transcript

Speaker 1:
[00:00] YellaBird Media presents Higher Grounds, a scripted audio drama written and produced by Kimberly Conway. Higher Grounds contains mature themes and topics that may not be suitable for all audiences. Listener discretion is advised.

Speaker 2:
[00:18] In this episode, you'll hear Elle's voice drawn mostly from personal audio journals she kept over the years. Gentry provided me with the tapes which have been digitally restored for the podcast. I'm Kat Singleton, and this is Higher Grounds, Episode 9, Not Your Sweetheart, 1977.

Speaker 3:
[01:20] Gentry, after I refused to kill Tony that night, I should have been dead myself. We refuse an order from a guy like Carmine, and you're done. The only reason I'm still sitting here talking to you now is because I helped save Sylvia's life. We got her to the hospital just in the nick of time, and the doctors took her right into surgery. Carmine was a wreck while we sat in the waiting room. He kept saying, I can't lose her. I can't live without her. When the doctor came out and told us she was going to make it, Carmine was so relieved he started crying all over again. He gave me a big hug and said, I owe you, man. You just let me know what I can do for you. So I took that opportunity to make an exit from my brief mob career. I told Carmine I wasn't cut out for that life. I asked him to let me walk. I remember he just sat there for a long time rubbing his jaw real deep in thought. He told me he'd let me go and he'd do me one better. He called up his buddy, Monte Rayburn. Monte was one of the stars on this hit show called The Monte & Elle Comedy Hour. It was an hour long variety show, biggest thing going on television in the mid 70s. Carmine had Monte pull a few strings with the show's producers and he got me a spot playing lead guitar in the show's house band.

Speaker 4:
[02:52] The Monte & Elle Comedy Hour.

Speaker 3:
[03:01] Monte Rayburn and Elle Harrison were already huge stars in their own right, but that variety show had catapulted them both into the stratosphere. Monte was real straight-laced, boys like Sinatra, always wore a suit. He was kind of funny looking, but the ladies loved him. Then you had Elle. She was a real knockout. Long, blonde hair, legs up to her neck. She had that California beach girl vibe working for her. She always played like she was a real airhead. She was always saying the dumbest things. Whenever she said something stupid, Monte would wink at the audience and they'd all have a big laugh at Elle's expense. I never bought that act though. I knew Elle wasn't dumb. You gotta be real smart to play dumb that well.

Speaker 5:
[04:04] Elle, if I have to stand up there on that stage and do another one of Monte's stupid bits, I think I'll lose my mind. Just when I think the bits couldn't possibly get any more asinine, somehow they do. It's not fair that Monte gets to have a say in all the jokes, but they refuse to let me have any input at all. Both of our names are on the show. I went to Cal today and I said, I want in on writing for the show. He said, can't have too many cooks in the kitchen, Elle. Don't get your panties in a bunch over this, it's not that serious.

Speaker 3:
[04:42] My first day on the set of The Monte & Elle Comedy Hour. This production assistant was showing me around, you know, showing me where the toilet was, where to put my belongings, that sort of thing. I didn't have a fancy dressing room like Elle and Monte. All of us guys from the band shared one dressing room, if you wanna call it that, was more of a glorified storage closet. So anyway, I'm walking around backstage with this cute little PA chick, and we run into Elle and Monte in the hallway. They both just come out of Monte's dressing room. The PA introduced me and they both smiled and welcomed me to the show, acting real sweet like. But there was this undercurrent of tension between them. I mean, you could have cut it with a knife. It was clear they'd been having some sort of argument in his dressing room.

Speaker 2:
[05:40] Elle wanted Monte to talk to the producers for her. She'd been pushing to be included on writing for the show, and she wasn't getting anywhere. So she asked Monte to pull for her. He told her he didn't see why it was so important to her that she write the jokes. He said, we've got one of the highest rated shows on Primetime. What we're doing is working. He didn't see a need to reinvent the wheel just to please her. So he told her she was on her own.

Speaker 3:
[06:07] At show time, I strapped on my guitar and took my place with the band at the side of the stage just before the lights went down.

Speaker 4:
[06:16] Live from Hollywood, it's the Monte & Elle Comedy Hour.

Speaker 3:
[06:26] We played the theme song, then Monte and Elle walked out.

Speaker 4:
[06:30] Ladies and gentlemen, Monte and Elle.

