Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast - Paula Prentiss and Richard Benjamin Part 1 Encore

Episode Date: April 21, 2025

GGACP celebrates National Couples Appreciation Month with this ENCORE of the first of a 2-part interview featuring celebrated actors and longtime Hollywood couple Richard Benjamin and Paula Prentiss. In this episode, Richard and Paula talk about their seven-decade careers in front of (and behind) the camera, co-starring in a groundbreaking sitcom, co-hosting “Saturday Night Live,” meeting Stan Laurel and Buster Keaton and working with legendary directors Howard Hawks, Mike Nichols and Billy Wilder. Also, Jack Cassidy plays a superhero, Jack Benny exits “The Sunshine Boys,” Paula shares the stage with Hope and Crosby and Richard teams Burt Reynolds and Clint Eastwood. PLUS: Uncle Goopy! “Goodbye, Columbus”! Remembering Jim Hutton! Walter Matthau plays the ponies! And Richard and Paula gush over Gilbert’s James Mason impression! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Okay, flights on Air Canada. How about Prague? Ooh, Paris. Those gardens. Gardens. Um, Amsterdam. Tulip Festival. I see your festival and raise you a carnival in Venice. Or Bermuda has carnaval. Ooh, colorful. You want colorful. Thailand. Lantern Festival. Boom. Book it. Um, how did we get to Thailand from Prague?

Oh, right. Prague. Oh, boy. Choose from a world of destinations. If you can. Air Canada. Nice travels. Hi, this is Gilbert Gottfried and this is Gilbert Gottfried's amazing colossal podcast with my co-host Frank Santopadre. We are excited to welcome not one but two terrific guests this week. Paula Prentice is a talented Emmy nominated actress of the stage and screen.

You know her work in the popular movies like Where the Boys Are and Harm's Way, Man's Favorite Sport, The World of Henry Orion, what's new Pussycat, last of the Red Hot Lovers, the Stepfoot Wives, the Parallax View, and Buddy Buddy. Starting an acting career way back at Northwestern University, she'd on to star in some of the 1960s and 1970s most interesting motion pictures and work with many of the greatest names in popular entertainment, including Steve McQueen, John Wayne, Howard Hawks, Ruff Rock Hudson, Jack Lemmon, Kirk

Douglas, Warren Beatty, Billy Wilder, Peter O'Toole, Peter Sellers, and Lana Turner. Just to name of you. She's also co-star with her equally talented spouse, Richard Benjamin, in the groundbreaking TV series He and She, as well as projects ranging from film, films films like Catch-22 and Saturday Night Live. And speaking of that husband, Richard Benjamin is an Emmy nominated actor as well as a director of feature films. You've seen him and enjoyed him in movies such as

Goodbye Columbus, Westworld, The Last of Sheila, Diary of a Mad Housewife, The Sunshine Boys, House Calls, Love at First Bite, and Deconstructing Harry, and in TV shows like Mad About You, Titus, Ray Donovan, Children's Hospital, and the Buck Henry created series Quark. He's also celebrated for his outstanding work behind the camera, directing the well-regarded and successful features Racing with the Moon, City Heat, Mermaids, Little Nikita, The Money Pit, and of course a film we love to talk about on this podcast, My Favorite Year. cast my favorite year. Frank and I are excited to be speaking to two of the most gifted personal artists as well as one of entertainment industry's most enduring and most inspirational married couples, Paula Prentiss and Richard Benjamin.

Wow, that's interesting. That was fabulous. Who are these people? I'd like to know them. Yeah. Now Paula, my co-host Frank says that you're a Guiney. Yeah, Sicilian, Sicilian, uh-huh. She's half.

I'm half Sicilian, I'm half English and half Sicilian, yeah. Ragusa. Ragusa. What were you telling me? As soon as they signed you over at MGM, they made you get rid of that? Uh-huh, they said that's too Italian for the marquee. At that time, that was a long time ago.

But, so Joe Pasternak, my first producer, changed my name to P and alliteration. Deanna Durbin, Doris Day, he suggested those as a reason to have alliteration. So Joe Pasternak really named your daughter. Ha ha. Yes, that's true. And he loved that. He would love that. Last time we were with you, Richard,

Gilbert was giving you a hard time about not casting him. Oh yeah. Yes, I auditioned for My Stepmother Was an Alien. Oh really? And then I saw her on TV and I thought, I'm not good enough. Yeah. No, no, I mean, I cast Kim Basinger instead.

Yeah. I'm sure you could have done it. I know you could have done it. You know, we had Kevin Pollock on here yesterday with us, and one of the things that came up was he acted, Kevin co-starred in a movie called Willow with Billy Barty, who I'm sure you remember. Yeah. We like to bring him up because Gilbert famously lost a part. with Billy Barty. Oh, said the agent would always use these Euphemisms they went another way. Yeah, and I said what yes what they cast a squirrel. What are you talking about?

And I know I don't you probably lost track of how many auditions you went Oh because I know I lost Oh, yeah, no whereitions you went on. Oh, because I know I lost. Oh, yeah. No, where they say to you, oh, you are the one we were thinking. You're the one we wrote this part or you're the only one we want. And then they give it to someone. Oh yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

That especially happens out here in auditioning in New York. happens out here. In auditioning in New York, I found out that they were just, you know, much more cruel in a way because I'd come into the audition room with my 8x10 in my hand and my little resume and usually they say, sorry there's nothing today. And on my way out I would hear this little slit sound and I wondered what that was and then one time I opened the door and it there's nothing today. And on my way out, I would hear this little slit sound and I wondered what that was. And then one time I opened the door and it was my resume and eight by 10 hitting the trash basket

right inside the door. I mean, they were much tougher in New York, I thought, than out here. Wow. Oh. Yeah. That's like the time Gilbert found out he was fired from Saturday Night Live by reading fan mail.

