Marc Tyler Nobleman's Blog, page 40
August 14, 2017
"Family Ties": oral history of the 1980s sitcom – part 9 – your family, show legacy
Introduction to the Family Ties oral history (including the list of interviewees and links to each part).
Where do you live?
Many, of course, are in Los Angeles: Kate Vernon, Susan Isaacs, Kathleen Wilhoite, Robert Costanzo, Norman Parker, Adam Carl, Sonia Curtis, Alyson Croft, Jason Naylor, Ellen Latzen, Victor DiMattia, Debra Engle, Nick Rutherford, Jaclyn Bernstein.
Other responses (some of which are specific parts of L.A.):
Cindy Fisher (s1): Not in L.A., even though I was born and raised there. We live in a coastal community not too far from L.A. where we can walk on the beach and live under the radar.
John Putch (s1, 2, 5): I live in California with my wife of 28 years, Julie.
Chris Hebert (s1, 2): Southern California.
Terry Wills (s1, 2, 5, 6, 7): Lancaster, CA.
Edward Edwards (s2): Santa Monica.
Eileen Seeley (s2): I live in Aspen, CO with my husband Chip and our two boys, Luke, 21, and Jack, 15.
Debbie Gilbert (now Webb) (s2): Until a few years ago, I lived in Bel Air, CA. I now live in Aspen, CO with my five dogs and three horses. I have run away from Hollywood so that my children can get it real.
Lenora May (s2): Woodland Hills, CA.
Timothy Busfield (s3, 5): Michigan. I'm from here. I grew up in East Lansing. I teach at Michigan State. I'm going fly around so might as well live in a place where I won't get sunstroke and skin cancer. I hope to die in New York.
Matthew Barry (s3): In a house.
Suzanne Snyder (s4): Northern California.
Gracie Harrison (s4): Greater Kansas City, MO area, with my husband of 20 years.
Robin Morse (s5): New York City.
Jonna Lee Pangburn (s5): Altadena, CA, in the San Gabriel foothills. I regularly jog around the Rose Bowl and walk my dog along the Rose Parade route.
Brian McNamara (s5): Mar Vista, CA.
Stuart Pankin (s5): Near Santa Monica.
Dana Andersen Schreiner (s5): Reston, VA.
Amy Lynne (s5): I work in Aspen and live near there.
Nicole Nourmand (s5): Beverly Hills.
Darrell Thomas Utley (s6): We just relocated back to Riverside [CA], so our daughters—who are also deaf—can attend the same school where I grew up, CSDR. They are so happy with their peers. We just bought a 1909 cottage bungalow and are looking forward to making it our sweet home.
Susan Kohler (s6): Santa Monica.
Hilary Shepard (s7): I live in Newport Beach, CA, on a beautiful bird reserve with an ocean water canal in my back yard. I love to stand-up paddle from my backyard and surf.
Christina Pickles (s7): Brentwood, CA.
Byron Thames (s7): Bel Air, CA.
If you have children, how many and ages [as of 2016]?
John Putch (s1, 2, 5): No kids, but we have pets and treat them as our children.
Chris Hebert (s1, 2): We have two boys, 12 and 9 years old.
Earl Boen (s1, 3): No, I don't have any but [my wife] Cathy has one daughter.
Tanya Fenmore (s2): No kids, no dude.
Debbie Gilbert (now Webb) (s2): Son Lucas Webb, age 15. Daughter Siena Webb, age 13.
Kathleen Wilhoite (s2): Jimmy 20, Ruby 16, and Adugna 11.
Lenora May (s2): My son is 24 and my daughter is 17.
Robert Costanzo (s3, 4, 5, 6): Two sons, Daniel, 32, and Christopher, 29. Daniel is in the restaurant business and Christopher is an actor. My wife is Annie.
Nancy Everhard (now Amandes) (s3): My son Ben is 17. My stepdaughters are 30 and 34. I also have a granddaughter who is almost 2!
Norman Parker (s3, 5, 6): Three sons. Two grown men, and a 14-year-old. What can I say?
Suzanne Snyder (s4): I have three birth children (Alex 23, George 18, Grace 14) and four stepchildren (Sarah 28, Geoff 26, Lindsay and Sky 21).
Brian McNamara (s5): Twenty-five-year-old daughter and 15-year-old son! My two gems!
Sonia Curtis (s5, 6): I don't. I may adopt one day.
Stuart Pankin (s5): One that I know of (cheap joke), and a lot smarter and wiser than he is old…
Amy Lynne (s5): I have two girls, 13 and 7. They love to ski race. They have the performing bug as well but we don't live in a place where I could get them into it, and I don't know if I would steer them that way anyway. Being on stage is a good thing—learning to be in front of people, working as a team.
Nicole Nourmand (s5): I have two kids, 13 and 10.
Alyson Croft (s5): One 4-year-old.
Victor DiMattia (s6): No children. My wife and I do have two dogs; their ages are 8 and 2 (we think).
Jaclyn Bernstein (s7): I have two teenagers. Both are artists.
If your kids have seen your Family Ties appearance, what do they think?
Cindy Fisher (s1): They have not seen it. They saw The Waltons (I did a few episodes) and I think one of my Murder She Wrotes and were not too impressed. When Liar's Moon, the film I did with Matt Dillon, was on sale at Rite Aid for $3.99, I bought them each a copy for their Christmas stocking. The cashier said "Are you sure you want two of the same thing?" I said yes, it is the greatest movie of all time. I have threatened both children to answer Liar's Moon when asked what their favorite movie is, but I haven't been too effective. I also doubt the Rite Aid women rushed out to get a copy.
Debbie Gilbert (now Webb) (s2): My son could not care less. He prefers to follow the career of [fellow guest star in Debbie's Family Ties episode] Eileen Seeley, which is far more impressive, and now that he and Eileen's son (Jack Seamans) are schoolmates, he has IMBd'd Eileen and discusses her roles with her. When my daughter was little, she would watch me on something and then run lines. The thing is you can't get away from it. It runs in the family, so everything is "That was a good reading" even if we are in everyday conversations.
Norman Parker (s3, 5, 6): My grown-up boys were at the perfect age for their dad to be on a hugely successful show like Family Ties. They were definitely pleased about it, and loved coming to watch it being taped before a live audience on Friday nights. My (let's call him) 14-year-old has seen only the episode where I am furious with my daughter for staying out so late and he thinks I was so mean on the show that he is not interested in seeing any more. I take that as a compliment.
Amy Lynne (s5): My older one has. We've moved seven times in the last five years so lots are in boxes.
Are you still in touch with anyone from the cast?
Cindy Fisher (s1): Both Michael Gross and Meredith Baxter appeared recently on my husband's show and I sent hellos through him to them, but he wasn't sure they registered who I was. It was the same nod you get when someone can't hear you or doesn't understand what you are saying.
John Putch (s1, 2, 5): Only with Michael Gross since we just worked together on a film.
Eileen Seeley (s2): Several years ago my son Jack came home from school and said he met someone I [had known] in Hollywood. Seems there was a new boy from L.A. and Jack met his mom, Debbie Webb (formerly Gilbert). She said she was from L.A. and Jack said I had lived in L.A. and somehow it came around that we had done Family Ties together 30 years prior.
Debbie Gilbert (now Webb) (s2): I found Eileen in Aspen! When I married Hollywood and no longer pursued an acting career, I followed Eileen's career and was so impressed (a better word was envious). She was so talented and I loved all of her work. She was a real actor, and on the set of Family Ties, she was a tad older than I, and had this lovely way about her, and I still remember when we three girls linked our hands and Eileen pulled Kate and I onto the set with her and made sure we landed right on our marks. Thirty years later, [in Aspen], a little boy with huge blue eyes says hello to my son (the new Jewish kid in town) and shares that he is from L.A., too, and his mom was an actress…Eileen Seeley. My mouth dropped!
These last few years, Eileen has taken me by the hand, same as she did thirty years ago, and guided me through some tough times—bershert [MTN: Yiddish for "soulmate"], I believe. Sometimes when I am dumbfounded by something, I email Eileen and sign it "Buffy" (the name of my character on Family Ties).
Nancy Everhard (now Amandes) (s3): No, but I see Justine around the neighborhood.
When was the last time you saw a member of the cast, and was it on purpose or by chance?
Cindy Fisher (s1): When I arrived on the set of Casualties of War, Michael Fox and Sean Penn were in a tent filming. I was wearing a nightie under my coat as Brian De Palma had to approve the nightie so wardrobe could make several copies since I would be raped by Sean Penn in the movie and it would get torn. I wasn't sure if either of them knew I was cast since I did not read with them, nor was I sure where their heads/egos were since both were big stars by then. Sean was married to Madonna [at the time] and Michael had been a household name for years. Perhaps both would not remember me or play the star trip like they didn't. I did not know what to expect. When Sean heard I was on set, he yelled my name and came looking for me. I got a huge hug, an invite out to dinner. Michael Fox gave me the same star treatment, raising a big stink. The crew was staring at me wondering who I was. I said to both of them, in my best Kimberly Blanton style, "Like, my career took off…what happened to you two?"
Chris Hebert (s1, 2): I stopped by their set when we were at the studio for something else about a year after. They were getting ready to shoot with an audience but we were able to go back and say hi to Michael J. Fox. He remembered me and was very nice. At that time they were breaking the top 10 in ratings so they were a huge deal.
I remember seeing Justine Bateman on the Paramount lot a few years later while I was waiting for an audition. She walked by with somebody and my mom and I said hi. She said hi but she didn't remember who I was. I honestly didn't expect her to remember me, but my mom was kind of offended. My mom sometimes thought that her own strong memory was the same as everybody else's. But I love my mom anyway. :)
Terry Wills (s1, 2, 5, 6, 7): I haven't seen any of them since.
Edward Edwards (s2): I see Meredith occasionally at the farmers' market and see Michael occasionally at parties. We all remember this episode very fondly. Gary once told me it was in his personal top three of all the episodes.
Tanya Fenmore (s2): I [ran] into Marc Price many years later—but still many years ago—maybe in 2000? He was up in Laurel Canyon at this eccentric house with wild animals and birds and I was looking to rent out the guest house. I said, "Skippy, yo, it's your little sister, Arlene!" and he sang, "Girl…you'll be a woman soon." He's so cute. I think he was working with the founder of The Improv or The Comedy Store at the time and housesitting for him up there.
I haven't seen any [other of the] cast since, although Gary David Goldberg's daughter went to my high school (Harvard-Westlake) and also to my college (Harvard University). She was a few years older [and] we didn't know each other, but I remember seeing him at one of those two Harvards many years [after Family Ties].
Kate Vernon (s2): I haven't but I've auditioned for [fellow guest star] John Putch. He's a wonderful director.
Eileen Seeley (s2): I see my fellow guest star Debbie Gilbert on purpose as often as schedules permit. She recently housed me when my home was overrun with rugby players in Aspen for Ruggerfest.
Susan Isaacs (s2): I run into Lenora May at auditions. [That] is calculated chance in that we're the same age range and go up for similar roles. Though it's not often, I enjoy seeing her. I've tracked the progress of her life and her children. And we're always amazed that these many years later, we're still here and still at it.
Kathleen Wilhoite (s2): I had Justine on my podcast, Suck the Joy .
Lenora May (s2): I do run into Susan Isaacs and Kathleen Wilhoite at auditions. At one point, Kathleen's child and mine went to the same middle school. I did run into Justine Bateman at a dance class.
Alan Blumenfeld (s2, 3, 4, 5, 6): I saw Michael Gross. I just did a play with some of his college mates from Yale and he came to the show. Bobbie Costanzo and I have stayed friends. We'd go opposite—audition against each other—for many years. I love him, I think he's a spectacular actor.
Timothy Busfield (s3, 5): I think Michael Gross most recently. I haven't talked to Michael Fox in a long time. You start raising a family and there goes your social life. We live in the different parts of the country. I saw Meredith once years later and I think she didn't know who I was. (laughs)
Lily Mariye (s3): Michael Gross played Anthony Edwards's father on ER. I was going to mention that he owed me $5, not because I wanted the money but because I thought it might be funny. But Michael seemed consumed with making sure he was doing a good job on our show, so I didn't think he would take the comment in the spirit in which I meant it. So I reminded him that I was on Family Ties (which I don't think he remembered), Anthony Edwards told him that he was in the studio audience that day, and I told him how happy I was to have him on our show. Which I was!
Norman Parker (s3, 5, 6): I was delighted to stumble upon Michael J. in the lobby of a little movie theater in Malibu several years ago. All the affection was still there which was so lovely.
Adam Carl (s3): Sad to say, I don't think I've seen any since 1985, when I worked on the show. Though I have seen Michael Gross pop up a couple of times in some mutual friends' Facebook threads. I've often been tempted to message him and tell him how much I enjoyed playing mini-him, but I also don't want to be a weirdo.
Peter Scolari (s4): I never crossed paths with them again with the possible exception of seeing Michael J. Fox in a restaurant and saying hi. He was always lovely recalling the brief amount of time we'd worked together.
Robin Morse (s5): I've bumped into Michael a few times over the years, but no one else from the show.
Sonia Curtis (s5, 6): I saw Justine Bateman by complete fluke a couple of years ago. Justine and her family ended up parking immediately next to my friend and me when we stopped at Salt Creek Lake on the way home from Mammoth. Justine was very nice, as were her hubby and kids. We talked about how we both went to UCLA and how tough it can still be to get steady work as an actress over 30. Not the same for men (her brother's career has never been better!). We also talked a bit about our directing careers, but she seem[ed] to be putting that on hold to get her degree at UCLA.
I [also] recently saw Marc Price. Marc was also sweet. Much taller than I remember. He is friends with a friend of mine so I met him again briefly with her at a coffee shop.
Stuart Pankin (s5): I saw Michael J. Fox years ago at a Comic Relief benefit. We talked fondly and remembered the moment in the episode when I picked him up. What a nice, talented man. (I do run into Mary Gross [Michael Gross's sister] once in a while at parties and local restaurants. Does that count?)
Dana Andersen Schreiner (s5): Michael Gross, about six months after I did Family Ties.
Amy Lynne (s5): Back when I was in my twenties. I saw Justine at some interview or restaurant, one of the two. She recognized me before I recognized her.
Ellen Latzen (s6): Unfortunately, I have not seen any of the cast members since filming. The one exception is Lee Garlington, who played my mother. We stayed in touch for several years afterward, but I haven't seen Lee in over 20 years.
Victor DiMattia (s6): Quite on purpose. Brian Bonsall is my (step)brother. He was the best man in my wedding. I see him all the time. The funny thing is we weren't stepbrothers when I was on Family Ties. I don't think we even met the day or two that I was on set.
Darrell Thomas Utley (s6): I have not seen any of them since I fell out of the Hollywood loop. I'd love to meet with some of them and even though it was only one episode it was pretty memorable for me. I'm not sure if they will recall my role on the show; they did a lot of episodes over the years.
Hilary Shepard (s7): I love to knit and Justine and I used to go to the same knitting store in L.A. where we'd hang around, gossip, and knit. She even started a knitwear clothing line from her designs!
When was the last time you watched Family Ties? How did you think it held up?
Cindy Fisher (s1): It was a great show. Issues are a bit old. Mostly I can't get over how long my hair was. :)
John Putch (s1, 2, 5): Aside from the old videotape look and the bad sound, I think the subject matter holds up pretty darn good. The writing still hits the issues.
Chris Hebert (s1, 2): I watched the show a couple years ago to show my kids the two shows I was in (around Christmas time). It obviously brings back fond memories as an actor but like many others, I was a fan, too. I think it has held up although its style is characteristic of many '80s shows where vulgarity and obscenity were limited to pay-cable shows. I know it tried to build a lot of its comedic elements on stereotypes (liberal vs. conservative, ditzy girl who is only into shopping, goofy neighbor who likes the pretty girl but needs to be content with being valued as a friend), but I think it's still enjoyable.
Terry Wills (s1, 2, 5, 6, 7): I never saw it again after it was cancelled.
Kaleena Kiff (s2): It holds up well and is still thought-provoking in the vein of All in the Family, but kid-friendly and kid-relevant. And if you refer to Alex Keaton, everyone knows what kind of guy you're talking about.
Kate Vernon (s2): I have not shown my daughter so it's been at least 16 years.
Eileen Seeley (s2): Honestly, I have not seen it in ages. Occasionally, someone will send a clip from our episode and it continues to make me smile.
Debbie Gilbert (now Webb) (s2): It has been in this last year. My kids will show a friend or I will pop it [up] on the internet because sometimes I wonder if it really happened.
Susan Isaacs (s2): I catch it on reruns. While it feels dated in terms of a time and genre—three-camera sitcoms all but dried up—the humor is still great. Especially anything MJF does.
Alan Blumenfeld (s2, 3, 4, 5, 6): My son put my name into TiVo and it records [whatever show features that name]. I watch the "Lady Sings the Blues" episode when it comes on because it was the first one. I had hair. It's very nostalgic.
Lily Mariye (s3): I had insomnia one night and started flipping channels. I suddenly heard Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams singing the famous theme, "Without Us" and saw that it was my episode, so I stopped to watch. The episode was really sweet and funny. Our cast had a lot of guest actors who went on to become very successful: Billy Campbell, Tate Donovan, and of course, Timothy Busfield. I thought it held up very well.
Nancy Everhard (now Amandes) (s3): We found my episode on YouTube yesterday so my husband and son watched it with me. I think my son was shocked at how young I was. He also didn't know that Michael J. Fox was so short. It's funny how I remember all the lines from the show. I think it held up very well. Michael J. Fox was always so good.
Norman Parker (s3, 5, 6): I came upon a rerun of my first appearance as Robert Keaton ("Remembrances of Things Past") and was so impressed with the beautifully handled flashback episodes to our childhoods. I liked myself well enough, but I loved the young actor who played me in the flashbacks. The conflict between Steven and Rob was so beautifully written. It still holds up for me as a very touching piece of the Family Ties storybook.
Adam Carl (s3): I haven't seen the show in many years, but now I'd like to. In particular, I'd like to see if my long-held beliefs about Michael Gross's superior comedic timing hold up to scrutiny. But despite not having seen the show in God-knows-how-long, I can still sing the theme song by heart. Sha-la-la-la.
Gracie Harrison (s4): A few years ago a friend called to say my episode was on. That was the last time I watched it. It held up beautifully. It's a classic.
Sonia Curtis (s5, 6): So long ago. I still think the show is fabulous. The writing, acting, chemistry of the cast, etc., were all so good.
Dana Andersen Schreiner (s5): I can't remember. I never actually watched the episode I was in after its original airdate. I don't think my kids have ever seen it.
Nicole Nourmand (s5): Well! I think it is a timeless sitcom about how you raise a family with children with wildly different personalities.
Ellen Latzen (s6): Outside of watching my own episode, it's been a while since I've seen Family Ties. But there's something about it that can be said of a lot of sitcoms from that time. The humor is solid, albeit a little cheesy at times. The scenarios can be hokey, but there are usually real lessons to be taken away. And the family unit is one that a lot of people find lovable and relatable. There may be different issues now, but the dynamics of the show are still pretty relevant.
Victor DiMattia (s6): It's been a while, but I'll catch an episode on rerun every so often. Obviously the styles and the look of the whole thing are dated, but the stories, the jokes, the messages are all still relevant.
Darrell Thomas Utley (s6): To be honest, I didn't watch it again after it aired on TV. Someone sent me a link of [a] scene I was in and it sure brought back memories. Someday maybe I'll get to watch it with my daughters. Even my wife hasn't seen it.
Susan Kohler (s6): I've seen reruns through the years. They still hold my interest. It makes me think of those "decades ago," as you put it. They were sweet times. The honesty of the subject matter in the episodes was well communicated in its simple three-camera format.
Hilary Shepard (s7): I haven't seen it in years, but great writing and acting never goes out of style.
Nick Rutherford (s7): I didn't watch the show when I was on it. (Too young.) The last time I watched was probably just my episode to try and jog some memories.
Part 10.
Where do you live?
Many, of course, are in Los Angeles: Kate Vernon, Susan Isaacs, Kathleen Wilhoite, Robert Costanzo, Norman Parker, Adam Carl, Sonia Curtis, Alyson Croft, Jason Naylor, Ellen Latzen, Victor DiMattia, Debra Engle, Nick Rutherford, Jaclyn Bernstein.
Other responses (some of which are specific parts of L.A.):
Cindy Fisher (s1): Not in L.A., even though I was born and raised there. We live in a coastal community not too far from L.A. where we can walk on the beach and live under the radar.
John Putch (s1, 2, 5): I live in California with my wife of 28 years, Julie.
Chris Hebert (s1, 2): Southern California.
Terry Wills (s1, 2, 5, 6, 7): Lancaster, CA.
Edward Edwards (s2): Santa Monica.
Eileen Seeley (s2): I live in Aspen, CO with my husband Chip and our two boys, Luke, 21, and Jack, 15.
Debbie Gilbert (now Webb) (s2): Until a few years ago, I lived in Bel Air, CA. I now live in Aspen, CO with my five dogs and three horses. I have run away from Hollywood so that my children can get it real.
Lenora May (s2): Woodland Hills, CA.
Timothy Busfield (s3, 5): Michigan. I'm from here. I grew up in East Lansing. I teach at Michigan State. I'm going fly around so might as well live in a place where I won't get sunstroke and skin cancer. I hope to die in New York.
Matthew Barry (s3): In a house.
Suzanne Snyder (s4): Northern California.
Gracie Harrison (s4): Greater Kansas City, MO area, with my husband of 20 years.
Robin Morse (s5): New York City.
Jonna Lee Pangburn (s5): Altadena, CA, in the San Gabriel foothills. I regularly jog around the Rose Bowl and walk my dog along the Rose Parade route.
Brian McNamara (s5): Mar Vista, CA.
Stuart Pankin (s5): Near Santa Monica.
Dana Andersen Schreiner (s5): Reston, VA.
Amy Lynne (s5): I work in Aspen and live near there.
Nicole Nourmand (s5): Beverly Hills.
Darrell Thomas Utley (s6): We just relocated back to Riverside [CA], so our daughters—who are also deaf—can attend the same school where I grew up, CSDR. They are so happy with their peers. We just bought a 1909 cottage bungalow and are looking forward to making it our sweet home.
Susan Kohler (s6): Santa Monica.
Hilary Shepard (s7): I live in Newport Beach, CA, on a beautiful bird reserve with an ocean water canal in my back yard. I love to stand-up paddle from my backyard and surf.
Christina Pickles (s7): Brentwood, CA.
Byron Thames (s7): Bel Air, CA.
If you have children, how many and ages [as of 2016]?
John Putch (s1, 2, 5): No kids, but we have pets and treat them as our children.
Chris Hebert (s1, 2): We have two boys, 12 and 9 years old.
Earl Boen (s1, 3): No, I don't have any but [my wife] Cathy has one daughter.
Tanya Fenmore (s2): No kids, no dude.
Debbie Gilbert (now Webb) (s2): Son Lucas Webb, age 15. Daughter Siena Webb, age 13.
Kathleen Wilhoite (s2): Jimmy 20, Ruby 16, and Adugna 11.
Lenora May (s2): My son is 24 and my daughter is 17.
Robert Costanzo (s3, 4, 5, 6): Two sons, Daniel, 32, and Christopher, 29. Daniel is in the restaurant business and Christopher is an actor. My wife is Annie.
Nancy Everhard (now Amandes) (s3): My son Ben is 17. My stepdaughters are 30 and 34. I also have a granddaughter who is almost 2!
Norman Parker (s3, 5, 6): Three sons. Two grown men, and a 14-year-old. What can I say?
Suzanne Snyder (s4): I have three birth children (Alex 23, George 18, Grace 14) and four stepchildren (Sarah 28, Geoff 26, Lindsay and Sky 21).
Brian McNamara (s5): Twenty-five-year-old daughter and 15-year-old son! My two gems!
Sonia Curtis (s5, 6): I don't. I may adopt one day.
Stuart Pankin (s5): One that I know of (cheap joke), and a lot smarter and wiser than he is old…
Amy Lynne (s5): I have two girls, 13 and 7. They love to ski race. They have the performing bug as well but we don't live in a place where I could get them into it, and I don't know if I would steer them that way anyway. Being on stage is a good thing—learning to be in front of people, working as a team.
Nicole Nourmand (s5): I have two kids, 13 and 10.
Alyson Croft (s5): One 4-year-old.
Victor DiMattia (s6): No children. My wife and I do have two dogs; their ages are 8 and 2 (we think).
Jaclyn Bernstein (s7): I have two teenagers. Both are artists.
If your kids have seen your Family Ties appearance, what do they think?
Cindy Fisher (s1): They have not seen it. They saw The Waltons (I did a few episodes) and I think one of my Murder She Wrotes and were not too impressed. When Liar's Moon, the film I did with Matt Dillon, was on sale at Rite Aid for $3.99, I bought them each a copy for their Christmas stocking. The cashier said "Are you sure you want two of the same thing?" I said yes, it is the greatest movie of all time. I have threatened both children to answer Liar's Moon when asked what their favorite movie is, but I haven't been too effective. I also doubt the Rite Aid women rushed out to get a copy.
Debbie Gilbert (now Webb) (s2): My son could not care less. He prefers to follow the career of [fellow guest star in Debbie's Family Ties episode] Eileen Seeley, which is far more impressive, and now that he and Eileen's son (Jack Seamans) are schoolmates, he has IMBd'd Eileen and discusses her roles with her. When my daughter was little, she would watch me on something and then run lines. The thing is you can't get away from it. It runs in the family, so everything is "That was a good reading" even if we are in everyday conversations.
Norman Parker (s3, 5, 6): My grown-up boys were at the perfect age for their dad to be on a hugely successful show like Family Ties. They were definitely pleased about it, and loved coming to watch it being taped before a live audience on Friday nights. My (let's call him) 14-year-old has seen only the episode where I am furious with my daughter for staying out so late and he thinks I was so mean on the show that he is not interested in seeing any more. I take that as a compliment.
Amy Lynne (s5): My older one has. We've moved seven times in the last five years so lots are in boxes.
Are you still in touch with anyone from the cast?
Cindy Fisher (s1): Both Michael Gross and Meredith Baxter appeared recently on my husband's show and I sent hellos through him to them, but he wasn't sure they registered who I was. It was the same nod you get when someone can't hear you or doesn't understand what you are saying.
John Putch (s1, 2, 5): Only with Michael Gross since we just worked together on a film.
Eileen Seeley (s2): Several years ago my son Jack came home from school and said he met someone I [had known] in Hollywood. Seems there was a new boy from L.A. and Jack met his mom, Debbie Webb (formerly Gilbert). She said she was from L.A. and Jack said I had lived in L.A. and somehow it came around that we had done Family Ties together 30 years prior.
Debbie Gilbert (now Webb) (s2): I found Eileen in Aspen! When I married Hollywood and no longer pursued an acting career, I followed Eileen's career and was so impressed (a better word was envious). She was so talented and I loved all of her work. She was a real actor, and on the set of Family Ties, she was a tad older than I, and had this lovely way about her, and I still remember when we three girls linked our hands and Eileen pulled Kate and I onto the set with her and made sure we landed right on our marks. Thirty years later, [in Aspen], a little boy with huge blue eyes says hello to my son (the new Jewish kid in town) and shares that he is from L.A., too, and his mom was an actress…Eileen Seeley. My mouth dropped!
These last few years, Eileen has taken me by the hand, same as she did thirty years ago, and guided me through some tough times—bershert [MTN: Yiddish for "soulmate"], I believe. Sometimes when I am dumbfounded by something, I email Eileen and sign it "Buffy" (the name of my character on Family Ties).
Nancy Everhard (now Amandes) (s3): No, but I see Justine around the neighborhood.
When was the last time you saw a member of the cast, and was it on purpose or by chance?
Cindy Fisher (s1): When I arrived on the set of Casualties of War, Michael Fox and Sean Penn were in a tent filming. I was wearing a nightie under my coat as Brian De Palma had to approve the nightie so wardrobe could make several copies since I would be raped by Sean Penn in the movie and it would get torn. I wasn't sure if either of them knew I was cast since I did not read with them, nor was I sure where their heads/egos were since both were big stars by then. Sean was married to Madonna [at the time] and Michael had been a household name for years. Perhaps both would not remember me or play the star trip like they didn't. I did not know what to expect. When Sean heard I was on set, he yelled my name and came looking for me. I got a huge hug, an invite out to dinner. Michael Fox gave me the same star treatment, raising a big stink. The crew was staring at me wondering who I was. I said to both of them, in my best Kimberly Blanton style, "Like, my career took off…what happened to you two?"
Chris Hebert (s1, 2): I stopped by their set when we were at the studio for something else about a year after. They were getting ready to shoot with an audience but we were able to go back and say hi to Michael J. Fox. He remembered me and was very nice. At that time they were breaking the top 10 in ratings so they were a huge deal.
I remember seeing Justine Bateman on the Paramount lot a few years later while I was waiting for an audition. She walked by with somebody and my mom and I said hi. She said hi but she didn't remember who I was. I honestly didn't expect her to remember me, but my mom was kind of offended. My mom sometimes thought that her own strong memory was the same as everybody else's. But I love my mom anyway. :)
Terry Wills (s1, 2, 5, 6, 7): I haven't seen any of them since.
Edward Edwards (s2): I see Meredith occasionally at the farmers' market and see Michael occasionally at parties. We all remember this episode very fondly. Gary once told me it was in his personal top three of all the episodes.
Tanya Fenmore (s2): I [ran] into Marc Price many years later—but still many years ago—maybe in 2000? He was up in Laurel Canyon at this eccentric house with wild animals and birds and I was looking to rent out the guest house. I said, "Skippy, yo, it's your little sister, Arlene!" and he sang, "Girl…you'll be a woman soon." He's so cute. I think he was working with the founder of The Improv or The Comedy Store at the time and housesitting for him up there.
I haven't seen any [other of the] cast since, although Gary David Goldberg's daughter went to my high school (Harvard-Westlake) and also to my college (Harvard University). She was a few years older [and] we didn't know each other, but I remember seeing him at one of those two Harvards many years [after Family Ties].
Kate Vernon (s2): I haven't but I've auditioned for [fellow guest star] John Putch. He's a wonderful director.
Eileen Seeley (s2): I see my fellow guest star Debbie Gilbert on purpose as often as schedules permit. She recently housed me when my home was overrun with rugby players in Aspen for Ruggerfest.
Susan Isaacs (s2): I run into Lenora May at auditions. [That] is calculated chance in that we're the same age range and go up for similar roles. Though it's not often, I enjoy seeing her. I've tracked the progress of her life and her children. And we're always amazed that these many years later, we're still here and still at it.
Kathleen Wilhoite (s2): I had Justine on my podcast, Suck the Joy .
Lenora May (s2): I do run into Susan Isaacs and Kathleen Wilhoite at auditions. At one point, Kathleen's child and mine went to the same middle school. I did run into Justine Bateman at a dance class.
Alan Blumenfeld (s2, 3, 4, 5, 6): I saw Michael Gross. I just did a play with some of his college mates from Yale and he came to the show. Bobbie Costanzo and I have stayed friends. We'd go opposite—audition against each other—for many years. I love him, I think he's a spectacular actor.
Timothy Busfield (s3, 5): I think Michael Gross most recently. I haven't talked to Michael Fox in a long time. You start raising a family and there goes your social life. We live in the different parts of the country. I saw Meredith once years later and I think she didn't know who I was. (laughs)
Lily Mariye (s3): Michael Gross played Anthony Edwards's father on ER. I was going to mention that he owed me $5, not because I wanted the money but because I thought it might be funny. But Michael seemed consumed with making sure he was doing a good job on our show, so I didn't think he would take the comment in the spirit in which I meant it. So I reminded him that I was on Family Ties (which I don't think he remembered), Anthony Edwards told him that he was in the studio audience that day, and I told him how happy I was to have him on our show. Which I was!
Norman Parker (s3, 5, 6): I was delighted to stumble upon Michael J. in the lobby of a little movie theater in Malibu several years ago. All the affection was still there which was so lovely.
Adam Carl (s3): Sad to say, I don't think I've seen any since 1985, when I worked on the show. Though I have seen Michael Gross pop up a couple of times in some mutual friends' Facebook threads. I've often been tempted to message him and tell him how much I enjoyed playing mini-him, but I also don't want to be a weirdo.
Peter Scolari (s4): I never crossed paths with them again with the possible exception of seeing Michael J. Fox in a restaurant and saying hi. He was always lovely recalling the brief amount of time we'd worked together.
Robin Morse (s5): I've bumped into Michael a few times over the years, but no one else from the show.
Sonia Curtis (s5, 6): I saw Justine Bateman by complete fluke a couple of years ago. Justine and her family ended up parking immediately next to my friend and me when we stopped at Salt Creek Lake on the way home from Mammoth. Justine was very nice, as were her hubby and kids. We talked about how we both went to UCLA and how tough it can still be to get steady work as an actress over 30. Not the same for men (her brother's career has never been better!). We also talked a bit about our directing careers, but she seem[ed] to be putting that on hold to get her degree at UCLA.
I [also] recently saw Marc Price. Marc was also sweet. Much taller than I remember. He is friends with a friend of mine so I met him again briefly with her at a coffee shop.
Stuart Pankin (s5): I saw Michael J. Fox years ago at a Comic Relief benefit. We talked fondly and remembered the moment in the episode when I picked him up. What a nice, talented man. (I do run into Mary Gross [Michael Gross's sister] once in a while at parties and local restaurants. Does that count?)
Dana Andersen Schreiner (s5): Michael Gross, about six months after I did Family Ties.
Amy Lynne (s5): Back when I was in my twenties. I saw Justine at some interview or restaurant, one of the two. She recognized me before I recognized her.
Ellen Latzen (s6): Unfortunately, I have not seen any of the cast members since filming. The one exception is Lee Garlington, who played my mother. We stayed in touch for several years afterward, but I haven't seen Lee in over 20 years.
Victor DiMattia (s6): Quite on purpose. Brian Bonsall is my (step)brother. He was the best man in my wedding. I see him all the time. The funny thing is we weren't stepbrothers when I was on Family Ties. I don't think we even met the day or two that I was on set.
Darrell Thomas Utley (s6): I have not seen any of them since I fell out of the Hollywood loop. I'd love to meet with some of them and even though it was only one episode it was pretty memorable for me. I'm not sure if they will recall my role on the show; they did a lot of episodes over the years.
Hilary Shepard (s7): I love to knit and Justine and I used to go to the same knitting store in L.A. where we'd hang around, gossip, and knit. She even started a knitwear clothing line from her designs!
When was the last time you watched Family Ties? How did you think it held up?
Cindy Fisher (s1): It was a great show. Issues are a bit old. Mostly I can't get over how long my hair was. :)
John Putch (s1, 2, 5): Aside from the old videotape look and the bad sound, I think the subject matter holds up pretty darn good. The writing still hits the issues.
Chris Hebert (s1, 2): I watched the show a couple years ago to show my kids the two shows I was in (around Christmas time). It obviously brings back fond memories as an actor but like many others, I was a fan, too. I think it has held up although its style is characteristic of many '80s shows where vulgarity and obscenity were limited to pay-cable shows. I know it tried to build a lot of its comedic elements on stereotypes (liberal vs. conservative, ditzy girl who is only into shopping, goofy neighbor who likes the pretty girl but needs to be content with being valued as a friend), but I think it's still enjoyable.
Terry Wills (s1, 2, 5, 6, 7): I never saw it again after it was cancelled.
Kaleena Kiff (s2): It holds up well and is still thought-provoking in the vein of All in the Family, but kid-friendly and kid-relevant. And if you refer to Alex Keaton, everyone knows what kind of guy you're talking about.
Kate Vernon (s2): I have not shown my daughter so it's been at least 16 years.
Eileen Seeley (s2): Honestly, I have not seen it in ages. Occasionally, someone will send a clip from our episode and it continues to make me smile.
Debbie Gilbert (now Webb) (s2): It has been in this last year. My kids will show a friend or I will pop it [up] on the internet because sometimes I wonder if it really happened.
Susan Isaacs (s2): I catch it on reruns. While it feels dated in terms of a time and genre—three-camera sitcoms all but dried up—the humor is still great. Especially anything MJF does.
Alan Blumenfeld (s2, 3, 4, 5, 6): My son put my name into TiVo and it records [whatever show features that name]. I watch the "Lady Sings the Blues" episode when it comes on because it was the first one. I had hair. It's very nostalgic.
Lily Mariye (s3): I had insomnia one night and started flipping channels. I suddenly heard Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams singing the famous theme, "Without Us" and saw that it was my episode, so I stopped to watch. The episode was really sweet and funny. Our cast had a lot of guest actors who went on to become very successful: Billy Campbell, Tate Donovan, and of course, Timothy Busfield. I thought it held up very well.
Nancy Everhard (now Amandes) (s3): We found my episode on YouTube yesterday so my husband and son watched it with me. I think my son was shocked at how young I was. He also didn't know that Michael J. Fox was so short. It's funny how I remember all the lines from the show. I think it held up very well. Michael J. Fox was always so good.
Norman Parker (s3, 5, 6): I came upon a rerun of my first appearance as Robert Keaton ("Remembrances of Things Past") and was so impressed with the beautifully handled flashback episodes to our childhoods. I liked myself well enough, but I loved the young actor who played me in the flashbacks. The conflict between Steven and Rob was so beautifully written. It still holds up for me as a very touching piece of the Family Ties storybook.
Adam Carl (s3): I haven't seen the show in many years, but now I'd like to. In particular, I'd like to see if my long-held beliefs about Michael Gross's superior comedic timing hold up to scrutiny. But despite not having seen the show in God-knows-how-long, I can still sing the theme song by heart. Sha-la-la-la.
Gracie Harrison (s4): A few years ago a friend called to say my episode was on. That was the last time I watched it. It held up beautifully. It's a classic.
Sonia Curtis (s5, 6): So long ago. I still think the show is fabulous. The writing, acting, chemistry of the cast, etc., were all so good.
Dana Andersen Schreiner (s5): I can't remember. I never actually watched the episode I was in after its original airdate. I don't think my kids have ever seen it.
Nicole Nourmand (s5): Well! I think it is a timeless sitcom about how you raise a family with children with wildly different personalities.
Ellen Latzen (s6): Outside of watching my own episode, it's been a while since I've seen Family Ties. But there's something about it that can be said of a lot of sitcoms from that time. The humor is solid, albeit a little cheesy at times. The scenarios can be hokey, but there are usually real lessons to be taken away. And the family unit is one that a lot of people find lovable and relatable. There may be different issues now, but the dynamics of the show are still pretty relevant.
Victor DiMattia (s6): It's been a while, but I'll catch an episode on rerun every so often. Obviously the styles and the look of the whole thing are dated, but the stories, the jokes, the messages are all still relevant.
Darrell Thomas Utley (s6): To be honest, I didn't watch it again after it aired on TV. Someone sent me a link of [a] scene I was in and it sure brought back memories. Someday maybe I'll get to watch it with my daughters. Even my wife hasn't seen it.
Susan Kohler (s6): I've seen reruns through the years. They still hold my interest. It makes me think of those "decades ago," as you put it. They were sweet times. The honesty of the subject matter in the episodes was well communicated in its simple three-camera format.
Hilary Shepard (s7): I haven't seen it in years, but great writing and acting never goes out of style.
Nick Rutherford (s7): I didn't watch the show when I was on it. (Too young.) The last time I watched was probably just my episode to try and jog some memories.
Part 10.
August 13, 2017
"Family Ties": oral history of the 1980s sitcom – part 8 – your life today
Introduction to the Family Ties oral history (including the list of interviewees and links to each part).
What are you doing these days?
Cindy Fisher (s1): I quit acting just after I got a Brian De Palma film Casualties of War, playing one of two females in the movie. I was cast as Michael Fox's Midwest wife and in the film would be raped by Sean Penn's character. Sean was cast in an earlier MOW I did with Telly Savalas by Sean's dad Leo, who was the director of this movie. Sean was a day player and played my druggie boyfriend. Leo asked me to be kind to Sean as I think it was one of his first gigs. Sean was awesome and we became friends—more on that later.
