About
"There are a lot of things that I can point to that I think are proud achievements… Most importantly, I had the opportunity to kind of stretch the medium a little bit. To do some things that had never been done before."
Fred Silverman (1937-2020), who served as the programming head at ABC, CBS, and NBC, attests to the quirks of inspiration in developing television programs: "I had always thought that kids in a haunted house would be a big hit, played for laughs, in animation. And [I] developed a show with Hanna-Barbera. And there was a dog in there, but the dog was in the background; it was much more serious… And [CBS President] Frank Stanton says, we can't put that on the air, that's just too frightening. I booked a red-eye and I couldn't sleep. I'm listening to music and as we're landing, Frank Sinatra comes on, and I hear him say, 'Scooby-do-be-do.' It's at that point I said that's it, we'll take the dog— we'll call it Scooby-Doo."
In his six-hour interview, Silverman talks about his first job in television, at WGN in Chicago, where he repackaged existing programming and created originals, including Zim-Bomba and Bozo's Circus. He tells of his move to CBS in New York, where he quickly worked his way up the corporate ladder, first as head of daytime programming (where he made his mark revitalizing the Saturday morning lineup) and later as the vice president of programming. He enumerates and comments on the programs he oversaw during this time including All in the Family, Kojak, M*A*S*H, The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, and The Waltons. He describes the corporate culture at CBS and how he came to leave CBS to join ABC, where he was appointed president of ABC Entertainment, overseeing such programs as Donny and Marie, Eight is Enough, The Love Boat, and Three's Company. He also touches on the development and scheduling of the miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man and Roots. In part two of his interview, Silverman talks about his next move, to NBC, as president and CEO, overseeing the development of Diff'rent Strokes, The Facts of Life, and Hill Street Blues. He explains the basic tenets of working as a network executive and discusses his methods for development, scheduling, and promotions. Finally, he talks about his work as an independent producer for such programs as the Perry Mason television movies, Matlock, In the Heat of the Night, and Diagnosis Murder. Dan Pasternack conducted the two-part interview on March 16, 2001 and May 29, 2001 in Westwood, CA.
Highlights
Fred Silverman on his proudest achievements
Fred Silverman on being "The Man with the Golden Gut"
Fred Silverman on "the turnaround" at CBS, how All in the Family played a part in that, and how Robert D. Wood convinced William Paley to get it on the air
Fred Silverman on the "family hour" rule, which drove shows like Maude out of the 8:00 PM hour, and on its disruptive effect on network scheduling
Full Interview
Chapter 1
On Background/ family/ early years
On Early Influences (radio, tv)
On Master's Thesis on ABC network
On WGN (Chicago)/ first job/ live programming
Chapter 2
On Children's programming (WGN)
On WPIX (New York City)
On moving to CBS- daytime
On Saturday morning lineup/ development
On the development of Scooby-Doo
Chapter 3
On CBS, game shows and serials
On his strategy behind the serial lineup at CBS
On developing game shows at CBS
On developing then losing The Hollywood Squares
On CBS, head of programming; network organization
Chapter 4
On the atmosphere at CBS, corporate culture
On picking up All in the Family / CBS Saturday night lineup
On TV Spinoffs of AITF : The Jeffersons, Maude, Good Times
On developing other shows: Kojak, M*A*S*H, The Waltons, Sonny & Cher
Chapter 5
On M*A*S*H ; working with the creative team
On The Waltons; Sonny and Cher
On other CBS network executives
On "the Family Hour" policy and Primetime Access Rule
On transition from CBS to ABC
Chapter 6
On developing ABC's Primetime lineup: Donny & Marie, Charlie's Angels, Family, Bionic Woman, Soap
On the corporate culture at ABC, Leonard Goldenson, Losing Michael Eisner; ABC Specials and Daytime programming
Chapter 7
On developing Good Morning America; daytime serials at ABC; "love in the afternoon"
On his moniker "Man with the Golden Gut"
On ABC producers: Spelling, Marshall, Arnold
On popularity of certain shows; Three's Company
On mini-series: Rich Man, Poor Man; Roots
Chapter 8
On developing Welcome Back Kotter , The Love Boat and Fantasy Island
On the various producers who developed shows at ABC
On the advertising and promotional tools pioneered by ABC
Chapter 9
On his difficult departure from ABC
On his overarching philosophy of successful network programming
On scheduling and demographics
Chapter 10
On promotion
On talent, actors and stars
On his management style
On his move to NBC
Chapter 11
On his tenure at NBC
On his major accomplishments at NBC: discovering David Letterman and developing Hill Street Blues
On some of his lesser accomplishments at NBC: Supertrain and Pink Lady
