Gary's blog about Caroline Schlitt and the "USA Up All Night" TV show
Thursday, October 6, 2016
Rhonda Shear comments on Caroline and the hostess switch of 1991
Rhonda Shear sent a note to the Shear Fanatics Yahoo group on January 12, 2008 to comment on how she was hired to replace Caroline Schlitt as hostess of Up All Night.
"I never even met Ms. Schlitt. Here is the real deal. She was hired in 1989, after the show was starting to do well with Gilbert as host on Saturday from NY. She became the west coast host on Friday night. She was not a standup comic, but did have comedy improv experience. I personally thought she was very good in that area. For some reason, upper management at USA wanted to go a little sexier with their Friday night host, so they held a huge audition on the west coast. I had been doing stand up comedy for some time then, so when my agent told me about the audition, I went for it ... in character ... sexy dress and all. Most girls were wearing business suits for a typical host job, and I was in a red spandex dress. Three months later I was hired. They let go of Caroline and Tim Conway, Jr. (producer). They brought in Tommy Lynch to produce me. After that I had six different producers over seven years. I was on from Jan 1991 till December 1998, when Barry Diller bought the network and they cleaned house with programming. The reason the show had many looks over the years was multiple producers, including the least sexy being in NY for the last two. Had a ball during those years, in spite of creating a bimbo image that followed for years. :) Love and sizzle kisses (yes, I created the up in up sitting in my kitchen with producer Tom Lynch). Our little show was a cash cow for the network."
Gary’s notes: I’m not so sure that Caroline was never a standup comic. I don’t know what Rhonda means by "up in up", but I think she’s referring to her voice inflection.
Historical posts
Since March 27, 2002, this site has hosted a guestbook or forum or (now) a blog style page with reader comments. Here are most of the old comments:
August 30, 2007 05:08, robbieasbury
Caroline Schlitt on You Tube
It’s nice to see some of those old clips on You Tube, brought back memories. Hopefully we’ll see more.
May 2, 2007 11:10, loup-garou
I really enjoyed USA-UP All Night. A couple of my faves themes were "Caroline Schlitt, Corporate Bitch", wherein Caroline was in a "power skirt suit" and would walk around an office as an ice-queen. Another was a beach party where she decided the game of the evening was "Drunk & Naked". A simple strip/drinking game where you take a shot and take off a piece of clothing -- at the end of the game everyone is...drunk and naked! Oh yeah, I think they showed movies too.
October 10, 2006 20:31, Gary
I haven’t spent much time on YouTube. I have read that, especially with the Google purchase, copyright issues are a high priority, so we’ll see.
October 9, 2006 01:33, robbieasbury
Caroline on You Tube
I wonder when we’ll ever see Caroline on You Tube? Somebody out there probably has some tapes of her broadcasts. I have found several Commander USA broadcasts on You Tube and some Gilbert and Rhonda but no Caroline.
May 17, 2006 13:59, robbieasbury
It may be, I thought I remember Swamp Thing and Swamp Thing 2 airing on Up All Night.
May 15, 2006 21:11, Gary
The name "Toxic Avenger" just clicked into my head. Is that the same thing?
May 14, 2006 08:43, robbieasbury
I mean Swamp Thing.
May 14, 2006 08:38, robbieasbury
Was it Swamp Man?
May 13, 2006 08:22, Gary
What was that toxic swamp monster series of movies? Sort of like a good-guy who gets poisoned by chemicals and becomes like a plant man and lives in a swamp.
May 13, 2006 07:13, robbieasbury
USA Up All Night
Any fans of USA Up All Night out there who would like to share their favorite movie and memories of this show?
May 9, 2006 5/9/2006 19:06, Gary
Hi Rob, no tapes, just wanted to say hello to the first forum member other than me. We’ll see how it goes.
May 9, 2006 13:43, robbieasbury
Caroline Schlitt Tapes
Anybody out there have any Caroline Schlitt hosted tapes along with movies she hosted?
March 05, 2006 06:17:16 AM. Name: Stephen
Several years ago I was watching a cooking show, and I could swear Caroline Schlitt was on it, maybe as a guest, or possible as a host. I just can’t remember the details other than she was portraying Debbie Fields, of the "Mrs. Fields" cookie fame. I called the TV station in San Diego where it was filmed, and they assured me it was Debbie Fields. There may be some resemblance, and maybe it really was Debbie Fields, and not Caroline, but it sure looked and sounded like Caroline. I really loved her on Up All Night.
