From improv stages to some of the most beloved comedies of the last two decades, Wendi McLendon-Covey joins Media Path for a lively, laugh-infused conversation about finding and trusting her voice.

Wendi looks back on her Groundlings run where she honed fearless comedic instincts and created characters that would define her career.

Though she always knew she wanted to perform, it took time, and a leap of courage for her to fully pursue it. While holding down a full time job, she signed up for a bunny slope Groundlings class called “Fun Shop” and stayed for ten years, moving all the way up to seven years in the main company!.

She shares behind-the-scenes Reno 911 deep dish! like how she created “Clementine Johnson” (based on a Groundlings character who was based on her real-life aunt) and the back stories behind iconic moments like the drunk catwalk and her Ill-fated “lottery win.”

Wendi’s favorite Reno 911 movie iteration is The Search For QAnon which was shot on The Queen Mary during the pandemic. And ghosts being vaccinated by death, the ship was still haunted!

A Steely Dan fangirl, Wendi recounts how a storyline revealing her Clementine as a groupie led to an unexpected real-life live show invitation, and an onstage shoutout from Walter Becker!

The conversation inevitably turns to The Goldbergs set, where a decade-long run fostered deep bonds among the cast. Wendi reflects on what she misses most, shares what it was like to meet the real Beverly Goldberg, and offers memorable stories about The Goldbergs’ beloved George Segal.

Now starring in St. Denis Medical, Wendi tells us how she embraced the role of Joyce and reflects on her career’s ongoing evolution. She also credits her husband Greg as a constant source of support and encouragement throughout her journey.

And we learn how Wendi has lent her impeccable comic skill and timing to some beloved and feel-good favorites in a memorable round of IMDB Roulette!

Plus, in a perfect Wendi moment, the episode wraps with a roll call of her eight cats!

And in current media recommendations, Lisa and Weezy discuss the Netflix comedy competition series, Funny AF with Kevin Hart.

Path Points of Interest:

Wendi McLendon-Covey on Instagram

Wendi McLendon-Covey on Wikipedia

Wendi McLendon-Covey on IMDB

St. Denis Medical

Funny AF with Kevin Hart

The Golden age, silver-screen legend who lived to tell a tale that could have only unfolded in Hollywood , Mamie Van Doren joins Media Path for a candid conversation about a life shaped by resilience, reinvention, and remarkable twists of fate!

The woman who helped define an extraordinary era of entertainment and cultural change has chronicled both her escapades and her conquered adversities in a page-turning new memoir called 'You Thought I Was Dead: My Life of Celebrities, Sex and Champagne.’

Mamie traces her grit back to a hard scrabble, Depression era, South Dakota childhood where poverty and hunger were a daily reality. Determined to escape that world, she set her sights on Hollywood, with a little help from lore, intentionally placing herself at a pharmacy soda counter in the in hopes of being “discovered,” just as Lana Turner had been. She was stunning and it worked. She was also 14!

What followed was a series of cinematic turning points. Including a TV role, broadcast from The famed Florentine Gardens and a close friendship with cocktail server Elizabeth Short, who horrifically became known as The Black Dahlia. Her brutal loss has affected Mamie profoundly and permanently.

Mamie recounts her rapid rise through the studio system after being spotted by a Universal executive, leading to a seven-year contract and her breakout role opposite Tony Curtis (and some handsome USC football stars) in 'All American'.

She shares the origin of her now-iconic name, coined by an AP reporter and inspired by First Lady, Mamie Eisenhower. Its coining helped a farm girl named Joanie Olander fully embody her new Hollywood persona.

After marrying bandleader Ray Anthony and starting a family, Universal dropped her contract, only to see her quickly courted by other studios.

She reflects on love, longevity, and her current 50+ year marriage to Thomas Dixon, as well as the complicated realities of navigating Hollywood at a time when powerful men often operated without accountability.

