were johnny carson and charles grodin friends were johnny carson and charles grodin friends

[17] Grodin subsequently appeared in several films during the decade, including the 1976 version of King Kong, the hit 1978 comedy Heaven Can Wait, and Albert Brooks's 1979 comedy Real Life. Janet and Jennifer Jones were the only two I did in their homes, says Yuki, one of the masters of the rams horns helmet hairdo, which became Janets consistent look, starting in the late 1960s. Hes clearly going a little bit long with the tribute, but there are all these majestic nature shots, and Carson is talking about his sonheart-wrenching. Gracie had made a large Mexican dinner, and Janet, dressed in cream Armani, decked out in gold and diamonds with the gardenia in place, was helped down the staircase by Gracies grandchildren and presided at the head of the dining-room table. After I made Bedtime for Bonzo, there was no place for me to go in Hollywood. Freddies autobiography was called Johnny Came LatelyJanets title. It hurt her pride. Things continued to get worse as Janets eyesight weakened and funds dwindled. Hes also rightfully remembered as perhaps the best talk show guest of all time, thanks to a long series of hilarious interviews with Johnny Carson and David Letterman. The hammer has a rubber tip and is bent. Blog Home Uncategorized were johnny carson and charles grodin friends. She and Fred never had children, and Janet adored that child, but in a strange way Gracie became like Janets mother, even after that little girl was born. Love, Johnny, Johnny never went to services, Janet said, not even his own sons. At one point, recalling a breakup letter he had written while they were courting, she referred to him as the monster., She was very proud of where she had landed with Freddie, Alice Lassally tells me, but it wasnt a very good marriage. Gracie took care of her. She wore a daring black one-piece bathing suit cut in a V shape up the front, causing gents to gasp and little boys to remember it 45 years later.. In 1989 Grodin published his first book, the comic memoir It Would Be So Nice If You Werent Here: My Journey Through Show Business. Showing 13 distinct works. Grodin's film debut was an uncredited bit part in Disney's 1954 film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. In 1977, Grodin hosted an episode of the NBC sketch show Saturday Night Live, where the entire episode revolved around his forgetting that the show was live, and he proceeded to wreck sketches because of his failure to prepare accordingly. Janet raised the daughter as if it were her own child, says Betsy Bloomingdale. When Jack Benny was on his deathbed, a group of close friends gathered at the house and were sitting downstairs in the living room, waiting for it to happen. He worked with the films director, Mike Nichols, soon after on Catch-22 (1970), and became friends with the musician Art Garfunkel, one of his co-stars. Among later theatrical successes was the original 1975 production of Same Time, Next Year opposite Ellen Burstyn. Fred de Cordova was a Harvard Law School graduate who went on to be the producer/director for Jack Benny & George Burns, TV shows such as My Three Sons, December Bride, Leave it to Beaver and others. However, he turned down the part of Benjamin Braddock in The Graduate because of the low salary offered by producer Lawrence Turman, although Turman assured him that the part would make him a star, as it ultimately did for Dustin Hoffman. Grodin also became worried about being replaced after seeing Hoffman near the set. The "Heartbreak Kid" star's multihyphenate career spanned six decades and virtually every medium. She had her own checking account under her maiden name, Janet Thomas. Jolene Schlatter, Georges wife, says that when Janet told her the amount of the clothing allowance, I almost fainted. Then Janet would ball Gracie out because the ice wasnt right. Lilly ended up with a contract at RKO. It got to the point where Gracie, after all those years working for Janet, was very well known to the Beverly Hills set. I wanted to look like her. He kept it stashed all over the house. But Howard used Johnny in such a way that it raised suspicion. It centers on Fred de Cordova, Johnny Carson and the final days of Carsons Tonight Show. [citation needed]. Now that he is gone, I can make it public. She had all of Janets hand-me-downs, recalls Jack Deamer. Author Bill Zehme, who is at work on a book titled Carson the Magnificent, says, It was when Johnny returned to the air after his son Ricky died. De, I have something to tell you. Freddie asked, Whats that, Gracie? She said, Javier is dead. Freddie was stunned. The Heartbreak Kid briefly made him a star of sorts. Charles Grodin and Cybill Shepherd in The Heartbreak Kid, 1972. He hosted late night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982, debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC and ending with the May 