Lucy Jarvis

Producer


The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

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About
About this interview

In her two-and-a-half hour Archive interview, Lucy Jarvis (1917-2020) chronicles her early years and how a degree in home economics led to her work at McCall's magazine in the 1940s. She speaks about how her criticism of a woman's show produced by David Susskind provoked him to request that she write a critical essay about it, which ultimately led to her first jobs in television. She discusses her work at NBC's Capitol Close-Up, where she served as co-producer (with Meet the Press creator Martha Rountree), a rarity at that time. She discusses her work on the public affairs series, The Nation's Future, and on coverage of the 1960 Presidential Election. Jarvis reminisces about her acclaimed documentary The Kremlin and becoming the first Westerner to film there. She recalls her documentary, The Louvre, and serving as the first producer of the first ABC Barbara Walters Specials. Throughout the interview Jarvis outlines her philosophy on good documentary production and on how the roles of women have grown in television industry. Jane Altschuler conducted the interview in a joint venture with New York Women in Film & Television in New York City, on September 19, 2006.

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

"I wanted to show what people were like in other parts of the world. To Americans, Russia was the evil empire, and yet they had to see that Russians have the same hopes and dreams as Americans do, and they were farmers and businessmen and mothers and fathers and children. That's what television at its best can do: change people's minds, open people's minds, and show them truth."  

People Talking About ...
Highlights
Lucy Jarvis on creating Capitol Close-Up  with Martha Rountree
06:03
Lucy Jarvis on producing a landmark series about the United States and the Soviet Union in the early '60s for The Nation's Future  featuring John Glenn and Soviet cosmonaut Gherman Titov
12:47
Lucy Jarvis on filming The Kremlin  during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962
07:33
Lucy Jarvis on producing the NBC News special documentary The Louvre: A Golden Prison
03:39
Lucy Jarvis on the impact of the organization Women in Film
01:27
Full Interview

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Chapter 1

On her early life and influences; on her early experience with television; on her first idea for a television show
On working with producer David Susskind; on Martha Rountree and Meet the Press

Chapter 2

On creating Capital Close-Up with Martha Rountree; on women in network news circa 1960; on creating The Nation's Future
On her duties as producer of The Nation's Future; on producing a landmark series about the United States and the Soviet Union featuring John Glenn and Soviet cosmonaut Gherman Titov

Chapter 3

On hiring women and organizing a discrimination suit; on producing the documentary The Kremlin; on the extraordinary access she was granted to film The Kremlin
On unknowingly being in Moscow during the Cuban Missile Crisis; on reaction to The Kremlin; on producing the documentary The Louvre: The Golden Prison

Chapter 4

On the challenges of being the first crew to film inside the Louvre; on the writing and narration of The Louvre: A Golden Prison
On what makes a good news documentary; on producing the documentary Who Shall Live?; on how she came to produce the news documentary China and the Forbidden City

Chapter 5

On her work with Barbara Walters; on then-current projects
On her mentors and how networks have changed over the years; on television fulfilling its potential
Shows

Barbara Walters Specials

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Lucy Jarvis on producing four specials for Barbara Walters at ABC in 1976
06:22
Lucy Jarvis on her working relationship with Barbara Walters
03:02

Capitol Close-Up

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Lucy Jarvis on creating Capitol Close-Up with Martha Rountree
06:03
Lucy Jarvis on the work environment for women in network news in the early '60s
03:45

China & the Forbidden City

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Lucy Jarvis on how she came to produce the NBC News documentary China and the Forbidden City
01:37

Kremlin, The

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Lucy Jarvis on producing the documentary The Kremlin for NBC News
04:24
Lucy Jarvis on the technical difficulties of filming inside the Kremlin and NBC destroying unused footage
02:33
Lucy Jarvis on her crew for The Kremlin and it being NBC first major color broadcast
01:16
Lucy Jarvis on filming Joseph Stalin's apartment and an apartment to be used for an eventual visit by President Kennedy for The Kremlin 
02:06
Lucy Jarvis on filming The Kremlin during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962
07:33
Lucy Jarvis on the reaction to the NBC News special The Kremlin
01:57

