Ben Starr

In his three-hour interview, Ben Starr (1921-2014) talks about writing for radio stars Al Jolson, Dean Martin, and Jerry Lewis. He speaks of his start in television, writing for live programs like Climax!, and explains what it was like to write for the popular show Mister Ed. Starr also talks of writing two episodes of The Brady Bunch, one of which was "The Personality Kid" in which "Peter Brady" delivers the famous "pork chops and applesauce" line. He speaks of writing for Norman Lear's All in The Family, and details developing the series Diff'rent Strokes. He discusses writing the pilots for television shows Perry Mason and The Thin Man, but not staying on to write for the rest of the series runs. Starr also describes co-creating The Facts of Life and Silver Spoons. He outlines his writing routine, and shares details of his regular lunches with pals Sid Caesar, Hal Kanter, and other television legends. Dan Harrison conducted the interview on November 9, 2009 in Los Angeles, CA.