Chapter 12
On his final days at NBC
On forming his own production company, and on specific shows such as Thicke of the Night, Matlock, and Diagnosis Murder
On his legacy, looking back and looking forward
Chapter 13
On some people he has met over the course of his career, including Barry Diller and Bob Newhart
Shows
All in the Family
Fred Silverman on his role in the development of All In the Family at CBS (which began life at ABC), his recognition of its quality, and determining where to place it in the schedule so it found its audience
Fred Silverman on getting All In The Family and Mary Tyler Moore in the coveted Saturday night time slot, and on the subsequent ratings boost
Fred Silverman on the autonomy given to Norman Lear to create All In The Family
As the World Turns
Fred Silverman on working with Irna Phillips, the writer of one of CBS's serials As the Worlds Turns , on creating the new serial for CBS Love is a Many Spendored Thing
Bionic Woman, The
Fred Silverman on developing the The Bionic Woman as a series on ABC
BJ and the Bear
Fred Silverman on B.J. and the Bear
Charlie's Angels
Fred Silverman on bringing projects in development at ABC to pilot stage and beyond, including Charlie's Angels
Diagnosis Murder
Fred Silverman on Diagnosis Murder
Diff'rent Strokes
Fred Silverman on his first success at NBC: Diff'rent Strokes
Donny & Marie
Fred Silverman on helping develop Donny & Marie, first as a special later a series, as one of his first tasks when joining ABC
Facts of Life, The
Fred Silverman on The Facts of Life
Family
Fred Silverman on pushing to go beyond pilot stage with Family, one of his favorite programs at ABC
Fantasy Island
Fred Silverman on developing Fantasy Island as a companion to The Love Boat at ABC, and on beating out the CBS Saturday night lineup which included The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Bob Newhart Show, and on critical reaction to the programs
Father Dowling Mysteries
Fred Silverman on Father Dowling Mysteries
General Hospital
Fred Silverman on making programming executive Jacqueline Smith head of daytime at ABC, who helped turn ABC's daytime schedule into the successful "love in the afternoon" all-serial format
Good Morning America
Fred Silverman on the origins of ABC's Good Morning America, on the warm accessible tone of the program, and on eventually surpassing The Today Show in the ratings
Good Times
Fred Silverman on All In The Family spinoff Good Times
Gunsmoke
Fred Silverman on how CBS Chair William S. Paley insisted on keeping his favorite show, Gunsmoke, on the air
Happy Days
Fred Silverman on highlighting the Fonzie character on Happy Days during his first year as President of ABC Entertainment in 1975
Hill Street Blues
Fred Silverman on the birth of Hill Street Blues
Hollywood Squares, The
Fred Silverman on creating The Hollywood Squares with Heatter-Quigley and Bob Stewart while head of daytime CBS, and on making the "one of [his] worst calls" by giving it up to Larry Phillips, head of daytime at NBC
In the Heat of the Night
Fred Silverman on In the Heat of the Night
Jake and the Fatman
Fred Silverman on Jake and the Fatman
Jeffersons, The
Fred Silverman on All In The Family spinoff The Jeffersons, the casting of the show, and its ratings success
Kojak
Fred Silverman on the development of Kojak, its origin as a television movie called The Marcus Nelson Murders, and on getting Telly Savalas to play the lead in the series
Laverne & Shirley
Fred Silverman on guest appearances by Cindy Williams and Penny Marshall on Happy Days leading to the development of the series Laverne & Shirley
Love Boat, The
Fred Silverman on developing The Love Boat for ABC, how it started as a series of television movies, and on Love Boat guest stars from other ABC programs serving as vehicles for promoting the rest of the network's programming
Fred Silverman on developing Fantasy Island as a companion to The Love Boat at ABC, and on beating out the CBS Saturday night lineup which included The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Bob Newhart Show, and on critical reaction to the programs
Love Is a Many Splendored Thing
Fred Silverman on working with Irna Phillips on creating a new serial for CBS Love is a Many Spendored Thing
M*A*S*H
Fred Silverman on the relatively straightforward development of M*A*S*H and on the pilot being the "best" Silverman had ever seen, and on making good scheduling decisions with the assistance of CBS-TV President Robert D. Wood
Fred Silverman on M*A*S*H writer and producer Larry Gelbart, and Silverman's push for a subtle laugh track, a "chuckle track," for the show
Fred Silverman on M*A*S*H and how Standards and Practices reacted to the show
Fred Silverman on the lasting appeal of M*A*S*H
Marcus-Nelson Murders, The
Fred Silverman on the development of Kojak, its origin as a television movie The Marcus Nelson Murders, and on getting Telly Savalas to play the lead in the series
Mary Tyler Moore Show, The
Fred Silverman on getting All In The Family and Mary Tyler Moore in the coveted Saturday night time slot, and on the subsequent ratings boost
