Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve celebrates its 35th anniversary with the Dec 31, 2006-January 1, 2007 special.
Dick Clark spoke about his first New Year's special in 1959 and his inaguaration of New Year's Rockin' Eve in 1972, when he was interviewed by the Archive of American Television (scroll to 24 minutes into the segment below) on July 29, 1999.
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Television Hosts,
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Dr. Frank Stanton, who served as President of CBS from 1946 to 1973, died Sunday, December 24th at the age of 98. He granted the Archive of American Television a rare 2-part videotaped interview in 2000 and 2001. Below are some excerpts from the three hour interview. The entire interview can be accessed by clicking here:
On joining CBS in 1935.
I got my doctorate in late August, 1935. We got in the car the next day and drove to New York and I think my first day at CBS was the 4th of September. I was just staff, nobody labeled me anything. I was a weird sort of a person because I was introduced to the sales force as somebody that might help them in market research. They were very skeptical of somebody who had a Ph.D. In those days, Ph.D.’s on Madison Avenue were not a dime a dozen. Today I think they are. In those days I think there were only two of us, George Gallop at Young and Rubicam, at 285 Madison and Frank Stanton at 485 Madison. CBS was very young. It was on a two or three floors in the building.
On bringing Ed Sullivan to CBS television.
You reached for stars wherever you thought there was a potential. For example, I went up to the Essex House hotel and sold Ed Sullivan to an advertiser for I think six weeks one summer with the idea that Ed Sullivan, certainly not telegenic -- Sullivan wasn’t very happy to even get in front of a camera. But Sullivan had, with his column in the Daily News, an enormous amount of contacts. And Sullivan could get those people on to interview them. That’s what we started out with, with Ed Sullivan on Sunday night. We had to frame it with some dancers in order to give it some entertainment flair, but Sullivan was that star on Sunday night. People said “well you’re not gonna keep that guy on Sunday night.” By the time his eight weeks were over, he had an audience and we said, let’s give him another 13 weeks. He ended up owning the first part of Sunday night for many years. That’s how Ed Sullivan came into television.
On his relationship with CBS Chairman William Paley.
We both had the same objective. We wanted CBS to be the best and we had perhaps different routes to getting there. So we started with that common goal. I devoted most of mine in terms of programming. I guess I gave most of my attention and support to the news side. He gave most of his attention to the entertainment side. Although a couple of the big things we had in entertainment, were things I brought in for example, Arthur Godfrey was my project. Playhouse 90 was mine. I had a strong hand in bringing Lucy to CBS.
On Ed Murrow’s taking on Joseph McCarthy on See It Now.
Fred Friendly and the producing crew and Ed Murrow, felt that the time was come to take the McCarthy record and put it all together and into a half-hour and what was it in See It Now. They developed it without talking about it much in the company, in fact, very little. I don’t think the head of news at that time, who was Sig Mickelson, knew that the program was in preparation. About 24 hours before it was broadcast, I got a call from Ed who said he had tried to reach Paley and could the two of us meet with, with Ed and Fred Friendly, late that afternoon. I said I couldn’t be sure we could get together. Maybe we could do it tomorrow. And Ed said no, it should be today. It turned out that about four o’clock that day, Ed and Fred came up and laid before us the idea of the McCarthy expose and offered to show us advance material from the broadcast. It was all on film in those days. Either Paley or I or both of us declined looking at it and said, it had to be fair and it had to provide for time for reply, if that was indicated on the basis of the content, which we damn well knew was going to happen. So that was built into the broadcast I believe at the opening or close or maybe both, Murrow indicated that time would be given to the Senator to respond to the broadcast. The broadcast obviously was a bombshell, it wasn’t that we didn’t expose anything that hadn’t been known because Look Magazine had done a very rough piece on McCarthy and others had done individual stories. But Murrow, with Friendly’s help, put together a See It Now broadcast that shook the whole journalism field. And it befelled to me to handle the Senator in terms of the reply. But we lived through it and it was a great coup for Murrow and Friendly.
On the Blacklist at CBS.
