Harvey Brownstone Interviews Ron DeFore, Son of TV and Screen Star, Don DeFore
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- čas přidán 10. 02. 2023
- Harvey Brownstone conducts an in-depth interview with Ron DeFore, Son of TV and Screen Star, Don DeFore
About Harvey's guest:
Today’s special guest, Ron DeFore, is the son of one of Hollywood’s most beloved and respected actors, Don DeFore, who appeared in dozens of great movies, including “A Guy Named Joe”, “30 Seconds Over Tokyo”, “The Male Animal”, “Ramrod”, “Romance on the High Seas”, “The Facts of Life”, and one of the great Christmas classics, “It Happened on 5th Avenue”.
He worked with everyone from Spencer Tracy and Lionel Barrymore to John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Robert Mitchum, Olivia de Havilland, Claudette Colbert, Lucille Ball, Judy Holiday - and that’s just scratching the surface. On television, he became a household name, first as “Mr. Thornberry”, or “Thorny”, the next-door neighbour on “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet”, earning him a 1954 Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actor. And then, he became “Mr. Baxter”, affectionately referred to as “Mr. B.”, for 4 seasons, on the classic sitcom, “Hazel”, co-starring the wonderful Shirley Booth.
Don DeFore’s acting was seamless, because he was projecting his genuine, regular-guy personality, that made him endearing, enduring and beloved by his millions of fans. But there was much more to this man than his acting career.
He was a loving husband to big band singer Marion Holmes, and a devoted father to his 5 children. He owned a popular BBQ restaurant at Disneyland.
He served on the Board of the Screen Actors Guild, and was President of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and he orchestrated the first nationally televised Emmy Awards show in 1955. In 1965 he co-authored a book with his sister Penny DeFore entitled, “With All My Love”, about her experiences working in a Korean orphanage. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
He was part of the US delegation to the 1969 International Film Festival in Moscow. And after getting to know Ronald Reagan on the set of a movie they made together, he became heavily involved in President Reagan’s political career, and was on the Presidential Advisory Committee to the Peace Corps.
And if that weren’t enough, Don DeFore was a very gifted furniture maker. Our guest has had a remarkable life himself. He started out in the television industry and then moved on to an impressive career in Washington, first in the Peace Corps, then as part of President Reagan’s administration, and then as co-founder of one of the largest and most respected public affairs firms in Washington.
He’s here to talk about his wonderful book, “Growing Up in Disneyland: Memoirs of Stage, TV and Movie Star Don DeFore, and His Son’s Exciting Life in a Celebrity Family and Beyond”.
For more interviews and podcasts go to: www.harveybrownstoneinterview...
www.defore.net/
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I am a 65 yr. old woman. I saw Hazel as a kid but love it even more now! I watch it almost every night to go to sleep. I have trouble sleeping and the humor and love in the family gives me a warm feeling and reduces stress.
Did you enjoy the interview?
@@harveybrownstoneinterviews8980 yes, I did & I thoroughly enjoyed the interview. So happy to learn of Don DeFore’s political beliefs, which align with mine. Now I know why I was so drawn to his movies and the the Hazel show. His dedication to God, family, and country are dear to many, esp. in the midst of all that’s going on today. I do wish I could obtain all the seasons and episodes of Hazel.
OMG !!! I am exactly the same way… I watch Hazel and Ozzie Harriet every night to get that warm feeling and reduce stress …❤❤❤❤ Love the interview
@marybranicki3354 thank you so much for watching our show!
Don Defore was a classic actor….I loved him. God Bless him…. A man of God…an example for all of us.
So true. Thanks for watching.
Don DeFore was my uncle. Great guy..though I was young when we visited him.
Do you know Ron?
In the fall of 1974, I saw Henry Fonda in a one-man show as Clarence Darrow, that was touring and came to St. Louis. My friend and I got to meet Mr. Fonda after the show. After leaving the theatre in downtown St. Louis, on the street corner there was a small group of people talking. One of the men was Don Defore. I just blurted out to him “You’re Don Defore!”. He laughed and said something like “ I think so”. He couldn’t have been nicer and signed my high school library card that Henry Fonda had just signed.
So cool!!
I can’t wait to view the other interviews!
@kenmartin1345 hurry! I can’t wait for your feedback!!
Don Defore was great. i watch it happened on 5th avenue every christmas.
Me too
Never cared for the sitcom Hazel without Don Defore and Whitney Blake; very nice to hear his son speak of his father.
Thank you so much for watching our show
Very nice, easy going interview. You asked very interesting questions. Ron is so cute. I see so much of his dad in him, especially when he laughs. Thank you both for sharing this with us.
Yes I was immediately struck by how much he looks like his Dad. Thanks so much for watching our show!🙏❤️
Cool he sounds just like his dad🤗❤
Yes I definitely saw and heard the resemblance
he does!
@scotnick59 he’s such a beautiful person inside and out.
Hazel is my comfort show. It's classic and timeless.