Oh. Yes. I was waiting outside the office. Uh-huh. And to find out, you know, they had a new producer. And they had a table where they used to put the fan letters. And there's some, I see a letter addressed to me from some girl from Idaho or something and I open it up and it says dear Gilbert I'm so sorry about what happened to you and that's how I found out I was it's nice show business is nice isn't it

Richard and Paula hosted SNL just a couple of months, Gilbert, before you were docking those doorways. Oh. Well, you should thank God you missed my... I don't know about that. What was that, 1980 you guys hosted together? I was emailing Richard about it and he said he recalled all of it Yeah, yeah. Well Paula did the cold opening Paula and you know, there's no announcement. There's no nothing right and they just put her in front of the camera and point

And she did her Rosalyn. Oh, she was Ruth Stapleton that's right. Yeah yeah and she did that and she did it very well but it was like being shot out of a cannon because there's no preparation there's no nothing and they just point but she did a great job yeah we had a wonderful time doing that and I hosted it before that and had a lot of fun, yeah. You hosted the one where Rodney Dangerfield showed up. Is that right? Yeah, yeah. It was a China Syndrome parody.

Oh, yes. What I liked about the one you guys did together, but they only put you in one sketch together. Is that right? What sketch was that? You were a couple that had nothing in common with Gilda and Belushi until you realized you all shared a love for Joey Bishop.

Oh my God. Oh my God. Yeah. Yeah. Just. I know it's 40 years ago. Yeah, right. And Frank and I were talking earlier,

and it seems that you, Paula, like, yes, you immediately, you got a career right away, and you were like this beautiful movie star. You were acting with legendary actors, and you, Richard, were basically looking for a job at McDonald's. Richard Pruitt Well, I actually tried to get a job at Macy's and Gimbals. And a friend of mine went into audition in Macy's to sell mops on the main floor. Wow.

And we didn't get it. And I thought, you know, if this is the indicator of what my acting career, I couldn't get a job selling mops in Macy's. And then I did get a job as a section manager at Gimbals. And I was in there for a couple of months because I couldn't, I was already at Northwestern where I met Paula and I couldn't pay the tuition and stuff. And so they said, you can't come back until you pay the tuition.

So I had to leave and get a job in New York, which I did, at Gimbels. And I worked there for like, I don't know, half a year and got enough money to pay the tuition and get back mainly, well, for two reasons, because Paula was there and also because we had a great acting teacher there. You know, it's funny, I was, you took a job with American Airlines at one point?

That was after I graduated, yes. After you graduated. You know Paula, these horror stories about auditioning, as Gilbert says, you didn't, you couldn't really relate out of the box. Not really. Yeah. I was just lucky. Yeah. Very lucky. What was the name of that talent scout? Was it Dudley Wilkinson? relate out of the box you because really yeah I was just lucky yeah very lucky

what was the name of that talent scout was it Dudley Wilkinson yes Wilkinson uh-huh came to Northwestern and just decided you were an it girl and what happened she didn't even want to do the audition she didn't want to do it we were supposed to do it together no well you didn't want to do it at all. And I made her do it. Sounds like that's right. And our acting teacher, Avina Krauss, said, it was in a blizzard in February, a man is coming from MGM,

and if anybody wants to sign up on the blackboard up here in the main theater to audition for him, and everybody looked and said, no, no, no, no, we're theater people. We don't want anything to do with movies. And then we went back that night. There was no more space on the blackboard. They had written on the wood frame part of the blackboard.

So they all wanted to audition, and Paula didn't wanna do it, and I said, no you got to do it. So we did a scene from A Hatful of Rain for him and I could see during the audition he was just trying to look around me to see her and I tried to move her so he would see me, but he would just lean the other way. And Paula had, she actually was wearing a bunch of my clothes, her hair was in her face. And as we were leaving, Alvina Krauss, this great acting teacher, as Paula was at the door she said, Paula, turn around, push your hair back and tell Mr. Wilkinson a little

about yourself." And she did. And then that June, she got a call as we were graduating to come out there and test for where the boys are. And she went out there. I meanwhile have gone back to New York. And she called me me and she said well, I think I passed the test you know like it was an SAT or something and And they signed her and and then we had a period where we broke up, right? Yes, Paul it well We broke up because now she was a big movie star and didn't need me anymore.

I see. You're right. Is that the truth, Paula? That's so... No, it's not. Oh, you say that now. Sure. And so, my friend and I, this guy Jack Johnson, who was the first person who told me about her, who I went to school with. So we're not together at this point. And of course I'm, you know, hating her.

And the movie is about to open at Radio City Music Hall. And my friend and I go there, you know, what is there, 6,000 seats in there? It's the biggest screen in the world And I'm saying boy. I hope this thing is a real bomb Yeah, this goes right down that drain and the giant we see the Rockettes for a little while You know singing and dancing and stuff and then the movie is about to start this Curtain parts the biggest screen you've ever seen in your life The movie starts and I hear Connie Francis saying where the boys are and then I see Paula and I said, oh god

She's a movie star. This thing is a huge hit. I knew in 12 seconds. How about that? Yeah And then I have good no and then after a while How about that? Yeah. Paul, Paul, go ahead. No. And then after a while, um. What? Paula, why didn't you want to do the screen test? Why didn't you want to test? I mean, you were relatively new to acting, we should say. Very new.

