It's Supercalifragilisticextra-DIVA-docious! This week Allen sits down with actress, host, and VO artist Reba Buhr (@reba.buhr) to discuss the eternal guardian of happy endings (and not the sexual kind): Dame Julie Andrews! For many of us (aka theater kids), we grew up with Mary Poppins and Sound of Music in our households, and that's where Reba got the Julie bug. She even surfed Ebay when it first started for all the Julie paraphernalia she could get her hands on. We're talking full cork board, red string, overstuffed folders with pictures falling out type behavior. We gush over Julie's voice. It's pure perfection. And her energy. She's a mother AND a model?! I mean, come on! Her biggest diva moment: winning the Oscar for Mary Poppins the year Audrey Hepburn replaced her in My Fair Lady. Julie then went on to withdraw her name from Tony nominations for Victor Victoria because her cast was overlooked. What a gem! Sadly though that was the show she lost her voice on. But there are so many recordings, and she's such a star, Reba legitimately DOES NOT NEED TO DEFEND HER. We dive deep into Star! and The Americanization of Emily. James Garner's performance in the latter gave Reba... feelings. Finally we get to Julie's next act which is, drum roll... a new Shonda Rhimes Show called Bridgerton! We can't wait. Come worship with us!
It's Supercalifragilisticextra-DIVA-docious! This week Allen sits down with actress, host, and VO artist Reba Buhr (@reba.buhr) to discuss the eternal guardian of happy endings (and not the sexual kind): Dame Julie Andrews! For many of us (aka theater kids), we grew up with Mary Poppins and Sound of Music in our households, and that's where Reba got the Julie bug. She even surfed Ebay when it first started for all the Julie paraphernalia she could get her hands on. We're talking full cork board, red string, overstuffed folders with pictures falling out type behavior. We gush over Julie's voice. It's pure perfection. And her energy. She's a mother AND a model?! I mean, come on! Her biggest diva moment: winning the Oscar for Mary Poppins the year Audrey Hepburn replaced her in My Fair Lady. Julie then went on to withdraw her name from Tony nominations for Victor Victoria because her cast was overlooked. What a gem! Sadly though that was the show she lost her voice on. But there are so many recordings, and she's such a star, Reba legitimately DOES NOT NEED TO DEFEND HER. We dive deep into Star! and The Americanization of Emily. James Garner's performance in the latter gave Reba... feelings. Finally we get to Julie's next act which is, drum roll... a new Shonda Rhimes Show called Bridgerton! We can't wait. Come worship with us!
It supercalifragilistic extra diva doses diva daba daba daba daba daba daba daba daba daba daba daba Donna supercalifragilistic extra diva don't just hi divas ah I needed to get that out of my system. Hi divas Welcome to diva worship the podcast where we dish debate dive deep and defend our divas My name is Allen Darby I'm a non binary actor a thottie which a dog lover and I am holding on by a very very thin for ratings during this week has been bananas for me. I'm doing my best to stay positive but God with porn teen and Corona and just the world we live in. It's It's so hard and I am honoring myself in that. And I want to thank you all for inviting me into your eardrums. Because I feel so honored and affirmed and loved and I saw an Instagram post where someone said, rehearse your victories. And so this is me rehearsing my victories with you. Thank you for inviting me. So on that note, I'm going to talk about somebody who was ultimately victorious and, but also had her shortcomings to my secondary diva this week is none other. She comes from classical mythology, none other than the ancient Greek. Which goddess Searcy. Wow. So there's a great book by Madeline Miller that came out I want to say a couple years ago, Madeline Miller is this. I could do an episode on her too. She's this beautiful, lovely woman who went to Yale to study I think dramaturgy, and she's an author and she wrote a book called The Song of Achilles, which Oh god, I'm gonna get emotional thinking about that, because that's about this gay love story that takes place surrounding the Trojan War. And I just watched holding the man last night which is a true story about these two men who were lovers in during the AIDS crisis when they were teenagers at through young adulthood in Australia, and the parallels are so there and there it's just heartbreaking and heartwarming and beautiful and tragic. And anyway, I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about Searcy Wow, this is my brain This is my brain. I'm talking about thirsty so Searcy Wow, wow, wow, wow. Wow. Which goddess daughter of the Sun aren't too Medea has an island called AI that Seth Hamilton told me that's how you pronounce it. And it's she has these lions and that are her companions and she can talk to flower she can commune with nature and the world and she's a lover of God's and also like she hates the gods and they've really fucked her over and she's part Titan also, she's just this ultimate Queen and in antiquity she's really seen as this evil witch like torturer. Kind of like the horrible things that people have said women are, and we're wrong about mostly. And in this narrative that Madeline Miller wrote she really reclaims it and shows us that she was a woman and a goddess who was really doing more than her best she was gift dealt a shit hand and really played it to her advantage and fucking won. And she's the ultimate survivor and this book is just absolutely stunning. I hope you all read it. She's my first secondary diva who's a mythological creature, but she it's really worth it. I hope you read it, give it a read. So my guest this week, ah what let's talk about goddess. So my guest this week is Reba. Reba Bert is an actress, a host of voiceover artists in Los Angeles. She was a musical theater baby growing up in the suburbs of Seattle, Washington and that is where she devoted a portion of her life to the scholarship of her diva this week. Today, she spends most of her time in a four by four box in her apartment, talking into a microphone. But she also hikes with her husband. That's the wonderful bio she sent. She's a lovely, lovely person and we met doing a musical years ago and she's should we would carpool together and she was always just this cool woman who was funny and talented and smart and clever and gorgeous. Just I love her so much. Without further ado, this is Reba bird, talking about Julie Andrews. Reba Her. Hello. Hi. Oh my gosh, it is so good to see so good to hear your voice
Reba Buhr :I know I haven't seen you or heard your voice probably in I don't know, like seven years.
Allen Darby :I know it is it is bananas how long it's been? How are you? How are you getting through quarantine right now? What's going on with you?
Reba Buhr :Well, I am very lucky that my main job is to you know, sit in this box and talking to this microphone. Right so I have kept my job my career going. It's like the only entertainment industry job that's still happening.
Allen Darby :Yeah. And so you're like literally nothing has changed. You're just chillin like a villain sort of thing. Like
Reba Buhr :really busy actually. Really? Yeah. Um, at first, all the studios were like, oh, we're used to people coming in. So we have to figure out how to go remote. But now that they've figured it out, I'm back to working full time
Unknown Speaker :really.