But essentially I was in a hotel room in Thailand for a few weeks waiting to film my part, trying to stay off the beaches as I did not want to tan. I spent a lot to time on the phone talking about life's meaning with my husband Doug Davidson (still in the business, the longest current cast member on the number-one daytime drama The Young and the Restless) and felt I needed to make some changes. The agents were excited I finally got a big budget feature and felt the meaty role would launch a public career, but I was searching for something other than fame, and was tired of waiting around for my life to happen.
During week two, hibernating in my hotel room, still not having shot anything, De Palma said they have all this war footage they are happy with and my part (which represents Michael Fox's morality—flashbacks of his own wife being raped instead of the Vietnamese girl) was going to be cut. The whole part, not just one scene. I knew then that the film would fail. The powers that be felt that one scene in the bar of Michael Fox glancing at his own family photo would accomplish the moral motivation for his character. I did [a] photo session with my dog and think my dog is still in the movie, even though my part was cut. Thank goodness I hadn't shot a frame of footage or, as in typical actor style, I would have thought they cut me out because I was terrible.
It was shortly after my return from Thailand that my husband and I decided we would start our family and since I did not want our housekeeper raising our kids I would quit acting to stay home to do it. We have been married 32 years and have two wonderful children. [My daughter is] a violinist in London and my son is working on his international business and trade major at a college in China.
I was nominated for an Emmy award for the first show shot on video many moons ago and didn't win, so when my husband won for best actor two years ago and shared that moment with me, it was as though I completed the circle. Only my ego misses "the business." My butt misses my director's chair with my name on it (which they hardly do anymore) and all the attention you get, again more ego, but the creative process can be found in so many things, so that is my focus now. And the best part of my life, that all my choices have made clear, is also the meaning of it. Love.
John Putch (s1, 2, 5): I'm a film and TV director. I've directed over 100 episodes of TV and about 18 feature-length films.
Chris Hebert (s1, 2): I've been teaching high school the last sixteen years (and actually loving it). I've taught film studies/history, English, and AVID (a college prep program). I'm also happily married to an amazing woman; we have been married since 2001. I'm also involved in my church as a Bible study leader, worship member, and media minister.
Cristen Kauffman (s1): I live in Los Angeles, married to a wonderful man for 22 years, two daughters, one 27, the other 16. I have done many things since leaving acting when I was 27. Most recently I was a docent at the Getty Museum.
Lisa Lucas (s1): I'm trying not to wind up in a hospital with my back pain. When I was 12, doing a show with Jason Robards, we used a horse that was not used to cameras and didn't like men. One of the grips grabbed the horse when she ran into the camera. She bucked up and took off. I was thrown off and broke my ankle in 17 places—in the middle of nowhere in Canada. Over time, this has caused other problems. I went to Yale when I was 18 for freshman year but never finished. I went to Paris, went to Cordon Bleu, married a French architect, and stayed seven years. Then I came back and did a movie in L.A. with my friend Robert Downey Jr. called Heart and Souls (I played his mother), came back to New York and built and opened a restaurant on 46th Street called D'Orsay (opened 1999), named after a train station in Paris. Turned out my investors were shady, got a liquor license next to a church, which is unheard of. They sold it out from underneath me the next year. Terribly traumatic. Moved to Florida. Decided to go back for my degree, Florida Atlantic University. I was going to teach drama but wound up working for the school paper and became a good journalist. Right after school got offered a job as a stringer for New York Post in Florida. I didn't like them and quit. Went to work for The Daily News. Followed A-Rod around a lot. Covered John Travolta's extortion case, the "Miracle on the Hudson," the Trayvon case gavel to gavel (in the courtroom every day), and more. Did a lot of investigative journalism that won awards. But I now live in Fishkill, New York (1 hour, 10 minutes from the city) and they don't really have work up here. I found my way to Haiti on a private jet three days after the quake. I was basically a nurse and supply person at a trauma hospital—in a tent on UN grounds. I wound up caring for a lot of orphans, saw a lot of people die. I went to Japan after their quake. We drove around to abandoned towns in radiation zones to rescue pets. I'm now living with my boyfriend from when I was 15, a mile from the house I grew up in. I'm auditioning, too. I've done a couple of little industrial things. I'm also writing a book.
Earl Boen (s1, 3): I take everything a day at a time. I still take an occasional voiceover job. My first wife and I planned to retire at 65. I worked so much and didn't have time to spend any money. She had a murder mystery event business. We bought a condo in Honolulu in 2000 [to eventually move to] and by April of the next year she was dead. I moved there in 2003. I thought I had gotten through the grieving but when I got to Hawaii, I realized I wasn't better. In 2005, I realized I'm chasing a ghost. I had to let her go. I was married for 32 years. But then I had to decide if I could live by myself. I could, but then I met Cathy in 2005. She's a widow, too. When I was diagnosed with osteoporosis two years ago, I said I want to get married. So we agreed and married January 15, 2015. As you get older, your body starts to break down. She helps me so much.
Terry Wills (s1, 2, 5, 6, 7): Not much. I'm trying to get a musical I've been writing for decades produced and I still do the very occasional commercial.
Kerry Noonan (s1): In 1995 I realized that as a woman in my thirties, I was no longer going up for many parts—Hollywood has fewer and fewer parts for women as we get older, and what few parts there are go to women who made it in their twenties. I decided to give up acting and went to grad school at UCLA to get my M.A. and Ph.D. in folklore and mythology. For nine years I taught as an adjunct professor in L.A., at UCLA, CSUN, and Otis College until I got a full-time position at Champlain College in Burlington, VT, where I live now, and where I still teach. While I don't teach theater, I have directed plays at the college (I directed one fall 2016), and co-teach the film major senior capstone course.
Edward Edwards (s2): I am still acting but have strongly transitioned into directing for the stage. Theater was my first love and still is the most rewarding medium for my work.
Tanya Fenmore (s2): I wrote, directed, and produced an independent feature film called Graduation Week that starred the brilliant Alanna Ubach (current star of Bravo's Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce). We stayed friends [through] all these years and coincidentally, just a few weeks ago, she brought me on to direct her in a parody music video for a comedy album project she is doing with her husband, 16-time Latin Grammy-winning producer Thom Russo. It's dirty, raunchy—makes Sarah Silverman look like Disney. If you can imagine: we had cameos by actress Denise Richards, former [adult film] star Ron Jeremy, and a live donkey with rap bling all on the same green screen shoot day!
I went back to Harvard to get my MBA (not quite sure why?) and for a while thought I wanted to do the studio corporate thing in international because I learned Italian and Spanish. I love international business but not in that business. So in the meantime, I also wrote, produced, and performed an album and produced this zany music video in Kunming, China at the Kingdom of the Little People amusement park. That is my poodle with my teeth—thank you after effects! So [now you know] what Skippy's little sister looks like all grown up and twerking with Chinese dwarfs.
I sold a screenplay based on Little Lady Fauntleroy to the producers of the original Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy and with the script savings and miles got my "eat pray love" on and traveled alone to find a place to relocate from La La land where I unfortunately am now. I checked out all of Europe, South America, China, Thailand, South Africa, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, and the Cooks, and fell in love with Portugal and its islands, despite the recent fires there. So I am now trying to figure out how to start a business there so I can live there—or perhaps write and direct a delightful comedy to film in Portugal!
Kaleena Kiff (s2): I'm an independent film producer making cool arthouse films in North America and Europe.
Kate Vernon (s2): I [recently] finished two independent films. One we shot in Ottawa, one in Mexico City, both coming out in 2018. I'm doing a motion capture video game I can't talk about yet. That will probably be out in 2019.
Eileen Seeley (s2): I continue to do theater when time permits and the right project presents itself. I recently had the opportunity to play Mother Superior in Nunsense. It was the first time I have performed in a musical. It was simultaneously terrifying and exhilarating.
Debbie Gilbert (now Webb) (s2): I have no idea what I am doing these days! I am 54 and looking for the re-invention convention. Do you know where they hold this? I went back to school, online, at Amherst, and [now that I] take medication for my ADD, received an A+ in my first upper-level journalism course. This back-to-school thing is what I am most proud of at this time. I believe you would call what I am doing these days "entrepreneurship." I love structuring sound business systems for nonprofits, and do so pro bono as often as I have time for. Turned out I wasn't such a dumb blonde.
Susan Isaacs (s2): I'm still acting, but I'm mostly writing now. I have a memoir out, Angry Conversations With God: A Snarky But Authentic Spiritual Memoir, and I'm working on a second. I also teach screenwriting and sketch comedy at a college in L.A., and I work as a script consultant on a lot of independent films no one has ever heard of.
Kathleen Wilhoite (s2): I'm going back to college to get my master's degree in theater arts. I've been cast in Cal Rep's A View from the Bridge, another Arthur Miller piece that I'm very excited about.
Lenora May (s2): I'm still acting. Just played my first grandma role in a film called 30 Nights and recurred in Heartbeat. Also a real mom and developing two films for production.
Alan Blumenfeld (s2, 3, 4, 5, 6): I still do film and TV. I just did a film version of A Midsummer Night's Dream. I did an episode of the John Lithgow show Trial & Error. I do 2-4 plays a year in L.A.
I miss the style of show that Gary did. It's not really done anymore. It's not just that it was wholesome family fun but it also was an era of bringing the political into the personal. The comedy was always funny but there was always an undertone that men and women were treated as equals, that kids and parents respected each other. [One of the few inheritors of that is] Modern Family.
Timothy Busfield (s3, 5): I direct a lot of television and executive produce a lot of TV. [For example] I've [recently] done an episode of This Is Us and Nashville. I moved to Sacramento in '86 and created a children's theater there called the B Street Theatre [then called the Fantasy Theatre]. I couldn't have done it without Michael J. Fox. He helped fund it. His contributions made it possible. We will be forever in his debt. It's now in its 31st season and reaching 150,000 kids a year, and we've added an adult theater.
Matthew Barry (s3): I'm a top Hollywood casting director and acting coach.
Lily Mariye (s3): I'm continuing to act. But a whole new additional career has opened up for me, for which I'm amazed and grateful: I'm directing! While I was on ER, the producers of the show gave me the opportunity to shadow my two mentors and friends, Jonathan Kaplan and Lesli Linka Glatter. "Shadowing" a director means that you are a fly-on-the-wall, watching and learning the process of directing from preparation to post-production. I have shadowed on ER, West Wing, Gilmore Girls, Homeland, NCIS: Los Angeles, The Night Shift, Nashville, Mercy Street, and Bunheads. I've directed many award-winning short films, I wrote and directed a feature called Model Minority, and have finally started directing television! My first episode was ABC's Nashville. I just directed Amazon's Just Add Magic, and will return to Nashville to direct another episode of Nashville for CMT.
Robert Costanzo (s3, 4, 5, 6): I'm co-artistic director of a theater in Chicago called the Emergent Theater Company. I'm sort of the quasi-celebrity co-founder. We don't have a permanent theater, we move around. We've done two Neil Simon plays. I either act or direct about once a year.
My father had a private sanitation business in New York. He played my father in With Friends Like These… He had some talent. Now I'm in this movie with a strange name, I have to look it up. Part of the shooting will be in India. I recommended my son Christopher to play my son in the film and he got the role! Now three generations of Costanzos have acted!
I do an occasional independent movie but most of them don't go to the theater. I do some voice work here and there. I've voiced Detective Harvey Bullock in [some of] the Batman animated series—must have done about 40 of those. I did the Disney Hercules TV show. I just did an animated Christmas special for Amazon based on the classic children's book The Snowy Day. I play a chestnut vendor.
I'm not working as much as I want.
Nancy Everhard (now Amandes) (s3): I'm pretty much retired from acting. I've spent the past 17 years being a mom to my son Ben. He [went] off to college in fall [2016] so we are hoping to do more traveling when my husband is not working.
Norman Parker (s3, 5, 6): Writing plays and helping my wife raise our teenage son.
Adam Carl (s3): More than anything, I'm producing, mostly micro-budget independent features. I've written and directed three films of my own—Performance Anxiety, Pieces of Eight, and Waiting for Ophelia—and I recently produced a movie called The Midnighters that is just about to begin its journey on the film festival circuit. A few years back I was also a producer on the reboot of the classic VH1 show Pop-Up Video. I spend a lot of time reading, and writing, and trying to figure out what the next project is going to be. I am also a live-in caregiver for my mom, who is 80 years young.
Suzanne Snyder (s4): I am a mother and a health coach—yoga and meditation instructor.
Gracie Harrison (s4): I'm the Director of Volunteer Services at Smiles Change Lives (SCL), a nonprofit that helps low income children gain access to orthodontic care. It's a wonderful organization that has changed the lives of over 8,000 kids in need since 1997. I love my job. Every day I play a part in helping a child improve his or her life. What could possibly be better than that?
Robin Morse (s5): First and foremost, I am a mother of two outstanding children. I began teaching in 1994, and in 2011 I launched the Robin Morse Studio, teaching classes in both acting and singing performance. I have taught on the faculty at NYU and Syracuse University's Tepper Semester, and have maintained a thriving private coaching business.
Jonna Lee Pangburn (s5): I am an artist, a mama, a community worker, an editor, a designer, an organizer, a woman of many trades…
Margaret Nagle (s5): I wanted to be an actor on TV and instead, I'm a writer, showrunner, producer of TV. [Her work includes Red Band Society (Ex P, creator, writer), Side Order of Life (executive producer, creator, writer), Bonfire of the Vanities miniseries (executive producer, writer), Boardwalk Empire (supervising producer/writer), The Good Lie (screenwriter), Warm Springs (screenwriter).] I have been nominated [for] and my work has won Emmys as a writer/producer. I have run into Allison Jones at awards parties and she always says hi. Every job is a chance to learn but it's not always what you think you're there for which is why it's so important to pay attention and keep your eyes open no matter what you're doing. My jobs as an actor (My So-Called Life, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Milk Money) were teaching me how to write and produce.
Brian McNamara (s5): Hustling! Getting the next gig!
Sonia Curtis (s5, 6): I still act whenever I can. I also coach actors and sell real estate.
Stuart Pankin (s5): Web series, the occasional guest star, sizzle reels, internet pilots, and theater.
Dana Andersen Schreiner (s5): I haven't worked since we moved to northern Virginia (right outside of Washington DC) in 1996 when AOL recruited my husband along with some other entertainment folks. We were both more than ready to leave "the business" to have a more financially stable life and better schools for the kids. We also really loved the different seasons as well as it being easier to get to NYC and our occasional trips to Denmark where I still have lots of family. I basically gave up acting except for a little theater here and there. Ironically, our daughter June Schreiner starting doing theater here when she was about ten (something we probably would never have allowed had we still been in L.A.) and fell in love. She ended up working professionally and got quite a bit of attention for playing Ado Annie in Arena Stage's production of Oklahoma! She was only 16 and got cast over many more accomplished NYC actresses. Her reviews were amazing and she got lots of press. She didn't want to do any acting while going to Tulane University, but she graduated last May and moved to L.A. where she has quickly booked guest-starring roles on NCIS, Pure Genius, Criminal Minds, and Bosch. So even though we got out of the entertainment industry, it's still in the family.
Amy Lynne (s5): When I was on The Ann Jillian Show, my mom got ill with cancer. It's a fickle business and no one took me under their wing to help me stay in the business. So when my mom died in 1990, I was totally distracted and didn't know how I would go about it. I got rid of my manager. I lost my mom and my career at once. I never thought I'd do something else.
I did what I thought was the smart thing and went to school to have something to fall back on. I went to nursing school. I became a nurse about seven years after my mom passed. I knew I didn't want to be a waitress in between auditions my whole life.
Now I do nurse anesthesia. It's odd to find someone who has gone from a career that is all about yourself to a career that is all about other people. It's certainly not glamorous. (laughs)
I was making pretty good money [as an actress] but it all got spent. My parents never saved it. Now I've got tons of student loans, medical debt. Hollywood is really not the best place for kids but it doesn't always end badly. Once in a while people end up okay.
Nicole Nourmand (s5): I am a pediatrician in Beverly Hills.
Alyson Croft (s5): I am still acting. [I'm also] a playwright and proud mother. [I asked for examples of her work.] Most notable [plays]: Cellophane City (LA Weekly Award—Best One-Act Playwright), Fat Chicks, Fifth and Spring (LA Weekly—top 10 of the year), The Deal. Acting: been doing commercials this year mostly (Direct TV, ATT, etc.).
Jason Naylor (s6, 7): Last weekend [October 2016], I attended a spoken Latin immersion event at the Getty Villa as well as the wedding reception of a former bandmate and her betrothed, while this weekend, I visit my award-winning brewer friend in San Diego to brew the first of five beers we intend to submit to the National Homebrew Competition in spring 2017. In addition to these diversions, I also take great pleasure in reading, music, cooking, and camping.
Ellen Latzen (s6): I'm currently producing a podcast called Watched on the child acting industry. It's a look beneath the surface of a childhood spent in front of the camera, exploring the realities of child stardom, the sacrifices made, and the benefits vs. downsides to the industry. I also go deep within myself to uncover my own true feelings of having grown up a child actor.
Victor DiMattia (s6): I went to school for directing and writing. Since graduating I have made a few short films of my own and am currently in pre-production on a web series. I've also worked on friends' projects here and there in different capacities.
Darrell Thomas Utley (s6): I'm currently a stay-at-home father for my two daughters, and I hope to start a business someday in the restaurant industry. I have had a passion [to start] one for so long. Perhaps soon! On the side, I restore vintage air-cooled Volkswagens and enjoy serving on nonprofits. Currently I am on the California Association of the Deaf board in Southern California. I also serve on the PTO at my daughters' school.
Susan Kohler (s6): I'm still acting and now writing songs and recording. I have two film scripts in development. I also work with our dementia population, training families and healthcare staff how best to communicate with the person living with dementia. I'm the author of How to Communicate With Alzheimer's .
Danielle von Zerneck (s6): Produce film/TV, most recently Recovery Road for Freeform (formerly ABC Family).
Debra Engle (s7): I am a theater teacher for the elementary arts. I stopped acting when [one of my] daughters was diagnosed with autism. I was taking her to 28 appointments a week. When they were going into elementary school, I started classroom teaching again because I wanted to have the same schedule as they did so I could spend more time with them. I did not know LAUSD [Los Angeles Unified School District] had arts programs. It is so fun [that I still get to act] when I have to show them program elements; [for example], how to be all their character. The Gingerbread Man in kindergarten. The Lion and the Mouse in 1st. Cinderella/Cinderfella in 2nd. The First Monkey in the Philippines in 3rd. Melodrama in 4th, the big bullying project in 5th. When I am teaching theater, I say that there always has to be a conflict and sometimes you can be the bad one, which can be so interesting [as an actor]. Obviously I was one in that Family Ties.
Hilary Shepard (s7): I'm semi-retired and do some jobs just when people remember me and call. My most iconic roles were playing Divatox the evil queen in the [1997] Power Rangers movie and on the TV series and also my recurring role on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. I go to a lot of comic-cons all over the world and meet my fans. I am also writing a book called Wild Love with my best friend Daryl Hannah, coming out from Penguin Books next year. I [had] a movie called Teen Warlock [come] out at Halloween and I'm doing a movie called The Order with [many former] Power Rangers and a fun cosplay crafting show called Super Fan Party Plan where I show you how to create cool theme parties. So yeah, my retirement is going very nicely, actually!
Christina Pickles (s7): I shot the second season of my web series Break a Hip and [I've worked] on Great News, the Tina Fey-produced series.
Nick Rutherford (s7): I'm on a show on Adult Swim called Dream Corp, LLC that is half live-action and half Rotoscope animation. The filming is incredibly fun and imaginative. [I'm also doing] this show called Crunch Time. It is hilarious and has an incredible cast. Most of us knew each other from before and we all get along very well. Doesn't hurt that it shoots in Austin so we all end up living together and hanging out like an extended adult summer camp. Also, I do stand-up regularly in Los Angeles and around the country when I can.
Byron Thames (s7): My wife Tricia Leigh Fisher and I just wrote and directed an independent pilot called Sleepovers that I'm excited about. I have three kids, the oldest of whom, Hudson Thames, is signed to Republic Records. I'm enjoying working with him on music, as I'm also a musician.
Jaclyn Bernstein (s7): I started working when I was three years old and didn't stop until about 13-14 years old, at which time I became really dismayed with the experiences I was starting to have as a young female in the business. I'd grown up on sets and didn't know much else. So I enrolled myself in a big public high school in Los Angeles and got really involved as a youth activist doing community arts organizing and indigenous studies. I later studied anthropology and moved to central Mexico where I married and lived for many, many years. I still do community arts organizing and have recently returned to acting. Everything comes full circle.
Part 9.
What are you doing these days?
Cindy Fisher (s1): I quit acting just after I got a Brian De Palma film Casualties of War, playing one of two females in the movie. I was cast as Michael Fox's Midwest wife and in the film would be raped by Sean Penn's character. Sean was cast in an earlier MOW I did with Telly Savalas by Sean's dad Leo, who was the director of this movie. Sean was a day player and played my druggie boyfriend. Leo asked me to be kind to Sean as I think it was one of his first gigs. Sean was awesome and we became friends—more on that later.
But essentially I was in a hotel room in Thailand for a few weeks waiting to film my part, trying to stay off the beaches as I did not want to tan. I spent a lot to time on the phone talking about life's meaning with my husband Doug Davidson (still in the business, the longest current cast member on the number-one daytime drama The Young and the Restless) and felt I needed to make some changes. The agents were excited I finally got a big budget feature and felt the meaty role would launch a public career, but I was searching for something other than fame, and was tired of waiting around for my life to happen.
During week two, hibernating in my hotel room, still not having shot anything, De Palma said they have all this war footage they are happy with and my part (which represents Michael Fox's morality—flashbacks of his own wife being raped instead of the Vietnamese girl) was going to be cut. The whole part, not just one scene. I knew then that the film would fail. The powers that be felt that one scene in the bar of Michael Fox glancing at his own family photo would accomplish the moral motivation for his character. I did [a] photo session with my dog and think my dog is still in the movie, even though my part was cut. Thank goodness I hadn't shot a frame of footage or, as in typical actor style, I would have thought they cut me out because I was terrible.
It was shortly after my return from Thailand that my husband and I decided we would start our family and since I did not want our housekeeper raising our kids I would quit acting to stay home to do it. We have been married 32 years and have two wonderful children. [My daughter is] a violinist in London and my son is working on his international business and trade major at a college in China.
I was nominated for an Emmy award for the first show shot on video many moons ago and didn't win, so when my husband won for best actor two years ago and shared that moment with me, it was as though I completed the circle. Only my ego misses "the business." My butt misses my director's chair with my name on it (which they hardly do anymore) and all the attention you get, again more ego, but the creative process can be found in so many things, so that is my focus now. And the best part of my life, that all my choices have made clear, is also the meaning of it. Love.
John Putch (s1, 2, 5): I'm a film and TV director. I've directed over 100 episodes of TV and about 18 feature-length films.
Chris Hebert (s1, 2): I've been teaching high school the last sixteen years (and actually loving it). I've taught film studies/history, English, and AVID (a college prep program). I'm also happily married to an amazing woman; we have been married since 2001. I'm also involved in my church as a Bible study leader, worship member, and media minister.
Cristen Kauffman (s1): I live in Los Angeles, married to a wonderful man for 22 years, two daughters, one 27, the other 16. I have done many things since leaving acting when I was 27. Most recently I was a docent at the Getty Museum.
Lisa Lucas (s1): I'm trying not to wind up in a hospital with my back pain. When I was 12, doing a show with Jason Robards, we used a horse that was not used to cameras and didn't like men. One of the grips grabbed the horse when she ran into the camera. She bucked up and took off. I was thrown off and broke my ankle in 17 places—in the middle of nowhere in Canada. Over time, this has caused other problems. I went to Yale when I was 18 for freshman year but never finished. I went to Paris, went to Cordon Bleu, married a French architect, and stayed seven years. Then I came back and did a movie in L.A. with my friend Robert Downey Jr. called Heart and Souls (I played his mother), came back to New York and built and opened a restaurant on 46th Street called D'Orsay (opened 1999), named after a train station in Paris. Turned out my investors were shady, got a liquor license next to a church, which is unheard of. They sold it out from underneath me the next year. Terribly traumatic. Moved to Florida. Decided to go back for my degree, Florida Atlantic University. I was going to teach drama but wound up working for the school paper and became a good journalist. Right after school got offered a job as a stringer for New York Post in Florida. I didn't like them and quit. Went to work for The Daily News. Followed A-Rod around a lot. Covered John Travolta's extortion case, the "Miracle on the Hudson," the Trayvon case gavel to gavel (in the courtroom every day), and more. Did a lot of investigative journalism that won awards. But I now live in Fishkill, New York (1 hour, 10 minutes from the city) and they don't really have work up here. I found my way to Haiti on a private jet three days after the quake. I was basically a nurse and supply person at a trauma hospital—in a tent on UN grounds. I wound up caring for a lot of orphans, saw a lot of people die. I went to Japan after their quake. We drove around to abandoned towns in radiation zones to rescue pets. I'm now living with my boyfriend from when I was 15, a mile from the house I grew up in. I'm auditioning, too. I've done a couple of little industrial things. I'm also writing a book.
Earl Boen (s1, 3): I take everything a day at a time. I still take an occasional voiceover job. My first wife and I planned to retire at 65. I worked so much and didn't have time to spend any money. She had a murder mystery event business. We bought a condo in Honolulu in 2000 [to eventually move to] and by April of the next year she was dead. I moved there in 2003. I thought I had gotten through the grieving but when I got to Hawaii, I realized I wasn't better. In 2005, I realized I'm chasing a ghost. I had to let her go. I was married for 32 years. But then I had to decide if I could live by myself. I could, but then I met Cathy in 2005. She's a widow, too. When I was diagnosed with osteoporosis two years ago, I said I want to get married. So we agreed and married January 15, 2015. As you get older, your body starts to break down. She helps me so much.
Terry Wills (s1, 2, 5, 6, 7): Not much. I'm trying to get a musical I've been writing for decades produced and I still do the very occasional commercial.
Kerry Noonan (s1): In 1995 I realized that as a woman in my thirties, I was no longer going up for many parts—Hollywood has fewer and fewer parts for women as we get older, and what few parts there are go to women who made it in their twenties. I decided to give up acting and went to grad school at UCLA to get my M.A. and Ph.D. in folklore and mythology. For nine years I taught as an adjunct professor in L.A., at UCLA, CSUN, and Otis College until I got a full-time position at Champlain College in Burlington, VT, where I live now, and where I still teach. While I don't teach theater, I have directed plays at the college (I directed one fall 2016), and co-teach the film major senior capstone course.
Edward Edwards (s2): I am still acting but have strongly transitioned into directing for the stage. Theater was my first love and still is the most rewarding medium for my work.
Tanya Fenmore (s2): I wrote, directed, and produced an independent feature film called Graduation Week that starred the brilliant Alanna Ubach (current star of Bravo's Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce). We stayed friends [through] all these years and coincidentally, just a few weeks ago, she brought me on to direct her in a parody music video for a comedy album project she is doing with her husband, 16-time Latin Grammy-winning producer Thom Russo. It's dirty, raunchy—makes Sarah Silverman look like Disney. If you can imagine: we had cameos by actress Denise Richards, former [adult film] star Ron Jeremy, and a live donkey with rap bling all on the same green screen shoot day!
I went back to Harvard to get my MBA (not quite sure why?) and for a while thought I wanted to do the studio corporate thing in international because I learned Italian and Spanish. I love international business but not in that business. So in the meantime, I also wrote, produced, and performed an album and produced this zany music video in Kunming, China at the Kingdom of the Little People amusement park. That is my poodle with my teeth—thank you after effects! So [now you know] what Skippy's little sister looks like all grown up and twerking with Chinese dwarfs.
I sold a screenplay based on Little Lady Fauntleroy to the producers of the original Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy and with the script savings and miles got my "eat pray love" on and traveled alone to find a place to relocate from La La land where I unfortunately am now. I checked out all of Europe, South America, China, Thailand, South Africa, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, and the Cooks, and fell in love with Portugal and its islands, despite the recent fires there. So I am now trying to figure out how to start a business there so I can live there—or perhaps write and direct a delightful comedy to film in Portugal!
Kaleena Kiff (s2): I'm an independent film producer making cool arthouse films in North America and Europe.
Kate Vernon (s2): I [recently] finished two independent films. One we shot in Ottawa, one in Mexico City, both coming out in 2018. I'm doing a motion capture video game I can't talk about yet. That will probably be out in 2019.
Eileen Seeley (s2): I continue to do theater when time permits and the right project presents itself. I recently had the opportunity to play Mother Superior in Nunsense. It was the first time I have performed in a musical. It was simultaneously terrifying and exhilarating.
Debbie Gilbert (now Webb) (s2): I have no idea what I am doing these days! I am 54 and looking for the re-invention convention. Do you know where they hold this? I went back to school, online, at Amherst, and [now that I] take medication for my ADD, received an A+ in my first upper-level journalism course. This back-to-school thing is what I am most proud of at this time. I believe you would call what I am doing these days "entrepreneurship." I love structuring sound business systems for nonprofits, and do so pro bono as often as I have time for. Turned out I wasn't such a dumb blonde.
Susan Isaacs (s2): I'm still acting, but I'm mostly writing now. I have a memoir out, Angry Conversations With God: A Snarky But Authentic Spiritual Memoir, and I'm working on a second. I also teach screenwriting and sketch comedy at a college in L.A., and I work as a script consultant on a lot of independent films no one has ever heard of.
Kathleen Wilhoite (s2): I'm going back to college to get my master's degree in theater arts. I've been cast in Cal Rep's A View from the Bridge, another Arthur Miller piece that I'm very excited about.
Lenora May (s2): I'm still acting. Just played my first grandma role in a film called 30 Nights and recurred in Heartbeat. Also a real mom and developing two films for production.
Alan Blumenfeld (s2, 3, 4, 5, 6): I still do film and TV. I just did a film version of A Midsummer Night's Dream. I did an episode of the John Lithgow show Trial & Error. I do 2-4 plays a year in L.A.
I miss the style of show that Gary did. It's not really done anymore. It's not just that it was wholesome family fun but it also was an era of bringing the political into the personal. The comedy was always funny but there was always an undertone that men and women were treated as equals, that kids and parents respected each other. [One of the few inheritors of that is] Modern Family.
Timothy Busfield (s3, 5): I direct a lot of television and executive produce a lot of TV. [For example] I've [recently] done an episode of This Is Us and Nashville. I moved to Sacramento in '86 and created a children's theater there called the B Street Theatre [then called the Fantasy Theatre]. I couldn't have done it without Michael J. Fox. He helped fund it. His contributions made it possible. We will be forever in his debt. It's now in its 31st season and reaching 150,000 kids a year, and we've added an adult theater.
Matthew Barry (s3): I'm a top Hollywood casting director and acting coach.
Lily Mariye (s3): I'm continuing to act. But a whole new additional career has opened up for me, for which I'm amazed and grateful: I'm directing! While I was on ER, the producers of the show gave me the opportunity to shadow my two mentors and friends, Jonathan Kaplan and Lesli Linka Glatter. "Shadowing" a director means that you are a fly-on-the-wall, watching and learning the process of directing from preparation to post-production. I have shadowed on ER, West Wing, Gilmore Girls, Homeland, NCIS: Los Angeles, The Night Shift, Nashville, Mercy Street, and Bunheads. I've directed many award-winning short films, I wrote and directed a feature called Model Minority, and have finally started directing television! My first episode was ABC's Nashville. I just directed Amazon's Just Add Magic, and will return to Nashville to direct another episode of Nashville for CMT.
Robert Costanzo (s3, 4, 5, 6): I'm co-artistic director of a theater in Chicago called the Emergent Theater Company. I'm sort of the quasi-celebrity co-founder. We don't have a permanent theater, we move around. We've done two Neil Simon plays. I either act or direct about once a year.
My father had a private sanitation business in New York. He played my father in With Friends Like These… He had some talent. Now I'm in this movie with a strange name, I have to look it up. Part of the shooting will be in India. I recommended my son Christopher to play my son in the film and he got the role! Now three generations of Costanzos have acted!
I do an occasional independent movie but most of them don't go to the theater. I do some voice work here and there. I've voiced Detective Harvey Bullock in [some of] the Batman animated series—must have done about 40 of those. I did the Disney Hercules TV show. I just did an animated Christmas special for Amazon based on the classic children's book The Snowy Day. I play a chestnut vendor.
I'm not working as much as I want.
Nancy Everhard (now Amandes) (s3): I'm pretty much retired from acting. I've spent the past 17 years being a mom to my son Ben. He [went] off to college in fall [2016] so we are hoping to do more traveling when my husband is not working.
Norman Parker (s3, 5, 6): Writing plays and helping my wife raise our teenage son.
Adam Carl (s3): More than anything, I'm producing, mostly micro-budget independent features. I've written and directed three films of my own—Performance Anxiety, Pieces of Eight, and Waiting for Ophelia—and I recently produced a movie called The Midnighters that is just about to begin its journey on the film festival circuit. A few years back I was also a producer on the reboot of the classic VH1 show Pop-Up Video. I spend a lot of time reading, and writing, and trying to figure out what the next project is going to be. I am also a live-in caregiver for my mom, who is 80 years young.
Suzanne Snyder (s4): I am a mother and a health coach—yoga and meditation instructor.
Gracie Harrison (s4): I'm the Director of Volunteer Services at Smiles Change Lives (SCL), a nonprofit that helps low income children gain access to orthodontic care. It's a wonderful organization that has changed the lives of over 8,000 kids in need since 1997. I love my job. Every day I play a part in helping a child improve his or her life. What could possibly be better than that?
Robin Morse (s5): First and foremost, I am a mother of two outstanding children. I began teaching in 1994, and in 2011 I launched the Robin Morse Studio, teaching classes in both acting and singing performance. I have taught on the faculty at NYU and Syracuse University's Tepper Semester, and have maintained a thriving private coaching business.
Jonna Lee Pangburn (s5): I am an artist, a mama, a community worker, an editor, a designer, an organizer, a woman of many trades…
Margaret Nagle (s5): I wanted to be an actor on TV and instead, I'm a writer, showrunner, producer of TV. [Her work includes Red Band Society (Ex P, creator, writer), Side Order of Life (executive producer, creator, writer), Bonfire of the Vanities miniseries (executive producer, writer), Boardwalk Empire (supervising producer/writer), The Good Lie (screenwriter), Warm Springs (screenwriter).] I have been nominated [for] and my work has won Emmys as a writer/producer. I have run into Allison Jones at awards parties and she always says hi. Every job is a chance to learn but it's not always what you think you're there for which is why it's so important to pay attention and keep your eyes open no matter what you're doing. My jobs as an actor (My So-Called Life, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Milk Money) were teaching me how to write and produce.
Brian McNamara (s5): Hustling! Getting the next gig!
Sonia Curtis (s5, 6): I still act whenever I can. I also coach actors and sell real estate.
Stuart Pankin (s5): Web series, the occasional guest star, sizzle reels, internet pilots, and theater.
Dana Andersen Schreiner (s5): I haven't worked since we moved to northern Virginia (right outside of Washington DC) in 1996 when AOL recruited my husband along with some other entertainment folks. We were both more than ready to leave "the business" to have a more financially stable life and better schools for the kids. We also really loved the different seasons as well as it being easier to get to NYC and our occasional trips to Denmark where I still have lots of family. I basically gave up acting except for a little theater here and there. Ironically, our daughter June Schreiner starting doing theater here when she was about ten (something we probably would never have allowed had we still been in L.A.) and fell in love. She ended up working professionally and got quite a bit of attention for playing Ado Annie in Arena Stage's production of Oklahoma! She was only 16 and got cast over many more accomplished NYC actresses. Her reviews were amazing and she got lots of press. She didn't want to do any acting while going to Tulane University, but she graduated last May and moved to L.A. where she has quickly booked guest-starring roles on NCIS, Pure Genius, Criminal Minds, and Bosch. So even though we got out of the entertainment industry, it's still in the family.
Amy Lynne (s5): When I was on The Ann Jillian Show, my mom got ill with cancer. It's a fickle business and no one took me under their wing to help me stay in the business. So when my mom died in 1990, I was totally distracted and didn't know how I would go about it. I got rid of my manager. I lost my mom and my career at once. I never thought I'd do something else.
I did what I thought was the smart thing and went to school to have something to fall back on. I went to nursing school. I became a nurse about seven years after my mom passed. I knew I didn't want to be a waitress in between auditions my whole life.
Now I do nurse anesthesia. It's odd to find someone who has gone from a career that is all about yourself to a career that is all about other people. It's certainly not glamorous. (laughs)
I was making pretty good money [as an actress] but it all got spent. My parents never saved it. Now I've got tons of student loans, medical debt. Hollywood is really not the best place for kids but it doesn't always end badly. Once in a while people end up okay.
Nicole Nourmand (s5): I am a pediatrician in Beverly Hills.
Alyson Croft (s5): I am still acting. [I'm also] a playwright and proud mother. [I asked for examples of her work.] Most notable [plays]: Cellophane City (LA Weekly Award—Best One-Act Playwright), Fat Chicks, Fifth and Spring (LA Weekly—top 10 of the year), The Deal. Acting: been doing commercials this year mostly (Direct TV, ATT, etc.).
Jason Naylor (s6, 7): Last weekend [October 2016], I attended a spoken Latin immersion event at the Getty Villa as well as the wedding reception of a former bandmate and her betrothed, while this weekend, I visit my award-winning brewer friend in San Diego to brew the first of five beers we intend to submit to the National Homebrew Competition in spring 2017. In addition to these diversions, I also take great pleasure in reading, music, cooking, and camping.
Ellen Latzen (s6): I'm currently producing a podcast called Watched on the child acting industry. It's a look beneath the surface of a childhood spent in front of the camera, exploring the realities of child stardom, the sacrifices made, and the benefits vs. downsides to the industry. I also go deep within myself to uncover my own true feelings of having grown up a child actor.
Victor DiMattia (s6): I went to school for directing and writing. Since graduating I have made a few short films of my own and am currently in pre-production on a web series. I've also worked on friends' projects here and there in different capacities.
Darrell Thomas Utley (s6): I'm currently a stay-at-home father for my two daughters, and I hope to start a business someday in the restaurant industry. I have had a passion [to start] one for so long. Perhaps soon! On the side, I restore vintage air-cooled Volkswagens and enjoy serving on nonprofits. Currently I am on the California Association of the Deaf board in Southern California. I also serve on the PTO at my daughters' school.
Susan Kohler (s6): I'm still acting and now writing songs and recording. I have two film scripts in development. I also work with our dementia population, training families and healthcare staff how best to communicate with the person living with dementia. I'm the author of How to Communicate With Alzheimer's .
Danielle von Zerneck (s6): Produce film/TV, most recently Recovery Road for Freeform (formerly ABC Family).
Debra Engle (s7): I am a theater teacher for the elementary arts. I stopped acting when [one of my] daughters was diagnosed with autism. I was taking her to 28 appointments a week. When they were going into elementary school, I started classroom teaching again because I wanted to have the same schedule as they did so I could spend more time with them. I did not know LAUSD [Los Angeles Unified School District] had arts programs. It is so fun [that I still get to act] when I have to show them program elements; [for example], how to be all their character. The Gingerbread Man in kindergarten. The Lion and the Mouse in 1st. Cinderella/Cinderfella in 2nd. The First Monkey in the Philippines in 3rd. Melodrama in 4th, the big bullying project in 5th. When I am teaching theater, I say that there always has to be a conflict and sometimes you can be the bad one, which can be so interesting [as an actor]. Obviously I was one in that Family Ties.
Hilary Shepard (s7): I'm semi-retired and do some jobs just when people remember me and call. My most iconic roles were playing Divatox the evil queen in the [1997] Power Rangers movie and on the TV series and also my recurring role on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. I go to a lot of comic-cons all over the world and meet my fans. I am also writing a book called Wild Love with my best friend Daryl Hannah, coming out from Penguin Books next year. I [had] a movie called Teen Warlock [come] out at Halloween and I'm doing a movie called The Order with [many former] Power Rangers and a fun cosplay crafting show called Super Fan Party Plan where I show you how to create cool theme parties. So yeah, my retirement is going very nicely, actually!
