Interviewees discuss the "Golden Age" of television.
About
"The golden age is, for me… the plays and Sid Caesar and Ed Sullivan and Martha Rae and Red Skeleton and Paddy Chayefsky... The people who went out live and faced the audiences of fifty million people. And that took guts, it really did." - Tad Mosel, Writer
Highlights

Tad Mosel on what the Golden Age of Television means to him

Angela Lansbury on the experience of doing "live TV" during the "Golden Age of Television," after having been a theater performer.

Ethel Winant on the Golden Age of Television and what represents the best of television

David Pressman on early television's relationship to theater

Sidney Lumet on the end of the Golden Age of Television

Eartha Kitt on being an African-American performer on television in the 1950s
Who Talked about This Topic
Edward Asner
Ed Asner on acting in the Studio One episode "The Night America Trembled"
Erik Barnouw
Erik Barnouw on early television shows and television writers he admired, including Playhouse 90 and Paddy Chayefsky
Dick Berg
Dick Berg on writing for Kraft Television Theater and Studio One
Dick Berg on writing "Hollywood Award Winner" for Kaiser Aluminum Hour and "The Clay Pigeon" for Robert Montgomery Presents
Dick Berg on writing "The Right Hand Man" for Playhouse 90
Dick Berg on writing "Man Under Glass" for Studio One
William Blinn
William Blinn on seeing the original live Studio One broadcast of "Twelve Angry Men", and on a Studio One anecdote involving Worthington Miner
Paul Bogart
Paul Bogart briefly on being a stage manager on Your Show of Shows
William Clotworthy
William Clotworthy on working on Robert Montgomery Presents
William Clotworthy on the format of General Electric Theater, produced by William Frye
Robert Conrad
Robert Conrad on the first time he saw television
John Conte
John Conte on appearing as an actor on live television in the 1950s
John Conte on appearing in various live television productions
John Conte on hosting Matinee Theater
Hal Cooper
Hal Cooper on his first television jobs creating and directing Your School Reporter, TV Babysitter, and The Magic Cottage for DuMont
Walter Cronkite
Walter Cronkite on how the news went live in 1950 with no script
Walter Cronkite on replacing Douglas Edwards on the CBS Evening News, at that time the news broadcast was only 15 minutes long
Walter Cronkite on some of the bloopers that happened when filming live television for the program You Are There involving a historical re-creation of the Hindenburg disaster
Hume Cronyn
Hume Cronyn on directing live television in the '50s
Hume Cronyn on directing Jessica Tandy in "Portrait of a Madonna" for Actors Studio
Hume Cronyn on appearing as John Quincy Adams on Ominbus
Hume Cronyn on appearing in the series The Marriage with wife Jessica Tandy
Hume Cronyn on appearing in Studio One's presentation of "A Member of the Family"
Bill Dana
Bill Dana on breaking in new material on live television
Fred de Cordova
Fred de Cordova on the '50s Golden Age of Television
Sam Denoff
Sam Denoff on observing the early days of live television while working as a page at NBC's Studio 8H where Kraft Television Theater, Robert Montgomery Presents, and other live anthology series were filmed
Richard Donner
Richard Donner on his experience in live television
David Dortort
David Dortort on writing for Suspense
David Dortort on adapting William Faulkner's "An Error in Chemistry" for Climax!, produced by Martin Manulis
Charles S. Dubin
Charles S. Dubin on directing live television in the 1950s
Jamie Farr
Jamie Farr on Sherwood Schwartz writing for The Red Skelton Show
Norman Felton
Director Norman Felton on the "Chicago School" of Broadcasting, which included shows Garroway-at-Large and Studs' Place, crediting the philosophy to writers Charlie Andrews and Paul Rhymer