Louvre, The: A Golden Prison

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Lucy Jarvis on producing the NBC News special documentary The Louvre: A Golden Prison
03:39
Lucy Jarvis on the challenges of being the first crew to film inside the Louvre Museum
06:59
Lucy Jarvis on working with writer Sidney Carroll on The Louvre: A Golden Prison
04:17
Lucy Jarvis on getting Charles Boyer to narrate The Louvre: A Golden Prison
02:31

Meet the Press

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Lucy Jarvis on Martha Rountree being aced out of Meet the Press
04:51
Lucy Jarvis on creating Capitol Close-Up with Martha Rountree
06:03

Nation's Future, The

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Lucy Jarvis on her move to NBC in 1960 and becoming producer of The Nation's Future
04:18
Lucy Jarvis on her duties as producer of The Nation's Future
02:05
Lucy Jarvis on producing a landmark series about the United States and the Soviet Union in the early '60s for The Nation's Future featuring John Glenn and Soviet cosmonaut Gherman Titov
12:47
Lucy Jarvis on hiring women for The Nation's Future and organizing a landmark class action suit against NBC for discrimination against its female employees
05:10

Who Shall Live?

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Lucy Jarvis on producing the NBC News documentary Who Shall Live?
02:45
Topics

Cold War

View Topic
Lucy Jarvis on producing a landmark series about the United States and the Soviet Union in the early 60s for The Nation's Future  featuring John Glenn and Soviet cosmonaut Gherman Titov
12:47
Lucy Jarvis on producing the documentary The Kremlin  for NBC News
04:24
Lucy Jarvis on the technical difficulties of filming inside the Kremlin and NBC destroying unused footage
02:33
Lucy Jarvis on her crew for The Kremlin  and it being NBC first major color broadcast
01:16
Lucy Jarvis on filming The Kremlin  during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962
07:33

Creative Influences and Inspiration

View Topic
Lucy Jarvis on her mentors
01:35

JFK Assassination and Funeral

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Lucy Jarvis on her NBC News documentary Museum Without Walls  utilizing the Telstar satellite for the broadcast
05:24

John F. Kennedy

View Topic
Lucy Jarvis on producing a landmark series about the United States and the Soviet Union in the early 1960s for The Nation's Future  featuring John Glenn and Soviet cosmonaut Gherman Titov
12:47
Lucy Jarvis on producing the documentary The Kremlin  for NBC News
04:24
Lucy Jarvis on filming The Kremlin  during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962
07:33

Lyndon B. Johnson

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Lucy Jarvis on producing the NBC News documentary Who Shall Live?
02:35

Representation on Television

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Lucy Jarvis on the work environment for women in network news in the early 1960s
03:45
Lucy Jarvis on hiring women for The Nation's Future  and organizing a landmark class action suit against NBC for discrimination against its female employees
05:10
Lucy Jarvis on the impact of the organization Women in Film
01:27

Technological Innovation

View Topic
Lucy Jarvis on her crew for The Kremlin  and it being NBC first major color broadcast
01:16
Lucy Jarvis on her NBC News documentary Museum Without Walls  utilizing the Telstar satellite for the broadcast
05:24

Television and the Presidency

View Topic
Lucy Jarvis on producing a landmark series about the United States and the Soviet Union in the early 1960s for The Nation's Future  featuring John Glenn and Soviet cosmonaut Gherman Titov
12:47
Lucy Jarvis on producing the documentary The Kremlin  for NBC News
04:24
Lucy Jarvis on filming The Kremlin  during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962
07:33
Lucy Jarvis on producing the NBC News documentary Who Shall Live?
02:35

