Show-biz Legend Steve Rossi
June 26, 2013- 6-7pm PST 1230AM in LV & The Web
Audio of interviews posted below (Scroll down)
Steve Rossi: May 25, 1932 – June 22, 2014
Show-biz Legend Steve Rossi was a frequent favorite, in-studio guest on Las Vegas Backstage Talk Radio Show with Comedian Michele LaFong on 1230am in Las Vegas and The Web.
In one of his first interviews Steve shared his many amazing experiences, lessons, and stories in his fifty-five year career in show business covering everything from what it was like what to room with Howard Stern many years ago when he was managing the frequently fired “Shock Jock,” to the real reason he and Marty Allen couldn’t get back together for even one TV Special last year that offered over a million plus dollars.
Steve Rossi was half of the world famous comedy team of Allen and Rossi. At the age of six he appeared in ‘Going My Way’ with Bing Crosby, ‘The Johnson Story’ and over thirty movies. At the age of 16, Steve received a scholarship to The University of Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles and received a BA in communication, arts and theatre and in Latin and Greek. In 1954 Steve co-starred with Mae West in her sold out concerts all over America.
Steve teamed up with Marty Allen in 1957 and soon became America’s #1 comedy team. They Appeared in over 7000 television shows including frequent appearances on the ‘Ed Sullivan Show’, and hold dubious honor of having to go on stage right after the Beatles created pandemonium on the show. They also guest starred on Perry Como, Dean Martin, Dinah Shore, Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas and the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Allen and Rossi were also regular guest stars on ‘What’s My Line, Hollywood Squares, Password and numerous other game shows.
Allen and Rossi starred in several Paramount films, most notably ‘The Last of the Secret Agents’ with the guest stars Nancy Sinatra and Ed Sullivan.
Steve also produced and starred in ‘The 25th Anniversary Allen and Rossi Special’ with guest stars Engelbert Humperdinck, Jerry Lewis, Sammy Davis Jr., Don Rickles, Phyllis Diller, Redd Foxx, Martin Sheen, Ernie Borgnine, Rich Little, Jack Jones and Tony Orlando. Steve has produced 11 comedy albums and eight singing albums on such labels as RCA and Columbia. He sold 2 million copies of his hit record “More”, which was nominated for an Academy Award.
Steve Rossi also wrote and produced “Jimmy Stewart & Friends” starring Rich Little that was appearing at The Las Vegas Hotel.
On May 20th 2009, Steve Rossi was inducted into Show Business Legends hall of fame at the Tropicana hotel in Las Vegas.
At the end of his life Steve was diagnosed with cancer which had spread to several areas of his body. Due to his age and weakened condition there were no treatment options available. Steve reached the brave decision with the support of his wife, family, and friends to enter hospice care. He lived only 10 days after his diagnosis.
From: Mr. Rossi’s Personal Assistant, Christine Kramar:
Please join us as for a memorial service for Mr. Steve Rossi. This event will be open to the public. Steve’s life will be celebrated with his personal Priest Father Ron at St. Joseph Husband of Mary Catholic Church. Signing up for a ticket does help the organizers of this event prepare for how many people will be attending, however we will not shut out…Share this event on Facebook
> and Twitter
> Event Details:
> ——————————
>
> Celebration of the Life of Steve Rossi Please join us as for a
> memorial service for Mr. Steve Rossi. This event will be open to the public.
> Steve’s life will be celebrated with his personal Priest Father Ron at
> St. Joseph Husband of Mary Catholic Church. Signing up for a ticket does help the organizers of this event prepare for how many people will be attending, however we will not shut out friends or fans who do not have a ticket. The tickets are a way for us to communicate to the church and the cemetery how many people to expect. It also gives us your email address to update you immediately should anything change regarding his services.
> Event: Memorial Celebration for Steve Rossi
> Date: Friday, June 27, 2014 from 1:00 PM to 5:30 PM (PDT)
> Location: St. Joseph Husband of Mary Catholic
> Church 7260 W Sahara Ave. Las Vegas,
> NV 89117
> Schedule of Events
> 1:00 – 1:45 Visitation Presentation of memories from
> dear friends of Steve Rossi
> 1:45 – 2:00 Reflection and Prayer
> 2:00 – 3:30 Celebration of Life with Father Ron
> Steve had spoken with his Priest Father Ron about his final wishes for his service and sought a traditional Catholic service.