There was a supermarket man someplace upstate New York who began saying that he wouldn’t handle merchandise that was advertised by Communists and was specific about naming names. Some advertisers became very nervous. The chairman of General Food scalled me one day and said he really wanted to sit down and talk with me about this. We had The Goldbergs and a couple of other programs on for General Foods. He said that if certain people had were continued on that program, he would withdraw General Foods advertising from CBS. And a number of other advertisers took similar views. The FBI was making private comments to us about some of the people. We didn’t know what the facts were. We had no way of knowing what the facts were. NBC was in the same boat but we had more popular programs and somehow we had more people who were on the so-called Blacklist. At about that time, it got so complicated and so difficult, that we asked the employees to sign a loyalty oath. I don’t recall anybody refusing to sign the loyalty oath. People in News signed it. Ed Murrow signed it. Ed Murrow, I think at that time, was on the CBS Board and he supported it. None of us was happy.
On championing the repeal of Section 315 of the Communications Act.
Section 315 of the Communications Act, said that if one candidate got on the air, all of the candidates had to have access equal access to radio. This is long before television. As a result, if you put a Republican on, you had to put all the other Republicans on who were running for the same office if they wanted the time and it just destroyed the opportunity to use the medium effectively as a news medium. It became clear to me that the only way to resolve that was to get rid of Section 315. I think in the early ‘50’s I wrote a column in the then Herald-Tribune proposing debates between the presidential, presidential candidates and the relief from Section 315. And that became sort of a crusade as far as I was concerned. I was joined in by other broadcasters, eventually NBC came along and we got rid of Section 315 on a temporary basis in the election of 1960. It took that much time to get the right to put both candidates on at single broadcasts. We did the first televised debate, which was also done on radio, in 1960 and it originated in our studios in Chicago, with Kennedy and Nixon. That debate put them on so that the Republicans could see the Democrats and vice versa. It was an opening up of the air to political broadcasts. I thought, mistakenly, as it turns out, that doing those debates would bring more people out to the polls, certainly in the presidential year of 1960, I believe it did that.
On The Selling of the Pentagon.
I arrived at my house about 9:30, having missed dinner. And I’d worked at the office and I came in and my wife said, “don’t do anything. You get in and look at what’s on the air cause I think you’re gonna have trouble with it.” And I knew what was on but I hadn’t seen it. I had been told in general what it was. So I went in and watched the end of the program. And before the end came, I began getting calls about how dare we put that broadcast on. The next morning, Ted Koop who was in our Washington office as the Vice President called me and said, the Pentagon wants to see all the footage on The Selling of the Pentagon. I said send it over to them. So we had a tape in the Washington Bureau and we sent it over to the Pentagon and word came back immediately. “No we don’t want the broadcast, we want the tape that wasn’t used.” And the questioning came to me, what’ll we do and I said tell them to forget about it. We’re not releasing tape that we didn’t put on the air, those are the reporter’s notes. … I took the traditional position that these were the property of the news organization and I would not submit them to the government. And that began a whole series of things including the day when two armed uniformed guards appeared at CBS and wanted to see me to deliver a subpoena to provide this material. It was a little ludicrous because it was a serious move on the part of the government but it was silly because they could have delivered that subpoena to me in Washington where I had officers who could have accepted it on behalf of CBS. At any rate, we stood our ground and there were hearings. The committees, there were two subcommittees I believe, or maybe three, had hearings. I lost among each of the three, the vote was in favor of forcing me to give up the documents. It finally came to a vote of a full committee and we lost the vote with the full committee. I was cited for contempt of Congress and John Mitchell told me the morning after the vote that he was all prepared to send me to jail. It ultimately ended up on the floor of the full House and we didn’t squeak by but we didn’t have the majority I would like to have had. But we prevailed.
On the industry’s embracing the V-chip.
I’m embarrassed for the industry, of the leaders, for having done that but I think that’s just the beginning of things that’ll be worse. I think with the ownership now of the broadcast facilities and cable in the hands of big corporation, there will not be dedication to the First Amendment that we had when we were independently in quotes, owned ala NBC, a part of RCA and CBS being owned as it was. I don’t see that kind of leadership putting aside the impact it would have had on the stock prices in favor of a principle like the First Amendment. Newspapers are still standing their ground on the First Amendment. I don’t know what’s going to happen in broadcasting.
On his life’s satisfactions.
Public service. Architecture. Travel. The last eight years have been rather desolate years for me because I lost my wife eight years ago and that companionship had been with me from the time I was 12 years old, so it was like losing my arms, and legs and heart. I haven’t had any trouble keeping myself occupied. I think I’ve been on interesting boards. I’ve been identified with some interesting projects. I have no complaints. I was a lucky guy.
