Remember When podcast from the radio show FlashBack

Dive 70 years into TV history with Bonnie Bartlett Daniels. Her small screen career began in the soaps in 1955. Then she worked with the likes of Jackie Gleason, Patty Duke, and worked in recurring roles in Little House on the Prairie and St. Elsewhere, where she made TV history in 1986; she and husband William Daniels became the first married couple to win acting awards for the same TV series on the same night. She never slowed down. She just published her new memoir, “Middle of the Rainbow " at 93. Then return to Happy Days with Ralph Malph himself, Donnie Most of course, who has lots more to sing about than Happy Days! In fact, we focus on his swingin’ singin’ career and his love of Bobby Darin! Yep, we play a few samples of what he can belt out on stage!

Back in 1965, guitarist/ singer Kim Simmonds founded the British blues/rock band Savoy Brown which he helmed until his death last year. In 2011, Savoy Brown issued Voodoo Moon, and that year Simmonds sat down with Wes Britton to talk about his band’s ever-evolving legacy. You can hear that conversation here at Remember When, along with a new co-interview with the surviving members of the group, Pat DeSalvo(bass) and Garnet Grimm(drums). For over ten years, they were the longest-running lineup behind Simmonds. Pat and Garnett talk about their time with the band and their brand-new album, Blues All Around. The band’s last?

Fans of The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Patton, The Towering Inferno and countless other film projects know the award-winning work of cinematographer Fred Koenekamp even if they don't recognize his name.  Before his passing in 2017, Fred sat down with Wes Britton and discussed not only his own career, especially on MFU and Patton, but the ground-breaking camera work of his father who worked on the classic silents.  So go behind the scenes of filming TV and movies with one of the masters here at Remember When--

Star Trek fans know actor John Billingsley portrayed the genial Denobulan Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Phlox,  on the series Star Trek: Enterprise. But they might not know just how engaging, delightful, and insightful he is when not covered in Denobulan make-up. Now, you can learn all about John when he talks about Enterprise,  his cast mates, the importance of Star Trek as a whole,  and so much more with Wes Britton and Karina Kantas on Remember When. We admit-we just scratched the surface of things John can talk about, as in his long career in acting and his many roles on television and on screen. So consider this delightful interview as but part one of an ongoing conversation—stay tuned.

You know William B. Davis best as the “cigarette smoking man” on TV’s X-Files. But he’s had a long distinguished acting and directing career which he described in two books, Where There's Smoke...: Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man, a Memoir and its new sequel, On Acting ... and Life: A New Look at an Old Craft. For “Remember When,” William dug deep into what readers can find in On Acting . . . and Life and talked about the craft he’s been pursuing all his life. Find out why as Wes Britton sits down with an actor who was once known for cigarettes he really didn’t smoke . . .

At the very beginning of creating the original Star Trek, Gene Roddenberry brought in writer and producer John D.F. Black to help bring together the new writers who would create a phenomenon. All Trekkers owe John a debt of gratitude. In an offbeat offering at our “Remember When” podcast page,   frequent guest Marc Cushman serves as guest host and conducts a very insightful interview with Black and his wife Mary.  Yes, lots of Star Trek lore along with so much more. Not for Trekkers only.

You know Walter Koenig best as Ensign Pavel Chekov on the original Star Trek. But his career has included many other achievements, which he tells you all about in his 2020 memoir, Beaming Up and Getting Off: Life before and After Star Trek. For “Remember When,” Walter shares many of the anecdotes he revealed in Beaming Up talks about his various writing projects over the years.  So this interview is full of Star Trek lore and so much more, especially about the craft of authorship.

Whatever happened to Tabitha Stephens, the TV sitcom baby witch played by child-star Erin Murphy? More than you think. Erin is an extremely talented lady who has been appearing on the small screen from her infancy to the present, sharing the stage with the likes of Ronald Reagan and  Hulk Hogan and serving as a TV correspondent for all sorts of outlets like TVLand. She’s the last surviving cast member of Bewitched and has lots of stories to tell you on the latest edition of Remember when-

Return with us to those wonderful decades when we all loved our vinyl record collections, and one reason we did were all the eye-catching album covers that captured our attention. Bob Heimall was one of the artists who designed those classic covers for the likes of The Doors, Carly Simon, Patti Smith, and The Kinks and he shared many of his rock ‘n roll stories in his colorful book, COVER STORIES: Tales of rock legends and the albums that made them famous. On “Remember When,” Bob shares some of his behind-the-scenes memories about spending time with Jim Morrison, Carly Simon, Barry Manilow—well, you gotta check the conversation out to hear some rock lore you won’t hear anywhere else-Bob is a pretty good storyteller and has a serious love of rock ‘n roll that makes this interview so engaging and personable-