Reba Buhr :And so I'm really blessed. I know that I feel very guilty also because I know so many of you. Theatre and Film and Television compatriots are so freaked out for a really justifiable reason. When am I going to work again? And how long is unemployment going to float me? So
Allen Darby :well and and also like, they're also like, you seem grateful like you like good for you like you're doing you're doing the thing you're doing the damn thing so good for you.
Reba Buhr :When I pivoted to voiceover it wasn't because I knew that there was gonna be an international pandemic,
Unknown Speaker :you planned this whole thing one
Unknown Speaker :thing that could keep going, I had no idea.
Allen Darby :Right? Well and look at you got so I mean, I'll explain this in the intro before this, but we met doing Kiss me, Kate. We used to carpool together. Oh, those carpools were wild.
Unknown Speaker :Yeah, that was actually one of the very last musical I ever did.
Allen Darby :You know, same Actually, I did one more since then. But it's been a minute. Yeah, like
Unknown Speaker :you've got a master's degree in theater.
Allen Darby :I'm getting one. I know, but it's it. Well, let me think. Let me Yeah, yeah pretty much I mean I've been directing and choreographing more so like I've like touched them but I haven't you
Reba Buhr :went to do Santa Cruz Shakespeare right after that
Allen Darby :I did and I did a couple other shows here in there something at SF Playhouse you know this you know these things you know what's just good on our resume
Unknown Speaker :prestigious internships I
Allen Darby :guess I don't know if you've ever earned respect Indeed, indeed. But just to just to compliment you a little bit more, but like when you were in that you were masterful in Kiss Me Kate, you were hilarious every single time such a star and you made that like growlin Eartha Kitt PR sound that always like threw me over the edge. It was so fun. I just, I still remember that like you both went to we were each holding a hat up to you to like pick and you made I can't do it was like I can't even make it was fabulous. So anyway, fabulous.
Unknown Speaker :Listening with that number.
Allen Darby :Oh, um it's like a long title. It's like if I can't get it you can or something like that.
Unknown Speaker :Somebody's screaming at the radio right now
Allen Darby :I know let me look it up Kiss me, Kate.
Unknown Speaker :My Way, darling. No, my way.
Unknown Speaker :I always true to you and my fastest.
Allen Darby :What did I call it? You can get it to you can get it. I like that a little bit. I probably peaked too. I'm always just like, Sure. Let's see how I'm doing with this sort of thing as I like cover my face sound
Reba Buhr :beautiful. Those Yeti microphones work so well. I never thought 10 years ago that I, you know, be able to look at a microphone and be like, Oh yes, the Blue Yeti.
Allen Darby :Well, you know, it's so funny because I my senior year of college, I asked for a Blue Yeti because I took a voiceover class and never done one voice recording since since you know 10 years ago. Go and now all of a sudden, like, Oh, I was in my closet just hanging out there. I was like, I could use that and make a podcast. works great. Yeah, yeah, it's fabulous. Anyway, listen, we could talk about yetis. We could talk about microphones we could talk about Kiss me, Kate, all day. But that's not who we're here to talk about. None
Reba Buhr :of those things are here. We're here to talk about
Allen Darby :Reba Bert, who is your diva and how are you worshiping her today?
Reba Buhr :My diva is Julie Andrews. I have been worshipping her since I was about 12 or 13 years old when I fell deeply, deeply in love. And today, I have backed off a little bit from my pre teen like obsession level phase because I think that was only healthy, but I'm still keeping very close tabs on my girl. In fact, I just saw her in November
Allen Darby :in person.
Reba Buhr :Yes, I mean in a theater far away, but she had her second book come out in her like three book series of memoirs and Did a book tour. So I went to downtown LA and saw her do a little book book show.
Allen Darby :Well as I was doing research for this, I bet I saw one of the interviews you saw well maybe there was one at Google and one somewhere else but that Okay, first of all, I have to say when you were saying like this is it sounded like an A meeting I love I feel like this has become like diva worship has become a meeting for divas. But I love that
Reba Buhr :it was like unhealthy and like, I really lost friends or kept myself from making more friends at that point in my life because I read about Julie Andrews.
Allen Darby :They're like, who like Mary Poppins. Oh, she has a name. For me. It's Audra. And that's how like, I'm still that way and I lose friends you know? Yeah. Because my dear listeners are probably like we know. So, okay, how did you meet Julie? Where was your introduction to her? Like what what what brought you to her stage?
Reba Buhr :We all saw Mary Poppins and Sound of Music as kids. So and I I was one of those people too. But there was this moment in my preteen years, where I was kind of trying to find who I was and what I actually liked. At that point, I had just been playing soccer because everyone else in my town played soccer. Right, right going to school because everybody else went to school. I mean, I still went to school.
Allen Darby :legally mandated, but yet
Reba Buhr :one dime, Mary Poppins is playing on TV, and I sat down and watched it. And it was just like, Oh, this is it. This is what I like. I like musical theater. I like singing and dancing and broad characters, all this stuff. And I love Julie Andrews. So I just started watching the movie over and over and over again. And she was like, filling my soul. So I started. eBay had just started. So I was going on eBay and like finding her old VHS is or like newspaper clippings and magazine clippings from the 60s that people had saved and wiring them all.
Allen Darby :Oh my god, I love I love. I pictured you phone Nancy Drew, like, like, like bulletin board with a red string of just like, this is how I become Juliana. That's
Reba Buhr :why it got creepy because I would open these folders and just magazine clippings would fall out any picture of Julie that had ever been published in any magazine for the last 50 years.
Allen Darby :I love like you're getting ready for prom. Your date comes there. And he's got the corsage. And you're like, Hi. And I'm just like, like this folder just like collapses and just like bladders everywhere. And you're like, Oh, fuck, I swear. I swear she has consent. I love that. I love that for you. Oh, well. I just love that. I also I shouldn't have assumed it was a man who was your date? I shouldn't you know, I'm better than that. But I
Reba Buhr :think you knew that I was
Allen Darby :you are married to a man. Yes,
Unknown Speaker :that's true. You can't assume that because you know me you That's true.
Allen Darby :That's true. Literally right when you said that I imagined the last Instagram video I saw of you where you're holding a fish that you just caught. You literally caught a fish and I'm like, I can't catch a fly in a trap like and you caught a fish and a river. Well, you could catch a fish. Could I truly,
Reba Buhr :truly?
