TV CONFIDENTIAL: A radio talk show about television

TVC 703.1: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with Joseph Atkins, author of Harry Dean Stanton: Hollywood's Zen Rebel, a deep dive into the life and times of the angular-faced character actor who became a leading man in the 1980s (most notably, with Paris, Texas and Repo Man). Topics this segment include how the success of Paris, Texas paved the way for Stanton's singing career (even though his music background stemmed from his upbringing in Kentucky); the back story of how Stanton came to play Roman Grant in Big Love; how Sam Shepard was instrumental in director Wim Wenders casting Stanton in Paris, Texas; and how the word “Zen” came to be associated with Stanton. Harry Dean Stanton: Hollywood's Zen Rebel is available through University Press of Kentucky as well as Amazon.com.

TVC 703.3: From August 2018: Chuck Harter joins Ed for Part 2 of our look at the era of pop music TV shows from the mid to late 1960s. Topics this segment include The Lloyd Thaxton Show, a popular weekday afternoon show featuring teenagers dancing to hit records, plus guest appearances by such top artists as The Byrds, The Turtles, Jan and Dean, and Sonny and Cher. Originally produced for local television in Los Angeles, The Lloyd Thaxton Show became nationally syndicated in 1964.

TVC 703.4: From August 2018: Chuck Harter and Ed continue their look at nationally syndicated pop music TV shows from the mid to late 1960s. In this segment, we focus on Shebang (hosted by Casey Kasem), Hollywood a Go Go (aka Ninth Street West), Shivaree, and Groovy.

TVC 703.5: Ed welcomes back award-winning producer, director, and author Joseph Wallenstein (Knots Landing, Hotel, Seventh Heaven, Flynn vs. Miranda, Nothing Dies for Film), longtime director of physical production for the USC School of Cinematic Arts (where he helped oversee more than 15,000 student film projects without a single injury), and now host of the new podcast Whatcha Know Joe? Topics this segment include how Joe first became involved with USC. Whatcha Know Joe? is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever else you find podcasts.

TVC 703.6: Award-winning producer, director, and author Joseph Wallenstein talks to Ed about how Knots Landing producer Michael Filerman helped him become a director. Joe's podcast, Whatcha Know Joe?, is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever else you find podcasts.

We'll be back with a brand new edition of TV Confidential later this week. In the meantime, please enjoy this clip from August 2012 in which Tony, Donna, and Ed remember the life and career of Groucho Marx and the broadcast history of You Bet Your Life.

TVC 702.1: From August 2018: Chuck Harter joins Ed for Part 1 of a three-part look at Shindig, Hullabaloo, Where the Action Is and other national and syndicated pop music TV shows of the mid to late 1960s—a genre that not only showcased such popular groups as The Kinks, The Righteous Brothers, Herman's Hermits, Darlene Love, Paul Revere and The Raiders, and Ike and Tina Turner, but which broke ground insofar as many of these shows were produced specifically for young viewers.

TVC 702.2: From August 2018: Chuck Harter and Ed continue their look at national, syndicated, and (in a few cases) locally produced pop music TV shows of the mid to late 1960s. Topics this segment include the back story of Hullabaloo, NBC's answer to Shindig, which premiered in January 1965.

TVC 702.3: From August 2018: Chuck Harter and Ed discuss the on-air history of Where the Action Is (ABC, 1965-1967), a weekday afternoon music series, created by Dick Clark, that featured such artists as James Brown, Herman's Hermits, and Paul Revere and The Raiders.

TVC 702.4: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with Joseph Dougherty, author of Comfort and Joi, and Alexis Hunter, author of Joi Lansing: A Body to Die For, about the life and career of singer/actress Joi Lansing. Topics this segment include how Joi's third husband, producer Stan Todd, not only helped Joi launch her nightclub singing career, but stepped up for both Joi and Alexis, particularly during Joi's battle with breast cancer. Comfort and Joi is available from Tucker DS Press, while Joi Lansing: A Body to Die For is available from Bear Manor Media.

