80s Fashion with Costume Designer Eilish Zebrasky

Welcome to the Fabulous Eighties TV Ladies podcast, where we look at female driven television shows from the nineteen eighties. So pretty Hello. I'm Sharon Johnson and I'm Susan Lambert Hatham. We are so lucky to have the best guests on our show, Sharon. Our guests have been fabulous and today is no different.

I want to thank costumer Joyce Unru Goodwin for connecting us with our very special guest today, costume designer Eilish Slabraski. Eilish was Aaron Spelling's head costumer for twenty six years. Aaron Spelling, for those who don't know, was one of television's most successful and prolific television creators. He has two hundred and eight teen producer and executive producer credits from Love Boat, Art to Heart, Charlie's Angels, Charmed, Beverly Hills, nine or two, one Oh, just goes on and on. For a while, the network ABC was often referred to as the Aaron Broadcasting Company because of how many huge shows he had on that network.

Welcome, Ilish, We're thrilled to have you with us today. We're in person. It's always a special treat. So thank you for joining us. Oh, you're welcome.

Thank you for having me. I am so happy we finally got to have you on the show and get to talk about the eighties and costuming and all things Hollywood and fabulousness. So tell us about your journey coming to Hollywood. Where did you get started? Okay, I was born in Belfast in Northern Ireland, and when I was about fourteen, saw a movie on television.

Well, I saw a movie in the theaters. We didn't have the television when I was fourteen, and it was pomp Swings Weekend. After I saw that movie, I said, that's where I want to go. I want to go to Palm Springs, California. Well, when I was eighteen, I asked my father, no way, daughter.

He said, you're too young. And then when I became twenty, I still had this urge to go to America. I'm one of nine children. My three older brothers all went to England, and my dad says, well, don't you want to go to England to be with your brothers. No, it's America.

I have to go to America. So the day that I was going to go and book for a holiday camp in the paper they were wanting to interview girls to go to America. So I went to the hotel and I had my money for the deposit for my vacation. So I went and I met up with this this it was actually a German company and they were in between Ireland and America. I interviewed with him and still hadn't told my dad.

He had no idea, and he said that if you want to go, I can get you out of here in two weeks for New York. I said, no, has to be California. Now I didn't know California from New York. I haven't a clue. I went home, of course, told Dad and he goes, okay, Now I know you're okay, and you still want to go.

And in six weeks I was in America. But now I was sponsored by a family. That's what was the terview for what was the interview. They were looking for like governors, you know, governesses and that. So I came over to this family and they were in to look a lake, not a bad area, and they were so they honestly, they couldn't have been nicer.

And they were a Jewish family and I'm you know, Catholic, but they were so good to me, and I lived with her after a year, and I paid her back my fee for the airlines to pay her back. And then I wanted to go off and get another job, and she says, great, that's I knew you weren't going to stay with us forever, but she said, I'd love you to stay with us. You can live. I had my own little cottage in the back. I had everything, you know, your my own bedroom, bathroom, closet was incredible, so I could have my friends over and not be in the main house.

So I had just this great job, and I was across the street almost from Warner Brothers. Yeah, you were right in the middle of the students. I was right there. And then what happened was I started getting I went off to do jobs and that they didn't work out. I won't even go into those jobs.

Were they other like nanny governments. They were office jobs, this and that, and if these if I'd had these jobs, now I could be a rich lady. I was propositioned by boss twice, no three times, and I thought, oh god, and I'm only twenty I'm only twenty one, so I'm thinking, is this the way it's going to be if I need a job. So my lady, who I was living with, she said, elish, my friend is looking for someone to do baby clothes. Well, I sew, because that's when I worked in the factory.

That's what I did. I made men's jackets and I did that for five years, so I had good experience in that department. So I went to work for this lady and she kept raising my salary every week because I was fast. Also because in Ireland we worked on a conveyor belt, so the more work you did, the more money you made. So I was always well fast and I met Tony, my husband.

After six months, he moved into it was an apartment. Talked to the lady next door, who happened to be at Warner brother and he said to her, do you think you could get my girlfriend a job at Warner Brothers. She sews, and she said, let me check into it. Very next I got a call from Warner Brothers and they asked me to start work the next day. That was on Camelots.

Oh my god, movie Camelot and that's right, and she um. I said, wow, they're not even going to interview me. And she said to me, uh, do would you like to know your salary? I said, oh, it doesn't matter, but it was like four times what I was making at the little baby shop. So anyway, I went to work the next day at Warner Brothers.

Didn't tell the lady who I was working for. I just told her a lie. I said, I hurt my ankle and I have to take off because I wasn't sure if I was going to like Warner Brothers. So I started in the tailor shop and I was working on the clothes for Camelot, making the peasants close. And this gentleman who ran the tailorshop.

I don't think he really thought I'm twenty one years old. I don't think he really thought I could do this. So you'd hand me a bundle of clothes with a sketch and here, and he always had a big cigar hanging out of his mouth. So I went off and I did it. Come back and he goes, you finished it already, and I said yeah, So it had me in another bundle while.

By the end of the week, one of the workers came to me and said, you need to slow down. You're making us all look bad. Swear to God or you're gonna You're gonna get us out of work because you're doing too much. And then the business. Then when the work was there, you worked, but if it's slowed down, then they laid you off.

And you know, it was that kind of a job. After six weeks. Jack Delaney, who was the head, he used to come down and visit me all the time, didn't hurt. He was Irish Jack Delaney. He owned property in the south of Ireland, so we would chat and then he asked me, he said, I'd love to try you in the Finnished end.

The finnished end is where the costumes are and you work actually right with the costumes. So he asked me questions and I suggest to everything, even though I really didn't know. But I thought, once I get in there, all they have to do is show me. I don't figure it out. Because he said, have you ever died leathers?

And I said, well, I said, I think I could do that. I know about colors. Well, before you know it, I'm learning and here I'm dying and mixing dies. And that was it. And then I worked with on that movie.

