About
"All we said was that if you invented something which had sight, sound demonstration, and color, had the attention of the audience in their own living room, you couldn't do better than taking some money out of their pocket, by stealing it like a pickpocket. Everything was laid out for you. There was no way you could lose if you handled it correctly."
In his five-hour interview, Rod Erickson (1916-2006) talks about his early years and his early interest in theater. He chronicles his time in radio, first at WMAL in Washington D.C., and later with WOR in New York. He recalls joining Proctor & Gamble as the executive in charge of their soap operas, and details working with the prolific writer and show creator Irna Phillips. He speaks of his earliest year in television, shepherding shows like We, The People and The Gulf Road Show. Erickson talks about becoming an account executive at Young & Rubicam where he worked with such shows as I Love Lucy, The Red Skelton Show, The Goldbergs, Henry Aldrich, and I Married Joan. He addresses various topics facing the television advertising industry in his day including lack of diversity, the Hollywood Blacklist, and the ethics of advertising cigarettes on television. He concludes by discussing many of the people he worked with in his career including Desi Arnaz, William S. Paley, Leonard Goldenson, Jim Aubry, Dan Enright, and Jack Barry. Jeff Kisseloff conducted the interview on October 17, 1997 in Pound Ridge, NY.
Highlights
Rod Erickson on early rumblings of television in 1943
Rod Erickson on the technical aspects of putting filmed content on early television and realizing the need for audience laughter on I Love Lucy
Rod Erickson on working with creator of many radio serials Irna Phillips
Rod Erickson on going to work for Young & Rubicam and putting We, The People on television
Rod Erickson on how commercials were inserted into shows in the early days of television
Rod Erickson on subjects that were taboo on Proctor & Gamble's serials and getting Proctor & Gamble into television
Full Interview
Chapter 1
On his early life and influences; on coming to New York City, and putting on the off-Broadway play "The Ascent of F6"; on getting into radio and on being in charge of production for WMAL, an NBC blue network affiliate
On meeting Arthur Godfrey at WMAL and his later relationship with him; on his experience in summer theater; on working in sales at WHP radio and joining CBS radio in 1941 in production; on going to work for the advertising agency Foote, Cone & Belding as executive director of the radio version of "Your Hit Parade" on behalf of American Tobacco
Chapter 2
On working with American Tobacco Co. president George Washington Hill and selling Lucky Strike cigarettes; on working with Frank Sinatra on the radio version of "Your Hit Parade"; on being fired from the radio version of "Your Hit Parade" by George Washington Hill
On going to work as a director for NBC radio; on early rumblings of television in 1943; on going to work for Procter & Gamble in 1944 as a supervisor of 44 of their radio programs including many daytime serials
On working with Paul Rhymer, the creator of the radio show "Vic and Sade"; on working with creator of many radio serials Irna Phillips; on working with writer Elaine Carrington
On the rules of radio advertising and his time at Proctor & Gamble; on subjects that were taboo on Proctor & Gamble's serials and getting Proctor & Gamble into television
Chapter 3
On Procter & Gamble's initial reluctance to sponsor television programs; on his decision to leave Procter & Gamble and going to work for WOR radio in New York; on his awareness of the coming of television in New York in 1947
On working in New York radio in the 1940s; on he deal he made with Pat Weaver for the radio show "We, The People"; on going to work for Young & Rubicam and putting We, The People on television
On pushing his clients into advertising on television while at Young & Rubicam, and on reading the television ratings of the day; on how early advertising on television worked and on broadcasting We, The People
Chapter 4
On the first television broadcast of We, The People and attempts to improve the show; on dealing with Gulf, the sponsor of We, The People
On Gulf sponsoring The Gulf Road Show and dealing with guest star Billie Holiday; on delegating responsibility for We, The People and The Gulf Road Show
