"Rhoda: Season One" Makes Its DVD Debut (at last!)

Rhoda, which lasted from 1974-78, featured the further adventures of Mary Richards' friend and neighbor from The Mary Tyler Moore Show, as she relocated from Minneapolis back to her native New York City. The first season of Rhoda was ranked #6 of all shows that television season in the Nielsen ratings.

The Archive interviewed Rhoda herself Valerie Harper, just this February, below are some excerpts from her interview with Jim McKairnes:

Q: Describe Rhoda Morgenstern.
A: Rhoda was like most of us, a victorious loser, you know, she thought of herself as a loser but she kept at the game, she kept in the game of life fully. She had a marvelous sense of humor; remember the greatest comedy writers in the world were writing the jokes for her. The character had a sense of humor and I used to say to Jim, well, this joke, ‘Am I making this joke or is Rhoda?’.... Rhoda was a very funny person with a funny point of view… and what made her funny is that she would say the unsayable, and it was nice juxtaposition to Mary who was a perfect lady…. She would say things in a New York brash, no edit way that’s funny. And I think that was part of her charm, she also was terribly insecure, and a dear friend of mine, [once]…. said ‘you know Valerie it’s so interesting with the show, Mary is who you wish you were, Rhoda is who you probably are, and Phyllis is who you’re afraid you’ll become.’ It’s a great little adage and I think that is true, I think Rhoda Morgenstern appeals to people because all of us, men/women, gay/straight, black/white, young/old knew that they felt like Rhoda at some time in their life, and that most of us are just trying to get through, you know. Bumping into life and our families and our work-- and Mary had a career, Rhoda had jobs, I think she was every woman to a greater degree than Mary. And her being a New Yorker and had a wonderful accent… and I’ve always found when I play a character that the sound of them is very important and then the way they move, you want to get the total person…. And I loved her too, liked her a lot, and I loved playing her.

Q: Rhoda’s evolution led of course to your own show after four years, how did that come about?
A: Well from the first year, Freddy Silverman who was then head of the network was saying we’re going to spin you off and I thought I was being fired until I asked somebody what the term meant. And then I said no, no, no I don’t want – and then finally the fourth year of Mary, I said ‘I don’t want to go, I don’t want to…’, she said ‘you don’t want to be my sidekick all your life?’ I said ‘Yes, yes I do.’ She said ‘Oh, come on.’ I said ‘What if it fails?’ She said ‘If it fails you’ll move back to Minneapolis, and I’ll have you back in my life again.’ And I thought that, that’s working with a net isn’t it? And Nancy Walker said to me, the greatest thing in her understated way. I said, ‘I don’t know, I don’t know if I should leave, this is a very comfortable berth, I won Emmys, it’s fabulous I know it,’ And she said ‘Valerie, it’s a job, take it.’ No glamour, glitz, it’s a good job, take it, and I’m glad I did.

Q: Why do you think Rhoda’s wedding resonated the way it did?
A: Oh, because everybody was pulling for her to get married. … [there was a] roll up to it where there were wedding parties. We got toasters. We got wedding presents, I have silver plaques and things that were sent, trays and – the toasters were the funniest because that was a de rigor 1950’s, 1960’s… newly marrieds got a thousand toasters. People dressed up in black tie, and Howard Cosell over at, I think it ABC Sports. He would say “… we’d better shift over to the wedding.” He did Rhoda wedding jokes all night long because they’d think the women were in another room watching a second TV, you know for Rhoda’s wedding. It was a big deal. It was a very big deal because they watched her for 4 years, liked her. [The Mary Tyler Moore Show] was a big hit by the time I left and it didn’t suffer at all for Rhoda leaving because it was such a solid, wonderful show. And.... now the [audience] was happy to follow Rhoda’s progress. And I think everybody was just waiting for that wedding.

Q: Where do you think Rhoda is today?
A: Oh, I don’t know, I …. think she’s happy, she’s keeping on, going to art exhibits… maybe she’s working in the art field…. It was wonderful to have done [the television reunion movie Mary and Rhoda]. It was wonderful to work with Mary again and remember the old rhythms and the camaraderie and the love and the way we were together, that pair of women you know each together were greater than each of ourselves I think.

