JOAN RIVERS SHOW, THE: LESBIANS IN THE LIMELIGHT {FEM2FEM; JUDY NELSON; RITA MAE BROWN; SUZANNE WESTENHOEFER; KATE CLINTON; DIANE SALVATORE; DOROTHY ATCHENSON} (TV)
Summary
One in a series of talk shows hosted by Joan Rivers. In this program, Rivers focuses on prominent figures in the lesbian world. Guests include music group Fem2Fem, authors Judy Nelson and Rita Mae Brown, comedians Suzanne Westenhoefer and Kate Clinton, and magazine editors Diane Salvatore and Dorothy Atchenson.
Rivers first introduces society columnist Richard Mineards, who offers some gossip about John F. Kennedy Jr.'s bad-boy past, Wallis Simpson's possible career as an American spy, Sarah Ferguson's tumultuous love life, Princess Anne's attempts to live a lifestyle more like a "commoner," and Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip's disastrous trip to Cypress.
Next, Fem2Fem performs "Switch" from the debut album "Woman to Woman," and Rivers interviews the five group members, two of whom identify as lesbians, one as bisexual and two as straight. The women discuss why lesbian member Christina Minna is not pictured on the album's cover, as she was not yet out to her conservative family; how they got together as a group; support from fans and groupies of all sexualities; their current love lives; which member is the "wildest," including a tale about Sylvester Stallone; recording two different versions of "Woman to Woman"; and their future touring plans.
Nelson, co-author of the new book "Love Match: Nelson Vs. Navratilova," joins Rivers to discuss her eight-year romance with tennis champion Martina Navratilova, explaining that she had never dated a woman before Navratilova and was so shocked by her own emotions that she consulted a psychiatrist; why Navratilova is "still her hero" despite their split; their "pre-nuptial agreement" and why there should be more legal options for same-sex couples; how her two sons adjusted to their new lives with Navratilova; their acrimonious split, which left Nelson almost destitute; her ex-husband's surprisingly kind words upon learning of the breakup; and her hopes for a less judgmental future society.
Brown, Nelson's current partner and coincidentally also an ex of Navratilova's, joins Nelson and Rivers to discuss why her groundbreaking 1973 novel "Rubyfruit Jungle" has not yet been adapted into a film; her "awful" experiences with homophobia in the publishing world in the 1970s; her thoughts on bigotry in general, including rude treatment from some of her neighbors in Virginia; why she and Nelson have not required a legal document regarding their relationship; and misconceptions about lesbianism, including the idea that it is the result of poor treatment from men.
Next, Rivers interviews Westenhoefer and Clinton about being out lesbians in the largely straight, male world of comedy; deciding when and where to use aspects of their sexuality and family lives in their comedic material; and dealing with offensive hecklers, for which Clinton relies on her past experience as a high-school teacher.
Finally, Rivers talks to Redbook editor Salvatore and Playboy assistant editor Atchenson about whether the publishing world "cares" about one's sexuality; Salvatore's past work publishing gay-themed novels; why women, who make up 20 percent of Playboy's readership, have different ideas about "erotic beauty" than those of men; whether "lesbian chic" is becoming a media trend, and how visibility can lead to increased civil rights; and readers' reactions to learning of their identities. Includes commercials.
Details
- NETWORK: WPIX
- DATE: November 10, 1993
- RUNNING TIME: 0:50:36
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:33848
- GENRE: Talk/Interview
- SUBJECT HEADING: LGBTQ+ Collection; Talk/Interview; Music
- SERIES RUN: Syndicated - TV series, 1989-1993
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - Alka-Seltzer tablets
- TV - Commercials - Breath Savers breath mints
- TV - Commercials - Campbell's soups
- TV - Commercials - Centrum, Jr. kids' vitamins
- TV - Commercials - Certs breath mints
- TV - Commercials - Clorox Clean-Up disinfecting cleaner
- TV - Commercials - Dinty Moore beef stew
- TV - Commercials - Efferdent denture cleanser
- TV - Commercials - Gold MasterCard credit cards
- TV - Commercials - Hooked on Phonics reading program
- TV - Commercials - Jell-O cheesecakes
- TV - Commercials - Keebler CC Ricers chips
- TV - Commercials - Lilt home permanent
- TV - Commercials - Lipton Golden Sauté pasta
- TV - Commercials - Remington Triple Foil electric shavers
- TV - Commercials - Super PoliGrip denture adhesive
- TV - Commercials - Tavist-D cold relief
- TV - Commercials - Tic-Tac breath mints
- TV - Commercials - Vivid laundry detergent
CREDITS
- Joan Rivers … Host
- Richard Mineards … Guest
- Fem2Fem … Guest, Performer
- Christina Minna … Interviewee
- Judy Nelson … Interviewee
- Rita Mae Brown … Interviewee
- Suzanne Westenhoefer … Interviewee
- Kate Clinton … Interviewee
- Diane Salvatore … Interviewee
- Dorothy Atchenson … Interviewee
- Anne, Princess Royal
- Elizabeth II
- Sarah Ferguson
- John F. Kennedy Jr.
- Martina Navratilova
- Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
- Wallis Simpson
- Sylvester Stallone