Paul Petersen on how working with Cary Grant led him to his iconic role on The Donna Reed Show.
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- čas přidán 20. 07. 2024
- Paul Petersen takes us behind the scenes on The Mickey Mouse Club and The Donna Reed Show. Paul reveals what it was like working with Cary Grant and Sophia Loren and why he didn’t think Harrison Ford was set for stardom. Plus we hear about his long friendship with Shelley Fabares and how the tragic death of another child actor led to the start of A Minor Consideration.
Timecodes
00:00 Start
00:30 Being fired from The Mickey Mouse Club
02:40 Early life
04:25 Mickey Rooney
06:20 Annette Funicello
09:50 Darlene Gillespie
10:30 Being shown the door at Walt Disney
11:23 Nicknames
13:00 Working for Disney again
15:20 Cary Grant & Sophia Loren
20:00 Donna Reed Show
25:00 Bob Crane
26:55 Shelley Fabares
27:00 Elvis
30:00 Harrison Ford
33:00 Matt Houston
36:00 A Minor Consideration is formed
44:00 Bill Bixby
45:00 Singing career - Zábava
Bless you, Paul, for taking care of Johnny Crawford in his final days.
Paul Petersen is a real class act.
He was so handsome as a young man.
Such an amazing interview with a wonderful human being who should be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for his lifesaving and life changing work with children in the entertainment industry. Thank you Paul and God bless you💐
Wow I didn't know that he was signed with Motown Records! What a Great picture with him & Lady SUPREME Mary Wilson & Diana Ross! What a Beautiful Man..
Appreciate the interview approach of not interrupting and allowing the guest to tell their wonderful stories.
He's almost 80? Wow... he looks so much younger.
Paul Petersen is a mostly unsung hero in the Hollywood pool of actors who owe their lives and memories of their work to him. After all the performance work he did, A Minor Consideration was the best and most memorable contribution to Hollywood anyone could create. Bravo, Paul. Thank you for all your work. 🎉
That encounter with Mickey Rooney must have left a lasting impression on Paul. Kudos to him for having gotten over all the obstacles that presented themselves along the way, and also for the work he's done as an advocate for child performers. That work will be his legacy, long after people stop watching reruns of "The Donna Reed Show".
I read Mickys book life is too short. The stuff mgm put him and Judy through. They were forced to make like 5vor more movies a year by contract. Judy basically was probably the biggest money maker for MGM was kicked aside..the studio dr. Fed those kids pills to sleep to wale to lose weight. Many in fact most addiction was created and fed by the studio. Cagney was pressured under contract to make many movies a year .he and a couple stars formed the original United Artists so they could take on studio executives. Negotiate reasonable terms. Cagne wasca real life tough Irishman. Fed up with studios. He left and lived on an upstate NY farm. Away from it all.. pauls been helping other stars for decades. ❤️
Started watching this and couldn't turn it off. Brilliant chat with a Hollywood survivor and thriver. Bravo Mr Petersen
I agree. Couldn't stop watching. Paul has so many interesting stories and tells them in such heartfelt way.
OMG !!!! Can’t stop crying 🥹 What a BEAUTIFUL, TOUCHING interview. Paul Petersen is really an AMAZING, wonderful human being and I just love his past work in movies and still watch The Donna Reed show regularly instead of the new shows of today 🤮….Thank You SOooooo much for posting this WONDERFUL interview 🥰🥰🥰. GOD Bless you Paul Petersen ❤
I grew up with Paul. We're the same age and it was a fabulous time to be young. He is a true gentleman and a credit to the Baby Boomer generation.
74th as a Boomer born in 60'.....I really appreciated this video......what a Good Kind Person Paul Petersen is ..... he was so dammed handsome too ....
Children and animals are both innocent
and helpless in the hands of cruel adults.
We need much stronger laws to protect
them both..🙏🏻
Loved this interview! Paul Peterson is a special person. Missed him when he stopped performing, but understand he was on a mission from God.
This was a superior interview. I grew up with his work. A wonderful man and caring beyond words for Hollywood child actors.