Singer/ Actress Estelle Reiner Has Died

Estelle Reiner grew up in the Bronx and had a career on radio as a singer. She was a respected Jazz singer until her death. Estelle was married to comedic legend (and Archive interviewee) Carl Reiner in 1943 and had 3 children. In 1989 she appeared in son Rob Reiner's film "When Harry Met Sally" and delivered the film's most memorable line... "I'll have what she's having!"

In this interview excerpt with Rob Reiner, he remembers growing up in a house filled with humor, and what he learned from both his mother and father.



Click here to view Rob Reiner's complete Archive Interview
Click here to view husband Carl Reiner's complete Archive Interview

Archive Interviewee Edie Adams has Died

We're sad to report that legendary stage, screen and television performer Edie Adams died Wednesday at the age of 81. She was interviewed by the Archive of American Television in 1999. We last saw her in June of 2007 when she helped us celebrate the Archive's 10th Anniversary. Edie truly supported our mission and was very active in making sure that Ernie Kovacs' legacy as a television pioneer were properly preserved. She will be missed.























Here's her full obituary from the CBS News.

Watch her full Archive of American Television interview here.

Below is one of her famous commercials as the Muriel Cigar girl.



Interview description:
Edie Adams was interviewed for four-and-a-half hours in Los Angeles, CA. Ms. Adams chronicled her long and varied career as a singer and actress. She talked about her appearances as a featured singer with the late Ernie Kovacs, on Ernie in Kovacsland which led to her collaboration with him on his groundbreaking NBC shows (produced out of Philadelphia’s NBC affiliate WPTZ): 3 to Get Ready and Kovacs in the Corner as well as (New York shows) Kovacs Unlimited and the various incarnations of The Ernie Kovacs Show. She talked about her Broadway roles in such shows as “Wonderful Town” and “L’il Abner” (for which she won a Tony Award) as well as her appearance as the fairy godmother in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s first musical for television, Cinderella. She also discussed her work in such feature films as Billy Wilder’s The Apartment and Stanley Kramer’s It’s A Mad Mad Mad Mad World. She recalled her many other television appearances such as those on Jack Paar’s morning show as well as commercials for Muriel cigars. She spoke about Ernie Kovacs’ tragic death and her continued work in television and films, including her Emmy-nominated television show Here’s Edie. She also described her work in preserving Kovacs’s legend -- archiving kinescopes and tapes of his programs for future generations. The interview was conducted by Henry Colman on March 11, 1999.

The World Needs More Ernest Borgnine!

Today the Archive interviewed film and television icon Ernest Borgnine at his home in Beverly Hills. It was a fun trip down merriment lane, as Ernie reminisced about his theatrical beginnings at the Barter Theater, to his Broadway turn in "Harvey", which led to bookings on early live dramatic series for Philco Television Playhouse (where he met director Delbert Mann), to eventually being cast as a lead in the Academy-Award-winning film "Marty" in 1955 (and made writer Paddy Chayefsky cry at the first reading!) He discussed working with Bob Aldrich and Sam Peckinpah, and entertained us with tales from his days on "McHale's Navy" with Tim Conway, Gavin MacLeod, and Joe Flynn. He joked how a girl scout group didn't know him from the 200 films he's been in, but when he said "Anyone ever hear of Spongebob Squarepants?" they howled with delight at the realization that they were in the presence of "Mermaid Man". At 91, Ernie kept us laughing with his anecdotes and amazed at his memory for the smallest details. He had much sage advice for actors of all ages, and he's beginning work on a new film in a few weeks, so there will be much more of Ernie to come. Stay tuned for postings about this archive interview going online!

Milton Berle Centenary-- July 12

Tomorrow, Milton Berle would have been 100 years old!

Uncle Miltie had already had a long career as a performer, when at age 40, he began to host The Texaco Star Theater. Before long, he became "Mr. Television" and reached heights he'd never achieved in radio or the movies.

When the Archive of American Television chose its first six individuals to interview as part of a pilot program, Milton Berle was an obvious choice to be one of them.

