Leonard Goldberg

Executive/ Producer

View Full Interview

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

02:26

Tab

About

About this interview

In his nearly six-hour Archive interview, Leonard Goldberg talks about breaking into the business in the research departments at ABC and NBC in the 1950s. He speaks of his return to ABC in the 1960s, where he worked in TV development and was later promoted to Vice President of Network Programming. He details his work at Screen Gems, where he developed the celebrated television movie Brian's Song - one the highlights of his career. Goldberg discusses the formation of Spelling-Goldberg Productions with his partner Aaron Spelling, and elaborates on the many projects that came from the company including Charlie's Angels, Starsky and Hutch, Fantasy Island, Hart to Hart, and T.J. Hooker. He talks of developing the television movies The Boy in the Plastic Bubble and Something About Amelia. He also outlines his accomplishments as President and COO of 20th Century Fox, where he facilitated The Simpsons and the feature films "Broadcast News" and "Working Girl." Finally, he discusses his current position as head of Mandy Films. Dan Pasternack conducted the two-part interview on October 21 and December 7, 2004 in Beverly Hills, CA.

"Television will always be here. It is the most powerful medium I've known of since the first time I saw it and why I switched from advertising to television. And when it's used for all of its good, it's fabulous."

Highlights

Leonard Goldberg on the sudden stardom of Farrah Fawcett on Charlie's Angels; on THE poster and her leaving the show

05:33

Leonard Goldberg on William Blinn adding narration to the TV movie Brian's Song

02:31

Leonard Goldberg on Prince Charles meeting the leads of Charlie's Angels

01:41

Leonard Goldberg on the concept for Fantasy Island

04:44

Leonard Goldberg on the people helped by the TV movie Something About Amelia (which dealt with incest)

02:53

Full Interview

Chapter 1

On his childhood and early influences; on his own family experience that inspired the show Family

10:56

On his hobbies as a child - sports and reading; on attending the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania at 16 years old; on his early memories of radio and television

06:35

On his first job out of Wharton - at Bloomingdales

06:02

On his start in television in the ABC research department

05:16

Chapter 2

On working in the ABC research department with Fred Pierce; on moving to NBC and wanting to get into programming; on working for advertising agency BBD&O

13:35

On getting hired back at ABC and working with Douglas Cramer

12:38

On becoming Vice-President of Daytime Programming at ABC

03:35

Chapter 3

On his start in daytime programming (when ABC was supposedly getting out of the daytime business); on targeting children and youth-oriented programming

08:41

On working with Chuck Barris, head of daytime for the West Coast, and creating The Dating Game; on the creation of Supermarket Sweep; on the Beatles cartoon show; on ABC becoming the number one network Saturday mornings

05:05

On his daytime strategy, on the creation of The Newlywed Game and Dark Shadows

07:18

On the creation of Never Too Young and the clever way he shot the show; on getting promoted to ABC's head of programming

07:21

Chapter 4

On finding his footing as head of programming; on hiring Barry Diller and re-vamping the ABC Sunday Night Movie

10:53

On hiring Michael Eisner

03:48

On the creation on the made-for-TV movie (Movie of the Week); on ABC founder Leonard Goldenson and ABC President Elton Rule

13:35

Chapter 5

On leaving ABC in New York and moving to California to work for Columbia Pictures Television (Screen Gems); on the projects on which he worked, including The Partridge Family

06:42

On the creation of the TV movie Brian's Song

19:57

On forming a production partnership with Aaron Spelling; on their work on The Mod Squad

08:58

Chapter 6

On producing The Rookies, S.W.A.T., and Starsky and Hutch

15:29

On the creation of Family

09:05

On the creation of Charlie's Angels

03:41

Chapter 7

On producing and casting Charlie's Angels

14:16

On the sudden stardom of Farrah Fawcett on Charlie's Angels; on Farrah Fawcett and Kate Jackson leaving the show; on why the show left the air

13:25

Chapter 8

PART II: On The Fugitive and producing the TV movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, starring John Travolta

08:36

On the supporting cast of Charlie's Angels; on the episode of Charlie's Angels where we finally see "Charlie"

05:23

On his and Aaron Spelling's involvement with production and with ABC; on the many cast changes on the show; on the 2000 movie version of Charlie's Angels

14:44

Chapter 9

On the 2000 movie version of Charlie's Angels, contd.

08:02

On executive producing Fantasy Island; on casting the show, guest stars, and production of the show

13:42

On the creation of Hart to Hart; on casting Stefanie Powers and Robert Wagner and the chemistry between the leads; on why the show went off the air

07:06

Chapter 10

On ending his long-term business partnership with Aaron Spelling; on the final Spelling-Goldberg production, T.J. Hooker

08:21

On executive producing the TV movie Something About Amelia; on the social impact the movie had and how many people were helped by it

07:16

On executive producing Paper Dolls; on producing the movies "War Games"

04:26

On becoming head of television and film programming (President and COO) at 20th Century Fox and working with Barry Diller

04:19

On the development of The Tracey Ullman Show

01:12

Chapter 11

On the genesis of The Simpsons and the role James L. Brooks played in getting it made

05:05

On the development of In Living Color; on the films "Broadcast News", "Big", and "Working Girl"

06:24

On leaving 20th Century Fox and becoming an independent producer; on the craft of being a producer

10:42

On then-current projects and ageism in the business; on the future of television

06:30

Chapter 12

On the future of the big three networks; on advice to aspiring producers and executives

04:38

On the highlight of his career; on his mentors and people he's mentored; on how he'd like to be remembered

04:58

Shows

ABC Sunday Movie, The

Leonard Goldberg on hiring Barry Diller and re-vamping the ABC Sunday Night Movie

03:14

Boy in the Plastic Bubble, The

Leonard Goldberg on producing the TV movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, starring John Travolta

04:43

Brian's Song

Leonard Goldberg on the creation of the TV movie Brian's Song

11:35

Leonard Goldberg on how much he enjoyed working on Brian's Song

01:51

Charlie's Angels

Leonard Goldberg on the creation of Charlie's Angels, originally titled "The Alley Cats"

03:39

Leonard Goldberg on casting Charlie's Angels

02:05

Leonard Goldberg on starting production and promotions on Charlie's Angels

06:04

Leonard Goldberg on the critics' reception of Charlie's Angels and "jiggle television"

01:34

Leonard Goldberg on Prince Charles meeting the leads of Charlie's Angels

01:41

Leonard Goldberg on issues with Standards & Practices and complaints from the lead actresses on Charlie's Angels; on the wardrobe for the show

02:09

Leonard Goldberg on the sudden stardom of Farrah Fawcett on Charlie's Angels; on THE poster and her leaving the show

05:33

Leonard Goldberg on replacing Farrah Fawcett on Charlie's Angels and re-casting the show

06:18

Leonard Goldberg on why Charlie's Angels went off the air

01:07

Leonard Goldberg on the supporting cast of Charlie's Angels: David Doyle (Bosley)

01:55

Leonard Goldberg on Charlie's Angels and casting John Forsythe as "Charlie"

03:28

Leonard Goldberg on the production of Charlie's Angels with Aaron Spelling

03:57

Leonard Goldberg on his and Aaron Spelling's relationship with ABC during the production of Charlie's Angels

02:41

Leonard Goldberg on censorship issues on Charlie's Angels

01:16

Leonard Goldberg on how the many cast changes on Charlie's Angels weakened the show

01:30

Leonard Goldberg on the movie version of Charlie's Angels

03:04

Leonard Goldberg on the 2000 movie version of Charlie's Angels, contd.

08:02

Dark Shadows

Leonard Goldberg on the creation of Dark Shadows

03:00

Dating Game, The

Leonard Goldberg on working with Chuck Barris, head of daytime for the West Coast, and creating The Dating Game

01:51

Family

Leonard Goldberg on his own family experience that inspired the show Family

00:54

Leonard Goldberg on the creation of Family

09:05

Fantasy Island

Leonard Goldberg on the concept for Fantasy Island

04:44

Leonard Goldberg on casting Fantasy Island

04:01

Leonard Goldberg on the success of Fantasy Island on Saturday night

01:57

Leonard Goldberg on guest stars, favorite episodes, and production of Fantasy Island

02:58

Fugitive, The

Leonard Goldberg on the importance of The Fugitive to television and fighting for a big series finale

03:42

Hart to Hart

Leonard Goldberg on the creation and casting of Hart to Hart

05:56

Leonard Goldberg on the success of Hart to Hart and why it went off the air

01:08

In Living Color

Leonard Goldberg on the development of In Living Color

00:48

Milton Berle Show, The (1966-67)

Leonard Goldberg on The Milton Berle Show lasting only 13 weeks at ABC

00:45

Mod Squad, The

Leonard Goldberg on his working relationship with Aaron Spelling on The Mod Squad

01:03

Never Too Young

Leonard Goldberg on the creation of Never Too Young and the clever way he shot the show

01:57

Newlywed Game, The

Leonard Goldberg on the creation of The Newlywed Game

00:37

O. K. Crackerby!

Leonard Goldberg on working on O. K. Crackerby! with Abe Burrows and learning a valuable lesson

02:09

Paper Dolls

Leonard Goldberg on executive producing Paper Dolls (which introduced Nicollette Sheridan)

02:29

Partridge Family, The

Leonard Goldberg on getting The Partridge Family made

01:45

Rookies, The

Leonard Goldberg on producing his first series, The Rookies

00:50

S.W.A.T.

Leonard Goldberg on producing a spin-off of The Rookies - S.W.A.T

04:59

Simpsons, The

Leonard Goldberg on the genesis of The Simpsons and the role James L. Brooks played in getting it made

05:04

Sing Along with Mitch

Leonard Goldberg on speaking up to Bob Sarnoff and pitching Sing Along with Mitch

04:15

Something About Amelia

Leonard Goldberg on executive producing the TV movie Something About Amelia

07:16

Starsky and Hutch

Leonard Goldberg on producing Starsky and Hutch

01:41

Leonard Goldberg on casting Starsky and Hutch

03:26

Leonard Goldberg on stylistic elements and side stories on Starsky and Hutch

04:16

Leonard Goldberg on an episode of Starsky & Hutch which used the Mona Lisa in the shot

02:11

Supermarket Sweep

Leonard Goldberg on the creation of Supermarket Sweep

00:33

T.J. Hooker

Leonard Goldberg on the final Spelling-Goldberg production, T.J. Hooker

02:01

Leonard Goldberg on casting T.J. Hooker

01:13

Leonard Goldberg on production on T.J. Hooker

02:00

Tracey Ullman Show, The

Leonard Goldberg on the development of The Tracey Ullman Show

01:12

Topics

Advertising and Sponsorship

Leonard Goldberg on working for advertising agency BBD&O

03:34

Leonard Goldberg on the deal with Ford on Starsky and Hutch

00:58

Advice

Leonard Goldberg on advice to aspiring producers and executives

02:21

Censorship / Standards & Practices

Leonard Goldberg on issues with Standards & Practices and complaints from the lead actresses on Charlie's Angels

02:09

Leonard Goldberg on censorship issues on Charlie's Angels

01:16

Leonard Goldberg on fighting Standards & Practices on the incest in the TV movie Something About Amelia

03:14

Creative Influences and Inspiration

Leonard Goldberg on his mentors and people he mentored

02:07

Leonard Goldberg on his mentors and people he mentored

02:07

Historic Events and Social Change

Leonard Goldberg on the people helped by the TV movie Something About Amelia (which dealt with incest)

02:53

Memorable Moments on Television

Leonard Goldberg on William Blinn adding narration to the TV movie Brian's Song

02:31

Leonard Goldberg on the episode of Charlie's Angels where we finally see "Charlie"

01:35

Leonard Goldberg on the people helped by the TV movie Something About Amelia (which dealt with incest)

02:53

Pivotal Career Moments

Leonard Goldberg on his mentors and people he mentored

02:07

Television Industry

Leonard Goldberg on working for advertising agency BBD&O

03:34

Leonard Goldberg on the deal with Ford on Starsky and Hutch

00:58

Leonard Goldberg on issues with Standards & Practices and complaints from the lead actresses on Charlie's Angels

02:09

Leonard Goldberg on censorship issues on Charlie's Angels

01:16

Leonard Goldberg on fighting Standards & Practices on the incest in the TV movie Something About Amelia

03:14

Leonard Goldberg on the future of television

02:03

Leonard Goldberg on the future of the big three networks

02:17

Leonard Goldberg on advice to aspiring producers and executives

02:21

We Cried

Leonard Goldberg on William Blinn adding narration to the TV movie Brian's Song

02:31

Professions

Executives

View Profession

Leonard Goldberg on taking charge of daytime programming at ABC and targeting children's programming

01:10

Leonard Goldberg on getting promoted to ABC's head of programming

01:51

Leonard Goldberg on becoming head of television and film programming (President and COO) at 20th Century Fox and working with Barry Diller

01:52

Producers

View Profession

Leonard Goldberg on the craft of being a producer and how he selects projects

07:04

Genres

Adventure/Espionage Series

Leonard Goldberg on casting and producing Charlie's Angels

27:41

Leonard Goldberg on the supporting cast, production, and the 2000 movie version of Charlie's Angels

20:05

Leonard Goldberg on the creation, casting and series run of Fantasy Island

13:42

Leonard Goldberg on the creation and casting of Hart to Hart

07:04

Cop/Detective/Mystery Series

Leonard Goldberg on producing Starsky and Hutch

09:23

Leonard Goldberg on the creation of Charlie's Angels, originally titled "The Alley Cats"

03:39

Leonard Goldberg on the final Spelling-Goldberg production, T.J. Hooker

05:14

Drama Series

Leonard Goldberg on the creation of Family

09:05

TV Movies/Miniseries/Dramatic Specials

Leonard Goldberg on hiring Barry Diller and re-vamping the ABC Sunday Night Movie

03:13

Leonard Goldberg on the creation on the made-for-TV movie

10:29

Leonard Goldberg on the creation of the TV movie Brian's Song

13:26

Leonard Goldberg on producing the TV movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, starring John Travolta

04:43

Leonard Goldberg on executive producing the TV movie Something About Amelia

07:16

People

Jay Presson Allen

View Person Page

Leonard Goldberg on the creation of Family

03:48

Chuck Barris

View Interview Page

Leonard Goldberg on working with Chuck Barris, head of daytime for the West Coast, and creating The Dating Game

01:51

Drew Barrymore

View Person Page

Leonard Goldberg on Drew Barrymore wanting to be in and produce the 2000 movie version of Charlie's Angels

03:12

Leonard Goldberg on casting the 2000 movie version of Charlie's Angels

02:05

Meredith Baxter-Birney

View Person Page

Leonard Goldberg on casting Meredith Baxter on Family

00:36

Milton Berle

View Interview Page

Leonard Goldberg on The Milton Berle Show lasting only 13 weeks at ABC

00:45

William Blinn

View Interview Page

Leonard Goldberg on hiring William Blinn to write the TV movie Brian's Song

00:32

Leonard Goldberg on William Blinn adding narration to the TV movie Brian's Song

02:31

Leonard Goldberg on producing Starsky and Hutch

01:27

Matthew Broderick

View Person Page

Leonard Goldberg on producing the movies "War Games" starring Matthew Broderick

01:33

James L. Brooks

View Interview Page

Leonard Goldberg on the development of The Tracey Ullman Show

01:12

Leonard Goldberg on the genesis of The Simpsons and the role James L. Brooks played in getting it made

04:56

Leonard Goldberg on the film "Broadcast News"

02:23

Leonard Goldberg on the film "Big"

00:49

Abe Burrows

View Person Page

Leonard Goldberg on working on O.K. Crackerby with Abe Burrows and learning a valuable lesson

