Interviewees discuss the "Golden Age" of television.

    Thumbnail of Tad Mosel

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

    04:13
    Thumbnail of Angela Lansbury

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

    03:35
    Thumbnail of Ethel Winant

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

    05:40
    Thumbnail of David Pressman

    David Pressman on early television's relationship to theater

    04:23
    Thumbnail of Sidney Lumet

    Sidney Lumet on the end of the Golden Age of Television

    03:53
    Thumbnail of Eartha Kitt

    Eartha Kitt on being an African-American performer on television in the 1950s

    07:30

    Edward Asner

    Ed Asner on acting in the Studio One episode "The Night America Trembled"

    02:03

    Erik Barnouw

    Erik Barnouw on early television shows and television writers he admired, including Playhouse 90 and Paddy Chayefsky

    04:08

    Dick Berg

    Dick Berg on writing for Kraft Television Theater  and Studio One

    04:58

    Dick Berg on writing "Hollywood Award Winner" for Kaiser Aluminum Hour  and "The Clay Pigeon" for Robert Montgomery Presents

    03:42

    Dick Berg on writing "The Right Hand Man" for Playhouse 90

    03:51

    Dick Berg on writing "Man Under Glass" for Studio One 

    01:27

    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

    03:56

    Paul Bogart

    Paul Bogart briefly on being a stage manager on Your Show of Shows

    01:12

    William Clotworthy

    William Clotworthy on working on Robert Montgomery Presents

    02:17

    William Clotworthy on the format of General Electric Theater, produced by William Frye

    07:31

    Robert Conrad

    Robert Conrad on the first time he saw television

    00:37

    John Conte

    John Conte on appearing as an actor on live television in the 1950s

    02:49

    John Conte on appearing in various live television productions

    00:42

    John Conte on hosting Matinee Theater

    20:58

    Hal Cooper

    Hal Cooper on his first television jobs creating and directing Your School Reporter, TV Babysitter, and The Magic Cottage for DuMont

    12:06

    Walter Cronkite

    Walter Cronkite on how the news went live in 1950 with no script

    04:05

    Walter Cronkite on replacing Douglas Edwards on the CBS Evening News, at that time the news broadcast was only 15 minutes long

    03:56

    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

    06:15

    Hume Cronyn

    Hume Cronyn on directing live television in the '50s

    08:02

    Hume Cronyn on directing Jessica Tandy in "Portrait of a Madonna" for Actors Studio

    03:12

    Hume Cronyn on appearing as John Quincy Adams on Ominbus

    02:19

    Hume Cronyn on appearing in the series The Marriage  with wife Jessica Tandy

    08:53

    Hume Cronyn on appearing in Studio One's  presentation of "A Member of the Family"

    02:40

    Bill Dana

    Bill Dana on breaking in new material on live television

    01:08

    Fred de Cordova

    Fred de Cordova on the '50s Golden Age of Television 

    05:40

    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

    02:57

    Richard Donner

    Richard Donner on his experience in live television

    01:53

    David Dortort

    David Dortort on writing for Suspense

    05:22

    David Dortort on adapting William Faulkner's "An Error in Chemistry" for Climax!, produced by Martin Manulis

    07:45

    Charles S. Dubin

    Charles S. Dubin on directing live television in the 1950s

    01:55

    Jamie Farr

    Jamie Farr on Sherwood Schwartz writing for The Red Skelton Show

    01:19

    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

    02:34

    Director Norman Felton on his long association with Robert Montgomery Presents (Part 1)

    26:52

    Imero Fiorentino

    Imero Fiorentino on lighting The U.S. Steel Hour at ABC

    02:24

    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

    03:05

    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

    04:26

    Horton Foote

    Horton Foote on his thoughts on the Golden Age of Television

    04:18

    John Forsythe

    John Forsythe on his early experiences on live television including Studio OneSuspense, and The  U.S. Steel Hour

    03:37

    Sonny Fox

    Sonny Fox on producing The Golden Age of Television

    07:08

    John Frankenheimer

    John Frankenheimer on the end of the Golden Age of Television

    01:24

    Larry Gelbart

    Larry Gelbart on the changes in the profession since TV's Golden Age

    01:19

    Larry Gelbart on the rigorous work ethic and camaraderie of the writers of Caesar's Hour

    02:04

    Jerry Goldsmith

    Jerry Goldsmith on the craft of composing music for live television broadcasts and on the process of composing for television

    04:29

    Jerry Goldsmith on the pressure of composing for live television in the '50s and what he learned in that time