Interview description:
In this rare videotaped interview, executive Dr. Frank Stanton discusseshis early years at CBS and his eventual rise to the network’s presidency. He speakscandidly about CBS, chairman William S. Paley and the rise of CBS network television. Dr. Stanton retired from his post in 1973, but continued as a director of the company. He was interviewed by Don West on May 22, 2000 and May 14, 2001.
Link to The New York Times obituary of Frank Stanton.
“It’s a Wonderful Life shows that every human being on this earth matters—and that’s a very powerful message.” --Steven Spielberg
by guest blogger Stephen Cox
What was on the cover of Newsweek for the fledgling periodical's fifteen-cent December 30, 1946 issue? Answer: The cast of It's a Wonderful Life. Here we are, exactly sixty years later, and the Frank Capra motion picture--which was never intended to be a holiday movie at all--is being celebrated with more homespun enthusiasm than ever. Commercials feature clips from the film, George Bailey ornaments dangle on Christmas trees in homes across America. DVD's are stocked to sell. It has become a classic in the truest sense, even a family tradition in American homes from one coast to the other.
Television is the medium which made this movie a classic. When It's a Wonderful Life was first released during Christmas week of 1946 (primarily to make the deadline for Academy Award consideration), it merely broke even on its near $3 million budget. American critics heralded the film while British found it to be bloody awful. The film sank into relative obscurity and due to a clerical error, its copyright lapsed into public domain in 1973. Independent television stations across the nation took well advantage of this and began running it, and running it, over and over again during the holidays. Videotape distributors released it in any number of versions for home consumption in the 1980s...including a colorized version which infuriated director Frank Capra who felt it was "splattered with Easter egg colors." Fans were treated to an ultra-dose of this angelic tale of triumph, and a super classic was born. Capra, who died in 1991, was as surprised at its rebirth as anyone.
In the mid 1990s, Republic Pictures, who alleged ownership, set out to lasso this old warhorse back into their stable and found a way to do it by renewing the rights to the copyrighted music score for the film. It was a knot in the legal lasso which worked. NBC has since held exclusive network broadcast rights for the film.... stretching the two-hour movie into three hours with many commercial breaks.
Oddly, NBC decided to pass on a 60th Anniversary television special or commemoration for its powerhouse movie -- a TV flick that carries enough stock, enough emotional viewer support, to broadcast it twice each holiday season for the past ten years. The Wizard of Oz, and Gone With the Wind in their best ratings days, never received that kind of network reverence. The network was even approached early this year by producer Bob Anderson (who portrayed Young George Bailey in the movie) about a nostalgic special for this year's 60th anniversary broadcast.
But others in Hollywood say "Hee Haw!" and extolled the film with a fitting tribute. The motion picture was named the "most inspirational film of all time" this year by the American Film Institute.
It's a Wonderful Life airs December 24th on NBC.
--Stephen Cox is the author It's a Wonderful Life: A Memory Book (Cumberland House Publishing)
Two $10,000 scholarships are awarded annually to two qualified applicants. In addition to the monetary award, successful applicants are mentored by children’s programming professionals during the academic year.
On Tuesday, December 5th, from noon to 8 PM, Bloomingdale's (14060 Riverside Drive) in Sherman Oaks, California, is hosting a "Shopping Works Wonders Day" to benefit the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation (the Archive of American Television's parent organization). 10% of the proceeds from receipts turned in to the Foundation's table (located on Level 2) will be donated to the Foundation.
As an extra incentive, Bloomingdale's will give you a $15 gift card for every $150 you spend (some exclusions apply).
Click here for more details.
The Advent of Videotape....50 Years Ago (November 30, 2006)
By Steve Cox
On November 30, 1956 at 6:15 pm Pacific Standard Time, a milestone in the history of broadcasting occurred: the debut of videotape. In Hollywood, CBS Television recorded and reproduced, on the new Ampex Videotape Recorder, a Douglas Edwards news broadcast in New York which was rebroadcast and seen by thousands of viewers along the Pacific West Coast, from Los Angeles up to the northern tip of Washington. The program was taped from a live New York telecast to achieve a two-hour delay and then broadcast to TV audiences in twelve western cities.
