Alan Alda on his father, Robert Alda's, early TV roles
01:18
Alan Alda on his adoration for the early radio comedians and talk show hosts such as Arthur Godfrey and Steve Allen
04:21
Alan Alda on how the burlesque comics and Vaudeville influenced him at an early age
02:47
Alan Alda on working with and being influenced by actor Burgess Meredith on Naked City
04:14
Alan Alda on writing the M*A*S*H episode "Dear Sigmund"
01:35
Alan Alda on the craft of writing
00:42
Ed Bradley on covering a Martin Luther King, Jr. speech during his first field reporting experience for a Philadelphia radio station
02:15
Ed Bradley on 60 Minutes executive producer Don Hewitt's beneficial influence on Bradley's work, and on his influence on television news programs in general
02:29
Ed Bradley on his mentor Del Shields, from WDAS radio in Philadelphia
01:33
Kevin Bright on how his father, a former Vaudeville comedian, brought comedy into their home when Bright was a child
01:41
Kevin Bright on his love of television as a child, and how that sowed the seeds for his career
02:15
Kevin Bright on attending Emerson College
03:00
Kevin Bright on Bright/Kauffman/Crane developing shows for Warner Bros., and the challenge of networks wanting Dream On for network (which was impossible)
01:31
Kevin Bright on his first job after graduating from Emerson College
01:40
Stephen J. Cannell on producer Jo Swerling Jr.
02:58
Stephen J. Cannell on producer Jo Swerling Jr.
03:36
Stephen J. Cannell on what he learned from Roy Huggins
04:26
Stephen J. Cannell on leaving Universal Television to start his own production company
03:49
Steven J. Cannell on being a mentor to young television writers
04:05
Tony Roberts on the comedic actor Hiram Sherman, and on what he learned from him as well as Laurel and Hardy, Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, and others
04:27
Tony Roberts on learning comedic technique from Milton Berle, and on farce
07:44
Rose Marie on being convinced to stay on The Dick Van Dyke Show after the death of her husband
02:54
Rose Marie on her weekly NBC radio show as baby Rose Marie, and on touring RKO Theaters skirting child labor laws
05:42
Rose Marie on what she learned from the great performers, including Milton Berle and Phil Silvers
03:55
Ron Cowen on the creative influence his mother, a former costume designer for Twentieth Century Fox, had on his life
02:26
Ron Cowen on the first play he wrote, "Summertree", which was championed by his college professor Jerome Lawrence, developed at the Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference, and optioned by Lincoln Center before being made into a movie
08:20
Ron Cowen on mentors he's had in his career: Jerome Lawrence, Lloyd Richards, and Angela Lansbury
01:50
Billy Crystal on his early stand-up act, and on Jack Rollins' criticism of his act
06:59
Billy Crystal on his first appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
08:43
Billy Crystal on being the "class comedian" in his high school, and on being influenced by comedians like Johnathan Winters
05:24
Billy Crystal on mentors in his career, including Larry Gelbart, Carl Reiner, and Jack Rollins
05:23
Ann Curry on the advice her father gave her growing up about choosing a profession that was of service to others, and how this led her to journalism
00:43
Ann Curry on how television, and in particular television journalism, impacted her growing up, and how that led to her career choices
02:55
Ann Curry on studying journalism at the University of Oregon, and on her shift from newspaper reporting to broadcast journalism with an internship at KTVL in Medford, Oregon
03:48
Ann Curry on being hired as a reporter at KTVL in Medford, Oregon, a station that had never before had a female reporter, and on the sexism she faced on the job
04:27
Ann Curry on her feelings on the responsibility of journalists, and on how this influences her reporting and other choices, including tweeting about the need for Doctors Without Borders to be allowed into Haiti after the 2010 earthquake
03:10
Ann Curry on being hired by NBC News, and on moving from reporting to anchoring
04:57
Ann Curry on interviewing Maya Angelou
03:41
Ann Curry on various accolades she has received over the course of her career, and what they have meant to her
02:15
Rebecca Eaton on her mother, who was an actress, taking her to the theater when she was a child
02:47
Rebecca Eaton on working at the BBC in London after graduating from Vassar College, and her love of British culture
02:36
Rebecca Eaton on her first producing job, on an arts magazine show on WGBH radio in Boston
02:58
Rebecca Eaton on her mentor, Henry Becton, former President of WGBH in Boston
01:29
Jeff Fager on his first job out of college, at the NBC affiliate WBZ in Boston
01:17
Jeff Fager on what he learned from his first job at CBS News, on the overnight news show, Nightwatch
01:16
Jeff Fager on his father as his role model
01:37
Edie Falco on seeing her mother perform in amateur theater when she was a kid
00:49
Edie Falco on doing theater in high school and overcoming her shyness in order to audition
01:20
Edie Falco on how she got her first agent
00:48
Edie Falco on being diagnosed with breast cancer during the run of The Sopranos