20, 2015, broadcast of Late Show with David Letterman on CBS.In total, Letterman hosted 6,080 episodes of Late Night and . In the mid-1990s, Grodin retired from acting and wrote autobiographies; he became a talk show host on CNBC and in 2000 a political commentator for 60 Minutes II. It originated as a nightly show on CNBC, replacing Tom Snyder after he left to start The Late Late Show on CBS. He said, Why didnt you call us? Gracie said, I didnt want to wake you up. Carson teased endlessly on the air about Freddies exotic A-list weekendshe would discuss how he had spent the weekend sorting his sock drawer while Freddie was out hobnobbing with the gods.. According to The New York Times, he died at . His Tonight Show was a cultural phenomenon, influencing comedians to this day. So Carson goes through a normal show with no mention until the very end. Grodin had a small part as Mia Farrows kindly obstetrician in the horror film Rosemarys Baby (1968). "The idea that we hate each other is the media makes a big thing about it," he said. Pick Up the Check was a nickname Meyer earned about the time of the Senate War Investigating Committee hearings of 1947, when he testified on Hughess behalf concerning government contracts to help build the Spruce Goose, an enormous flying boat intended for military transport. [33], Grodin is mentioned as a hero of Mac and Dennis in an episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Charles Grodin was an actor known for a wide variety of film and TV roles, including "The Heartbreak Kid" and "Midnight Run." Died: May 18, 2021 ( Who else died on May 18?) I will always remember the great moments we shared. But his complex, discomfiting performance proved to be a masterclass in the comedy of embarrassment. episcopal dioceses in new york state; michael bloomberg private jet; sharon township franklin county ohio zoning map; female personal trainers near me Nobody ever thought Irving was gay, she said. The best music, movies, TV, books, comedy and more. Their imitation of mutual hostility was so convincing that the programme always received letters of complaint about Grodins shabby treatment of his host. We were never part of the A-group. She was no longer the flawless Mrs. De of 40 years ago, but at 89 she was still very elegant. Johnny Carson's Final Snub of Tonight Show Producer Fred de Cordova. sort by. Want to Read. His acting appearances became rarer in recent years. It was lit like important company could come through at any moment, even when there was no one on the calendar for a social call, and at the end there never was. There were tons of flowers, all perfect, and superb hors doeuvres. She used to say, Janets going to wind up with nothing, the way she spends. Its like something out of Trollope or Edith Whartona lady and her maid. "I . A few minutes later the Deutsches butler came by to empty the ashtrays, and when he came to the one in front of Mary Benny, he held it up before her and said, Madam, would you like your roach?, I was no angel, Janet confessed. He won Best Actor at the 1988 Valladolid International Film Festival for Midnight Run, and the American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for his performance in Dave in 1993. At that time, this town wasnt social and Hollywood mixed, recalls Jolene Schlatter. 3.85 avg rating 156 ratings published 1989 4 editions. GRODIN--Charles. Her scores of Armani suits in Jordan-almond colors (with matching shoes) were sheathed in plastic and hung in an adjacent dressing room. I never, ever, ever went on a date with Frank Sinatra, she said. I dont know whether Alice and B.J. Her blond helmet had been freshly shellacked by her hairdresser, Yuki, for the photo shoot for this article. They may have thought that Freddie was, but you didnt say that. The fee was raised but Grodin lost the part after being uncooperative in his screen test. I know he would understand my not attending his funeral services, and I hope you will also. It Would Be So Nice If You Weren't Here: My Journey Through Show Business. He was good-looking and very funny and entertaining. were johnny carson and charles grodin friends. "Charles Grodin, known for 'The Heartbreak Kid' and Broadway roles, dead at 86", "The Heartfelt Kid: Actor/Playwright Charles Grodin Premiers New Play in San Francisco", Charles Grodin Urges New Yorkers To Mentor Kids, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Charles_Grodin&oldid=1137701831, American people of Russian-Jewish descent, Pages using infobox person with multiple spouses, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2017, Turner Classic Movies person ID same as Wikidata, Internet Off-Broadway Database person ID same as Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture, This page was last edited on 6 February 2023, at 00:47. https://www.gofundme.com/support-the-life-and-times-of-holly, COPYRIGHT 2020 By TheLifeandTimesofHollywood.com, https://www.gofundme.com/support-the-life-and-times-of-holly, Stories