The Backstory: How Michael Jackson almost didn't make TV History in 1983

"...I shudder to think how close we came to not having that moment ever happen."


Although not yet online, here's a striking interview excerpt from the Archive of American Television's interview with legendary producer, Don Mischer, who co-produced and directed Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever, where Michael Jackson mesmerized the audience with his tradmark "moonwalk." The interview was conducted November 7, 2008 by Beth Cochran.

"Suzanne de Passe had called me. She was a longtime associate of Berry Gordy and Motown Records and we started having meetings about doing a celebratory show about the 25th anniversary of Motown. I grew up on Motown music. The Temptations, the Tops, the Miracles, Smokey Robinson, it was just right down my alley. We started working on that.

It was a tough show to do. Many of the artists that appeared on that stage that night were suing Berry Gordy. Suzanne and I used to fight these battles about people wanting to do new material because many of them had left the Motown label and wanted to do new songs. Suzanne was so eloquent in talking to them. Our approach was: this is the 25th anniversary of Motown, it's a celebration of music that started in Detroit and has now swept the nation. It did so much for civil rights, for the merging of black and white music, “you must do your most famous Motown song. You can’t do a new song.” We said that to Marvin Gaye and to the Tops and the Temps and everybody else who was on that show.

We wanted to bring the Jackson 5 back together. Michael Jackson said, “I will consider coming back again with my brothers, but I want to do a new song.” Suzanne and I said, “look, we can’t do that. If you say no to Marvin Gaye and no to Lionel Ritchie, no to a new song, how are you going to say yes to Michael Jackson? We really, really can’t do this. It's not fair, it's got to be favored nations, everybody’s got to do the traditional stuff.” And it was like the Monday before the show which was being shot on a Friday, that we finally realized that it was too much to lose to not have the Jackson 5 reunite on the 25th anniversary of Motown. So we said, we’re going to at least have to consider it.

It's now the night before the Friday night taping. I’m in the truck. Michael shows up. We talk about how we’re going to do the Jackson 5. Michael always gives me hand cues about when to do certain things. “When I break my wrist I do this, when I point this way, I take my hat off and we, you know, whatever.” So Linda Ronstadt’s out there, Smokey’s out there, Diana Ross was just sitting in the audience, a bunch of runners and Pas sitting around. And Michael says, “okay, now let’s try the new song.”

Michael starts to do “Billie Jean” with the moonwalk. And I kick myself today: why didn’t I pop a piece of tape into a tape recorder in the truck and shoot this? I didn’t think about it. It was just another song, we were prepared not use. And man, it just electrified everyone! You know the rest of the story. He ended up doing it and it became one of the real remarkable moments in television. I shudder to think how close we came to not having that moment ever happen."

"The Norman Lear Collection" Released on DVD

Comprising the first seasons of seven of Norman Lear's classic TV series, plus such extras as the newly-discovered All in the Family pilot "Justice for All," Sony releases "The Norman Lear Collection." Among the "season ones" included in the set: All in the Family; Good Times; The Jeffersons; Maude; Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (first 25 episodes only); One Day at a Time; and Sanford & Son. There are over six hours of bonus materials, including featurettes on all the shows.

"I was a part of a giant collaboration. That's the best thing I do, collaborate...." says the now 86-year-old Lear on the brief introduction to the set ("Don't Miss This"). In the first All in the Family featurette ("Those Were the Days: The Birth of All in the Family" [TRT 27:00]) Lear discuses how he and his father were the models for Archie and Mike and outlines the making of the pilot including the casting and characterizations of the leads. In the second All in the Family featurette ("The Television Revolution Begins: All in the Family Is on the Air" [TRT 30:40]) Lear talks about how the network wanted to air the second filmed show first (worried that the pilot script was too inflammatory), plus, in new and vintage interviews, we hear from from Lear, Carroll O'Connor, and the rest of the cast on the acceptance and popularity of the show, its characters and themes. Each of the series on the set have corresponding featurettes that similarly discuss their approach to social themes— a hallmark of all of Lear's shows.

