Bill's Interview with
Donny & Marie
Behind the Scenes: "This interview was shot in 2000 and here we are many years later and Donny and Marie are still out there—working, and performing together in Vegas and beyond.
I first interviewed them in North Carolina on my show SOUTHERN EXPOSURE WITH BILL BOGGS when they were at the Greensboro Coliseum performing as THE OSMONDS. This show was shot at Rockefeller Center and my recollection was they had to catch a plane and there was a time crunch. I remember being tense about 'time' during the entire interview, but I don't think it shows too much, and I was surprised to see that when I edited the show. One of the things I've learned over the years is that craft will carry you a long way, meaning that you could be having a bad day for whatever reason, but if you are adept at your craft it will not show. As Benny Goodman said about why he always practiced—so one night 'if I'm not great, I'm good.' Donny and Marie are fun to be with and they know how to be good guests on a show. They had their own talk show produced by Dick Clark. Noticeable to me every
time I work with them is Marie's distinct laugh. She laughs at virtually everything. Many people think of these two and the Osmond aura as corny, but as Irving Berlin said, 'There's an element of truth and value in anything that lasts long enough to be called corny.' How did I get Benny Goodman and Irving Berlin in this description of the taping of Donny and Marie? Marie would laugh, I'm sure." —Bill Boggs