He was interviewed on June 11, 1996; he died on March 27, 2002 at the age of 93. When asked how he'd like to be remembered, Berle said:

"Being that I’ve been mostly all my life a comedian and to quote Norman Cousins, one of my dearest friends, who said— it’s a cliché now— but he said, 'laughter is the best medicine.' If we laugh at ourselves or at the world or what’s going on, we’ll live longer. The way that I’d like to be remembered ... It makes me fulfilled that I made somebody happy..... That’s been my credo for a long time and still is. The way I’d like to be remembered on the tombstone, is, [he] made people happy by making them laugh and prolonging their lives. That’s it."

Milton Berle's Archive interview can be accessed here.

Interview Description:

Milton Berle (1908-2002) was interviewed for four hours in Los Angeles, CA. Berle fondly recalled "Mama Berle" and her influence on his early career when he started performing as a child in vaudeville. He discussed how his vaudeville background prepared him for television. He talked extensively about the success of Texaco Star Theater and how he earned the moniker "Uncle Miltie." He recalled the challenges of performing live and creating fresh material each week. Berle also openly discussed his reputation as a "perfectionist" and the legendary rumor that he stole jokes from others.

Comedian George Carlin Has Died -- Archive Interview Excerpt Online

George Carlin, whose career as a stand-up comedian is legendary, but who also appeared on his own sitcom and was the very first host of Saturday Night Live, has died at the age of 71. He is a five-time Emmy nominee for his specials and received Daytime Emmy nominations for the children's show Shining Time Station.

The Archive interviewed Carlin just last December; his interview can be viewed at Academy headquarters and an excerpt is viewable online here.



Full interview description:

Comedian George Carlin described his early comedic talents and how, as a teenager, he would record bits on a tape recorder and play them back for friends. He talked about his influences from the movies (particularly Danny Kaye’s films) and early television (such as the variety series Broadway Open House) on his comic sensibilities. He then chronicled his early life through the Air Force, as a disk jockey, and as half of a comedy team with Jack Burns, that led to his first professional appearance on television on Jack Paar’s Tonight Show. He noted the various “breaks” along the way that got him seen and furthered his career. He talked about going solo and working as a stand-up comedian for several years before he got back into making television appearances on such programs as The Ed Sullivan Show. He spoke in detail about his infamous “Seven Dirty Words” monologue and the FCC case that resulted from it (filed against WBAI radio, for obscenity). He recalled his appearance as the very first host of Saturday Night Live. He talked about his HBO specials and how they resurrected his career. He touched on his later work as an actor in Kevin Smith’s movies and on such shows as the PBS series Shining Time Station, which earned him two Daytime Emmy nominations as Outstanding Performer in a Children’s Series.

Legendary Dancer Cyd Charisse Has Died

Archive interviewee Cyd Charisse, who appeared in such classic MGM musicals as Singin' in the Rain and The Band Wagon, and hosted her own NBC variety series Meet Cyd Charisse, has died at age 87.

Charisse and husband Tony Martin also appeared on many variety series on television including The Hollywood Palace.

Link to Cyd Charisse's Reuters obituary.

Link to official Cyd Charisse site with biographical information and lots of photos from her life and career.

Cyd Charisse's full Archive interview can be viewed at Archive headquarters and will be online soon. Click here to see Part 2 of the four-part interview:

Interview Description:
Charisse talked about her start as a dancer for the Ballet Russe. She described in detail her 14 year tenure under contract at MGM studios, appearing as a dancer in such film classics as Ziegfeld Follies, Singin' in the Rain, The Band Wagon, and Silk Stockings. Charisse described the fertile training ground MGM offered for nurturing the talents they had under contract. She talked about her many television appearances including the specials Meet Cyd Charisse, Perry Como’s Kraft Music Hall, and the Bob Hope Specials, as well as her multiple appearances with her husband Tony Martin on the variety series The Hollywood Palace.

Beloved Comedian Harvey Korman Has Died-- Archive Interview Online

Harvey Korman, known for his work as a regular on The Carol Burnett Show and in the films of Mel Brooks, has died at the age of 81. The Archive interviewed Korman together with his frequent comedy partner Tim Conway in 2004.

Harvey Korman was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame in 2002.