    01:39

    Mary Lynn Gottfried

    Mary Lynn Gottfried on working as a receptionist for The Ed Sullivan Show

    17:32

    Mary Lynn Gottfried on The Ed Sullivan Show

    26:30

    Jeffrey Hayden

    Jeffrey Hayden on directing for "live" TV as similar to directing theater (versus the rushed schedule of filmed TV)

    01:32

    Don Herbert

    Don Herbert on the challenges of doing a live broadcast of Watch Mr. Wizard

    01:58

    Arthur Hiller

    Arthur Hiller on the schedule for producing NBC Matinee Theater and the excitement of directing for live television

    02:17

    Arthur Hiller on dealing with an athlete who couldn't act appearing on NBC Matinee Theater, and his love of doing "live" television

    02:32

    Arthur Hiller on camera tricks and fast changes he had to make while directing Playhouse 90

    02:29

    Arthur Hiller on the excitement of "live" television

    01:04

    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

    00:59

    Ron Howard on a mistake he made on live TV as a child actor on Playhouse 90

    01:32

    Kim Hunter

    Kim Hunter on appearing on various live television broadcasts in the 1950s

    01:22

    Kim Hunter on acting on live television in the 1950s

    05:22

    Kim Hunter on appearing on various Playhouse 90 productions

    02:58

    Lamont Johnson

    Lamont Johnson on directing NBC Matinee Theater

    22:47

    Russell Johnson

    Russell Johnson on enjoying working in live television

    01:52

    Lucille Kallen

    Lucille Kallen on the Golden Age of Television

    01:23

    Ernest Kinoy

    Ernest Kinoy on the Golden Age of Television 

    06:33

    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"

    04:38

    Eartha Kitt

    Eartha Kitt on being an African-American performer on television in the 1950s

    07:30

    Eartha Kitt on acting on the anthology series Omnibus

    02:47

    Jack Klugman

    Jack Klugman on co-starring in the Producers' Showcase production of "The Petrified Forest" with Humphrey Bogart (airdate: May 30, 1955)

    06:36

    Jack Klugman on the Golden Age of Television

    01:48

    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

    00:57

    Don Knotts on the challenges of performing on "live TV" in the 1950s

    01:01

    Don Knotts on TV actors not needing agents during the early days of TV in New York City

    00:50

    Sheila Kuehl

    Sheila Kuehl on playing "Jackie Erwin" on The Stu Erwin Show aka Trouble With Father

    11:14

    Sheila Kuehl on acting in live and filmed television dramas in the 1950s

    03:40

    Perry Lafferty

    Perry Lafferty on the Golden Age of Television

    02:30

    Angela Lansbury

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

    03:35

    Jack Larson

    Jack Larson on working on a live drama, where line cuts were made hours before airtime

    03:19

    Jack Larson on working on a live drama, where line cuts were made hours before airtime

    03:19

    Piper Laurie

    Piper Laurie on performing in the Playhouse 90 production "The Days of Wine and Roses"

    04:18

    Norman Lear

    Norman Lear on the challenges of working all day and night in the days of live television

    04:50

    Norman Lear on what he sees as the best of television, from the days of Edward R. Murrow and the "golden age" of television

    01:47

    Jack Lemmon

    Jack Lemmon on acting on Kraft Television Theatre and appearing on live television

    04:06

    Jack Lemmon on working on Studio One

    03:27

    Jack Lemmon on appearing on Ford Television Theatre's "The Day Lincoln Was Shot"

    01:42

    Jack Lemmon on appearing on the Playhouse 90 production of "Face of a Hero"

    04:07

    Sidney Lumet

    Sidney Lumet on the end of the Golden Age of Television

    03:53

    Stewart MacGregory

    Stewart MacGregory on the atmosphere and logistics of a live television broadcast

    02:55

    Stewart MacGregory on the cameras and other equipment used in the Golden Age of Television 

    05:20

    Stewart MacGregory on being stage coordinator for NBC Television starting in 1948

    05:16

    Gavin MacLeod

    Gavin MacLeod on guest-starring on The Untouchables with Robert Stack

    03:21

    Nancy Malone

    Nancy Malone on the pressures of working in early, live television

    04:47

    Abby Mann

    Abby Mann on being a part of the Golden Age of Television, and how television has changed the world

    04:59

    Delbert Mann

    Delbert Mann on directing Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse

    28:41

    Bob Markell

    Bob Markell on what represents the Golden Age of Television

    01:21

    E. G. Marshall

    E.G. Marshall on the the classic anthology series of the '50s, and the producers of those shows