Christina Pickles (s7): I shot the second season of my web series Break a Hip and [I've worked] on Great News, the Tina Fey-produced series.
Nick Rutherford (s7): I'm on a show on Adult Swim called Dream Corp, LLC that is half live-action and half Rotoscope animation. The filming is incredibly fun and imaginative. [I'm also doing] this show called Crunch Time. It is hilarious and has an incredible cast. Most of us knew each other from before and we all get along very well. Doesn't hurt that it shoots in Austin so we all end up living together and hanging out like an extended adult summer camp. Also, I do stand-up regularly in Los Angeles and around the country when I can.
Byron Thames (s7): My wife Tricia Leigh Fisher and I just wrote and directed an independent pilot called Sleepovers that I'm excited about. I have three kids, the oldest of whom, Hudson Thames, is signed to Republic Records. I'm enjoying working with him on music, as I'm also a musician.
Jaclyn Bernstein (s7): I started working when I was three years old and didn't stop until about 13-14 years old, at which time I became really dismayed with the experiences I was starting to have as a young female in the business. I'd grown up on sets and didn't know much else. So I enrolled myself in a big public high school in Los Angeles and got really involved as a youth activist doing community arts organizing and indigenous studies. I later studied anthropology and moved to central Mexico where I married and lived for many, many years. I still do community arts organizing and have recently returned to acting. Everything comes full circle.
Part 9.
August 12, 2017
"Family Ties": oral history of the 1980s sitcom – part 7 – favorites
Introduction to the Family Ties oral history (including the list of interviewees and links to each part).
Do you have a favorite episode you were in?
John Putch (s1, 2, 5): I guess the episode where we pretend to be astronauts is a good one.
Alan Blumenfeld (s2, 3, 4, 5, 6): I have two—Aunt Trudy's funeral and the shoe store.
The Aunt Trudy episode was so fun—it had so much heart. Gary shared the writing with a spectacular team. But occasionally he'd write an episode himself and that was one of them. He could blend humor and pathos so beautifully.
[In the shoe store episode,] Michael Fox was working in a shoe store and Michael Gross was there and [my character] thought they were lovers because there was a misdirect when they were talking in such sweet tones. I remember these huge laughs and I remember Gary being very complimentary about my ability to hold for the laugh. It was like doing a play and Gary had a great appreciation for theater.
Robert Costanzo (s3, 4, 5, 6): I don't clearly remember my episodes other than the one when I applied to be the nanny ("Help Wanted"). That one generated a line that became iconic with Gary and me: "Heels! That's why I didn't get the job." [later in the episode, his character meets the character—played by Geena Davis—who got the nanny job, and when he hears she wore heels to the interview, he laments that he didn't] The mechanic one ("Engine Trouble") is a little fuzzy. I don't remember the janitor one ("Mister Sister")—oh god I'd love to see that. [I told him all seven seasons were currently free on Amazon Prime] Always had a lot of fun on that set.
Robert, did you know from the start that you would get somewhat steady work from the show?
Probably no. I had no contract. Gary might've always had me in the back in his mind for certain roles. I never read for any of them. Which was great—that was the way it used to be and the way it should still be. (laughs) I used to like when the producers were there so I could schmooze them rather than [auditioning] on tape like today.
I worked as top of the show guest star. ["Top of show" is what you are given as a guest star. It's SAG scale times the number of days you work. Today, top of show for a half-hour show is $5,200 for the week, an hour show is more like $6,000 for the week. Sometimes you can get double top of show.] Back then top of show was probably $2,500.
What has been your favorite acting gig?
Cindy Fisher (s1): Each job was unique and special in the fact that you
1. are working
2. can pay rent
3. always [have] new personalities, good and bad, to work with
4. [are] not in an office environment, nor are you behind a desk
The business has changed a lot, but before it was factory-produced like the majority is today, it was creative. I'm sure there are some productions that still are, but they are few and far between. Visionaries like Gary Goldberg are not supported by the networks like they used to be.
John Putch (s1, 2, 5): I will equate that with fun. And the most fun I ever had acting was doing the musicals at my Dad's summer theater back in Fayetteville, PA. I'd say Oklahoma! was the favorite.
Chris Hebert (s1, 2): It's hard to pick one but there are a few that stand out. Certainly Family Ties but definitely The Last Starfighter. Also Fuzzbucket, Twilight Zone. Those have great memories.
Terry Wills (s1, 2, 5, 6, 7): I guess you mean screen acting. It would have to be the week I spent with Redd Foxx on Sanford [1980-81 series] or the week I spent with John Ritter on Three's a Crowd. Two of the funniest guys I ever had the great pleasure of working with.
Kerry Noonan (s1): Playing Charity in "A Message from Charity" on The Twilight Zone. I loved the script and the characters and am still friends with the writer.
Edward Edwards (s2): I have been blessed to have had many different character roles to play on stage, on TV, and in film. This episode is without a doubt top 3 across all venues!
Kaleena Kiff (s2): Three's Company was pretty great because John Ritter gave me a kitten when I wrapped. But my favorite was The New Leave it to Beaver because, after five years together, the cast and crew became my extended family and are still a part of my life.
Kate Vernon (s2): At this point, I would say my role on Battlestar Galactica. My character was so full of surprises. She was smart, manipulative, playful, very fallible—so many things.
Eileen Seeley (s2): Certainly Family Ties as it was my first. It was just so fun! I also had the great fortune of doing several independent films with Poor Robert Productions, producer/director Paul Leder and cinematographer Francis Grumman. That was definitely a highlight of my time in Hollywood. I got to work with Cleavon Little, Penny Johnson Jerald, Viveca Lindfors, Gary Kroger, and Francis Fisher (to name a few) in addition to a fantastic crew that was like family. A truly unique experience.
Debbie Gilbert (now Webb) (s2): Definitely Family Ties. I also like Voice in Exile [1984] because my work was subtle. It was an independent film. Marc Allan Kaplan directed and produced; it was about Marc growing up stuttering.
I pursued acting for [only about] a year when I quit and worked in print and journalism. [I made this] decision after marrying my first husband (Grant Wilson) and meeting so many actor friends of his who were has-beens by the time they were in their thirties. I knew I was not a real thespian. My manager was good friends with Jerry Paris [Happy Days] and had me meet him [after the show was over]. Jerry told me that I would work because I was cute and had a big head, but he felt things were headed toward casting gals who were "edgy"—like Winona Ryder [MTN: film debut 1986]. The happy days were over. After a few dumb blonde jobs, I went brunette and was cast in a small USC film by Charlie Matthau. Now I was a dumb brunette. I met Grant on this set. Working for Charlie was a big deal for me, as I knew exactly who Walter Matthau [Charlie's father] was; for Grant it was a favor to Charlie.
Susan Isaacs (s2): Playing John Candy's wife in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. We improvised a couple of Thanksgiving dinners that ended up on the cutting room floor. Wish they'd release a DVD with those edited scenes. John Candy was a blast. I also got a fun gig on Seinfeld that is still in circulation. Most recently, I had a recurring role on Parks and Recreation. That was a blast. Comedies that are heavy with improv and sketch comedy actors do so well. I think the actors know that it's a collaboration, and that a rising tide raises all boats. I also started a sketch comedy group with Tony Hale, Jeannie Gaffigan, and Todd Wilkerson. We did a lot of live shows in New York and had a blast.
Kathleen Wilhoite (s2): Years ago I did a play with The Actors' Gang called Battery, and we worked in a very unique way. The play wasn't blocked. It was directed beautifully by Richard Olivier. I suppose artistically that was one of the more fulfilling jobs I've done. As far as show business is concerned, I suppose the wildest time I've ever had working on a film was doing an Arthur Miller movie called Everybody Wins.
Lenora May (s2): One of my favorites was a TV movie called Missing Children: A Mother's Story [1982], with Mare Winningham and Polly Holliday. I played a poor, illiterate Southern girl who signs away her baby without knowing what she is signing. Very emotional role and was my first job of many working with director Dick Lowry.
I also have a favorite play, Raise Me Up. I had to wear a bodysuit to [have] "larger breasts and butt." A big Italian mama.
Matthew Barry (s3): The Wraith. [Made] a lot of friends on that film and they've been my friends for over 30 years since.
Lily Mariye (s3): Family Ties is certainly up there with one of my favorites! I can't name just one. Some of my other favorites:
A play at the Manhattan Theatre Club called Tea. That was the first play I did in New York…what a thrill!Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. I was and am a big Star Trek fan! I totally geeked out being dressed in a real Star Trek uniform, operating a ship from the bridge.Extraordinary Measures, a film with Harrison Ford. We had a read-through before we started shooting. When I met Harrison, all I could think was, "Oh my God, I'm shaking Han Solo's hand!" Some of the actors weren't there for the read-through, so I read a few scenes with Harrison. That was super fun!ER. I was on that show for 15 seasons, made lifelong friends, saw births, weddings, and deaths. And got to act with some of the most amazing actors in our lifetime.Robert Costanzo (s3, 4, 5, 6): I wouldn't say Family Ties because they were only fun little vignettes. I did a movie called With Friends Like These… [1998] which for reasons I'm not clear on was not released in theaters. Penny Marshall produced it. It was about the life of a character actor—like myself. It's a beautiful film with an amazing cast. I played the lead. I loved [being on] the first year of NYPD Blue. It was a breakthrough series. I love doing theater. I did American Buffalo in a small theater out here.
Nancy Everhard (now Amandes) (s3): I've had a few…Reasonable Doubts [1991-93] with Mark Harmon and Marlee Matlin, Everwood [2002-06] with Chris Pratt, Treat Williams, and Tom Amandes, but the best was The Untouchables [1993-94], where I met my husband of 20 years, Tom Amandes! I was cast in L.A. and had to move to Chicago for the series. The very first line I had was as a college student watching Eliot Ness giving a speech. I turned to my friend and said, "I'm going to marry that man someday." And then it happened for real a few years later! Everwood shot in Utah so we spent five years living in Park City. My son started school there and we all learned how to ski. Emily VanCamp, Greg Smith, and Chris Pratt were just kids. We became a big family because we all moved to Utah from somewhere else. And now I am so proud of how well they are doing in their careers…and they are all still the nicest people to be with.
Norman Parker (s3, 5, 6): Working for several months with Sidney Lumet while filming Prince of the City.
Adam Carl (s3): That's a tough one. As a journeyman kid character actor, I got to bounce around and work on a lot of great television shows and work with some of my idols. On Hearts Afire I had the joy of working with the great John Ritter, whom I worshiped. On Newhart I got to work with Bob Newhart, who is one of my all-time comedy heroes. Those two alone and I could've died happy. But I also got to work with the likes of Ed Asner, Charles Durning, René Auberjonois, Tony Danza, Judith Light, Katherine Helmond, Bess Armstrong, Mimi Kennedy, Cloris Leachman, Harry Morgan, Judd Hirsch, McLean Stevenson, Tim Curry, the cast of Cheers, Mickey Rooney, all the amazing women on Designing Women, Billy Bob Thornton, George Gaynes, Markie Post, Richard Lewis, Jamie Lee Curtis, Teri Garr…I mean, I could go on, but it would just be annoying. Suffice it to say, I was incredibly lucky and it was a privilege to have the opportunity to act alongside—and learn from—so many talented performers (and writers! and directors!). This was a very long-winded way of saying that I don't think I could pick just one.
Gracie Harrison (s4): Family Ties was written so well and the message of empowerment Mrs. Hillman gave to Mallory made it by far my favorite TV role. But I'm so proud to have worked on Hill Street Blues, and, of course, Star Trek [Next Generation]. Working with stars from my childhood, Michael Landon in Highway to Heaven and Andy Griffith in Matlock, was a dream come true. I had written both of them a fan letter when I was in elementary school.
Robin Morse (s5): There have been several for different reasons. The first was Six Degrees of Separation by John Guare, at Lincoln Center. I was in the original cast, and it's where I met my husband. I played Tess, the daughter of Stockard Channing and John Cunningham, and the play was brilliant. The cast became so close, and the play was an enormous hit at the time. One of the highlights, not only of my career, but of my life. My second favorite was a play I did at The Arena Stage in Washington DC. The play, by Athol Fugard, is called My Children! My Africa! and I fell in love with the play and the character. Also, it was a really challenging part so I learned and grew an enormous amount from the experience.
Brian McNamara (s5): Army Wives.
Sonia Curtis (s5, 6): Probably Family Ties! And recently I had a lot of fun working on a character role in Stressed to Kill. Loved the role of Vera. Finding out who she was and how she dressed and spoke and moved and what her thought life and emotional temperature were was a lot of fun.
Stuart Pankin (s5): Mostly theater. I loved practically every play I did, especially working with my wife. But in film, I'd have to say Fatal Attraction. In TV, Not Necessarily the News.
Dana Andersen Schreiner (s5): Hmmm, that's a difficult question. Maybe a TNT movie I did called Montana. It wasn't an amazing role [and] I don't think I was very good in it; I was very miscast. We shot it in Bozeman, Montana, which was beautiful. We filmed a lot of it on Ted Turner's ranch. The cast was really interesting: Gena Rowlands, Richard Crenna, Lea Thompson, Michael Madsen, and Elizabeth Berridge (who became a dear friend). I also loved the director Billy Graham and his wife. The location was gorgeous and I bought a bike with my per diem and rode everywhere. We also made lots of day trips when we weren't working. It was the first time I had ever left my son Quinn, who was then 18 months old, which was really hard but also very relaxing. I was gone for only about two weeks but it was really fun.
Amy Lynne (s5): Family Ties was up there. Another is a show that you could never do these days because of the PC [concerns], The History of White People in America with Martin Mull. It was a satire making fun of us being white. Other favorites: Annie; working with Carol Burnett and John Huston and Bernadette Peters and Tim Curry. Those times are real special.
Nicole Nourmand (s5): Working on Family Ties was my favorite acting gig of all time. I loved being on the Paramount lot. I loved eating in the cafeteria there and seeing the stars from Cheers. I loved having my own dressing room.
Alyson Croft (s5): Family Ties would rank high, but working with Dick Van Dyke on Diagnosis: Murder was my favorite experience on set.
Ellen Latzen (s6): Probably National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Our cast and crew were wonderful and I grew to see them as family. So much laughter and fun times. There was always something magical about filming on a studio lot, which I first learned while working on Family Ties. The buzz that permeates through the different stages, so many projects going on at once. Warner Brothers was my home for three months and I absolutely loved being there.
Victor DiMattia (s6): The role that was the most fun for me and with which I am most associated is Timmy Timmons in The Sandlot [1993]. I spent an entire summer playing baseball and hanging out on a movie set with friends. None of my other roles topped that experience. The film has really taken on a life of its own. I am still contacted by fans daily.
Darrell Thomas Utley (s6): I enjoyed staying on the set of Days of Our Lives as I had to miss a year of school (I had a studio teacher on set), but of course I missed my friends at CSDR. The cast members became a family to me. We used to do fun things there. On Danielle Steele's Once in a Lifetime, I was thrilled some of my friends from CSDR [were] part of the shooting, mostly as extras.
Danielle von Zerneck (s6): La Bamba.
Debra Engle (s7): I did some plays and [had] just moved to California when I got lots of TV shows. Hilarious how so many friends post things on Facebook when they see some of these old TV shows [I did] (Golden Girls, etc.).
Christina Pickles (s7): All of my gigs are welcome and I learn from all of them. I loved the humanity in my Family Ties episode and I loved the humanity in St. Elsewhere and, yes, Friends—that's why it is still popular.
Byron Thames (s7): 84 Charlie MoPic, a Vietnam film directed by Patrick Duncan, comes to mind. Seven Minutes in Heaven with Jennifer Connelly and Maddie Corman was a blast. A Brand New Life with Barbara Eden and Jenny Garth was really fun.
Jaclyn Bernstein (s7): I haven't done it yet.
Part 8.
Do you have a favorite episode you were in?
John Putch (s1, 2, 5): I guess the episode where we pretend to be astronauts is a good one.
Alan Blumenfeld (s2, 3, 4, 5, 6): I have two—Aunt Trudy's funeral and the shoe store.
The Aunt Trudy episode was so fun—it had so much heart. Gary shared the writing with a spectacular team. But occasionally he'd write an episode himself and that was one of them. He could blend humor and pathos so beautifully.
[In the shoe store episode,] Michael Fox was working in a shoe store and Michael Gross was there and [my character] thought they were lovers because there was a misdirect when they were talking in such sweet tones. I remember these huge laughs and I remember Gary being very complimentary about my ability to hold for the laugh. It was like doing a play and Gary had a great appreciation for theater.
Robert Costanzo (s3, 4, 5, 6): I don't clearly remember my episodes other than the one when I applied to be the nanny ("Help Wanted"). That one generated a line that became iconic with Gary and me: "Heels! That's why I didn't get the job." [later in the episode, his character meets the character—played by Geena Davis—who got the nanny job, and when he hears she wore heels to the interview, he laments that he didn't] The mechanic one ("Engine Trouble") is a little fuzzy. I don't remember the janitor one ("Mister Sister")—oh god I'd love to see that. [I told him all seven seasons were currently free on Amazon Prime] Always had a lot of fun on that set.
Robert, did you know from the start that you would get somewhat steady work from the show?
Probably no. I had no contract. Gary might've always had me in the back in his mind for certain roles. I never read for any of them. Which was great—that was the way it used to be and the way it should still be. (laughs) I used to like when the producers were there so I could schmooze them rather than [auditioning] on tape like today.
I worked as top of the show guest star. ["Top of show" is what you are given as a guest star. It's SAG scale times the number of days you work. Today, top of show for a half-hour show is $5,200 for the week, an hour show is more like $6,000 for the week. Sometimes you can get double top of show.] Back then top of show was probably $2,500.
What has been your favorite acting gig?
Cindy Fisher (s1): Each job was unique and special in the fact that you
1. are working
2. can pay rent
3. always [have] new personalities, good and bad, to work with
4. [are] not in an office environment, nor are you behind a desk
The business has changed a lot, but before it was factory-produced like the majority is today, it was creative. I'm sure there are some productions that still are, but they are few and far between. Visionaries like Gary Goldberg are not supported by the networks like they used to be.
John Putch (s1, 2, 5): I will equate that with fun. And the most fun I ever had acting was doing the musicals at my Dad's summer theater back in Fayetteville, PA. I'd say Oklahoma! was the favorite.
Chris Hebert (s1, 2): It's hard to pick one but there are a few that stand out. Certainly Family Ties but definitely The Last Starfighter. Also Fuzzbucket, Twilight Zone. Those have great memories.
Terry Wills (s1, 2, 5, 6, 7): I guess you mean screen acting. It would have to be the week I spent with Redd Foxx on Sanford [1980-81 series] or the week I spent with John Ritter on Three's a Crowd. Two of the funniest guys I ever had the great pleasure of working with.
Kerry Noonan (s1): Playing Charity in "A Message from Charity" on The Twilight Zone. I loved the script and the characters and am still friends with the writer.
Edward Edwards (s2): I have been blessed to have had many different character roles to play on stage, on TV, and in film. This episode is without a doubt top 3 across all venues!
Kaleena Kiff (s2): Three's Company was pretty great because John Ritter gave me a kitten when I wrapped. But my favorite was The New Leave it to Beaver because, after five years together, the cast and crew became my extended family and are still a part of my life.
Kate Vernon (s2): At this point, I would say my role on Battlestar Galactica. My character was so full of surprises. She was smart, manipulative, playful, very fallible—so many things.
Eileen Seeley (s2): Certainly Family Ties as it was my first. It was just so fun! I also had the great fortune of doing several independent films with Poor Robert Productions, producer/director Paul Leder and cinematographer Francis Grumman. That was definitely a highlight of my time in Hollywood. I got to work with Cleavon Little, Penny Johnson Jerald, Viveca Lindfors, Gary Kroger, and Francis Fisher (to name a few) in addition to a fantastic crew that was like family. A truly unique experience.
Debbie Gilbert (now Webb) (s2): Definitely Family Ties. I also like Voice in Exile [1984] because my work was subtle. It was an independent film. Marc Allan Kaplan directed and produced; it was about Marc growing up stuttering.
I pursued acting for [only about] a year when I quit and worked in print and journalism. [I made this] decision after marrying my first husband (Grant Wilson) and meeting so many actor friends of his who were has-beens by the time they were in their thirties. I knew I was not a real thespian. My manager was good friends with Jerry Paris [Happy Days] and had me meet him [after the show was over]. Jerry told me that I would work because I was cute and had a big head, but he felt things were headed toward casting gals who were "edgy"—like Winona Ryder [MTN: film debut 1986]. The happy days were over. After a few dumb blonde jobs, I went brunette and was cast in a small USC film by Charlie Matthau. Now I was a dumb brunette. I met Grant on this set. Working for Charlie was a big deal for me, as I knew exactly who Walter Matthau [Charlie's father] was; for Grant it was a favor to Charlie.
Susan Isaacs (s2): Playing John Candy's wife in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. We improvised a couple of Thanksgiving dinners that ended up on the cutting room floor. Wish they'd release a DVD with those edited scenes. John Candy was a blast. I also got a fun gig on Seinfeld that is still in circulation. Most recently, I had a recurring role on Parks and Recreation. That was a blast. Comedies that are heavy with improv and sketch comedy actors do so well. I think the actors know that it's a collaboration, and that a rising tide raises all boats. I also started a sketch comedy group with Tony Hale, Jeannie Gaffigan, and Todd Wilkerson. We did a lot of live shows in New York and had a blast.
Kathleen Wilhoite (s2): Years ago I did a play with The Actors' Gang called Battery, and we worked in a very unique way. The play wasn't blocked. It was directed beautifully by Richard Olivier. I suppose artistically that was one of the more fulfilling jobs I've done. As far as show business is concerned, I suppose the wildest time I've ever had working on a film was doing an Arthur Miller movie called Everybody Wins.
Lenora May (s2): One of my favorites was a TV movie called Missing Children: A Mother's Story [1982], with Mare Winningham and Polly Holliday. I played a poor, illiterate Southern girl who signs away her baby without knowing what she is signing. Very emotional role and was my first job of many working with director Dick Lowry.
I also have a favorite play, Raise Me Up. I had to wear a bodysuit to [have] "larger breasts and butt." A big Italian mama.
Matthew Barry (s3): The Wraith. [Made] a lot of friends on that film and they've been my friends for over 30 years since.
Lily Mariye (s3): Family Ties is certainly up there with one of my favorites! I can't name just one. Some of my other favorites:
A play at the Manhattan Theatre Club called Tea. That was the first play I did in New York…what a thrill!Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. I was and am a big Star Trek fan! I totally geeked out being dressed in a real Star Trek uniform, operating a ship from the bridge.Extraordinary Measures, a film with Harrison Ford. We had a read-through before we started shooting. When I met Harrison, all I could think was, "Oh my God, I'm shaking Han Solo's hand!" Some of the actors weren't there for the read-through, so I read a few scenes with Harrison. That was super fun!ER. I was on that show for 15 seasons, made lifelong friends, saw births, weddings, and deaths. And got to act with some of the most amazing actors in our lifetime.Robert Costanzo (s3, 4, 5, 6): I wouldn't say Family Ties because they were only fun little vignettes. I did a movie called With Friends Like These… [1998] which for reasons I'm not clear on was not released in theaters. Penny Marshall produced it. It was about the life of a character actor—like myself. It's a beautiful film with an amazing cast. I played the lead. I loved [being on] the first year of NYPD Blue. It was a breakthrough series. I love doing theater. I did American Buffalo in a small theater out here.
Nancy Everhard (now Amandes) (s3): I've had a few…Reasonable Doubts [1991-93] with Mark Harmon and Marlee Matlin, Everwood [2002-06] with Chris Pratt, Treat Williams, and Tom Amandes, but the best was The Untouchables [1993-94], where I met my husband of 20 years, Tom Amandes! I was cast in L.A. and had to move to Chicago for the series. The very first line I had was as a college student watching Eliot Ness giving a speech. I turned to my friend and said, "I'm going to marry that man someday." And then it happened for real a few years later! Everwood shot in Utah so we spent five years living in Park City. My son started school there and we all learned how to ski. Emily VanCamp, Greg Smith, and Chris Pratt were just kids. We became a big family because we all moved to Utah from somewhere else. And now I am so proud of how well they are doing in their careers…and they are all still the nicest people to be with.
Norman Parker (s3, 5, 6): Working for several months with Sidney Lumet while filming Prince of the City.
Adam Carl (s3): That's a tough one. As a journeyman kid character actor, I got to bounce around and work on a lot of great television shows and work with some of my idols. On Hearts Afire I had the joy of working with the great John Ritter, whom I worshiped. On Newhart I got to work with Bob Newhart, who is one of my all-time comedy heroes. Those two alone and I could've died happy. But I also got to work with the likes of Ed Asner, Charles Durning, René Auberjonois, Tony Danza, Judith Light, Katherine Helmond, Bess Armstrong, Mimi Kennedy, Cloris Leachman, Harry Morgan, Judd Hirsch, McLean Stevenson, Tim Curry, the cast of Cheers, Mickey Rooney, all the amazing women on Designing Women, Billy Bob Thornton, George Gaynes, Markie Post, Richard Lewis, Jamie Lee Curtis, Teri Garr…I mean, I could go on, but it would just be annoying. Suffice it to say, I was incredibly lucky and it was a privilege to have the opportunity to act alongside—and learn from—so many talented performers (and writers! and directors!). This was a very long-winded way of saying that I don't think I could pick just one.
Gracie Harrison (s4): Family Ties was written so well and the message of empowerment Mrs. Hillman gave to Mallory made it by far my favorite TV role. But I'm so proud to have worked on Hill Street Blues, and, of course, Star Trek [Next Generation]. Working with stars from my childhood, Michael Landon in Highway to Heaven and Andy Griffith in Matlock, was a dream come true. I had written both of them a fan letter when I was in elementary school.
Robin Morse (s5): There have been several for different reasons. The first was Six Degrees of Separation by John Guare, at Lincoln Center. I was in the original cast, and it's where I met my husband. I played Tess, the daughter of Stockard Channing and John Cunningham, and the play was brilliant. The cast became so close, and the play was an enormous hit at the time. One of the highlights, not only of my career, but of my life. My second favorite was a play I did at The Arena Stage in Washington DC. The play, by Athol Fugard, is called My Children! My Africa! and I fell in love with the play and the character. Also, it was a really challenging part so I learned and grew an enormous amount from the experience.
Brian McNamara (s5): Army Wives.
Sonia Curtis (s5, 6): Probably Family Ties! And recently I had a lot of fun working on a character role in Stressed to Kill. Loved the role of Vera. Finding out who she was and how she dressed and spoke and moved and what her thought life and emotional temperature were was a lot of fun.
Stuart Pankin (s5): Mostly theater. I loved practically every play I did, especially working with my wife. But in film, I'd have to say Fatal Attraction. In TV, Not Necessarily the News.
Dana Andersen Schreiner (s5): Hmmm, that's a difficult question. Maybe a TNT movie I did called Montana. It wasn't an amazing role [and] I don't think I was very good in it; I was very miscast. We shot it in Bozeman, Montana, which was beautiful. We filmed a lot of it on Ted Turner's ranch. The cast was really interesting: Gena Rowlands, Richard Crenna, Lea Thompson, Michael Madsen, and Elizabeth Berridge (who became a dear friend). I also loved the director Billy Graham and his wife. The location was gorgeous and I bought a bike with my per diem and rode everywhere. We also made lots of day trips when we weren't working. It was the first time I had ever left my son Quinn, who was then 18 months old, which was really hard but also very relaxing. I was gone for only about two weeks but it was really fun.
Amy Lynne (s5): Family Ties was up there. Another is a show that you could never do these days because of the PC [concerns], The History of White People in America with Martin Mull. It was a satire making fun of us being white. Other favorites: Annie; working with Carol Burnett and John Huston and Bernadette Peters and Tim Curry. Those times are real special.
Nicole Nourmand (s5): Working on Family Ties was my favorite acting gig of all time. I loved being on the Paramount lot. I loved eating in the cafeteria there and seeing the stars from Cheers. I loved having my own dressing room.
Alyson Croft (s5): Family Ties would rank high, but working with Dick Van Dyke on Diagnosis: Murder was my favorite experience on set.
Ellen Latzen (s6): Probably National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Our cast and crew were wonderful and I grew to see them as family. So much laughter and fun times. There was always something magical about filming on a studio lot, which I first learned while working on Family Ties. The buzz that permeates through the different stages, so many projects going on at once. Warner Brothers was my home for three months and I absolutely loved being there.
Victor DiMattia (s6): The role that was the most fun for me and with which I am most associated is Timmy Timmons in The Sandlot [1993]. I spent an entire summer playing baseball and hanging out on a movie set with friends. None of my other roles topped that experience. The film has really taken on a life of its own. I am still contacted by fans daily.
Darrell Thomas Utley (s6): I enjoyed staying on the set of Days of Our Lives as I had to miss a year of school (I had a studio teacher on set), but of course I missed my friends at CSDR. The cast members became a family to me. We used to do fun things there. On Danielle Steele's Once in a Lifetime, I was thrilled some of my friends from CSDR [were] part of the shooting, mostly as extras.
Danielle von Zerneck (s6): La Bamba.
Debra Engle (s7): I did some plays and [had] just moved to California when I got lots of TV shows. Hilarious how so many friends post things on Facebook when they see some of these old TV shows [I did] (Golden Girls, etc.).
Christina Pickles (s7): All of my gigs are welcome and I learn from all of them. I loved the humanity in my Family Ties episode and I loved the humanity in St. Elsewhere and, yes, Friends—that's why it is still popular.
Byron Thames (s7): 84 Charlie MoPic, a Vietnam film directed by Patrick Duncan, comes to mind. Seven Minutes in Heaven with Jennifer Connelly and Maddie Corman was a blast. A Brand New Life with Barbara Eden and Jenny Garth was really fun.
Jaclyn Bernstein (s7): I haven't done it yet.
Part 8.
August 11, 2017
"Family Ties": oral history of the 1980s sitcom – part 6 – other cast
Introduction to the Family Ties oral history (including the list of interviewees and links to each part).
What was your impression of Marc Price?
John Putch (s1, 2, 5): Funny. I don't think we crossed paths. I remember the folks at One Day at a Time commenting that the Skippy character was very similar to the Bob Morton character I played on ODAAT. I didn't see it, but it was ironic that I was doing both shows.
Gracie Harrison (s4): Great sense of humor, kind, and fun to work with. I always though Skippy was underrated!
Sonia Curtis (s5, 6): Marc Price was very sweet and excited. Kind of like a puppy dog. Bounds of energy and enthusiasm—much like Skippy, whom he portrayed so brilliantly.
Amy Lynne (s5): I knew Marc before that show. He was the comedian at a kids' variety show in L.A. Marc is awesome, very talented, sweet as can be. Full of energy, which is how he comes across on the show.
Darrell Thomas Utley (s6): He had a scene where he would say few lines with me, so he did hang out with me behind the scenes to get the chemistry going and was pretty much a funny guy.
Susan Kohler (s6): I had a scene with Marc, Brian, and the boy who played my son. Marc was very hard working and very funny.
Danielle von Zerneck (s6): I loved him because of his Joe Franklin appearances. Remember him being around but have no clue if he was even in my ep.
What was your impression of Scott Valentine?
Brian McNamara (s5): So different from his character! Could not have been nicer.
Sonia Curtis (s5, 6): Scott was great. Funny and sweet. We had the same agents at the time and I saw him and his wife at charity events we all helped with.
What was your impression of Brian Bonsall?
Darrell Thomas Utley (s6): I remember being invited to his birthday party after we were done shooting the episode. We went out to a WWF match and got VIP access to meet Hulk Hogan that night. Overall a nice kid but we didn't keep in touch after that.
Susan Kohler (s6): Brian would disappear from the set and production would stop until they found him.
Earl, what was your impression of Tom Hanks (guest star, s1 and 2)?
He was a lot busier on the set than I was. Very pleasant. I was a big Bosom Buddies fan. The two of them on that show were just magic. Tom told me he had hesitation about doing it—at least that's what I remember!
Peter, though you and Tom have had long, busy careers, did you two ever chat about the fact that you both guested on Family Ties?
Yes. He said "You've gotta see this kid Michael J. Fox. It's like butter, it's so easy for him."
Chris, what was your impression of Bridgette Andersen (young Mallory, s1, who died in 1997)?
Nothing especially.
Chris, what was your impression of Kaleena Kiff (young Mallory, s2)?
I do remember she talked about Matt Dillon and wanting to go see Rumble Fish. That's about it.
John [Putch], what was your impression of Crispin Glover (s2 guest star)?
Sweet guy. Unique and unpredictable.
What was your impression of Gary David Goldberg?
John Putch (s1, 2, 5): Smart, soulful, and caring head of show. I had little interaction as I was only the guest cast a few times. But Gary continued to bring me in to read for his other shows as the years went by. He was very loyal that way.
Terry Wills (s1, 2, 5, 6, 7): The biggest mensch I ever met. I loved Gary. He was kind and funny and unbelievably generous, and produced the absolute best catered dinners ever.
Edward Edwards (s2): Gary was a truly remarkable writer and producer. When we met at the audition, I knew at the time that I actually was a completely different type than what Gary had envisioned for the character. After the first pass at the audition scene, he was laughing really hard and gave me some notes to do it again. I took that ball and ran really hard for the end zone. It was one of those great moments where I was able to take his notes and embellish them to the delight of all in the room. When I left the room I knew I had done everything possible, but I still had doubts as again I knew he originally was thinking of a different type and a different age.
Kate Vernon (s2): My memory of him is so dear. Such an easy laugh—easy to make laugh. It was reassuring and confidence-building. His soul was centered in such a warm place. He loved actors.
Tom Byrd (s2): Gary David Goldberg was one of the warmest, most supportive creator/producers I have ever met. He often preferred hugs to handshakes.
Kathleen Wilhoite (s2): He had an infectious laugh and he'd laugh loudly at rehearsal if he liked the way a scene was going. It made me happy to hear him laugh.
Lenora May (s2): My good friend was his assistant and said he was the best boss. Generous to a fault. I didn't have much contact with him.
Alan Blumenfeld (s2, 3, 4, 5, 6): More often than not, once you were a guest on a TV show, unless your character came back, you were done. But Gary had a repertory company—I don't remember the names of the other actors [he would hire more than once]. [They included Robert Costanzo and Terry Wills.] That was a real break in tradition. To say that we were grateful for that would be a real understatement.
Very often Gary would give me a job in November or December, which are slow times in the industry.
How sad that he's gone. I didn't go to his funeral but did see him a couple times in the years before he passed. I went to the reading of his book—he wrote this wonderful book. He was an amazing man.
Timothy Busfield (s3, 5): Great, encouraging. I was about to make an entrance on the "Best Man" episode where we have the joke about Yentl. Doug is so different from who I am so to pull that off required focus. I had to drop my IQ a good 50 points to go on. [Then] Gary ran backstage to where the entrance door is and told me how great it's going. But at 27, I told him to go away because I'm in a zone and I'm this character and the last thing I want to be doing at that moment is talking to the creator of the show! As we are counting down! The last ten seconds before the camera rolls belong to the actor—too late for notes. I'm like get the f*** out of here! He laughed. He got it.
Lily Mariye (s3): Gary was the Big Boss, the Papa of the set, a formidable presence. He was smart and wise and had a huge heart. I was very sad to hear of his passing.
Robert Costanzo (s3, 4, 5, 6): I always had a fondness for Gary. He went to Lafayette High School in Brooklyn. That school has a lot of famous alum—Sandy Koufax, Larry King, Rhea Perlman, Paul Sorvino. Gary and I knew each other because my brother played baseball for Lafayette. Gary was a really good ball player, especially basketball. He and I had sports in common, although we didn't hang out. I went to St. Francis Prep because my mom wanted me at a Catholic school and also so I wouldn't get taken advantage of by the fast Jewish girls at Lafayette. (laughs)
I'm a big neighborhood guy and I love that we all came from this sort of wasteland where you wouldn't think of anybody being in the arts. People from blue collar families who wouldn't know stage left from the Stage Door Deli.
Gary and I both ended up in L.A. and I'd heard he was trying to find me. He wrote the Last Resort character Murray the maître d' for me. When we set up a meeting so he could pitch me Murray, we became fast friends. He loved to talk about the old neighborhood. I hardly saw him but we spoke on the phone.
Gary used to go back to Brooklyn, get a limo, pick up his old friends, and go to the gym at Lafayette to play ball. They'd open it up for him, maybe on a weekend. I wasn't there but would hear this from my brother. Then they would go down to Nathan's in Coney Island to eat. He was very generous.
Gary was strong. He liked to have control. His casting was usually on the point. He had good instincts so I would not quarrel with him. I can't put him in the class of a Norman Lear but he was a very solid writer, very funny. He just knew how to do it. He wound up selling the Family Ties syndication rights to Paramount for something like $60 million—you can look that up. It was a big deal at the time. He eventually got tired of the business.
My brother was a fireman and wrote an interesting script about my Uncle Pete and his son Paul, who Gary knew from the baseball team. Paul was a writer for the New York Post and had a terrible accident on the highway, hit his head. He was never the same. I thought Gary could've gotten it done but he wasn't interested in directing television at that time.
His daughter Shana Goldberg-Meehan was a producer on Friends and the spinoff Joey. I played Joey's father—they were going to add me to the cast but then the show got canceled.
Norman Parker (s3, 5, 6): Whenever I was in the presence of Gary, I felt I was with, quite simply, the nicest and finest guy on the planet. It seems to me so right that he created Family Ties. Funny, like Gary himself, was but a small part of the humanity of the man and the show.
Adam Carl (s3): Over the years I've found myself wishing I remembered more about my interactions with him. I recall him being warm, avuncular, and supportive. I later did another series for his company (Ubu Productions) called The Bronx Zoo that starred Ed Asner. I did about 11 episodes, but I don't think I actually saw Gary the entire time I worked on that show.
Peter Scolari (s4): He was the best showrunner I'd ever seen and the best executive showrunner with half-hour comedy. In the modern era, the greatest showrunners I've known are Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner.
Gracie Harrison (s4): It was an honor to work for him. After a long morning rehearsal of my scene, we broke for lunch. As I walked back onto the set after the break, he was wrapping up a meeting with main principal cast and crew. He saw me walking across the set and started applauding, and then everyone took his cue. He then told me how happy they were with my performance. I was absolutely blown away. I will never forget how inspiring and grateful it made me feel.
Brian McNamara (s5): After two days of rehearsal, he didn't want to cut the show, [which] was long. He liked it so much that he went to the network and asked to make it an hour episode.
Sonia Curtis (s5, 6): Gary was like the father on set. Tall, kind, smart, and I felt protected. He seemed to really create that safe family environment and used to laugh hard and loud at rehearsals and run-throughs. He seemed like a very kind man.
Stuart Pankin (s5): Clever, creative, and made a brilliant decision casting me. I believe he was an unknown before I did the show. I guess I put him on the map. Two negatives: He should have paid me more, and he never wrote or sent flowers (is that three?).
Dana Andersen Schreiner (s5): Very nice. Very encouraging. I had read for him different times for different projects, [including] quite a few times for Family Ties. He was always very complimentary and friendly. My Family Ties episode was the last one of the season so there was a big wrap party after we taped and Gary went out of his way to tell me that I should be sure and come.
Alyson Croft (s5): He was always laughing and very encouraging.
Ellen Latzen (s6): I remember Gary David Goldberg being a very nice man. He had a great presence. But what will always stand out in my mind about him was his laugh. There could have been 100 people in the audience, but when someone delivered a joke, it was his booming laughter that almost drowned out the rest. It was a staple of the show, the indicator that what was happening was funny. His infectious laughter can be heard in every episode of Family Ties, and I found that oddly comforting when filming.
Darrell Thomas Utley (s6): He was the guy whom I remember as someone important because he made my role happen. He really genuinely embraced my role and made sure I was comfortable. He arranged support such as interpreters.
