About
"Somebody asked me one day, 'what's the first thing you do when you read these [Saturday Night Live] scripts?' I said, 'I laugh.' Now after I laugh, I may go in and cut it to ribbons, but we were human people and we had senses of humor. We also had a job to do to help keep the network on the air and I think we did it pretty well."
In his three-hour interview, William Clotworthy (1926-2021) talks of his early years working as an NBC page in the late 1940s. He describes joining advertising agency BBDO (Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn) in October 1950, and details his 25-year career as a commercial television producer for the agency. He discusses several of the series for which he served as the ad liaison, including G. E. Theater (where he worked closely with host Ronald Reagan), Your Hit Parade, and You Bet Your Life. Clotworthy then outlines his work from 1979-91 as NBC's director of broadcast standards, where he primarily served as the network censor for Saturday Night Live until his retirement. Karen Herman conducted the interview on June 28, 2006 in Los Angeles, CA.
Highlights
William Clotworthy on representing advertisers on General Electric Theater, hosted by Ronald Reagan
William Clotworthy on drug humor and Al Franken on Saturday Night Live
William Clotworthy on working with Gilda Radner on Saturday Night Live
William Clotworthy on escorting Milton Berle's mother on Texaco Star Theater while he was an NBC page
William Clotworthy on representing advertisers on You Bet Your Life
William Clotworthy on joining Standards & Practices at NBC, and getting assigned to Saturday Night Live
Full Interview
Chapter 1
On his childhood and early influences; on growing up in New Jersey; on majoring in drama at Syracuse University; on becoming an NBC page in 1948; on working at NBC during the 1948 election
On joining advertising agency BBDO; on working for client American Tobacco; on the television department at BBDO; on Your Hit Parade; on directing commercials on Robert Montgomery Presents; on early baseball; on working on The Jack Benny Program
Chapter 2
On Jack Benny; on Lucky Strike and writing radio shows; on many people making their TV debuts on T his is Show Business; on moving to BBDO in California and representing advertisers on General Electric Theater; on writing Ronald Reagan's lead-ins and lead-outs for General Electric Theater
On the format of General Electric Theater; on writing for the show; on representing advertisers on You Bet Your Life; on working with Bing Crosby
Chapter 3
On Sheree North's dance on General Electric Theater; on the 1952 political campaign and BBDO representing the Republican party - Eisenhower; on how they got Ike to wear makeup; on Eisenhower not liking television; on the Hollywood Blacklist
On his 25 year career at BBDO; on General Electric True with Jack Webb; on radio and television commercials he worked on; on his friendship with Ronald Reagan; on how the television landscape changed over the years; on leaving BBDO and joining Standards & Practices at NBC, and getting assigned to Saturday Night Live
Chapter 4
On the importance of context for Standards and Practices; on Steven Bochco having trouble with Standards and Practices; on Charles Rocket and censorship on Saturday Night Live; on Sam Kinison going against Standards and Practices on Saturday Night Live
On drug humor being allowed on Saturday Night Live; on pressure from outside organizations; on a controversial joke by David Letterman; on the people he worked with on Saturday Night Live
On a typical work week at Saturday Night Live
Chapter 5
On Saturday Night Live' s production schedule; on Lorne Michaels; on working with the show's writers; on working with Al Franken; on challenges he faced as a Standards & Practices Executive; on memorable and less than ideal guest hosts and performers on Saturday Night Live
On the season that Jean Doumanian ran Saturday Night Live; on Brandon Tartikoff bringing Dick Ebersol in to run the show; on cast members he worked with: Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, Steve Martin, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman; Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Jon Lovitz
Chapter 6
On working with cast members of Saturday Night Live; on a controversial David Bowie appearance; on retiring in 1991
On his last days as the Standards Executive for Saturday Night Live; on becoming a Presidential historian; on consulting for the WB channel; on career regrets; on his title of "Editor" rather than "Censor"; on wanting to allow the word "fart" on Saturday Night Live; on advice to aspiring professionals; on how he'd like to be remembered
Shows
Danny Kaye Show, The
William Clotworthy on The Danny Kaye Show
General Electric Theater, The
William Clotworthy on representing advertisers on General Electric Theater, hosted by Ronald Reagan
William Clotworthy on working with Bing Crosby
General Electric True
William Clotworthy on General Electric True with Jack Webb
Jack Benny Program, The
William Clotworthy on working on The Jack Benny Program
William Clotworthy on working on the premiere of The Jack Benny Program with Ben Hogan as guest
Kukla, Fran & Ollie
William Clotworthy on NBC getting the Kukla, Fran & Ollie feed from Chicago
Robert Montgomery Presents
William Clotworthy on representing client American Tobacco in television shows Robert Montgomery Presents, Your Hit Parade, and This is Show Business
