Rob Reiner

In his four-hour Archive interview, Rob Reiner talks about growing up surrounded by the group of comedy legends that included his father, Carl, Sid Caesar, and Mel Brooks. He discusses his first forays into performing and lists some of his early television appearances. He discusses his work as a television writer, particularly his staff job on the last season of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, for which he was partnered with Steve Martin. Reiner speaks in great detail about his next significant career achievement as a regular on the groundbreaking sitcom All in the Family. He discusses working with the series ensemble, describes his character "Mike 'Meathead' Stivic," and talks about the collaborative atmosphere on the set. Reiner then details his work as a director of feature films including such now-classic movies as "This Is Spinal Tap," "Stand By Me," "The Princess Bride," "When Harry Met Sally…" and "Misery." Reiner also talks about his role in the creation of Castle Rock Productions and his then-current work on children's development awareness, through "Parents Action for Children." Karen Herman conducted the interview on November 29, 2004 at Reiner's Castle Rock Productions offices in Beverly Hills, CA.