TVC 702.5: Ed welcomes Joseph Atkins, author of Harry Dean Stanton: Hollywood's Zen Rebel, a deep dive into the life and times of the angular-faced character actor who not only became a leading man in the 1980s (most notably, with Paris, Texas and Repo Man), but was also an accomplished singer and musician. Joe's book includes interviews with such Harry Dean Stanton contemporaries as Nehemiah Persoff, L.Q. Jones, Dabney Coleman, Dennis Quaid, directors Alex Cox and Wim Wenders, as well as many members of Stanton's family. Harry Dean Stanton: Hollywood's Zen Rebel is available through University Press of Kentucky as well as Amazon.com. Topics this segment include how Stanton was arguably more authentic in his expression of The Method than any other actor; how he came to Hollywood in the 1960s hoping to leave his mark as a movie actor, but was pragmatic enough to recognize that television offered a lot of opportunities to find work; and how Stanton became frustrated near the end of the 1960s when contemporaries like Jack Nicholson and Warren Oates began finding leading roles, while he did not.

TVC 702.6: Joseph Atkins, author of Harry Dean Stanton: Hollywood's Zen Rebel, talks to Ed how director Monte Hellman cast Stanton frequently in his movies, yet never saw him as a lead; how Stanton and Alex Cox, director of Repo Man, did not always see eye to eye during the early production of that movie; and how the soundtrack of Repo Man kept the film in the public eye. Harry Dean Stanton: Hollywood's Zen Rebel is available through University Press of Kentucky as well as Amazon.com.

TVC 700.1: Emmy Award-winning writer, director, and producer Joseph Dougherty and author and artist Alexis Hunter join Ed for the first of a special two-part look at the life and career of Joi Lansing, the legendary Blonde Bombshell best known for her pin-up photos, her frequent work in movies and television throughout the '50s and '60s, and her successful nightclub singing act. Joe's latest book, Comfort and Joi, is a part-biography, part-filmography, and part-appreciation of Joi Lansing that makes the case that Lansing was not only a much better actress than people gave her credit for, but could make even a seven-second silent bit in which she appears on the far edge of the frame interesting to watch just because she was in it. Alexis is the author of Joi Lansing: A Body to Die For, an intimate memoir of Alexis's four-year relationship with Lansing, a period that coincided with the last four years of Joi's life before she died from breast cancer in August 1972. Joi and Alexis had to keep their relationship secret, partly because of the pressure Joi felt to maintain her public image as the ultimate object of desire for men, and partly because the public at large in 1969 was not as accepting of intimate relationships between two members of the same sex as they are today. Topics this segment include the many karmic coincidences that brought Joe and Alexis together (as well as the many ways in which their books complement each other); how Joi honed her comedic skills while working with Lucille Ball and Bob Cummings; and Joi's experience working with Orson Welles not only in Touch of Evil, but in the award-winning comedy-drama Fountain of Youth.

TVC 701.2: Joseph Dougherty, author of Comfort and Joi, and Alexis Hunter, author of Joi Lansing: A Body to Die For, talk to Ed about the many times in which producer Al Simon and actress Nancy Kulp crossed paths with Joi Lansing; Joi's notable television appearances, including her recurring role as Gladys Flatt in The Beverly Hillbillies; and Hot Cars (1956), a film noir thriller that, in many respects, marked Joi's most prominent appearance on the big screen other than Touch of Evil. Comfort and Joi is available from Tucker DS Press, while Joi Lansing: A Body to Die For is available from Bear Manor Media.

TVC 701.3: From August 2016: Steve Binder, Emmy Award-winning producer and director and the co-author, along with Mary Beth Leidman, of Fade Up 26: The Movers and Shakers of Variety Television, talks to Ed about the controversy involving Petula Clark and Harry Belafonte behind the scenes of Clark's 1968 special for NBC, and why both The Ed Sullivan Show and The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour really shaped the genre of variety television as we know it today.

TVC 701.4: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with 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!). Topics this segment include how Larry and Mart Crowley, author of The Boys in the Band, had more in common with each other than either had realized; and the night when Larry saw actor Charles Laughton perform passages from the classics—a transformative experience that helped Larry on his path to becoming an actor. Larry's autobiography, Affective Memories: How Chance and The Theater Saved My Life, is available wherever books are sold through Sunbury Press.

TVC 701.5: 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) talks to Ed about working with writer/producer Sam Rolfe on The Delphi Bureau (ABC, 1972-1973); how Larry's portrayal of Glenn Garth Gregory as a “reluctant hero” was a first for American dramatic television (beating out James Garner's reluctant hero Jim Rockford by two years); and the invaluable lesson about blocking that Larry learned from William Roderick when they starred together in the national stage tour of A Man for All Seasons. Larry's autobiography, Affective Memories, is available wherever books are sold through Sunbury Press.

