World War II


The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

02:26

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Interviewees discuss World War II (1939-45) and its coverage on television.

Highlights
Garry Simpson on showing civil defense films during World War II and NBC not broadcasting television during the war after 1942
03:21
Frances Buss Buch on working on the CBS TV news program when Pearl Harbor was attacked
01:56
Steve Allen on being drafted into World War II
01:16
Angela Lansbury on her recollections of the outbreak of World War II
13:53
Bill Dana on the Leopoldville disaster, the "Cheshire Cats," and visiting Dachau concentration camp
Delbert Mann on serving in the Air Force during World War II
15:22
Who talked about this topic

Robert Adler

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Robert Adler on early projects he was assigned at Zenith and on Zenith and World War II
05:40

Mary V. Ahern

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Mary V. Ahern on her experience during World War II
02:21

Steve Allen

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Steve Allen on being drafted into World War II
01:16

Alex Anderson

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Alex Anderson on his experiences during World War II
01:49

Howard Anderson, Jr.

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Howard Anderson Jr. on his military service 
02:05

Charlie Andrews

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Charlie Andrews on his service in World War II
01:49

Army Archerd

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Army Archerd on serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II
02:22

James Arness

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James Arness on his experience with World War II
03:13

Bob Banner

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Bob Banner on his service in World War II
02:19

Erik Barnouw

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Erik Barnouw on how World War II impacted him and his work
05:08
Erik Barnouw on forming and heading the Armed Forces Radio Services education unit
09:04

Ralph M. Baruch

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Ralph M. Baruch on his family's experiences in World War II in Germany and France
19:08

Joseph Behar

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Joe Behar on getting drafted in World War II
03:32

Donald P. Bellisario

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Donald Bellisario on early memories of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
01:44
Donald Bellisario on his childhood town's reaction to World War II
01:50

Dick Berg

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Dick Berg on his experiences in World War II
01:33

Walter Bernstein

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Walter Bernstein on being drafted in 1941, serving in public relations during World War II, and writing a musical comedy play for the troops (pre-USO)
02:18
Walter Bernstein on getting transferred to do public relations for the Irving Berlin play "This is the Army" during World War II, controversy over a piece he wrote for The New Yorker, and getting transferred again to write for Yank magazine
02:12
Walter Bernstein on writing for Yank, the official magazine of the Army, and traveling overseas as a magazine correspondent
02:49
Walter Bernstein on the Army being aware of his left-leaning political beliefs
04:21
Walter Bernstein on reporting for Yank magazine from Jerusalem during World War II; on the atrocities against Jews during World War II
02:12
Walter Bernstein on reporting for Yank magazine from combat situations during World War II and interviewing Tito in Yugoslavia without the Army's consent
08:21

Wade Bingham

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Wade Bingham on the types of films he made as a child, and on making training films during World War II
09:47

Lucille Bliss

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Lucille Bliss on performing at Armed Forces Talent Shows during World War II and auditioning the Marine Corps Band
06:36

Haskell Boggs

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Haskell Boggs on his activities during World War II
03:06

Al Borden

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Al Borden on his experience in World War II and living through the Great Depression
01:24
Al Borden on his service in World War II
01:48

Eric Braeden

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Eric Braeden on growing up in Germany during World War II
04:16

David Brinkley

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David Brinkley on his World War II experience
02:34

Frances Buss Buch

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Frances Buss Buch on working on the CBS TV news program when Pearl Harbor was attacked
01:56

Ken Burns

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Ken Burns on producing the WWII documentary The War: A Ken Burns Film
07:38

Josie Carey

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Josie Carey on the impact of World War II on her family as she was growing up
00:47

Marge Champion

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Marge Champion on her experiences during World War II
01:33

Julia Child

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Julia Child on her time in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during World War II
15:23
Julia Child on her time in the OSS during World War II (continued)
06:46

Sam Christaldi

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Sam Christaldi on World War II's impact on Du Mont
02:12

