Full Transcript for PRETTY OPEN: Kathleen Bradley on The Price Is Right, Bob Barker, Friday, Hollywood & More

roast every once a month many years ago. I think I was still on the prices right back in the nineties, and I had different artists and entertainers come and we would roast them and have fun. I did Glenn Turman, Don Lewis, I've had Oh my God, Stephen Williams, A number of hosts of people might call you all of these people. So it was really a great comedy night for everybody. And that was pretty much as close as I ever got to really doing stand up. But I do love comedy. I have a quick wit, you know, and I wanted to do more improv and just do something I would be I would have been perfect on Saturday night long. 00:07:08 Speaker 3: Yeah it's not too late. You can still do it. 00:07:11 Speaker 4: Yes, it's not too We will see. I may have to create my own show. 00:07:15 Speaker 2: You should you have any recordings from the stand up roads from back in the day. 00:07:20 Speaker 4: You know what. I have some video on it and it's somewhere, don't nowhere, But I forget what when who was taping the show, what format that it was in, because a lot of times back then it was in the ninth and nineties, nineteen ninety something, the format for the videotaping was not so prevalent right now. But I'm sure I can find it and get it and you have a transfer to something that I can use, and believe me, that has gone through through my mind to do that, and thank you again for reminding me. I will get. 00:07:56 Speaker 2: Let me just get a little way then when you come out with your life movie, because I feel like You're life is so like fascinating. I feel like you were like everywhere you was with the wo's, with the who's, and you was the first. You made so much history being the first in so many seconds, I'm like, you need a movie about yourself, Like have you been talking about that with you? 00:08:13 Speaker 4: Well, you know people have mentioned that, and basically when I wrote The Prices Right book, the memoir, it was pretty much gear it towards my ten years as a first Black Barker beauty on the Price Is Right. However, you know I did touch upon my growing up a bit and family which led me to you know, Garner's garnish that title for this, uh the say pageant for the price is right. So there's so much more to my story. Obviously, I was just going to write at least at the bio biopic about myself. Very interesting, honey. Yeah, Well I could fill up a couple of episodes and series and at least get up to the five US episodic years what you call season. Yeah, my book easily and. 00:09:11 Speaker 2: It come out with a book and do a podcast or something or have your YouTube page popping like you have such a rich life, so I'm like so fascinated to get into it with you. 00:09:22 Speaker 4: Thank you of course. 00:09:24 Speaker 2: Of course, so obviously I watched the online documentary that's been circulating Dirty Riding Scandals, and you know, it's been like going viral. Have you been surprised by the reception that the documentary been receiving. 00:09:36 Speaker 4: No,

I'm not surprised at all, because it is quite revealing, it's entertaining, and you know, it just tells our truth as we knew it working on the show from various people that were on that show. So you know, everybody sat down at their own different particular time and we didn't know what what each other was going to say. However, it turned out to be kind of a general consensus about pretty much the same thing that had happened to each other. Each of us was pretty much the same kind of experience. So that was interesting when they put it all together and just to see what everybody had to say and talk about. 00:10:22 Speaker 3: How did the doc Mary come into play? 00:10:23 Speaker 4: Oh? Oh you know what? Oh, oddly enough, it actually was based on my book. 00:10:29 Speaker 2: Come on now, I'm talking about Ms Kathleen. 00:10:31 Speaker 4: Several years ago. Actually my book came out twenty fourteen, but several years ago. Let me get the guy. His name Brian. I forged his name, not Brian, Oh god, I forget his name. And he's a very profound writer. He has written many books and many articles for New York Times and different things of that nature. He had gotten a hold of me and approached me and asked me if he could do an interview on me. He went to write it in the newspaper articles. And I think Vid David Kerr cursioner, David Kurshner, I think that's right, And yeah, sure, why not? He actually came to my home and he wrote a nice, wonderful story about me, and based on my book. And he was very intrigued by it. And he would call maybe a year or two later and say, you know, have you ever thought about taking this book to another level and having it in the movie or TV series or something. I said, you know. Oddly enough, a woman named Oh God, my mind slips me anyway from New York. She's a playwright, and I'm sure I'll think of her name before it's all over. And I'm not skipping around. But this is how things led to the actual taping of the movie, I mean documentary that I met the woman in Beverly Hills at a book signing and she's written many books, and as a matter of factur her sister wrote Sleepless in Seattle and was a great playwright. And she liked my book. After I gave it to her week, she called me back and she read the book and she said she was interested in helping me to shop it maybe for deal, and she did. I gave her permission to do that. She shopped it around to like HBO, Showtime, a couple of the other networks, and so actually Showtime was going to pick up the option to do it, and she had named it. It was called thirty six twenty four thirty six. It was really based on the book, very loosely, but enough of it that they wanted to get the rights to the story. But as it ended up, unfortunately Showtime they didn't come through with the following through with the option to pick it up. But it was a great opportunity at that time. So the guy knew this, David, and he said, well, let's do something and i'll you know, see what happened. So a couple of years later he calls me and says, hey, you know they're interested. Didn't do it a documentary on the prices right, and he put me in touch with a young lady. We sat down, had lunch and uh we talked about my books and we talked about you know, usually, when let me tell you, when you do the documentaries, normally they don't pay you. They don't want to pay people because they figure that if people know people are getting paid to do or say the documentary, that they're paying you off. So they literally don't pay you that kind of fee. But they did pay me for the rights to the content of my book books. Pretty sweet, pretty nice, And from there they just they kind of grew and called both uh, you know, took on a whole new life, and they started asking to interview some of the formal models and the production people or everybody anybody had anything to do with the Price is Right, And that's I really kind of started. And I'm just kind of proud to know that I was a part of it. 00:13:52 Speaker 3: Yeah, I feel like he was always a hustler girl. 00:13:55 Speaker 4: I'm telling you, I feel like I got to make and every day you had gotten her feeling. And that's been lovely question about it. 00:14:03 Speaker 2: Because I feel like you was in the love Machine, you was a model, you was hosted. I feel like you was doing it all. 00:14:11 Speaker 4: I still am. Actually aside from being in the Love Machine, then I was with another group called Destination. We did we make