Latest News from The Interviews

Leonard H. Goldenson

IT'S THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF OUR VERY FIRST INTERVIEW!

 Sat, 05/14/2016 20 years ago today, on May 14, 1996, we conducted our very first Archive of American Television interview! Leonard H. Goldenson , the founder of ABC, was interviewee #1. Back in 1996 we were a pilot program approved to conduct ten interviews, and have since become a full-fledged, integral part of the Television Academy Foundation with over 800 interviews in the collection. Here are a few highlights from Leonard H. Goldenson's interview: On early programming at ABC: On getting Disney into...
Florence Henderson

A Salute to 10 Classic TV Moms

 Sun, 05/08/2016 Carol Brady was not going to wear an apron....Everyone wanted to be a Partridge....June Cleaver wore heels for a reason....and "Mrs. C" knows how to get what she wants! In honor of Mother's Day, the Archive of American Television highlights quotes and clips from 10 interviewees best-known for their roles as iconic sitcom TV moms. Jane Wyatt on playing Margaret Anderson on Father Knows Best I did understand wife and mother because I was a wife and mother. Margaret was much nicer than me. I can...

Producer's Pointers: Why I Became An Oral Historian And How You Can Be One, Too

 Fri, 05/06/2016 One night when I was ten years old, my parents brought their then-new video camera over to my grandparents’ house. My dad set up the briefcase-sized Panasonic on a tripod and aimed it at the dining room table. Around that table sat my three living grandparents. (My maternal grandfather passed away when I was five.) For the next hour, my parents recorded my grandparents telling the stories of how their families came to America, what their parents’ and grandparents’ names were, and other lore...
Leave It To Beaver

Tears, Dreams, and Blank Screens: A Brief History of the Series Finale

 Thu, 04/28/2016 Lucy accidently destroys a newly sculpted Revolutionary War statue in the town square. A grenade temporarily blinds Eliot Ness. Perry Mason successfully defends an eccentric actress in a murder case. These describe three episodes of the most successful shows of the ‘50s and ‘60s. What do they all have in common? They’re all the final episodes of their respective series. I Love Lucy , The Untouchables , and Perry Mason . Unremarkable, run-of-the-mill, and even subpar entries. Why didn’t Lucy...
Darren Star

A Darren Starry Night

 Thu, 04/14/2016 Brenda: I like your butt. I mean bike. Dylan: Thanks. Hop on. My bike, that is. It doesn't get any better than that. When I was in junior high, a Brenda Walsh and Dylan McKay exchange like that made my night, my week, my year. As a young girl dreaming of the day when I would have my first boyfriend, I got to live vicariously through the beautiful banter of Beverly Hills, 90210's star couple. (I was livid when Kelly and Dylan started getting together. It was wrong. Just plain wrong.) I was aware...
Nina Tassler

Nina Tassler’s Interview Is A Master Class In The TV Business

 Tue, 04/05/2016 We were excited, and yes, maybe even a little bit nervous, for the chance to sit with network executive Nina Tassler for a few hours for the Archive of American Television. After all, this was one of the most powerful people in television. But what unfolded felt less like an interview and more like a master class in the TV business. Here was a woman who had gone from an aspiring actress to Chairman of CBS Entertainment. We were fascinated to learn her keys to successfully navigating the...