February 17, 2006 08:10:39 AM, Name: Gary
Check out the TV.com bio of Caroline, I think there is stuff in there about Caroline’s TV appearances. Or try imdb.com, but tv.com is the better bet.
February 07, 2006 05:36:23 PM What role did Caroline play in the 1986 Pilot to "Matlock" called "Diary Of A Perfect Murder"? I thought I recognized her as one of the reporters interviewing Matlock and his client outside of the courthouse, but I’m not sure.
November 08, 2005 11:51:30 AM, Jan Nearing and Steve Williamson
Caroline was a fellow cherub at Northwestern University’s NHSI in Theatre Arts in the summer of 1980. We’re trying to locate all of our fellow thespians from that summer, as this is our 25th anniversary and the 75th anniversary of the Institute. If anyone knows how to contact Caroline, we’d really appreciate it if you could pass along a request that she email us at benedicite58@yahoo.com Thanks so much.
October 30, 2005 10:56:45 PM, Rob Asbury
Anybody remember any favorite funny comments that Caroline made about some of the silly movies shown on Up All Night?
June 05, 2005 04:17:12 AM, John
Caroline was WAY better than Rhonda Shear. Caroline was hosting Up All Night about the same time that I moved from Los Angeles to a small town in Oregon. Caroline’s late night broadcasts from LA helped ease the transition. Plus I really loved her sense of humor. She added one phrase to my vocabulary in one show where she was building superlatives for a movie by comparing it to Mexican food. I don’t remember all of them, but here’s a sampling: It’s... Chili Rellano Realistic! It’s... Pinto Beans A-Party Time!!! I don’t know why I find that so hilarious, but I do, and every now and again, I will say Pinto Beans A-Party Time when encountering something especially stupid. I miss Up All Night, especially with Caroline, and I really miss Night Flight, the best show that’s ever been on TV.
December 18, 2004 06:02:19 PM, Michael
Yes, I remember the biting comedy and sarcastic intros to the films. And the films she used to host, pure genius! I wish there was some future for DVDs. If I could, I’d buy almost everything I ever watched on dvd. Caroline, come back. Really, I have to wonder how USA will be effected by being purchased by NBC...
September 21, 2004 04:55:31 PM, Karoly and Peter Schlitt
September 03, 2004 02:39:11 PM, Peter Burrows
Absolutely loved Up all night while Caroline was there. I have a life that is full, but I still remember her, and miss her on my tv...please come back !!!! i need a tissue :(
May 19, 2004 07:25:06 PM, Wilf Schlitt
Glad to be related to a star from the south. wilfschlitt.com
April 04, 2004 01:07:41 AM, Frank Smith
March 18, 2004 04:41:51 PM, C
WHERE IS CAROLINE SCHLITT NOW!!!! Why is she not doing more work!! Funny Lady and not getting paid the big bucks is a shame!! We miss Rhonda DaNuchi!!!!
January 29, 2004 10:38:27 AM, Rob Asbury
Yesterday I watched "Rescue Me" it’s a pretty good movie. Caroline was a great comic actress in what you see of her in the latter part of the movie. She should play in more movies.
December 17, 2003 02:09:42 AM, Butch Roman angjr1@aol.com
hi caroline i look at Up All Night when you were the host i think you were the best on that show love butch ps. if this is you please wright back to me
October 15, 2003 12:33:31 AM, Rob Asbury
In 1998 USA did a retrospective of the best of Up All Night with Rhonda and Gilbert as their last show, I can’t remember if they included any of Caroline’s shows.
October 14, 2003 12:28:25 PM, Gary
I am certain that Caroline had a farewell show, but I don’t have a tape of it.
October 01, 2003 10:55:13 PM, Gary
I used to tape Up All Night every week and watch Caroline’s skits and ignore the movies. But I didn’t save any video.
September 22, 2003 02:02:17 AM, Rob Asbury
Anybody ever watch Caroline’s final show on Up All Night, if she announced her farewell or something like Rhonda and Gilbert did on their last show in 1998? It would be great if somebody might have recorded it on video.
September 16, 2003 11:02:46 PM, Gary
It’s so cool to get comments. Maybe someday Caroline herself will send a note.
September 12, 2003 06:08:53 PM, Rob Asbury
You know, Patrick I thought the same way when I first saw Rhonda when she started hosting Up All Night, did she dye her hair blonde? or something, I didn’t quite remember her name until I recognized her in skits on Rick Dees Into The Night and her name was mentioned, then I realized she was a different hostess because I didn’t catch her hosting Up All Night until last few months or year.