Allen Darby :Really? There's no skill.
Reba Buhr :We've been doing it. As long as humans have been around. efficient. I can do it.
Allen Darby :I can't even run a mile so you know, I believe you know, what's what what's enough about me bragging about my bad knees. But what's what's what's, what's Julie's for you? What is Julie's biggest diva moment? What's the moment that made you just like drop your job? Like gag just like, oh my god, I can't believe that. What is it for you?
Unknown Speaker :Well, Julie's voice is so perfect. It's the
Reba Buhr :where there's so few soprano In our society that we worship, and it's been that way. I feel like since the 50s, or 60s, we just there's no room for Sopranos anymore after.
Unknown Speaker :Oh god who was who did Oklahoma?
Allen Darby :Barbara? No, she's a soprano.
Reba Buhr :The in the movie, and she also did Music Man. I'm really doing badly. Oh, Shirley. Shirley Jones. Yes, yes. It was like Julie and Shirley Jones. And after that no more Sopranos for the rest of life except for Audra. Mm hmm. And so I just and you know, I was a soprano at the time. I still am, I guess. I was like, Oh, that's that's what I could do and I could be like, and it was so perfectly beautiful. Um, and she just has this look that is you just don't like she would love you.
Allen Darby :Yeah. And I'm very motherly. Yeah,
Unknown Speaker :yes. So motherly.
Allen Darby :Sounds like a model at the same time. Yes.
Reba Buhr :Like her, she's so gorgeous. So that's why she's a perfect diva. Mm hmm. But, um, her biggest diva moments. Which I did I did a little thinking about and wrote down like, do you know about the whole thing with my fair lady on Broadway and then she didn't do the movie?
Allen Darby :Well, I know a little bit but my listeners might not know love to hear hear you explain it.
Reba Buhr :Okay, so one of Julie's first big gigs in America, like after she was a child star in the UK? Yes, the vaudeville halls. And they brought her over for one musical called the boyfriend. That wasn't huge, but it got her to the States. But then immediately after that, she played Eliza Doolittle and my fair lady, which was
Allen Darby :monster head,
Reba Buhr :and then she went in originated the role again in London. So it was her fucking role. And then they were like, we're going to make a movie of it. And we're going to use Rex Harrison from the show, but we're not gonna You were gonna use
Unknown Speaker :Audrey Hepburn,
Reba Buhr :who can't sing Ross
Allen Darby :and then they got Marni Nixon to do the
Reba Buhr :singers, singer songs. And so that stung for Julie absolutely time Walt Disney was like, hey, I've got this movie Mary Poppins Do you want to be in it? And she was like, Okay, I guess.
Allen Darby :Um, I mean, my son not doing much.
Reba Buhr :And that year, Rex Harrison was nominated for Best Actor for my fair lady. Audrey Hepburn was not nominated for Best Actress. And so Rex one and Julie Andrews won for Mary Poppins. I didn't know that laughs in the face. You didn't know.
Allen Darby :I knew that. She was I didn't know it was this literally the same year?
Reba Buhr :same year. So like that's on my she's holding her oxer oxer Oscar, Rex is holding his. And of course she is no girl, no drama. She would never say a mean thing about it. She was just like, Oh, thank you. I guess a
Allen Darby :marvelous Thank you so much. Absolutely just delighted. I just imagine that's how she talks cuz that's her voice literally. you imagine it? Yeah. I imagine you said you had other diva moments like biggest diva moments or is that does that the biggest one was one
Reba Buhr :more? Okay. So she did Victor Victoria on Broadway
Allen Darby :gender bending queen.
Unknown Speaker :Yes. amazing movie and
Reba Buhr :I really love it. I don't know if it's like considered. I don't know if most people love it, but I really love it.
Allen Darby :Yeah, they did bring it up in disclosure, how it's like, oh, you know, a little tricky nowadays. And I see that I haven't seen it to have enough. Like Leslie and Warren has a couple of lines where it goes like, you know, you tilt your head, but over like the production of it. From what I've seen. I'm like, this is an amazing film, you know? No, no shade at all.
Reba Buhr :Yeah, I've actually haven't thought about it in today's context recently. And now I'm thinking oh, I don't know. He can do it anymore. Right,
Allen Darby :right. Yeah. But anyway, anyway, so Victoria,
Reba Buhr :so Victoria, not largely considered by the Broadway community to be like the greatest musical of all time, but they did a big production, and Julie starred in it. And so they nominated Julie, for Best Actress for the Tonys. But they didn't nominate the production for anything else. So Julie was like, you're just nominating me because I'm Julie Andrews. So she got on stage after one of her performances and said, thanks for the nomination. But I think the whole rest of the show has been egregiously overlooked. So I'm not going to accept my
Unknown Speaker :nomination. I didn't know that. And that was
Unknown Speaker :diva licious.
Allen Darby :Oh my god, I
Unknown Speaker :really need to do that. No, No, she
Allen Darby :didn't. But she but we, we, you know, we're here. We love to see it.
Reba Buhr :Yet she wanted to make a stand. She felt really strongly about the show. And you know, its connection with her whole family because it's like her husband's movie and all that
Allen Darby :stuff. Well, that's amazing. That she did
Unknown Speaker :the show that ruined her vocal cords.
Allen Darby :I Well, I mean, let's get into it. That's that's the mean that is the one she's she is a survivor most most divas I'm finding are survivors but like, what, like, one of the biggest tragedies of her life, you know, like, and she's doing like she said on record like, you know, I'm okay with it have come to peace. But like, as I was doing research, Wikipedia says she made $20 million off of a lawsuit with the Doctor Who said you explain what how
Reba Buhr :I'm surprised that they disclosed that I didn't know they disclosed.
Allen Darby :It's also Wikipedia. So it could very well be false. But if it's someone that big I'm not surprised it was something sizable, but you tell the story of her voice.
Reba Buhr :She had vocal nodes because she was, you know, belting like pretending to be a man. Mm hmm. So you accessing that lower register in a way that your voice really doesn't want to
Allen Darby :need a weekend night. Eight a week. No,
Reba Buhr :yeah. So she got nodes and she went in to get some surgery which a lot of singers do, and it's always scary, but people recover from it. And they botched it. So they cut her chords in a way that she was never going to heal from. So she was never going to be able to sing again. And to this day, she can't sing. Yeah, I mean, she can talk. But she can't sing more than like a three note range. And just she has been defined by that. Since she was like, eight or nine. Yeah. Yeah, that was, I can only imagine the loss you go through when at least as a child, your whole sense of self came from? I'm a good singer, and that's why people love me.
