Photocollage: Tablet Magazine
Unorthodox

Texting With Barney Miller

Ep. 152: ‘Barney Miller’ star Hal Linden and Nickelodeon alum Ryan Ochoa, co-star in the intergenerational new film ‘The Samuel Project’

October 4, 2018
Photocollage: Tablet Magazine

This week on Unorthodox, we’re going down to the station.

Our guests are Hal Linden and Ryan Ochoa, who co-star in the new film The Samuel Project. Linden is best known for his portrayal of police precinct captain Barney Miller in the eponymous TV series, which aired from 1975-1982 (millennials, you can binge it on Amazon Prime), but his prolific six-decade career has included performances on stage and in film. Ochoa is an actor and musician who has appeared in the Disney series Pair of Kings and Nickelodeon’s iCarly. They tell us about their new film, about a Jewish grandfather and grandson who connect over a school project that reveals the grandfather’s little-known story of survival. They also tell us about their real-life friendship: Linden, born Harold Lipshitz in the Bronx in 1931, has become something of a mentor to the 22-year-old Ochoa as he works to break out of the Disney-kid mold and take on more mature roles. Ochoa is serious about his study: Linden is the only person he actually calls on the phone.

We also drop by a Yiddish for Dogs workshop in New York’s Central Park hosted by the Workmen’s Circle.

Have a question for Unorthodox? Send it to [email protected] or leave a message at our new listener line: 914-570-4869. We’re also looking for stories about Jewish superstition for our Halloween episode.

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Unorthodox is a smart, fresh, fun weekly take on Jewish news and culture hosted by Mark Oppenheimer, Stephanie Butnick, and Liel Leibovitz. You can listen to individual episodes here or subscribe on iTunes.

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