War

View Topic
Lucy Jarvis on producing a landmark series about the United States and the Soviet Union in the early 1960s for The Nation's Future  featuring John Glenn and Soviet cosmonaut Gherman Titov
12:47
Lucy Jarvis on producing the documentary The Kremlin  for NBC News
04:24
Lucy Jarvis on the technical difficulties of filming inside the Kremlin and NBC destroying unused footage
02:33
Lucy Jarvis on her crew for The Kremlin  and it being NBC first major color broadcast
01:16
Lucy Jarvis on filming The Kremlin  during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962
07:33

Women

View Topic
Lucy Jarvis on the work environment for women in network news in the early 1960s
03:45
Lucy Jarvis on hiring women for The Nation's Future  and organizing a landmark class action suit against NBC for discrimination against its female employees
05:10
Lucy Jarvis on the impact of the organization Women in Film
01:27
Professions

Journalists & News Producers

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Lucy Jarvis on what makes a good news/documentary program
02:12
Lucy Jarvis on advice to aspiring documentarians
00:37

News Producer

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Lucy Jarvis on what makes a good news/documentary program
02:12
Lucy Jarvis on advice to aspiring documentarians
00:37
Genres

News and Documentary

View Genre
Lucy Jarvis on producing The Nation's Future
19:10
Lucy Jarvis on producing the documentary The Kremlin  for NBC News
19:49
Lucy Jarvis on producing the NBC News special documentary The Louvre: A Golden Prison
03:39
Lucy Jarvis on producing The Louvre: A Golden Prison
13:49
Lucy Jarvis on producing Who Shall Live?
02:35
Lucy Jarvis on producing Museum Without Walls
05:24
People

Charles Boyer

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Lucy Jarvis on getting Charles Boyer to narrate The Louvre: A Golden Prison
02:32

Sidney Carroll

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Lucy Jarvis on working with writer Sidney Carroll on The Louvre: A Golden Prison
04:17

Jimmy Carter

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Lucy Jarvis on producing four specials for Barbara Walters at ABC in 1976
06:22

Lyndon B. Johnson

View Person Page
Lucy Jarvis on producing the NBC News documentary Who Shall Live?
02:45

John F. Kennedy

View Person Page
Lucy Jarvis on producing a landmark series about the United States and the Soviet Union in the early '60s for The Nation's Future featuring John Glenn and Soviet cosmonaut Gherman Titov
12:47
Lucy Jarvis on producing the documentary The Kremlin for NBC News
04:24
Lucy Jarvis on filming The Kremlin during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962
07:33

Nikita Khrushchev

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Lucy Jarvis on producing the documentary The Kremlin for NBC News
04:24
Lucy Jarvis on filming The Kremlin during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962
07:33

Edwin Newman

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Lucy Jarvis on her duties as producer of The Nation's Future
02:08
Lucy Jarvis on working with Edwin Newman
02:34

Martha Rountree

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Lucy Jarvis on Martha Rountree being aced out of Meet the Press
04:51
Lucy Jarvis on creating Capitol Close-Up with Martha Rountree
06:03

Pierre Salinger

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Lucy Jarvis on producing a landmark series about the United States and the Soviet Union in the early '60s for The Nation's Future featuring John Glenn and Soviet cosmonaut Gherman Titov
12:47

David Sarnoff

View Person Page
Lucy Jarvis on her crew for The Kremlin and it being NBC first major color broadcast
01:16

Lawrence E. Spivak

View Person Page
Lucy Jarvis on creating Capitol Close-Up with Martha Rountree
06:03

Barbra Streisand

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Lucy Jarvis on producing four specials for Barbara Walters at ABC in 1976
06:22
Lucy Jarvis on her working relationship with Barbara Walters
03:02

David Susskind

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Lucy Jarvis on her first idea for a television show
02:54
Lucy Jarvis on working with producer David Susskind
02:03

Barbara Walters

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Lucy Jarvis on producing four specials for Barbara Walters at ABC in 1976
06:22
Lucy Jarvis on her working relationship with Barbara Walters
03:02

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