Who the F*** is Roger Smith?!?
So, who is Roger Smith? He testified at the Menendez trial. He got hit on by Grace Kelly. He worked with Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Orson Welles, Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Steven Spielberg, Gerald Ford, George Soros and Beverly Sills. He said opera needs subtitles. And Michael Eisner was heard to say... "Who the F*&% is Roger Smith?" Roger Smith. No, not the one married to Ann Margaret and not the one Michael Moore chased from General Motors. The OTHER one. Writer, marketing whiz, editor, entrepreneur. This Roger Smith sat down with PBS film critic and NPR radio host Bill McCuddy who asks So, who the F _is_ Roger Smith? "My real goal was to have an interesting life surrounded by fascinating people," says Roger Smith. "And at that I succeeded beyond my expectations." Have a listen and we think you'll agree.
Episodes
May 15, 2024 • 52 mins
Roger's talked a lot about movies; what he thinks of them and what it was like being in the movie business. But here he tells us how how he fell in love with the medium in the first place. From being taken to theaters by his mother to going to Boston's famous art-houses while at Harvard. And there's a lot more including the film Disney has kept hidden, the movie Warner Bros honcho Steve always wanted to remake and the film he predi...
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April 4, 2024 • 36 mins
As you well know by now, Roger has met some amazing people. Some famous, some not. But there is one woman who stands above the rest. You'll hear tales of Cuban exiles, dancing, operas, glamorous apartments in several countries and a lost diamond earring miraculously recovered.
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March 20, 2024 • 23 mins
In one of our most popular podcasts (season 1 episode 4) Roger told us how he came to testify at the Menendez Brothers murder trial. He had a unique perspective on one of the most famous trials on the 20th Century. Now Netflix has announced it will dramatize the events in a film produced by Ryan Murphy. Naturally we wanted to get Roger's take on all this and who he wants to play him in the movie!
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March 5, 2024 • 9 mins
Here's a quick take on a present day conundrum. Is today's "woke" culture eliminating unflattering depictions of certain cultures and groups? Is our history in danger of being erased? Roger has his own take on it all. He remembers how some very old photographs got him in a spot of trouble way back in the 1980s.
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February 1, 2024 • 28 mins
There's nothing like having to make a decision. In life and in business, making the right choice can mean everything. Here Roger tells us about some of his decisions as well as those made by savvy businessmen. But first he tells us how his own decision to impress someone by picking up the check at dinner almost went awry. You'll learn how his father decided what brand of car to buy and how someone as successful as George Soros pick...
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January 5, 2024 • 49 mins
Roger takes us back to the days when cable TV and stations like MTV and Nickelodeon were the cutting edge of the entertainment business. Those were the days when Roger worked with and became fast friends with legendary Warner Brothers head Steve Ross. Roger tells us how Ross was not only business savvy but generous and gracious as well. Rare traits in big corporations these days. Roger also tells us his days selling encyclopedias a...
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December 15, 2023 • 49 mins
No, Roger doesn't play the violin, but he does know a lot about the music business. Here he tells us about buying a chain of record stores back when that was how most people bought their music. It's a very colorful tale involving a mobster and such arcane terms as "rack jobbing." He also explains how something Danny DeVito said turned out to be good business advice. You'll also hear about his wise sister the talent agent and how he...
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November 22, 2023 • 36 mins
If you follow the business end of show business you've no doubt heard about the film libraries own by various companies. Here Roger takes us behind the scenes of acquiring these valuable properties and how they can be leveraged. And although today you can get your entertainment via cable companies, streaming sites and even DVDs, Roger explains how no matter what the technology is, the basics of business remain the same.
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November 2, 2023 • 52 mins
As you know by now, Roger's had some amazing experiences in show business, the arts and theater. But this is the first time he talks about sports. He remembers watching the great Sugar Ray Robinson box as well as what eventually turned him off about the sport. Roger also explains why even though he lives in New York, he's not a Mets or Yankees fan. He also tells how he helped bring soccer legend Pele to the Big Apple and Roger goes...