I am praying that one day our show will be your comfort show
I enjoyed this interview. It only doI hear his father in his voice but also in his chuckle. Thank you for this 💕
It was our great pleasure bringing this interview, and all our great interviews to our viewers. Thank you for your support!❤️
I loved him in Ozzie n Harriet. But my favorite of him was on hazel . When they dropped him and Whitney blake. The 5,th season was awefull. We now have the DVD set. He was a great actor.
He sure was
If you’re a fan of our show, you’ll know that one of our most popular features is the “Gone But Not Forgotten” series, featuring interviews with iconic stars. This latest episode in that series features the son of popular movie and TV actor Don DeFore. You’ll learn so much about who this terrific actor really was. And the story about the great comedian Foster Brooks is really special!!
Love Foster Brooks also!
@hughhaefner3317 me too!
What a wonderful interview, gentlemen! It’s really is refreshing to see a Hollywood son speak so highly of his father. ❤
Thank you so much for watching our show.
Ron's resemblance to his father is uncanny. Shirley Booth had an unparalleled screen personality, and Don was her ideal counterpart.
I agree 100%
How exciting, I am in one of his FB groups (but I can't recall the name).
What a great interview, Harvey, you always do such a superb job!
I just watched the episode of Don on This Is Your Life, a couple days ago. It gave an insight to how respected he and his family was. Ozzie & Harriet was in on the surprise & they were so adorable about it. Then I watched a Christmas with The Nelson's TV Special where many who had guest started on the show stopped by & yes, He made an appearance, & spoke of drinking "warm Coke"...made me giggle! I watch a lot of Ozzie and Harriet!!! I'll have to check out Hazel again.
👍👍 🤗
Thank you so much Karenlee for your tremendous support of our show. I appreciate you - and all my incredibly kind viewers - so very much. 🙏❤️
Oh boy, I just watched that TV Christmas show again (I can't sleep) I got half way through it and to come over here and tell you, I really messed up! For 1.) The show is called An Ozzie and Harriet Christmas. And 2.) That was Harley Baer who spoke of the warm Coke. Boy, I used to have such a great memory...not so much anymore!
Gonna go back now & finnish the show & really hear what Don has to say!!!
@@karenleemallonee684 It was PARLEY Baer.
@@caraqueno
Yes, I realized that I got his name wrong a few days later. I believe I also got mixed up on my story about the warm Coke too!
Thanks for letting me know, I appreciate it!!! 🙂
I wished I had a dad like yours was.
Yes Don was a perfect Dad
Boy Ron sure sounds like his dad and particularly when he laughs the same chuckling motions.
The same thought occurred to me during the interview!
A job well done! But I would have loved to hear what he had to say about why his dad and Whitney Blake left the show. And then they leave their son behind, absolutely bizarre!!
I should have asked him that question. You’re correct. Sorry about that.
Thank you Ron and Harvey.
You are so very welcome
Why did the Hazel show dump Don Defore and Whitney Blake? They were the best co-stars for Hazel. Love your show Harvey. Just discovered it a few weeks ago.
I’m delighted you found our show. I hope you will check out more of our great interviews and consider subscribing to our CZcams channel. Please spread the word about our show. We believe we deserve a much bigger audience. 🙏❤️
@@harveybrownstoneinterviews8980 You absolutely deserve a much, much larger audience, and I believe you will achieve it. I'll make sure I'm subscribed and have viewed a couple of dozen of your shows and hit the like button! Thank you for the entertainment!
@hughhaefner3317 that is so incredibly kind of you. Thank you so much for your support. With viewers like you, I believe our show will make it to the top!!
Harvey, how much prep time do you put into your amazing interviews? Good interview.
Every interview takes a full week to research and prepare.
He was Wonderful, I loved him.
Thank you so much for watching our show!
I’m 42 I have the whole series on dvd of hazel I love the show and I’m watching it now
That’s so cool!!
Loved his voice
Me too
to this day I always thought that Don was one of the most likeable actors I'd ever seen. He was excellent in" Ramrod "and "Too Late for Tears"
He sure was likeable. I loved having his son on our show. I hope you enjoyed the interview
I still enjoy Hazel and I enjoy Him on Ozzie and Harriet.Don was a wonderful actor.
He certainly was. It was a pleasure to celebrate him on our show. Thank you so much for watching
Hazel, a great show!
It sure was!
His son looks sooo much like dad.
He sure does!
Wow, he resembles his dad and sounds like him too.
Yes! It’s uncanny!
I was a big fan of Don Defore. I enjoyed him on Ozzie & Harriett. I always wished I had a next door neighbor like Thorny.
What did you think of the interview?
He sounds exactly like his father
He sure does!! And I love it!!
With the ease of self publishing nowadays, why wouldn’t his son publish his father’s autobiography, no matter how much it would or wouldn’t sell? His father worked on that book for decades‼️
We discussed it after filming this interview. Ron feels his book includes the salient features and passages of his Dad’s book.