    03:01

    E.G. Marshall on acting on live television in the '50s

    02:55

    Chuck McCann with Emerson College

    Chuck McCann on live television in the 1950s

    03:10

    Barney McNulty

    Barney McNulty on doing cue cards for The Ed Wynn Show

    28:30

    Barry McNulty on doing cue cards for I Love Lucy with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz

    04:21

    Jayne Meadows

    Jayne Meadows on the challenges of working in live television

    05:00

    Jayne Meadows on getting a job as a panelist on I've Got a Secret and meeting Steve Allen

    06:37

    Jayne Meadows on being a panelist on I've Got a Secret

    17:23

    Jayne Meadows on her sister Audrey Meadows as "Alice Kramden" on The Honeymooners

    05:39

    Jayne Meadows on how television has changed since the '50s

    02:05

    JP Miller

    JP Miller on what made great live television

    03:04

    JP Miller on drinking in live television

    04:55

    JP Miller on the writers of the classic anthology series in the '50s, including Paddy Chayefsky and Horton Foote

    06:36

    JP Miller on his experience being a writer during the Golden Age of Television

    03:59

    JP Miller on working with the actors of TV's Golden Age including Broderick Crawford

    03:09

    JP Miller on working with the directors of TV's Golden Age

    01:03

    JP Miller on the importance of the writer during TV's Golden Age

    01:59

    JP Miller on the end of TV's Golden Age, and how the advent of videotape changed television

    04:30

    JP Miller on what was the key to the Golden Age of Television

    04:04

    Priscilla Morgan

    Priscilla Morgan on the Golden Age of Television

    05:27

    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

    16:48

    Tad Mosel

    Tad Mosel on writing for Ominbus

    06:48

    Tad Mosel on writing for Medallion Theater

    06:48

    Tad Mosel on writing "The Haven" for Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse  produced by Fred Coe and on Coe's contribution to television 

    05:24

    Tad Mosel on writing for Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse

    10:47

    Tad Mosel on writing for Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse

    21:16

    Tad Mosel on writing for Studio One

    04:09

    Tad Mosel on writing "The Waiting Place" for Playwrights '56

    03:35

    Tad Mosel on writing for Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse

    10:31

    Tad Mosel on working with Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, and Henry Fonda on Producers' Showcase: "The Petrified Forest"

    13:05

    Tad Mosel on working with Martin Manulis on Playhouse 90

    01:50

    Tad Mosel on watching Playhouse 90 and other live dramas of his be performed

    10:14

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

    04:13

    Tad Mosel on the camaraderie among writers during the Golden Age of Television

    03:23

    Tad Mosel on writing "The Five Dollar Bill" for Studio One

    07:16

    Tad Mosel on writing for Playhouse 90

    21:51

    Bill Mumy

    Bill Mumy on acting on The Twilight Zone

    22:13

    Agnes Nixon

    Agnes Nixon on writing for the Golden Age anthology dramas

    00:44

    Hugh O'Brian

    Hugh O'Brian on the challenges and advantages of working in live television

    02:21

    Carroll O'Connor

    Carroll O'Connor on the role dramatic anthologies played for New York actors during the 1950s-60s

    01:07

    Don Pike

    Don Pike on acting as technical director for Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse

    25:11

    Don Pike on being technical director for Lights Out  and Your Hit Parade 

    04:31

    Don Pike on being technical director for Chevrolet on Broadway

    02:16

    David Pressman

    David Pressman on early television's relationship to theater

    04:23

    Sterling Quinlan

    Sterling "Red" Quinlan on the Chicago School of Television

    04:22

    Tony Randall

    Tony Randall on the experience of acting on live television in the '50s

    02:54

    Susan Raymond

    Susan Raymond on memories of early, live television

    54:47

    Frances Reid

    Frances Reid on the challenges of working on live television

    02:39

    Carl Reiner

    Carl Reiner on Your Show of Shows and Caesar's Hour

    16:37

    Gene Reynolds

    Gene Reynolds on working in live television in the '50s

    02:56

    Maria Riva

    Actress Maria Riva on making costume changes in "live" TV in the 1950s

    01:14

    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

    01:43

    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

    01:28

    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])

    01:26

    Maria Riva on the Golden Age of "live" TV in New York in the 1950s, exemplified by such classic anthology series as Studio One

