Christopher GorhamEvery podcast appearance, updated as new ones drop

This week on Still Ugly, we have a full episode with the one and only Christopher Gorham, who played Henry Grubstick! From the moment Henry from accounting spun around in his basement cubicle and set eyes on Betty, we knew we were in for something special. Michael and Becki talk with Chris about Henry and Betty’s soul connection as well as his deep friendship with America Ferrera off-screen. Plus, Chris reveals the real-life inspiration for Henry’s look and the crew's reaction when he took off his shirt for THAT scene. Chris is a wonderful actor and a great friend and just like us, he is Still Ugly! Still Ugly is produced by Rabbit Grin Productions. Theme song by Jeff Beal. Executive Producers: Rob Holysz, Natalie Holysz, Jeph Porter Creative Producer: Jesse Thurston Editing and Mix/Master: Chris Faller Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

ABOUT "THE CONFIDANTE" From modest immigrant beginnings--lacking even a high school diploma—Anna Rosenberg rose to the highest levels of American power and stayed there, shaping national policies in areas dominated by men: business, the military, and politics. Her impact on the nation, vital to victory and postwar prosperity, can be felt even today. THE CONFIDANTE: The Untold Story of the Woman Who Helped Win WWII and Shape Modern America (on-sale February 21, 2023) illuminates one of the most influential women in modern American history. Deeply researched, this is the first book to fully recognize Anna Rosenberg’s remarkable life and contributions to America’s success during and after World War II; it reveals her uncommon skills as a leader, her abilities to observe and connect, and her profound influence in shaping and implementing many of the nation’s most significant public policies. Anna Rosenberg was at the pivot points of history from the New Deal to the 1960s. As a trusted advisor to Presidents Roosevelt and Truman during WWII, her personnel plan for the Arsenal of Democracy became the nationwide model; she preserved the secrecy of the atomic bomb, and following her mission to wartime Europe, she guided the direction of the G.I. Bill. For her contributions to victory, Anna Rosenberg became the first recipient of the Medal of Freedom. As the Cold War heated up, Anna Rosenberg was appointed Assistant Secretary of Defense, where she rebuilt the military and reshaped its policies. It was a pinnacle she may have never reached. During the desperate early days of the Korean War, a cabal of extremists led by Senator Joe McCarthy tried to prevent Rosenberg from taking her post at the Defense Department by accusing her of being a communist. She knew she wore the bull’s-eye. “I was Jewish, an immigrant, pro-labor, and a woman. What could have been worse?” By unfortunate coincidence, she also shared the name of the atomic spies Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. Unlike other victims of McCarthyism, however, Anna emerged with her career and integrity intact. America’s success in World War II and the country’s post-war boom were in large part due to her impact behind the scenes. She was at home with society ladies as much as with a conference room full of teamsters; respected by soldiers on the front lines of foreign battlefields as well as by the Presidents who sent her there. Her combination of mettle, tenacity, charm, and Bronx-style toughness was undergirded by her unwavering loyalty to her adopted country. Fans of Hidden Figures, Eleanor: A Life, Fly Girls, A Woman of No Importance, and Three Ordinary Girls will savor The Confidante’s meticulous research, its rich storytelling, and the extraordinary exploits of a subject at the heart of so many major events. Unsung until now, Anna Rosenberg deserves to take her rightful place in the history books as one of America’s most important and influential women. Jim Aldred is a Realtor “Helping buyers and Sellers from Southie To Sagamore”; serving Boston's South Shore and can be contacted via his Links below. https://linktr.ee/SellingSouthieToSagamore www.KWMASS.com Email me at JimAldredRealtor@yahoo.com cell: 339-987-0382 PODCAST INTRO "Werq" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ PODCAST OUTRO LURKING SLOTH By: Alexander Nakarada

Christopher Gorham is a lawyer and teacher of modern American history at Westford Academy, outside Boston. He has degrees in history from Tufts University and the University of Michigan, where he studied under legendary historian Sidney Fine. Gorham has a J.D., summa cum laude, from Syracuse University College of Law, where he served on the editorial staff of the Syracuse Law Review. His writing has appeared in The Washington Post and in online journals. Interviewer Kelsi Hasden is an adjunct professor of composition at the University of North Florida and Florida State College at Jacksonville. She holds a Bachelor's degree in English focusing on Postcolonial theory and Women's studies and a Master's degree in Rhetoric and Composition. She writes about a range of issues and events, dines out as often as she can, and attends events around Jacksonville. Kelsi writes and edits articles for The Jaxson and Modern Cities . READ Check out The Confidante in print, digital, and audio in our catalog ! CHRISTOPHER RECOMMENDS Here are the three books I found especially enlightening as I wrote The Confidante . Kristin Downey's The Woman Behind the New Deal: The Life and Legacy of Frances Perkins is the story of the progressive whose wish list essentially became the New Deal (minimum wages, Social Security, etc.). Perkins was the first woman cabinet member in American history, serving as Secretary of Labor for the entirety of Roosevelt's presidency (1933-1945). Personally, Perkins was not particularly warm and could be seen as rather mirthless. But her legacy as a New Deal heroine is deserved and her prominence in FDR's cabinet underscores how much Roosevelt respected competence regardless of sex or ethnicity. FDR and Perkins went back to his days as Governor of New York, and even before that, women played a large role in his professional life. In The Gatekeeper: Missy LeHand, FDR, and the Untold Story of the Partnership That Defined a Presidency , by Kathryn Smith, we learn that after Roosevelt contracted polio in 1921, Roosevelt brought on Marguerite "Missy" LeHand, a working-class woman from Somerville, Massachusetts as his secretary. In time, she became much more. When FDR became President in 1933, Missy came to Washington. She was not only the gatekeeper of his social and professional calendar but was essentially his Chief-of-Staff until a series of strokes incapacitated her in 1940-41. It was at this time, as I discuss in my book, that Anna Rosenberg became part of FDR's innermost circle. The dual struggles for equality in defense work and desegregation of the armed forces were undertaken within the Roosevelt White House by Mary McLeod Bethune, Robert Weaver, Bill Hastie, Al Smith, and Robert Vann. Bethune was the leader of the "Black Cabinet," but the men alongside her performed admirable work in the service of advancing the Black cause. In her excellent book, The Black Cabinet: The Untold Story of African Americans and Politics During the Age of Roosevelt , Jill Watts describes the successes of the Black Cabinet—and the challenges: all five risked losing their jobs, being cashiered to faraway agencies, or being labeled Communist by reactionary congressmen. --- Sign Up for Library U to hear about t

Send us Fan Mail Let's confide! Author Christopher Gorham joins us to talk his new book, The Confidante. We talk about old high schools, World War II, and how Anna Rosenberg is kind of like Forrest Gump. Come listen! Buy The Confidante Check out Chris' website Support the show