By Scott Cronick
When you think of Tony Danza, you probably think of his amazing TV and movie career.
Whether starring as a wannabe pro boxer on the legendary sitcom “Taxi” or as a former baseball player turned live-in housekeeper on the comedy series “Who’s the Boss?” or as a mechanic in 1980’s “The Hollywood Knights,” in which he made his motion picture debut, Danza has always been that actor whose good looks and likeable personality made him one of the most charismatic screen personas of all time.
But anyone who has been attending Atlantic City casino shows for decades – or who has been following Danza’s career closely – knows that the star of movies including “Angels in the Outfield” and Broadway shows such as “The Producers” and, more recently, “Honeymoon in Vegas,” is also a great stage entertainer who loves being called a song-and-dance man.
The 1998 Emmy nominee for the legal dramedy “The Practice,” who can currently be seen on Netflix’s “The Good Cop” and HBO’s “Sex and the City” sequel “And Just Like That,” will show off his stage presence for a good cause on Friday, Aug. 16, when he headlines a benefit performance of his show “Standards & Stories” at Resorts Casino Hotel’s Superstar Theater.
Danza will be joined by a four-piece band and tackle the Great American Songbook while waxing nostalgic and telling humorous personal stories to benefit the Schultz-Hill Foundation, a nonprofit which has been promoting and supporting arts, history and education in South Jersey for more than 20 years.
The New York Times said, “Tony’s a livewire who tap dances, plays the ukulele, tells stories and radiates irresistible charm… He exudes the kind of charisma that can’t be taught.”
Combining timeless music with wit, charm, storytelling and a dash of soft shoe and ukulele performances, Danza promises an evening of “enlightening fun.”
I had the opportunity to once again talk to Danza, who is always charming and entertaining, just like you can expect his performance to be on Aug. 16.
Q: Tony, it has been a while since you have been to Atlantic City, a place where you used to perform regularly. Are you glad to be back after a long hiatus?
A: Let me tell you: Atlantic City was really the genesis for me. I had an accident. I almost killed myself. I hit a tree, and it’s 31 years ago now. And I didn’t die, and I wasn’t paralyzed. I said, “What am I gonna do?” I wanted to do something I haven’t done. I wanted to be a song-and-dance man.
My friend – because I used to do his (TV talk) show all the time – was Merv Griffin. So, once I put the act together, I asked Merv Griffin, who owned Resorts at the time. He gave me the job, and that was my first-ever job doing it. I have been hooked and doing it ever since
I like to say I got a little better, too, (laughs), but it’s interesting, man. You can’t learn it from someone telling you. You have to go out and feel what it feels like to do it. It’s the greatest gift of all time … it really is.
Q: How have you evolved as a stage performer since we last saw you here in Atlantic City?
A: When I first started, I was scared … so nervous, yeah. I had all the trappings. I had six guys in the band; I had two girls and one other guy dancers; I had videotape; I had sets and costumes; we used to do a 7- or 8-minute Readers Digest version of “Pal Joey” (a Broadway musical made into a flm starring Frank Sinatra).
It was crazy. I had pictures. I had gag reels from the shows. I would show them a former fight of mine (when Danza boxed), and I said, “What did you think? I was going to show you one of my fights where I lose?”
But, little by little, you discard the trappings and end up with four guys in a band and you. And that’s it, and you go out there. You’re not alone … you have four guys with you, and you depend on those four guys. And if you go out, and if you can take charge – meaning you can be totally in the moment – it’s the most incredible fun you can ever have.
And then you get a little better at things, which I think I have. You get to be a better musician and dancer.
Q: Part of that was writing the show we will see in Atlantic City: “Standards and Stories.”
A: When you see “Standards and Stories,” I promise you it’s near and dear to my heart. I was under the gun to write it, and somehow it came out really fabulous.
It’s so fun to play. I have such a good time doing it that the audience can’t help but to have fun
Q: And you even play the ukulele?
A: I am not just playing the ukulele. The reason I started playing it was when I tell a story in the show that it turned into something I just can’t put down. I adapted the American Songbook to it. So, you will see me do some Billile Holiday on a ukulele.
Q: While you love doing these stage shows, TV has kept you busy, too, right?
A: Yeah. I am on this TV show called “Raising Kanan.” It’s on Starz, and now it’s on Amazon Prime/ It’s terrific. I came on the last show of the second season, and I am coming back for the fifth season … and I am in all eight episodes! It’s a wonderful show. I wish more people saw it.
