Thomas W. Moore

Network Executive

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

02:26

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About

About this interview

In his nearly five-and-a-half-hour Archive interview, Television executive Thomas W. Moore (1918-2007) talks about his early years at CBS radio in sales in the late '40s and early '50s. He describes his move to ABC, where he became head of programming and then president of the network. He discusses such shows as The Frank Sinatra Show, The Flintstones, The Jerry Lewis Show and Stage 67. He also discusses ABC's groundbreaking sports programming including Wide World of Sports and Monday Night Football. He talks about his founding of Tomorrow Entertainment which was responsible for such Emmy-winning programming as The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman and the Body Human series. Henry Colman conducted the interview in Los Angeles, California January 3 and January 31, 2003.

"I enjoyed the programming and the manufacture of programs more than anything else. You always take great joy and pride in successful programming -- you program a period and a hit comes out of it, that's a source of great pride."

Full Interview

Chapter 1

On his hobbies growing up, and on movies and radio he liked growing up; on his experience with World War II

On the first time he saw television, and his early experience with the medium; on his role at CBS radio

On making the transition from radio to television; on the Hollywood Blacklist

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

On Edgar J. Scherick and Roone Arledge's role in bringing sports to ABC; on the genesis of ABC's Wide World of Sports; on the genesis of ABC's Monday Night Football

On various sports shows he programmed at ABC; on ABC's acquisition of the Olympic games in the 1960s and '70s; on ABC brining various sports like golf to television

Chapter 4

on Edgar J. Scherick at ABC; on the people who worked for him at ABC when he was head of programming, including Michael Eisner and Barry Diller; on his stint as head of programming at ABC, and on his goals at the time

on programming and developing The Frank Sinatra Show; on programming and developing The Jerry Lewis Show, and The Hollywood Palace; on programming and developing The Real McCoys and 77 Sunset Strip

Chapter 5

On programming and developing The Untouchables, Adventures in Paradise and The FBI; on programming and developing The Flintstones

On programming and developing Peyton Place, and on ABC dealing with the advent of color; on programming and developing Batman

On programming various series in the '60s, including That Girl with Marlo Thomas, and the long-running The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet; on programming various shows including McHale's Navy and various game shows; on his duties at president of ABC

Chapter 6

On ABC chairman Leonard H. Goldenson; on ABC covering the 1952 conventions, and on how presidents starting with Dwight D. Eisenhower took to television

On the government attempting to require public service programming on the networks, and on William S. Paley and General David Sarnoff; on the Kennedy/Nixon debates of 1960

Chapter 7

On the Kennedy-Nixon Debates; on Newton N. Minow's "vast wasteland" speech, critical of television; on what he sees as the FCC's role in broadcasting

On the ban on cigarette advertising on television; on the FCC regulation of the networks being able to own or control the rebroadcast of primetime shows; on the length of commercials and commercial breaks on network television

Chapter 8

Full Chapter Eight

Chapter 9

Full Chapter Nine

Chapter 10

Full Chapter Ten

Chapter 11

Full Chapter Eleven

Shows

77 Sunset Strip

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Thomas W. Moore on programming and developing 77 Sunset Strip