From The Life and Times of Hollywood. Her body was cremated in San Luis Potos and taken to Los Angeles by Gracie and Selene. Well, Grodin doesnt fit that bill. of Johnny Carson and . During the 1970s, he also frequently appeared on Broadway and was involved in producing several plays. He loved to dress people down, says Zehme. Charles Grodin, the droll, offbeat actor and writer who scored as a caddish newlywed in "The Heartbreak Kid" and later had roles ranging from Robert De Niro's counterpart in the comic thriller "Midnight Run" to the bedeviled father in the "Beethoven" comedies, has died. The two men were flying together from Las Vegas to tape The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, on which Cosby was guest-hosting at the time, when Cosby mentioned that he heard Garrett does an. Grodin died Tuesday in Wilton, Connecticut, from bone marrow cancer, his son, Nicholas Grodin, said. Grodin's son, Nicholas, confirmed the news to the New York Times, saying he passed away in his home in Wilton, Connecticut. Janet had her own moment of infamy when senators questioned Meyer about some of his expenses, and he said that they were for Janet Thomas, a friend (secretly his wife), whom he had sent to Paris on an extended vacation so that she could avoid being called before the committee. [21] After a supporting role in the acclaimed Ivan Reitman comedy Dave, Grodin signed on to play The Old The following year Grodin returned to Carsons show to promote the paperback release of his biography his then-new film Takin Care of Business. Grodins interviews were a curmudgeonly send-up of talk show convention, mocking the fatuousness of canned stories, predictable jokes, and that weird thing where the guest and host act like old friends even when they clearly have never met before. Grodin co-starred in the action comedy Midnight Run (1988) and in the family film Beethoven (1992). . Grodin played the curmudgeon for Carson and Letterman, but here he uses that persona to get his foot in the shows door and then goes straight for Hannitys throat, at one point even joking that Hannity used to cohost a show with Goebbels. Grodin also made regular appearances on the Johnny Carson Show, penned a few books and even had a show on MSNBC in the 1990s where Miss Piggy appeared as a guest star! And then his eyes start darting over to where Freddie is, and you can see a little register of annoyance. His appearances on Late Night With David Letterman would sometimes erupt into shouting and name-calling, but Letterman always enjoyed Grodin's segments.[20]. The blond dye job was not just on her head.. Freddie de Cordova, the executive producer of Johnny Carsons Tonight Show, and his wife, Janet, a leading local socialite sometimes referred to as the Duchess of Trousdale, were asleep in their separate bedrooms. GRODIN: Well, we were very good friends off screen, and we really had a lot of laughs off . He returned to acting with a handful of roles in the mid-2010s, including in Louis C.K. Former President Donald Trump Saturday insisted his former secretary of state was not taking a dig at him when Mike Pompeo warned conservatives against following 'celebrity leaders'. She was pulled and waxed and peeled so much her face was like a childs face., The bond between Janet and Gracie was cemented on September 15, 1969, the day after Janets 50th birthday, when Gracie and Javier had a baby girl, Selene. But then we thought, Well, she will have Gracie, so it may be O.K. In 2006, Gracie packed Janets Volvo and an S.U.V. I learned later that Fred was over there actually giving him the Wrap it up sign [to indicate that the show was running over]. She ran the house, and in Janet and Freddies time it was a very important house for social occasions., Janet and Freddie became the official godparents of Selene. When Id visit, shed be in a towel, because Yuki would be coming up and doing her hair and makeup. He was referenced in three different episodes of The Simpsons ("I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can", "Little Big Girl" and "Mathlete's Feat"). Everyone is six feet under, said Janet when I asked her if she missed her life in Beverly Hills. Hes clearly going a little bit long with the tribute, but there are all these majestic nature shots, and Carson is talking about his sonheart-wrenching. He is survived by his second wife, Elissa Durwood, whom he married in 1983, and their son, Nicholas; and by his daughter, Marion, from his first marriage, to Julie Ferguson, which ended in divorce.. Grodin never breaks his stone-faced routine, and repeatedly mocks Carson for a weak joke from that nights monologue. Even old Hollywood hands, familiar with chronically insecure stars, put Carson in a class of his own. I know Fred was not a great money manager, and you are no doubt encountering unexpected financial demands. She took on the problems herself and kept