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- This is One-On-One.

- I'm an equal American just like you are.

- The way we change Presidents in this country is by voting.

- A quartet is already a jawn, it’s just The New Jawn.

- January 6th was not some sort of violent, crazy outlier.

- I don't care how good you are or how good you think you are, there is always something to learn.

- I mean what other country sends comedians over to embedded military to make them feel better.

- People call me 'cause they feel nobody's paying attention.

_ It’s not all about memorizing and getting information, it’s what you do with that information.

- (slowly) Start talking right now.

- That's a good question, high five.

(upbeat music) - Welcome to "Remember Them."

I think you're also seeing this on "One-on-One" as well.

Jacqui, how we doing today?

- Doing great, Steve.

Happy to be here.

- People are about to be treated by two interviews that the great Jacqui Tricarico does.

Jacqui, we're remembering Olympia Dukakis, an extraordinary actress, Oscar, Academy Award winner, right?

- Academy Award winner for her film "Moonstruck," which she did alongside Cher.

- Yeah, oh, Cher, the other great artist.

Olympia is no longer with us, but Jacqui, who do you interview for this?

Is this Olympia's daughter?

- Yes.

I have the privilege of interviewing Olympia's daughter, Christina Zorich, who is also an actress and a filmmaker as well.

And we really get to dive into her mom's impact on her life and her career, and really just the the most important things that Olympia did in her career, but also in her personal life, and her connection to her Greek heritage and how that really formed so much of her personal life and also her professional life.

- Those of us who live in Montclair, New Jersey, back in the day, when Olympia Dukakis won the Academy Award, there was an extraordinary, a great theater company called the Whole Theater Company right on Bloomfield Avenue.

And Olympia was the driver behind that, along with her husband.

We miss the Whole Theater Company.

We miss Olympia.

- Montclair was her home for so many years.

She loved it there.

That's where she wanted to raise her family, her kids.

And her and her husband opened up that theater and it stayed there as a staple for many, many years.

And they both were on the stage and behind the scenes there.

- Let's check out Jacqui Tricarico's interview with Christina Zorich talking about her mom, Olympia Dukakis.

Great stuff.

- To the green room.

- [Interviewee] She has a life force, like one of those spaceships that has this battery that takes you out to the stars.

- Go ahead, Merlin!

Slap her!

One of the things that makes me happy and alive is work.

I'm 80 years old, (upbeat music) Is that unforgivable?

- Her range is frightening.

It's what every actor wants.

I want it.

(upbeat music) - We are so pleased to be now joined by Olympia Dukakis's daughter Christina Zorich, who has followed in her mother's footsteps in so many ways as an actress and as a filmmaker.

And we are just so honored to have you with us, Christina, thank you so much for taking the time.

- Well, Jacqui, it's wonderful honor to have me, so thank you for that.

- Your mom, has really had, she had an extraordinary career, expanded over film, television, theater, so many productions that she was in.

She touched so many lives through her film credits, I could name like "Moonstruck" with Cher, that's where she won the Academy Award.

"Mr. Holland's Opus," "Steel Magnolias," which was one of my all-time favorites growing up and so many more.

First, can you talk to us about how her work really reflected who she was as an artist?

- Wow, that's a big question.

I think, you know, as parents pass, you get a...

I feel like the analogy I use, having lost both of them, that, you know, you realize, it's like you feel like you're closing the pages on a great novel and you get like this perspective on them you didn't have before.

My mom was just...

I knew when I was young, she was special.

I felt like there was so many aspects of her personality that you saw constantly in her work.

She was relentlessly persistent.

She had like tremendous grit and passion for the things that mattered to her, the causes, she had a lot of just ethical sensibility about what good citizenship meant and what it was to be a good citizen.

I think a lot of that actually relates back to her growing up in a Greek family with a certain kind of a value system of like hard work and good citizenship and just a feeling of community and hospitality.

Our household was very open all the time to guests in the arts, so that's a really big principle in Greek culture, but also just a real high value for excellence as artists and as as human beings.

And that was something my father and her shared that was really inspiring and beautiful.

It could be very intense because it's like her consistency and willingness to, like, continually go back into the scene and try to make it better or the work and try to improve it.

It was relentless in a way, but it was also very inspiring and moving to see and yeah.

Yeah.

- And I watched the documentary about your mom called "Olympia" and you saw all of that that you just described in this beautiful documentary about her and her life.

And in the documentary she goes back to Greece and she's speaking to people there, and you were with her on that trip.

How important was it for her to connect back to her roots?

And like you mentioned, she really brought that into so much of her life raising you and your brothers and into her career, right?

- She was, she really wanted...

The thing that I found really moving about her is that she really wanted to get to the truth of things and was willing to take the time, even if it was uncomfortable to try to get there.