Speaker 3:
[06:37] The audience cheered, and we went right into their first duet. There was a lot of guitar in that first song, and I hadn't really had much time to rehearse, but it all went off without a hitch. I nailed it. When we finished the song, I thought, all right, this is good. This is a good gig.

Speaker 6:
[07:01] Monte Rayburn. We finished the opening song, and I started the bit. Say, Elle, have you ever met my identical twin brother? She was supposed to say, gosh, Monte, I don't know. What does he look like? But she didn't say a word. She was just standing there staring at the teleprompter. So I tried to play it off. I winked at the audience and I said, the lights are on folks, but nobody's home. Hey, Elle, did you hear me?

Speaker 5:
[07:39] I hate it when men call me Elle. Like I'm some little girl they can push around. They only call me Elle when they're trying to get me to do something they know I don't want to do.

Speaker 6:
[07:49] She was just standing there so I repeated the line. Elle, I asked if you've ever met my identical twin brother.

Speaker 3:
[07:59] I mean, if looks could kill. Elle crossed her arms and gave Monte Rayburn this look and I thought, whoop, look out.

Speaker 5:
[08:10] Oh no, please tell me there aren't two of you.

Speaker 3:
[08:16] The audience was roaring and the look on Monte's face was priceless. He didn't know what to do.

Speaker 6:
[08:23] I tried to get her back on script. I kept pointing to the teleprompter with my eyes. Yeah, I told you, he's my identical twin. Have you met him?

Speaker 5:
[08:36] No, but I sure hope he's funnier than you are.

Speaker 6:
[08:39] Oh, come on, Elle, you think I'm funny, don't you? You always laugh at my jokes.

Speaker 5:
[08:45] I hate to break it to you, Monte, but they pay me to laugh at your jokes.

Speaker 6:
[08:51] She came back with a nasty dig to everything I said. The audience was laughing at me. I was trying to get the attention of the producers, trying to get some help out there.

Speaker 3:
[09:04] That shtick worked well for Sonny and Cher, but Monte Rayburn wasn't no Sonny Bono. Sonny could laugh at Cher's digs. He played into them. Monte had too much ego. Elle had him by the balls out there and he couldn't handle it. His face was a tin shades of red. By the time she got done with him, he didn't know whether he was coming or going. The producers gave us the signal and me and the band started playing the song again and cut to commercial. Once the cameras stopped rolling, Monte stormed off the stage. Elle walked off right behind him.

Speaker 7:
[09:42] Cal Porter, executive producer of the Monte & Elle Comedy Hour. Everybody's freaking out backstage. The whole place is melting down. I'm running down the hall like my hair's on fire trying to get to Monte before he blows a gasket.

Speaker 5:
[09:56] Monte got right in my face and yelled, What the hell was that? I said, You told me I was on my own, so I went on my own.

Speaker 6:
[10:04] Well, I said, If you think that's what I meant by that, you're even dumber than you act.

Speaker 7:
[10:10] By the time I get to Monte & Elle, they're having a shouting match outside the dressing rooms. I get between them and back Monte off of her, I say, Hey, cool it. We'll get this sorted out later. Right now, we've got a show to do. You gotta get back out there.

Speaker 5:
[10:25] Cal got between me and Monte, tried to push him away. Monte reached over Cal's shoulder and pointed his finger right in my face. He was so mad. The big vein in his forehead was popping out. He said, You tell her to stick to the script or I'm walking. I said, Oh, I see. You can dish it out, but you can't take it when they're laughing at you, huh, Rayburn?

Speaker 7:
[10:52] Monte said, You better handle this, Cal. I mean it. And then he went into his dressing room, slammed the door so hard his nameplate fell off. I turned to Elle and I said, All right, Elle, you made your point. You got everyone's attention. Now let's just get through the show tonight and we'll all sit down Monday and talk about it, okay?

Speaker 6:
[11:14] I almost didn't go back out to finish the show. I thought, Let them try to do the Monte & Elle Comedy Hour without Monte Rayburn. See how they like that. But Cal came into my dressing room and he assured me there wouldn't be any more trouble, so I went back out. She didn't pull any more stunts that night, but I needed a guarantee that she was never going to pull something like that again. I told all the producers that. I said, there better be some serious consequences for this.

