Leonard Goldberg

Executive / Producer
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The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

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About
About this interview

In his nearly six-hour interview, Leonard Goldberg (1934-2019) talks about breaking into the business in the research departments at ABC and NBC in the 1950s. He speaks of his return to ABC in the 1960s, where he worked in TV development and was later promoted to vice president of network programming. He details his work at Screen Gems, where he developed the celebrated television movie Brian's Song - one of the highlights of his career. Goldberg discusses the formation of Spelling-Goldberg Productions with his partner Aaron Spelling, and elaborates on the many projects that came from the company including Charlie's Angels, Starsky and Hutch, Fantasy Island, Hart to Hart, and T.J. Hooker. He talks of developing the television movies The Boy in the Plastic Bubble and Something About Amelia. He also outlines his accomplishments as president and COO of 20th Century Fox, where he facilitated The Simpsons and the feature films Broadcast News and Working Girl. Finally, he discusses his then-current position as head of Mandy Films. Dan Pasternack conducted the two-part interview on October 21 and December 7, 2004 in Beverly Hills, CA.

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

"Television will always be here. It is the most powerful medium I've known of since the first time I saw it and why I switched from advertising to television. And when it's used for all of its good, it's fabulous."

People Talking About ...
Leonard Goldberg
Highlights
Leonard Goldberg on the sudden stardom of Farrah Fawcett on Charlie's Angels; on THE poster and her leaving the show
05:33
Leonard Goldberg on William Blinn adding narration to the TV movie Brian's Song
02:31
Leonard Goldberg on Prince Charles meeting the leads of Charlie's Angels
01:41
Leonard Goldberg on the concept for Fantasy Island
04:44
Leonard Goldberg on the people helped by the TV movie Something About Amelia (which dealt with incest)
02:53
Full Interview

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Chapter 1
On his childhood and early influences; on his own family experience that inspired the show Family
On his hobbies as a child - sports and reading; on attending the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania at 16 years old; on his early memories of radio and television
On his first job out of Wharton - at Bloomingdales
On his start in television in the ABC research department

Chapter 2
On working in the ABC research department with Fred Pierce; on moving to NBC and wanting to get into programming; on working for advertising agency BBD&O
On getting hired back at ABC and working with Douglas Cramer
On becoming Vice-President of Daytime Programming at ABC

Chapter 3
On his start in daytime programming (when ABC was supposedly getting out of the daytime business); on targeting children and youth-oriented programming
On working with Chuck Barris, head of daytime for the West Coast, and creating The Dating Game; on the creation of Supermarket Sweep; on the Beatles cartoon show; on ABC becoming the number one network Saturday mornings
On his daytime strategy, on the creation of The Newlywed Game and Dark Shadows
On the creation of Never Too Young and the clever way he shot the show; on getting promoted to ABC's head of programming

Chapter 4
On finding his footing as head of programming; on hiring Barry Diller and re-vamping the ABC Sunday Night Movie
On hiring Michael Eisner
On the creation on the made-for-TV movie (Movie of the Week); on ABC founder Leonard Goldenson and ABC President Elton Rule

Chapter 5
On leaving ABC in New York and moving to California to work for Columbia Pictures Television (Screen Gems); on the projects on which he worked, including The Partridge Family
On the creation of the TV movie Brian's Song
On forming a production partnership with Aaron Spelling; on their work on The Mod Squad

Chapter 6
On producing The Rookies, S.W.A.T., and Starsky and Hutch
On the creation of Family
On the creation of Charlie's Angels

Chapter 7
On producing and casting Charlie's Angels
On the sudden stardom of Farrah Fawcett on Charlie's Angels; on Farrah Fawcett and Kate Jackson leaving the show; on why the show left the air

