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Sam Simon on career highlights and regrets

Sam Simon on how television has changed since he started

Sam Simon on his advice to aspiring writers

Sam Simon on consulting on The Drew Carey Show

Sam Simon on directing an episode of Friends and his directing in general

Sam Simon on being a "phone-a-friend" on Who Wants to be A Millionaire

Sam Simon on his relationship with Howard Stern

Sam Simon on his advice to aspiring writers

Sam Simon on his advice to aspiring writers

Sam Simon on how television has changed since he started

On growing up in St. Louis, MO, his family, his father’s various businesses, and traits he inherited from his parents; on his early interests in photography and electronics; on getting his first camera from his father; on going to the movies and watching television with friends; on doing stop motion photography and making his first comedy, Keep Your Spirits High; on knowing he wanted to make movies after watching the film Good News; on the movies he made before college, including On Leave for Love 

On the production of Keep Your Spirits High and On Leave for Love; on his first production company, Petite Productions, and being featured in Parade magazine while recovering from shoulder surgery; on writing letters to Dick Powell and Bing Crosby; on Dick Powell inviting him to Paramount to shadow television professionals; on studying electrical engineering at Northwestern, helping build the television station WNUR, and teaching TV directing there; on working as a lighting director at WTTW 

On joining the army after graduating college; on working as a producer/director at a local TV station in St. Louis; on moving to Los Angeles in 1960 and meeting with Dick Powell; on the various people Dick Powell has mentored; on getting his first job as assistant producer on the television version of National Velvet; on working on the television adaptation of Father of the Bride; on working on the pilot of Buttons and her Beaus starring Linda Evans and Jim Davis; on getting into sports programming, including with ABC’s Wide World of Sports and the 1968 and 1972 Olympics  

On working with George Schlatter Productions, including on Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, Burlesque Is Alive and Living in Downtown Burbank, Arnold’s Closet Revue, Letters to Laugh-In, and various specials; on preferring live audiences over canned laughter; on switching from filming in black-and-white to color; on directing ABC’s Wide World of Entertainment “Salute to Israel–25” TV special, including visiting the Western Wall and working with Isaac Stern, Pablo Casals, and Rudolf Nureyev

Alan J. Levi on the kinds of cameras he used for sports location shoots

Alan J. Levi on contributing to the coverage of the 1968 and 1972 Olympics, including  "up close and personal" features and final events

Alan J. Levi on working on ABC's Wide World of Sports

Alan J. Levi on directing the TV special for ABC’s Wide World of Entertainment “Salute to Israel–25"

Alan J. Levi on working as an associate producer on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In

Alan J. Levi on working on the television version of Father of the Bride

Alan J. Levi on working with Andrew de Toth at Paramount and de Toth's perspective on making 3D films

Alan J. Levi on writing letters to Dick Powell and Powell inviting him to Hollywood for the summer after his senior year of high school

Alan J. Levi on Dick Powell kicking him out after finding out he didn't want to go to college

Alan J. Levi on Dick Powell's mentorship of both himself and others

Alan J. Levi on becoming friends with violinist Isaac Stern while directing ABC's Wide World of Entertainment "Salute to Israel-25" special

Alan J. Levi on working with Russian ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev in Israel for the ABC's World Wide Entertainment "Salute to Israel-25" special

Alan J. Levi on watching a private performance of Pablo Casals conducting a movement of Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 two days after Casals' last public performance

Alan J. Levi on working with Alexander Courage on the television version of Father of the Bride

Alan J. Levi on working as an assistant producer on the television version of National Velvet

Alan J. Levi on the importance of doing research as a director