And I had nothing in my background that would have said that I would do that acting or any of that. Did you go to school for nursing at one point? No I didn't but I did go to a woman's College of Virginia first before I transferred because I thought I wanted to be a doctor but that was so close thank you. She'd be a fabulous surgeon I I think. Oh. Yeah. And you were one of those old time stories

of someone discovered, actually discovered. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, it was. And what was that? Well, I had no idea about this because as I say, my background wasn't show business at all. I just know I had to go out and do the screen test.

And Jim Hutton was great. He's the kid that I worked with and then we were in the movie together. So I brought my props and things and they told me, Paula, you know, we have a prop department here so you don't have to bring the chips and you don't have to bring the cokes and you don't have to bring the chips and you don't have to bring the cokes and you don't have to bring all that kind of stuff. I was of course astounded, thrilled.

It was very different from my background. In fact when she got the test she said, but I have, she was going to do summer stock with our acting teacher. And she said, I have all my roles already set. I've already learned the part. She was going to play Eleanor Roosevelt in Sunrise at Campobello. And she was deciding, should she be doing that, or should she become a movie star? And our acting teacher, who was conscious of what the world

was really like, said, Paula, you don't want to pass this up. Wow. Yeah, I was very encouraged. So you went from playing, do I have this right? There was a part where she played a troll, Richard? Oh, yes. That was, yeah.

Northwest act. That was the first time I laid eyes on her. So my friend, Jack, we lived in this dorm with the rest of the misfits at Northwestern and he had been down watching auditions of the new people. She was new because she transferred and they were all up on the stage in the theater auditioning for the acting teacher and he spotted her and he said, Benjamin, you better get down there.

This one's for you. I'm telling you, get down there. This one's for you, I'm telling you. Get down there. And I said, really? You know, there's a soap opera on our TV. Do you think? He said, get down there. So I went down and I see this gorgeous creature up on this stage and because she's auditioning for a troll in Pierre Ghent, she's, remember girls at that time had those long,

kind of quilted skirts. Well she had pulled that up into this wide cinch belt so it was tucked in and I saw the longest, most beautiful legs I'd ever seen. And I thought, oh boy. And then something happened and she became extremely emotional about something and ran out of the theater and straight up the aisle

and Northwestern is on Lake Michigan and she ran into Lake Michigan and a friend of hers ran after her and the two of them stood in the lake with their skirts pulled all the way up. It looked like a poster for bitter rice or something and I said well, you got she's really gorgeous, he's a bit high strung and I'll bet she could be great if she could just stay in the theater instead of running into Lake. Into the lake. And that was the first time I laid eyes on her. What was your initial impression of Richard?

I heard you say was was the first Jewish man from New York. Well, yes I always was in love with Tony Curtis in the movies Jewish guy from New York City is what I want So there he was sitting in the green room, what we call the green room. And I thought, that's for me. Kismet. Yeah, it's just perfect.

I always thought, you know, I like that background. For Bernie Schwartzer to Dick Benjamin. Yeah, that's right. Yeah. So you go from playing a troll and in the blink of an eye, you're on a screen in Radio City with George Hamilton and Connie Francis and Frank Gorshin, we have to mention. Oh, fabulous. Yeah.

What can you tell us about Frank Gorshin? I always love him. Oh, wasn't he wonderful? Well, I only knew him when he was in the movie with us and I just thought he was divine, perfect timing, perfect comic personality and really really sweet, do you know? I liked all the people in that movie. Dolores and I were Catholic and so was Yvette Mimeo so we all kind of had a Catholic upbringing and Connie too right Connie was Catholic too. So anyway you know that I was just lucky Frank

Gorshin was Connie's boyfriend and Jim was mine and I don't know it just worked out it was really nice music by Neil Sudaka. Frank Gorshin. Yeah. Yeah, Frank Gorshin invented the Kirk Douglas and Bert Langley. He did it better than anybody. Yeah. Yeah. He did, yeah.

You know, Paula, you also worked with an actor named John MacGyver. Do you remember John MacGyver? I sure do. Okay, I bring it up because Gilbert is the only human being on the planet who does a John MacGyver impersonation. Oh good. Oh wonderful. Let's see.

Let's see. Okay. Everything in this company must be run according to schedule. That's perfect. We will have those slackers here. This is a tight ship, and I am the captain of this ship. It's perfect. It's rare and perfect. Yeah.

Yeah. It's perfect. Doesn't it sound a little bit like, you know who I mean? Hitchcock. No. He sounded like John McDonough. A little bit. No, I get the hitchcock thing too. Yeah, yeah, it's a little stuffy, little stuffiness. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's right. Thank you, that was great. Man's favorite sport. Man's favorite sport. Yeah, he was in a couple. And I, and what was, what was John McGiver like?

Oh, he was divine, the sweetest person so funny and so really I was so lucky to work with people with people who were acquainted with this kind of work and they all helped me do you know they all helped me I guess a woman can't say that nowadays but that's the truth. Well they were all you know part of Hawks stock company. Those guys in there. Dolores Hart would go on to become a nun. Yes, she did. We've seen her.

We've been there. Oh, yeah. She's lovely. Just lovely. Yeah. Yeah. She looks like we have to get Dolores. She's great.

She's great. Yeah, she's great. You all should do that. We'll do that. I met her at the view. She'd love it. She's great. Yeah, she's great. Oh, you all should. We'll do that. We'll do that. I met her at The View. She was charming. Yeah.

