Latest News from The Interviews

Ira Skutch's Archive of American Television Interview Is Now Online

 Wed, 07/26/2006 This video is Part 1 of Ira Skutch's 6-part interview. Click here to view the entire interview. Producer/Director Ira Skutch's three hour Archive of American Television Interview is available for viewing on Google Video. Ira Skutch started working at NBC in 1942 as an NBC Page. Interview Description: Skutch talks about his early years as a page and later manager of guided tours at NBC. He describes in detail the layout of the NBC building, listing the various studios and the radio series that...

D. C. Fontana's Archive of American Television Interview Is Now Online

 Tue, 07/18/2006 Writer D. C. Fontana's three-and-a-half hour Archive of American Television interview has been added to the online collection at Google Video. This video is Part 3 of D.C. Fontana's 7-part interview. In this segment, she speaks in-depth about her work on Star Trek . To access all segments, click here. (Remember, if you'd like to watch the interview in the order in which it was conducted, select the parts in order (1,2,3...).) Interview Description: Fontana begins by recalling her early career...

New Book Highlights the History of Television Taboos

 Wed, 07/12/2006 From the July 14th, 2006 Issue of Entertainment Weekly : Ten Things We Love This Week BOOKS 3. ' THEY'LL NEVER PUT THAT ON THE AIR ,' BY ALLAN NEUWIRTH From All in the Family to Seinfeld : Sharp analysis and firsthand anecdotes illuminate the stories behind TV's most taboo-busting comedies. The book is a fun oral history of the behind-the-scenes machinations of those who fought to break down television taboos. Nobably, writer (and Archive interviewer) Allan Neuwirth used excerpts from three...

Stanley Rubin's Archive of American Television Interview Is Now Online

 Tue, 07/11/2006 Producer Stanley Rubin's two-and-a-half-hour Archive of American Television interview has been added to the online collection at Google Video. Rubin won an Emmy at the very first Emmy Awards in 1949. Interview Description: Rubin begins by talking about his early years in the entertainment business working in the mailroom at Paramount Pictures and then as a reader for several studios, including Universal. He talks about his transition to screenwriting and ultimately producing, which began with...

50 years ago today… Dick Clark began hosting American Bandstand

 Sun, 07/09/2006 On July 9, 1956 Dick Clark became the permanent host of American Bandstand and his boyish looks and straight-laced style bridged the gap between teenagers and their parents, helping to bring rock ‘n’ roll to the mainstream. The show broadcast locally from Philadelphia starting in 1952 and by August 5, 1957, with Clark taking the show to the top of the ratings, the show went national (its initial title Bandstand was changed to American Bandstand). Records were rated in one of the segments of the...

Advertising Executive/Producer Rod Erickson Has Died

 Fri, 07/07/2006 Advertising Executive and Producer Rod Erickson died recently at the age of 89. Erickson was interviewed by the Archive of American Television on October 17, 1997. His interview can be viewed in the Archive's Los Angeles offices and will be available online in the near future. Historian Jeff Kisseloff conducted the five hour interview with Erickson in Bedford, NY. Mr. Erickson talked about working for Procter & Gamble when the agency first entered television, and discussed his first...

2005-06 Primetime Emmy Awards Nominations Announced

 Thu, 07/06/2006 Nominations for the 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards were announced today. Among the nominees is television legend Alan Alda, who received his 32nd career Emmy Award nomination in the category of “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series” for his role as “Arnold Vinick” on The West Wing. Alda was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame in 1993. Alan Alda was interviewed by the Archive of American Television on November 17, 2000 in New York, NY. Click here...

Mort Lachman's Archive of American Television Interview Is Now Online

 Mon, 07/03/2006 Comedy Writer/Producer Mort Lachman's 3-hour Archive of American Television interview has been added to the online collection at Google Video. Interview Description: Lachman begins by talking about his early years becoming a writer in network radio for Eddie Cantor and Bob Hope. He describes in detail working as a writer, and later head writer/ director/ producer on the Bob Hope Television Specials . He vividly describes Bob Hope’s topical humor and gift for ad libbing. He speaks about his work...

Writer/Producer Abby Mann's Archive of American Television Interview is now on Google Video!

 Fri, 06/30/2006 Abby Mann's interview is one of the latest additions to the Archive of American Television's interviews available on Google Video: About the interview: In this three-hour interview, Mann discusses his early teleplays, written during the Golden Age of Television Drama in the 1950s, including such noteworthy teleplays as “A Child Is Waiting” (for Studio One ) and “Judgment at Nuremberg” (for Playhouse 90 ). He also talked about the feature film adaptations of these teleplays. Mann discussed his...

Producer Aaron Spelling Has Died

 Sat, 06/24/2006 Legendary producer Aaron Spelling died yesterday at the age of 83. The Archive of American Television interviewed him about his life and career for over 3 hours in 1999. Below are some excerpts from that interview: On what it takes to be a good producer. You have to be a good storyteller. It all starts with a script. We have a way that we work and I hope a lot of people work this way. We meet with the producers, they tell us a story concept, we work on the story concept with them or say “that’s...