David L. Wolper

Producer/ Documentarian

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The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

02:26

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About

About this interview

In his nearly five-and-a-half-hour interview, producer David L. Wolper (1928-2010) talks about forming his first company, Flamingo Films, with father and son friends Joe and Jim Harris. He discusses many of his documentaries, including The Race for Space, Hollywood: The Golden Years, and The Making of a President, among others. Wolper fondly recalls working with his long-time friend Mike Wallace, as well meeting and working with oceanographer Jacques Cousteau. He talks about producing two classic sitcoms, Chico and the Man and Welcome Back, Kotter, as well as the many television movies and specials he produced. Wolper also discusses in great detail his three highly acclaimed ABC miniseries: Roots, The Thorn Birds, and North and South. Morrie Gelman conducted the interview on May 12, 1998 in Los Angeles, CA.

All views expressed by interviewees are theirs alone and not necessarily those of the Television Academy.

"I got my philosophy of filmmaking from 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."

People Talking About ...

David L. Wolper

Highlights

David L. Wolper on producing The Race for Space and on the network news departments refusing to buy it

02:39

David L. Wolper on casting Roots, including LeVar Burton as "Kunta Kinte"

03:40

David L. Wolper on The Making of the President: 1964

05:57

David L. Wolper on producing The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau

03:12

David Wolper on fighting for key scenes in Roots

02:15

David L. Wolper on the huge success of Roots when it aired in January of 1977

03:57

Full Interview

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Chapter 1

On his early years and influences; on radio he listened to while growing up; on seeing television at the 1939 World's Fair; on his family's first television set

On moving to Los Angeles and befriending future writer Art Buchwald at USC; on forming a company to sell educational films to television stations; on the experience of traveling the country selling educational and feature films to local television stations

Chapter 2

On buying the rights to feature films to syndicate to local television stations; on a typical television station in the late '40s and early '50s, and on how stations operated; on his early competition as "film peddlers": Fredric Ziv

On the business of television syndication early on; on his early syndication company Flamingo Films being merged into Motion Pictures for Television; on working on the syndication and sponsorship of Adventures of Superman starring George Reeves

On how the business of syndication worked in the early days of television; on the syndicated series Divorce Hearing; on the genesis and production of The Race for Space

Chapter 3

On producing The Race for Space and on the network news departments refusing to buy it; on selling The Race for Space to independent television stations; on critical reaction to The Race for Space and on the show being a turning point in his career

On the the role of the producer and director in a documentary; on producing a documentary on the history of Hollywood called Hollywood: The Golden Years; on producing Biography

On The Race for Space holding up over time; on his style of making documentaries; on forming his own production company

Chapter 4

On Irving "Swifty" Lazar; on The Making of the President: 1964; on getting involved in National Geographic Specials

On producing The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau; on winning an Emmy for The Making of the Presidency ; on making a deal with ABC to air 24 of his series

On his production company in the late '60s; on selling his production company to John Kluge's Metromedia; on producing feature films

Chapter 5

On doing convention films in 1964 for Lyndon B. Johnson; on making convention films in 1972 for Richard M. Nixon; on producing Let My People Go and The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich

On making the switch to color for his documentaries; on doing documentaries about Adolf Hitler; on producing a series of specials titled Appointment with Destiny; on the controversial practice of docudramas using newly shot "recreations"

On the declining popularity of the documentary in the early '70s; on producing the film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory; on producing The First Woman President, directed by Delbert Mann

Chapter 6

On the importance of casting: on producing Sandburg's Lincoln

On executive producing Chico and the Man and Welcome Back, Kotter; on working with stars Freddie Prinze and John Travolta; on how he first heard about Roots

Chapter 7

On acquiring the rights to Roots and on meeting Alex Haley; on why he knew Roots would work; on convincing ABC, headed by Brandon Stoddard, to air the show; on Roots producer Stan Margulies

On the screenplay for Roots being written as the book was being written and on making it a miniseries; on casting Roots including LeVar Burton as "Kunta Kinte"; on the huge success of Roots when it aired in January of 1977

On the economics of producing Roots; on the decision for Roots to have more than one director; on choosing the writers; on creating characters for Roots that were not in Alex Haley's book

On Roots winning Emmys; on executive producing Roots: The Next Generations

Chapter 8

On the huge success of Roots; on dealing with network Standards and Practices with Roots; on why Roots came along at the right time; on the impact of Roots