03:31
Edie Falco on a high school music teacher who inspired her artistically
01:35
Elma Farnsworth on her husband Philo reading Invention magazine as a child and first learning about mechanical television
07:31
Elma Farnsworth on her husband Philo patenting television in 1927
05:35
Elma Farnsworth on the reaction of her and her husband, inventor Philo T. Farnsworth (and colleagues Cliff Gardner and Carl Christensen), on September 7, 1927 when he produced the first all-electronic TV picture (a simple straight line) with his Image Dissector tube
04:54
Elma Farnsworth on Vladimir Zworykin at RCA copying Philo T. Farnsworth's image dissector for RCA's electronic television system
00:52
Elma Farnsworth on Philo T. Farnsworth demonstrating television at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia - the first public demonstration of television in 1934
07:30
Elma Farnsworth on Philo T. Farnsworth's dollar sign demonstration of television for his financial backers
01:05
Elma Farnsworth on RCA licensing Philo T. Farnsworth's patents in 1939 - the first time RCA ever licensed a patent
08:35
Elma Farnsworth on the expiration of Philo T. Farnsworth's original television patents and the beginning of manufacturing television sets
09:49
Sandra Gimpel on her first big job: as a dancer in the Fred Astaire movie "The Pleasure of His Company"
03:15
Sandra Gimpel on how she came to be cast as Bill Mumy's stunt double on Lost in Space, changing her career trajectory from dance to stunts
05:01
Sandra Gimpel on how she learned the technical side of directing, starting on the set of Lost in Space
01:28
Sandra Gimpel on her mentors in the stunt profession
02:13
Walon Green on the impact David L. Wolper and Jack Haley, Jr. made with documentary series such as The Race for Space
02:10
Walon Green on meeting David Milch and going to write for Hill Street Blues
01:43
Walon Green on William Friedkin, Tony Richardson, and Stephen Frears being mentors to him
03:47
Walon Green on directing the documentary "The Hellstrom Chronicle," produced by David L. Wolper, for which Green won an Oscar
06:55
Hal Gurnee on his first television job, at the DuMont Television Network as a page
02:35
Hal Gurnee on becoming the director Tonight Starring Jack Paar
06:33
Hal Gurnee on his mentors, including Jack Paar and Garry Moore
00:41
Ellen Holly on being discovered as an actress by Charlotte Perry
01:37
Ellen Holly on appearing as "Stephanie" in the Broadway production of Too Late the Phalarope
19:58
Ellen Holly on mentors Michael Kahn and Joseph Papp (Ed. note: Ms. Holly would like to note that Charlotte Perry was also an important mentor, in addition to Michael Kahn and Joseph Papp)
03:30
Felicity Huffman on her early interest in acting and theater
00:57
Felicity Huffman on appearing on an ABC Afterschool Special called "Home Run for Love" when she was fifteen
02:06
Felicity Huffman on studying with David Mamet and William H. Macy at the Practical Esthetics Workshop (now the Atlantic Acting School) and co-founding the Atlantic Theater Company
04:40
Felicity Huffman on appearing on the Stephen King miniseries Golden Years, which she considers her first big break
01:49
Felicity Huffman on two stories of being fired: one, in a Neil Simon play (by Simon himself) and again on a TV show which was recast after they had shot the pilot
06:02
Felicity Huffman on her work in the film "Transamerica"
05:06
Felicity Huffman on winning a Golden Globe and being nominated for an Academy Award for her work on "Transamerica"
01:13
Felicity Huffman on her proudest career achievement
01:38
Felicity Huffman on mentors she's had throughout her life
01:18
Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy on the first production in which they performed together: David Mamet's play "Bobby Gould in Hell" at Lincoln Center
02:42
Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy on the film "Rudderless," directed by Macy and starring Huffman, and Macy's directing style
04:00
Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy on the first production in which they performed together: David Mamet's play "Bobby Gould in Hell" at Lincoln Center
02:42
Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy on the film "Rudderless," directed by Macy and starring Huffman, and Macy's directing style
04:00
Frank Inn on meeting Hollywood animal trainer Henry East
06:25
Frank Inn on meeting celebrity animal trainer Henry East
03:30
Frank Inn on his animal training mentor Henry East
01:57
Frank Inn on his duties working for Hollywood animal trainer Henry East
01:50
Geri Jewell on how a college friend inspired her to try stand-up comedy at the Comedy Store, which led to her breaking into television
05:15
Geri Jewell on the first time she did stand-up comedy, and how she talked about cerebral palsy in her routine
05:57
Geri Jewell on how she does not see herself as being "courageous" for doing stand-up comedy, but instead attributes it to "the theory of the bumblebee"
01:49
Geri Jewell on having to perform a dance number on the first The Facts of Life episode on which she appeared ("Cousin Geri")
03:26
