December 8, 2025 • 8 mins
Amy talks with 5-time Emmy Award Winning Stand-Up Comedian and former NBC Weathercaster Fritz Coleman about his new one man show “Unassisted Living” happening at the Wilshire Ebell on January 15th.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
We're going to go right to one of the most
beloved weathermen in LA history who left the TV studio
and has hit the stage. Welcome to Fritz Coleman. Good morning, Fritz.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
And good morning to you Amy. Glad to talk to
you again.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Thanks for getting up so early in the morning for us.
So you left TV? When did you retire from TV?
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Five years ago?
Speaker 1 (00:25):
And I think we talked one other Why I'm up?
Speaker 2 (00:27):
That's why I'm up at this hour of the morning,
because I'm on retirement schedule. I go to bed at
eight o'clock and I get up at five.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Well that you're a better man than I, because if
I didn't have to get up this early, I certainly wouldn't.
But what made you decide to make the jump from
television to the stage.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Well, a lot of people don't know this, but I
actually got my job doing weather from doing comedy. I
was working at the Comedy Store in nineteen eighty two
and the news director from Channel four, Steve Antonette god Rest,
his soul and his wife were in the audience at
that show, and I had talked on stage issues a
(01:06):
Friday night. I'll never forget it. I had talked on
stage about having done the weather in the Navy. I
worked for Armed Forces Radio and Television in the Navy,
and I was forced to do the weather against my
will and I didn't know anything about it. But that
didn't seem to effective decision making in the Defense department.
I still had to do the weather. So anyway, I
(01:26):
had an anecdote or two about this, and after the
show was over, I went backstage to meet this man
and his wife, and he said, this is an odd question,
but do you have any desire to come to Channel four.
I need a weekend weather person and a fill in guy,
a utility player that can do some vacation relief for me.
And I was making twenty five dollars a night at
(01:47):
the comedy store. So after my heartbeat returned to normal,
I said, oh my god, when do you want me
to start? And he said, well, you have to audition.
So I auditioned the next week I got the job.
I did weekend fill in for two years, and then
the main weather guy left to go to CBS and
I was bumped up and I retired two weeks shy
(02:09):
on my fortieth anniversary. It was the greatest stroke of
luck and show business and said woman was discovering in
Shwarp's pharmacy in the forties.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
Well, so, now that you're away from the world of weather,
do you miss it.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
I'll tell you I don't miss the job, and I'll
tell you why, because now the climate change is here,
weather has gotten really serious. And you know, I was
hired because I was doing personality. You know, it was
like our evening newscast was kind of like the morning
newscasts are now, where it was familial and you say, hey,
what did you do over the weekend and everybody left
(02:45):
and oh, yes, and here's the news. It was much
less formal and strict and fast paced as it was.
So that doesn't exist anymore due to climate change. And
first of all, I wouldn't have a job because you
have to have a license. Now. These people who are
doing the weather now are meteorologists. They have to have
the seal from the American Meteorological Society. I never could
(03:08):
have gotten that because it's math and science heavy. I
honestly I never, I seriously, I never would have gotten
the job. And so I don't miss the job. What
I miss is the people. I made some beautiful friends,
and in forty years we you know, went through marriages
and divorces and the birth of children, and you know,
(03:29):
we were into trenches together and I do miss the
humanity of it.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Yeah, and I think it's it's interesting for it's because like,
even though you've not been NBC's weatherman for a few
years now, like you say that name, and everybody knows
who Fritz Goldman is, like.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
So well, I beat them into submission over forty years.
You know, even if they don't like you, they know
who you are because you've been recurring on television at
five eighteen every night for forty years. And it's really interesting.
And you know this being in the me when you
when you come into people's lives at the same time
every day for an extended period of time, they you
(04:08):
really have this sort of this false intimacy with them.
You're you're part of their lives and they're part of yours,
and it's uh they they hold onto that feeling. I mean,
there are people who have named sheets who puppies after
Fritz and parakeets after Fritz, and it's just ridiculous.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
I love that I had a lady named a chicken
after me.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
There you go, I I.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Have arrived Yeah, it's an adorable little chicken too. So
so you're you're not just retiring, though you're taking You're
going back to the stage. And you've been doing sellout
shows of your unassisted residency. Uh, two years of sellout shows,
So what the heck, let's keep it going. Tell us
what's funny about getting older? Fritz?
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Well, well, you have to laugh to keep from crying. Uh.
Actually starting our third year, I just got extended for
another year through all of twenty twenty six at the
Alportal once a month. I'm ecstatic because it's become my home.