Isn't she? Yeah, she really is. And Gilbert and I were talking. He thinks what, this has come up repeatedly on the show. He thinks the first movie he saw in a movie theater may have been Bachelor in Paradise. Oh, really? Yeah. We both worked with Lana Turner.

That's a rare thing too. Yeah. I think you both worked with Myrna Loy. Dick did, definitely. You didn't, did you? No, I didn't. No, she's in a movie. She's listed in a movie with you, Paula.

Which one? Oh, now I have to dig it out. No, that's okay. That's okay. It may be. Now, Bob Hope was in bachelor. No, that's okay. That's okay. It may. Now, Bob Hope was in Patch No. Yeah, he was great. And see, this was when Bob Hope was already in movies

becoming the leader Bob. Yes. Like he was no longer the funny Bob Hope, he was that kind of Bob Hope. But that was funny to me. Yeah, you could see him reading the cute college in the movies. I liked that.

When Paula was flown to London for a royal premiere of Bachelor in Paradise, and I think it was for Princess Margaret or something, anyway, this place was packed. And I'm backstage because they sent me to because we actually sent me because we just got married. Yeah. They'd send us. They wouldn't send me unless we got married. So so we did. We got a free honeymoon. Yes.

Free trip. And yeah, so I'm backstage and out on the stage. Our hope and Crosby Crosby has come along with Hope. And they've got straw hats and canes, and they're out there singing and dancing, pattered jokes, they're killing them out there. They're just killing them. And the place is roaring and applauding and standing up, and then they come off and they're full of sweat,

and then people are yelling for them, and they go back out there for another 15 minutes of killing them and the place has gone crazy and then they come off and hope says to Paula all right kid they're all yours go get him now he's who's he thinking talking to? Judy Garland? Who is it? Sophie Tucker? What is he? It's Paula from from Houston, you know, who's in the movies. And so Paula turns me I said, well, what should I do? I said, just say hello, and I'm glad you're to be here And then she did and they and and they loved her Wow lucky lucky things Paul a TV movie called the couple takes a wife. Oh yes, I'm a big speed right and Larry

I'm storage and Robert Goulet and according to my sources Myrna Loy was in it. Oh to my sources Myrna Loy was in it. Oh, that could be. Oh, maybe, maybe, yeah. That's right. Maybe you didn't have any scenes with her. What was the deal with the studio, with MGM trying to make you and Jim Hutton kind of into a, if you will,

of what, a modern day Myrna Loy and William Powell? Yes, that was the deal. We were both tall. We were the tallest people, practically under contract, I think. So they had that idea for sure. And Richard Thorpe had, who was directing some of those pictures, actually directed a thin man movie.

Yeah. He might have. So he also, he directed some scenes in Gone With The Wind. Yes. He was, yeah, he directed Silence. Yeah. Yeah. Isn't that something?

Yeah. Yeah. And he moved his, his thing was how fast he moved. I mean, they made that picture in 16 days. Wow. Yeah. Yeah. And he moved his his thing was how fast he moved. I mean, they made that picture in 16 days. Wow. Yeah. Now, there was a period of time when Burt Reynolds, people thought Burt Reynolds was dying. They there was a rumor he had AIDS. He was just his health was totally, completely falling apart. And he found out if this is true from a movie

he did that you directed with Clint East. Oh, you're talking about the chair accident. Yeah, he fell off the makeup chair. Yeah, and he hit his jaw. And that led to that. What do you call it? The thing, you know, that tinnitus or something. Yeah, that really affected him. In fact, we had shot that opening scene with the two of them in this big fight scene and he was just, know up for everything and he the two of them were just great together but that that affected him that actually affected him

I like that picture City Heat I just rewatched it oh yeah I heard they had to rebuild his jaw and then well during he was out a few days I think but he came back just trying to get through it all, which he did. I think that may have been later that they had to do something, but it was such a shame. He was just on those, makeup chairs are high, and something happened that it just tipped over and stuff.

It was such a shame because we were really having a good time and he he was such a good fella he was so generous to our kids and everything he was just a just a lovely person. Good picture Richard. I know you replaced Blake Edwards on that film. That's right yeah and that was you, I just made my first movie and oh, I made my second movie, Racing with the Moon and another good one. Oh, thank you. And my agent Phil Gersh called and he said, well, they would like Bert and Clint would like to see you. And I said, would that be Bert Reynolds and Clint

Eastwood? Is that who we're talking? Eastwood is that who we're talking about? Yeah. Yeah. So I couldn't, you know, not do that because of the idea of these, you know, but at that time they were movie legends and stuff like that. I learned a lot from Clint, I have to say a lot. I'd like to see all those great character actors too in there, like, you know, like Richard Roundtree.

Oh yeah, wonderful. And Rip, the late Rip Jorn. And Rip, the late Rip. And Rip. Yeah, Rip. Yeah. Just great. Yeah. And your old friend Hamilton Camp showing up in a little bit

in the garage scene. And Paula, you worked with Peter Sellers. And I've heard various stories about Peter Sellers. All true. Yeah. OK. Tell us about him. He was a piece of cake.

No, he wasn't. But he was very, very particular. And he was just as interesting as each one of the characters that he's ever portrayed. Yeah. We've heard people say that one of the quirks of his personality, and you'll know where I'm going with this, Gilbert, it's come up.