On executive producing Roots: The Next Generations; on Marlon Brando playing "George Lincoln Rockwell" in Roots: The Next Generations; on the public reaction to Roots: The Next Generations

On producing and casting The Thorn Birds; on producing North and South

Chapter 9

On executive producing North and South; on producing the 1984 summer Olympics opening ceremonies

On producing The Statue of Liberty Liberty Weekend celebrations; on producing the miniseries Alex Haley's Queen; on being inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame and on then-current projects

Chapter 10

On how cable television impacted television documentaries and miniseries; on the then-current state of television; on the then-future of the independent producer on television

On his thoughts on various people he worked with in his career

Chapter 11

On his thoughts on various people he worked with in his career

Shows

Academy Awards, The

David Wolper on befriending Art Buchwald at USC; on a prank they played at the 1948 Academy Awards

02:49

Adventures of Superman

David L. Wolper on working on the syndication and sponsorship of Adventures of Superman starring George Reeves

01:21

Alex Haley's Queen

David L. Wolper on producing Alex Haley's Queen

04:17

Biography (1962)

David L. Wolper on producing Biography

04:41

Chico and the Man

David L. Wolper on executive producing Chico and the Man; on the casting of Freddie Prinze

05:25

David L. Wolper on the cast of Chico and the Man and on the death of Freddie Prinze

02:55

Divorce Hearing

David L. Wolper on the syndicated series Divorce Hearing

02:12

Emmy Awards, The (Primetime and Daytime)

David L. Wolper on winning an Emmy for The Making of the President: 1964

04:28

David L. Wolper on Roots winning Emmys

00:36

First Woman President, The

David L. Wolper on producing The First Woman President directed by Delbert Mann

02:04

Hollywood: The Golden Years

David L. Wolper on producing a documentary on the history of Hollywood called Hollywood: The Golden Years

03:07

Making of the Presidency, The

David L. Wolper on The Making of the President: 1964

05:57

David L. Wolper on winning an Emmy for The Making of the Presidency

04:28

National Geographic Specials

David L. Wolper on getting involved in National Geographic Specials

01:59

North and South

David L. Wolper on producing North and South

01:15

David L. Wolper on executive producing North and South

02:21

Olympics

David L. Wolper on producing the 1984 summer Olympics opening ceremonies

12:22

Race for Space, The

David L. Wolper on the genesis and production of The Race for Space

05:58

David L. Wolper on producing The Race for Space and on the network news departments refusing to buy it

02:39

David L. Wolper on selling The Race for Space to independent television stations

04:44

David L. Wolper on critical reaction to The Race for Space and on the show being a turning point in his career

06:33

David L. Wolper on The Race for Space holding up over time

02:00

Roots

David L. Wolper on first hearing about Alex Haley's Roots

03:07

David L. Wolper on acquiring the rights to Roots and on meeting Alex Haley

04:20

David L. Wolper on why he knew Roots would work and on convincing ABC, headed by Brandon Stoddard, to air the show

02:27

David L. Wolper on Roots producer Stan Margulies

01:10

David L. Wolper on the screenplay for Roots being written as the book was being written, and on making it a miniseries

02:21

David L. Wolper on casting Roots, including LeVar Burton as "Kunta Kinte"

03:40

David L. Wolper on the huge success of Roots when it aired in January of 1977

03:57

David L. Wolper on the economics of producing Roots

03:29

David L. Wolper on the decision for Roots to have more than one director; on choosing the writers

03:10

David L. Wolper on creating characters for Roots that were not in Alex Haley's book

00:50

David L. Wolper on Roots winning Emmys

00:36

David L. Wolper on the huge success of Roots

01:25

David L. Wolper on dealing with network Standards & Practices on Roots

02:17

David L. Wolper on why Roots came along at the right time, and on the impact it had

04:11

Roots: The Next Generations

David L. Wolper on executive producing Roots: The Next Generations

02:39

David L. Wolper on executive producing Roots: The Next Generations

03:46

David L. Wolper on Marlon Brando playing "George Lincoln Rockwell" in Roots: The Next Generations

04:06

David L. Wolper on the public reaction to Roots: The Next Generations

02:13

Sandburg's Lincoln

David L. Wolper on producing Sandburg's Lincoln

06:54

Statue of Liberty, The

David L. Wolper on producing The Statue of Liberty Liberty Weekend celebrations

05:23

Thorn Birds, The

David L. Wolper on producing The Thorn Birds and on his association with Warner Bros.

