The Many Layers of Julia Child

The National Women's History Museum exhibit, Clandestine Women: The Untold Stories of Women in Espionage, highlights the story of an unlikely operative, Julia Child.

It has recently been brought to light that decades before becoming a famous chef, Julia Child, in 1944, worked for the OSS. She helped the U.S. spy agency develop shark repellent, used to combat German U-boats during World War II.

The exhibit can be seen at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial at Arlington Cemetery.

Julia Child was interviewed by the Archive of American Television on June 25, 1999

From Part 1 of her Archive interview: “The OSS began to recruit people to go to the Far East. And I knew eventually I’d get to Europe, at that point I’d only been to Tijuana, and I was anxious to go to Europe some time, but I knew I’d probably never get to the Far East, so I volunteered. And again, the only thing open was in the files. So, I went, I joined up and we had a long ocean voyage. We all met in Long Beach, California. It was said we were not supposed to tell anyone where we were going or what we were doing and it was all so secret. And then we got to this departure thing and there was a great big sign on it saying U.S. Military Departure for the Far East. And we went, there were, I think we had twelve women going over to join the OSS detachment, and we, all twelve in a cabin for two, sailed to, by way of Australia, to India, and we got off at Bombay. I remember sitting out in the harbor at dawn, this kind of mist and you could smell this strange kind of odor of incense and I don’t know what. It was, and I thought, gosh, what have I got myself into here.”

Click here to access Julia Child’s entire Archive interview.

The TVLand Awards: A Sneak Preview!

Sunday marked the 6th Annual TV Land Awards, and the Archive was represented in full effect!

Archive staff attended the gala event, held in Santa Monica, which airs this Sunday June 15 on TvLand, one of our sponsor partners.

Many of our Archive Interviewees were honored, including a special tribute to producer Garry Marshall, and the Golden Girls' Bea Arthur, Betty White, and Rue McClanahan!

Jonathan Winters (pictured here with Archive Digital Projects Manager Jenni Matz) was given the "Pioneer Award" by Robin Williams, and Mike Meyers was on-hand to receive a "Legacy of Laughter" award from Justin Timberlake.

The day began with a red carpet gala with special guests from Barry Williams to Cindy Williams. We spotted Get Smart's original 'Agent 99', Barbara Feldon, Star Trek's William Shatner, and 'The Fonz'-- Henry Winkler!

En route from the parking lot I bumped into Dick Van Dyke, who was gracious enough to thank ME for remembering HIM from his interview.

We can't spill the beans on ALL the surprises the night brought, but be sure to tune in to see it all.

Sportscaster Jim McKay has Died - Archive Interview Online

American sports journalist and broadcaster Jim McKay (1921-2008) has died at age 86.

McKay was well-known for hosting ABC's Wide World of Sports with the introductory line "...the thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat" , but perhaps was best-known for his historic and humanistic coverage of the Munich Massacre at the 1972 Olympic Games, when 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team were taken hostage and then killed.

McKay discusses his career, and these landmark events in his 6-part Archive interview:

Click here to view Part 1
Click here to view Part 2
Click here to view Part 3
Click here to view Part 4
Click here to view Part 5
Click here to view Part 6

Detailed Interview Description:
Jim McKay was interviewed for nearly three hours in Monkton, MD. McKay talked about starting his career in 1947 at WMAR-TV in Baltimore. He went on to work with producer Roone Arledge at the beginning of ABC's Wide World of Sports, staying nearly four decades with the job as the show's host and commentator. McKay hosted the network's coverage of the Olympic Games for over 30 years, including his critical coverage of the terrorist hostages and killings that interrupted the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. The interview was conducted by Gerry Sandusky on October 28, 1998.

40 Years Ago: "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" Premieres

Forty years ago, on February 19th, 1968, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood premiered. Originally titled Misterogers (as its precursor had been called in Canada) the show emanated from WQED Pittsburgh and aired on EEN (Eastern Educational Network). The series moved to PBS in 1970. Production ceased in 2001. Sadly, Fred Rogers passed away in 2003; the series continues to air nationwide.


In 1999, the Archive of American Television interviewed Mr. Rogers. Click here to Fred Rogers' 9-part interview (and be on the lookout for puppet cameos). Also, check out this link on the show's homepage for Mister Rogers trivia.

A favorite excerpt from the interview:

"My mother, as long as I could remember, made at least one sweater every month. And at Christmas time she would give us each a hand-knit sweater. And so, until she died, those zipper sweaters that I wear on The Neighborhood were all made by my mother. We would open up the boxes at Christmas and, and we’d all try on the sweaters. Then she would say, 'Okay, now what kind of do you want next year? Now, I know what kind you want, Freddy, you want the one with the zipper up the front.' There are ties that many people don’t know, just watching certain programs and it makes the experience so much deeper to know from whence Mr. McFeely came or where the sweaters came from. And the music is a huge part of my work. That was always my way of saying who I was and how I felt. In those days, you didn’t speak your feelings as much as express them artistically. I was always able to cry or laugh or say I was angry through the tips of my fingers on the piano. I would go to the piano, even when I was five years old, and start to play how I felt. So it was very natural for me to become a composer. Having written all of the music for The Neighborhood, I feel as if that’s one of my gifts to children. Here is a way that doesn’t hurt you or anybody else, to say who you are and how you feel."