Director Norman Felton on his long association with Robert Montgomery Presents (Part 1)
Imero Fiorentino
Imero Fiorentino on lighting The U.S. Steel Hour at ABC
Imero Fiorentino on a shadow thrown on the actors from a microphone on live TV, during the first U.S. Steel Hour production "P.O.W." with Richard Kiley
Imero Fiorentino on Paul Whiteman's Goodyear Revue, with Glenn Osser (conducting) and Paul Whiteman and a story about an opera singer who refused to sing the show's finale
Horton Foote
Horton Foote on his thoughts on the Golden Age of Television
John Forsythe
John Forsythe on his early experiences on live television including Studio One, Suspense, and The U.S. Steel Hour
Sonny Fox
Sonny Fox on producing The Golden Age of Television
John Frankenheimer
John Frankenheimer on the end of the Golden Age of Television
Larry Gelbart
Larry Gelbart on the changes in the profession since TV's Golden Age
Larry Gelbart on the rigorous work ethic and camaraderie of the writers of Caesar's Hour
Jerry Goldsmith
Jerry Goldsmith on the craft of composing music for live television broadcasts and on the process of composing for television
Jerry Goldsmith on the pressure of composing for live television in the '50s and what he learned in that time
Mary Lynn Gottfried
Mary Lynn Gottfried on working as a receptionist for The Ed Sullivan Show
Mary Lynn Gottfried on The Ed Sullivan Show
Jeffrey Hayden
Jeffrey Hayden on directing for "live" TV as similar to directing theater (versus the rushed schedule of filmed TV)
Don Herbert
Don Herbert on the challenges of doing a live broadcast of Watch Mr. Wizard
Arthur Hiller
Arthur Hiller on the schedule for producing NBC Matinee Theater and the excitement of directing for live television
Arthur Hiller on dealing with an athlete who couldn't act appearing on NBC Matinee Theater, and his love of doing "live" television
Arthur Hiller on camera tricks and fast changes he had to make while directing Playhouse 90
Arthur Hiller on the excitement of "live" television
Ron Howard
Ron Howard on the migration of TV production from New York to Los Angeles in the 1950s, and his father, Rance Howard's, natural gravitation to western roles
Ron Howard on a mistake he made on live TV as a child actor on Playhouse 90
Kim Hunter
Kim Hunter on appearing on various live television broadcasts in the 1950s
Kim Hunter on acting on live television in the 1950s
Kim Hunter on appearing on various Playhouse 90 productions
Lamont Johnson
Lamont Johnson on directing NBC Matinee Theater
Russell Johnson
Russell Johnson on enjoying working in live television
Lucille Kallen
Lucille Kallen on the Golden Age of Television
Ernest Kinoy
Ernest Kinoy on the Golden Age of Television
Jeff Kisseloff
Jeff Kisseloff on interviewing people about the classic live drama anthology 1950s series for his book "The Box: An Oral History of Television, 1929-1961"
Eartha Kitt
Eartha Kitt on being an African-American performer on television in the 1950s
Eartha Kitt on acting on the anthology series Omnibus
Jack Klugman
Jack Klugman on co-starring in the Producers' Showcase production of "The Petrified Forest" with Humphrey Bogart (airdate: May 30, 1955)
Jack Klugman on the Golden Age of Television
Don Knotts
Don Knotts on a moment in "live" TV in the 1950s when fellow actor Les Damon went up on his lines on soap opera Search for Tomorrow
Don Knotts on the challenges of performing on "live TV" in the 1950s
Don Knotts on TV actors not needing agents during the early days of TV in New York City
Sheila Kuehl
Sheila Kuehl on playing "Jackie Erwin" on The Stu Erwin Show aka Trouble With Father
Sheila Kuehl on acting in live and filmed television dramas in the 1950s
Perry Lafferty
Perry Lafferty on the Golden Age of Television
Angela Lansbury
Angela Lansbury on the experience of doing "live TV" during the "Golden Age of Television," after having been a theater performer.