Robert Clary

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Robert Clary on being placed in a concentration camp with this family during World War II
04:48
Robert Clary on being liberated from Buchenwald in 1945
02:21
Robert Clary on how Hogan's Heroes was vastly different from his own real life World War II experience, and more on his character, "LeBeau"
05:25
Robert Clary on his eventual decision to share his and his family's story of being placed in a concentration camp during World War II
05:28
Robert Clary on his work speaking about the Holocaust for the Shoah Foundation, and on being the subject of the documentary "Robert Clary A5714: A Memoir of Liberation"
02:10

Art Clokey

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Art Clokey on working with film during World War II
11:13

Nick Clooney

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Nick Clooney on how his family was affected by World War II
01:47

Shelley Berman with Emerson College

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Shelley Berman on the importance of comedy in his life, on the importance of comedy during World War II, and on Jewish humor
11:34

Louis Nye with Emerson College

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Louis Nye on material he did about World War II that he performed for G.I.s and for officers
04:27

Norman Lear with Emerson College

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Norman Lear on where he was on December 7, 1941 and on his time in the army
03:10

Henry Colman

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Henry Colman on serving in the Air Force during World War II
03:54

Fred de Cordova

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Fred de Cordova on his experiences in World War II
03:21

Alexander Courage

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Alexander Courage on becoming a bandleader in the Army during World War II and attending the Army Music School
04:44
Alexander Courage on starting to arrange music while he was in the Army
02:34

Richard Crenna

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Richard Crenna on his activities during World War II
01:58

Bill Dana

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Bill Dana on the Leopoldville disaster, the "Cheshire Cats," and visiting Dachau concentration camp
Bill Dana on being sent to witness the concentration camp at Dachau by President Eisenhower
07:08

Ossie Davis

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Ossie Davis on his experience during World War II
02:08

James Day

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James Day on his experiences in World War II
05:05

Sam Donaldson

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Sam Donaldson on being a child during WWII
00:45

Louis Dorfsman

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Louis Dorfsman on joining the Army during World War II
06:55

David Dortort

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David Dortort on his activities during World War II
03:31

Hugh Downs

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Hugh Downs on getting drafted into the Army during World War II
03:04

Bob Doyle

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Bob Doyle on his experience during World War II
06:20

Dominick Dunne

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Dominick Dunne on his service in the Army during World War II
07:03

Ralph Edwards

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Ralph Edwards on his bond, paper, and copper drives with Truth or Consequences during World War II
02:34
Ralph Edwards on the 1958 episode of This Is Your Life set in Hawaii to honor those who perished at Pearl Harbor and raise funds for a memorial
03:17

George Faber

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George Faber on his experiences during World War II
03:01

Irving Fein

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Irving Fein on trying to serve as a publicist for a General during World War II
03:40

Les Flory

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Les Flory on commercial television coming to a halt when World War II started and the development of new technologies during the war years
03:12

Horton Foote

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Horton Foote on his activities during World War II, and on bringing his play "Only the Heart" to Broadway
04:41

June Foray

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June Foray on writing scripts for the Office of Civilian Defense during World War II
01:27

Ray Forrest

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Ray Forrest on his on-air announcement of the start of World War II
01:21
Ray Forrest on being drafted into the TFPL (Training Film Production Laboratory) in World War II
03:04
Ray Forrest on working for the Signal Corps during World War II and then joining the OSS (because he spoke fluent German), and getting into a serious vehicle accident
06:02
Ray Forrest on visiting the TV station and appearing on television in uniform during World War II
01:04

Jonathan Frid

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Jonathan Frid on his experience during World War II
05:22

Murray Fromson

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Murray Fromson on seeing his Japanese-American classmates taken out of their classroom a few weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the discrimination he witnessed against Japanese-Americans
02:07

James Garner

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James Garner on his family and World War II
01:23

Greg Garrison

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Greg Garrison on his experience in World War II
04:00

David Gerber

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David Gerber on his experience in World War II
06:12

Thomas T. Goldsmith, Jr.

