"Andy Griffith Show" Theme Composer Earle Hagen Has Died at the Age of 88

Earle Hagen, who composed (and whistled) The Andy Griffith Show theme, has died. The accomplished composer also wrote the memorable Dick Van Dyke Show theme music and won an Emmy Award for I Spy.

Earle Hagen was interviewed by TV's Biggest Hits author Jon Burlingame in 1997. His entire five hour interview can be viewed here.

Interview description:

Mr. Hagen described the pleasure of working with producers Sheldon Leonard and Danny Thomas, and creating the themes, as well as writing the music for: The Danny Thomas Show, The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, I Spy, and Mod Squad, to name a few.

Sheldon Leonard's Full Archive Interview is Now Online!

Television legend Sheldon Leonard (1907-97) was one of the first people interviewed when the Archive of American Television began its pilot project in 1996.

PRESS THE PLAY ARROW IN THE PLAYER ABOVE TO WATCH THE SEGMENT NOW.

Leonard was the executive producer of such classic television series as The Danny Thomas Show/Make Room for Daddy, The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, and I Spy. He won two Emmy Awards— as director of Make Room for Daddy in 1961 and as producer of My World, and Welcome To It in 1970. In 1995 he was named an Honorary Life Member of the Directors Guild of America for his long-time services to the DGA as treasurer.

Click here to access Sheldon Leonard's full Archive of American Television interview.

Interview description:
Producer/director/creator/writer Sheldon Leonard (1907-97) was interviewed for two-and-a-half hours in Beverly Hills, CA. Not only is Leonard's interview significant to the Archive because of his death just six months after the interview, but because of the warmth, candor and vivid storytelling apparent throughout the interview. Leonard shared his fondest memories about the pioneering programs he produced such as The Danny Thomas Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Andy Griffith Show, and I Spy. He also spoke highly of the talented group of people he worked with like Danny Thomas, Mary Tyler Moore, Bill Cosby, Dick Van Dyke, Carl Reiner and Andy Griffith. The interview was conducted by Sam Denoff on July 11, 1996.

"The Simpsons" Hits the Big Screen

After years and years of gossip and teasers about a Simpsons feature film, the time has come! This weekend marks the opening of The Simpsons Movie -- marking the iconic television series' transition to the big screen.


In 2003, the Archive of American Television interviewed James L. Brooks, the executive producer of The Simpsons. In the interview parts 9 and 10, he speaks in-depth about the creation of The Simpsons.

Click here to access James L. Brooks 11-part interview.

Interview description:
James L. Brooks was interviewed for five-and-a-half hours (in two sessions) in Bel-Air, CA. Mr. Brooks spoke of his early days as a page at CBS – working his way up to the newsroom. After working in documentaries, Brooks turned to comedy, where he wrote scripts for Hey Landlord, The Andy Griffith Show and My Three Sons before co-creating (with Gene Reynolds) Room 222. In 1970, MTM Productions teamed Brooks with Allen Burns, where they created and produced The Mary Tyler Moore Show. They were also producers on the spin-off series Rhoda, Phyllis and Lou Grant. After leaving MTM, Brooks produced Taxi, The Associates, and The Tracy Ullman Show. Mr. Brooks also talked about the craft of writing and producing for television and his continuing work as executive producer on The Simpsons. The two-part interview was conducted by Karen Herman on January 17 and February 12, 2003.

Also available, is a full interview with Phil Roman, the founder of Film Roman, which currently oversees the animation of The Simpsons.

Ron Howard's Archive of American Television Interview Is Now Online

Ron Howard's interview, the Archive's 500th, is now available for viewing online. Fittingly, Howard's career spans a fifty-year history of television from his first roles as a child actor in such '50s shows as Playhouse 90 and The Red Skelton Show to his role as narrator and executive producer of Arrested Development.

To many, Howard will forever be known to television audiences as "Opie Taylor" on The Andy Griffith Show and "Richie Cunningham" on Happy Days. His discussion of these series is a significant part of his three-hour interview.

Here are the links to the interview segments:

Ron Howard Interview Part 1
Ron Howard Interview Part 2
Ron Howard Interview Part 3
Ron Howard Interview Part 4
Ron Howard Interview Part 5
Ron Howard Interview Part 6

Interview description:
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.

Celebrate TV Legend Sheldon Leonard's Centennial

The Archive celebrates the 100-year anniversary of Sheldon Leonard's birth today. Sheldon Leonard (1907-97) was one of the first people interviewed when the Archive of American Television began its pilot project in 1996.

Although his interview is not yet online, here's a preview of part 3 of
Sheldon's Leonard's Archive of American Television interview. In this
portion, Dick Van Dyke Show writer-producer Sam Denoff interviews
Leonard about The Dick Van Dyke Show and I Spy.
PRESS THE PLAY ARROW IN THE PLAYER ABOVE TO WATCH THE SEGMENT NOW.

Leonard was the executive producer of such classic television series as The Danny Thomas Show/Make Room for Daddy, The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, and I Spy. He won two Emmy Awards— as director of Make Room for Daddy in 1961 and as producer of My World, and Welcome To It in 1970. In 1995 he was named an Honorary Life Member of the Directors Guild of America for his long-time services to the DGA as treasurer.


Carl Reiner (Creator, The Dick Van Dyke Show)

Sheldon was a great pedagogue, a great teacher. He had taught more people how to handle themselves as producers, writers, executives on television… everybody who ever came in Sheldon’s purview, they loved him because he was so good. If you talk to any of the people who ever worked with him, they’ll all have the same thing to say.

Aaron Ruben (Producer-Director, The Andy Griffith Show)

Sheldon Leonard was an actor, turned director, turned writer, turned producer, turned entrepreneur. He started on Broadway and appeared always as a gangster and in films… he was always a gangster because he talked out of the side of his mouth, even though he was very well educated and very articulate. Grant Tinker once said about Sheldon Leonard and the way he talked, he said he talks like a New Jersey longshoreman, using the words of William Buckley and it's true.

Grant Tinker (Television Executive)

Sheldon Leonard, who was a brilliant guy, instantly recognizable from playing sort of a Brooklyn tough guy in many movies and television shows, but off camera a very bright, creative director/writer. He didn’t actually sit at a typewriter and write but he contributed a great deal to the shows that he was involved with.

Andy Griffith (Actor)

I remember the first day [on The Andy Griffith Show]… Sheldon was a very bright astute man. The first day they shot with three cameras and the first day was always spent on the script. So that day I didn't have much to say at all. Artie Stander, Danny Thomas and Sheldon Leonard yelled at one another all day. I asked Sheldon if I could talk to him at the end of the day and he walked me to the gate. I said, if this is what television is, I don't think I can handle it. He said, "Andy, the, the star dictates what the attitude will be on the set. Danny likes to yell so we all yell [on The Danny Thomas Show]. If you don't want to yell, nobody will yell." That's the way it was.

Andy Griffith turns 80!

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.

Please comment on:
What's your favorite episode of The Andy Griffith Show?
(Here are some choices, but feel free to write-in your vote, too.)

“The Pickle Story”
“Convicts-At-Large”
“Man in a Hurry”
“Opie and the Spoiled Kid”
“Barney’s First Car”
“Dogs, Dogs, Dogs”
“Mountain Wedding”
“Opie the Birdman”
“Citizen’s Arrest”
“Barney’s Sidecar”
“My Fair Ernest T. Bass”

Comedy Writer/Producer Harvey Bullock has died

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