News

Chicago Broadcasting Legend Ward Quaal Has Died

Ward Quaal was a broadcasting pioneer who transitioned from radio to television at the advent of the medium and became president of WGN, Chicago.  He died on September 24, at the age of 91. Interview

Show Creator Stephen J. Cannell has died— Archive interview Online

Stephen J. Cannell spanned many decades as a writer-producer, where he helmed such series as The Rockford Files, The Greatest American Hero, 21 Jump Street, Wiseguy, and The Commish.  He won the Emmy

"The Andy Griffith Show" 50th Anniversary

After a pilot episode aired on The Danny Thomas Show ("Danny Meets Andy Griffith," airdate: 2/15/60), The Andy Griffith Show landed on CBS' following fall schedule, debuting on October 3, 1960. It

Yabba Dabba Doo!

Fifty years ago today, The Flintstones debuted— the first made-for-TV primetime animated series in the US.  A twist on modern society, the series followed two working-class  couples who lived in the

Arthur Penn— "Live" TV Director who later directed "Bonnie and Clyde"— Has Died

Arthur Penn, who began his career as a director during the Golden Age of TV, has died at the age of 88.  In television in the 1950s, he worked on the now-classic anthology series Philco-Goodyear

50 Years Ago America Watched "The Great Debates" with candidates Kennedy and Nixon

"The Great Debates"— a series of discussions with then-Vice President Richard M. Nixon and Massachusetts Senator John F. Kennedy— aired network-wide on September 26, October 7, October 13, and October

New to DVD: The Archive of American Television Interview with TIm Conway and Harvey Korman

TV legends Tim Conway and Harvey Korman get serious in their interviews for the TV Academy Foundation's Archive of American Television. In this 3-disc set, each is interviewed separately about their

"The Mary Tyler Moore Show" At 40

On September 19, 1970, The Mary Tyler Moore Show debuted and ran for seven perfect seasons. As part of a Saturday night line-up  considered among the best ever in TV (in the 1973-74 season, the other

Silver Anniversaries of "The Golden Girls" and "227"

When The Golden Girls debuted on September 14, 1985, Variety called it "a funny, fast-paced, well-written sitcom with all the earmarks of a potential hit."  They called it.  The series was a top ten

60 Years Ago Today, "The Hank McCune Show" Debuted on NBC-- Ushering in the Laugh Track on Network TV

Hank McCune is a forgotten name in TV comedy.  His TV series, The Hank McCune Show, however, has found its way into the history books.  This filmed series was the very first to use a laugh track.  The

"Bonanza" Producer David Dortort Has Died-- Archive Interview Online

David Dortort, executive producer of the classic TV westerns Bonanza and The High Chaparral, has died at the age of 93.  When asked in his Archive of American Television interview how he'd like to be

Archive Interviewee Jerry Lewis Discusses the MDA Telethon

The 45th annual Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association will be broadcast live from the South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa in Las Vegas, beginning at 9 p.m. ET

Legendary KTLA Newsman Stan Chambers Retires After 63 Years

Stan Chambers started in television at the dawn of the medium. He's been a fixture of KTLA's news team and its historic coverage of breaking news since he first reported on the tragedy of Kathy

"Howdy Doody" Writer Eddie Kean Has Died

Eddie Kean, the sole writer for the first seven years of the classic children's show Howdy Doody, has died at age 85.  Kean also wrote the songs for the show.  Out of Howdy Doody comes one of Kean's

Humphrey Bogart on '50s TV— "Jack Benny," "Person to Person," and "Producers' Showcase"

Humphrey Bogart was one of the screen's biggest stars in the 1950s, when TV was considered a rival medium.  Bogart made relatively few appearances on TV before his death in January 1957.  According to