And I'm not saying she was perfect in it in any way, shape or form, but there was this hunger and desire up until the very end to try to make herself a better person.

And I found that very moving.

Towards the end of her life, I watched her do that, to make certain decisions about how she wanted to behave, even the last few months of her life.

And I found it really moving to see someone up until the very end really trying to just be a better person or what she considered to be.

So I don't know if that makes that clear.

- Yeah, no.

And I think you saw that too in her activism and she was really involved in the LGBTQ+ community in so many ways through her films and even showing up at Pride parades across the country.

How important was that activism for her?

- Well, she really believed in the American dream.

She really believed in the tenets of constitutional democracy.

She really believed in... Well, one thing...

I'm gonna get emotional.

It's hard not to talk about family and- - And I lost my mom too, so I understand.

- Oh, so you understand.

It's hard.

It's really hard.

- It is.

- But especially when you're talking about these core values.

But she just really valued everyone getting a piece of the American dream.

And there was something in fighting for and supporting that in one another.

And of course we live in a competitive culture, and that's part of democracy, but having those opportunities and openings of generosity, she was incredibly generous.

But at one point, she did an interview right after she won, and she had been on the stage at the Democratic Convention and she said, she stood in the back and started repeating the names of all of the immigrants in her family, who she had come from, who had sacrificed and worked so hard.

And she spoke them out loud on the stage.

I mean, it was assaultingly beautiful to me just because she acknowledged the kind of work and achievement that they had put into for her to get to the place where she's standing on the stage of the Democratic Convention, for her and Michael, right?

So she spoke them out loud.

- Right.

- It was just, I don't know, something about the simplicity of that act I found... Like I'd never known that about her.

You know, when parents pass, you look through, you have to go through all their documents and you have to go through all their stuff and you learn things about them you didn't think you would learn.

And I never saw that interview.

So it was just really beautiful and moving.

Yeah.

- Speaking of her performances in general, for you, what do you think is her most notable?

The one that really you hold onto the dearest.

- Well, there's three performances.

One she sang Lost at...

It's a Bertolt Brecht song.

And my mom had a good voice, you know, she wasn't a singer, but she sang this beautiful song.

I know some of the lyrics.

♪ We're lost out here in the stars ♪ ♪ Little stars, big stars passing through the night ♪ ♪ And we're ♪ It was some beautiful lyric, but she sang it was so much heart that it was...

I remember being very young at the time, They did it when they were at the church, at the Whole Theater.

And I was really rocked by it.

I could just see the impact of just... You know, artists, it's not just the craft, it's not just the training and your instrument.

It's really ultimately who you are.

And she gave so much of who she was in her performances.

Another one was "Mother Courage."

She made a kind of... At the end of the production, they did at the Whole Theater, the last, you know, scene is her kind of pushing through the war that was happening.

he did it like, we saw her from the beginning to end of the play, literally turn into like an animal.

And the war had done that to her.

And so her humanity was slowly chipped away through the course of the play.

So it was like watching like a mule or something pull this, it was so assault and it was without words that it was, you know, in terms of acting, craft they call it like a psychological gesture, but it was where you get this imagery of what war does to us in the physicality of what she did without words.

Did they do?

Yeah.

And then also "Long Day's Journey into Night" the choices she made in that production were just... (Sighs...) The character was a morphine addict in O'Neill's mother.

And of course, the play is a descent into her addiction.

And I mean the last scene, she comes out and she's fully back, blown out into the addiction, and the husband and two sons are watching it.

It's like...

So those three things immediately popped out at me.

But this is, you know, pre...

These were all things that were a part of her and performances that built up before she was a known name.

You know, this was just - Right.

- in her New Jersey community where she was building the Whole Theater and- - Yep, in Montclair, New Jersey where you were raised as well.

And her connection here to New Jersey - Yeah.

- was so important to her and I know your whole family.

Lastly, I do wanna ask about the last project that she worked on, which was actually your project, a really important documentary that you created called "The New Abolitionists," you can watch it right now on Amazon Prime TV, about the horrific issues of human trafficking, human sex trafficking, all throughout Asia.

What did it mean to have your mom a part of that and have her advice during that journey for you as a filmmaker?

- You know, it was everything.

I mean, initially, I think that I had a family meeting with my father, my two brothers, and my mom.

And, you know, understandably, there were various reactions.

"It's dangerous."

What I did is I put the sale of money of my apartment back in New York and I was able to self-fund the film up until halfway through the edit and then I ran outta money.

So I just thought, I'm gonna throw myself at the mercy of the court of my family, and hopefully my mom... And I was still working three jobs and doing fundraisers and doing...

