60's Teen Idol Bobby Rydell on Overcoming Alcoholism

hi I'm Steve Adubato this is one on one we are honored absolutely honored to be joined by Bobby Rydell singer actor entertainer very special guy author of the book teen idol on the rocks a tale of second chances all the way from South Philly South Fuli let's tell people there's no joke take a look at this guy's you see this over here yeah it is why am I making this joke it's an Italian thing why we're who used to have them my grandmother my grandmother as okay was your grandmother's name Lena by any chance no Vincenza Vincenz every times affront from Lena sapiens was my grandma Jessica fellow okay hello right and by the way are you upset that we don't have plastic on ease of course my grandmother bleep you're very upset now why did why did our people have plastic on the furniture you know I really don't know I do to preserve it made safe every it was very comfortable too in the summer oh yeah oh by the way I've got real nice to sit on you are your original name Roberto Luigi reader le if you want to say it in American it's Robert Louis really beautiful tallien Roberto Luigi reader le Meza Bruce is amazing mark ajaan so both yeah my father was a America John and my mother side was from Abruzzi cob roots revenge EDA campobasso that's the province yeah beautiful in ceramic it I'll interpret for people um you've had an amazing career yeah I've been very lucky um when did you know that you and when did others around you know that you had this talent to perform to sing I was back a long time Steve when my dad was overseas I was three years old and my mom and dad would write back and forth and my mom would write the babies always singing the babies always saying God's honest truth and my father wrote back I I still have the letter today and in my house back home in Philly and my father wrote back who knows maybe one day we'll have a star in the families all right absolutely and if I had any talent within me whatsoever my dad was the first one to see it he used to take me around to small clubs in Philadelphia when I was seven eight years old yes the club owner is there okay if my son gets up and sings and does a couple of invitations and you know when you're a young kid you know it's like a child a core an animal act you know people yes applaud I said Wow all I have to do is do this and they do that what a wonderful feeling so that it's been my life at soar it's all I've known since about you know seven years old who discovered you at first and really realized that professionally you could make some money matter of fact the very dear friend of mine Frankie Avalon was in a band called Rocko Frankie Frankie Avalon yes Avalon cello and Frankie out we got the world again sorry I was a beach movie exactly yeah well Frank and I go back Frankie and I go back I call him Cheech and thalya Nina and Don Cheech not that I'm not Jack I'm sorry it's his - I said no thing I was gonna go there who is it excusa Kiwis a senior's okay nice pad yeah as you were saying no fuss cool body but as you were saying yeah I'm Dianna let's go so with the silver exactly like Frankie we go back I was 10 years old Frankie was 40 no I was there Frankie's a couple of years older than me so he was in a band called rocking with the Saints and he said Bobby chippy Brancato the drummer got sick he said could you come in and fill him because I've been playing drums since I was five six years old I said yeah Frank you know so I go down and the head group the main group was a Banquo Billy Duke in the Dukes and we were there like the second part we were Rocco in the Saints but I was only in for the night and the bass player in raqqa when the Saints was a guy by the name of Frankie de Israel named Francesco cocky Wow and he came up to me and he said I was like 15 years old he says I like to manage you I said I don't know what you're talking about I said talk to my father like my dad was with me and we shook hands no no signing of a contract then we went around to different recording companies and got this and yes in this I said this is really not for me I was really happy playing Jerome's and then we went back to Philadelphia met a man by the name of Bernie Lowe who was the president of cameo which later became cam a parkway recorded three songs had nothing I said this is really not for me and then my first table is a song called kissing time summer of 1959 basically see that's how it all started so hold on let's fast-forward a little bit sure you and Ann Margaret 1963 a lot happens between 59 63 but you and AM Margaret Bye Bye Birdie 1963 Hugo Peabody yes that's you well you know I went out and I screen tested with an for George Sidney who was the director and basically a screen test a roll film they want to see what kind of a personality I be an actor not really no not really I did too hot at the time oh I was very hot yeah I'd realized even them for them to look at you oh yeah absolutely you know I was so I went out my screen tested and and was with me and we read some lines from the script we sang you know she did one boy one special but one girl one special girl yada yada yada and go home and my manager Frankie day he calls he says you landed the part of you go Peabody and that was it now I went to see the Broadway show and prior you know to go out and screen tests and you go and Peabody and the Broadway show the legitimate show did nothing he didn't sing he didn't dance he didn't have a line and I guess mr. Sidney George Sidney saw some kind of magic between Ann Margaret myself and every day I would go to the studio on set and the script got bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger with lines and dancing and singing and someone I was you know I've never made that many movies but if I had to make one movie I mean bye-bye birdie is a classic you know such as Greece she amazing and was great you know matter of fact I sent her my book and she called me and I was working a place in Florida called the The Villages really really super place and I was in the shower the phone rang I pick it up in it's voice mail and she says that's not your name your name is I did that Edley or you go and she says Bobby I just read your book I can't believe everything that you went through and she's a sweetheart and as I was leaving I had to leave out of the Orlando Airport I called her and I said thank you so much and I said I really appreciate it and I said you know what back in 1963 I was 20 you were 21 why don't we get mad and then we're getting mad could you do this for us the darkest times well it would they were there were many I guess the darkest time was when I lost my first wife and that was 2003 and she passed away the breast cancer and we were married for 36 years Steve had two children and once she died I mean there was a void that I