Allen Darby :Mm hmm. It's so sad. And you know, I talked about in my last episode, it was Tina Turner, and it's like, so much of Tina's storyline has been her trauma with Ike. And I feel like for Julie, it's like her a lot of this her her persona. Now she's in her 80s Believe I think she's 85 Yeah. 85 that her Her story is like, I used to have an unparalleled unmatched vocal cord, like our set of chords that like yeah, I don't have any more,
Reba Buhr :actually. And a lot of people say I what's the word like? prodigious like if that was that mean prodigy like oh yeah, like from being a young person they were like these are developed like in adults but yeah, only a child. Yeah.
Unknown Speaker :It's and it's so like,
Allen Darby :it just makes me sad to think about that, you know, someone that in like that, we lost it. But one silver lining is like, thank god they got record like there's like what a plethora of recordings we have so that we can remember it. And something else I was thinking about as I was like researching and like listening to her stuff over and over again. I'm like, people are literally trained to sound like that. Nowadays. Like I think about the people. I went to With and how like so much of the like, straight tone to the to the vibrato like, like it didn't all come from Julie but like what were taught, like you said, with the Mary Poppins with the sound of music I feel like so much of it is like reminisce individually What do you think it's an
Reba Buhr :interesting take I I have never thought about the fact that we were not that we were letting vibrato roll through held notes throughout them. It that was more of the style in the early part of the 19th century or the 20th century. I mean, and then towards the end of it it was you know that straight tone into the vibrato. Yeah. And now we get to this always did that.
Allen Darby :Yeah. And then we get into the screaming of the sons and like no shade to Sutton. But you know, like the belting as high as you
Reba Buhr :have tried scream like Sutton and I can't and it hurts.
Allen Darby :I have paid money to get
Unknown Speaker :spent and Yeah, just the way Julie sings is so healthy forever. It's and
Allen Darby :yeah, I, I, I know I just want to live with Julie's voice and, and also think about like, how so much of her career like not so much but now I'm thinking about how like, wasn't she the voice of like the fairy godmother or no she no she she just always picturing like a book opening at the beginning of a kid's movie and it's Julie Andrews being the narrator.
Reba Buhr :I think of
Unknown Speaker :I think it was Shrek. Maybe
Unknown Speaker :she was Fiona's mom in Shrek.
Unknown Speaker :Okay, maybe
Reba Buhr :maybe she married it at the beginning, too. It was like Shrek two though. It wasn't
Allen Darby :traveling way. Yeah, it was something like that. And, of course, I mean, Princess Diaries. Iconic
Reba Buhr :was genius. She was a perfect role for her. Yeah. And it brought her back she had and I want to talk about this later. I mean, such awful career decisions the entire middle late part of her career.
Unknown Speaker :She will only did terrible Yeah,
Reba Buhr :I love her and I know why she did it it's because she wanted to be around her husband and she didn't care about pleasing the masses. She wanted to have time to herself. But it was she finally did a good movie again when she did Princess Diaries. Yeah, in the way that we as the audience want to see her
Allen Darby :right Right. Well okay, let's let you know that kind of that kind of leads into my next segment diva don't so we'll kind of it does but
Reba Buhr :it does. Actually what I was thinking about when I thought of diva don't
Allen Darby :Okay, so so diva don't is the segment where we talk about where we've disagreed with our divas where we go diva. you tilt your head and you're kind of just like squinting and you're like, oh, scratch your face. I don't know if you should have done that. So what's what's Julie Andrews diva doubt for you remember?
Reba Buhr :So she's never gonna be the person who like pisses somebody off or says something rude. Like, oh, you know, some divas we love because they can be really out there really outspoken. Have a controversial opinion.
Unknown Speaker :Naomi Campbell Yeah,
Reba Buhr :yeah. Naomi Campbell, you're talking about Barbra Streisand. Do I like a girl? Yeah.
Allen Darby :It's like, Oh, my neck color.
Reba Buhr :No, it's not okay to rape people.
Allen Darby :Yeah, yeah. Um,
Reba Buhr :so that's not where you're gonna go with Julie. So she's, but when it comes to like, so she she married Blake Edwards in like the later 60s. So she did like all of her best movies in the early to mid 60s. Yeah, I was gonna say like peak
Allen Darby :almost peak of her career. I would say
Unknown Speaker :peak Julie. It didn't necessarily have to peak Julie, but it was the exact
Allen Darby :Exactly, yeah,
Reba Buhr :and I. So she married Blake Edwards, who was a director who made a lot of films, but they're not like, good.
Unknown Speaker :They don't want her to hear.
Unknown Speaker :I know how much she loves,
Allen Darby :like she and she is a dedicated listener. So I'm choosing my words carefully. She's actually my grandma, you know, that's why I'm literally recording in my closet. Anyway, so so with Blake
Reba Buhr :So, and she, her first marriage had kind of fallen apart precisely because she was working a ton and her first husband was working a ton of news and see each other. So, you know, you get a divorce because you don't know each other anymore. So she pretty much only did Blake's movies. from there on out. Pink Panther. She did this one called sob with him like some other one that they filmed like at their house with jack Lemmon and other random ones, they just movies nobody wanted to see nobody wants to see her in those roles. So she kind of her career and she seemed so concerned after Mary Poppins and sound of music with like being typecast as being too sweet and saccharin. Mm hmm. And I, I think she was overly concerned with it to her detriment like she still talks about that today. Like, I just didn't want it to be too sweet.
Allen Darby :Yeah, and I mean, that's the thing sorry. scrapy is just chuck it my dog just shook his body. But like the the fear of being typecast as the I think about this a lot as an act student of the theater gagne of like, wanting to play anything being able to play almost anything and but making money doing one thing and with her it was like it made her a lot of money and she did it very well. So it's tricky. Yeah.
Reba Buhr :Gosh, I mean, you think you see it with other performers like comedians that will I don't want to do dramas now. Right when, you know, Robin Williams and Jim Carrey started only doing really weird gritty dramas, right. And Steven corral one yeah. Steve Carell.
