Ed Asner: Son of a Junkman
Original Airdates: Mar. 6-8, 2020
TVC 483.3: Ed welcomes back eight-time Emmy Award winner Ed Asner (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Lou Grant, Elf, Disney Pixar’s UP, Briarpatch). Ed’s new memoir, SON OF A JUNKMAN: My Life from the West Bottoms of Kansas City to the Bright Lights of Hollywood, is a charming, funny, and often very poignant look at his life and career, from his colorful childhood as the son of a junkman in Kansas City to his spectacular acting career.
Ed Asner and The Path to Lou Grant
Original Airdates: Mar. 6-8, 2020
TVC 483.4: Legendary actor, author, and activist Ed Asner (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Lou Grant, Elf, Disney Pixar’s UP, Briarpatch) talks about the roles that actor Richard Crenna and The House on Greenapple Road—a made-for-TV movie produced by Quinn Martin—both played in helping him land his signature role of Lou Grant. Ed can currently be seen as town boss James Staghorne Sr. in Briarpatch, which airs Monday nights on USA Network.
Ed’s memoir, SON OF A JUNKMAN: My Life from the West Bottoms of Kansas City to the Bright Lights of Hollywood, not only pays tribute to his cast members on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Lou Grant, but reveals the person on whom Ed based his portrayal of Grant when he did the hour-long series. Son of a Junkman also discusses the challenges that Ed faced during his tenure as president of the Screen Actors Guild; the backlash he faced from the El Salvador controversy in 1982, and the effect that had not only on Lou Grant, but his acting career in general; and the influence that Ed’s father continues to have on his life today. Ed Asner plays God Almighty in God Help Us, a political comedy written by Samuel Warren Joseph that provides hope for the future, provided we all listen to each other. Samuel Warren Joseph was one of Ed’s collaborators on Son of a Junkman.
Ed will be performing God Help Us
April 5, 2020 – Village Theater at Cherry Hill, 50400 Cherry Hill Rd, Canton, MI
April 10, 2020 – Brewer PAC, 92 Pendleton St, Brewer, ME
April 18, 2020 – Acorn Theater, 107 Generations Dr, Three Oaks, MI
April 25 & 26, 2020 – Hampton Arts, Virginia
May 2, 2020 – Solvang Theater Festival, 420 2nd St, Solvang, CA
June 11, 2020 – HEAR Now Festival, Bragg Auditorium, 4501 Walnut St, Kansas City, MO 64111
To find out how to book God Help Us at a playhouse near you, go to GodHelpUs.net.
Ed Asner will also bring his critically acclaimed one-man show A Man and His Prostate to the following venues this spring:
Saturday, March 14 – The Hoytt Theater | 200 N San Pedro Rd, San Rafael, CA
Tuesday, April 28 – The Temple Theatre | 120 Carthage St., Sanford, NC
Saturday, June 20 – The Astra Theater | 517 Main St, Jasper, IN
Once described as “The Vagina Monologues for men,” A Man and His Prostate was written by Ed. Weinberger, Ed’s longtime friend and fellow Mary Tyler Moore Show collaborator, and the co-author of Ed’s book The Grouchy Historian. For more information, go to AManandHisProstate.com.
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