Susan Kohler (s6): He was very generous and had the most heartfelt laugh. He paid attention to everything and had such a positive attitude. During rehearsals, that genuine laugh prevailed while we worked. It was very affirming and you knew the humor was coming through.
Christina Pickles (s7): One of those rare and kind producers—supportive and positive.
Jaclyn Bernstein (s7): Gary was wonderful to me! As a child, I didn't know the breadth of his work. You meet so many executives and most of them just treat you like the kid, but Gary treated me like family. He wanted to bring my character back as a recurring, but it was the final season so we talked about developing another project together. I later worked on his beloved Brooklyn Bridge.
Part 7.
What was your impression of Marc Price?
John Putch (s1, 2, 5): Funny. I don't think we crossed paths. I remember the folks at One Day at a Time commenting that the Skippy character was very similar to the Bob Morton character I played on ODAAT. I didn't see it, but it was ironic that I was doing both shows.
Gracie Harrison (s4): Great sense of humor, kind, and fun to work with. I always though Skippy was underrated!
Sonia Curtis (s5, 6): Marc Price was very sweet and excited. Kind of like a puppy dog. Bounds of energy and enthusiasm—much like Skippy, whom he portrayed so brilliantly.
Amy Lynne (s5): I knew Marc before that show. He was the comedian at a kids' variety show in L.A. Marc is awesome, very talented, sweet as can be. Full of energy, which is how he comes across on the show.
Darrell Thomas Utley (s6): He had a scene where he would say few lines with me, so he did hang out with me behind the scenes to get the chemistry going and was pretty much a funny guy.
Susan Kohler (s6): I had a scene with Marc, Brian, and the boy who played my son. Marc was very hard working and very funny.
Danielle von Zerneck (s6): I loved him because of his Joe Franklin appearances. Remember him being around but have no clue if he was even in my ep.
What was your impression of Scott Valentine?
Brian McNamara (s5): So different from his character! Could not have been nicer.
Sonia Curtis (s5, 6): Scott was great. Funny and sweet. We had the same agents at the time and I saw him and his wife at charity events we all helped with.
What was your impression of Brian Bonsall?
Darrell Thomas Utley (s6): I remember being invited to his birthday party after we were done shooting the episode. We went out to a WWF match and got VIP access to meet Hulk Hogan that night. Overall a nice kid but we didn't keep in touch after that.
Susan Kohler (s6): Brian would disappear from the set and production would stop until they found him.
Earl, what was your impression of Tom Hanks (guest star, s1 and 2)?
He was a lot busier on the set than I was. Very pleasant. I was a big Bosom Buddies fan. The two of them on that show were just magic. Tom told me he had hesitation about doing it—at least that's what I remember!
Peter, though you and Tom have had long, busy careers, did you two ever chat about the fact that you both guested on Family Ties?
Yes. He said "You've gotta see this kid Michael J. Fox. It's like butter, it's so easy for him."
Chris, what was your impression of Bridgette Andersen (young Mallory, s1, who died in 1997)?
Nothing especially.
Chris, what was your impression of Kaleena Kiff (young Mallory, s2)?
I do remember she talked about Matt Dillon and wanting to go see Rumble Fish. That's about it.
John [Putch], what was your impression of Crispin Glover (s2 guest star)?
Sweet guy. Unique and unpredictable.
What was your impression of Gary David Goldberg?
John Putch (s1, 2, 5): Smart, soulful, and caring head of show. I had little interaction as I was only the guest cast a few times. But Gary continued to bring me in to read for his other shows as the years went by. He was very loyal that way.
Terry Wills (s1, 2, 5, 6, 7): The biggest mensch I ever met. I loved Gary. He was kind and funny and unbelievably generous, and produced the absolute best catered dinners ever.
Edward Edwards (s2): Gary was a truly remarkable writer and producer. When we met at the audition, I knew at the time that I actually was a completely different type than what Gary had envisioned for the character. After the first pass at the audition scene, he was laughing really hard and gave me some notes to do it again. I took that ball and ran really hard for the end zone. It was one of those great moments where I was able to take his notes and embellish them to the delight of all in the room. When I left the room I knew I had done everything possible, but I still had doubts as again I knew he originally was thinking of a different type and a different age.
Kate Vernon (s2): My memory of him is so dear. Such an easy laugh—easy to make laugh. It was reassuring and confidence-building. His soul was centered in such a warm place. He loved actors.
Tom Byrd (s2): Gary David Goldberg was one of the warmest, most supportive creator/producers I have ever met. He often preferred hugs to handshakes.
Kathleen Wilhoite (s2): He had an infectious laugh and he'd laugh loudly at rehearsal if he liked the way a scene was going. It made me happy to hear him laugh.
Lenora May (s2): My good friend was his assistant and said he was the best boss. Generous to a fault. I didn't have much contact with him.
Alan Blumenfeld (s2, 3, 4, 5, 6): More often than not, once you were a guest on a TV show, unless your character came back, you were done. But Gary had a repertory company—I don't remember the names of the other actors [he would hire more than once]. [They included Robert Costanzo and Terry Wills.] That was a real break in tradition. To say that we were grateful for that would be a real understatement.
Very often Gary would give me a job in November or December, which are slow times in the industry.
How sad that he's gone. I didn't go to his funeral but did see him a couple times in the years before he passed. I went to the reading of his book—he wrote this wonderful book. He was an amazing man.
Timothy Busfield (s3, 5): Great, encouraging. I was about to make an entrance on the "Best Man" episode where we have the joke about Yentl. Doug is so different from who I am so to pull that off required focus. I had to drop my IQ a good 50 points to go on. [Then] Gary ran backstage to where the entrance door is and told me how great it's going. But at 27, I told him to go away because I'm in a zone and I'm this character and the last thing I want to be doing at that moment is talking to the creator of the show! As we are counting down! The last ten seconds before the camera rolls belong to the actor—too late for notes. I'm like get the f*** out of here! He laughed. He got it.
Lily Mariye (s3): Gary was the Big Boss, the Papa of the set, a formidable presence. He was smart and wise and had a huge heart. I was very sad to hear of his passing.
Robert Costanzo (s3, 4, 5, 6): I always had a fondness for Gary. He went to Lafayette High School in Brooklyn. That school has a lot of famous alum—Sandy Koufax, Larry King, Rhea Perlman, Paul Sorvino. Gary and I knew each other because my brother played baseball for Lafayette. Gary was a really good ball player, especially basketball. He and I had sports in common, although we didn't hang out. I went to St. Francis Prep because my mom wanted me at a Catholic school and also so I wouldn't get taken advantage of by the fast Jewish girls at Lafayette. (laughs)
I'm a big neighborhood guy and I love that we all came from this sort of wasteland where you wouldn't think of anybody being in the arts. People from blue collar families who wouldn't know stage left from the Stage Door Deli.
Gary and I both ended up in L.A. and I'd heard he was trying to find me. He wrote the Last Resort character Murray the maître d' for me. When we set up a meeting so he could pitch me Murray, we became fast friends. He loved to talk about the old neighborhood. I hardly saw him but we spoke on the phone.
Gary used to go back to Brooklyn, get a limo, pick up his old friends, and go to the gym at Lafayette to play ball. They'd open it up for him, maybe on a weekend. I wasn't there but would hear this from my brother. Then they would go down to Nathan's in Coney Island to eat. He was very generous.
Gary was strong. He liked to have control. His casting was usually on the point. He had good instincts so I would not quarrel with him. I can't put him in the class of a Norman Lear but he was a very solid writer, very funny. He just knew how to do it. He wound up selling the Family Ties syndication rights to Paramount for something like $60 million—you can look that up. It was a big deal at the time. He eventually got tired of the business.
My brother was a fireman and wrote an interesting script about my Uncle Pete and his son Paul, who Gary knew from the baseball team. Paul was a writer for the New York Post and had a terrible accident on the highway, hit his head. He was never the same. I thought Gary could've gotten it done but he wasn't interested in directing television at that time.
His daughter Shana Goldberg-Meehan was a producer on Friends and the spinoff Joey. I played Joey's father—they were going to add me to the cast but then the show got canceled.
Norman Parker (s3, 5, 6): Whenever I was in the presence of Gary, I felt I was with, quite simply, the nicest and finest guy on the planet. It seems to me so right that he created Family Ties. Funny, like Gary himself, was but a small part of the humanity of the man and the show.
Adam Carl (s3): Over the years I've found myself wishing I remembered more about my interactions with him. I recall him being warm, avuncular, and supportive. I later did another series for his company (Ubu Productions) called The Bronx Zoo that starred Ed Asner. I did about 11 episodes, but I don't think I actually saw Gary the entire time I worked on that show.
Peter Scolari (s4): He was the best showrunner I'd ever seen and the best executive showrunner with half-hour comedy. In the modern era, the greatest showrunners I've known are Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner.
Gracie Harrison (s4): It was an honor to work for him. After a long morning rehearsal of my scene, we broke for lunch. As I walked back onto the set after the break, he was wrapping up a meeting with main principal cast and crew. He saw me walking across the set and started applauding, and then everyone took his cue. He then told me how happy they were with my performance. I was absolutely blown away. I will never forget how inspiring and grateful it made me feel.
Brian McNamara (s5): After two days of rehearsal, he didn't want to cut the show, [which] was long. He liked it so much that he went to the network and asked to make it an hour episode.
Sonia Curtis (s5, 6): Gary was like the father on set. Tall, kind, smart, and I felt protected. He seemed to really create that safe family environment and used to laugh hard and loud at rehearsals and run-throughs. He seemed like a very kind man.
Stuart Pankin (s5): Clever, creative, and made a brilliant decision casting me. I believe he was an unknown before I did the show. I guess I put him on the map. Two negatives: He should have paid me more, and he never wrote or sent flowers (is that three?).
Dana Andersen Schreiner (s5): Very nice. Very encouraging. I had read for him different times for different projects, [including] quite a few times for Family Ties. He was always very complimentary and friendly. My Family Ties episode was the last one of the season so there was a big wrap party after we taped and Gary went out of his way to tell me that I should be sure and come.
Alyson Croft (s5): He was always laughing and very encouraging.
Ellen Latzen (s6): I remember Gary David Goldberg being a very nice man. He had a great presence. But what will always stand out in my mind about him was his laugh. There could have been 100 people in the audience, but when someone delivered a joke, it was his booming laughter that almost drowned out the rest. It was a staple of the show, the indicator that what was happening was funny. His infectious laughter can be heard in every episode of Family Ties, and I found that oddly comforting when filming.
Darrell Thomas Utley (s6): He was the guy whom I remember as someone important because he made my role happen. He really genuinely embraced my role and made sure I was comfortable. He arranged support such as interpreters.
Susan Kohler (s6): He was very generous and had the most heartfelt laugh. He paid attention to everything and had such a positive attitude. During rehearsals, that genuine laugh prevailed while we worked. It was very affirming and you knew the humor was coming through.
Christina Pickles (s7): One of those rare and kind producers—supportive and positive.
Jaclyn Bernstein (s7): Gary was wonderful to me! As a child, I didn't know the breadth of his work. You meet so many executives and most of them just treat you like the kid, but Gary treated me like family. He wanted to bring my character back as a recurring, but it was the final season so we talked about developing another project together. I later worked on his beloved Brooklyn Bridge.
Part 7.
August 10, 2017
"Family Ties": oral history of the 1980s sitcom – part 5 – rest of the family
Introduction to the Family Ties oral history (including the list of interviewees and links to each part).
What was your impression of Meredith Baxter Birney?
Cindy Fisher (s1): Didn't really know her. She did not extend herself to me as an artist.
John Putch (s1, 2, 5): Everyone had a crush on her. And she was super professional and caring about all of us in the guest cast.
Chris Hebert (s1, 2): She was very complimentary and accommodating of my personality. I had come in with a few ideas to add to the script for our scene—honestly not to pad my part, but I thought would be fun—that weren't accepted, but the producer was very nice in at least hearing me out. I remember her complimenting my mother about my professionalism and my coming with creative ideas—it felt great to be affirmed at such a young age.
Terry Wills (s1, 2, 5, 6, 7): Very nice person. Very straightforward. I once brought my daughter, who was three or four at the time, to the set and have a picture of her somewhere sitting on Meredith's lap. Meredith warned me never to try to put my kids in show business because it ruins their lives.
Kaleena Kiff (s2): She was very patient and super groovy in her hippie night gown.
Kate Vernon (s2): Super nice and warm and sweet. Not intimidating.
Debbie Gilbert (now Webb) (s2): Meredith invited me, Katie, and Eileen to exercise with her in her dressing room. I was not sure if she was a real human being. I was floating in her dressing room, not knowing how to behave so close to a television star I had watched and admired for years before on other shows.
Alan Blumenfeld (s2, 3, 4, 5, 6): Spectacular. More beautiful before makeup than with makeup. Whip-smart. Kind and inviting.
Timothy Busfield (s3, 5): Growing up, I was a fan of hers. She had a great spirit, came to play. Slightly detached—it was very much "the adults are the adults and the kids are the kids," and we were the "kids," even though she probably wasn't much older than me. Felt that way to me, at least, in my short time there.
Lily Mariye (s3): Meredith was pregnant with twins while we were shooting! At one point, I sat down on a chaise lounge that was set up just off the set. Meredith came rushing over after she had rehearsed a scene and said, "Excuse me, may I lay down?" I jumped up and said, "Of course!" The production had put this beautiful couch there for her to rest on! She was very sweet and very complimentary.
Robert Costanzo (s3, 4, 5, 6): I liked Meredith. We didn't have much to do with each other. She was professional. Most sitcoms, you'd get notes after. Usually Gary would give them rather than the director. Sometimes Gary and Meredith would get into some discussions on motivations. She was kind of a serious actress.
Norman Parker (s3, 5, 6): A total sweetheart, on and off the set. A lovely actress and a kind and present lady who it was always nice being around.
Peter Scolari (s4): I was just in love with her, really, quite honestly. I was a married man but I found her enchanting. Humble, extremely talented. One of my all-time favorite people. I had not met her before that.
Gracie Harrison (s4): Lovely, very approachable, friendly, and easygoing. I remember her bringing her two-year-old twins to work.
Robin Morse (s5): She was just like her character on the show. Very warm, funny, and maternal. She treated me with great respect and as a peer.
Margaret Nagle (s5): She was the only person who seemed prickly. Maybe she was having an off day. Or maybe she's shy or claustrophobic in a large group.
Dana Andersen Schreiner (s5): Very kind and welcoming. Down to earth. Very friendly.
Amy Lynne (s5): She was the one I got to know the least. Other than our scenes together, we didn't have much contact. Going back to my first instincts about her, she looked sad a lot. I think she was going through some tough stuff at the time. She had [new] twins so she was tired.
Alyson Croft (s5): She was always attentive, focused, and friendly.
Jason Naylor (s6, 7): I have an amusing recollection of working on a crossword puzzle with Ms. Baxter, possibly answering some clue involving a lesser-known Beatles cut or some such thing. I happened to see Ms. Baxter many years later at a small local art school in West L.A., where [I] was a student and being amazed that she seemed not to have changed at all in the interval.
Christina Pickles (s7): Great to work with. Lovely. Quiet. Helpful.
Byron Thames (s7): Especially warm and complimentary.
Jaclyn Bernstein (s7): She was smart and had impeccable timing. I remember her suggesting to cut [one of her] lines in the kitchen because it didn't work in the flow of the scene. Actors have a bad rep for being egotistical and always wanting to be on camera, so it was significant for me to witness the lead actress of the show put the needs of the scene first—a real learning moment. And it was absolutely normal for the cast to flow like that.
What was your impression of Michael Gross?
Cindy Fisher (s1): He was extremely focused and always raising questions. He wanted to be good and wanted the show to be better so he was constantly contributing. Really worked hard on it and I admired his abilities. I think comedy was new to him but don't know for sure. Approached it like a dramatic studio actor. He was my favorite to work with.
John Putch (s1, 2, 5): The secret weapon actor. The Swiss Army knife of actors. He can do anything. And to his credit, a few years ago I hired him to be in the cast of a film I was directing and he actually remembered me! I now look to put him in any cast I can. He is terrific and still going strong.
Terry Wills (s1, 2, 5, 6, 7): Maybe the mellowest human being I ever met in the business. Just a sweet guy, and he loved trains.
Kerry Noonan (s1): I arrived on the set and was looking for a production assistant or the assistant director to find out where they wanted me to be. As I was rather awkwardly looking around, this nice man came up to me, asked me my name and who I was playing, and put me at ease as we chatted. Then it was time for a table read—when everyone sits around a table and reads through the script. To my surprise, the nice A.D. was reading the father's part…it took me a while to realize that was actually Michael Gross! He was unassuming, kind, and very welcoming.
Kaleena Kiff (s2): I honestly can't remember him…maybe because he was dressed like Santa?
Susan Isaacs (s2): He was polite and warm. I kinda crushed on him that week.
Alan Blumenfeld (s2, 3, 4, 5, 6): Great. A theater guy. He went to Yale. He did not know this but my wife auditioned for Yale Drama School the same day as Michael.
Timothy Busfield (s3, 5): Kind. He told me to keep stuff that was funny. We liked playing. But again, he was part of the "adult" group. By then, Gary had turned the reins over to Michael J. Fox and that seemed okay with everybody. I felt like I was part of the A-team (Michael's team). I've seen him again later in life and we go back. There's actors from shows I've done that you wouldn't necessarily go up to and talk to now [because they weren't/aren't open to that].
Matthew Barry (s3): Michael was the kindest person I had ever met. No ego whatsoever. I recently ran into him in my casting office and thanked him for being so kind to me.
Lily Mariye (s3): Michael was eccentric and he usually rode his bike to the set every day. Our dressing rooms were all across from each other in a long corridor, and one day he came across the hall and knocked on my door. He said that he had driven his car to the studio that day and that he was out of gas, could he borrow $5? I was puzzled that a series regular would be asking to borrow money from one of the guest stars, but I loaned it to him anyway. On the last day of the episode, on shooting day, I gave him a gas can as a gift. He never paid me my $5 back. I found out later that he had done that to other guest stars as well!
Robert Costanzo (s3, 4, 5, 6): I liked Michael. He was warm and humble. I think very underrated. We talked about theater once in a while, made some jokes. He was never above anything. Sometimes you go on these sitcoms and no one wants to talk to you.
Norman Parker (s3, 5, 6): Such a nice guy and fine actor with a deep and subtle understanding of comedy. It was easy believing we were brothers.
Adam Carl (s3): Incredibly sweet to me and easily my favorite character on Family Ties. I've always felt that Michael Gross was vastly underrated as a comic actor. He did some really fine comic work.
Peter Scolari (s4): Also very supportive. More of a contemporary, just a couple of years older than I [NOTE: Peter was born in 1955, Meredith and Michael both in 1947—same day, in fact]. He was an experienced stage actor and I had done theater. There was a bond there. He sort of guided me on the tenor of Family Ties, a primer on how they did things there. I felt like a series regular within 48 hours.
Gracie Harrison (s4): He has to be my favorite cast member. He was charming, very funny, and so welcoming. I felt like I'd known him for years.
Robin Morse (s5): A really sweet man, a lot like his character as well. Very grounded and down to earth.
Margaret Nagle (s5): He came over and introduced himself to all the guest stars.
Dana Andersen Schreiner (s5): Incredibly sweet. Very curious. Asked me lots of questions and seemed genuinely interested. I happened to run in to him about six months later at Odyssey Theatre. I saw him from a distance but didn't approach him because I thought he wouldn't remember me, but then he saw me and came right over to say hi, greeting me by name. He even asked about a project I was working on that I had mentioned to him during Family Ties. I was stunned given how many different guest stars have been on Family Ties.
Amy Lynne (s5): Sweet as can be. Probably my favorite next to Justine. Naturally funny. During down time he would have really funny one-liners. I don't think the show captured how funny he was. It was stuff after the tape ended. But that puppet show—I was almost peeing my pants.
Alyson Croft (s5): He was hilarious and jovial most of the time.
Nick Rutherford (s7): I very vaguely remember thinking he was funny.
Jaclyn Bernstein (s7): Michael and I had worked together before. We did a movie for television with Raquel Welch. They were my parents and it was a very emotional project. Her character had multiple sclerosis and gradually loses all of her motor skills, ultimately choosing to end her life. It was an intense shoot and Raquel was amazing in it. I was even younger on that project. It was great to work with Michael again. I think it was Gary's idea to have me surprise him on set (Michael didn't know I was working that week). So in the scene where I come knocking on the back door in the kitchen, he opened the door and there I was, his former daughter! It was a big laugh to surprise him like that.
What was your impression of Justine Bateman?
Cindy Fisher (s1): She was funny in person, and seemed nice.
John Putch (s1, 2, 5): What a nice girl. I remember her being so energetic and happy about the show. Especially the taping nights with the live audience.
Chris Hebert (s1, 2): She had Elvis Costello posters all over her dressing room/school room.
Earl Boen (s1, 3): [We didn't interact much.] You don't want to come across as the dirty old man! (laughs)
Terry Wills (s1, 2, 5, 6, 7): Very nice. Kept to herself, for the most part. She was always reading when she was off set.
Kerry Noonan (s1): Oddly enough, a few years later, I replaced Justine Bateman in a role for the new Twilight Zone [1985 revival], part way through its shooting. Luckily, I seem to have worn the same size as Justine, so I just used her costumes.
Kaleena Kiff (s2): I thought she was the prettiest girl I'd ever seen, which was awesome because I was playing the younger version of her. My only concern was that she had bright blue eyes while mine were hazel. I hoped no one would notice.
Eileen Seeley (s2): I was later part of a company at Richmond Shepard Theatre that was founded by Justine's dad and I would occasionally set sit for Jason when he was doing Silver Spoons.
Debbie Gilbert (now Webb) (s2): WOW!!! After the show was over, there was a small cast party on the set. I watched from the side of somewhere as a couple of women came up to her at the same time, one lined her eyes with a smoky stick pencil, the other made a braid so it could tie back her long, shiny, straight black hair. I could not believe what I was seeing—this is what it must be to be famous. Much later in my life, I spotted Justine at Hillcrest Country Club, where Elliot and I were members; she appeared drawn, thin, tired, and worn. I was not disappointed as by then I had seen plenty of these shiny '80s stars become dull. I was grateful for the excitement I had as a young girl.
Susan Isaacs (s2): Justine was in our scene and always made us feel comfortable. Offstage she seemed very shy. I can't imagine what it was like to be a teenager thrust into the spotlight, especially if you're an introvert. A few years ago, we were both at an audition for Curb Your Enthusiasm. She loaned me her sides [lines you must learn prior to an audition] and was very kind. She didn't remember me from Adam; she just treated people with respect.
Kathleen Wilhoite (s2): All of my scenes were with her, so I got to know her the most. We've been friends ever since—not hanging out friends, but she did one of my favorite podcasts.
Lenora May (s2): Very friendly, down to earth. Open to suggestion. Not a prima donna.
Alan Blumenfeld (s2, 3, 4, 5, 6): I loved her! God, I loved her! She was so sweet. We [later] did a movie together called The TV Set. I've seen her twice since, and her brother Jason. I've done two other shows with Jason including an episode of Arrested Development. My recollection is that Justine was young, grateful, really professional, and incredibly beautiful.
Timothy Busfield (s3, 5): She just made me laugh. I thought she was really cool. She was really comfortable by that point. Absolutely stunningly beautiful.
Matthew Barry (s3): Justine was a bit standoffish. Not as friendly as the others…and here I was playing her boyfriend.
Lily Mariye (s3): She was an introvert, mostly kept to herself. I thought she was very beautiful and a very talented actor.
Norman Parker (s3, 5, 6): A serious actress. I was always impressed.
Peter Scolari (s4): Just beautiful. I got a sense that she was sort of growing out, aging out of the role. She seemed mature beyond her years. She did seem like a kid [on screen], so credit to her—when the camera rolled, she transformed.
Gracie Harrison (s4): Pure professionalism, amazing work ethic, giving, very talented young lady. During my breaks from rehearsal, I would sit in the empty audience section and watch her and Michael Fox rehearse together. There was so much talent between them; it was wonderful seeing them work together.
Robin Morse (s5): Very sweet and easy to work with. Funny, too.
Jonna Lee Pangburn (s5): Ms. Bateman was a teenager with all the bumps and prickles that come with that.
Brian McNamara (s5): She was fantastic! I had a huge crush on her!
Sonia Curtis (s5, 6): Justine was nice but more reserved.
Dana Andersen Schreiner (s5): Very nice but a little more standoffish. Not that she wasn't friendly—she just wasn't a chatter. I had worked with her before on an after school special called First the Egg, which she remembered. I had just seen a TV movie that she had done where she played a blind girl, I can't remember the name of it, but I remember telling her how much I liked her performance in it, which seemed to really make her happy. I really did like her performance very much and she could tell I was genuine.
Amy Lynne (s5): Really fun. And really nice. Like your normal teenage girl. She and Tina would hang with the guests when they didn't had to. Every once in a while [after I appeared on the show], I used to talk to Justine, but that was a long time ago. I bumped into her a couple of times, we exchanged phone numbers, but we never hung out.
Nicole Nourmand (s5): Very professional but kept to herself.
Alyson Croft (s5): She was the coolest and we would do dance moves when we had some downtime before scenes.
Jason Naylor (s6, 7): I don't recall it myself, perhaps by dint of being to wrapped up in my dashed hopes at the moment, but my mother tells the story that Ms. Bateman, who was friendly with the hairdresser on set, was deep in conversation with her while she was cutting my hair for the second episode—so deep, in fact, that my mother, with sympathy for my plight and a parent's concern, felt that the haircut was suffering and gently and politely asked if they wouldn't consider continuing their chat at another time.
Danielle von Zerneck (s6): We had some friends in common but she seemed standoffish at the time. Part of that was I was intimidated by her. Funnily enough, she subsequently was in a movie my brother wrote and directed and I produced. I would now consider her an old friend. Saw her a few months back and it was nice to catch up. She's really lovely.
Hilary Shepard (s7): My scenes were mostly with her and she couldn't have been nicer. I had just worked with her little brother on It's Your Move, and she remembered me from that, which was sweet.
Christina Pickles (s7): We talked ballet.
Jaclyn Bernstein (s7): I thought she was just the coolest chick in the world! This was right after her movie Satisfaction—about a group of young women who formed a band—came out, and I loooooved that movie. I had it on VHS and watched it on repeat! I may even have had the soundtrack, ha ha. I remember sitting in the living room set (we were waiting around to rehearse, something like that) and she just started talking to me—asking me about my weekend, about school. She was so friendly, warm, and cool! And gorgeous.
What was your impression of Tina Yothers?
Cindy Fisher (s1): Young!
John Putch (s1, 2, 5): Very young and sweet. Her mom was always there, too, 'cause she was a minor.
Kathleen Wilhoite (s2): She was young and quiet. Justine and Tina are still friends. Justine says Tina has a great singing voice.
Lenora May (s2): Not a brat.
Timothy Busfield (s3, 5): I liked goofing with her.
Lily Mariye (s3): Tina was about 11 when we were shooting, and she became my best friend for the week! We hung out at lunch and in between rehearsing and shooting, she would take me around the set to see the inner workings of the backs of all the "rooms" at the Keaton house. We had a lot of fun. She was adorable and smart.
Adam Carl (s3): I feel like we had a very "bantery" relationship that week, a lot of faux teasing. Even though we didn't share any scenes together, we probably did school together every day, though it's all a blur now. As a result, I probably spent more time with her than the other regulars.
Peter Scolari (s4): She was open, impressionable, vulnerable. She stole your heart right away.
Jonna Lee Pangburn (s5): Even though Tina and I did not have any work together, I found her to be a charming and approachable young woman. I did not interact with her much, but a very dear friend who was helping me out one day and came to the set was absolutely giddy with how funny, friendly, and down-to-earth she was.
Dana Andersen Schreiner (s5): Very, very nice, but kind of quiet. She seemed very mature and wise beyond her years. One conversation I had with her has always stuck with me. We were sitting next to each other in the audience section waiting to be called to rehearse our scene [and] watching Brian Bonsall rehearse a scene. Brian was being difficult. He didn't want to do it and was throwing a little bit of a tantrum. They had to call his mom in to see if she could get him to cooperate. Tina was rolling her eyes and mumbling "Here we go again." [She said it happened] "all the time." She said Brian shouldn't be acting because he clearly didn't enjoy it. She was surprised he was cast. She told me that when she was that age and acting that she loved every minute of it. She believed you couldn't force a kid to want to do it—they just have to love it innately. She said she knew from day one that Brian was going to have trouble because she could see he didn't really want to be there. It was his parents who wanted him to be there.
Amy Lynne (s5): Sweet as could be. One of the sweetest girls that I had played a part with. I was amazed at how sweet she was for all the fame she had. Very caring, worried about each of us playing her friends. She took the time even when we weren't working to hang out with us. Maybe she found it refreshing that she had so many kids her own age there for once.
Nicole Nourmand (s5): Very sweet but shyer than I expected.
Alyson Croft (s5): She was very friendly and nice.
Jason Naylor (s6, 7): Regrettably, in the not insubstantial interval I seem to have mislaid any particular recollections regarding our interactions. Certainly, the entirety of the both shoots was a delight, and I recall the stunt scene in the second episode with particular fondness; it may be that Ms. Yothers was so integral to all those moments as to have become blurred along with the rest into the generalized memory of the experience itself.
Ellen Latzen (s6): Tina was a doll. She was very engaging and made an effort to get to know us off camera. I just remember feeling very comfortable with her and wanting to chat with her about whatever I could. I might have even asked for her phone number so we could keep in touch, though we didn't.
Darrell Thomas Utley (s6): She was sweet and nice and [came] to me to learn some sign language. For some reason I remember her the most, probably because she was a cute blonde? Maybe I was starstruck by her…
Part 6.
What was your impression of Meredith Baxter Birney?
Cindy Fisher (s1): Didn't really know her. She did not extend herself to me as an artist.
John Putch (s1, 2, 5): Everyone had a crush on her. And she was super professional and caring about all of us in the guest cast.
Chris Hebert (s1, 2): She was very complimentary and accommodating of my personality. I had come in with a few ideas to add to the script for our scene—honestly not to pad my part, but I thought would be fun—that weren't accepted, but the producer was very nice in at least hearing me out. I remember her complimenting my mother about my professionalism and my coming with creative ideas—it felt great to be affirmed at such a young age.
Terry Wills (s1, 2, 5, 6, 7): Very nice person. Very straightforward. I once brought my daughter, who was three or four at the time, to the set and have a picture of her somewhere sitting on Meredith's lap. Meredith warned me never to try to put my kids in show business because it ruins their lives.
Kaleena Kiff (s2): She was very patient and super groovy in her hippie night gown.
Kate Vernon (s2): Super nice and warm and sweet. Not intimidating.
Debbie Gilbert (now Webb) (s2): Meredith invited me, Katie, and Eileen to exercise with her in her dressing room. I was not sure if she was a real human being. I was floating in her dressing room, not knowing how to behave so close to a television star I had watched and admired for years before on other shows.
Alan Blumenfeld (s2, 3, 4, 5, 6): Spectacular. More beautiful before makeup than with makeup. Whip-smart. Kind and inviting.
Timothy Busfield (s3, 5): Growing up, I was a fan of hers. She had a great spirit, came to play. Slightly detached—it was very much "the adults are the adults and the kids are the kids," and we were the "kids," even though she probably wasn't much older than me. Felt that way to me, at least, in my short time there.
Lily Mariye (s3): Meredith was pregnant with twins while we were shooting! At one point, I sat down on a chaise lounge that was set up just off the set. Meredith came rushing over after she had rehearsed a scene and said, "Excuse me, may I lay down?" I jumped up and said, "Of course!" The production had put this beautiful couch there for her to rest on! She was very sweet and very complimentary.
Robert Costanzo (s3, 4, 5, 6): I liked Meredith. We didn't have much to do with each other. She was professional. Most sitcoms, you'd get notes after. Usually Gary would give them rather than the director. Sometimes Gary and Meredith would get into some discussions on motivations. She was kind of a serious actress.
Norman Parker (s3, 5, 6): A total sweetheart, on and off the set. A lovely actress and a kind and present lady who it was always nice being around.
Peter Scolari (s4): I was just in love with her, really, quite honestly. I was a married man but I found her enchanting. Humble, extremely talented. One of my all-time favorite people. I had not met her before that.
Gracie Harrison (s4): Lovely, very approachable, friendly, and easygoing. I remember her bringing her two-year-old twins to work.
Robin Morse (s5): She was just like her character on the show. Very warm, funny, and maternal. She treated me with great respect and as a peer.
Margaret Nagle (s5): She was the only person who seemed prickly. Maybe she was having an off day. Or maybe she's shy or claustrophobic in a large group.
Dana Andersen Schreiner (s5): Very kind and welcoming. Down to earth. Very friendly.
Amy Lynne (s5): She was the one I got to know the least. Other than our scenes together, we didn't have much contact. Going back to my first instincts about her, she looked sad a lot. I think she was going through some tough stuff at the time. She had [new] twins so she was tired.
Alyson Croft (s5): She was always attentive, focused, and friendly.
Jason Naylor (s6, 7): I have an amusing recollection of working on a crossword puzzle with Ms. Baxter, possibly answering some clue involving a lesser-known Beatles cut or some such thing. I happened to see Ms. Baxter many years later at a small local art school in West L.A., where [I] was a student and being amazed that she seemed not to have changed at all in the interval.
Christina Pickles (s7): Great to work with. Lovely. Quiet. Helpful.
Byron Thames (s7): Especially warm and complimentary.
Jaclyn Bernstein (s7): She was smart and had impeccable timing. I remember her suggesting to cut [one of her] lines in the kitchen because it didn't work in the flow of the scene. Actors have a bad rep for being egotistical and always wanting to be on camera, so it was significant for me to witness the lead actress of the show put the needs of the scene first—a real learning moment. And it was absolutely normal for the cast to flow like that.
What was your impression of Michael Gross?
Cindy Fisher (s1): He was extremely focused and always raising questions. He wanted to be good and wanted the show to be better so he was constantly contributing. Really worked hard on it and I admired his abilities. I think comedy was new to him but don't know for sure. Approached it like a dramatic studio actor. He was my favorite to work with.
John Putch (s1, 2, 5): The secret weapon actor. The Swiss Army knife of actors. He can do anything. And to his credit, a few years ago I hired him to be in the cast of a film I was directing and he actually remembered me! I now look to put him in any cast I can. He is terrific and still going strong.
Terry Wills (s1, 2, 5, 6, 7): Maybe the mellowest human being I ever met in the business. Just a sweet guy, and he loved trains.
Kerry Noonan (s1): I arrived on the set and was looking for a production assistant or the assistant director to find out where they wanted me to be. As I was rather awkwardly looking around, this nice man came up to me, asked me my name and who I was playing, and put me at ease as we chatted. Then it was time for a table read—when everyone sits around a table and reads through the script. To my surprise, the nice A.D. was reading the father's part…it took me a while to realize that was actually Michael Gross! He was unassuming, kind, and very welcoming.
Kaleena Kiff (s2): I honestly can't remember him…maybe because he was dressed like Santa?
Susan Isaacs (s2): He was polite and warm. I kinda crushed on him that week.
Alan Blumenfeld (s2, 3, 4, 5, 6): Great. A theater guy. He went to Yale. He did not know this but my wife auditioned for Yale Drama School the same day as Michael.
Timothy Busfield (s3, 5): Kind. He told me to keep stuff that was funny. We liked playing. But again, he was part of the "adult" group. By then, Gary had turned the reins over to Michael J. Fox and that seemed okay with everybody. I felt like I was part of the A-team (Michael's team). I've seen him again later in life and we go back. There's actors from shows I've done that you wouldn't necessarily go up to and talk to now [because they weren't/aren't open to that].
Matthew Barry (s3): Michael was the kindest person I had ever met. No ego whatsoever. I recently ran into him in my casting office and thanked him for being so kind to me.
Lily Mariye (s3): Michael was eccentric and he usually rode his bike to the set every day. Our dressing rooms were all across from each other in a long corridor, and one day he came across the hall and knocked on my door. He said that he had driven his car to the studio that day and that he was out of gas, could he borrow $5? I was puzzled that a series regular would be asking to borrow money from one of the guest stars, but I loaned it to him anyway. On the last day of the episode, on shooting day, I gave him a gas can as a gift. He never paid me my $5 back. I found out later that he had done that to other guest stars as well!
Robert Costanzo (s3, 4, 5, 6): I liked Michael. He was warm and humble. I think very underrated. We talked about theater once in a while, made some jokes. He was never above anything. Sometimes you go on these sitcoms and no one wants to talk to you.
Norman Parker (s3, 5, 6): Such a nice guy and fine actor with a deep and subtle understanding of comedy. It was easy believing we were brothers.
Adam Carl (s3): Incredibly sweet to me and easily my favorite character on Family Ties. I've always felt that Michael Gross was vastly underrated as a comic actor. He did some really fine comic work.
Peter Scolari (s4): Also very supportive. More of a contemporary, just a couple of years older than I [NOTE: Peter was born in 1955, Meredith and Michael both in 1947—same day, in fact]. He was an experienced stage actor and I had done theater. There was a bond there. He sort of guided me on the tenor of Family Ties, a primer on how they did things there. I felt like a series regular within 48 hours.
Gracie Harrison (s4): He has to be my favorite cast member. He was charming, very funny, and so welcoming. I felt like I'd known him for years.
Robin Morse (s5): A really sweet man, a lot like his character as well. Very grounded and down to earth.
Margaret Nagle (s5): He came over and introduced himself to all the guest stars.
Dana Andersen Schreiner (s5): Incredibly sweet. Very curious. Asked me lots of questions and seemed genuinely interested. I happened to run in to him about six months later at Odyssey Theatre. I saw him from a distance but didn't approach him because I thought he wouldn't remember me, but then he saw me and came right over to say hi, greeting me by name. He even asked about a project I was working on that I had mentioned to him during Family Ties. I was stunned given how many different guest stars have been on Family Ties.
Amy Lynne (s5): Sweet as can be. Probably my favorite next to Justine. Naturally funny. During down time he would have really funny one-liners. I don't think the show captured how funny he was. It was stuff after the tape ended. But that puppet show—I was almost peeing my pants.
Alyson Croft (s5): He was hilarious and jovial most of the time.
Nick Rutherford (s7): I very vaguely remember thinking he was funny.
Jaclyn Bernstein (s7): Michael and I had worked together before. We did a movie for television with Raquel Welch. They were my parents and it was a very emotional project. Her character had multiple sclerosis and gradually loses all of her motor skills, ultimately choosing to end her life. It was an intense shoot and Raquel was amazing in it. I was even younger on that project. It was great to work with Michael again. I think it was Gary's idea to have me surprise him on set (Michael didn't know I was working that week). So in the scene where I come knocking on the back door in the kitchen, he opened the door and there I was, his former daughter! It was a big laugh to surprise him like that.
What was your impression of Justine Bateman?
Cindy Fisher (s1): She was funny in person, and seemed nice.
John Putch (s1, 2, 5): What a nice girl. I remember her being so energetic and happy about the show. Especially the taping nights with the live audience.
Chris Hebert (s1, 2): She had Elvis Costello posters all over her dressing room/school room.
Earl Boen (s1, 3): [We didn't interact much.] You don't want to come across as the dirty old man! (laughs)
Terry Wills (s1, 2, 5, 6, 7): Very nice. Kept to herself, for the most part. She was always reading when she was off set.
Kerry Noonan (s1): Oddly enough, a few years later, I replaced Justine Bateman in a role for the new Twilight Zone [1985 revival], part way through its shooting. Luckily, I seem to have worn the same size as Justine, so I just used her costumes.
Kaleena Kiff (s2): I thought she was the prettiest girl I'd ever seen, which was awesome because I was playing the younger version of her. My only concern was that she had bright blue eyes while mine were hazel. I hoped no one would notice.
Eileen Seeley (s2): I was later part of a company at Richmond Shepard Theatre that was founded by Justine's dad and I would occasionally set sit for Jason when he was doing Silver Spoons.
