Tim Reid

In his three-hour remote TheirStory interview, Tim Reid talks about his childhood in Virginia and becoming active in the Civil Rights Movement. He recalls meeting Martin Luther King, Jr. and attending the March on Washington, and speaks of his time at Norfolk State University. He discusses how he partnered with Tom Dreesen to form the comedy duo Tim & Tom, and describes how they developed their act and why they eventually parted ways. He shares how he was cast on The Richard Pryor Show and what it was like to work with Pryor. He recalls how he was cast as "Venus Flytrap" on WKRP in Cincinnati, outlines the changes he brought to the character, and talks about the "Who is Gordon Sims?", "A Family Affair," and "In Concert" episodes of the show. Reid speaks about the show's cancellation and legacy and recounts how he and WKRP in Cincinnati creator Hugh Wilson created Frank's Place. He talks about his research for the show, William Paley's remarks on the program, and how he learned the real reason for the cancellation of Frank's Place. He briefly touches on developing and starring in the CBS drama Snoops, speaks of retiring and then coming out of retirement to work on Sister, Sister, and talks of working with his Sister, Sister castmates. Reid then describes how he started his own studio in Petersburg, VA, talks of launching (during the COVID-19 pandemic) LGCYTV.com, a streaming service designed by and for the African diaspora, and discusses founding the Legacy Media Institute and the importance of training the next generation of filmmakers and storytellers. He offers advice to aspiring film and television professionals, details what production has been like during the COVID-19 pandemic, comments on the value of oral history interviews, and describes a dream project he would love to work on. Adrienne Faillace conducted the interview in partnership with the American Comedy Archives at Emerson College on May 20, 2021.