Chapter 8
PART II: On The Fugitive and producing the TV movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, starring John Travolta
On the supporting cast of Charlie's Angels; on the episode of Charlie's Angels where we finally see "Charlie"
On his and Aaron Spelling's involvement with production and with ABC; on the many cast changes on the show; on the 2000 movie version of Charlie's Angels

Chapter 9
On the 2000 movie version of Charlie's Angels, contd.
On executive producing Fantasy Island; on casting the show, guest stars, and production of the show
On the creation of Hart to Hart; on casting Stefanie Powers and Robert Wagner and the chemistry between the leads; on why the show went off the air

Chapter 10
On ending his long-term business partnership with Aaron Spelling; on the final Spelling-Goldberg production, T.J. Hooker
On executive producing the TV movie Something About Amelia; on the social impact the movie had and how many people were helped by it
On executive producing Paper Dolls; on producing the movies "War Games"
On becoming head of television and film programming (President and COO) at 20th Century Fox and working with Barry Diller
On the development of The Tracey Ullman Show

Chapter 11
On the genesis of The Simpsons and the role James L. Brooks played in getting it made
On the development of In Living Color; on the films "Broadcast News",  "Big", and "Working Girl"
On leaving 20th Century Fox and becoming an independent producer; on the craft of being a producer
On then-current projects and ageism in the business; on the future of television

Chapter 12
On the future of the big three networks; on advice to aspiring producers and executives
On the highlight of his career; on his mentors and people he's mentored; on how he'd like to be remembered
Shows

ABC Sunday Movie, The

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Leonard Goldberg on hiring Barry Diller and re-vamping the ABC Sunday Night Movie
03:14

Boy in the Plastic Bubble, The

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Leonard Goldberg on producing the TV movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, starring John Travolta
04:43

Brian's Song

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Leonard Goldberg on the creation of the TV movie Brian's Song
11:35
Leonard Goldberg on how much he enjoyed working on Brian's Song
01:51

Charlie's Angels

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Leonard Goldberg on the creation of Charlie's Angels, originally titled "The Alley Cats"
03:39
Leonard Goldberg on casting Charlie's Angels
02:05
Leonard Goldberg on starting production and promotions on Charlie's Angels
06:04
Leonard Goldberg on the critics' reception of Charlie's Angels and "jiggle television"
01:34
Leonard Goldberg on Prince Charles meeting the leads of Charlie's Angels
01:41
Leonard Goldberg on issues with Standards & Practices and complaints from the lead actresses on Charlie's Angels; on the wardrobe for the show
02:09
Leonard Goldberg on the sudden stardom of Farrah Fawcett on Charlie's Angels; on THE poster and her leaving the show
05:33
Leonard Goldberg on replacing Farrah Fawcett on Charlie's Angels and re-casting the show
06:18
Leonard Goldberg on why Charlie's Angels went off the air
01:07
Leonard Goldberg on the supporting cast of Charlie's Angels: David Doyle (Bosley)
01:55
Leonard Goldberg on Charlie's Angels and casting John Forsythe as "Charlie"
03:28
Leonard Goldberg on the production of Charlie's Angels with Aaron Spelling
03:57
Leonard Goldberg on his and Aaron Spelling's relationship with ABC during the production of Charlie's Angels
02:41
Leonard Goldberg on censorship issues on Charlie's Angels
01:16
Leonard Goldberg on how the many cast changes on Charlie's Angels weakened the show
01:30
Leonard Goldberg on the movie version of Charlie's Angels
03:04
Leonard Goldberg on the 2000 movie version of Charlie's Angels, contd.
08:02

Dark Shadows

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Leonard Goldberg on the creation of Dark Shadows
03:00

Dating Game, The

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Leonard Goldberg on working with Chuck Barris, head of daytime for the West Coast, and creating The Dating Game
01:51

Family

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Leonard Goldberg on his own family experience that inspired the show Family
00:54
Leonard Goldberg on the creation of Family
09:05

