Entertainment

Performer-in-residence Dick Hyman demonstrates the techniques that defined Fats Waller's sound.

Miles stars as a modern day Yenta in the new film Crossing Delancey. She was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in Midnight Cowboy, and appears in the new movie Spike of Bensonhurst. A native New Yorker, Miles often chooses eccentric roles firmly rooted in the culture of her hometown.

After leaving art school, Malcolm McLaren started a clothing store called Sex, and later helped assemble the punk band the Sex Pistols. McLaren says the group's talent was secondary to its subversiveness.

McInerney's first novel -- Bright Lights, Big City -- delved deep into the drug-fueled world of the New York City club scene. His revisits Manhattan's nightlife in his new book, Story of My Life, about an aspiring actress. A movie version of Bright Lights, Big City, starring Michael J. Fox, was released this year.

Fresh Air performer-in-residence Dick Hyman looks at the early jazz style, discusses some of its early practitioners, and plays some tunes in-studio.

Doris Roberts started as a stage actress, and recently played Mildred on Remington Steele. While often overlooked, Mildred may have been the most interesting character on the show. Proud of her status as a working older actress, Roberts still performs many of her own stunts.

Hyman performs and talks about the music of Erroll Garner. Hyman is a composer and arranger. He's worked on several Woody Allen films. He wrote the music for "Purple Rose of Cairo," and was music supervisor for "Radio Days."

Film critic Stephen Schiff wonders if he's the only reviewer who laughed at Paul Mazursky's new comedy, about an actor impersonating the late dictator of a fictional Caribbean country. Schiff asks Fresh Air listeners to send their own reviews to the radio station.

Jane Alexander has worked onstage and, most notably, on a made-for-TV movie about Eleanor Roosevelt. She recently founded her own production company. Alexander joins Fresh Air to talk about some of her film roles and the place for older women in the motion picture industry.

New Fresh Air performer-in-residence Dick Hyman plays some of the music of Jelly Roll Morton. Hyman says the pianist and composer bridged the gap between ragtime and jazz, incorporating the phrasing and style of wind and reed players.

The actor left India to study in England; he says there were no opportunities to hone his craft in his home country. Despite personal discrimination and early difficulties finding race-approriate roles, Saeed refused to become bitter; he says harboring that emotion would have hurt his acting. He stars in the new film The Deceivers.

Baker stars opposite Michael Keaton in the new movie Clean and Sober. Previously, she played a sex worker in Street Smart, which gained popularity after its home video release. Baker didn't start acting until she was in her thirties.

Hesseman played disc jockey Dr. Johnny Fever in WKRP in Cincinnati, and now stars as a high school teacher in the comedy Head of the Class. He tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross about how his performances and personal experiences inform each other. Early in his career, Hesseman sold two ounces of marijuana to an undercover police officer; he later had his record expunged.

Accomplished stage and screen actor Simon Callow wrote a biography of Charles Laughton, from whom he drew tremendous inspiration. Callow says Laughton's skill in part stemmed from the late actor's self-hatred and closeted homosexuality.

Kirk Douglas says that growing up in abject poverty was an advantage: he had nowhere to go but up. Often known for his tough guy roles, he also enjoys playing men who are weak, lost and vulnerable. He started his own production company to make movies he believed had depth and substance. His new autobiography looks back on his career so far.

Folk singer Michael Cooney says that several classic songs from the early 20th century have verses that never made it onto recordings or sheet music. He joins Fresh Air to sing some of those forgotten words.

Japanese American actor Mako appears in two new films out now: Tucker and The Wash. He moved to the United States shortly after World War II, and later served in Korea. He considered dodging the draft, but worried ihs actions might affect his parents' immigration status in America.

Jazz guitarist Marty Grosz returns to Fresh Air to sing songs about cities where he's lived.

The former child actor dropped out of the film industry and later worked in real estate. He's recently made a comeback with movies like Married to the Mob and Blue Velvet. Stockwell tells Fresh Air guest host Sedge Thomson about the new perspective he's gained an adult.

Comedy legend and Monty Python co-founder John Cleese wrote and stars in the new movie A Fish Called Wanda. He talks about the development of the film with co-stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Kevin Kline and director Charles Chrichton.