Speaker 3:
[11:52] The rest of the show was pretty smooth. After it was over, I was headed back to the dressing room to change. I'm walking down the hall, and Elle's coming toward me from the opposite way. It's just the two of us. Nothing but the sound of her silver high heels clicking on the tile as she walks. We lock eyes and smile at each other. She was real pretty. She had on this baby blue mini dress and matching headband. Her hair was real long. But to be honest, it wasn't the way she looked that caught my attention. It was the way she flipped the script on Monte Rayburn like that. I thought this girl's more than just a pretty face, and I wanted to get to know her. So we keep walking towards each other, and the closer we get, the bigger our smiles are getting. Finally, we meet in front of her dressing room. I'm just getting ready to say something charming. When someone reaches out and yanks her inside her dressing room, some woman, later I found out it was her mom, hauls off and slaps her right across the face. I mean, just slaps the hell out of her. I say, hey now, easy. I start to intervene. The old broad slams the door in my face and locks it. I stand there and listen to make sure Elle is not getting the daylights beaten out of her in there. I tell myself, if I hear that woman land another blow, I'm busting the door down. Her mom, Gretchen, that's her name, she is yelling at her. She says, what are you trying to do? Get the show canceled? Monte is threatening to quit. Cal is in there right now, begging him to stay. You're going to ruin this whole thing for all of us. You know how many people are counting on you to do your job so they can support their families? Christmas is coming up. Do you want to put the whole crew out of work for Christmas? I was thinking, great, it's my first day on the job and already the show is getting canceled.

Speaker 5:
[13:56] All I wanted to do was show Monte what it feels like to be a laughing stock on national television. Then he has to come apart and causes the whole place to melt down and somehow that's all my fault. How about we get the old boy's ego in check? That's the real issue here. But mom comes storming into my dressing room giving me a sob story about how I'm some Scrooge ruining Christmas for Tiny Tim. I'm not the one threatening to leave the show. I am not the problem here. Why does no one see that? Now we're supposed to have a sit down meeting with the execs on Monday and try to work things out. Mom says I have to formally apologize and promise never to do anything like that again. Well, I'm not so sure I can do that.

Speaker 3:
[14:46] When Elle's mom finally stomped out of her dressing room, I knocked on the door. It took a minute for Elle to answer. When she opened the door she still had tears in her eyes. I said, hey, I just wanted to check on you. The old broad looks like she really packs a wallop. Elle laughed and wiped her eyes. I said, seriously though, are you all right? She said she was fine, and then she invited me inside. She told me to have a seat and offered me a glass of water from a little water cooler in the corner. I told her I thought it was cool what she did out there. She said, you're about the only one. I said, no, it wasn't just me. You had the audience eating out of your hand. Elle was upset about it, or Monte and his lackeys. The people were on your side, Elle. Didn't you feel it? The audience was with you. She thought about it for a minute, and she said, you know what? You're right. I said, I know I am. She said, he's threatened by me. I said, hell yeah, he is. She said, I don't have anything to apologize for. They owe me an apology. By this time, she's fired up. I'm sitting on the couch and she's pacing the floor in front of me. I think that's the night Elle started to realize how much power she actually had. She had finally stepped a toe out of the box everyone kept her in. And once she got out of it, they weren't getting her back inside. I think they all knew it too. That's why everyone was in such a tizzy. She and I stayed in her dressing room talking until they closed the place down. I walked her to her car and asked her if she wanted to go get a drink. She said she had to get home, so I said, OK, how about breakfast?

Speaker 2:
[17:19] The following Monday, Elle attended a mandatory meeting about the incident.

Speaker 5:
[17:24] The meeting today was awful. The studio execs, the producers, me, mom, and Monte were all sitting around this big table in the conference room. It was like everyone was there for the sole purpose of ragging on me. Monte was sitting across from me with this slimy grin on his face. He really thought he had me. Cal said they weren't going to let me write for the show because I had demonstrated with my temper tantrum that I wasn't mature enough to handle that responsibility. Then he told me they would try to write better jokes for me in the future. Mom said, I think that sounds like a wonderful compromise, don't you, Elle? She kept kicking me under the table until I said yes. Just when it seemed like the meeting was over, Monte looked right at me with that awful grin and said, Elle still owes me an apology. Everyone looked at me. Cal said, Elle, do you want to apologize to Monte? Monte kept grinning at me, waiting. Mom pinched my arm and said, come on, Elle, apologize. I just wanted to get out of there, so I said, I'm sorry. That a woman with a mind of her own intimidates you. And I got up to leave.

