And to Charles:
I'm glad you enjoyed the discussion. I'm looking forward to yours now that I've joined the Oasis.
(P.S. Am figuring my answer to the question about my siblings and I eschewing acting careers answers yours as well. )

I've really, really enjoyed chatting with all of you. And, my apologies to Erik, who sent a great question about my Dad's role as Lex Luthor. I had written an answer but somehow failed to post it. Anyway, what I was going to say is: thank you. My Dad was indeed the first Lex Luthor on screen. He pla...

Thank you so much, Professional Tourist, for those leads on my Dad's radio days. I really appreciate it.

Thank you so much, Professional Tourist, for these leads on my Dad's radio days. I really appreciate it.

Okay, I'll avoid the Me-Network in the interest of future productivity! You asked whether it was a fluke that none of my siblings or I went into acting as adults. That's an interesting question. My parents did give us two messages that probably worked against it. One was how important education was,...

Hi Moira, Thank you for these excellent questions. On Carole Lombard and "No More Orchids" : This was a movie he made while on loan to Columbia from Warner Brothers. It was a romantic comedy (though it actually has a rather dark, Depression-era plot turn) and he thought it was the kind of ...

Professional Tourist--Thank you for your question about whether my Dad was active during the golden age of radio, and for sending the link to "The Unexpected." To tell you the truth, I didn't look very deeply into the radio stuff, but I am fairly sure he did radio guest spots in the late 4...

Hi there, Vienna asked about "One Night of Love" and Grace Moore. Yes, that was a movie he was proud of, and we had a GIANT poster from it on our house. It did well at the box office internationally (it apparently played for a full year in one theater in Australia) and was nominated for se...

Hello there, sue sue applegate-- I love Barbara Stanwyck and Lillian Roth as prison pals in "Ladies They Talk About" and I love the scene where Lillian Roth sings. There's an interesting backstory to the movie. It was based in part on a play by the actress Dorothy Mackaye, who had done tim...

Hi Elliot, So great to hear from you! I was SO sad to miss that night at the Roxie, one of my favorite theaters in the world. But yes--my brother Steve stood in for me, in good-old-fashioned- backstage- musical fashion. My 20-something nephew Joe Talbot was also there--he looks a lot like the young ...

Hi Everybody, So glad to be back, and thank you for the great questions. This is such an awesome group. Just arrived in Providence, on a blessedly unbumpy flight ( I hate to fly.) Anyway, WesternGuy, I am so happy to hear from you, and about the story you heard from the delightful Dolores Fuller, of...

Hi again, First, to Mongo, who asked about people Lyle worked with whom he might not have cared for much. In general, my father was not a critical or judgmental person--or maybe not all that discerning or discriminating. He had good things to say about the vast majority of people he worked or social...

Hi there, Nutella is a great idea :D JackFavell. I think I may nip into my daughter's Halloween candy, though. (Ah, the hazards and pleasures of working from home.) To continue with your questions: The research did present some challenges given that most of the players in this story, including my Da...

Hi Moira, Yes, as you say my Dad was one of the original 21 founding members of the Screen Actors Guild, in 1933, and he devoted a lot of time to organizing, and hosting fundraising galas for it. His main motivations were the innate sense of fairness you refer to, the sense of collegiality he felt h...

Okay, I'm back, with a fresh cup of coffee, a jar of peanut butter, and a spoon. Heaven. To answer your question, Wendy, about my father's early days, touring with carnivals and tent shows through the small towns of the Midwest in the teens of twenties--I loved those stories and that material, that ...