TVC 701.6: Actor and author Laurence Luckinbill talks to Ed about why St. Thomas More, the protagonist of Robert Bolt's award-winning play A Man for All Seasons, was one of the true disciples of Christ. Larry's autobiography, Affective Memories: How Chance and The Theater Saved My Life, is available wherever books are sold through Sunbury Press. Larry Luckinbill's A History and a Quest is a mini documentary that provides a primary lesson in fundamental civics and a history of why America exists and why true democracy matters. The complete piece runs about forty minutes and is well worth watching. Larry Luckinbill's A History and a Quest is available right now for viewing on demand for free on the Lucie Arnaz Official YouTube Channel.

TVC 701.7: From August 2022: Chuck Harter shares a poignant memory of a scene that he witnessed at a Washington, D.C. tavern on Aug. 16, 1977, the day that Elvis Presley died.

TVC 700.1: From August 2016: Ed welcomes Steve Binder, Emmy Award-winning producer and director (Diana Ross: Live in Central Park, Elvis: The 1968 Comeback Special, The T.A.M.I. Show) and the co-author, along with Mary Beth Liedman, of Fade Up 26: The Movers and Shakers of Variety Television, an oral history of variety television, as told through the voices of the men and women who were and are responsible for bringing these shows into our homes for the past sixty-five years.

TVC 700.2: From August 2016: Steve Binder, Emmy Award-winning producer and director and the co-author, along with Mary Beth Leidman, of Fade Up 26: The Movers and Shakers of Variety Television, talks to Ed about working with Dwight Hemion on the pop music series Hullabaloo (NBC, 1965-1966). Gary Smith, Hemion's longtime producing partner, passed away on Saturday, July 19 at the age of ninety.

TVC 700.3: Via remote from Las Vegas: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with Morgan White, Jr., longtime late night radio personality for WBZ AM-FM/Boston, author of many books on a variety of subjects, and the Undisputed King of Trivia. Topics this segment include the back story of Morgan came to wear his trademark black leather cowboy hat; how he came to be immortalized in two of the works of artist John Wilson, including the statue Father and Child Reading on the campus of Roxbury Community College; and how he was once considered to audition for the role of Hawk in Spenser: For Hire. You can listen to Morgan every Saturday at 10pm ET on WBZ AM-FM/Boston.

TVC 700.4: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with Kathleen Bradley, the first African-American model to join ranks with Barker's Beauties on The Price is Right, and the actress known around the world as Mrs. Parker in Friday. Topics this segment include Kathleen's years traveling the world as a member of the female soul and disco group The Love Machine; the time when director Oliver Stone met with Kathleen to discuss her playing a role in one of his films; and why, in many respects, Kathleen can be considered “the Jackie Robinson of The Price is Right.” Kathleen's memoir, Backstage at The Price is Right, is available both at Amazon and at KathleenBradley.tv.

TVC 700.5: Ed back 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!). Topics this segment include why both the original stage production and the original theatrical release of The Boys in the Band are literature in the truest sense of the word; Larry's detailed recall of many of the events he depicts in his autobiography, Affective Memories: How Chance and The Theater Saved My Life; and why Larry, by his own admission, was a “bad boy” for most of his formative years, until he was finally given direction. Affective Memories is available wherever books are sold through Sunbury Press.

TVC 700.6: 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) talks to Ed about the many times in which providence has played a role in his life, including a pivotal night at the end of his first year as a pre-med student at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. Larry's autobiography, Affective Memories, is available wherever books are sold through Sunbury Press.

Please enjoy this special bonus edition of the TV Confidential podcast honoring the memory of Loni Anderson, the actress known around the world as Jennifer Marlowe on WKRP in Cincinnati. Loni Anderson passed away Sunday, Aug. 3 at age seventy-nine. While we never had the opportunity to interview her directly on TV Confidential, Loni Anderson did appear on our program—kinda sorta—in September 2019, when we brought you remote coverage of the Opening Night ceremonies of a special exhibit at the Hollywood Museum honoring Barbara Eden. Loni Anderson was one of the guest speakers that night. She not only shared a few memories of her forty-plus-year friendship with Barbara Eden (which began when the two of them appeared as guests on a Bob Hope special), but—as you're about to hear—she described Barbara Eden as "the real bombshell in the audience." Photo of Loni Anderson courtesy Hanson & Schwam PR

TVC 699.1: An encore presentation of a conversation from May 2015 with Mick Martin, the longtime blues artist and radio host who enjoyed a parallel successful career as film critic for The Sacramento Union and other newspapers. Mick Martin passed away on Sunday, July 13 at age seventy-six. Mick interviewed hundreds of actors and musicians, including Clint Walker, Jack Kelly and Christopher Lee, while his books included Video Movie Guide, a guide to movies and TV shows available on home entertainment that Mick published annually for many years, and Them Ornery Mitchum Boys, a joint biography of actors Robert Mitchum and John Mitchum.