a Curtis Mayfield's We did a disco style in the eighties and we were on the top charts on the billboards. It's still played right now to this day. That move on up rendition. But you know that and modeling and mom and playing golf and you know, I actually I do have. I had a podcast I was involved with called Music and Medicine with doctor Morse Lewis. We have interviewed many big well knowmed artists and entertainers over the year, and the whole premise of the podcast is to talk to people about how their life evolves around music and medicine and music as it relates medicine as it relates to music, which is very interesting concept. And some of the artists really opened up to us quite a bit and talked about some illnesses and things and cancer that they had that they had not shared before and how as a result of listening to music and different you know, that kind of thing that has really helped them so much and being and healing them. So that's a very good show that people can look at right now, Music and Medicine. Doctor moshe Lewis, Yeah, I'm going to check it out. 00:15:35 Speaker 2: What's up, y'all. It's Shagara Ebna here and be sure to follow me on Instagram and TikTok at pretty private podcasts, and don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel at the Professional Homegirl. Now let's get back to the show. 00:15:50 Speaker 3: Do you think that. 00:15:51 Speaker 2: The timing was right with the documentary came out and with Bob Barker no longer being here, Like, how do you think that would

have been? I know, how do you think that would have been received if he was still like, do you think that the reviews would have still been the same. 00:16:03 Speaker 4: You know, that's a very good question, and I often thought about it. I'm quite sure if the producers of the docuseries intentionally waited for paths before they did it, because we get a lot of feedback and comments about here you guys waiting to how can a dead man talk and defend yourself and you're saying things and justifiably about him, How you're going to prove it? If not, he moved on because there people love Bob Barker. Y, I love Bob Barker too, was going on. Yeah, And my book basically I tell people it is not a Bob Barker bashing book. And if you know, when you see the documentary the docuseries, you'll notice that I really pretty much don't say anything real negative and derogatory about Bob, and some things that were sad about him after some of the women were let go. I did document from there, either periodical or newspaper or something that they said and I quoted, and it was very careful how I put things in my book that was said about him negatively. But for the most part, he was very cool, kind good to me. I never witnessed or saw any type of racial or prejudice or anything of that nature from him towards any of the audience members. And a lot of the things I just found out after I left the show, during the period I was writing my book that I was investigating, finding out and talking to some people who were on the show so I can have more dirt in the book, and they share with me some of these things about Bob and how he felt about people of color. But of course, you know, Diane did share that one moment with me when she said that if Bob had known she was with a couple of these celebrities, she told me that, and that something that you know, several people knew. And you know, like I said, a lot of things have been collaborated through our testimonies unbeknownst to each other that really mesh and makes sense and come up with the same, you know, dialogue about Bob or certain things that had happened. 00:18:26 Speaker 3: Yeah, I will say two things. Diane was a wild girl or she is. 00:18:30 Speaker 2: She what a life, you know what? 00:18:34 Speaker 4: She was so special to me. I love Diane. She and I were a lot of liking so many ways, you know, voluptuous, pretty. I was like the black Diane, and you know, she just loved life and people gravitated towards her. She had such a good heart though. She was so giving and time to everybody on the set and during the holidays she gives people different things and the crew and cast members and what have you. But yeah, she was she just was like a free spirit, you know, and she was like dad black meat. 00:19:10 Speaker 3: She definitely did. 00:19:11 Speaker 2: But I will say when it comes to your book, I think that you were very honest and you weren't biased what your relationship with Bob. I feel like you was very like transparent

and I feel like you didn't like add no fluff anything like I do feel like you were you were fair when it came to your relationship with him. 00:19:30 Speaker 4: Right exactly, Thank you. That's how I meant it to be. Because when in writing any type of memoir bio biography, it's just you have to really be very particular, particulous and careful about what you say about other people and make statements you make about other people or say statements that allude to statements of other people allegedly said, because you can get in big trouble for defamation, you know, come back and bite you in the butt. I was really careful about and I did have a few attorneys and people look it over and make sure the wording is correct. You know. That's why people always say allegedly, right, I means it did it happened, but it didn't happen, or we can't attest to it that it did happen, but this is what probably did happen. 00:20:16 Speaker 2: Right, And he was alive when your book came out. So did you ever have a conversation with him or did anybody from his team reach out to you? 00:20:22 Speaker 4: You know, I never ever talked about again after I left the show. Unfortunately, I was doing a book tour, which I really regret that my book tour didn't do as well as it should have because I didn't have the proper publicists or people to really promote my book. And first of all, I self published the book, and I should have really kind of held out and waited to get a real publisher. I was kind of anxious to do it, get it done, and I did reach out to some publishing companies and tried to get a literary literary literary agent and I guess I was just so anxious at some point to get it out and do it. So my husband and I really literally self published this book ourselves. We did the artwork front and back and the everything all of it, and you know, laid the spotos out. 00:21:23 Speaker 3: It's a good book, y'all. 00:21:25 Speaker 4: Really, we're pretty good at that. I really have always loved graphic arts and different things of that nature. I've always done it. We do it like obituaries and lots, because I really I like really doing that artwork like that. But we're very good at it. So we decided we could a self publisher, which we did, but you know, it was a little costly self publishing, but then again, you obtained all of your rights, and they have a lot of other good, really self publishing companies that can help you and steer you in the right direction. But back then, mine came out in twenty fourteen, so I hired a few people that I thought would be able to promote the book as well as they could, but they did not, and it did not turn out for all the big hoopola and all the big stores and everything that I really wanted it to happen. And as a matter of fact, when I got to some of the places, like I'm from Ohio and one of my girlfriends, Mayola, was helping me as serving as an agent. She did hook up a lot of really cool places and events for me, though, I must say, and though when we approached the CBS affiliate in Ohio and