From the National Talk Show Guest Registry, a computer database that contains information on more than 1,800 potential talk-show guests. The database is managed by The Research Department, a Reseda, California, company. The potential guests pay a monthly fee of three dollars to be listed in the database. Twenty talk shows currently use the database to find guests for their programs.

donna j. loxley

Donna wants to appear on a talk show with her father, Don Pepper, in hopes of interesting a movie producer in his life story. She says her father’s stories about his childhood during the Depression are full of humor, pathos, and even suspense, much like the movie Fried Green Tomatoes. Mr. Pepper has recorded many of his cherished memories on a tape called The Autobiography of Peanut Pepper. Ms. Loxley submitted these stories to several movie producers, but they were returned “unread.” Frustrated with playing the Hollywood game, she hopes that exposure on a talk show will generate the interest needed to get Mr. Pepper’s experiences onto the big screen.

danny new

Is this guy Mr. Lucky or what? At age eight he gulped down eighteen ounces of pure bleach and survived. At nine he received a private tour of Northwest Airlines’ first DC-9; hours later the plane crashed, killing everyone on board. At sixteen lightning struck so close to him that it sent him hurling to the ground. He was shot in the head while struggling over a gun. He’s been stranded in the desert and walked over twenty-five miles in the dead of night before finally being picked up by a passing train. He has crashed cars, trucks, and even a motorcycle at 125 mph without getting more than a scratch. At age thirty-one he experienced death, saw the light, and spoke to someone he believes was God. With only a tenth-grade education, Danny has worked for the U.S. government, building and testing missiles and secret aircraft. He says he has even more bizarre experiences to share.

tom durro

Tom says his life got off to a “slow start-then tapered off!” He failed four out of five courses in his high school sophomore year, which launched him on a roller-coaster ride through life. When he wasn’t being rejected in over sixty job interviews, he flirted with careers in retail, restaurant management, and insurance. He calls his life story a “serio-comic drama” about a man who fought failure after failure, only to succeed through tenacity and sheer guts. His unique presentation will “move you from laughter to tears to awe.” And when it’s over, Tom says, you’ll find that he has led you inescapably to the conclusion that if he can make it, anybody can.

john c. peniel

In 1970, John says, his “spirit body” left his “earth body” and became “one with the creative force.” He says he returned to his earth body as “the messenger” with the following message: “The Creator loves all mankind-the good, the bad, and the ugly.” He goes on to say, “The Creator was a ZILLION, but now is a ZILLION ONES. You’re ONE. I am ONE. He is ONE. She is ONE. There are billions on earth and more in the universe.”

william j. molnar

William was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and has traveled around the United States playing in polka bands. He recently “upstaged” Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt during Babbitt’s race for the presidential nomination when he appeared on worldwide television decked out in a 1930s raccoon coat and played accordion for the crowd. He would like an opportunity to show other senior citizens ways to enjoy their retirement.