#366 Barry Livingston on My Three Sons, Elvis, and Surviving Hollywood

Jeff Dwoskin 0:00

Alright, everyone. I'm excited to introduce my next guest. He has been entertaining us for decades. Author of the importance of being Ernie, from my three sons to Mad Men, a Hollywood survivor, tells all, please welcome Ernie Douglas to the show, the one oh and the proverbial nerd. I love that we were, we're covering my threes. We're covering a lot. We're going to cover a lot. Barry's has done a lot. Welcome to the show. How you doing, sir, great.

Barry Livingston 0:29

You know, I'm great. You know, again, let's qualify that. I'm good. I'm alright.

Jeff Dwoskin 0:34

You're good, alright. Well, I so I was. I'm doing all the research. I read your book. I want to, I got plenty of questions asked on that. But I know your career spans, I mean, from my three sons to now, and so you're it's interesting, because, like how many other actors that were your age ish during that time, besides maybe Kurt Russell, Ron Howard, maybe Jody foster that are still actively, actively acting to this day. We're

Barry Livingston 1:03

like the last dinosaurs roaming the earth. I think we're, it could be extinct any any day. Yeah. I mean, prior to my three sons, I was, you know, I was on a series called The Adventures of Ozzy, and Harriet did 16 episodes of that, and two or three movies. So, yeah, even prior to what people probably know best is my three sons, but, but it's, yeah, it's, it's a tough game to stay in it and and part of it is, I love what I do, and I and I prepared myself Well, I think, after my three sons that went and worked in New York, on Broadway and off Broadway and studied it here in LA with some great teachers, So it wasn't just riding on the, you know, the the exhaust of my, my three sons. It was, it was a calculated effort on my part to try to remain relevant, and probably the same as for Ron and Kurt and Jody, who was a recurring character on my three sons, you know, it's, that's what it takes.

Jeff Dwoskin 2:00

Yeah, no, it's, it's incredible. So what? As I was kind of diving in, I read your book. So we're, I got plenty of questions there. One of your more recent shows that I love is, one of my favorite shows is the Orville. And yeah, and you were on one of the more popular episodes. Very briefly, you died right away. I,

Barry Livingston 2:16

you know, horrible death. Some he can't really see it, but the look on my face tells you everything.

Jeff Dwoskin 2:21

Yes, it was one of the classic episodes of that Orville actually one of the most watched that I think actually propelled it to the second seasons and and all that. But of the men, I mean, and we can keep talking about a million of the amazing people you've worked with, but I was working with Seth McFarlane and being on that show, uh, you know, he's

Barry Livingston 2:41

very, very intelligent guy. Knew what he wanted. He was, you know, had specific directions and those nonsense type of dude on the set, you know, he's known for, you know, being a funny man. But I, you know, in that environment and in that role as a as director and act star of the show, show runner, well, he was very serious about putting together a good sci fi product.

Jeff Dwoskin 3:05

That particular episode is, really, is really kind of cool the way it taps in with social media.

Barry Livingston 3:11

Watch it again. I'm, you know, again. I'm getting up there in age. And it was probably, what, 7678, years ago. So, yeah, I know people like it, but I couldn't tell you what they got it that I died.

Jeff Dwoskin 3:22

No, no, I know you're only you're in it for like, five minutes, and then, like, you're like, well, you're like, the you're the beginning. That kind of weird. So that's the important. So I love that. I love I was watching a clip about when you worked with Brad Pitt, an interview in a Super Bowl commercial for Heineken. Yeah, the David Fincher,

Barry Livingston 3:44

David, that's where I met David. And David, you know, David is a great director, one of the great Hollywood directors, and of recent years, you know, and I, he was very fortunate that I got to do the thing with Brad, which he was super cool to work with. And then David wound up working in zodiac, his film and social network, his other film, and Orville Redenbacher commercial that he directed to. So I'm very grateful that that David seemed to include me in his projects.

Jeff Dwoskin 4:11

That's awesome. All right, so let's Can we go back? Go back in time? I know you kind of you gave a quick overview. I read your book, and a lot of the you grew up, your your dad, your parents, they owned theaters in the 30s and the 40s. So, like, movies and entertainment was just kind of injected into your DNA. Exactly, yeah, did you, oh, did you want to be an actor or, like, I know, because I know Stanley kind of was leading it, and kind of got discovered for Lassie. And then is it? Is it something that you were like, you know, I know you're

Barry Livingston 4:45

not. I kind of, you know, I noticed that he became suddenly very popular at the local pool, you know, the public pool. Suddenly all the little girls thought he was, you know, a movie star. I'm sure that didn't escape my my attention. And. Da. But again, I was four years old when I did my first job. So, and that was just by, you know, was a movie with Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward called rally around the flag boys, and he had the official audition for playing one of their sons. And I woke tagged along with my mother, just took me to the casting office, and he went in and read, and they came out said, We love your son. We're going to use him. And then they go, who's that guy? And they go, that well, my mom said that's his brother. And he goes, Well, we're casting the role of, you know, of another, there's two brother sons that the kids have. Does he act? And I've never done anything. Of course, my mother kind of gave me the the elbow, and I just go, Yeah, I can act. So yeah, that's how it started. You

Jeff Dwoskin 5:36

said in your book, Your mom was really into it, but your dad the acting thing, but your dad wasn't,

Barry Livingston 5:42

yeah, now he was just, he was an intellectual, you know, super bride guy, you know, at NYU when he was 16, studying long, Oh, yeah. I mean, he probably enjoyed it on some level, but, but, you know, he was had a, had a company, his own business, and, and so my mother, you know, the light bulb went off in her head. And this is the, you know, the late 50s, mid to late 50s, and 1950s that is. And so it was something for her to, you know, this world. The door opened right in front of her, unexpectedly. And so I'm sure she, she was fascinated by the studios in Hollywood and and the money, you know, the kids were going to make some money too. So, yeah, she she, she liked it to a degree. She got, you know, once she was a very hyper body, kind of a free spirited woman. She realized very quickly, being a mother on a sound stage with your kid is the most boring job in the world, and didn't fit her personality whatsoever. So we actually had a guardian they came in and stayed with us when we were doing my three sons, because the state requires that and but, yeah, my mother was the impetus to get us going. But, you know, very, very quickly she realized it's a big bore just being sitting on a set. So she bailed

Jeff Dwoskin 6:56

when you and your brother are are working. And then there's the cougan law, where they had to put, you know, a percentage away. Is it at least back then? I don't know how it is now, but, like, the is it just understood then that the rest of the money goes to the family and much,

Barry Livingston 7:12

yeah, yeah. I mean, you know, it's gotta go somewhere. And obviously the agent takes their 10% Yeah, before the Cougar law, all the money that a child would be paid. You know, according to Screen Actors Guild, they you have to get a certain minimum. Well, just go to the parents. And a lot of times the kids never saw any of it. The cougan law tried to rectify that, and my parents, in fact, added more than what the minimum was. I think the minimum was at five or 10% they opted to about 15 or 20. So, you know, when I turned 18, I had a fair amount of money that at my disposal to kind of survive on and and that was a great thing. But then the bulk of the money went to just surviving, you know, our family living a better quality of life with Stan. And I kind of, you know, making a pretty good buck again, my parents, kind of having had a little bit of exposure to the film world as a as an exhibitor with theaters, you know, they were about well versed in in some of the other aspects of the production, and, and, and the pitfalls, you know, of, I mean, we went back to public school, which we could have gone to a private professional school for show biz kids, which was A good choice. I mean, it was difficult being famous and going to middle school or high school, where kids are notoriously mean, you know, hey, you know, it was a good lesson in life.