Click here to access his Archive Interview.
Click here to access the Archive Interview with Harvey Korman & Tim Conway.

Interview Description:
Harvey Korman was interviewed for three hours in Beverly Hills, CA, consisting of two parts: one-and-a-half hours with comedy partner Tim Conway, and one-and-a-half hours alone. Korman spoke about studying under actress Uta Hagen and talked about some of his earliest television roles. He spoke thoughtfully about working with several legendary comics including Danny Kaye, Lucille Ball, and Jack Benny. He and Tim Conway spoke in great detail about their years on The Carol Burnett Show, including descriptions of famous characters and sketches. They also talked about their work in recent years touring the country with their two-man stage show. Korman talked about headlining several short-lived series and his thoughts on being better suited as a second banana. Additionally he spoke about his work as a voice actor, playing “The Great Gazoo” on The Flintstones, and his feature film collaborations with Mel Brooks and Blake Edwards.

Dick Martin Dies at the Age of 86-- Archive Interview Segment Online

Comedian Dick Martin, best known as the co-host with Dan Rowan of television's Laugh-In (1968-73) has died (click here for his obituary on Newsday.com). The Archive interviewed Martin in 2002. His complete three-and-a-half hour interview will be available online soon and can also be viewed at Academy headquarters.

For Laugh-In's 40th anniversary in January of this year, the Archive posted a lengthy segment of his interview, which can be viewed here.


Interview description:
Martin spoke about his lifelong ambition to work in the entertainment industry, and his early career steps in Hollywood. He described his first encounter with Dan Rowan, and their subsequent partnership. He remembered with great detail their years on the road working in nightclubs around the country, and their early forays into television. Next, he spoke about working with Lucille Ball as an occasional performer on her CBS series The Lucy Show. Mr. Martin spoke at length about their renowned variety series Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In, and talked about working with his well-known co-stars. Finally, he discussed his second career as a director for television, on programs including The Bob Newhart Show, Flo, Family Ties, Mama’s Family, The Bradys, and Newhart.

William Shatner's New Book & Archive Interview Online

William Shatner has a new book out—- Up Till Now. He was interviewed by the Archive in 1999-- see what he talked about up until then.

Click here for his complete five-part interview.







Some excerpts from his interview:

On his speech pattern:

I admire phrasing. Frank Sinatra’s phrasing spoke to me. And so words… one doesn’t think in terms of sentences. One thinks in terms of the key word that you want to communicate… you can disperse with everything else. I want to communicate with you.

On the cameras in “live” television:

Cameras were very large, had a lot of hot tubes. And they had a fan in it. And the fan [had] a low noise, as minimal noise as possible. So, it made a little wurring sound as it cooled the innards of the camera. For all the- for all that you might know it was breathing. And there was this warm camera, and there was somebody behind it, but he was kind of hidden behind this massive thing. So the thing kind of moved. In fact, one time I saw two cameras on dolly’s, electrical dolly’s, from one end of- somehow they got loose, and they came at each other, two camera’s on electrical dolly’s, like two pre-historic animals, uh, boom, and they hit each other, and they fell over, like two pre-historic amphibians. So, I thought of the camera as alive, it- was like- if you stood beside it, it could make an entrance. Thing kind of purred at you. If you were gonna come on camera during a live television show, you might make an entrance beside the camera. Cue comes on – come past the camera. So while you’re standing by the camera, things going- wooo- and it never frightened me. It- I always loved that camera. I loved the little camera, and, and you could pet it. You could, you could savor it. Then its eye went on, little red eye.

On the appeal of Star Trek:

I think that the mystique of Star Trek, the legend, the mythological proportions of Star Trek provide something that’s missing in people’s consciousness, psyche. They yearn, look for- mythology, the Greeks had it to explain away things. We don’t have it in our civilization. I think Star Trek provides a myth, and it’s built like a Greek play. A leader and his band of men searching the unknown.

On Star Trek co-star Leonard Nimoy:

Well, Leonard Nimoy is one of the great men alive, he’s just a wonderful, warm, genuine, loving human being, and I don’t know how much I loved him uh, during the show. I don’t recall, I must of, he was different. He was silent, he told me later, he was being Spock, but the warmth I feel for him now is enormous. He’s my brother.