Debbie Gilbert (now Webb) (s2): WOW!!! After the show was over, there was a small cast party on the set. I watched from the side of somewhere as a couple of women came up to her at the same time, one lined her eyes with a smoky stick pencil, the other made a braid so it could tie back her long, shiny, straight black hair. I could not believe what I was seeing—this is what it must be to be famous. Much later in my life, I spotted Justine at Hillcrest Country Club, where Elliot and I were members; she appeared drawn, thin, tired, and worn. I was not disappointed as by then I had seen plenty of these shiny '80s stars become dull. I was grateful for the excitement I had as a young girl.
Susan Isaacs (s2): Justine was in our scene and always made us feel comfortable. Offstage she seemed very shy. I can't imagine what it was like to be a teenager thrust into the spotlight, especially if you're an introvert. A few years ago, we were both at an audition for Curb Your Enthusiasm. She loaned me her sides [lines you must learn prior to an audition] and was very kind. She didn't remember me from Adam; she just treated people with respect.
Kathleen Wilhoite (s2): All of my scenes were with her, so I got to know her the most. We've been friends ever since—not hanging out friends, but she did one of my favorite podcasts.
Lenora May (s2): Very friendly, down to earth. Open to suggestion. Not a prima donna.
Alan Blumenfeld (s2, 3, 4, 5, 6): I loved her! God, I loved her! She was so sweet. We [later] did a movie together called The TV Set. I've seen her twice since, and her brother Jason. I've done two other shows with Jason including an episode of Arrested Development. My recollection is that Justine was young, grateful, really professional, and incredibly beautiful.
Timothy Busfield (s3, 5): She just made me laugh. I thought she was really cool. She was really comfortable by that point. Absolutely stunningly beautiful.
Matthew Barry (s3): Justine was a bit standoffish. Not as friendly as the others…and here I was playing her boyfriend.
Lily Mariye (s3): She was an introvert, mostly kept to herself. I thought she was very beautiful and a very talented actor.
Norman Parker (s3, 5, 6): A serious actress. I was always impressed.
Peter Scolari (s4): Just beautiful. I got a sense that she was sort of growing out, aging out of the role. She seemed mature beyond her years. She did seem like a kid [on screen], so credit to her—when the camera rolled, she transformed.
Gracie Harrison (s4): Pure professionalism, amazing work ethic, giving, very talented young lady. During my breaks from rehearsal, I would sit in the empty audience section and watch her and Michael Fox rehearse together. There was so much talent between them; it was wonderful seeing them work together.
Robin Morse (s5): Very sweet and easy to work with. Funny, too.
Jonna Lee Pangburn (s5): Ms. Bateman was a teenager with all the bumps and prickles that come with that.
Brian McNamara (s5): She was fantastic! I had a huge crush on her!
Sonia Curtis (s5, 6): Justine was nice but more reserved.
Dana Andersen Schreiner (s5): Very nice but a little more standoffish. Not that she wasn't friendly—she just wasn't a chatter. I had worked with her before on an after school special called First the Egg, which she remembered. I had just seen a TV movie that she had done where she played a blind girl, I can't remember the name of it, but I remember telling her how much I liked her performance in it, which seemed to really make her happy. I really did like her performance very much and she could tell I was genuine.
Amy Lynne (s5): Really fun. And really nice. Like your normal teenage girl. She and Tina would hang with the guests when they didn't had to. Every once in a while [after I appeared on the show], I used to talk to Justine, but that was a long time ago. I bumped into her a couple of times, we exchanged phone numbers, but we never hung out.
Nicole Nourmand (s5): Very professional but kept to herself.
Alyson Croft (s5): She was the coolest and we would do dance moves when we had some downtime before scenes.
Jason Naylor (s6, 7): I don't recall it myself, perhaps by dint of being to wrapped up in my dashed hopes at the moment, but my mother tells the story that Ms. Bateman, who was friendly with the hairdresser on set, was deep in conversation with her while she was cutting my hair for the second episode—so deep, in fact, that my mother, with sympathy for my plight and a parent's concern, felt that the haircut was suffering and gently and politely asked if they wouldn't consider continuing their chat at another time.
Danielle von Zerneck (s6): We had some friends in common but she seemed standoffish at the time. Part of that was I was intimidated by her. Funnily enough, she subsequently was in a movie my brother wrote and directed and I produced. I would now consider her an old friend. Saw her a few months back and it was nice to catch up. She's really lovely.
Hilary Shepard (s7): My scenes were mostly with her and she couldn't have been nicer. I had just worked with her little brother on It's Your Move, and she remembered me from that, which was sweet.
Christina Pickles (s7): We talked ballet.
Jaclyn Bernstein (s7): I thought she was just the coolest chick in the world! This was right after her movie Satisfaction—about a group of young women who formed a band—came out, and I loooooved that movie. I had it on VHS and watched it on repeat! I may even have had the soundtrack, ha ha. I remember sitting in the living room set (we were waiting around to rehearse, something like that) and she just started talking to me—asking me about my weekend, about school. She was so friendly, warm, and cool! And gorgeous.
What was your impression of Tina Yothers?
Cindy Fisher (s1): Young!
John Putch (s1, 2, 5): Very young and sweet. Her mom was always there, too, 'cause she was a minor.
Kathleen Wilhoite (s2): She was young and quiet. Justine and Tina are still friends. Justine says Tina has a great singing voice.
Lenora May (s2): Not a brat.
Timothy Busfield (s3, 5): I liked goofing with her.
Lily Mariye (s3): Tina was about 11 when we were shooting, and she became my best friend for the week! We hung out at lunch and in between rehearsing and shooting, she would take me around the set to see the inner workings of the backs of all the "rooms" at the Keaton house. We had a lot of fun. She was adorable and smart.
Adam Carl (s3): I feel like we had a very "bantery" relationship that week, a lot of faux teasing. Even though we didn't share any scenes together, we probably did school together every day, though it's all a blur now. As a result, I probably spent more time with her than the other regulars.
Peter Scolari (s4): She was open, impressionable, vulnerable. She stole your heart right away.
Jonna Lee Pangburn (s5): Even though Tina and I did not have any work together, I found her to be a charming and approachable young woman. I did not interact with her much, but a very dear friend who was helping me out one day and came to the set was absolutely giddy with how funny, friendly, and down-to-earth she was.
Dana Andersen Schreiner (s5): Very, very nice, but kind of quiet. She seemed very mature and wise beyond her years. One conversation I had with her has always stuck with me. We were sitting next to each other in the audience section waiting to be called to rehearse our scene [and] watching Brian Bonsall rehearse a scene. Brian was being difficult. He didn't want to do it and was throwing a little bit of a tantrum. They had to call his mom in to see if she could get him to cooperate. Tina was rolling her eyes and mumbling "Here we go again." [She said it happened] "all the time." She said Brian shouldn't be acting because he clearly didn't enjoy it. She was surprised he was cast. She told me that when she was that age and acting that she loved every minute of it. She believed you couldn't force a kid to want to do it—they just have to love it innately. She said she knew from day one that Brian was going to have trouble because she could see he didn't really want to be there. It was his parents who wanted him to be there.
Amy Lynne (s5): Sweet as could be. One of the sweetest girls that I had played a part with. I was amazed at how sweet she was for all the fame she had. Very caring, worried about each of us playing her friends. She took the time even when we weren't working to hang out with us. Maybe she found it refreshing that she had so many kids her own age there for once.
Nicole Nourmand (s5): Very sweet but shyer than I expected.
Alyson Croft (s5): She was very friendly and nice.
Jason Naylor (s6, 7): Regrettably, in the not insubstantial interval I seem to have mislaid any particular recollections regarding our interactions. Certainly, the entirety of the both shoots was a delight, and I recall the stunt scene in the second episode with particular fondness; it may be that Ms. Yothers was so integral to all those moments as to have become blurred along with the rest into the generalized memory of the experience itself.
Ellen Latzen (s6): Tina was a doll. She was very engaging and made an effort to get to know us off camera. I just remember feeling very comfortable with her and wanting to chat with her about whatever I could. I might have even asked for her phone number so we could keep in touch, though we didn't.
Darrell Thomas Utley (s6): She was sweet and nice and [came] to me to learn some sign language. For some reason I remember her the most, probably because she was a cute blonde? Maybe I was starstruck by her…
Part 6.
August 9, 2017
"Family Ties": oral history of the 1980s sitcom – part 4 – Michael J. Fox
Introduction to the Family Ties oral history (including the list of interviewees and links to each part).
What was your impression of Michael J. Fox?
Cindy Fisher (s1): We got along great, and I'm sure it helped that we knew each other prior, especially since I was a last-minute casting.
John Putch (s1, 2, 5): Sweetest guy on earth. He was collaborative and I remember we would do a lot of laughing. He was still fresh off the boat from Canada. I think he had done one other TV sitcom before that did not run too long. Not sure about that. Bottom line: salt of the earth and extremely talented, as we all learned.
Chris Hebert (s1, 2): He was very polite and likable and professional.
Lisa Lucas (s1): Michael J. Fox was very pleasant and very serious, more serious than I expected. I think his character was funnier than Michael. That was my take at the time. It was the first season so I think he was just committed and working hard and not getting distracted. He wasn't taking anything for granted.
Terry Wills (s1, 2, 5, 6, 7): I remember thinking this kid is tremendously talented and has a great career ahead of him. He was also a lot of fun to work with—always a gentleman.
Kerry Noonan (s1): I already had met Michael J. Fox since he used to live in the apartment next door to my then-boyfriend, Lance Guest. In fact, when Michael was short of money, before he landed Family Ties, he sold off some of his furniture and his framed posters to Lance. I remember a great poster of Meryl Streep and John Cazale in Measure for Measure at Shakespeare in the Park. He was a nice guy but we didn't hang out on set since the whole episode revolved around him, and he was busy.
Edward Edwards (s2): So willing to rehearse and run lines off the set. We tried out some bits in the dressing room and then showed them to everyone on set. This was true of Meredith and Michael Gross equally. They were a dream cast. It felt so much like a stage play rather than a TV sitcom. And I always felt that the producers, writers, and director followed the rule: best idea in the room wins. There was very little ego involved.
Tanya Fenmore (s2): The other actors were all amazing, professional, considerate, and terrific to work with. No diva egos at all. Tina and Justine were so sweet. Director and Gary David Goldberg were fantastic and, of course, Michael J Fox! I remember a funny gag where I was supposed to be a total klutz (actually, that wasn't a stretch for me…pathetic but true…). I kept opening and banging the refrigerator door on him and they kept the gag in.
Kaleena Kiff (s2): He was cooler than cool and the definite star of the show at this point. I didn't see very much of him as our scenes involved him just watching us rather than interacting with his "Christmas Past" family.
Kate Vernon (s2): I adored Michael. He was so cool, so relaxed—at his young age, such a consummate professional. You could tell he had so much on his shoulders but the character suited him so much. He was so loved by everybody. They'd hand him pages every twenty minutes, it seems, and he was able to memorize.
Eileen Seeley (s2): Just a regular great guy that was sleeping in his car one minute and the lead in a hit sitcom the next. He was warm, funny, and very genuine. I later auditioned for the role of his mom (Lorraine Baines) in Back to the Future but was deemed too tall.
Debbie Gilbert (now Webb) (s2): I have known Mike for a long time. Not as an actor, but later in my life I married agent Elliot Webb (Broder Webb Chervin Silbermann, later co-chair of ICM). Elliot's agency represented Gary David Goldberg along with an endless list of Hollywood's most talented writers. [As the wife of an agent], I spent over twenty years entertaining in my home—Gary, Mike… It was hard to be with Mike when he was not feeling well (we visited him a few times on the set of the new show he was shooting in New York). Gary's passing—also a difficult time. In fact, my best friend ended up buying Gary's house. When she and I were cleaning out the basement (the Goldbergs had left things behind), I couldn't help think about the past. How could I ever guess as a young girl that one day I would be where I was years later…
Susan Isaacs (s2): MJF was a prince. He included us guest stars when we went to the cafeteria. He made us feel like one of the gang. Two years later I was on the lot for another audition, and MJF was driving around in a studio cart. I said hello. He stopped to ask me how things were going. Just the fact he was such a huge star and remembered me meant a lot. Like I said, a prince.
Kathleen Wilhoite (s2): Michael J. Fox was funny and kind. He was a cutup. I liked him. He was nice to me.
Lenora May (s2): Nice guy. I hung out with him in his dressing room with everyone and he wasn't a snob about having everyone in there.
Alan Blumenfeld (s2, 3, 4, 5, 6): Such a sweet, collaborative hard worker. Really a leader. Always remembered who we [guest stars] were. I know the show originally focused on the parents, but as everyone knows, Michael Fox generated [such] chemistry with the audience that he became the focus.
He was so prepared, so memorized. We'd do the camera blocking on Thursday, run-through on Friday at 5 and 7 pm, and there were a lot of rewrites in between. Michael had the bulk of the work in each episode. When all of a sudden you're handed 15 new pages or sometimes a full rewrite, Michael was invariably fast, easygoing, and able to incorporate the changes. That was a real lesson in professionalism to me.
I haven't seen him in years and years.
Timothy Busfield (s3, 5): I just fell in love with the guy. He was just really helpful and really great. I wasn't the first Doug and I knew that going in. I knew when I left there would probably be other Dougs after. We loved playing off each other. I set him up well and I think he liked that I knew that. I was there to help him be funnier and at the same time be funny myself. We laughed the entire process. It was endearing how funny Fox was. Most sitcoms are made funny by funny actors, not just funny writing, and Mike proved that again and again in his career. The environment was so creative and Mike had such freedom to come up with ideas and Gary let him go. I had not seen that before in TV. Michael and I became really great friends offstage.
Matthew Barry (s3): Michael knew my film work so that was impressive and he was very complimentary. Nice guy.
Lily Mariye (s3): He was much shyer than I expected him to be…the only impression I had of him was as Alex P. Keaton: brash, opinionated, outgoing. He was very kind and very helpful, especially when I explained it was my first job on a sitcom or multi-camera show.
Michelle Meyrink (s3): My strongest memory of working on Family Ties was that Michael J Fox really took care of me. It was my first (and only) sit com, and he realized that. He helped me through the experience of the live audience, the constantly changing lines, the somewhat stressed out producers. He was supportive and a joy to work with. Looking back at that time, I am so impressed with his heart. He was just being a supportive with nothing in it for himself. I have never seen him since. Thank you Michael, wherever you are.
Robert Costanzo (s3, 4, 5, 6): I loved Michael. I thought he was kind of brilliant, actually. Michael was nuts about me personally. He'd always say "Costanzo, you're one of the funniest guys I've met." I said "So let's develop a series" and he said "You're not that funny." (laughs) He didn't want/need to do another series at that point.
When I saw him at Gary's memorial, he remembered me. But there were a lot of people around and we didn't have a lot of time to talk. They were all there—Tina was not there, I think. Michael spoke very lovingly of Gary, how Gary was his mentor. I think he was the only actor who spoke.
Nancy Everhard (now Amandes) (s3): He was nice but not real outgoing. I was surprised that he smoked.
Norman Parker (s3, 5, 6): I was, and still am, in complete awe of Michael's comic timing. The first time I saw him get larger laughs before he delivered the line that was supposed to be funny, I understood I was in the presence of genius.
Adam Carl (s3): I really liked him. He was very friendly and had incredible energy. If memory serves (though I could be wrong about this), during the week I worked with him he was splitting his time between the Back to the Future set and Paramount, where Family Ties was taped. He must've been exhausted.
Peter Scolari (s4): For someone so young he was so calm and confident. Granted by that time he was already having huge success in feature films. We were already aware—people talk in the business—we knew he was a straight shooter. He was messing around with guitar at that time. He was very supportive of my work. At one point he said he wished we had more to do together.
There was a very high level of intellect at work when he played Alex. It was a sexy concept—conservative kid raised by ex-hippie parents. He played it with a self-awareness and a swagger and he still loved his parents and sort of pitied them for their naïve liberal democratic beliefs. My first Emmy nomination, I lost to Michael. If you're going to struggle with your own ego and expectations and are privileged to be nominated, the best way to lose an award is to somebody exceptional.
Gracie Harrison (s4): It was quite a thrill to meet him. He was becoming a very successful film star at that time, and I so admired his work on the show.
Robin Morse (s5): He was unbelievably charming, very down to earth, and an all-around nice guy.
Jonna Lee Pangburn (s5): This is where I would like you to quote me. Working with Mike Fox was heaven! He was unbelievably gracious. I remember he looked around and said "Hey! She is looking into my eyes! We can have fun with this!" And so we did! I believe he was always looking for some kind of a connection—eye-to-eye contact—and whatever crazy result came from that. Off the set…well, heaven! What a gracious and charming person!
Margaret Nagle (s5): Michael J. Fox was in character, hyper, super smart, and always in control. You could see his mind going a mile a minute.
Brian McNamara (s5): I don't know where to begin… I was playing his best friend, yet I had never been seen [on the show] before. We needed to let the audience know immediately [how close Alex and I were supposed to be]. In our very first rehearsal, I was sitting on the Keaton's kitchen counter, a ghost that Alex sees just after my funeral, and he came over and gave me such a huge hug that I knew we were gonna be just fine! Very generous actor and very funny!
Sonia Curtis (s5, 6): Michael J. Fox was nice, a little reserved but always professional. He gave me a huge compliment one day and said he loved the moment where Skippy and I were about to kiss because he said I was so focused and in the moment.
Stuart Pankin (s5): I gotta gang my remembrances of the cast together 'cause it was a long time ago. Like I said, they all were very generous and kind to the guest cast. We never became drinkin' buddies, but I do think back on them fondly.
Dana Andersen Schreiner (s5): Super nice guy. Very friendly and welcoming. He liked to chat between rehearsals and he was super excited when I told him that my husband, Bill Schreiner, had recently directed the "original Michael Fox" in a film. [That Michael Fox] was the reason Michael J. Fox had to use his middle initial. SAG won't let people use the same name of someone else already in the union. Michael J. Fox kept asking me questions about Michael Fox. He said he had always wanted to meet him and often wondered about him. It was funny because when I asked the older Michael Fox what it was like to share a name he just sighed and smiled. I got the feeling it was kind of a drag for him but he was too polite to say so.
Amy Lynne (s5): Nice enough but wasn't really accessible. He was a little aloof but he was working a lot at the time, he was running ragged. I saw him only in the corner. To me he was quiet. It might just have been because I was younger.
Nicole Nourmand (s5): Michael J. Fox might be one of the nicest people I've ever met in my life. He did not let the fame get to him. He treated all of the kids who were co-stars with so much love and respect. He introduced himself to all of us and played around with us.
Alyson Croft (s5): He was friendly, talkative, and inclusive. He would joke and talk with us all the time. I learned so much just by watching him work. He was always funny.
Jason Naylor (s6, 7): Mr. Fox was a great pleasure to work with. His talent and work ethic, to say nothing of his amiable and humble demeanor, made a lasting and inspiring impression. I particularly recall his generous sympathy upon seeing me on the first day of shooting for my second episode, "Simon Says." In the interval between the two episodes, I had grown my hair out and had harbored a faint hope that it might not be absolutely necessary to cut it short again for the job. It was, however, and though I believe I bore it with due aplomb, I was not unmoved. Mr. Fox, upon my newly shorn arrival on set, lamented "Aw, I was hoping they were gonna let you keep it!" in a friendly tone that went a good way toward easing the transition.
Ellen Latzen (s6): Michael was fantastic. From the first moment I met him, he was so warm and friendly. I was already an avid Family Ties viewer, but I'd truly fallen in love with him after Back to the Future. He was just as adorable in person, although I do recall thinking he was pretty short in real life. Filming with him was exhilarating. He was such a professional, with impeccable comedic timing and command of his character. The role I played was such a special one within the context of the episode, as Alex isn't his usual right-wing, self-absorbed, narcissistic self. He shows a lot of humanity and empathy, especially towards my character, and I ate it all up. Michael made me melt, both on camera and off, and that made the experience that much more memorable.
Victor DiMattia (s6): I thought he was very nice. As a young kid, you don't always properly interpret the actions of adults and some actors of his caliber came across to me as intimidating or even mean, whether intentionally or otherwise. He had a really good understanding of how to work with children. I liked him.
Darrell Thomas Utley (s6): He was one of my favorite guys on the set. He was really nice, however very popular and one of [the most in-demand] actors at the time. He took the time to play with me on the set and teased me around. I remember seeing a Lamborghini on set and someone said it belonged to him.
Susan Kohler (s6): I remember waiting backstage before an entrance with Michael and the little boy who played my son. Michael was such a big star by then and seemed to carry a big responsibility for the show and yet he was friendly and gracious and easy to talk to.
Hilary Shepard (s7): Michael was the sweetest guy and got a huge kick out of me saying "bunchy" in my fake Eurotrash accent. He asked me to say it over and over and would crack up every time! I loved that he was very confident and didn't let the fact he was so much shorter than me get in the way. I've worked with a lot of short actors who didn't like me in heels and who insisted on standing on an apple box. Not him! I ended up being cast as his wife in a Japanese commercial years later and he took one look at me and said "Hey! It's the 'bunchy' girl! You're hilarious!" I was shocked he remembered me!
Christina Pickles (s7): Michael Fox was so friendly and great to work with. I remember him telling me that he loved St. Elsewhere and watched every episode. Which of course made me very happy.
Nick Rutherford (s7): I'm not sure if I even met him because my part on the show was pretaped. He was a pretty big star at the time and I don't think he was even on the set that day.
Byron Thames (s7): Didn't always come to rehearsal. Extremely on top of his game. When he came in, he nailed it the first time.
Jaclyn Bernstein (s7): Most of my scenes were with Michael J. Fox. At the time, he was a huge star on the cover of just about every publicity magazine out there. In fact, I remember having my teeny-bopper magazine on set, looking at the cover with him on it, looking up, and there he was! It was surreal. And just about as thrilling as it could be. He has that star quality. Absolute charm coupled with total humility. He was endearing and kind. A real treasure. It's no wonder why he has become an icon in television with such a prolific career both on and off screen.
Timothy, what was the literal next step with you and Michael after hitting it off on set—did you exchange phone numbers?
We went out and probably got drunk. We hung out a lot before I moved to Sacramento and he moved east.
Would you call him now and go over old times?
I don't have his number! I would love to, would tell him I love him.
Part 5.
What was your impression of Michael J. Fox?
Cindy Fisher (s1): We got along great, and I'm sure it helped that we knew each other prior, especially since I was a last-minute casting.
John Putch (s1, 2, 5): Sweetest guy on earth. He was collaborative and I remember we would do a lot of laughing. He was still fresh off the boat from Canada. I think he had done one other TV sitcom before that did not run too long. Not sure about that. Bottom line: salt of the earth and extremely talented, as we all learned.
Chris Hebert (s1, 2): He was very polite and likable and professional.
Lisa Lucas (s1): Michael J. Fox was very pleasant and very serious, more serious than I expected. I think his character was funnier than Michael. That was my take at the time. It was the first season so I think he was just committed and working hard and not getting distracted. He wasn't taking anything for granted.
Terry Wills (s1, 2, 5, 6, 7): I remember thinking this kid is tremendously talented and has a great career ahead of him. He was also a lot of fun to work with—always a gentleman.
Kerry Noonan (s1): I already had met Michael J. Fox since he used to live in the apartment next door to my then-boyfriend, Lance Guest. In fact, when Michael was short of money, before he landed Family Ties, he sold off some of his furniture and his framed posters to Lance. I remember a great poster of Meryl Streep and John Cazale in Measure for Measure at Shakespeare in the Park. He was a nice guy but we didn't hang out on set since the whole episode revolved around him, and he was busy.
Edward Edwards (s2): So willing to rehearse and run lines off the set. We tried out some bits in the dressing room and then showed them to everyone on set. This was true of Meredith and Michael Gross equally. They were a dream cast. It felt so much like a stage play rather than a TV sitcom. And I always felt that the producers, writers, and director followed the rule: best idea in the room wins. There was very little ego involved.
Tanya Fenmore (s2): The other actors were all amazing, professional, considerate, and terrific to work with. No diva egos at all. Tina and Justine were so sweet. Director and Gary David Goldberg were fantastic and, of course, Michael J Fox! I remember a funny gag where I was supposed to be a total klutz (actually, that wasn't a stretch for me…pathetic but true…). I kept opening and banging the refrigerator door on him and they kept the gag in.
Kaleena Kiff (s2): He was cooler than cool and the definite star of the show at this point. I didn't see very much of him as our scenes involved him just watching us rather than interacting with his "Christmas Past" family.
Kate Vernon (s2): I adored Michael. He was so cool, so relaxed—at his young age, such a consummate professional. You could tell he had so much on his shoulders but the character suited him so much. He was so loved by everybody. They'd hand him pages every twenty minutes, it seems, and he was able to memorize.
Eileen Seeley (s2): Just a regular great guy that was sleeping in his car one minute and the lead in a hit sitcom the next. He was warm, funny, and very genuine. I later auditioned for the role of his mom (Lorraine Baines) in Back to the Future but was deemed too tall.
Debbie Gilbert (now Webb) (s2): I have known Mike for a long time. Not as an actor, but later in my life I married agent Elliot Webb (Broder Webb Chervin Silbermann, later co-chair of ICM). Elliot's agency represented Gary David Goldberg along with an endless list of Hollywood's most talented writers. [As the wife of an agent], I spent over twenty years entertaining in my home—Gary, Mike… It was hard to be with Mike when he was not feeling well (we visited him a few times on the set of the new show he was shooting in New York). Gary's passing—also a difficult time. In fact, my best friend ended up buying Gary's house. When she and I were cleaning out the basement (the Goldbergs had left things behind), I couldn't help think about the past. How could I ever guess as a young girl that one day I would be where I was years later…
Susan Isaacs (s2): MJF was a prince. He included us guest stars when we went to the cafeteria. He made us feel like one of the gang. Two years later I was on the lot for another audition, and MJF was driving around in a studio cart. I said hello. He stopped to ask me how things were going. Just the fact he was such a huge star and remembered me meant a lot. Like I said, a prince.
Kathleen Wilhoite (s2): Michael J. Fox was funny and kind. He was a cutup. I liked him. He was nice to me.
Lenora May (s2): Nice guy. I hung out with him in his dressing room with everyone and he wasn't a snob about having everyone in there.
Alan Blumenfeld (s2, 3, 4, 5, 6): Such a sweet, collaborative hard worker. Really a leader. Always remembered who we [guest stars] were. I know the show originally focused on the parents, but as everyone knows, Michael Fox generated [such] chemistry with the audience that he became the focus.
He was so prepared, so memorized. We'd do the camera blocking on Thursday, run-through on Friday at 5 and 7 pm, and there were a lot of rewrites in between. Michael had the bulk of the work in each episode. When all of a sudden you're handed 15 new pages or sometimes a full rewrite, Michael was invariably fast, easygoing, and able to incorporate the changes. That was a real lesson in professionalism to me.
I haven't seen him in years and years.
Timothy Busfield (s3, 5): I just fell in love with the guy. He was just really helpful and really great. I wasn't the first Doug and I knew that going in. I knew when I left there would probably be other Dougs after. We loved playing off each other. I set him up well and I think he liked that I knew that. I was there to help him be funnier and at the same time be funny myself. We laughed the entire process. It was endearing how funny Fox was. Most sitcoms are made funny by funny actors, not just funny writing, and Mike proved that again and again in his career. The environment was so creative and Mike had such freedom to come up with ideas and Gary let him go. I had not seen that before in TV. Michael and I became really great friends offstage.
Matthew Barry (s3): Michael knew my film work so that was impressive and he was very complimentary. Nice guy.
Lily Mariye (s3): He was much shyer than I expected him to be…the only impression I had of him was as Alex P. Keaton: brash, opinionated, outgoing. He was very kind and very helpful, especially when I explained it was my first job on a sitcom or multi-camera show.
Michelle Meyrink (s3): My strongest memory of working on Family Ties was that Michael J Fox really took care of me. It was my first (and only) sit com, and he realized that. He helped me through the experience of the live audience, the constantly changing lines, the somewhat stressed out producers. He was supportive and a joy to work with. Looking back at that time, I am so impressed with his heart. He was just being a supportive with nothing in it for himself. I have never seen him since. Thank you Michael, wherever you are.
Robert Costanzo (s3, 4, 5, 6): I loved Michael. I thought he was kind of brilliant, actually. Michael was nuts about me personally. He'd always say "Costanzo, you're one of the funniest guys I've met." I said "So let's develop a series" and he said "You're not that funny." (laughs) He didn't want/need to do another series at that point.
When I saw him at Gary's memorial, he remembered me. But there were a lot of people around and we didn't have a lot of time to talk. They were all there—Tina was not there, I think. Michael spoke very lovingly of Gary, how Gary was his mentor. I think he was the only actor who spoke.
Nancy Everhard (now Amandes) (s3): He was nice but not real outgoing. I was surprised that he smoked.
Norman Parker (s3, 5, 6): I was, and still am, in complete awe of Michael's comic timing. The first time I saw him get larger laughs before he delivered the line that was supposed to be funny, I understood I was in the presence of genius.
Adam Carl (s3): I really liked him. He was very friendly and had incredible energy. If memory serves (though I could be wrong about this), during the week I worked with him he was splitting his time between the Back to the Future set and Paramount, where Family Ties was taped. He must've been exhausted.
Peter Scolari (s4): For someone so young he was so calm and confident. Granted by that time he was already having huge success in feature films. We were already aware—people talk in the business—we knew he was a straight shooter. He was messing around with guitar at that time. He was very supportive of my work. At one point he said he wished we had more to do together.
There was a very high level of intellect at work when he played Alex. It was a sexy concept—conservative kid raised by ex-hippie parents. He played it with a self-awareness and a swagger and he still loved his parents and sort of pitied them for their naïve liberal democratic beliefs. My first Emmy nomination, I lost to Michael. If you're going to struggle with your own ego and expectations and are privileged to be nominated, the best way to lose an award is to somebody exceptional.
Gracie Harrison (s4): It was quite a thrill to meet him. He was becoming a very successful film star at that time, and I so admired his work on the show.
Robin Morse (s5): He was unbelievably charming, very down to earth, and an all-around nice guy.
Jonna Lee Pangburn (s5): This is where I would like you to quote me. Working with Mike Fox was heaven! He was unbelievably gracious. I remember he looked around and said "Hey! She is looking into my eyes! We can have fun with this!" And so we did! I believe he was always looking for some kind of a connection—eye-to-eye contact—and whatever crazy result came from that. Off the set…well, heaven! What a gracious and charming person!
Margaret Nagle (s5): Michael J. Fox was in character, hyper, super smart, and always in control. You could see his mind going a mile a minute.
Brian McNamara (s5): I don't know where to begin… I was playing his best friend, yet I had never been seen [on the show] before. We needed to let the audience know immediately [how close Alex and I were supposed to be]. In our very first rehearsal, I was sitting on the Keaton's kitchen counter, a ghost that Alex sees just after my funeral, and he came over and gave me such a huge hug that I knew we were gonna be just fine! Very generous actor and very funny!
Sonia Curtis (s5, 6): Michael J. Fox was nice, a little reserved but always professional. He gave me a huge compliment one day and said he loved the moment where Skippy and I were about to kiss because he said I was so focused and in the moment.
Stuart Pankin (s5): I gotta gang my remembrances of the cast together 'cause it was a long time ago. Like I said, they all were very generous and kind to the guest cast. We never became drinkin' buddies, but I do think back on them fondly.
Dana Andersen Schreiner (s5): Super nice guy. Very friendly and welcoming. He liked to chat between rehearsals and he was super excited when I told him that my husband, Bill Schreiner, had recently directed the "original Michael Fox" in a film. [That Michael Fox] was the reason Michael J. Fox had to use his middle initial. SAG won't let people use the same name of someone else already in the union. Michael J. Fox kept asking me questions about Michael Fox. He said he had always wanted to meet him and often wondered about him. It was funny because when I asked the older Michael Fox what it was like to share a name he just sighed and smiled. I got the feeling it was kind of a drag for him but he was too polite to say so.
Amy Lynne (s5): Nice enough but wasn't really accessible. He was a little aloof but he was working a lot at the time, he was running ragged. I saw him only in the corner. To me he was quiet. It might just have been because I was younger.
Nicole Nourmand (s5): Michael J. Fox might be one of the nicest people I've ever met in my life. He did not let the fame get to him. He treated all of the kids who were co-stars with so much love and respect. He introduced himself to all of us and played around with us.
Alyson Croft (s5): He was friendly, talkative, and inclusive. He would joke and talk with us all the time. I learned so much just by watching him work. He was always funny.
Jason Naylor (s6, 7): Mr. Fox was a great pleasure to work with. His talent and work ethic, to say nothing of his amiable and humble demeanor, made a lasting and inspiring impression. I particularly recall his generous sympathy upon seeing me on the first day of shooting for my second episode, "Simon Says." In the interval between the two episodes, I had grown my hair out and had harbored a faint hope that it might not be absolutely necessary to cut it short again for the job. It was, however, and though I believe I bore it with due aplomb, I was not unmoved. Mr. Fox, upon my newly shorn arrival on set, lamented "Aw, I was hoping they were gonna let you keep it!" in a friendly tone that went a good way toward easing the transition.
Ellen Latzen (s6): Michael was fantastic. From the first moment I met him, he was so warm and friendly. I was already an avid Family Ties viewer, but I'd truly fallen in love with him after Back to the Future. He was just as adorable in person, although I do recall thinking he was pretty short in real life. Filming with him was exhilarating. He was such a professional, with impeccable comedic timing and command of his character. The role I played was such a special one within the context of the episode, as Alex isn't his usual right-wing, self-absorbed, narcissistic self. He shows a lot of humanity and empathy, especially towards my character, and I ate it all up. Michael made me melt, both on camera and off, and that made the experience that much more memorable.
Victor DiMattia (s6): I thought he was very nice. As a young kid, you don't always properly interpret the actions of adults and some actors of his caliber came across to me as intimidating or even mean, whether intentionally or otherwise. He had a really good understanding of how to work with children. I liked him.
Darrell Thomas Utley (s6): He was one of my favorite guys on the set. He was really nice, however very popular and one of [the most in-demand] actors at the time. He took the time to play with me on the set and teased me around. I remember seeing a Lamborghini on set and someone said it belonged to him.
Susan Kohler (s6): I remember waiting backstage before an entrance with Michael and the little boy who played my son. Michael was such a big star by then and seemed to carry a big responsibility for the show and yet he was friendly and gracious and easy to talk to.
Hilary Shepard (s7): Michael was the sweetest guy and got a huge kick out of me saying "bunchy" in my fake Eurotrash accent. He asked me to say it over and over and would crack up every time! I loved that he was very confident and didn't let the fact he was so much shorter than me get in the way. I've worked with a lot of short actors who didn't like me in heels and who insisted on standing on an apple box. Not him! I ended up being cast as his wife in a Japanese commercial years later and he took one look at me and said "Hey! It's the 'bunchy' girl! You're hilarious!" I was shocked he remembered me!
Christina Pickles (s7): Michael Fox was so friendly and great to work with. I remember him telling me that he loved St. Elsewhere and watched every episode. Which of course made me very happy.
Nick Rutherford (s7): I'm not sure if I even met him because my part on the show was pretaped. He was a pretty big star at the time and I don't think he was even on the set that day.
Byron Thames (s7): Didn't always come to rehearsal. Extremely on top of his game. When he came in, he nailed it the first time.
Jaclyn Bernstein (s7): Most of my scenes were with Michael J. Fox. At the time, he was a huge star on the cover of just about every publicity magazine out there. In fact, I remember having my teeny-bopper magazine on set, looking at the cover with him on it, looking up, and there he was! It was surreal. And just about as thrilling as it could be. He has that star quality. Absolute charm coupled with total humility. He was endearing and kind. A real treasure. It's no wonder why he has become an icon in television with such a prolific career both on and off screen.
Timothy, what was the literal next step with you and Michael after hitting it off on set—did you exchange phone numbers?
We went out and probably got drunk. We hung out a lot before I moved to Sacramento and he moved east.
Would you call him now and go over old times?
I don't have his number! I would love to, would tell him I love him.
Part 5.
August 8, 2017
"Family Ties": oral history of the 1980s sitcom – part 3 – reactions
Introduction to the Family Ties oral history (including the list of interviewees and links to each part).
Was it just another job or was there anything special about it at the time?
Cindy Fisher (s1): Pilots are always special because they bring hope of a series. The cast was all signed for the series, I was just the guest star, so to celebrate I brought each of the cast a red rose the day of shooting in front of the live audience. I was pretty objective (not being really a part of it) and felt the synergy so thought it might go. Always hard to tell network commitment.
John Putch (s1, 2, 5): Sure it was special. I was a young actor just getting some traction in TV. Prior to Family Ties, I had had a successful run on Norman Lear's One Day at a Time playing the character of Bob Morton. The writing on TV back then by Gary Goldberg and Michael Weithorn was so good and sharp. It was a fun time. Nothing was just a job when you were young and hopeful.
Terry Wills (s1, 2, 5, 6, 7): It was very special because the experience really embodied the show's title.
Kerry Noonan (s1): Family Ties was my second TV or film job. I had come out of UCLA as a theater major. I had not yet seen the show (I think it was season 2?) since I had been doing a lot of theater in L.A., which took up most of my nights.
Edward Edwards (s2): This episode aired two days before the birth of my first child. So taping of the show was a couple of weeks before that. Somehow anticipating the birth of my child and having the opportunity to really cut loose creatively in this episode made this a very memorable time in my life.
Kate Vernon (s2): Having no reference [because it was my first or second audition], it's hard to compare it. As far as first jobs on great sets, I lucked out. Walking into that group of people was definitely walking into what felt like a family. Meredith Baxter Birney was absolutely lovely and warm and made me very comfortable. Michael Gross, too. It was a safe place for a new actress. I didn't feel any pressure. I was just like "Please God help me remember my lines!" I thought the script was hilarious. I love that they pretended to be astronauts and we were completely enthralled.
Debbie Gilbert (now Webb) (s2): It was special for many of us because, I believe, it was a first job. Katie [Vernon] had already wrapped Pretty in Pink, but it was not released yet. [MTN: I suspect this timeline is off. This episode was shot in late 1983; Pretty in Pink was released in early 1986.] She was tall and her piercing blue eyes made it clear there was something special about her. Crispin would arrive on the set each day [in] some sort of creative outfit he was experimenting with. He told me he had just painted his entire apartment black. At the time, Mike [Fox] was dating the dark-haired gal from The Facts of Life [Nancy McKeon]; this also blew my mind. Even Mike seemed to be floating on air about his position in life. John Putch, I was told, was the son of Edith Bunker [Jean Stapleton]. I could not believe where I was.
Susan Isaacs (s2): It was my very first job and my very first audition. I was in my last year at UCLA film. I'd been cast in so many student films, I was mulling over whether to pursue film production or acting. In fact, I'd kind of thrown out a fleece in a prayer only a few days before he audition. "Hey, God, I need a sign which avenue to pursue." And then Bob's your uncle, two days later I was at Paramount booking a job, getting my SAG card and an agent. Of course, so many of my peers in the film department went on to long careers behind the camera, while I struggled for many years as an actor. Nevertheless, it was a very special show. My father, who'd been very negative about me trying to be an actor, was over the moon. I won't forget the moment he shook Lee's hand after the taping. He was beaming. Lee gave me a start, and I'll never forget her for giving me that shot.
Kathleen Wilhoite (s2): It was just another job, but hanging out with Justine made it special. I laughed a lot and I liked everyone on the cast and crew. I don't remember feeling any kind of angst or having any problems on that show.
Lenora May (s2): To be quite honest, it was another job. However, it was the last one where I played a teenager as I was already pushing 28! After that I switched to "young mom" roles.
Alan Blumenfeld (s2, 3, 4, 5, 6): What it did for my confidence to be part of the industry was incalculable. In terms of how other people viewed me, I've never really known. I've just known that the show was such a hit that it helped me get other auditions and work.