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Thomas T. Goldsmith, Jr. on World War II interrupting and delaying the development of television
02:55
Thomas T. Goldsmith, Jr. on DuMont Laboratories' activities during World War II
04:55

Lewis Gomavitz

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Lewis Gomavitz on his experience with World War II
03:56
Lewis Gomavitz on his experiences with World War II and on working at an experimental television station
11:56

Julian Goodman

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Julian Goodman on serving in World War II for a short time and contracting pneumonia
02:51

Earle Hagen

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Earle Hagen on joining the radio production unit of the Air Force during World War II
03:02

Paul Henning

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Paul Henning on writing for the radio version of The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show during World War II
01:17

Albert Heschong

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Albert Heschong on his activities during World War II and on doing sets for "Pursuit of Happiness"
09:31

Don Hewitt

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Don Hewitt on his experience during World War II
06:38

Pat Hitchcock

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Pat Hitchcock O'Connell on coming to the United States as a child and her recollections of World War II
01:42

Martin Hoade

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Martin Hoade on his experience with World War II
01:49
Martin Hoade on directing the made-for-television movie Duty Bound, about the Vietnam War
04:32

Hal Holbrook

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Hal Holbrook on going into the Army during World War II
09:39

Stanley Hubbard

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Stanley Hubbard on the pause in the development of television during World War II and his father's early radio stations
02:35

Roy Huggins

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Roy Huggins on his activities during World War II
04:10

Alan Jaggs

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Alan Jaggs on his service in World War II
02:15

Joseph Jennings

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Joseph Jennings on his activities during World War II
01:01

Loren Jones

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Loren Jones on having been privy to the development on the atom bomb
01:11

Hal Kanter

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Hal Kanter on his experience of World War II with Bob Hope
05:05

Sidney M. Katz

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Sidney M. Katz on his experience as an editor and filmmaker in World War II
02:55

Bob Keeshan

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Bob Keeshan on his experiences in World War II
03:08

Lynwood King

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Lynwood King on his experiences in World War II
05:30

Jack Klugman

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Jack Klugman on being drafted in War World II
01:13

Perry Lafferty

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Perry Lafferty on his activities during World War II, including working for Armed Forces Radio
07:45

Rita Lakin

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Rita Lakin on the first time she saw television, and on her experience with World War II
03:17

Angela Lansbury

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Angela Lansbury on her recollections of the outbreak of World War II
13:53

Ring Lardner, Jr.

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Ring Lardner, Jr. on his experiences during World War II
03:16

Peter Lassally

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Peter Lassally on how his German family was affected by World War II
02:57

Norman Lear

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Norman Lear on his experience with World War II in the Air Force
02:28

Jim Lehrer

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Jim Lehrer on his experience growing up during World War II
01:38

Richard Lewis

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Richard Lewis on his experience during World War II
02:20

Frank Liberman

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Frank Liberman on his experience with World War II
05:16

William Link

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William Link on his family's experience of World War II
02:33

Jay Livingston

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Ray Evans and Jay Livingston on how World War II affected them
00:36
Ray Evans and Jay Livingston on how World War II affected them
00:36

James L. Loper

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James L. Loper on how World War II affected his family
01:06

Sidney Lumet

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Sidney Lumet on his experience during World War II
04:03

Stewart MacGregory

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Stewart MacGregory on getting into radio in New York and the onset of World War II
09:24
Stewart MacGregory on his experiences in World War II
08:25
Stewart MacGregory on becoming a cryptograph specialist in World War II
04:34

Robert MacNeil

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Robert MacNeil on his experience of World War II
08:54

Delbert Mann

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Delbert Mann on serving in the Air Force during World War II
15:22
Delbert Mann on entering World War II, his recollections of Pearl Harbor, and joining the Air Force
08:53
Delbert Mann on D-Day, V-E Day and V-J Day; on seeing special service troops perform
07:37

Abby Mann

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Abby Mann on writing the Playhouse 90 classic "Judgment at Nuremberg"
15:23
Abby Mann on writing Playhouse 90: "Judgement at Nuremberg"
17:10

Martin Manulis

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Martin Manulis on his experience during World War II
05:10

Garry Marshall

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Producer Garry Marshall on being a child in New York during WWII
02:32

Peter Marshall

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Peter Marshall on his service in World War II
03:44

Leslie H. Martinson

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Leslie H. Martinson on his experiences in World War II
04:59

Bob May

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Bob May on continuing to work with Olsen & Johnson when he was drafted into the Army during World War II
02:56

David McCallum

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David McCallum on his memories of bombs falling in England during World War II
03:44

