Latest News from The Interviews

Yabba Dabba Doo!

 Thu, 09/30/2010 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 Stone Age (a premise not more than a stone's throw from The Honeymooners ). Featuring the voices of Alan Reed (Fred Flintstone), Jean Vander Pyl (Wilma Flintstone), Mel Blanc (Barney Rubble), and Bea Benaderet (Betty Rubble [1960-64]), the series was panned by Variety when it first aired ("routine," "...

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

 Wed, 09/29/2010 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 Playhouse , Producers' Showcase , and Playhouse 90 . He returned to television in recent years as an executive producer of Law & Order (2000-2001). Starting in the late '50s, he directed many acclaimed feature films including The Left-Handed Gun , Bonnie & Clyde , Alice's Restaurant , and Little...

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

 Fri, 09/24/2010 "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 21, 1960. Variety called the first debate a "dud," but history has said otherwise, labeling it landmark in Kennedy's eventual Presidential victory. According to Presidential Debates: Forty Years of High-Risk TV by Alan Schroeder, the first debate "attract[ed] the largest audience that had ever...

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

 Thu, 09/23/2010 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 solo careers, and then the two are brought together to discuss their longtime partnership, including their work on "The Carol Burnett Show." You can watch the interviews here at EMMYTVLEGENDS.ORG , or order the DVD directly from Amazon .

"The Mary Tyler Moore Show" At 40

 Sun, 09/19/2010 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 shows were: All in the Family , M*A*S*H , The Bob Newhart Show , and The Carol Burnett Show ), the series was an instant classic. For many years, it held the record for the most Emmy Awards won by a series (at 29); the show saw wins for ensemble cast members Edward Asner, Valerie Harper, Ted Knight...

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

 Tue, 09/14/2010 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 hit for nearly its entire run and won Emmy Awards for each of its four leading players— Beatrice Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty. On the very same day, another TV legend was getting a second wind, when The Jeffersons ' Marla Gibbs starred in 227 . 227 was also one of the most...

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

Thu, 09/09/2010 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 series aired locally in 1949 and may or may not have already incorporated the use of a laugh track. But the series network debut on September 9, 1950 certainly did, as Variety 's review noted the "... innovation in a soundtrack that contains audience laughter." The review further stated: "Although...

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

 Wed, 09/08/2010 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 remembered, he said: "as a man who brought the message of love, peace, and harmony to television." David Dortort's Archive interview was conducted on August 8, 2002. Interview description: David Dortort was interviewed for three hours plus in Los Angeles, CA. Dortort spoke about his television...

Archive Interviewee Jerry Lewis Discusses the MDA Telethon

 Fri, 09/03/2010 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 Sunday, September 5th. In a press release, MDA President & CEO Gerald C. Weinberg noted: “Major changes are planned for this year’s Telethon. From an entirely new set by award-winning designers John Shaffner and Joe Stewart, to exciting production numbers by So You Think You Can Dance...

Legendary KTLA Newsman Stan Chambers Retires After 63 Years

 Fri, 08/27/2010 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 Fiscus in 1947— a three-year-old girl who fell down piping of an abandoned water well. Stan Chambers' Archive Interview was conducted on July 28, 1998. Interview Description: Stan Chambers was interviewed for five hours in Los Angeles, CA. Having worked at KTLA almost since its inception, Chambers...