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November 2, 2023 • 25 mins
As you've no doubt already realized, Roger knows his way around the spoken word. But he's had some success with the written word as well. In fact, Roger's been published by some pretty famous magazines such as Esquire, Playboy and the showbiz staple,Variety. But not always under his own name. He'll explain why a nom de plume may come in handy at times as well as some of the things he wanted to educate his readers about.
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October 6, 2023 • 23 mins
Once known primarily for potato farms and fishing, the area on the east part of Long Island known as "The Hamptons" is now considered one of the most exclusive areas in the country. It's the kind of real estate where if you have to ask the price you can't afford it. Roger knows it well and here he tells us what it was like there years ago and what celebrities now call it home as well as where they like to eat. He even tells about t...
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September 21, 2023 • 14 mins
Roger is no stranger to the pleasures of the grape. In this episode he tells us about some of the very interesting people he's imbibed with. Plus he tells us several pieces of advice he's received while drinking wine as well as advice about ordering wine. And then there's the time he he almost had to pay for a super expensive bottle of the vintage stuff. As they say:"In Vino Veritas."
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August 31, 2023 • 26 mins
We're taking a break from our usual format with this episode in which Roger speaks with an old pal - John Berendt. The author of the best-selling non-fiction book "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" tells Roger what it's like to deal with editors and publishers, when he knew he had a hit on his hand and what it was like to travel the country doing publicity. John Berendt also acknowledges the role luck had in his success. Rog...
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August 17, 2023 • 29 mins
Here Roger fills us in on actress Merisa Berenson, who he first met when she was in prep school, just before she starred in "Barry Lyndon." One of the most beautiful women of her time, Roger became her protector of sorts, keeping the likes of Ginacarlo Giananni at a respectful distance. And speaking of "Barry Lyndon," Roger explains how its famously idiosyncratic director Stanley Kubrick grew to trust his advice. No easy trick. The...
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August 10, 2023 • 30 mins
During Roger's days at Warner Brothers there was no one more important in the company's roster of talent than Clint Eastwood. He was easy to work with and his pictures made money. Roger tells us how Warners' efforts to show its appreciation could be a little awkward at times. Then Roger tells us about his dealings with the "mad genius" Dennis Hopper. The "Easy Rider" star had his wild side to be sure, but he also had a keen eye for...
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August 3, 2023 • 19 mins
If you thought that Roger had run out of stories about the celebrities he's met in the previous episode, fear not. Here he tells us about giving valuable financial advice to Candace Bergen and the time he tried to get financing for a Robert Altman movie. He also fills us in on Robert Altman's wife and the wheeling and dealing that goes on at the Cannes Film Festival. Turns out there's more going on there than red-carpets and fancy ...
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July 27, 2023 • 16 mins
Many of us have had at least one random encounter with a celebrity we'll remember forever, even if the celebrity won't. Roger's certainly had his share and here he tells us about two in particular. First there's the time Harrison Ford went out of his way to introduce Roger to the a capella group known as The Persuasions which then led to Roger meeting the group in New York. Then Roger tells us about the time Richard Gere needed som...
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July 21, 2023 • 47 mins
Roger told us a few episodes ago about some of his dealings with the theater and here he goes into greater detail, starting with how he became enamored of stage productions as a boy. Both his parents were active in regional theater. He remembers when shows had out-of-town tryouts before opening on Broadway and he also remembers legends such as Elaine May, Peter Flak and even Maggie Smith perform. And as head of Warner Theater Produ...
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July 13, 2023 • 10 mins
Roger takes us behind the scenes at a Hollywood poker game where he meets and strikes up a long lasting friendship with filmmaker and actor Robert Downey Sr. You may be more familiar with his son, Robert Downey Jr, star of "Iron Man" and soon to be seen in "Oppenheimer." But Robert Downey Sr. is best known for writing and directing "Putney Swope" - a satire of the New York advertising world, as well as other underground films of th...
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July 6, 2023 • 13 mins
It seems Roger has wanted to be a philanthropist since he was in school and found out what the word means. And the best part was that he got to give away somebody's else's money. It happened during his days at Warners when the company was flush with cash from its Atari video game division and eager to do good. If you know what happened to Atari then you know that the money didn't last long. But Roger managed to help out the likes o...
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