Lee Rich

Executive / Producer


The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

02:26

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About
About this interview

In his three-and-a-half-hour interview, Lee Rich (1927-2012) talks about starting out in television at the advertising agency Benton & Bowles, where he worked to package and sell The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Danny Thomas Show. Largely serving as an additional producer on the shows during those early days of television, when advertising agencies enjoyed almost total control over programming, Rich recounts how he left the agency in 1965 to form his own production company, Mirisch-Rich Productions, which produced television programs including The Rat Patrol and one of the first Garry Marshall/Jerry Belson shows, Hey, Landlord. Rich discusses in detail the formation of the hugely successful production company Lorimar in 1969, which generated television hits The Waltons, Dallas, Eight is Enough, Knots Landing, and numerous television movies including Sybil and Helter Skelter. Jeffrey Glaser conducted the interview on April 12, 1999 in Los Angeles, CA.

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

"Providing a home for creative people and people to be happy and enjoying coming to work everyday. That gave me a great deal of joy."

People Talking About ...
Highlights
Lee Rich on how his production company, Lorimar, got its name
01:00
Lee Rich on the "House Divided" episode of Dallas which generated the question, "Who Shot J.R.?"
01:50
Lee Rich on the Hollywood Blacklist
01:47
Lee Rich on the control that advertising agencies had over programming in the early days and how the Quiz Show Scandals changed things
00:43
Lee Rich on Fred Silverman's plan for airing Roots
00:42
Full Interview

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Chapter 1

On his childhood and early influences
On his first jobs after college; on his time in the Navy; on getting into the advertising business
On his impressions of television; on heading the media department of advertising agency, Benton & Bowles
On the involvement of advertising agencies in early television programming and shows that he packaged

Chapter 2

On working with Grant Tinker at Benton & Bowles
On his involvement with The Dick Van Dyke Show
On leaving Benton & Bowles to create production company, Mirisch-Rich Productions; on the Hollywood Blacklist
On joining the Leo Burnett agency; on his involvement with the shows The Rat Patrol and Hogan's Heroes

Chapter 3

On his involvement with the shows The Rat Patrol, Hey Landlord, and Sheriff Who?; on returning to the advertising world for one year 
On forming the production company Lorimar and on early Lorimar productions
On movies of the week; on movie of the week, The Homecoming: A Christmas Story, which inspired the series The Waltons

Chapter 4

On The Waltons and the series' subsequent TV movies
On Lorimar's television movies and miniseries (The Blue Knight, Sybil, Helter Skelter) and on films
On being an executive producer at Lorimar; on working with the networks 

Chapter 5

On departments and procedures at Lorimar; on Eight is Enough
On Lorimar's hit show Dallas
On the Lorimar show Knot's Landing and its comparisons to Dallas

Chapter 6

On Lorimar getting into first run syndication and partnering with Telepictures; on leaving Lorimar for MGM-UA
On selling Lorimar to Warner Brothers; on his time at MGM-UA
On forming his own company, Lee Rich Productions; on movies he's produced
On some of his television favorites; on his respect for writers

Chapter 7

On the impact of cable television; on how audiences have changed
On his regrets and his legacy; on people he's worked with 
Shows

Ally McBeal

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Lee Rich on shows he likes
00:19

Andy Griffith Show, The

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Lee Rich on shows he packaged - The Andy Griffith Show
00:18

Blue Knight, The

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Lee Rich on the Lorimar production, The Blue Knight
02:55

Dallas

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Lee Rich on getting Dallas off the ground
00:48
Lee Rich on getting Dallas on the air
01:12
Lee Rich on the origins of Dallas
12:16
Lee Rich on the "House Divided" episode of Dallas which generated the question, "Who Shot J.R.?"
04:17
Lee Rich on Patrick Ewing leaving and returning to Dallas - the season was all a dream
01:30
Lee Rich on going on Tom Snyder's show to deal with criticism from a reverend about Dallas
00:51
Lee Rich on staying home to watch TV shows
00:45