Then that you want to finish my thought because I know you're thinking this yeah that if he wasn't doing a character he didn't exist. And actor can get to that point I think and perhaps that was who he was the person who didn't exist until he had a character because he was right on with every single notion of what he was doing you know it's very particular very particular temperament Peter Sellers would watch himself after he did a scene and talk about it in

third person and he'd go oh look what that idiot just did he tripped over the couch and fell on the floor can you believe what he did amazing yeah he certainly was a unique Did he see you Oh Husband is he out there too. Didn't you see? Listen Listen, did you or did you not see your husband out there? No, I didn't see him. Didn't you? What the hell is the idea of yelling his name at me like that?

I'm sure of it now. It's exactly the sort of thing Paul would think of. Little girl detectives that nobody would suspect. That's the nastiest thing I ever heard of, employing innocent little children to get the goods on your own wife. And the unfair thing about it is I haven't done anything, not one single pleasant thing, unless you want to go listening to music and all that.

Imagine being busted in on by a couple little punks like that. Once a man gets it into his head that his wife's been in another man's apartment, I mean, even in broad daylight, wild horses wouldn't interest him in the truth. No matter what I say to him, no matter what I say, he'll put the most sort of construction possible on a new, new, absolutely stark, raving man.

I know it. Yeah? How big is he? We will return to Gilbert Gottfried's amazing colossal podcast after this Richard you made a movie Kind of about Sid Caesar as well as other people they they've said that about Sid Caesar too That he had to find a character

Yeah, you would see how kind of uncomfortable He was when he was just kind of introducing something and he'd have a little cough or something until he was doing one of those sketches. But we got to know him later after I made my favorite year actually when he was not well. But we would go up to his house and he was in bed there but his mind was tremendously sharp and thrill of all thrills I could do with him those sketches like the the this is your life sketch. Oh uncle Goopy. Ohm P. Goopy when he was when Howie Morris was attached to his leg.

Sure. And I could do all that with him and he came right back. Wow. He remembered all of it. So I was in high school and my friend and I, Sunday we would get on the phone and go over all the sketches that they did Saturday night. And you know, that show was an hour and a half and those sketches were long and they were live you know extraordinary so you know the thing about him sleeping in it in a chair and that was it for him you

know taking a tremendous emotional toll on him which we got into in the movie I did with Nathan Lane, Laughter on the 23rd Floor. Yeah, yeah, very good. And there's a story that Sid Caesar was speaking somewhere and he was getting all mixed up. He was just, you know, stumbling over what he was saying. And Mel Brooks was in the audience and Mel Brooks screamed out, say it in German. And he fell into his mock German and he just, you know, it just blew up. Yeah, he did that professor. Yeah.

We jump all over the place here through time, as you guys see. But I do want to ask Paul about working with the legendary Howard Hawks. And Paul, an interesting quote, he said, she could be a big comedy star. I don't know what's the matter. Can you, can you, can you enlighten us? I think he was absolutely right. Who knew what was the matter. That's right. You were sort of in man's favorite sport you were sort of in the Doris Day role.

Uh huh that kind of role. Yeah. But you know for my money a more interesting more dynamic Doris Day. But you guys had nice chemistry you and Hudson. Yeah. He he was great Dick's mother came to visit us and he asked us all over for lunch one day It was very thrilling, you know for all of us including her. Yeah, he was a lovely guy but and and Paula and they had some overlap, oh they would Paul and and rock were doing a scene and

They cut well, you know, they they finished one angle of it or something and script supervisor came over and Said well, you know, they're they're not matching some of that He said I don't want to hear it Hawk said I don't leave them alone if they overlap they say whatever they want to say That's you know, I don't want to hear. Yeah. See how generous he was. Yeah. Wow.

And he also did that thing, which I think he did and might've been in, what was it, Bringing Up Baby or something. Anyway, they were about to kiss Rock and Paula. And before it, tell me if I'm wrong, Hawks came up to you and said afterwards, tell him it was no good, right?

That's right, yeah. And that's in another movie of his. And Rock didn't know she was going to say that. So they have this big kiss and she says, well, that wasn't very good or something like that for Rock's reaction. But he used things from other movies like trains crashing into each other and stealing from himself. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Stealing from the best. You're running around in that wetsuit. It's a fun movie of its type. You know, Paula, you look like you're having a good time. Oh, I did. I had a really good time. Yeah. I was through it.

When her agent said Howard Hawks wants to see her, I couldn't, you know, I said, whoa. And both of you worked with Walter Matthew. Yeah. Yeah. Tell us about him. Walter was the best. I mean, Walter and I did house calls. So we're surgeons, right?

So I say to Walter, we've got to go see an operation. He said, what for? So I said, we're operating on this person. We have scalpels in our hands. We should see, you know, so we know what it's like and everything. And he said, wait a minute. He said, I'm Walter Mathau.

Do you think that these people are gonna think I became a doctor to be in this movie? So I said, no, I said we have to go. He said, all right, all right. So he had a doctor that he had, he knew, which was not far from Hollywood Park. So he said, all right, we're going down there and they're going to let us in for an operation. So we suit up, you know, we look like doctors, and at the last minute he's on the phone and he's talking on the phone and he keeps motion, he said, I can't, you go ahead, you go ahead. So I go in there and I'm looking over and they're doing an angiogram on a guy and they're about to make

a cut into him to put this thing in they're about to make a cut into him to put this thing in. They start to make the cut and the next thing I know, I'm looking at linoleum. I'm, I'm face down on the floor. And a nurse comes over and she turns me over and she said, listen, are you okay?