> 3:30 – 4:00 Travel to Graveside Service Steve’s
> final resting place is at Palm Eastern Cemetery
> 7600 S Eastern Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89123 (702)
> 464-8500
> 4:00 Graveside Service
>
> Due to limited financial resources the family will be unable to host a
> reception after the graveside service. In the near future there will
> be a benefit to help support Mr. Rossi’s widow and offset his final expenses. Donations in lieu of flowers toward his final expenses may be made through the funeral home Kraft Sussman at (702) 485-6500 Donations are accepted through this website as well.
> Please direct further questions about this event to:
> LegendarySteveRossi@gmail.com or call (702) 606-2618. Due to the volume of calls your message will be answered most quickly via email or text.
Bobby Rydell with Special Guest, Comedian Michele LaFong-The Suncoast
by Michele LaFong
Today, I interviewed “Original Teenage Idol” Bobby Rydell. He was my guest on Las Vegas Backstage Talk Radio Show on 1230 am KLAV, in Las Vegas, and The Web. He was on the show to promote his up-coming dates at The Suncoast Showroom, Jan. 11-13 at 7:30pm I will also be opening for him, and performing “A Tribute to Senor Wences” with The “Original Johnny” lipstick hand-puppet that Wences “handed-off” to me, documented in LIFE Magazine.
This will be Bobby’s first time performing a full hour+ show in a year since surviving double surgery, a liver, and kidney transplant.
“I was really sick for a year. I said to my wife: it’s over! Get the will ready because I’m gone honey! The very next day, I got a call from Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia telling me to get in right away. That afternoon, I was in the OR for 20+ hours having both a liver and a kidney transplant. I was in July 9. I was home July 19. After 10 days in the hospital, that was it. I had no pain, no nothing. So God Bless Jefferson Hospital, and their whole surgical team!”
“If it weren’t for my wife, I wouldn’t be here. She happens to be a nurse. She saved my life.”
Rydell, is no stranger to playing Las Vegas. His first appearance here was back in ’60 or ’61, at The Sahara Hotel. “I did two weeks with George Burns. I used to stand in the wings after I was done performing, and just watch him. How he delivered a line, his timing.” There wasn’t a short-list of the Icons that Rydell hadn’t worked with over the years. He had great stories. “Jack Benny, I did his TV show, I worked with him, we did “Theater in the Round” together, Perry Como, and Tody Fields. “The one guy who was really been behind me, he was “My Superstar” …Red Skeleton.”
I did 12 shows with Red. The Red Skelton Hour, years ago on CBS, Television City, and then Red took me under his wing because he lost his son Richard at 15 years old via leukemia. When I did his show, I was just like 18, or 19 years old, and the producer of the show, Cecil Barker, said to me at rehearsal “I understand that you do an impersonation of Red.” I said “yeah, I do Clem Kadiddlehopper”, he said “can I hear it?” (So I did it.) “And Red was rehearsing with David Rose, he overheard me doing this, and he started talking back to me as Clem Kadiddlehopper . Then we did that show, and we did a couple of shows like that, and then on the third or fourth show, they wrote in a character, Zeek Kadiddlehopper, that was me. I played (Red’s) Clem Kadiddlehopper’s cousin. Cecil Parker said to me “you are the first person who ever imitated one of Red’s characters on Red’s TV show, and he flew me to his house in Palm Springs, and I met his wife, his daughter… he had 3 poodles, a Mack howl on his shoulder that bit me… Those were great times! Then, a few years back before he passed away, I went to see him with my children. He was at the Caesars in Atlantic City. He introduced me, and I went backstage, then you know how he does of the silent things where he does the old man? You know …. “Walking in the Parade,” all of those “Bits,” and I started crying,” you know, (He said while choking up.) because he meant so much to me. “So I went backstage, and I said to Red, I said “you did it again. You made me cry.” He said… “was I that bad?!” (lol…”Sorry, I got a little “teary eyed” there…) It happens to me a lot when I’m telling old show-biz stories from the past… I cry a lot more now!
Bobby Rydell’s full interview will be aired this Thursday, from 6-7pm PST. Stream live lasvegasbackstagetalk.com. It will be archived on the website. He will also be featured in Michele LaFong’s Monthly Syndicated Column, “Las Vegas Backstage Talk,” in Casino Player Magazine. (CP Magazine.)
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