Dallas: "House Divided"

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Lee Rich on the "House Divided" episode of Dallas which generated the question, "Who Shot J.R.?"
04:17

Dallas: "The Return to Camelot: Part 1"

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Lee Rich on Patrick Ewing leaving and returning to Dallas - the season was all a dream
01:30

Dallas: J. R. Returns

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Lee Rich on the TV movie Dallas: J.R. Returns
00:29

Danny Thomas Show, The aka Make Room for Daddy

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Lee Rich on wanting Danny Thomas to be involved with television
00:29

Detectives, The

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Lee Rich on packaging Detectives Starring Robert Taylor
00:50

Dick Van Dyke Show, The

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Lee Rich on shows he packaged - The Dick Van Dyke Show
00:18
Lee Rich on his involvement with The Dick Van Dyke Show
09:26

Edge of Night, The

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Lee Rich on how the Hollywood Blacklist affected daytime programming
01:14

Eight Is Enough

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Lee Rich on producing Eight is Enough
04:00

Gomer Pyle - USMC

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Lee Rich on CBS President Jim Aubrey's doubts that Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. would ever make it to air
00:25

Guiding Light

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Lee Rich on how the Hollywood Blacklist affected daytime programming
01:14

Helter Skelter

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Lee Rich on the successful television movie Helter Skelter  
04:34

Hey Landlord!

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Lee Rich on Hey Landlord!, the first program produced for him by Garry Marshall and Jerry Belson
00:14
Lee Rich on his involvement with the show Hey Landlord!
01:23

Hogan's Heroes

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Lee Rich on his involvement with the show Hogan's Heroes
00:51

Homecoming, The: A Christmas Story

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Lee Rich on how he kept Lorimar afloat by doing movies of the week like, The Homecoming: A Christmas Story, which inspired the series The Waltons
16:47

Knots Landing

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Lee Rich on trying to sell Knots Landing and creating a night time soap opera
01:49
Lee Rich on producing Knots Landing
03:29

NYPD Blue

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Lee Rich on shows he likes
00:19

Pink Panther, The

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Lee Rich on producing the animated show, The Pink Panther
00:19

Rat Patrol, The

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Lee Rich on The Rat Patrol, the first show he produced for Mirisch-Rich Productions
00:38
Lee Rich on his involvement with the show, The Rat Patrol
08:54
Lee Rich on his involvement with the show The Rat Patrol
02:40

Rifleman, The

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Lee Rich on packaging The Rifleman
00:50

Roots

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Lee Rich on Fred Silverman's plan for airing Roots
00:42

Sheriff Who?

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Lee Rich on the cult show, Sheriff Who? - a Belson/Marshall show
00:32
Lee Rich on his involvement with the show, Sheriff Who, in which a sheriff was killed every week
01:48

Sopranos, The

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Lee Rich on staying home to watch TV shows
01:11

Sybil

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Lee Rich on the successful television movie Sybil
03:56
Lee Rich on his favorite TV show, Sybil
00:38

Waltons, The

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Lee Rich on casting Ralph White for The Waltons
01:02
Lee Rich on his involvement with the show The Waltons
05:53
Lee Rich on promising to never give distribution rights away again after doing so with The Waltons
00:20
Lee Rich on Eight is Enough as the modern day version of The Waltons
00:47
Lee Rich on his favorite series, The Waltons
00:32
Topics

Advertising and Sponsorship

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Lee Rich on how the advertising agencies worked with the television networks and sponsors during early television
03:18

Classic TV series episodes

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Lee Rich on the "House Divided" episode of Dallas which generated the question, "Who Shot J.R.?"
01:50
Lee Rich on Patrick Ewing leaving and returning to Dallas - the previous season was all a dream
01:30

Criticism of TV

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Lee Rich on criticism about Dallas
01:29

Hollywood Blacklist

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Lee Rich on the Hollywood Blacklist
01:47