It was John Trustcott and I met a lot of people on that movie and so when that movie was over, then you go on this lady would call me a supervisor and she said, I liked the way you worked on Camelot, and I'd love you to come and work with me on this. And from there it was just up the ladder. So when I went up to the main department, I met a lot of people, and then I went on to do I went and worked at Berman's costume shop for three and a half years. And where was that Where that was on Highland and so that wasn't with the studio, that was with it wasn't with the studio, but it was still connected because we were all under a union. Okay, so if you were going to go get costumes from Burman's, they kept it all in the union.

But if he wasn't licensed under our local, then we wouldn't be allowed to go there and rent. So I worked there, which was great because then I was right away in a union and right away in a retirement plan twenty one. That was pretty good. What was what was the job? As I ran the I was in there and I worked with this one girl, Sandy, who I met on Camelot, and she brought me over and after about a year she got very ill.

She had to leave, so they put me in charge of their department. So what we would do is customers would come and say they're doing a big movie. They would come to Burman's and it was huge. They also had a place in France, and they had a place in um London, big, big, The biggest one is London and that's Angels. It's called Angels now.

But so they would come in. Supervisors, the designers would come in sometimes and I met cecaply to mills there. So so if they're doing a big movie, my job was to pull racks of clothes, say from the teen hundreds or the nineteen twenties or whatever. So I would set up racks of clothes for them. The designer would come through check them out.

These are all great, or I don't need this and that's and so that was my job. Some of them would come in and fit. We had a couple of fitting rooms. They would come in and fit at Rock. Hudson come in one time for a fitting.

He was he was doing some war movie. I can't remember all these names, but we and then we did shows out of there also, like theater shows. So um when a star like Rock Hudson comes in and to be fitted. Were you the one fitting them? Dealing with them?

That was the men's department, Yeah, that was the separate So I worked there for three and a half years on almost four till mister Burman he was selling, you know, he was getting up there, so he did. He was closing the company. So we closed the company and just before somebody come in, a supervisor, Edna Taylor, and she said, Eilish, I'd like you because you meet them coming in, you know, they come in and went over three years, you get to be friends with them. And I had been asked before if I would come and work for them, but I liked being where I was, and so I waited till I could no longer and I had to leave. So she asked me what she wanted to do.

She wanted me to work with her, and my first real movie on by myself, not doing the costume. So working on the set was Butterflies Are Free and that was with Goldie Han and Eddie Albert Junior and Eileen Heckart. That was that was a fun. That was fun. So that's how that's how you started.

That's how I started. And I worked with the gentleman on the show with Seth Banks, Seth became like my brother, protecting me. And then Seth was very popular in the business. So Seth went onto another movie, took me with him, and then took me with them. And that's how it worked.

That's how it worked. And what was your job on set? When I would take care of all the lady stars, Like when I did Goldie, I had to just take care of Goldie and Eileen heck Garden and Seth took care of the men. That was an easy show. And then I did another show was Seth Oklahoma crewed.

That was Faye down Away and Joge c Scott and I took care of mainly Faye. Believe me, she was one person one. I had to take care of Faye, but we got a loong greade. I got a long greade with her. So then after then I worked on two movies, Barbara Streisen movies Funny Girl.

Seth also did that Funny Girl and Funny Lady. I did both of those shows, but mainly on the set I wasn't doing except one day we had a Bob Mackie was the designer and Iron Sheriff did the first one she did. The first one was funny girl, right, funny lady, Bob did and Ben go what's his name? Ben Vereen. Ben was doing this dance and we're all sitting there down in the audience.

He's up on stage and he throws his leg up over the chair and his pants ripped from seemed to say, and the director started screaming in Halloween. Well, luckily I can sew. So we got Seth Banks, my friend. I said, Seth, get me. They're white pants.

I said, get me a T shirt. And I got a T shirt. Because they had to finish the scene. We were all sitting around and I put a triangle in Ben's pants and said Bob Mackey was able to make him another pair, but they weren't stretched. It should have been stretching material.

But you know, we learned as we go along. Oh my god, so you fixed Ben Vereen. Funny lady, Funny lady. I'm out. That's fantastic.

Yeah. I get all over the place when I talk. After that, I was working. I didn't know the move with Faye Towering Inferno and so and Paul Newman ran, Paul, I met Paul, I met taua. Oh, Steve McQueen, Robert Wag.

I mean there were so many stars on that in that one, but I was you were there out there, but once Faye got there, I wasn't. She didn't want me near anybody else. I had to be with her. Yeah, So forgive my naive tape, But it sounds like what your job was to make sure that their their costs, to get them in their costume, get and make sure it's fitted properly and make sure that and I had to. You know, you have somebody so for you because the costumers should I allowed to do that and make sure she had the right earrings on with this outfit.

So when I lined her right fits up for the day, it was the outfit, the shoes, the pantyhose, different bras for different outfits, the jewel And that was my job. But sometimes I was on a show or I had eight women to take care of and you did the same thing you just the night before. I used to try and do. And then you make sure that that in the if it just needs a little spot cleaning, I would do it rather than send it out. And that was my job.

And so can you can you walk us through for because because not everybody knows the costume credits, right, Can you walk us through costume credits in movies and television wardroom supervisor versus assistant costumers. Yes, the top of the course is the designer, that's the designer of the picture. And then under the designer usually the supervisor. The designer usually doesn't bother with the other staff, like the male costumer who's on this set, or sometimes we need two or three, even her big pictures, we'll have three, and a lot of time actors like a male star with them rather than a woman goes. You're in there getting them dressed, and then they would have the woman costumer.

But usually it's just one supervisor under the designer, and that's hard goes. However, many costumers you need exactly and then on big days I used to hire. Once I got to Aaron, I would make sure there was day day workers, like maybe I only need you three days a week, and I try and give that girl her three days because it makes a difference with their union. Okay, so that that is helpful. So at the time you were a costumer doing the costumer job, yes, on the set set or you could say set costumer, but they usually just say costumers.