Fred Silverman on the creative team of James L. Brooks and Allan Burns, creators of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and their contributions to comedy and CBS
Matlock
Fred Silverman on Matlock
Maude
Fred Silverman on recognizing the talent of Bea Arthur and convincing Norman Lear to create a spinoff episode from All in the Family which ultimately became Maude
Newlywed Game, The
Fred Silverman on CBS's daytime programming just before competitor ABC started airing The Newlywed Game, and on CBS's programming response which included expanding and developing daytime serials
One Life to Live
Fred Silverman on making programming executive Jacqueline Smith head of daytime at ABC, who helped turn ABC's daytime schedule into the successful "love in the afternoon" all-serial format
Real People
Fred Silverman on NBC's proto-reality show Real People which debuted in 1979
Roots
Fred Silverman on developing specials, mini-series such as Roots , and television movies for ABC
Fred Silverman on the development, scheduling and audience reception of Roots
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!
Fred Silverman on developing the long-running Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! and on solving initial network resistance to the "scary" concept of kids in a haunted house by centering on a goofy dog
Shogun
Fred Silverman on promoting Shogun at NBC and the different "sells" associated with it
Soap
Fred Silverman on how Soap caused as much controversy at ABC as All in the Family had caused at CBS
Fred Silverman on Soap, which pushed the boundaries "in its way" as All in the Family had done at CBS
Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour
Fred Silverman on the development of the variety show The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, Silverman's favorite program at the time
Fred Silverman on promoting The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour at ABC
Space Ghost and Dino Boy
Fred Silverman on his association with Joesph Barbera of Hanna-Barbera and developing the shows Space Ghost and Frankenstein Jr. and the Impossibles for CBS
Supertrain
Fred Silverman on the expensive failure Supertrain
Thicke of the Night
Fred Silverman on Alan Thicke and Thicke of the Night, the ambitions of the show, and lessons learned
Three's Company
Fred Silverman on Three's Company, his involvement in casting Suzanne Somers as "Chrissy," how the show evolved from a Bristish sitcom, and the public's love and critics' disdain for the show
Waltons, The
Fred Silverman on the development of The Waltons, the unexpected success of this "sweet" well-crafted show, and how it beat out the number one program on NBC The Flip Wilson Show on Thursday night
Fred Silverman on how the advertising campaign that promoted The Waltons, and its Emmy wins, helped the show's success early on
Topics
Censorship / Standards & Practices
Fred Silverman on M*A*S*H and how Standards and Practices reacted to the show, and how the concerns differed from those directed at All In The Family
Fred Silverman on the "family hour" rule, which drove shows like Maude out of the 8:00 PM hour, and on its disruptive effect on the networks' scheduling
Fred Silverman on Soap causing as much controversy at ABC as All in the Family had caused at CBS
Criticism of TV
Fred Silverman on the reaction of television critics to ABC programs The Love Boat and Fantasy Island
Sex & Violence
Fred Silverman on the "anti-violence crusades" of the late 1970s affecting CBS and NBC more than ABC, which was more family, comedy and fantasy-oriented
Studio and Network Management
Fred Silverman on becoming head of daytime programming at CBS in New York and changing and fine-tuning the Saturday morning schedule to "superhero adventure" programs which included Underdog, the animated Superman, Space Ghost, and Mighty Mouse. He describes in detail developing the long-running Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! and other comedy-adventure and "pure-comedy" programs, and touches on developing spin-off concept during this time
Fred Silverman on getting promoted at CBS to Vice President of Planning and Development, and then Vice President of Programming
Fred Silverman on the corporate culture of CBS when he became Vice President of Programming
Fred Silverman on the success of The Waltons, and on "going out in style" if the show hadn't worked, and on how The Waltons and All In The Family were, each in their own way, both about the "sanctity of the family"
Fred Silverman on why he left CBS in 1975, and a brief recap of what had been accomplished during his tenure there
Fred Silverman on "seizing the moment" during his time at President of ABC Entertainment, working with existing shows and developing new ones, on the basis of ABC's appeal, and on Les Moonves
Professions
Executives
Fred Silverman on CBS president Frank Stanton's initial resistance to the first incarnation of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!