Unknown Speaker :I think he actually a really good dramatic actor he
Allen Darby :is I will give you that but like for the audience, it was a bit like what the fuck the guy from the office is playing this box catcher, you know? Yeah. Yeah.
Reba Buhr :So, you know, she didn't care. She also was like I learned from reading her memoirs recently so bad with money. Like really which makes sense, because she was never a young adult. She never like right was on her own ever. She went straight from being shuffled around as a child to being shuffled around as a young, like always people managing her life. Yeah. So she talks about, like, buying a yacht that they could barely afford and just leaving it in Florida with some guy with like a checkbook, a blank checkbook, and then he spends millions and millions of dollars on updating the yacht. And then they come say, oh, you're broke Julie. And she's like, Oh, no. Oh,
Allen Darby :da, but what does it put a British say like, oh,
Unknown Speaker :gosh, I had no idea she was. I mean, I didn't even know until really recently.
Allen Darby :mean, like kind of my thing is like, I feel like everyone that became famous in the 60s through probably the 80s like was doing drugs, drinking a lot and having lots of sex and was terrible with money because they thought there was an unbelievable like, an unceasing amount of money. Yeah. And so yeah, like sad but also not surprising to me like whoa, like now of course because in my head like the julianos it's it's it's always like this beautiful British Dame like being like, Oh, my is my yacht. Oh, it's just it's fine to me. But you know, she's doing fine now and you just say that
Reba Buhr :I'm sure she's doing just fine now. Yes, we're mistakes. I'm sure she learned from
Allen Darby :Yes. Yeah. So that's your diva don't is like her movies in the 60s with with Blake says named Blake David Blake.
Unknown Speaker :Blake Edwards. Edwards. Sounds like a poor path.
Allen Darby :Yes, he did. You sound like you
Reba Buhr :okay bad for like hating on it.
Allen Darby :It's not it's not hating, yeah,
Reba Buhr :her career she could have been a lot more successful like all these like 1970s and 80s TV appearances and variety shows she hosted where because she was broke she wasn't making enough money to feed her lifestyle and maybe if she just Hollywood blockbuster yeah that of these Blake Edwards movies she wouldn't have had to do those things right
Allen Darby :right. That's I thank you for going there with me I appreciate you speaking of like TV appearances, like when I'm when I'm doing my research I try and do like a couple classics like I listened to the Mary Poppins and the sound music and then I try and do for what for me as a deep cut. And my deep cut was I listened to her Carol Burnett and Julie Andrews TV specials. Oh my god, these First of all, they're absolutely hilarious. And like, I was like, shit, well, first of all, she is singing at her. Like, like we said in the sixth. It's from the 60s at her peak. And she's sounds gorgeous. She's seeing these beautiful ballads. And then Carol Burnett comes in and like, cuts it up, and it's so hilarious. And then Julie comes in, and she cuts it up to and it's like, oh, she's funny. She's just funny. Yeah, she's brilliant. And it made me think about like, I want to ask you about this cuz I took a note about it, where it's like, what, like, their whole, like, their their dynamic is like, we're the best of friends like through gritted teeth and a smile. It's like, you know, kind of like wear the vest of rain, you know, at certain points. And what is it do you think about like, I think about like a scene and Importance of Being Earnest when it's Gwendolyn and the other one sorry sessile when they're when they're in that like the tea scene or like housewives or like dynasty where it's true. We just love seeing, it's probably patriarchy. I'm probably answering my own question but like that, what is it about Like we love to see divas just kind of like go at it in their own way. What is what do you think that is?
Reba Buhr :Well, I would argue that I mean, Julian, Carol's, you know, public friendship persona wasn't very catty.
Allen Darby :I mean, I mean, I mean, in the like, in the actual performance, like they have the moments where they say like, Well, you know, and do you and did she complain? No, she's doing it backstage. Right. Like, like, kind of a backhanded sort of thing.
Reba Buhr :Well,
Allen Darby :this might be this might be just a weird segment that just like occurred to me but anyway.
Reba Buhr :I mean, they're not. It's it's definitely a been a trope, in comedic duo's forever. They're playing on the, you know, I'm uptown. I'm downtown. I'm put together I'm a mess, just like the odd couple just like
Allen Darby :Costello,
Reba Buhr :Martin and
Allen Darby :that I remember the other one I believe
Reba Buhr :so there must be if somebody who's like a scientist about comedy knows exactly what it is they're doing there and it's a formula that definitely works huh?
Allen Darby :Yeah, yeah, I just I think I just want to listen to all of it again because it was so maybe it was just it just baffled me just listening to them like just like Val like kind of like play badminton with with the comedy. Maybe that's maybe that's the answer to it. It's just like exactly what you're saying that the high highbrow lowbrow uptown downtown, the badminton have it all Yeah. And like they're
Reba Buhr :a perfect match friend wise because Julie's actually much more crass and, you know, scrappy than she puts on and Carol is a lot more. You know, she's a very cultured woman
Allen Darby :and very busy.
Unknown Speaker :Yeah, yeah. I mean, she's been a star forever so she knows how to hob with the knobs which I just made up. I
Allen Darby :I love that. It's like, do you help with the knobs? You know, I was having with the knobs the other day, like, gotta keep up with the Joneses
Unknown Speaker :or with the knobs. Oh,
Unknown Speaker :where were you something with the knobs? Oh,
Unknown Speaker :I'm somebody with the knobs. Michigan.
Allen Darby :Let's Uh oh, scrap these back. Oh, I love that. I absolutely love that. Um, my next segment is called defend your diva. So, Reba or is there a time where you've had to defend Julie Andrews because someone just was like, didn't see eye to eye where you had to be where you like clutching your pearls and we're like, excuse me?
Reba Buhr :My answer to that question is no. Have you ever in your life heard someone say, Julie Andrews. I don't like her.
Allen Darby :No, never
Unknown Speaker :think she's good and she doesn't make me feel happy and
Allen Darby :No, I've never heard that I've never heard. Great. So this has been a great interview. This is
Reba Buhr :a great interview. I have a Twitter. She doesn't post her feelings. She's smart. She has a Facebook that she only uses to write, send video messages to the children telling them to read a book and I think about art
Unknown Speaker :she had when she I'm just remembering she had that Netflix show with the puppets. Julie's greenroom.
Allen Darby :Oh my god and they have like they had a puppet that they used a wheelchair. Anything with disability representation. I'm like, Yes, yes, yes. Hmm. What a queen.