Interview description:
In his 4-1/2 hour interview, Fred Rogers described his work as the creator and host of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, which began its run in 1968. He described the show’s evolution, which started with Misterogers which he produced in Canada for the CBC. He described each aspect of the show including the origin of his trademark sweaters. He described his early years in television working as a floor manager for NBC on such shows as NBC Opera Theatre, The Kate Smith Hour, and The Gabby Hayes Show. He detailed his move into public television in 1953 with his work as the program director for WQED, Pittsburgh. He described his first children’s program The Children’s Corner (1954-61 WQED; 1955-56 NBC), which introduced several puppets later used on Mister Rogers. He talked about the importance of children’s programming and his longevity as a childrens’ show host. The interview was conducted on July 22, 1999 at WQED in Pittsburgh, PA.

Happy New Year 2008!

Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve reaches its 36th annual edition with the Dec 31, 2007-January 1, 2008 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.




To access Dick Clark's entire Archive intervew, click here.

Dick Clark and Ryan Seacrest will host the special starting at 10:00 p.m. (ET & PT) from New York.

Link to Official ABC site.

An Archive Christmas Special: Andy Williams

To celebrate the season, the Archive has posted our interview with Andy Williams. Williams hosted his network primetime variety series from 1958-71. The best-known version ran on NBC from 1962-71 and featured "Moon River" as its theme song. Through his variety series, Williams began hosting a series of Christmas specials. From these specials and his many renditions of Christmas standards, he's become closely associated with the holiday.

Listen to Andy Williams talk about his work in television in his 3-part Archive Interview. And be sure to visit this link to TV Land to see a special video, Andy Williams and America's Favorite Christmas Show, featuring excerpts from the interview.

....AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM EVERYONE AT THE ARCHIVE OF AMERICAN TELEVISION!

Interview Description:
Andy Williams discusses his early career working in his brothers’ singing group on stage and in radio, before embarking on a solo career. He spoke about his early appearances on television, including being cast as a regular singer on Steve Allen’s Tonight show. He then spoke in great detail about hosting his own series The Andy Williams Show. For this series he talked about the production schedule, some of his favorite guest stars (including the Osmond Brothers, whom he is credited with discovering), and the show’s segue into a series of Christmas specials. In conclusion, he discussed the establishing of his own theater in Branson, Missouri.

The Archive's Dick Clark interview featured on TV Land Online

Bandstand fans: check out this new 5-minute video produced by our partner TV Land Online featuring excerpts from the Archive's Dick Clark interview (conducted in 1999). In the photo-filled piece, he discusses his journey from radio to hosting American Bandstand -- the show's groundbreaking racial integration, the move from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, and the many cultural changes the program reflected throughout the decades it aired.

We'll Miss You Bob Barker!

Bob Barker has retired after 50+ years in television and 35 years as the host of The Price Is Right. The Archive wishes Bob a happy retirement!


Barker was interviewed by the Archive of American Television in 2000 and inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame in 2004. He was also saluted with a special evening at the Television Academy in March 2007.

Press the play button on the video below to see the Archive's Salute to Bob Barker featuring clips from his interview!

Interview Description:
Bob Barker began by talking about his childhood growing up on an Indian reservation in South Dakota. He described his work in radio which led him to be “cast” as the host of the game show Truth or Consequences, by show creator Ralph Edwards. Barker talked about his long run on Truth or Consequences in its network (1956-64) and syndicated (1966-74) runs. Barker then discussed in detail the show for which he is most associated, The Price Is Right, which he has hosted continually since 1972. Barker also talked about his other hosting duties on such programs as the “Miss USA Pageant” and “The Tournaments of Roses Parade,” as well as his animal rights activism. The interview was conducted by Fred Westbrook.

Click here to access the entire 7-part interview with Bob Barker.

Don Herbert, TV's "Mr. Wizard," Passes On

Don Herbert, known to television viewers for four decades as "Mr. Wizard," has died at age 89. The first incarnation of his educational science show, Watch Mr. Wizard, began on March 3, 1951 on WMAQ (WNBQ) in Chicago. The show continued in various formats, finding new life in the 1980s as the Nickelodeon series Mr. Wizard's World. Herbert also developed the 90s series Teacher to Teacher with Mr. Wizard that highlighted exemplary elementary science teachers and projects.

Don Herbert was interviewed by the Archive of American Television's Karen Herman on January 24, 2005.

