Brandon Maggart (Christmas Evil; Brothers; Jennifer Slept Here; Sesame Street)

Brandon Maggart joins me and discusses radio in the 1940's; how acting in a school play made him more verbal and popular with teachers; being a singer; going to Sewanee; getting invited to come to NY; going to University of Tennessee; singing and DJing; leaving the Air Force; his opera career; being a guide at NBC; working with Cathryn Damon, Renee Taylor (in Lil' Abner) and Sherry Britton in Top Banana; making his film debut in Armored Command with Burt Reynolds; guest starring in The Defenders, Naked City, and Car 54; doing Barefoot in the Park with Vivian Vance and her paying for his singing lesson; getting so drunk he jumps in the Atlantic Ocean to sober up and almost dies; performing in New Faces of 1968 and having it be old hat compared to Hair; learning burlesque from Sherry Britton; being in the cast of the 1st season of Sesame Street; being Tony nominated for co-starring with Lauren Bacall in Applause; almost making the original cast of SNL; his holiday horror film, Christmas Evil; his role that was cut short from Dressed to Kill; costarring with Robin Williams in The World According to Garp; Jennifer Slept Here; Brothers; Chicken Soup; Fiddler on the West Hollywood Roof; Brothers tackles AIDS; Philip Charles Mackenzie; do you have to be smart to be stupid?; acting in The Wedding Band, the first interracial play with Ruby Dee; being in a minstrel show America Be Seated with Lou Gossett; working in theatre gave him the privilege to work and befriend homosexuals; Purlie with Sherman Helmsley; guest starring in Adventures of Brisco County, Jr, Bakersfield PD, and Married with Children; starring in Spiritual Warrior; hurting his back and being unable to audition; time recovering from surgery leads him to writing and painting; his books length; he knew nothing of his father after he died; his book leaves his footprints