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Second hour:
Phil Griesjoins Ed for a special expanded edition of the Sounds
of Lost Television commemorating the 50th anniversary of Oct. 1,
1961, the day on which New York Yankees right fielder
Roger Maris hit his 61st home run, surpassing Babe Ruth’s
single-season record — an accomplishment that has nearly been
forgotten in the wake of the Steroids Era, but which many
traditionalists still consider to be the record for most home
runs in a Major League Baseball season. Topics include a look at
the various controversies that plagued Maris in 1961
as he neared Ruth's record.
Show No. 106
Sept. 30, 2011
First hour:
Ed welcomesChristine Devine,
Emmy Award-winning news anchor for KTTV, FOX 11, and the
spokesperson for Wednesday's Child,
a national program that helps children from
the foster care system find permanent families.
The
Wednesday's Child
feature is seen every week on FOX affiliates in Atlanta, New
York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles.
Christine's book, Finding a Forever Family: A News
Anchor's Notebook on Adoption Within the Foster Care System,
is a very touching story of how the Wednesday’s Childprogram changed not only her
life, but also the lives of more than 500 foster children and
foster parents across the country. Also in this hour:
independent film director
Brendan Moriarty discusses his film
The Road to Freedom, which is based on the true story of
photojournalist Sean Flynn, who disappeared in Cambodia while on
assignment for TIME magazine during the Vietnam War.
The Road to Freedomopens in Boston, Baltimore,
Chicago, Austin,
Seattle, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco and other cities
across the country during the week of Oct. 3. Plus: Phil Gries
with Part 2 of our look at Jackie Gleason, the
short-lived CBS prime talk show hosted by the Great One in early
1961, following the demise of You're in the Picture.
Second hour:
Television historian
Paul Green
(Pete
Duel: A Biography,
Jennifer Jones: The Life and Films)
and writer/producer
Dan Farren (Story
Salon) join Ed and Tony Figueroa for a
wide-ranging conversation about American adaptations of popular
British series over the past four decades, including The Office,
All in the Family, Three's Company, Fawlty Towers, Absolutely
Fabulous and Couplings. Topics include a look at how the American
approach to episodic television differs from that of the
British.
Show No. 105
Sept. 23, 2011
First hour:
Film and TV animator
Gene Hamm
(The Smurfs, SuperFriends, The Dream Hat,
Created Equal)
joins Ed to discuss his work with the artists of
Alchemia,
a Northern California program that provides classes and venues
for mentally or physically challenged adults. Also in this hour:
Tony Figueroa, Donna Allen and
Wesley Hyatt
(Emmy
Award Winning Nighttime Television Shows,
Television’s Top 100) join Ed for a look at the highs and
lows of this year's Emmy Awards telecast.
Second hour:
Ed welcomes Tony Award-winning actress
Julie Newmar
(Batman,
Li’l Abner, Silk Stockings, The Marriage-Go-Round, My Living
Doll). Julie's new book,
The Conscious Catwoman Explains Life on
Earth, is a
delightful collection of her wit and wisdom that shows how real
beauty, for all of us, lies in cultivating a happy, healthy
inner life. Julie's upcoming appearances include Sunday, Oct. 2
at the
West Hollywood Book Fair;
Wednesday, Oct. 5 at
Book Soup
in Los Angeles; Saturday, Oct. 15 at the
Santa Monica Library
in Santa Monica; and Saturday, Nov. 12 at
Vromans Bookstore
in Pasadena.
Show No. 104
Sept. 16, 2011
First hour:
Television critic
Jane Boursaw
joins Ed for a preview of the fall TV season, including a look
at such notable new series as Pan Am, The Playboy Club, Terra
Nova, New Girl, The X Factor, Person of Interest, Up All Night,
Revenge and Ringer. Also in this hour: Pop culture
historian
Martin Grams
with a sneak peak at the
Sixth Annual MidAtlantic Nostalgia
Convention, which
takes place Sept. 22-23-24 at the Marriott Hotel in Hunt Valley,
Maryland.
Second hour:
Ed welcomes
Jennifer Armstrong,
senior writer for Entertainment Weekly and the author of
Why? Because We Still Like You,
an oral history of The Mickey Mouse Club featuring
behind-the-scenes recollections from Annette Funicello, Cubby
O’Brien, Lonnie Burr, Doreen Tracey, Darlene Gillespie, Don
Grady and other members of the original Mousketeers. Also in
this hour: Phil Gries with Part 1 of a special look back at
Jackie Gleason, the short-lived prime talk show hosted by
the Great One on the heels of the colossal failure of his game
show, You're in the Picture.