Unknown Speaker :She's a literal queen.
Allen Darby :A queen is never late. Everyone else is merely early. Yes, that is a line from the Princess Diaries to you know, actually as an as I'm saying that right? Reminds me Diane Sawyer. In her latest interview with her, it's like she's the eternal guardian of happy endings. And I'm like, Oh, she like, like winged like fairy wings just sprouted on my back as I said that just thinking about her.
Reba Buhr :Yeah. Oh, she's, and then like, at her book to her show. She, they Oh, I mean, she has like the same 10 stories she always tells, but right, you know, as we, as we all will at that point in our careers, I'm sure, but she always makes sure to LIKE sneak in a few swears, which is so delightful. Tell us a story.
Unknown Speaker :Well, um,
Reba Buhr :well, her main story about the swearing is that I, you know, she writes children's books now. Right, right, right. And the reason she started writing them was because one of her stepkids said, Julie, you swear too much and you need to stop and she said, Okay, well, I'll, I'll stop swearing if you brush your teeth every day. And then they brush their teeth every day and she didn't stop swearing. So She had to start, right she had to write the most story. And that could have been just a little story, but she wrote a novel instead. And then it's because she wanted to write and it's her career as a writer. So, um, and you know, they always ask like, oh, you're kissing scene with so and so and so and she's like, No, we didn't have sex and
Unknown Speaker :even talk about sex.
Allen Darby :Yeah, yeah. Because she Yeah, the little like hearing your schoolmarm, talk about sex. It's so funny.
Unknown Speaker :We didn't know she didn't like fuck or anything, but she Oh, No, we didn't.
Allen Darby :She and like she does, like even as I watch interviews with her now she does seem like someone who I like kind of want to like give a whiskey and be like, just talk like, let me turn the microphone on. Like, just talk to me. Like, I would love to hear what happens to her when she's had a few. Yeah. I would love that.
Unknown Speaker :So
Allen Darby :what what is it? I mean, we've got like, I always say like I always say this. Like we've kind of touched on this a bit, but like What is it about Julie for you, Rita that makes you want to protect her.
Unknown Speaker :She has brought me so much happiness and also
Reba Buhr :inspired me to become the person I am today. It was through her that I saw what filled my soul You know, career wise and pursuit wise. So that's just what I like I really protect her. I know that she's got a great family and she's still working and she's working in the right way. Like eventually, she's gonna
Unknown Speaker :go she's gonna transition. Yeah,
Reba Buhr :I'm not that she's sick.
Allen Darby :Yeah, but she knows she's up. There we go. Yeah.
Unknown Speaker :Oh yeah. And
Reba Buhr :But I don't know. It's a hard question. She just she just made some of my most favorite things in the whole world and Russia made
Allen Darby :some of your favorite thing. Sorry, go ahead, go. Good. Let it go by.
Unknown Speaker :Oh, have we okay. We have to talk about her best work.
Allen Darby :We have to talk about her best work. We have to
Reba Buhr :because I want to know if you've seen some of them. Okay.
Allen Darby :Yeah. I've seen a loss
Reba Buhr :every see Mary Poppins. Of course. everybody's seen. Sandy music Victor Victoria. You've seen
Allen Darby :I've not seen Victoria yet. But okay, Tom, it's been on my list for decades.
Unknown Speaker :It's very 80s but it's great. Um, have you seen Star?
Allen Darby :No, but I saw clip of it. In one of her interviews I watched Tell me about Star
Reba Buhr :Star is impossibly long. It's one of those two VHS situations. Therefore, like, it renders it kind of unwatchable in some ways, but they just made. So it's the it's a biopic about this woman, Gertrude Lawrence, who was another like vaudeville star from the 20s and 30s. And she plays Gertrude Lawrence. And it follows her through her career. So it just jams in so many vaudeville numbers into it and they get more and more elaborate as her career grows. And it you know, gets all the way to her being in Hollywood and being kind of a miserable drunken bitch like all biopics do
Allen Darby :Right, right.
Reba Buhr :And it's also peak Julie, I think it's probably like 67 or 68 or something. And she is just putting everything she has into it. And the numbers are spectacular, and the costumes are think of the biggest budget for costumes you've ever heard of in your life. And now with it.
Allen Darby :I don't need to look this up right now to see where I can watch it. It's called Star you sell the star
Reba Buhr :Unlike our with an exclamation point on it I believe
Allen Darby :as as it should be not Star Wars okay 68
Unknown Speaker :and hald Star Wars
Allen Darby :has come out it's a little indie film had about a $20 budget called Star Wars well first of all I'm looking at this picture of her where she's in this blue sequin number arms and a high V
Reba Buhr :Yeah, I believe that that number has like her flying on trapezes in it and oh my God, oh like three soundstages worth of set for just one music number.
Unknown Speaker :Oh my God, if you
Reba Buhr :just budget film you've ever seen?
Allen Darby :Well, first of all, it is available on Amazon. So everyone go watch
Reba Buhr :on prime
Allen Darby :it. Let's set so let me see. I had to watch. What's popping up on him? Yeah, I think so. It's what it says. Oh, is impressed, Richard.
Unknown Speaker :Take three days and watch that. And then how long
Allen Darby :is this phone? But it's two hours and 56 minutes. That's the Titanic level. Whoa, okay, so star star we need to get into star
Reba Buhr :we need to get into star. Okay. And then there's another one that she did even before Mary Poppins called the Americanization of Emily. I didn't they shot it in black and white.
Allen Darby :Yes. Nobody saw clips.
Reba Buhr :And I don't know if this is still the case, but when I was a preteen it like gave me feelings in other worlds. Truly.
Allen Darby :Yeah.
Unknown Speaker :Like there were romance scenes kissing scenes. They did like do sex back then. I was like, Oh, yeah, I know what it feels like to like be a woman. Well,
Reba Buhr :it's a really hot because, um, it was it James Garner. It's so hot.
Allen Darby :Okay, I try to find your spot. Okay. Yeah. James Garner. I'm like, James guard. I'm like looking at James Carter.
Unknown Speaker :You know, James Garner?
Allen Darby :I bet I do. It's the American one. I was literally looking at Julie Andrews earlier today. The Americanization of MLA. Let me see But I look, well, you know, I talked about this with some of my other guests of like, dislike the time we discover ideas for a lot of queer people. When we discover our divas, it's, I've found through this and just talking to friends, it's usually like when we're coming out, or it's something when we discover something, and we just go, that's what I want to like, take that.