Pennsylvania and a couple of other states and cities, the affiliates and if people don't know what the affiliates are, the CBS NBC especially, they have company people that show their daytime and nighttime programming. They can elect to put it on their affiliate station and show a local or not the defense because like even in the Bible Belt, they don't show a lot of the same things we see here because they're religious and some of them a maggot people, some of them are just really you know, it's about demographics, really and what they showed to different people in different areas. But I was wondering why, and we were wondering why the CBS affiliates never got back to us with a yay or nay whether or not they would like to have me come on one of their news or daytime shows and talk about and promote the book. They never did. But then I found out through a very good friend of mine who was a TV personality in Youngstown. She said, Honey, they have said that, told out and put out a memo to all the CBS affiliates. They are not to talk to me or my people or have anything to do with interviewing me regarding that book. That they were not saying you need that book, that they didn't even want me on talking about it, and then they kind of made it let it be known. CBS said, yes, they were interviewed or asked a boy, they said, yeah, we have. We're not promoting Kathleen's book or whatever. Wish you're well or something like that. 00:24:14 Speaker 2: But wow, what I feel like with everything that's going on now with attraction, with the documentary, so I feel like you can reach out to Tammeron Hall. Yeah, you can possibly see we can get you in the Breakfast Club, like I feel like you're in high demand right now. 00:24:27 Speaker 3: So that's their laws. 00:24:28 Speaker 4: I do want to be on the Breakfast Club, so you please hook me up with that. Understand you can help out with that. Shouldn't Charlamagne you need me honey? 00:24:35 Speaker 2: Yes? And also yes on Tamaron Hall, I feel like you can be on Oprah, Like you're such an iconic figure in our culture, so I feel like people should be definitely like racing to have you on the show. 00:24:48 Speaker 4: Yep, you hear that row. That's my manager Roebrooks. You hear that row, or if somebody out there is hearing this that has that pool. But I know it could happen, you know. I have, Yeah, my good friend Jane Kennedy who's got her book out and she's got a great publicism manager and the team of people. But then again, she had her book published with Disney, so that makes it the big difference. When you have a real publisher and people behind you. They, you know, make sure that when you get to a certain place that so many books have been sold before you get there. There's a guarantee, you know, they put you up the hotels and make sure the book signing goes well. It's so much many wonderful perks that you have and get from having a real publishing company

as opposed to being self published. They've got all the connections because they do it often for so many of their other clients, so that has kind of been a pickfall. And the fact that my book did come out in twenty nineteen by standards, is considered old. A lot a lot of people were exposed to it. And you know, the book sells in spurts. It is on Amazon and think a couple other the platform site platforms, and it sells in spurts. It depends on what's happening or some news worthy event happens. Regarding the prices, right, like when bob Arkerd passed away, people will google it and it'll pop up and the price is right, or the books and they've bought it. People like it though, like you say, it's very easy read. It's got a lot of great photos in it. 00:26:28 Speaker 3: So are in color. It's not black and white. 00:26:31 Speaker 4: Right, that's right, yep. We did that purposely and it really looks nice. But it to have been self published because so many books publishing companies who print the printers, I shall say, don't do a justice to the binding of the book and these photos and the quality and it looks like somebody made it over at Staples or somewhere. We went through great yeah, we went through great lengths to make sure we got with the right people to be able to print the book, which we love it and it's you know, print on demand is great, and that means the people that don't know that, you know, you just when people order the book, the printers, they'll go to them and they're hooked up with Amazon, so we don't have to carry and buy a lot of books. So send books out out. Yeah, yeah, really much so anyway it works out well. I just had a pretty decent book signing though in Columbus, Ohio. My brother and sister in law live in Columbus, Ohio. There in like a senior citizen development. It was the most wonderful book signing and I think I've had ever. And the people there were so enthralled and intrigued with it because you know, a lot of the elderly people are real more familiar with the old time barking prices right then in younger people, and that they really could relate and they were just it's so receptive and just I had like probably fifty two women there and have their you know, attention, and you know, I do have the little gift for gap and I always like to It's exciting when I tell people about my life, my lifestyle and family and how I came to be on the prices ride and my journey there, and it's just, you know, it's captivating. I love doing that. You know, I do a lot of motivational speaking and different speaking engagements. 00:28:23 Speaker 2: So for hire people, yes, well listen, we're gonna make something happen because I feel like you need to your story needs to be shown everywhere. And I also feel like we got to get this second book out about your life. I know that's a story within itself. 00:28:39 Speaker 4: I know it's more than a notion. I might have to write that as a pseudonym about Diane being wild. 00:28:47 Speaker 2: I already know because I didn't know you dated Muhammad Ali. I said, oh, miss Kathleen was outside. 00:28:53 Speaker 4: It's right, what woman didn't date Muhammad Ali? Pretty much? He was really you know a woman. Oh girls of his women I'm telling you is well, he was fine. He was just smart and I you know, I remember different experiences he would send for me to travel, like I was at the fight with the between he and Joe Frasier in New York Madison Square Garden, the one he lost, and for me a couple of times in like Texas and different venues and different places, and he'd be fine in two or three women at a time girl Herbert Muhammed all those people around him in his camp, and it was interesting back then. I was so young, you know. But you know, he and after I had seen him many years later, he of course remember who I was, and we would talk briefly and he said, oh, Casuline Brandy, He said, I was scared you. I was scared. I think he liked me so much and that I was different in that, you know, when I talk to him or asked questions or just you know, I had this I always do have this thing about myself. I'm very confident, not cocky, but confident. And you know, I'm a deservant about a lot of different things. And I know I was a lot different than a lot of the other women that he had brought in. And he was dating or seeing his uncle Lice and he said, oh, he said, I'm scared of you. I'm scared of you. Right, But all is well, you know. And I did date a lot of different entertainments people, and you know, just date people, not just be going to bed with him for the most part. And back in the day when I was young, in the