On T. J. Hooker:

T.J. Hooker, could have been a wonderful, could have been a wonderful show, it was a terrific show, I loved doing it, and I ran up and down the streets of Los Angeles, for five years, and I had a great time, but because it’s television, it couldn’t fulfill the original premise. The original premise was a guy, an older cop full of the previous- before the Miranda, reading of the Miranda rights concepts, now having to read, and apply to the Miranda rights, and having to be there when he knew the bad guy needed a- a poke in the eye, and that frenzy, that rage, that was in him, was the- was the pull and the tug. The push and the pull that- that should have been there all the time. It was only there occasionally.

"It's Saturday Night Live..." Don Pardo Interview Posted

The third season of Saturday Night Live comes out on DVD today. The Archive interviewed long-time announcer Don Pardo, whose voice has been closely associated with the show since its debut in 1975.


Click here to view Don Pardo's entire eight-part interview.




Interview description:

Pardo talked about joining NBC in 1944 and defined his duties as a staff announcer. He listed several of the radio and early television series on which he worked and described his trademark announcing style. He talked about his long association with several game shows including the original The Price Is Right, Choose Up Sides (where he appeared on-camera as “Mr. Mischief”), and the original Jeopardy! (that launched the pop culture catchphrase: “Don Pardo, tell her what she’s won!”). Lastly, Pardo spoke in great detail about the series for which he is most closely associated, Saturday Night Live. He then acknowledged leaving his post as staff announcer at NBC having held the position for a record 60 years and 6 months.

"Father Knows Best" on DVD: Stars Jane Wyatt & Elinor Donahue Interviews Online!

The classic 50s TV family sitcom "Father Knows Best" has been released on DVD!

The Archive has interviewed two of the show's stars, Elinor Donahue and Jane Wyatt, at length for our oral history collection.

Click here to access Elinor Donahue's entire 7-part interview.

Interview Description:
Elinor Donahue was interviewed in 2006. She outlines her early film career in such films as "Mister Big" and "The Unfinished Dance". She describes appearing in early experimental TV for Klaus Landsberg and speaks fondly of her appearance on "The Ray Bolger Show". She speaks in detail about her role as teenager "Betty 'Princess' Anderson" on the classic '50s sitcom "Father Knows Best". She recalls working with producer Eugene Rodney and her fictional father Robert Young, "mother" Jane Wyatt and "siblings" Billy Gray and Lauren Chapin. Throughout the interview, Donahue also discusses her many guest appearances on series over the years including "The Andy Griffith Show", "The Odd Couple","Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman", "Get A Life", "The Loretta Young Show", "Star Trek", and "Ellen".

Click here to access Jane Wyatt's entire 4-part interview.

Interview description:
Jane Wyatt (1910-2006) was interviewed for two hours in Los Angeles, CA in 1999. Ms. Wyatt described her lengthy career in film, stage, and television. She talked about her feature film debut in 1934 in James Whale’s One More River and her subsequent film roles in such classics as Frank Capra’s Lost Horizon and Elia Kazan’s Gentleman’s Agreement. She discussed the McCarthy era in which she found herself on an industry blacklist, unable to work in film. She described her television debut on Robert Montgomery Presents in the title role of “Kitty Foyle” (1950) and her varied roles in “live” television. She described in detail her most memorable and enduring work for television on Father Knows Best (1954-63), in which she played the role of wife and mother Margaret Anderson, a part that won her three consecutive Emmy Awards. She talked about her appearance as Mr. Spock’s human mother on the series Star Trek (a role she repeated in the feature film Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home). Ms. Wyatt also described her memorable recurring role as Katherine Auschlander on the medical drama St. Elsewhere.

See more of your favorite TV Legends interviewed online! Click, search, and subscribe by clicking here!

25 Years Ago: M*A*S*H Ended Its Run

25 years ago, on February 28, 1983, the celebrated series M*A*S*H ended its 11 year, 250 episode run with a 2-1/2 hour special episode, "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen" (written by many of the show's writers and directed by Alan Alda) The bittersweet special garnered the largest audience to ever watch a single episode of a television show, with a share of 77% of all Americans watching television that night.