Jim McKay

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Jim McKay on his experience of World War II
03:37

Ed McMahon

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Ed McMahon on his activities during World War II
04:14

Barney McNulty

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Barney McNulty on his experience of World War II
07:00

Bill Melendez

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Bill Melendez on his experiences during World War II
03:19

JP Miller

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JP Miller on how the great depression and World War II impacted him
05:06
JP Miller on getting hurt while fighting in World War II
06:23

Vic Mizzy

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Vic Mizzy on serving in the Navy's welfare recreation office during World War II - working on films and writing shows
03:53
Vic Mizzy on composing songs that became hits during World War II
01:52
Vic Mizzy on playing the organ for the Navy during World War II and falling ill
08:36

Paul Monash

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Paul Monash on his experience during World War II
02:05

Thomas W. Moore

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Thomas W. Moore on his experience with World War II
03:06

Priscilla Morgan

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Priscilla Morgan on her brother's experience in World War II and joining the WAVES
08:10
Priscilla Morgan on her experiences in the Navy WAVES
04:49

Pat Morita

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Pat Morita on his family being placed in an internment camp during World War II
04:46
Pat Morita on starring in Farewell to Manzanar, which portrayed the Japanese internment camps
07:19

Tad Mosel

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Tad Mosel on growing up in the Great Depression and his experience in World War II
04:03

Frank Nastasi

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Frank Nastasi on his service in World War II
00:37

Anne Nelson

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Anne Nelson on CBS Radio during World War II, and on content concerns
03:12

David Newell

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David Newell on how World War II impacted his family
01:51

Hugh O'Brian

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Hugh O'Brian on his World War II service
03:36

Fess Parker

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Fess Parker on his experience during World War II
02:58

Arthur Penn

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Arthur Penn on his experience with World War II, and on meeting Fred Coe and Lester Shorr
09:20
Arthur Penn on putting on plays while touring around Europe during World War II
06:16

Don Pike

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Don Pike on engineering cameras for bombs during World War II
06:45

Abraham Polonsky

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Abraham Polonsky on his experience with World War II
01:46
Abraham Polonsky on being involved with the OSS during World War II
10:15

Tom Poston

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Tom Poston on his service in World War II
02:33

David Pressman

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David Pressman on his service in World War II
05:56

Jacques Pépin

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Jacques Pépin on his family's experience with World War II, and on food rationing during the war
03:19

Ward Quaal

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Ward Quaal on the country entering Word War II and on announcing the attack on Pearl Harbor
06:37

Sterling Quinlan

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Sterling "Red" Quinlan on his experience with World War II
05:29

Arthur Rankin, Jr.

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Arthur Rankin Jr. on World War II delaying his career
06:33

Sumner Redstone

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Sumner Redstone on code breaking during World War II
04:45

Del Reisman

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Del Reisman on his service during World War II, and on his education
10:23
Del Reisman on the impact World War II had on Rod Serling's writing, and on Serling's celebrity, brought about by The Twilight Zone
01:11

Gene Reynolds

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Gene Reynolds on his service in the Navy in World War II
00:55

Larry Rhine

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Larry Rhine on his experience with World War II
07:08

Hank Rieger

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Hank Rieger on serving in World War II and having his first experience with public relations during the war
06:20

Heino Ripp

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Heino Ripp on being in the newsroom on D-Day
02:21

Andy Rooney

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Andy Rooney on his experience in World War II, and on writing for Stars and Stripes
12:55
Andy Rooney on his work at Stars and Stripes during World War II
12:15
Andy Rooney on the CBS Radio coverage of World War II, and on going to Normandy in the wake of D-Day
09:31
Andy Rooney on his editors at Stars and Stripes and on encountering Ernest Hemingway
05:14
Andy Rooney on covering the end of World War II for Stars and Stripes
02:12

Phil Rosenthal

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Phil Rosenthal on being named after his grandfather and how his grandfather survived during World War II
01:45

Stanley Rubin

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Stanley Rubin on serving in the Motion Picture Unit during World War II
01:24

Morley Safer

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Morley Safer on being a child of World War II
02:24

Isabel Sanford

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Isabel Sanford on her experience with World War II, and on her early memories of television and movies
04:33