William Clotworthy on working on Robert Montgomery Presents
Saturday Night Live
William Clotworthy on Charles Rocket and censorship on Saturday Night Live when Rocket swore live on air
William Clotworthy on doing Standards and Practices for Saturday Night Live; on drug humor, pressure from outside groups, and a typical work week
William Clotworthy on the famous "Nude beach" sketch on Saturday Night Live
William Clotworthy on Saturday Night Live' s production schedule, Lorne Michaels, and the cast of the show
William Clotworthy on working with cast members of Saturday Night Live, on retiring
William Clotworthy on joining Standards & Practices at NBC, and getting assigned to Saturday Night Live
Texaco Star Theater
William Clotworthy on working on Texaco Star Theater while he was an NBC page
This Is Show Business
William Clotworthy on representing client American Tobacco in television shows Robert Montgomery Presents, Your Hit Parade, and This is Show Business
William Clotworthy on working onT his is Show Business
You Bet Your Life
William Clotworthy on representing advertisers on You Bet Your Life
Your Hit Parade
William Clotworthy on representing client American Tobacco in television shows Robert Montgomery Presents, Your Hit Parade, and This is Show Business
William Clotworthy on remotes and the popularity of Your Hit Parade
Topics
Anthology Drama
William Clotworthy on working on Robert Montgomery Presents
William Clotworthy on the format of General Electric Theater, produced by William Frye
Censorship / Standards & Practices
William Clotworthy on language he was allowed to use in an episode of General Electric Theater that he wrote, dealing with therapeutic abortion
William Clotworthy on the importance of context for Standards and Practices; on censorship on Saturday Night Live
William Clotworthy on his style as a Standards Executive for Saturday Night Live
William Clotworthy on how standards changed from the '70s to '90s
William Clotworthy on joining Standards & Practices at NBC
Dwight D. Eisenhower
William Clotworthy on the 1952 political campaign and BBDO representing the Republican party - Eisenhower; on how they got Ike to wear makeup
Hollywood Blacklist
William Clotworthy on the Hollywood Blacklist
Television Industry
William Clotworthy on language he was allowed to use in an episode of General Electric Theater that he wrote, dealing with therapeutic abortion
TV's Golden Age (1940s & '50s)
William Clotworthy on working on Robert Montgomery Presents
William Clotworthy on the format of General Electric Theater, produced by William Frye
Underrepresented Voices
William Clotworthy on working with Garrett Morris on Saturday Night Live
Professions
Television Executive
William Clotworthy on joining Standards & Practices at NBC
Genres
Commercials
William Clotworthy on commercials for American Tobacco
William Clotworthy on the Lucky Strike bulls eye
William Clotworthy on the 1952 political campaign and BBDO representing the Republican party - Eisenhower; on how they got Ike to wear makeup
William Clotworthy on loving radio commercials
William Clotworthy on memorable TV commercials on which he worked
Late Night
William Clotworthy on doing Standards and Practices for Saturday Night Live; on drug humor, pressure from outside groups, and a typical work week
William Clotworthy on Saturday Night Live' s production schedule, Lorne Michaels, and the cast of the show
William Clotworthy on working with cast members of Saturday Night Live
People
Red Barber
William Clotworthy on baseball announcers in the early days of TV
Jack Benny
William Clotworthy on working on The Jack Benny Program
William Clotworthy on working on the premiere of The Jack Benny Program with Ben Hogan as guest
Milton Berle
William Clotworthy on working on Texaco Star Theater while he was an NBC page
William Clotworthy on Lorne Michaels' belief that Milton Berle was the worst host of all time on Saturday Night Live
Steven Bochco
William Clotworthy on Steven Bochco having trouble with Standards and Practices
David Bowie
William Clotworthy on David Bowie appearing on Saturday Night Live
Geraldine Brooks
William Clotworthy on language he was allowed to use in an episode of General Electric Theater that he wrote, dealing with therapeutic abortion
Abe Burrows
William Clotworthy on working on T his is Show Business
Dana Carvey
William Clotworthy on working with Dana Carvey on Saturday Night Live
Dorothy Collins
William Clotworthy on the Lucky Strike bulls eye
Bing Crosby
William Clotworthy on working with Bing Crosby
Billy Crystal
William Clotworthy on Dick Ebersol bringing new talent to Saturday Night Live
William Clotworthy on working with Billy Crystal on Saturday Night Live
Robert Culp
William Clotworthy on less than ideal hosts on Saturday Night Live
Jane Curtin
William Clotworthy on the people he worked with on Saturday Night Live
Jean Doumanian
William Clotworthy on the people he worked with on Saturday Night Live
William Clotworthy on Jean Doumanian bringing in less than ideal hosts on Saturday Night Live
William Clotworthy on the season that Jean Doumanian ran Saturday Night Live
Dick Ebersol
William Clotworthy on the people he worked with on Saturday Night Live
William Clotworthy on Brandon Tartikoff bringing Dick Ebersol in to run Saturday Night Live
Faye Emerson
William Clotworthy on working on T his is Show Business
Norman Felton
William Clotworthy on working with director Norman Felton on Robert Montgomery Presents