Jeff Dwoskin 8:32

Was it mostly rough or 5050? With the the kids that love the fact that they could see you on TV, versus the ones that middle

Barry Livingston 8:39

school is rough, Middle School is pretty rough. Yeah, you know, you develop a thick skin and tune out a lot of the things that are said about you as you're passing by or in the cafeteria. That was but by time you got to high school, you know, another level of maturity, not complete maturity, kicked in with always idiots somewhere. But, you know, then I was able to make my own, you know, enter my own group of friends, and that sort of insulated me from some of the crazy, crazier people that, you know, just for the fun of it, want to pick on you because you're famous and on a TV show. Again, it was, it was the best thing in the world, because I have a real, honest connection to my peer group that matches all the other guys and girls of my age that that you know, had to go through the same experience. So to miss that, I think there would have been a big hole in my life as an adult. When

Jeff Dwoskin 9:31

I talked to Stanley, he told a little bit of this story, but like when with the the rally around the flag always so this was, well, you got fired at some point in the beginning. I think you're you. You talk about how you're in it for a minute, being held upside down.

Barry Livingston 9:47

I'm still in it in the very first scene. But

Jeff Dwoskin 9:49

what led to the firing, which was what led to you being diagnosed with the eye condition gave you like this unique look, right? Yeah,

Barry Livingston 10:00

yeah, yeah, no, I guess that that's what I've always referred to as a prototype nerd, because, you know, I had big, you know, spectacles, and I had buck teeth, and my hair was kind of a, you know, a pre Beatles kind of bowl cut, you know. So, yes, I But yeah, the incident you're talking about is that I was supposed to just look at a television set. Stan and I were sitting watching TV, and the Paul walks in, and he's our dad and says, Hi boys, and you know, we just director said, just ignore him. That was that's all you need to do. Sit and watch the TV and just ignore him. And then, of course, Paul reacts funny to the artist, ignoring him, but, but as it turned out, it looked like to the camera my eye when I was wearing glasses at the time, my eyes were just turning or not looking at the TV, which, in fact, I was, but to the camera, to the director, looked like I was just looking around the room with my eyes, which they were, you know, I had a had a mind of their own at that point. And eventually, you know, he was getting upset, and, you know, because they had to repeatedly do our scene over, and then somebody realized something's wrong, and I was, yeah, they thought maybe it was having a seizure or something. So I was rushed from the set, from the studio to hospital and and they said, now he got an astigmatism. Maybe the little strain and stress of work was making it worse. Came back a day or so later with glasses, said he needs to wear glasses. And the producers went and we didn't hire we didn't think Paul Newman's son has the his glasses thing is not the right look. So anyway, yeah, I was fired. Welcome to Hollywood.

Jeff Dwoskin 11:28

That sort of created the look that kind of serendipitously. I mean, it must have sucked to get fired and, like,

Barry Livingston 11:37

very well, being put in a car and driven off a lot. I really to this day, I was four years old, big, big, black Cadillac limousine. I guess my mother was, I'm sure my mother was with me. I wasn't put in there by myself, but, but it felt like I was by myself and just being, you know, slow drive through the studio and off into oblivion that, you know, you're no longer. They didn't fire my brother. You know, that was painfully aware they just fired me. Yeah, again, it was one of those oddball twists of faith that it did create a different look that I was able to, you know, use, and I mean, Ozzy Nelson, Did you know The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet? I think, recognized that I had a unique look that certainly contrary to what the most the child actors were in that era, and I just looked probably more like the real life kids that were running around out there, not perfect little Hollywood children, but a little more like a little ragamuffin tramp running around. And so yeah, that that actually played into my into my hand, and was a good thing. Did

Jeff Dwoskin 12:40

it make for a couple rough family dinners? Yeah,

Barry Livingston 12:43

yeah, I was, you know, you don't think about it. I mean, I all of what I'm saying is, in retrospect, you know, when putting it off at the time when, okay, I wasn't that much fun anyway, you know, I didn't have any grand desire to be a movie star, be Paul Newman, son, yeah, it was cool. It was fun. I was hanging out with my brother, and that was good. But, you know, it was okay. Other things seem to come along pretty quickly. So no big deal. It's

Jeff Dwoskin 13:08

still got to hang out with Paul. Paul Newman a little bit. So that's Paul was sweet. Paul.

Barry Livingston 13:12

Paul was a method actor, and I didn't quite understand how I do but he would come into our schoolhouse and in the teacher, I'm sure, gave him permission, and he would sit down and go over some of the math problems and work with us, kind of, like doing homework kind of things. And I thought, Oh, I I thought, Well, okay, I don't care, you know, he's the star of the movie sitting here helping me, like, do times tables or whatever. And, you know? But then, in retrospect, I went, Oh, I get it. You know, he's, he's trying to forge a relationship with me that would parallel who he is in the movie. And I thought, oh, that's, that's actually pretty cool. You know, when I realized, sweet guy, but he had no real urgent need to come in and teach me the timetables, other than he wanted to forge a relationship with me stuff. So when we're on screen, you know, we'd have some, some credible reactions to each other.

Jeff Dwoskin 14:01

That's really cool. You share a really nice story about how when they didn't figure out yet what was wrong with your eyes, how he was trying to help out, and because the director was being a little rough, the director

Barry Livingston 14:12

was an old time screaming, you know, maniac, a guy named Leo McCarey, who had directed the marks brothers in in Duck Soup. That's how far back he went to the 30s. So it was 20 some years later. And anyway, yeah, he Paul kind of intervened when the director was really getting hot at me, that I was wasting time and film. And he says, whoa, you know, whoa, come on. Come on. You got, you know, you got the establishing shot. You see the boys. You see me. Come in, throw in the front door. I ignore. He said, You know, now all you need now is a close up of the boys, you know, cut away. You see me, my reaction, and then you just want to see the boys looking at the TV, and you hear my voice calling them. So he got in. They had a big old cabinet, 1950s style, boxy, big TV cabinet with nothing in it. But he said, you know, somebody give me a puppet, or anyone got anything? I can use to keep his so he actually climbed into this big cabinet, and I think somebody found a puppet or something, and he thought, you know, and he's like, waving at me with it and doing this to try to keep my attention on there. Because that point, nobody, nobody really realized what was going on. And I don't even think that worked. It's probably they realized we gotta get this kid to a doctor right now, something's happening. But, yeah, it was very sweet. It was a really super guy.