On how Holiday Hotel, sponsored by Packard, got on the air produced by Felix Jackson; on how commercials were inserted into shows in the early days of television
Chapter 5
On creating a commercial for Goodyear Tires; on advertisers discovering that television was a great sales tool; on the process of pairing advertisers with shows and attempting to pair Whitman Chocolates with The Red Skelton Show
On the sponsorship of I Love Lucy by Phillip Morris and later by Jello; on the preferred networks of sponsors in the 1950s; on working with David Sarnoff at NBC and William S. Paley at CBS
On the notion of networks providing a public service; on the reasons companies have for sponsoring a television show; on the types of shows that sponsors generally preferred and on working on The Silver Theater
Chapter 6
On the construction of ABC's studios for Paul Whitman's Goodyear Revue; on working on The Fred Waring Show, sponsored by General Electric; on working on The Arrow Show, sponsored by Arrow Shirts
On working on Hopalong Cassidy; on the technical aspects of putting filmed content on early television and realizing the need for audience laughter on I Love Lucy; on early television being based in New York and his life in those days
On moving to Los Angeles; on working on The Goldbergs, The Aldrich Family, and I Married Joan; on the differences between working on a filmed show and working on a live show
Chapter 7
On television making the transition from live shows to filmed shows; on the advent of packaging television shows by William Morris Agency and MCA; on being involved in a lawsuit with MCA
On networks being paid off by agencies to carry their packaged programs; on his dealings with Desi Arnaz; on ad men dealing with the mob
Chapter 8
On advertising being a "people business" and the role of alcohol in the business; on the factors that go into the decision to advertise on a show and the importance of the writer; on turning down Danny Thomas' Make Room for Daddy
On the advertisers control over time slot and other factors dealing with a show; on the dearth of black actors on television in the 1950s and 1960s and anti-Semitism in the ad industry
On the Hollywood Blacklist's effect on television advertising; on the ethics of advertising cigarettes on television
Chapter 9
On product placement in television and movies; on the shift away from sponsors owning a whole show; on reading the Neilson ratings and predicting people's television viewing habits on given nights of the week
On ad agencies getting out of the business of producing shows and how his job changed as a result; on the effectiveness of commercials; on the research involved in making effective commercials and on the psychology of commercials
On the power of television and on violent television programming; on retiring from the advertising industry in 1961; on how the advertising industry had changed since he retired
Chapter 10
On the then-current state of television advertising; on television ratings and demographics, and going to work for the American Research Bureau
On various people he's worked with in his career
Shows
Aldrich Family, The
Rod Erickson on working on The Goldbergs, The Aldrich Family, and I Married Joan
Danny Thomas Show, The aka Make Room for Daddy
Rod Erickson on turning down Danny Thomas' Make Room for Daddy
Fred Waring Show, The
Rod Erickson on working on The Fred Waring Show, sponsored by General Electric
Goldbergs, The
Rod Erickson on working on The Goldbergs, The Aldrich Family, and I Married Joan
Gulf Road Show, The
Rod Erickson on Gulf sponsoring The Gulf Road Show and dealing with guest star Billie Holiday
Rod Erickson on delegating responsibility for We, The People and The Gulf Road Show
Holiday Hotel
Rod Erickson on how Holiday Hotel, sponsored by Packard, got on the air produced by Felix Jackson
Hopalong Cassidy
Rod Erickson on working on Hopalong Cassidy
I Love Lucy
Rod Erickson on the sponsorship of I Love Lucy by Phillip Morris and later by Jello
Rod Erickson on the technical aspects of putting filmed content on early television and realizing the need for audience laughter on I Love Lucy
I Married Joan
Rod Erickson on working on The Goldbergs, The Aldrich Family, and I Married Joan
Paul Whiteman's Goodyear Revue
