Location via proxy:   [ UP ]  
[Report a bug]   [Manage cookies]                
Sammy LaBella: The Real Skip E. Lowe's primary photo
  • Sammy LaBella: The Real Skip E. Lowe
Sammy LaBella: The Real Skip E. Lowe

A lot of Angelenos can speak with some authority on Hollywood luminaries, if not with actual knowledge then certainly with distinct opinions. Take Skip E. Lowe. Mention Judy Garland, Steve McQueen, or even Madonna, and Lowe will have a ...See moreA lot of Angelenos can speak with some authority on Hollywood luminaries, if not with actual knowledge then certainly with distinct opinions. Take Skip E. Lowe. Mention Judy Garland, Steve McQueen, or even Madonna, and Lowe will have a thing or three to say. But unlike most, the 71-year-old Lowe has had a ringside seat to Hollywood's happenings for more than six decades. He's been an entertainer since escaping a rough childhood, first as a child actor and later a vaudevillian, and for the past 23 years has hosted "Skip E. Lowe Looks at Hollywood," an oddly popular public-access talk show in which he interviews the famous, once famous and almost famous. Here is Lowe's take on James Dean: "Well, darling, he loved life. Men, women, the 42nd Street scene, the night life, the whores, the food, the movies. Everything!" On Montgomery Clift: "Tragic. Lonely. Sweet. Monty was in the closet, but when he got drunk he let himself out. Almost every night he'd get blasted and stagger around Manhattan trying to find his way back to his apartment." And Shelley Winters: "Listen, honey, she's bold, courageous, and caring. This is a very strong lady who's filled with compassion for everyone in the world. Comparable, really, to Eleanor Roosevelt--only Shelley can act." After a life on the fringes of show business, Lowe's phone book of celebrity friends and acquaintances all but bulges. His own recognition, however, only began to build with the popularity of his cable show. "When I walk up Sunset Boulevard, people are honking horns and screaming, 'Skip E., we love you!' I don't have a billboard, but I feel like I'm Angelyne," Lowe gushes in a pitched voice that is immediately recognizable to late-night public access viewers in Los Angeles, where his show is carried by Adelphia and AT&T cable providers, as well as in San Francisco, New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C. The show has earned a cult following of viewers of all ages. It's the kind of recognition Lowe seems to have been courting all his life. His journey toward celebrity can be read in his new autobiography, "The Boy With the Betty Grable Legs," publishing this month from Carillon Press. "I spent years showcasing other people," Lowe says, leading the way to his chaotic living room, which doubles as his office. "Now it's time to let them know the real me." The 200-page memoir is chock-full of show-biz stories and photos with a cast of characters that includes strippers, mobsters, mega-stars and fringe players. Lowe spent nine years writing it because "every time I thought it was finished, there was something else to add." It's a campy and sometimes poignant book that's not afraid to dish. Lowe's survivor status is apparent in his West Hollywood apartment, which has the feel of a small, cluttered museum. He coaxes his guest to take a seat next to a lamp once owned by Rudolph Valentino. He points out an ashtray given to him by Lana Turner, a painting by Cornel Wilde and a map of Paris that, he says, once hung in James Dean's New York apartment. That done, he turns his attention to the dozens of framed photographs of dear friends. "There's the singer Dick Roman, who thought up my name. Here's me at some event with Rip Taylor. And there's Frank Sinatra. See the picture of me and Sylvester Stallone? One day his mother, Jacqueline, took me to his house for Thanksgiving dinner, and guess what? There was no turkey left. Sly made us sandwiches for Thanksgiving dinner!" Lowe is short, rubbery and jaunty. He has bright eyes, craggy pink skin and a shock of white hair that he has touched up to platinum. Still, there is an elfin quality about him. He could be 9, he could be 100. His energy is boundless. When he is speaking, which seems to be every waking moment, his voice alternates between a dainty whine and a brusque scream, as if he's trying to catch the attention of someone across the room, rather than the person next to him. It's easy to see why comics like Martin Short have taken to parodying Lowe. "Robert Morse told me he borrowed some of my mannerisms while working on the character of Truman Capote for Broadway," Lowe chirps. Whatever Lowe says he says with enormous zeal, as if everything in his life has been an amazing, madcap adventure. Helping a young Christian Brando find a job, his trip to the 7-Eleven this afternoon to buy lottery tickets, and being tied to the bedpost and robbed in Tunisia are all relayed with the same gushing enthusiasm. He Found His Niche Reintroducing Stars Written by CHARLES CASILLO See less
Read more: Plot summary
Director
Writer
Cinematographer
Editor
Trending

Become a member to see MOVIEmeter and news information about Sammy LaBella: The Real Skip E. Lowe.