Jeff Dwoskin 15:26

That's awesome. You've worked with that. I mean, a million huge people you talk about you, you, you dropped so many names in the book. And so you worked with young Kurt Russell. So he would have been a big Disney was he a big Disney guy at that point? He was, he was doing

Barry Livingston 15:39

a pilot at MGM, and I had, again, I had a small role the adventures of Jamie McPherson. I think, I think Kurt's a few years older than me, but yes, that that was, you know, he probably, I'm sure it's not on his resume, pretty early in his career, too, and he was the star of it. But I don't think it was Disney it yet. I think it was something we shot it at MGM. I remember that,

Jeff Dwoskin 15:59

got it, got a guy, and then Mickey Rooney. You worked with Mickey Rooney early on. Work

Barry Livingston 16:05

with Mickey Yeah, and Dick Powell theater. That was really early on, with

Jeff Dwoskin 16:09

Ozzy and Harriet. Again, there's a little pattern in the very beginning where it's like Stan did something and they noticed you, so Ozzy and Harriet. He's on Ozzy and Harriet. Then you you're noticed. And Ozzy kind of takes like into you, brings you into the show as well. Yeah,

Barry Livingston 16:25

well, and Stan was a recurring character on the Ozzie and Harriet show before my three sons. And Ozzy, again, my mother kind of being clever about it, you know, would bring me to the set too. And Ozzy took a look at me, and he by that time I was working probably doing, you know, the dick pal theater and commercials or whatever. And so he took a liking to me, and they actually, he wanted to use me in an episode that Stan was in. I was too short to reach up to a chalkboard. He wanted was a school room scene. I was supposed to write something on the blackboard and and I, anyway, he couldn't use because I was he couldn't shoot from the back of the room over all the kids sitting there watching. I was too small. So, but anyway, when, when Stan got kicked my three sons, he left and was exclusive to their their company that was producing that he kind of slid me into the friend the little boy next door in the neighborhood, kind of hanging out and going to the mall shop. And I wound up doing 16 episodes of, you know, playing that role. And first guest, our role, guest star billing ever had, was the little house guest was an episode of The Ozzie and Harriet show. And it was, you know, and of course, hanging out with Rick, who I knew was, you know, a big music star, Rick Nelson, that was very cool. And David was great. It was, it was a good, good experience. Your

Jeff Dwoskin 17:44

mom must have been loving at this point. It's like, mother of the Livingston boys. At that point,

Barry Livingston 17:49

she was still into it. I think she was getting a charge out of, you know, meeting famous people and hanging out on the set and they, you know, we were being treated well, and she was too. It's when we both got on my three sons, and then it just settled into the the daily routine of getting up at 630 getting at the studio by 738 sitting there till five o'clock every day, five days a week, you know? She said, Ah, no, no, this, this is I get Been there. Done that? Nice. I met Fred McMurray. I met William for all it was very cool. Now I'm out of here, so, you know? And it was good because our guardian was a really great lady, and she did the job well. And, you know, my mother did whatever she did while we weren't at home. I

Jeff Dwoskin 18:30

imagine it was less monotonous than most people wouldn't get on a show and be on that show for you were nine years, right? Like and Stanley was on it for 12 years. Most, I mean, most shows don't last how long, so there probably would have been a little more of been a little more variety, yeah, other stage box probably,

Barry Livingston 18:45

yeah. I mean, there would have been, you know, different sets, different people. But yeah, we were pretty locked into that show. And in fact, we were offered things during our hiatus. And my parents, I never really asked them too much about it, but we never did any other, you know, episodics or movies while we were not, you know, on hiatus from my three sons, I think she they both wanted us to have, you know, an experience of being in high school and junior high and and not miss that. So I think, you know, again, retrospect, probably smart.

Jeff Dwoskin 19:16

It sounds like it worked out very well. So this, so now you're a known commodity. You're right. And then this leads to a movie with Jerry Lewis and Jack. Those were, oh, that was before,

Barry Livingston 19:27

yeah, there my six loves with Aaron, boy with Jerry Lewis. Those were all, I think, you know, grease the wheels for me to get on. My was a super big hit show at that point. But, you know, they the producers of my three sons knew I was on Aussie and Harriet, and I had just done, you know, three pretty big films for Paramount, and particularly my six loves with Debbie Reynolds and Cliff Robertson and David Jansen. It was, it was a big deal. And so, you know, I was, I was asked to come in and read still for the role of Ernie Thompson at that time. But. They knew me, you know, and they knew me. Obviously Stan was on the show. So it was, it was an easy fit,

Jeff Dwoskin 20:04

right? Sorry, I met those came on the heels of of Ozzy and Harriet, and then, right, right, and then, but also he did. There's a great story in the book about being on an episode of the the dick fan Dyke Show, being a friend of Richie, and some great advice that Carl Reiner gave you to get through a scene. Well,

Barry Livingston 20:24

I, you know, he, you know, we were, we were not supposed to laugh. We were, you know, Richie, the little boy, son of Dick Van Dyke, you know, brings me and another kid into his bedroom to show the, you know, show dick, who's supposedly sleeping in tiger pattern pajamas, and he pulls down the kind of we're not supposed to laugh, you know. But we did. We kept cracking up. Yeah, I don't know why. You know, it was like, contagious. Finally, Carl Reiner came out. I forget some What did he say? He said something like, you know, you boys have to be professionals, or something, you know, no laughing. Yeah, what you know. Anyway, he was, he was not, not terribly harsh, but, but, you know, we were screwing the scene up, and he wanted us to get it right. And, yeah, I worked with him years later on a movie called fatal instinct. And he directed that, and, and he remembered that little incident that was, which is great. He was good guy,

Jeff Dwoskin 21:20

Dick Van Dyke Show. Also, another great, great show. So you're, you're just, you've been on everything. It's you mentioned Debbie Reynolds and my six loves with Cliff Robertson also, and then your brother was working with Debbie Reynolds at the same

Barry Livingston 21:34

time. Yeah, that was, that was, she was, you know, maybe the biggest female star in Hollywood at that point. And she was working with us on my six loves at Paramount. And then on weekends, she would fly out to Flagstaff, Arizona or Prescott, Arizona, where they were shooting this big Cinerama movie, How the West Was one with every movie star in the world was in that. And so, yeah, you know, at the same time, she was doing two films, working with me here, back in Hollywood, and then with my brother out on location. That's

Jeff Dwoskin 22:04

so cool. And then I'm probably out of order here, but hanging out with Elvis must have been the coolest thing. Again, that

Barry Livingston 22:11

was, that was by accident I was while I was working on my three sons, you know, you had time on your hands, as you'll do while, you know, on your work in and then I had a bicycle, and he could ride around a lot, you know, and came upon this long black Cadillac IDing idling outside of a a sound stage. And of course, you know, I was, couldn't help but notice that, and it got off my bike, looked inside. Door was open, and peeked in there. And then Elvis came up behind me, and it goes, you like a song. I was like, oh, gosh, oh my god, it's Elvis. And anyway, then he, they were bringing it over to him from Chuck, yeah, Chuck Barris, I guess, was the customizer of cars back in the day. And anyway, they had tricked it out for Elvis, and they were bringing it over to show him. And hey, he opt in. Said, you know, going for a ride. Yeah. It only dawned on me not too long ago, which is weird, because it might sound creepy to these days, to some people that a guy, an adult, asking a little kid to go for a ride with him, but he was a big fan of the Ozzie and Harriet show. I'm sure he recognized me from that. I didn't. It didn't dawn on me till my recent going, oh yeah. I think, I think Sam, Sam Nelson Rick's son, brought that to my attention. We're friends. And he said, Yeah, you know, Elvis loved Rick, and he loved the US in heritage. I'm sure he knew who you were. And, you know, as a fellow actor, he invited me to go for a little five minute spin around a lot, and, you know, flicking all the buttons and whistles and turning on the TV and watching Popeye with him, you know, that kind of stuff. And you know, that was it. So it was, it was fairly quick, kind of, you know, awkwardly weird, just suddenly here with Elvis and everybody was great, you know, he was not creepy or weird or anything. He was just, you know, young guy who's, you know, enjoying himself too, and loved his new Cadillac, his new toy.

