Interview Steve Allen In his six-hour interview, Steve Allen (1921-2000) describes his transition from radio to television, working with writing team Madelyn Pugh Davis and Bob Carroll, Jr. on his primetime radio show, The Steve Allen Show , and his first television appearance in 1949 as a wrestling announcer for ABC in...
Interview Agnes Nixon In her two-and-a-half-hour interview, Agnes Nixon (1927-2016) discusses her love of reading and writing. She recalls attending Northwestern University and changing her focus from acting to writing. She talks of getting hired by legendary Irna Phillips to write for the soap opera Woman in White...
Interview Ruth Duskin Feldman In her two-hour interview, Ruth Duskin Feldman (1934-2015) speaks in great detail about her long-running association with Quiz Kids. She talks about the show's early years on radio when she was one of the only female regulars. She discusses the children's interaction with the producers and host Joe...
Interview Norman Lear In his five-hour interview, Norman Lear (1922-2023) speaks about his early work in publicity and his move to Los Angeles, where he teamed up with comedy writer Ed Simmons. He recounts how he broke into the business by finagling Danny Thomas' phone number from his office and pitching a comedy...
Interview Dick Wolf In his three-hour interview, Dick Wolf talks about his parents, who worked at NBC publicity in the 1950's, and the fact that, as a child, he was often in the Peanut Gallery of The Howdy Doody Show . Wolf also speaks extensively about his early career in advertising and his original ad campaigns and...
Interview Michael King In his three-hour interview, Michael King (1948-2015) talks about his adolescent years and early interests and describes his first work in broadcasting, selling time in radio. He chronicles the history of King World, founded by his father Charles King, and describes how his father came to...
Interview Hal Cooper In his five-hour interview, Hal Cooper (1923-2014) talks about breaking into TV at the DuMont network following his service in World War II. He discusses DuMont children's programs Television Baby Sitter and The Magic Cottage , and talks about his work directing 1950s soap operas, including Search...
Interview Charles Cappleman In his over four-hour interview, Charles "Cappy" Cappleman (1926-2021) discusses his tenure at the NBC Summer Radio-TV Institute at Northwestern University, and his interactions with Chicago television greats including Dave Garroway, Bob Banner, and the cast of Kukla, Fran and Ollie . He recalls...
Interview Tony Verna In this three-and-a-half-hour interview, Tony Verna (1933-2015) talks about breaking into the business in local television at WCAU-TV in Philadelphia, where he worked on local show Big Top and the original version of American Bandstand , then titled Bandstand . He recalls his groundbreaking...
Interview Marty Krofft In the half-hour solo portion of his interview, Marty Krofft (1937-2023) discusses his early involvement in puppetry and his father’s puppeteering. He talks about his relationship with his brother, Sid Krofft, and their puppet act together. He also describes the business aspects of puppeteering and...