Videotape, a brand new medium, assured a record and playback of what was live television (or kinescope), but now in nearly miracle time. The new Ampex VRX-1000 Videotape Recorder--a complex gargantuan machine about the size of a wall--was installed at CBS Television City in Hollywood and utilized large two-inch format magnetic videotape. Live television broadcasts were now made possible, where kinescopes (filmed TV screens) once served as the delayed medium which to serve up shows. In fact, many television shows which originated in Hollywood as live programs were never seen "live" by West Coast viewers. Shows starring Jack Benny and Red Skelton, for instance, were presented around 4 or 5 pm in Hollywood, live for suitable prime-time air on the East Coast. West Coast viewers watched what was called a "hot kinny" (very fresh kinescope version).
CBS installed two Ampex machines and began recording news broadcasts on both for protection. The team of engineers who designed the practical videotape recorder included Charlie Ginsberg, Ray Dolby, Alex Maxey, Fred Pfost, Shelby Henderson, and Charles Anderson. These innovative visionaries were recognized by the National Television Academy in September 2005 for their achievement.
Without a doubt, video technology altered the world and the way we view it. The technology enabled was a fundamental shift in modern technology and changed the br
oadcasting world dramatically, if not instantly, providing choice, accessibility, as well diversity in television. Videotape changed the world in untold ways. Today, 50 years later, hundreds of millions of home-users have this miracle medium to thank for precious preserved personal memories. Not to mention endless bloopers and "live" antics caught because of this invention. Videotape has permeated literally every aspect of our lives, all the while educating, enlightening, witnessing, proving and disproving. It is the invention which has brought our society closer in a moment's glance. Now, with the digital age upon us, the video medium is bowing, a noticeable waning in its home-use, however it is still used widely within broadcasting and news media levels.
Guest Archive blogger Steve Cox is author of more than 15 books on pop culture, film, and television. He has contributed to TV Guide, The Hollywood Reporter, and LA Times. His most recent book is "The Munsters: A Trip Down Mockingbird Lane" (Waston-Guptill/ Backstage Books)
Photos:
Above left: The Ampex videotape recorder installed at CBS Television City in Hollywood. (courtesy of Steve Cox)
Lower right: The actual first video recording of "Douglas Edwards With the News" on CBS, November 30, 1956 at 6:15 pm. (courtesy of Steve Cox)
© 2006 Steve Cox
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Television Technology
Remember Clarabell the clown on The Howdy Doody Show? Or what about Captain Kangaroo, with his menagerie of "Dancing Bear," "Mr. Moose," and "Mr. Greenjeans"? Bob Keeshan, best known as television's "Captain Kangaroo" was interviewed by the Archive of American Television in 1999 and it's now accessible on Google Video.
Interview Description:
Mr. Keeshan related his experiences as an NBC page before going to work for "Buffalo" Bob Smith. Keeshan talked about the beginnings of Smith’s Howdy Doody Show and how he was eventually transformed into the show’s clown, Clarabell. Keeshan discussed his four years on the show, and his eventual falling-out with Smith, which led to Keeshan's departure. He talked about starring in two local New York childrens’ programs before CBS tapped him to star in his own show, which ultimately became Captain Kangaroo. He talked about executive producing and starring in the program for almost 30 years and discussed the ensemble cast and classic moments. The 3-1/2 hour interview was conducted by Karen Herman in Queechee, Vermont on October 19, 1999.
Click here to access the entire interview. (The interview is done chronologically, so it's best to watch the parts in order.)
Today marks the 90th birthday of Gilligan's Island and Brady Bunch creator/producer Sherwood Schwartz!
Writer (and Archive supporter) Steve Cox has updated his fabulous 1989 Munsters book! The redesigned and massively updated book, The Munsters: A Trip Down Mockingbird Lane (Watson-Guptill Publishing / Backstage Books, $21.95) is THE published resource for any Munsters fan. And, with the addition of new photos, expanded interviews, and lots of color pages, the book eclipses the earlier version. Cox even devotes a section to The Addams Family (on which he's also written a book).
On a related note, the Archive of American Television interviewed writer Allan Burns who talks about working on The Munsters. Click here to access the Google Video segment, then slide the time to 17 minutes in where his Munsters segment begins.
