his trademark wit was on full display.

So here now, from 1989 Stan Freberg,

Stan Freberg died in 2015. He was 88.

Janine Turner

Bill Thompson

Janine Turner is best known for her roles on TV’s “Northern Exposure” and “Friday Night Lights,” and in the movie “Cliffhanger.”

Photo: Alan Light

But until 2014, much of her private life — how she prevailed over heartbreak, alcoholism, and the death of her father — had remained out of public view.

That was the year she wrote an autobiographjy, a booked she called ““A Little Bit Vulnerable.”

And that’s when I spoke with her.

Here now, from 2014, actress Janine Turner:

Today Janine Turner is 57. She hasn’t been on TV in a few years, but appears in film from time to time. and she remains politically active.