But I do these things called single topic monologues. I
did one about being a divorced parent. I did one
(05:15):
about doing the evening news called to nine at eleven.
Then I did my first one about getting old, called
Defying Gravity. And this is one about being fully ensconced
in old age and trying to deal with it. And
it's called unassisted living, and at the Alportal they're called
unassisted residency. It's just I'll tell you, I think that
(05:38):
the job of the comedian has never been more important
than it is right now with the discord we have
in the world, with a separation between opinions. If you
can just gather people together and talk about what we
have in common, which is the aging experience, You're drawing
people together into a common experience as opposed to deciding
(05:59):
what's what's separating us. I don't do any politics. I
just talk about what makes us, what brings us together,
what's our common humanity. I talk about being a grandchild.
I talk about their changes in your body physically. I
talk about taking taking seven pills before you go to
bed at night. I talk about going to my fifty
(06:20):
fifth high school reunion. I just all of these things
that other people have experienced. And somebody called it the
perfect baby boomers support group. So I'm having a great time.
I'm really having a wonderful time.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
With Okay, So Fritz, how can people come and have
a great time with you? You know, we have some
This would be a great Christmas present. You know, the
person who has everything. You're like, we don't need stuff
because I'm really into experiences. So maybe tickets to Fritz's
unassisted residency might be a great Christmas present.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Which you perfectly described it. We're usually at the latter
we're off for December because in this particular Theater. They're
doing a Christmas show, but we're back January. Every month
through twenty twenty sixth We're usually on the last Sunday
of each month and the show starts at three o'clock
in the afternoon on Sunday because people in my demographics
(07:16):
like to be home by dark.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
I love it. Okay, where can we get more information
about it?
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Brand? Okay, you can go to the el Portale Theater.
It's spelled like Portal, but it's pronounced el Portal prt
al el Portaltheater dot com. They have the most the
soonest several months. Book there, have a ticket and come
and see us. Our next is going to be at
the end of January, and I would love to see you.
(07:44):
And you described the perfect holiday present. Bring your family.
If you have older people in your family, if you
have a child who's younger than you, but you'd like
to see Fritz's show as a cautionary tale about what
it'll be when you get older, come and see it.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
All right, the one and only Fritz Coleman, Thank you
so much, Good luck to you, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year,
and again, if you want to get tickets, El Portaltheater
dot com slash Fritz Coleman.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
Thank you, Fritz, you are the best. Thank you so much, Amie.
I appreciate it all right, take care,
We're going to go right to one of the most
beloved weathermen in LA history who left the TV studio
and has hit the stage. Welcome to Fritz Coleman. Good morning, Fritz.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
And good morning to you Amy. Glad to talk to
you again.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Thanks for getting up so early in the morning for us.
So you left TV? When did you retire from TV?
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Five years ago?
Speaker 1 (00:25):
And I think we talked one other Why I'm up?
Speaker 2 (00:27):
That's why I'm up at this hour of the morning,
because I'm on retirement schedule. I go to bed at
eight o'clock and I get up at five.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Well that you're a better man than I, because if
I didn't have to get up this early, I certainly wouldn't.
But what made you decide to make the jump from
television to the stage.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Well, a lot of people don't know this, but I
actually got my job doing weather from doing comedy. I
was working at the Comedy Store in nineteen eighty two
and the news director from Channel four, Steve Antonette god Rest,
his soul and his wife were in the audience at
that show, and I had talked on stage issues a
(01:06):
Friday night. I'll never forget it. I had talked on
stage about having done the weather in the Navy. I
worked for Armed Forces Radio and Television in the Navy,
and I was forced to do the weather against my
will and I didn't know anything about it. But that
didn't seem to effective decision making in the Defense department.
I still had to do the weather. So anyway, I
(01:26):
had an anecdote or two about this, and after the
show was over, I went backstage to meet this man
and his wife, and he said, this is an odd question,
but do you have any desire to come to Channel four.
I need a weekend weather person and a fill in guy,
a utility player that can do some vacation relief for me.
And I was making twenty five dollars a night at
(01:47):
the comedy store. So after my heartbeat returned to normal,
I said, oh my god, when do you want me
to start? And he said, well, you have to audition.
So I auditioned the next week I got the job.
I did weekend fill in for two years, and then
the main weather guy left to go to CBS and
I was bumped up and I retired two weeks shy
(02:09):
on my fortieth anniversary. It was the greatest stroke of
luck and show business and said woman was discovering in
Shwarp's pharmacy in the forties.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
Well, so, now that you're away from the world of weather,
do you miss it.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
I'll tell you I don't miss the job, and I'll
tell you why, because now the climate change is here,
weather has gotten really serious. And you know, I was
hired because I was doing personality. You know, it was
like our evening newscast was kind of like the morning
newscasts are now, where it was familial and you say, hey,
what did you do over the weekend and everybody left
(02:45):
and oh, yes, and here's the news. It was much
less formal and strict and fast paced as it was.