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Books and DVDs
This Wednesday, October 18th, those of you in the Los Angeles-area can join author Jim Colucci at 7:30 pm at the A Different Light bookstore (8853 Santa Monica Blvd. in West Hollywood) for a signing of his book, The Q Guide to The Golden Girls. Also to be in attendance: Sirius OutQ host Frank DeCaro, author of the book's introduction, and Glen Hanson, the book's cover artist.
The book chronicles the genesis and key gay-themed episodes of The Golden Girls with interviews with the stars, producers, writers and viewers. In fact, parts of Archive of American Television interviews with Rue McClanahan (which Jim conducted) and Beatrice Arthur were cited in the book.
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"Golden Girls",
Books and DVDs
Although we usually highlight things from television's past, we thought we'd pass on this terrific opportunity for television's future....
Each year, hundreds of students from all across the nation enter the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation's College Television Awards competition. If someone you know is in a degree program at a small community college or a large university, this is an opportunity to make their film, video or digital work known to the television community nationwide.
Entries must have been made for college course credit between Sept. 1, 2005 and Dec. 31, 2006 (15-month eligibility period).
No Entry Fee.
Cash Awards.
Awards are presented at the Annual Awards Gala in March.
The 28th Annual College Television Awards is now accepting submissions from eligible student producers in a variety of categories. For more information, click below:
APPLICATION IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD — CLICK HERE
ENTRY POSTMARK DEADLINE: JANUARY 15, 2007
Anyone who's watched the Archive of American Television's interviews, knows that many of our honorees stress how a solid education or a special mentorship was critical to their success.
If you or someone you know would like to pursue a career in the industry, check out the schools featured in the just-published Television, Film, and Digital Media Programs: 556 Outstanding Programs at Top Colleges and Universities across the Nation.
Co-written with the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation (the Archive's parent organization), The Princeton Review guide profiles 215 schools that offer a total 556 of the most outstanding programs in television, film, and digital media studies. The book details areas of focus, faculty and campus equipment. You'll also find a foreword written by HBO Chairman and CEO Chris Albrecht and 16 thumbnail profiles of successful industry professionals who benefited from the mentorship and programs of the Academy's Foundation.
Get set to watch tonight's 58th Annual Emmy Awards on NBC (8 p.m.EST)! In celebration, we've chosen to highlight one of the medium's most versatile performers, Nanette Fabray. Fifty Emmys-years ago, at the 1956 Emmy Awards ceremony, Fabray won an Emmy for Best Comedienne (winning out against nominees Gracie Allen, Eve Arden, Lucille Ball and Ann Sothern) AND she picked up an Emmy for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her work on Caesar's Hour!
Her 3-hour Archive of American Television interview is available for viewing on Google Video.
Click here to access all Nanette Fabray interview segments. Remember, if you'd like to watch the interview in chronological order, select the parts in order (1,2,3...).
About the interview:
Fabray talks about her early years in theater and in early experimental television where she served as an NBC “color girl” -- where women of particular complexions were cast to calibrate the then-new color cameras. She speaks in great detail about her work with Sid Caesar on the variety series Caesar’s Hour -- including some of the series most memorable comedy sketches including “Shadow Waltz” (a take-off on Your Hit Parade) and “The Commuters” (a recurring high-strung-husband and his wife sketch). She discusses her own short-lived series Yes Yes Nanette as well as guest appearances on such series as The Carol Burnett Show, The Jerry Lewis Show, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show (she played Mary's mom). She talks about her recurring role on the CBS sitcom One Day at a Time, where she plays Ann Romano's mother. She also discusses her passion for raising awareness of hearing impairment issues. The interview was conducted by Jennifer Howard on August 12, 2004.
From the July 14th, 2006 Issue of Entertainment Weekly:
Ten Things We Love This Week
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Books and DVDs
Comedy Writer/Producer Mort Lachman's 3-hour Archive of American Television interview has been added to the online collection at Google Video.
Abby Mann's interview is one of the latest additions to the Archive of American Television's interviews available on Google Video:
About the interview:
In this three-hour interview, Mann discusses his early teleplays, written during the Golden Age of Television Drama in the 1950s, including such noteworthy teleplays as “A Child Is Waiting” (for Studio One) and “Judgment at Nuremberg” (for Playhouse 90). He also talked about the feature film adaptations of these teleplays. Mann discussed his writing of the television movie The Marcus Nelson Murders, and the creation of the subsequent series, Kojak. Mann talked in detail about two other 1970s projects, the series Medical Story and the miniseries King, the dramatization of the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. He spoke about his more recent endeavors as writer and executive producer of such television movies as The Atlanta Child Murders and Indictment: The McMartin Trials. Throughout the interview Mann expressed his concern about the state of the American justice system and his lifelong passion to correct injustices through the written word. The interview was conducted on August 18, 2004 by Gary Rutkowski.
