TV Confidential with Ed Robertson

TVC 677.1: An encore presentation of an edition of The Sounds of Lost Television that originally aired in February 2012 in which Phil Gries plays audio highlights from the Feb. 11, 1960 broadcast of The Tonight Show, the night when host Jack Paar walked off the air after NBC had edited out a joke that Paar had told the night before without his consent. Topics this segment include how Paar was the first host of The Tonight Show to pre-record his show earlier in the day (prior to Paar, The Tonight Show had always aired live), plus a discussion of how the controversy that led to Paar’s walk-off can be boiled down to who really controlled the content of The Tonight Show: Paar, the host, or NBC, the broadcaster? Audio courtesy ATVAudio.com.

TVC 677.2: From February 2012: Phil Gries shares more audio highlights from the Feb. 11, 1960 edition of The Tonight Show, including on-air reaction from co-host Hugh Downs and guests Orson Bean and Shelley Berman in the moments after host Jack Paar had walked off the air to protest NBC’s decision to edit out a joke that Paar had told on the previous night’s show. Also in this segment: Phil discusses that the role that Jonathan Winters played in convincing Paar to return to The Tonight Show (which Paar did on Mar. 7, 1960), plus Ed plays an clip from the interview that he and Phil did with Hugh Downs in September 2013 in which Downs reveals that, while he knew that Paar was going to quit prior to the taping of the Feb. 11, 1960 broadcast, he did not expect Paar to walk off at the beginning of the show. Audio courtesy ATVAudio.com.

TVC 677.3: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with Erica Gavin, the actress known around the world as the star of Vixen! (1968), the satiric sexploitation movie produced, directed, and co-written by Russ Meyer that none other than Roger Ebert once described as "the quintessential Russ Meyer film." Topics this segment how Erica initially clashed with Meyer over how to approach the famous “lesbian scene” in Vixen! between her and Vincene Wallace, and how she worked out a solution that ultimately pleased Meyer. Chuck Harter co-hosts.

TVC 677.4: Actress Erica Gavin talks to Ed and guest co-host Chuck Harter about the time when she and Russ Meyer both met film critic and future Meyer collaborator Roger Ebert for the first time while doing promotion for Vixen! (1968), how Erica had earned Meyer’s trust by convincing him to let her break the fourth wall while filming the final shot of Vixen, and how Meyer paid homage to Alfred Hitchcock by making a cameo appearance in the final scene of Vixen. Severin Films has just released Russ Meyer's Vixen!, Russ Meyer’s Supervixens, and Russ Meyer's Beneath the Valley of the Ultravixens on Blu-ray for the first time as part of a landmark partnership with the Russ Meyer Trust. The Blu-ray release of Vixen! includes more than three hours of extra features (including a brand-new audio commentary by Erica Gavin, plus archival interviews with Erica Gavin and Harrison Page), while both Supervixens and Beneath the Valley of the Ultravixens are likewise chockful of extra features.

TVC 677.5: Ed welcomes actor, author, playwright, and Emmy Award-winning producer Laurence Luckinbill (The Boys in the Band, The Delphi Bureau, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Lyndon, Hemingway, Teddy Tonight!, Clarence Darrow Tonight!). Larry's autobiography, Affective Memories: How Chance and The Theater Saved My Life, is a page-turning, brutally honest story of how Larry overcame a meager upbringing up in the Ozark Mountains to forge his way into a successful career as a working actor and playwright. While it includes a lot of great showbiz stories from Larry’s career on stage, film, and television, Affective Memories is really a book that transcends genres, evoking many classic American themes (one of which is finding redemption and a second lease on life through the love of a good woman), while also providing insight into what it means to be an actor, the healing power of the performing arts, and the lifetime discovery of what it means to be human. Among other topics this segment, Larry shares the story of how he came to write Teddy Tonight, his one-man show about the life of President Theodore Roosevelt, to illustrate how to find the “motor” that drives the particular story one wants to tell, be that as a play, a memoir, or a long-form work of fiction.

TVC 677.6: Actor and author Laurence Luckinbill (The Boys in the Band, The Delphi Bureau, Star Trek V, Affective Memories: How Chance and The Theater Saved My Life) shares a few memories of his years in Oakland, California, where he moved to be with his family in the 1950s; the many mentors in his life, including the Catholic nun who taught him to appreciate the power of words; and how he first came to learn the difference between a “movie horse” and a “horse” horse while filming an episode of Bonanza. Affective Memories is available wherever books are sold through Sunbury Press.

We'll be back with a brand new edition of TV Confidential later this week. In the meantime, please enjoy this clip from February 2015 in which Tony, Donna, and Ed remember Khan! (CBS, 1975), the short-lived yet controversial series starring Khigh Dheigh as a contemporary private eye who is reminiscent of Charlie Chan. Khan! premiered Feb. 7, 1975 as part of This Week in TV History.