Timothy Busfield (s3, 5): Because I was 27 and fresh off Revenge of the Nerds, I was auditioning a lot but wasn't getting a great deal of [parts]. I was more excited to be on the Paramount lot auditioning than I was to be reading for Family Ties. After my second episode, they offered me to be a series regular—but I was also offered Trapper John, M.D. I took that because it was a lead character in a film show and I wanted to learn to become better for film. On Trapper John, M.D., I was basically the lead for the last episodes. With Family Ties, it was still year 3. It wasn't necessarily a show I would've watched, nor did I watch it when I left it. I don't know how much TV I watched—I [rather] watched movies.
Matthew Barry (s3): I needed it badly. At the time I was working at the Sunset Marquis hotel as my "regular struggling actor job" and this job allowed me to quit.
Lily Mariye (s3): This was an amazing job for me! I had only recently begun to think of myself as an actor, rather than a dancer, and Family Ties was a huge hit show. I was a little overwhelmed on the first day of rehearsal, actually being in the Keatons' living room and being with the Keatons. To relate it to being a young actor on a show today, it would be like suddenly rehearsing in the living room of The Big Bang Theory…completely surreal!
After our episode, Gary David Goldberg wanted to make Tim and I recurring characters on the show, but Tim got a regular gig on Trapper John, M.D. before Gary was able to make that happen.
Nancy Everhard (now Amandes) (s3): It was a big deal for me. It was my first sitcom and going in front of a live audience was really exciting!
Norman Parker (s3, 5, 6): It appeared, at first, to simply be a nice job. But from the first read-through at table with the cast I knew immediately I was with a very special group of people.
Suzanne Snyder (s4): I have only fond memories of my time on Family Ties. Everyone was very kind and talented. They were like a loving, happy family. They listened to each other, cared for each other, and helped each other.
These two episodes were very special for everyone because they were introducing a new character, Tracy [Ellen Reed]. They had searched for Tracy all over the country. I was directed to behave very differently from Tracy.
Gracie Harrison (s4): Working on Family Ties was far from just another acting job. It was an incredible success at the time and it was exciting for me to be a part of a very special episode.
Robin Morse (s5): The truly special thing was getting cast in a show that I'd been watching and loved, so it certainly was not just "another job." I felt really excited and grateful to be a part of the show.
Jonna Lee Pangburn (s5): Really??? I personally never really watched TV…but everyone knew about Family Ties! It was a "score" job for a middle-class working actress! A very nice credit and a great week on the set. The cast and crew were professional and welcoming. No scandals, no mud fights, no drugs, sex, or sordid behavior. Kind of boring for an interview.
Brian McNamara (s5): For me personally, I was working on a bit of TV history.
Sonia Curtis (s5, 6): Not really [anything special]. Although Mallory and I were supposed to be friends, Justine was very cool with me behind the scenes. She was more able to turn it on and off whereas I was trying to create the sense that we were really friends before the camera was rolling…probably just different acting styles, plus she was a series regular and had to work with lots of different people each week.
Stuart Pankin (s5): Getting work was and is never just another job. With 95% unemployment at any given time, an actor is always grateful to be appreciated, and to get work, especially on a hit show.
Amy Lynne (s5): Oh, it was hugely special because up till that point, I had never gotten a major prime time part. And I wasn't in just one scene, I was in the whole show. It made my sitcom career take off. After that I got two series—Raising Miranda in 1988 with Bryan Cranston (I remember him singing to me in his trailer) and The Ann Jillian Show. I got a photo of all of [the cast] and had them sign it. Even though I was on the show, I was still all googly-eyed.
Nicole Nourmand (s5): The environment was particularly friendly. The episodes I did were full of kids. We all made presents for each other and had a blast hanging out when doing our homework.
Alyson Croft (s5): This was a big deal for me. My family and I would watch this show every week. Once I was on set, I remember being worried that if anyone found out my age, it was gonna get me fired. The other actresses were so much older!
Jason Naylor (s6, 7): At that time, Family Ties was by far the most widely well-known of any television project I had yet worked on and I felt very proud to have been cast and excited to have the chance to work with actors and a production crew of that caliber.
Ellen Latzen (s6): Working on Family Ties was one of the highlights of my career. I remember when my mother got the phone call that they wanted me to be a guest star. Fatal Attraction [in which Ellen appeared] had just come out and the producers wanted me on the show. I think I screamed when my mom told me. It was one of my favorite shows and I was a huge fan of Michael J. Fox, so being offered a part was a dream come true. They flew us from New York to L.A. to film and it was my first time ever visiting California. Shooting on the Paramount lot was such a thrill for me. I remember seeing Michael Dorn and LeVar Burton walking around in costume [for Star Trek: The Next Generation] and thinking that was so cool.
Victor DiMattia (s6): I remember being very excited about meeting Michael J. Fox because I liked Back to the Future.
Darrell Thomas Utley (s6): It was my first foray into the entertainment industry. I was selected after auditioning with a few other kids. We were screened at the California School for the Deaf in Riverside, where the casting guys went to look. It was a special opportunity which led me to few other roles after Family Ties. It was my first "job" and at the time it was one of the most popular TV shows. It was surely magical as I saw everything behind the scenes as opposed to seeing it on TV.
Danielle von Zerneck (s6): Family Ties was huge at the time and one of my favorite shows. It was so amazing to be on that set. Michael J. Fox was in the midst of becoming huge.
Hilary Shepard (s7): To be on such an iconic show was so much fun. When you know their house so well from seeing it on TV and then get to be there the set, it gives you chills!
Christina Pickles (s7): It was an honor.
Nick Rutherford (s7): At the time, I don't know if I even had the idea of what a job was. I remember the sound stage. I remember waiting behind the fake front door to run out, and I remember seeing for the first time the painted backdrop that made it look like outside was a neighborhood and thinking "Oh, cool. That's how they do that."
Jaclyn Bernstein (s7): It's funny—I worked a lot as a child. I did hundreds of commercials and shows, most of which I have very little memory of—it's just the nature of the beast. But Family Ties was, literally, the most special on-set experience I ever had. I truly mean that. I didn't understand why at the time because I was so young, but it must have been the beautiful chemistry and wholesome collaborative work environment that I was feeling. It really felt like a family. Being an actor is kind of like being a gypsy. You build a home and then the shoot wraps so you pack and go, usually to never to see most of the people ever again. Even more so as a child because when you're not on camera, you are with the set tutor clocking in school hours, so you don't get a lot of time to build relationships with cast and crew. But Family Ties was a golden group. I remember feeling so sad to leave when the week wrapped. After the live taping on Friday night, I actually cried because I didn't want the experience to end. That never happened to me before or since.
Suzanne, did you see any sign of the spark between Michael and Tracy who, as you probably know, got married a few years after your episode was filmed?
I remember thinking that Tracy and Michael seemed like they could end up together.
Do you remember any notable reactions to your role from friends or fans?
Cindy Fisher (s1): They aired the pilot over and over before each taping for a few seasons, to familiarize the audience and get them in the Family Ties mood, so I got a lot of mileage out of that.
Chris Hebert (s1, 2): At the time I was on, the show was still finding its audience. It really wasn't until it got scheduled after The Cosby Show that the ratings began to skyrocket (which was a year or so after I appeared on it). However, many people who have caught in reruns over the years or even were fans from the beginning and have said they remember those two shows. Some have said something like "Oh, I remember you doing that 'Four more years' line!" (from my first episode) and my watching the Nixon impeachment trial in the second.
Terry Wills (s1, 2, 5, 6, 7): Mostly, they were just happy to see I had a job.
Edward Edwards (s2): I was amazed that people stopped me on the street after it aired. Even years later, people would see me in the subway station or a hotel lobby and tell me how much they loved to hate my character.
Kaleena Kiff (s2): I had been a regular on another NBC show shooting in NYC for two seasons so most of my 8-year-old friends in California weren't overly impressed. Mostly they were just envious that I was missing more school.
Kate Vernon (s2): It was basically my first gig and so there was a lot of attention from my family. Plus I'm Canadian and Michael J. Fox is Canadian and I had the funny line "We're not at war with Canada, are we?"
Eileen Seeley (s2): Relief from my family that maybe I wasn't as crazy as they thought I was for pursuing an acting career.
Debbie Gilbert (now Webb) (s2): Well, of course, back then there were not hundreds of channels. It was a big deal to be on TV. I came to Hollywood because I was clueless about what to do about my future. I wanted to be a journalist, but my [as-yet] undiagnosed ADD made it difficult to focus in college. The classrooms used typewriters and the sounds of the keys clicking distracted me. I could not focus and had no idea why. So I quit and went home to my parents, a failure. One day I opened the Yellow Pages and started with A, [zeroed in on] 'Acting,' enrolled myself in a class in Las Vegas (where I grew up), and found myself being taught by the character actor Joseph Bernard. Joseph was close to Jerry Lewis, and Jerry gave me a small part in something (I don't remember) to get my SAG card. Once I had [that], I headed to L.A.
After Family Ties aired, I went home to visit my folks and ran into my high school boyfriend. He had dumped me when we were about to graduate. He was on his way to an Ivy League. I was Jewish but looked like a shiksa, he was rich, I was poor—so I was Barbra Streisand in The Way We Were. Now I was good enough for him. ;) It felt great to say "You are lovely, Hubbell, but…"
Susan Isaacs (s2): My friends were super excited. My family got a lot of calls about it. Not about the topic, but about the fact that "Susie is on TV!" My ex-boyfriend from high school was back east, and he made everyone in his dorm watch the episode. The only reaction he related back to me was that his buddies said I had a nice butt.
Kathleen Wilhoite (s2): Well, I played the girl who encouraged Justine to lose her virginity. I guess I got a couple of raised eyebrows. I had just started working as a professional actress, so any time I worked I got positive reactions from my friends and family.
Lenora May (s2): Actually only last week [August 2016], a coworker of mine was watching reruns of Family Ties with her 9-year-old and she freaked out when she realized that I was in the show she was watching. I looked a lot younger, ha ha.
Matthew Barry (s3): I got a lot of letters from fans talking about how adorable Scott was.
Nancy Everhard (now Amandes) (s3): My family was always happy to see me on TV. I came from a small town in Ohio where no one else was in the entertainment business.
Norman Parker (s3, 5, 6): The exposure was so enormous that suddenly a trip to the drugstore made it clear anonymity was a thing of the past for the time being.
Adam Carl (s3): Nothing specific, though in general all my friends and the kids I went to school with were very supportive. Nobody ever gave me a hard time and my peers were always excited for me when I got a gig or when an episode I worked on aired. My best friend Scott would come to the tapings of every show I did which was always reassuring for me and definitely helped keep me grounded. Now we're middle-aged men but we're still extremely tight.
Gracie Harrison (s4): If my friends or family see it, I usually get a text from them with a picture of me on the TV screen. Always makes me smile. I also know I have a residual check coming. ; )
Robin Morse (s5): At the time, yes, most people were really excited because it was such a popular show; however, the truly rewarding experience is that now my kids and their friends are watching it, and they get such a kick out of the fact that I was on it.
Brian McNamara (s5): I had many people come to me after the episode aired telling me how moved they were. Keep in mind this was a comedy, so that was particularly gratifying.
Sonia Curtis (s5, 6): [When] people recognize me and feel they know me [personally], it's usually from acting jobs, and they usually remember the Family Ties episodes well. A couple of guys told me they had a huge crush on Amy which made me laugh since I thought she was so quirky…to each his own, right?
Stuart Pankin (s5): My character Uncle Marv was a pain and the family couldn't wait for him to go. [The family] printed up a calendar with my face on it and happily crossed off the days until my departure. I got a copy of that calendar, put it in the kitchen, and gave a few to my friends and family. That calendar/dartboard was a happy and funny reminder of my experience.
Dana Andersen Schreiner (s5): At that time, fans would actually write letters. I didn't get a lot, but what I did get mostly came from people who were in prison. (I think this was pretty common for young actresses.) I do remember getting more than usual after my Family Ties aired, which I thought was interesting since it was such a family-oriented show
Amy Lynne (s5): I was working quite a bit even if they weren't huge parts so I didn't have a lot of friends because I was gone so much. My friends were mostly from the dance troupe. I think the friends I did have at school got a little jealous, so it wasn't the best experience. It's a hard thing to comprehend when you're 14 and a girl—girls can be nasty.
I got to do these plots [about teenaged drama] that gave me deeper understanding. It gave me more insight than if I had just gone through it in real life. But everything is a trade-off, so I missed out on dances, parties, boyfriends. So you don't grow up till later. But it was still nice because I got to see growing up from a different angle.
Nicole Nourmand (s5): I played a major dork, Beth Hooper. I was nerdy as a tween, but of course they had to make me a meganerd with jeans hiked up and a plaid shirt. So my friends made fun of me and I was mortified to be dressed like a loser on national TV.
Alyson Croft (s5): I just remember the laughter. There was so much laughter from the executives, [director] Asaad Kelada, and the studio audience.
Jason Naylor (s6, 7): I have the vague recollection of some fan mail and perhaps a Tiger Beat puff piece or two, but the most remarkable reaction has to have been the moment when Michael J. Fox, in character as Alex Keaton, nearly broke when, in character as Simon, I performed another bit of physical comedy—opening the Keaton kitchen door into the toe of my shoe, simultaneously snapping my head back, thus appearing to have opened the door into my own forehead on my way out of the house—with sufficiently good timing that Mr. Fox appeared to nearly not been able to contain his own mirth.
Ellen Latzen (s6): Nothing notable. But all of my friends back then, and even those I've told in my adult life, were so excited to hear I'd been on the show. It was such a staple in the '80s, a truly beloved program. And because mine was a pretty iconic Christmas episode, a lot of people remember it. I mean, how can you forget Alex P. Keaton playing a mall Santa?
Darrell Thomas Utley (s6): They, of course, were awestruck and glad to see a deaf actor representing a deaf character as it was pretty common for the roles to be filled by hearing actors faking some signs—which lacked authenticity. I didn't like to be placed on a pedestal and many did consider me as a role model. However, at that time, I was just another deaf child.
Susan Kohler (s6): Immediately after the episode aired, my phone rang off the hook. Everyone saw it, everyone called to say how much they liked the show. Also, the show received many accolades because of the subject manner (a deaf boy teased by classmates).
Debra Engle (s7): They all so thought it was interesting for me to be [playing] a person stealing things.
Christina Pickles (s7): Months later I ran into the director who told me I had been very moving in that emotional part. I was thrilled because you never know.
Nick Rutherford (s7): Not particularly. Though I still occasionally bring up the clip with friends to laugh at how little and weird it was.
Part 4.
Was it just another job or was there anything special about it at the time?
Cindy Fisher (s1): Pilots are always special because they bring hope of a series. The cast was all signed for the series, I was just the guest star, so to celebrate I brought each of the cast a red rose the day of shooting in front of the live audience. I was pretty objective (not being really a part of it) and felt the synergy so thought it might go. Always hard to tell network commitment.
John Putch (s1, 2, 5): Sure it was special. I was a young actor just getting some traction in TV. Prior to Family Ties, I had had a successful run on Norman Lear's One Day at a Time playing the character of Bob Morton. The writing on TV back then by Gary Goldberg and Michael Weithorn was so good and sharp. It was a fun time. Nothing was just a job when you were young and hopeful.
Terry Wills (s1, 2, 5, 6, 7): It was very special because the experience really embodied the show's title.
Kerry Noonan (s1): Family Ties was my second TV or film job. I had come out of UCLA as a theater major. I had not yet seen the show (I think it was season 2?) since I had been doing a lot of theater in L.A., which took up most of my nights.
Edward Edwards (s2): This episode aired two days before the birth of my first child. So taping of the show was a couple of weeks before that. Somehow anticipating the birth of my child and having the opportunity to really cut loose creatively in this episode made this a very memorable time in my life.
Kate Vernon (s2): Having no reference [because it was my first or second audition], it's hard to compare it. As far as first jobs on great sets, I lucked out. Walking into that group of people was definitely walking into what felt like a family. Meredith Baxter Birney was absolutely lovely and warm and made me very comfortable. Michael Gross, too. It was a safe place for a new actress. I didn't feel any pressure. I was just like "Please God help me remember my lines!" I thought the script was hilarious. I love that they pretended to be astronauts and we were completely enthralled.
Debbie Gilbert (now Webb) (s2): It was special for many of us because, I believe, it was a first job. Katie [Vernon] had already wrapped Pretty in Pink, but it was not released yet. [MTN: I suspect this timeline is off. This episode was shot in late 1983; Pretty in Pink was released in early 1986.] She was tall and her piercing blue eyes made it clear there was something special about her. Crispin would arrive on the set each day [in] some sort of creative outfit he was experimenting with. He told me he had just painted his entire apartment black. At the time, Mike [Fox] was dating the dark-haired gal from The Facts of Life [Nancy McKeon]; this also blew my mind. Even Mike seemed to be floating on air about his position in life. John Putch, I was told, was the son of Edith Bunker [Jean Stapleton]. I could not believe where I was.
Susan Isaacs (s2): It was my very first job and my very first audition. I was in my last year at UCLA film. I'd been cast in so many student films, I was mulling over whether to pursue film production or acting. In fact, I'd kind of thrown out a fleece in a prayer only a few days before he audition. "Hey, God, I need a sign which avenue to pursue." And then Bob's your uncle, two days later I was at Paramount booking a job, getting my SAG card and an agent. Of course, so many of my peers in the film department went on to long careers behind the camera, while I struggled for many years as an actor. Nevertheless, it was a very special show. My father, who'd been very negative about me trying to be an actor, was over the moon. I won't forget the moment he shook Lee's hand after the taping. He was beaming. Lee gave me a start, and I'll never forget her for giving me that shot.
Kathleen Wilhoite (s2): It was just another job, but hanging out with Justine made it special. I laughed a lot and I liked everyone on the cast and crew. I don't remember feeling any kind of angst or having any problems on that show.
Lenora May (s2): To be quite honest, it was another job. However, it was the last one where I played a teenager as I was already pushing 28! After that I switched to "young mom" roles.
Alan Blumenfeld (s2, 3, 4, 5, 6): What it did for my confidence to be part of the industry was incalculable. In terms of how other people viewed me, I've never really known. I've just known that the show was such a hit that it helped me get other auditions and work.
Timothy Busfield (s3, 5): Because I was 27 and fresh off Revenge of the Nerds, I was auditioning a lot but wasn't getting a great deal of [parts]. I was more excited to be on the Paramount lot auditioning than I was to be reading for Family Ties. After my second episode, they offered me to be a series regular—but I was also offered Trapper John, M.D. I took that because it was a lead character in a film show and I wanted to learn to become better for film. On Trapper John, M.D., I was basically the lead for the last episodes. With Family Ties, it was still year 3. It wasn't necessarily a show I would've watched, nor did I watch it when I left it. I don't know how much TV I watched—I [rather] watched movies.
Matthew Barry (s3): I needed it badly. At the time I was working at the Sunset Marquis hotel as my "regular struggling actor job" and this job allowed me to quit.
Lily Mariye (s3): This was an amazing job for me! I had only recently begun to think of myself as an actor, rather than a dancer, and Family Ties was a huge hit show. I was a little overwhelmed on the first day of rehearsal, actually being in the Keatons' living room and being with the Keatons. To relate it to being a young actor on a show today, it would be like suddenly rehearsing in the living room of The Big Bang Theory…completely surreal!
After our episode, Gary David Goldberg wanted to make Tim and I recurring characters on the show, but Tim got a regular gig on Trapper John, M.D. before Gary was able to make that happen.
Nancy Everhard (now Amandes) (s3): It was a big deal for me. It was my first sitcom and going in front of a live audience was really exciting!
Norman Parker (s3, 5, 6): It appeared, at first, to simply be a nice job. But from the first read-through at table with the cast I knew immediately I was with a very special group of people.
Suzanne Snyder (s4): I have only fond memories of my time on Family Ties. Everyone was very kind and talented. They were like a loving, happy family. They listened to each other, cared for each other, and helped each other.
These two episodes were very special for everyone because they were introducing a new character, Tracy [Ellen Reed]. They had searched for Tracy all over the country. I was directed to behave very differently from Tracy.
Gracie Harrison (s4): Working on Family Ties was far from just another acting job. It was an incredible success at the time and it was exciting for me to be a part of a very special episode.
Robin Morse (s5): The truly special thing was getting cast in a show that I'd been watching and loved, so it certainly was not just "another job." I felt really excited and grateful to be a part of the show.
Jonna Lee Pangburn (s5): Really??? I personally never really watched TV…but everyone knew about Family Ties! It was a "score" job for a middle-class working actress! A very nice credit and a great week on the set. The cast and crew were professional and welcoming. No scandals, no mud fights, no drugs, sex, or sordid behavior. Kind of boring for an interview.
Brian McNamara (s5): For me personally, I was working on a bit of TV history.
Sonia Curtis (s5, 6): Not really [anything special]. Although Mallory and I were supposed to be friends, Justine was very cool with me behind the scenes. She was more able to turn it on and off whereas I was trying to create the sense that we were really friends before the camera was rolling…probably just different acting styles, plus she was a series regular and had to work with lots of different people each week.
Stuart Pankin (s5): Getting work was and is never just another job. With 95% unemployment at any given time, an actor is always grateful to be appreciated, and to get work, especially on a hit show.
Amy Lynne (s5): Oh, it was hugely special because up till that point, I had never gotten a major prime time part. And I wasn't in just one scene, I was in the whole show. It made my sitcom career take off. After that I got two series—Raising Miranda in 1988 with Bryan Cranston (I remember him singing to me in his trailer) and The Ann Jillian Show. I got a photo of all of [the cast] and had them sign it. Even though I was on the show, I was still all googly-eyed.
Nicole Nourmand (s5): The environment was particularly friendly. The episodes I did were full of kids. We all made presents for each other and had a blast hanging out when doing our homework.
Alyson Croft (s5): This was a big deal for me. My family and I would watch this show every week. Once I was on set, I remember being worried that if anyone found out my age, it was gonna get me fired. The other actresses were so much older!
Jason Naylor (s6, 7): At that time, Family Ties was by far the most widely well-known of any television project I had yet worked on and I felt very proud to have been cast and excited to have the chance to work with actors and a production crew of that caliber.
Ellen Latzen (s6): Working on Family Ties was one of the highlights of my career. I remember when my mother got the phone call that they wanted me to be a guest star. Fatal Attraction [in which Ellen appeared] had just come out and the producers wanted me on the show. I think I screamed when my mom told me. It was one of my favorite shows and I was a huge fan of Michael J. Fox, so being offered a part was a dream come true. They flew us from New York to L.A. to film and it was my first time ever visiting California. Shooting on the Paramount lot was such a thrill for me. I remember seeing Michael Dorn and LeVar Burton walking around in costume [for Star Trek: The Next Generation] and thinking that was so cool.
Victor DiMattia (s6): I remember being very excited about meeting Michael J. Fox because I liked Back to the Future.
Darrell Thomas Utley (s6): It was my first foray into the entertainment industry. I was selected after auditioning with a few other kids. We were screened at the California School for the Deaf in Riverside, where the casting guys went to look. It was a special opportunity which led me to few other roles after Family Ties. It was my first "job" and at the time it was one of the most popular TV shows. It was surely magical as I saw everything behind the scenes as opposed to seeing it on TV.
Danielle von Zerneck (s6): Family Ties was huge at the time and one of my favorite shows. It was so amazing to be on that set. Michael J. Fox was in the midst of becoming huge.
Hilary Shepard (s7): To be on such an iconic show was so much fun. When you know their house so well from seeing it on TV and then get to be there the set, it gives you chills!
Christina Pickles (s7): It was an honor.
Nick Rutherford (s7): At the time, I don't know if I even had the idea of what a job was. I remember the sound stage. I remember waiting behind the fake front door to run out, and I remember seeing for the first time the painted backdrop that made it look like outside was a neighborhood and thinking "Oh, cool. That's how they do that."
Jaclyn Bernstein (s7): It's funny—I worked a lot as a child. I did hundreds of commercials and shows, most of which I have very little memory of—it's just the nature of the beast. But Family Ties was, literally, the most special on-set experience I ever had. I truly mean that. I didn't understand why at the time because I was so young, but it must have been the beautiful chemistry and wholesome collaborative work environment that I was feeling. It really felt like a family. Being an actor is kind of like being a gypsy. You build a home and then the shoot wraps so you pack and go, usually to never to see most of the people ever again. Even more so as a child because when you're not on camera, you are with the set tutor clocking in school hours, so you don't get a lot of time to build relationships with cast and crew. But Family Ties was a golden group. I remember feeling so sad to leave when the week wrapped. After the live taping on Friday night, I actually cried because I didn't want the experience to end. That never happened to me before or since.
Suzanne, did you see any sign of the spark between Michael and Tracy who, as you probably know, got married a few years after your episode was filmed?
I remember thinking that Tracy and Michael seemed like they could end up together.
Do you remember any notable reactions to your role from friends or fans?
Cindy Fisher (s1): They aired the pilot over and over before each taping for a few seasons, to familiarize the audience and get them in the Family Ties mood, so I got a lot of mileage out of that.
Chris Hebert (s1, 2): At the time I was on, the show was still finding its audience. It really wasn't until it got scheduled after The Cosby Show that the ratings began to skyrocket (which was a year or so after I appeared on it). However, many people who have caught in reruns over the years or even were fans from the beginning and have said they remember those two shows. Some have said something like "Oh, I remember you doing that 'Four more years' line!" (from my first episode) and my watching the Nixon impeachment trial in the second.
Terry Wills (s1, 2, 5, 6, 7): Mostly, they were just happy to see I had a job.
Edward Edwards (s2): I was amazed that people stopped me on the street after it aired. Even years later, people would see me in the subway station or a hotel lobby and tell me how much they loved to hate my character.
Kaleena Kiff (s2): I had been a regular on another NBC show shooting in NYC for two seasons so most of my 8-year-old friends in California weren't overly impressed. Mostly they were just envious that I was missing more school.
Kate Vernon (s2): It was basically my first gig and so there was a lot of attention from my family. Plus I'm Canadian and Michael J. Fox is Canadian and I had the funny line "We're not at war with Canada, are we?"
Eileen Seeley (s2): Relief from my family that maybe I wasn't as crazy as they thought I was for pursuing an acting career.
Debbie Gilbert (now Webb) (s2): Well, of course, back then there were not hundreds of channels. It was a big deal to be on TV. I came to Hollywood because I was clueless about what to do about my future. I wanted to be a journalist, but my [as-yet] undiagnosed ADD made it difficult to focus in college. The classrooms used typewriters and the sounds of the keys clicking distracted me. I could not focus and had no idea why. So I quit and went home to my parents, a failure. One day I opened the Yellow Pages and started with A, [zeroed in on] 'Acting,' enrolled myself in a class in Las Vegas (where I grew up), and found myself being taught by the character actor Joseph Bernard. Joseph was close to Jerry Lewis, and Jerry gave me a small part in something (I don't remember) to get my SAG card. Once I had [that], I headed to L.A.
After Family Ties aired, I went home to visit my folks and ran into my high school boyfriend. He had dumped me when we were about to graduate. He was on his way to an Ivy League. I was Jewish but looked like a shiksa, he was rich, I was poor—so I was Barbra Streisand in The Way We Were. Now I was good enough for him. ;) It felt great to say "You are lovely, Hubbell, but…"
Susan Isaacs (s2): My friends were super excited. My family got a lot of calls about it. Not about the topic, but about the fact that "Susie is on TV!" My ex-boyfriend from high school was back east, and he made everyone in his dorm watch the episode. The only reaction he related back to me was that his buddies said I had a nice butt.
Kathleen Wilhoite (s2): Well, I played the girl who encouraged Justine to lose her virginity. I guess I got a couple of raised eyebrows. I had just started working as a professional actress, so any time I worked I got positive reactions from my friends and family.
Lenora May (s2): Actually only last week [August 2016], a coworker of mine was watching reruns of Family Ties with her 9-year-old and she freaked out when she realized that I was in the show she was watching. I looked a lot younger, ha ha.
Matthew Barry (s3): I got a lot of letters from fans talking about how adorable Scott was.
Nancy Everhard (now Amandes) (s3): My family was always happy to see me on TV. I came from a small town in Ohio where no one else was in the entertainment business.
Norman Parker (s3, 5, 6): The exposure was so enormous that suddenly a trip to the drugstore made it clear anonymity was a thing of the past for the time being.
Adam Carl (s3): Nothing specific, though in general all my friends and the kids I went to school with were very supportive. Nobody ever gave me a hard time and my peers were always excited for me when I got a gig or when an episode I worked on aired. My best friend Scott would come to the tapings of every show I did which was always reassuring for me and definitely helped keep me grounded. Now we're middle-aged men but we're still extremely tight.
Gracie Harrison (s4): If my friends or family see it, I usually get a text from them with a picture of me on the TV screen. Always makes me smile. I also know I have a residual check coming. ; )
Robin Morse (s5): At the time, yes, most people were really excited because it was such a popular show; however, the truly rewarding experience is that now my kids and their friends are watching it, and they get such a kick out of the fact that I was on it.
Brian McNamara (s5): I had many people come to me after the episode aired telling me how moved they were. Keep in mind this was a comedy, so that was particularly gratifying.
Sonia Curtis (s5, 6): [When] people recognize me and feel they know me [personally], it's usually from acting jobs, and they usually remember the Family Ties episodes well. A couple of guys told me they had a huge crush on Amy which made me laugh since I thought she was so quirky…to each his own, right?
Stuart Pankin (s5): My character Uncle Marv was a pain and the family couldn't wait for him to go. [The family] printed up a calendar with my face on it and happily crossed off the days until my departure. I got a copy of that calendar, put it in the kitchen, and gave a few to my friends and family. That calendar/dartboard was a happy and funny reminder of my experience.
Dana Andersen Schreiner (s5): At that time, fans would actually write letters. I didn't get a lot, but what I did get mostly came from people who were in prison. (I think this was pretty common for young actresses.) I do remember getting more than usual after my Family Ties aired, which I thought was interesting since it was such a family-oriented show
Amy Lynne (s5): I was working quite a bit even if they weren't huge parts so I didn't have a lot of friends because I was gone so much. My friends were mostly from the dance troupe. I think the friends I did have at school got a little jealous, so it wasn't the best experience. It's a hard thing to comprehend when you're 14 and a girl—girls can be nasty.
I got to do these plots [about teenaged drama] that gave me deeper understanding. It gave me more insight than if I had just gone through it in real life. But everything is a trade-off, so I missed out on dances, parties, boyfriends. So you don't grow up till later. But it was still nice because I got to see growing up from a different angle.
Nicole Nourmand (s5): I played a major dork, Beth Hooper. I was nerdy as a tween, but of course they had to make me a meganerd with jeans hiked up and a plaid shirt. So my friends made fun of me and I was mortified to be dressed like a loser on national TV.
Alyson Croft (s5): I just remember the laughter. There was so much laughter from the executives, [director] Asaad Kelada, and the studio audience.
Jason Naylor (s6, 7): I have the vague recollection of some fan mail and perhaps a Tiger Beat puff piece or two, but the most remarkable reaction has to have been the moment when Michael J. Fox, in character as Alex Keaton, nearly broke when, in character as Simon, I performed another bit of physical comedy—opening the Keaton kitchen door into the toe of my shoe, simultaneously snapping my head back, thus appearing to have opened the door into my own forehead on my way out of the house—with sufficiently good timing that Mr. Fox appeared to nearly not been able to contain his own mirth.
Ellen Latzen (s6): Nothing notable. But all of my friends back then, and even those I've told in my adult life, were so excited to hear I'd been on the show. It was such a staple in the '80s, a truly beloved program. And because mine was a pretty iconic Christmas episode, a lot of people remember it. I mean, how can you forget Alex P. Keaton playing a mall Santa?
Darrell Thomas Utley (s6): They, of course, were awestruck and glad to see a deaf actor representing a deaf character as it was pretty common for the roles to be filled by hearing actors faking some signs—which lacked authenticity. I didn't like to be placed on a pedestal and many did consider me as a role model. However, at that time, I was just another deaf child.
Susan Kohler (s6): Immediately after the episode aired, my phone rang off the hook. Everyone saw it, everyone called to say how much they liked the show. Also, the show received many accolades because of the subject manner (a deaf boy teased by classmates).
Debra Engle (s7): They all so thought it was interesting for me to be [playing] a person stealing things.
Christina Pickles (s7): Months later I ran into the director who told me I had been very moving in that emotional part. I was thrilled because you never know.
Nick Rutherford (s7): Not particularly. Though I still occasionally bring up the clip with friends to laugh at how little and weird it was.
Part 4.
August 7, 2017
"Family Ties": oral history of the 1980s sitcom – part 2 – shooting anecdotes
Introduction to the Family Ties oral history (including the list of interviewees and links to each part).
Any funny or unusual anecdotes about your Family Ties experience?
Cindy Fisher (s1): The pilot was new which meant a lot of the cast were exploring. A lot of talk with producers and ideas were thrown around a lot so the set was loose and creative. I loved Gary Goldberg and felt he was a creative vs. a boss.
John Putch (s1, 2, 5): I remember it was always a fun experience when you had Crispin Glover on set. He would wander off during the scenes and play his lines from unlit corners of the set. Will Mackenzie, the director, would have to remind him that once it's blocked, he can't change it 'cause it would not get captured on camera. We were all young and it was probably one of his first TV jobs. I think he had just done the short film The Orkly Kid.
Chris Hebert (s1, 2): Michael J. Fox certainly was not the beloved modern legend he has become in the last few decades, and being new to acting (I had been in the business a little over a year and was only 9 years old), I was still getting used to the common practice of using older actors who look younger to play teenagers. (I understand it from a producer's perspective as it allows you to work them longer because they're not dealing with child labor laws, but it also makes it difficult for teenage actors to get steady work, but that's a different conversation.) Anyway, I remember sitting on the edge of the audience bleachers watching the crew work and Michael and came over and starting chatting with me. After all, I was playing a younger Alex Keaton so I think he wanted to make a connection. He was genuinely polite and I remember asking him how old he was and his replying "Twenty-one." My mouth dropped because that just didn't seem possible. "Really? No way!" "Yes, 21." Yes, I was young and naive.
Cristen Kauffman (s1): I remember feeling like they were a real family. They were very comfortable with each other and I felt their closeness. I remember Justine being wise beyond her years. The scenes did not take long to shoot and it was very emotional. I felt very respected by the cast and the director. It was a very pleasant experience.
Lisa Lucas (s1): When I did An Unmarried Woman, the hardest for me was crying [on camera]. The other hard thing was making out with Matthew Arkin, Alan Arkin's son. The crew was teasing me and I was so embarrassed. When I read the Family Ties script, I saw I had to kiss him. I wasn't into him but I thought it was cool. Then I thought "Oh no, I'm going to get teased again!" In the scene when we're making out, the whole audience was woo-wooing. I had never done anything with a live audience. It was weird for me to have an instant reaction. I didn't want to break character. It wasn't like a play so we could redo it, but that alone was scary.
He was a good kisser. I was a little nervous because at that point I had very little on-screen experience in the kissing department. I didn't want to ask but didn't want to be surprised so I asked Michael if we're supposed to use our tongues. He laughed and said "What do you think?" and I said "Fine with me" and he said "Let's go for it." It was a serious, real make-out moment. And he was committed to this so I assume he wanted it to look realistic.
It was my first curtain call. I was on the end at first and they moved me next to Michael.
Earl Boen (s1, 3): I really don't remember any of them. I was a very busy working actor, especially with voice acting. There are a few shows I remember. I know it was a very pleasant set to work on. Michael Fox was easy to work with and a sweet guy. I really enjoyed him—very talented, of course. Everyone was very free with their encouragement.
My second episode was just chaos because of the kangaroo and so many people. It was a female director [Lee Shallat Chemel (as Lee Shallat)], who was a delight. Michael was very welcoming when I came back. The cast was super. They listened well to each other. Sometimes at table reads, when a line gets laugh they decide to give it to one of the leads. But this cast didn't always have to have the punchline.
I got some Sudafed on the last day because I came down with a sinus infection. I asked if they wanted to recast so I wouldn't spread it to the cast [but they said no] so I rehearsed for the first four days of the five-day shoot with a box of Kleenex under my arm.
Terry Wills (s1, 2, 5, 6, 7): Shooting hoops with Gary outside the studio.
Kerry Noonan (s1): One of my good friends and another UCLA alumni—Carlos Lacamara—also had a part on that episode. He and I were part of a group who founded a theater company in L.A. after we graduated. We are still good friends, to this day. He is a wonderful actor and director, and a good playwright as well. He is bilingual in Spanish and English, and the writers that week kept going back and forth as to whether he would speak his one line in Spanish or in Portuguese (as if he were from Brazil). They finally settled on Portuguese, and I remember Carlos on the phone with a Brazilian friend of his, getting pointers on saying his line correctly.
Many of my friends found it very funny that my character got her answer wrong on the quiz show; I am a trivia buff. One of my friends has said, "Before there was Google, there was Kerry." I was later on Jeopardy!, Win Ben Stein's Money, and some other game shows.
Tanya Fenmore (s2): I [asked] my mother who remembers more about Family Ties than I do since I was so young. She said that it was my first big speaking role and my first sitcom experience. The script was delivered on a Sunday while I was [out] entertaining live, [so when I got home at night, I had to] memorize all the lines for the read-through Monday morning.
Prior to that, I had just done commercials via my tap dancing and violin playing. I was in a commercial for Doublemint Gum with the star of The NeverEnding Story [Noah Hathaway, who guested on Family Ties in season 4]; we hardly looked like twins but when you're 6… ha! I appeared opposite Jack Black in a [1982] Pitfall! commercial. And in Steve Martin's movie "Pennies from Heaven" where I was tapping and fiddling with Bernadette Peters.
On the weekends, I was performing (singing/dancing/fiddling) live at a kids' cabaret called "Let's Put on a Show" where Marc Price [whose sister I played on Family Ties] was the M.C. and did stand-up for a while, so coincidentally I already knew him! If you find him, please say hello—he's such a doll and talent!
Kaleena Kiff (s2): There were two teachers/social workers for the three Keaton kids, one for Tina Yothers and Justine Bateman and one for Michael J. Fox. On the girls' schoolroom door it read "We devour education" while on Fox's door it read "We digest it."
Kate Vernon (s2): There was John Putch, Crispin Glover, Michael. We laughed…I don't have any specific memories. The guys all seemed to know what they were doing. The girls were kind of like our characters, little airheads—at least MY character was an airhead!
Debbie Gilbert (now Webb) (s2): Yes. It's embarrassing but true. When I sat down in the tiny chair they provided, I faced the writer (Michael…?) [MTN: yes—Michael Weithorn], and behind him on a couch sat a row of others, including Gary David Goldberg. When I said my first line—"Are you a colonel?"—Gary and the others fell off the couch cracking up, and Michael turned around and said "Cast her, right?" I couldn't believe it. The moment became surreal—my first job, and I was funny!
When I left the audition, I went straight to my agents, Pervis Atkins (the football star) and Edgar Small (the character actor). They were thrilled [about my Family Ties audition] and wanted me to read for them—after all, I got cast on the spot. I read [that] first line; both their mouths dropped. "You said that?"
"Yes, I did. Just like that." I was real proud!
Edgar said, "Well, that's just wonderful, young lady, but when you show up for work, make sure you say it right. The word sounds like 'kernul,' not 'colon' (the organ) then 'el.'"
Tom Byrd (s2): Justine Bateman, who was very polite and unaffected, forgot her line after we kissed in a scene. The audience loved it. It wound up on that Dick Clark bloopers show [TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes]. I found that out after I got a mystery residual in the mail.
[My] episode was the directorial debut of Lee Shallat (now Lee Shallat-Chemel), who has gone on to an excellent ongoing career. That has always made me smile.
Susan Isaacs (s2): They brought in extra hairstylists to cover us guest stars [but they] obviously didn't know the show. The stylist who did our hair looked like she'd retired to Palm Desert in 1950 to work on her tan. The way she did the hair on [Kathleen Wilhoite, Lenora May, and me], we looked like trashy extras from Beach Blanket Bingo. I think she did my hair first. I was so mortified. But it was my first job. I didn't know I could protest. Lenora and Kathleen got the same janky hairdos. When Kathleen came back from hair, she looked at Lenora and me and said something to the effect of "No way in hell am I doing this with this hair." When we got sent to producers to check, Kathleen spoke up. I think they were already thinking the same thing, but I was impressed that Kathleen spoke her mind.