Janets world running smoothly., According to Dunne, In Trousdale, there is a kind of urban legend. Charles Grodin, the droll, offbeat actor and writer who scored as a caddish newlywed in "The Heartbreak Kid" and later had roles ranging from Robert De Niro's counterpart in the comic thriller. marjorie rubin harris / spectrum channel guide birmingham, al / were johnny carson and charles grodin friends. Our deepest condolences go out to Grodins friends, families and colleagues He began to get small parts in theatre and television and became an assistant to the director Gene Saks. snoopy happy dance emoji 8959 norma pl west hollywood ca 90069 8959 norma pl west hollywood ca 90069 . Some weeks later, Janets friends had a memorial service for her at Il Piccolino, near Beverly Hills. He was 86. There are probably 101 tales of Gosford Park, Trousdale-style. Charles Grodin, the star of stage and screen known for his roles in films like Midnight Run and The Heartbreak Kid, has died at 86.. Grodin died on Tuesday at his home in Connecticut from bone . Janet and Freddie were among them, and they were fighting the whole time until they left. You do it by hand with a special little metal hammer, one cube at a time. They were panicked they would be raided and hauled off to jail.. He was memorable as a doleful, philosophical doctor with a three-legged dog in the comedian Louis CKs unorthodox sitcom Louie (2014). She had been sort of an orphan, raised, along with her sister, by an uncle, and not well off, but she was a petite blonde and a knockout with a southern drawl, said Dunne, adding, a glamour girl, who went out to Hollywood to make it in show business but got a lot farther as a kind of high-powered lady friend and wife. According to Janet, after a few weeks in Los Angeles, as a good-looking 20-year-old, fresh out of Centre College, in Danville, Kentucky, she walked onto the Fox lot, made her way to casting director Thomas Moores office, and asked for a screen test. I thought, Oh, my gosh! Pratiquant galement le doublage, il est notamment la voix franaise rgulire de Peter MacNicol, Zach Grenier et John Billingsley, ainsi que l'une des voix d'Oliver Platt et Jeffrey Combs. At 4:30 p.m. every day she would say, The bar is now open! Gracie was tending to her. Grodin was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Orthodox Jewish parents,[2][3] Theodore (19001953), who owned a store that sold wholesale supplies, and Lena (19071996; ne Singer), who worked in her husband's business and volunteered for disabled veterans. She told me that when Janet was young she got the girls for the parties. Janet may not have seen this as procuring but simply as part of the game of getting ahead in Hollywood. Charles Grodin, the urbane actor who made his roles as a curmudgeon seem cool, died Tuesday at his home in Connecticut of bone marrow cancer. The Bennys were at a dinner party at the Armand Deutsches. Grodin graduated as valedictorian from Peabody High School, where he was elected class president all four years. It was not just the bedroom that would transport her back to Carla Ridge; Gracies house, a modernist box with double-height rooms and walls of glass, was very similar, really based on the Carla Ridge house, says Wendy Stark Morrissey. However, his last show with Johnny as host was the show mentioned above on 1982-09-21. So everybody thought I had a fat chance and was very stupid to let Irving go., Freddie lived with his mother, and even many of his friends thought he was gay. Also in 1993, Grodin played the role of Harrison Winslow in the film Heart and Souls. "Bono & The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming, with Dave Letterman", which will air on Disney+ on March 17, chronicles Letterman's first trip to Ireland, where he is joined by the famous U2 duo. One of his 36 guest appearances on Johnny Carsons The Tonight Show came during the book tour, where the two immediately started bickering over which one of them is mean to the other. The story of Gracie saving Janet is a brilliant one, says a socialite in the Reagan circle who knew Janet well. [24] From 2000 to 2003, he was a political commentator for 60 Minutes II. How de Cordova and Wife Died Broke and Blew Through A Fortune Jul 12 tramscorp@aol.com This is quite a fascinating tale. were johnny carson and charles grodin friends. His son, Nicholas, said the cause was bone marrow cancer. Children sitting up past their bedtime marveled at a. Once, she was naked in bed with the sheet pulled up. He said, Janet buzzed me to see if I was watching the Cavett show. They have three permanent servants and had hired a fourth for the festivities. Reportedly, it had been recorded by one of his wives and showed a younger Carson who still had dark hair. We are not talking about a saint here, says the actor Robert Wagner of Janet. He began to go through a pile of newspapers and the Hollywood trades, in preparation for his ritual midmorning phone call with Carson, in which they discussed the headlines that might make fodder for Carsons monologue that night. He was heavyset and bald, but he had a hell of a personality. Grodin appeared on Lettermans shows 40 times over the years, four more interviews than he did with Carson. Freddies social contacts got him his Tonight Show perch. 