Fantasy Island

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Leonard Goldberg on the concept for Fantasy Island
04:44
Leonard Goldberg on casting Fantasy Island
04:01
Leonard Goldberg on the success of Fantasy Island on Saturday night
01:57
Leonard Goldberg on guest stars, favorite episodes, and production of Fantasy Island
02:58

Fugitive, The

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Leonard Goldberg on the importance of The Fugitive to television and fighting for a big series finale
03:42

Hart to Hart

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Leonard Goldberg on the creation and casting of Hart to Hart
05:56
Leonard Goldberg on the success of Hart to Hart and why it went off the air
01:08

In Living Color

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Leonard Goldberg on the development of In Living Color
00:48

Milton Berle Show, The (1966-67)

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Leonard Goldberg on The Milton Berle Show lasting only 13 weeks at ABC
00:45

Mod Squad, The

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Leonard Goldberg on his working relationship with Aaron Spelling on The Mod Squad
01:03

Never Too Young

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Leonard Goldberg on the creation of Never Too Young and the clever way he shot the show
01:57

Newlywed Game, The

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Leonard Goldberg on the creation of The Newlywed Game
00:37

O. K. Crackerby!

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Leonard Goldberg on working on O. K. Crackerby! with Abe Burrows and learning a valuable lesson
02:09

Paper Dolls

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Leonard Goldberg on executive producing Paper Dolls (which introduced Nicollette Sheridan)
02:29

Partridge Family, The

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Leonard Goldberg on getting The Partridge Family made
01:45

Rookies, The

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Leonard Goldberg on producing his first series, The Rookies
00:50

S.W.A.T.

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Leonard Goldberg on producing a spin-off of The Rookies - S.W.A.T
04:59

Simpsons, The

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Leonard Goldberg on the genesis of The Simpsons and the role James L. Brooks played in getting it made
05:04

Sing Along with Mitch

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Leonard Goldberg on speaking up to Bob Sarnoff and pitching Sing Along with Mitch
04:15

Something About Amelia

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Leonard Goldberg on executive producing the TV movie Something About Amelia
07:16

Starsky and Hutch

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Leonard Goldberg on producing Starsky and Hutch
01:41
Leonard Goldberg on casting Starsky and Hutch
03:26
Leonard Goldberg on stylistic elements and side stories on Starsky and Hutch
04:16
Leonard Goldberg on an episode of Starsky & Hutch which used the Mona Lisa in the shot
02:11

Supermarket Sweep

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Leonard Goldberg on the creation of Supermarket Sweep
00:33

T.J. Hooker

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Leonard Goldberg on the final Spelling-Goldberg production, T.J. Hooker
02:01
Leonard Goldberg on casting T.J. Hooker
01:13
Leonard Goldberg on production on T.J. Hooker
02:00

Tracey Ullman Show, The

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Leonard Goldberg on the development of The Tracey Ullman Show
01:12
Topics

Advertising and Sponsorship

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Leonard Goldberg on working for advertising agency BBD&O
03:34
Leonard Goldberg on the deal with Ford on Starsky and Hutch
00:58

Advice

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Leonard Goldberg on advice to aspiring producers and executives
02:21

Censorship / Standards & Practices

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Leonard Goldberg on issues with Standards & Practices and complaints from the lead actresses on Charlie's Angels
02:09
Leonard Goldberg on censorship issues on Charlie's Angels
01:16
Leonard Goldberg on fighting Standards & Practices on the incest in the TV movie Something About Amelia
03:14

Creative Influences and Inspiration

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Leonard Goldberg on his mentors and people he mentored
02:07
Leonard Goldberg on his mentors and people he mentored
02:07

Historic Events and Social Change

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Leonard Goldberg on the people helped by the TV movie Something About Amelia (which dealt with incest)
02:53

Memorable Moments on Television

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Leonard Goldberg on William Blinn adding narration to the TV movie Brian's Song
02:31
Leonard Goldberg on the episode of Charlie's Angels where we finally see "Charlie"
01:35
Leonard Goldberg on the people helped by the TV movie Something About Amelia (which dealt with incest)
02:53