Jeff Dwoskin 23:57

So years later, having this revelation. Did you have a moment where you're like, Oh, my God, Elvis knew who I was, yeah,

Barry Livingston 24:04

yeah, that's exactly I kind of, I'd never gone on me. I, honest to God, I was going, you know, he knew I was an actor, you know, because I was on the studio, and I maybe even asked me, and I said, I'm working on this movie. So, yeah, I mean, it wasn't like some kid off the playground. He just pulled up and asked him to get into the car with him, you know, he knew I was an actor, and at Paramount and so. But again, I did make the connection that he probably knew me pretty well from that show, because I had done 16 episodes by that time, probably, and so. And he, you know, was just a fan. And maybe he was a fan of me, I don't know, but it never came up and but I finally put two and two together. And I think that's probably what it was. Must

Jeff Dwoskin 24:41

have been a fan. He wouldn't have just invited anyone into his Barris car. Exactly.

Barry Livingston 24:45

You know, that makes more sense to me now too. Yeah,

Jeff Dwoskin 24:49

embarrass, by the way, just for everyone listening, he's the guy that did the Batmobile, Batman 66 the monkey mobile, I think the monsters car. This guy did not mess around. So this must have been a. Cool car.

Barry Livingston 25:00

It was more furry carpeting and leather and gold trim cabinetry and a TV, which, this is probably, gosh, probably early 60s. And to see a TV and a car, because most TVs were the size of refrigerators back in that area, and he had a nice little portable TV installed in a cabinet, and that, you know, that was like the future, that was like the Jetsons, or something, that a TV in a car. That blew my mind, that that he could actually sit there and watch TV in it. Yeah, that was, it was pretty cool. That is

Jeff Dwoskin 25:34

really cool, before we dive into my three sons. One random thing from the book that I just thought was really cool, that I wanted to mention, was that you live next door to Houdini, or at least Houdini grew in there anymore, but like his house, that's, that's just cool in itself. Very

Barry Livingston 25:48

cool. It was creepy, you know, because we had a house in Laurel Canyon right next to Houdini's estate, which had burned, and Houdini was long gone, but still, it felt ghostly and creepy. And you know, that was the thing, if your kids in that, you know, were 1012, 13 years old, and you go in there and, you know, root around the ruins and stuff it, yeah, it was very creepy, but fun.

Jeff Dwoskin 26:11

Okay, so my three sons, you mentioned you auditioned. They brought you in. You didn't have to audition against anyone else. They just,

Barry Livingston 26:17

I don't think they saw anyone else. Maybe they did. They didn't schedule them. It wasn't like a room full of, you know, potential earnings sitting there. It was, it was me. And yes, I went in and read for Don Feddersen, who was the creator of sons, and another guy named Gene Reynolds, who was a child actor himself, but he was our director for my three sons. And I, you know, read and, and I think they, you know, the the thing was, is they, they told me to wait in the outer office after I read. And I thought, oh, you know, we were actually about to leave to go to Palm Springs for just a, you know, little weekend getaway. And then 510, 15 minutes went by, we're sitting there going, Wow, what's happening. And eventually, Don fedderson came out of his his office, and he was holding some keys, and he goes, Well, you know, I know you guys are waiting, sorry to keep I couldn't find the keys to my place in Palm Springs. But now Barry's going to be part of the show, and I want you to, I want you to feel, you know, stay at my place while you're down there. So it was, it was a nice way to end that long wait. I got the job, and we got to stay at the boss's mansion down in Palm Springs. That is

Jeff Dwoskin 27:24

amazing. So it's interesting. Like, when I'm looking at my three sons, and I mean this in the most loving way possible, you know, that meme where the guy's like, you know, like this, and it's like, all the papers around the wall, and it's like, he's trying to, you know, everything doing this, like my three No, you know, my three sons changed so much over 12 years. I was, like, I was trying to, like, map out everything. Like, like, when you become adopted, and then Tina joins, and William leaves, and William joins, you know, Bob leaves, Uncle Charlie. Like, it's amazing how, yeah, when one person left, and all the transitions, and how they kept the show going and popular for as long as they did, it's absolutely incredible,

Barry Livingston 28:02

no, to have to have major characters like William Frawley, you know, pass away and leave, and then another guy, William Demers, come in and take his his spot, and then Tim Considine, who was the original son, uh, decided he didn't want to do the show anymore, so he left. So that was, you know, that he was a very popular player on that show. Yeah, I mean, it did go through a lot of trends and Don Grady event. I don't think Don who played Robbie, I don't think he was in the final year of the show, Chip had moved out with Polly, so the only ones left at home were like me, Uncle Charlie and Dodie. The show was still pretty popular. I think it was still a top 20 show when it was canceled in, you know, 72 it's

Jeff Dwoskin 28:41

amazing. It was 380 episodes, which in 12 seasons, which in today's numbers, would be 47 seasons. You

Barry Livingston 28:50

know, they do a season is 10 episodes. So if you did 12, you have 120 episodes at most. Nobody did us 12 seasons anymore. Yeah, five, six is a long run.

Jeff Dwoskin 29:00

Okay? So the the show was based around Fred McMurray, who is, at this point, one of the biggest movie stars around, right? So it's very uncommon for a movie person to so everything was really based around him, the McMurray method, I started watching, I started watching the show trying to, like, see how they like, like, it's hard to notice. I mean, they, you guys,