Reba Buhr :I feel like it was my coming out as an individual, if that makes any sense. Yeah, which we all go through at some point in our preteens. And then maybe there's a second coming out. If you're queer, and you Yeah, I are doing that later than your teens. But we all have to find at some point in our young adult to teen life, yet separation from my parents and I just do what my parents want or my community. And this is what I like as an individual. Right key part of growing up. I just learned that because I took a psychology course recently in grad school
Allen Darby :you went to grad school sorry I just
Reba Buhr :yeah I'm not really going to grad school me only kind of going to grad school it's free land it's like online but I'm not gonna finish
Allen Darby :Disneyland giving money to the people
Reba Buhr :giving money to the education I got some really bad press like a year or so ago because they pay crap. Yeah to most people I I was in a union so making an okay wage there but okay, a lot of people they don't pay them enough to live so they raised their minimum wage a little bit and they started this program where anybody who works there can go get a Master's or bachelor's degree online for free. And it's been great. We've been I've been taking advantage of that's fabulous.
Allen Darby :Well, you know, they're really struggling that Disney you know, I hope they come through, you know,
Unknown Speaker :the CEOs, Christmas bonus is always like $30 million.
Allen Darby :So they they found it They found the money somewhere, you know, good for them, you know that they're real. They're really just I hope I hope they pull through. I'm also looking at a picture of James Garner and yeah, I was on the couch. He is a snack and
Unknown Speaker :yeah, he's super fly. Yeah.
Allen Darby :He is super fly. Look at this. Look at this. See? Black and White he's in a white tuxedo and he has that brow like speaking of brown I've been I know everyone can see this. This is terrible radio etiquette. But I love your brows rather beautiful, but looking gorgeous,
Unknown Speaker :perfect brows as well.
Allen Darby :Thank you know, I've come to love them. So everyone just go check out our Instagrams for that. Well, okay, what what other what other of her best works, or is that
Reba Buhr :um, that's that's pretty much I mean, that's that's pretty much everything I've got for you from dentist. Yeah, best.
Allen Darby :I mean she's, I mean iconic, like, definition of like a diva like the icon, the iconography of it. All this sheet. Like you say her name you immediately know who she is you say her name and her work pops up immediately like that's like Pinnacle diva status like she's a true diva. Yeah.
Unknown Speaker :What's,
Allen Darby :what's next for her? Or what what's what's next or what's her dream casting like if you could put her anything what's next for her? Well,
Unknown Speaker :we have some exciting news on the Julie friend. Oh,
Allen Darby :listeners. We're getting exclusive from the Julie friends. What? What? Tell us this is the communique coming in. What's new in the Julie friend.
Reba Buhr :I just found out last week that Shonda Rhimes has a new show coming to Netflix that is very much in the vein of Downton Abbey. And it is based on a book series called bridgerton. That apparently was really popular if you're into like, probably British romance genre, maybe like an Outlander esque thing but without the magic. And from what I can tell Julie is playing essentially like the magnet Smith roll in it
Allen Darby :oh my god you I couldn't ask for anything die I die I fall into my closet and come back alive. First
Reba Buhr :thing she's really done on camera since Princess Diaries
Allen Darby :God and Shawn has been using it.
Reba Buhr :It's she did she did Julie's greenroom. But that was for such a young audience. Right, right. She's mostly been like focused on writing lately. And Shonda, yeah. And it's got a super diverse cast, which is great. Good. Even though it's like British, she's like, Fuck that. We're putting black people in it.
Allen Darby :Yes.
Reba Buhr :Yeah, so I don't know how much she's gonna be in the show. probably less than Maggie Smith. I don't know anything about the book series. But the little breakdown It was like she comes in with those like, one liners zingers
Allen Darby :for the neck with a neck roll. I love that. First because we have like, because with the Maggie Smith that all the mag like that like her role is really the like, bow and whereas like I picture like a Julie being kind of like a, like kind of a raised eyebrow and it's like just shaking her head like what are you talking about?
Unknown Speaker :It's gonna be so different from the Maggie Smith energy because Maggie is so salty. Yes. And Juliet salty.
Allen Darby :She's not salt. She's She's umami kind of you know. That's gonna be the title of the episode is Julie Andrews is a mommy mom, because she's she's definitely got the sweet but it's not overpowering.
Reba Buhr :No, and she's probably I mean, I don't know anything about this. And somebody has really read all these books so they know exactly what they're going to get with this. But when you hear even the slightest dig come from Julie, it means so much. And it's so delightful. So hopefully there's there's that in there.
Allen Darby :Yeah. Okay, so bridgerton is her next act bridgerton
Reba Buhr :is her next act i mean it sounds like started on filmed oh good hopefully
Allen Darby :I wonder where they filmed it if it's Shonda is probably US based about like
Reba Buhr :well yeah but they need a big castle thing exactly have to go to the UK
Unknown Speaker :oh yeah
Reba Buhr :to be on set but maybe they only need that for exteriors. I know Julie lives here in LA. Oh in LA I'm pretty sure she's in Malibu. Yeah.
Allen Darby :That's where all that like next to Babs? Yeah. That's about to share next to all. Like they're all just chillin literally, like, as we're saying that it reminded me have Sandra Oh. Princess Diaries. I don't know why it's coming up now. But her iconic
Unknown Speaker :queen is
Unknown Speaker :coming. Lately forgot Sandra. Oh, is in that movie?
Allen Darby :Oh, yeah. Like I need to do another. Every every time I do an episode. It's like, gotta add Sandra to the list of diva.
Unknown Speaker :Yeah, I was thinking about what What is a diva when I was thinking about this show? Yeah. And that definition is so broad. Exactly. This show can go on for ever.
Allen Darby :Just kind of terrifying but also exciting. Because because we think of the diva as we've a lot of us have been taught, it's something you shouldn't aspire to be. Or it's something like, it's almost like something to proud to be. And to me, I'm like, No, do it like, that's why I've hit a show about,
Reba Buhr :and there's a way to do it without getting Naomi Campbell's reputation.
Allen Darby :Exactly.
Reba Buhr :Who is very much redeemed in my eyes after watching her on that. Making the cut. Yes, like Naomi.