TVC 699.2: From May 2015: Blues artist, radio host, and film historian Mick Martin and Ed discuss why John Mitchum, the younger brother of Robert Mitchum, was something of a “Hard Luck Harry” until his memorable role opposite Clint Eastwood in the original Dirty Harry. Other topics this segment include a look at such other notable character actors as Andrew Robinson, Richard Farnsworth, and Wilford Brimley; why Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones are really “character actors” at heart; and why Lonesome Dove remains one of Mick's favorite movies. Mick Martin passed away on Sunday, July 13 at age seventy-six.

TVC 699.3: Via remote from Las Vegas: Ed welcomes Morgan White, Jr., longtime late night radio personality for WBZ AM-FM/Boston, author of many books on a variety of subjects, and the Undisputed King of Trivia. Besides his deep roots in radio, Morgan has hosted live improv trivia shows, both in Boston and in other parts of the country, for more than forty-five years—and, as you're able to hear, no one else approaches the subject of trivia quite like he does. You can listen to Morgan every Saturday at 10pm ET on WBZ AM-FM/Boston.

TVC 699.4: Via remote from Las Vegas: Longtime Boston radio personality Morgan White, Jr. talks to Ed about meeting some of his animation heroes, including Daws Butler, Jay Ward, Bill Scott, and June Foray; how both Matt Damon and Ben Affeck were regular listeners of his late night show, before they became stars; and how Morgan became dear friends with one of his TV heroes, David McCallum. You can listen to Morgan every Saturday at 10pm ET on WBZ AM-FM/Boston.

TVC 699.5: Ed welcomes Kathleen Bradley, the first African-American model to join ranks with Barker's Beauties on The Price is Right, and the actress known around the world as the as the voluptuous Mrs. Parker in the 1995 cult comedy Friday. Kathleen recently reunited with Ice Cube, one of her co-stars in Friday, on the set of Ice Cube's music video for “It's My Ego.” (Kathleen appears prominently in several scenes of the video; she is the stylishly dressed churchgoer in the blue dress and blue wide-brimmed hat.) Topics this segment include how Ice Cube personally requested that Kathleen play Mrs. Parker in Friday; why it was something of a miracle that Kathleen landed the role of Mrs. Parker, considering that the producers of The Price is Right made it difficult for her and other Barker's Beauties to audition for parts in movies and other TV shows; and why making Friday itself was also something of a miracle. Kathleen's memoir, Backstage at The Price is Right, is available both at Amazon and at KathleenBradley.tv.

TVC 699.6: Actress, supermodel, speaker, and author Kathleen Bradley talks to Ed about working with some of the other cast members of Friday, including Bernie Mac, Regina King, Tiny Lister, and John Witherspoon. Calendar year 2025 marks the thirtieth anniversary of the release of Friday. Kathleen's memoir, Backstage at The Price is Right: Memoirs of a Barker Beauty, is available both at Amazon and at KathleenBradley.tv.

TVC 698.1: Ed welcomes Taylor Blackwell, the writer, director, and star of It Happened, the award-winning short biopic about legendary comedienne Judy Tenuta. It Happened was made with the cooperation and financial support of the Judy Tenuta Legacy, which also allowed Taylor to use Judy's actual accordion in the film, as well as wear Judy's jewelry, accessories, flowers, feather boas, and wardrobe. Topics this segment include how Taylor came to make the film, how she channeled Judy's voice in the course of her performance, and how she was mentored by Burt Reynolds early in her acting career. If you run a film festival, or know someone who does, and may be interested in including It Happened: The Judy Tenuta Story, contact Taylor Blackwell at tayblackwell@gmail.com. 