Barry Livingston 29:19

yeah, no, he was a smooth machine. You know, they had it all figured out. And the McMurray method was day one of the starting, you know, the season of episode shooting. You would just shoot everything with Fred McMurray, every scene. You know, he's not in every scene, in every episode. So they would skip those and just shoot maybe 456, sometimes seven episodes, working out of just everyone that had a scene with Fred in it, and shoot those and just his close ups. And then, you know, Fred would leave after about six, seven weeks and go on vacation, or, I don't know if he even did any other films while he was doing that, but he would just disappear. And then we would go back and do all of our matching close ups. They skipped two, three months earlier, or, you know, and scenes that Fred wasn't in. And then the editors had to, you know, the job of putting it all together, making it make sense. Have you watched the series? You know, it just came out on Amazon Prime. I never watched it. Yeah, okay. I mean, wasn't trying to search it out. If it was on, I'd go, oh yeah, okay, you know, watch it, but it did come out on Amazon Prime. I'm not sure if it's still there, but not long ago, like, and I thought, wow, that's, you know, that's one of the major channels. Now, I did watch one episode. I think I was still a friend next door, and it was weird too, because when I was doing the show, nobody, nobody even told me, you know, that I'm adopted. That was a foster child, and I was just before I joined the the, you know, the Douglas family and Tim conson. I was still there as a son. My parents came into that episode because the story had something like, Ernie had some treasure map, and he and Chip go wander off into the forest and get lost, and so, but the parents come into it, and they were just so mean. They were just the ernie's parents were just and they kept going, he's a little demon. He's going to get a real talking to and a good spanking. One week, I was like, man, apparently Ernie, Ernie Thompson's parents were quite abusive. I didn't I had no I it was funny because I didn't know. They didn't made no mention of it to me that. And even in that episode, they just went, Oh, it's his parents. So conveniently, when I was going to be adopted into the show, they explained it that they were my foster parents and they were leaving the country, and so the Douglas family adopted me. But I got a laugh out of that going man and Kip. They really didn't like me. They didn't like Ernie at all. My real parents,

Jeff Dwoskin 31:38

I think I was reading that when you were chips friend, you were the same age. Yeah, you got adopted. They made you younger.

Barry Livingston 31:46

Yeah, we were in the same school room, you know, a couple episodes. We were in class together, pretty close in age, I guess I don't know. You know, we're three years apart in real life. It was

Jeff Dwoskin 31:55

just one of those ways that, like when you look back, oh, the reason I brought up not watching it is. It never occurred to me that people didn't watch their own shows. I think when I was talking to Stanley, he's like, I've never seen it. And I was like, I think he said something like that. And I was like, but you guys should do a first time watch. Like, that's like, the guys from Full House are doing that, like that. You know,

Barry Livingston 32:16

I didn't want to intrude in my family. I I've got two kids are growing now. What are we letting come on Watch daddy. And, you know, who need being a child of a of a parent is hard enough being the child of a parent that you're going, I'm really famous, see, you know, who needed that? Yeah, I mean, I intentionally, you know, I made no big deal of it, and I didn't want to force them to watch it, and I didn't want to watch it. So, so, yeah, that was probably the main reason that it wasn't on in our house, 24/7, I just found that's silly. It's just not a not a good thing. Is it hard

Jeff Dwoskin 32:46

to even remember specific episodes of somewhere to describe them to you, because you would have filmed it in like, possibly 15 different times days

Barry Livingston 32:55

again. There were episodes that stand out, the one with the lion that got loose and came to the Douglas house. You know, that was an unusual episode, but for the for the most part, you know, I'm like, here and there, I kind of recall certain episodes, but, but, you know, they were pretty much all the same, really. I

Jeff Dwoskin 33:11

read that the Brady Bunch took some of those scripts and then used some of those later on. But I think

Barry Livingston 33:18

we recycled our scripts, you know, from the first 1916 by time you got around to 1970 71 they would Doty would be having the same problem that the chip had in 1960 or whatever. So, yeah, you know, they did that. So

Jeff Dwoskin 33:32

going out of order for a second, like you were on the Lucy show, or you worked with Lucille Ball, which I thought was amazing, and so cool. And then you got to work with William Frawley. Did he from the book is how Woodley would slam Vivian Vance. He just they didn't get along at all.

Barry Livingston 33:48

No, that's true. They he was not a fan of Vivian, and she didn't like him that much. You know, there was no love lost between those two. So you

Jeff Dwoskin 33:57

guys like being younger on the on the actual show, was the transition from William Frawley to William demorest. Was that? Was that difficult, like to to all of a sudden, be working with everybody?

Barry Livingston 34:07

Yeah, everybody loved Frawley, and I got to work with him, I guess, a season, maybe two seasons, or whatever. So, you know, he was probably a lot closer to my brother Stan than he was to me, but he was fun. And, you know, love to curse and swear and drink and, you know, and as kids, you think that's the funniest thing the world when he when, you know, something would happen, he'd lose it and start cursing. And then Demas came in, and, yeah, it was, you know, he was a pro we, you know, we got used to a different version of Frawley, because he was somewhat, you know, tough guy from the 30s, and, you know, that's what they both played in films forever and but yeah, he was a little more gruffer and a little little more cranky or something. You know, I don't know what the difference. I mean, probably loved to drink. So Frawley was always, you know, had two or three good shots of Cutty Sark and. McDonald, matter what time of day, which took the edge off. I think Bill demirus was, was a recovering alcoholic for the rest of his life, which he did. His disposition was a little grumpier, but he was still a sweet guy. He was great.

Jeff Dwoskin 35:14

Did the show kind of does it when they would make major changes? Did it? Was it cool for the you guys as the cast, like when they brought Tina Cole, because they changed the whole show up a bit, right with her and like, and then the triplets and like, all that does that sort of

Barry Livingston 35:30

it was another thing. But I you know, it was just another we loved Tina. She was a vivacious, fun person, so that part of it made it very easy for her to be included in our little tight knit cast. So, yeah, you know, I mean, there was no big, no big issues that came along there, and we kind of understood, yeah, it's kind of good, like Stan was at the age where, you know, when he got married, had gone great. It's, it's, it's kind of appropriate, you know, that I should be at least in a serious relationship with a woman, and I'm not like hanging out with Ernie, and I'm 20 years old and sit in my room with Ernie still, that'd be stupid. So, you know, all those things seem, seemed to be good choices. And you know, it was. They were good people too to work with. When

Jeff Dwoskin 36:12

the show ended a little bummer in the book, when you how you describe like it ending with it not being really a lot of fanfare, and Fred kind of going, hey, you know,

Barry Livingston 36:24

it was a, and, you know, I don't know, the last you know, they would have a rap party at the end of the year. And, you know, we, we all kind of, you know, we're getting to a point where we saw the end was there near, you know, I mean, it would have been doing it just for the money for another season, honestly. And, you know, I was becoming an adult. I was close to 18, if not 18 already. And, you know, and I had my eye on doing other things. And I think everybody was, and Fred probably just went, I just won a Golf I don't want to do this anymore at all. So, you know, we all hit the the wall is a little rough, but we all were probably somewhat relieved that it's done. You know, we did our thing. It was a big hit. Times are changing dramatically. That was probably the most the most troubling thing at all is it all in the family had come out and just revised everything you knew about sitcoms. And we just felt like so from a different, different time zone, saying they were talking about abortion and, you know, gun rights and whatever, you know. And we were still talking about Uncle Charlie's lasagna recipe or something, you know. And kind of Philly, I really kind of going, as as an adult, I'm going, I don't, I'm not really thrilled to be part of this anymore, if that's, if that's all we can do in this time. And people you know, who were alive in the early 70s, well, no, it was a transitional time and in the world, and we were reflective of another era. Were

Jeff Dwoskin 37:51

you ready to walk away? I mean, like, at some point, right? I mean, like, I remember, like, Yeah, fucking other folks are like, like, John Provost was just ready to go. Or, like, you know, I think

