"Take any opportunity that takes you into where you want to go, even if it's peripheral. Begin collecting experiences, and more importantly, connections. Networking. People who are today's mailroom boys are tomorrow's studio heads. You get a base of friendship and of working together, and you pursue your dream. Sooner or later, these things all kind of come together, I hope. It has for me."

    About This Interview

    In his three-hour interview, Harve Bennett (1930-2015) talks about his early exposure to show business as one of the contestants on radio's Quiz Kids, on which he appeared 213 times. He speaks of writing for the Chicago Sun-Times as a teenager, attending college at UCLA, and serving in the Korean War. He then describes how he came to work for CBS, eventually becoming a producer (the youngest at the time), working with rising stars like Johnny Carson. He discusses his transition to ABC, where he ultimately served as the vice president in charge of programming under Leonard Goldberg. Bennett recounts how he left ABC to produce The Mod Squad with Aaron Spelling, and details the series, which featured "one White, one Black, one Blonde," (as the show promoted). He outlines production on The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman, talks about the casts of the shows, and comments on pop culture touchstones such as the "bionic" sound effect, and the voice-over narration ("Steve Austin. Astronaut. A man barely alive…"), which he himself voiced. He reflects on the production of the landmark miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man and its introduction of actor Nick Nolte. Bennett also describes working on From Here to Eternity (miniseries and series), A Woman Named Golda, and The Jesse Owens Story. Finally, Bennett talks about "becoming a Trekkie" watching every episode of the classic series to prepare himself to produce the feature films (II through V). He notes the ideas behind some of the movies, and gives his impressions of the actors in the series. Stephen J. Abramson conducted the interview on February 13, 2008 in Pacific Palisades, CA. 

    All views expressed by interviewees are theirs alone and not necessarily those of the Television Academy.
    People Talking About ...
    Thumbnail of Harve Bennett

    Harve Bennett on his favorite scene in The Six Million Dollar Man

    01:44
    Thumbnail of Harve Bennett

    Harve Bennett on appearing on the radio program "Quiz Kids"

    12:30
    Thumbnail of Harve Bennett

    Harve Bennett on doing a famous voiceover for a popular '70s TV show

    01:17
    Thumbnail of Harve Bennett

    Harve Bennett on how he came to produce the Star Trek features

    04:11
    Thumbnail of Harve Bennett

    Harve Bennett on Gene Roddenberry's involvement in the Star Trek feature films

    02:05
    Play Full Interview

    Chapter 1

    On his early life and influences; on appearing on the radio program "Quiz Kids"

    17:14

    On his college years; on his foray into journalism; on his early television career at CBS and working with Johnny Carson

    13:39

    On becoming a full-fledged producer; on going to work for ABC

    14:58

    On becoming director of program development at ABC; on leaving the network to produce The Mod Squad

    11:50

    Chapter 2

    On working with Aaron Spelling on The Mod Squad; on dealing with the cast of The Mod Squad; on writing the show and its effect on popular culture

    14:26

    On producing The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman

    17:25

    On budget constraints on The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman; on critical and popular reaction to the shows

    08:51

    On producing and casting Rich Man, Poor Man; on producing the made-for-television remake of From Here to Eternity 

    19:03

    Chapter 3

    On producing Salvage 1 with Andy Griffith; on producing A Woman Called Golda; on the cast of, public reaction to, and awards for the made-for-TV movie A Woman Called Golda

    17:36

    On producing the made-for-TV movie The Jesse Owens Story; on how he came to produce the Star Trek feature films

    14:26

    On saving the Star Trek franchise; on the cast of Star Trek; on making the transition from television to feature films

    15:00

    On producing the short-lived series The Powers of Matthew Star,  the made-for-television movie Crash Landing: The Rescue of Flight 232 and Time Trax; on current projects, his proudest achievement, and television's responsibility to its audience

    14:07

    Bionic Woman, The

    Harve Bennett on Lindsay Wagner as "Jamie Sommers" on The Bionic Woman

    01:26

    Harve Bennett on why The Bionic Woman worked

    01:49

    Irwin Shaw's Rich Man, Poor Man

    Harve Bennett on the genesis of Rich Man, Poor Man

    02:11

    Harve Bennett on the casting of Rich Man, Poor Man

    08:40

    Jesse Owens Story, The

    Harve Bennett on producing the made-for-TV movie The Jesse Owens Story

    04:38

    Johnny Carson Show, The (1955-56)

