Show $64,000 Question The premiere of The $64,000 Question as a summer replacement in 1955 marked the beginning of the big money quiz shows. Following a Supreme Court ruling in 1954 that exempted "Jackpot" quizzes from charges of illegal gambling, Louis G. Cowan, the creator and packager of the program, Revlon, its main...
Interview Sheldon Leonard In his two-and-a-half-hour interview, Sheldon Leonard (1907-1997) shares his fondest memories about the pioneering programs he produced such as The Danny Thomas Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Andy Griffith Show and I Spy . He also speaks highly of the talented group of people he worked with,...
Interview Hal Needham In his nearly three-hour interview, Hal Needham (1931-2013) talks about his early years leading an outdoor lifestyle, dropping out of school after the 8th grade and joining the military as a teenager. He recalls taking his experience as a paratrooper and using it to break into stunt work on the...
Interview Ken Burns In his two-hour interview, Ken Burns talks about his modest upbringing and his early interest in filmmaking. He describes creating his own company in the 1970s, Florentine Films, and the 1981 documentary Brooklyn Bridge . He describes the style in which the film was made: the use of first-person...
Interview Phylicia Rashad In her two-hour interview, Phylicia Rashad recounts childhood memories growing up in Houston, TX and in Mexico City, Mexico. She describes her parents and acknowledges the accomplishments of her mother, poet Vivian Ayers. She vividly recalls when she decided to be an actress, after the attention...
Interview Joan Rivers In her one-and-a-half-hour interview, Joan Rivers (1933-2014) talks about her early life and influences and her interest in becoming a comedian. She recalls early television appearances on The Jack Paar Program , Candid Camera and her first standup routine. She talks about appearing on The Tonight...