Show No. 103
Sept. 9, 2011
First hour:
Actress Natasha Gregson Wagner (Two Girls and a Guy, Lost
Highway, High Fidelity) joins Ed to talk about her latest
film,
A Kiss and a Promise,
a stylishly filmed psychological thriller with elements of
Alfred Hitchcock and David Lynch. Also in this hour: Tony
Figueroa and Donna Allen join Ed for a look at how television
news covered the events of Sept. 11, 2001, as well as 9/11’s
impact on prime time television, late night television, and our
culture in general.
Second hour:
An encore presentation of our
Jan. 10, 2011
conversation with
Marian Edelman Borden,
author of
Paul Newman: A Biography,
which discusses not only Newman's distinguished film career, but
his early work in television, his passion for auto racing, his
business acumen, his work with various charities, his political
activism, and his 50-year marriage to actress and fellow Oscar
winner Joanne Woodward.
Second hour:
Ed welcomes James Christie, author of You’re the Director, You Figure It Out:
The Life and Films of Richard Donner, a
comprehensive biography that also examines Donner’s career in
film and television. Topics include Donner's work on
Superman, The Omen and the Lethal Weapon series, plus
a look at how his early experiences on such TV series as
The Twilight Zone, Get Smart, The Man from
U.N.C.L.E. and The
Wild, Wild West helped shape many of his sensibilities as a
motion picture director.
Show No. 101
Aug. 15, 2011
First hour:
Television
writer, producer, singer and lyricist Deborah Pearl(Head
of the Class, Designing Women,
Waiting for Yvette, Chick Singers,Souvenir of You: New Lyrics to Benny
Carter Classics) joins Ed for a
conversation about writing for music and television, the
creative process, and Deborah's
work with such legends as Andrew Gold, Jackson Browne, Linda
Ronstadt, Katey Sagal, Betty Garrett, Ted Danson, Johnny Carson
and Barbra Streisand. Also in this hour: Tony Figueroa and Donna
Allen remember Rose Marie's birthday, the final broadcast of
Charlie's Angels and other events that occurred This Week in
TV History. Plus: a look at entertainment headlines.
First hour:
Tony Figueroa and Donna Allen join Ed for a look at some notable
anniversaries that occur This Week in Television History,
including the 30th anniversary of the premiere of MTV, the 40th
anniversary of the premiere of The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour
and the 100th anniversary of the birth of Lucille Ball.
Second hour:
Ed and Tony welcome Edgar Award-nominated writer, producer and
novelist
Lee Goldberg (Diagnosis
Murder,
Monk,
Psych,
Hunter,
Spenser: For Hire,
Remaindered,
Successful Television Writing). Lee's latest
books include Watch Me Die, a fast-paced whodunit with humor
about a would-be private eye who finds himself embroiled in a
real-life mystery, drawing on knowledge he’s learned from
reading Spenser novels and watching Mannix reruns (only to find
that real-life detective work can be hazardous to his health);
and Mr.
Monk on the Couch, the latest edition in the
best-selling Monk mystery novels based on the popular USA-TV
series starring Tony Shalhoub.
Show No. 98
July 25, 2011
First hour:
TV Confidential remembers the life and career of Emmy
Award-winning actor
Peter Falk (Columbo, Murder by Death, The
Cheap Detective, Pocketful of Miracles, Murder, Inc.) along
with author
Mark Dawidziak,
whose books on film and television include
The Columbo Phile, the definitive book on the classic TV
mystery series. Topics include Falk's dedication to
Columbo,
both on camera and behind the scenes; his favorite episodes and
favorite Columbo clues; and his collaborations with Neil Simon,
Frank Capra, Ben Gazzara and John Cassavetes.
Second hour:
Emmy Award-winning writer/producer
William Link (Columbo,
Mannix,
Ellery Queen,
Murder, She Wrote,
The Columbo Collection) joins
Ed this hour as TV Confidential continues its tribute to
Peter Falk. Topics include the origins of the Columbo character, which
Bill created along with his longtime collaborator, Richard
Levinson; Falk's friendship with Levinson and Link, which
predated their work on the
Columbo television series; how Falk
came to be cast as Columbo; and the enduring appeal of the
character.
Show No. 97
July 18, 2011
First hour:
Television historian and author
Wesley Hyatt
(Emmy Award Winning Nighttime Television
Shows, Television’s Top 100: The
Most Watched American Broadcasts from 1960 through 2010) joins
Ed, Tony Figueroa and Donna Allen for a round-table discussion on
the careers of writer/producers Sam Denoff (That Girl, The
Dick Van Dyke Show) and Sherwood Schwartz (Gilligan’s
Island, The Brady Bunch).