So it wasn't just the only source of income, her, but I knew that I was gonna need to come to them, and I did throughout the years till we've completed it, need that at moments.

And she eventually, her and my dad came on and they were hesitant.

And I know, bristly, you know, at times about it.

And eventually the most moving thing was towards the end when she was kind of getting to that moment where she was predominantly bedridden somewhat, towards the end of her life when she was not eating or moving as much.

And she had just seen the final edit and I asked her, "What do you think?"

And she was just like, in this very Greek way, "Keep going, keep going."

Like she was just...

I'll never forget, it was a simple phrase, but it gave me strength, you know?

- Right, right.

And I'm sure you have that in the back of your head with whatever next projects and things you're dealing with your in your life.

So I know your mom will always be with you, and thank you for sharing some more insight about her, her life, her career, and her legacy.

We really appreciate it.

- Oh, I mean, and it's a blessing to our family, so thank you for having me.

- Thank you so much.

We'll be right back after this.

- [Narrator] To watch more One on One with Steve Adubato find us online and follow us on Social media.

We now shift gears and remember the great Bob McGrath from "Sesame Street" on PBS.

Jacqui, you have an interview that tells us all about Bob McGrath and why we remember him.

Go ahead.

- Yeah, Bob McGrath on "Sesame Street" since the beginning, really, of the show as Bob Johnson, the music teacher.

He was an incredible actor and that character was so important, especially for the times.

And I get to speak with Ben Lehmann who was the former executive producer of "Sesame Street," knew Bob personally, and we get to hear some really inside, interesting stories and facts about Bob McGrath.

- Yeah.

So for those of us connected to public broadcasting in any way, we respect and appreciate and honor the contributions of "Sesame Street" to put us on the map in many ways, and Bob McGrath was a big part of that.

And Jacqui's conversation with Ben helps tell the story as to why we remember the great Bob McGrath.

- Join us now as we remember Sesame Street's own music teacher and friend, Bob McGrath, is former executive producer of "Sesame Street", Benjamin Lehman.

Ben, so great to have you with us.

- Thank you, Jacqui.

It's so great to be here.

- Well, Bob McGrath was already with Sesame Street, and he was a veteran there for over 30 years, I think, when you came on board as a PA back in 2002.

Tell us first what was your first impression of Bob McGrath?

- I mean, it was kind of intimidating, to be honest with you, because I was coming on as a newbie and Bob had been there for 30 years like you pointed out.

But he couldn't have made it easier.

He was the sweetest guy.

He was so approachable.

He always had time for everybody.

And so when I first started in 2002, I was a production assistant and didn't get to interact with Bob all that much at first.

But eventually I became the associate producer in charge of talent.

And one of my responsibilities was letting all the actors and puppeteers know what time to report to set.

And so I got to really, get to know Bob and talk to him more.

And he just was such a lovely and kind person.

It just was such a gift to have that in your job.

- I'm sure you heard so many stories from him, but being a music teacher on Sesame Street and being a musician in real life, I mean, he had this whole life before Sesame Street where he was traveling all over the world performing.

He was in Japan at one time.

What kind of stories did you hear from him about that time in his life?

- I mean, I was fascinated with the fact that he was a teen idol in Japan, which I did not know when I first joined Sesame Street.

I knew Bob as Bob the singer, Bob on Sesame Street, Bob who knows sign language.

He already was, you know, such a full character.

And just to hear those stories.

You know, he was in the army as a young man.

He told me some of those stories about being a musician in the army and then how he was an educator before starting work on Sesame Street.

And he just was someone who loved to share about his own joy around music, but also around education.

And so we got to talk about all that stuff.

- So that was one thing that really connected the two of them.

Bob McGrath, the person and his character on the show.

What were some other things that you saw as similarities between the two, and some differences?

- Well, similarities, I mean, he was so kind, right?

And he was so good with children.

Like if you watch any of those segments where he's singing and there's kids in frame with him, and you can see him just connecting directly with kids.

And that was a thing that always struck me was anytime we did a segment with Bob that included kids is how good he was with them and how natural he was.

And it wasn't, you know, like the cameras turn off and he turns his back and walks off.

He just was in the moment and caring and there for the audience, which is why I think he was such a beloved part of "Sesame Street", right?

The audience could connect with him.

And then for me, the thing that I feel that sometimes people don't always know about Bob is he was very funny.

And he was, you know, he was funny in this way where there was no ego there.

He was not afraid of being made fun of or being the butt of a joke in a segment.

And I have just this very fond memory in my early years, we did a parody called "Triangle Bob, Triangle Pants", which was, as you can imagine, a parody of "SpongeBob", the kids show.

And he wore a triangle around his head and he had triangles all over his clothing and he just looked ridiculous.

But it was the funniest thing.