The best part about the set is to compare the two pilots and the premiere episode of All in the Family— all of which used the same script, with some changes. The most significant difference was the re-casting of Mike and Gloria, until Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers got the parts for the series premiere. PHOTO: Norman Lear (at the DVD launch party held at the Paley Center for Media) speaks to Dan Wingate, Technical Specialist at Sony Pictures Entertainment, who uncovered the lost original pilot to All in the Family.

Watch the trailer for the DVD here.


Norman Lear discusses his thoughts on what constitutes the best of television, in his Archive of American Television interview:



Click her to watch the Archive's entire interview with Norman Lear.

Harry Friedman-featured in this month's "Emmy"

Harry Friedman, producer of Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! among many other iconic programs, was interviewed by the Archive in 2007. His story is featured in this month's EMMY magazine, available now.




UPDATE: 1/1/09 The full article has been posted to the Jeopardy! site. Read it here.

Detailed description:
Harry Friedman was interviewed for over two hours in Culver City, CA. Friedman described his early career path and how he came to be a writer on The Hollywood Squares in the 1970s. He talked about producing the late 80s version of the show that featured Joan Rivers as the center square. He spoke in great detail about his long association with the game shows Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! that he began producing in the mid-90s. For Wheel he talked about changes made to the game play through the years, such as the addition of the Jackpot Round and the Mystery Round; as well as the Wheel Watchers Club. For Jeopardy!, he talked about the winning streak of Ken Jennings. The interview was conducted on October 10, 2007.

For more on this and other Archive interviews, visit emmytvlegends.org or our TVLegends youtube channel

Producer/Director Alan Neuman Has Died -- Archive Interview Online

We're sorry to report that Archive interviewee, producer-director Alan Neuman passed away on November 23rd, at the age of 84. Alan directed innumerable “live” on-location dramatic, variety, and documentary productions, including NBC’s first televised presidential election coverage and the first show that ever linked four countries together.

Click here to access the entire six-part videotaped interview.

Some interview excerpts are as follows:

On Kate Smith (from part 3):
Kate Smith was a wonderful, remarkable talent. She was a great performer for the theater. When they were traveling she would cut the boys’ hair— she was a barber as well. But I remember the transition. The show became enormously popular. But I remember the girl who cut hair…. Every Friday show, she would sing “God Bless America.” And I’ve probably heard it more than any other person I know has heard it. She had this great voice— big belting voice. And when she sang she filled a room, she filled a hall, she filled anything. She was the one who was always recognized with “God Bless America.” …. In those days, if she walked down the street, they followed her. And she was no beauty. She was not a Marilyn Monroe. But she was Kate Smith. And that meant a great deal.

On the Blacklist (from part 3):
The ad agency would say, the cheese company, or the car company doesn’t want to be in the position of pushing Communism in any shape, manner, or form. They’re out here buying entertainment and we don’t want that. And I could understand their perspective but I wasn’t sympathetic to it…. Who cared if they were a Communist when they were sixteen? It never made much sense…. It literally kept people from functioning, from earning a living…. I found it an abhorrent thing.

On Wide Wide World (from part 4):
I was the first one to do a show in which we linked four countries together— Canada, Mexico, Cuba, and the United States. It was Christmas and we sang “Adeste Fidelis.”…. I had a DC-10, a plane, between Miami and Havana, circling overhead relaying the signal, because that’s what was needed. …. I gave [the Emmy the show won] to the technical supervisor who was responsible for it.

On working with President Herbert Hoover (from part 4):
[NBC President] Pat Weaver called me and said I want you to do [a certain series]. I said I never heard of [that] series. He said that’s why I want you on board— jazz it up a little bit. I said "who’s the guest?" He said Herbert Hoover. I said, "Jazz him up?!".... But I got Hoover to laugh on camera, I got him to tell stories about himself… This is a man that never smiled on camera. I got him to tell the story about the little girl at Mark Hopkins who came over to him and said, "Mr. Hoover, may I have twelve of your autographs?" And he said, “Twelve? Why do you need twelve?" "Because twelve of yours is worth one Willie Mays." To get him to tell that story on himself on camera was I felt an accomplishment.