Second hour:
Ed welcomes actress, author, producer and publisher
Kathryn Leigh Scott, star of the iconic ABC daytime drama
Dark Shadows
and other stage, film and television productions. Kathryn's
books include
Dark Passages, a paranormal romance novel that
pays homage to Dark Shadows while also capturing the romance and
innocence of the JFK Camelot era of the early 1960s, and
The Bunny Years, a behind-the-scenes history of The Playboy Clubs in
New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Tokyo and other cities and their
impact on American culture. Kathryn's upcoming
appearances
include the
Barnes & Noble at 86th
and Lexington in New York City on Wednesday, August 17; the
Dark Shadows 45th Anniversary Cast
Reunion and Fan Convention in New
York City on August 19, 20 and 21; Book Soup in West Hollywood,
CA on Tuesday, September 13; the
West Hollywood Book Fair in
West Hollywood, CA on Sunday, October 2; and the
New York Comic-Con on October 14 and 15.
Also in this hour: A look at this year's Emmy nominations.
Bonus Segment:
In
this special edition of This Week in TV History, Tony Figueroa
and Donna Allen discuss the July 19, 1989 homicide of television
actress Rebecca Schaeffer (My Sister Sam), which led to
the passage of legislation in California designed to prevent
stalking; the resignation of Vanessa Williams, the first black
Miss America, on July 23, 1984, ten months into her reign; and
Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis' performance at the Copacabana Club
on July 24, 1956, which marked their final appearance together
as a comedy team.
Show No. 96
July 11, 2011
First hour:
Tony Figueroa and Donna Allen join Ed to discuss the
plans to continue broadcasting All My
Children and One Life to
Live onlineafter the long-running daytime dramas complete their run
on ABC. Also this hour: Phil Gries plays highlights from
Playboy's Penthouse, an early 1960s talk show featuring
Playboy
magazine founder and publisher Hugh Hefner. Plus: a replay of
our
Sept. 13, 2010
conversation with Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Aviva Kempner
(Yoo-Hoo,
Mrs. Goldberg)
on the life and career of television
pioneer Gertrude Berg (The
Goldbergs).
Second hour:
Ed
welcomes actress, author and radio host Dee Wallace (E.T.: The
Extraterrestrial, Cujo, The Howling, The Frighteners, 10,
Together We Stand, The New Lassie, Sons and Daughters). Dee’s
latest book, Bright Light: Spiritual Lessons from a
Life in Acting, tells the story of her journey in show business and also
through life itself, and features many poignant and humorous
stories about lessons she learned from the likes of Peter
Jackson, Joe Dante, Wes Craven, Blake Edwards, Dudley Moore,
acting coach Charles Conrad, and her late husband, actor
Christopher Stone.
Show No. 95
July 4, 2011
First hour:
Ed welcomes
Richard and Esther Shapiro,
co-creators and co-executive producers of
Dynasty,
The Colbys, Emerald Point, NAS and many acclaimed
made-for-TV movies and miniseries, including Minstrel Man,
Friendly Fire,
East of Eden,
Intimate
Strangers and
Sarah T: Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic. Topics include the
origins of
Dynasty,
Richard and Esther's collaboration with Aaron Spelling, favorite
cliffhangers and the worldwide impact of the show, which
continues to this day.
Second hour:
Tony Figueroa and Donna Allen join Ed for Part 2 of our look at
The Event, America's Most Wanted and other notable
network shows that were recently canceled. Also in this hour: An
encore presentation of our
Dec. 13, 2010
conversation with Keith Elliot Greenberg, producer of
America's Most Wanted and author of such books as December 8, 1980: The Day John Lennon
Died, a
minute-by-minute, almost documentary-like look at the events
that shaped the final day of
John Lennon’s
life.
Show No. 94
June 27, 2011
First hour:
Music journalist Jason Draper, author of
Prince: Chaos, Disorder and Revolution,
joins Ed for a look at the life, career and music of Prince, and
the artist's impact on MTV. Also in this hour: Phil Gries plays
excerpts of interviews with Gene Autry, Spike Jones and Carol
Burnett that originally aired on Person to Person with
Charles Collingwood.
Second hour: Ed
welcomes actress, director and acting coach
Michelle Danner,
artistic director of the
Edgemar Center of the Arts.
Michelle's latest film is an adaptation of John Buffalo Mailer’s
play
Hello, Herman,
the story of a Columbine-like shooting that also takes a hard
look at today’s society. Plus: Tony Figueroa and Donna Allen
discuss
Amos 'n' Andy, the
end of the Bicentennial Minutes and the impact of Sonny and
Cher's divorce on their popular CBS variety hour.
Show No. 93
June 20, 2011
First hour:
Radio host, television historian and producer
Jim Bensonjoins
Ed for a look at the life and career of Emmy Award-winning
writer, producer and director Leonard Stern(Get
Smart, He and She,
I’m Dickens, He’s Fenster,
The Snoop Sisters,
McMillan and Wife).