Pivotal Career Moments

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Leonard Goldberg on his mentors and people he mentored
02:07

Television Industry

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Leonard Goldberg on working for advertising agency BBD&O
03:34
Leonard Goldberg on the deal with Ford on Starsky and Hutch
00:58
Leonard Goldberg on issues with Standards & Practices and complaints from the lead actresses on Charlie's Angels
02:09
Leonard Goldberg on censorship issues on Charlie's Angels
01:16
Leonard Goldberg on fighting Standards & Practices on the incest in the TV movie Something About Amelia
03:14
Leonard Goldberg on the future of television
02:03
Leonard Goldberg on the future of the big three networks
02:17
Leonard Goldberg on advice to aspiring producers and executives
02:21

We Cried

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Leonard Goldberg on William Blinn adding narration to the TV movie Brian's Song
02:31
Professions

Executives

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Leonard Goldberg on taking charge of daytime programming at ABC and targeting children's programming
01:10
Leonard Goldberg on getting promoted to ABC's head of programming
01:51
Leonard Goldberg on becoming head of television and film programming (President and COO) at 20th Century Fox and working with Barry Diller
01:52

Producers

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Leonard Goldberg on the craft of being a producer and how he selects projects
07:04
Genres

Adventure/Espionage Series

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Leonard Goldberg on casting and producing Charlie's Angels
27:41
Leonard Goldberg on the supporting cast, production, and the 2000 movie version of Charlie's Angels
20:05
Leonard Goldberg on the creation, casting and series run of Fantasy Island
13:42
Leonard Goldberg on the creation and casting of Hart to Hart
07:04

Cop/Detective/Mystery Series

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Leonard Goldberg on producing Starsky and Hutch
09:23
Leonard Goldberg on the creation of Charlie's Angels, originally titled "The Alley Cats" 
03:39
Leonard Goldberg on the final Spelling-Goldberg production, T.J. Hooker
05:14

Drama Series

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Leonard Goldberg on the creation of Family
09:05

TV Movies/Miniseries/Dramatic Specials

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Leonard Goldberg on hiring Barry Diller and re-vamping the ABC Sunday Night Movie
03:13
Leonard Goldberg on the creation on the made-for-TV movie
10:29
Leonard Goldberg on the creation of the TV movie Brian's Song
13:26
Leonard Goldberg on producing the TV movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, starring John Travolta
04:43
Leonard Goldberg on executive producing the TV movie Something About Amelia
07:16
People

Aaron Spelling

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Leonard Goldberg on how he met Aaron Spelling
03:14
Leonard Goldberg on his working relationship with Aaron Spelling on The Mod Squad
01:03
Leonard Goldberg on forming his production partnership with Aaron Spelling and how their skill sets complemented each other
04:29
Leonard Goldberg on the creation of Family
04:34
Leonard Goldberg on the production of Charlie's Angels with Aaron Spelling
03:57
Leonard Goldberg on the 2000 movie version of Charlie's Angels, contd.
02:44
Leonard Goldberg on ending his long-term business partnership with Aaron Spelling
04:12

Abe Burrows

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Leonard Goldberg on working on O.K. Crackerby with Abe Burrows and learning a valuable lesson
02:09

Abe Schneider

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Leonard Goldberg on meeting with the Chairman of Columbia Pictures, Abe Schneider
01:19

Agnes Nixon

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Leonard Goldberg on buying Agnes Nixon's company
00:32

Barry Diller

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Leonard Goldberg on hiring Barry Diller and re-vamping the ABC Sunday Night Movie
05:04
Leonard Goldberg on Barry Diller's eulogy at Lew Wasserman's memorial
01:36
Leonard Goldberg on the creation on the made-for-TV movie
10:29
Leonard Goldberg on Barry Diller not wanting Family on ABC, but doing it when Mike Nichols was attached
02:16
Leonard Goldberg on becoming head of television and film programming (President and COO) at 20th Century Fox and working with Barry Diller
04:04
Leonard Goldberg on leaving 20th Century Fox
02:32