04:50

David L. Wolper on casting Richard Chamberlain, Barbara Stanwyck, and others on The Thorn Birds

02:27

David L. Wolper on The Thorn Birds director Daryl Duke

02:06

Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau, The

David L. Wolper on producing The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau

03:12

Welcome Back, Kotter

David L. Wolper on selling Welcome Back, Kotter to ABC

02:27

David L. Wolper on Welcome Back, Kotter, produced by James Komack, starring John Travolta

05:20

Topics

1939-40 World's Fair

David L. Wolper on seeing television at the 1939 World's Fair and on his family's first television set

01:19

Censorship / Standards & Practices

David Wolper on fighting for key scenes in Roots

02:15

Emmy Awards

David L. Wolper on winning an Emmy for The Making of the President: 1964

04:28

David L. Wolper on Roots winning Emmys

00:36

Historic Events and Social Change

David L. Wolper on seeing television at the 1939 World's Fair and on his family's first television set

01:19

David L. Wolper on the genesis and production of The Race for Space

05:58

David L. Wolper on producing Roots

28:39

Industry Crossroads

David L. Wolper on the huge success of Roots when it aired in January of 1977

03:57

John F. Kennedy

David L. Wolper on The Making of the President: 1964

05:57

Lyndon B. Johnson

David L. Wolper on doing convention films in 1964 for Lyndon B. Johnson

03:29

Moon Landing

David L. Wolper on the genesis and production of The Race for Space

05:58

Olympic Games

David L. Wolper on producing the 1984 summer Olympics opening ceremonies

12:22

Pivotal Career Moments

David L. Wolper on critical reaction to The Race for Space and on the show being a turning point in his career

06:33

Representation on Television

David L. Wolper on producing Roots

28:39

Richard M. Nixon

David L. Wolper on making convention films in 1972 for Richard M. Nixon

02:12

Sports

David L. Wolper on producing the 1984 summer Olympics opening ceremonies

12:22

Technological Innovation

David L. Wolper on making the switch to color for his documentaries

03:04

Television Industry

David L. Wolper on the business of television syndication early on

02:16

David L. Wolper on making a deal with ABC to air 24 of his series

03:43

David L. Wolper on the huge success of Roots when it aired in January of 1977

03:57

David Wolper on fighting for key scenes in Roots

02:15

David L. Wolper on how cable television impacted television documentaries and miniseries

03:28

David L. Wolper on the then-current state of television

05:12

David L. Wolper on the then-future of the independent producer on television

02:21

Television and the Presidency

David L. Wolper on The Making of the President: 1964

05:57

David L. Wolper on doing convention films in 1964 for Lyndon B. Johnson

03:29

David L. Wolper on making convention films in 1972 for Richard M. Nixon

02:12

Underrepresented Voices

David L. Wolper on producing Roots

28:39

Professions

Directors

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David L. Wolper on the the role of the producer and director in a documentary

04:12

Producers

View Profession

David L. Wolper on the the role of the producer and director in a documentary

04:12

David L. Wolper on his style of making documentaries, and on forming his own production company

05:20

David L. Wolper on the importance of casting

03:06

David L. Wolper on the then-future of the independent producer on television

02:21

Genres

Comedy Series

David L. Wolper on executive producing Welcome Back, Kotter and Chico and the Man

26:07

News and Documentary

David L. Wolper on the genesis and production of The Race for Space

05:58

David L. Wolper on producing The Race for Space

09:43

David L. Wolper on The Making of the President: 1964

05:57

David L. Wolper on producing The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau

03:12

David L. Wolper on the declining popularity of the documentary in the early '70s

03:27

David L. Wolper on producing Let My People Go

01:46

David L. Wolper on producing The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich and on the importance of the narrator in documentaries

02:48

David L. Wolper on producing a series of specials titled Appointment with Destiny and on the controversial practice of docudramas using newly shot "recreations"

07:03

David L. Wolper on how cable television impacted television documentaries and miniseries

03:28

Sci-Fi/Supernatural Series

David L. Wolper on working on the syndication and sponsorship of Adventures of Superman starring George Reeves

01:21

Sports

David L. Wolper on producing the 1984 summer Olympics opening ceremonies

12:22

TV Movies/Miniseries/Dramatic Specials

David L. Wolper on producing The First Woman President directed by Delbert Mann

02:04

David L. Wolper on executive producing Roots

03:07

David L. Wolper on executive producing Roots

28:39

David L. Wolper on executive producing Roots and Roots: The Next Generations

17:58

David L. Wolper on executive producing The Thorn Birds

07:17

David L. Wolper on executive producing North and South

03:21

David L. Wolper on executive producing North and South

02:21

David L. Wolper on producing Alex Haley's Queen

04:17

David L. Wolper on how cable television impacted television documentaries and miniseries

