This debut episode starts with Bob's FBI-agent birthright and takes us through
a childhood spent in Sunset Strip nightclubs where he hung out with
Nat "King" Cole, sang duets with Sophie Tucker and Johnny Ray, and was
introduced to the joys of Parliament cigarettes...at age six!
Raised with gun-toting West Coast Jewish mobsters as
family role models, Bob reveals the details of youthful encounters with
naked movie stars like Carol Baker and Rock Hudson...and describes his
celebrity-filled school years living just down the street from the movie-star
mansions of Beverly Hills.
Life at Beverly Hills High--where Bob did a good job of "passing" as Jewish--
led to an eye-opening experience with anti-semitism which colors his
attitudes even to this day.
Suzanne gets Bob to reveal how Vietnam-era draft evasion caused him to
change his name...and how repeated appearances on a handful of TV quiz shows
propelled him toward an unusual career choice.
Although he whimped out when he won a date with a Hollywood stripper,
Bob had a fresh taste of showbiz that he just couldn't shake.
