Today on another encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are bringing you part one of our conversation with former child actor Radames Pera, best known for his roles on shows like Kung-Fu and Little House on the Prairie. We had to split this episode into two episodes because there as so much more than we bargained for when we sat down to record this episode. Somehow in addition to covering Radames’ career, we got into spin art, the Coogan Law, punk rock, fitting in at school and so much more.

Part of that so much more involved his mother Lisa Pera whose acting career involved TV shows like Get Smart, Perry Mason, Hawaii 5-0 and many, many more. We discuss what it was like being raised in a Hollywood apartment by a young, single mother who was too emotionally mixed up from her own time as one of the many victims of being a Ukrainian – Russian in Nazi Germany during WWII. It’s so unreal, it’s hard to believe it’s not more well known or talked about 70+ years later.

And somehow, this is just the beginning of Radames tale because there is an entirely different story in part two of the podcast as well. What starts as a story about seemingly idyllic roles as John Jr. and a young Caine that found Pera on the cover of teen magazines as a heartthrob for years turns very dark, very fast. It’s emotionally honest and brutally so. Take a listen to this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story. But not like this one.

Today on another encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to playwright, author and educator Luke Yankee, son of Oscar-winning actress Eileen Heckart. Luke spoke to us about his biography about his mother, Just Outside the Spotlight, his then upcoming play about his mother and the many, many tales he witnessed growing up the son of his actor/mother who was anything but a wilting flower. Eileen was a pistol and o're to be the subject of one of her pointed barbs!

We also talk about host Josh Mills' mother Edie Adams who Luke had a first person connection to as well as some of Luke's mother's best known films, The Bad Seed, Barefoot in the Park, Butterflies Are Free and more. Along with that comes great tales about Goldie Hawn, George Segal, Soupy Sales, Sophia Loren, Marilyn Monroe and many more.

While all of these amazing stories are told with a fun and mirth, there was one moment that genuinely choked us up in it's beautiful humanity that we just loved hearing. It was a pure and honest moment that gave us a truly well rounded picture of the complex woman that was Eileen Heckert. Broadway, the big screen and even a pivotal role on the small screen on The Mary Tyler Moore Show are all part of this episode with Luke Yankee. Everyone has a story.

Today on another encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to three prior guests of the podcast who are talking to us in the boldest experiment in Rarified Heir Podcast history! How so? We are talking to them all at once. Something we had never done before. But don’t fret, Carnie Wilson, Jenny Brill and Shawn Kay have been friends for quite a long time and, in fact, they know each other and host Josh Mills from as far back as elementary school. There are laughs and some tears on this one.

Since the time of this recording, sadly we have lost two of the celebrity parents of our guests, as both Mitzi McCall, mother of Jenny Brill and Brian Wilson, father of Carnie Wilson have both passed away as of this encore episode. While it puts things in perspective rather quickly, it also helps us to realize that the entire point of this podcast is to make sure that in this fast paced world, we don’t forget the names and stories about some of the most beloved entertainers of the 20th century.

And with that in mind, this episode is a rollicking one, a bit experimental as we said but also fast paced, filled with childhood memories and what it was like not only growing up the child of a celebrity but also with friends whose parents were also celebrities. We get into some ridiculous tales about the Oakwood school where they all met, insane stories about album jackets as modes of transportation and a nostalgic trip down a very 1970s memory lane. Which begs the question, just how did the children of Mitzi McCall, Charlie Brill, John Kay, Brian Wilson and Marilyn Wilson get along? In a word? Famously. Take a listen.