Barry Livingston 38:00

we all were, like I said, I think, you know, for different reasons. Yeah, think Fred had, you know, been a star for 40 some years. He wasn't getting any although it's funny because he was probably no more than 61 or two, which is, by today's standards, not that old. You know, Brad Pitt is 60 something now. It still looks great. But, yeah, you know, he, he get up and do these, these, these hours and learn all this stuff anymore. And I've done it for 12 years, and it's time. You know, 12 years is a long run. And he probably, like all of us, realized that the times on television and the world had passed us by. I mean, it's

Jeff Dwoskin 38:36

just an amazing body of work overall. Were you and Stanley, were you both like, Alright, we're going to continue to be actors. I mean, like, was that like, your goal? Like, okay, now, because you hadn't even looked for work in 12 years, nine years. No,

Barry Livingston 38:49

I didn't have I was unemployed suddenly after ever that long, late eight, nine year stretch. So, but, you know, I mean, I was aware of what was happening in films, and films were the greatest. You know, some people think the best era in films were in the 70s. So, you know, all Jack Nicholson and five easy pieces and Easy Rider and the graduate. And, you know, we all sensed that there was a whole new world of reality that was being portrayed and going, I'd like to be part of that, you know. I mean, I want to be in that world, not this old fashioned world that that had its day. And great, but, you know, it's time to move on. So, yeah, I was very interested in, and again, my parents were very wise in saying, you know, if you're going to do it, you really got to go and study and be part of, you know, go to acting school, go to New York, which I did, and and, you know, try to transition, you know, into a craft and really understand, you know, if you want to succeed, you got to work at it. And some, some actors felt that they just were owed a career after their big hit shows. I didn't have that. I didn't, I mean, I went good. I got that. It's great. I want to put that in the over, in the side here. I don't, I never expected or anticipated before. Ride, if you know, some actors went, Well, I don't read anymore. Well, I was like, really? I mean, I don't know. Seems, doesn't seem inappropriate to me to be asked to come in and read for for a role. I mean, I was reading for, you know, big films. What was the Jack Nicholson film he did with Randy Quaid? Last detail, I remember going to reading for Hal Ashby, who did, you know, other big films of that era, you know, I would get a shot at going read for a lot of, lot of Lee Marvin movies, things like that, and which were different realities. So, you know, but my parents were, were, wisely said, you know, find a good acting school find, you know, if that's what you're going to do. And, you know, study become a, become a real professional actor. You can't just rely on your cuteness anymore, which I was kind of, I didn't have that much cuteness to start with. So, you know, it was a good, good advice.

Jeff Dwoskin 40:50

Oh, come on, you are adorable

Barry Livingston 40:53

in a weird way. Yes, in my own unique way, yes, I carved out my own adorableness.

Jeff Dwoskin 40:59

So after you do, you're a good man Charlie Brown, and then you're on. Sons and Daughters was that sort of just like kind of a Happy Days ish drama, and then it was,

Barry Livingston 41:08

Well, honestly, they were produced at the same time, different different concepts that American Graffiti came out, and suddenly everyone was 1950s crazy. So sons and daughters was a TV series, but it was a drama for CBS. And it was focusing on young kids in high school in the 50s, and I was one of them. And, yeah, but it was a very, very dramatic, very kind of, you know, what were they the big shows the era, roots, rich man, poor man. You know, these are the big mini series of the day, although this was a weekly show, so Falcon Crest, whatever, you know, we were, we were kind of falling into that soap opera, and then at the same time they produced Happy Days and happy days with anything but that. It was light and frothy in half an hour, and no real issues were, you know, troubling anybody that that and public took to that? You know, they love that and and our show, you know, it was critically well received, but not, not, not a big hit with the audiences. Well, you

Jeff Dwoskin 42:05

worked with Richard Donner,

Barry Livingston 42:06

yeah, yeah. Dick donner, yeah. Great director. You know, he was still doing television at that time, but then he went on to do the first Superman movie with Chris Reeves and the omen and, you know, he became a very prominent film director. Yeah, it was good. It was good people involved with sons and daughters. Yeah, he's amazing.

Jeff Dwoskin 42:23

And then so your friend Roddy McDowell tells you to go to New York. Yeah, had you done plan of the Apes yet at this point?

Barry Livingston 42:32

I think so. I think I think that was late 60s, maybe. And I did a movie called the elevator with, you know, bevy of major, major stars of years past, Myrtle Loy uh, Theresa Wright, Roddy McDowell. And then there was some new guys, Don Stroud and James ferentino and Carol Lindley and and me, I asked Roddy, because Roddy was very famous Child, child actor in his day, and he was, you know, probably in his 50s by then, I said, What did you do? And he said, I went to New York. I went to New York and learned about life, learned about acting, okay, yeah. And kind of took that advice and did that, and

Jeff Dwoskin 43:07

then you landed the skin of our teeth, and then, yeah. And then when that ended, I want to jump to the next part. This is from your book. This is the cocaine part of the story. Now, I mean, when I before reading it in your book anytime, like, if I were to say, if someone were say, Oh, the child actors that you know, went into drugs, I don't know that your name ever came up. I mean,

Barry Livingston 43:29

so I wasn't into that much, you know, and I never, you know, if you can do such a thing as any kind of drug responsibly I did. What can I say? I'm not going to lie. It's the it was the 70s, if you were there, you know what I'm talking about, in Hollywood. So, yeah, it was a time of experimentation and weed and other things that were floating around. And in my in my personal peer group, that guys that weren't in the business, and certainly some of the people that were, yeah, you know, it was just a phase, you know? What can I say? I mean, but again, I never when I robbed any video stores or hurt anybody, or did anything in certain situations, party like everybody else was partying in my world,

Jeff Dwoskin 44:10

all right, and then they went through a kind of a lull in the career. You talk about in your book, like, for eight years, you've struggled to, like, did some dinner theater, and then you talk about being cast in high school USA,

Barry Livingston 44:23

yeah, well, high school USA, I don't know. I think the thing that turned around for me to really start the adult phase when I was being a recurring character on Doogie Howser, because I was, you know, I was the the doctor that had all the answers, you know, and Doogie was the young dude, you know, clueless and asking the dumb questions. So, you know, and and my look at somewhat changed that I'd lost, you know, considerable amount of hair, so I looked like a doctor as I took a lawyer suddenly, or an accountant. And, yeah, you know, that was, that was the start in my mind, of, of, you know, an up, an uptick in. In doing some more mature roles and different projects and, you know, and, and prior to that, you know, I had a lovely time Stan and I did dinner theater. And I love doing live theater, and still do so, yeah, you know, I mean, it was, it was not just sitting around twiddling my thumbs for eight years. I mean, I was working, you know, traveling to Kansas City, in St Louis and Salt Lake City, and, you know, working numerous different plays around the country. So, you know, might have not been on a hit TV series, but for me, I was very happy.

