"After leaving Sid Caesar and Your Show of Shows, I ran into my replacement, Selma Diamond. She said 'I've been with that group for six weeks - how did you stand it for six years?' I said 'Just think of it as the Harvard of television writing.'"

    About This Interview

    In her three-hour interview, Lucille Kallen (1922-1999) talks about her early years in the Poconos and her longtime association with her mentor, producer Max Liebman, who hired her on the television show Admiral Broadway Revue. She gives her unique perspective as the only woman writer on Your Show of Shows, working alongside Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks, Sid Caesar, and her long-time writing partner Mel Tolkin, including writing several "Doris and Charlie Hickenlooper" sketches for Caesar and Imogene Coca. Kallen speaks of her work on The U.S. Steel Hour specials and Stanley, and writing the Broadway play Maybe Tuesday with Tolkin. She recounts the pressures of live television and describes what it was like to be involved in the Golden Age of Television. She discusses retiring from television to focus on writing novels, which included the successful "C.B. Greenfield" series of detective novels. Sunny Parich conducted the interview on April 25, 1998 in Ardsley, NY.

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

    Lucille Kallen on her earliest memories of television and on her first television writing assignment

    02:24
    Thumbnail of Lucille Kallen

    Lucille Kallen on meeting Sid Caesar and writing for Admiral Broadway Revue

    05:20
    Thumbnail of Lucille Kallen

    Lucille Kallen on becoming a novelist and on her first novel "Outside There, Somewhere!: A Novel"

    05:21
    Thumbnail of Lucille Kallen

    Lucille Kallen on the "Doris and Charlie Hickenlooper" sketches on Your Show of Shows, featuring Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca

    08:56
    Thumbnail of Lucille Kallen

    Lucille Kallen on her decision to retire from writing for television and focus on writing novels and on Your Show of Shows having been a training ground for comedy writers

    03:27
    Play Full Interview

    Chapter 1

    On her early life and influences; on the theater group she started in Toronto

    15:17

    On radio shows she listened to growing up and joining a comedy troupe; on her nightclub act and living in New York in the 1950s; on being discovered by Max Liebman

    13:10

    Chapter 2

    On appearing in Max Liebman's stage show at Camp Tamiment in the Pocono Mountains; on putting together Max Liebman's Camp Tamiment stage shows; on her earliest memories of television and on her first television writing assignment

    12:31

    On working with writer Mel Tolkin at Tamiment; on working with Imogene Coca at Tamiment and on writing for Coca and Sid Caesar on Your Show of Shows; on meeting Sid Caesar and writing for Admiral Broadway Revue and on the format of the show

    16:07

    Chapter 3

    On working with Imogene Coca on Your Show of Shows; on working with Carl Reiner and Howard Morris on Your Show of Shows and on the live aspects of the show

    12:41

    On the rehearsals for Your Show of Shows; on Mel Brooks on Your Show of Shows

    06:31

    On some of the memorable sketches on Your Show of Shows; on the "Doris and Charlie Hickenlooper" sketches on Your Show of Shows, featuring Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca

    08:53

    Chapter 4

    On the sophistication of the comedy on Your Show of Shows; on the pressure of the production of Your Show of Shows; on the cancellation of Your Show of Shows, declining to be part of Caesar's Hour, and on writing for The Imogene Coca Show

    15:03

    On writing for Max Liebman Presents and The United States Steel Hour with people like Carol Burnett and Buddy Hackett; on collaborating on a Broadway play called "Maybe Tuesday" with Mel Tolkin; on becoming a novelist and on her first novel, "Outside There, Somewhere!: A Novel"

    14:21

    Chapter 5

    On writing for The Bell Telephone Hour; on her decision to retire from writing for television and focus on writing novels and on Your Show of Shows having been a training ground for comedy writers; on television's Golden Age and on being a successful television comedy writer; on various people with whom she worked in her career

    16:02

    On b-roll pictures from her career- picture for her first novel; the whole staff of Your Show of Shows in 1952-53; the crew at Camp Tamiment; drawing of Tamiment Playhouse and players; 48th Street Playhouse with her play "Maybe Tuesday"

    05:57

    Admiral Broadway Revue

    Writer Lucille Kallen the format of The Admiral Broadway Revue

    01:53

    Lucille Kallen on meeting Sid Caesar and writing for Admiral Broadway Revue

    05:20

    Bell Telephone Hour, The

    Lucille Kallen on writing for The Bell Telephone Hour

    05:33

    Imogene Coca Show, The

    Lucille Kallen on the cancellation of Your Show of Shows, declining to be part of Caesar's Hour, and on writing for The Imogene Coca Show

    04:59

    Max Liebman Presents

    Lucille Kallen on writing for Max Liebman Presents and The United States Steel Hour

    06:16

    United States Steel Hour, The

    Lucille Kallen on writing for Max Liebman Presents and The United States Steel Hour with people like Carol Burnett and Buddy Hackett

