Podtalk: Author Shelley Herman Remembers ‘My Peacock Tale’

Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 4, 2023 - 9:48am

CHICAGO – When a smart and ambitious California girl moves from her “one horse town” to early 1970s Los Angeles, what better way to break into the show business than being an NBC-TV Studio Page for “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” and other programs of the era. Author Shelley Herman tells “My Peacock Tale.”

Ms. Herman recalls the almost impossible-to-imagine situations behind the scenes amidst a “who’s who” of 1970s entertainment culture. From a trip to see Elvis in Las Vegas that led to Shelley getting into the NBC-TV Page program to literally “breaking a leg” in an encounter that brought her an indelible moment with a musical hero, she also had an insider’s perspective on the historic feud between Joan Rivers and Johnny Carson (when Rivers left her “Tonight Show” gig for her own talk show). “My Peacock Tale” tells all in the interpersonal, professional, and emotional connections forged by Shelley Herman and her friends that would define this as the time of their lives.

‘My Peacock Tale’ by Shelley Herman (inset)
Photo credit: BearManor Media

A longtime writer and TV game show production veteran (“Supermarket Sweep”), Shelley Herman is a southern California native who has made a life in show business as a creator and performer … starting as a contestant on “The Dating Game” and eventually writing more than 1000 hours of game shows. Married to actor Randall Carver, the Los Angeles resident was a witness to one of the most fascinating chapters of TV industry history, with tales told in “My Peacock Tale” only the beginning.

In Part ONE of a Podtalk with Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, Author Shelley Herman of “My Peacock Tale” talks about the journey to 1970s NBC-TV …

In Part TWO, of Johnny Carson, Joan Rivers and the game shows …

In Part THREE, #MeToo harassment 1970s style with a real “MASH-ER” and lessons in Shelley Herman’s Peacock Life…

In a video excerpt, Shelley Herman of “My Peacock Tale” gives her best pitch…