I didn't know Donna Reed died from pancreatic cancer. My dad also had it and was gone in thirty days too. I still watch the Donna Reed Show and enjoy it as much as ever. Paul is a brilliant actor. He was so good in Houseboat. Imagine working with Sophia Loren and Cary Grant as a child actor.
Donna Reed, temporarily replaced Barbara Bel Geddes as Miss Ellie on Dallas. Donna was treated badly by the producers of the show.
Want to say thank you for this interview with Paul. Grew up watching Donna Reed Show, love Paul Petersen.
Thank you for watching Pamela. Glad you enjoyed our interview with Paul.
I was five years old when I started watching the Donna Reed Show in 1958. I want to thank Paul for all the laughs he gave me on that wonderful show.
I've just started watching the show again on Tubi television with my 9 year-old grand-daughter. Whenever I watch it, I'm suddenly a pre-teen kid looking forward to my future life as an adult.
I remember reading about how the early death of Rusty Hamer was the reason for Petersen's A Minor Consideration. I'm sure many younger actors are grateful to Mr. Petersen.
Why did Rusty Hamer kill himself?
Paul Peterson was my pre-teen heartthrob. I adored him for a long time. Later I admired him for his work on behalf of other kid actors vs. the Hollywood injustices. What a great guy!! Well before his time considering how horrible Hollywood is now.
My crush on Paul Peterson began with the Donna Reed show and continues to this day, not only because of his looks, but he's lived a life of awareness. Quite an interesting and intriguing life journey -- one filled with awareness and insights that few manage to grasp. ✌🎈👍🌹
Loved everything about this. The best interview I've seen with Paul Petersen. His work assisting child stars to find their balance and sense of self fulfilment is a testament to his integrity, decency and huge heart (bigger than Texas). A great interview, as other comments here say. Kudos to you Mr Petersen.
I love this interview with Paul Petersen! I’m a big fan of the Donna Reed Show and always felt Paul was a magnificent actor, stunt man, singer. His foundation “A Minor Consideration” is such an important organization.
The Donna Reed Show was a favorite in our home. Thanks for this incredibly insightful interview. Paul Petersen you are incredible, simple as that. Have respected your talents for a long time, Thank you sir for entertaining us for so many decades. And the interviewer, Mr Bennett, is excellent.
Glad you enjoyed it!
What a great guy! It's amazing that he came out of his childhood with his head screwed on straight. I admire him not just for his career but especially for "A Minor Consideration." I hope he eventually publishes that manuscript he started.
What a fantastic human being…great interview
"my dad" still makes me tear up
A truly great interview. Paul Petersen is an angel, as you say. So many child stars fell by the wayside for all manner of reasons. What a Godsend Paul has been. Beyond that, he's enjoyed such tremendous career. Admired him in so many things. Admire him even more now thanks to this comprehensive interview. Thanks again Celebrity Drop.
The lovely thing about thing is that acting is telling a story well... it is not about being famous, that is just what happens because an actor does well. This story portrays ihis so well, in so many ways! This is a wonderfully heart-warming and illumininating interview. By the way Bill Bixby scared me... when he stared at me, lol.
You are so right @melissafountain2757. Well said.
Paul Petersen always reminded me of my brother who passed away seven years ago. You are a true hero, Paul God bless you.
Again, you ask all the important questions that we all want the answers to.
Paul wasn’t kidding! In Mickey’s acceptance speech he said when he was forty, he couldn’t get a job. It was a TN professor who put together ‘Sugar Babies’ which resurrected his career!
We Love Donna Reed show - Paul You had amazing career thank you for sharing your life with us , We have enjoyed it !
Thank you Paul for all you do.
I’ve always been a Paul Peterson fan. Great interview! Thank you, Paul, for all the good works you have done.
Glad you enjoyed it @Rockysmom1234
Rusty Hamer was a great child actor. Danny Thomas enjoyed working with him. He once said that Rusty was one of the funniest kids he'd ever met.