Plus: Tony Figueroa and Donna Allen remember the premiere of
The Ed Sullivan Show, the deaths of George Reeves and George
Carlin, and other events that originally took place This Week in
TV History.
First hour:
Tony Figueroa and Donna Allen join Ed for a round-table
discussion of such topics as
Oprah Winfrey’s final broadcast
and some surprising cancellations among prime time network
shows, including Outsourced and Law and Order: Los
Angeles.
Second hour: Ed
welcomes
filmmakers Jim Pasternak
and Richard Marshall,
the director and producer, respectively, of Certifiably Jonathan,
a unique comedy/documentary that provides a window into the
brilliant mind of comedy legend Jonathan Winters.
Also in this hour:
highlights from a 2008 interview that Winters gave to Phil Gries
in which he discussed some of his early TV appearances,
including Omnibus
and And Here’s The Show, the origins of his famous
character Maude Frickett, and his thoughts on such legends as
Groucho Marx, Shelley Berman, Sid Caesar and Dean Martin.
Second hour: Ed
welcomes
Stephen Bowie,
publisher of
The Classic TV History Blog,
for a look at some of the early live television dramas directed
by Sidney Lumet,
particularly with regard to certain stylistic elements that
Lumet would later hone throughout his motion picture career.
Also in this hour: Tony Figueroa and Donna Allen remember the
premiere of CNN, the final episode of The Sopranos and
other events that originally took place This Week in TV History.
Show No. 89
May 23, 2011
First hour:
TV
critic Mark Dawidziak joins
Ed for a look at what trends we can glean from the new network
television shows that will premiere this coming fall. Also in
this hour: Phil Gries pays
tribute to Johnny Carsonon the 19th anniversary of his final appearance as
host of The Tonight Show. Plus: Listener emails.
First hour:
Award-winning independent film actress
Tanna Frederick
(Hollywood
Dreams, Queen of the Lot,
Irene in Time)
joins Ed for a conversation about her work with director Henry
Jaglom, as well as her performance in
the stage production of A.R. Gurney’s
Sylvia. Also
in this hour: TV Guide business editor
Stephen Battaglio
(David
Susskind: A Televised Life)
discusses the 50th anniversary of former FCC chairman Newton
Minow's famous "vast wasteland" speech on the state of network
television; the possible next moves for Katie Couric and Oprah
Winfrey; and what impact Ashton Kutcher might have on the future
of Two and a Half Men. Plus:
Phil
Gries remembers Project 20, a series of
historical documentaries from the 1950s and '60s that, in many
ways, were a forerunner to the work of Ken Burns.
Second hour: Ed
welcomes Emmy Award-winning talk show host and former game show
emcee
Jim Peck
(The Big ShowDown, Second Chance, Three's a Crowd, The
Joker's Wild). Jim hosts
I Remember,
an oral history program for
Milwaukee Public Television
featuring conversations with national newsmakers as well as
people who have contributed to the history and culture of
Wisconsin. Topics include Jim's work with such game show legends
as Jim Lange and Chuck Barris, as well as his interviews with
Barbara Walters, Tom Smothers, Mary Higgins Clark, Sidney
Sheldon, Madeleine Albright and other 20th century icons. Also
in this hour:
Tony Figueroa and Donna Allen
discuss the legacy of The Simpsons, Susan Lucci's
streak-busting Emmy win, the death of comic Phil Hartman and
other events that originally occurred This Week in TV History.
Show No. 87
May 9, 2011
First hour:
Ed welcomes actor, singer, songwriter, musician, stand-up
comedian and stage magician
Dan Frischman (Head
of the Class,
Kenan & Kel). Also in this hour: Ed discusses some of the television
news coverage of the death of Osama bin Laden, while Tony
Figueroa remembers the death of Moe Howard, Raymond Burr's Emmy
win for Perry Mason and other events that originally took place
This Week in Television History.
Second hour: Paul
Green, author of
Pete Duel: A Biographyand other books on film and television, joins Ed for a
conversation about Duel's early television work, particularly
his starring role opposite Judy Carne in the 1966 Screen Gems
comedy
Love on a Rooftop. Also in this hour: the latest
developments on OWN and the David E. Kelley revamp of Wonder
Woman, plus listener emails.
Show No. 86
May 2, 2011
First hour:
Phil Gries celebrates
Ann-Margret's birthday by playing
highlights from one of her very first television appearances, an
NBC special hosted by Andy Williams that originally aired 49
years ago this week. Also in this hour:
Rob Howe
joins Ed to share
some memories of his longtime affiliation with show business
legend
George Burns, who gave Ann-Margret one of her first big
breaks in November 1960. Plus: Tony Figueroa and Donna Allen
discuss Oprah's stance on the future of One Live to Life and
All
My Children, as well as remember the passing of Hubert Schafly,
the inventor of the TelePrompTer.
