John Moffitt

Producer / Director

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

02:26

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About

About this interview

In his nearly four-hour interview, John Moffitt describes his start in television as a production assistant on The Ed Sullivan Show. He details rising through the ranks to become an assistant director on the show during the mid-to-late 1960s and shares his recollections of several memorable guests including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Louis Armstrong, and Bing Crosby. He talks about producing television specials Good Vibrations from Central Park and Tribute to Monty Python, and he discusses directing the comedy-variety series The Richard Pryor Show, the late-night comedy sketch series Fridays (with guest star Andy Kaufman), and the satirical HBO series Not Necessarily the News. In addition, Moffitt recalls the formation of Moffitt/Lee Productions, speaks of directing Comic Relief specials for HBO, and comments on the challenges of producing the Emmys. Karen Herman conducted the interview on November 20, 2003 in Los Angeles, CA.

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

"We get word from the parking lot that the guard had given them a hard time and they were going to leave. I ran to the parking lot and I actually threw myself on the hood of the car and they were kind of shocked. I just said, 'This is something I've been wanting to do all my life and I finally get to work with you guys and we all want you here! Don't let one stupid fucking guard convince you not to do this.' They laughed and came in and so I got to direct the Rolling Stones."

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John Moffitt

Highlights

John Moffitt on a college visit to CBS Studios that changed his life

00:52

John Moffitt on The Beatles' appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show

03:55

John Moffitt on Ed Sullivan not trusting a red light

01:11

John Moffitt on advice to an aspiring director

04:10

Full Interview

Play Full Interview

Chapter 1

On his childhood and early influences; on building sets for and acting in high school productions; on his comedic influences

On what he wanted to become; on life at Dartmouth; on getting a job in the CBS mailroom

On getting a job in CBS Operations as Night Log Clerk and then running Tel Ops and Slides; on disappointing Bill Paley

Chapter 2

On getting drafted and trying to get into the Army Pictorial; on writing and directing training films; on returning to CBS after the army and assisting Joseph Papp at the New York Shakespeare Festival

On trying to get a production job at CBS; on joining The Ed Sullivan Show as a PA

Chapter 3

On Ed Sullivan selecting acts for The Ed Sullivan Show; on some of his favorite Ed Sullivan Show guests including Louis Armstrong, Barbra Streisand, Bing Crosby

On cameras and production of The Ed Sullivan Show; on the show going to color in 1965

On Bob Dylan not appearing on the show; on the production of the show; on censorship issues with The Rolling Stones; on the Beatles appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show

Chapter 4

On The Beatles' appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show (cont.)

On working on The Ed Sullivan Show during the time of the assassination and funeral of John F. Kennedy

On how The Ed Sullivan Show reflected the Civil Rights Movement; on how The Ed Sullivan Show did not reference the Vietnam War

On becoming assistant director on The Ed Sullivan Show after working on a European mobile unit during the summer; on Sullivan director Tim Kiley; on becoming director of the Sullivan Show

On directing music on The Ed Sullivan Show (i.e. Rolling Stones; Dave Clark Five); on The Ed Sullivan Show going off the air as Sullivan got senile

Chapter 5

On life after The Ed Sullivan Show - directing Good Vibrations from Central Park, Don Kirshner's Rock Concert, Van Dyke and Company, The Captain and Tennille Show

On producing and directing The Richard Pryor Show

On the formation of Moffitt/Lee Productions

Chapter 6

On creating, casting, producing, and directing Fridays

On the death of business partner and best friend Bill Lee; On producing Not Necessarily the News and HBO's Comic Relief

Chapter 7

On his philosophy of directing stage comedy shows for television and on his own sense of humor

On directing the CableACE Awards

On his long association with the Primetime Emmy Awards and the Creative Arts Emmy Awards

On producing the relaunched Hollywood Squares

Chapter 8

On turning down the chance to direct Saturday Night Live at its beginning; on producing the HBO reunion special Monty Python's Flying Circus: Live at Aspen

On his current projects; on ageism; on his directing style; on loving live television and directing a feature

On advice to an aspiring director - write and perform; on mentors; on how he'd like to be remembered

On B-roll photos: of him directing in the army, with Louis Armstrong, of Milton Berle and Ed Sullivan, of him with Sullivan, of the control room on The Ed Sullivan Show, with the Beatles' drums, of Sullivan with staff,

Chapter 9

On photos from The Ed Sullivan Show, with Frankie and Annette, of The Richard Pryor Show, with friend Bill Lee, of Comic Relief, of Not Necessarily the News, of The Emmys, of Bob Hope and Danny Thomas, of promotional materials for Person to Person, The Late Late Show and CBS

Shows

Arthur Godfrey and His Friends

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John Moffitt on Arthur Godfrey doing radio and TV shows from CBS