“Author. Teacher. Geek expert.” That’s how writer Bob Greenberger describes himself at his website where you can find an astonishing bibliography of his work in sci-fi, working for Marvel and DC and for the Star Trek novel franchise. In his in-depth interview with Wes Britton, Bob takes you behind-the-scenes of writing science fiction, especially for the Star Trek novels and how they reflect what you see on TV and the films. How has the new Picard shaped the realm of ST novels? Find out on this discussion on “Remember When”-

Canadian stand-up comic Murray Langston is best remembered for being the “Unknown Comic” who wore a paper bag over his head telling jokes at a break-neck pace, especially in his many appearences on the odd“Gong Show” which featured would-be amateur entertainers competing for stardom on daytime television. Alongside controversial emcee Chuck Barris from 1976 to 1980, Langston became a cult figure showing up on a wide variety of talk and game shows and comedy series like the Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour. So Murray is a perfect personality to take us back to the strange times of ‘70s comedy TV and remind us why he kept us laughing so many times back in the day-

On the 3rd year anniversary special of the old “Dave White Presents” radio show, Wes Britton brought the second film actor to play 007, George Lazenby, together with guitarist Vic Flick for the first time ever in a dual interview. On this occasion, I was happy to stand aside and let those film veterans essentially interview each other about . . .  to be honest, this one is hard to summarize. The two gents touched on a ton of topics, talking about subjects I don’t think they have ever delved into much anywhere else. Bond stuff to be sure-but so much more. The motto of the old show was “Predictably unpredictable,” and Vic and George helped us live up to those two words. In other words, spy or Bond expert you may be, but I guarantee a string of surprises that will entertain you in ways you didn’t expect . . .

A Special Spywisesecretdossier Briefing on Today’s Remember When Podcasts Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine,  one question I’ve been hearing repeatedly is-what sort of intelligence does Ukraine and Nato have to keep their eyes on the Russian military and policymakers in Moscow? A key question that also needs asking is: what sort of use is given what intelligence we glean? The West has been spying on the Russians for over 70 years now. A case in point: From February 1954 to April 1956, “Operation Gold” was a joint operation of the CIA and the British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS). Together, they dug a tunnel below the border between the Western sector of Berlin and the Soviet section to tap into the landline communications between Soviet Forces Germany and their masters in Moscow. Voices Under Berlin, a novel by T.H.E. Hill, focuses on those linguists and analysts sifting through intercepted intelligence from the tunnel. Does the image of code-breakers sitting in dusty rooms wearing headphones while scribbling on notepads sound a bit on the dry side? On one hand, we get to look into how the military deals with intercepted intelligence and what horrible mistakes could happen in the wrong hands. As it happens, Hill has been often compared to Joseph Heller (Catch 22) and Richard Hooker (M.A.S.H.) which should tell you how entertaining this look into this secret world can be. If you think the technology of the 1970s might be outdated, that’s not the point. The intellectual uses and misuses of intelligence and training in the military hierarchy are, simply stated, timeless. In short, we can learn a lot about the present and future by looking into unexpected places in the past. Here’s one text interview with Hill at Spywisesecretdossier.com: http://spywisesecretdossier.com/vubInterview.html Now, here’s an exclusive audio interview to take you even deeper into parts of espionage you’ve probably not thought about before:

Sometimes, a writer can give an old trope a fresh twist. Take the idea of sleeper agents, something familiar to anyone with a passing interest in spy lit and films. Naval officer Michael Pennington wondered what might happen if the spouses of military officers with high-security clearances could be planted as Soviet sleeper spies.  After all, the officers themselves would be seriously vetted before getting their clearances-not so much their significant others. So Pennington created the extremely capable Susan Anderson, a wife with a dual consciousness. Part of her thinks she’s a normal American wife; but the Soviets had long ago planted a “Sasha” consciousness inside her, buried until her handler reignited the long-forgotten identity. Pennington began his novel series with   Zhena, a book Michael discussed with Wes Britton back in 2010. In the story, Susan Anderson, military wife, mother, and apparent orphan find herself on the run trying to protect her children, and the lives of friends, not to mention maintaining her own sanity and survival. And that’s just the beginning-