Jack Larson
Jack Larson on working on a live drama, where line cuts were made hours before airtime
Jack Larson on working on a live drama, where line cuts were made hours before airtime
Piper Laurie
Piper Laurie on performing in the Playhouse 90 production "The Days of Wine and Roses"
Norman Lear
Norman Lear on the challenges of working all day and night in the days of live television
Norman Lear on what he sees as the best of television, from the days of Edward R. Murrow and the "golden age" of television
Jack Lemmon
Jack Lemmon on acting on Kraft Television Theatre and appearing on live television
Jack Lemmon on working on Studio One
Jack Lemmon on appearing on Ford Television Theatre's "The Day Lincoln Was Shot"
Jack Lemmon on appearing on the Playhouse 90 production of "Face of a Hero"
Sidney Lumet
Sidney Lumet on the end of the Golden Age of Television
Stewart MacGregory
Stewart MacGregory on the atmosphere and logistics of a live television broadcast
Stewart MacGregory on the cameras and other equipment used in the Golden Age of Television
Stewart MacGregory on being stage coordinator for NBC Television starting in 1948
Gavin MacLeod
Gavin MacLeod on guest-starring on The Untouchables with Robert Stack
Nancy Malone
Nancy Malone on the pressures of working in early, live television
Abby Mann
Abby Mann on being a part of the Golden Age of Television, and how television has changed the world
Delbert Mann
Delbert Mann on directing Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse
Bob Markell
Bob Markell on what represents the Golden Age of Television
E. G. Marshall
E.G. Marshall on the the classic anthology series of the '50s, and the producers of those shows
E.G. Marshall on acting on live television in the '50s
Chuck McCann with Emerson College
Chuck McCann on live television in the 1950s
Barney McNulty
Barney McNulty on doing cue cards for The Ed Wynn Show
Barry McNulty on doing cue cards for I Love Lucy with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz
Jayne Meadows
Jayne Meadows on the challenges of working in live television
Jayne Meadows on getting a job as a panelist on I've Got a Secret and meeting Steve Allen
Jayne Meadows on being a panelist on I've Got a Secret
Jayne Meadows on her sister Audrey Meadows as "Alice Kramden" on The Honeymooners
Jayne Meadows on how television has changed since the '50s
JP Miller
JP Miller on what made great live television
JP Miller on drinking in live television
JP Miller on the writers of the classic anthology series in the '50s, including Paddy Chayefsky and Horton Foote
JP Miller on his experience being a writer during the Golden Age of Television
JP Miller on working with the actors of TV's Golden Age including Broderick Crawford
JP Miller on working with the directors of TV's Golden Age
JP Miller on the importance of the writer during TV's Golden Age
JP Miller on the end of TV's Golden Age, and how the advent of videotape changed television
JP Miller on what was the key to the Golden Age of Television
Priscilla Morgan
Priscilla Morgan on the Golden Age of Television
Howard Morris
Howard Morris on co-starring on Admiral Broadway Revue, Your Show of Shows, and Caesar's Hour, along with Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, and Carl Reiner
Tad Mosel
Tad Mosel on writing for Ominbus
Tad Mosel on writing for Medallion Theater
Tad Mosel on writing "The Haven" for Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse produced by Fred Coe and on Coe's contribution to television
Tad Mosel on writing for Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse
Tad Mosel on writing for Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse
Tad Mosel on writing for Studio One
Tad Mosel on writing "The Waiting Place" for Playwrights '56
Tad Mosel on writing for Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse
Tad Mosel on working with Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, and Henry Fonda on Producers' Showcase: "The Petrified Forest"
Tad Mosel on working with Martin Manulis on Playhouse 90
Tad Mosel on watching Playhouse 90 and other live dramas of his be performed
Tad Mosel on what the Golden Age of Television means to him
Tad Mosel on the camaraderie among writers during the Golden Age of Television
Tad Mosel on writing "The Five Dollar Bill" for Studio One
Tad Mosel on writing for Playhouse 90
Bill Mumy
Bill Mumy on acting on The Twilight Zone
Agnes Nixon
Agnes Nixon on writing for the Golden Age anthology dramas
Hugh O'Brian
Hugh O'Brian on the challenges and advantages of working in live television
Carroll O'Connor
Carroll O'Connor on the role dramatic anthologies played for New York actors during the 1950s-60s
Don Pike
Don Pike on acting as technical director for Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse
Don Pike on being technical director for Lights Out and Your Hit Parade
Don Pike on being technical director for Chevrolet on Broadway
David Pressman
David Pressman on early television's relationship to theater
Sterling Quinlan
Sterling "Red" Quinlan on the Chicago School of Television
Tony Randall
Tony Randall on the experience of acting on live television in the '50s
Susan Raymond
Susan Raymond on memories of early, live television
Frances Reid
Frances Reid on the challenges of working on live television
Carl Reiner