Fred Silverman on the success of The Waltons, and on "going out in style" if the show hadn't worked, and on how The Waltons and All In The Family were, each in their own way, both about the "sanctity of the family"
Fred Silverman on keeping tabs on the other networks as president of ABC Entertainment, and on staying true the tastes of the audience tuning in to ABC
Television Executive
Fred Silverman on program development
Fred Silverman on scheduling and counterprogramming
Fred Silverman on becoming President and CEO of NBC in 1978
Genres
Children's Programming
Fred Silverman on developing the successful afternoon "kid's block" on WGN in Chicago including the popular Bozo's Circus, and the prime time Family Classics family-oriented film series which included Lassie and David O. Selznick's Tom Sawyer
Fred Silverman on becoming head of daytime programming at CBS in New York and changing and fine-tuning the Saturday morning schedule starting with "superhero adventure" programs which included Underdog, the animated Superman, Space Ghost, and Mighty Mouse. He describes in detail developing the long-running Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! and other comedy-adventure and "pure-comedy" programs, and touches on developing spin-off concept at during this time
Daytime/Primetime Serials
Fred Silverman on making CBS the "serial network."
Game Shows
Fred Silverman on going up against NBC's game shows starting with scheduling Joker's Wild , Gambit and bringing back The Price is Right
Fred Silverman on Goodson-Todd, Heatter-Quigley, Monty Hall, and Chuck Barris.
Music Shows & Variety Shows/Specials
Fred Silverman on promoting variety shows like The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour
TV Movies/Miniseries/Dramatic Specials
Fred Silverman on developing specials, mini-series, and television movies for ABC
People
Danny Arnold
Fred Silverman on the talent of producer Danny Arnold, creator of Barney Miller and Fish
Beatrice Arthur
Fred Silverman on recognizing the talent of Bea Arthur and convincing Norman Lear to create a spinoff episode from All in the Family which ultimately became Maude
Joseph Barbera
Fred Silverman on his association with Joesph Barbera of Hanna-Barbera and developing the shows Space Ghost and Frankenstein Jr. and the Impossibles for CBS
Jack Barry
Fred Silverman on bringing Jack Barry game show host and producer "out of the wilderness" in developing the game shows The Joker's Wild and Gambit at CBS. He also describes an incident in which Barry was attempting to fix equipment on the set.