Click here to access all Abby Mann interview segments.
Remember, if you'd like to watch the interview in chronological order, select the parts in order (1,2,3...).
Legendary producer Aaron Spelling died yesterday at the age of 83. The Archive of American Television interviewed him about his life and career for over 3 hours in 1999. Below are some excerpts from that interview:
On what it takes to be a good producer.
You have to be a good storyteller. It all starts with a script. We have a way that we work and I hope a lot of people work this way. We meet with the producers, they tell us a story concept, we work on the story concept with them or say “that’s great.” Then we get an outline and it’s broken down in all four acts of an hour show. If you have any notes to give, you give it on the outline, so that when your script comes in, you know the show the is going to work because the outline is proving it.
On casting.
If there’s anything that is heartbreaking it’s casting. The hardest thing is to say "no" to somebody. We don’t do that. We also have a rule, if any lady walks in to read something, everybody sitting better stand up or they’re not going to be invited anymore. And we talk to people, “where are you from?” When I was an actor and you’d go in to read, they’d say, "don’t tell us your life story, just read." I remember this on Gunsmoke, I was nervous enough. But those are the sensitivities a producer should have and must have.
On his legendary ability to remember most scenes in dailies.
I think you have to love what you’re doing. I’m a big football and baseball fan, but I can’t remember the name of the first baseman of the Dodgers, but I can tell you that you didn’t get that shot or you trimmed that shot of the man at the bar. You have to read these scripts and get an imprint in your mind of what the show is. I think if I can’t do that, I’ll quit, because to me, that’s the fun -- adding input. The credits should go, as I said before, to the great writers on all of our shows.
On Starsky & Hutch.
We hadn’t seen a buddy-buddy relationship on television, where one disagrees with the other but really, they adore each other. They can argue and fight and then do their job. We were lucky with casting, we didn’t know how the show would do. And it just exploded. We said many times, it was the first heterosexual love affair on television.
On Dynasty.
We found that people who watch television they’re not all rich and they love to see that rich people have problems, and more problems than they have. So money doesn’t solve everything. Then the wardrobe and the sets and the hairdos and Nolan Miller gowns that cost a fortune, all blended into it, so they had something beautiful to watch. But they said, “oh, that guy’s worth ten million dollars, and he doesn’t know what the hell he’s doing!” That was the fun of Dynasty.
On Beverly Hills, 90210.
I got a call from Barry Diller, who was the head of Fox, and he said, “I’d like you to do a high school show.” I said, “Barry, at my age, what the hell do I know about high school?” And he said, ‘you have two kids idiot!” And I listened to my kids and spied on them when their friends from high school would come over. I listened a lot, learned a lot. Darren Starr had never done anything that I knew. I met him, a terrific guy, and I love working with him, and we kind of developed this together. It was a great experience.
On his legacy.
The only thing that bothers me every time people do biographies of me, critics always talk about Charlie’s Angels, Love Boat, Fantasy Island, and they never talk about the issue shows that we have done. The issues that we did on 90210 and Melrose Place. They never talk about Day One, that movie we won an Emmy for. They never talk about And The Band Played On, the movie we won an Emmy for. They never talk about my movies, the Anne Baxter movie with the young lady, her daughter, who was going to commit suicide. They never talk about that, and that pains me a lot. I love being an entertainer, but I think you should get credit for whatever you do, like Family, like Seventh Heaven, family shows that no one has done before. But I know my epitaph will be, "he was Tori Spelling’s father and he did Charlie’s Angels."
The video interview is not yet available online, but can be screened at the Archive's headquarters in North Hollywood, CA.
Let everyone know what your favorite Aaron Spelling-produced series or film is. POST YOUR FAVORITES BY CLICKING ON COMMENTS (BELOW).
