Latest News from The Interviews

Ray Dolby

Remembering Ray Dolby

 Fri, 09/13/2013 We're sad to hear of the passing of sound pioneer Ray Dolby , who died Thursday, September 12, 2013 in San Francisco at the age of 80. Dolby was diagnosed with acute leukemia last July and had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease for the past several years. Ray Dolby was THE Dolby of Dolby noise reduction and Dolby digital surround sound. He began his career working on audio and video tape recorders for Ampex -- his adjustments to the company's video tape recorder (resulting in ten patents...
Charles Lisanby

Remembering Charles Lisanby

 Wed, 08/28/2013 The Archive is sad to hear of the passing of Production Designer Charles Lisanby , who died Friday, August 23, 2013 at the age of 89. Lisanby worked on The $64,000 Challenge and the cultural series Camera Three , designed sets for The Garry Moore Show , and is known for his signature large block lettering - he's responsible for Robert Indiana's "LOVE" on Kraft Music Hall and the word "SMILE" as a backdrop to the Candid Camera set. He pioneered the use of lights on the risers of steps and the...
William Froug

Remembering William Froug

 Tue, 08/27/2013 The Archive is sad to learn of the passing of writer/producer William Froug , who died on Sunday, August 25, 2013 at the age of 91. Froug was a prolific radio writer, and adapted, produced, and directed CBS radio's highly-acclaimed "Brave New World." In the television realm he wrote for Playhouse 90 and Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre , produced Alcoa-Goodyear Theatre's production of “Eddie” (starring Mickey Rooney), and also produced The Twilight Zone , Gilligan’s Island , and Bewitched . He...
Jason Alexander

5 Things You Didn't Know About Jason Alexander

 Fri, 07/26/2013 You probably know that Jason Alexander is an actor, and that he played "George Costanza" on Seinfeld . And maybe you know he was in a little movie called "Pretty Woman." But here are five facts we learned from his Archive interview that you may not know about Mr. Alexander: 1. His real name is Jay Scott Greenspan. He changed it when he joined AFTRA as a teenager. He intended to use the name Jason Scott, but there were too many already in the registry. He then took his father's first name as his...
65th Primetime Emmy Awards

And The Nominees Are...

 Wed, 07/17/2013 The 2013 Primetime Emmy Award season began today with the official nomination announcement at 5:40 AM PT. Congratulations to all the nominees for The 65th Primetime Emmy Awards ! The Archive of American Television would also like to congratulate our interviewees who were nominated this year: Paris Barclay for Outstanding Directing For a Comedy Series ( Glee ) Tom Bergeron for Outstanding Host For a Reality Or Reality-Competition Program ( Dancing With The Stars ) Mark Burnett for Outstanding...
James L. Loper

Remembering James L. Loper

 Wed, 07/10/2013 We're sad to hear of the passing of executive James L. Loper , who died on Monday, July 8, 2013 at the age of 81. Loper rose through the ranks of public television, serving as President and CEO of KCET through 1982. He also served as Executive Director of The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences from 1984 to 1999, setting in place many of the systems that remain in operation at the Academy today (including the addition of FOX to the rotation of networks airing The Emmy Awards). During his...
Richard Matheson

Remembering Richard Matheson

 Mon, 06/24/2013 We're just learning of more sad news today, writer Richard Matheson passed away yesterady at the age of 87. Matheson wrote the memorable Twilight Zone episode, "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet," among many others, wrote for Star Trek and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour , and penned the novel I Am Legend and the screenplay of "Duel." Below are some excerpts from his 2002 Archive interview: On the idea for The Twilight Zon e episode "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet": I was on an airplane and I looked out and there...
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Remembering Gary David Goldberg

 Mon, 06/24/2013 Writer/show creator Gary David Goldberg succumbed to brain cancer yesterday, June 23, 2013, at the age of 68. Goldberg created the hit '80s sitcom Family Ties , Brooklyn Bridge (an homage to his childhood), and co-created Spin City with Bill Lawrence. He also wrote for The Bob Newhart Show and The Tony Randall Show , and produced the feature films "Dad" and "Must Love Dogs." Below are some excerpts from his 2007 Archive Interview: On meeting his wife, Diana: When Diana and I met in 1969, I was...
Julia Louis-Dreyfus

"Veep" Concludes Its Second Term on HBO

 Fri, 06/21/2013 Hit HBO series Veep airs its second season finale Sunday, June 23rd at 10pm! Recent interviewee Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who stars as Vice President "Selina Meyer," shared some insights into her character: On "Selina's" team: On her gestures: On the challenges of playing "Selina Meyer:" And on Veep's real-life counterparts: Tune in Sunday for the season finale and look for Veep's third season to premiere in 2014. Julia Louis-Dreyfus' full Archive Interview will be posted soon, so be on the lookout...
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Remembering James Gandolfini

 Thu, 06/20/2013 We're saddened by the news of actor James Gandolfini's death yesterday at the age of 51. Though we didn't have the chance to interview him and get his own stories of the shows and films on which he worked, we have been fortunate to conduct interviews with several of his colleagues. The Sopranos creator David Chase and regular director Timothy Van Patten both had kind remarks about the man who brought "Tony Soprano" to life: David Chase on what Gandolfini brought to the role of "Tony Soprano":...