I said, yeah. She says, was that your first opening? So I don't, you know, in a haze, I think, well, I opened on Broadway in a play. So she said, no, no, no, you'd never seen that before. I said, no, oh, okay. She sat me up on a stool and she said, now we're going to the closing,

I'm not sure you should be looking at that. I said, okay, I can't get up, my legs are shaking, they put me in a wheelchair and wheel me out of the operating room and there's Walter. And he said, what the hell happened to you? So he said, well, I looked at something, I shouldn't have looked at and I said, well, I looked at something. I shouldn't have looked at it. And I said, where were you?

He said, well, I was on the phone while you were passing out. I just made $3,000 at Hollywood Park because he had bet on a couple of races while I was in there. That's hilarious. I heard, I don't know who told us this, maybe it was Charlie, maybe it was Walter's son, that there were horse tips on the back of the program

at his memorial service, or it was the week's football picks? That could be. Yeah, as a way of honoring him? Yeah, that could be. And of course you did the Sunshine Boys. Oh, they had the best time. Gilbert and I, cause Benny was up for that part of them and then became too ill to do it is he was up for george george burns part

yeah did you meet jack i know you met me and you told us last time you met keepin stan laurel did you meet jack benny to no no he'd become ill by that time and yeah and yeah it was too bad i there there is a screen test It's silent for some reason. Yeah, we've seen it. It's on YouTube. Yeah. Oh, it is. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But then, you know, it's interesting. His best friend then goes and plays the part. Yeah.

Just as a courtesy, the man was one of the biggest stars in Vaughnville. He deserves that one reading. Yet the man can't work. Why doesn't he retire? Mr. Wolsk, don't do this to me. Please, please. I'll pay you to let him read. Once. Let him read through it and that's it. I'd be god damned if I listened. Here. Here, Uncle Willie. Read it from this.

I don't need it. I remember the line. Read it. Get out, Ben. I got my own copy. Where is it? right Where did I put it here and don't stop just read it through once and don't stop. Okay, you don't have to tell me I'm a professional. I'm in this business 57 years Sends me to a garage

Okay, mr. Clark I hate them. I hate chumpies, potato chips, frumpies. I hate them. I hate frunchies, potato chips so much. Frumpies! Frunkies, potato chips. Frumpies! Frumpies! Can't you just say frumpies? If it was funny, I would say it. Going back, and we are jumping around as I said, I want to go back to Paul as a movie star. She's on the big screen working with Peter Sellers and Rock Hudson and Howard Hawks.

You're going into the movie movie into where the boys are hoping the thing is a flop until realizing that that she's a star. Yep. But at some point we talked about pounding the pavement at some point it starts to pay off for you because you get Barefoot in the park. That was the then the odd couple and then the touring company the Odd Couple with Dan Daly. Yeah and then they asked me to direct Barefoot in London, which I did, and then Neil put me in Star Spangled Girl with Tony Perkins and Connie Stevens on Broadway. Right. And then asked me to direct Laughter on the 23rd Floor and a remake of goodbye girls. So yeah, I've always said

When someone says don't be nervous for an audition I mean, are you crazy my life changed for a 10-minute audition for? Mike Nichols and Neil Simon by just going in there and auditioning so And look, you know thanks thanks to your friend at Northwestern who told you about the other penny Penny Fuller my agent knew nothing about it yeah what happened with Nick what happened with Nichols I mean I heard you telling Kevin Pollock that he just he under reacted when you when you audition not first I'm doing it I'm hearing somebody laugh that I think was him

because I recognize from the records. Oh wow. I had never met him you know but the voice he's he's out in the dark I can't see him and I hear laughter you know a couple of laughs and more laughs and things like that and then Penny and I finish and then he and I finish. And then he comes down the center aisle, I think it was the Plymouth Theater, and kind of coming down, he said, well, that was, so okay, everything's fine.

He said, it's fine. And I said, uh-huhhuh so that'll be fine and I Have to go somewhere, and then I'm gonna come back and then we'll it will it'll be fine You know I thought no one's ever they say thanks very much You know or you know well you're not quite right or or as Gilbert says fabulous you know you were fab nothing this you're it's fine it's fine not you're fine but it's fine and then I come out to the theater and my agent in the back of the lobby

he said you got it I said what? When did that happen? But that was Mike, you know. I love that. And Paula, what was it like? What was Kirk Douglas like? Oh, he was fabulous. I broke my ankle in that movie and I remember him carrying me uphill and from some we had gone to a party or something that the cast was invited to, uphill to some mansion that was there. He was wonderful, just wonderful. And oh yeah, I always admired him.

Was Preminger as much of a hellion as they said he was? Not to me, not to me. Treated you well. Kind of to Tom, yeah. You wound up working with Preminger and Billy Wilder. Yes, that wasn't that fortunate. Who knew? I didn't even know who they were.

That happened on the street in Beverly Hills. We were walking on the street, and there was Billy Wilder across the street. And he yelled across the, Paula, Paula, you want to be in a movie? And I said, it's Billy Wilder, oh my God. That's how she got that. Paul, you've been in the right place

at the right time a lot. I have, that's right. So getting the chronology of this, Richard, you do Barefoot in the Park, you do that for a while, then you go on tour with Dan Daly and you're doing the odd couple. Then I assume you come back to New York and you get Star Spangled Girl? In between there they asked me to direct Barefoot in London. And you did that? Yeah, and then Neil asked me to do Star Spangled Girl.

And then Star Spangled Girl, And Paul is still making pictures. She's in Europe. Well, she is. She's making pictures. But before that, before Star-Spangled Girl, CBS wanted to make a TV series with her. And she said, well, I'd only do that with my husband. You can tell we're back together again. How nice of her.