On Maurice Chevalier’s interview for Person to Person (from part 5):
Chevalier had not been permitted to visit this country. He had performed before the German officers. The truth was [he had been given an ultimatum]— “Mr. Chevalier you want to appear before the Frenchmen that we’ve captured, you’ve got to appear before a German camp.” So they gave him that, and he appeared before the Germans, so he could appear before the French. Now we were holding up his visa. He’s a famous French entertainer and we weren’t permitting him to come in. This was during the McCarthy time. I hope that by the story being explained when I did it on Person to Person, it helped, because he was permitted to attend the Academy Awards the following year. [In 1959, producing Person to Person abroad] I informed New York that I was gonna do an entire half-hour [on Chevalier]. They said no. The only ones that ever took a half-hour were Kennedy and Nixon. You’re not gonna take a half-hour— it would break precedent. Why are you taking a half-an-hour? I said because I can’t tell the story in just fifteen minutes. I had visited Chevalier where he had a home. And as I walked up the steps he had a photograph of every woman he had ever been with, all these major stars going on up, ending up with a shrine to his mother that he had outside his bed. And I knew there was no way I was gonna get to any of this without a half-hour at least! He was extraordinary, he was very funny, and it was a delightful half-hour. So what I did is, I shot a half-hour. There was no room for a commercial break in the middle. CBS, when they got the material, was stuck with what I sent them…. There was no commercial break in the middle, they had to give me the whole half-hour— if the man is walking up a staircase you can’t cut away.

Interview description:
Alan Neuman talked about joining NBC as a page in 1947 and his rise through the ranks as stage manager and then director. He described the studios at Rockefeller Center and the early camerawork on such series as Kraft Television Theater. He recalled directing NBC’s first televised presidential election coverage in 1948, anchored by Ben Grauer, which lasted so long that he had Grauer doing calisthenics on the air. He talked about serving as director on such early series as The Three Flames, Mary Kay and Johnny, and Broadway Open House (the forerunner to the Tonight Show). He spoke in detail about his work with Kate Smith and her manager Ted Collins on The Kate Smith Hour. Neuman discussed his work as a producer/director on programs that featured several Presidents of the United States, including Presidents Hoover, Eisenhower, and Kennedy. He talked about the first color remote broadcast done by NBC, for Matinee Theater. He spoke in detail about the series Wide Wide World and Person to Person, for which he served as a producer. Additionally, he talked about the era of the Hollywood Blacklist. B-roll consisted of several photos of Neuman with the presidents he worked with and a photo from the premiere episode of Adlai Stevenson Presents. The interview was conducted by Gary Rutkowski on February 15, 2006.

Producer Robert Justman Has Died -- Archive Interview Online

Robert Justman, who was an associate producer of the original Star Trek series and co-authored a definitive volume on the series (Inside Star Trek: The Real Story) has died at the age of 81.

Robert Justman's four hour interview is available online. Click here to access.

Interview description:
Justman talked about breaking into the entertainment industry as a production assistant in low budget feature films. Justman discussed his entrance into television as a second assistant director starting with the series The Adventures of Superman. Justman described his continued work in television where he moved up to first assistant director and unit production manager on such series as The Outer Limits. He discussed in great detail his work as an associate producer on the classic science fiction series Star Trek and its later incarnation Star Trek: The Next Generation (for which he served as the supervising producer in its first season). For Star Trek he discussed working with creator Gene Roddenberry, talked about the cast members, and described memorable episodes.

40th Anniversary of Petula Clark-Harry Belafonte "Touch" Controversy

The television special Petula, aired in April 1968. A vehicle for popular singer Petula Clark ("Downtown"), the show featured Harry Belafonte as her guest. During one song, Petula touched Belafonte's arm and this "interracial contact" was considered taboo enough to cause a national controversy to surround the special.