Carl Reiner on Your Show of Shows and Caesar's Hour
Gene Reynolds
Gene Reynolds on working in live television in the '50s
Maria Riva
Actress Maria Riva on making costume changes in "live" TV in the 1950s
Maria Riva on how she became a contract player for CBS in the early 1950s, along with actress Mary Sinclair, John Newland, and (possibly) John Forsythe all of whom then worked on such CBS series of the day as Studio One and Danger
Maria Riva on establishing herself as a TV star in the 1950s, and how little TV demanded of acting "talent" in the early days of the medium
Maria Riva on a gaffe that happened on "live" TV in the 1950s when the prop gun that actor Rod Steiger was using didn't fire— prompting him to instead say "bang" (possibly on Lux Video Theater: "Cafe Ami" [their only confirmed co-starring TV show])
Maria Riva on the Golden Age of "live" TV in New York in the 1950s, exemplified by such classic anthology series as Studio One
Cliff Robertson
Cliff Robertson on starring in the Playhouse 90 live production of "The Days of Wine and Roses"
Cliff Robertson on The U.S. Steel Hour's "The Two Worlds of Charly Gordon" and the feature film "Charly"
Howard Rosenberg
Howard Rosenberg on how television changed and evolved during the '70s and his thoughts on the Golden Age of Television
Jay Sandrich
Jay Sandrich on the technical challenges of shooting for both coasts in the 1950s
Jay Sandrich on how the television comedies of the 1950s, such as The Danny Thomas Show (Make Room for Daddy), would have one, strong director
Joseph Sargent
Joseph Sargent on acting on live television in the '50s
William Schallert
William Schallert on working on Matinee Theater
William Schallert on working in live TV on Matinee Theater
William Schallert on appearing on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show
William Schallert on appearing on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show
Ralph Senensky
Ralph Senensky on working on Playhouse 90
William Shatner
William Shatner on the experience of doing live dramas in the '50s
David Shaw
David Shaw on the Golden Age of Television
Jack Shea
Jack Shea on working on live anthology dramas like Philco Television Playhouse
James Sheldon
James Sheldon on directing the radio show "We, The People," which was then simulcast on television and radio and became a regular television show
James Sheldon on changes in the television business in the 1950s that led to directors becoming freelancers rather than employees of advertising agencies or networks
Hazel Shermet
Hazel Shermet on appearing on The Morey Amsterdam Show
Hazel Shermet on appearing on The Fred Allen Show
Hazel Shermet on doing Songs You've Never Heard for WOR
Garry Simpson
Garry Simpson on broadcast standards for early television
Garry Simpson on directing Jimmy Durante, Ed Wynn, and Jackie Gleason on Four Star Revue
Howard Smit
Howard Smit on doing makeup during the Golden Age of Television and dealing with live broadcasts
Dick Smith
Dick Smith on NBC censorship when he had to make Laurence Olivier look like he had leprosy
Aaron Spelling
Aaron Spelling on writing for and production of Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater
Lynn Stalmaster
Lynn Stalmaster on casting live television for NBC Matinee Theater
Johnny Stearns
Mary Kay and Johnny Stearns on how Mary Kay and Johnny (one of TV's earliest sitcoms) came about
Mary Kay and Johnny Stearns on the challenges of acting in live television; on sets and locations on Mary Kay and Johnny
Johnny Stearns of Mary Kay and Johnny on the Golden Age of Television
Mary Kay Stearns
Mary Kay and Johnny Stearns on how Mary Kay and Johnny (one of TV's earliest sitcoms) came about
Mary Kay and Johnny Stearns on the challenges of acting in live television; on sets and locations on Mary Kay and Johnny
Gale Storm
Gale Storm on how My Little Margie impacted television
Mel Tolkin
Mel Tolkin on writing for Your Show of Shows
Mel Tolkin on classic sketches from Caesar's Hour featuring Sid Caesar
Dick Van Dyke
Dick Van Dyke on the early days of television
Dick Van Dyke recalls the first time he appeared on television
Robert Vaughn
Robert Vaughn on "The Troublemakers" on Playhouse 90 with Ben Gazarra, directed by John Frankenheimer
Ellen M. Violett
Ellen M. Violett on writing Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" for Cameo Theater
Ellen M. Violett on writing "Breakdown" for Suspense
Ellen M. Violett on writing for Omnibus
Ellen M. Violett on writing for Producer's Showcase
Clint Walker
Clint Walker on the legacy of Cheyenne
James Wall
James wall on the challenges of appearing on live television
Ruth Warrick
Ruth Warrick on acting in live television
Betty White with Emerson College
Betty White on being a pioneer on television and appearing on early live local television in Los Angeles
Max Wilk
Max Wilk on writing "Joy to the World" for Ford Television Theatre, and on the moments before going on-air
Max Wilk on actors improvising on live television broadcasts like Ford Television Theatre
Max Wilk on the phrase "The Golden Age of Television" and on the end of that era and on politics on television in that era
Ethel Winant
Ethel Winant on the Golden Age of Television and what represents the best of television
Alan Young
Alan Young on appearing on live classic anthology shows in the '50s