Click here for an excellent summary of that classic episode from Wikipedia.


In the Archive of American Television interview segment below, Alan Alda (who played "Hawkeye Pierce") recounts the filming of the last episode. Click on the arrow to play.



Click here to access Alan Alda's full 6-part interview.

Alan Alda Interview Description:
In his 6-part (3 hour) interview conducted on November 17, 2000, actor/director/writer Alan Alda spoke about his early years, which included a serious bout with polio as a child. He detailed his training as an actor, which included time at Paul Sills’s Improvisational Workshop at Second City and the Compass School of Improvisation, both in New York. He described his early appearances on television, including as a regular on That Was the Week That Was (1964) and the syndicated What’s My Line? In great detail, he described his role as actor, director, and writer of the critically-acclaimed and long-running series M*A*S*H (1972-83), in which he played “Benjamin Franklin ‘Hawkeye’ Pierce,” and for which he won multiple Emmy Awards. He talked about his later work as a writer-director of feature films including "The Four Seasons," which he also produced as a series in 1984. He also talked about his work as an actor in feature films, notably several directed by Woody Allen. Finally, Alda discussed such recent acting work in television as the telefilms … And the Band Played On and Neil Simon’s Jake’s Women (reprising his Broadway performance), as well as series guest star on ER, for which he received his 29th Emmy nomination.

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.

Jack Larson, TV's Jimmy Olsen, Turns 75 Today!

Jack Larson played everyone's favorite cub reporter from 1952-58 on the syndicated The Adventures of Superman, which starred George Reeves. He recently made a cameo appearance in the 2006 big screen Superman Returns. Last year, Larson attended the Archive's 10th Anniversary Party, which honored the Archive's first 500 interviewees (photo, left).

Click here to watch his entire Archive Interview.




Interview description:
Larson spoke in great detail about the role for which he is most associated, that of Daily Planet cub reporter “Jimmy Olsen” in the 1950s television series The Adventures of Superman. He discussed the ways he played the character, the kinds of comedy and stunts he did for the series, the one-take filming schedule, and his work with the regular cast and guest stars. He also discussed the popularity of “Superman” and why he thinks it has become a franchise phenomenon. Larson spoke candidly about the difficulties he had coping with instant celebrity and his struggles later on when he found that he was typecast. Additionally, he talked about his earlier career, screen testing for the feature film Fighter Squadron and landing a contract with Warner Brothers, as well as his work in “live” television in New York. Finally, Larson talked about his guest appearances in recent years on such series as Lois & Clark— The New Adventures of Superman.

Archive Interviewee Ruby Dee Gets Her Due

Actress Ruby Dee won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role for American Gangster and has received her very first Oscar nomination for the role as well. Dee's acting career spans over sixty years. The Archive interviewed both Dee and her late husband (and frequent) co-star Ossie Davis.















Click here to access Ruby Dee's entire four-part interview.

Interview description:
Ruby Dee talked about her start as an actress in feature films and on Broadway. She described the experience of being an African-American lead actress working in series television— a rare sight in the 1950s and 60s. She described her early work in television, such as her regular role in the 1955 soap opera This Is Nora Drake. She talked about her continued work in television in the 1960s on the anthology series Actor’s Choice, Camera Three, and Play of the Week, as well as the drama series The Nurses, East Side/West Side, and The Defenders. She talked about her regular roles on the series The Guiding Light (as “Martha Frazier”) and Peyton Place (as “Alma Miles”). She talked about her numerous roles in television movies and miniseries in the 1970s including I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and Roots: The Next Generations. She spoke of her collaborations with her husband of many years Ossie Davis, including their radio show With Ossie and Ruby (1981-82).

Shirley Jones joins "Days of Our Lives" -- Archive Interview is Now Online

Iconic actress Shirley Jones has joined the cast of daytime soap Days of our Lives. She's playing Colleen Brady (complete with Irish brogue), the "supposedly dead" great-aunt of Sami Brady. According to published reports, she'll be on the the show throughout February.