Several takes of the song existed on tape in which Clark didn't touch Belafonte, but the special was delivered to NBC with the controversial take intact. The moment is very tame, to say the least, to the modern eye. Even at the time Variety ended its review of the special: "... the touching bit which caused such a stir... could only disturb the spiritually sick."

Petula Producer/Director Steve Binder was interviewed as part of the Archive of American Television's "Living Television" collection. Watch the excerpt below (his full interview can be accessed here) for his first-hand description of how the Petula controversy unfolded.




Full interview description:
Full two-part oral history interview with acclaimed producer/director Steve Binder. He discusses his work on many notable productions including: "The T.A.M.I Show", "Petula", "Elvis: The '68 Comeback Special", "Liza", "Shields & Yarnell", "Diana Ross in Central Park", and many other specials including multiple Emmy Awards shows. Conducted March 4, 2004 by Stephen J. Abramson.

"The Price Is Right" Is On DVD; Show Creator Bob Stewart's Archive Interview Now Online

The Price Is Right has c'mon on out on DVD— 26 classic episodes. The Archive interviewed host and game show legend Bob Barker in 2000.

The Archive additionally interviewed the creator of The Price Is Right and many other classic game shows, Bob Stewart.

Click here to access Bob Stewart's entire seven-part interview.

Interview Description:
Stewart spoke about his transition from radio to television, and his first television show, Songs for Sale. Stewart looked back on his association with producers Mark Goodson and Bill Todman (Goodson-Todman), which began in 1955. He talked about creating the game shows To Tell the Truth, The Price is Right and Password. He discussed the quiz show scandals and its impact on future game shows. Stewart commented on his continued success with his show The $10,000 Pyramid, which was later re-titled The $100,000 Pyramid. He discussed the importance of game show host selection, the qualities of a perfect contestant, and the key to creating a fun and successful game show.

FINALLY! "Gilligan" and "Brady" Creator Sherwood Schwartz gets a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

CONGRATULATIONS TO SHERWOOD SCHWARTZ,
WHO WILL BE HONORED WITH A STAR ON THE
HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME THIS FRIDAY.

WHO:
Sherwood Schwartz
Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, President/CEO Leron Gubler
Guest speakers: Florence Henderson and Dawn Wells

WHAT:
2,356th Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

WHERE:
6541 Hollywood Boulevard

WHEN:
Friday, March 7, at 11:30 a.m.

To watch Archive interviewee Sherwood Schwartz's full 12-part (6 hour) interview, click here.

Interview description:
Aside from discussing the creation of his classics, Gilligan's Island and The Brady Bunch, Sherwood Schwartz candidly described writing for comedic legends Bob Hope, Milton Berle, Red Skelton, and working on such series as I Married Joan and It's About Time. The 6-hour interview was conducted by Dan Pasternack on September 17, 1997.

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.

Producer David Wolper Turns 80 Today

Legendary producer (and Archive of American Television co-founder) David L. Wolper is 80 years old today. Wolper's name is most associated with documentaries, such as Race for Space and The Making of a President as well as miniseries such as Roots. He also produced such feature films as Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory; sitcoms Welcome Back, Kotter and Chico and the Man; and special events such as the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games. Wolper was interviewed by the Archive about his life and career in 1998.

Soundbites from the interview.

On his philosophy of filmmaking:

I [devised] my philosophy of filmmaking, making the Race For Space and I never changed it from that first show. I want to entertain and inform, not just inform and not just entertain. I want to do both in the same piece. Because I remember, I saw a film in school once. And I came home and told my father. You know I saw this film in school, it was terrific. And my father said well you probably didn't learn anything. I said no dad, I learned more today because it was terrific. I enjoyed it, I did learn a lot. He said how can you learn a lot just watching film? That sort of reminded me. And when I did the Race For Space I wanted to get that entertainment.

On Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory:

Roald Dahl had a book. Mel Stewart, who has worked for my company, said his son read a book and really liked it called Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I thought it was terrific. About that time, Quaker Oats was sponsoring one of my shows. And Quaker Oats was coming out with a candy and they said maybe it's a good idea if we do a television thing on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. And I said well why don't you do a feature film, why don't you do a theatrical picture and get it out all over the theaters and the time you release the candy is the same time the movie comes out. So they put up the money to make the movie. They changed it to Willy Wonka because the name of the candy was going to be Willy Wonka. They changed it to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. We made the movie. It's a big hit. And the candy melts on the counter, they had the wrong formula and all the candy, they had to recall back all the candy.

On selling Welcome Back, Kotter:

We're going to New York and it's the selling season. Everybody goes to New York to sell the shows as a program. Everybody is trying to see the heads of the network, you know, this and this and this. So I [thought] I wonder when Fred Pierce is flying back to New York, the head of ABC, one of the top people. So I knew his secretary because I had done a lot of business with ABC. I said when is Freddy flying back. She said well he's flying back Wednesday. What flight is it? You know the seat number? Yes. Thank you. I called up the airline and I said I have to have this seat, this flight. Well somebody's there. Move him to another seat, I want seat 6 on flight 225. Just think, I'm going to be all the way to New York with Freddy Pierce sitting next to me and I'm going to sell him Welcome Back Kotter. And we get on the plane and I say oh Freddy, isn't that a coincidence. So I sit down. I talk about Welcome Back, Kotter subtly, you know. ...And "Welcome Back, Kotter," blah, blah, blah. By the time we got to New York I knew in my heart that they were going to buy Welcome Back, Kotter. And everybody is hustling, how do we get that guy? I need two minutes of your time Freddy. And I had four hours of him on the way to New York.

On meeting Roots author Alex Haley:

I negotiated the deal and bought the property from Alex Haley. The book had not been written. I hadn't met Alex Haley. So Alex Haley comes out to California. We have a little luncheon. Myself and some of the people in my company and in about ten minutes we're the table was won over. This man mesmerized us in a ten to twenty minute conversation, we were [mouth agape]. I went home from the lunch and said my god, this man is unbelievable.


On his favorite shows:

Well my favorite shows, they all have something to do with turning points in my life [A] favorite [documentary] was The Making of the President in 1960. I was once called "Mr. Documentary." Then I was in the miniseries and my favorite obviously is Roots. So now all of sudden I’m "Mr. Miniseries." Then I do the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games that... it was even worldwide. So everybody thinks I’m [Mr.] outdoor spectaculars, you know. But really, you know, my real love is the documentary.

The entire 11-part interview can be accessed here.

Interview description:
David Wolper was interviewed for nearly five-and-a-half hours in Los Angeles, CA. Wolper talked about forming his first company, Flamingo Films, with father and son friends Joe and Jim Harris. He discussed many of his documentaries, including the Race For Space, Hollywood: The Golden Years, and The Making of a President, among others. Wolper fondly recalled working with his long time friend Mike Wallace, as well meeting and working with oceanographer, Jacques Cousteau. He talked about two classic sitcoms, Chico and the Man and Welcome Back, Kotter, as well as the many television movies and specials he produced. Wolper also discussed in great detail his three highly acclaimed ABC mini-series, Roots, The Thorn Birds, and North and South. The interview was conducted by Morrie Gelman on May 12, 1998.

Archive of American Television interview with producer Robert Halmi, Sr., featured in Emmy magazine

The latest issue of Emmy magazine (Issue No. 5, 2007, with Cane's Jimmy Smits on the cover) includes selections from our Archive of American Television interview with producer (nearly 200 television movies and miniseries) and chairman of RHI Entertainment, Robert Halmi, Sr. He was interviewed for two hours in May, 2007.