Jeff Dwoskin 45:31

You did Masters of the Universe. You mentioned that that's a nice pop culture moment. Yeah,

Barry Livingston 45:37

that that's, that's having a research I think they're going to do a new version of that. I don't, I probably won't be part of it, but, but, yeah, that was, that was lovely to get, you know, in a major film again. And you know, that was, that was, that was, again, came out and did moderately well. I, you know, who knows why it didn't do better, but, but nonetheless, it was, for me, fun to be in part of a big project.

Jeff Dwoskin 45:59

I think you said it right in your book. It was just a timing thing. I think it was just by the time it came out. It probably just missed the the craze of of Masters of the Universe, because it was in Skeletor,

Barry Livingston 46:09

that whole world, I think, had peaked maybe a year before. And, you know, they were a little late to the party, and people had moved on Star Wars, or whatever, you know, was, was the rage. They're going to try to bring him back. I read that they're doing a, a he man Masters of the Universe party. So, yeah,

Jeff Dwoskin 46:27

they're doing a movie. They just, I think Kevin Smith just did a cartoon series for Netflix, or

Barry Livingston 46:32

one of them. Yeah, good luck. You know, we'll see the we

Jeff Dwoskin 46:35

talked about Elvis knowing who you were, but then you tell a great story of Steven Spielberg knowing who you were. Yeah,

Barry Livingston 46:40

I was actually doing some some ADR, which is post production work, adding voices to a film called The stunt man that Peter O'Toole and my really great friend Steve rails back and anyway, I was at Warner Brothers. It was a late at night while we were working, but I took a walk and ran into a guy who said, Hey, you remember me? And bearded white guys. And, Nah, not really, because I was, I worked on the Ozzie and Harriet show with you. He says, I, I used to be the focus puller. You know about this is, they had a guy who operated the camera, the operator, and a guy who pulled focus. If somebody walked around, he, you know, he would change the focus of from the camera. And I said, Oh, Greg, what are you doing now? He goes, Well, I'm working on this film here, you know, I'm cinematographer now, which is, like, you know, that's, that's the top tier of the the, you know, photography of a project, the director of photography, cinema talk, and just, come on, I wanted to meet somebody. I was like, okay, so it turned out to be Steven Spielberg, and he was on the lot shooting 1941 which is probably one of his flop only flops didn't do well, but he had just done Jaws before that. So he was the premier Hot Shot director in Hollywood. Steven was blown away, you know, Ernie, oh, man, oh, my gosh. I grew up watching your show. Oh, come here, sit here, here. I want you to meet John Belushi, here. Here's Amy Irving. This is John's wife sitting next to me. Great, you know. So that was, that was a lovely little encounter. Did lead to a job. But I thought, you know, I met the great man and and he was very nice. Another

Jeff Dwoskin 48:09

story you talk about where you did meet someone that did lead to a job was when you you chose to do, uh, dickie roberts, yeah. And then Adam Sandler was like, I guess, produced the movie. Adam, yeah,

Barry Livingston 48:20

he's produced so many films of his ex partners from Saturday Night Live and, yeah, dickie roberts was just a, you know, money gig, literally, you know, he came in with a bunch of other famous child actors, and in the end, they did a cameo scene where we all sang some song, and, you know, whatever. But I was on the lot over at Sony. I think I was shooting something. What was that? It was another TV show that I did. Actually, Emilio Estevez was the director of it. Can't think of the name of it, but anyway, I was on the lot over at Sony, but I knew Adam had produced dickie roberts, and his offices were on the Sony lots. I thought, you know, walk over say hi, if I can. I've never met him before, yeah, go to his office. Yeah. He wasn't there, you know, it was lunchtime, came out, and then suddenly he'd speed, sped up in his golf cart, covered in sweat. Had just been playing basketball with his pals. Well, okay, here we go. You know, let's see how this works. I said, Hey, Adam, you know, I just want to thank you. It was in dickie roberts. I know you produced that. And you know, I was on the show, my three songs, oh no, man, oh yeah, oh, sure. Oh, I love that show. Oh, we watched that. But every Oh, family would get together and watch it. And, you know, Thursday night, I was like, well, that's cool, man. And, you know, but hey, man, I love to be in one of your movies. Oh, sure, sure. I'll put you on my movies. Yeah, and, no problem. So yeah, from that point on, I would audition, and I would get a call from my agent to go read for a new Adam Sandler movie. I was like, well, that doesn't happen because my agent is making that happen. It happened because Adam remembered and made the casting people reach out. So I did that two or three times. Me The Longest Yard. I didn't get it one or two others. Then finally, you don't mess with the Zohan came around. It was called to come in and read again. And in this case. Case, I moved up, you know, and they said, you you don't have the role yet, but you've been invited to a table reader, or it's owning. I was like, Oh, wow, that's that sounds tricky. You know, they want you to meet for this, this role here, but you don't have the part yet. I was like, Well, you know, you're still auditioning. Then even though they go, don't worry about it, you know, you haven't got the role, so you're still auditioning anyway. So I'm there, and, you know, all the stars are kind of in the big table and all the executives. And then feel a tap on my shoulder, and it's Adam, because, see, she, See, I told you, I get you something good.

Unknown Speaker 50:28

Oh, man, you gotta be kidding

Barry Livingston 50:30

me. This is too much. Thank you so much, man. And you know, and from that point, I walked out and looked over to Adam, and he goes like that, I'm going, well, I guess, I guess I'm in and so, you know, that's how it works.

Jeff Dwoskin 50:44

Is there anyone else in the industry that would like Adam Sandler that would do that?

Barry Livingston 50:49

No, no, Adam is the best. Adam is, without a doubt, one of the most beloved. And for a reason, because he he stands by his friends and he stands by his word, and he's extremely talented. Yes, you know, he's, he's, he's a truly, one of the great guys in Hollywood. That

Jeff Dwoskin 51:06

is a great I love that story. I love that story. Yeah, so, I mean, you've done, you've been in, like, so much. I mean, like Two and a Half Men, Mad Men, zodiac, the movie with David Fincher, we talked about and the social network, that's what I love, that movie. That's such a great movie, fantastic movie. I mean, like, is there, of all the things you've done, and there's a million lie to me, Desperate Housewives, I'm just scanning real fast, Horrible Bosses. I'm skipping a lot, but Argo, oh, Argo, that's a great movie. Like, how is Ben Affleck as a director? Because that's what everyone talks about, like, just how he was

Barry Livingston 51:40

tricky with me. I don't know why. Sometimes I think people want to put me through my paces just because, whatever. But he, you know, the scene, and then he wound up cutting the scene that, I mean it, but they wound up really, really cutting that scene a lot, not because of me, but he really, really wanted me, and he wants you to, you know, do I forget him about the direction? But he kept coming up to me and going down and trying like this, and I'm going, okay, you know. And we did it. And finally, you know, I remember walking out and Brian Cranston, who was in the scene, off camera, you know, and saw this, 6788, takes, whatever it was, everybody comes home. He goes, any one of those was great. Any one of those takes was perfect. Okay, well, thank that's good to hear. I appreciate it. I respect your, your word, you're, you're really cool. That's very nice of you to say. But, yeah, I don't know. I don't know he was, clearly, he, he was a really, you know, understood the film, knew what he wanted. It's a great movie. Won Best Picture. Great,