Everybody wants their titles changed, right, everybody wants a proper title. I assume you were enjoying this. Oh, it was the greatest job. I loved it and my I mean I would get up the crack of dawn four thirty every morning. Sometimes I had to be on the set at five thirty.

I mean that part was the hardest part. But when I was young, so it didn't matter. Sometimes I'd get up at three thirty because I had to be at MGM at five to set up the costumes. You know, when I was doing Barber Streisen's movies, loads of dancers, so I would have to get all those dancers all set up. That's amazing.

That's amazing. And so when you were so and you were in the Iazza Union is the yes, okay? And so when you were doing these shows, like are you sent from show to show or is it just you were following the designer? You would I would have to be say I was hired, say to do a funny girl. So I'm hired from in the beginning of this show, and I worked through the end of that show.

Okay. So because you get familiar with everyone, they get familiar with you, and I'm familiar with the constume. So no, you're on there. So you're hired for the four months. And it's such a personal thing, someone helping you get dressed.

I mean you're in there with them and you're doing bras or you're fixed. I mean, it is, it is, and some of them, most of them are not me. We're all women, you know. I mean, I've even when I started organ for Aaron. By then I was a designer and I had to start pulling the kids.

The younger kids would come in and I'm in the room and the boy would say, eilish and I have no underwear on. I'm okay with that if you are. I said, no, I'm not okay with it, because number one, these are all new clothes from wherever, Niman, Marcus or Sacks. You cannot try pants on with no wonder where. I said, that's I can't do that.

So I said, don't you move till I get you underwear. So I would have to go out and bring him back up. He goes and he was thereafter though. He always came with underwear. I listen to teach you, when up show up an underwear, better have underwear because I wouldn't let them try to close on, you know, just for sanitary reasons.

So yeah, that was funny. Oh my gosh. All right, so you're you're working movies. What was what was the most exciting I mean movie or start to work with or you know what? What was my I loved it when you know, I was working at Columbia and I was working with Grady Hunt at the time.

I was his assistant. But and I just we'd had our son. Our son was about six months old, and Grady called me and he goes, eilish, I would love because I worked with Grady before doing movies the weeks and what have you, And he said, I'd love you if you would work with me as my assistant and oversee all the shows. That was my dream and that was and and he what shows was were you doing? Then?

We were doing a police Story, Police Woman, Fantasy Island. What other shows are we do? And then I can't do Those are the ones that I remember. But I would oversee all those shows and make sure, like I would still do Police Story, buy the clothes for that Fantasy Island that one I did. I would shop all the clothes.

Did you come up with the suits. Yes, oh the white suits. Sits no, that because they'd already done a Fantasy Island years before, and and that's and that was Aaron's show, right, So here I am and I working out Colombia. But Fantasy Island was Aaron Spelling show. That's how I got connected to Aaron Spelling Fantasy.

There was another dear dear friend of mine, Nola Miller. I met him one time on Anessey Island. It was November freezing, called Ava go Boar early in the morning. I get a phone call. Because I always made sure I got to the studio early.

I said I could never be home and get a call that the actress is unhappy. So I get a call and my set girl said, Eilish misska bars i'd fit, isn't work in it doesn't fit her. And I get in my cart and get down to the set. It was overcast, it was a horrible day. And at six third in the morning, and here's this gorgeous sixty four sixty five man, Nolan Miller, and he said, I am so so and he had this navy trench coat on.

He said, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I said don't worry, mister Miller. And the reason Nolan was doing her clothes is because Nolan was in her contract. So whatever Ava did, Nolan had to do her clothes.

Like when she did what was one she did about the phone, armors and greens. Nolan did all her clothes. Wow, that was that was her deal. So I said it and he was so he said, I'm so embarrassed that Aaron asked me to do her clothes when you're capable of I said no, honestly, thank God, I don't have an ego. I just want to work and everybody get along.

So I took I went in there and she was and then she was sick. She was coughing, she had a cold. So I did I fit her because my fitter wasn't in yet. So I put some pins because I could sell. It was a cowgirl outfit, a little short minis skirt and a whole bit.

So I took it up to the shop. The girl was there by then got to fix him back, put it on her. End of story. That was it. There was no problem.

Cameras weren't held up. So mister Miller caught me that day and he goes, God, he said that was I'm so impressed the way you handle that. He said, because people would scream. The other people would have yelled at me, and I didn't get it. So he did say to me then he said, if you ever want to come and work for Aaron Spelling, because Nolan was already friends with Aaron Spelling doing Aaron's shows.

So I said, now I'm good where I am. Then we did another big costume show. I mean, we had hundreds of Fantasy Island dress up costumes. So I went to three different places and got pulled all the costumes out, and Nolan goes, I don't even know why I'm checking these, but Aaron asked me to come and look at them. I said, fine, don't worry about it.

But he was embarrassed because you were sort of that was your job, but he had to Aaron had wanted him to come lookcause Aaron doesn't know me, right, So but I told Nolan, I said, Nolan, it's okay, mister Miller. I called him. Then later on he called me and he said, I really really would love you to come and work for Aaron Spelling. He said, you know we could use you over there. I said, no, I'm not really interested.

What happened was there was a movie of the week and we had women producers, three women, and they all had their own idea how the four ladies should be dressed. And it's a secretary. I can't even remember the name of it. And I said show TV. So I said show No, wasn't that one, okay, But it was about the office.

And they were telling me I dressed this actress this way, and I'd love this look for her. And I said, okay, but you know these certain looks aren't going to look good on her body. You dress a body, you don't you know the character, Yes, but you still got to work out the body. So I went ahead. I shopped for days and fit them and did the whole work.

Well. When the three producers saw it, they go, eilish, we don't like these at all. I said, really, I said, neither, or do high, But this is what you wanted. Grady Hunt was not in the picture. Although Grady always got the credit, I was never on the credit.