's philosophical doctor and mentor in Season 4 and 5. He had also made a bad investment once on the advice of Alfred Bloomingdale, who was his best friend from when they worked for the Shuberts [the Broadway producers] in New York. Husband number three was a Russian noble, Gogi Tchichinadze, who had a nightclub in New York called Gogis LaRue. But I had some Polaroid stock which went sky-high, so I could take care of myself., I think, at forty-something, she had stayed too long at the fair, and really needed to find someone for security, says Alice Lassally. [12] A student of Lee Strasberg and Uta Hagen, he made his Broadway debut in a production of Tchin-Tchin, opposite Anthony Quinn. He came armed with scripted jokes and rarely would engage in any genuine conversation. . His 1980s roles included Neil Simon's Seems Like Old Times (opposite Chevy Chase and Goldie Hawn) and 1988's well-reviewed comedy Midnight Run, a buddy movie co-starring Robert De Niro. Grodin's specialty was deadpan humor - the slow double-take, the droll. This is a question our experts keep getting from time to time. He had a prominent supporting role in Noah Baumbach's While We're Young (2015), playing a celebrated documentary filmmaker and the father of one of the lead characters. King performs "Let the Good Times Roll", accompanied by the Tonight Show band. Charles Grodin Asks Johnny if He Cares About His Guests - Carson Tonight Show - 09/05/1990#johnnycarson #thetonightshow #charlesgrodin This is FRESH AIR. If you dont spend it, you dont enjoy it, and I think its pretty stupid not to enjoy it. When Howard was busy, he would have Johnny take girls to Mocambo, because he had about six of them going at the same time. Join Facts Verse as we explore why Johnny Carson hated this Tonight Show guest more than anyone.. Johnny Carson was the host of The Tonight Show Starring Carson for three decades, from 1962 to 1992. Dear Janet, I am sorry for the loss of Freddie. She always kept the messy things away from Janet. His Hollywood film roles of the 1980s usually saw him cast as uptight, bland, and world-weary white collar professionals, such as a psychiatrist having a nervous breakdown (The Couch Trip), a health conscious accountant (Midnight Run), an ineffectual advertising executive (Taking Care of Business), and a lonely, socially awkward nerd (The Lonely Guy). I had platinum hair like her, and when she died I cried. The NBC network would receive angry letters from viewers who didn't understand the joke that he was playing a persona, trying to be as different from typical talk show guests as possible. man for Howard Hughes known as Johnny Pick Up the Check Meyer. Charles Grodin, a beloved comedian and actor known for his roles in "The Heartbreak Kid," "Midnight Run," and "Beethoven," has died at the age of 86. were johnny carson and charles grodin friendsthe renaissance apartments chicago. I had a party and served a lot of stingers, and Frank had taken a lipstick and written Ring-a-ding-ding on my mirrorwhich was his thing. Then he called her to go out, but she declined. [13] In 1965, he became an assistant to director Gene Saks and appeared on several television series including The Virginian. This interview is full of the jokingly passive aggressive digs the two always took at each other, with Grodin playing it all so bone dry that you could be excused for thinking there was real animus between the two. They know exactly whom you are quoting, what you mean. She was having her vodka on the rocks,always Ketel One. It is not out of any disrespect for him. "[18] Sandra Brennan at Rovi noted that: "Whereas many funnymen have been popular for their ability to overreact and mug their way around everyday obstacles, Grodin belonged, from the beginning, to the Bob Newhart school of wry comedy that values understatement and subtlety. Their first wedding, in Mexico City in 1948, was kept a secret. George Segal wrote me a nice letter. When Janet was with me, and being reflective, recalls Alice Lassally, she noted that they had never had children. Charles Grodin, the urbane actor who made his roles as a curmudgeon seem cool, died Tuesday at his home in Connecticut of bone marrow cancer. [29][30][31] For a period in the 2000s, Grodin gave up show business to be a stay-at-home dad to his children. Their mansion would have to go. Early in the morning, Gracie Covarrubias returned to the house, and at eight oclock Freddie de Cordova appeared at the breakfast table. Tartar steak came from Chasens, and every time someone dug into the mold it disappeared and came back perfect again. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. According to Betsy Bloomingdale, Janet was an icon of that time, when certain girls had a good time,when girls had different friends well, you know what I meanlots of loversand lots of fun, in the era when people would go to El Morocco or Mocambo. Nobody wanted me, he said. In 1964, he played Matt Stevens on the ABC soap opera The Young Marrieds. This kind of girl no longer exists in Hollywood. He had also become known for his playfully spiky chatshow appearances. Henry Bushkin's "Johnny Carson" is that rare celebrity tell-all by an author who knows whom and what he's talking about. My children are very lovely and everything, but I didnt feel them as close as she was with me. When Charles Grodin died earlier this week at the age of 86, he left behind decades of wonderfully deadpan comic performances in film and TV, as well as eight books published between 1989 and 2013. Gracie, as usual, took her her breakfast tray at precisely nine oclock. The film was a box-office hit, and he reprised the role in the 1993 sequel, Beethoven's 2nd. Actor and comedian Charles Grodin, who made his mark in the movies and on TV, died Tuesday. When the offer came in 1967 for the lead in The Graduate, he balked at the low fee $500 a week, which compared poorly with the $1,000 he was getting as guest star on the western series The Guns of Will Sonnett and turned it down. That same year also saw the much-delayed release of Clifford, in which Grodin portrayed the frustrated uncle opposite Martin Short's title role. She put me in her column and talked about me on her radio show, Janet said, quoting from memory: Consensus of opinion is that the most beautiful girl at the party was young blonde Janet Thomas, and from that point on Hedda always referred to me as Hollywoods most beautiful blonde. Which was kind of a pain in the ass for Lana Turner and the rest of them. One day, in front of her, he said, I never had a better housekeeper. I wanted to kill him. He was in Beethoven (1992) and Beethovens 2nd (1993), the hit family comedies about a troublesome St Bernard dog, and played the accountant to a man impersonating the president in Dave (1993). The movie A Place in the Sun (1951) was said to have steered him towards his . He directed 23 movies. Charles Sidney Grodin (April 21, 1935 May 18, 2021) was an American actor, comedian, author, and television talk show host. But the people and the way of life were all gone. He was 86. Charles Grodin had to learn about life with 'Beethoven' in the 1992 film about a family man and his lovable German shepherd. Self-described as "low key but high strung," Grodin often played uptight and cranky characters who ultimately were likable. She always said she had the best collection of Armani in Hollywood, says Alice Lassally. It centers on Fred de Cordova, Johnny Carson and the final days of Carson's Tonight Show. He was different than anybody Id ever known. He called himself the old queen. I think those days were behind him when he got into his 50s, but who knows? Grodin had an older brother named Jack.[7]. He was 86. For decades, Johnny Carson was the king of late night. I just didnt want to be one of those girls he engaged and then dropped. The kids' flick proved so popular, Grodin and dog starred in a 1993 . THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JOHNNY CARSON, Johnny Carson, (aired June 24, 1968), 19621992. ph: Paul Wilson / TV Guide / courtesy Everett Collection. Grodin discusses the book on "Today." Here's an excerpt: A HORSE WHO CAN TYPE In the early 1970s, after two brief appearances with Johnny Carson on "The Tonight Show," I was asked if I'd like. Plus, Johnny jokes about Meryl Streep, Pat Sajak and Dustin Hoffman in the monologue. A master of deadpan, Pittsburgh native Grodin starred in . He wasnt very good to her. Grodin had a small but pivotal part playing an obstetrician in the 1968 horror film Rosemary's Baby. That was a big part of her life., The beige rotary-dial phone next to Janets bed helped her monitor the latest gossip as well as peoples movements in the house, says Deamer. 's FX show Louie as Dr. Bigelow, C.K. And not exactly true, but that is the way it went., Buck Henry, who was a student at the Harvard School for Boys in Los Angeles, and who had a summer job as a gofer at actors Charles Farrell and Ralph Bellamys Racquet Club, in Palm Springs, recalled in a story he wrote for Interview magazine about Hollywood during World War II, The prettiest girl in the area was Janet Thomas, now the wife of Freddie de Cordova. It was getting pathetic.. But Janet became very prominent with them, very active. According to George Schlatter, Janet went back and forth, pitching the Republican social group to the Hollywood group, helping to bring the two together. Grodin's career took a turn in 1992, when he played the nervous family man George Newton in the kids' comedy Beethoven, opposite Bonnie Hunt.