    06:16

    Your Show of Shows

    Lucille Kallen on working with Imogene Coca at Tamiment in the Poconos, and on writing for Coca and Sid Caesar on Your Show of Shows

    03:27

    Lucille Kallen on working with Imogene Coca on Your Show of Shows

    07:28

    Lucille Kallen on working with Carl Reiner and Howard Morris on Your Show of Shows and on the live aspects of the show

    05:13

    Lucille Kallen on rehearsals for Your Show of Shows

    01:21

    Lucille Kallen on Mel Brooks on Your Show of Shows

    05:09

    Lucille Kallen on the "Doris and Charlie Hickenlooper" sketches on Your Show of Shows, featuring Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca

    08:56

    Lucille Kallen on the sophistication of the comedy on Your Show of Shows

    05:12

    Lucille Kallen on the pressure of the production of Your Show of Shows

    01:35

    Lucille Kallen on the cancellation of Your Show of Shows, declining to be part of Caesar's Hour, and on writing for The Imogene Coca Show

    04:59

    Lucille Kallen on her decision to retire from writing for television and focus on writing novels and on Your Show of Shows having been a training ground for comedy writers

    03:27

    TV's Golden Age (1940s & '50s)

    Lucille Kallen on the Golden Age of Television

    01:23

    Writers

    Lucille Kallen on the key to writing television comedy

    02:54

    Music Shows & Variety Shows/Specials

    Lucille Kallen on writing for Admiral Broadway Revue

    07:13

    Lucille Kallen on writing for Your Show of Shows

    28:07

    Lucille Kallen on writing for Your Show of Shows and The Imogene Coca Show

    15:03

    Lucille Kallen on writing for Your Show of Shows and The Imogene Coca Show

    15:03

    Lucille Kallen on writing for Max Liebman Presents and The United States Steel Hour

    06:17

    Lucille Kallen on writing for The Bell Telephone Hour

    05:32

    Lucille Kallen on her decision to retire from writing for television and focus on writing novels and on Your Show of Shows having been a training ground for comedy writers

    03:27

    Mel Brooks

    Lucille Kallen on Mel Brooks on Your Show of Shows

    05:09

    Carol Burnett

    Lucille Kallen on writing for Max Liebman Presents and The United States Steel Hour with people like Carol Burnett and Buddy Hackett

    06:16

    Sid Caesar

    Lucille Kallen on working with Imogene Coca at Tamiment and on writing for Coca and Sid Caesar on Your Show of Shows

    03:27

    Lucille Kallen on meeting Sid Caesar and writing for Admiral Broadway Revue

    05:20

    Lucille Kallen on the "Doris and Charlie Hickenlooper" sketches on Your Show of Shows, featuring Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca

    08:56

    Imogene Coca

    Lucille Kallen on working with Imogene Coca at Tamiment in the Poconos, and on writing for Coca and Sid Caesar on Your Show of Shows

    03:27

    Lucille Kallen on working with Imogene Coca on Your Show of Shows

    07:28

    Lucille Kallen on the "Doris and Charlie Hickenlooper" sketches on Your Show of Shows, featuring Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca

    08:56

    Lucille Kallen on the cancellation of Your Show of Shows, declining to be part of Caesar's Hour, and on writing for The Imogene Coca Show

    04:59

    Buddy Hackett

    Lucille Kallen on writing for Max Liebman Presents and The United States Steel Hour with people like Carol Burnett and Buddy Hackett

    06:16

    Ernest Kinoy

    Lucille Kallen on Aaron Ruben, Max Wilk, and Ernest Kinoy

    01:19

    Max Liebman

    Lucille Kallen on being discovered by Max Liebman

    02:24

    Lucille Kallen on appearing in Max Liebman's stage show at Camp Tamiment in the Pocono Mountains

    06:53

    Lucille Kallen on putting together Max Liebman's Camp Tamiment stage shows

    03:11

    Lucille Kallen on Max Liebman and on her husband

    01:26

    Howard Morris

    Lucille Kallen on working with Carl Reiner and Howard Morris on Your Show of Shows and on the live aspects of the show

    05:13

    Carl Reiner

    Lucille Kallen on working with Carl Reiner and Howard Morris on Your Show of Shows and on the live aspects of the show

    05:13

    Aaron Ruben

    Lucille Kallen on Aaron Ruben, Max Wilk, and Ernest Kinoy

    01:19

    Mel Tolkin

    Lucille Kallen on working with writer Mel Tolkin at Camp Tamiment in the Poconos

    05:26

    Lucille Kallen on collaborating on a Broadway play called "Maybe Tuesday" with Mel Tolkin

    02:11

    Max Wilk

    Lucille Kallen on Aaron Ruben, Max Wilk, and Ernest Kinoy

    01:19

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