seventies, you know, I was put loose fancy, free and nice looking woman, had just kind of been around the world many times with the singing group Love Machine, and you know, felt very confident about myself and a mazing the right these kind of people I was exposed to being in this environment. Like when the Miss Black America beauty pass in the nineteen seventy one My judges were Richard Rowntree, Jim Brown, doctor Mays. He was one of the well known guy of collegests here in Los Angeles, and a couple of the other judges and as a result, Richie around Tree kind of too. And yeah, I dated him. I travel what he said for me to New York and different places and when he come into town and what have you. So he was very special to me. We maintained our friendship throughout the years until his death and just had some really nice, good special times and memories. But he was really a wonderful, great guy. 00:31:28 Speaker 2: Well, one thing about your story is you I feel like your story you also encourage women, especially young women, to be open and to be free and to just do it all. And you were so like I think that was why you stood out the most, because you could hang with the best of them and you also was able to speak to so many different people from walks of life because you were open. You travel the world, and you had so many experiences that

a lot of people may not have been able to experience during your time. 00:31:55 Speaker 4: That is so true, you know, and that's what I think helped me out. And I will always give thanks to John Daniels. He was the owner of Maverick Flat, which is a historical monument here in Los Angeles. It's considered the West Coast Apollo because so many artists and actors and people came through there to make their mark. It was a wonderfully designed club. It had a lot of European influence to it because John had traveled abroad many times with different singing groups that he had put together, and he had always wanted to put together female singing groups. Seven girl go figure seven Why yeah? He was seven women, alrighty with all it's going on? Five is cool, three is. 00:32:48 Speaker 3: Better, but seven is crazy. 00:32:51 Speaker 4: Pulled it off, He really pulled it off, and the exposed it to all the European culture and census over abroad. The very first place we ever worked at was Insane Natural Pay, France. Okay, people, The first gig we ever had. The first place we landed in Europe was in Paris, and after that we had traveled had I've been probably least eighty six countries, and after that we kept going back to fourth. Paris was like our second home. Our Roadmanarreas Tony Lido, Tony Lyder was just a wonderful guy. He was, I mean, and we had an eight piece band. We were some of the first female groups to like dress very scantily clad with the platform boots, honey over the knee boots, platforms this high. We had like shorts looking jeans on and hawked or tops and just I mean, we were a world wind. We were like Tina Turner, Biance, Temptations all rolled up into one excitement, nothing boring about us at all. We would change of singers and lead and just you know, work the whole stage because there were so many of them us. The Temptations loved us. We've met up with them in Puerto Rico. They were working on one side of the island during the show and we were on the other side, and they would finished before us, and they would right after they were finished, they most they would come right over to the Hunko Muko Room in San Juan, Puerto Rico to watch us perform, and they just love the Love Machine. But of course too where we were with Motown Records for a short period of time. And the song She's just a Love Love and I won't work for nobody, That song was yeh, the song was written for us about us, and that was a song was written about John Daniels, our manager, and I won't work for nobody but you. We wouldn't work for nobody but him. There are people over a period of time to try to get some of the girls out of the group to do something different or go somewhere else and be part of this group or that group of be souls, but we wouldn't leave. He was he just you know it was so well versed in putting groups together and doing what he did. We were very grateful. When we were young. We weren't trying to go anywhere else at that point. And the Miracles, Billy

Griffin and Pete Moore wrote that song for us. We had traveled with the Miracles as well when Billy Griffin took over for Smokey and we were like in Tokyo and Japan and different places working with them, opening for them, and when that song came out, we were not even aware of it. We heard it, we were like, what right getting the love Machine well? And they we found out the history of it. Billy Griffin, who still remains a good friend of mine, he clarified everything at some point and said that they wrote the song for us about us when we were with Motown. He presented it to Barry Gordy to say, hey, this is for the girls. Listen. Berry Gordy heard that song. He said, you're all going to record that? And what you ought to record that? And Billy's like, no, man, it's for the girls. And Very's like, well, the girls kind of getting away from Motown right now, off the label and we're doing stuff and trying to revamp, and that'll be a good hit song for you all. And Billy said, oh, listen, we got our own label, man, we could put them on that label, move them over here and get that song. Will really help them get going. Barry Gordy would not let them do that and would not let us have that song. To this day. As much as I love Barry Gordy, he just did the Bob Barker on me. 00:36:31 Speaker 2: Could you imagine what that song would have did for y'all? 00:36:34 Speaker 4: Yes, I mean I do it every time I hear it. I crians ad, it hurts my heart. I don't care. We could have been a one hit wonder. That is the most wonderful song and even in its entirety, if people ever listen to it and it has the chriscendling, the end part is just pumping Topingah, listen to the end part. Love make it so taken love, She and I won't work for nobody, but we do it in the show. We did it in the show. For sure. We did it so we had to. That was our song. And but I'm like you, honey, I oftentimes think if we were been able to record that song history we would have. It would have been a whole other timing day and. 00:37:22 Speaker 3: I would have been okay with being the one hit wonder with that song. 00:37:25 Speaker 4: Oh honey, that's what I'm saying. I don't please. 00:37:30 Speaker 2: Oh well, yeah, did you always knew you was going to be a start even when you was a kid, Like, what was your childhood? 