Go Fact Yourself | Ep. 168.90: Bruce Vilanch and #MaxFunDrive Amnesty Weekend!

March 29, 2025
Host: J. Keith van Straaten
Producer/Co-Host: Helen Hong
Guest: Bruce Vilanch (with Jim Newman)

Overview

In this special "mini episode" for Amnesty Weekend of the MaxFunDrive, Go Fact Yourself pays tribute to prolific comedy writer and icon Bruce Vilanch. J. Keith van Straaten and producer/co-creator Jim Newman call up Bruce to dive into his impressively deep and enthusiastic list of 25 quiz topics he sent prior to his guest appearance. Bruce shares lively anecdotes and personal connections to each topic, revealing his vast curiosity, comedic roots, and unique experiences across showbiz, music, food, travel, and more.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Bruce Vilanch's Book & Creative Process

• Update: Bruce has written a memoir, "It Seemed Like a Bad Idea at the Time: How I Wrote the Worst TV Shows in History and Some Other Things and Lived. And So Did They."
  • Originated from pandemic-era podcasts where younger people asked about the infamous TV shows (“Star Wars Holiday Special,” “Brady Bunch Variety Hour,” etc.)
• On Revivals:
  • "[My] ass is riddled with bite marks from everything that's come back." (05:09, Bruce)
• Motivation: Wanted to write about his notorious flops rather than a traditional memoir.

2. Bruce’s Love for 1950s–60s Musicals

• Gained exposure as a kid from New Jersey, seeing shows in New York with family.
• First show: "The Vamp" starring Carol Channing — memorable, albeit a flop.
  • Anecdote about out-of-town tryout titling and the expensive Winter Garden sign.
  • “Whenever I would mention it … [Carol] said, ‘Why do you keep bringing up that turkey? It cost me a fortune to get that sign down.’” (10:00, Bruce)
• Discusses “Fanny”—opens a story thread on Broadway production drama and celebrity encounters.

3. Musical Composers: Cole Porter & Frank Loesser

• Cole Porter:
  • Admired as the "most sophisticated composer/lyricist."
  • Lived a “double life” as a closeted gay man; clever, coded existence in a hostile era.
  • “Being gay was equated with evil...but he was Cole Porter.” (11:17, Bruce)
• Frank Loesser:
  • Personal connection: Went to summer camp with Loesser’s daughter, performed “Guys and Dolls” for him.
  • Loesser didn’t read music but was a sophisticated composer.
  • Story behind “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” — performed with his wife with role reversals, countering modern criticism.
    • "It's two people who are having fun with each other, and it's just. It's a joke." (15:05, Bruce)

4. Classic Cartoon Characters (excluding superheroes)

• Favorites: Tweety Pie, Tinkerbell (“solidarity with blonde cartoon characters”), Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny (valuing their coded, drag appearances and subversive humor).
  • “All the other guys like superheroes. I like Katy Keene. ...It was very gay even then.” (16:10, Bruce)
  • Emphasizes love for “satirical and whimsical stuff” over action/superhero genres.

5. Long Collaboration with Bette Midler

• 55-year working relationship: From journalist to joke writer and confidant.
  • “She said to me, you're a funny writer. And I said, well, you're funny. You should talk more on stage. She said, you got any lines? And that was the beginning.” (17:14, Bruce)
• Developed local jokes for her act, hallmark of her early performances.
• Bette even wrote the blurb for Bruce’s book.
  • “You pick your fights. ...And you choose your favors.” (18:21, Bruce)

6. Ocean Liners & Maritime Disasters

• Personal history:
  • Repeated ship trips as a child, bon voyage parties — fascination rooted in early travel experiences.
  • Family lore: Aunt Blanche Ferlanch (with her own theme song).
• Disasters: Titanic, Lusitania, Andrea Doria
  • Fascination with catastrophic events begins in childhood after reading "A Night to Remember."
  • Sees Titanic—“about hubris, man thinking that a machine can conquer nature ... compounded by the class system.” (21:43, Bruce)
  • “When you learn something when you’re nine, you tend to hold on to it.” (23:31, Bruce)
• Quiz show nostalgia: On his previous appearance, Bruce breezed through the Andrea Doria quiz, almost upstaging expert Mike Stoler.

