Latest News from The Interviews

Remembering Kathryn Joosten

 Mon, 06/04/2012 Today the Archive remembers actress Kathryn Joosten , who passed away on Friday, June 1st, 2012 from lung cancer. Joosten was 72 and best known for her roles as "Mrs. Landingham" on The West Wing and "Karen McCluskey" on Desperate Housewives . She began her acting career late in life, at age 42, yet still managed to win two Emmy awards (for her role on Desperate Housewives ). In addition to her career as a performer, Joosten was active in the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, where she...

Will and Katie: Couric Celebrates the Queen's Diamond Jubilee

 Tue, 05/29/2012 This year Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her Diamond Jubilee, marking her 60-year reign as Great Britain's monarch. ABC News is marking the occasion tonight with a two-hour edition of 20/20 entitled "The Real Queen: By Her Own Royal Family." Katie Couric interviews the Queen's grandsons, Prince William and Prince Harry about their grandmother: Couric met the Queen last week and described the experience to colleague Diane Sawyer: The special airs at 9pm ET, and Good Morning America is also airing...

Director/Producer Bob Finkel Dies at 94

 Tue, 05/29/2012 The Archive is sad to learn of the death of Bob Finkel , who passed away of age-related complications on April 30, 2012. Finkel produced numerous hits of the 1950s and 1960s, including The Eddie Fisher Show , The Dinah Shore Chevy Show , and The Andy Williams Show , along with multiple broadcasts of The People's Choice Awards , Oscars , and Emmy Awards . He also produced Elvis: The '68 Comeback Special . Here are some selections from Finkel's 1997 Archive Interview: On directing Natalie Wood in...

Writer/Producer William Froug Turns 90!

 Sat, 05/26/2012 Happy 90th birthday, William Froug ! Froug started out as a radio writer at CBS, transitioned to television, and wound up producing some of the medium's biggest hits. He served as a producer on The Twilight Zone , Bewitched , and Gilligan's Island , among others. When he left production, Froug began teaching screenwriting at UCLA and authored several books on the subject, including The Screenwriter Looks at the Screenwriter and Screen-writing Tricks of the Trade . Here are some selections from...

Producer Lee Rich Dies at 85

 Fri, 05/25/2012 The Archive is sad to report the passing of Lee Rich , best known as one of the founders of Lorimar Productions. Rich served as executive producer on The Waltons , Eight is Enough , Dallas , and Knots Landing . Earlier in his career, he worked for advertising company Benton & Bowles, where he helped package The Danny Thomas Show and The Dick Van Dyke Show . He left advertising to form Mirisch-Rich Productions, where he produced Rat Patrol and Hey, Landlord ; briefly returned to advertising...
The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson

One More For the Road: The Finale of "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson"

 Tue, 05/22/2012 On May 22, 1992, Johnny Carson's record-setting thirty-year reign as host of The Tonight Show came to an end. Carson took over The Tonight Show from predecessor Jack Paar on October 1, 1962, and over the next three decades delighted the world with "Carnac the Magnificent" skits, the wedding of Tiny Tim, and the national debuts of young comics Garry Shandling and Jerry Seinfeld. Carson left The Tonight Show on May 22, 1992, and many would argue that every late-night host since has been trying to...

Connie Chung Talks Maury Povich, "Murphy Brown", and More!

 Tue, 05/22/2012 She occupied half of Walter Cronkite 's anchor chair on CBS Evening News (she co-anchored with Dan Rather ); she famously interviewed Newt Gingrich's mother, and she is married to Maury Povich. In her 2009 Archive Interview, Connie Chung talks of being a serious journalist, covering national elections and 9/11, yet also shows her softer side, speaking of her role as a mother, and outlining her frequent appearances on Late Night with David Letterman skits. She details working with Walter...

The Truth is Out There: "The X-Files" Ended 10 Years Ago & Predicts the End of the World

 Sat, 05/19/2012 It's been 10 years since the small screen bid adieu to Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, the FBI agents who investigated paranormal activity on the FOX hit, The X-Files . The sci-fi show premiered on September 10, 1983 and aired its final episode on May 19, 2002. When the series ended, it was the longest-running sci-fi series in American television history, an honor that Smallville now holds. In the series finale, "The Truth," Mulder accesses classified documents about the final colonization of the...

TV's First Anthology Drama Turns 65: Happy Anniversary, Kraft Television Theatre!

 Mon, 05/07/2012 It was the first of the Golden Age, classic anthology dramas. Kraft Television Theatre was born out of Television Theatre , the 1946 monthly showcase of plays courtesy of WNBT, NBC's New York station. Once the monthly program proved a success, NBC found a regular sponsor for the show and officially launched television's first live weekly, hour-long dramatic series, Kraft Television Theatre on May 7, 1947. The program was so successful on Wednesday evenings that a Thursday installment was added...

Vitameatavegamin Time! Lucy Did a TV Commercial 60 Years Ago

 Sat, 05/05/2012 When you think of I Love Lucy , a few images probably spring to mind. Lucy stomping on grapes, Lucy and Ethel stuffing bon-bons down their shirts, and Lucy attempting to say "Vitameatavegamin." That last scene occurred on the 30th episode of the show, "Lucy Does a TV Commercial" , which first aired on CBS sixty years ago on May 5, 1952. In the classic episode, Ricky is hosting a TV show and needs someone to do a commercial spot. Lucy begs to do it, but Ricky refuses, even after Lucy pulls apart...