Another anecdote: I'd always been cast as the smart-mouthed character, never the straight man. I couldn't help feel envious of Kathleen playing the sassy friend role. I did get one shot at it with my line "He's not the one that's going to get pregnant." [NOTE: this was actually Lenora's line; memory plays tricks all the time!] It's a good thing I didn't audition for Kathleen's role. I never would have been cast. She killed it.
Kathleen Wilhoite (s2): My car broke down and Justine Bateman drove me to work. We've been friends ever since.
Lenora May (s2): I was working with Kathleen Wilhoite, Justine Bateman, and Susan Isaacs. I remember Kathleen was blowing her lines so we did many retakes. I guess that wasn't really funny, just different.
Alan Blumenfeld (s2, 3, 4, 5, 6): I remember Michael J. Fox was shooting Teen Wolf and he was learning to dribble and shoot. He'd walk around the set dribbling.
The set was so warm and kind. The family and friends of the regulars and the family of the guest cast were always invited to a dinner in between shows.
Timothy Busfield (s3, 5): They let me add a line—I think in the "Best Man" episode. My character is trying to speak Italian; at the end of the scene, Michael Gross added "Arrivederci" and I say "Huh?" like I didn't understand it. Michael Gross said keep [the line]. That was not the case on the next Gary David Goldberg show I did (Champs) where they didn't want us to suggest ideas because they were afraid it would run long. In today's TV world, it's delicate how much you can contribute.
Justine Bateman, who is really great, and I were having a conversation. I was taken with her being really beautiful. I was awkwardly talking and put my hand on the base on the beam pole that was covered in grease. She said "You might want to wash that." It was one of those funny moments that would've been in the show. All those leads were so relaxed.
In the "Best Man" episode, I played cards with Billy Campbell, Tate Donovan, and Michael Zorek. The four of us were all kids at the time who went on to be leads in later shows. Sort of like Fast Times when you see Eric Stoltz, Anthony Edwards, Sean Penn—fun to see four unknowns together who become fairly successful later. When that episode came up, I recorded it and showed Melissa [Gilbert, his wife]. Tate and I would later work together again when I directed Damages. It was great [recalling] back to some of our earliest work. But now it's just depressing because it was 100 years ago. I'm 15 years older than Michael Gross was when we did that show. I look older now than he did then. But he was too young to be the dad of those guys, I thought.
Matthew Barry (s3): It was the worst audition I had ever had. I had been in a slump since arriving in L.A. and hadn't booked a job yet. For this audition I went into the casting office wanting to try something different, and I played Scott "goofy." After, I called my agent and apologized for such a lousy audition. He laughed and said, "Well, you must have done something right, 'cause you got the job."
Lily Mariye (s3): The wedding dress I wore on the show was the dress that Debra Winger wore in Terms of Endearment. I'm a couple of inches shorter than she is, so the wardrobe seamstresses had to hem it for me. One of my day jobs as a struggling actress was selling tickets at the Comedy Store on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. Apparently, I got my job because Debra Winger had quit when she started getting a lot of acting roles. I guess that job at the Comedy Store was good luck!
My character married Tim Busfield's character on the show a month before I actually married my real husband, saxophonist Boney James, in real life. I was wearing a lot of wedding gowns for a minute there!
The day after my episode aired, I was in Rite Aid and I saw a group of young girls gathered in the makeup department. I heard one of them say, "Oh my God! Do you guys watch Family Ties?" They all looked at me and I made a beeline for the back of the store. They ran after me, yelling "Eleanor! Eleanor!" I stopped and gave them my autograph. It started out a little frightening, but in the end, it was very flattering. They were very sweet.
Norman Parker (s3, 5, 6): At one point, after having done the show often enough to have developed warm relationships with everyone, including, with much respect and affection, Michael J., Michael, when learning that after doing the show this time I was going to stay for a while, suggested that it would be fun to "batch around together." It never happened, but after all these years, the thought of "batching around" L.A. with Michael still puts a big grin on my face.
Adam Carl (s3): I remember once making a reference to Macbeth in front of Michael J. Fox. As you may know, that's a big no-no in the theater or on any kind of stage. It supposedly brings bad luck and, if you must refer to it, you're only supposed to call it "the Scottish play." But I said Macbeth (even though I knew better) and Michael's eyes got really big. He said, "Don't say that!" He may very well have been half-kidding, it's hard to say all these years later. But he certainly wasn't unkind about it.
Peter Scolari (s4): I was so anxious to impress that I memorized all my lines before I got to the stage. On the very first run-through day, I think a Tuesday, I was working off-book. Gary David Goldberg did a beautiful thing I'd never seen before: after a run-through, instead of [the usual setup of] writers facing actors, he gathered everyone to sit in chairs in a circle. I had never seen anything like that. He opened up what on other shows was typically a notes session and instead asked if anyone had any questions or concerns. I was flabbergasted. Michael J. Fox immediately raised his hand and said "I got a problem with this guy Peter Scolari working off-book, it's embarrassing to watch." Everyone loved it. I thought "I would like to stay around here."
Gracie Harrison (s4): After my last line during the first read-through of the scene where Mrs. Hillman comes down pretty hard on Mallory, asking her how long it be before she decides to be true to herself as a confident, smart, young woman, the room fell silent. Michael Gross looked across the table at me and said "Well, thank you Nurse Ratched." It caused much-needed laughter. It's a pretty intense scene. He was so nice to work with, great sense of humor. My favorite.
At the after party, I dropped an open can of Diet Pepsi on Michael J. Fox's foot. Very embarrassing. He took it very well.
A few weeks after my episode aired, I ran into Marc Price at the Improv in Hollywood. He said that the producers had heard the episode won a Women in Film award due to the message of empowerment that it held for young women. I had an interview with Gary David Goldberg a year later and he confirmed. I have researched it, but unfortunately cannot find any documentation that it happened.
Robin Morse (s5): Not really, except that I had a friend who got cast in the episode as well and she ended up playing a friend of mine from college in one of the scenes.
Julie Cobb (s5): It was fun! I loved doing comedy and Family Ties was funny with a punch. I adored Gary Goldberg and worked with him again on Brooklyn Bridge. Norm [Parker] was terrific as was the whole cast. Michael J. Fox was adorable. I remember having my little girl on set with me and how nice everyone was.
Jonna Lee Pangburn (s5): Filming was a wonderful experience. There was nothing really funny, but I was warmed to my heart when just a few weeks after filming I was invited to their "family holiday party." The production team was unbelievably gracious and I got to hear a few Ubu stories.
Margaret Nagle (s5): This was my first TV job. I had no clue as to how a sitcom was shot. This episode had a massive scene with music playback and dozens of extras. They literally filmed and used our rehearsal. I had no chance to relax or figure out where the camera even was. I am clearly very nervous and not very good. But it was really fun and we shot the rest of the scene until 11 p.m. that night. Tina Yothers, Justine Bateman, Michael Gross worked hard and were focused but relaxed. It was an unusual scene for that show in terms of its size and complexity and very demanding for the cast and crew. There wasn't the usual downtime and room for casual conversation that I found on other sitcoms I did later.
Brian McNamara (s5): Only that Michael [J. Fox] was fantastic with the live audience! If we ever messed up he would make it even more fun for the audience.
Stuart Pankin (s5): Aside from Meredith coming on to me, not much. I do remember being welcomed, and treated well—that's not always the case with guest stars. Everyone on the set was sweet and generous. And since I was a fan of the show, it was cool working with those actors.
Dana Andersen Schreiner (s5): Not really. I was really happy to working on a show I actually watched and liked, but it was a regular job.
Amy Lynne (s5): I remember both Michaels [Gross and J. Fox] telling me I was a legend in my own time because they'd been hearing the name of Jennifer's friend Chrissy since the beginning of the show, but she hadn't yet actually appeared. She was a phantom friend.
I knew some of the other girls in my episode from other things. The head bitch, I knew her from a previous thing we'd done with dancing. We did a variety show [on stage] with Bonnie Franklin called Freedom.
Nicole Nourmand (s5): One of the best parts was the family environment and how welcoming everyone was. This was the time when Michael J. Fox was huge! I told him that my brother was a huge fan and without my asking, Michael came over to my brother and introduced himself. My brother nearly died.
Jason Naylor (s6, 7): In my first episode, "Dream Date," the scene where my character, Simon Wickerson, first encounters Jennifer Keaton (who has agreed to be his prom date in order to gain access to his grade's event) [and presents] her prom dress in the Keaton living room called for Simon to faint dead away. In blocking the scene, the director called the choreographer/stunt coordinator in to work with me. In response to their asking whether I felt comfortable with performing the faint, I collapsed on the rug, taking care to avoid the coffee table and to protect my head and back while still appearing to go completely limp and unconscious. Some limited experience of martial arts training combined with an affection for the art of the pratfall had inspired me to practice such techniques for my own amusement and served me well in that moment—after a beat, I opened my eyes and jumped to my feet and was well satisfied to find concerned looks swiftly clear from their faces to be replaced with approving nods.
Ellen Latzen (s6): This was the first time I'd ever worked in front of a live studio audience. My previous jobs had been on location for feature films, so the experience of performing on a sound stage in front of a crowd was very different. Every time they laughed at one of my jokes I had a hard time not smirking myself. I wasn't used to delivering lines that would have an immediate reaction by a bleacherful of people and I think it threw me off. I often refer to my performance in Family Ties as my worst, but that didn't detract from how amazing the experience was.
Victor DiMattia (s6): According to my dad, everyone thought it was funny that I was able to rattle off my rapid-fire dialogue at such a young age. Memorization always came naturally to me and I've spoken to other child actors who have said the same thing. That may be the most important trait any young actor can possess. Since most roles call for kids to just act like kids, it seems to come down to who can remember the dialogue.
Darrell Thomas Utley (s6): It happened when I was six years old. Basically I was a little energetic deaf kid running around in that studio. Probably made some wisecracks and had a blast.
Susan Kohler (s6): I was called in to read for the schoolteacher [but] when I got there, they asked me to read for the deaf boy's mother. I had not prepared for that role and all I could do was give it my best shot. I was so delighted to learn later that I was cast as the mother.
Danielle von Zerneck (s6): The episode I was on was a wraparound show which meant my scenes were excuses to segue into clips [from past episodes]. As a result, it was shot at the same time as another episode. This meant that by the time the cast and crew got to my episode, they were exhausted and also a little punch-drunk. Added to this, Michael was in the middle of shooting Back to the Future at night on top of having to work on Family Ties during the day. [NOTE: BTTF was shot in early 1985; BTTF Part II in early 1989.] He spent one of the entire rehearsals making faces behind my back, for laughs. I didn't care and he was very lovely and apologized after. But I got that they needed to let off steam.
Debra Engle (s7): They were all so great and fun—I so liked being in that one. [Originally my character was supposed to cry at the end of the episode.] It [would have been] super easy for me to because no way would I ever steal something from someone, but [then] the director [changed it so] I should not cry. I was glad [because I assumed that would make] Justine happier!
Hilary Shepard (s7): Hank Azaria, who was then an unknown actor, was cast as a snippy fashionista. We were both doing crazy accents and we both found it hard to keep our accents and our faces straight. Also, in my audition I wore one of my best friend Daryl's Jean Paul Gaultier suits that she'd worn in the movie Wall Street, and they loved it. They ended up having me wear it on the show and copying it in different colors, using it for Mallory's designs. I called it my magic suit as every time I wore it on an audition, I got cast. You can see that suit on me in the sitcom Doctor Doctor and in a Lunchable commercial, too!
Nick Rutherford (s7): Other than hanging around the craft food table (which I'm sure is a [memory combining] of a bunch of jobs) and eating plenty of Cup Noodles and Red Vines, the one thing I do remember is meeting Courteney Cox and thinking that she had very, very pretty eyes. I think she was dating someone on the show at the time? Or perhaps had a role. Either way, she was very nice.
Byron Thames (s7): They wanted me to laugh like Flipper the dolphin and I couldn't do it. I did a different laugh and they decided Michael J. Fox would make fun of me for laughing like Shamu the whale.
Part 3.
Any funny or unusual anecdotes about your Family Ties experience?
Cindy Fisher (s1): The pilot was new which meant a lot of the cast were exploring. A lot of talk with producers and ideas were thrown around a lot so the set was loose and creative. I loved Gary Goldberg and felt he was a creative vs. a boss.
John Putch (s1, 2, 5): I remember it was always a fun experience when you had Crispin Glover on set. He would wander off during the scenes and play his lines from unlit corners of the set. Will Mackenzie, the director, would have to remind him that once it's blocked, he can't change it 'cause it would not get captured on camera. We were all young and it was probably one of his first TV jobs. I think he had just done the short film The Orkly Kid.
Chris Hebert (s1, 2): Michael J. Fox certainly was not the beloved modern legend he has become in the last few decades, and being new to acting (I had been in the business a little over a year and was only 9 years old), I was still getting used to the common practice of using older actors who look younger to play teenagers. (I understand it from a producer's perspective as it allows you to work them longer because they're not dealing with child labor laws, but it also makes it difficult for teenage actors to get steady work, but that's a different conversation.) Anyway, I remember sitting on the edge of the audience bleachers watching the crew work and Michael and came over and starting chatting with me. After all, I was playing a younger Alex Keaton so I think he wanted to make a connection. He was genuinely polite and I remember asking him how old he was and his replying "Twenty-one." My mouth dropped because that just didn't seem possible. "Really? No way!" "Yes, 21." Yes, I was young and naive.
Cristen Kauffman (s1): I remember feeling like they were a real family. They were very comfortable with each other and I felt their closeness. I remember Justine being wise beyond her years. The scenes did not take long to shoot and it was very emotional. I felt very respected by the cast and the director. It was a very pleasant experience.
Lisa Lucas (s1): When I did An Unmarried Woman, the hardest for me was crying [on camera]. The other hard thing was making out with Matthew Arkin, Alan Arkin's son. The crew was teasing me and I was so embarrassed. When I read the Family Ties script, I saw I had to kiss him. I wasn't into him but I thought it was cool. Then I thought "Oh no, I'm going to get teased again!" In the scene when we're making out, the whole audience was woo-wooing. I had never done anything with a live audience. It was weird for me to have an instant reaction. I didn't want to break character. It wasn't like a play so we could redo it, but that alone was scary.
He was a good kisser. I was a little nervous because at that point I had very little on-screen experience in the kissing department. I didn't want to ask but didn't want to be surprised so I asked Michael if we're supposed to use our tongues. He laughed and said "What do you think?" and I said "Fine with me" and he said "Let's go for it." It was a serious, real make-out moment. And he was committed to this so I assume he wanted it to look realistic.
It was my first curtain call. I was on the end at first and they moved me next to Michael.
Earl Boen (s1, 3): I really don't remember any of them. I was a very busy working actor, especially with voice acting. There are a few shows I remember. I know it was a very pleasant set to work on. Michael Fox was easy to work with and a sweet guy. I really enjoyed him—very talented, of course. Everyone was very free with their encouragement.
My second episode was just chaos because of the kangaroo and so many people. It was a female director [Lee Shallat Chemel (as Lee Shallat)], who was a delight. Michael was very welcoming when I came back. The cast was super. They listened well to each other. Sometimes at table reads, when a line gets laugh they decide to give it to one of the leads. But this cast didn't always have to have the punchline.
I got some Sudafed on the last day because I came down with a sinus infection. I asked if they wanted to recast so I wouldn't spread it to the cast [but they said no] so I rehearsed for the first four days of the five-day shoot with a box of Kleenex under my arm.
Terry Wills (s1, 2, 5, 6, 7): Shooting hoops with Gary outside the studio.
Kerry Noonan (s1): One of my good friends and another UCLA alumni—Carlos Lacamara—also had a part on that episode. He and I were part of a group who founded a theater company in L.A. after we graduated. We are still good friends, to this day. He is a wonderful actor and director, and a good playwright as well. He is bilingual in Spanish and English, and the writers that week kept going back and forth as to whether he would speak his one line in Spanish or in Portuguese (as if he were from Brazil). They finally settled on Portuguese, and I remember Carlos on the phone with a Brazilian friend of his, getting pointers on saying his line correctly.
Many of my friends found it very funny that my character got her answer wrong on the quiz show; I am a trivia buff. One of my friends has said, "Before there was Google, there was Kerry." I was later on Jeopardy!, Win Ben Stein's Money, and some other game shows.
Tanya Fenmore (s2): I [asked] my mother who remembers more about Family Ties than I do since I was so young. She said that it was my first big speaking role and my first sitcom experience. The script was delivered on a Sunday while I was [out] entertaining live, [so when I got home at night, I had to] memorize all the lines for the read-through Monday morning.
Prior to that, I had just done commercials via my tap dancing and violin playing. I was in a commercial for Doublemint Gum with the star of The NeverEnding Story [Noah Hathaway, who guested on Family Ties in season 4]; we hardly looked like twins but when you're 6… ha! I appeared opposite Jack Black in a [1982] Pitfall! commercial. And in Steve Martin's movie "Pennies from Heaven" where I was tapping and fiddling with Bernadette Peters.
On the weekends, I was performing (singing/dancing/fiddling) live at a kids' cabaret called "Let's Put on a Show" where Marc Price [whose sister I played on Family Ties] was the M.C. and did stand-up for a while, so coincidentally I already knew him! If you find him, please say hello—he's such a doll and talent!
Kaleena Kiff (s2): There were two teachers/social workers for the three Keaton kids, one for Tina Yothers and Justine Bateman and one for Michael J. Fox. On the girls' schoolroom door it read "We devour education" while on Fox's door it read "We digest it."
Kate Vernon (s2): There was John Putch, Crispin Glover, Michael. We laughed…I don't have any specific memories. The guys all seemed to know what they were doing. The girls were kind of like our characters, little airheads—at least MY character was an airhead!
Debbie Gilbert (now Webb) (s2): Yes. It's embarrassing but true. When I sat down in the tiny chair they provided, I faced the writer (Michael…?) [MTN: yes—Michael Weithorn], and behind him on a couch sat a row of others, including Gary David Goldberg. When I said my first line—"Are you a colonel?"—Gary and the others fell off the couch cracking up, and Michael turned around and said "Cast her, right?" I couldn't believe it. The moment became surreal—my first job, and I was funny!
When I left the audition, I went straight to my agents, Pervis Atkins (the football star) and Edgar Small (the character actor). They were thrilled [about my Family Ties audition] and wanted me to read for them—after all, I got cast on the spot. I read [that] first line; both their mouths dropped. "You said that?"
"Yes, I did. Just like that." I was real proud!
Edgar said, "Well, that's just wonderful, young lady, but when you show up for work, make sure you say it right. The word sounds like 'kernul,' not 'colon' (the organ) then 'el.'"
Tom Byrd (s2): Justine Bateman, who was very polite and unaffected, forgot her line after we kissed in a scene. The audience loved it. It wound up on that Dick Clark bloopers show [TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes]. I found that out after I got a mystery residual in the mail.
[My] episode was the directorial debut of Lee Shallat (now Lee Shallat-Chemel), who has gone on to an excellent ongoing career. That has always made me smile.
Susan Isaacs (s2): They brought in extra hairstylists to cover us guest stars [but they] obviously didn't know the show. The stylist who did our hair looked like she'd retired to Palm Desert in 1950 to work on her tan. The way she did the hair on [Kathleen Wilhoite, Lenora May, and me], we looked like trashy extras from Beach Blanket Bingo. I think she did my hair first. I was so mortified. But it was my first job. I didn't know I could protest. Lenora and Kathleen got the same janky hairdos. When Kathleen came back from hair, she looked at Lenora and me and said something to the effect of "No way in hell am I doing this with this hair." When we got sent to producers to check, Kathleen spoke up. I think they were already thinking the same thing, but I was impressed that Kathleen spoke her mind.
Another anecdote: I'd always been cast as the smart-mouthed character, never the straight man. I couldn't help feel envious of Kathleen playing the sassy friend role. I did get one shot at it with my line "He's not the one that's going to get pregnant." [NOTE: this was actually Lenora's line; memory plays tricks all the time!] It's a good thing I didn't audition for Kathleen's role. I never would have been cast. She killed it.
Kathleen Wilhoite (s2): My car broke down and Justine Bateman drove me to work. We've been friends ever since.
Lenora May (s2): I was working with Kathleen Wilhoite, Justine Bateman, and Susan Isaacs. I remember Kathleen was blowing her lines so we did many retakes. I guess that wasn't really funny, just different.
Alan Blumenfeld (s2, 3, 4, 5, 6): I remember Michael J. Fox was shooting Teen Wolf and he was learning to dribble and shoot. He'd walk around the set dribbling.
The set was so warm and kind. The family and friends of the regulars and the family of the guest cast were always invited to a dinner in between shows.
Timothy Busfield (s3, 5): They let me add a line—I think in the "Best Man" episode. My character is trying to speak Italian; at the end of the scene, Michael Gross added "Arrivederci" and I say "Huh?" like I didn't understand it. Michael Gross said keep [the line]. That was not the case on the next Gary David Goldberg show I did (Champs) where they didn't want us to suggest ideas because they were afraid it would run long. In today's TV world, it's delicate how much you can contribute.
Justine Bateman, who is really great, and I were having a conversation. I was taken with her being really beautiful. I was awkwardly talking and put my hand on the base on the beam pole that was covered in grease. She said "You might want to wash that." It was one of those funny moments that would've been in the show. All those leads were so relaxed.
In the "Best Man" episode, I played cards with Billy Campbell, Tate Donovan, and Michael Zorek. The four of us were all kids at the time who went on to be leads in later shows. Sort of like Fast Times when you see Eric Stoltz, Anthony Edwards, Sean Penn—fun to see four unknowns together who become fairly successful later. When that episode came up, I recorded it and showed Melissa [Gilbert, his wife]. Tate and I would later work together again when I directed Damages. It was great [recalling] back to some of our earliest work. But now it's just depressing because it was 100 years ago. I'm 15 years older than Michael Gross was when we did that show. I look older now than he did then. But he was too young to be the dad of those guys, I thought.
Matthew Barry (s3): It was the worst audition I had ever had. I had been in a slump since arriving in L.A. and hadn't booked a job yet. For this audition I went into the casting office wanting to try something different, and I played Scott "goofy." After, I called my agent and apologized for such a lousy audition. He laughed and said, "Well, you must have done something right, 'cause you got the job."
Lily Mariye (s3): The wedding dress I wore on the show was the dress that Debra Winger wore in Terms of Endearment. I'm a couple of inches shorter than she is, so the wardrobe seamstresses had to hem it for me. One of my day jobs as a struggling actress was selling tickets at the Comedy Store on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. Apparently, I got my job because Debra Winger had quit when she started getting a lot of acting roles. I guess that job at the Comedy Store was good luck!
My character married Tim Busfield's character on the show a month before I actually married my real husband, saxophonist Boney James, in real life. I was wearing a lot of wedding gowns for a minute there!
The day after my episode aired, I was in Rite Aid and I saw a group of young girls gathered in the makeup department. I heard one of them say, "Oh my God! Do you guys watch Family Ties?" They all looked at me and I made a beeline for the back of the store. They ran after me, yelling "Eleanor! Eleanor!" I stopped and gave them my autograph. It started out a little frightening, but in the end, it was very flattering. They were very sweet.
Norman Parker (s3, 5, 6): At one point, after having done the show often enough to have developed warm relationships with everyone, including, with much respect and affection, Michael J., Michael, when learning that after doing the show this time I was going to stay for a while, suggested that it would be fun to "batch around together." It never happened, but after all these years, the thought of "batching around" L.A. with Michael still puts a big grin on my face.
Adam Carl (s3): I remember once making a reference to Macbeth in front of Michael J. Fox. As you may know, that's a big no-no in the theater or on any kind of stage. It supposedly brings bad luck and, if you must refer to it, you're only supposed to call it "the Scottish play." But I said Macbeth (even though I knew better) and Michael's eyes got really big. He said, "Don't say that!" He may very well have been half-kidding, it's hard to say all these years later. But he certainly wasn't unkind about it.
Peter Scolari (s4): I was so anxious to impress that I memorized all my lines before I got to the stage. On the very first run-through day, I think a Tuesday, I was working off-book. Gary David Goldberg did a beautiful thing I'd never seen before: after a run-through, instead of [the usual setup of] writers facing actors, he gathered everyone to sit in chairs in a circle. I had never seen anything like that. He opened up what on other shows was typically a notes session and instead asked if anyone had any questions or concerns. I was flabbergasted. Michael J. Fox immediately raised his hand and said "I got a problem with this guy Peter Scolari working off-book, it's embarrassing to watch." Everyone loved it. I thought "I would like to stay around here."
Gracie Harrison (s4): After my last line during the first read-through of the scene where Mrs. Hillman comes down pretty hard on Mallory, asking her how long it be before she decides to be true to herself as a confident, smart, young woman, the room fell silent. Michael Gross looked across the table at me and said "Well, thank you Nurse Ratched." It caused much-needed laughter. It's a pretty intense scene. He was so nice to work with, great sense of humor. My favorite.
At the after party, I dropped an open can of Diet Pepsi on Michael J. Fox's foot. Very embarrassing. He took it very well.
A few weeks after my episode aired, I ran into Marc Price at the Improv in Hollywood. He said that the producers had heard the episode won a Women in Film award due to the message of empowerment that it held for young women. I had an interview with Gary David Goldberg a year later and he confirmed. I have researched it, but unfortunately cannot find any documentation that it happened.
Robin Morse (s5): Not really, except that I had a friend who got cast in the episode as well and she ended up playing a friend of mine from college in one of the scenes.
Julie Cobb (s5): It was fun! I loved doing comedy and Family Ties was funny with a punch. I adored Gary Goldberg and worked with him again on Brooklyn Bridge. Norm [Parker] was terrific as was the whole cast. Michael J. Fox was adorable. I remember having my little girl on set with me and how nice everyone was.
Jonna Lee Pangburn (s5): Filming was a wonderful experience. There was nothing really funny, but I was warmed to my heart when just a few weeks after filming I was invited to their "family holiday party." The production team was unbelievably gracious and I got to hear a few Ubu stories.
Margaret Nagle (s5): This was my first TV job. I had no clue as to how a sitcom was shot. This episode had a massive scene with music playback and dozens of extras. They literally filmed and used our rehearsal. I had no chance to relax or figure out where the camera even was. I am clearly very nervous and not very good. But it was really fun and we shot the rest of the scene until 11 p.m. that night. Tina Yothers, Justine Bateman, Michael Gross worked hard and were focused but relaxed. It was an unusual scene for that show in terms of its size and complexity and very demanding for the cast and crew. There wasn't the usual downtime and room for casual conversation that I found on other sitcoms I did later.
Brian McNamara (s5): Only that Michael [J. Fox] was fantastic with the live audience! If we ever messed up he would make it even more fun for the audience.
Stuart Pankin (s5): Aside from Meredith coming on to me, not much. I do remember being welcomed, and treated well—that's not always the case with guest stars. Everyone on the set was sweet and generous. And since I was a fan of the show, it was cool working with those actors.
Dana Andersen Schreiner (s5): Not really. I was really happy to working on a show I actually watched and liked, but it was a regular job.
Amy Lynne (s5): I remember both Michaels [Gross and J. Fox] telling me I was a legend in my own time because they'd been hearing the name of Jennifer's friend Chrissy since the beginning of the show, but she hadn't yet actually appeared. She was a phantom friend.
I knew some of the other girls in my episode from other things. The head bitch, I knew her from a previous thing we'd done with dancing. We did a variety show [on stage] with Bonnie Franklin called Freedom.
Nicole Nourmand (s5): One of the best parts was the family environment and how welcoming everyone was. This was the time when Michael J. Fox was huge! I told him that my brother was a huge fan and without my asking, Michael came over to my brother and introduced himself. My brother nearly died.
Jason Naylor (s6, 7): In my first episode, "Dream Date," the scene where my character, Simon Wickerson, first encounters Jennifer Keaton (who has agreed to be his prom date in order to gain access to his grade's event) [and presents] her prom dress in the Keaton living room called for Simon to faint dead away. In blocking the scene, the director called the choreographer/stunt coordinator in to work with me. In response to their asking whether I felt comfortable with performing the faint, I collapsed on the rug, taking care to avoid the coffee table and to protect my head and back while still appearing to go completely limp and unconscious. Some limited experience of martial arts training combined with an affection for the art of the pratfall had inspired me to practice such techniques for my own amusement and served me well in that moment—after a beat, I opened my eyes and jumped to my feet and was well satisfied to find concerned looks swiftly clear from their faces to be replaced with approving nods.
Ellen Latzen (s6): This was the first time I'd ever worked in front of a live studio audience. My previous jobs had been on location for feature films, so the experience of performing on a sound stage in front of a crowd was very different. Every time they laughed at one of my jokes I had a hard time not smirking myself. I wasn't used to delivering lines that would have an immediate reaction by a bleacherful of people and I think it threw me off. I often refer to my performance in Family Ties as my worst, but that didn't detract from how amazing the experience was.
Victor DiMattia (s6): According to my dad, everyone thought it was funny that I was able to rattle off my rapid-fire dialogue at such a young age. Memorization always came naturally to me and I've spoken to other child actors who have said the same thing. That may be the most important trait any young actor can possess. Since most roles call for kids to just act like kids, it seems to come down to who can remember the dialogue.
Darrell Thomas Utley (s6): It happened when I was six years old. Basically I was a little energetic deaf kid running around in that studio. Probably made some wisecracks and had a blast.
Susan Kohler (s6): I was called in to read for the schoolteacher [but] when I got there, they asked me to read for the deaf boy's mother. I had not prepared for that role and all I could do was give it my best shot. I was so delighted to learn later that I was cast as the mother.
Danielle von Zerneck (s6): The episode I was on was a wraparound show which meant my scenes were excuses to segue into clips [from past episodes]. As a result, it was shot at the same time as another episode. This meant that by the time the cast and crew got to my episode, they were exhausted and also a little punch-drunk. Added to this, Michael was in the middle of shooting Back to the Future at night on top of having to work on Family Ties during the day. [NOTE: BTTF was shot in early 1985; BTTF Part II in early 1989.] He spent one of the entire rehearsals making faces behind my back, for laughs. I didn't care and he was very lovely and apologized after. But I got that they needed to let off steam.
Debra Engle (s7): They were all so great and fun—I so liked being in that one. [Originally my character was supposed to cry at the end of the episode.] It [would have been] super easy for me to because no way would I ever steal something from someone, but [then] the director [changed it so] I should not cry. I was glad [because I assumed that would make] Justine happier!
Hilary Shepard (s7): Hank Azaria, who was then an unknown actor, was cast as a snippy fashionista. We were both doing crazy accents and we both found it hard to keep our accents and our faces straight. Also, in my audition I wore one of my best friend Daryl's Jean Paul Gaultier suits that she'd worn in the movie Wall Street, and they loved it. They ended up having me wear it on the show and copying it in different colors, using it for Mallory's designs. I called it my magic suit as every time I wore it on an audition, I got cast. You can see that suit on me in the sitcom Doctor Doctor and in a Lunchable commercial, too!
Nick Rutherford (s7): Other than hanging around the craft food table (which I'm sure is a [memory combining] of a bunch of jobs) and eating plenty of Cup Noodles and Red Vines, the one thing I do remember is meeting Courteney Cox and thinking that she had very, very pretty eyes. I think she was dating someone on the show at the time? Or perhaps had a role. Either way, she was very nice.
Byron Thames (s7): They wanted me to laugh like Flipper the dolphin and I couldn't do it. I did a different laugh and they decided Michael J. Fox would make fun of me for laughing like Shamu the whale.
Part 3.
August 6, 2017
"Family Ties": oral history of the 1980s sitcom – part 1 – casting
Introduction to the Family Ties oral history (including the list of interviewees and links to each part).
What do you remember about how you were cast?
Cindy Fisher (s1): Michael Fox and I had the same managers, Suzanne and Bernie Lax. They were kind and caring people and I believe both have passed. (I believe they even supported Michael Fox financially when he was short for rent one month and fought for a second audition for him when he felt he could do better for Back to the Future.)
I knew Michael got a pilot and was thrilled for him, but really did not know too much about it until they had cast another actress in the role of Kimberly, and apparently were not happy with her after the read-through. I got a call to go in and read and was immediately cast.
I had done a few sitcoms but my résumé was mostly drama shows. I played a lot of prostitutes. This was a bit of departure for me, but Michael and I knew each other so it felt comfortable and did not take long to "find the character." Playing stupid is harder than you think. I have done it on camera only three times; most of the time it comes naturally in real life.
Chris Hebert (s1, 2): I first was hired for the 1982 (?) Christmas show. I remember it being a typical audition experience, with an initial audition and maybe a callback. I hadn't heard of the show as it was still brand new. For the follow-up Christmas show the next year, I didn't have to audition; they just hired me directly through my agent. It was great to return as young Alex P. Keaton as everyone remembered me, and that made me feel very welcome as a young actor.
Lisa Lucas (s1): I was quite successful at that point. Two of the movies I was in came out the same year, when I was 17. In 1977, I was voted Newcomer of the Year by the distributors, called "the Star of Tomorrow." I was sent to Kansas City to accept my award, my first black tie event. The Star of the Year was R2D2. They actually had him there and brought him on stage.
I remember going to the Family Ties audition and there being a question about size. I'm small, 5'3". I could hear them speaking that they wanted somebody small for Michael. They had a big thing about my hair and they finally decided to curl it. My hair was straight and thin and long. It gave me too much height [compared to Michael J. Fox] so they had to comb down my curls.
Terry Wills (s1, 2, 5, 6, 7): Not specifically. After I was cast I learned that Gary had been a fan of the Berkeley Repertory Theater when I was a company member there. I initially auditioned to play the part of their next-door neighbor, an architect. I did one episode as that character and he was never seen again.
Kate Vernon (s2): It was probably my first or second audition. I read for Gary David Goldberg and was so green. I really didn't understand the auditioning process.
Eileen Seeley (s2): It was my very first audition and subsequently the job I earned my SAG card with. I had just been brought out to L.A. by Bob Lemond, who had seen me perform in a Shakespeare class in the village in NYC.
I was staying at Joey Travolta's house ([brother of] John Travolta, who was a client of Bob's) till I found a place to live. The morning of the audition, I was taking a walk around the neighborhood and was stopped by the police. Seems walking in Beverly Hills was very suspicious behavior! The audition was at Paramount and was very comfortable and casual.
Debbie Gilbert (now Webb) (s2): It was my first audition ever. I picked up the sides [lines you must learn prior to an audition] ahead of time. I was given the chance to read only because Crispin Glover and I had the same agent. I was clueless about the show, and only knew that it was a sitcom so I had to be funny.
Susan Isaacs (s2): I had participated in South Coast Repertory's Young People's Conservatory when I was in junior high school. Lee Shallat headed up the YPC at SCR. She was good friends with my high school drama teacher, Barbara Van Holt, who was the best teacher I ever had. They kept in touch, and Lee saw most of my shows in high school. Barbara and Lee were champions of me. I went on to study film at UCLA, but I kept getting cast in other students' projects. I visited Barbara over the Christmas break. She told me Lee was going to start directing TV and in fact was lined up to direct an episode of Family Ties sometime soon. I told Barbara I had just taken headshots. A few hours later, Barbara called my parents to tell me that Lee was directing Family Ties that coming week—could I come to [auditions at] Paramount the next day with a headshot and résumé? I drove up to L.A. and camped out at the photo lab to get a rush copy of my headshot, then went to Paramount. It must have been a producers' call, because everyone was in the room. Lee being there made me feel relaxed and confident. And maybe I was just so green that I didn't realize how big a deal it all was. My friend Paul Germain was in the graduate film program at UCLA when I was in the undergrad. He'd started to work for Jim Brooks, so I stopped by Brooks's office to say hello to Paul. Paul looked a little sad, thinking I was so naïve and about to get my heart broken. He was only half right. I did book the job. But acting is a heartbreaking business. This is my very first headshot—the one that I took with me to the audition.
Alan Blumenfeld (s2, 3, 4, 5, 6): I remember everything because that's the kind of Jew I am! Gary had his office at the Lucy bungalow at Paramount, where Lucille Ball was when she was there. I was 31 and there with a number of older actors. It was to audition for the episode when Elyse sings in a club ("Lady Sings the Blues"). A lot of people had more experience. I'd been in L.A. for only a year and a half. I'd done only one or two shows. I knew Family Ties, of course. I was waiting in a beautiful little park in the quad and preparing the material. The script said "Lou laughs." I did that. Gary laughed hysterically. And I got the job. Gary's laugh was very genuine, very big, very broad—he would laugh that way at every reading, every run-through. It was his way of punctuating where the laughs were and [supporting] the actors. From that first laugh, I felt a real kinship for him for all the years after. I'm convinced it was that laugh that got me the job.
Timothy Busfield (s3, 5): I remember the casting extremely well. I played competitive baseball till I was 49. At the time I was cast for Family Ties, I was 27 and playing in leagues in L.A. On the Fourth of July, I had broken my foot in a batting cage. I got the call from my agent Ro Diamond to go in and read for Family Ties. I said I won't get the role because I have a cast on my foot. So I found a size 12 boot to stretch over the cast and a size 9 for my other foot. Took a backpack and went in to read for Judith Weiner. I set the backpack down on the cast. She never noticed the cast. Then I got a call to go back to read for Gary and the others in casting. I got into the room and again set the bag down on my foot and they again didn't notice it. I read and did a good job. Then they said they had another scene and asked if I would look at it. At the time I was adamantly against cold readings; I wouldn't do them because I'm not great at it. On a cold read I read the scene and I knew I did well—they laughed. After, backing out of the room, I distracted them [from the cast]. It wasn't till the Wednesday of the week of the first episode I did that Meredith looked down and said "What's that?" I pulled the boot off and said "What if I was handicapped?" (laughs)
Robert Costanzo (s3, 4, 5, 6): As I recall, Gary just offered it to me. I did The Last Resort for Gary in 1979—I used to joke with him that it was one of the few shows he did that didn't make it. Gary and I had been friends from that. Later I did Brooklyn Bridge.
There are some producers who won't bring you back but Gary did with me. I was on NCIS in 2005 or '06 and kept hearing I couldn't go back on because I already did one. On The Honeymooners, an actor named George Petrie appeared multiple times in different roles. I became the George Petrie of Family Ties.
Norman Parker (s3, 5, 6): I recall reading for—or maybe even with—Gary as he sat behind his desk in his office at Paramount. I had not seen the show and knew nothing about it really as my focus had been on theater and film in New York and I was in L.A. at my agent's urging to put in some time prospecting here. It never occurred to me that the role of Robert Keaton [Steven's brother] would be anything more than a one-shot guest appearance, or, indeed, that becoming a Keaton was any kind of a big deal. Thankfully, Gary had much more foresight and, despite my easy-to-discern uncertainty about even wanting to do a sitcom, let my agent know they wanted me for the role. I had liked Gary so much and we had both been so delighted to discover we had played basketball for rival high schools in Brooklyn that I told my agent I felt I should probably take the job. She laughed hysterically and said something like "Oh, you think so?!" Clearly, everyone else had a great deal more perspective as to what becoming a Keaton might mean, for which I have been ever grateful.
Peter Scolari (s4): I was at Newhart at the time and we had new writers/producers there. I had an acquaintance named Michael Weithorn, a writer/producer on Family Ties. He wrote the episode I appeared in. I think he had written the role for me. Michael called me at home [to ask if I would do it], so we must've known each other through mutual friends. He was so gracious. I loved the script and was happy to do it.Family Ties was at NBC, Newhart at CBS. They were quite insular and protective in those days. For example, if you were an actor on a CBS show, it was tricky to get a booking on The Tonight Show [on NBC]. [I did Family Ties on a week off from Newhart, but even still], the producers on Newhart were not thrilled with this.