00:37:36 Speaker 4: Like? 00:37:36 Speaker 3: What were you exposed to? 00:37:38 Speaker 4: Well, you know, I'm from Ohio, little small town. There weren't that many black people in my community. I went to predominantly all white high school and grade school and community. A lot of Italians and people when I was coming up. But my mom, she she my mother was always so vocal in terms of she liked to sing. She was such a happy, go lucky mother, a wonderful woman. And my dad too, was a great provider. He worked at the steel meal He liked to work on his automobiles in the spare time in the garage. But Mom would take us to the movie theater. I think it was a dime nickel a quarter at that time, and just sitting there looking at that silver screen, at the big screen and people, you know, just acting and becoming different characters and doing what they were, you know, just so dramatic and like, oh wow, I said, I wanted to do that. I could do that, and then some and when TV kind of came out, looking at different people on the television and what have you. I just it really struck me as something I would want to do. And my brother and I my brother Robert was like a little younger than me. I had four brothers. We would do our little showcase at home. We would stand on the toy box and we would put a drape and cover behind the toy box. We'd get up there and we have a little rehearsal. He would always sing chances and I was singing like Barbara's dresson on a clear day, right and looking around you and you can see who you are. And we would have mom and dad and brothers and everybody come in go set up some little chairs in the bedroom, and we would perform for them, honey. And that was really my probably first stab and time to be on stage in front of people. But I just always liked it. That was kind of a ham And my mom sent me to modeling school and etiquette school and she had for us all and you know, I always and managed to get our nice religion in. I remember we actually this lady named missus Cross. She was a white lady. She would come to the house. She was Joe's witness. And I always remember the orange book that they used to have was an orange story book for kids, and that was really pretty much our first introduction to religion, which you know, I really always remember that because the book was such detail. And when you can teach children anything from showing them the photos and sitting down and really talking to them about life and life in general, and even religion, you know, regardless if now you believe in it or not. It was very educational and we were very well rounded. But I just knew. And even in high school, I was in the drama club and replays and musical musicals that we had on stage, and I just loved being on stage. I did. I was a little nervous at first, but you know, like I said on my hand and the NAT's book, yep. And then just going to Los Angeles, one thing led to another. I was entering in up to a lot of pageants. I was in the Miss Fine Brown Frame, Miss hot Pants, the Elks, you name it, whatever. I was in trying to get my exposure. And then lo and behold. Cassious Weathers Be, a guy that lived here in Los Angeles, saw me and we met and talked, and he said, you should be in a Miss Miss Black America, Miss Black California pageant John Daniel's Mavericks Flat. This was nineteen seventy one, and so I did. I needed to really at that point, need to lose ten pounds. I was not chubby, but I was overweight, and you know, being in the pageant and being especially back in those days, honey, they weren't going for a little chub, so I actually fasted. I'll never forget. I worked working at the Southern California Gas Company

too. That was my very first job when I came to Los Angeles. It was a pretty decent gig. I fasted. I mean I did not eat any food but ten days. When I got in that pageant, we were rehearsing and everything. But I know near the end, girl, I was getting dizzy, lightheaded, and I needed something to eat. But damn it, I was bounding determined. I lost that weight and of course went on to win the pageant and in nineteen seventy one Is Black California. Were great experience and that's when John put all the other some of the other contestants in the group the Love Machine, as well as I recruited a few of the other girls who would come dance after club and have fun from time to time. That he really had a great mixture of different heights, colors, looks, and just made up of a wonderful ensemble for these seven women that I loved in the door and still do. Two of them. I passed all At Gibson and Shila Dean. The five of us remaining, we're still wonderful close friends and just a wonderful, great history and an incredible time in my life. And once again, I attribute a lot of the things that I did after the Love Machine for John Daniels. Yeah. I will always give him the most utmost respect and and praise for doing what he did to help promote my life and my lifestyle. 00:43:12 Speaker 2: You know, one thing about your time during that time in the Love Machine, you was also navigating your personal life with your first husband, because he gave you an ultimatum. Do you regret that decision you made by choosing him over the group? 00:43:25 Speaker 4: No, not really. I can't regret that because what came out of it was my beautiful daughter, Cheyenne. And you know, I don't regret it because at the point it was eight years into the group and traveling and doing a lot of things, and I mean we will be we would be gone at least six months out of the year, maybe three months here, two months a month, and then we start really kind of working close in Las Vegas a lot here in the stakes, but more so in Europe than anything. And you can imagine man trying to maintain a relationship with somebody and being gone that long. And back then it wasn't so easily readily available to pick up the phone to call. Of course, there's a charge, and you have to use the pay phone. You have to use the hotel. We didn't have the other phone. The communication wasn't as good as it should be. So you know, he was patient enough and I appreciated that, and he just did give me the ultimatum. He was ready to move on. You come home, be with me, or you stay with the group. I really hated that I had to make that decision. I was quite ready, quite ready to leave the group because I loved the group and I loved the lifestyle and fun. But at some point after eight years, I thought and would hope and pray we would have gotten along to another level of stardom and success, which it hadn't happened like we had hoped at that point. But the girls went on, and you know, John Daniels, actually his wife now, Gwyn

Briscoll, took my place. She's a marvelous entertainer. As a matter of fact, she had worked with Howard Hewitt and different people in the group star I think Starfire that John had created, and she was the perfect person to take my place. But the girls, I know, they were upset with me, and they were you know, and I understand that. Man, it's just a part of the pivotal part of the whole chemical or the makeup of the wheel has been broken and it's got to be replaced and just not the same. But I had to do that. And like I said, after I left the group, my husband, Bill and I we got married, and I did do more modeling, and I worked for Ebony and different hair product companies and the fashion Macy's and some commercials and whatever, which I really had wanted to do anyway, And being in the Love Machine and traveling did not allow me to get involved in any other activity or motion pictures that I wanted to do. So you know, the doors and gates were opened up for me to be able to do that, which was cool. And you know, I kept on moving, kept on pushing. Finally got pregnant with our beautiful daughters. And you know, as time went on, he and I just, I guess our compatibility changed and shifted in different directions, and you know, there was a little wow I want to touch on too much of interference in the relationship that swayed him to another direction. But you know, life is what it is, and you know, everything happens for a reason. I was able to meet my husband that I'm with now for thirty eight years. Came along in my life. A nice guy engineer. Okay, okay, not in the show business man. I had been involved with so many people in show business and entertainers and what have you, and it can be quite a head bashing, you know, situations sometimes, well, lots so much egos. Man, he didn't have to