The Sally Jessy Raphael Show back in the early 90’s was just like a big sorority house, except for a few exceptions, that we let in,. it was a bunch of hard working women. When I think back on my long career, these years at Sally were the most creative, fun, warm and wonderful. There were no rules at this time. anything was possible, no topic was off limits So many things that are used today on reality shows were born in those early days at SALLY. . At this point, Mary had left the show to EP the Montel Williams show. Maurice Tunick, who was Sally’s old friend and big in Radio came in to  EP (Executive Produce) our show and I was named the Co-Executive Producer.  I had two Senior Producers, Jill Blackstone (who was and still is a brilliant writer and funny as can be) and Holly Jacobs, who is now with Sony TV, and was a brilliant producer.  I loved my producers, they were mostly young and eager and willing to work around the clock, and that’s what we did.  I am just gonna name a few, cause I have such great memories of these years. Joan Petrocelli, Joan is the most loyal woman. She’s someone who always wears a smile. She also has a great voice and would entertain us with her singing. I still call her to this day when i want to be cheered up with a song.  She started out as my Assistant, but like I said in an earlier blog, if you’re a good assistant, you don’t stay one for long. Joan was promoted over the years to an Associate Producer and then to a full Producer. Today she is the SENIOR PRODUCER OF MAURY, Married to a great guy, with two adorable boys!  Elise Silvestri-I met Elise way back when at Good Morning America. She was Joan Lunden’s assistant and sat next to me when i was Pat Collins assistant. Elise and I became fast friends. Elise went thru a divorce while working with us, but we were all like family at Sally, and working was her best medicine. She is now remarried to a fantastic guy, Matty, who was my friend from sleepaway camp back in the olden days!! (i matched them up! yah! Joan and Elise were a producing team. I loved going into their office, they had a mirror and a lot of makeup lying around. Very girly. Then there was Chris Payne and her associate producer Taha. Chris was such a great worker. She and Taha always came thru with crazy shows. I can still picture Chris clapping her hands as she told me about each nutty guest. (by the way, all of the guests on the Sally show were real. NO ACTORS!) Chris or Christina as some call her, went on to produce for the Rosie show in it’s hey day. Christina now has SIX  kids and is still working with Martha Stewart  And then there was John Pascarella, John is a one of a kind person.  he was (and still is) adorable. He was a PA who worked harder than anyone. Always a great attitude, funny, and now is a big deal with his gossip column and his position as the #2 on the MAURY SHOW. i love John. He added life to our all female office. So did Taha!  Miriam Celedonia was an AP. who came in as an intern. There was always something so nice about Miriam, i always thought she was pretty enough to be on TV. She met her great husband at the show. Steven was an intern, nice and very handsome and now they are happily married with twins!  She remains a close friend to this day. Sally Ann Salsano was a bigger than life kid. She came in right from college as an intern and then as the audience coordinator. Sally Ann then moved up to become an AP. She was funny and ballsy. Today Sally Ann is the Creator and Executive Producer of the “JERSEY SHORE” .I always knew Sally Ann would be a star! And boy is she!! Stephanie Lydecker was a beautiful intern turned AP. Today she is head of development for SALLY ANN’S COMPANY. 495! (FAMILY HELPS FAMILY)

Jill Pollack, oh my god, she was so funny. she would always try and pick me up (cause I am all of five feet tall) she would say my skirts looked like dish towels cause they were so short. Talk about energy. She was non stop. I always remember her eating carrots and celery all day.she was hilarious. And there was NIki and there was Jo-z, Cory Abraham who has a big job at BRAVO-, Risa, Melissa Costello (who was one of the all time great bookers, she would always find a way to talk someone into coming on the show. I never worried when Melissa was booking..we called her “the booking machine”. and Melissa Geiger, who is now a big deal at the Ellen show. And who could forget Dawn Pine, my great assistant. (she put up with me for almost 7 years! )

.And then there was SALLY-GOOD OLD ONE OF KIND.SALLY.. A TELEVISION PIONEER. THE WOMAN BEHIND THE RED GLASSES.. (MUCH MORE ON SALLY LATER ON)… AND HER HUSBAND KARL ( Who could forget Karl?) And Richard, who was lovely and did Sally’s hair. And Cynthia, who dressed Sally… We were all one crazy disfunctional familly. All in it to win it. We were a very solid team, working morning, noon and night.. and loving it. Now that you know the cast of characters who put it all together.. what about those crazy guests??

People used to ask, “where do you find these people?” Well, there was this room called the “CART ROOM:” We would run a question (called a cart) a few times during the show, an example ” Do you know someone who cheated on their wife with their mother in law?” Now, that’s an extreme question, but you know what, people would call in and want to go on television and tell their stories, dont ask me why, but they did!  Every day  the interns, or the Associate producer of the team working on that particular topic would sit in the Cart room and answer the calls. That’s how we found our crazy guests..

Finding them was half the battle.. but getting them to NY.. well that’ s a whole blog in itself. Here’s a preview.. most of them had never been out of their hometowns, had certainly never been on a plane. Some had no front teeth, which we didn’t know til they arrived,  and in the worst cases. little did we know, were on the lam, and would be arrested at the SALLY show.. (all of course as the cameras rolled !!!!)