Industry Crossroads

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Lee Rich on the Hollywood Blacklist
01:47
Lee Rich on the Quiz Show Scandals and the subsequent impact on the networks and advertising agencies
00:56

Media Consolidation

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Lee Rich on the changing media landscape and consolidation
02:24

Memorable Moments on Television

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Lee Rich on the "House Divided" episode of Dallas which generated the question, "Who Shot J.R.?"
01:50
Lee Rich on Patrick Ewing leaving and returning to Dallas - the previous season was all a dream
01:30

Network Creation

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Lee Rich on the network creators: David Sarnoff (NBC), William S. Paley (CBS), and Leonard Goldenson (ABC)
02:00

Quiz Show Scandals

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Lee Rich on the Quiz Show Scandals and the subsequent impact on the networks and advertising agencies
00:56

Representation on Television

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Lee Rich on the episode of The Waltons that dealt with race
00:28

Technological Innovation

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Lee Rich on the 3-camera system used at Desilu studios
00:50
Lee Rich on the advantages and disadvantages of cable 
02:48

Television Industry

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Lee Rich on how the advertising agencies worked with the television networks and sponsors during early television
03:18
Lee Rich on the Hollywood Blacklist
01:47
Lee Rich on the Quiz Show Scandals and the subsequent impact on the networks and advertising agencies
00:56
Lee Rich on the network creators: David Sarnoff (NBC), William S. Paley (CBS), and Leonard Goldenson (ABC)
02:00
Lee Rich on the changing media landscape and consolidation
02:24
Lee Rich on criticism about Dallas
01:29
Professions

Advertising Executive

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Lee Rich on his path to heading the media and programming departments at the advertising agency Benton & Bowles
15:34
Lee Rich on the role of producer versus that of advertising executive
00:33

Executives

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Lee Rich on his path to heading the media and programming departments at the advertising agency Benton & Bowles
15:34
Lee Rich on the role of producer versus that of advertising executive
00:33

Producers

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Lee Rich on forming Mirisch-Rich Productions
01:29
Lee Rich on the role of producer versus that of advertising executive
00:32
Lee Rich on forming the production company Lorimar
04:30
Lee Rich on being an executive producer at Lorimar
01:59
Lee Rich on his management style at Lorimar
01:10
Genres

Comedy Series

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Lee Rich on his involvement with The Dick Van Dyke Show
09:26

Daytime/Primetime Serials

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Lee Rich on Dallas
24:33

TV Movies/Miniseries/Dramatic Specials

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Lee Rich on the Lorimar production, The Blue Knight
02:55
Lee Rich on the Lorimar production, Sybil
03:56
Lee Rich on the Lorimar production, Helter Skelter, the Charles Manson story
04:34
People

Aaron Sorkin

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Lee Rich on his respect for writer Aaron Sorkin
00:24

Aaron Spelling

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Lee Rich on Aaron Spelling as a writer over at Desilu Studios
00:50

Andy Griffith

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Lee Rich on Andy Griffith
08:53

Barbara Bel Geddes

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Lee Rich on casting Barbara Bel Geddes in Dallas
01:02

Barry Diller

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Lee Rich on keeping Lorimar afloat by doing movies of the week for Barry Diller at ABC
01:28

Betty Buckley

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Lee Rich on casting Betty Buckley in Eight is Enough after Diana Hyland's death
00:23

Brandon Stoddard

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Lee Rich on Brandon Stoddard
00:07

Brandon Tartikoff

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Lee Rich on Brandon Tartikoff
00:32

Bud Grant

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Lee Rich on Bud Grant writing the first 5 scripts of Dallas
02:34

Carl Reiner

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Lee Rich on his respect for writers
00:59
Lee Rich on writer/show creator Carl Reiner and how Benton & Bowles got The Dick Van Dyke Show
09:26
Lee Rich on Carl Reiner
00:14

Daniel Petrie, Sr.

