In this special episode, Cynthia Bemis Abrams is joined by guest co-host Ashley Pacini for the Parade of Accomplished Women 2023. Instead of a somber “in memoriam,” we’re bringing you a celebration of the talented, influential women who helped shape the television industry. In this second part of our tribute, we highlight the women of daytime, the often-overlooked creatives working behind the scenes, and—new this year—the women of reality shows.
It is especially difficult to preserve the legacy of lesser-known women in an ever-expanding industry, but their influence is no less important. That’s why we consider this a call to action. We lost these women over the past year, but we must not lose the memory of them or their contributions to television history.
Thank you for joining us as we honor the enduring spirit of women in television.
1/20/24
OUT in 2024 - "In Memoriam" // IN - Parade of Accomplished Women
This is the first of our two-part celebration of some of the talented, influential females we lost in 2023. Guest co-host Ashley Pacini of The Reel Women joins host Cynthia Bemis Abrams for this discussion. The Reel Women interviews and profiles women in the industry to increase visibility and opportunity for the next generation of women who want to work in television, film, and media.
Cynthia and Ashley pay respects to the creatives who played pivotal roles in front of, and behind, the cameras. In addition to well-known names, they honor women who hustled for years as largely unheralded day players, others who stepped up to provide representation of the unseen, and several who risked their careers to speak truth to power.
While we can’t feature all the remarkable women who died in 2023, we believe it’s important to highlight the contributions and careers that might otherwise go unnoticed so that they are not lost to history. Thank you for listening and be sure to tune in to the second half of Parade of Accomplished Women 2023.
1/15/24
As we wrap up our two-part In Memoriam for 2022 by honoring women with famous names and faces, we also pay tribute to those who were less visible yet made significant contributions to TV, movies, news, and science.
This celebration is the perfect time to reflect on the importance of acting as a champion for other women. Their success does not detract from our own—instead, it strengthens us all.
The wonderful women featured in this episode will continue to entertain and teach and inform us for decades thanks to syndication. They are why I podcast.
1/24/23
Our In Memoriam episodes have become an annual tradition. As the universe of known, talented women in TV gets larger every year, so too does the number of women that we honor. In this first of two episodes, we highlight some of the women of music and theatre who made significant contributions to our culture and society. We lost some very big names in 2022, but as you’ve come to expect with these episodes, we also celebrate the talent and achievements of those who were not quite thought of as a “big name.”
1/5/23
We celebrate the creative life and career of Angela Lansbury with Bridget Kies, Assistant Professor of Film Studies and Production at Oakland University in Michigan.
From MGM contract player to Tony-winning Broadway star to her role as Jessica Fletcher on Murder, She Wrote, Lansbury’s long and impressive career has touched generations of film, TV, and theatre goers.
Professor Kies' work has been published in numerous academic journals and edited collections. She is co-host of the Cabot Cove Gazette podcast and in 2023 will publish a book about Angela Lansbury and Murder, She Wrote.
11/28/22
Cynthia recounts the lives and careers of talented TV women who died in 2021. While some died unexpectedly of disease, the long list features names of women who worked well into their golden years. Join this celebration of their impact on TV and come away with renewed energy to cheer on the amazing women in your own circle, while they're still around. The list includes Betty White, Cloris Leachman, Jessica Walter, Cicely Tyson, Markie Post, and Mary Wilson of The Supremes.
1/24/22
Cynthia pays tribute to the TV women in front of and behind the camera who passed away in 2020, including such big names as film & TV legend 104-year-old Olivia de Havilland, actor/singer Ja'Net DuBois of Good Times, daytime's Marj Dusay, Glee's Naya Rivera and the woman who brought us The Magic School Bus, Joanna Cole.
Cynthia lists well-known older women successfully leveraging social media and weighs in on #JanetJacksonAppreciationDay and the entertainment industry's treatment of Britney Spears.
2/14/21
End of year lists that honor the memories of celebrities and prominent figures are a tradition that this podcast has passed up in recent years. A deeper look at the list of prominent TV women lost in 2019 calls out not just the well-known women - usually actors - but also those who built careers behind the scenes.
Join Cynthia in celebrating Katherine Helmond, Georgia Engel, Peggy Lipton, Valerie Harper, Doris Day, Carol Channing, Diahann Carroll, Gloria Vanderbilt, Beth Chapman, Beverley Owen, Toni Morrison, Cokie Roberts and more.
Cynthia also reveals 4 women whose work she finds inspiring, as each raises her voice: Jane Fonda, Ava DuVernay, Kathleen Turner and TCM's Sunday Night host Jacqueline Stewart.
12/22/19