In a deeply personal revelation, Mamie speaks about a terrifyingly dark encounter with Jack Webb that she kept silent for years. He was selling “law and order” when he drugged, tied up and violated Mamie. She reflects now about how much (and how little) has changed.

Stories where Hollywood and history intersect are a common thread in Mamie's adventures, such as a romantic interlude with Che Guevara while filming in Buenos Aires, and a dangerous, self-funded three-month tour to the furthest outposts of the Vietnam War to entertain troops. The gravest danger she faced was an on-stage attack at an officers’ club in Saigon. But her time with the troops remains an experience that shaped her perspective on freedom and sacrifice.

And IMDB Roulette this week is raucous, racy and romantic, with a trip to the cutting edge of rock ’n roll! Is Mamie the girl who invented it!?

In current recommendations --

Lisa: Documentary (directed by our very own Weezy!) Family Band: The Cowsills Story, streaming on Prime

Weezy: TV Land original series Younger, streaming on Netflix

Path Points of Interest:

You Thought I Was Dead: My Life of Celebrities, Sex, and Champagne by Mamie Van Doren

Mamie Van Doren on IMDB

Mamie Van Doren on Wikipedia

Mamie Van Doren on Instagram

Mamie Van Doren on Facebook

Mamie Van Doren Facebook Group

Family Band: The Cowsills Story

Younger

From tween garage band beginnings to chart-topping success and a shocking behind-the-scenes story that reads like a Hollywood script, Tommy James, of Tommy James & the Shondells, joins Media Path to share dishy details about his remarkable journey while creating some of the most enduring hits of a generation!

Tommy traces his musical roots back to age 12, when he formed his first band, The Echoes, with fellow classmates, a group that would eventually evolve into The Shondells.

A job at a local record shop gave him an early education in the retail side of music, and by 14, he was recording his first single. That song, “Hanky Panky,” took on a life of its own when a Pittsburgh DJ began spinning it. From there, it quickly became the biggest record the city had ever seen and launched Tommy’s career overnight. One problem: No Shondells. They had all moved on to college, families and other careers. Tommy club crawled to find Pittsburgh band, The Raconteurs who quickly agreed to become The Shondells.

That success led Tommy to shop the record for a deal in New York City. Every top label wanted Tommy. One problem: They had all received a menacing phone call from mobbed up Morris Levy of Roulette Records. Tommy’s dysfunctional mob family relationship provided him with an interesting exchange. He enjoyed complete creative control in the studio, leading to the hits, I Think We’re Alone Now, Mony Tony, Crystal Blue Persuasion and Crimson and Clover… but… Morris pocketed most of Tommy’s money and Roulette’s Genovese Family ties kept The Shondells cranking out hits and selling over 110 million records without complaint.

Our conversation explores the stark contrast between the band’s bright, infectious music and the darker realities unfolding behind the scenes, which included ominous intimidation and physical threats.

Despite the challenges, Tommy credits that time with giving him an invaluable education in the inner workings of the industry, from production to publishing, lessons that have informed him throughout his career.

Today, he brings that rich perspective to his SiriusXM 60s channel radio show, called Gettin’ Together, where he shares the stories behind the songs, offering context only culled from a performer who lived it.

He also reflects on writing his memoir, Me, the Mob, and the Music, which he would only publish after the funeral of Vinnie “The Chin” Gigante, the last Genovese Family mobster. Tommy also shares early details about his story’s upcoming adaptation into a mini-series.

Plus we’ve got an IMDB Roulette round that’s immersed in the era when variety shows brought teenage audiences their first peek at the real life musicians spinning around their record players!

In current media recommendations:

Marty: Life Is Short on Netflix and

Hazardous History with Henry Winkler on The History Channel and Hulu

Path Points of Interest:

Tommy James

Tommy James on Wiki

Me, The Mob and the Music: One Helluva Ride with Tommy James and The Shondells.
by Tommy James with Martin Fitzpatrick

Tommy James Tour Dates

Tommy James on Facebook

Tommy James on Youtube

Tommy James on Instagram

Hazardous History with Henry Winkler