build it and have an ego. Not really. He was like, you know, kind of sure of himself and just real smart and obviously, you know, very supportive as I was as well with him. But I was really I was really more hell bent when Bill and I were married to have a family step away and I would he could take care of me, take care of me. I had the babies because I'm from the old school, being raised with four or five kids and brothers and sisters, and the dad worked and brought home you know, like they say, bring home the bacon, baby out. You do that, and I'll take care of the family. And the kids and make sure you're fed and the kids are clothed and go to school and have a good time to get you all that good sex and love. And Okay, I'm like that, and I believe the women especially then. You know, women were more submissive to their men, and that's just how the women were brought up. And you know, they obviously gifted. And these nowadays and times where the women are the bread winners and the men are maybe at stay at home DIDs, but you know, every relationship is different, and you should take that on its own marriage and work it out. Fifty to fifty for the most part, right now, Okay, like Tendergrass, Teddy Pendergrad says, fifty to fifty, not sixty forty, not seventy thirty, fifty fifty right. 00:48:23 Speaker 2: So what advice would you give the women trying to balance love, marriage, motherhood and just chasing their dreams, Because I feel like in today's society, even now, people women still feel like they can't have it all or at least at the same time, or they feel like they got to pick and choose which one is important. 00:48:37 Speaker 3: They don't always feel supported. 00:48:41 Speaker 4: Well, you know, everyone is so different. I hate to generalize. I never really, I never generalized, and I don't like people to say that, oh, but these people this and that, but those folks and this and that. I'm like, no, it ain't no these those them folks, individuals. People may be a majority of some people do certain things, but I hate to throw everybody into one big ball. Women they can do, you know, well, first of all, education is so violently important. If you can go get the four year education college, university after you graduate, I so wholeheartedly encourage that because nowadays it's very tough and hard to get kind of you know, the right kind of paying job that you want, even get certified online for something specific that is in demand before you jump into it after you get to a high school. That's why they have counselor and have people help you with career day to let you look at an overall view of what is out there in society that is really earning a lot of money, that is pretty much some type of a career you can do that is stable. A lot of these careers and things they kind of come and go and they're fads or do this and do that, but you know, get certified and look into things and take a year or two to really work on something that is going to be very instrumental to you and your family, and that's going to bring in a pretty decent income outside of the normal wages of twenty one dollars an hour or something, because that right now is not even cutting it right right here, right now, so many people have to at least live together as families. I just read something earlier where they said so many of the families and kids are not leaving the nest anymore. They're coming back home because it can't afford to go out. Well, you can't, and it really takes three or four people to live in the household to be able to make ends meet. And that's just this. And pray tell our kids. They're hardly even able to purchase or buy anything right now, live alone, rent a nice decent little place. And it's just sad that the society and the economy is just drownding, you know, So you better get to lease some good education somewhere. And even look at the orange guy's gotten rid of so many other people that have been working for so long on certain jobs and just dismantling the whole, you know, whole society and world right now that I mean the United States from different things and people that thought that they would have a long

going on a job in the government, honey, here today, gone tomorrow. Who knew. But get a good education. Get a good education first, and then you can thrive and deal do anything else you want to. And get some money put aside. Get an iron Make sure you got some money for retirement, honey, because here I am up a certain age, and thank god I was in the entertainment business long enough, working under the union SAG. After that, I was able to get enough money to help with a retirement fund when I retired, aside from the Social Security which now they're trying to get rid of that, and Medicare. Boy, it's a hot mess. So get some money, put some money away, saved, and look at some of the things you can invest in that are really ironclad, and some things that down the line will help bring you some dividends. If you get older and can't really work, you need to really look forwards the future. It will come. You know, nobody's promised anything, but just just look forward to the future. Look forward to it. You know that it's going to be coming sooner than you think. 00:52:43 Speaker 3: Yeah, I'd be telling my friends. 00:52:44 Speaker 2: I'm like, listen, Michael Jordan had to come back to work, like he is on these basketball channels and he is reporting. 00:52:52 Speaker 3: I'm like, he's a billionaire. 00:52:53 Speaker 2: I'm like, people have to work, that's true. Yeah, Now tell us about the opportunit until you would be in a Barker Beauty, Like, what was that selection process like? Because when I was reading it, I'm like, this is like very drooling. 00:53:09 Speaker 4: Well, they actually three months after I had my son, Terrence Read and my manager agent at that time, Dedefontaine. I was with the Fontaine Agency. They're looking for a black model to be on the Precious Rage Well Barker Beauty. I think you'd be perfect. I'm like, oh, I was probably maybe ten pounds overweg after I had my son, because you know this business, you're facing your body or your passport right, and I was a model, So I was absolutely going to be getting back into the business. But it drew me back in sooner than I had anticipated. But I went on an audition and talked to the producers Philip Rossi, Wayne and feel Roger Dopkowitz. They liked me and they said well, and then I actually at the interview, they told you to wear swimsuit because they were in particularly looking not only just for a black model, but for a swimsuit model because Janice had fallen off stage and heard her shoulder, broke her shoulder and didn't have stitches and couldn't really wear swimsuits anymore. And Holly she was kind of like the you know, she looked good in the swimsuit, but she's more like the funny kind of flubby, kind of not flubby, you know, kind of just a funny person on the show. Diane with the sexual volupscho was so I was going to kind of be filling in for everybody, not filling in, but you know, a part of any of all the showcases that were coming around, and I just audition. I went and I tried out. They liked me, and they invited me back for to do a week of shows. A week of shows that consistent. We were at that point doing three shows a day and working three days a week. And I did several weeks and several times and at some point, I you know, it was like six months after I auditioned that they found called that and do you see how would you like to be at Barker Beauty. They like you, they want you. I said, yeah, so you know, God is good and that's how that happened and went fourth and everything. 