It was always Grady. That's the way the business ran in those days. So then I went out and so they said, okay, you dressed the girls. Whatever you think. I said, they're secretaries.

It's not like they're big important, you know. So I went out, got the ladies all dressed. They had like five changes. Each show went great, it was happy. Then they were doing the premiere off it at a theater, so I went there and I was so excited because I really thought, I'm getting credit on this one.

After all my work, no credit none. I was so upset. Remember, I went to home and I was Oh, I was fuming online. I couldn't sleep, so and end the work next morning, and I Grady because we always got there at six or six thirty. I said, Grady, I have to let you know I'm very angry today.

And it's I said, I didn't even get credit on that, and you know her hard I worked. So I was furious. So he said, Alish, I'm sorry, and he couldn't and I was on. I wasn't a salary. I the hours that I worked you got paid for.

And Grady would say to me, we'll just add more hours. I said, I've already got twenty four hours on a day's slip. I can't add anymore. So because he was afraid, unfortunately ask for raise, So I called mister Miller, that day and I said, Nolan, is that offer still open? And he said yes, are you serious?

And I went for an interview and that was it. And when we were at the rap party for Fantasy Island, Aaron Spelling made a comment on this stage. He said, I know I'm taking away one of your people, but she's coming to work over at my studio. Now that was me. So I met him.

His secretary come over and she said, mister Spelling would like to meet you. So I went out to the lobby and there was Aaron, oh so sweet, put his arms around me, and I went to work for Aaron Spelling. I went for an interview and they asked me, of course my salary, and I give him a figure which I should have tripled. I was gonna say, so did you did you bump it up at least a little bit from where you dumped it up doubled, but they didn't. They said, okay, we can.

That's that's wow, And that's when you know, like I knew, right, I said, darn it, but I'm not a greedy person, so I didn't want to sound ridiculous. But then shortly after that they did give me another three four hundred dollars a week more. Once I started running the department, setting it up, and I was gonna say, so, when did you end up headcast? As soon as I went over there, that way the job. I was going to be the head of Aaron Spelling's wardrobe.

Now the head of the wardrobe. They still had a gentleman there who was running it. But you know, he was an older gentleman. And the unit manager who interviewed me he had he did call me and he said, Eilish, I have a difficult time firing this person. I said, I'm happy with that.

Led him, I don't want hibody to lose their job. I said, I'm happy with that. But he did say, but you have to make all the rules, because Aaron didn't want this gentleman making any more rules. But Aaron didn't know that this guy was still working. So after they found out, like a couple of months later, he got fired.

And that's when I got my four hundred more a week. But I felt bad losing his job. But I went in and they built a whole new department. I told him what I needed and the colors, and they left me go shopping for furniture and the first one to comment was on Charlie's angel and where where was it? Where was this Fox studio?

At Fox Studios? Okay? And I remember Jacqueline Smith come in for her first fitting for Charlie for Charlie's Angels, and Aaron come over, of course to see her. And she said to Aaron, wow, look at her. Fancy.

This is because before what the girls would fit in that? It was really pretty tacky. It was like our closet. And I said, oh god, this, I said, you fit actresses in this? It was horrible.

So they give me stretches of ground to work with and I built the wardrobe department. Sounds like quite a dream job. It was, oh my goodness, honestly, like on Sundays, I couldn't wait for Monday. Honestly, I loved it on Sundays, I couldn't wait for Mondays. And we should all have that dream job on Sundays.

So Melissa had a question about what your local your union local number is? Do you don't know? Oh god, I madden, I'm still it was seven oh five. That was the customer. And then the designers get a little good it's a different one.

Okay, what's that usual for a producer like Aaron Spelling to have his own wardrobe department. Have somebody like you that that handled wardrobe or was that sort of outside of It was kind of outside because if you because Fox Studio had their own wardrobe department, but Aaron Spelling was in Fox, but he kept it separate and Warner Brothers. No matter what movie comes in, you'll you all have to work out of Warner Brothers. Or if you look at MGM, So Aaron was totally separate. He had it was his company.

Oh, it's fantastic. It was his company. And he was like it was he already the king? Or was he ascending? He was?

He was there. I mean at this point now when I worked and I went to work for him, he was doing um, Charlie's Angels Love Boaties. He was doing that. Yes, he was doing the one with the Heather Locklear was at the rook. He was doing that.

I'm glad you girls remember, but that one was already Farm died also, it was they were doing that somewhere else. We were also doing um, oh the Three Guys, Terrible the guys and then they had the blonde girl lipped in. Yes, that one. What was that show, was it the Mod Squad? Mod Squad?

Okay, so Karen had going and then when I started and then we were doing he just started Vegas, so that was brand new for me. Oh so the TV show, yes, yes, so And when I went for this interview, I did tell Norm Henry, who was kind of my boss, I said, I'm not going to come over to Aaron's belling and run a department unless I get to do some shows, because that's what I wanted. He says, well, how are you going to run a department and work on shows? I said, I'll do it, and if I can't, then so I did it. And what I did was I hired people that I knew their work, and I put them on shows and they were the supervisors, but I would over see them.

I did all their budgets for much money they were allowed. I would have to go. If we had five, six, seven shows, I had to go to every single meeting. And Aaron had a great thing. He went He did a concept show where all the department heads would get together, so all your ideas were together.

Set director, the designer of the wardrobe, the designer of the sets, and then there was never any like he's going to paint the walls yellow. Say, well, I better make sure I don't have anybody in yellow, otherwise they're going to fade into So those were all the things that I I learned so much when I went to spelling. I really did, because he had an incredible mind. I remember one time we sat through three meetings together. Everybody even died, but Aaron and I stayed there because we were He never opened a book, and we would go from this show, Did that show?

Did that show? And the guy that somebody would say, oh, well, that's when they get up and they're going to jump out the window. Aaron goes, no, they don't jump at the window, and he would sit in a nice manner, and the guy goes and he's the writer, and Aaron would go, he doesn't jump out the window. And he never He hasn't opened that book. An incredible memory.

