Latest News from The Interviews

Superbowl Showdown: The Art of Televising The Game

 Sun, 02/05/2012 It's Superbowl Sunday! Time for junk food, expensive commercials, a halftime spectacular, and of course, football! Today the AFC's New England Patriots take on the NFC's New York Giants at Lucas Oil Stadium at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBC. The game will also be streamed online for the first time ever. The Archive is honored to have interviewed several people who have made significant contributions to how television viewers experience the Superbowl. Don Mischer produced the first of the big halftime...

The Bluths are Back: "Arrested Development" is in Development!

 Fri, 02/03/2012 This week Executive Producer Dean Lorey announced that the full cast of Arrested Development is back for season four! Creator Mitch Hurwitz, writer Jim Valley, and Lorey are hard at work writing the episodes now. The series enjoyed three seasons on FOX before it was cancelled in 2006, but next year Netflix will stream season four online to subscribers. In his 2006 Archive interview, Executive Producer (and narrator) Ron Howard discussed how Arrested Development arose from attempting to do a...

"Three's Company's" Chrissy and Janet, Together Again

 Thu, 02/02/2012 After 30 years of not speaking, Three's Company actresses Suzanne Somers and Joyce DeWitt reunited on Somers' web series, “Suzanne Somers Breaking Through.” The two had not spoken since Somers left the sitcom after a salary dispute, but one of Somers' web series producers approached DeWitt about coming on the program and she agreed. According to Somers, it was a tearful reunion that brought back memories of co-star John Ritter, who passed away in 2003. In her 2009 Archive interview, Somers...

Three Decades of Stupid Human Tricks: David Letterman Celebrates 30 Years in Late Night

Wed, 02/01/2012 Tonight David Letterman marks 30 years in late night television. His first late night talk show, Late Night with David Letterman , premiered February 2, 1982 on NBC, replacing Tomorrow with Tom Snyder . On August 30, 1993, Letterman moved to CBS with the program Late Show with David Letterman , which he's hosted ever since. Paul Shaffer on getting the gig as bandleader on Late Night with David Letterman : In celebration of entering his fourth decade on late night, Letterman will have Howard...

Talking with Trixie Norton: Joyce Randolph Remembers "The Honeymooners"

 Tue, 01/31/2012 She played one of America's all-time favorite neighbors. As "Trixie Norton" on The Honeymooners , Joyce Randolph was that pal that you wished lived upstairs. She was friend to Audrey Meadows' "Alice Kramden," other half to Art Carney's "Ed Norton," and along with Jackie Gleason, made up one of the funniest foursomes in television history. In her Archive of American Television interview from 1999, Randolph speaks in detail about her time as "Trixie," sharing what it was like to do the show with...

Director John Rich Dies at 86

 Mon, 01/30/2012 The Archive is sad to report that director John Rich passed away yesterday at the age of 86. Rich was one of the most respected and prolific directors in all of television, directing numerous episodes of The Colgate Comedy Hour , Our Miss Brooks , Gunsmoke , The Dick Van Dyke Show , Gilligan's Island , and All in the Family (including the "Sammy's Visit" episode), and was instrumental in merging the Screen Directors Guild with the Radio and Television Directors Guild to create the current...

Phil Rosenthal Talks "Everybody Loves Raymond" and the Craft of Writing

 Fri, 01/27/2012 Phil Rosenthal wanted to be an actor. He and several friends in New York wrote a show called "Tony and Tina's Wedding", in which he acted, and an agent saw his work and told him to come to LA to pursue acting. Rosenthal did, and instead wound up meeting up with high school friend Alan Kirschenbaum, writing a screenplay, and falling in love with writing. A self-described TV addict, Rosenthal grew up watching The Honeymooners , Your Show of Shows , The Mary Tyler Moore Show , and All in the...

From "Marty" to "Mermaid Man": Ernest Borgnine Turns 95!

 Tue, 01/24/2012 Ernest Borgnine turns the big 9-5 today! One of the most prolific, well-respected character actors of all time, Borgnine has appeared in over 200 films. He's starred in/been an ensemble player in several television series, and thanks to a voiceover role on SpongeBob SquarePants , he's recently acquired a whole new generation of fans. At 95, Ernest Borgnine is still going strong. Born Ermes Effron Borgnino on January 24, 1917 in Hamden, Connecticut, Borgnine never thought he'd be an actor. It...

How to Direct, Via Master Director John Frankenheimer

 Mon, 01/23/2012 John Frankenheimer (1930-2002) directed some of television’s most acclaimed productions on Playhouse 90 , Climax! and Danger . In his interview from 2000, Frankenheimer speaks in detail about his craft, techniques, and some of his favorite people to direct. He shares tales of working with Edward R. Murrow and in the clip below, describes the valuable lessons he learned from the legendary David O’ Selznick: Watch John Frankenheimer’s full interview here: http://www.emmytvlegends.org/interviews/...