Latest News from The Interviews

Sammy's Visit

Sammy Smooches Archie: All in the Family's "Sammy's Visit" Turns 45

 Sat, 02/18/2017 It's been called "the kiss of infamy." Sure, there have been many great on-screen kisses over the years -- Scarlett and Rhett in Gone with the Wind , Milton and Karen in From Here to Eternity , Winnie and Kevin on The Wonder Years ... but the most unexpected and down-right hilarious kiss of all time, at least on the small-screen, has to be that between Sammy Davis Jr. and Archie Bunker on the "Sammy's Visit" episode of All in the Family . The February 19, 1972 show featured Archie Bunker...
Yeardley Smith

Yeardley Smith: in her own voice

 Sun, 02/12/2017 Born in Paris to a Harvard-educated ex-Marine who worked for the UPI and a Radcliffe grad who worked for the Smithsonian, Yeardley Smith’ s background was a far cry from the family she would become an indelible part of, in The Simpsons . But there may be more similarities than differences between the young actress and the little girl who sets the moral compass for Springfield. Her name was an early subject of schoolyard teasing: Yardvark, Yardweed, Yarddog, Yardstick (and her personal favorite...
Joan Rivers

Johnny vs. Joanie: A Tale of Two Talk Show Hosts

 Wed, 02/08/2017 The Invasion of Grenada, the Falklands War, the Soviet-Afghan conflict. These are some of the events that come to mind when one considers the wars of the ‘80s. You may also remember the hard fought cola wars, which pitted America’s favorite TV dad against its biggest pop superstar. That one ended ugly. But I will forever remember what had been the opening salvo and precursor to what would eventually become known as “The Late Night Wars”- fired across the bow of none other than Johnny Carson...
Dick and Tom Smothers

Mom Always Liked You Best: "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" Turns 50!

 Sat, 02/04/2017 Tom and Dick. Tea with Goldie. Pete Seeger. These are just a few associations one makes at the mention of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour . Some others: controversy, cancellation, law suit. The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour first premiered on CBS on February 5, 1967 with brothers Tom and Dick Smothers as hosts. The variety show lasted three seasons and seventy-two episodes and attracted a young, anti-establishment audience. The program featured hip, up and coming musicians like Seeger, who in...
blog post image

The Story Behind Roots

 Mon, 01/23/2017 On January 23, 1977, Roots debuted on ABC. The first installment gave ABC ratings unlike any had that been seen before, and the miniseries went on to shatter viewership records night after night for its eight-day run. But the success of this miniseries, indeed the fact that it even made it to the small screen, was anything but preordained. It all started, of course, with Alex Haley, the author of Roots , who had been the original Playboy interviewer and the author of The Autobiography of...
Leslie Uggams

Leslie Uggams: Breaking Barriers

 Thu, 01/19/2017 Whenever one of us is on, "Oh my God, quick turn on the television." With me being on [Sing Along with] Mitch every day, it gave my people a chance to see somebody that looked like them. Because back then there weren’t even commercials that you could see us in. She was one of the first African-American women to be a regular on a hit music show (the aforementioned Sing Along with Mitch .) She was THE first African-American woman to host her own network variety show. And she was one of the stars...
Betty White

Golden Girl Betty White Turns 95!

 Tue, 01/17/2017 Betty White celebrates her 95th birthday today! She's been in the business for over 70 years, and we can't get enough of her! Born January 17, 1922 in Oak Park, Illinois, White got her start in television when the medium first emerged onto the American landscape back in 1939, appearing in a closed circuit presentation of "The Merry Widow" in the Los Angeles Packard Building. A natural from the start, she loved the rush of live television, and when regular programming began she was quickly...
Elvis

If Hips Could Kill: Elvis' Lower Half is Censored on "The Ed Sullivan Show"

 Thu, 01/05/2017 60 years ago today, on January 6, 1957, Elvis Presley's hips were deemed too hot for TV by The Ed Sullivan Show . Elvis had already appeared on the program twice before, in all of his hip-shaking glory, but on his third appearance he was shot only from the waist up. Of course, just by listening to his screaming fans, you can (thankfully) still tell when he gyrates: John Moffitt was a Production Assistant and later an Assistant Director on The Ed Sullivan Show and recalls Elvis' appearances on...