Yeah, yeah. And they say, well, go and meet Leonard Stern. He's got a script. And Paul and I went to meet him out here. And it was called He and She and It. And because it was just a half hour pilot, we read it on the way to the elevator. And we said, this thing is really good. We weren't sure we wanted to do TV and all of that kind of stuff. But we said, this thing is really good.

So we go ahead and say, yes. So we made the pilot right before Star Spangled Girls. OK, so I got the timing now. Yeah, OK. So we're about to do the CBS commits and everything. And Hamilton is in it and Ken Mars and everything. And then right before starting to shoot the pilot, oh, before that, Leonard got a call from CBS.

And they said, have you made that deal with Paul Apprentice? And they said, yeah. And what about that guy that she's with, have you made that deal with Paul Apprentice? And they said, yeah. And what about that guy that she's with? Have you made that deal? So he said, yeah, yeah. And he said, they said, is he an actor? So Leonard said, well, we hope so. And I think we'll find out here, you know.

So then we made the pilot, and then the contract I had on Star Spangled Girl was, I would of course stay with the play forever, unless the pilot sold, and that was the deal. So then seven months into Star Spangled Girl, it did sell. And so then I left the show and then we did the show. And as Frank always says, we jump around. So jumping back to Stan Laurel and Buster Keaton, what do you remember about the two of them?

Well, Paula knew, because I knew who Buster Keaton was, but I didn't know everything that I should have known. When Paula was making Where the Boys Are, George Wells, who wrote it, had a boat here, and he asked us to come and, you know, we were straight out of school. We don't know anything about anything. And on his boat is Buster Keaton. And here's this man, and I kinda know, not like we all know now and should know,

that this genius is on this boat. So that was just like a pet, you remember meeting him? Yes. On there, yeah. And the other time, which I think I've said, was when my friend did a thesis at UCLA on Laurel and Hardy. when my friend did a thesis at UCLA on Laurel and Hardy and they had Laurel and his wife were in an apartment in Santa Monica on Washington Avenue which I think Jerry Lewis had taken care of that. That's what they said. Yeah that's what I yeah and he said to me I'm going up for a

last interview with Stan Laurel, would you like to come? I said, well, yeah, I would like to come. And so we go there and there's, it's a low apartment building with buttons on an income, an intercom at the bottom of the, where you go in. And on the little paper tab tab it said S Laurel and we push the button and you hear this voice that yes and always said it's my it's Jerry Ziesmer and it's my I brought a friend come right up I mean you know

and we're hearing this over this little tinny thing and when we get up there he's there with his wife and in the middle of the room is a trunk and with S and L you know kind of intertwined on the trunk I mean those he's ready to go. Wow. That trunk is in the middle of the room and if you know it's like if he gets a call he's going. How about that Gil? Now you had said last time your uncle was in Vaudeville, Joe Browning. And George Burns knew him. Did you mention him to Stan? No, no I didn't. I didn't think of that at that time because I didn't realize all of that until I was with George Burns you know but I didn't know but those guys you know what you know three or four shows a day seven days a

week you know I mean they they were on stage more than they were in real life and they knew those audiences backwards and so here's Stan Laurel Ollie's been gone for years. He's living in an apartment on the beach, Gilbert. And he's got his trunk ready to go for when the call comes in. Yep. Yep. My uncle had the same thing.

My uncle had the same thing. They lived at the Beacon Hotel. And we went up there. Paula met them. And his trunk, same thing. JB, ready to go go they're ready to go that's fantastic love that old show business about he and she and you this this is an interesting thing because Gilbert and I were talking a show that's

ahead of its time we called it groundbreaking in the intro and it was by the way Leonard Stern's name comes up a lot on this show too. Probably most famous for developing, running Get Smart for CBS. We had John Shuck here a couple of weeks ago and Leonard Leonard Stern worked with him a lot. But you guys had your reservations when you saw what your lead in was on CBS. And that gave you pause. The two top shows on CBS, number one and two,

were Beverly Hillbillies and Greenacres. And so our show was on Wednesday night at 9.30, I think it was 9.30, Beverly Hillbillies, 8.30, Greenacres, Greenacres, we're watching our first show, about to go on the air, and at the end of Greenacres, Greenacres, we're watching our first show, about to go on the air, and at the end of Greenacres, a pig is dancing. And I'm saying. Oh, Arnold Zipple.

You know, I said, our lead-in is the number two show in this country, but it's on a farm, and there's a pig dancing. And then it's, hi, Paula and Dick, you know? And urban couple, mm. So yeah, I had worries, and you know, because our ratings were not, that we had the best lead-ins you could possibly ever have.

And in those days, in those days, there were three networks, and that was it. And CBS was known as the Tiffany Network. And if you didn't hold the ratings like those two shows, today our ratings would keep us on for centuries. But then we fell off. And so I think we saw the handwriting on the wall. Well, the rural purge had yet to happen. Fred Silverman came in and got rid of, as they say,

every show that had a tree in it. Yeah. And what was the famous variety headline? Something like, you know, hit pick sticks or something Yeah, Nick takes. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, well you you were the you're gonna do you and you're gonna do your James Mason Oh, he's go ahead gil Been waiting even waiting You'll have no rec. of Leo Farnsworth or Joe Pendleton. It's your destiny, Joe. This is great. This is great.

How about a little bit of From the Stars, Borgil? Yes. Congratulations, my dear. You seem to have made a just in time, didn't you? I had a speech all prepared in my head, but it seems to have left. I know most of you on the first name buses. Why are we being so funny? I need a job. Yes, that's it, that's my speech. I need a job. It doesn't have to be drama.