00:55:17 Speaker 3: Now, did you have any challenges that came with being the first? 00:55:20 Speaker 2: Because I spoke to Jennifer Jones, she was the first black rocket at the Madison Square Garden. Yeah, and she told me about the challenges that she faced. So what were some of the challenges you faced with just being the first black Barker Beauty Because after you there was Claudia Jordan and that's it, right. 00:55:35 Speaker 4: Not after Claudia Jordan, there were several other black models. They probably had the others on them my god, yeah, oh there were quite a few. They always had it pretty much at some point keep a black woman on that ship because for the diversity, and they knew that that was something that they had to when one left, they better bring in another black woman, honey, Right, But what was the question? 00:56:00 Speaker 3: Do you know he was breaking barriers? Like, what was some of the challenges you faced? 00:56:04 Speaker 4: You know, I did. I knew I was going to be the first. And there's always some rumors, some stuff going on around about there was another black model on the show back in the day before Kathleen Bradley named name somebody they had a first name person. Nobody could ever come up with the last name, which is bull crap. That was a lie. What it happened was there was a black model that was a stand in during rehearsals because I met her and I knew her, and she was a very pretty woman. I cannot think of her name. She was married to a producer friend of mine, and she told me that story that she would sit out in the audience and she was staying in during rehearsals for one of the other models. And that was the black woman that was there. But she was not the first on the show. I was the first permanent. Of course, there were other models trying out. But you know, I was well received when I got there. People loved me and adored me, and I was just very happy to be a part of the whole set and took everything in uh as it was going on, and you know, it didn't rough for anybody's feathers. And Diane and Holly and Janie Jannison, they did not get along. Janie and Holly got along favorably at some point they ostracized Diane. So Diane took me under her wings, which I appreciated, and you know, it made a lot of difference with the atmosphere and the show, and that Diane was able to feel like a little more comfortable with somebody new coming to the show. Ye will not have all the animosity between the other

models, but you never see it obviously on the set when the I mean when the cameras rolled. Of course they were very professional, but you know I didn't. I mean I can it's a hint of underlying, you know, prejudice there when I got there, because those big studios. Do you have to imagine seeing all of those I mean, that's huge, honey. You are in the big time. You are no longer doing little stage plays and just doing little things, going behind the scenes and doing I mean they do not play. This is the huge, big money, big big guys. Put on your big girl panties and roll with the punches, beat there on time, set and hit your mark on time, and the rehearsals and I mean so professional. I really learned a lot from being on that set, and for the most part, most people were very kind and cool. But you know, I always feel a little intimidated because there weren't that many black crew members for sure, and production people. But I mean they treated me well. I I really kind of demanded that I be treated as an equal. And I had traveled around the world. Honey, nobody could touch me. I knew what was going on, right, that girl in my bill I was. I wasn't like one of these new, little, new, little wretched girls trying to audition and you know, didn't want to uh, you know, couldn't stand up to the girls and didn't know what to say or what have you. So it worked out for me quite well. 00:59:06 Speaker 2: Okay, so we got to talk about you being on Friday. Tell us about how you was introducing that role and your time on set would be a miss Parker. 00:59:14 Speaker 4: Okay, So Friday ice Cube actually saw me on the Prices Right, and he said, I want that black lady on the Price is Right for this part. This is what I heard. He told my manager or agent of people that you know were looking for me. And so my mat agent once again do this. She said, Kathleen, you have an audition Friday. Is this movie called Friday ice Q. But of course ICEQ was well known. I'm like, oh wow, cool, and I was really still working on the prices right, and it was very difficult sometimes to get out of the show to go do any kind of audition or work. They frowned upon that for us to be able to do that or have any opportunity, even though there was four moh shoot, three could do the show. But I think I had either had azon break or it was between shows a lunch period, because it wasn't so far from where the studio the CBS was too, I think the Gowers studio where I had to go for an audition. So I pretty much, you know, knew what the character was like and put on a nice little sexu little outfit and read it was not many very long, not many lines, and pretty much all I had to do was show up to have the part because they really wanted me. So I did that and I got the part, and it was just, you know, a wonderful experience working on set. Not everybody saw each other every day on the set because I only worked I think three days, And of course I worked alongside with Bernie mag Ice Cube, Chris Tucker, Tony CrOx, my little husband, and Regina King. She was on set when I was here. Yeah, but I didn't really meet Neil. I didn't know her there on the set because Beteena and I are passed across when she had to work, and she was there on set as well as of course Anne Marie Hausford, my girl. She and I are still good close friends to this day, and as well with Tony Cox. He and I play Bidwest from time to time. He's set his Sweetheart. That was just a wonderful experience, and you know, as it were, it was shot in the very shoe string budget, but today, and I mean now, it is historic. It is just a black colt is. Everybody loves it. Everybody's doing the Miss Parker take off, everybody's doing a whole Friday little scenes. I see more of them and the emojis, and it's just phenomenal. I am just so overwhelmed every time I think about how my characters looked at and everybody calls me hey, Miss Parker no matter where I am. And when my kids were going to school, at some point they said, oh, miss Parker, that's your mom, Miss Parker, and I go pick them up and they say hi, Miss Parker. My daughter saying mom. Everybody's son and everybody but now they love it. You know, they take a part of the glory of being Nick children Datter science. She's like my mini me. They call her little Miss Parker and my son Tern you know, he's in the music industry, and they're just really proud to be part of the Friday family. And it's just been a wonderful if you know, it's great. I don't know if I'm going to be in the new one coming out the last Friday. There's so much tos with that, honey, Yeah, but it's the ice Cube Chris. I don't know if Chris is going to do it or not. There's so many rumors running around about that project, so we just have to kind of wait and see how what they're going to do and who's going to be in it. I understand that Ice Cube Son is going to probably be in it, probably if they don't get Chris Tucker, because they just have out now Chris Tucker Son and Ice Cubes commercial son yea commercials for the NBA. Uh for the NBA. So that was real. I just saw it the other day and then other people's they said, well, hell, why didn't they have Miss Parker's daughter to play Miss Parker Cyanne could have did that, like I said, the male hormone to test her on going on and all that, and they I think they're gonna get Mike Ebbs probably back, and all these people. I haven't heard one woman mentioned or anybody. They should have the Mama back and Marie back. Regina said she hasn't been asked she do it. Nia said she'd come back and do some kind of role, and of course, you know I come back. So I don't know how, you know what I've really at some point I want to do it and feel bad if I don't get put in it to do it. But on the other hand, I've kind of divorced myself from feeling any other way. If I'm not chosen calm to be back on it, I just have to let it go, give it up to God. It happened, and just gose she missed Rudolph and stick some kins in it. 01:03:55 Speaker 2: I