Ms. Jones was interviewed by the Archive of American Television on December 7, 2005. Click here to access Ms. Jones' 5-part interview.


Shirley Jones Interview Description:
Actress Shirley Jones speaks about her early career, her discovery by Rodgers and Hammerstein, and her television debut on Playhouse 90, which lead to her casting in her Academy Award-winning role in "Elmer Gantry". She discusses working on the film "The Music Man" and other features. She talks in depth about her first series role as Shirley Partridge on The Partridge Family and discusses working with her stepson and co-star, David Cassidy. She then talks about the many made-for-television movies she has made including: The Children of An Lac, There Were Times Dear and Hidden Places. She also discusses her work on The Drew Carey Show, where she played Drew’s love-interest for three episodes.

In honor of her return to series television (this is her first soap role), we're including the entire 25-minute pilot episode of The Partridge Family, which premiered in September of 1970. As far as pilots go, it's one of the best!

It's a known fact that Lincoln loved mayonnaise! -- "The Odd Couple" Season 3 is on DVD

Season Three of The Odd Couple is now available on DVD and includes a number of the series' most well-remembered episodes including "Let's Make A Deal," "The Odd Monks" (Felix and Oscar go to a retreat at an upstate Mission), and, possibly the most famous (but you knew that from this post's title quotation): "Password." The Archive of American Television interviewed several of the cast and crew behind the series; Tony Randall discusses the genesis of the "Password" episode in part four of his interview.



Click here to access Tony Randall's entire four-part Archive interview.

Tony Randall Interview Description:
Randall explained that it was his role on television's Mr. Peepers that launched his career. He recalled his early years in live television and his association with comedian Wally Cox and producer Fred Coe. He talked extensively about working on The Odd Couple and his enduring friendship with Jack Klugman. He also talked about his favorite, but short lived series, Love, Sidney, as well as The Tony Randall Show. The interview was conducted by Matt Roush on April 30, 1998.

Look that up in your Funk and Wagnalls -- "Laugh-In" is forty!

A "verrry eenteresting" TV anniversary....

40 years ago, on January 22nd, 1968, Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In premiered on NBC.

The colorful show, hosted by Dan Rowan and Dick Martin (and featuring Ruth Buzzi, Judy Carne, Henry Gibson, Goldie Hawn, Arte Johnson, announcer Gary Owens and Jo Anne Worley), was lauded for its fast-paced, sometimes-irreverent vignette comedy sketches and quick gags -- edited in a seemingly random format. The show, produced by Ed Friendly and George Schlatter, quickly shot to number one in the ratings for both the 1968–69 and 1969–70 television seasons.


To celebrate, we've posted a segment of co-host (and co-producer) Dick Martin's Archive interview. Click on the play arrow to watch.




Archive interview with Dick Martin continues here:




Click here to see a great Wikipedia article, filled with lots of facts and trivia about the show.

Actress Suzanne Pleshette has died - Archive Interview Online

We're sad to report that Archive interviewee Suzanne Pleshette, the actress best known for her role as Emily Hartley on The Bob Newhart Show, died last night (Saturday, January 19th) at the age of 70. She was interviewed in February, 2006 and the interview is now available online.


Click here for her full San Jose Mercury News obituary.

Click here to view a special TV Land Online video featuring Archive interviews with Suzanne Pleshette & Bob Newhart talking about The Bob Newhart Show.

Academy of Television Arts & Sciences online Suzanne Pleshette obituary.

Click here to access Suzanne Pleshette's Archive interview.

Interview description:
In her 5-part oral history interview, actress Suzanne Pleshette talks about her early years as an actress in film (The Geisha Boy), television (Playhouse 90, One Step Beyond), and Broadway (“The Miracle Worker”). She discusses her friendship with Alfred Hitchcock that began on the feature film The Birds. She spoke candidly and in detail about her television work, including The Bob Newhart Show, in which she played Newhart’s wife “Emily Hartley,” including her surprise re-appearance in the series finale of Newhart. She talks about several of her other appearances on television including Columbo, Leona Helmsley: The Queen of Mean (in which she played the title role), and 8 Simple Rules and recounted, with honesty, the personalities of many of the people she worked with throughout her career.