Speaker 7:
[18:44] Elle started to leave and I said, hold on, Elle, there's one more note we wanted to discuss with you while we have you here. There's been a bit of a concern over your wardrobe lately.

Speaker 5:
[18:55] What's wrong with my wardrobe?

Speaker 7:
[18:57] Elle had been working with the costume department to design her own outfits. That was another one of the demands she had started making and we gave in on that one. We were thinking, all right, let's choose our battles here. We'll give in on a few small things and keep her happy. The problem was, The Monte & Elle Comedy Hour was a family show and there was some concern about how much skin Elle had been revealing. She was showing her navel, which was a big no-no at the time. I told Elle, I think you look great, but people want to feel comfortable watching the show with their children.

Speaker 5:
[19:30] I said, and my belly button is making them uncomfortable? Give me a break.

Speaker 7:
[19:37] I told her I didn't make the rules. There were certain boundaries the show had to operate within in order to keep advertisers and viewers happy. It wasn't an unreasonable request. Cover up a little more. That's all I was asking.

Speaker 5:
[19:51] I said, this show has a lot bigger problems than my belly button. I headed for the door. On my way out, I heard mom say, I'll take care of it, Cal. I turned around and said, Don't worry, Cal. She'll take care of it. I'll be beaten back into submission by the end of the day. And I stormed out. Mom was chasing after me, but I kept walking. I got in my car and sped off, squealed my tires as I pulled out of the parking lot. I drove straight over to the Playboy Mansion to take Hef up on his offer.

Speaker 3:
[20:33] Elle had that wholesome good girl image. America's sweetheart, that's what the media like to call her. The image was all crafted by her mother. Elle didn't have any say in any of it. She did what she was told, when she was told, and that was it. She was making a lot of people a lot of money, but the money never found its way to her. And she got fed up. Who could blame her? Elle showed up at my place one afternoon, just out of the blue. When I opened the door, she just walked right in, didn't say a word. She plopped down on my couch, swiped a piece of day-old pizza from a box on the coffee table. I was thinking, what is this chick on? For one thing, we'd only been on a couple of dates at that point. We weren't exactly to the show up unannounced to make yourself at home stage of our relationship yet. For another thing, she was eating. In the short time I'd known her, I'd never seen her take more than a few nibbles off of anything. She sat there and ate the whole slice and went in for another. She told me she just signed a deal with Playboy. She seemed nervous. She was about to blow up her entire career. When that magazine hit the stands, she was going to rock the world and she knew it. She was going to blow up her good girl image, destroy the career she never wanted, and walk away completely free. She asked me if I thought she was making a mistake, and I said, this may be the most epic thing you've ever done.

Speaker 5:
[22:16] After I signed the deal, I was so nervous. I'd never made a deal on my own. I didn't know if the terms were good or not. But really, I don't care about the contract. All I want is for my life to be my own. This is the best way I can think of to make that happen. Even though I knew in my heart I'd made the right decision, I still needed to talk to someone about it. The first person I thought of was Gentry. I drove right over to his place and told him about everything. You know what? Gentry was exactly the right person to talk to. He made me feel like I was doing the right thing. He said it was epic.

Speaker 3:
[22:55] She made me swear not to tell anyone. Nobody knew about the deal. Not her management team, certainly not her mother. She'd even ask Playboy to keep it under wraps too until the issue came out. She was planning a sort of ambush attack. She didn't want Gretchen to have any time to do damage control. I knew the days were numbered for the show. Once Elle's Playboy issue came out, the show was over. I figured I better come up with a plan B fast. Me and a couple of guys from the house band put together a band of our own. I started writing some songs. We rehearsed a few times a week, trying to work out our sound. By that time, Elle and I were together constantly, so she was always hanging around during band rehearsal. I was mesmerized by the sound of her voice. It had this really unique quality to it. She sang on the Monte & Elle show all the time, and she had put out a couple of bubblegum pop albums for the teeny boppers over the years, but I felt like she could do something more serious if she wanted to. I kept pulling her in to sing with me in rehearsals. I played it off like I was just horsing around, but the more she sang with us, the more convinced I was that we needed to have her join the band.

