Hollywood and academia had a mutually beneficial pairing on Sept. 25 when Pepperdine University honored alumni George Schlatter at the Saban Theatre. While an evening centered around the Malibu school that’s affiliated with the Churches of Christ might have had more gravity, Schlatter had a half-century’s worth of remarkably good TV comedy clips to entertain the audience.

Larry King acted as emcee, and the evening began with remarks by Pepperdine’s Craig Detweiler and Schlatter’s daughter Maria, who said her father once quoted Fred Astaire on the right way to put on a show: “Get it perfect; then cut two minutes.” Of course, this didn’t happen. The show that Schlatter produced himself ran at least an hour longer than planned, but it held the audience that included Diana Ross, George Hamilton, Barbara Davis, Barbara Sinatra, Stefanie Powers and Joan Collins with sister Jackie until the end.

What the evening relied heavily upon were clips from the 1960s “Laugh In.” And it was a wise decision. There’s still a freshness to the comedy, plus it offered cameos from the likes of Richard Nixon, Rev. Billy Graham, Truman Capote, Gore Vidal and Barry Goldwater.

Speakers paying tribute included Kirk Douglas, Arte Johnson (who made an unfortunate decision to talk about his own career rather than the honoree’s), Sarah Purcell and Fred Willard of the Schlatter-produced Real People, Jerry Weintraub and Bruce Vilanch, who said he and Schlatter had “both auditioned for the same role on Duck Dynasty.”
When Shirley MacLaine spoke after clips ran from early Schlatter-produced shows, the first thing she said was: “I wish it could be like that now.” Lily Tomlin, who started her career on Laugh In, said it was “the only audition that ever got me a job — and it was George who did it.”

After a strong song from Jo Anne Worley, King made a comment about Schlatter that might go down in a book on classic Larry King-isms: “There’s a little Hitler in him, but he’s a wonderful person.”

Musical director Glen Roven, who has worked with Schlatter for 25 years and stood in for David Foster, who was under the weather, said that after a music rehearsal went on too long, a frustrated Schlatter rushed on stage to remind him that, “The music is the shit between the jokes.” Late in the show, Tim Conway got arguably the biggest laugh of the night when he began his remarks by saying: “I’ve never had to go to the bathroom as bad as I have right now. I wish I’d worn darker pants.”

Suzanne de Passe and Berry Gordy spoke about Shlatter’s offer to come to Los Angeles and make the 1968 NBC special TCB with Diana Ross and the Supremes and the Temptations, which sparked the exit of Motown from Detroit. (After the show was over, Ross was asked how she felt seeing the old clips. “I was really skinny,” she said. “I loved that.”)
After Sidney Poitier received a standing ovation for being in the audience and Goldie Hawn spoke via video about getting her start on Laugh In, Schlatter came to the stage. He was brief in his remarks, calling the evening a “mosh pit of clips and memories” and how he hoped an evening like this would become an annual fundraiser for Pepperdine’s George Schlatter Comedy Collection housed in the university’s library.

He did not answer one question that hung over the evening: Why did a quintessentially Jewish guy like Schlatter go to a college affiliated with the Churches of Christ?

The post Larry King, Diana Ross, Bruce Vilanch Among Star-Studded George Schlatter Tribute first appeared on We Got Bruce!.

Who knew one theatre could contain so many celebrities?

Tonight is the 29th annual Southland Theatre Artists Goodwill Event at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills. This year’s AIDS fundraiser is called “Broadway My Way” and promises an amazing cavalcade of celebrities.

The list includes Longtime Companion’s Patrick Cassidy, former Cagney & Lacey star Tyne Daly, Phantom of the Opera’s Davis Gaines, The Brady Bunch’s Florence Henderson, The Partridge Family‘s Shirley Jones, the ‘often mistaken for Kathy Griffin’s stunt double’ News Radio’s Vicki Lewis, Laugh-In legend Joanne Worley, Oscar writer Bruce Vilanch, Tony winner and Bunheads’ star Sutton Foster and The New Normal’s Andrew Rannells.

Rannells will be performing the song “What Kind of Fool Am I” from the musical Stop the World, I Want To Get Off, made famous by Sammy Davis Jr.—a star for which Rannells is often mistaken. Bruce will be doing a number from A Chorus Line but wouldn’t confirm or deny if it is “Dance: Ten, Looks: Three” aka “Tits and Ass.” Don’t worry about Vilanch’s ability to keep up with other performers, as he performed in Hairspray for over two years.

The S.T.A.G.E. performance is the longest-running AIDS benefit event in the world. Bruce told me that when he left rehearsal on Thursday, Florence Henderson was practicing her number, which involved a whip. Now if that doesn’t convince you to go, I bet it’s enough for Barry Williams.