    Harve Bennett on producing Johnny Carson's early daytime show

    03:22

    Mod Squad, The

    Harve Bennett on the genesis of The Mod Squad

    04:38

    Harve Bennett on the elements that made The Mod Squad a groundbreaking show

    01:34

    Harve Bennett on working with Aaron Spelling on The Mod Squad

    05:36

    Harve Bennett on the cast of The Mod Squad

    04:06

    Harve Bennett on writing The Mod Squad

    02:53

    Harve Bennett on The Mod Squad's effect on popular culture

    01:50

    Quiz Kids

    Harve Bennett on appearing on the radio version of "Quiz Kids"

    12:30

    Six Million Dollar Man, The

    Harve Bennett on the genesis of The Six Million Dollar Man

    04:39

    Harve Bennett on Lee Majors as "Steve Austin" running in The Six Million Dollar Man

    02:12

    Harve Bennett on The Six Million Dollar Man  bionic sound effect

    02:55

    Harve Bennett on the production restraints of The Six Million Dollar Man

    01:44

    Star Trek

    Harve Bennett on how he came to produce the Star Trek  features

    04:11

    Harve Bennett on choosing "Khan" as the villain for the feature "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan"

    01:58

    Harve Bennett on the cast of Star Trek

    03:02

    Harve Bennett on killing off "Spock" in the feature film "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan"

    02:20

    Woman Called Golda, A

    Harve Bennett on producing A Woman Called Golda

    14:07

    Harve Bennett on casting Ingrid Bergman in A Woman Called Golda

    05:34

    Harve Bennett on the importance of A Woman Called Golda

    01:36

    Harve Bennett on casting the made-for-TV movie A Woman Called Golda

    03:17

    Harve Bennett on critical reaction and awards for A Woman Called Golda

    01:42

    Characters & Catchphrases

    Harve Bennett on Lee Majors as "Steve Austin" running in The Six Million Dollar Man

    02:12

    Memorable Moments on Television

    Harve Bennett on the importance of the made-for-TV movie A Woman Called Golda

    01:16

    Pop Culture

    Harve Bennett on Lee Majors as "Steve Austin" running in The Six Million Dollar Man

    02:12

    Harve Bennett on doing a famous voiceover for The Six Million Dollar Man

    01:17

    We Considered

    Harve Bennett on the importance of the made-for-TV movie A Woman Called Golda

    01:16

    Producers

    Harve Bennett on his advice to aspiring producers

    00:51

    Adventure/Espionage Series

    Harve Bennett on producing The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman

    21:39

    Cop/Detective/Mystery Series

    Harve Bennett on the genesis and influence of The Mod Squad

    06:12

    Harve Bennett on writing and producing The Mod Squad and its effect on popular culture 

    08:50

    Drama Series

    Harve Bennett producing Rich Man, Poor Man

    21:39

    TV Movies/Miniseries/Dramatic Specials

    Harve Bennett on producing A Woman Called Golda

    13:57

    Edward Asner

    Harve Bennett on how Edward Asner came to be cast in Rich Man, Poor Man

    02:10

    Ingrid Bergman

    Harve Bennett on casting Ingrid Bergman in the made-for-TV movie A Woman Called Golda

    05:34

    Johnny Carson

    Harve Bennett on producing Johnny Carson's early daytime show

    03:22

    Andy Griffith

    Harve Bennett on producing the short-lived series Salvage 1 with Andy Griffith

    02:23

    Harve Bennett on a letter he received from Andy Griffith

    01:06

    Hal Kanter

    Harve Bennett on going to work for ABC and a telegram from Hal Kanter

    08:09

    Ricardo Montalban

    Harve Bennett on choosing "Khan" as the villain for the feature, "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan"

    01:58

    Leonard Nimoy

    Harve Bennett on killing off "Spock" in the feature film, "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan"

    02:20

    Gene Roddenberry

    Harve Bennett on Gene Roddenberry's involvement in the Star Trek feature films

    02:05

    Aaron Spelling

    Harve Bennett on working with Aaron Spelling on The Mod Squad

    05:36

    Lindsay Wagner

    Harve Bennett on Lindsay Wagner as "Jamie Sommers" The Bionic Woman

    01:26

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