He could keep it on all the show, and he always thought about it's all about the look. And also he always thought about the people in the Midwest. And here he goes, well, no, we can't do that, guys, because what are the people in the Midwest know about blah blah blah whatever. The situation. So we always did shows that everyone could relate to.

And that was one thing I did notice about our shows. That's amazing. And so of those shows, what would make you pick a show that you wanted. I really loved doing Hotel. I did that for five years, and of course Connie and I, Connie Salek and I, you know, became good friends that I spent so much time with her.

I was even at her wedding. But that was a good show. And what I loved about it we had guest stars every week like love Boat, and that's a fun so you're not stuck with the same ten people. You've got your principles and then you had like six guest stars every show. You have special guests around was that was my favorite.

That's where you know, we had Elizabeth Taylor, we had um Lana Turner. Those were the great, the great times because and then Love Boat. Everybody wanted to do Love Boat, so you know, especially the ones that went to Europe, so they were they actually, oh yes, if they were going to like they went to Egypt, they went on a boat on the ship and good over the Oh yeah, they were real and I remember getting it was so funny one show Linda Evans was doing, and who's the other one that was married to John Derek not not Bow the first one, thank you. I don't know why Ursula. And she was so funny because before our fitting, she went shopping in Beverly Hills because she didn't didn't of here, and she'd see some things and she'd go, oh, could you leave these for Eilish.

Well in the Beverly Hills, I shopped it every store you could think of. So she said, Eileish, You're a good name to know. I just said, oh, just let leave it for Ilish And they were like, yes, so they but so that would They were going to China, so the rules and regulations no red, they couldn't have any genes or I mean, they were so strict and God forbid because of the rules in strict in China. Yes, they had to. It was such a I mean I had lists and lists of things that you cannot do.

Wow. Yeah, So that was interested. So you learn a lot. I am still wrapping my head around the fact that it just never occurred to me that for the Love Boat they actually shot those on active cruises going places and coming back from Now a lot of it. Of course sol on stage.

I mean you go on stage and there's the pool and there's the rest. Okay, But I'm talking about the big shows like China. They went to um Japan, they went to um Alaska. As a matter of fact, on that Alaskan show, I you know, we got to make sure there and we had to box it up and keep track of everything, and we sent it off and then I get a phone called Eilish. It's freezing.

We don't have enough warm clothes. We've got to get some fur coats. So my friend and I went downtown and I bought about twenty fake for coats. They were like fifty dollars each, but they used them on the show. Oh my god.

I now I wanted to track down the Alaska. Yeah, the Alaskan, but any of those that went into certain countries, they were real. That's why people like Linda Evans would do those shows. Who was the other one, Shelley Winter. They wouldn't do just a regular light boat but if they were going into another country, because you know that's expensive.

I did the Valentine show, but that just went to where they all go, oh the port. Yes, they went to those plays. But the ones to Europe. I never I always would send, you know, people who I really felt could handle it and do it. And because I'm not there, yeah, you have to make sure it's gonna work.

Yeah, those would have to be I would imagine those could be tough because, as evidenced by the lack of coats, you may forget there, don't have something. It turns out you absolutely need, you need it. We thought we were covered, but they said, no, get us some of those fake. The producer goal and said, just get us some fake fur coats. So that's what I did, and yes they used them.

But on the shows we went over lists and lists. You know, we really were and thank god, we were pretty pretty fortunate. We never really nothing ever got lost or stolen, and that was That's always the case. When I was doing Butterflies Are Free, I went that morning because it went on for four months and Goldie only had one oefit basically bras and panties, and I went to the line seven o'clock on the morning to pick it up. Well that wasn't there, so her blouse was missing and her underwear was missing.

Oh and this was a big feature film then it was two and a half million, which was a lot of money back in the sixties. And but what it was somebody I know that somebody else was doing a commercial and their wardrobe got stolen. But what so do you think people took Goldie Hans underwear because it was Goldie Hans underwear or they just wanted them. They just took it. I have no idea.

They just took it. And it was this lady that we had in the evening. She would come in late, like six o'clock and she would do hand washing, like if somebody had a special bra which we didn't send to the cleaners. Are their pantyhos nylons? That was all hand washed every single night.

Wow. So Goldie's blouse and her underwear was missing. So I sat among with the ladies in the workroom, but I had to be on the set and we crossed stitched. If you ever see the show, the blouse is a red like a Mexican blouse, and so I sat and cross stitched those flowers. Oh my goodness, because you had to replace it.

I had to replace it. But the workroom they were doing their part also. I was just helping because we only had a week to do it. Oh my gosh. Before we went to San Francisco.

But oh, I remember, I was never so upset in my life. I said, that's it. I'm walking out that door. I was so scared, but you know, there's not an The director came to me and he goes eyelish, what the effie is supposed to do? Bring her clothes home and sleep with them?

That's pretty sad. But I just was. It's the first time I've ever experienced anything, and it scared me. Scared me because then you start doubting yourself. God did I you know?

So I know Barbara Eden was done a commercial and they stole her western shirt. That was another thing that was missing that same morning. So then I felt better when somebody sure, it's not just me, It wasn't me. And on that note, let's take a break and we're back. Oh my gosh.

So you stayed with Aaron Spelling for twenty six years. Twenty six years unheard of. Nobody has a job at his studio for that long. But I loved it before. And then what happened was over the years he went public and then of course everybody comes in, it gets opinions, and so it did change and then I did it was still spelling, but not big like it was.

I did the second Love Boat with Robert Jurich, and I wasn't really a department head anymore, but I was still doing Aaron shows because there was no department anymore. And then after that I did It was a movie, and it was a remake of a movie, and Kate Jackson was in it. Kate Jackson was I know what it is? It was the like the Girls' School. Yes, yes, I know.

