Hal Kanter

In his three-hour interview, Hal Kanter (1918-2011) talks extensively about his first television work as a writer for famed comedian Ed Wynn on The Ed Wynn Show. He discusses how he ultimately wrote and directed The George Gobel Show. Kanter recalls his pioneering sitcom, Julia, which starred Diahann Carroll, and featured the first Black female lead on television. He recounts his short time as executive producer on All in the Family, which was cut short due to arguments with Norman Lear, as well as writing for Chico and the Man starring Freddie Prinze and Jack Albertson. He briefly touches on his work in feature film, where he wrote movies for Elvis Presley, Doris Day, Bob Hope, James Garner, and others. Kanter also talks of writing for Academy Awards shows and dozens of feature films. Sam Denoff conducted the interview on May 22, 1997 in Encino, CA.