Jul 29, 2021
Dinah Manoff, our love! (Ooh Ooh Ooh) You Might Know Her From Grease, Empty Nest, Soap, State of Grace, Ordinary People, Child’s Play, Leader of the Pack, I Ought to Be in Pictures, and her new novel The Real True Hollywood Story of Jackie Gold. Dinah came aboard to chat about penning her debut novel, a fictionalized coming of age tale about a moviestar with a Hollywood pedigree and a complicated relationship with the paparazzi. We also talked to Dinah about her own showbiz upbringing with actress mother Lee Grant and writer dad Arthur Manoff; the good, bad, and annoying of appearing on a network sitcom for seven years, winning a Tony for her Broadway debut in Neil Simon’s I Ought to Be in Pictures, and appearing in our all time favorite movie Grease as Marty. Dinah also agreed with us with us that Miss Murdoch was gay and opened up about the special place Broadway flop Leader of the Pack has in her heart. This really is a high holy day.
Dinah’s book: The Real True Hollywood Story of Jackie Gold
Parents: Arnold Manofff and Lee Grant
Highly recommend Lee Grant’s autobiography: I Said Yes to Everything
Is in conversation with Postcards from the Edge (Carrie played Lee Grant’s daughter in Shampoo)
Neil Simon’s I Ought to Be in Pictures
Tony Curtis played her dad in LA run but he was fired and replaced by Ron Leibman
Movie and play directed by Herbert Ross
In 1980 Dinah won the Tony for IOBiP and co-starred in Ordinary People
Played Carol on Empty Nest for 7 seasons
Used Empty Nest money to buy property on Bainbridge Island, WA
Pat Birch choreographed Grease, Randal Kleiser directed
Barry Pearl played Doody and is keeping the Grease torch burning
Jamie Donnelly (Jan) was a great dancer
Jeff Conaway (Kenickie) was having the most sex on set of Grease
Dinah loved Joan Blondell and Eve Arden
Dinah not asked to be in Grease 2 but Pat Birch’s daughter WAS a Pink Lady
Was asked to audition for Eve Arden part in Grease Live!
Leader of the Pack (1984 Broadway musical flop) about Ellie Greenwich
Dinah singing at the 1984 Tonys
Cast included Jasmine Guy and Darlene Love
Michael Peters choreographed the show, libretto by Anne Beatts
Carrie the musical (another notorious Bway flop)
The Covergirl and the Cop (1988 tv movie opposite Julia Duffy)
Each actress in drag: Dinah: 51:30 / Duffy: 1:10:30
Alice Ghostley (Mrs. Murdock) shows up dancing in “Grease Lightning”
Cybill and Touched by an Angel had the most demanding stars
Dinah loves the Van Pattens (Joyce) and the Redgraves
Dinah loved working with Kristy McNichol
Gets hit with a ball peen hammer in Child’s Play 2
Bloodhounds of Broadway (1989) starring Madonna, Jennifer Grey, Matt Dillon
Dinah wore a tux when she won a Tony (her date was Bruce Willis)
Dinah’s Tony speech @ 39:28
Richard Dawson host of Family Feud (see Dinah’s kiss @ 28:50)
Maid for Each Other with Dinah, Nell Carter, and Joyce Van Patten
Full Joyce Van Patten ep of YMKHF (#36)
Dinah originally wanted Jenifer Lewis after seeing her do a one woman show in NYC
Keke Palmer doing “Freddy My Love” in Grease Live
CORRECTION: Bruce Willis didn’t bartend at Studio 54, it was Alec Baldwin who bussed there. Willis bartended at Cafe Central, Kamikaze and Chelsea Central
Not Since Carrie - book about musical flops
Joyce Van Patten has created a circle of life at YMKHF (Episode # )
BLIND ITEM for NEXT MONTH’S GUEST:
Dinah - was in IOBIP w/ ann margret
Who was in Bye Bye Birdie w/ Maureen Stapleton-was in Cocoon w/Gwen Verdon
Who was nominated for a tony in 1975 for Chicago, the same year that Kelly Bishop won her Tony for A Chorus Line.
Who was in Dirty Dancing with Cynthia Rhodes
who was in Flashdance with Jennifer Beals in The L Word with next month's guest
Lee Ving was Mr Boddy in Clue. He was Cynthia Rhodes’ abusive boyfriend in Flashdance.