On the Record

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On the Record – Celebrity reporter Rona Barrett dishes on her career at Lobero Theatre benefit

By Marilyn McMahon, News-Press Staff Writer
Santa Barbara News-Press
May 10, 2009

When Rona Barrett, iconic celebrity reporter, agreed to be the guest speaker for the Lobero Theatre Associates “Hats Off” Luncheon on Thursday, she was happily ensconced in her home on Quail Valley Road in Solvang.

Her life became chaotic when she got an offer she couldn’t refuse several weeks ago.

“It was from a man who wanted to buy the house and everything in it — and he wanted a 14-day escrow,” said the unflappable 72-year-old, who has managed to find a rental just down the road.

“It’s a small, three-bedroom ranch house. My grand piano takes up most of the living room. The garage looks like a storage unit, and I’m spending most of my time looking for new furniture and trying to get my Internet connections up and running, which has been very frustrating,” said Ms. Barrett over lunch at a Santa Ynez restaurant.

But she wasn’t about to allow the chaotic turn of events to force her to cancel her commitment to the benefit for the Lobero Theatre.

The indefatigable Ms. Barrett also revealed that she is a newlywed. A widow since the death of her husband, Bill Trowbridge, in 2001, she married Daniel McNeet Busby this past Valentine’s Day.

“Daniel was my first date in Hollywood years ago,” Ms. Barrett said with a smile. “We dated off and on for 11 years. In 2006, we reconnected through a friend. He is a novelist.”

Not only does she have a new house and a new spouse, Ms. Barrett also has a new DVD called “Rona Barrett’s Hollywood: Nothing But the Truth,” a series of 10 celebrity interviews she did 35 years ago, plus a biography of herself. Featured are personal favorites, including Carol Burnett, Cher , John Travolta, Robin Williams, Richard Dreyfuss, Burt Reynolds, Priscilla Presley, Donna Summer, John Wayne and Raquel Welch.

“I chose them from thousands of interviews I did for specials on ABC, NBC and CBS,” Ms. Barrett said. “They are edited versions of one-hour interviews I did. I’ll be telling more about them and other celebrities that I met during my long career when I give my talk to the Lobero Associates.”

Her goal in the interviews, she said, was to find out if the “real matched the reel person. To do this, I had to ask very personal questions, which was not usually done at that time. Remember, this was 35 years ago.”

Carol Burnett, she said, told her for the “very first time what it was like to live with alcoholism. Both her parents were alcoholics. One day, she came home from school and found her father drunk on the floor.

“I asked Burt Reynolds why he broke up with Dinah Shore , who was such a wonderful woman. They had been together for five years.”

Priscilla Presley was queried about her life with Elvis Presley. “I asked her if she could ever go to him if she had problems, and she answered, ‘Never,’ ” Ms. Barrett recalled.

“John Wayne agreed to be interviewed at his home on Balboa Island after a hospital stay for cancer. I thought he would cancel. When I asked if he had regrets, he said, ‘I never had more than nine innings with my wives and I was out,’ meaning his three marriages didn’t last. He died shortly after the interview.”

Was she ever totally surprised by some of the revelations?

“At times, they all surprised me, but two that I remember especially were Gregory Peck and Bette Midler,” said the petite Ms. Barrett, nibbling on one of the five french fries she specifically ordered to go with her turkey sandwich.

“Gregory’s son had just committed suicide, and I asked how his religion — he was Catholic — had helped him deal with the tragedy. The question took him completely aback. He had a hard time answering, he was so shocked to be asked that question.”

While talking with Bette Midler, Ms. Barrett mentioned that she thought behind every comedian was a tragedian.

“Then, I asked if she had ever had something tragic happen in her life,” Ms. Barrett said. “Bette proceeded to tell me that her best girlfriend was killed in an auto accident at the age of 13 or 14. As she recalled the accident, she was reliving the entire event. There were so many incidents like that.”

When Ms. Barrett came to Los Angeles in 1958 from New York City , where she was born, she began writing features for magazines such as Photoplay but soon realized that television would be the important new medium. She attempted without success to persuade the news departments at CBS, NBC and ABC to hire her to report on the entertainment industry.

Discouraged, Ms. Barrett was about to return to New York City in 1966 when she made one last try, sending a telegram to the chairman of the board at ABC. The next day, Ms. Barrett was offered the job as entertainment reporter on KABC’s 11 p.m. news program in Los Angeles . Her segment was called “Hollywood Report by Rona Barrett.”

Next came “Dateline Hollywood,” a half-hour daytime show, and in-depth interviews for CBS specials with top actors of the day. There were also stints as entertainment editor for “Good Morning America” and as co-host of “Entertainment Tonight.”

Asked who she considers good interviewers today, Ms. Barrett named Oprah Winfrey as tops and expressed admiration for Barbara Walters.

“Charlie Rose, Bill Moyers and Brian Lamb are excellent, too. There aren’t many current shows that allow for this type of format” of in-depth interviews, she said.

When approached by Research Video in Los Angeles to do the DVD, Ms. Barrett told them she would be interested “only if they would donate $1 of each sale to the Rona Barrett Foundation,” which she founded in 2000 while she was still living on her 40-acre ranch on Brinkerhoff Road in Santa Ynez. The foundation’s mission is “to promote the emotional, financial and physical well-being and the dignity of low-income elderly adults.”

It was at the ranch, which she and her late husband bought in 1985, that she became passionate about helping the elderly, especially those who are needy.

“My father came to live with me the last 10 years of his life,” said Ms. Barrett. “Before he died at the age of 96, he went through all the stages of dementia. Fortunately, I could take care of him, but I became very aware that there were many old people who were needy financially and otherwise.”

Her devotion to the aging population comes through loud and clear on the foundation Web site: “We as a nation are facing a crisis in the availability, quality and cost of the supportive care continuum for seniors. We believe that every senior citizen deserves the chance to live independently as long as possible, with the highest quality housing and health care, and with the assistance they need when they are no longer able to care fully for themselves.”

While her father was still alive, Ms. Barrett said she also “began to look back on my life and realized I had many mentors along the way, who opened doors for me and for other women. I call them my guardian angels. Some were 18 to 25 years older than I was. They came into my life at low points and wouldn’t let me quit. They would tell me about others who needed help.”

Now, her time and energy is devoted primarily to raising money for the elderly by putting on events, giving speeches and allowing her name to be used as a sponsor. Recently, Ms. Barrett was honorary co-chairwoman for “Talking About My Generation,” a benefit for the Garden Court Endowment and the low-income frail seniors it serves on De la Vina Street .

“I talk about my days in Hollywood , but all roads lead back to the foundation,” said Ms. Barrett.