Oh man, okay, I'm gonna you know what it is I do. But the funny thing was I got to dress Kate Jackson because when I went on charm or when I went Charlie's Angels, they had fired Kate Jackson, and I thought, because oh the stories that I heard about Kate Jackson. But I got to meet her on that other show, and she was so sweet. She goes, oh, I wish you'd had done Charlie's Angels in the beginning. And also I got to meet Farah Fawcett, who also didn't want to do anymore.

And Farah I also had worked with Farah a zillion years ago on Harry Oh, oh my goodness, yeah, yeah, so it was really kind of that was called Harry. Oh, but I loved Farah. But she was a girl. You could put anything on her and it looked good. It was great.

Satan's Schools for Girls. Yes, that's it. That's for Kate Jackson. So I did. Yeah, and who else was in a door s?

Jannon played Kate's part. So that's when I met Shannon. And then when Charm came around, there was somebody on it for I think this one particular designer did it for two years and then wanted to switch designers. And that's when I got the job. And I did it for seven years.

Wow, oh my goodness. Yeah, seven years. So you don't get bored. You stay it to day. I remember, I get bored, and I you know, I'm always I've always been that person.

I love going to that job every day the same because our business, you know, you could be working on this three months and then you're off to Europe on the next moving you're off here. And I like stability. I'm a very I really love stability. All right, can you tell us a little bit Because you're working for Aaron Spelling, but somehow you end up being a customer for Angela Lansbury and that's not a spelling show. No, Angela was not a spelling show.

Someone. Angela would change designers pretty much every and her show went for what eleven years? She wrote, yes, so she would change, change, change, And I guess this one unit manager who used to work for Aaron mentioned Angela, why you should try this girl Eilish and didn't hurt. Angela's mom was born in Belfast, and I'm in Belfast, so a little Irish mafia girl there is something going on. All you have to do is say you're Irish, and so I apparently I couldn't do that because you know, so I apparently Angela called Aaron Spelling and she said, I know it's not her, we run things, but you know, I'd really love to meet this girl Eilish.

And if she could do just my clothes. I don't want her to do the whole show because that would take too much time away because I already had my own shows with spelling, but if she could just do my clothes. So I went one lunchtime and met Angela Lansberry. Gotcha was so lovely and we just clicked and hit it and that was it, and I worked with. I did the last four seasons, and then I did a couple of her specials that she had.

You know, should do those. But Angela was She had a beautiful setup, you know, our own fitting room with the kitchen, and it was all just for Angela. And I would go in there. She'd just stay and have lunch, you know, and I would sit there and do my work sometimes, you know, paperwork. But I started bringing her things in and she so funny.

She'd look at the tag eilish this jackets eight hundred dollars. I said, I know, I said, but look at it. She was shocked because I said, okay, so the jackets eight hundred, so we're going to use slacks with it that you already have in your closet. We already have the blouse, so we're only spending eight hundred dollars. So I had to talk Angela in to allowing me to bring her in more expensive clothes.

And was that for her, Angela or was that for the character char the character would not the character. Yeah, but Angela just didn't want to spend that kind of money. She was so funny. I just wanted to, you know, I'm still within my budget because they allowed me so much money for clothes, So Angela didn't want to spend that kind of money for the show. Or Angela didn't want to spend that kind of money because she's like, my character would never wear an eight hundred dollars jacket.

Well, probably not, but you know, some of those eight hundred dollars jackets look like you could still buy it at Target. Right if you press it and put the proper buttons on, you still got an eight hundred dollars looking jacket. But Angela just was very she didn't want to spend a lot of money. But what I loved about Angela I should come on the set in the morning because I was always there so early. She'd walk through, Hi, John, how's the kids?

Hi Paul. She knew everybody on that show was amazing. She did lovely Christmas parties for everybody and gifts and they were so lovely to work with. That is amazing, super door Like I would go over in the afternoon, She's come over and the after like a round four o'clock and I said, okay, and I'd get my job done with spelling. So it was luckily she was at Universal, which was close to my house.

So it was all worked out well. And I'd stop in and she had a break and she'd say to me, would you like a cuppa? I said, oh, I'd love a couple. I said, I'll make it. She's no, you sit, I'll make it.

She couldn't make the tea. Angela Landsburg would make you a cuppa cuppa she was, and then she should bring up she's hard about it, Dickie. Dickie was a biscuit. Oh yeah, she was realized she was so sweet. That she was so sweet because she said, you work so hard and you're running back and forth.

So I appreciate it that she appreciated that is amazing and that Aaron Spelling even though Murder she wrote was not an Aaron Spelling show, it had nothing to do with him, nothing, but he allowed me because of Angela. When Angela, if you want to get away with something, get away with murder. If you want to get away with murder, you get Angela land to call a Baron Spelling. Yeah, and it never we never crossed over, never interfered. It just was so easy.

And like when I'd leave my house in the morning, I'd stop if Angela had an early call, universal was on my way, and then I'd go over wherever we were at the time. We were all over the place. All right, so'd your husband Tony's in the room. Time was she ever home during this time? It's first I've ever seen it.

Yeah, I worked hours, what the cooking, and it was fabulous. So your husband managed the household to take care of our sons, ball games, everything he had to go to. Even sometimes I'd try and make the ball games and I'd have on my high heels and a little skirt and I yanked that skirt up and climb into the breeches so I could win eve down to my son because he thought, oh, there's my mom. She made it. I tried so hard, but it was but Tony took care of everything.

I wish it was going to be an interviewed and they asked, what type of job is your husband have? And she said, oh, he just has an average job. And so when I got back to work, the people would say, oh, there it comes Joe average, Joe average. For the rest of the time that I worked there, that okay, thank you for sharing that, And it was like, oh, I didn't mean it that way, but you know how they are these writers. That was People magazine when I did that one, because I admit another thing got me in trouble.

I'd made a comment. This is when Aaron went public. I said, oh, I love my job because you go out and you shop and it doesn't cost me any money. I just made a fun statement. Well, Nolan Miller said, Ilish, Aaron is so mad at you because you made that statement.