Click here to watch the entire four-part
Archive of American Television interview.

Interview Description:
Don Herbert described his early years as an actor on stage and radio before turning to television where he created the classic children’s science series Watch Mr. Wizard. He detailed his hosting of the show, as well as working with his young assistants. He talked about his simultaneous work as G. E. Theater’s “progress reporter,” hosting a different three-minute commercial segment for each episode through the majority of the run. He talked about the later incarnations of the “Mr. Wizard” franchise. He also mentioned his appearances on morning and late-night television talk shows.

There is also a wonderful Mr. Wizard website -- click here to access.

Roger Ebert, Celebrating his 40th Anniversary as a Film Critic, Returns to Action

The Archive has now posted its interview with Roger Ebert, conducted in 2005 on the set of Ebert & Roeper in Chicago. Click here to access his entire interview.

Roger Ebert, the first person to win the Pulitizer Prize for Film Criticism, is celebrating his 40th anniversary as film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times.

He is making progress on his health and as stated on his website, he expects to attend his Ninth Annual Overlooked Film Festival which runs today through April 29, if only as an audience member ("friends and colleagues will take onstage Q&A duties").

As Ebert writes in a letter on his website rogerebert.com: "I think of the festival as the first step in my return to action.... I plan to gradually increase my duties in the months to come."

Interview description:
Ebert spoke about his interest in the movies while growing up and his work as a youth, freelance writing on various publications up through his college years. He talked about joining the Chicago Sun-Times in 1966 and being named the paper’s film critic in early 1967, a post that eventually earned him the first Pulitizer Prize given for film criticism. He briefly talked about his early experiences on television before he was teamed with Gene Siskel on the local WTTW movie review series Opening Soon at a Theatre Near You. Ebert noted the many incarnations of the show, which went national on PBS and then was nationally syndicated, becoming the familiar Siskel and Ebert. He talked about working with his longtime colleague and sometime rival Gene Siskel, who co-hosted the show until his death in February 1999. Ebert described the transitional period that followed until Richard Roeper was offered the job “across the aisle” from him on the renamed Ebert and Roeper in July 2000. Ebert talked about various aspects of the series including the thumbs up/ thumbs down grading system, the use of movie clips on the show, and the impact the show has had on the movies. Throughout the interview, Ebert showed his passion for the movies and his respect for them as an art form. The interview was conducted by Gary Rutkowski on November 2, 2005.

Art Linkletter's Archive Interview is Now Online

Take a look at one of the newest interviews online -- show host Art Linkletter. He's truly an engaging and a exceptional storyteller. Here's one of our favorite little-known anecdotes from the interview:


On the opening of Disneyland in 1956 (Part 4 at 16 minutes in):

Walt Disney asked me if I would be MC [for the opening of Disneyland]. It was live, two hours, no tape in those days, no rehearsal, jumping all over the fairgrounds doing the thing. He knew I was good at that and he wanted me to do it. Then he said, "Art, we have a difficult moment here. We’re good friends, and I’ve gotta negotiate a price with you. Why don’t you have an agent like every other normal star in Hollywood?" I said, "because I like to do my own business." He said, "I’m not playing poor boy, but we’ve had cost overruns, we’ve had strikes, we’ve had problems financing. I’ve had to mortgage part of the studio." I said, "it’s a sad story but don’t tell me any more because you don’t need any of those arguments with me. I’ll do it for scale." He said, "you’ll do it for scale?" I said, "Certainly. And in return I expect you to do something for me. I’m a partner in one of the largest photo development companies in Los Angeles, and I would like to have the concession for all the film and all the cameras sold at Disneyland for the next ten years." He says, "You've got it!" So I got the highest fee anybody ever got for appearing on any show, even Oprah.

To access his whole interview, click here.

Interview description:
In his 6-part oral history interview, Art Linkletter discusses his years in radio and his start, in 1950, in his first television series, Life with Linkletter. Linkletter recounts his most memorable stories from the television series he is most associated with, Art Linkletter's House Party and People Are Funny. For these series, he discusses the shows' universal appeals and his humorous interviews with thousands of kids. The interview was conducted on September 15, 1997 by Sam Denoff.

Dick Clark Celebrates 35 Years of "New Year's Rockin' Eve"

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.



To access Dick Clark's entire Archive intervew, click here.

This year, the show expands from one to a record three performances, live from the show's exclusive performance stage on Military Island before almost a million people, and tens of million more viewers at home. Dick Clark and Ryan Seacrest will host three specials from New York, making three and a half hours of special New Year's programming:

"Dick Clark's Primetime New Year's Rockin' Eve 2007" (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET)
"Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve 2007," Part 1 (11:35 p.m. -1:05 a.m., ET)
"Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve 2007," Part 2 (1:05-2:05 a.m., ET)

Link to Official ABC site.