CNN SHOW: BIZ BUZZ 12:00 am ET July 3, 1997; Thursday 12:20 am Eastern Time Transcript # 97070307FN-L04 TYPE: INTERVIEW SECTION: Business HEADLINE: Fourth of July Celebration in New York City with Mrs. Brady GUESTS: Florence Henderson BYLINE: Donald Van de Mark, Lauren Thierry BODY: LAUREN THIERRY, CNNfn ANCHOR, BIZ BUZZ: If you're spending the Fourth of July weekend in our nation's capital, you may be headed for the 40th anniversary concert of Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story. It will be hosted by one of our all-time favorites from the sitcom era of the 1970s, Florence Henderson, AKA Mrs. Brady. She joins us now here. Nice to see you. How are you? FLORENCE HENDERSON, ACTRESS: I'm great, Lauren. How are you? THIERRY: Just fine. There you are in Washington, DC. Tell me, you must be very excited, what is in store for you? HENDERSON: It's going to be the most exciting evening on PBS. It's the Capital 4th live from the west lawn of the Capitol. There will be 400,000 people here. I will be hosting and singing along with Eric (ph) Hunzel (ph) International Symphony, the Army Chorus - Chorale, and great entertainers: Kenny Rogers, Jon (ph) Secada (ph), James Galway (ph), Phil Colter (ph), Harolyn Blackwell. She's going to do West Side Story. And just so many great, great entertainers and incredible fireworks, and all kinds of wonderful music. THIERRY: You know, you really are sort of America's sweetheart here. So let me ask you. In terms of - this country has been through an awful lot this year, the Oklahoma City Bombing trial, things like that. Where does patriotism stand in the United States this year, 1997? HENDERSON: Well, I think a lot of it is in question, but I personally am so thrilled to be a part of a show like this, because again, it reestablishes how important our freedom is in this country, our independence. And we celebrate this great country of ours. And I think so many of us take for granted what we have in this country, and really don't appreciate it. So, I like to remind people just how lucky we are. THIERRY: All right. And if you don't mind me, let's go back a little bit here to your BRADY BUNCH days. It did make you who you are. We still know you as Mrs. Brady. You saw two sequels come out, the Brady movies. A little bit of a satire on the BRADY BUNCH. Did you get a laugh out of it as much as everybody else did? HENDERSON: Well, yes, especially the first one. Most of us had cameos in the first one, and I thought it was brilliantly done. The second one none of us were in. It didn't do quite as well. THIERRY: There you go. (LAUGHTER) HENDERSON: Well, most of us are so visible, Lauren. You know, we're still out there. I'm out there all the time, and I travel around the world all the time, and people love this little innocent show and what it represents. THIERRY: This little innocent show is still in syndication. At 3 o'clock in the morning in any city in the country you can find it. HENDERSON: It's in like 130 countries around the world if you can believe that. I was in Singapore recently. I saw myself on CNN on Larry King. I was so excited, I couldn't believe it. THIERRY: (LAUGHTER ) That's so great. Tell me now, the syndication deal -- back in the 70s were television stars such as yourself -- did you have savvy management? Were you able to cash in? Oh, the syndication did not come to you, huh? HENDERSON: Well, we got syndication for awhile, but in those days the union wasn't quite as strong, the residual rights weren't quite as strong unless you owned part of a show. We haven't gotten any money for years and years, but everyone else does. THIERRY: But how many television stars from the 70s knew to own a piece of the show at that time. That was very rare back there, was it not? HENDERSON: It was very rare, Lauren. I wish we had you there to advise us financially, you and Donald. HENDERSON: (LAUGHTER) That's right, Donald and I would have told you get a piece of the show. Don't leave without getting a piece of the show. But, now, of course you've gone on. You have a wonderful singing career, and of course you do the Wesson Oil () commercials if memory serves right. HENDERSON: Absolutely. The Wall Street Journal had me in the top 10 people that the audience trust, and I do use Wesson Oil. It's been a great product. It's been very good to me over the years, and I'm very proud of that record. THIERRY: When I think of you singing - I've seen you a couple times actually on the national network. Do you have an affinity for country music? HENDERSON: I was raised on country music. I'm the youngest of 10 children from Southern Indiana. THIERRY: Whoa. HENDERSON: Yes. You know my father was 47 when he married, and then he had the 10 children. I was born when he was 67. So I was raised on country music. But I went to New York right out of high school and got into musical comedy, and I've been singing all my life, and I love all kinds of music. And that's why the Capital 4th is satisfying to me, because we're going to do just a little bit of everything. THIERRY: It's very clear that you do, and you are one of the more patriotic television stars that we have out there today. Florence Henderson, thank you very much for joining us today. Good luck with your concert. Also, tell us, will you be singing anything, I'm just curious, from West Side Story, or is that just the concert part of the - the orchestrated part? HENDERSON: Harolyn Blackwell and Jeremy (ph) Koch (ph) are going to be singing the West Side Story, but I will be singing on the show. But we are celebrating the 40th anniversary of West Side Story, and they're going to do a beautiful medley from it. THIERRY: It's a tremendous musical. Should always be revived and never put to bed. HENDERSON: You're right about that and it certainly represents, I think, what's good about America. THIERRY: Absolutely. Florence Henderson, thank you very much for joining us from Washington DC today. HENDERSON: Thank you, Lauren. THIERRY: Have a good time. END ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Daily News (New York) July 04, 1997, Friday SECTION: Television; Pg. 95 HEADLINE: 'CAPITOL'-IZING ON AN OPPORTUNITY SUMMONED BACK TO 'FOURTH,' HENDERSON HAS THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT BYLINE: By SCOTT WILLIAMS BODY: THERE is a kind of magic about the Fourth of July in Washington, D.C., that enchants Florence Henderson, host of PBS's 40th annual gala "A Capitol Fourth" (WNET/Ch. 13, 9 p.m.). "There is something so overwhelming about it," she told The News. "You see 500,000 people stretched out on the Capitol lawn, and then you look up and you see fireworks. And you get to sing with the National Symphony and an incredible chorus." Henderson stepped into the role of host when illness forced "Spin City" co-star Barry Bostwick to withdraw. "I was glad to accept the invitation, having done this show three years ago with John Raitt," she said. "We performed a 'Carousel' medley." In addition to her duties as tonight's host, Henderson will perform in a medley of patriotic songs. "I'm going to sing 'God Bless America,' " she said. "And if I can do half as well as Kate Smith, I will be delighted." She won't be alone on stage. "A Capitol Fourth" will also feature performances by Kenny Rogers and Deanna Carter they're a little bit country and singers Jon Secada and Maria Conchita Alonso they're a little bit (okay, a very little bit) rock 'n' roll. The classical side of the bill features Broadway and opera performers Harolyn Blackwell and Jeremy Koch, flutist James Galway and Irish composer Phil Coulter. At twilight, Alonso, Blackwell, Secada and Koch will sing selections from "West Side Story," honoring the 40th anniversary of the Broadway classic. Although the former "BRADY BUNCH" mom isn't a regular on TV, her calendar stays full. "As one of the few performers who belongs to all five unions, I keep pretty busy," she said. "I can do nightclubs, concerts, television, films and stage work." Her most recent gig was in "Singapore and points east," she said, where she was flown in to perform on the Crystal Symphony luxury cruise liner. Next week, she's taking some time off. "We live on a boat, and we're taking it to Catalina for the weekend," she said, referring to the 87-foot yacht she and her husband, John Kappas, dock in Marina del Rey, Calif. "I do best with short trips." GRAPHIC: HEADING FOR THE HI