Speaker 8:
[24:51] Roz, I got nominated for my first Grammy in 77, and I was so excited, I could hardly stand myself. It seemed like life just kept getting better and better. Gordon and I had just gotten married. I think we'd been married maybe six or eight months at the time.

Speaker 3:
[25:15] Elle was presenting an award at the Grammys in 77, and she invited me to be her plus one. I'd mark that down as one of those defining moments that changes the entire course of your life. That's what that night was for me.

Speaker 8:
[25:40] I remember Elle brought her new boyfriend, and they sat beside us. He was nice looking, but I don't know. There was something about him that didn't sit right with me. He didn't seem like he was there for her. Seemed more like he was there for who he might meet. That was the impression I got anyway.

Speaker 3:
[26:02] Elle and I were seated next to her friend, Roz Richardson. And Roz's husband at the time was Gordon Jenkins, one of the biggest producers around. The whole time I was sitting there watching the show, all I could think about is how I was going to pitch myself and the band to Gordon Jenkins at the after party.

Speaker 9:
[26:28] Gordon Jenkins, music producer. Gentry cornered me at the after party, started talking about his band. I told him send a tape to my assistant. I wasn't interested, I was just trying to get him off my case.

Speaker 3:
[26:40] I knew he was trying to blow me off and I was thinking, I may never get another opportunity like this. I wasn't going to waste it. I was desperate to come up with something that would get his attention. I said everything I'd rehearsed during the show, and he was still looking at me like he wanted me to get out of his face. So out of sheer desperation, I said, What if I told you Elle Harrison is in the band?

Speaker 9:
[27:07] I said, Elle Harrison? In a rock band? Elle was maybe the last person on earth you'd expect to see in a rock band.

Speaker 3:
[27:16] I said, For real man, she's good too. She'll blow your mind.

Speaker 9:
[27:22] I told him, I don't need another pop band.

Speaker 3:
[27:26] I said, I'm not talking about pop, I'm talking rock and roll. I pulled Gordon off to the side, just the two of us, and I said, listen, I'm gonna let you in on some classified information here, but you gotta keep it under wraps. Elle's got a Playboy cover coming out. She's looking to break away from her good girl image in a big way. If we time this thing just right, we could capitalize on all of that publicity and ride this thing all the way to the bank. This is a huge opportunity I'm presenting you with. I could take this anywhere and get a deal, but I know Elle and Roz are like sisters, so I'm thinking we keep it in the family here. What do you say? He started asking me a lot of questions after that, and I could see the dollar signs in his eyes. I knew I had him on the line.

Speaker 9:
[28:21] Gentry rubbed me the wrong way. Ambition is a good thing. Even a little desperation can sometimes be a good thing, because you've got to be hungry to make it in this business. But there's a thin line there. Some people will tell you anything to get what they want, and you got to be careful with that. Gentry was one of those guys. I caught on to that right away. Normally, I wouldn't fool with somebody like that, but the part about Elle reinventing her image, it caught my attention. I knew it was going to be a huge moment in pop culture. America watched Elle grow up. Everyone loved her. Her cover was going to rock the world. But then when you throw a rock album on top of it, yeah, I saw a big opportunity there. I wasn't going to base my decision on what Gentry was telling me. I wanted to talk to Elle directly and get her take on things too. I said, alright, call my assistant on Monday and set up a meeting for you and Elle together. I want to talk to you both.

Speaker 3:
[29:18] I said, absolutely. You won't be sorry about this. I couldn't tell you anything else that happened that night. All I could think about was, how was I going to convince Elle to join the band before Monday? Elle was nowhere close to joining the band. In fact, she told me her plan was to move home to Tennessee after the cover came out and stay as far away from the entertainment business as possible. She was really set on that, so I had my work cut out for me. That night I took her back to my place and she was pretty wasted, so I didn't bother bringing it up. When we woke up the next morning, we were laying there tangled up in the sheets, just talking and enjoying each other's company. She had her head on my chest. I'm laying there waiting for the right moment to bring up the band when all of a sudden she tells me she loves me. Huh, took me off guard. We hadn't said that to each other yet. This might be surprising, but I'm an old school guy in some ways. I don't just throw words like that around. If I tell someone I love them, I mean it. You know what I'm saying? I mean, did I love Elle in that moment? I don't know, man. I cared about her, cared about her a lot. But you're looking for complete honesty here, right? I don't know. I don't know if I loved her. That's a terrible thing to admit, isn't it?

