found the space to escape and express
his imagination, often enlisting neigh-
borhood kids to act in his childhood
plays.
Before getting to hear his captivating
behind-the-scenes stories of working
in Hollywood, Zimmerman first relives
the memories of Sunday dinner visits
to Wing Hong Chinese restaurant at
10 Mile Road in Southfield, his atten-
dance in Southfield Public Schools, the
Cranbrook Theater School and Camp
Tamarack.
“If there is a Michigan connection,
I’ll always bring that up right away,
”
Dwoskin said.
Zimmerman then goes on to describe
to Dwoskin the immense pressure that
goes along with being a young writer in
Hollywood. He was instrumental in the
story and character development in the
Golden Girls’ first season.
“There was just so much fear in going
to work every day, of being fired or not
being good enough, not being funny,
”
Zimmerman said. “You couldn’t make
any misstep. I mean these were the fun-
niest four women to ever have been on
television.
”
Zimmerman also shares with Dwoskin
the incredible bond he created with
Estelle Getty who played Sofia, the moth-
er to Bea Arthur’s character, Dorothy.
“I feel very fortunate to have carved
a really beautiful friendship with Estelle
Getty,
” he said. “Usally writers and
actors on the show are kind of kept
separately, or you’re too busy writing
to really know the actors. I was lucky
that she took a shining to me and got to
hang out with her and talk to her on the
phone. She’
d be giving motherly advice.
”
It was, in fact, motherly advice
and unconditional support from
Zimmerman’s real life mother that
helped nurture and encourage his cre-
ativity.
“I would not be here if it wasn’t for
her tenacity and her belief in me against
all odds,
” said Zimmerman. “That
means a lot to a child. And she would
always brag like, you know, ‘How many
parents do you know who would allow
their son to get ballet slippers and go to
theater camp.
’”
That support also included strong
influences from his grandmother and
sister while growing up in Southfield,
leaving little doubt as to why he found
so much success working with women
in the industry.
Zimmerman ended up also writing
for the original Roseanne show and
working with other iconic females that
he details in his book; among them
Detroit native Lily Tomlin and Sandra
Bernhard.
Need more of a Golden Girls
fix? Make sure you listen to
Classic Conversations #311,
where Dwoskin catches up
with two-time Emmy
Award winning pro-
ducer Marsha Posner
Williams. She was
responsible for co-pro-
ducing 76 episodes of The
Golden Girls, and shares,
according to Dwoskin,
“unheard stories” from
the set.
NAME GAME
Dwoskin converses with plenty of big
stars you instantly know by name. But
what I really love is his equal fascination
for interviewing actors you’ve adored but
couldn’t tell their stage name if your life
depended on it. To name just a few …
Jon Provost (Timmy on Lassie), Butch
Patrick (Eddie from The Munsters),
Susan Olson (Cindy from The Brady
Bunch), Johnny Whitaker (Jody on
Family Affair) and Karen Grassle (The
mom on Little House on the Prairie).
In two of my favorite more-off-the-
radar conversations, Dwoskin talks to
Scott Schwartz who played Flick, the
kid who famously gets his tongue stuck
to a flagpole in the iconic holiday film
A Christmas Story. Plus, you’ll meet
Steve Hytner, who played Kenny Bania,
the annoying comedian on Seinfeld that
drove Jerry crazy.
So, just where does Classic
Conversations go from here? Dwoskin
tells me that his plan is to keep going.
“I’
d love for it to really catch fire and be
a podcast people talk about” he said.
“I would love to work for a radio show
or a TV channel and do entertainment
segments.
”
Best of luck, Jeff! And remember
our deal: If you make it to the big time,
you’re taking me with you. I’ve been off
the Dick Purtan Show for over 14 years,
and I’m desperate for attention again.
Let’s take a meeting.
Classic Conversations with Jeff Dwoskin can
be found at jeffisfunny.com or on Spotify, Apple
Podcasts and on other podcast platforms.
52 | OCTOBER 31 • 2024 J
N
OUR COMMUNITY
continued from page 51
Stan
Zimmerman
IMDB