"Playhouse 90" Producer Martin Manulis has Died -- His Full Archive Interview is Online

Martin Manulis, one of the legendary producers who exemplified the "Golden Age" of television by seeking and nurturing both on-camera and behind-the scenes talent, died Friday at the age of 92. The Archive of American Television interviewed him in 1997, and in subsequent years, he was a great champion of the Archive -- donating his time to assist in the compilation of a comprehensive credits list for Playhouse 90.

Among the classic teleplays he produced during his 3 seasons at the helm of Playhouse 90 were:

• "The Miracle Worker," directed by Arthur Penn, written by William Gibson and starring Teresa Wright, Patty McCormack and Burl Ives
• "Requiem for a Heavyweight," written by Rod Serling, directed by Ralph Nelson and starring Jack Palance, Ed Wynn, Keenan Wynn and Kim Hunter
• "The Comedian," written by Rod Serling, directed by John Frankenheimer and starring Mickey Rooney
• "The Days of Wine and Roses," directed by John Frankenheimer, written by JP Miller and starring Cliff Robertson and Piper Laurie

Click here to access Martin Manulis' 11-Part Archive Interview.

Click here to access Martin Manulis' L.A. Times Obituary

Click here to access an excellent piece about the legacy of Playhouse 90 by Variety's Cynthia Littleton

Interview description:
Martin Manulis was interviewed for five hours in Los Angeles, CA. Manulis talked about the "Golden Age of Television," and the challenges of producing live television anthologies, (beginning with Climax), especially his greatest contribution to television, the critically acclaimed anthology, Playhouse 90. Manulis recalled celebrated teleplays like "Requiem for a Heavyweight," and "The Miracle Worker." He also talked about working with Jack Palance, Ed Wynn, Jack Lemmon, Claudette Colbert, Rod Serling, Tad Mosel and JP Miller. He also spoke of his later work producing The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, and such miniseries as "Space." B-roll consisted of dozens of publicity photos taken for Playhouse 90. The interview was conducted by Morrie Gelman on June 17, 1997.

"Radio Days" Ended 45 Years Ago

The last chapter of network dramatic radio programming came to pass with the final broadcasts of both “Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar” and “Suspense” on September 30, 1962. Many series have kept the art form of radio alive, among the first and most ambitious being “The CBS Radio Mystery Theater” (1974-82), produced and directed by Himan Brown.

The Archive of American Television, in capturing long-form career interviews with early TV on-camera and production talent, also captured stories about America’s “Radio Days.”


Among the interviewees who talked about the Golden Age of Radio (with links to the interviews available online) are:

Steve Allen (performer)
Buddy Baker (composer)
George Balzer (writer)
Cliff Barrows (music director)
John Conte (announcer/performer)
Alexander Courage (composer)
Richard Crenna (performer)
Louis Dorfsman (CBS graphic designer)
Ralph Edwards (producer/host)
Ruth Duskin Feldman (performer)
Albert Freedman (producer)
Larry Gelbart (writer)
Seaman Jacobs (writer)
Lamont Johnson (performer)
Don Knotts (performer)
Mort Lachman (writer)
Richard Lewis (producer)
Art Linkletter (announcer/host)
Mitch Miller (conductor)
Rita Moreno (performer)
Robert Mott (sound effects specialist)
Anne Nelson (executive)
Don Pardo (announcer)
Abraham Polonsky (writer)
Larry Rhine (writer)
Andy Rooney (writer)
Rose Marie (performer)
Aaron Ruben (writer)
Bob Schiller (writer)
Mel Shavelson (writer)
Hazel Shermet (performer)
Doris Singleton (performer)
“Buffalo” Bob Smith (performer)
Frank Stanton (executive)
Fred Steiner (composer)
Leonard Stern (writer)
Rachel Stevenson (producer)
Robert Trout (news correspondent)
Bob Weiskopf (writer)
Alan Young (performer)

"The Jetsons" Turns 45!

On September 23, 1962, following the success of The Flintstones, Hanna-Barbera's animated sitcom The Jetsons premiered as one of the first color television programs on ABC. Hard to believe, but only 24 "classic" episodes were made at that time -- another 50+ episodes were later created in the 1980s.