Paul Peterson is 7 years older than I am. I still watch The Donna Reed Show because of him. He was my first fantasy boyfriend. I had such a crush:-)
Thank you for such a wonderful talk with Paul! He is truly a great human!
Craig Bennett you are a superb interviewer! 💪
Just brilliant.
And Paul Petersen IS an angel.
I have huge respect for Paul and all of his passionate hard work for child actors.
Adore Paul! 💪♥️
Thank you for another outstanding interview.
Wow, thank you @anniem9595
So interesting and entertaining. Have always loved Paul and his movies but will forever adore him as Jeff on Donna Reed.
Wow! What an enjoyable and informative interview! I remember Paul from his years on the Donna Reed Show, but now have much greater appreciation for his lifetime of achievements and humanitarian efforts thanks to Celebrity Drop. Well done!
Glad you enjoyed it @NanuqoftheNorth ... don't hesitate to ask who you'd like to hear from ... we can always reach out and see if we can get them. Thank you.
I just love Paul Petersen ❤
What a crush I had on Paul. We’re about the same age. I think he’s 6 months older. Never missed an episode of the Donna Reed show. Always wished I had a mom like Donna. Kudos to Paul for everything he’s done for child actors. 💖 Great interview
Fantastic interview, I have always been a fan of Paul’s, this just showed me what a wonderful human being he is! God Bless him.
Another great interview with a great human being!
What a quality interview, you are beautiful person. With Donna Reed being aired on prime, I forget we aged. You were so handsomely cute. But now as I watch it at 69, I see your natural talent your bright light. The show had such great messages.
A wonderful interview.
Thanks for conducting and posting this interview. I'm nearly 62 and don't remember watching the Donna Reed Show growing up, but since the pandemic, I've been watching reruns, finding in them lots of solace and entertainment during a troubled time. Paul Petersen, who has such terrific on-screen charm and charisma, is delightful in them. And Donna Reed was brilliant and beautiful--the light of talent he speaks of inside great performers and artists is such a mystery. I never realized how many movies Donna Reed made. Never knew Paul was a Mouseketeer. Now I want to watch the Houseboat movie with Paul, Cary Grant, and Sophia Loren. I also didn't know about Paul's work with troubled celebrities or about his career as an author. Fascinating interview, and kudos to Paul for a life well lived and for caring so much about other people, including his kind words about Shelley Fabares. The current writers' strike (and now actors' strike) only underscores the inhumanity of Hollywood greed that Paul makes clear has existed since the industry's inception. It's hard to reconcile in our brains the industry that has brought so much joy and pleasure to the world has also disregarded the wellbeing of the people it exploits to make profits.
Thank you for posting your comment joeabcobb1. Paul is such a lovely person and has enjoyed such a fabulous career and life.
@@celebritydropyou are just as excellent in your work at interviewing and bring out their best. You are their friend. I enjoyed you just as much as Paul.
I remember Paul Petersen. Singing My Dad on Donna Reed. Thanks for all your help with other Children who were in the entailment business. I heard too like Mickey Rooney
About Elder Abuse from Family. Remember always that God Loves You.
What a superb interview! Great questions and heartfelt honest answers. Paul Petersen really is an angel. I enjoyed every minute of his memories shared .
Glad you enjoyed it!
An absolutely brilliant interview. Such a beautiful human being. Great interview, Craig. Thank you. 🙏
Paul Peterson looks so good for his age. Always liked him and proud of what he did for fellow child actors.
I had such a crush on Paul Petersen. “The Donna Reed Show”, “My Dad” . . . so many wonderful memories❣️
What a truly wonderful interview!
Wow, I look at The Donna Reed Show up to this day. I think Paul had a younger sister on the show also.
Paul’s sister joined the show in 1963 and stayed till the end.
Great too See Paul Peterson Again . Thank Him for What he did for The Child Stars. “AMinorConsideration” is the Name. Good Actor and I liked The Donna Reed Show.💙
Thank you for watching @katiehall3313
wow! I enjoyed every minute of this interview.