03:28

People

Jack Albertson

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David L. Wolper on the cast of Chico and the Man, including Jack Albertson

02:55

Elmer Bernstein

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David L. Wolper on Elmer Bernstein

00:12

Marlon Brando

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David L. Wolper on Marlon Brando playing "George Lincoln Rockwell" in Roots: The Next Generations

04:06

Art Buchwald

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David L. Wolper on moving to Los Angeles and befriending future writer Art Buchwald

03:39

David L. Wolper on Art Buchwald

01:29

LeVar Burton

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David L. Wolper on casting Roots, including LeVar Burton as "Kunta Kinte"

03:40

Richard Chamberlain

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David L. Wolper on casting Richard Chamberlain, Barbara Stanwyck, and others on The Thorn Birds

02:27

Howard Cosell

View Person Page

David L. Wolper on Howard Cosell

01:19

Jacques Cousteau

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David L. Wolper on producing The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau

03:12

Bob Daly

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David L. Wolper on Bob Daly

01:44

Dick Van Dyke

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David L. Wolper on Dick Van Dyke

00:48

William Friedkin

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David L. Wolper on William Friedkin

00:08

David Gerber

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David L. Wolper on the syndicated series Divorce Hearing packaged by David Gerber

02:12

David L. Wolper on David Gerber

01:42

Alex Haley

View Person Page

David L. Wolper on producing Alex Haley's Queen

04:17

Adolph Hitler

View Person Page

David L. Wolper on doing documentaries about Adolf Hitler

01:12

John Huston

View Person Page

David L. Wolper on John Huston

00:27

Lyndon B. Johnson

View Person Page

David L. Wolper on doing convention films in 1964 for Lyndon B. Johnson

03:29

Gabe Kaplan

View Person Page

David L. Wolper on Welcome Back, Kotter, starring Gabe Kaplan

05:20

Alan Landsburg

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David L. Wolper on Alan Landsburg

00:10

Irving "Swifty" Lazar

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David L. Wolper on Irving "Swifty" Lazar

00:59

Delbert Mann

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David L. Wolper on producing The First Woman President directed by Delbert Mann

02:04

Stan Margulies

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David L. Wolper on Roots producer Stan Margulies

01:10

John Mitchell

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David L. Wolper on John Mitchell

00:59

Richard M. Nixon

View Person Page

David L. Wolper on making convention films in 1972 for Richard M. Nixon

02:12

Don Ohlmeyer

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David L. Wolper on Don Ohlmeyer

01:39

Arthur Penn

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David L. Wolper on Arthur Penn

00:39

Freddie Prinze

View Person Page

David L. Wolper on executive producing Chico and the Man; on the casting of Freddie Prinze

05:25

David L. Wolper on the cast of Chico and the Man, including Freddie Prinze

02:55

George Reeves

View Person Page

David L. Wolper on working on the syndication and sponsorship of Adventures of Superman starring George Reeves

01:21

Fred Silverman

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David L. Wolper on Fred Silverman

00:43

Frank Stanton

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David L. Wolper on Frank Stanton

00:41

Barbara Stanwyck

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David L. Wolper on casting Richard Chamberlain, Barbara Stanwyck, and others on The Thorn Birds

02:27

Brandon Stoddard

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David L. Wolper on why he knew Roots would work and on convincing ABC, headed by Brandon Stoddard, to air the show

02:27

David L. Wolper on Brandon Stoddard

00:51

Mel Stuart

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David L. Wolper on Mel Stuart

00:08

Brandon Tartikoff

View Person Page

David L. Wolper on Brandon Tartikoff

00:43

Grant Tinker

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David L. Wolper on Grant Tinker

01:44

John Travolta

View Person Page

David L. Wolper on Welcome Back, Kotter, starring John Travolta

05:20

Mike Wallace

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David L. Wolper on the genesis and production of The Race for Space hosted by Mike Wallace

05:58

David L. Wolper on Mike Wallace

00:32

Lou Weiss

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David L. Wolper on Lou Weiss

00:41

Orson Welles

View Person Page

David L. Wolper on Orson Welles

00:50

Bud Wiser

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David L. Wolper on Bud Wiser

00:13

Frederic Ziv

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David L. Wolper on his early competition as "film peddlers": Fredric Ziv

02:06