Happy Thanksgiving!

The Archive has posted an interview with Producer-Director Bill Melendez, who is best know for his work on the classic "Peanuts" specials. Take a look at Melendez's interview and find a link for A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving on his Archive page.

Interview Description:
Bill Melendez (1916-2008) was interviewed for four hours in Los Angeles, CA. Melendez spoke about his beginnings at Walt Disney Studios and later at Warner Bros., where he animated cartoons featuring popular characters including Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. He also discussed his work for United Productions of America and John Sutherland Productions. Next, Mr. Melendez described his early collaboration with comic strip artist Charles M. Schulz on commercials featuring the Peanuts characters, and explained how that became a career-long partnership on over fifty animated Peanuts television specials. He discussed in detail some of those projects, including A Charlie Brown Christmas and It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. He also touched on the various Peanuts feature films and television series, including the animated miniseries This is America, Charlie Brown. Finally, Mr. Melendez spoke of other projects he has produced through his production company, including the animated The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, as well as animated specials featuring comic strip characters Garfield and Cathy. The interview was conducted by Jennifer Howard on June 23, 2001.

"Daniel Boone"-- Fess Parker's Picks Out on DVD Today

Daniel Boone is getting a special release today: Fess Parker's favorites, featuring eight series episodes. Following Fess Parker's success as "Davy Crockett" on ABC's Disneyland, he starred as Daniel Boone, which ran from 1964-70 on Thursdays on NBC at 7:30-8:30 PM for its entire run. Trivia: Did you watch Daniel Boone? What four series had Daniel Boone as a lead-in during its run? (answer below).

Click on the Archive's Daniel Boone page to hear executive William Self and star Fess Parker describe how Disney's objection to Parker continuing Davy Crockett with another company led to the "creation" of Daniel Boone.

Answer to trivia above: The four series that followed Daniel Boone (at 8:30 PM) during its run were Dr. Kildare [1964-65 season], Laredo [1965-66 season], Star Trek [1966-67 season], and Ironside [1967-70 seasons].

"Studs' Place" 60th Anniversary

A classic example of the "Chicago School of Broadcasting," which featured intimate, improvisational entertainment in the early days of TV, Studs' Place starred Studs Terkel as the proprietor, with his, as The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows puts it, "garrulous, philosophical ramblings the center of attention." The comedy-variety style show also featured a considerable amount of music, especially jazz performed by notable talents. In its Nov. 30, 1949 review of the show, Variety raved: "It proves that simple talk and straight pianologging can make topflight TV, where there's an understanding of people and a feeling for authentic jazz." The series ran from 1949-52 until Studs Terkel found himself a victim of the McCarthy era and the Hollywood blacklist.

Click here for the Archive's new page on Studs' Place to coincide with the show's 60th anniversary on November 26, 1949.

"Wagon Train" Season One now out on DVD-- Classic Western Series

Wagon Train was the #2 series from 1958-61 (behind Gunsmoke each of these seasons), and featured an array of Hollywood guest stars. In season one alone, Ernest Borgnine, Linda Darnell, Ricardo Montalban, Agnes Moorehead, and Cesar Romero were among the guest stars. The series, starring Ward Bond as Wagonmaster from 1957-61 and Christopher Hale from 1961-65, was one of the five nominees in the one year (1958-59) that the Emmys gave an Award for Best Western Series.

The Archive's Wagon Train page features stories from actors Leonard Nimoy (who appeared on the season 3 episode "The Estaban Zamora Story") and Ann B. Davis (who appeared on season 3 episode "The Countess Baranof Story").

Take a look at the Archive's other TV westerns pages at this link.

Cast and Creators Appear at the TV Academy's "Funnybone of the '80s"

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences hosted "Funnybone of the '80s" last night with the cast and creators of some of the great sitcoms of the 1980s— Cheers, Designing Women, Murphy Brown, and Night Court.

The Archive spoke to a few of the guests on the press line, including cast members Ted Danson (Cheers), Kelsey Grammer (Cheers), Joe Regalbuto (Murphy Brown), and Charles Robinson (Night Court).

Seven New Inductees Into the Television Academy's Hall of Fame

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' Hall of Fame Committee has selected Candice Bergen, Charles Lisanby, Don Pardo, Gene Roddenberry, Tom and Dick Smothers and Bob Stewart to be the next inductees into the Television Academy’s Hall of Fame, Television Academy Chairman-CEO John Shaffner announced today.

The new group of inductees will be honored at a special ceremony on Wednesday, Jan. 20, at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Producing the Hall of Fame Gala are Lee Miller and Kevin Hamburger.

"Each year, the Television Academy has the privilege of honoring television greats that have contributed to the development and success of this ever-evolving medium," Shaffner said. "This year's inductees have challenged and shaped popular culture, changed television for the better and entertained us royally while doing so. We are very pleased to be able to induct them into the Hall of Fame for their many achievements."

Hall of Fame candidates are submitted from the Television Academy's membership and the industry at large to the Hall of Fame selection committee, chaired by Mark Itkin, partner, William Morris Endeavor. This year’s committee includes Mike Darnell, president, alternative entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company; Brian Graden, president, programming, for MTV, VH1, CMT and Logo; renowned television producer-director Lee Miller: Anne Sweeney, co-chair, Disney Media Networks and President, Disney – ABC Television Group; and Thomas Walsh, award-winning production designer and current president of the Art Directors Guild.

More from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Press Release.

The Archive of American Television has conducted interviews with several of the new inductees, click on the links below.


Charles Lisanby - Art Director


Don Pardo - Announcer


Tom and Dick Smothers - Performers


Bob Stewart - Game Show Creator/Producer

See also the Archive's newly posted pages on actress Candice Bergen and show creator/producer Gene Roddenberry.

Charles Van Doren Admitted the Truth about "21"— 50 Years Ago Today

Charles Van Doren, the Columbia professor who was at the center of the quiz show scandal of the 1950s, appeared before a congressional committee on November 2, 1959 to admit he'd been given questions and answers in advance when he appeared on the quiz show 21. In a story for the New Yorker last year, Van Doren broke a long silence and wrote about the experience ("All the Answers").

The Archive of American Television interviewed Herbert Stempel (who was "beat" by Van Doren on 21), as well as 21 producer Albert Freedman.