Speaker 5:
[30:59] I said, you don't have to say it back. Not if you don't mean it. I just wanted him to know that I loved him.

Speaker 3:
[31:08] I felt like a jerk just laying there, so I said, no, I... I love you too, babe. Of course I do. I love you too. I kissed her on the top of the head, gave her a little squeeze. She looked up at me with this big smile like I'd made her whole life. She said, really? You love me? I said, yeah, I really do. She gave me a kiss, then she cuddled back up to my side and fell asleep. She was so content. Elle really was a good girl. This wasn't some song and dance she did for the public. It's who she was. As much as she'd come to resent that image, at the end of the day, that's really who she was. I remember laying there thinking, staring up at the ceiling fan, and that's when I figured it all out. I knew exactly how I was going to get her to join the band. What Elle was really looking for in life was love. You get what I'm saying? I'd listen to her talk, and she'd say, I want to go home to Tennessee. But if you were paying attention, it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out it wasn't Tennessee she was longing for. It was the way she felt when she was in Tennessee. What she missed wasn't the place. It was the love and security she felt when she was there. See what I'm saying? That's what she'd been missing in California. That's when it hit me. If I could just give her that. If I could make her feel the love she was searching for, she'd do about anything I asked her to do. So I rolled her off of me, real careful not to wake her. I got dressed, left her a note on the kitchen counter, telling her I'd be right back in case she woke up before I made it home. I grabbed my dad's old Stratocaster guitar and headed for the pawn shop, traded it in on a diamond ring. On the way back to the house, I stopped and picked up some coffee and donuts from the 7-Eleven. I grabbed a dozen roses from a roadside stand. She was still in bed when I got home, so I put the flowers in a vase, put the donuts on a plate, tried to make it all look nice. But it was pretty pathetic if you want to know the truth. I put it all in a tray and carried it into the bedroom. She was awake when I got in there. She smiled and stretched and said, What are you doing?

Speaker 5:
[34:05] Gentry came into the bedroom carrying a tray of donuts and a vase full of roses. He said, I brought you breakfast in bed. Me glimped back under the covers beside me. I started to pick up one of the donuts and he said, No, not that one. Take this one. I said, They all look the same. He smiled this sweet little smile and said, Trust me, you're going to want this one. When I picked it up, there was a diamond ring under it.

Speaker 3:
[34:39] I probably should have thought that through a little better. They were glazed donuts. The ring was covered in icing. I picked it up, ran it to the bathroom and rinsed it off. We both got a good laugh. I told her, I saw this going a lot smoother in my head. She ended up saying yes. So I guess it all worked out all right in the end.

Speaker 5:
[35:05] I asked Gentry when we should do it and he said, I was thinking like, right now. I said, right now? It's Sunday afternoon. Where are we going to get married on a Sunday afternoon?

Speaker 3:
[35:19] Vegas, baby. We packed a few things in an overnight bag and drove out to Vegas that afternoon. I think it was around 11.30 that night when we walked down the aisle and said our I do's. The next morning, while Elle was sleeping, I took the telephone into the john and called up Gordon Jenkins' secretary to set up the meeting. I still hadn't talked to Elle about joining the band, but I was pretty sure I'd get her to agree to it.

Speaker 1:
[36:18] Higher Grounds is a YellaBird Media production, written and produced by Kimberly Conway. Gentry is voiced by Robert Fleet, Elle by Katie Yoder, Roz by Janice Lynn Sykes, Monte by Jerry Schultz, Cal by Alexander Sloan, Gordon by Timothy Stonedancer Coleman, announcer by Kyle Sanderson, Kat by Kimberly Conway, opening and closing narration by Rachanee Lumayno, sound design and mixing by YellaBird Media, mixing and mastering by Rick Such. The theme song, Everything Changes, by Laura Jane Jones, is available now on Apple Music and Spotify. Shows like Higher Grounds are made possible by the support of listeners like you. If you've enjoyed the show, we'd be so grateful if you could take a moment to rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform. Stay connected with Higher Grounds and be first to know about upcoming YellaBird productions by following us on social media and signing up for our newsletter at www.yellabird.com. Higher Grounds is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is purely coincidental. This podcast is intended for entertainment purposes only.