TV Confidential with Ed Robertson

TVC 647.1: Ed welcomes back sixties movie historian Tom Lisanti (Talking Sixties Drive-In Movies, Dueling Harlows: The Race to Bring the Actress’s Life to the Silver Screen, Trippin’ with Terry Southern: What I Think I Remember, Ryan’s Hope: An Oral History of Daytime’s Groundbreaking Soap). Tom’s latest book, Carol Lynley: Her Film & TV Career in Thrillers, Fantasy and Suspense, takes a deep dive into the film and television career of Carol Lynley, with a particular focus on her work in the fantasy, suspense, and thriller genres. Topics this segment include why Lynley never had the sort of career trajectory that many critics felt she should have had, simply because the actress often chose to put her film career on hold, for one reason or another. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast edition of our program. They’re great to work with and will help you advertise on our show. Please email sales@advertisecast.com or click the link below to get started: https://www.advertisecast.com/TVConfidentialAradiotalkshowabout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TVC 647.2: Sixties movie historian Tom Lisanti (Carol Lynley: Her Film & TV Career in Thrillers, Fantasy and Suspense, Ryan’s Hope: An Oral History of Daytime’s Groundbreaking Soap) talks to Ed about how Carol Lynley always brought a depth to her characters that resonated with audiences; how Lynley did a lot of her own stunt work in The Poseidon Adventure, despite her fear of heights; why the character she played in the Night Stalker TV-movie from 1972 was not part of the original source material; and why Lynley turned down the opportunity to play Valene Ewing on Dallas in 1978. Carol Lynley: Her Film & TV Career in Thrillers, Fantasy and Suspense is available from Bear Manor Media. Ryan’s Hope: An Oral History of Daytime’s Groundbreaking Soap is available from Citadel Press. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast edition of our program. They’re great to work with and will help you advertise on our show. Please email sales@advertisecast.com or click the link below to get started: https://www.advertisecast.com/TVConfidentialAradiotalkshowabout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TVC 647.5: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with Johnny Whitaker, the actor known around the world as Jody Davis on Family Affair, Johnny Stuart on Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, and Tom Sawyer in Disney’s musical adaptation of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1973).Topics this segment include the role that John’s family played in helping him overcome his drug addiction; the work John does through his nonprofit organization, Paso por Paso, which helps monolingual Hispanics find treatment and recovery in their own language; and how John’s faith indirectly led to his landing his first TV commercial. Sigmund and the Sea Monsters is among the many classic shows from Sid and Marty Krofft that are now available for streaming on demand on the Sid and Marty Krofft Channel, which you can find on Midnight Pulp, Cineverse, The Dove Channel, and on your Roku device. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast edition of our program. They’re great to work with and will help you advertise on our show. Please email sales@advertisecast.com or click the link below to get started: https://www.advertisecast.com/TVConfidentialAradiotalkshowabout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TVC 647.6: Johnny Whitaker talks to Ed about his recent visit to the Mark Twain Cave Complex in Hannibal, Missouri, and how he was given the honor of being among the few people allowed to leave their mark in the caves; how thrilling it was to work with Elizabeth Montgomery on Bewitched; and the story of how Eva Gabor wanted to “adopt” John following his second appearance on Green Acres. Sigmund and the Sea Monsters is among the many classic shows from Sid and Marty Krofft that are now available for streaming on demand on the Sid and Marty Krofft Channel, which you can find on Midnight Pulp, Cineverse, The Dove Channel, and on your Roku device. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast edition of our program. They’re great to work with and will help you advertise on our show. Please email sales@advertisecast.com or click the link below to get started: https://www.advertisecast.com/TVConfidentialAradiotalkshowabout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TVC 647.7: Susan Silver, one of the first female television comedy writers and the author of Hot Pants in Hollywood: Sex, Secrets, and Sitcoms, brings her popular series of three-minute reviews and commentaries, Susan Says, to TV Confidential. This week: Susan shares a few thoughts on her relationship with her mom during this Mother’s Day weekend. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast edition of our program. They’re great to work with and will help you advertise on our show. Please email sales@advertisecast.com or click the link below to get started: https://www.advertisecast.com/TVConfidentialAradiotalkshowabout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TVC 646.4: Ed welcomes Johnny Whitaker, the actor known around the world as Jody Davis on Family Affair, Johnny Stuart on Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, and Tom Sawyer in the classic Disney musical adaptation of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1973). Sigmund and the Sea Monsters is among the many classic shows from Sid and Marty Krofft that are now available for streaming on demand on the new Sid and Marty Krofft Channel, which you can find on Midnight Pulp, Cineverse, The Dove Channel, and on your Roku device. Topics this segment include The Biscuit Eater (1972), one of several films that John made for Disney in the early 1970s, and the poignant story of how John learned, many years later, the significance of making that movie. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast edition of our program. They’re great to work with and will help you advertise on our show. Please email sales@advertisecast.com or click the link below to get started: https://www.advertisecast.com/TVConfidentialAradiotalkshowabout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TVC 646.5: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with five-time Emmy Award-winning writer, producer, and cultural critic John Barbour (Real People) and Carol Hoenig, the collaborator on John’s memoir, Your Mother’s Not a Virgin. Carol’s latest book, The Greatest Reviews I’ve Ever Read, is a collection of some of John’s many film reviews for Los Angeles magazine and KNBC-TV Los Angeles from the 1970s that also includes an ongoing, My Dinner with Andre-like conversation between John and Carol about how movies continue to shape and influence our culture. Topics this segment include why most movie adaptations of stage musicals do not succeed at the box office; how Neil Simon became one of John’s staunchest allies, even after John had panned the movie version of The Sunshine Boys; and why Deep Throat was the most difficult movie that John ever had to review. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast edition of our program. They’re great to work with and will help you advertise on our show. Please email sales@advertisecast.com or click the link below to get started: https://www.advertisecast.com/TVConfidentialAradiotalkshowabout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TVC 646.6: Five-time Emmy Award-winning writer, producer, and cultural critic John Barbour (Real People, Your Mother’s Not a Virgin) recalls the circumstances that led to Bob Hope’s appearance on John’s talk show John Barbour’s Half-Hour in December 1972, including the touching story of how Hope came to the studio that day by himself and applied his own makeup. Carol Hoenig’s latest book, The Greatest Reviews I’ve Ever Read, is a collection of some of John’s many film reviews for Los Angeles magazine and KNBC-TV Los Angeles from the 1970s that also includes an ongoing conversation between John and Carol about how movies continue to shape and influence our culture. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast edition of our program. They’re great to work with and will help you advertise on our show. Please email sales@advertisecast.com or click the link below to get started: https://www.advertisecast.com/TVConfidentialAradiotalkshowabout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TVC 645.1: Ed welcomes Tony Award-winning actress, director, and novelist Dinah Manoff (I Ought to Be in Pictures, Grease, Soap, Ordinary People, Empty Nest). Dinah’s new novel, The Real True Hollywood Story of Jackie Gold, gives readers a fast-paced, authentic look at life behind the red carpet while also asking the eternal question, “Does fame really matter?” Topics this segment include how Dinah based Jackie Gold on some of her own experiences dealing with paparazzi (as well as how the novel echoes the experiences of Britney Spear and Lindsay Lohan); why it was imperative that actors in a Neil Simon production perform his words verbatim; and why Dinah felt at home performing in Empty Nest because the series was filmed before a live audience. The Real True Hollywood Story of Jackie Gold is available through Star Alley Press, Amazon.com, Bookshop.com, and DinahManoff.org. The audiobook edition of Jackie Gold is available through Audible.com. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast edition of our program. They’re great to work with and will help you advertise on our show. Please email sales@advertisecast.com or click the link below to get started: https://www.advertisecast.com/TVConfidentialAradiotalkshowabout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TVC 645.3: From April 2012: Tony, Donna, and Ed look back at how television covered the riots that broke out in Los Angeles on Apr. 29, 1992. Because Tony and Donna did not live far from the flashpoint of the riots (the intersection of Florence and Normandy in Los Angeles), they had a first-hand view of the chaos that broke out, as it happened. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast edition of our program. They’re great to work with and will help you advertise on our show. Please email sales@advertisecast.com or click the link below to get started: https://www.advertisecast.com/TVConfidentialAradiotalkshowabout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TVC 645.3: From April 2012: Tony, Donna, and Ed discuss how TV news in Los Angeles has never been the same since coverage of the riots that broke out in Los Angeles on Apr. 29, 1992. Topics this segment include Rodney King’s famous “Can we all get along?” speech, calling for peace; why then-L.A. mayor Tom Bradley insisted that KNBC Channel 4, the NBC-TV affiliate in Los Angeles, pause its coverage at 8pm PT on the night of Apr. 30, 1992 to air the final episode of The Cosby Show; and how Bill Cosby himself made an appeal for peace at the end of the broadcast. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast edition of our program. They’re great to work with and will help you advertise on our show. Please email sales@advertisecast.com or click the link below to get started: https://www.advertisecast.com/TVConfidentialAradiotalkshowabout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TVC 645.4: Tony Award-winning actress, director, and novelist Dinah Manoff chats with Ed about being directed by Robert Redford in the Oscar-winning movie Ordinary People (and how she dramatized some of that experience in her novel, The Real True Hollywood Story of Jackie Gold); how Dinah herself became a director while starring in Empty Nest; and why Dinah’s mother, Oscar-winning actress and pioneering director Lee Grant, often faced an uphill battle as a film director until she found the world of documentary filmmaking. The Real True Hollywood Story of Jackie Gold is available through Star Alley Press, Amazon.com, Bookshop.com, and DinahManoff.org. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast edition of our program. They’re great to work with and will help you advertise on our show. Please email sales@advertisecast.com or click the link below to get started: https://www.advertisecast.com/TVConfidentialAradiotalkshowabout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TVC 645.5: Ed welcomes back five-time Emmy Award-winning writer, producer, talk show host, and cultural critic John Barbour (Real People) and Carol Hoenig, the collaborator on John’s memoir, Your Mother’s Not a Virgin. Carol’s latest book, The Greatest Reviews I’ve Ever Read, is a collection of some of John’s many film reviews for Los Angeles magazine and KNBC-TV Los Angeles from the 1970s that also includes an ongoing, My Dinner with Andre-like conversation between John and Carol about how movies continue to shape and influence our culture. Topics this segment include John’s unlikely path to becoming a movie critic; why American movies are part of the culture that shaped the world at large; and the many instances in which the people whose films John criticized the most (including Burt Reynolds, Bob Hope, and Neil Simon) often became his greatest allies. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered withnAdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast edition of our program. They’re great to work with and will help you advertise on our show. Please email sales@advertisecast.com or click the link below to get started: https://www.advertisecast.com/TVConfidentialAradiotalkshowabout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TVC 654.6: Five-time Emmy Award-winning writer, producer, and cultural critic John Barbour (Real People) and Carol Hoenig, the collaborator on John’s memoir, Your Mother’s Not a Virgin talk to Ed about how John was the first critic to review movies on TV news, paving the way for Siskel and Ebert and many, many film critics on television; why John believes that movies are the writer’s medium, not the director’s; and why, when we learn something that impacts us emotionally, we will never forget what we learned. Carol’s latest book, The Greatest Reviews I’ve Ever Read, is a collection of some of John’s many film reviews for Los Angeles magazine and KNBC-TV Los Angeles from the 1970s that also includes an ongoing, My Dinner with Andre-like conversation between John and Carol about how movies continue to shape and influence our culture. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast edition of our program. They’re great to work with and will help you advertise on our show. Please email sales@advertisecast.com or click the link below to get started: https://www.advertisecast.com/TVConfidentialAradiotalkshowabout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TVC 644.2: Greg Ehrbar discusses the Kino Lorber Blu-ray release of A Fish in the Bathtub (1998), an offbeat comedy starring Jerry Stiller, Anne Meara, Phyllis Newman, Bob Dishy, and Judy Graubart that also marks one of the few times that Stiller and Meara performed together on film (other than their series of commercials for Blue Nun wines). Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast edition of our program. They’re great to work with and will help you advertise on our show. Please email sales@advertisecast.com or click the link below to get started: https://www.advertisecast.com/TVConfidentialAradiotalkshowabout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TVC 644.2a: Greg Ehrbar discusses the Kino Lorber Blu-ray release of Alice in Wonderland (1933), the first sound-movie adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, featuring an all-star cast that includes Gary Cooper, Cary Grant, W.C. Fields, Edward Everett Horton, Charles Ruggles, Charlotte Henry, Sterling Holloway, and Jack Oakie. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast edition of our program. They’re great to work with and will help you advertise on our show. Please email sales@advertisecast.com or click the link below to get started: https://www.advertisecast.com/TVConfidentialAradiotalkshowabout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TVC 644.3: Greg Ehrbar reviews the Shirley Temple Storybook Collection, a six-DVD set featuring some of the best episodes of her popular Sunday night series, Shirley Temple’s Storybook (NBC, 1958-1959, 1960-1961). The DVD collection includes adaptations of such beloved children’s classics as The Little Mermaid, Winnie the Pooh, Babes in Toyland, Pippi Longstocking, Kim, The Reluctant Dragon, The Land of Oz, and Madeline, and features such stars as Jonathan Winters, Ray Walston, Martin Landau, Agnes Moorehad, Robert Culp, Sterling Holloway, Margaret Hamilton, John Raitt, David Frankham, and Jonathan Harris. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast edition of our program. They’re great to work with and will help you advertise on our show. Please email sales@advertisecast.com or click the link below to get started: https://www.advertisecast.com/TVConfidentialAradiotalkshowabout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TVC 644.4: Ed welcomes game show legend, radio host, actor, and novelist Jim MacKrell (Celebrity Sweepstakes, The Game Game, Run Maggie Run, Falen: Semper Fi, Down from the Mountain, Last Call with Jim MacKrell). Topics this segment includes Jim’s early career in radio (including being an on-air personality at KXOL/Fort Worth, Texas at the birth of “Top 40” radio); how our ability to communicate with each other is what makes us innately human; and why Jim describes his career path as “I did what came next.” Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast edition of our program. They’re great to work with and will help you advertise on our show. Please email sales@advertisecast.com or click the link below to get started: https://www.advertisecast.com/TVConfidentialAradiotalkshowabout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TVC 644.5: Game show legend and novelist Jim MacKrell talks to Ed about some of the people in the music industry whom he met when he worked for Henry Mancini, including Gordon Jenkins, Lou Rawls, Joe Saraceno, and Anita Kerr; why legendary Los Angeles Times sports columnist Jim Murray was the print equivalent to broadcast legend Vin Scully, in that both had an ability to connect with people in ways that transcended their respective mediums; why the word “spirit” simply speaks to who we are as human beings; and what he learned from being in the company of Peter Marshall and Tom Kennedy. Jim’s novels Down from the Mountain, Falen: Semper Fi, and Run Maggie Run are all available at Amazon.com and JMacKrell.com. Jim’s podcast, Last Call with Jim MacKrell, is available wherever you find podcasts. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast edition of our program. They’re great to work with and will help you advertise on our show. Please email sales@advertisecast.com or click the link below to get started: https://www.advertisecast.com/TVConfidentialAradiotalkshowabout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TVC 644.6: Game show legend and novelist Jim MacKrell talks to Ed about what makes the dog characters in his novels Down from the Mountain, Falen: Semper Fi, and Run Maggie Run such unusual protagonists. All three of Jim’s novels are available at Amazon.com and JMacKrell.com. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast edition of our program. They’re great to work with and will help you advertise on our show. Please email sales@advertisecast.com or click the link below to get started: https://www.advertisecast.com/TVConfidentialAradiotalkshowabout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices