Loring Mandel

Writer
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The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

02:26

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About
About this interview

In his three-hour interview, Loring Mandel (1928-2020) talks about his early life, and his beginning in local Chicago television working with the likes of Mike Wallace, Dave Garroway, and Irv Kupcinet. He discusses breaking into writing for live national television anthologies with the Studio One production of “Shakedown Cruise,” followed by other episodes of that show including “Fair Play,” This Will Do Nicely,” and “The Open Door.” Mandel recalls writing both “Project Immortality” and “The Raider” for Playhouse 90, as well as scripts for The DuPont Show of the Week, Bob Hope Presents Chrysler Theatre, and CBS Playhouse. He chronicles his stint writing for the daytime serial Love of Life, as well as several made-for-television movies, including his career capper Conspiracy in 2001, for which he received an Emmy award. Stephen Bowie conducted the interview on June 15, 2010 in Somers, NY.

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

"I've been sort of like a loner in this business my whole life. I've always found that my own level of interest is what drew me to something. I don't search for things in a given category."

People Talking About ...
Loring Mandel
Highlights
Loring Mandel on developing his first local Chicago television show, Norman Ross at Work, and writing for other local shows for people like Irving "Irv" Kupcinet and Dave Garroway
06:07
Loring Mandel on the Hollywood Blacklist, and on casting blacklisted actors on Studio One
05:46
Loring Mandel on writing for Love of Life
10:52
Loring Mandel on writing the CBS Playhouse episode "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night," starring Shirley Booth and Melvyn Douglas
09:44
Loring Mandel on watching the live broadcasts of Studio One from inside the studio, and on writing the episode "The Rice Sprout Song," directed by Sidney Lumet with mostly blacklisted actors
04:25
Loring Mandel on writing the Playhouse 90 episode "The Raider," directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and starring Rod Taylor and Paul Douglas
03:26
Full Interview

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Chapter 1
On his early life and influences; on developing his first local Chicago television show, Norman Ross at Work, and writing for other local shows for people like Irving "Irv" Kupcinet and Dave Garroway; on working with Bob Hope and Dave Garroway
On moving to New York City, and finding work to write for television; on working with Perry Wolff and Charles Collingwood; on getting into writing anthologies like Studio One
On his first script for Studio One, "Shakedown Cruise"; on Franklin J. Schaffner directing his Studio One episode "Shakedown Cruise," and on shooting the episode; on writing the Studio One episodes "Fair Play," "This Will Do Nicely," and "The Open Door"
On watching the live broadcasts of Studio One from inside the studio, and on writing the episode "The Rice Sprout Song," directed by Sidney Lumet with mostly blacklisted actors; on Studio One producers Herbert Brodkin and Felix Jackson
On the Hollywood Blacklist, and on casting blacklisted actors on Studio One; on his involvement in the writers program at CBS; on writing "House of His Own" for Lux Video Theatre

Chapter 2
On the production company Unit 4 and on writing "The Army Game" for The Kaiser Aluminum Hour, directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and starring Paul Newman; on writing The Seven Lively Arts episode "The Blast in Centralia #5," directed by George Roy Hill; on John Houseman
On comparing Playhouse 90 to other anthology shows, and on writing the episode "Project Immortality" directed by Fielder Cook; on writing the Playhouse 90 episode "The Raider," directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and starring Rod Taylor and Paul Douglas
On writing The DuPont Show of the Week episode "The Word's Greatest Robbery"; on writing The DuPont Show of the Week episode "Ambassador at Large"; on using the pen name Karl Miller when writing for Bob Hope Presents Chrysler Theatre
On writing the CBS Playhouse episode "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night," starring Shirley Booth and Melvyn Douglas; on winning an Emmy for the CBS Playhouse episode "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night"
On writing To Confuse the Angel, starring Lee J. Cobb, and I Remember Illinois; on writing for Love of Life at the behest of Fred Silverman

Chapter 3
On writing for Love of Life; on adjusting his style of writing to the material; on writing The Best of Families
On writing Benjamin Franklin; on writing Sandburg's Lincoln and the American Parade episode "The Case Against Milligan," and on how working for PBS was different from working for networks; on writing The Trial of Chaplain Jensen and Breaking Up
On writing The Lost Honor of Kathryn Beck and Citizen Cohn; on writing Conspiracy; on the abandoned follow-up to Conspiracy , and on and aborted biography of Walt Disney
On his writing process, and on subjects he's drawn to writing about; on his criticism of television, and on being president of the Writers Guild; on advice to aspiring writers; on career achievements and regrets, and how he'd like to be remembered
Shows

Act of Passion: The Lost Honor of Kathryn Beck

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Loring Mandel on writing The Lost Honor of Kathryn Beck and Citizen Cohn
05:00

American Parade, The

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Loring Mandel on writing Sandburg's Lincoln and the American Parade episode "The Case Against Milligan," and on how working for PBS was different from working for networks
03:43

Benjamin Franklin

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Loring Mandel on writing Benjamin Franklin
02:54

Best of Families, The

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Loring Mandel on writing The Best of Families
10:04

Bob Hope Presents Chrysler Theatre

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Loring Mandel on using the pen name Karl Miller when writing for Bob Hope Presents Chrysler Theatre
03:30

Breaking Up

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Loring Mandel on writing The Trial of Chaplain Jensen and Breaking Up
04:32

CBS Playhouse

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Loring Mandel on writing the CBS Playhouse episode "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night," starring Shirley Booth and Melvyn Douglas
09:44
Loring Mandel on winning an Emmy for the CBS Playhouse episode "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night"
01:47
Loring Mandel on writing the CBS Playhouse episode "Shadow Game"
01:25
Lorning Mandel on dealing with censorship in his career on the CBS Playhouse episode "Shadow Game"
01:11

Citizen Cohn

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Loring Mandel on writing The Lost Honor of Kathryn Beck and Citizen Cohn
05:01

Conspiracy

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Loring Mandel on writing Conspiracy
04:55
Loring Mandel on the abandoned follow-up to Conspiracy, and on and aborted biography of Walt Disney
02:45

DuPont Show of the Week, The

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Loring Mandel on writing The DuPont Show of the Week episode "The Word's Greatest Robbery"
04:14
Loring Mandel on writing The DuPont Show of the Week episode "Ambassador at Large"
01:02

Emmy Awards, The (Primetime and Daytime)

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Loring Mandel on winning an Emmy for the CBS Playhouse episode "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night"
01:47

Kaiser Aluminum Hour

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Loring Mandel on the production company Unit 4 and on writing "The Army Game" for The Kaiser Aluminum Hour, directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and starring Paul Newman
05:44

Love of Life

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Loring Mandel on writing for Love of Life at the behest of Fred Silverman
02:11
Loring Mandel on writing for Love of Life
10:52

Lux Video Theatre

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Loring Mandel on writing "House of His Own" for Lux Video Theatre
01:49

Playhouse 90

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Loring Mandel on comparing Playhouse 90 to other anthology shows, and on writing the episode "Project Immortality," directed by Fielder Cook
10:04
Loring Mandel on writing the Playhouse 90 episode "The Raider," directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and starring Rod Taylor and Paul Douglas
03:26

Sandburg's Lincoln

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Loring Mandel on writing Sandburg's Lincoln and the American Parade episode "The Case Against Milligan," and on how working for PBS was different from working for networks
03:43

Seven Lively Arts, The

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Loring Mandel on writing The Seven Lively Arts episode "The Blast in Centralia #5," directed by George Roy Hill
07:55

Studio One

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Loring Mandel on getting into writing for anthology series like Studio One
03:14
Loring Mandel on writing his first script for Studio One, "Shakedown Cruise"
03:53
Loring Mandel on Franklin J. Schaffner directing his Studio One episode "Shakedown Cruise," and on shooting the episode
05:19
Loring Mandel on writing the Studio One episodes "Fair Play," "This Will Do Nicely," and "The Open Door"
03:24
Loring Mandel on watching the live broadcasts of Studio One from inside the studio, and on writing the episode "The Rice Sprout Song," directed by Sidney Lumet with mostly blacklisted actors
04:25
Loring Mandel on Studio One producers Herbert Brodkin and Felix Jackson
03:12
Loring Mandel on the Hollywood Blacklist, and on casting blacklisted actors on Studio One
05:46

To Confuse the Angel

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Loring Mandel on writing To Confuse the Angel, starring Lee J. Cobb, and I Remember Illinois
03:42

Trial of Chaplain Jensen, The

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Loring Mandel on writing The Trial of Chaplain Jensen and Breaking Up
04:32
Topics

Advice

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Loring Mandel on advice to aspiring television writers
00:48

Censorship / Standards & Practices

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Lorning Mandel on dealing with censorship in his career on the CBS Playhouse episode "Shadow Game"
01:11

Criticism of TV

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Loring Mandel on his criticism of television, and on being president of the Writers Guild
03:19

Emmy Awards

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Loring Mandel on winning an Emmy for the CBS Playhouse episode "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night"
01:47

Hollywood Blacklist

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Loring Mandel on the Hollywood Blacklist, and on casting blacklisted actors on Studio One
05:46

Industry Crossroads

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Loring Mandel on the Hollywood Blacklist, and on casting blacklisted actors on Studio One
05:46

Television Industry

View Topic
Loring Mandel on the Hollywood Blacklist, and on casting blacklisted actors on Studio One
05:46
Lorning Mandel on dealing with censorship in his career on the CBS Playhouse episode "Shadow Game"
01:11
Loring Mandel on his criticism of television, and on being president of the Writers Guild
03:19
Loring Mandel on advice to aspiring television writers
00:48
Professions

Writers

View Profession
Loring Mandel on adjusting his style of writing to the material
05:05
Loring Mandel on his writing process
02:04
Loring Mandel on subjects he's drawn to writing about, and on the politics of his work
03:49
Loring Mandel on advice to aspiring television writers
00:48
Genres

Classic Anthology Series

View Genre
Loring Mandel on writing various scripts for Studio One
29:13
Loring Mandel on writing "House of His Own" for Lux Video Theatre
01:49
Loring Mandel on the production company Unit 4 and on writing "The Army Game" for The Kaiser Aluminum Hour , directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and starring Paul Newman
05:44
Loring Mandel on writing The Seven Lively Arts episode "The Blast in Centralia #5," directed by George Roy Hill
07:55
Loring Mandel on writing for Playhouse 90
17:15
Loring Mandel on writing for The DuPont Show of the Week
06:29
Loring Mandel on writing for CBS Playhouse
12:56

Daytime/Primetime Serials

View Genre
Loring Mandel on writing for Love of Life at the behest of Fred Silverman
01:51
Loring Mandel on writing for Love of Life
10:52

TV Movies/Miniseries/Dramatic Specials

View Genre
Loring Mandel on writing To Confuse the Angel, starring Lee J. Cobb, and I Remember Illinois
03:42
Loring Mandel on writing The Best of Families
10:04
Loring Mandel on writing Benjamin Franklin
02:54
Loring Mandel on writing Lincoln and the American Parade episode "The Case Against Milligan," and on how working for PBS was different from working for networks
03:43
Loring Mandel on writing The Trial of Chaplain Jensen and Breaking Up
04:32
Loring Mandel on writing Conspiracy
07:40
People

Bob Hope

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Loring Mandel on working with Bob Hope and Dave Garroway
03:47

Dave Garroway

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Loring Mandel on working with Bob Hope and Dave Garroway
03:48

Felix Jackson

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Loring Mandel on Studio One producers Herb Brodkin and Felix Jackson
03:13

Fielder Cook

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Loring Mandel on comparing Playhouse 90 to other anthology shows, and on writing the episode "Project Immortality," directed by Fielder Cook
10:04

Franklin J. Schaffner

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Loring Mandel on Franklin J. Schaffner directing his Studio One episode "Shakedown Cruise," and on shooting the episode
05:19
Loring Mandel on the production company Unit 4 and on writing "The Army Game" for The Kaiser Aluminum Hour, directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and starring Paul Newman
05:44
Loring Mandel on writing the Playhouse 90 episode "The Raider," directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and starring Rod Taylor and Paul Douglas
03:26

Fred Silverman

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Loring Mandel on writing for Love of Life at the behest of Fred Silverman
02:11

George Roy Hill

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Loring Mandel on writing The Seven Lively Arts episode "The Blast in Centralia #5," directed by George Roy Hill
07:25

Herbert Brodkin

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Loring Mandel on Studio One producers Herbert Brodkin and Felix Jackson
03:13

John Houseman

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Loring Mandel on John Houseman
03:44

Lee J. Cobb

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Loring Mandel on writing To Confuse the Angel, starring Lee J. Cobb, and I Remember Illinois
03:42

Melvyn Douglas

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Loring Mandel on writing the CBS Playhouse episode "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night," starring Shirley Booth and Melvyn Douglas
09:44

Mike Wallace

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Loring Mandel on working with Mike Wallace in local Chicago television
01:00

Paul Newman

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Loring Mandel on the production company Unit 4 and on writing "The Army Game" for The Kaiser Aluminum Hour, directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and starring Paul Newman
05:44

Shirley Booth

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Loring Mandel on writing the CBS Playhouse episode "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night," starring Shirley Booth and Melvyn Douglas
09:44

Sidney Lumet

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Loring Mandel on watching the live broadcasts of Studio One from inside the studio, and on writing the episode "The Rice Sprout Song," directed by Sidney Lumet with mostly blacklisted actors
04:57

All Interviews

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