Q: You are certainly a veteran now. Do you feel the other actors’ reverence toward you when you join a cast and show?
A: I do, and I feel … it’s unearned or something. But I am always thrilled.
Q: You have become a household name because you were on some pretty successful TV shows – “Taxi” and “Who’s the Boss?” are two of them. And that’s when everyone would watch a hit show. Tens of millions of people watching you every week. Today, that just doesn’t happen with all of the options out there every day.
A: Did you ever think that’s maybe one of the reasons we are so fractured? We don’t watch the same shows anymore When “MASH” went off the air, 110 million people watched it, and there were like 250 million people in the country at the time.
When I would do “The Tonight Show,” everywhere you went people would say, “Oh, hey, I saw you last night on Johnny Carson. We all watched the same thing. That’s why I think it’s a factor we are so fractured.”
I have been so lucky because I have worked with everyone form George C. Scott to Jack Klugman. As an actor, I worked with a guy named Donnelly Rhodes. He played the murderer on “Soap” and my father on “Taxi.” He was a really interesting guy and a great influence on me. I always remember the things he said to me.
Q: When you look back at “Taxi,” that cast was really special, wasn’t it?
A: Everyone was special. I was with them recently: Judd (Hirsch), Marilu (Henner), Carol (Kane), (creator) Jim Brooks. The “Taxi” cast still gets together We have a Zoom every month, and we stay on there for 2 or 3 hours!
Q: “Who’s the Boss?” is also pretty legendary and co-starred another legend, the late Katherine Helmond.
A: She was my soulmate. She was the most wonderful lady you ever met … she really was.
Q: I heard you are working on something new?
A: I am so excited. I am taking a big swing. The Carlyle (on East 76th Street in Manhattan) is a very important thing to me. When I was in the 11th grade in Brooklyn, I had an English teacher – you know you have this one teacher that makes an impression on you – and his name was Mr. Messenger, Charles Messenger.
He used to come back to class after he would go to the Café Carlyle and see the great piano player and singer Bobby Short, and he would tell us who was there and who wasn’t there and how the food was. And I was this 11th-grade kid in Brooklyn going crazy, and I always wanted to play the place.
I got a chance in 2015 to play the place, and I have been playing it ever since. This year, they are going to start the two weeks of the season with me, and I am going to premiere a new show called “Sinatra and Stories.”
Q: How does it differ from “Standards and Stories?”
A: “Standards and Stories” is still unbelievable. I brough it back to 54 below (in Manhattan) for a third time, and it got standing ovations every time. It becomes hard to give up.
So, I am taking a shot. I was around (Sinatra), and he was like a big part of my life because my mother was nuts for him.
I am going to tell a story because I got to be around Sinatra. I am Italian … it’s pretty hard to avoid him. The reason I am so jazzed about it doing it is because Sinatra is hallowed ground. He’s the hardest guy to do, I think. I think just to speak and talk about him is tough. You can’t imitate him, although a lot of people do. I want to pay homage and tell stories like I introduced my mother to Frank Sinatra. We are going to reminisce about the Rat Pack and all that stuff.
Q: So, what are we going to experience on Aug. 16 in Atlantic City?
A: You are going to get your money’s worth; you will have a good time. There’s great songs and great music. I’m going to dance. We have funny stories. We have tap dancers. It’s like an old-world variety show, and I am the host AND the acts! What else do you want? (He laughs.) It’s a great show; I am really proud of it, and I get to do it in the place I got my first job. I can’t wait!
Q: Last question: You are 73 years old and look like you’re 45. What’s the secret?
A: It’s the olive oil. It comes with the model. It’s like an air conditioner. But, seriously, you gotta take care of yourself … at least you have to try. You can only do so much, but at least I keep trying.
Tony Danza, presented by the Schultz-Hill Foundation, will perform 8:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 16, at Resorts Casino Hotel’s Superstar Theater. Tickets, priced at $40 for general and $60 preferred, can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com. A $175 VIP ticket that includes premier seating and post-show champagne and dessert reception is available at Schultz-Hill.org.
Scott Cronick is an award-winning journalist who has written about entertainment, food, news and more in South Jersey for nearly three decades. He hosts a daily radio show – “Off The Press with Scott Cronick” – 4 to 6 p.m. weekdays on Newstalk WOND 1400-AM, 92.3-FM, and WONDRadio.com, and he also co-owns Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall in Atlantic City, while working on various projects, including charitable efforts, throughout the area. He can be reached at scronick@comcast.net.