02:09

James Caan

View Person Page

Leonard Goldberg on casting James Caan in the TV movie Brian's Song

00:12

Douglas S. Cramer

View Interview Page

Leonard Goldberg on meeting and working with Douglas Cramer at ABC

05:38

Dan Curtis

View Person Page

Leonard Goldberg on the creation of Dark Shadows

03:02

Michael Dann

View Interview Page

Leonard Goldberg on Mike Dann wanting to hire him at CBS

01:59

Ted Danson

View Person Page

Leonard Goldberg on casting the TV movie Something About Amelia

01:41

Barry Diller

View Person Page

Leonard Goldberg on hiring Barry Diller and re-vamping the ABC Sunday Night Movie

05:04

Leonard Goldberg on Barry Diller's eulogy at Lew Wasserman's memorial

01:36

Leonard Goldberg on the creation on the made-for-TV movie

10:29

Leonard Goldberg on Barry Diller not wanting Family on ABC, but doing it when Mike Nichols was attached

02:16

Leonard Goldberg on becoming head of television and film programming (President and COO) at 20th Century Fox and working with Barry Diller

04:04

Leonard Goldberg on leaving 20th Century Fox

02:32

David Doyle

View Person Page

Leonard Goldberg on the supporting cast of Charlie's Angels: David Doyle ("Bosley")

01:33

Michael Eisner

View Interview Page

Leonard Goldberg on hiring Michael Eisner at ABC

02:26

Leonard Goldberg on Michael Eisner's responsibilities at ABC

01:22

Farrah Fawcett

View Person Page

Leonard Goldberg on casting Farrah Fawcett on Charlie's Angels

00:37

Leonard Goldberg on Farrah Fawcett becoming the breakout star of Charlie's Angels

00:26

Leonard Goldberg on the sudden stardom of Farrah Fawcett on Charlie's Angels; on her leaving the show

05:33

Leonard Goldberg on the Farrah Fawcett poster being featured in the film "Saturday Night Fever" (after she left Charlie's Angels)

01:33

John Forsythe

View Interview Page

Leonard Goldberg on Charlie's Angels and casting John Forsythe as "Charlie"

03:28

Paul Michael Glaser

View Interview Page

Leonard Goldberg on casting Starsky and Hutch

03:26

Leonard H. Goldenson

View Interview Page

Leonard Goldberg on Leonard Goldenson being pleased with the daytime successes at ABC

00:14

Leonard Goldberg on working with ABC founder/chariman Leonard Goldenson

01:24

Shelley Hack

View Person Page

Leonard Goldberg on Kate Jackson leaving Charlie's Angels and casting Shelley Hack

01:19

Christopher Hewett

View Person Page

Leonard Goldberg on casting Fantasy Island - Christopher Hewett

00:30

Diana Hyland

View Person Page

Leonard Goldberg on John Travolta meeting Diana Hyland during the TV movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble

00:48

Kate Jackson

View Person Page

Leonard Goldberg on casting Charlie's Angels

00:28

Leonard Goldberg on Kate Jackson leaving Charlie's Angels and casting Shelley Hack

00:59

Robert E. Kintner

View Person Page

Leonard Goldberg on getting on Robert Kintner's bad side

01:01

Buzz Kulik

View Person Page

Leonard Goldberg on director Buzz Kulik disapproving of notes, but winning the DGA Award for Brian's Song

01:18

Cheryl Ladd

View Person Page

Leonard Goldberg on replacing Farrah Fawcett with Cheryl Ladd on Charlie's Angels

04:00

Michel Legrand

View Person Page

Leonard Goldberg on wanting Michel Legrand do the music for Brian's Song

02:19

Heather Locklear

View Person Page

Leonard Goldberg on casting Heather Locklear on T.J. Hooker

00:51

Tom Mankiewicz

View Person Page

Leonard Goldberg on the creation of Hart to Hart and buying the rights to the basic story from Sidney Sheldon

00:16

Kristy McNichol

View Person Page

Leonard Goldberg on casting Kristy McNichol on Family

01:08

John Mitchell

View Person Page

Leonard Goldberg on his mentors

00:52

Ricardo Montalban

View Interview Page

Leonard Goldberg on casting Fantasy Island - Ricardo Montalban

00:32

Mike Nichols

View Person Page

Leonard Goldberg on Barry Diller not wanting Family on ABC, but doing it when Mike Nichols was attached

01:05

Leonard Goldberg on the film "Working Girl"

02:15

Agnes Nixon

View Interview Page

Leonard Goldberg on buying Agnes Nixon's company

00:32

Frederick S. Pierce

View Interview Page

Leonard Goldberg on meeting Fred Pierce in the research department of ABC

00:26

Leonard Goldberg on working in the ABC research department with Fred Pierce

01:14

Stefanie Powers

View Person Page

Leonard Goldberg on casting Stefanie Powers and Robert Wagner on Hart to Hart and the chemistry between the leads

01:42

Burt Reynolds

View Person Page

Leonard Goldberg on Burt Reynolds wanting to play the lead in the TV movie Brian's Song

00:23

Elton H. Rule

View Person Page

Leonard Goldberg on working with ABC President Elton Rule

01:28

Edgar J. Scherick

View Interview Page

Leonard Goldberg on turning down a job at ABC offered to him by Edgar Scherick, but eventually getting the job

08:33

Leonard Goldberg on becoming Vice-President of Daytime Programming at ABC

03:35

Leonard Goldberg on his mentors

00:19

Abe Schneider

View Person Page

Leonard Goldberg on meeting with the Chairman of Columbia Pictures, Abe Schneider

01:19

William Shatner

View Interview Page

Leonard Goldberg on casting William Shatner on T.J. Hooker

00:22

Sidney Sheldon

View Interview Page

Leonard Goldberg on the creation of Hart to Hart and buying the rights to the basic story from Sidney Sheldon

01:22

Fred Silverman

View Interview Page

Leonard Goldberg on his and Aaron Spelling's relationship with ABC during the production of Charlie's Angels

01:52

Jaclyn Smith

View Interview Page

Leonard Goldberg on the third "angel" on Charlie's Angels

00:50

David Soul

View Person Page

Leonard Goldberg on casting Starsky and Hutch

03:26

Aaron Spelling

View Interview Page

Leonard Goldberg on how he met Aaron Spelling

03:14

Leonard Goldberg on his working relationship with Aaron Spelling on The Mod Squad

01:03

Leonard Goldberg on forming his production partnership with Aaron Spelling and how their skill sets complemented each other

04:29

Leonard Goldberg on the creation of Family

04:34

Leonard Goldberg on the production of Charlie's Angels with Aaron Spelling

03:57

Leonard Goldberg on the 2000 movie version of Charlie's Angels, contd.

02:44

Leonard Goldberg on ending his long-term business partnership with Aaron Spelling

04:12

Lionel Stander

View Person Page

Leonard Goldberg on casting Lionel Stander as "Max" on Hart to Hart

01:04

Brandon Stoddard

View Interview Page

Leonard Goldberg on fighting Standards & Practices on the incest in the TV movie Something About Amelia

01:33

Tony Thomas

View Interview Page

Leonard Goldberg on Tony Thomas to associate produce the TV movie Brian's Song

00:16

John Travolta

View Person Page

Leonard Goldberg on producing the TV movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, starring John Travolta

04:17

Herve Villechaize

View Person Page

Leonard Goldberg on casting Fantasy Island - Herve Villechaize

02:59

Robert Wagner

View Person Page

Leonard Goldberg on casting Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers on Hart to Hart and the chemistry between the leads

01:49

Prince of Wales, Charles

View Person Page

Leonard Goldberg on Prince Charles meeting the leads of Charlie's Angels

01:41

Lew Wasserman

View Person Page

Leonard Goldberg on Barry Diller's eulogy at Lew Wasserman's memorial

01:36

Billy Dee Williams

View Person Page

Leonard Goldberg on how Billy Dee Williams was cast in the TV movie Brian's Song

00:50

Natalie Wood

View Person Page

Leonard Goldberg on not casting Natalie Wood on Hart to Hart

00:27