Thomas W. Sarnoff

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Thomas W. Sarnoff on his military service during World War II (and briefly on his father being a general)
05:38

Edgar J. Scherick

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Edgar Scherick on getting drafted into the Air Corps as a meteorologist during World War II
01:00

Bob Schiller

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Bob Schiller on his five-year service during World War II
00:38

Daniel Schorr

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Daniel Schorr on his experiences during World War II
01:45
Daniel Schorr on his experiences during World War II
05:11

Sherwood Schwartz

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Sherwood Schwartz on serving in the U.S. Army and writing for Armed Forces Radio during World War II
09:02

Ralph Senensky

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Ralph Senensky on serving in World War II
02:23

Mel Shavelson

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Mel Shavelson on Bob Hope's travels around the world entertaining soldiers during World War II
02:46

David Shaw

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David Shaw on his activities during World War II
01:28

Sidney Sheldon

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Sidney Sheldon on serving in the Air Force during World War II and writing plays
03:37

John Silva

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John Silva on how World War II affected his family; on becoming a radar officer in World War II
06:58
John Silva on the technological innovations he learned about as a a radar officer in World War II
01:14

Garry Simpson

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Garry Simpson on serving in the Navy as a test engineer
01:41
Garry Simpson on showing civil defense films during World War II and NBC not broadcasting television during the war after 1942
03:21

Abby Singer

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Abby Singer on his time in World War II
01:02

Doris Singleton

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Doris Singleton on her husband, Charlie Isaacs, volunteering for service in World War II
00:39

Howard Smit

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Howard Smit on his experiences during World War II
01:31
Howard Smit on participating in making training films for World War II
03:08

Bob Smith

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"Buffalo" Bob Smith on his experience with World War II
01:45

Sid Smith

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Sid Smith on joining the Marine Corps College Program during World War II; on transferring to the Navy
02:29

Howard K. Smith

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Howard K. Smith on getting arrested by the Gestapo
00:47
Howard K. Smith on censorship he faced at CBS radio in Berlin during World War II
00:35
Howard K. Smith on leaving Germany and arriving in Switzerland on December 7, 1941
01:29

Ben Starr

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Ben Starr on serving in World War II as an Air Force Navigator and earning the Distinguished Flying Cross
12:54

Fred Steiner

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Fred Steiner on his experience of World War II, composing music for propaganda
01:01

Jerry Stiller

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Jerry Stiller on serving in World War II
02:47

Brandon Stoddard

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Brandon Stoddard on developing The Winds of War  and War and Remembrance 
13:46

Gale Storm

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Gale Storm on her involvement with the war effort during World War II
01:11

George Takei

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George Takei on being confined to an American internment camp during World War II 
13:09

Stanford Tischler

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Stanford Tishchler on serving in World War II as a film editor
03:21

Clint Walker

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Clint Walker on serving in the Merchant Marines during World War II
01:33

James Wall

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James Wall on his service during World War II
12:48
James Wall on going overseas to serve during World War II
08:03
James Wall on dancing to boost the morale of the troops during World War II
03:12
James Wall on segregation in the Army during World War II
10:28

Joseph A. Wapner

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Joseph Wapner on learning of President Roosevelt's death during World War II
01:19

Ruth Warrick

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Ruth Warrick on World War II
04:01

Bob Weiskopf

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Bob Weiskopf on his service in World War II while working for The Fred Allen Show
01:33
Bob Weiskopf on his wife almost going to an internment camp during World War II
01:06

Lou Weiss

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Lou Weiss on moving up through the ranks at William Morris and his experience with World War II
02:30

Joseph Wershba

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Joseph Wershba on his experience with World War II
03:03

Betty White

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Betty White on her experience with World War II
01:50

Andy Williams

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Andy Williams on his brothers being drafted into World War II and singing in other groups until his brothers returned
00:42

Ethel Winant

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Ethel Winant on her experience during World War II
03:41

Perry Wolff

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Perry Wolff on his experience in World War II and writing a novel about it
02:39

Bud Yorkin

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Bud Yorkin on his service in World War II
01:38

Frederic Ziv

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Frederic Ziv on how his company was affected by World War II
03:07

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