TVC 676.1: An encore presentation of an edition from The Sounds of Lost Television that originally aired in September 2011 in which Phil Gries plays audio highlights from Jackie Gleason, the short-lived CBS prime talk show that The Great One hosted for two months in early 1961, and a show that was borne out of necessity following the demise of You're in The Picture, the infamous game show hosted by Gleason, which CBS canceled after its one and only broadcast on Jan. 20, 1961. This segment includes a clip from the famous on-air “apology” for You’re in the Picture (telecast Jan. 27, 1961), in which Gleason spent thirty minutes denouncing Picture as “the biggest bomb” in TV history, plus clips from Gleason’s subsequent interviews with Art Carney (telecast Feb. 17, 1961) and Gordon MacRae and Sheila MacRae (telecast Feb. 24, 1961). Audio courtesy ATVAudio.com.

TVC 676.2: From September 2011: Phil Gries plays a clip from Jackie Gleason’s interview with Bobby Darin on the Mar. 17, 1961 edition of Jackie Gleason, the short-lived prime talk show (CBS, 1961) that was borne out of necessity following the demise of You're in The Picture, the infamous game show hosted by The Great One that CBS canceled after its premiere broadcast on Jan. 20, 1961. This segment also includes audio from Darin’s appearance on Stage Show (CBS, 1954-1956), a music variety series produced by Gleason. Darin’s appearance on Stage Show marked his first national TV appearance. Audio courtesy ATVAudio.com.

TVC 676.3: Ed and guest co-host Chuck Harter welcome Erica Gavin, the actress known around the world as the star of Vixen! (1968), the satiric sexploitation movie produced, directed, and co-written by Russ Meyer that esteemed critic Roger Ebert once described as "the quintessential Russ Meyer film." Despite numerous attempts at censorship (including one of the first-ever X ratings and twenty-three separate U.S. prosecutions for obscenity), Vixen! became one of the top-grossing movies of 1968, forever changing the face of independent film making while remaining the creative template for Meyer’s unapologetic vision of American cinema. Topics discussed this segment include the various taboo issues that Meyer tackled in Vixen! (nymphomania, racism, communism, draft dodging, lesbianism, and incest) and how the maverick filmmaker was both of his time and ahead of his time. Severin Films has just released Russ Meyer's Vixen!, Russ Meyer’s Supervixens, and Russ Meyer's Beneath the Valley of the Ultravixens on Blu-ray for the first time as part of a landmark partnership with the Russ Meyer Trust. The Blu-ray release of Vixen! includes more than three hours of extra features (including a brand-new audio commentary by Erica Gavin, plus archival interviews with Erica Gavin and Harrison Page), while both Supervixens and Beneath the Valley of the Ultravixens are likewise chockful of extra features.

TVC 676.4: A return appearance by Jeffrey Sitcov, founder and president of Doors of Change, the non profit organization that uses arts and music to help keep teenage homeless youths off the streets (and, in many cases, find safe forever homes), and Lucie Arnaz, one of the celebrity spokespeople for Doors of Change. Topics this segment include the many partnerships that Jeffrey has forged with such music superstars as Billy Joel and Elton John to help create awareness of Doors of Change among the general public; some of the many “sustainable” services that Doors of Changes provides homeless teenagers beyond finding them shelter; and why the performing arts particularly resonates with “transitional age” (i.e., teenagers between the age of seventeen and twenty-four) homeless youth. To learn more about Doors of Change, including how you can become involved for as little as $18/month, go to DoorsofChange.org.

TVC 675.1: Ed welcomes back Julie Rogers Pomilia, granddaughter of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans and the author of Your Heroes, My Grandparents: A Granddaughter’s Love, the storybook tale of a little girl who just happened to have two famous relatives and who cherished every moment that she spent with them. Julie also worked very closely with Steve Nycklemoe, director of operations for The Hollywood Museum, in putting together the Happy Trails exhibit, honoring the life and legacy of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, that is currently on display at the Museum. In this segment, Julie shares memories of hunting and skeet shooting with her grandfather, discusses why family was always important to Roy and Dale, and why Roy always took his responsibility to his fans very seriously.

TVC 675.2: Julie Rogers Pomilia, granddaughter of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans and the author of Your Heroes, My Grandparents: A Granddaughter’s Love, talks to Ed about how why Roy Rogers and Dale Evans came to adorn their costumes with rhinestones; Dale’s prolific writing career, which included thirty songs and many songs (including “Happy Trails” and “The Bible Tells Me So”); and why Roy and Dale didn’t always comprehend the impact of their lives and career on the public at large. The Happy Trails exhibit at The Hollywood Museum features a host of never before seen personal items from the Roy Rogers collection, including an impressive array of vivid color movie posters, personal furniture made for Roy and Dale by actor George Montgomery, plus vintage photos, collectibles, costumes, merchandise, and more. For tickets and more information, go to TheHollywoodMuseum.com.