Billy Dee Williams

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Leonard Goldberg on how Billy Dee Williams was cast in the TV movie Brian's Song
00:50

Brandon Stoddard

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Leonard Goldberg on fighting Standards & Practices on the incest in the TV movie Something About Amelia
01:33

Burt Reynolds

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Leonard Goldberg on Burt Reynolds wanting to play the lead in the TV movie Brian's Song
00:23

Buzz Kulik

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Leonard Goldberg on director Buzz Kulik disapproving of notes, but winning the DGA Award for Brian's Song
01:18

Cheryl Ladd

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Leonard Goldberg on replacing Farrah Fawcett with Cheryl Ladd on Charlie's Angels
04:00

Christopher Hewett

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Leonard Goldberg on casting Fantasy Island - Christopher Hewett
00:30

Chuck Barris

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Leonard Goldberg on working with Chuck Barris, head of daytime for the West Coast, and creating The Dating Game
01:51

Dan Curtis

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Leonard Goldberg on the creation of Dark Shadows
03:02

David Doyle

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Leonard Goldberg on the supporting cast of Charlie's Angels: David Doyle ("Bosley")
01:33

David Soul

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Leonard Goldberg on casting Starsky and Hutch
03:26

Diana Hyland

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Leonard Goldberg on John Travolta meeting Diana Hyland during the TV movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble
00:48

Douglas S. Cramer

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Leonard Goldberg on meeting and working with Douglas Cramer at ABC
05:38

Drew Barrymore

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Leonard Goldberg on Drew Barrymore wanting to be in and produce the 2000 movie version of Charlie's Angels
03:12
Leonard Goldberg on casting the 2000 movie version of Charlie's Angels
02:05

Edgar J. Scherick

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Leonard Goldberg on turning down a job at ABC offered to him by Edgar Scherick, but eventually getting the job
08:33
Leonard Goldberg on becoming Vice-President of Daytime Programming at ABC
03:35
Leonard Goldberg on his mentors
00:19

Elton H. Rule

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Leonard Goldberg on working with ABC President Elton Rule
01:28

Farrah Fawcett

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Leonard Goldberg on casting Farrah Fawcett on Charlie's Angels
00:37
Leonard Goldberg on Farrah Fawcett becoming the breakout star of Charlie's Angels
00:26
Leonard Goldberg on the sudden stardom of Farrah Fawcett on Charlie's Angels; on her leaving the show
05:33
Leonard Goldberg on the Farrah Fawcett poster being featured in the film "Saturday Night Fever" (after she left Charlie's Angels)
01:33

Fred Silverman

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Leonard Goldberg on his and Aaron Spelling's relationship with ABC during the production of Charlie's Angels
01:52

Frederick S. Pierce

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Leonard Goldberg on meeting Fred Pierce in the research department of ABC
00:26
Leonard Goldberg on working in the ABC research department with Fred Pierce
01:14

Heather Locklear

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Leonard Goldberg on casting Heather Locklear on T.J. Hooker
00:51

Herve Villechaize

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Leonard Goldberg on casting Fantasy Island - Herve Villechaize
02:59

Jaclyn Smith

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Leonard Goldberg on the third "angel" on Charlie's Angels
00:50

James Caan

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Leonard Goldberg on casting James Caan in the TV movie Brian's Song
00:12

James L. Brooks

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Leonard Goldberg on the development of The Tracey Ullman Show
01:12
Leonard Goldberg on the genesis of The Simpsons and the role James L. Brooks played in getting it made
04:56
Leonard Goldberg on the film "Broadcast News"
02:23
Leonard Goldberg on the film "Big"
00:49