Glad you enjoyed it @jamescobb9587
What a wonderful interview! Thank you! 😀
Glad you enjoyed it @ellenmorgan9857
You were great on donna Reed show! Great character.
He really is a wonderful man & I’m so grateful for A Minor Consideration! I had read about several of those former child stars & was deeply saddened. Wishing Paul the very best! He’s the cream of the crop of people! 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼♥️
Well said
House Boat is a fun film so it's good to hear he got along very well with the brilliant Cary Grant.
What a Great Interview! Brought back so many memories! The Donna Reed Show and hearing amazing stories of great artists! God Bless Paul Peterson on his humane activities! How wonderful to see him again!
A beautiful and heartfelt interview. Had no idea of Paul Petersen's backstage advocacy. Loved every frame of this interview.
What a cute, engaging personality; always liked him back in the day! I'm happy to hear he has had a pretty good life and is still going strong despite some issues. I can relate:-)
Loved him since the Donna Reed show days. What a great guy!
What a great interview ! Wonderful stories. Paul Petersen is as treasure !!
THANK YOU PAUL PETERSON. PROTECT THE CHILDREN
Have loved and been blown away by Celebrity Drop in the short time I’ve been viewing and was going to skip this one. Had never heard of Petersen or followed his work, but once again I’m glad I watched. It seems that the more obscure the celebrity names are, the more rich and fascinating the Hollywood stories. ❤ Kudos to the host as well. There’s always a kindness and generosity in his interviews.
Thank you for your kind comment catch101 and so glad you are enjoying what Craig and I do. It is really a passion project for us both and we are thrilled to be able to bring these interviews to fans of these talented artists.
What an informative interview. The Donna Reed Show a TV treasure. Had no idea Mr Peterson went on to do the tremendous work he did. 🙏⭐️
Great interview. Lovely person. Thank you Paul Petersen for being one of the good ones. God bless you for helping so many. I believe you'll be OK when you get to the "pearly gates."
Glad you enjoyed it @martia5987
You're fortunate to have experienced a show biz and singing career working with extraordinary people, yet come out of all, as an advocate for helping and supporting other Hollywood young actors. Thank you, God bless. 👍
YES I watched the Donna Reed show all the time and listened to you sing. Loved you all . Miss those great shows ❤
Yet again, another great interview. The Donna Reed Show was terrific viewing in our home. I'd forgotten Mr Petersen was an original Mickey Mouse Club member, and what a kind and generous man. Also great to hear about Cary Grant being so charming and gracious as a person.
I have been watching The Donna Reed Show on Amazon Prime & I am so glad I found it! I became a fan back in the '80's or early '90's when I watched it on Nick@Nite. I have missed it so much since then!
I absolutely enjoyed this interview, what a great man Paul is! I will start looking for all the other movies & shows he has done in his career.
Your most important work I feel is what you have done for the child actors (young & old).
Looking forward to seeing "Jeff" & the rest of the Stone family in just a few hours this evening!!
God Bless You, Paul!!!
I've already watched this 2 times to make sure I didn't miss anything!!! ❤️
I really enjoyed this interview, I hope you can interview Shelley Fabares or even better both Paul and Shelley together one day. I find it fascinating that the cast of The Donna Reed Show got along so well and became so close that after the show ended, the four of them would meet each other once a month for years until Carl Betz died, then they stopped because it was too hard for them without him. I mean Shelley left the series after the 5th season and you would think they'll forget about each other and move on but it's like the total opposite, they became closer and if you watch the series, you can see the closeness between all four of them.
For a man in his late seventies, Paul Petersen has an enviable head of hair. And I like hearing his stories.
Wow, what a treasure trove of an interview!
🙂🖐👍🏴☠️🇨🇭🇺🇲What a decent star!!!
Friends with paul on facebook he always tells me happy birthday pretty cool to have happen i live only about an hour from where Donna reed was born they used to have festivals here wish i couldn't met paul one of these days ill have to write him soon dont wanna regret not doing it when he is gone wish him shelley and jimmy many more happy years great guy :)
Lot of great actors in A Time for Killing & Journey to Shiloh! Matt Houston was also a great tv show! Thanks for this wonderful walk down memory lane with Paul! 🙏🏼♥️
Great video!