Jeff Dwoskin 52:36

wonderful film. Like you were, you were in two films in the same year that, like, we're up for Best Picture. Weren't you that? And was it

Barry Livingston 52:44

social network? Social Network might have been. Yeah, I think so. Yeah,

Jeff Dwoskin 52:48

that was a good year for for Barry. Haven't been in the industry, as long as you haven't worked on, like, oh, Hot in Cleveland with Betty, Betty White. I mean, there's just, like, a million things like lessons in chemistry. I mean, you ever mean General Hospital, you're still working actively to this day? Bosh, yeah, I love that guy. Yeah,

Barry Livingston 53:07

Titus, see. And again, that was Titus. Titus. I'm sitting next to Titus in Argo in our scene. And, you know, we kind of, you know, chit chat, as actors do during takes, between takes, you're kind of, you know, and everywhere went Titus was, I thought, well, this is kind of weird. I, you know, I'd be a craft service. He'd come up, hey, what's going on? You know, lunch time, I remember, I got on a they had it somewhere away from the stage, and I got on a, you know, golf cart. They were going to ride you over. And Titus hops on next to me. I'm going, hey, oh, hi, man. And then, as we're driving, I saw the producers of Two and a Half Men, which I had, and I told the driver, said, stop, stop. I just want to get off and say hi to these people. And sometimes Titus comes. Okay. Well, you know, here's Chuck Laurie Titus, Chuck, you know, good to see you. And but so when Bosch came around, somebody said to me, they heard about this role, they said you should reach out to Titus, because he's the producer of one of the producers of Bosch, you know, it's okay, you know. And then it's sent him a note, maybe through Facebook even, and I just any, any media. Oh, great idea. Oh yeah, man, I'm on it. I'm on it. You're in. You're in and, you know. So I'm calling casting right now. Day or two, three went by, he got back to me because you did you hear from casting? And I said, No, no, not yet. And he goes, Okay, stand by, you know. And then, of course, you know, I finally did hear from casting, and I went in a red and, you know, got the role. But it's good. It's good to have friends, definitely. That's

Jeff Dwoskin 54:35

awesome. Actually, what is the main difference that you've seen in terms of how things were done back then, versus when you go onto a set now, well,

Barry Livingston 54:44

you know, they were shooting in film, mainly back in the day digital. You know, you can just do endless takes if you want, but the actual process for me as the actor is the same. I mean, you know, you come in in the morning, you have your donut and coffee and go. Your room and get in your wardrobe and getting makeup. And then that hasn't changed, you know, you you, if you're lucky, you have maybe a little rehearsal time with your fellow actors in the scene and and then eventually you just go into the set and you take your place, and they film it. And, you know, that's, that's the way it works. And I don't think that part of it has changed much, that that's just acting, and you know, you gotta have another person across from you, and you're playing with that person in the scene, and that's, that's what they're filming. So it doesn't really matter if it's on digitally captured or on film, but, but the digital is cheaper, because they don't have to. Film is expensive. And you do 12 takes on on film, you know that cost money, 12 takes of something digitally is, is just reset, and you do it again. But yeah, it's, it's, you know, again, it, I don't see much difference. I don't, you know, probably behind the scenes people have to deal with the product a little differently, but not, not for the actor. I don't think

Jeff Dwoskin 56:05

maybe filming an entire episode in one week versus

Barry Livingston 56:11

that's that was the way they always did our show was exception to the rules. So yeah,

Jeff Dwoskin 56:17

so of all the things we talked about, what are the things that is there one or two things that we didn't talk about that you're like, Alright, everyone, these are some key Barry Livingston roles that you should check out. Well,

Barry Livingston 56:31

missus Davis was really fun. I did that last year. I guess it came out last year on Peacock, and it was fun because I actually had to do it in the nude, which was new experience. You know what I had to deal with? You know, all of the new the new cancel culture and the intimacy coordinator, that's a new, new function in film, that there's a person specific to make sure you're not being taken advantage of. You're not You're feeling comfortable that there are not issues that you have to bring up to get them resolved. You know, just conversations like, you know, I'm nude, but I'm, you know, I'm wearing a piece that covers up the important parts and but having a conversation with somebody going, now, Andy, would you like, you know, some sort of unit that just sticks on, or something that we can tie on. I'm going, it's just almost laughing. I don't know, never had these conversations with a stranger before. I don't know, you know, whatever, as long as it doesn't come off, that's all I care about, right? So anyway, it was, it was fun. It was a really fun scene. It's a great scene, actually, with Betty gelpin, who's, you know, she's, she's the star of that show, and it's, but to do that was, was an unusual thing that would have never been done in the past. So that was fun. And I just had a great experience doing a play. Cyrano de Bergerac, great classic play at at the legendary, historic Pasadena Playhouse. I don't know where you are or if you're aware of Pasadena Playhouse, but it's Michigan,

Jeff Dwoskin 58:10

but yes, I'm aware. Okay, well, yeah, so there you

Barry Livingston 58:13

go. You're in Michigan, but you've heard of the Pasadena Playhouse. It's a incredibly historic, countless people have major, major stars have done productions there over the years, you know. And so it was a bucket list for me to to get to do, you know this, this classic play, and do that in such a historic venue. It was, it was really, really satisfying and great to be in a in such a beautiful, beautiful production, was standing ovations. Every performance I was in Cyrano, you know, played a few roles in it, actually, but still, you know, it was, it was an experience that that I ranks very high on my list of, and it's most probably the most recent one that I did on stage. So it's fresh in my mind. And it fresh in my mind is a big thing these days, stale things in my mind, Tim, but I don't know what you're talking about, but yeah, you know that was fun. Guess you can't see it, but you know, probably going to look up pictures. If you Google it, I will

Jeff Dwoskin 59:15

Google it right when we stop talking. I if you could do anything right now, like, pick your next big project. Do you love doing theater, or would that be your passion? Could you ride out the rest of your career doing theater? Would you love to be the dad in a new sitcom? You know, I'm like, what would

Barry Livingston 59:32

you know, not to be a hog, but I'd like to do I'd like to do it all, but I'd like to do my dream job at this point. Would be a recurring role, really nice recurring role on a three camera sitcom series, because you don't have to be there every day. You don't have to be there every week. You can come in once every other week, two times a month, three times a month, whatever. And three camera work is a lot of much like theater, that you do it in front of a live audience and. Hours are regular. I mean, this is all the nuts and bolts of being an actor, but, but it's much more doable in terms of having a livable life, as opposed to flying off to wherever you know, Des Moines, Iowa in the winter, and it's 12 degrees below zero, and you're there at four in the morning and leaving at nine o'clock at night, you know, I mean, I would do that. I like that. But the other is a little more, you know, for my from my energy level and everything I you know, that would dance your question, that would be my dream job at this point. Love

Jeff Dwoskin 1:00:34

it. Love it. Barry, thanks for hanging out with me. I really appreciate it. I appreciate you sharing all the stories, everything. It was awesome.

Barry Livingston 1:00:41

All right, thank you. Jeff, Yeah, appreciate it. See you later. Bye.