So that doesn't exist anymore due to climate change. And
first of all, I wouldn't have a job because you
have to have a license. Now. These people who are
doing the weather now are meteorologists. They have to have
the seal from the American Meteorological Society. I never could
(03:08):
have gotten that because it's math and science heavy. I
honestly I never, I seriously, I never would have gotten
the job. And so I don't miss the job. What
I miss is the people. I made some beautiful friends,
and in forty years we you know, went through marriages
and divorces and the birth of children, and you know,
(03:29):
we were into trenches together and I do miss the
humanity of it.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Yeah, and I think it's it's interesting for it's because like,
even though you've not been NBC's weatherman for a few
years now, like you say that name, and everybody knows
who Fritz Goldman is, like.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
So well, I beat them into submission over forty years.
You know, even if they don't like you, they know
who you are because you've been recurring on television at
five eighteen every night for forty years. And it's really interesting.
And you know this being in the me when you
when you come into people's lives at the same time
every day for an extended period of time, they you
(04:08):
really have this sort of this false intimacy with them.
You're you're part of their lives and they're part of yours,
and it's uh they they hold onto that feeling. I mean,
there are people who have named sheets who puppies after
Fritz and parakeets after Fritz, and it's just ridiculous.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
I love that I had a lady named a chicken
after me.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
There you go, I I.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Have arrived Yeah, it's an adorable little chicken too. So
so you're you're not just retiring, though you're taking You're
going back to the stage. And you've been doing sellout
shows of your unassisted residency. Uh, two years of sellout shows,
So what the heck, let's keep it going. Tell us
what's funny about getting older? Fritz?
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Well, well, you have to laugh to keep from crying. Uh.
Actually starting our third year, I just got extended for
another year through all of twenty twenty six at the
Alportal once a month. I'm ecstatic because it's become my home.
But I do these things called single topic monologues. I
did one about being a divorced parent. I did one
(05:15):
about doing the evening news called to nine at eleven.
Then I did my first one about getting old, called
Defying Gravity. And this is one about being fully ensconced
in old age and trying to deal with it. And
it's called unassisted living, and at the Alportal they're called
unassisted residency. It's just I'll tell you, I think that
(05:38):
the job of the comedian has never been more important
than it is right now with the discord we have
in the world, with a separation between opinions. If you
can just gather people together and talk about what we
have in common, which is the aging experience, You're drawing
people together into a common experience as opposed to deciding
(05:59):
what's what's separating us. I don't do any politics. I
just talk about what makes us, what brings us together,
what's our common humanity. I talk about being a grandchild.
I talk about their changes in your body physically. I
talk about taking taking seven pills before you go to
bed at night. I talk about going to my fifty
(06:20):
fifth high school reunion. I just all of these things
that other people have experienced. And somebody called it the
perfect baby boomers support group. So I'm having a great time.
I'm really having a wonderful time.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
With Okay, So Fritz, how can people come and have
a great time with you? You know, we have some
This would be a great Christmas present. You know, the
person who has everything. You're like, we don't need stuff
because I'm really into experiences. So maybe tickets to Fritz's
unassisted residency might be a great Christmas present.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Which you perfectly described it. We're usually at the latter
we're off for December because in this particular Theater. They're
doing a Christmas show, but we're back January. Every month
through twenty twenty sixth We're usually on the last Sunday
of each month and the show starts at three o'clock
in the afternoon on Sunday because people in my demographics
(07:16):
like to be home by dark.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
I love it. Okay, where can we get more information
about it?
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Brand? Okay, you can go to the el Portale Theater.
It's spelled like Portal, but it's pronounced el Portal prt
al el Portaltheater dot com. They have the most the
soonest several months. Book there, have a ticket and come
and see us. Our next is going to be at
the end of January, and I would love to see you.
(07:44):
And you described the perfect holiday present. Bring your family.
If you have older people in your family, if you
have a child who's younger than you, but you'd like
to see Fritz's show as a cautionary tale about what
it'll be when you get older, come and see it.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
All right, the one and only Fritz Coleman, Thank you
so much, Good luck to you, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year,
and again, if you want to get tickets, El Portaltheater
dot com slash Fritz Coleman.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
Thank you, Fritz, you are the best. Thank you so much, Amie.
I appreciate it all right, take care,
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