Halmi’s credits include many of the most acclaimed broadcast and cable productions of the past four decades: Lonesome Dove, The Josephine Baker Story, Gypsy, Gulliver’s Travels, In Cold Blood, The Odyssey, Merlin, Moby Dick, Dinotopia, The Lion in Winter and Human Trafficking. At eighty-three, Halmi maintains a busy schedule. He lives primarily in New York and London and spends the first week of production on location for every one of his films. He runs RHI Entertainment with his son Robert Halmi, Jr., having reacquired the company in 2006 from Hallmark, which bought it in 1994.


Below are some excerpts from the article:

Q: You did some documentaries for television, then moved to features, but quickly returned to TV. Why?
A: I decided that maybe features were not for me. They were too complicated. I wanted to do television, but I didn’t want to go to t do it on my own. So I went to General Foods — they were fully sponsoring television shows then — and said I would like to make a film of the Hemingway short story “My Old Man.” This was to be my very first television movie, 1979. Typical for television — General Foods loved it, but the “problem” was, it was about an old man and a boy. They wanted a girl in the lead because the demographic was female. I had to get permission from the Hemingway estate to change the character to a girl. I hated it, but thehe networks. I thought I couldn I found Kristy McNichol. She was such an incredibly good actress — she made everybody cry. I think the movie got a 46 share.

Q: How did you begin your association with Hallmark Hall of Fame?
A: They saw my movies on CBS and approached me. Hall of Fame at that time was past its real glory — there had been too much competition. They did good, solid dramas, not exploitation stuff. It was family entertainment, and the name pre-sold it — you knew it was going to be good.

Q: Before Hallmark acquired RHI, what was the state of your company?
A:When I started, there were three or four of us. Before the acquisition by Hallmark, we had maybe thirty employees. Now we have 140, because of the Hallmark Channel, which my son [Robert Halmi, Jr.] created. We really grew because Hallmark Channel needed fifteen original movies a year. We opened offices in London and Australia.

Q: What is your philosophy regarding miniseries?
A: Two hours is a very short time, and on television it’s even shorter. In eighty-five minutes, you cannot really develop characters, you can- not go into somebody’s mind or heart, especially when it’s a complex story. You cannot do Captain Ahab [of Moby Dick] in 85 minutes — it’s too much character. [Halmi’s Moby Dick ran as a four-hour miniseries on USA Network in 1998.] These stories need time. I decided I’m not going to do anything but miniseries from now on. I’m finished with the two-hour versions of things.

Q: Why did you decide to reacquire your company from Hallmark?
A: I couldn’t face passing on and not owning my company. I want to leave something to my son and my kids. I want to leave them a library.

Q: What is the key to your success?
A: I don’t know if I’m successful. I like what I’m doing and I would not do anything else. I feel very strongly about the material and the process, actors and directors. It’s nice to be surrounded by these people, and my son gives me great pleasure because he does these things so brilliantly. To have a father-son relationship that works within a business is unique.

Q: There’s an international appeal to your work. How does that figure into your business?
A: Classics are better known in the rest of the world. They’re sought after and looked after. When I did Crime and Punishment for NBC, they didn’t want to put Dostoevsky’s name on it. They said, ‘It’s a deterrent.’ I said, “You’re crazy! In Europe, they would be proud. Dostoevsky comes first, and then Crime and Punishment!” Here, it’s sad.

Q: Have you always felt that way?
A: When I started, I only knew about American audiences, and the movies reflected that. Once we became bigger, we realized half of the income comes from the other parts of the world. On any movie, we have to satisfy that world.

Q: What is your proudest career achievement?
A: Making people sometimes cry, sometimes laugh, sometimes think.

Q: How would you like to be remembered?
A: As a good storyteller.

You can find the issue at some newsstands, or it can be ordered through the Emmy Magazine Webpage.

Happy Hitchcock Halloween!

On April 13, 1958 Alfred Hitchcock Presents aired "Lamb to the Slaughter," which would become one of the series' classic shows, featured on the newly released Season Three DVD.



Listen to producer Norman Lloyd discussing this episode (spoiler alert!) and his work as a producer and director on the series two minutes into tape 4 of his interview (click the arrow above).

"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.