Related articles

• West Coast Broadway, My Way Benefit, With Tyne Daly, Andrew Rannells, Bruce Vilanch, Lillias White, Held April 6
• Catch Me If You Can Premiere: Celebrity guests included Jo Anne Worley, Bruce Vilanch, Linda Hart, Charlene Tilton and Ed Ames among others.
• An Intimate Evening With Bruce Vilanch Thursday, Mar 28 7:00p ~ Dallas, TX
• Video: Bruce Talks Oscars, Seth MacFarlane, And Barbra Streisand

The post Bruce Vilanch, Tyne Daly, Sutton Foster And A Host Of Celebrities Head AIDS Fundraiser “Broadway My Way” Tonight first appeared on We Got Bruce!.

Tony Award winner Tyne Daly (Gypsy) and The Book of Mormon Tony nominee Andrew Rannells are among the lineup of performers taking part in the 29th annual Southland Theatre Artists Goodwill Event (S.T.A.G.E.), Broadway, My Way, April 6 at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills.

The one-night-only performance benefits AIDS Project Los Angeles, one of the largest non-profit AIDS service organizations in the U.S. that provides bilingual direct services, prevention education and leadership on HIV/AIDS-related policy and legislation.

Scheduled to appear are Rannells (The Book of Mormon, Hairspray), Patrick Cassidy (42nd Street), Carole Cook (42nd Street), Karen Culliver (The Phantom of the Opera), Daly (Master Class), Davis Gaines (The Phantom of the Opera), Florence Henderson (The Girl Who Came to Supper), Shirley Jones (42nd Street), Jane Lanier (Guys and Dolls), Vicki Lewis (Chicago), Kimberly Locke (“American Idol”), Tom Lowe, Pat Marshall (The Pajama Game), Patricia Morison (The King and I), Janis Paige (Mame), Madison Claire Parks, Valarie Pettiford (Fosse), Bruce Vilanch (Hairspray), Jim Bailey, Mary Jo Catlett (The Pajama Game), Joely Fisher (Cabaret), Kathy Garrick, Gordon Goodman (Hear! Hear!), Marsha Kramer (Peter Pan), JoAnne Worley (The Drowsy Chaperone), The MuMos, Alex Newell (“Glee”), Michael Orland, Lisa Vroman (Aspects of Love), Lillias White (The Life) and Terri White (Follies).

George Gray is the celebrity auctioneer. The event is directed by David Galligan with music direction by John McDaniel.

Special guests at Broadway, My Way include Mackenzie Bourg (“The Voice”), Charo, Carolyn Hennesy (“True Blood”), Bret Lockett (NY Jets) and Jack McGee (“Rescue Me”).
The Saban Theatre is located at 8440 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, CA. For more information and tickets, visit StageLA.com or APLA.org/Stage.

The post West Coast Broadway, My Way Benefit, With Tyne Daly, Andrew Rannells, Bruce Vilanch, Lillias White, Held April 6 first appeared on We Got Bruce!.

Two-time Tony Award winner Sutton Foster and The Book of Mormon Tony nominee Andrew Rannells are among the performers who will take part in the 29th annual Southland Theatre Artists Goodwill Event (S.T.A.G.E.), Broadway, My Way, April 6 at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills.

The one-night-only performance will benefit AIDS Project Los Angeles, one of the largest non-profit AIDS service organizations in the U.S. that provides bilingual direct services, prevention education and leadership on HIV/AIDS-related policy and legislation.

Other Broadway stars scheduled to appear include Patrick Cassidy (42nd Street), Carole Cook (42nd Street), Karen Culliver (The Phantom of the Opera), Tyne Daly (Master Class), Davis Gaines (The Phantom of the Opera), Florence Henderson (The Girl Who Came to Supper), Shirley Jones (42nd Street), Jane Lanier (Guys and Dolls), Vicki Lewis (Chicago), Kimberly Locke (“American Idol”), Tom Lowe, Pat Marshall (The Pajama Game), Patricia Morison (The King and I), Janis Paige (Mame), Madison Claire Parks, Valarie Pettiford (Fosse), Andrew Samonsky (Scandalous),James Snyder (Cry-Baby), Bruce Vilanch (Hairspray) and JoAnne Worley(The Drowsy Chaperone).

Additional performers will be announced at a later date.

Foster received Tony Awards for her performances in Anything Goes and Thoroughly Modern Millie. She also originated roles in Little Women, The Drowsy Chaperone and Young Frankenstein and currently stars in the ABC Family series “Bunheads.”

Rannells has also appeared on Broadway inHairspray and Jersey Boys and currently stars in the Golden Globe-winning HBO comedy series “Girls” as well as NBC’s “The New Normal.”

The Saban Theatre is located at 8440 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, CA. For more information and tickets, visit StageLA.com or APLA.org/Stage.

The post Bruce Vilanch, Sutton Foster, and More Set for West Coast Broadway, My Way Benefit first appeared on We Got Bruce!.