    01:04

    Cliff Robertson

    Cliff Robertson on starring in the Playhouse 90 live production of "The Days of Wine and Roses"

    13:16

    Cliff Robertson on The U.S. Steel Hour's   "The Two Worlds of Charly Gordon" and the feature film "Charly"

    06:07

    Howard Rosenberg

    Howard Rosenberg on how television changed and evolved during the '70s and his thoughts on the Golden Age of Television

    05:18

    Jay Sandrich

    Jay Sandrich on the technical challenges of shooting for both coasts in the 1950s

    01:47

    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

    02:36

    Joseph Sargent

    Joseph Sargent on acting on live television in the '50s

    03:00

    William Schallert

    William Schallert on working on Matinee Theater

    04:30

    William Schallert on working in live TV on Matinee Theater

    02:13

    William Schallert on appearing on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show

    03:02

    William Schallert on appearing on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show

    03:02

    Ralph Senensky

    Ralph Senensky on working on Playhouse 90

    23:31

    William Shatner

    William Shatner on the experience of doing live dramas in the '50s

    04:00

    David Shaw

    David Shaw on the Golden Age of Television

    01:00

    Jack Shea

    Jack Shea on working on live anthology dramas like Philco Television Playhouse

    01:03

    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

    04:06

    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

    01:02

    Hazel Shermet

    Hazel Shermet on appearing on The Morey Amsterdam Show

    10:05

    Hazel Shermet on appearing on The Fred Allen Show

    02:57

    Hazel Shermet on doing Songs You've Never Heard for WOR

    03:17

    Garry Simpson

    Garry Simpson on broadcast standards for early television

    00:48

    Garry Simpson on directing Jimmy Durante, Ed Wynn, and Jackie Gleason on Four Star Revue

    16:48

    Howard Smit

    Howard Smit on doing makeup during the Golden Age of Television and dealing with live broadcasts

    03:48

    Dick Smith

    Dick Smith on NBC censorship when he had to make Laurence Olivier look like he had leprosy

    01:34

    Aaron Spelling

    Aaron Spelling on writing for and production of Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater

    08:56

    Lynn Stalmaster

    Lynn Stalmaster on casting live television for NBC Matinee Theater

    01:16

    Johnny Stearns

    Mary Kay and Johnny Stearns on how Mary Kay and Johnny (one of TV's earliest sitcoms) came about

    03:12

    Mary Kay and Johnny Stearns on the challenges of acting in live television; on sets and locations on Mary Kay and Johnny

    04:12

    Johnny Stearns of Mary Kay and Johnny on the Golden Age of Television

    01:38

    Mary Kay Stearns

    Mary Kay and Johnny Stearns on how Mary Kay and Johnny (one of TV's earliest sitcoms) came about

    03:12

    Mary Kay and Johnny Stearns on the challenges of acting in live television; on sets and locations on Mary Kay and Johnny

    04:12

    Gale Storm

    Gale Storm on how My Little Margie impacted television

    01:43

    Mel Tolkin

    Mel Tolkin on writing for Your Show of Shows

    08:55

    Mel Tolkin on classic sketches from Caesar's Hour featuring Sid Caesar

    07:54

    Dick Van Dyke

    Dick Van Dyke on the early days of television 

    07:12

    Dick Van Dyke recalls the first time he appeared on television

    55:35

    Robert Vaughn

    Robert Vaughn on "The Troublemakers" on Playhouse 90 with Ben Gazarra, directed by John Frankenheimer

    02:53

    Ellen M. Violett

    Ellen M. Violett on writing Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" for Cameo Theater

    09:18

    Ellen M. Violett on writing "Breakdown" for Suspense

    03:21

    Ellen M. Violett on writing for Omnibus

    15:04

    Ellen M. Violett on writing for Producer's Showcase

    09:48

    Clint Walker

    Clint Walker on the legacy of Cheyenne

    02:24

    James Wall

    James wall on the challenges of appearing on live television

    05:59

    Ruth Warrick

    Ruth Warrick on acting in live television

    10:15

    Betty White with Emerson College

    Betty White on being a pioneer on television and appearing on early live local television in Los Angeles

    03:25

    Max Wilk

    Max Wilk on writing "Joy to the World" for Ford Television Theatre, and on the moments before going on-air

    04:10

    Max Wilk on actors improvising on live television broadcasts like Ford Television Theatre

    03:59

    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

    03:48

    Ethel Winant

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

    05:40

    Alan Young

    Alan Young on appearing on live classic anthology shows in the '50s

    03:39

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