But it was a cute statement. I just said, you know, I might spending money, but it doesn't come out of my pocket. So I sat down and I wrote Aaron Spelling a letter and I said, Aaron, you of all people, know how things are taken out of context. So he was happy. He called and said he was fine with it.

But it's just how it's written, you know, when people put things that you have to be. So when I was doing Angels, I would get a call and that I'd be on the phone with an interview of for about fifteen minutes. Then right away it was okay, Now, Eilish tell us the real gossip, what happens with the girls? Well, nothing happened, and even if it did, I'm going to tell them and get fired. No, you don't.

Yeah, I'm not into that. But the girls they all got along. Grade we know. We talk a lot about how sometimes women get a reputation that that maybe they don't deserve because they're held to a different standard than men are. There's nobody ever going, hey, those two guys are in a show together.

They must I bet they don't get along like they're not. You're not looking for trouble when it's two guys on a show together, you know. But they love to do the gossip and that on those ladies, I think. But I didn't see that. I mean the angels they all got seemed to get along.

Actually I saw Kate Jackson, not Kate Jackson. Jacqueline, Jacqueline a wild back, still looks so gorgeous, looks amazing. She looks better than she did. She still has her costumes, her fashion does. She does the fashion line and she also does the Calical Corners, the fabrics.

Oh the fact, if you go to Calical Corner, I said, there's uh Jacqueline doing. Yeah, exquisite taste she really has. But she and sure a lad are still best friends. Yeah, so yeah, I think I think again, people like to stir that trouble, particularly when it comes to women when they're writing and trying to sell magazines. That's what sells.

Yeah, it's the right. Yeah, but especially in shows where the characters have a certain relationship for some reason, they try to put that on women actors that they're supposed to be like their characters, where it's a job. They come in, they play a part, they go home, you know, like if there they've got a family to go home too, and it's a job. Yeah, that's nothing wrong with that. No.

I remember one time I had said to Angela. So, I said, so, Angela, when you and Peter go home, because her husband was the executive producer and he was there with her. Oh, so devoted to each other. So I said, when you go home, you have someone and your meals already for you. She does no, she said, Peter and I go home.

I mean, she's Angela lands Verry. She's no. She said, I'll make the salad and Peter will either grill a piece of chicken her fish. She said no. She said, do you have your meals cooked for you?

I said, yeah, I have my husband. He has my dinner and my glass of wine already for me. Oh my gosh, that is amazing. Now we're gonna jump ahead a little bit. We're gonna jump into the Marvel universe because you you're credited on that.

I've no idea, I swear to god, I don't know where that came from. That worked on But it's another Ilish. There's another Ilish. Yeah, but not another Ilish Nebraska. No, but I tried, said, Tony, you just showed that to me love yesterday.

No, that's not me, that's not you. Worked on Spider Man Avengers. My son would be over the moon if I did. But no, mom, those are all big features. No, I don't know.

But it said she was an assistant costumer. Okay, so I don't know why they and her name was Ilish and its spelled the same way as mine. All right, well, we're gonna have to I don't We're gonna have to go here. We're gonna have to be I remember when I got to get Angela Lansbury on it. She'll figure it out.

I do want to talk about some of the favorite actresses or moments that you've had with some of your favorite actresses, and I know one of them, as with Elizabeth Taylor. Elizabeth was she did one of our hotels and Nolan, of course, Nolan Miller did her clothes and they were really close, close friends. And after this was after I met her on a hotel. But then years later it was her seventy fifth birthday party. So Nolan made her two gowns for her to choose.

And then she had gotten you know, she was having problems with her back, and so Nolan wanted me to come with them to help get her dressed, you know, and they're certain brawl and everything. And while we were there, she has amazing setup. She had this fabulous big room. It's like a dressing room, but there was a sync there for like a type sink to have her hair done. And she had this closet and she said to her assistant, I think his name is Tim.

Tim, take Eilish in and show her my jewelry. She was like a little girl with her jewelry and she was playing with these ear rings. They had to be about three inches. There was one hundred and forty diamonds in each earring and she called it the waterfall. Okay, yes, she goes here, try them on.

But anyway, I went into this closet. He opens it up and it was probably longer than this area, and it was drawer after drawer and I opened up the drawer and it was just solid diamonds. And I said to him, these all real, every single piece. She said, Lize does not have any fake jewelry. But it was like there must have been forty drawers and four left was down.

Wow. And he said, this isn't the big stuff that's locked in a vault somewhere. But I mean I took out He says, touch, sh do whatever you want. Try it on. I took out a crucifix and it was diamonds, and then in the center, about the size of my little finger, it was an emerald.

I said, this is real. I mean you're talking millions, but it was laying in a drawer. Wow. It sounds like the most incredible jewelry shop that one could ever walk into. It was unbelievable.

And she was so sweet, so sweet, and in her dressing air was so cute. There was a picture of her Elizabeth giving Richard Burton. She was cutting his hair in this photograph. I said, I said, oh, miss Taylor, you cut hair. She goes, oh, yeah, I used to cut.

That was so cute. Because because I cut Tonies hair, so I was fascinated when I saw her cutting hair. But what is it about eighties fashion? Do you think that is so resonant? Like I think it's still fascinating to people.

The eighties fashion, Well, you know, if you think about it, the for the thirties and forties, they were still fashionable, and then the forties might have changed a bit, and that maybe had to do because of the war and everything fifties was not. I don't think that a lot cool sixties was a mixture of what in the seventies. We kind of lost those and it was the hippies, and then come the eighties, and I think the eighties turned everything around and we got all more glamorous, whereas we didn't have that glamor in the seventies. Yes, some people did, but I think the eighties became bigger. And then there are other shows besides.

I think Dynasty was probably the most glamorous of all shows. But we also spent a four I mean forty thousand an episode on Close Wow in the eighties. In the eighties, that's a big but that was on heard of. But Aaron was whatever they need for the his thing was the image on that screen, and if they complained about Aaron would say, well, maybe don't do a dinner scene so you'll save on that. It has to go into the costumes.