know we pressed some time because you was also in Harlem Nice as well, which was another iconic But one question I do want to touch on. Do you ever think if Diane wouldn't did the lawsuit that things probably would would have played differently on the prices right, because I feel like once she did that lawsuit, everything was a trickle down effect. And that's one of the reasons why you and Holly were kind of got the short end of the stick with everything because you didn't want to lie for Bob. 01:04:19 Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean absolutely absolutely. Things would have been so very different if Diane hadn't filed that lawsuit against Bob. It turned it's his whole persona and his reputation. You know, people can be accused of one thing and it's on front page, blasted all over the news and the tabloids, right on the front page at which they did for a long period of time, and then once you get vindicated, you find it in the middle of the magazine or the newspaper somewhere, and it's just not that big. A lot of people never get the opportunity to see it. It was just a hoax. So it was a lie or he's vindicated, he didn't do it, and you know, that's kind of what happened to you him. But the fact that Harley did not want to testify in the deposition against Barker and Diane did not set well with him. We did, I did, I said, you know, Diane it was consensual. Everybody knew it was consentual relationship, so that was okay on that part. But then again it just things you know, catapulted, and that was that was the beginning of the end for everybody. I think because of things changed on the set, how he dealt with the models, things changed the end of the show. How he would have would not let us, you know, talk or share do things that nature. 01:05:37 Speaker 2: Well, Miss Kathleen, I really appreciate you in your time. We always do a quick little fire around. So I'm gonna throw a name out and you just said the first thing and come to mind you ready, Bernie Max Because I actually had a conversation with his daughter on my show too. So what's something you remember by Bernie Mack? 01:05:53 Speaker 4: Just how great he was because he and I spent a lot of time in the house together because he did that sing Miss Ball, come Miss Barker when we went in to the house, and you know how they shoot movies and stuff, they have to wait stay in there before you come back out, and we had to wait and all that. So we had a really wonderful time to bond while we had our scene in that uh and waiting inside. 01:06:12 Speaker 3: The house and in the Cole Smith. 01:06:15 Speaker 4: Oh, and in the Cole Smith. You know, I had met her on several occasions during the Peter Nigard Martin Scorsese Night of one hundred Stars for the Academy Awards dinner party, and she was just very loving, very free, very open, and uh, you know, we just had meetings in the ladies room, talking a lot of times and sat at each other's table. But she was a sweetheart, very you know, happy, go lucky. 01:06:40 Speaker 3: Michelle Thomas, Oh. 01:06:43 Speaker 4: Michelle, Yeah, boy, I knew her when she was born. Yeah, my mother Penny, and of course Dennis Thomas from the Pull in the Gang, my husband first husband, Bville Overton, went to school and in Boston, or they knew each other from Boston. When Penwal came out here to La we all became friends again, reunited. And then when she had the kids, you know, we were around and just kind of watched Michelle grow up. And she was on the CBS studios when I was there, when she was on The Young and the Wrestlers. We would see each other and trying to hang out and go to the commissary together when we had breaks, and it's just so untimely her death and just very sad. 01:07:29 Speaker 2: Yeah, and last, not least, your best friend, miss Kiki Shepherd. 01:07:34 Speaker 4: Oh boy, girl, that one we still can't believe. That is just too overwhelming to think about. Her sister, Von Gretchen and I are very close. I was in Vaughn's wedding and I've been knowing them for like forty years, the whole family. It is devastating. She was such a wonderful person. She did so much for everyone and good for the sickle cell anemia and awareness and giving her bowling fundraisers and golf tournament fund funding and she was all about giving back. Such a great spirit, so talented. She has so many wonderful people in this industry that just love and adore her, and her legacy will live on forever. 01:08:20 Speaker 3: Yeah, well, thank you so much. 01:08:21 Speaker 2: Let everybody know where we can follow you at, we can support you, what's next and all those good things. 01:08:26 Speaker 4: You can follow me on Instagram, ig and that Kathleen Bradley underscore Missus Parker, and part of it will start popping up when you put Kathleen Kay with o k Bradley underscore Missus Parker. You can find me on several of the Facebook pages and also my website. Go to. My website is Kathleen Bradley dot tv. And I have a movie that is coming out hopefully soon that we just had a premiere about three weeks ago called Daughters of doll The Might written and directed by Foster Quarter Hawthorne James is in it. Oh my god, Tory. 01:09:13 Speaker 3: Oh, Tory Hart, Tory Heart. 01:09:14 Speaker 4: Yeah, sorry, Toy Yeah, a bunch of other well known people and actors that Michael Color of years in it. It's very funny. It's a spoof and take off Rudy Raymore of Dolomite. People don't know who he is, look him up. I have that coming out and just a couple of the little things. Of course, from the prices right, everybody, make sure if you haven't seen it, that you go and look and watch Dirty Rotten Scandals. The price is right docuseries. You can pull it up on streaming platforms all over. That is, you know, pretty much happening now. Of course, other things in the mix and what have you, I can't really talk about. But you'll be seeing a lot more of me, believe. 01:09:53 Speaker 2: Me, yes, and we definitely want to have you back on the show. Because I have a thousand more questions to ask you. But thank you, thank you, thank you so much into the listeners. If you have any questions, comments, concerns, please make sure to email me at hello at the psgpodcast dot com And until next time, everyone later. Pretty Private is a production of the Black Effect podcast Network. 01:10:18 Speaker 3: For more podcasts from. 01:10:19 Speaker 2: iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Don't forget to subscribe and rate the show, and you can connect with me on social media 01:10:31 Speaker 3: At Pretty Private Podcasts.