Edgar J. Scherick

In his one-and-a-half-hour interview, Edgar J. Scherick (1924-2002) speaks of his early years and education, getting drafted into the Air Corps as a meteorologist during World War II, and getting a job at Dancer Fitzgerald Sample advertising in New York. He talks about founding Sports Programs, Inc., a sports packaging organization which created ABC's Wide World of Sports. Scherick recalls how the company merged with ABC in 1961 and describes becoming ABC's vice president in charge of television network sales and later, vice president of programming. He talks about how, during his tenure, he spearheaded the airing of Batman, Peyton Place, Bewitched, and The FBI. He recalls later leaving ABC to form his own production company, Palomar Pictures, which produced films for theatrical release, including Take the Money and Run, The Heartbreak Kid, The Stepford Wives, and Rambling Rose, as well as films and miniseries made for television, including Raid on Entebbe, Little Gloria ... Happy At Last, Uncle Tom's Cabin, Evergreen, the ABC Weekend Special TV movie "Tales of the Nunundaga," On Wings of Eagles, and The Kennedys of Massachusetts. He concludes with remarks on the rise of cable television, mentors, and how he'd like to be remembered. Marvin Wolf conducted the interview on July 28, 2000 in Los Angeles, CA.