Geri Jewell on being made a recurring character on The Facts of Life, then her role being downsized, and her challenges navigating the entertainment industry and her own sexuality and identity
10:40
Geri Jewell on the difficulty she faced while filming a scene with Peter DeLuise on 21 Jump Street
02:33
Geri Jewell on filming a particularly challenging scene on Deadwood where she had to dance
03:40
Barry Levinson on radio and television classes he took in college, and a training program in television he took part in
01:53
Barry Levinson on signing up for an acting class when he first moved to Los Angeles
05:23
Barry Levinson on writing and performing with Craig T. Nelson on Lohman and Barkley
04:03
Barry Levinson on directing "Rain Man" and winning an Academy Award for it
10:42
Barry Levinson on his professor at American University who opened his eyes to opportunities in the entertainment industry
02:04
Daniel Lipman on writing a play during college, and sharing it with his professor, theater critic Elliot Norton, which led to him being represented by agent Audrey Wood
02:17
Daniel Lipman on mentors he's had in his career, mostly importantly writing partner Ron Cowen
00:45
William H. Macy on studying acting with David Mamet at Goddard College
05:45
William H. Macy on being cast in the film "Fargo"
03:14
William H. Macy on the effects of being nominated for an Academy Award for "Fargo"
01:08
William H. Macy on being cast in the film "Boogie Nights"
02:12
William H. Macy on his first taste of show business: performing in his seventh grade talent contest after his brother taught him to play guitar
01:20
William H. Macy on his proudest career achievements and being "visited by the muse" on stage
03:12
Kent McCray on his early experience in the theater, and on his mentor, Dr. Nagy
10:17
Kent McCray on his mentors, and people he learned from while working at NBC in Los Angeles
02:10
Kent McCray on mentors in his career
05:58
David Pollock on meeting writing partner Elias Davis
03:47
Elias Davis and David Pollock on their first big break as writers for Pat Buttram on the radio
03:12
Elias Davis and David Pollock on their mentors
02:03
Elias Davis and David Pollock on the legacy of M*A*S*H and its creator Larry Gelbart
06:26
Marian Rees on getting into television as a secretary at NBC in Hollywood
08:12
Marian Rees on joining Tandem Productions with Bud Yorkin and Norman Lear
03:14
Marian Rees on her mentor Fay Kanin and her advice to create her own company
04:04
Marian Rees on starting her own production company
05:36
John Singleton on how seeing "Star Wars" when he was nine made him understand what a director does
00:39
John Singleton on the importance of movies to him when he was growing up
02:36
John Singleton on changing junior high schools of his own volition (without moving or permission), and how this led him to meeting children of people in the film business who also aspired to be filmmakers
06:56
John Singleton on attending USC Film School: "It was a revelation for me"
02:34
John Singleton on seeing the film "She's Gotta Have It," meeting Spike Lee and telling him, "I'm going to USC Film School in two weeks. Watch out for me. I'm coming"
02:39
John Singleton on seeing a screening of Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing" and how it made him determined to find his own voice and tell his own stories
01:59
John Singleton on getting his first agent based on the strength of the screenplay to "Boyz N the Hood"
02:01
John Singleton on how he uses music and sound in his work, and how this was influenced by classes he took at USC
04:44
John Singleton on the opening sequence of his film "Baby Boy" and using the theories of psychiatrist Frances Cress Welsing
03:16
Robert Smigel on wanting to be a comedian since he was three years old, and on his early influences being comedians like Red Skelton, and television shows like Mister Ed and Saturday Night Live, but on deciding to become dentist like his father because he didn't think it was possible to have a career as a comedian
06:01
Robert Smigel on Dan Crowley inviting him back to Chicago and Second City and eventually joining his comedy group (All You Can Eat) as Dan's replacement, and on Al Franken and Tom Davis, original writers from Saturday Night Live, coming to Chicago to see a show he had created, "All You Can Eat and the Temple of Doom"
09:19
Robert Smigel on the "modern" type of "so bad it's good" comedy he was interested in early in his career; catching the comedy bug after performing and winning a comedy stand-up contest at NYU; "I was stung, I was infected"; on getting to perform at the Comic Strip in New York City; on his closing bit as Ronald Reagan (foreshadowing a later TV Funhouse sketch "The X Presidents"); on getting more gigs after that; on being a fan of comedy that "tore everything down and made fun of itself"; on being introduced to The Second City by Tim Kazurinsky
15:14
Robert Smigel on the first show of Saturday Night Live he was hired to write for; on a sketch he wrote for Madonna when she hosted Saturday Night Live in 1985 where she portrayed a Spanish variety show hostess; on his recollections of that show; on what he learned about writing a successful sketch for the show; on what it meant to him to be part of SNL- a show he grew up watching; on being a comedy nerd coming to the show and feeling he was not fitting in