Status
Edit Filming
Updated Mar 26, 2023

Contacts

Become a member to see contact information for Sammy LaBella: The Real Skip E. Lowe.

Cast

+ Add Cast
155 cast members
Name Known for
Betsy Palmer
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Jeff Goldblum
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Janet Leigh
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Olivia Hussey
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Keith Carradine
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Piper Laurie
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Ellen Greene
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Julie Newmar
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Tony Curtis
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
David Carradine
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Eartha Kitt
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Ed Begley Jr.
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Stella Stevens
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Lee Meriwether
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Bobby Lee
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Michael Dorn
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Mamie Van Doren
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Barbara Bain
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Elke Sommer
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Shelley Winters
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Michael Parks
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Ray Walston
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Sally Kellerman
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Barbara Hale
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Lois Nettleton
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Patrick Wayne
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Susan Blakely
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Doris Roberts
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Charles Fleischer
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Kevin McCarthy
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Joseph Cotten
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Terry Moore
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Season Hubley
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Burt Young
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Don Most
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Michael J. Pollard
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Cesar Romero
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Ruta Lee
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Orson Bean
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Farley Granger
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Peter Mark Richman
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Robert Morse
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Casey Kasem
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Tony Dow
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Persis Khambatta
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Bradford Dillman
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Alice Ghostley
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Virginia Mayo
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Susan Strasberg
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Lynn Redgrave
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Larry Storch
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Milton Berle
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Marsha Hunt
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Frank Gorshin
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Della Reese
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Werner Klemperer
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Robert Cummings
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Natalie Schafer
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Edie Adams
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Jack Riley
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Harve Presnell
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Morgana King
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Frank Stallone
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Betty Garrett
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Neile Adams
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Cornel Wilde
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Troy Donahue
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Joseph Bologna
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Seymour Cassel
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Theresa Saldana
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Red Buttons
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Al Martino
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Jesse White
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
George Maharis
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Christina Crawford
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Esther Rolle
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
George Montgomery
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Robert Clary
Self Himself (archive footage) Self Himself (archive footage)   See fewer
Morey Amsterdam
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Teri Copley
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Chris Lemmon
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Anne Jeffreys
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Chuck McCann
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Linda Christian
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Paul Rodriguez
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Roxie Roker
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Iron Eyes Cody
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Morton Downey Jr.
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Rip Taylor
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Art Metrano
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Dane Clark
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Anne Gaybis
Self (as Annie Gaybis) Self (as Annie Gaybis)   See fewer
Turhan Bey
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Ann Savage
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Gary Owens
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Joey Bishop
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Steve Allen
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Holly Woodlawn
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Soupy Sales
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Eric Douglas
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Peter Marshall
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Gloria Loring
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Rudy Vallee
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Pat McCormick
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Virginia Capers
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Shari Lewis
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Timothy Leary
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Kaye Ballard
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Mimi Hines
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Jackie Mason
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Shecky Greene
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Jim Bailey
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Quentin Crisp
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Paul Mooney
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Christian Brando
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Frankie Laine
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Jackie Gayle
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Jerry Vale
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Fred Travalena
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Dodd Darin
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Jeanne Carmen
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Jan Murray
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Patti Page
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Yma Sumac
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Sammy Shore
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Charles Pierce
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Florence LaRue
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
James Bacon
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Skip E. Lowe
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Sally Marr
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Arthur Marx
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Jaime Monroy
Comedian Comedian   See fewer
Kenny Kingston
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Vampyra
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
There was an issue loading this tab.
There was an issue loading this tab.
There was an issue loading this tab.
There was an issue loading this tab.
There was an issue loading this tab.
There was an issue loading this tab.
There was an issue loading this tab.
There was an issue loading this tab.

MOVIEmeter

Members only

Become a member to access additional data