And he was just so into it.

I just love that about him.

- Well, he took such care in terms of the character he played, the other people that were in the show, the puppeteers.

You brought up before the fact that he knew sign language, learned sign language, and there was a character on the show for many years, Linda Bove, who was deaf, and her character, and Bob, a lot of the times you saw them interacting and using sign language.

Talk about how important it was for Bob and the rest of the team at "Sesame Street" to make sure there was always that representation of all people that would be watching the show.

- Sure, of course.

So, I mean, "Sesame Street" was founded on the idea of representation and of showing all different kinds of kids of all different backgrounds and abilities.

And so when the producers thought to bring on Linda Bove, they thought, well, this is a great opportunity to model someone who is deaf and use his sign language to communicate.

And Bob, to my understanding, it was his initiative.

He's the one who went to the producers and said, "I'm gonna learn sign language so I can be a better cast member to Linda and interact with her."

And if you've watched the show in those years when they were both on, they're like neighbors and they spend a lot of time together and they play off of each other.

And I think that was his own desire to learn more that made him learn sign language and then therefore become the automatic counterpart to Linda on the show.

- Public television, it has been such an important part of learning for our kids for so many decades now, and continues to be on "Sesame Street" even after all these years.

What was the impact of those original characters on the future and the longevity of the show?

- I mean, they really, you know, there's so many facets to that question, right?

Sonia Manzano who played Maria was the first Latina.

She's amazing.

So she was the first recurring cast member who was Latina.

But I think Bob really made the show real for kids.

I think I touched this a little bit earlier, like he really connected with kids.

And you know, he told this wonderful anecdote of like a kid walking up to him in a store once and just taking his hand because there was no, it wasn't like there's Bob on TV and there's Bob in real life.

It was Bob.

And so they really set a foundation for the show that was, you know, that's profound to this day.

You know, and the episodes that Bob is in are still available on TV and on YouTube and on PBS and on MAX.

And so I do think they really, you know, they were this totally integrated, multiracial cast, and that was unique in 1969.

- It sure was.

And you talked about seeing some of these clips and things that are still out there.

I watched a few of them preparing for this interview with you.

And that one where he's talking about death with Big Bird, it's so emotional, and I feel like Bob was emotional in that moment, and it was authentic.

And it was just so powerful.

But for you, what are some of your most memorable moments of him on the show?

- It was whenever he would sing, you know?

Like we did, in my time there, he's very well-known for "Who are the People in Your Neighborhood?"

But when I saw him sing it live on set, I was emotional because that's a song that's such a, you know, it's one of the early classics of "Sesame Street."

That song is so simple.

"Who are the people in your neighborhood?

It's the baker.

It's the postman."

But he brought it home in such a way, I was like, "Oh, this is what community is all about."

And it just is one of my favorite moments with Bob.

But there were so many great moments, you know, behind the scenes.

And he was, you said this, but he was a person that was very in touch, I think, with his own emotion and was not afraid to like, "Oh my God, I'm touched.

I feel something."

So that's why he was such a wonderful person to connect with.

- That's what made him such an important part of the cast for so many years.

How many years was he on the show for?

- Well, you know, in my mind, he was on the show all the way until he passed, you know?

So the show changed around Season 47, and he wasn't on all the time, but then when we did the 50th anniversary celebration, he came on and did multiple, he was throughout the whole hour special, and he continued to be an ambassador for the show.

So in my mind, the way I think about it is he was on the show, you know, I guess he passed in 2022, so 50 something years?

- Yeah, wow.

Wow.

It's really incredible.

Such a long run to be on one of the most important children's show that ever was on public television.

And for you and for all of us, why should we remember Bob McGrath?

- Well, I mean, he's a original cast member of one of the most pioneering shows on public television that really shifted the paradigm of what TV could be, especially for children.

You know, it's accepted now that you want your kids to watch, if they're gonna be watching TV, you want it to be educational.

You want them to have something to take away from it.

That it's not just jingles and commercials.

And so Bob was really one of the founding members of that experiment, which lives on to this day.

And so that's why I think he remains an icon and will.

- Thank you so much, Ben, for joining us as we remember the late great Bob McGrath.

- My pleasure, it's really been an honor.

Thank you.

- And for Steve Adubato and myself, thank you so much for watching.

We'll see you next time.

- [Narrator] One-On-One with Steve Adubato is a production of the Caucus Educational Corporation.

Funding has been provided by PSEG Foundation.

NJM Insurance Group.

Hackensack Meridian Health.

The New Jersey Education Association.

Community FoodBank of New Jersey.

Kean University.

New Jersey Sharing Network.

And by United Airlines.

Promotional support provided by NJ.Com.

And by ROI-NJ.

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