Bill Dana

Comedian / Writer

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

02:26

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About

About this interview

In his nearly three-hour interview, Bill Dana (1924-2017) talks about growing up during the Depression, his interest in comedy, and his stint as an NBC page. He discusses teaming up for a comedy act with Gene Wood, before joining The Steve Allen Show, where he became head writer. He details some of the show's recurring sketches, including "The Question Man," "Man on the Street," and the "Nutley-Hinkley Report." He then chronicles the creation of his famous character, "Jose Jimenez" which began on Allen's show. Dana describes "Jimenez's" character's traits, his many appearances, his retirement, the response of the Latino community to the character, and the culmination of "Jimenez's" fame on The Bill Dana Show. He discusses his work as a producer on The Milton Berle Show, his roles on St. Elsewhere and The Golden Girls, and his writing of the famous All in the Family episode "Sammy's Visit," featuring Sammy Davis, Jr. Finally, he talks about his then-current work with Emerson College and his creation of the American Comedy Archives. Jeff Abraham conducted the interview on February 10, 2007 in Los Angeles, CA.

All views expressed by interviewees are theirs alone and not necessarily those of the Television Academy.

"Bill Dana was 'Jose Jimenez.' The line between was invisible... I love that character, because he was just so sweet -- there was a Pollyanna aspect to him. That everything's going to be all right. It never was a caricature. He's not a Latin character. He's a universal character."

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Bill Dana

Highlights

Bill Dana on the birth of his character "Jose Jimenez" on The Steve Allen Show in 1959

08:46

Bill Dana on his recurring role as "Uncle Angelo" on The Golden Girls and the biggest laugh he ever got, which was on that show

Bill Dana on how he came to write the classic All in the Family episode "Sammy's Visit," and how he and producer Norman Lear invented the show's premise

02:32

Bill Dana on how he'd like to be remembered

00:21

Bill Dana on his proudest moment: being associated with the NASA astronauts

02:03

Bill Dana on breaking in new material on live television

01:08

Full Interview

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Chapter 1

On his childhood in Quincy, MA; on his brother Irving Szathmary, on growing up during the Depression; on finding humor in difficult situations

On his brother Arthur who taught him an awareness of language, which would play a great role in his comedic writing, malaprops, and the dialects he would use in characters such as "Jose Jimenez"; on other early influences; his education; meeting Gene Wood

On his Army service during WWII; on realizing the power of language; on the Leopoldville disaster; on being sent to witness the Dachau concentration camp by President Eisenhower

On the G.I. Bill, which enabled him to go to Emerson College; on forming a comedy duo with Gene Wood; on heading to California to pursue work in the early 1950s

Chapter 2

On early odd jobs as a layout electrician and how he wound up (by a misunderstanding) as head of equipment at Douglas Aircraft base on the Nike Missile project

On getting a job as an NBC page on Date in Manhattan with Ed Herlihy and Broadway Open House at Studio 8H; on his comedy partner, Gene Wood, and their comedy routines such as "What would have happened if..."; on changing his last name to "Dana" from "Szathmary"

On his managers; on starting a career in comedy writing

On a bit he wrote for Don Adams, which got him noticed by Steve Allen and hired as head writer, and for a time, the only writer, on the Steve Allen Tonight show

Chapter 3

On Don Hinkley; on memorable comedy sketches: "The Question Man" and "The Nutley-Hinkley-Butley-Winkly Report"; on the Martha Raye Show; on Steve Allen

On the genesis of the "Man on the Street" segments on The Steve Allen Show; on working with Don Knotts, Tom Poston, Louis Nye on those sketches; on the difference in format between the Steve Allen Primetime show and the "Plymouth" show on ABC; on hiring Buck Henry

On the birth of his character "Jose Jimenez" on The Steve Allen Show in 1959

Chapter 4

On "Jose the Astronaut," who first appeared on The Garry Moore Show; on Mickey Kapp's recording of "Jose Jimenez" at the Hungry i; on the relationship of the fictional "Jose" and the real Bill to the NASA Apollo program; on some memorable "Jose the Astronaut" lines

On his proudest moment: being associated with the NASA astronauts

On the huge popularity of his character "Jose"; on transforming his alter ego into a "real flesh and blood character"; on Make Room for Daddy with Danny Thomas

On The Bill Dana Show getting greenlit without a pilot or a script; on the premise of the show with "Jose" as a bellman at the Park Central Hotel; on the cast with Jonathan Harris, Gary Crosby, Maggie Peterson, Don Adams

On The Bill Dana Show being cancelled, but being happy for Don Adams to continue on Get Smart

On writing for Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme and the Spike Jones Show

Chapter 5

On first appearing on variety shows such as The Ed Sullivan Show as "Jose Jimenez"

On "Discover America with Jose Jimenez," and the NBC special series which he wrote with Al Wasserman

On some of the initial backlash to the "Jose Jimenez" character, while he was a member of the National Hispanic Media Coalition

On retiring his "Jose Jimenez" character

On how he came to produce The Milton Berle Show, which he compared to "choreographing a typhoon"

On how he came to write the classic All in the Family episode "Sammy's Visit" with Sammy Davis, Jr.

Chapter 6

On the All in the Family episode where Sammy Davis, Jr. kisses "Archie Bunker"

On No Soap, Radio breaking the "fourth wall"

On St. Elsewhere, on which he played "Jonas Fiscus," Howie Mandel's father on the show

On his recurring role as "Uncle Angelo" on The Golden Girls; on working with Bea Arthur, Betty White, Estelle Getty, Susan Harris

On reflecting back on the character that made him famous, "Jose Jimenez" and his feelings about him now

On founding the American Comedy Archives at Emerson College; on the challenges of being a comedian

On co-writing "The Laughter Prescription" with Dr. Lawrence Peter about the healing power of laughter

On advice to aspiring writers; on how he would like to be remembered

Shows

All in the Family

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Bill Dana on how he came to write the classic All in the Family episode "Sammy's Visit," and how he and producer Norman Lear invented the show's premise