September 11, 2003 10:03:10 PM, Patrick
Boy, this is a rockn’ forum... just kidding. Not many people remember the lovely Caroline. I got here on an internet search because I was tying to remember her name all day. I saw a bare-breasted Rhonda Shear in an awful 80s sexploitation flick last night - Basic Training (obviously pre-boob-job ;-). Terrible movie, but Rhonda was great. Then I started thinking about the transition of USA Up All Night when the cute hostess was replaced by the brash & sexy Rhonda. I couldn’t tell if it was a different woman, or if the hostess had dyed her hair and taken on a sexier persona, because they looked kinda similar. I remembered that Caroline had been showing a little more leg and cleavage, dressing up nicer the past few weeks. I thought maybe they wanted to add more sex appeal to the show and just decided to totally make her over into a sex goddess-type. Not until doing some research today did I find out for sure they were indeed 2 different women. (Some people are slow - but there was no internet to look it up on in those days) Since I never saw Caroline again or had a picture of her to compare to Rhonda, and had to rely on memory, it seemed possible because they look quite a bit alike when Rhonda’s hair is black. Well, today I figured it out. Thanks for the forum and the picture of Caroline. By the way, the IMDb notes that Caroline is the daughter of TV writer/producer Robert Schlitt, and is married and living in Atlanta, GA as of 2001. She appeared in one movie (Rescue Me, 1993), three TV shows (Matlock, Diagnosis Murder, Father Dowling Mysteries) and did a stint on Into The Night With Rick Dees in 1990. I missed Caroline when Rhonda replaced her. She was cute and funny, entertaining - a great hostess for a movie. If she got another show, I’d watch it. She can do a better job than those "Dinner & A Movie" clowns any day. Love ya, Caroline!
August 25, 2003 10:27:09 PM, Fan
Just wanted to let you know you could find clips of Up All Night at http://www.pulsingcinema.com/feature/promoclips/index.html ... Sorry, no Caroline though.
July 21, 2003 04:27:17 PM, Martin Marsh
I love Carolione Schlitt! I think she is fantastic!
October 04, 2002 05:06:20 PM, Rob Asbury
Well Gary, it looks like were the only ones who remember the early years of Up All night.
August 07, 2002 10:27:13 PM, Gary
Ha, I just saw the "West Wing" episode in which Josh has a fan web site, and all the posters are wackos. I guess that puts us in our place!
May 24, 2002 03:22:13 PM, Rick Brown rick_tsdmdk@yahoo.com
I loved USA Up All Night when Caroline was the hostess. I know that was over 10 years ago, but what is she up to now? There has to be more than one fan of hers out here in the world!
March 27, 2002 11:16:01 PM, Rob Asbury
Caroline was a very nice hostess for USA Up All Night in the late 80s. The last time I saw her was on Rick Dee’s late night talk show "Into the Night" on ABC around 1991.
March 27, 2002 10:41:34 PM, Gary
The one and only Caroline Schlitt forum is now accepting entries!
August 30, 2007 05:08, robbieasbury
Caroline Schlitt on You Tube
It’s nice to see some of those old clips on You Tube, brought back memories. Hopefully we’ll see more.
May 2, 2007 11:10, loup-garou
I really enjoyed USA-UP All Night. A couple of my faves themes were "Caroline Schlitt, Corporate Bitch", wherein Caroline was in a "power skirt suit" and would walk around an office as an ice-queen. Another was a beach party where she decided the game of the evening was "Drunk & Naked". A simple strip/drinking game where you take a shot and take off a piece of clothing -- at the end of the game everyone is...drunk and naked! Oh yeah, I think they showed movies too.
October 10, 2006 20:31, Gary
I haven’t spent much time on YouTube. I have read that, especially with the Google purchase, copyright issues are a high priority, so we’ll see.
October 9, 2006 01:33, robbieasbury
Caroline on You Tube
I wonder when we’ll ever see Caroline on You Tube? Somebody out there probably has some tapes of her broadcasts. I have found several Commander USA broadcasts on You Tube and some Gilbert and Rhonda but no Caroline.
May 17, 2006 13:59, robbieasbury
It may be, I thought I remember Swamp Thing and Swamp Thing 2 airing on Up All Night.
May 15, 2006 21:11, Gary
The name "Toxic Avenger" just clicked into my head. Is that the same thing?