I could do comedy as well. That is great. Great. Esther Blodgett, that is great. What do you think, Richard? Well, knowing him and working with him, it's brilliant. That is great. Great. Esther Blodgett. What do you think, Richard? Well, knowing him and working with him, it's brilliant. Just brilliant.

We'll talk about Last of S.H.I.E.L. in a minute, but I did want to ask about He and She. You were the first couple to occupy a double bed on television? I believe so. Yeah, I believe so. Yeah. I think so. Yeah.

You know, it's interesting too, because the show is ahead of its time. There was an article written about it recently, and it really, it's 67, but it really might as well, the show is so hip for its time, it might as well be 1972 or 1973. And Alan Burns, who was one of the writers yes

I think borrowed again talking about borrow someone borrowing from himself The Ted Baxter character on the Mary Tyler Moore show really is the Jack Cassidy Yeah, yeah a character from he and she yeah the Jetman Jetman yeah, that's why the show originally was called He and She and It. And CBS said, what's the it? And Leonard said, it's the house, it's where they live, it's the house they live in. And they said, well, we think it's Jack Cassidy. I think people are gonna think the it is Jack Cassidy's character. So you can't

have that. So that's why it became just he and she. They're all on YouTube. I will tell our listeners to go find them. I mean, they're charming. And they hold up well. I mean, it's been 50, what, almost more than 50 years. 53 years, 54 years.

It's funny. Yeah, we've get people writing to us and stuff like that saying things like that. They're smart. And the cast is great. Yeah, I we've get people writing to us and stuff like that saying saying things like that They're smart and the cast is great. Yeah great cast And now you you starred in a film right around the time of the graduate and it was similar to the graduate and that was Goodbye, Columbus Thanks to Paula who told him to read the book Thanks to Paula who told him to read the book. That's right.

Is that how it happened? Yeah, we were driving back after our show was cancelled and we were driving back across the country and she said, you know, there's this book. And I said, I don't read any books. I don't want to read any damn book. So I got, I got some TV watching to do. So she said, okay, so we get back and I get a call and my agent saying, well they're casting, they're doing a movie of Goodbye Columbus and they're looking for

someone. I said to Paula, where's that book? And I went in and auditioned, well I did an audition. I just sat with Larry Pearson, Stanley Jaffe for hours and talked my way into it. And that see again, you know, I hated it when our show went off. We got a call from Mike Dan, who by the way I made a movie written by his daughter. Mermaids yes. Oh wow. Yeah. I didn't know that was Mike Dan's daughter. Yes and he called and said Patty Dan right.

Yes. Patty Dan and but when we got a call from him, he was head of, you know, CBS entertainment and stuff. And he said, Well, Dick, he's a work. We're going it's he and she is one of the best shows we've ever had on air at CBS. And we're canceling it. And I said, thank you. And I hung up and I said, Paul, our show was canceled and I think I thanked him.

And that's how we found out. But the thing, first I didn't wanna do any TV. Now we're doing it and I hope it goes on forever. We're having such a good time, and we're loving the idea of doing these little plays every Friday. But if that show hadn't been canceled, there'd be no Goodbye Columbus. Because at that time, people were not

crossing over from TV into movies very rarely, with Steve McQueen and Eastwood and very few others. There were a few, yeah, but it was rare. It was rare. I remember, this is stuck in my mind, the theme song to Goodbye Columbus was by the Associates. Right, yeah. Yes. the association. Right, yeah. Yes. Got to, got to say hello. It's the, oh wait, got to say hello.

It's a lucky day. That's amazing. That's amazing. Kiss the moon goodbye and we're on our way. I got to, oh, I can't touch the sun and run. I, it's a lucky day. Goodbye, oh, hello life. Goodbye, Columbus.

I got a feeling that you're gonna hear from us. I, you're, we, I got a feeling that we're gonna get a surprise. Does anybody on this earth know that besides you? No, he's the only one. So we're gonna stop right there on Richard's incredulous reaction to Gilbert, knowing all the lyrics from the Goodbye Columbus theme. Of course, Gilbert, true to form there. So stay tuned for part two next week. There's so many goodies here and this conversation with Richard and

Paul was so wonderful and so in-depth that we made it a two-parter and a lot of goodies next week we get into their sitcom He and She which was very ahead of its time we got a little Captain Nice conversation going on that show co-starred Paula's sister Anne Prentiss and a little bit about Bill Macy, of course, the late great Bill Macy from My Favorite Ear, which Richard directed. A little bit about the original Westworld, some good stuff there. A great Mel Brooks story, all kinds of goodies. So we hope you guys will come back for the fantastic conclusion of our interview with Richard Benjamin and Paula Prentice, part two next week. Got that look in our eyes. It's a lucky day.

Goodbye Columbus. I got a feeling that you're gonna hear from us. You're gonna know that we've taken the world by surprise. Got that look in our eyes. It's a lucky day, yeah. Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye. Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye. Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye.

Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye. Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye. Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye. Gilbert Gottfried's amazing colossal podcast is produced by Frank Santopadre, Derek Gottfried, and Starburns Audio. Audio production by Aristotle Acevedo and John Murray, editing by Aristotle Acevedo. Social media production by Greg Pair Josh Chambers Michelle Manningham and Dino Cerserpio website supervision by John Bradley Seals special thanks to Landromo Jack Vaughan Daniel Spaventa and Stephen Varley