Vicki Abelson's Broadcast: The Road Taken

How many nights as a teenager did I sit in my room in Queens, watching The Mod Squad, dreaming of being Peggy Lipton… tonight I kinda was-ish––Michael Cole’s wing woman. As much as I adored Pete Cochran, I love Michael Cole, more… his warmth, sensitivity, empathy, humanity––he was overcome with emotion more times than I can count. He jumped into every story he told, acting out each one… and, did so with passion and conviction. He spoke at length, and in depth, of his tough and troubled childhood, his devotion and love for his mother and brother––the alcohol, which he started, oh so young, and which was his constant companion though homelessness, insane success, and the in the in-between… the genuine soul connection with Peggy and Clarence, which carries forward to this day… starring in Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, and his unusual preparation… how he went from zero to 100 in a moment… the pain he’s carried about his father, and is releasing with his son thanks to the love of Shelley, who changed everything. The