Margaret Nagle (s5): There was an episode of Family Ties in the fall of 1986 called "Starting Over." Alex is heartbroken because Ellen has left and his sisters try to find him a new girlfriend. I read several times to play Alex's new girlfriend. I was brand new to L.A. and had never been on a TV show before. Allison Jones, the casting director of Family Ties, who [went on to be] the casting director of many shows like Curb Your Enthusiasm and big movies, had brought me in and seemed to really like my work. The final audition went really well and I even brought these glasses and put them on in the middle of the audition. I will never forget how hard I made Gary David Goldberg laugh. He was so shocked and burst out laughing. He hugged me when I left the room. I knew it had gone well. My agent called and said I had the part and the show would make a formal offer tomorrow. I waited the next day for the call that said the part was officially mine. The phone didn't ring. At the last minute, the actress Haviland Morris, who had been in Sixteen Candles, became available. They thought she was hotter. I was so upset. But that's showbiz and you move on. A few months later my agent called and said "Can you get over to Paramount right now? Family Ties just called and they're giving you a small part. No audition. You're cast. Gary David Goldberg asked for you."
Brian McNamara (s5): Unfortunately my memory of certain details will not be great. I do remember being very excited about the audition as Family Ties was already a very popular show! One that I personally loved!
Sonia Curtis (s5, 6): I had auditioned to play Michael J. Fox's girlfriend and did not get that role, but I really, really wanted to work on that show. It was my fave show at the time. I remember thinking that Skippy wasn't the kind of guy I usually dated, so I went shopping and tried to find some quirky clothes to create the Amy Sussman character and find out who the girl who fell head over heels for Skippy was. I found the clear glasses I wore on the show and wore a Leave It to Beaver T-shirt, a big gingham plaid skirt, and a ponytail. I also worked on my voice and realized she was probably very socially awkward, so I let my own nerves free and just experimented with a more nasal voice and shy, slightly spastic movements. I worked on the lines all night long and was very tired for my audition. I remember walking in fully dressed in character. Allison Jones, the casting director, was on the phone when I arrived. As soon as she saw me, she enthusiastically waved me in the room. It seemed she saw something she had been looking for. She asked me to come back later that afternoon for the producers and I did. When I was finished, I thanked them and started to walk out, but the producers stopped me short to continue talking to me. Gary David Goldberg and Alan Uger were very nice and asked where I grew up, etc. I got the call later that day or the next that I booked the role and it was quite exciting.
Stuart Pankin (s5): It was a fun audition. I remember trying to be loud and obnoxious and funny, as the character required. They laughed a lot, thank God, and I got the job.
Dana Andersen Schreiner (s5): I had auditioned for Allison Jones, the casting director, numerous times on different projects, so she liked me. She brought me in directly for the producers of Family Ties many times for different roles before I got cast. The producers brought me in four times alone to read for the role of Ellen, whom Tracy Pollan eventually played, and seemed close to casting me, so I was pretty devastated when I didn't get it.
Amy Lynne (s5): I was born in 1970 so I was about 16. I was doing quite a bit of TV at the time. Of course it was the show, the biggest hit, because of Michael J. Fox. The part that I was auditioning for actually wasn't named Chrissy, just another friend. Gary David Goldberg had a big presence. When I did the funny lines, he had this distinct laugh. It made me want to laugh, too, but I was trying to keep my composure. I remember getting into the car with my mom after and she always asked how I did. I remember the first thing I said was "At least I made him laugh." I remember being in the frozen food aisle at the Vons market in Glendale when I found out I got the part. I'm wondering how my mom found out when we were in the market. I might've borrowed a dime and called home to check the message machine. I was so ecstatic, I was almost crying.
At the first read-through, they liked me so much they changed my name to Chrissy, the friend Jennifer always talked about. Of course Michael and Meredith were the stars of the show; Justine got quite a few shows, too, because she was pretty in puberty. I think they wanted to highlight Jennifer more so they made my part bigger.
Amy saved the phone message
someone took about the audition
Alyson Croft (s5): I remember the callback, the room being packed with executives and a ton of laughter. I was reading for the "leader of the cool girls" (can't remember the character name). They ended up booking me to be "one of the pack" (can't remember my character name). I remember feeling so excited after the callback. I had never made a whole room erupt with laughter, and up until that point I had no idea that I could. This was a big audition for me. I was only 11 or so and they were looking for older girls for the part. There was so much laughter after every one of my lines; I was inexperienced and didn't know I should hold for the laugh. This show taught me that skill for sure. I remember praying that I would get the part and we would hear something that night. In those days we had no cell phone or beepers so we had to wait through traffic to get home.
I remember driving over Laurel Canyon that night and at the Franklyn Canyon intersection a cat had been hit and was dying in the middle of the road. I was hysterical and crying the whole ride home. I remember not getting the call that I had booked the job and I was devastated. Two days later my agent called and said that I had booked a different role on Family Ties. I was elated! Originally it was supposed to be one episode and it turned out being more. I remember these details because I was so young, I was huge fan of the show, and it was the first big show I had booked.
Jason Naylor (s6, 7): Quite unusually for her, then or now, my mother—without whose indefatigable support I would never have had the opportunity to make a career in the industry nor to enjoy the many fruits which that opportunity bore—had erred in noting down the time of the audition and we arrived some two hours late to the casting office on the Paramount lot. The office was abandoned but for the receptionist, who gave us a withering look when mom made bold to announce us, with due civility and apologies for our unconscionable tardiness, and to ask whether there was anyone there who would see me at all. She excused herself to go check and, returning, announced that Mr. Goldberg would see me in a moment. That the producer of the show should have taken time to see an actor under those circumstances seems to me, in retrospect, quite incredible—that the ensuing audition could have gone so well as to land me the part, more so yet. After a time, Mr. Goldberg returned me to my mother and, in the most generous and courteous way imaginable, thanked us both for coming in.
Hilary Shepard (s7): I was doing a play in L.A., Out in America , and we were getting a lot of attention. The playwright [Katie Ford] got hired at 21 years old to be a writer on Family Ties. She thought of me for the part which was quite a leap—I went from playing a 7-year-old idiot savant (in the play) to a Eurotrash supermodel. When I went to audition, the producers couldn't believe I was the same girl.
Did you think/hope you would come back to play your Family Ties role again?
Peter Scolari (s4): Sure. It would've been a difficult arrangement given my status at Newhart.
Amy Lynne (s5): I did think I was going to be coming back, but for whatever reason, it didn't happen. I think they started to focus more on Michael's girlfriend, Tracy Pollan [Tracy appeared in season 4 and Amy's episode was the finale of season 5, but was produced for season 4]. I remember Tracy being backstage with me, ready to enter. She was back there behind the kitchen door doing jumping jacks. I thought oh gosh, another weird actress. (laughs)
Jason Naylor (s6, 7): I was not initially cast as a recurring character, so far as I recall, though the idea was mentioned a time or two during the production. I didn't give it too much weight at the time, already being well aware that an industry deal isn't done until it is (and sometimes not even then), but was delighted and gratified to be brought back. I don't have many memories of the cast members or production crew, but I have always had great fortune in my work experiences, which have almost exclusively involved eminently talented, respectful and professional actors and crew members, and my two appearances on Family Ties were no exception. I fondly recall the warm welcome I received upon returning to the set for the second time.
Part 2.
What do you remember about how you were cast?
Cindy Fisher (s1): Michael Fox and I had the same managers, Suzanne and Bernie Lax. They were kind and caring people and I believe both have passed. (I believe they even supported Michael Fox financially when he was short for rent one month and fought for a second audition for him when he felt he could do better for Back to the Future.)
I knew Michael got a pilot and was thrilled for him, but really did not know too much about it until they had cast another actress in the role of Kimberly, and apparently were not happy with her after the read-through. I got a call to go in and read and was immediately cast.
I had done a few sitcoms but my résumé was mostly drama shows. I played a lot of prostitutes. This was a bit of departure for me, but Michael and I knew each other so it felt comfortable and did not take long to "find the character." Playing stupid is harder than you think. I have done it on camera only three times; most of the time it comes naturally in real life.
Chris Hebert (s1, 2): I first was hired for the 1982 (?) Christmas show. I remember it being a typical audition experience, with an initial audition and maybe a callback. I hadn't heard of the show as it was still brand new. For the follow-up Christmas show the next year, I didn't have to audition; they just hired me directly through my agent. It was great to return as young Alex P. Keaton as everyone remembered me, and that made me feel very welcome as a young actor.
Lisa Lucas (s1): I was quite successful at that point. Two of the movies I was in came out the same year, when I was 17. In 1977, I was voted Newcomer of the Year by the distributors, called "the Star of Tomorrow." I was sent to Kansas City to accept my award, my first black tie event. The Star of the Year was R2D2. They actually had him there and brought him on stage.
I remember going to the Family Ties audition and there being a question about size. I'm small, 5'3". I could hear them speaking that they wanted somebody small for Michael. They had a big thing about my hair and they finally decided to curl it. My hair was straight and thin and long. It gave me too much height [compared to Michael J. Fox] so they had to comb down my curls.
Terry Wills (s1, 2, 5, 6, 7): Not specifically. After I was cast I learned that Gary had been a fan of the Berkeley Repertory Theater when I was a company member there. I initially auditioned to play the part of their next-door neighbor, an architect. I did one episode as that character and he was never seen again.
Kate Vernon (s2): It was probably my first or second audition. I read for Gary David Goldberg and was so green. I really didn't understand the auditioning process.
Eileen Seeley (s2): It was my very first audition and subsequently the job I earned my SAG card with. I had just been brought out to L.A. by Bob Lemond, who had seen me perform in a Shakespeare class in the village in NYC.
I was staying at Joey Travolta's house ([brother of] John Travolta, who was a client of Bob's) till I found a place to live. The morning of the audition, I was taking a walk around the neighborhood and was stopped by the police. Seems walking in Beverly Hills was very suspicious behavior! The audition was at Paramount and was very comfortable and casual.
Debbie Gilbert (now Webb) (s2): It was my first audition ever. I picked up the sides [lines you must learn prior to an audition] ahead of time. I was given the chance to read only because Crispin Glover and I had the same agent. I was clueless about the show, and only knew that it was a sitcom so I had to be funny.
Susan Isaacs (s2): I had participated in South Coast Repertory's Young People's Conservatory when I was in junior high school. Lee Shallat headed up the YPC at SCR. She was good friends with my high school drama teacher, Barbara Van Holt, who was the best teacher I ever had. They kept in touch, and Lee saw most of my shows in high school. Barbara and Lee were champions of me. I went on to study film at UCLA, but I kept getting cast in other students' projects. I visited Barbara over the Christmas break. She told me Lee was going to start directing TV and in fact was lined up to direct an episode of Family Ties sometime soon. I told Barbara I had just taken headshots. A few hours later, Barbara called my parents to tell me that Lee was directing Family Ties that coming week—could I come to [auditions at] Paramount the next day with a headshot and résumé? I drove up to L.A. and camped out at the photo lab to get a rush copy of my headshot, then went to Paramount. It must have been a producers' call, because everyone was in the room. Lee being there made me feel relaxed and confident. And maybe I was just so green that I didn't realize how big a deal it all was. My friend Paul Germain was in the graduate film program at UCLA when I was in the undergrad. He'd started to work for Jim Brooks, so I stopped by Brooks's office to say hello to Paul. Paul looked a little sad, thinking I was so naïve and about to get my heart broken. He was only half right. I did book the job. But acting is a heartbreaking business. This is my very first headshot—the one that I took with me to the audition.
Alan Blumenfeld (s2, 3, 4, 5, 6): I remember everything because that's the kind of Jew I am! Gary had his office at the Lucy bungalow at Paramount, where Lucille Ball was when she was there. I was 31 and there with a number of older actors. It was to audition for the episode when Elyse sings in a club ("Lady Sings the Blues"). A lot of people had more experience. I'd been in L.A. for only a year and a half. I'd done only one or two shows. I knew Family Ties, of course. I was waiting in a beautiful little park in the quad and preparing the material. The script said "Lou laughs." I did that. Gary laughed hysterically. And I got the job. Gary's laugh was very genuine, very big, very broad—he would laugh that way at every reading, every run-through. It was his way of punctuating where the laughs were and [supporting] the actors. From that first laugh, I felt a real kinship for him for all the years after. I'm convinced it was that laugh that got me the job.
Timothy Busfield (s3, 5): I remember the casting extremely well. I played competitive baseball till I was 49. At the time I was cast for Family Ties, I was 27 and playing in leagues in L.A. On the Fourth of July, I had broken my foot in a batting cage. I got the call from my agent Ro Diamond to go in and read for Family Ties. I said I won't get the role because I have a cast on my foot. So I found a size 12 boot to stretch over the cast and a size 9 for my other foot. Took a backpack and went in to read for Judith Weiner. I set the backpack down on the cast. She never noticed the cast. Then I got a call to go back to read for Gary and the others in casting. I got into the room and again set the bag down on my foot and they again didn't notice it. I read and did a good job. Then they said they had another scene and asked if I would look at it. At the time I was adamantly against cold readings; I wouldn't do them because I'm not great at it. On a cold read I read the scene and I knew I did well—they laughed. After, backing out of the room, I distracted them [from the cast]. It wasn't till the Wednesday of the week of the first episode I did that Meredith looked down and said "What's that?" I pulled the boot off and said "What if I was handicapped?" (laughs)
Robert Costanzo (s3, 4, 5, 6): As I recall, Gary just offered it to me. I did The Last Resort for Gary in 1979—I used to joke with him that it was one of the few shows he did that didn't make it. Gary and I had been friends from that. Later I did Brooklyn Bridge.
There are some producers who won't bring you back but Gary did with me. I was on NCIS in 2005 or '06 and kept hearing I couldn't go back on because I already did one. On The Honeymooners, an actor named George Petrie appeared multiple times in different roles. I became the George Petrie of Family Ties.
Norman Parker (s3, 5, 6): I recall reading for—or maybe even with—Gary as he sat behind his desk in his office at Paramount. I had not seen the show and knew nothing about it really as my focus had been on theater and film in New York and I was in L.A. at my agent's urging to put in some time prospecting here. It never occurred to me that the role of Robert Keaton [Steven's brother] would be anything more than a one-shot guest appearance, or, indeed, that becoming a Keaton was any kind of a big deal. Thankfully, Gary had much more foresight and, despite my easy-to-discern uncertainty about even wanting to do a sitcom, let my agent know they wanted me for the role. I had liked Gary so much and we had both been so delighted to discover we had played basketball for rival high schools in Brooklyn that I told my agent I felt I should probably take the job. She laughed hysterically and said something like "Oh, you think so?!" Clearly, everyone else had a great deal more perspective as to what becoming a Keaton might mean, for which I have been ever grateful.
Peter Scolari (s4): I was at Newhart at the time and we had new writers/producers there. I had an acquaintance named Michael Weithorn, a writer/producer on Family Ties. He wrote the episode I appeared in. I think he had written the role for me. Michael called me at home [to ask if I would do it], so we must've known each other through mutual friends. He was so gracious. I loved the script and was happy to do it.Family Ties was at NBC, Newhart at CBS. They were quite insular and protective in those days. For example, if you were an actor on a CBS show, it was tricky to get a booking on The Tonight Show [on NBC]. [I did Family Ties on a week off from Newhart, but even still], the producers on Newhart were not thrilled with this.
Margaret Nagle (s5): There was an episode of Family Ties in the fall of 1986 called "Starting Over." Alex is heartbroken because Ellen has left and his sisters try to find him a new girlfriend. I read several times to play Alex's new girlfriend. I was brand new to L.A. and had never been on a TV show before. Allison Jones, the casting director of Family Ties, who [went on to be] the casting director of many shows like Curb Your Enthusiasm and big movies, had brought me in and seemed to really like my work. The final audition went really well and I even brought these glasses and put them on in the middle of the audition. I will never forget how hard I made Gary David Goldberg laugh. He was so shocked and burst out laughing. He hugged me when I left the room. I knew it had gone well. My agent called and said I had the part and the show would make a formal offer tomorrow. I waited the next day for the call that said the part was officially mine. The phone didn't ring. At the last minute, the actress Haviland Morris, who had been in Sixteen Candles, became available. They thought she was hotter. I was so upset. But that's showbiz and you move on. A few months later my agent called and said "Can you get over to Paramount right now? Family Ties just called and they're giving you a small part. No audition. You're cast. Gary David Goldberg asked for you."
Brian McNamara (s5): Unfortunately my memory of certain details will not be great. I do remember being very excited about the audition as Family Ties was already a very popular show! One that I personally loved!
Sonia Curtis (s5, 6): I had auditioned to play Michael J. Fox's girlfriend and did not get that role, but I really, really wanted to work on that show. It was my fave show at the time. I remember thinking that Skippy wasn't the kind of guy I usually dated, so I went shopping and tried to find some quirky clothes to create the Amy Sussman character and find out who the girl who fell head over heels for Skippy was. I found the clear glasses I wore on the show and wore a Leave It to Beaver T-shirt, a big gingham plaid skirt, and a ponytail. I also worked on my voice and realized she was probably very socially awkward, so I let my own nerves free and just experimented with a more nasal voice and shy, slightly spastic movements. I worked on the lines all night long and was very tired for my audition. I remember walking in fully dressed in character. Allison Jones, the casting director, was on the phone when I arrived. As soon as she saw me, she enthusiastically waved me in the room. It seemed she saw something she had been looking for. She asked me to come back later that afternoon for the producers and I did. When I was finished, I thanked them and started to walk out, but the producers stopped me short to continue talking to me. Gary David Goldberg and Alan Uger were very nice and asked where I grew up, etc. I got the call later that day or the next that I booked the role and it was quite exciting.
Stuart Pankin (s5): It was a fun audition. I remember trying to be loud and obnoxious and funny, as the character required. They laughed a lot, thank God, and I got the job.
Dana Andersen Schreiner (s5): I had auditioned for Allison Jones, the casting director, numerous times on different projects, so she liked me. She brought me in directly for the producers of Family Ties many times for different roles before I got cast. The producers brought me in four times alone to read for the role of Ellen, whom Tracy Pollan eventually played, and seemed close to casting me, so I was pretty devastated when I didn't get it.
Amy Lynne (s5): I was born in 1970 so I was about 16. I was doing quite a bit of TV at the time. Of course it was the show, the biggest hit, because of Michael J. Fox. The part that I was auditioning for actually wasn't named Chrissy, just another friend. Gary David Goldberg had a big presence. When I did the funny lines, he had this distinct laugh. It made me want to laugh, too, but I was trying to keep my composure. I remember getting into the car with my mom after and she always asked how I did. I remember the first thing I said was "At least I made him laugh." I remember being in the frozen food aisle at the Vons market in Glendale when I found out I got the part. I'm wondering how my mom found out when we were in the market. I might've borrowed a dime and called home to check the message machine. I was so ecstatic, I was almost crying.
At the first read-through, they liked me so much they changed my name to Chrissy, the friend Jennifer always talked about. Of course Michael and Meredith were the stars of the show; Justine got quite a few shows, too, because she was pretty in puberty. I think they wanted to highlight Jennifer more so they made my part bigger.
Amy saved the phone message someone took about the audition
Alyson Croft (s5): I remember the callback, the room being packed with executives and a ton of laughter. I was reading for the "leader of the cool girls" (can't remember the character name). They ended up booking me to be "one of the pack" (can't remember my character name). I remember feeling so excited after the callback. I had never made a whole room erupt with laughter, and up until that point I had no idea that I could. This was a big audition for me. I was only 11 or so and they were looking for older girls for the part. There was so much laughter after every one of my lines; I was inexperienced and didn't know I should hold for the laugh. This show taught me that skill for sure. I remember praying that I would get the part and we would hear something that night. In those days we had no cell phone or beepers so we had to wait through traffic to get home.
I remember driving over Laurel Canyon that night and at the Franklyn Canyon intersection a cat had been hit and was dying in the middle of the road. I was hysterical and crying the whole ride home. I remember not getting the call that I had booked the job and I was devastated. Two days later my agent called and said that I had booked a different role on Family Ties. I was elated! Originally it was supposed to be one episode and it turned out being more. I remember these details because I was so young, I was huge fan of the show, and it was the first big show I had booked.
Jason Naylor (s6, 7): Quite unusually for her, then or now, my mother—without whose indefatigable support I would never have had the opportunity to make a career in the industry nor to enjoy the many fruits which that opportunity bore—had erred in noting down the time of the audition and we arrived some two hours late to the casting office on the Paramount lot. The office was abandoned but for the receptionist, who gave us a withering look when mom made bold to announce us, with due civility and apologies for our unconscionable tardiness, and to ask whether there was anyone there who would see me at all. She excused herself to go check and, returning, announced that Mr. Goldberg would see me in a moment. That the producer of the show should have taken time to see an actor under those circumstances seems to me, in retrospect, quite incredible—that the ensuing audition could have gone so well as to land me the part, more so yet. After a time, Mr. Goldberg returned me to my mother and, in the most generous and courteous way imaginable, thanked us both for coming in.
Hilary Shepard (s7): I was doing a play in L.A., Out in America , and we were getting a lot of attention. The playwright [Katie Ford] got hired at 21 years old to be a writer on Family Ties. She thought of me for the part which was quite a leap—I went from playing a 7-year-old idiot savant (in the play) to a Eurotrash supermodel. When I went to audition, the producers couldn't believe I was the same girl.
Did you think/hope you would come back to play your Family Ties role again?
Peter Scolari (s4): Sure. It would've been a difficult arrangement given my status at Newhart.
Amy Lynne (s5): I did think I was going to be coming back, but for whatever reason, it didn't happen. I think they started to focus more on Michael's girlfriend, Tracy Pollan [Tracy appeared in season 4 and Amy's episode was the finale of season 5, but was produced for season 4]. I remember Tracy being backstage with me, ready to enter. She was back there behind the kitchen door doing jumping jacks. I thought oh gosh, another weird actress. (laughs)
Jason Naylor (s6, 7): I was not initially cast as a recurring character, so far as I recall, though the idea was mentioned a time or two during the production. I didn't give it too much weight at the time, already being well aware that an industry deal isn't done until it is (and sometimes not even then), but was delighted and gratified to be brought back. I don't have many memories of the cast members or production crew, but I have always had great fortune in my work experiences, which have almost exclusively involved eminently talented, respectful and professional actors and crew members, and my two appearances on Family Ties were no exception. I fondly recall the warm welcome I received upon returning to the set for the second time.
Part 2.
August 5, 2017
"Family Ties": oral history of the 1980s sitcom – introduction
Family Ties debuted in 1982 and ran seven seasons. Although the 35th anniversary of something is not acknowledged as regularly as the 25th or 50th, there ain't no nothin' like Family Ties. A TV show that can get away with a triple negative in its theme song can get away with nearly anything.
As part of my ongoing/bizarre commitment to preserving our pop culture past, welcome to the first oral history of Family Ties. It comprises the never-published memories and rare set photos of 53 of the show's notable guest stars. Some of them left show business long ago while others are still active—even Emmy-winning. Among those you'll hear from:
Peter Scolari (Girls, Gotham, Newhart, Bosom Buddies)Timothy Busfield (thirtysomething, The West Wing, Field of Dreams)Kate Vernon (Battlestar Galactica)Alan Blumenfeld (Heroes)Christina Pickles (Friends, St. Elsewhere)Lily Mariye (ER)Stuart Pankin (Curb Your Enthusiasm)Julie Cobb (Star Trek)
What they all have in common: they're people we haven't yet heard from on this topic. I asked everyone a core set of questions and then certain questions specific to certain people.
Interviews (10 parts):
1—casting
2—shooting anecdotes
3—reactions
4—Michael J. Fox
5—rest of the family
6—other cast
7—favorites
8—your life today
9—your family, show legacy
10—mementos, memories
season 1
seasons 2-3
season 4
seasons 5-7
Over several months, I rewatched all 168 episodes for first time since the 1990s. The following surprised me:
how often characters (mostly Alex) opened and drank cans of soda and how much OJ they drank out of that glass container how certain actors appeared only two times, as the same character, but in different seasons (Chris Hebert, Sonia Curtis, Jason Naylor)how Alex's teasing of Mallory got crueler over time and her character got ditzierhow dimly lit it sometimes was (shadows across faces); maybe other sitcoms of the era were also like that and I never noticed?
Season 5, episode 1 ("Be True to Your Preschool") ends with Alex P. Keaton asking his young brother Andrew "Who loves you?" Andrew responds "Alex loves me." I often ask my kids the same—but did not remember till now that it came from Family Ties.
Another special if indirect connection: I went to Brandeis University as did Family Ties creator Gary David Goldberg (he was class of '66, I was '94). A key Family Ties director, Sam Weisman, is also a Brandeis alum (MFA'73). When Gary died in 2013, Sam memorialized him.
Here is a longer version of the theme song "Without Us," as performed by Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams.
Guest stars who declined to participate (not including people who didn't get back to me):
Tom Hanks, seasons 1 and 2Amy Steel, season 1Deborah Foreman, season 1Daphne Zuniga, season 2Jami Gertz, season 2Geena Davis, season 3Beverly Archer, season 3 (willing but didn't even remember doing Family Ties)Shawn Schepps, season 3 (willing but all she remembered was "Justine was nice")Isabelle Walker, season 3Tracy Pollan, season 4Martha Plimpton, season 4Noah Hathaway, season 4Albert Macklin, season 4Christina Applegate, season 5Wil Wheaton, season 5Jennifer Salt, season 5Haviland Morris, season 5 (willing but upon seeing my questions reported "I honestly have not one interesting anecdote or impression")Joan McMurtrey, season 5Constance McCashin, season 6Jane Adams, season 7
Shawn Schepps
Isabelle Walker
Noah Hathaway
Albert Macklin
Guest stars who agreed to participate…but then didn't (life is hectic):
Lee Montgomery, season 1Jeremy Schoenberg, season 1John Dukakis, seasons 1 and 2AnneMarie McEvoy (now Conley), season 4Tammy Lauren, season 6John Marshall Jones, season 7
Lee Montgomery
Jeremy Schoenberg
John Dukakis
AnneMarie McEvoy
Tammy Lauren
John Marshall Jones
The 53 participants, then and (when provided) now:
Cindy Fisher
season 1, 1982-83, "Pilot"
John Putch
season 1, 1982-83, "Summer of '82"
season 2, 1983-84, "Birthday Boy"
season 5, 1986-87, "Starting Over"
Chris Hebert
season 1, 1982-83, "A Christmas Story"
season 2, 1983-84, "A Keaton Christmas Carol"
Cristen Kauffman
season 1, 1982-83, "Oops"
Lisa Lucas
season 1, 1982-83, "Sherry Baby"
Earl Boen
season 1, 1982-1983, "The Fugitive: Part 2"
season 3, 1984-85, "4 Rms Ocn Vu"
Terry Wills
season 1, 1982-83, "Suzanne Takes You Down"
season 2, 1983-84, "Double Date"; "The Graduate"
season 5, 1986-87, "A Tale of Two Cities: Part 1 and 2"; "Paper Chase"
season 6, 1987-88, "The Spirit of Columbus"
season 7, 1988-89, "Alex Doesn't Live Here Anymore" (appeared in the last scene of the last episode)
Kerry Noonan
season 1, 1982-83, "Stage Fright" (on right)
Edward Edwards(photo credit: Sasza Lohery) season 2, 1983-84, "The Harder They Fall"
Tanya Fenmore
season 2, 1983-84, "Batter Up"
Kaleena Kiff
season 2, 1983-84, "A Keaton Christmas Carol"
Kate Vernon
season 2, 1983-84, "Birthday Boy"
Eileen Seeley
season 2, 1983-84, "Birthday Boy"
Debbie Gilbert (now Webb)
season 2, 1983-84, "Birthday Boy"
Tom Byrd
season 2, 1983-84, "Ready or Not"
Susan Isaacs
season 2, 1983-84, "Ready or Not"
Kathleen Wilhoite
season 2, 1983-84, "Ready or Not"
Lenora May
season 2, 1983-84, "Ready or Not"
Alan Blumenfeld
season 2, 1983-84, "Lady Sings the Blues"
season 3, 1984-85, "Auntie Up"
season 4, 1985-86, "Mr. Right"
season 5, 1986-87, "Beauty and the Bank"; "A Tale of Two Cities: Part 1 and 2"
season 6, 1987-88, "Miracle in Columbus"
Timothy Busfield
season 3, 1984-85, "Little Man on Campus"; "Best Man"
season 5 (different character), 1986-87, "My Back Pages"
Matthew Barry
season 3, 1984-85, "Love Thy Neighbor"
Lily Mariye
season 3, 1984-85, "Best Man"
Michelle Meyrink
season 3, 1984-85, "Don't Kiss Me, I'm Only the Messenger"
Robert Costanzo
season 3, 1984-85, "Help Wanted"
season 4, 1985-86, "Nothing But a Man"; "Engine Trouble"
season 5, 1986-87, "Starting Over"
season 6, 1987-88, "Mister Sister"
Nancy Everhard (now Amandes)
season 3, 1984-85, "Don't Know Much About History"
Norman Parker
season 3, 1984-85, "Remembrances of Things Past: Part 1 and 2"
season 5, 1986-87, "O'Brother: Part 1 and 2"
season 6, 1987-88, "Father Time: Part 1 and 2"
Adam Carl
season 3, 1984-85, "Remembrances of Things Past: Part 1 and 2"
Suzanne Snyder
season 4, 1985-86, "The Real Thing: Part 1 and 2"
Peter Scolari
season 4, 1985-86, "Once in Love with Elyse"
Gracie Harrison
season 4, 1985-86, "Paper Chase"
Robin Morse
season 5, 1986-87, " My Mother, My Friend"
Julie Cobb
season 5, 1986-87, "O'Brother: Part 1 and 2"
Jonna Lee Pangburn
season 5, 1986-87, "A Tale of Two Cities, Part 2"
Margaret Nagle
season 5, 1986-87, "Band on the Run"
Brian McNamara
season 5, 1986-87, "A, My Name Is Alex"
Sonia Curtis
season 5, 1986-87, "Love Me Do"
season 6, 1987-88, "Citizen Keaton"
Stuart Pankin
season 5, 1986-87, "The Visit"
Dana Andersen Schreiner
season 5, 1986-87, "The Visit"
Amy Lynne
season 5, 1986-87, "It's My Party"
Nicole Nourmand
season 5, 1986-87, "It's My Party"
Alyson Croft
season 5, 1986-87, "It's My Party"
Jason Naylor
season 6, 1987-88, "Dream Date"
season 7, 1988-89, "Simon Says"
Ellen Latzen
season 6, 1987-88, "Miracle in Columbus"
Victor DiMattia
season 6, 1987-88, "Miracle in Columbus"
Darrell Thomas Utley
season 6, 1987-88, "Sign of the Times"
Susan Kohler
season 6, 1987-88, "Sign of the Times"
Danielle von Zerneck
season 6, 1987-88, "Return of the Native"
Debra Engle
season 7, 1988-89, "Designing Woman"
Hilary Shepard
season 7, 1988-89, "Designing Woman"
Christina Pickles
season 7, 1988-89, "Heartstrings: Part 1 and 2"
Nick Rutherford
season 7, 1988-89, "Heartstrings: Part 3"
Byron Thames
season 7, 1988-89, "Déjà Vu"
Jaclyn Bernstein
season 7, 1988-89, "Simon Says"
Majority of interviews conducted in August 2016; several later in 2016 and first half of 2017.
Read, Ubu, read. Good dog. (Woof!)
As part of my ongoing/bizarre commitment to preserving our pop culture past, welcome to the first oral history of Family Ties. It comprises the never-published memories and rare set photos of 53 of the show's notable guest stars. Some of them left show business long ago while others are still active—even Emmy-winning. Among those you'll hear from:
Peter Scolari (Girls, Gotham, Newhart, Bosom Buddies)Timothy Busfield (thirtysomething, The West Wing, Field of Dreams)Kate Vernon (Battlestar Galactica)Alan Blumenfeld (Heroes)Christina Pickles (Friends, St. Elsewhere)Lily Mariye (ER)Stuart Pankin (Curb Your Enthusiasm)Julie Cobb (Star Trek)
What they all have in common: they're people we haven't yet heard from on this topic. I asked everyone a core set of questions and then certain questions specific to certain people.
Interviews (10 parts):
1—casting
2—shooting anecdotes
3—reactions
4—Michael J. Fox
5—rest of the family
6—other cast
7—favorites
8—your life today
9—your family, show legacy
10—mementos, memories
season 1
seasons 2-3
season 4
seasons 5-7Over several months, I rewatched all 168 episodes for first time since the 1990s. The following surprised me:
how often characters (mostly Alex) opened and drank cans of soda and how much OJ they drank out of that glass container how certain actors appeared only two times, as the same character, but in different seasons (Chris Hebert, Sonia Curtis, Jason Naylor)how Alex's teasing of Mallory got crueler over time and her character got ditzierhow dimly lit it sometimes was (shadows across faces); maybe other sitcoms of the era were also like that and I never noticed?
Season 5, episode 1 ("Be True to Your Preschool") ends with Alex P. Keaton asking his young brother Andrew "Who loves you?" Andrew responds "Alex loves me." I often ask my kids the same—but did not remember till now that it came from Family Ties.
Another special if indirect connection: I went to Brandeis University as did Family Ties creator Gary David Goldberg (he was class of '66, I was '94). A key Family Ties director, Sam Weisman, is also a Brandeis alum (MFA'73). When Gary died in 2013, Sam memorialized him.
Here is a longer version of the theme song "Without Us," as performed by Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams.
Guest stars who declined to participate (not including people who didn't get back to me):
Tom Hanks, seasons 1 and 2Amy Steel, season 1Deborah Foreman, season 1Daphne Zuniga, season 2Jami Gertz, season 2Geena Davis, season 3Beverly Archer, season 3 (willing but didn't even remember doing Family Ties)Shawn Schepps, season 3 (willing but all she remembered was "Justine was nice")Isabelle Walker, season 3Tracy Pollan, season 4Martha Plimpton, season 4Noah Hathaway, season 4Albert Macklin, season 4Christina Applegate, season 5Wil Wheaton, season 5Jennifer Salt, season 5Haviland Morris, season 5 (willing but upon seeing my questions reported "I honestly have not one interesting anecdote or impression")Joan McMurtrey, season 5Constance McCashin, season 6Jane Adams, season 7
Shawn Schepps
Isabelle Walker
Noah Hathaway
Albert MacklinGuest stars who agreed to participate…but then didn't (life is hectic):
Lee Montgomery, season 1Jeremy Schoenberg, season 1John Dukakis, seasons 1 and 2AnneMarie McEvoy (now Conley), season 4Tammy Lauren, season 6John Marshall Jones, season 7
Lee Montgomery
Jeremy Schoenberg
John Dukakis
AnneMarie McEvoy
Tammy Lauren
John Marshall JonesThe 53 participants, then and (when provided) now:
Cindy Fisherseason 1, 1982-83, "Pilot"
John Putchseason 1, 1982-83, "Summer of '82"
season 2, 1983-84, "Birthday Boy"
season 5, 1986-87, "Starting Over"
Chris Hebertseason 1, 1982-83, "A Christmas Story"
season 2, 1983-84, "A Keaton Christmas Carol"
Cristen Kauffmanseason 1, 1982-83, "Oops"
Lisa Lucas season 1, 1982-83, "Sherry Baby"
Earl Boenseason 1, 1982-1983, "The Fugitive: Part 2"
season 3, 1984-85, "4 Rms Ocn Vu"
Terry Wills season 1, 1982-83, "Suzanne Takes You Down"
season 2, 1983-84, "Double Date"; "The Graduate"
season 5, 1986-87, "A Tale of Two Cities: Part 1 and 2"; "Paper Chase"
season 6, 1987-88, "The Spirit of Columbus"
season 7, 1988-89, "Alex Doesn't Live Here Anymore" (appeared in the last scene of the last episode)
Kerry Noonanseason 1, 1982-83, "Stage Fright" (on right)
Edward Edwards(photo credit: Sasza Lohery) season 2, 1983-84, "The Harder They Fall"
Tanya Fenmoreseason 2, 1983-84, "Batter Up"
Kaleena Kiffseason 2, 1983-84, "A Keaton Christmas Carol"
Kate Vernonseason 2, 1983-84, "Birthday Boy"
Eileen Seeleyseason 2, 1983-84, "Birthday Boy"
Debbie Gilbert (now Webb)season 2, 1983-84, "Birthday Boy"
Tom Byrdseason 2, 1983-84, "Ready or Not"
Susan Isaacsseason 2, 1983-84, "Ready or Not"
Kathleen Wilhoiteseason 2, 1983-84, "Ready or Not"
Lenora Mayseason 2, 1983-84, "Ready or Not"
Alan Blumenfeldseason 2, 1983-84, "Lady Sings the Blues"
season 3, 1984-85, "Auntie Up"
season 4, 1985-86, "Mr. Right"
season 5, 1986-87, "Beauty and the Bank"; "A Tale of Two Cities: Part 1 and 2"
season 6, 1987-88, "Miracle in Columbus"
Timothy Busfieldseason 3, 1984-85, "Little Man on Campus"; "Best Man"
season 5 (different character), 1986-87, "My Back Pages"
Matthew Barryseason 3, 1984-85, "Love Thy Neighbor"
Lily Mariyeseason 3, 1984-85, "Best Man"
Michelle Meyrinkseason 3, 1984-85, "Don't Kiss Me, I'm Only the Messenger"
Robert Costanzoseason 3, 1984-85, "Help Wanted"
season 4, 1985-86, "Nothing But a Man"; "Engine Trouble"
season 5, 1986-87, "Starting Over"
season 6, 1987-88, "Mister Sister"
Nancy Everhard (now Amandes)season 3, 1984-85, "Don't Know Much About History"
Norman Parkerseason 3, 1984-85, "Remembrances of Things Past: Part 1 and 2"
season 5, 1986-87, "O'Brother: Part 1 and 2"
season 6, 1987-88, "Father Time: Part 1 and 2"
Adam Carlseason 3, 1984-85, "Remembrances of Things Past: Part 1 and 2"
Suzanne Snyderseason 4, 1985-86, "The Real Thing: Part 1 and 2"
Peter Scolariseason 4, 1985-86, "Once in Love with Elyse"
Gracie Harrisonseason 4, 1985-86, "Paper Chase"
Robin Morseseason 5, 1986-87, " My Mother, My Friend"
Julie Cobbseason 5, 1986-87, "O'Brother: Part 1 and 2"
Jonna Lee Pangburnseason 5, 1986-87, "A Tale of Two Cities, Part 2"
Margaret Nagleseason 5, 1986-87, "Band on the Run"
Brian McNamaraseason 5, 1986-87, "A, My Name Is Alex"
Sonia Curtisseason 5, 1986-87, "Love Me Do"
season 6, 1987-88, "Citizen Keaton"
Stuart Pankinseason 5, 1986-87, "The Visit"
Dana Andersen Schreinerseason 5, 1986-87, "The Visit"
Amy Lynneseason 5, 1986-87, "It's My Party"
Nicole Nourmandseason 5, 1986-87, "It's My Party"
Alyson Croftseason 5, 1986-87, "It's My Party"
Jason Naylorseason 6, 1987-88, "Dream Date"
season 7, 1988-89, "Simon Says"
Ellen Latzenseason 6, 1987-88, "Miracle in Columbus"
Victor DiMattiaseason 6, 1987-88, "Miracle in Columbus"
Darrell Thomas Utleyseason 6, 1987-88, "Sign of the Times"
Susan Kohlerseason 6, 1987-88, "Sign of the Times"
Danielle von Zerneckseason 6, 1987-88, "Return of the Native"
Debra Engleseason 7, 1988-89, "Designing Woman"
Hilary Shepardseason 7, 1988-89, "Designing Woman"
Christina Picklesseason 7, 1988-89, "Heartstrings: Part 1 and 2"
Nick Rutherfordseason 7, 1988-89, "Heartstrings: Part 3"
Byron Thamesseason 7, 1988-89, "Déjà Vu"
Jaclyn Bernsteinseason 7, 1988-89, "Simon Says"
Majority of interviews conducted in August 2016; several later in 2016 and first half of 2017.
Read, Ubu, read. Good dog. (Woof!)
