Blog Post Producer Lee Rich Dies at 85 The Archive is sad to report the passing of Lee Rich , best known as one of the founders of Lorimar Productions. Rich served as executive producer on The Waltons , Eight is Enough , Dallas , and Knots Landing . Earlier in his career, he worked for advertising company Benton & Bowles, where he...
Interview Mary Tyler Moore Mary Tyler Moore (1936-2017) always knew she'd have a career on stage, "I knew at a very early age what I wanted to do. Some people refer to it as indulging in my instincts and artistic bent. I call it just showing off, which was what I did from about three years of age on." In her two-hour...
Interview Sid Caesar Sid Caesar (1922-2014) emphasizes the challenge of doing live TV in the early days of the medium: "Doing a show live on television is a different animal altogether than doing TV today. I mean on tape, that's like relaxing. That's like going on vacation!" Caesar is a seminal figure in early TV...
Interview George Sunga In his three-and-a-half-hour interview, George Sunga (1932-2023) talks about his analysis of the 1950s live television anthology series Climax! that he compiled as part of his studies at San Diego State College. He describes his extensive on-site observation of the series' production at Television...
Blog Post Sid Caesar Turns 90! He double talks, he pantomimes, and he plays a mean saxophone. Today, Mr. Sid Caesar , the man who gave us "The Professor," "The German General," and "From Here to Obscurity," turns 90! Born Isaac Sidney Caesar on September 8, 1922, Caesar grew up in Yonkers, New York. His father owned a restaurant...
Blog Post Garry Marshall Turns 80! “On November 13th, Felix Unger was asked to remove himself from his place of residence…” So goes the opening for the TV series T he Odd Couple . November 13th also happens to be the birthday of the creator of that show, Garry Marshall . Today is his 80th, and we at the Archive celebrate Marshall’s...
Blog Post Sheldon Leonard's Full Archive Interview is Now Online! Television legend Sheldon Leonard (1907-97) was one of the first people interviewed when the Archive of American Television began its pilot project in 1996. PRESS THE PLAY ARROW IN THE PLAYER ABOVE TO WATCH THE SEGMENT NOW. Leonard was the executive producer of such classic television series as The...
Blog Post Happy 75th Birthday, Mary Tyler Moore! The lovely Mary Tyler Moore is 75 years young today! The actress, best known for her roles as "Laura Petrie" on The Dick Van Dyke Show , as "Mary Richards" on The Mary Tyler Moore Show , and as "Beth Jarrett" in the film Ordinary People, spoke in depth about playing these characters in her Archive...
Show Your Show of Shows Your Show of Shows , was a Saturday night fixture for four years, adopting a similar format of comedy monologues, skits, and parodies of movies and plays. But this program was less a showcase for guest stars than for Caesar and Coca, ably supported by Carl Reiner (who replaced Tom Avera after the...
Blog Post The First Interviews Available on Google Video (Links) See the Archive's interview collection at: http://emmytvlegends.org/interviews/people Alan Alda, actor/producer/director James Arness, actor Joseph Barbera, animation creator Bob Barker, game show host, executive producer Barbara Billingsley, actress Steven Bochco, producer Mili Lerner Bonsignori,...