05:41
Robert Smigel on his Bob Dole Clutch Cargo impression on Late Night with Conan O'Brien being his favorite; on talking about the politician in the third person; on Dole being the funniest person he ever got to play; on doing a different version of the impression when he did Dole on The Dana Carvey Show
03:17
Robert Smigel on coming up with the idea for his character "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog" for Late Night with Conan O'Brien; on the character first saying “for me to poop on”; on the dog’s gold bow tie; on the cigar prop; on doing a deadpan stare as "Triumph" in the vein of comedian Myron Cohen; on the character being a good catharsis for the audience since Conan is super polite and "Triumph" is the opposite
06:38
Yeardley Smith on how she got her first New York agent
01:54
Yeardley Smith on her Broadway debut in Tom Stoppard's "The Real Thing" directed by Mike Nichols
06:09
Yeardley Smith on the challenges of show business: "It made me care about things that don't matter"
02:26
Yeardley Smith on creating balance in her life, starting her shoe line, and creating her development company
02:56
G.E. Smith on playing guitar for David Bowie and appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
02:32
G.E. Smith on becoming music director for Saturday Night Live
02:49
G.E. Smith on his earliest musical influences
01:48
G.E. Smith on music he listened to on the radio as a child and his first exposure to rock and roll
04:39
G.E. Smith on playing guitar for Hall & Oates and appearing with them on Saturday Night Live
03:47
G.E. Smith on attending a broadcast of Hootenanny and learning to play from watching other musicians
03:55
Darren Star on how his first industry job, as an assistant at the public relations firm Guttman & Pam, led to his first break: selling a film script to Warner Bros.
04:18
Darren Star on the serendipitous events early on his career that led to his first big break, including working at Showtime for Peter Chernin, who later became the decision maker on Beverly Hills, 90210 at Fox
03:09
J. Michael Straczynski on being a teaching assistant to Norman Corwin
05:00
J. Michael Straczynski on being a big believer in failure
03:43
J. Michael Straczynski on the differences between the original Twilight Zone and the revival, and meeting Rod Serling
03:47
J. Michael Straczynski on Harlan Ellison
02:50
Richard Thomas on appearing on the Hallmark Hall of Fame production of "The Christmas Tree" at age 6, and on learning from Margaret Hamilton and Jessica Tandy on that show
07:10
Richard Thomas on mentors in his career including Will Geer, Geraldine Page, Michael Learned, and Ralph Waite
02:35
Leslie Uggams on the importance of music in her childhood
01:33
Leslie Uggams on how she began performing at the Apollo Theater when she was nine years-old
02:09
Leslie Uggams on getting her start in television as a child on The Milton Berle Show and other variety shows
01:19
Leslie Uggams on winning a Tony Award and performing at the Tonys
02:11
Tracey Ullman on how she started doing impersonations of people when she was a kid, both of people she knew and women on television
05:37
Tracey Ullman on attending a performing arts school starting at age 12
07:02
Tracey Ullman on she transitioned from dance into acting early in her career, and on being cast in the play "Four in a Million" by Les Blair, which was improvised and how that led to her being cast on a sketch show on the BBC
03:44
Tracey Ullman on meeting her husband, Allan McKeown, and on moving to the United States
05:36
Tracey Ullman on being introduced to James L. Brooks and on his idea for her to "do a Peter Sellers thing" on the then-new network Fox, and on the research she did into American comedy (and particularly female comedians) prior to starting the show
06:13
Tracey Ullman on how she maintains her confidence in her work, and on the champions she's had over the years
02:22
Tracey Ullman on the opportunities and advice mentors have given her throughout her career
02:18
Tracey Ullman on getting to meet and work with some of her comedic heroes over the years, including Carol Burnett, Gilda Radner, and Lily Tomlin
01:33
Keenen Ivory Wayans on auditioning for The Improv in New York and how the experience changed his life and his comedy
03:09
Keenen Ivory Wayans on his movie "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka" and how it changed his career
04:11
Keenen Ivory Wayans on his proudest achievement: "Scary Movie," which he made with his brothers, and his biggest regret
01:17
Alan Zweibel on the influence of The Dick Van Dyke Show, and on his friendship with Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks
03:05
Alan Zweibel on learning to write jokes by watching shows like The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and The Dick Cavett Show
03:52
Alan Zweibel on Larry David's early stand-up act, and on his comedy mentors like Garry Shandling
04:06
Alan Zweibel on meeting Lorne Michaels and being hired to write for Saturday Night Live
03:27
Alan Zweibel on his mentors and on being a mentor
03:24