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"Dynasty",
Obituaries
Those of you who've watched our online interviews with Barbara Eden, Bob Mackie, Frances Reid, Phil Roman and Doris Singleton are already familiar with Jennifer Howard (pictured here with interviewee Doris Singleton, left), a staff researcher at the Archive of American Television who conducted those interviews. After being with the Archive for almost seven years and meticulously researching the lives and careers of close to 100 interviewees, Jennifer will be leaving her full-time position because she's moving a few more miles away from our headquarters -- which in L.A. traffic parlance, means that the commute is impossible. Today is her last day as a full-time staffmember.
Without the hard work of our research team, the interviews would lack the scope and detail so essential in capturing the voices of these television legends for generations to come. Please join us in wishing Jennifer the best and keep your eyes open -- as we continue posting interviews, you'll be seeing a lot more of her work in the months to come.
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"Rockford Files",
Television Writers
June 1st is Andy Griffith’s 80th birthday. The Archive of American Television is proud to feature our two-hour interview with Griffith, which took place in North Carolina.
In his interview, Griffith recalls how his Broadway debut in "No Time for Sergeants" led to appearances on live television shows, including The U.S. Steel Hour, The Steve Allen Show, and Playhouse 90. He fondly remembers his long association with producer Sheldon Leonard, including the creation and run of The Andy Griffith Show.
Click here to access Andy Griffith's interview segments.
The Archive has interviewed several of the key contributors to The Andy Griffith Show, including Mayberry’s favorite deputy— Don Knotts — also available for viewing on Google Video.
Couldn't get to Jamestown, New York (Lucille Ball's hometown) this weekend to celebrate Lucy-Desi Days 2006? Well, we can't helicopter you to the ship, but we can point you to some fun interviews in our collection featuring memories of Lucy, Desi and the gang.
Although Lucy and Desi passed on before the Archive of American Television was founded, we've interviewed a lot of people involved in the success of "I Love Lucy" -- three of these interviews are online now.
Bob Carroll & Madelyn Pugh Davis -- writers on "I Love Lucy" and her subsequent series
Barbara Eden -- guest star on "I Love Lucy"
Doris Singleton -- actress who played Carolyn Appleby on "I Love Lucy"
Have a safe and happy Memorial Day Weekend!
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"I Love Lucy"
Will & Grace (& Jack & Karen) are throwing their last barb/insult/witticism/pie-in-the-face this week. Not only will fans miss the talented ensemble (all four of whom won Emmy Awards), but also the guest shots by "it" list celebrities that together resemble a merger of Elton John's and Vanity Fair's Oscar parties.
Amazingly, every one of the nearly 200 "Will & Grace" episodes were directed by one person — legendary sitcom creator/director James Burrows. Burrows was interviewed by the Archive of American Television and talked about his experiences directing "Will & Grace" as well as such career highlights as "Taxi," "Cheers," and "Friends."
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"Cheers",
"Taxi",
"Will and Grace"
Today (Sunday, May 14th) is the 10th Anniversary of the Archive of American Television (that’s right, 10 years of quizzing TV legends about their life stories, their career highlights, and anything else we can think of). On this date in 1996, the pilot project for the Archive taped its first interview, with ABC founder Leonard Goldenson.
Just thought you should know....
In honor of Mother's Day (next Sunday, May 14th), the Archive of American Television is featuring its online collection of TV Moms! Check out our full-length interviews with:
Barbara Billingsley -- Beaver and Wally's mom June Cleaver on "Leave it to Beaver"
Diahann Carroll -- Corey's mom Julia Baker on "Julia"
Florence Henderson -- Greg, Marcia, Peter, Jan, Bobby and Cindy's mom Carol Brady on "The Brady Bunch"
Jane Wyatt -- Betty, Bud and Kitten's mom Margaret Anderson on "Father Knows Best" AND Mr. Spock's mother Amanda on "Star Trek"
Just click on the interviewee's name link to be taken directly to the Google Video page listing all available interview segements. You'll learn about the life, inspirations and career highlights of each of these talented actresses.
Of course, other TV moms in our vast collection, but not yet online include Shirley Jones, Doris Roberts, Marion Ross, Jean Stapleton, just to name a few.... More interviews are being uploaded regularly, so be sure to check this site frequently.
And, please click the comments link below and tell us who your favorite TV mom of all-time is.
Legendary comedy writer/producer Harvey Bullock passed away on October 6, 2005. Although his Archive interview is not currently available online, videos can be screened at the Archive's office at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences headquarters in North Hollywood.