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Lee Rich on Daniel Petrie directing Sybil
00:56

Danny Arnold

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Lee Rich on Danny Arnold
00:13

Danny Thomas

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Lee Rich on wanting popular people like Danny Thomas to have a television show
00:29
Lee Rich on producer Danny Thomas and how Benton & Bowles got The Dick Van Dyke Show
01:29
Lee Rich on Danny Thomas
00:14

David Jacobs

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Lee Rich on Dallas creator David Jacobs
00:47
Lee Rich on David Jacobs
00:27

David Salzman

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Lee Rich on those who wanted his position at Lorimar once he left for MGM
00:23

David Sarnoff

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Lee Rich on the network creators: David Sarnoff (NBC), William S. Paley (CBS), and Leonard Goldenson (ABC)
03:14

Diana Hyland

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Lee Rich on casting Diana Hyland for Eight is Enough
01:39

Dick Van Dyke

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Lee Rich on actor Dick Van Dyke and how Benton & Bowles got The Dick Van Dyke Show
04:06
Lee Rich on concerns about Dick Van Dyke for The Dick Van Dyke Show
00:28
Lee Rich on Dick Van Dyke
00:56

Dick Van Patten

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Lee Rich on casting Eight is Enough
00:12

Donna Mills

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Lee Rich on the women of Knots Landing
00:45

Earl Hamner, Jr.

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Lee Rich on Earl Hammer, creator of The Homecoming: A Christmas Story, the movie that inspired the series The Waltons
12:51

Ellen Corby

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Lee Rich on Ellen Corbin, Grandma Walton
01:40

Fielder Cook

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Lee Rich on Fielder Cook's direction of The Homecoming: A Christmas Story, the movie that inspired the series The Waltons
00:20

Frank Stanton

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Lee Rich on Frank Stanton
00:14

Fred Silverman

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Lee Rich on Fred Silverman wanting him to cast a big name for The Homecoming: A Christmas Story - the movie that inspired the series The Waltons
03:35
Lee Rich on Fred Silverman's plan for airing Roots
00:42
Lee Rich onFred Silverman
00:20

Garry Marshall

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Lee Rich on his respect for writers
00:59
Lee Rich on Hey Landlord!, the first program produced for him by Garry Marshall and Jerry Belson
00:14
Lee Rich on the cult show, Sheriff Who? - a Belson/Marshall show
00:32
Lee Rich on his involvement with the Garry Marshall/Jerry Belson show, Hey Landlord!
01:23
Lee Rich on Garry Marshall
00:09

George Kennedy

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Lee Rich on the Lorimar production, The Blue Knight
04:00

Grant Tinker

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Lee Rich on working with Grant Tinker at Benton & Bowles advertising agency
01:36
Lee Rich on how Grant Tinker thought he was crazy for starting Lorimar
00:47
Lee Rich on Grant Tinker
00:26

Harold Mirisch

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Lee Rich on producing partner, Harold Mirisch
00:51

James T. Aubrey

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Lee Rich of CBS President Jim Aubrey's doubts that Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. would ever make it to air
00:25
Lee Rich on working with Jim Aubrey, President of CBS
00:21
Lee Rich on working with Jim Aubrey to keep Benton & Bowles programming at CBS
01:55
Lee Rich on James Aubrey
00:18

Jerry Belson

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Lee Rich on his respect for writers
00:59
Lee Rich on Hey Landlord!, the first program produced for him by Garry Marshall and Jerry Belson
00:14
Lee Rich on his involvement with the Garry Marshall/Jerry Belson show, Hey Landlord!
01:23

Jim Davis

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Lee Rich on casting Jim Davis in Dallas
00:17

Joanne Woodward

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Lee Rich on Joanne Woodward in Sybil
03:33

John Astin

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Lee Rich on his involvement with the show, Sheriff Who, in which John Astin starred as a villain
00:52

Karl Malden

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Lee Rich on Karl Malden's role in the film Twilight's Last Gleaming
00:45
Lee Rich on Karl Malden
00:23

Larry Hagman

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Lee Rich on casting Larry Hagman in Dallas
01:42
Lee Rich on Larry Hagman's salary on Dallas
00:39
Lee Rich on the TV movie Dallas: J.R. Returns
00:29

