About
"I wish somehow there could be a billboard that says to these young actors: 'strive to be great.' Even if you're not required by the script. Strive to find something that expands you."
In her three-and-a-half-hour interview, Nancy Malone (1935-2014) talks about growing up in New York and her early introduction to acting and modeling as a child, including being featured in Life magazine as "The Typical American Child" in 1946. She discusses studying acting at the Stella Adler Conservatory and the Actors Studio and speaks of working with James Dean, Dean Stockwell, and others on Matinee Theater and Naked City in the 1950s. She details her role as "Robin Lang Bauer Bowden Fletcher" on Guiding Light, as well as appearances on The Fugitive, Bonanza, The Twilight Zone, The Andy Griffith Show, and Ironside. She then chronicles her transition from acting to producing and the formation of her company, Lilac Productions. She describes producing specials such as Winner Take All with Shirley Jones and talks about becoming a director on such shows as Dynasty, Cagney & Lacey, The Bradys, Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place, Touched by an Angel, Picket Fences, Diagnosis: Murder, and the special Bob Hope: The First 90 Years, for which she won an Emmy award. She outlines her career as an executive, her work with Women in Film, and offers her advice to aspiring television actors, directors, and executives. Karen Herman conducted the interview on May 3, 2010 in Toluca Lake, CA.
Highlights
Nancy Malone on how her acting background helped her become a better producer
Nancy Malone on her directing process: "find what the story is about"
Nancy Malone on playing a prank on Joan Collins when she was directing Dynasty; on why she had fun with actors
Nancy Malone on what she learned from studying acting with Stella Adler: "strive to be great"
Nancy Malone on her advice to aspiring actors
Full Interview
Chapter 1
On her childhood and parents, growing up in New York City
On her start in an acting career at a very young age which came about because she accompanied her brother to a casting call; on her career as a child model; on being selected for the cover of Life magazine in 1946
On deciding to go into acting as a profession; on appearing on an episode of Hallmark Hall of Fame with James Dean
On her studies with Stella Adler and the Actor's Studio
On her early work on live television in the 1950s; Matinee Theater and the realities of working live; on Guiding Light (in the early 1960s)
On co-starring as "Libby" on Naked City with Paul Burke (1960-63); on working on Guiding Light and a play at the same time; on the Twilight Zone episode she appeared on "Stopover in a Quiet Town"
Chapter 2
On celebrity and fame and how it's changed
On the Twilight Zone episode "Stopover in a Quiet Town" and working with Rod Serling
On working on the series The Long Hot Summer with Edmond O'Brien (1965-66) on ABC
On Dr. Kildare, The Fugitive; The Outer Limits, Bonanza, The Andy Griffith Show, and Ironsides (with Raymond Burr)
On transitioning her career from acting to producing with Tomorrow Entertainment; on producing Winner Take All; on forming Lilac Entertainment
On becoming the first female vice-president of a major studio at 20th Century Fox; on producing after-school specials
On transitioning from producing to directing; on producing The Violation of Sarah McDavid with Patty Duke and a difficult director
Chapter 3
On how she became a director; on There Were Times, Dear a project she directs and produces with Linda Hope about Alzheimer's disease
On becoming a series TV director on Dynasty; on working with DP Michel Hugo; on being a woman working in the television industry
On directing Cagney & Lacey, The Bradys, Melrose Place, Bob Hope: The First 90 Years, Touched by an Angel, Picket Fences, Star Trek: Voyager, Diagnosis Murder; on her directing process
Chapter 4
On Women in Film and changes in the television industry for women; on how the industry as a whole has changed
On her advice to actors, directors, and producers and how she'd like to be remembered
Shows
Andy Griffith Show, The
Nancy Malone on appearing on The Andy Griffith Show and why she wanted to do it
Beverly Hills, 90210
Nancy Malone on directing Beverly Hills, 90210 and the issues with one of the actors who was late
Bob Hope: The First 90 Years
Nancy Malone on directing Bob Hope: The First 90 Years in honor of the legend's 90th birthday (NBC, 1993) for which she won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy special
Bonanza
Nancy Malone on appearing on Bonanza; she was an expert horsewoman
Bradys, The
Nancy Malone on directing The Bradys with Florence Henderson and Robert Reed
Brighter Day, The
Nancy Malone on working on the soap Brighter Day with Joe Sirola
Cagney & Lacey