May 14, 2006 08:43, robbieasbury
I mean Swamp Thing.
May 14, 2006 08:38, robbieasbury
Was it Swamp Man?
May 13, 2006 08:22, Gary
What was that toxic swamp monster series of movies? Sort of like a good-guy who gets poisoned by chemicals and becomes like a plant man and lives in a swamp.
May 13, 2006 07:13, robbieasbury
USA Up All Night
Any fans of USA Up All Night out there who would like to share their favorite movie and memories of this show?
May 9, 2006 5/9/2006 19:06, Gary
Hi Rob, no tapes, just wanted to say hello to the first forum member other than me. We’ll see how it goes.
May 9, 2006 13:43, robbieasbury
Caroline Schlitt Tapes
Anybody out there have any Caroline Schlitt hosted tapes along with movies she hosted?
March 05, 2006 06:17:16 AM. Name: Stephen
Several years ago I was watching a cooking show, and I could swear Caroline Schlitt was on it, maybe as a guest, or possible as a host. I just can’t remember the details other than she was portraying Debbie Fields, of the "Mrs. Fields" cookie fame. I called the TV station in San Diego where it was filmed, and they assured me it was Debbie Fields. There may be some resemblance, and maybe it really was Debbie Fields, and not Caroline, but it sure looked and sounded like Caroline. I really loved her on Up All Night.
February 17, 2006 08:10:39 AM, Name: Gary
Check out the TV.com bio of Caroline, I think there is stuff in there about Caroline’s TV appearances. Or try imdb.com, but tv.com is the better bet.
February 07, 2006 05:36:23 PM What role did Caroline play in the 1986 Pilot to "Matlock" called "Diary Of A Perfect Murder"? I thought I recognized her as one of the reporters interviewing Matlock and his client outside of the courthouse, but I’m not sure.
November 08, 2005 11:51:30 AM, Jan Nearing and Steve Williamson
Caroline was a fellow cherub at Northwestern University’s NHSI in Theatre Arts in the summer of 1980. We’re trying to locate all of our fellow thespians from that summer, as this is our 25th anniversary and the 75th anniversary of the Institute. If anyone knows how to contact Caroline, we’d really appreciate it if you could pass along a request that she email us at benedicite58@yahoo.com Thanks so much.
October 30, 2005 10:56:45 PM, Rob Asbury
Anybody remember any favorite funny comments that Caroline made about some of the silly movies shown on Up All Night?
June 05, 2005 04:17:12 AM, John
Caroline was WAY better than Rhonda Shear. Caroline was hosting Up All Night about the same time that I moved from Los Angeles to a small town in Oregon. Caroline’s late night broadcasts from LA helped ease the transition. Plus I really loved her sense of humor. She added one phrase to my vocabulary in one show where she was building superlatives for a movie by comparing it to Mexican food. I don’t remember all of them, but here’s a sampling: It’s... Chili Rellano Realistic! It’s... Pinto Beans A-Party Time!!! I don’t know why I find that so hilarious, but I do, and every now and again, I will say Pinto Beans A-Party Time when encountering something especially stupid. I miss Up All Night, especially with Caroline, and I really miss Night Flight, the best show that’s ever been on TV.
December 18, 2004 06:02:19 PM, Michael
Yes, I remember the biting comedy and sarcastic intros to the films. And the films she used to host, pure genius! I wish there was some future for DVDs. If I could, I’d buy almost everything I ever watched on dvd. Caroline, come back. Really, I have to wonder how USA will be effected by being purchased by NBC...
September 21, 2004 04:55:31 PM, Karoly and Peter Schlitt
September 03, 2004 02:39:11 PM, Peter Burrows
Absolutely loved Up all night while Caroline was there. I have a life that is full, but I still remember her, and miss her on my tv...please come back !!!! i need a tissue :(
May 19, 2004 07:25:06 PM, Wilf Schlitt
Glad to be related to a star from the south. wilfschlitt.com
April 04, 2004 01:07:41 AM, Frank Smith
March 18, 2004 04:41:51 PM, C
WHERE IS CAROLINE SCHLITT NOW!!!! Why is she not doing more work!! Funny Lady and not getting paid the big bucks is a shame!! We miss Rhonda DaNuchi!!!!
January 29, 2004 10:38:27 AM, Rob Asbury
Yesterday I watched "Rescue Me" it’s a pretty good movie. Caroline was a great comic actress in what you see of her in the latter part of the movie. She should play in more movies.
