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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

tv & film film interviews

All Episodes

19:02

117: Roger and the A-Listers, Part 2

Who the F*** is Roger Smith?!? ·

2023/08/03

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 parties. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit

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16:10

116: Roger and the A-Listers

Who the F*** is Roger Smith?!? ·

2023/07/27

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 some financial help while in Paris. We'll let Roger tell you the rest of

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47:19

115: Raising the Curtain with Roger

Who the F*** is Roger Smith?!? ·

2023/07/21

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 Production he got to fund shows and deal with the likes of Mike Nichols,

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10:41

114: Robert Downey - Junior and Senior, plus Paul...

Who the F*** is Roger Smith?!? ·

2023/07/13

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 the 1960s. Roger remembers when Robert Downey Jr. held a party for his

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13:11

113: Roger Gives Away Money

Who the F*** is Roger Smith?!? ·

2023/07/06

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 of the Kennedy Center and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. But it

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14:25

112:: Double Episode - Roger on Broadway!

Who the F*** is Roger Smith?!? ·

2023/06/29

One of the perks of Roger's days at Warners was the company was so diverse he got to not only interact with filmmakers but also people involved in Broadway musicals. In the first part of this special double episode Roger remembers working with the legenday Broadway producer David Merrick.who was trying to put together the musical 42nd Street.But first he had to secure the song rights from an old Warner Brothers movie. And things got even more complex for Merrick when the show's director and

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16:38

111: Orson Welles, Barbra Streisand and the Other...

Who the F*** is Roger Smith?!? ·

2023/06/15

During his days at the Criterion Collection Roger helped pioneer the director's comments now so common on DVDs. But these were on laser discs, way before DVDs came along. Roger tells what it was like to get a famous auteur like Orson Welles to help publicize the laser disc version of "Citizen Kane." Needless to say an offer of food was involved and Roger found out that his hero had feet of clay. He also tells us what it was like to deal with Barbra Streisand on the laser disc version of "Prince of

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19:06

110: From the Oscars to Camelot - JFK, Jackie and...

Who the F*** is Roger Smith?!? ·

2023/06/08

Here Roger explains how he wound up on the red carpet at the Oscars with a Playboy model as his date! He didn't even own a tux at the time but that didn't matter. Roger then tells us of his Army days in Germany during JFK's historical visit there and how the Germans' opinion of the president differed sharply with those of some of his fellow soldiers - a difference that resulted in fisticuffs. Roger also remembers when JFK visited during his days at Harvard and there's also a story about Roger

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17:14

109: Schwarzegger and Stallone - Big Names and Big Money

Who the F*** is Roger Smith?!? ·

2023/06/01

Roger takes us back to his days at Carolco Pictures, the "little" movie studio behind the Rambo and Terminator movies. He also has tales of a Stallone power grab, how Schwarzegger got his own airplane and the company's founders Mario Kassar and Andrew Vajna. Roger also vividly describes movie studio accounting and why you should beware of it, plus dealing with tax lawyers and the likes of Richard Donner and William Peter Blatty. Once you listen you'll feel like a Hollywood insider yourself. Learn

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19:14

108: Even the Smart Guys Fail Sometimes

Who the F*** is Roger Smith?!? ·

2023/05/25

Roger begins this episode by explaining what led to the downfall of former HBO honcho Michael Fuchs. You'd think the guy who brought such hits to HBO as "Sex and the City" and "The Sopranos" couldn't be fired, but then, this is Hollywood after all. Roger then fills us in on the man he worked closely with at Warner Brothers - Steve Ross. Roger has insight into what made Ross successful as well as one of his ideas that went belly-up even though it involved Steven Spielberg's hit "E.T." and the then

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47:51

107: Down to Business with Barbra Streisand and Diane...

Who the F*** is Roger Smith?!? ·

2023/05/11

In this episode Roger gives us a behind the scenes look at the money side of the movie business and explains why it's the one business where getting fired may be a step up. Plus Barbra Streisand's not so great movie idea and what he thinks of young up and comer Jason Blum. But that's not all - Roger tells about the times he went out with Diane Keaton. It's strange how she's now an AARP cover girl because Roger says she's "eternally young." But did all his time with her lead to anything? You'll have

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19:26

106: Roger, Danny Kaye, Mikhail Baryshnikov and...

Who the F*** is Roger Smith?!? ·

2023/05/05

This episode first takes us to a dinner party where Roger not only has dinner cooked by Danny Kaye, he also gets into a discussion about the true meaning of the word "amateur" with dance legend Mikhail Baryshnikov. Roger then tells us about Robert Redford and how the Sundance Film Festival grew from an outgrowth of the Sundance Institute to a place where studios now go to make deals worth millions. Roger also tells us what Redford would think of the festival now. Learn more about your ad choices

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15:42

105: Roger, the Princess and the Film that Might Have...

Who the F*** is Roger Smith?!? ·

2023/04/26

Roger finds himself and other high-flying Warner execs in glamorous Monaco - for business reasons of course. There are not one but two princesses - Caroline and Grace. Small talk leads to a possible return to filmmaking after a 25-year absence for Princess Grace in a remake of William Wyler's brilliant 1936 film Dodsworth and maybe even a rendezvous in Paris. But fate intervenes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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13:31

103: Bidding Against Michael Jackson and a Favor From...

Who the F*** is Roger Smith?!? ·

2023/04/15

Roger recounts some bidding wars against the likes of Michael Jackson and an associate of Frank Sinatra. He also tells how Old Blue eyes did him a huge favor as well as a secret the Sinatra family would probably not want you to hear. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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36:51

104: Roger at the Menendez Brothers Murder Trial

Who the F*** is Roger Smith?!? ·

2023/04/15

As if Roger's life wasn't interesting enough, he also chose to testify at the famous Menendez brothers murder trial. It's an aspect of the famous murder case you've never heard before and Roger explains how he had an inside look at the tragic family. He also explains how Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne figured into it all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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17:11

102: From the Criterion Collection to Gerald Ford and...

Who the F*** is Roger Smith?!? ·

2023/04/15

Roger explains how his early days with the Criterion Collection led to the bonus audio tracks on DVDs. He also talks about working at the studio home of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mel Gibson and his very frank discussion with former president Ford. You'll also hear what Roger thought of a very young Jimmy Carter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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24:33

101: From Humble Beginnings to a Rare Steven...

Who the F*** is Roger Smith?!? ·

2023/04/15

Roger tells how he went from majoring in Modern European History to working with one of the most powerful entertainment executives of all time, as well as an ill-fated video game based on a Steven Spielberg film. He also explains how he helped changed opera for the better and what happened to all those Atari video game cassettes you used to play with. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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3:22

100: Who the F is Roger Smith trailer

Who the F*** is Roger Smith?!? ·

2023/04/12

Roger Smith is the most interesting person you've never heard of. He's worked with and met some of the most famous and powerful people in entertainment and politics and lived through some amazing times. He's also quite modest, but host Bill McCuddy gets Roger to name names and tell some truly fascinating stories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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