David Begelman
Fred Silverman on finding a partner in David Begelman at Intermedia Productions, later the Fred Silverman Company
Harve Bennett
Fred Silverman on Six Million Dollar Man and Star Trek producer Harve Bennett
James L. Brooks
Fred Silverman on the creative team of James L. Brooks and Allan Burns, creators of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and their contributions to comedy and CBS
Allan Burns
Fred Silverman on the creative team of James L. Brooks and Allan Burns, creators of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and their contributions to comedy and CBS
Stan Daniels
Fred Silverman on former MTM producer Stan Daniels developing shows for ABC, as part of the producing team (which included Ed. Weinberger) that led to Taxi
Michael Dann
Fred Silverman on Mike Dann's career at NBC and CBS, on his influence over the move from single program sponsorship to selling parts of programs on a participating basis, and on his role in Silverman's career
Barry Diller
Fred Silverman on Barry Diller
Michael Eisner
Fred Silverman on working with Michael Eisner at ABC when Silverman first took the job as President of ABC Entertainment in 1975
Fred Silverman on losing Michael Eisner from ABC and on the difficulty replacing him
Larry Gelbart
Fred Silverman on the relatively straightforward development, of M*A*S*H, which included getting Larry Gelbart to write and produce the show, and on the pilot being the "best" Silverman had ever seen
Fred Silverman on M*A*S*H writer and producer Larry Gelbart
Fred Silverman on M*A*S*H creator Larry Gelbart writing the pilot script for Three's Company, and on the All in the Family producing team of Nicholl-Ross-West's involvement with Three's Company
Leonard Goldberg
Fred Silverman on ABC producer Leonard Goldberg, who partnered with Aaron Spelling on Charlie's Angels and Family
Leonard H. Goldenson
Fred Silverman on Leonard H. Goldenson's tenure as president of ABC and his collaboration with Walt Disney, Warner Bros., and MGM to develop programming. This resulted in shows like The Mickey Mouse Club and a series of dramatic programs such as the western Cheyenne
Fred Silverman on Leonard. H. Goldenson
Mark Goodson
Fred Silverman on Mark Goodson of Goodson-Todd, the hugely successful game show production company, and on Heatter-Quigley and Chuck Barris.
James Komack
Fred Silverman on producer James Komack who developed Welcome Back, Kotter and Chico and the Man
Perry Lafferty
Fred Silverman on producer, director, and CBS and later NBC network executive Perry Lafferty
Norman Lear
Fred Silverman on the autonomy given to Norman Lear to create All In The Family
David Letterman
Fred Silverman on David Letterman, on his short-lived morning show, and on finding a home in late night
Garry Marshall
Fred Silverman on Garry Marshall, creator of The Odd Couple, Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley and other hits for ABC
Bob Newhart
Fred Silverman on Bob Newhart
William S. Paley
Fred Silverman on the management style of CBS president, later board chair, William S. Paley including an anecdote about keeping Paley's favorite show, Gunsmoke, on the air
Irna Phillips
Fred Silverman on working with Irna Phillips, the writer of one of CBS's serials As the Worlds Turns, on creating the serial for CBS Love is a Many Spendored Thing
Fred Silverman on Irna Phillips and her background in radio, and her ability to survive and thrive creating and writing television serials, and her influence on her fellow serial creators and writers, like All My Children creator Agnes Nixon
John Ritter
Fred Silverman on casting John Ritter and Suzanne Somers in Three's Company
Richard S. Salant
Fred Silverman on Richard Salant
Isabel Sanford
Fred Silverman on Isabel Sanford
George Schlatter
Fred Silverman on George Schlatter creating the proto-reality show Real People
Jacqueline Smith
Fred Silverman on ABC daytime programming head Jacqueline Smith, who helped turn ABC's daytime schedule into the successful "love in the afternoon" all-serial format
Suzanne Somers
Fred Silverman on casting John Ritter and Suzanne Somers in Three's Company
Aaron Spelling
Fred Silverman on ABC's "underappreciated" hit-maker Aaron Spelling
Fred Silverman on producer Aaron Spelling and his love of his craft, and on Spelling's prolific nature
Frank Stanton
Fred Silverman on his impressions of CBS president Frank Stanton
Bob Stewart
Fred Silverman on creating two shows with Bob Stewart at CBS, Face is Familiar and The Hollywood Squares.
Brandon Tartikoff
Fred Silverman on the early career of Brandon Tartikoff whom Silverman later appointed President of NBC Entertainment
Alan Thicke
Fred Silverman on Alan Thicke and Thicke of the Night, the ambitions of the show, and lessons learned
Ethel Winant
Fred Silverman on the "grand old dame of the television business" Ethel Winant, whose positions included head of casting and talent at CBS in the 1970s
Paul Junger Witt
Fred Silverman on Soap producer Paul Witt, a show that pushed the boundaries "in its way" as All in the Family had done at CBS
Robert D. Wood
Fred Silverman on CBS-TV President Robert D. Wood
Fred Silverman on CBS-TV President Robert D. Wood, and Wood's struggle with William Paley to get All in the Family on the air