Rod Erickson on the construction of ABC's studios for Paul Whitman's Goodyear Revue
Red Skelton Show, The
Rod Erickson on the process of pairing advertisers with shows and attempting to pair Whitman Chocolates with The Red Skelton Show
Silver Theater, The
Rod Erickson on working on The Silver Theater
We, The People
Rod Erickson on going to work for Young & Rubicam and putting We, The People on television
Rod Erickson on how early advertising on television worked and on broadcasting We, The People
Rod Erickson on the first television broadcast of We, The People and attempts to improve the show
Rod Erickson on dealing with Gulf, the sponsor of We, The People
Rod Erickson on delegating responsibility for We, The People and The Gulf Road Show
Your Hit Parade
Rod Erickson on going to work for the advertising agency Foote, Cone & Belding as executive director of the radio version of "Your Hit Parade" on behalf of American Tobacco
Topics
Advertising and Sponsorship
Rod Erickson on going to work for the advertising agency Foote, Cone & Belding as executive director of the radio version of "Your Hit Parade" on behalf of American Tobacco
Rod Erickson on subjects that were taboo on Proctor & Gamble's serials and getting Proctor & Gamble into television
Rod Erickson on Procter & Gamble's initial reluctance to sponsor television programs
Rod Erickson on going to work for Young & Rubicam and putting We, The People on television
Rod Erickson on pushing his clients into advertising on television while at Young & Rubicam, and on reading the television ratings of the day
Rod Erickson on how early advertising on television worked and on broadcasting We, The People
Rod Erickson on dealing with Gulf, the sponsor of We, The People
Rod Erickson on Gulf sponsoring The Gulf Road Show and dealing with guest star Billie Holiday
Rod Erickson on delegating responsibility for We, The People and The Gulf Road Show
Rod Erickson on how Holiday Hotel, sponsored by Packard, got on the air produced by Felix Jackson
Rod Erickson on how commercials were inserted into shows in the early days of television
Rod Erickson on creating a commercial for Goodyear Tires
Rod Erickson on advertisers discovering that television was a great sales tool
Rod Erickson on the process of pairing advertisers with shows and attempting to pair Whitman Chocolates with The Red Skelton Show
Rod Erickson on the sponsorship of I Love Lucy by Phillip Morris and later by Jello
Rod Erickson on the preferred networks of sponsors in the 1950s
Rod Erickson on working with David Sarnoff at NBC and William S. Paley at CBS
Rod Erickson on the notion of networks providing a public service
Rod Erickson on the reasons companies have for sponsoring a television show
Rod Erickson on the types of shows that sponsors generally preferred
Rod Erickson on working on The Silver Theater
Rod Erickson on the construction of ABC's studios for Paul Whitman's Goodyear Revue
Rod Erickson on working on The Fred Waring Show sponsored by General Electric
Rod Erickson on working on The Arrow Show, sponsored by Arrow Shirts
Rod Erickson on working on Hopalong Cassidy
Rod Erickson on the advent of packaging television shows by William Morris Agency and MCA
Rod Erickson on being involved in a lawsuit with MCA
Rod Erickson on networks being paid off by agencies to carry their packaged programs
Rod Erickson on his dealings with Desi Arnaz
Rod Erickson on his trips to California to meet clients
Rod Erickson on ad men dealing with the mob
Rod Erickson on advertising being a "people business" and the role of alcohol in the business
Rod Erickson on the factors that go into the decision to advertise on a show and the importance of the writer
Rod Erickson on turning down Danny Thomas' Make Room for Daddy
Rod Erickson on the advertisers control over time slot and other factors dealing with a show
Rod Erickson on the dearth of black actors on television in the 1950s and 1960s and anti-Semitism in the ad industry
Rod Erickson on the Hollywood Blacklist's effect on television advertising
Rod Erickson on the ethics of advertising cigarettes in television
Rod Erickson on product placement in television and movies
Rod Erickson on the shift away from sponsors owning a whole show
Rod Erickson on reading the Neilson ratings and predicting people's television viewing habits on given nights of the week