December 17, 2003 02:09:42 AM, Butch Roman angjr1@aol.com
hi caroline i look at Up All Night when you were the host i think you were the best on that show love butch ps. if this is you please wright back to me
October 15, 2003 12:33:31 AM, Rob Asbury
In 1998 USA did a retrospective of the best of Up All Night with Rhonda and Gilbert as their last show, I can’t remember if they included any of Caroline’s shows.
October 14, 2003 12:28:25 PM, Gary
I am certain that Caroline had a farewell show, but I don’t have a tape of it.
October 01, 2003 10:55:13 PM, Gary
I used to tape Up All Night every week and watch Caroline’s skits and ignore the movies. But I didn’t save any video.
September 22, 2003 02:02:17 AM, Rob Asbury
Anybody ever watch Caroline’s final show on Up All Night, if she announced her farewell or something like Rhonda and Gilbert did on their last show in 1998? It would be great if somebody might have recorded it on video.
September 16, 2003 11:02:46 PM, Gary
It’s so cool to get comments. Maybe someday Caroline herself will send a note.
September 12, 2003 06:08:53 PM, Rob Asbury
You know, Patrick I thought the same way when I first saw Rhonda when she started hosting Up All Night, did she dye her hair blonde? or something, I didn’t quite remember her name until I recognized her in skits on Rick Dees Into The Night and her name was mentioned, then I realized she was a different hostess because I didn’t catch her hosting Up All Night until last few months or year.
September 11, 2003 10:03:10 PM, Patrick
Boy, this is a rockn’ forum... just kidding. Not many people remember the lovely Caroline. I got here on an internet search because I was tying to remember her name all day. I saw a bare-breasted Rhonda Shear in an awful 80s sexploitation flick last night - Basic Training (obviously pre-boob-job ;-). Terrible movie, but Rhonda was great. Then I started thinking about the transition of USA Up All Night when the cute hostess was replaced by the brash & sexy Rhonda. I couldn’t tell if it was a different woman, or if the hostess had dyed her hair and taken on a sexier persona, because they looked kinda similar. I remembered that Caroline had been showing a little more leg and cleavage, dressing up nicer the past few weeks. I thought maybe they wanted to add more sex appeal to the show and just decided to totally make her over into a sex goddess-type. Not until doing some research today did I find out for sure they were indeed 2 different women. (Some people are slow - but there was no internet to look it up on in those days) Since I never saw Caroline again or had a picture of her to compare to Rhonda, and had to rely on memory, it seemed possible because they look quite a bit alike when Rhonda’s hair is black. Well, today I figured it out. Thanks for the forum and the picture of Caroline. By the way, the IMDb notes that Caroline is the daughter of TV writer/producer Robert Schlitt, and is married and living in Atlanta, GA as of 2001. She appeared in one movie (Rescue Me, 1993), three TV shows (Matlock, Diagnosis Murder, Father Dowling Mysteries) and did a stint on Into The Night With Rick Dees in 1990. I missed Caroline when Rhonda replaced her. She was cute and funny, entertaining - a great hostess for a movie. If she got another show, I’d watch it. She can do a better job than those "Dinner & A Movie" clowns any day. Love ya, Caroline!
August 25, 2003 10:27:09 PM, Fan
Just wanted to let you know you could find clips of Up All Night at http://www.pulsingcinema.com/feature/promoclips/index.html ... Sorry, no Caroline though.
July 21, 2003 04:27:17 PM, Martin Marsh
I love Carolione Schlitt! I think she is fantastic!
October 04, 2002 05:06:20 PM, Rob Asbury
Well Gary, it looks like were the only ones who remember the early years of Up All night.
August 07, 2002 10:27:13 PM, Gary
Ha, I just saw the "West Wing" episode in which Josh has a fan web site, and all the posters are wackos. I guess that puts us in our place!
May 24, 2002 03:22:13 PM, Rick Brown rick_tsdmdk@yahoo.com
I loved USA Up All Night when Caroline was the hostess. I know that was over 10 years ago, but what is she up to now? There has to be more than one fan of hers out here in the world!
March 27, 2002 11:16:01 PM, Rob Asbury
Caroline was a very nice hostess for USA Up All Night in the late 80s. The last time I saw her was on Rick Dee’s late night talk show "Into the Night" on ABC around 1991.
March 27, 2002 10:41:34 PM, Gary
The one and only Caroline Schlitt forum is now accepting entries!
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