TVC 675.3: Ed’s guests are Emmy Award-winning actress, screenwriter, and novelist Louise Shaffer (Ryan’s Hope, Search for Tomorrow, The Edge of Night, All My Suspects, Talked to Death) and film and television historian Tom Lisanti (Talking Sixties Drive-In Movies, Carol Lynley: Her Film & TV Career in Thrillers, Fantasy and Suspense, Trippin’ with Terry Southern: What I Think I Remember, Dueling Harlows). Louise is among the four dozen alumni of Ryan’s Hope (ABC, 1975-1989) that Tom interviewed for his latest book, Ryan’s Hope: An Oral History of Daytime’s Groundbreaking Soap, everything you wanted to know about the Emmy Award-winning daytime drama, as told from the perspective of the people who brought you Ryan’s Hope. Topics this segment include why part of the appeal of Ryan’s Hope for viewers and performers alike was that it was very concrete; why series co-creator Claire Labine was such a great writer of dialogue; and why many of the actors on Ryan’s Hope bonded with each other because they shared a background working on the stage.

TVC 675.4: Emmy Award-winning actress Louise Shaffer (Ryan’s Hope) talks to Ed and guest co-host Tom Lisanti about the instrumental role that Ryan’s Hope co-creator Claire Labine played in helping Louise transition from acting to writing, and why Maeve Ryan, Helen Gallagher’s character on Ryan’s Hope, was the hardest character on the series for Louise or any other writer to write for. Other topics this segment includes Louise and Tom’s favorite storylines of Ryan’s Hope, plus Louise shares a few memories of working with Ben Gazzara on Run For Your Life. Louise is among the four dozen alumni of Ryan’s Hope that Tom interviewed for his latest book, Ryan’s Hope: An Oral History of Daytime’s Groundbreaking Soap.

TVC 675.5: From June 2016: Actress and author Charlotte Stewart (Little House on the Prairie, Twin Peaks, Little House in the Hollywood Hills) shares a few memories about working with David Lynch on both Twin Peaks and Eraserhead, plus she talks to Ed about the “David Lynch-like” approaching to directing that Neil Young took when Charlotte worked with Young on the film Human Highway. David Lynch passed away on Wednesday, Jan. 15 at age seventy-eight.

TVC 674.1: TV Confidential remembers Michael Schlesinger, the film executive and champion of classic movie restoration who was also the writer, producer, and director of The Misadventures of Biffle and Shooster, a collection of 1930s-style comedies—all starring Will Ryan and Nick Santa Maria—that pay homage to The Three Stooges, Abbott and Costello, Laurel and Hardy, and other vintage comedy teams from the Golden Era of Hollywood. Though filmed circa 2013, the sets, camera shots, attention to detail, and, above all, the performances of everyone involved in the Biffle and Shooster films are all so convincing, they look and sound as if they really were unearthed from the 1930s. Michael Schlesinger passed away Thursday, Jan. 9 at age seventy-four. In this segment, which originally aired in August 2018, Mike and Will join Ed and Greg Ehrbar for a conversation about the origin of the Biffle and Shooster characters (and how Mike came to be involved with them); the painstaking dedication to authenticity that Mike took to making the Biffle and Shooster shorts; and how Mike parlayed his friendships with such stars as Robert Forster, H.M. Wynant, and Robert Picardo into getting each of them to appear in the films.

TVC 674.2: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with singer, actor, producer, and entertainment legend Pat Boone. Pat stars, along with Michael Learned, Kevin Sorbo, Tom Wopat, and Dean Cain, in the biopic Our Crossroads, a true story of family and faith that is scheduled for release in July 2025. Pat and Kevin Sorbo also both play Thomas Jefferson in The American Miracle, another film that is slated for release later in 2025, while Pat can currently be seen in Reagan and Miracle in the Valley, both of which are available now for viewing on demand through Amazon Prime. Topics this segment include Pat’s longtime friendship with Elvis Presley, which began in 1956 and continued until the day The King died in 1977; why Elvis was terribly shy with most people when he wasn’t performing onstage; and the time that Elvis met evangelist Oral Roberts, which Pat had arranged at Elvis’ request.

TVC 674.3: Pat Boone talks to Ed about working with Shirley Jones in April Love, with Ann-Margret in State Fair, and with Barbara Eden in All Hands on Deck. Pat can currently be seen in Reagan and Miracle in the Valley, both of which are available now for viewing on demand through Amazon Prime, while Pat’s latest movies, Our Crossroads and The American Miracle, are both scheduled for release later in 2025.