Rod Erickson on ad agencies getting out of the business of producing shows and how his job changed as a result
Rod Erickson on the effectiveness of commercials
Rod Erickson on the research involved in making effective commercials and on the psychology of commercials
Rod Erickson on the power of television on violent television programming
Rod Erickson on retiring from the advertising industry in 1961
Rod Erickson on how the advertising industry had changed since he retired
Rod Erickson on the then-current state of television advertising
Rod Erickson on television ratings and demographics, and going to work for the American Research Bureau
Hollywood Blacklist
Rod Erickson on the Hollywood Blacklist's effect on television advertising
Industry Crossroads
Rod Erickson on the Hollywood Blacklist's effect on television advertising
Television Industry
Rod Erickson on going to work for the advertising agency Foote, Cone & Belding as executive director of the radio version of "Your Hit Parade" on behalf of American Tobacco
Rod Erickson on subjects that were taboo on Proctor & Gamble's serials and getting Proctor & Gamble into television
Rod Erickson on Procter & Gamble's initial reluctance to sponsor television programs
Rod Erickson on going to work for Young & Rubicam and putting We, The People on television
Rod Erickson on pushing his clients into advertising on television while at Young & Rubicam, and on reading the television ratings of the day
Rod Erickson on how early advertising on television worked and on broadcasting We, The People
Rod Erickson on dealing with Gulf, the sponsor of We, The People
Rod Erickson on Gulf sponsoring The Gulf Road Show and dealing with guest star Billie Holiday
Rod Erickson on delegating responsibility for We, The People and The Gulf Road Show
Rod Erickson on how Holiday Hotel, sponsored by Packard, got on the air produced by Felix Jackson
Rod Erickson on how commercials were inserted into shows in the early days of television
Rod Erickson on creating a commercial for Goodyear Tires
Rod Erickson on advertisers discovering that television was a great sales tool
Rod Erickson on the process of pairing advertisers with shows and attempting to pair Whitman Chocolates with The Red Skelton Show
Rod Erickson on the sponsorship of I Love Lucy by Phillip Morris and later by Jello
Rod Erickson on the preferred networks of sponsors in the 1950s
Rod Erickson on working with David Sarnoff at NBC and William S. Paley at CBS
Rod Erickson on the notion of networks providing a public service
Rod Erickson on the reasons companies have for sponsoring a television show
Rod Erickson on the types of shows that sponsors generally preferred
Rod Erickson on working on The Silver Theater
Rod Erickson on the construction of ABC's studios for Paul Whitman's Goodyear Revue
Rod Erickson on working on The Fred Waring Show sponsored by General Electric
Rod Erickson on working on The Arrow Show, sponsored by Arrow Shirts
Rod Erickson on working on Hopalong Cassidy
Rod Erickson on the advent of packaging television shows by William Morris Agency and MCA
Rod Erickson on being involved in a lawsuit with MCA
Rod Erickson on networks being paid off by agencies to carry their packaged programs
Rod Erickson on his dealings with Desi Arnaz
Rod Erickson on his trips to California to meet clients
Rod Erickson on ad men dealing with the mob
Rod Erickson on advertising being a "people business" and the role of alcohol in the business
Rod Erickson on the factors that go into the decision to advertise on a show and the importance of the writer
Rod Erickson on turning down Danny Thomas' Make Room for Daddy
Rod Erickson on the advertisers control over time slot and other factors dealing with a show
Rod Erickson on the dearth of black actors on television in the 1950s and 1960s and anti-Semitism in the ad industry
Rod Erickson on the Hollywood Blacklist's effect on television advertising
Rod Erickson on the ethics of advertising cigarettes on television
Rod Erickson on product placement in television and movies
Rod Erickson on the shift away from sponsors owning a whole show
Rod Erickson on reading the Neilson ratings and predicting people's television viewing habits on given nights of the week
Rod Erickson on ad agencies getting out of the business of producing shows and how his job changed as a result
Rod Erickson on the effectiveness of commercials