Larry White

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Lee Rich on working with Larry White at Benton & Bowles advertising agency
01:38
Lee Rich on the Lorimar production, The Blue Knight
05:07

Leonard H. Goldenson

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Lee Rich on working with Leonard Goldenson, Founder of ABC
00:21
Lee Rich on the network creators: David Sarnoff (NBC), William S. Paley (CBS), and Leonard Goldenson (ABC)
02:00
Lee Rich on Leonard Goldenson
00:23

Leonard Katzman

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Lee Rich on Leonard Katzman taking over for David Jacobs on Dallas
00:31
Lee Rich on Leonard Katzmann writing the famous Bobby's back on Dallas idea: the previous season was all a dream
01:30

Leslie Moonves

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Lee Rich on Leslie Moonves heading Movies of the Week at Lorimar
00:12
Lee Rich on those who wanted his position at Lorimar once he left for MGM
01:49
Lee Rich on Leslie Moonves
00:20

Michael Dann

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Lee Rich on Michael Dann
00:14

Michael Eisner

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Lee Rich on Michael Eisner
00:24

Michael Learned

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Lee Rich on casting Michael Learned for The Waltons
01:02
Lee Rich on Michael Learned leaving The Waltons
00:12

Patricia Neal

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Lee Rich on how he kept Lorimar afloat by doing movies of the week like, The Homecoming: A Christmas Story, with Patricia Neal (the movie that inspired the series The Waltons)
02:09

Patrick Duffy

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Lee Rich on casting Patrick Duffy in Dallas
01:57
Lee Rich on casting Patrick Duffy in Dallas
01:02
Lee Rich on Patrick Duffy leaving and returning to Dallas  
01:30

Ralph White

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Lee Rich on casting Ralph White for The Waltons
01:02

Reginald Rose

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Lee Rich on Reginald Rose
00:14

Richard Thomas

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Lee Rich on how he kept Lorimar afloat by doing movies of the week like, The Homecoming: A Christmas Story, with Richard Thomas (the movie that inspired the series The Waltons)
02:09
Lee Rich on Richard Thomas ("John Boy") leaving The Waltons
01:50

Rod Serling

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Lee Rich on the Lorimar production, The Blue Knight, written by Rod Serling
05:07
Lee Rich on Rod Serling
00:14

Sally Field

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Lee Rich on casting Sally Field in Sybil
03:03

Sheldon Leonard

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Lee Rich on wanting trusted people like Sheldon Leonard to work on new television shows
00:29
Lee Rich on producer/director Sheldon Leonard and how Benton & Bowles got The Dick Van Dyke Show
04:06
Lee Rich on his efforts with Sheldon Leonard to prevent The Dick Van Dyke Show from getting dropped by sponsor Procter & Gamble
01:55
Lee Rich on Sheldon Leonard
00:10

Steven Spielberg

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Lee Rich on meeting with Steven Spielberg
01:10

Sylvester L. "Pat" Weaver

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Lee Rich on Pat Weaver
00:18

Tom Snyder

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Lee Rich on going on Tom Snyder's show to deal with criticism from a reverend about Dallas
00:51

Victoria Principal

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Lee Rich on casting Victoria Principal in Dallas
01:57

Will Geer

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Lee Rich on Will Geer's death on The Waltons
00:25

William Blinn

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Lee Rich on bringing in writer/producer Bill Blinn for Eight is Enough
01:39

William Holden

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Lee Rich on the Lorimar production, The Blue Knight
02:55

William S. Paley

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Lee Rich on working with William S. Paley, Founder of CBS
00:21
Lee Rich on William S. Paley's involvement with the movie of the week, The Homecoming: A Christmas Story - the movie that inspired the series The Waltons
02:57
Lee Rich on the network creators: David Sarnoff (NBC), William S. Paley (CBS), and Leonard Goldenson (ABC)
02:00
Lee Rich on William S. Paley
00:08

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