Arlene Francis
William Clotworthy on working on T his is Show Business
Al Franken
William Clotworthy on drug humor and Al Franken on Saturday Night Live
William Clotworthy on the people he worked with on Saturday Night Live
William Clotworthy on working with Al Franken
William Frye
William Clotworthy on the format of General Electric Theater, produced by William Frye
Mary Gross
William Clotworthy on working with Mary Gross on Saturday Night Live
Phil Hartman
William Clotworthy on working with Phil Hartman on Saturday Night Live
Ben Hogan
William Clotworthy on working on the premiere of The Jack Benny Program with Ben Hogan as guest
Earl Holliman
William Clotworthy on language he was allowed to use in an episode of General Electric Theater that he wrote, dealing with therapeutic abortion
Bob Hope
William Clotworthy on a Bob Hope drug joke on Saturday Night Live
Danny Kaye
William Clotworthy on The Danny Kaye Show
Tim Kazurinsky
William Clotworthy on working with Tim Kazurinsky on Saturday Night Live
David Letterman
William Clotworthy on a controversial joke by David Letterman
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
William Clotworthy on working with Julia Louis-Dreyfus on Saturday Night Live
Jon Lovitz
William Clotworthy on working with Jon Lovitz on Saturday Night Live
Irving Mansfield
William Clotworthy on working on T his is Show Business
Steve Martin
William Clotworthy on working with Steve Martin on Saturday Night Live
Groucho Marx
William Clotworthy on representing advertisers on You Bet Your Life
Lorne Michaels
William Clotworthy on the people he worked with on Saturday Night Live
William Clotworthy on a typical work week at Saturday Night Live
William Clotworthy on Lorne Michaels
William Clotworthy on Lorne Michaels tribute to him when Cloworthy left Saturday Night Live
Dennis Miller
William Clotworthy on a typical work week at Saturday Night Live
William Clotworthy on Lorne Michaels tribute to him when Cloworthy left Saturday Night Live
Robert Montgomery
William Clotworthy on working on Robert Montgomery Presents
Garrett Morris
William Clotworthy on working with Garrett Morris on Saturday Night Live
Eddie Murphy
William Clotworthy on Brandon Tartikoff bringing Dick Ebersol in to run Saturday Night Live
William Clotworthy on working with Eddie Murphy on Saturday Night Live
Bill Murray
William Clotworthy on the people he worked with on Saturday Night Live
William Clotworthy on arguing with Lorne Michaels over the "Nerds Nativity" sketch on Saturday Night Live
William Clotworthy on working with Bill Murray on Saturday Night Live
William Clotworthy on Bill Murray's eulogy for Gilda Radner
Mike Myers
William Clotworthy on working with Mike Myers on Saturday Night Live
Conrad Nagel
William Clotworthy on Eisenhower not liking television
Laraine Newman
William Clotworthy on the people he worked with on Saturday Night Live
William Clotworthy on working with Laraine Newman on Saturday Night Live
Sheree North
William Clotworthy on Sheree North's dance on General Electric Theater
Michael O'Donoghue
William Clotworthy on the people he worked with on Saturday Night Live
Don Pardo
William Clotworthy on working with Don Pardo on Saturday Night Live
Arthur Penn
William Clotworthy on working with floor managers Bud Yorkin and Arthur Penn on Robert Montgomery Presents
Joe Piscopo
William Clotworthy on working with Joe Piscopo on Saturday Night Live
Richard Pryor
William Clotworthy on doing Standards and Practices for Saturday Night Live
Gilda Radner
William Clotworthy on the people he worked with on Saturday Night Live
William Clotworthy on arguing with Lorne Michaels over the "Nerds Nativity" sketch on Saturday Night Live
William Clotworthy on working with Gilda Radner on Saturday Night Live
Ronald Reagan
William Clotworthy on representing advertisers on General Electric Theater, hosted by Ronald Reagan
William Clotworthy on his friendship with Ronald Reagan
Don Rickles
William Clotworthy on memorable guest hosts and performers on Saturday Night Live
Charles Rocket
William Clotworthy on Charles Rocket and censorship on Saturday Night Live when Rocket swore live on air
Herbert Sargent
William Clotworthy on a typical work week at Saturday Night Live
William Clotworthy on working with Jon Lovitz on Saturday Night Live
William Clotworthy on Lorne Michaels tribute to him when Cloworthy left Saturday Night Live
David Sarnoff
William Clotworthy on NBC President David Sarnoff
Vin Scully
William Clotworthy on baseball announcers in the early days of TV
Martin Short
William Clotworthy on Dick Ebersol bringing new talent to Saturday Night Live
William Clotworthy on working with Martin Short on Saturday Night Live
Brandon Tartikoff
William Clotworthy on Brandon Tartikoff bringing Dick Ebersol in to run Saturday Night Live
William Clotworthy on he, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Brandon Tartikoff having the same birthday - January 13th
Arturo Toscanini
William Clotworthy on shuttling messages for Toscanini while he was an NBC page
Jack Webb
William Clotworthy on General Electric True with Jack Webb
Robin Williams
William Clotworthy on memorable guest hosts and performers on Saturday Night Live
David L. Wolper
William Clotworthy on working with David Wolper
Bob Wright
William Clotworthy on Bob Wright's opinion of Standards & Practices
Bud Yorkin
William Clotworthy on working with floor managers Bud Yorkin and Arthur Penn on Robert Montgomery Presents