mean there was there's nobody in bed there was nobody to talk to there's nobody to laugh with there was nobody to cry with and I I became an alcoholic during the oh absolutely I mean a bad not a bad drug but I mean just bad bad bad drinking I mean to the point where I would hide bottles in my golf bag in the trunk of my car god forbid half of the bottle was going in the refrigerator and I'd have to go you know to the states or a liquor store buy you know another bottle god forbid Ian how'd you really have a problem I'm sorry how did you know you had a problem I didn't who told you my new wife were married seven years now and thank God if it wasn't for her you know I I don't think I'd be sitting talking with you right now she she had an intervention you know and and that kind of like put me on the straight and narrow you know to the point where I mean I was so bad as it says in the book you know thought the whole transplant I had a double transplant a new liver and a new kidney yeah I was about a week to ten days away from from dying that's it yeah that's you that picture that's me oh isn't this great I love that that you know if I can just interject right you know there's no hair okay this is you got a beautiful eyes that's it's a hair piece it's a nice got yes it's a hair piece but we're doing a show about six months later have a meet and greet and this elderly lady comes up with old 45s and some old eight-by-tens and she said Bobby god bless you I'm so happy you came through your surgery with flying colors I said thank you ever so much she said may I ask you a question I said absolutely she says I didn't know they shaved your head for transplant surgery yeah your hair grew back I said sweetheart this is a hairpiece which is 20 got tel enough for why not who cares well zeef it's a exactly but but who cares real come on we're vain we care no you put it all out there you get better than I am you ready um I want that because you got all of that okay how about this you're a tylo some friends that were a little mm-hmm you knew them and had to deal with them yeah how why they leave how did they leave you okay they didn't leave you alone because you worked in the clubs and you knew these guys yes how did you manage your interactions with him I'm not going to start mentioning names he's indeed it's in the book but I I was having I was having dinner with this particular gentleman on two of his associates let's see it's and we're sitting at a restaurant in Brooklyn and he says to me Bobby he said you could have been a big star he says Sinatra loves you I love him too Louie whoops this leader Decker and he said something to the effect that there's you and Sinatra right there yeah Wow I was 19 years old that was at the Copa you got a book about a oh yeah he was sitting with Sammy Cahn Jimmy Van Deusen Richard Conte and Joe DiMaggio stop it yeah and Jules Patel who was the author of the köppen er the Copa he was about four foot five had known that talk like it right and he has Frank on the shoulder he says Frank I want you to meet the kid you're the kid and Sinatra turned around he said how you doing Robert called me Robert oh my god I said fine mr. Sinatra how are you wonderful would you care to join us I said it'd be my pleasure and a couple of minutes go by and he turns him he says what do you drink Robert I said coke figure if I said son scotch award I get smacked in the face here look that's about anyway you know this particular gentleman said that big my father more or less yeah messed up my career and I looked at him and I called him effing liar well his eyes went like this he got up he left the table these two guys say you know Gollum huh yes I said he's talking about my father my family he's a liar and now there's silence I said oh my god is the Hudson come into mind you know swimming with the fishes concrete Kubota type of thing but this particular gentleman came back hugged me kissed me because he said somebody or father Hindi respected ghosts I took up I said I took up for family before I let you go you're still performing today yes sir how young are you I'm 74 I just turned 70 for April 26th how the hell you look like this well China this new livered new kid become buddies stupid for men you used to oh I'm in how why you know what after the surgery you know or prior to the surgery and are you going to have tubes and this and am I going to be able to do what I've done all my life because I really really enjoy what I'm doing it's not a job I love what I'm doing right and I was so happy that six months after the double transplant I was in Vegas you know and it felt so good Steve you notice I didn't know if I was ever going to be able to do that again what's it like being on that stage again I am so fortunate I am so lucky I mean I you know the way it happened the way this whole thing happened with me with the transplant and everything is in the book was like a miracle uh you know I'm all positive my donor was 21 years old hit by a car in Redding she was old positive that's how things worked out when I got the liver I talked to the doctor who who put in my kidney dr. Romero dr. Cataldo daughter you put in my liver I said I didn't know that I I wasn't the primary recipient he looked at me he said Bobby said you weren't even the secondary I said what do you mean he said there were 14 people in front of you waiting for a new liver 14 people Steve turned down a partial liver I split I split my liver with a little four-year-old girl her name is saya from Philadelphia she got 25% of Julia's liver I got 75% of Julia's liver I mean you believe in God absolutely thought so absolutely I was an altar boy for five years join the club that's when they did it in Latin yeah join the club Bobby Rydell otherwise known as Robert Roberto Luigi daily p9 along the rocks a tale of second chances we are honoured but we are joined by this extraordinary entertainer and American icon all the way from South Philly yeah thank you so much Bobby my pleasure Steve thank you appreciate it thank you sir stay with us we'll be right back thank you very much thank you and every now and again the new talent comes along watch this man he's gonna be all for B it's Bobby Rydell one on one with Steve Adubato has been a production of the caucus educational corporation celebrating over 25 years of broadcast excellence funding for this edition of one on one with Steve Adubato has been provided by RWJ Barnabas health MagnaCare New Jersey City University investors bank NJ m njbest and by ShopRite supermarkets transportation provided by air Brook limousine serving the metropolitan New york-new Jersey area

Channel: Steve Adubato

Views: 104,847

Rating: 4.8719687 out of 5

Keywords: Bobby Rydell, Bye Bye Birdie, alcoholism

Id: cSjnPmXZs7c

Length: 16min 7sec (967 seconds)

Published: Mon Aug 22 2016