November 7-13, 1981
Today Ken welcomes actor, writer, director, artist, musician and all around dynamo Cady McClain to the show.
Ken and Cady discuss how a Guinness Book Record for dancing can lead to a showbiz career, growing up in L.A., commercials, meeting the Kool-Aid man, Ann-Margaret, My Favorite Year, Pennies from Heaven, MGM’s Musicals, having a grounding in reality, the business of make believe, being an object, not getting a job based on your looks, sacrificing for your art, the Boston Trinity plus, Spenser for Hire, St. Elsewhere, Cheers, Robert Kennedy Mini-Series, the family atmosphere of an isolated set, the gritty made-for-TV movies of the 80s and 90s, moving to New York to do plays, a second life in Soap Operas, Michael McKean, when pilots turn into TV movies, Simple Justice, Caesar Romero, PBS, loving English Shows, Nicholas Nickleby, confusing “The Two of Us” for the Avengers, Who Will Love My Children, giving away ten children one at a time, loving the Twilight Zone, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Ray Bradbury, fruit Salad and the Love Boat/Fantasy Island block, white girl quesadillas, Florence Henderson, re-run royalties, actors turned directors, soap fans, Women who direct, working “real” jobs, making movies on a low budget out of sincerity, Joanna Kerns, Betty Thomas, Bethany Rooney, “Seeing Is Beliving: Women Direct”, mentors, shared experience, trying to live a life of giving, Happy Days, Three’s Company, Too Close for Comfort, “10”, an American Obsession with Bo Derek, comedies that seem creepy in retrospect, Dolly Parton, variety shows, after school specials, tacking AIDS on TV, WKRP, Loni Anderson, All Creatures Great and Small, being the Maybellene girl one Summer, having an interest in something, and trying to show people the up side of hard work.
Here’s the trailer for “Seeing Is Believing”, check it out:
About Ken Reid
I’m Ken Reid, a stand up comedian from Boston, MA and a life long television fan. I’ve been twice nominated as the Best Stand up in Boston and I have been featured on Comedy Central, NPR, Nerdist, and MSN. I own every issue of TV Guide. Each week a guest chooses an issue at random, picks their viewing choices from that week and the show is our discussion of the tough viewing choices of our past. We get into stories about growing up, people’s relationship with television, some cultural/media studies dissection and I spit out a lot of trivia.
Note: The Ken Reid TV Guidance Counselor Podcast is rated PG-13 and may contain mild language.