Some spy novels have a point to make, especially those in the sub-genre of “insider fiction.” Authors of these books draw on their experience in intelligence to warn the rest of us about what we should expect. For example, Duane DeMello’s 2010  The Wave of the Future is concerned with how present-day circumstances might lead to disasters if our vigilance isn’t of the highest level, if we’re not willing to put security ahead of some personal rights, and if intelligence agencies don’t function to their fullest capacity. DeMello knows of what he writes.  After all, he was a senior intelligence officer in the Central Intelligence Agency. But there’s much more to what Wave of the Future offers beyond a cautionary tale and Duane shared his in-depth thinking in a 2010 conversation with Wes Britton. Learn a bit about modern spycraft and the balance of power between our agencies and those determined to do us harm . . . Join Duane and Wes Britton for a fascinating conversation if you’re curious about what actual espionage is all about.

In honor of Women’s History Month, Remember When Podcasts are offering a series of interviews with notable women who’re each much more than pretty faces. First up: Tippi Hedron is best known for her two starring roles in Alfred Hitchcock films, The Birds (1963) and with Sean Connery in Marni (1964). Among her 80 roles in television and in film, Hedron was the only actress to ever work for both Hitchcock and Charlie Chaplin in his final film, The Countess from Hong Kong (1967). Her honors include a Golden Globe, a Jules Verne Award, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Hedron is also noted for her long commitment to the plight of African lions and tigers. She established her Roar Foundation to support her Shambala Preserve, an 80-acre wildlife habitat. She has created relief programs worldwide following earthquakes, hurricanes, famine and war. In 2012, she was the subject of a biographical film about her time with Hitchcock, The Girl,  in which Hedron was portrayed by actress Sienna Miller. Did we mention she’s Melanie Griffith’s mom? So who could be a better choice to lead off our notable women series as we reprise her 2012 interview with Wes Britton in which we touched on everything mentioned in this description (yes, lots of Hitchcock and big cats) and much more: #Hitchcock #AlfredHitchcock #activist #protest #filmstar #famousmum #TVstar #goldenglobes #WesBritton #wildlife #foundation #MelanieGriffiths #TheBirds

“We’re an American Band.” “I’m Your Captain (Closer to Home).” “The Loco-Motion.” While never loved by contemporary critics, it’s been said you can’t talk about ‘70s rock without talking about Grand Funk Railroad. Well, on the next Remember When Podcast, Grand Funk drummer, singer, and songwriter Don Brewer does just that. Don tells Wes Britton tales of the highs, lows, lawsuits, and especially the stories behind the band’s biggest hits. And why the critics never warmed to the Michigan trio. #classicinterviews #RememberWhen #DonBrewer #WesBritton #podcast #radioshow #70s #rock

In an interview with Wes Britton, Dee Wallace remembers playing Mother Mary Taylor in Steven Spielberg’s  E.T. The Extra-Terrestial, being a “Scream Queen” in films like The Hills Have Eyes, The Howling, and Critters. But Dee Wallace has lots more to talk about than screen roles, especially her career as a healer.  What does that mean?  Check out the latest Remember When Podcast and we promise one of the warmest, uplifting, and inspiring conversations you’ll ever hear- #StephenSpielberg #DeeWallace #WesBritton #classicinterviews #Radio #Podcast #RememberWhen #ET #TheHowling #TheHillsHaveEyes #Critters #screamqueen #filmstar #actress 

Going Back to Happy Days with Donnie Most! Yes, Wes Britton got to interview Ralph Malph on Dec. 31, 2014. Now is the perfect time to reprise that conversation as much of the interview focuses on Don’s musical career. As it happens, a new CD of “Donnie Most Sings and Swings” is in the works and we’ll play you some samples of Don’s big band stylings to whet your appetite. And yes,  Don has Happy Days anecdotes to share as we Remember When . . .

When most folks hear the name Bernie Kopell, they think of his role as Dr. Adam Bricker on the long-running Love Boat. Or they remember him as Siegfried, Vice President of Public Relations and Terror for KAOS on 14 episodes of the spy spoof, Get Smart. In 2012, I was able to talk with Bernie to help plug the collector’s DVD release of Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp, for which the actor voiced villain Baron Von Butcher (modeled on his Siegfried character) along with other baddies in the live-action children’s show starring live chimpanzees. So with this background, you might expect a lively conversation with Bernie Kopell and you’d be spot on! Expect some surprises and lively insights into comic Television and the spoofing of the spy craze of the 1960s-