The Creation of "The Jetsons" - From Part 5 of Joseph Barbera's 7-part interview

When the network came in and said, “You want to do another show.” It's not particularly brainy to say, “Well, with stone age [The Flintstones] here, let’s go into the future there.” So we started on that basis. And what I did was I created a living quarters that were based actually on the remnants of the 1939 New York World's Fair. And there’s still a couple of those buildings left on the way in from the airport. Circular buildings up on a taff. So I converted those to apartments with hydraulic lifts in case the smog was up there, you would just lift the apartment above. What I was doing looking into the future. This is what we can do in the future. Now the same thing applied to parking. Parking that’s a problem of the future. A problem right now. So in that particular show, what we did in parking for The Jetsons, when he came into a stop, and pressed button, his vehicle became a briefcase that he carried. Later on I converted where it became a box like a shoe box that fitted into a slot like a lsafety deposit box. Here’s my parking space right here. So the idea was to make life easier and smoother and more interesting. His job was to simply go in in the morning and sit down and press one button. Anything easier than that? ... That’s future living -- parking, and buying clothes. Like the way I had it in The Jetsons is you stand behind the board, and you flash the clothes on the screen below you. Well you can see your dress before you buy it or your suit, or something like that. And you don’t have to try it on even or put it on. I had the sky crowded with vehicles just like it is today, except there was long lines. And they pick up on this because there’s a highway with no crowd on it, and you cut over there and in two seconds, they gridlock again. So that’s about the way I handled that stuff.

Full interview description:

Joseph Barbera discussed his start as a young animator at the Van Beuren Studios in New York, before his move to California and MGM's cartoon studio. He recalled working for executive Fred Quimby, and his eventual partnership with William Hanna at MGM. This collaboration with Hanna ultimately led to their own cartoon production company, and Barbera shared many stories about the creation of some of their more memorable characters and shows including: Tom and Jerry, Quick Draw McGraw, Yogi Bear, The Flintstones, Top Cat, The Jetsons, and The Smurfs. The Archive of American Television interview was conducted in 1997 by Leonard Maltin and Sunny Parich.

Click here to access the entire 7-part interview.

30 Years Ago Today: Fonzie and "Happy Days" Jumped the Shark

On September 20, 1977, in part three of the "Hollywood" episode, Fonzie, in bathing suit and leather jacket, faced jumping a caged shark on water skis. This moment in television history prompted the phrase "jump the shark" inaugurated by the website jumptheshark.com to describe "a defining moment when you know that your favorite television program has reached its peak. That instant that you know from now on...it's all downhill."

In their Archive interviews, series stars Ron Howard and Henry Winkler were asked about the phrase "jump the shark":

Ron Howard ("Richie Cunningham"):
"[The "Hollywood" episode] was really a jumbled mess from a writing standpoint. I remember Donny Most [who played Ralph] and I sitting there looking at the script. Donny was really -- he was really upset. He just said, oh, man, look at what our show has kind of devolved into here. I mean, you know, it’s not -- none of this is very funny, and, you know, and Fonzie’s jumping over a shark, and we all thought it was a little ludicrous. I kept saying, hey man, Donny, we’re a hit show, relax, you know, it’s hard to have great episodes one after another. Fonzie jumping over a shark is gonna be funny and -- and great, you know, and it’s -- you know, “Jaws” had just been out a couple years before, and, you know, and relax. Donny had a -- a clearer sense, I suppose, of sort of the direction that the -- sort of the quality of the show or the tone of the show was taking after that episode. I remember thinking -- creatively this was not our greatest episode, but I thought it was a pretty good stunt, and I understood why they wanted to do it. And what I remember [what was the] most fun [was] actually driving the speedboat, which I did a bit of, noticing that Henry was really a pretty good water skier.... but the thing that has to be remembered about the "jumping the shark idea" is that the show went on to be such a massive success for years after that. So it’s a kind of a fun expression, and I get a kick out of the fact that they identified that episode, ‘cause, granted, you know, maybe it was pushing things a little too far. But I think a lot of good work was still done after that show and audiences seemed to really respond to it forever."

Henry Winkler ("Fonzie")
"My father suggested a storyline...he said why don’t you water ski? You’re a good water skier. So I water skied and jumped the shark, and then came “Jump the Shark”... Now you have to understand we were number one for like six years after that, so nobody else thought we jumped the shark. I don’t [think the show "jumped the shark"]. This is what I know about doing series. It is a miracle that you stay on. It is a miracle that there is a script on the table every week. To do a show, and to have it be successful for ten years, or even to be an actor, it is like climbing Mount Everest with no clothes on."

Interview Descriptions:


Ron Howard was interviewed for three hours at the Imagine Entertainment offices in Beverly Hills, CA. Howard recalled his early years growing up in Burbank, the son of actor parents, and his own start at age 3, using a dialogue scene from “Mr. Roberts” as his audition piece. He reminisced about some of his earliest acting on television including the “live” anthology drama Playhouse 90 and his recurring role as part of the gang on Dennis the Menace. He then talked about his appearance with Bert Lahr on an episode of G. E. Theatre, in which host Ronald Reagan made special note of Howard’s performance, which also caught the eye of producer Sheldon Leonard, who cast him on the pilot for The Andy Griffith Show. He spoke in great detail about playing “Opie Taylor” on The Andy Griffith Show, describing his work with Andy Griffith and the show’s ensemble and discussing moments from the series’ production. He talked about learning how to write from signing autographs, using memories of his dog’s death to create the emotions necessary for the classic “Opie the Birdman” episode, and truly having to “act” when eating “ice cream” (actually cold mashed potatoes). He briefly described some television roles he appeared in in the early ‘70s before taking on the role of “Richie Cunningham” on Happy Days. He spoke candidly about the shift in the series focus onto the break-out “Fonzie” character, recited some of the series numerous catchphrases, and discussed memorable series episodes (including “The Howdy Doody Show” and the now infamous jump-the-shark episode “Hollywood”). He detailed his transition to behind-the-cameras as a director of low-budget features and television movies (including Cotton Candy and Skyward), before becoming one of Hollywood’s A-list producer-directors. He lastly discussed his work as executive-producer and voice-over narrator on the Emmy-Award-winning sitcom Arrested Development. The interview was conducted by Gary Rutkowski on October 18, 2006.


Henry Winkler was interviewed for two-and-a-half hours in Los Angeles, CA. Winkler discussed his early years, as the child of Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany, his early passion for acting, and his struggles with then-undiagnosed dyslexia. He chronicled his early career in New York, where he acted on stage and in numerous commercials and his subsequent decision to move to Los Angeles, where he was quickly cast as a guest actor on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. He detailed all aspects of the role for which he became most known, Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli on the hit sitcom, Happy Days. He discussed his casting, Fonzie character, working with the cast (particularly Ron Howard), and the iconic status (and occasional mayhem it generated) of Fonzie. He spoke about his transition to directing and producing, which included being executive producer of MacGyver, and his later acting projects including Arrested Development and The Practice. The interview was conducted by Karen Herman on November 10, 2006.

The Bob Newhart Show Celebrates 35 Years!

Join the Archive and TV Land in celebrating the 35th anniversary of the iconic series The Bob Newhart Show, which debuted on September 16, 1972. In an on-air and online tribute, TV Land is paying tribute to this Emmy Award-winning series that set the tone for a generation of TV shows. The network will showcase eight episodes personally selected by Newhart for being some of his favorites including "Blues for Mr. Borden," "Sorry Wrong Mother" and "Over The River & Through The Woods" (featuring the famous "moo goo gai pan" scene!). TVLand.com will stream all eight of these episodes online from Monday, September 10 through Sunday, September 16. Fans logging on to TVLand.com will also be able to view rarely-seen-footage of Newhart and the cast of the show as they accept "The Icon Award" at the third annual TV Land Awards as well as classic TV Land and Nick at Nite promos for the show and special segments featuring clips of Archive of American Television interviews with Newhart, Suzanne Pleshette, Bill Daily, and Jame Burrows. Also online are some fun surprises for classic television lovers. Here's a list of the full episodes which can be seen online:

"Last TV Show"    
Bob resists vehemently when his therapy group insists that he accept an
invitation for the group to conduct one of its weekly sessions on a live    
PBS show called Psychology in Action. 

"Blues For Mr. Borden"    
Swinger Howard Borden suffers a bad case of the blues when his young son    
tells him about his marvelous new "uncle" who seems to have taken up    
permanent residence with Howard's ex-wife. 

"Sorry Wrong Mother"    
Howard Borden is about to introduce his son to Ellen and tries to remold    
her into an image the boy will like.  

"Who Is Mr. X"    
Bob accepts a seemingly innocent invitation to appear as the guest on a TV    
discussion program and winds up in the jaws of a dilemma when the show    
host reveals the disposition of a shark.  

"Over The River & Through The Woods"    
It's a stag Thanksgiving for Bob when Emily flies off to join a family    
reunion, leaving Bob to share the holiday with his male buddies. 

"Some Of My Best Friends"    
Dr. Hartley's psychological therapy group has an unexpected visitor when a    
friendly homosexual (played by Howard Hesseman) joins in the sessions.  

"Death Be My Destiny"    
Bob strikes out against a fear of falling manifested in a friend and in a    
patient, but succumbs himself when subjected to a harrowing elevator    
experience. 

"Ex-con Job"    
Dr. Hartley's attempt at providing psychological aid to men about to leave    
prison and reenter society has him climbing the walls.

80 Years Ago Today...Inventor Philo Farnsworth Transmits His First Electronic Television Image

80 years ago today, on September 7, 1927, 21-year-old television inventor Philo Farnsworth transmitted his first electronic television image using an image dissector camera tube created in his laboratory at 202 Green Street in San Francisco. The first image, a single straight line (on a glass slide), was one of the early successes in the race to create electronic television.

In her Archive of American Television interview conducted in 1996, Farnsworth's widow, Elma Farnsworth discusses her life with Philo Farnsworth and the trials and tribulations of his invention of electronic television. Click here to view Elma Farnsworth's interview segments.



Interview Description:
Elma Farnsworth (1908-2006) 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.