Jay Presson Allen

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Leonard Goldberg on the creation of Family
03:48

John Forsythe

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Leonard Goldberg on Charlie's Angels and casting John Forsythe as "Charlie"
03:28

John Mitchell

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Leonard Goldberg on his mentors
00:52

John Travolta

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Leonard Goldberg on producing the TV movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, starring John Travolta
04:17

Kate Jackson

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Leonard Goldberg on casting Charlie's Angels
00:28
Leonard Goldberg on Kate Jackson leaving Charlie's Angels and casting Shelley Hack
00:59

Kristy McNichol

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Leonard Goldberg on casting Kristy McNichol on Family
01:08

Leonard H. Goldenson

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Leonard Goldberg on Leonard Goldenson being pleased with the daytime successes at ABC
00:14
Leonard Goldberg on working with ABC founder/chariman Leonard Goldenson
01:24

Lew Wasserman

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Leonard Goldberg on Barry Diller's eulogy at Lew Wasserman's memorial
01:36

Lionel Stander

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Leonard Goldberg on casting Lionel Stander as "Max" on Hart to Hart
01:04

Matthew Broderick

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Leonard Goldberg on producing the movies "War Games" starring Matthew Broderick
01:33

Meredith Baxter-Birney

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Leonard Goldberg on casting Meredith Baxter on Family
00:36

Michael Dann

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Leonard Goldberg on Mike Dann wanting to hire him at CBS
01:59

Michael Eisner

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Leonard Goldberg on hiring Michael Eisner at ABC
02:26
Leonard Goldberg on Michael Eisner's responsibilities at ABC
01:22

Michel Legrand

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Leonard Goldberg on wanting Michel Legrand do the music for Brian's Song
02:19

Mike Nichols

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Leonard Goldberg on Barry Diller not wanting Family on ABC, but doing it when Mike Nichols was attached
01:05
Leonard Goldberg on the film "Working Girl"
02:15

Milton Berle

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Leonard Goldberg on The Milton Berle Show lasting only 13 weeks at ABC
00:45

Natalie Wood

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Leonard Goldberg on not casting Natalie Wood on Hart to Hart
00:27

Paul Michael Glaser

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Leonard Goldberg on casting Starsky and Hutch
03:26

Prince of Wales, Charles

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Leonard Goldberg on Prince Charles meeting the leads of Charlie's Angels
01:41

Ricardo Montalban

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Leonard Goldberg on casting Fantasy Island - Ricardo Montalban
00:32

Robert E. Kintner

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Leonard Goldberg on getting on Robert Kintner's bad side
01:01

Robert Wagner

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Leonard Goldberg on casting Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers on Hart to Hart and the chemistry between the leads
01:49

Shelley Hack

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Leonard Goldberg on Kate Jackson leaving Charlie's Angels and casting Shelley Hack
01:19

Sidney Sheldon

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Leonard Goldberg on the creation of Hart to Hart and buying the rights to the basic story from Sidney Sheldon
01:22

Stefanie Powers

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Leonard Goldberg on casting Stefanie Powers and Robert Wagner on Hart to Hart and the chemistry between the leads
01:42

Ted Danson

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Leonard Goldberg on casting the TV movie Something About Amelia
01:41

Tom Mankiewicz

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Leonard Goldberg on the creation of Hart to Hart and buying the rights to the basic story from Sidney Sheldon
00:16

Tony Thomas

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Leonard Goldberg on Tony Thomas to associate produce the TV movie Brian's Song
00:16

William Blinn

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Leonard Goldberg on hiring William Blinn to write the TV movie Brian's Song
00:32
Leonard Goldberg on William Blinn adding narration to the TV movie Brian's Song
02:31
Leonard Goldberg on producing Starsky and Hutch
01:27

William Shatner

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Leonard Goldberg on casting William Shatner on T.J. Hooker
00:22

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