Unknown Speaker :I love it
Unknown Speaker :best for me, but you're giving it to me with tough love. And again, I take it
Allen Darby :I love that you said that because she was my secondary diva of the week. I love that. Yeah. Because she Yeah, she's she's incredible. She's incredible. But
Reba Buhr :never has Julie been known to like, you know, make a costume or cry or abuse a assistant
Allen Darby :Throw a drink at someone you're
Reba Buhr :drinking anything like that. She's still a total star without ever making anybody feel bad you don't. That's not what a diva is necessarily
Allen Darby :what what is what is your definition
Reba Buhr :of somebody who's so luminous that when they walk into the room, everybody's eyes go to them and their body of work is so iconic that it it just doesn't. It doesn't doesn't need anything else. It's it has changed history.
Allen Darby :I love that you said that. Yes. I co sign all of it. I I put money down. I love that. I absolutely love that. I could talk about Julie forever, but we're coming near the end. What do you think? What it is okay. What do you think Julie's doing right now? It's 4:19pm timestamping. What do you think? Now
Reba Buhr :we're all in quarantine. So Julie's definitely at home. Um, she is with her daughter, Zoey, her children. Her daughter, Emma. She's been working with a lot. So I suspect Emma's like at the house with them with her kids, because they've been making this sort of like Facebook Watch Series around. They're working a little bit and Julie's been doing some zoom interviews and stuff. So she's probably getting ready to have some dinner they've just had to do at the pool. It's Fourth of July weekend, lots of grandkids running around. What's she wearing? always wearing something. Lately, Julie for the past like 10 or 20 years is constantly wearing a kind of a flowy baggy thing with a scarf around her neck is draped directly over her boobs. And she's constantly fiddling with the scarf, making sure it's exactly in the right place at all times. Because Heaven forbid anybody see her boob? her cleavage Yes.
Allen Darby :So it's all very flowy it's all very cardigan ask
Reba Buhr :it's very flowy What color is it many drapes? It's some sort of some sort of a peachy or a pastel II tone What are on
Allen Darby :her feet?
Reba Buhr :Oh, god seemed like slip ons of some kind. like a like a slipper. Shoe type shoe.
Allen Darby :Like Like a mule or just just no he'll
Reba Buhr :know. No heel, but like full coverage. I don't think she lets you see your feet and sandals. I just don't think it
Allen Darby :right. Right and what she smelled like
Unknown Speaker :she smells like like a garden rose or lavender or something like something from a British garden. Is she drinking anything?
Reba Buhr :I don't know anything about how if she like drinks alcohol anymore or not? Or if she ever did I don't know anything about that. I suspect she kind of keeps it pretty clean at this point. Yeah, yeah. At 85. Yeah. So Yeah, she's probably probably just some juice or something. You know.
Allen Darby :I was about to be like, what kind of juice? But anyway anyway anyway, I love that
Unknown Speaker :visualizing very deeply at this point.
Allen Darby :I'm out. Yeah, I'm picturing her in like, like, definitely around the kitchen island because they just come in from the pool and like drinking some like a juice with ice and it's like I'm picturing just tiles on the kitchen. I like white tiles and the kitchen island. And
Reba Buhr :there's definitely some house person who makes sure there's always snacks and ice drinks for everybody
Allen Darby :vitamins. I'm picturing vitamins and also just hit my mic. Sorry. Yeah, yeah, I love that for her. Okay, my last question. Reba, if you could say one thing to Julie Andrews, what would it be?
Reba Buhr :Well, whenever I think about this, and I this is not the first time I've thought about it. I want to make sure that she knows what an impact she had on me in a way that doesn't make me seem like, disingenuous or a freak. So I guess I would just want to tell her that her work was what helped me decide what I wanted to do with my life. And I have found it's so fulfilling and have always found her to be an inspiration. And I want to thank her for what a wonderful, beautiful contribution she made to this world.
Allen Darby :I just I've my heart just, like fluttered a bit. That was so sweet. That was so nice. Oh,
Unknown Speaker :yeah, let's hope I can remember that when it happens.
Allen Darby :Yeah, you could you know you can do you can just get out your phone when you see her and just press play and be like I talked about you Julie, listen to me, please. Then security gets you and thank you for that. Read this. Well, this has been such a lovely episode. Thank you. Do you have anything else you want to say about Julie?
Reba Buhr :No, no, I think we did a great job. And I'm just really excited that I was allowed to come and talk about it because I've never gotten to talk about her in any capacity. Really sides, you know, anecdotally with friends, because who cares? Everybody knows what they know about her work and the deeper stuff they don't need to know. So my obsession, which you know, I worked hard on for so long, like it has all been leading to this moment. Oh, my gosh. And I, when, when you said you were doing this podcast, and I was like, I have an area of expertise. And you do set it I could come on, I was so happy.
Allen Darby :Well, well, I'm so glad because I truly that's I mean, I kind of made this because of my obsession with Audrey. And Whitney and Beyonce. And so I totally get what you mean where it's where you're just like, nobody wants to listen to me talk about this anymore. And, and so but now I'm like, now people do. Like, who knows we like like we're helping someone. That's what I say. So thank you. Yes, thank you. Thank you. But thank you so much for coming on. Where can people find you?
Unknown Speaker :I do public figure.
Reba Buhr :I am on Instagram at ribbit outfor and on Twitter at remember, which is mostly anime based stuff on Twitter because that's where all the anime fans are. And that's Yes, a lot of the work I do.
Allen Darby :And Reba is an anime dubbing star.
Unknown Speaker :It's paying the bills. Yes. Um, so yeah, you can find me on those places.
Allen Darby :Fabulous. I love that and thank you for coming on diva worship. I I love you so much. Thank you so much. So say bye to the people and then we'll we'll talk in a bit it says Bye,
Unknown Speaker :goodbye Charlie people
Allen Darby :the Lightroom Princess Diaries everyone what an absolutely fantastic interview. Thank you, Reba so much for coming on diva worship everyone. Remember, Black Lives still matter trans lives still matter. ableism is bullshit. Drink water. Get out there, make your voices heard. Don't let the patriarchy get us down. We're in this fight for the long haul. I love you all. So much. Thank you all for listening this week Once again, my name is Allen Darby. You can find me on Instagram and Twitter at Allen Darby Tune in next time when I talked to hunter coffer and that's Zach coffers husband about Taylor Swift. And we're going to cover folklore. So excited. I'll see you there. Bye