7. Commercial Passenger Planes

• First-hand stories from era when flying was a dressed-up, turbulent, and special occasion.
  • “Travel was an adventure and a privilege.” (25:02, Bruce)
  • “Meals were served to you on your lap. ...I had a clip-on tie for the occasion.” (24:46, Bruce)
  • Knowledgeable about historic airliners and modern aviation developments.

8. Jewish Food

• Grew up surrounded by Jewish cuisine in New Jersey: favorite is cholent (slow-cooked stew), chopped liver, debate over gefilte fish.
  • “Cholent...explodes in your stomach in stages, like a rocket.” (25:54, Bruce)
  • Discusses famous Kanner’s Deli, its “Buckbenny” sandwich, and the Jewish LA food scene.

9. Puns and Drag Names

• Proud “collector” of puns and drag names:
  • “Puns are cheap, and I love them.” (28:29, Bruce)
  • “Puns and drag names are actually puns.” (29:03, Bruce)
  • Favorites include “Helena Hand Basket,” and “Rachel Profiling.”
• On drag: Only performed in drag in Hairspray (“played a real woman”) and for a short-lived TV show “Cheech.”

10. Beloved Locations: Miami Beach & Hawaii

• Miami Beach: Family roots, first writing job at the “Miami Herald.” The cultural hub for Jewish families; FOMO if you weren't at the right hotel.
• Hawaii: Family had a teacher-exchange year there when it was still a territory. Sailed across the Pacific on the Lurline.
  • “After we were already in a Turkish bath, we found this out.” (32:29, Bruce) (on shared Hawaii/Patterson, NJ/Bette Midler connection)

11. Famous Fat People: The Power of Representation

• Childhood idols included Jackie Gleason, Zero Mostel, William Bendix, Oliver Hardy, Stubby K.
  • “The idea that you could actually be heavy and be graceful, which I used to be... It was very appealing. I like that. It was fun.” (33:54, Bruce)
• On Hollywood Squares, parodied by comedic fat actors—felt affirmed, part of a legacy.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the breadth of his quiz topics:
  • Jim: "How many topics did Bruce send us?"
  • Helen: "25. What? 25 different topics? Yep." (02:55)
• On being an "expert" guest:
  • "This is what happens when you're a fat kid and you're not athletic and you have a life of the mind and you do a lot of reading." (06:02, Bruce)
• On the universality of representation:
  • "Whenever I hear someone say, I like seeing someone who looks like me in office... the idea that you could actually be heavy and be graceful... very appealing." (33:54, Bruce)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [03:33] – Main interview with Bruce begins
• [04:29] – Bruce discusses his book project
• [06:43] – Golden Age musicals
• [10:17] – Cole Porter’s secret/dual life
• [11:53] – Frank Loesser & camp memories
• [15:22] – Classic cartoon characters (“everything but superheroes”)
• [16:48] – Bette Midler collaboration
• [20:08] – Ocean liners and maritime disasters
• [24:18] – Fascination with passenger planes
• [25:54] – Jewish food (cholent, Kanner's Deli, favorite dishes)
• [28:29] – Puns and drag names (Helena Hand Basket, Rachel Profiling)
• [30:41] – Miami Beach & Hawaii; cultural threads
• [32:44] – Famous fat people and positive role models

Conclusion

This special episode is a whirlwind tour through Bruce Vilanch’s encyclopedic interests, brimming with showbiz anecdotes, comedic asides, thoughtful reflections on identity and representation, and affectionate tributes to bygone eras—on ships, on stage, and in the kitchen. The rapport with hosts and Bruce’s signature humor make it both highly informative and deeply entertaining, a perfect showcase for why Go Fact Yourself celebrates "what people love."

For more Bruce: wegotbruce.com – where, as Bruce quips, he checks each morning "to see what I’m up to." (34:26)