The story I am going to tell you will be a bit long because I have so much to say. Here goes……
I just finished teaching a class at the studio and I was all sweaty. One of the ladies who worked behind the desk told me there was a man in the lobby that wanted to meet me. He held out his hand to shake mine…and said…“ How would you like to have your own tv show?” I heard that before and never believed them.
He told me his name was Woody F. He said. He was a daytime executive producer. And had worked on the creation of Good Morning America. He was a jolly looking man. He had a Santa looking face.
We both sat at a table and discussed his ideas. “I am doing three thirty minute pilots and I want you to be one of them.” The first was a legal show with a successful attorney F Lee Bailey. The second was with Irene Kassorla,a renowned therapist. The third pilot would be me.
No one was really interested in the first two pilots he shot. I did a 15 minute pilot and channel 5 KTLA. said yes to it. He called and said. “Guess what? We are going to create the Richard Simmons Show and it will be a success.”
Needless to say I was a little nervous. I said to myself, “Who is going to watch this five days a week?” Woody put together a team to produce the show. It will be produced by his wife at the time named Nora. She was pretty and very smart. When she had an idea she would play with her eyebrows. She told me I was funny and smart. I will take those compliments.
We had three brilliant writers. Marty..Ginger and Noreen. We would all sit at the table and come up with ideas for the show. I remember the first day I walked into the studio. I had to pinch myself. There was a living room set with a couch and two tables and a rug in front of the couch. There was a kitchen set where I would prepare low cal recipes. And there was an area for us to exercise.
I got to meet Jerry K…the director. He had a neatly shaped goatee. He always wore a white starched button down shirt and a pair of jeans . That was his uniform. I thought if he moved his arms his shirt would chip and fall on the floor. I told him to only shoot me if I looked real cute.
Woody’s youngest daughter wrote the theme song. It did not have any words. It was just music and it was very catchy She paid me a compliment and told me I was cool. Another part of the team was a very gifted lady named. Nancy Simmons…no relation. She had a Massachusetts accent and was a size 4. She would come to work in a colorful silk blouse and she always had heels on.
The beginning of the show was a skit that told the audience what the theme of that day’s show was. After the opening my audience sat around the living room set. There I would read letters that people had sent me and they also sent me gifts that I proudly displayed around the living room set.
Then I was off to the kitchen. One of my first guests to cook with was a lady who was born without arms. She sat on a stool and peeled a potato with her feet. Then she chopped an onion and some celery. I had a hard time keeping it together. When we went to break I gave her many kisses on her cheek and told her how inspiring she was. I had to go back to my dressing room for a few minutes to calm myself down.
Next stop … was the exercise area. My audience was dressed in workout wear and we danced to music that I picked out. I ended the show sitting on the steps in front of the living room. And I did a motivational speech. To be continued…
