LIFESTYLES OF THE RICH AND FAMOUS {SIEGFRIED AND ROY; BOB GUCCIONE; SIDNEY SHELDON; VERNON BALL; LYNDA CARTER; SUZANNE SOMERS AND ALAN HAMEL; JOHN FORSYTHE} (TV)
Summary
One in this documentary series, hosted by Robin Leach, examining the glamorous lives and careers of various celebrities and noteworthy individuals.
In this episode, Leach visits the palatial Las Vegas home of famous magician duo Siegfried and Roy, best known for their long-running show at The Frontier Hotel. The pair lives with their many large cats, including a rare white tiger, along with assorted other pets. The house, largely based on a safari theme, is adorned with artwork, including a partial reproduction of the Sistine Chapel ceiling and a mural featuring Merlin. Siegfried and Roy discuss the experience of living alongside so many wild animals, noting that the cats will sometimes "consummate their relationships" onstage in front of startled spectators.
In a brief segment, it is revealed that Americans currently charge a total of $180 billion per year on credit cards. Next, Leach interviews Bob Guccione and Kathy Keeton, founders of Penthouse magazine, and they discuss making "bold moves" with their explicit publication, which they were originally told was far too racy for American consumers. Their Manhattan townhouse, designed with the idea of "never leaving the house again" in mind, boasts a private theater, a gold-adorned bathroom with a genuine Picasso drawing, and a trio of Rhodesian Ridgeback guard dogs. Guccione, who also founded Omni science magazine and financed the infamous 1979 film "Caligula," notes that he is next attempting to make a movie about Catherine the Great.
Leach then profiles some of the world's top philanthropists, with the famously money-conscious J. Paul Getty surprisingly coming in at number one. Actor Paul Newman discusses donating 100 percent of the proceedings from his "Newman's Own" food products to charity, and employees of the World Bank discuss their daily trading habits. Next, prolific writer Sidney Sheldon, who turned to novels after a long career in theater, television and screenwriting, discusses his desire to "not let the reader down" with his next books. Wife Jorja Sheldon, also his editor, describes how she decorated their Beverly Hills mansion, noting that they have moved 35 times over the course of their marriage. Sheldon comments on his "disciplined" daily writing schedule, explaining that he always shows his first drafts to the savvy Jorja, adding that despite his success, he does not write for money, but for the creative enjoyment of the process.
In a short segment, California is named the number-one state for vacation spending, and Barbra Streisand briefly comments on her risky decision to produce, write, direct and star in the highly successful film "Yentl" (1983). Next, Ohio native and self-styled royal Vernon Ball discusses "buying" the title of Baron di San Severino for himself and later running the renowned 1829 Hotel and Restaurant, a Spanish-style establishment that took 200 builders and nine years to construct, in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas. Ball comments on his great love of tennis and of backgammon, at which he has played against the likes of Muhammad Ali – and at which he has also won an underwater competition.
"Wonder Woman" actress Lynda Carter discusses "restarting" her life in her Santa Monica ranch home alongside her many pets, explaining that she now finds joy in singing and in supporting friend and tennis star Chris Evert. After her failed marriage to her manager, Ron Samuels, she has again found love with lawyer Robert A. Altman, and she adds that she has also become a born-again Christian.
In the French Riviera town of Saint-Tropez, Suzanne Somers and Alan Hamel describe the relaxing experience of going unrecognized as celebrities during their vacation, explaining that they have been spending time at the all-but-nude beach known as Tahiti Plage and joking about pal Barry Manilow's habit of traveling with a fold-up piano, as well as a great deal of other luggage.
Finally, actor John Forsythe – who denies being either rich or famous – recalls agreeing to voice the mysterious Charlie on "Charlie's Angels" as a favor for friend Aaron Spelling, adding that he and his wife of 39 years, Julie, are merely amused by his new "sex symbol" status through his role as patriarch Blake Carrington on "Dynasty." He describes his love of raising and racing horses, comparing it to "your kid being in the Olympics," and declares that winning the Kentucky Derby would be better than receiving an Academy Award. He also comments on his love of tennis and adds that his outlook on exercise – and life – has changed since his 1979 quadruple bypass surgery, concluding that he is "very lucky." Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: Syndicated
- DATE: November 30, 1983 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:46:54
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:30868
- GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: Public affairs/Documentaries; Talk/Interview; Wealth; Celebrities
- SERIES RUN: Syndication - TV series, 1984-1995
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Robin Leach … Executive Producer, Writer
- Jim Cross … Supervising Producer, Director
- Alyson Daniels … Associate Producer
- Al Masini … Created by
- Cherie McGinley … Director
- Hal Gessner … Director
- Natalie Gustafson … Director
- Helaine Swerdloff … Director
- Cynthia Tivers … Director
- Malcolm Boyes … Writer
- Jeff Samuels … Writer
- Robin Leach … Host
- Roy Horn (see also: Siegfried and Roy) … Interviewee
- Siegfried Fischbacher (see also: Siegfried and Roy) … Interviewee
- Bob Guccione … Interviewee
- Kathy Keeton … Interviewee
- Sidney Sheldon … Interviewee
- Jorja Sheldon … Interviewee
- Vernon Ball (see also: Baron di San Severino) … Interviewee
- Lynda Carter … Interviewee
- Suzanne Somers … Interviewee
- Alan Hamel … Interviewee
- John Forsythe … Interviewee
- Barbra Streisand … Interviewee
- Muhammad Ali
- Robert A. Altman
- Chris Evert
- Julie Forsythe (see also: Julie Warren)
- J. Paul Getty
- Barry Manilow
- Paul Newman
- Pablo Picasso
- Ron Samuels
- Aaron Spelling