He was so big on that and in our show. And then I think what I mean, people used to get together, if you remember, they'd get together or on whatever night Dynasty was on and then dress up hats on. Ladies did that to the show together? Watching parties in the eighties for Dynasty. Yes, I did try to watch the new one and I thought, oh, there's now Jane Callings.

There's only one. There's only one Joane, I mean realized And was it fun to work with those ladies? Yeah? She was great. She was another great friend of Nolan Miller's.

Joan was just that was her and she was so glamorous when she A friend of mine spent some time with her in Europe and sent me pictures and even just sitting around lounging, Joan look gorgeous, makeup beautiful. So did they get to keep the clothes that they wore in the show? No, what happened? It was a good question when I went over there, what Aaron Spelling was doing at the end of the season, the three Charlie's Angels or what other show they had come up with a big truck or a van and clean everything out. They took everything.

So I had a meeting with Norman Henry because I had no clothes left, like for extras, throw a little T shirt on an extra so you don't have to go buy clothes for extras. I needed the extra stock, nothing that would be recognizable. And so I went to Norm and I said, Norm, I said, you know, would you do you think Aaron would go for if the actors wanted their clothes, they should pay for them. And he goes, oh, Aaron would never go for that. I said, why not?

Like what a guest comes on love Boat. They have five outfits, gorgeous, they're fitted to your body, to a t I would pay half price. I said, just give it to them for half price. So if that outfit is four hundred dollars, they'll get it for two hundred. Do you know that never had a qualm?

And they did. They bought their clothes. So he did allow it. He did allow it. He did allow it, and it worked and they and even at the end of Charlie's Angels, each season.

The girls would come up and go through their racks and put a rack and I would go through it or have one of the assistants do it. Get it all priced together. Sometimes it was seven thousand and twenty thousand, but they paid for it. That's the interesting What was he doing? They weren't just like dumping those clothes.

They were no, no, what we to do? For a period of time, I also started a rental I suggested, you know, let's do rental because all my friends who work out in the business, they go got erelish. I wish we could rent clothes from you. Because Aaron Spelling had a great ward or department all our shows, if you think about it, they were more glamorous. We didn't have any in the dirt shows, so the clothes were all They were all gorgeous clothes.

So I started a rental department and in the first year we made over half a million dollars and that's used close. So they were very excited. They were very excited. And then what would happen? Also when we got overloaded, I would give the clothes to it's a wrap, it's in Burbank, yes, yes, so whatever I didn't want to keep you know, the overflow.

I would give it to it's a wrap, and then they would give us so much money and then I would put that back into next year's by Jit. I didn't know that it's a rap had been around since it's well, you know, her mother, Tierra's mother ran at first, and it started with furniture. She worked in an office at Universal and after the shows they wanted to get rid of furniture and she started doing consignment and then it moved into wardrobe. But yeah, if you go in there, there's up above the door, there's an outfit I did for Elissa, her leather outfit. It's her power woman outfit and they have Elissa Milano from Charmed from Charmed and they have it hanging up on their wall at it's so ralf.

I bought there's my costume up there. So that was cute. That's so fun. Oh okay, all right, I think we actually have to wrap up. Yeah, before we all melt before we all melted hot in here.

But you can call me back anytime. That's one one more thing I want to say. It's really clear as you're talking about your career and the work that you've done and the people you've worked with that by example, you've shown how important it is in life in general to just be kind, to be professional, to just do the work, and you know good things will happen. That is it's so amazing you said that because my last interview was I was honored at the Designers Guild. Four of us were honored, three of us, and at the end of my speech, I said, you know, we're all are doing the same thing, working and you work to get a job done.

And I did say that. I said, all we should do is just be kind to each other. That's exactly what I said. It's a funny. I always try to keep a lovely work atmosphere.

Yeah, that's amazing. What an amazing career for a little girls. Yes, yes, but it was. I was very lucky, very very blessed. I always say I've been blessed more than anything.

That's amazing, and with just such joy. There's such joy coming from you. I wish everybody could be in the manifest for all right, thank you for today's audiography. You can find the It's a Rap resale boutique at It's a Rap Pollywood dot com, or on Facebook and Instagram at it's a wrap links in the description. Also, I recommend an interview with Elish Nebraski by the Costume Designers Guild, and link for that will be on the website.

It's on YouTube. The book I'm going to shout out today is fifty Fashion Looks That Change the nineteen Eighties by Paula Reid, and shout out to SAG after for walking out and standing strong for actors in the future of entertainment as we know it. If you want to hear what a fiery speech sounds like, click the link in our description to hear SAG President fran Drescher's strike announcement speech that'll knock your socks off. Oh my gosh, Sharon, guess what we are doing next episode. We are doing It's a Living, the ABC and syndicated sitcom about waitresses working at the restaurant at the top of the Bonaventure Hotel and beautiful downtown Los Angeles.

I can't wait because we are going to have Jane Espenson and Drew Greenberg, two amazing modern writer and producers, come on and talk with us about their thoughts about It's a Living. And I can't wait. It's going to make so much crazy sense. Can't wait for the listeners to hear why they pick this show. Out of all the eighties shows that they could have picked, this is the one that they chose.

So get ready, tune in and pack up your waitress aprons. Please join us. Who are your favorite Eighties TV ladies? You can contact us through the website and tell us what shows and eighties we should be covering. Our website is Eighties tv Ladies dot com.

That's eight zero NSTV, M, A, d I E s dot com and we are on Instagram, Twitter, and all the social channels at Eighties tv Ladies. If you're liking this podcast, please make sure to rate and review. It helps it a lot. I hope Eighties tv Ladies brings you joy and laughter and lots of fabulous new and old shows to watch, all of which will lead us forward toward being amazing ladies of the twenty first century. Let's go, babies, So Pretty City.