Below is a link to his obituary:
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences: Harvey Bullock Obituary
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"Andy Griffith Show",
Obituaries,
Television Writers
Archive interviewee Caroll Spinney, the puppeteer who plays the roles of Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on Sesame Street, was honored with this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the 33rd Annual Daytime Craft Emmy Awards. Spinney was chosen for his work entertaining and educating children for nearly four decades, since the series debut in 1969. His characters have been seen on more than 4,000 episodes, as well as Sesame Street television specials that have taken Spinney to China, Japan, Australia, France, Germany, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Spinney starred in the feature film Follow That Bird and has performed on a number of other shows, including The West Wing and Hollywood Squares.
Mr. Spinney's Archive of American Television interview was conducted on May 12, 2001.
Click here to access Carroll Spinney's interview segments.
Elma "Pem" Farnsworth, the widow of Philo Farnsworth, has died at the age of 98. She was one of the first honorees interviewed by the Archive of American Television.
Interview Description:
Elma Farnsworth was interviewed for seven hours in Salt Lake City, UT. Farnsworth discussed at length Philo's first television invention - the Image Dissector Tube - and the excitement of seeing its first moving image. While Philo toiled to create the first electronic television, RCA and Vladimir Zworykin worked on a similar invention, both trying to finish before the other. Farnsworth talked about the heated competition and the ensuing patent fights between Philo and General David Sarnoff, then President of RCA. The interview was conducted by Jeff Kisseloff on June 25, 1996.
Click here to view Elma Farnsworth's interview segments.
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Television Technology
NATHALIE CARRICK AND NICHOLAS DEYSHER NAMED RECIPIENTS OF ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS & SCIENCES FOUNDATION FRED ROGERS MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
Graduate Students to Each Receive $10,000
for Their Work in Children’s Media
NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CA. April 21, 2006 – The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation along with Ernst & Young LLP jointly announced that Nathalie Carrick and Nicholas Deysher are the recipients of the second Fred Rogers Memorial Scholarship. The announcement was made by Nancy Steingard and Vicki Ariyasu, Governors of the Television Academy's Children's Programming Peer Group and Andy Sale, Ernst & Young’s Media and Entertainment Leader for the Pacific Southwest Area.
Just posted on Google Video: Emmy Award Winning Costume Designer Noel Taylor's Archive of American Television Interview!
About the interview:
Noel Taylor was interviewed for one-and-a-half hours in West Hollywood, CA. Taylor talked about his early experiences in the theater as an actor and writer before turning his talents to costume designing. He discussed his entrance into television working under NBC contract, primarily on the anthology series "Hallmark Hall of Fame". He talked about several of this series productions including “Hamlet,” “The Green Pastures,” “The Magnificent Yankee,” and “Barefoot in Athens.” He discussed such aspects of the craft as creating a shade of white that could be read on-camera and painting “embroidery” on costumes as a moneysaving technique. He talked about his landmark win of the first Emmy Award ever given for costume design for “The Magnificent Yankee.” He detailed his continued work in television including the 1970s KCET series "The Hollywood Television Theater", which earned him a second Emmy Award. Lastly, he discussed his long association with Katharine Hepburn on all of her later work, including "Mrs. Delafield Wants To Marry". The interview was conducted by Gary Rutkowski on April 19, 2005.
Noel Tayor Interview Seqments
Check out the latest addition to the Archive of American Television's interviews available on Google Video:
Soap legend FRANCES REID!
Interview details:
Frances Reid was interviewed for one-and-a-half hours in Los Angeles, CA. She talked about her early career working in live television, and her first experiences working on daytime dramas, on programs such as Portia Faces Life and As the World Turns. She described in detail her longtime role as matriarch Alice Horton on the daytime drama Days of Our Lives from its inception to the present day. She discussed her many co-stars throughout the years on the show, notably Macdonald Carey, who portrayed patriarch Tom Horton. Reid explained the production process on a daytime drama, and touched on some of the memorable storylines featured on the show throughout the years. Finally, she briefly described her involvement in the actors union AFTRA, and noted how important it is for her to continue working. The interview was conducted on August 13, 2003 by Jennifer Howard.
Remember, to watch the interview in chronological order, select the parts in order (1,2,3).
Frances Reid Interview Seqments
What did you see? What did you like? What would you like to see? You get the picture....
VIDEO LINKS CAN BE ACCESSED HERE: http://emmytvlegends.org/interviews
