Latest News from The Interviews

Classic "All in the Family" episode given the "Simpsons" Treatment

 Mon, 03/29/2010 On the recent Simpsons episode "Stealing First Base" (airdate: 3/21/10) Sarah Silverman guest-starred as a girl who plants a kiss on Bart, leading to a Cinema Paradiso -inspired montage of famous movie & TV kisses. The last kiss seen in the montage is, unusually, and hilariously, from the All in the Family episode "Sammy's Visit" (in which the Bunker household welcomes Sammy Davis Jr., who gets the last laugh on Archie). The Simpsons ' team brilliantly capture the look that Carroll O'Connor...

Chet Simmons, the First President of ESPN, Has Died

 Fri, 03/26/2010 Chet Simmons, who served as ESPN's first President when the network started in 1979, has died at the age of 81. Simmons began in sports programming in the 1950s and was instrumental in the development of ABC's Wide World of Sports in the 1960s. He became the first President of NBC Sports in 1977. The Archive of American Television Chet Simmons on December 16, 2008; the interview is not yet available online, below is an excerpt.

Producer-director Ira Skutch ("Match Game," "Philco Television Playhouse") Has Died-- Archive Interview Online

 Thu, 03/25/2010 Ira Skutch, a producer-director and a television historian, has died at the age of 88. Skutch worked as a stage manager on some of the earliest regularly scheduled shows on NBC, including the landmark variety series Hour Glass (1946-47), the first hour-long entertainment series produced for network television. Moving up the ladder, he became a director on Philco Television Playhouse (helming the live commercials, and a few of the full productions themselves) and a producer-director on such...

"I Spy" Star Robert Culp Has Died-- Archive Interview Online

 Wed, 03/24/2010 Robert Culp, an Emmy nominee for both writing and starring in I Spy , has died at the age of 79. Culp's considerable TV credits include the classic sci-fi anthology The Outer Limits , the comedy-adventure series The Greatest American Hero , and the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond . The Archive of American Television interviewed Robert Culp on November 6, 2007 and the interview is currently available online. Interview description: Robert Culp was interviewed for three hours in Los Angeles, CA...

"T.A.M.I. Show" on DVD-- Archive Interviewee Steve Binder Describes the Landmark Concert

 Tue, 03/23/2010 1964's historic two-day rock/r&b concert, the T.A.M.I. Show , comes out on DVD today. Although the acronym T.A.M.I. was used inconsistently, it stood for either Teen Age Music International or Teenage Awards Music International-- with free tickets to the concert distributed to high school students. The concert, which took place at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, featured James Brown, the Supremes, and the Rolling Stones. Among the go-go dancers seen were a young Toni Basil and Teri Garr...

"Chicago Television"-- New Book from the Museum of Broadcast Communications

 Mon, 03/22/2010 The Chicago-based Museum of Broadcast Communications recently released Chicago Television , a survey of the city's first fifty years of TV broadcasting. Chicago TV stations WBKB (now WBBM-TV), WENR (now WLS-TV), WGN, and WNBQ (now WMAQ-TV) began commercial broadcasting in the 1940s, launching Chicago as one of the first centers of TV production in the US. The broadcasting style in the early years, particularly at WNBQ, established the "Chicago School of Television," which compensated for a lack...

TV's Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone— Fess Parker, Has Died— Archive Interview Online

 Thu, 03/18/2010 Fess Parker became a TV star portraying "Davy Crockett" in a series of adventures that aired on the anthology series Disneyland , earning him an Emmy nomination as Most Outstanding New Personality in 1955. Parker had a rare second act in American TV stardom, as Daniel Boone , on the NBC series that ran from 1964-70. The Archive of American Television interviewed Fess Parker on July 24, 2000, currently available online. Interview description: Fess Parker was interviewed for two-and-a-half hours...

Happy St. Patrick's Day

 Wed, 03/17/2010 The Archive of American Television is getting in the St. Paddy’s Day spirit by recognizing some of the most beloved Irish-American television greats. So, if green beer isn’t your thing, but you’d still like to celebrate, EMMYTVLEGENDS.ORG presents a few Irishmen (and women) who deserve some recognition. Carroll O’Connor : All in the Family star Carroll O'Connor used the stage name George Roberts in the 1950s, until famed Irish actor Cyril Cusack convinced him to reclaim his name and embrace his...

You weren't the only one whose sister forced you to watch "Little House on the Prairie"

 Mon, 03/15/2010 The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences hosted "An Evening with Modern Family " on March 3rd. Short interviews with the show's ensemble on the press line are now posted on the Archive's new page for Modern Family . Hear Ed O'Neill comment on how he wasn't looking to do a sitcom, but the writing was too good to pass up; Sofia Vergara talk about the camraderie on the set; Julie Bowen say how Modern Family reflects her own family. Plus, don't miss: show co-creator Steve Levitan and cast...