Glad you enjoyed it @TheMartinick
THANK YOU FOR INTERVIEWING PAUL PETERSEN HE IS CHOCK FULL OF CELEBRITY HISTORY I TRULY APPRECIATE YOUR VIDEO
I remember Paul had a successful record of a song called "My Dad". Shelly Fabares had a very successful record called "Johnny Angel" . But, I saw a video interview with her much later in life where she said she didn't want to make a recording of that song. One of the producers said, "Well, do you want to stay on the show?" (Donna Reed show). A clear threat. Would have liked to ask Paul Petersen if he had a similar experience.
Seems like I remember (maybe in an alternate universe) reading a long ago article which said that Paul was much in favor of singing on the Donna Reed show because he'd seen Ricky Nelson's success, which resulted in a lot attention from girls, and Paul was all for that.
@@lindahorton7851 There is a long history of teen stars of TV shows being made into singing stars. I'm sure most of them enjoyed it, the extra money and exposure. I just thought it was interesting how Ms. Fabares was bullied into it. Here's a link to her discussing the whole situation. in retrospect, she seems fine with the whole experience. The producers name was Tony Owen who was married to Donna Reed at the time.
czcams.com/video/Jz4VJWAJ1Fk/video.html
@@kronos5385 I've seen Shelley do interviews about how she didn't want to sing on the show, and when they recorded, they used Frank Sinatra's Backup singers, and that's why the Johnny Angel song did so well--Shelley was/is so humble and talented, an amazing person....
@@kronos5385 thanks for the link...nice to know my memory is mostly correct, sometimes!
Great interview, and God Bless Paul P
Hi, Only my 2nd video viewing ,I am 68 ,grew up with these Stars , love your photo inserts , I am hooked on your channel ! Great inside stories ! Yes I Subscribed !
Happy you are hooked @markeast9221 and glad you found us!
Paul, I just “dropped” your name today, remembering your attending the Meriden, Iowa, Picnic (community festival) many years ago. I’d my memory is remotely correct, we rode together on the Ferris wheel. I was too starstruck to say anything intelligent!
He’s a hero!!
Wow! I need to watch some of these movies. I’m sure I must have seen them growing up in the 70’s and 80’s on tv. What a joy the interview is and Paul Peterson is a joy too. Love all his stories. Thank you☺️💖
Petersen was the first to really speak up, and actively talk about the exploitation of child actors. Tho' it has been going on for nearly a century..(Look up Jackie Coogan). Kid actors grow up, turn into teenagers and then get chucked aside. Bobby Driscoll another tragic example. Not everyone makes that transition to adult acting, nor do they want to. Some develop severe emotional problems, suicidal depression (Rusty Hamer), or addictions (Anissa Jones) Shining a light on this helps young actors get the help they need. And for the public to understand the very dark underside of child stardom...
Incredible interview. What a kind and generously hearted man. ❤
He looks fabulous!
Paul, I love your logo on your suspenders. Is that Route 66 or Phillip's 66. My father was a electrical engineer for Phillips for 38 yrs. Loved watching The Donna Show, was one of my favorites. Great interview,good to see you. God'sBlessings.
What a great interview, and I think every teenagers in America wanted Paul Peterson's Hair.
Loved Paul and he was the star on the show but they didn’t allow him very much screen time
Paul is still so handsome.
He sure is ❤
I had the Biggest crush on Paul Peterson! He is a wonderful person & he's still handsome.
This barely scratches the surface in the life of Paul Petersen. Long overdue, yet thank you...👍🙏😊
A wonderful interview. Talent and goodness on both sides.
What an excellent interview!
Thank you ❤😊
What a joy this interview was..great job ❤
So sad what the industry can do to child actors, Anissa Jones from Family Affair died of a drug overdose at the age of 18 and Sawyer Sweeten from Everybody Loves Raymond one of the twins killed himself with a shotgun right before his 20th birthday and many more went down a terrible road 😢