Nancy Malone on directing Cagney & Lacey with Tyne Daly and Sharon Gless; on later directing Sharon in The Trials of Rosie O'Neill which garnered her an Emmy nomination
Diagnosis Murder
Nancy Malone on directing Diagnosis: Murder with Dick Van Dyke
Dr. Kildare
Nancy Malone on appearing on Dr. Kildare with Richard Chamberlain
Dynasty
Nancy Malone on becoming a series director on Dynasty and working with Esther Shapiro and Linda Evans
Nancy Malone on directing the 100th anniversary of Dynasty with the help of DP Michel Hugo; on working with Joan Collins
Fugitive, The
Nancy Malone on appearing on The Fugitive with David Janssen
Guiding Light
Nancy Malone on her role as "Robin" on Guiding Light
Ironside
Nancy Malone on her role on Ironside with Raymond Burr
Like Mom, Like Me
Nancy Malone on producing Like Mom, Like Me, a two-hour CBS after school special
Long Hot Summer, The
Nancy Malone on working on the series The Long Hot Summer with Edmond O'Brien (1965-66) on ABC
Melrose Place
Nancy Malone on directing Melrose Place; on Heather Locklear
Naked City
Nancy Malone on co-starring with Paul Burke on Naked City as "Libby" (1960-63)
NBC Matinee Theater
Nancy Malone on working with Dean Stockwell on Matinee Theater
Outer Limits, The (1963-65)
Nancy Malone on appearing on The Outer Limits with Nick Adams
Picket Fences
Nancy Malone on directing an episode of Picket Fences with Tom Skerritt
Sherlock Holmes in New York
Nancy Malone on executive-producing Sherlock Holmes in New York (NBC, 1976) with Roger Moore and John Huston
Star Trek: Voyager
Nancy Malone on directing Star Trek: Voyager a different format for her
There Were Times, Dear
Nancy Malone on how she came to produce and direct There Were Times, Dear about Alzheimer's disease written by Harry Cauley and starring Shirley Jones
Touched By an Angel
Nancy Malone on an episode of Touched by An Angel she directed called "Operation Smile"
Trials of Rosie O'Neill, The
Nancy Malone on directing Sharon Gless in The Trials of Rosie O'Neill which garnered her an Emmy nomination and which Gless actually sang for
Twilight Zone, The
Nancy Malone on the Twilight Zone episode "Stopover in a Quiet Town"
Nancy Malone on the Twilight Zone episode "Stopover in a Quiet Town" and working with Rod Serling
Winner Take All (1975)
Nancy Malone on Winner Take All with Shirley Jones, which she produced with her own production company Lilac Productions
Topics
TV's Golden Age (1940s & '50s)
Nancy Malone on the pressures of working in early, live television
We Considered
Nancy Malone on how she came to produce and direct There Were Times, Dear about Alzheimer's disease and the impact it had
Women
Nancy Malone on the changes for women in the television industry and the Women in Film organization
Professions
Actress
Nancy Malone on what she learned from studying acting with Stella Adler
Directors
Nancy Malone on directing the 100th anniversary of Dynasty with the help of DP Michel Hugo
Nancy Malone on directing Beverly Hills 90210 and the issues with one of the actors who was late
Nancy Malone on her directing process: "find what the story is about"; on her "mentor" Michel Hugo
Executives
Nancy Malone on becoming the first female vice-president of a major studio at 20th Century Fox in 1977
Producers
Nancy Malone on the role of a Producer
Genres
Drama Series
Nancy Malone on directing Beverly Hills 90210 and the issues with one of the actors who was late
Sci-Fi/Supernatural Series
Nancy Malone on directing Star Trek: Voyager and her struggles with visual effects
People
Stella Adler
Nancy Malone on what she learned from studying acting with Stella Adler
Paul Burke
On working with Paul Burke, her Naked City co-star
Raymond Burr
Nancy Malone on her role on Ironside with Raymond Burr
Joan Collins
Nancy Malone on directing Dynasty and working with Joan Collins and on her professionalism; on a prank she played on her
Joan Crawford
Nancy Malone on seeing Joan Crawford taking the time to sign autographs and how much celebrity has changed today
Sharon Gless
Nancy Malone on directing Sharon Gless on both Cagney & Lacey and The Trials of Rosie O'Neill (CBS)
Michel Hugo
Nancy Malone on working with Michel Hugo on Dynasty on which he was the director of photography and his influence on her as a director
John Huston
Nancy Malone on executive-producing Sherlock Holmes in New York (NBC, 1976) with Roger Moore and John Huston
David Janssen
Nancy Malone on working on The Fugitive with David Janssen
Heather Locklear
Nancy Malone on the professionalism of Heather Locklear
Thomas W. Moore
Nancy Malone on Thomas Moore encouraging her to become an executive
Rod Serling
Nancy Malone on the Twilight Zone episode "Stopover in a Quiet Town" and working with Rod Serling
Esther Shapiro
Nancy Malone on becoming a series director on Dynasty and working with Esther Shapiro and Linda Evans
Dick Van Dyke
Nancy Malone on directing Diagnosis: Murder with Dick Van Dyke