Rod Erickson on the research involved in making effective commercials and on the psychology of commercials
Rod Erickson on the power of television and on violent television programming
Rod Erickson on retiring from the advertising industry in 1961
Rod Erickson on how the advertising industry had changed since he retired
Rod Erickson on the then-current state of television advertising
Rod Erickson on television ratings and demographics, and going to work for the American Research Bureau
Professions
Advertising Executive
Rod Erickson on the factors that go into the decision to advertise on a show and the importance of the writer
Rod Erickson on reading the Neilson ratings and predicting people's television viewing habits on given nights of the week
Rod Erickson on the research involved in making effective commercials and on the psychology of commercials
Executives
Rod Erickson on the factors that go into the decision to advertise on a show and the importance of the writer
Rod Erickson on reading the Neilson ratings and predicting people's television viewing habits on given nights of the week
Rod Erickson on the research involved in making effective commercials and on the psychology of commercials
Genres
Classic Anthology Series
Rod Erickson on working on The Silver Theater
Comedy Series
Rod Erickson on the process of pairing advertisers with shows and attempting to pair Whitman Chocolates with The Red Skelton Show
Rod Erickson on the sponsorship of I Love Lucy by Phillip Morris and later by Jello
Rod Erickson on working on The Goldbergs, The Aldrich Family, and I Married Joan
Music Shows & Variety Shows/Specials
Rod Erickson on going to work for the advertising agency Foote, Cone & Belding as executive director of the radio version of "Your Hit Parade" on behalf of American Tobacco
Rod Erickson on how early advertising on television worked and on broadcasting We, The People
Rod Erickson on the Gulf sponsored programs We, The People and The Gulf Road Show
Rod Erickson on how Holiday Hotel, sponsored by Packard, got on the air produced by Felix Jackson
Rod Erickson on working on The Fred Waring Show, sponsored by General Electric
Rod Erickson on working on The Arrow Show, sponsored by Arrow Shirts
Western Series
Rod Erickson on working on Hopalong Cassidy
People
Desi Arnaz
Rod Erickson on his dealings with Desi Arnaz
Gertrude Berg
Rod Erickson on working on The Goldbergs and his thoughts on Gertrude Berg
Paddy Chayefsky
Rod Erickson on working on the Paddy Chayefsky series First Camera
Joan Davis
Rod Erickson on working on I Married Joan with Joan Davis
Dan Enright
Rod Erickson on various people he's worked with in his career: Dan Enright
Arthur Godfrey
Rod Erickson on meeting Arthur Godfrey at WMAL and his later relationship with him
Leonard H. Goldenson
Rod Erickson on various people he's worked with in his career: Leonard Goldenson
Billie Holiday
Rod Erickson on Billie Holiday guest-starring on The Gulf Road Show
Felix Jackson
Rod Erickson on how Holiday Hotel, sponsored by Packard, got on the air produced by Felix Jackson
David Levy
Rod Erickson on various people he's worked with in his career: David Levy
Tom McDermott
Rod Erickson on various people he's worked with in his career: Tom McDermott
William S. Paley
Rod Erickson on working with David Sarnoff at NBC and William S. Paley at CBS
Rod Erickson on various people he's worked with in his career: William S. Paley
Irna Phillips
Rod Erickson on working with creator of many radio serials Irna Phillips
Gilbert Ralston
Rod Erickson on various people he's worked with in his career: Gilbert Ralston
Paul Rhymer
Rod Erickson on working with Paul Rhymer, the creator of the radio show "Vic and Sade"
David Sarnoff
Rod Erickson on working with David Sarnoff at NBC and William S. Paley at CBS
Frank Stanton
Rod Erickson on various people he's worked with in his career: Frank Stanton
Martin Stone
Rod Erickson on various people he's worked with in his career: Martin Stone
Danny Thomas
Rod Erickson on turning down Danny Thomas' Make Room for Daddy
Oliver E. Treyz
Rod Erickson on various people he's worked with in his career: Oliver E. Treyz
Fred Waring
Rod Erickson on working on The Fred Waring Show sponsored by General Electric
Sylvester L. "Pat" Weaver
Rod Erickson on he deal he made with Pat Weaver for the radio show "We, The People"