TVC 698.5: Ed welcomes Kiki Ebsen, youngest daughter of Buddy Ebsen, and an accomplished singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist in her own right. Kiki will perform her Joni Mitchell Tribute show at the Festival of Arts/Pagent of the Masters in Laguna Beach, CA on Saturday, July 26. She'll also be part of the Al Jarreau Band Reunion Show at Southcoast Winery in Temecula, CA on Sunday, Sept. 14 beginning at 7pm. For more details on these and other events on Kiki's calendar, go to the Calendar page at KikiEbsen.com. Topics this segment include how Kiki's independent spirit stems from her father; Kiki's approach to songwriting; why being an artist is a lifelong experience. Photo of Kiki Ebsen by Cliff Lipson. Photo courtesy KikiEbsen.com

TVC 698.6: Singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist Kiki Ebsen talks to Ed about the tapestry of stories available in The Great American Songbook; how Kiki's lifelong passion for horses led her to start The Healing Equine Ranch, a nonprofit organization whose equine-assisted services integrates yoga philosophy, natural horsemanship principles, and trauma-informed science to create a profound connection between humans and horses; and how Kiki was once nearly strangled to death by the reins of a horse while taking Lee Meriwether's daughters out for a ride. Kiki will perform at the Festival of Arts/Pagent of the Masters in Laguna Beach, CA on Saturday, July 26 and at Southcoast Winery in Temecula, CA on Sunday, Sept. 14. For details on these and other events on Kiki's calendar, go to the Calendar page at KikiEbsen.com.   Photo of Kiki Ebsen by Cliff Lipson. Photo courtesy KikiEbsen.com

A special preview of our upcoming conversation with actress, supermodel, author, and speaker Kathleen Bradley (The Price is Right, Friday, Backstage at The Price is Right). Our complete interview with Kathleen will air coast to coast on our AM/FM stations during the weekend of July 25, then will become available for listening on demand as a podcast beginning Monday, July 28.

Via remote from Las Vegas: A special preview of our upcoming conversation with Morgan White Jr., longtime late night radio personality for WBZ AM-FM/Boston, author of many books, and the Undisputed King of Trivia. Besides his deep roots in radio, Morgan has hosted live trivia shows, both in Boston and in other parts of the country, for more forty-five years---and, as you're able to hear, no one else approaches trivia like he does. Our complete conversation with Morgan will air coast to coast during the weekend of July 25, then will become available for listening on demand as a podcast beginning Monday, July 28. 

A special preview of our upcoming conversation with Taylor Blackwell, the writer, director, and star of It Happened, the award-winning short biopic about legendary comedienne Judy Tenuta. Our complete conversation with Taylor will air during the weekend of July 18, then becomes available as a podcast on Monday, July 21. If you run a film festival, or know someone who does, and may be interested in including It Happened: The Judy Tenuta Story, contact Taylor Blackwell at tayblackwell@gmail.com.  

TVC 697.1: Ed welcomes back Rich Manley, world-renowned “adventure illusionist” and the writer, producer, director, and host of Culture Shock: Bridging Cultures Through Magic, the popular series on Tubi that communicates the energy, humility, and compassion of people coming together through the shared experience of magic. The first season of Culture Shock is available for viewing on demand on Tubi, while the series was also recently renewed for a second season. Rich's live stage show, Journal of Mystery, comes to The Wiggle Room at the Loews Hollywood Hotel in Hollywood, California on Saturday, July 12, with performances at other venues to follow. Keep up with Rich at ExpeditionRich.com.

From June 2023: Ed and Greg Ehrbar look back at the music and television career of Bobby Sherman as part of a conversation about the home entertainment release of Here Come the Brides (ABC, 1968-1970). Though Sherman first came into prominence as the house singer on Shindig (ABC, 1964-1966), the success of Here Come the Brides made him a teen idol, not to mention a gold-selling recording artist. Bobby Sherman passed away on Tuesday, June 24 at the age of eighty-one. 

We'll be back with a brand new edition of TV Confidential later in July. In the meantime, please enjoy this clip from Lune 2011 in which Tony, Donna, and Ed remember The Bicentennial Minutes (CBS, 1974-1976), a series of one-minute educational television segments, produced by CBS News, that every night aired in prime time (usually at the end of the 8pm hour) to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the American Revolution. The series premiered on July 4, 1974 and was originally scheduled to end on July 4, 1976, but continued to run until the end of the bicentennial year, 1976.

TVC 696.4: Via remote from Davenport's Restaurant in Encino, California: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with Robert Crane, co-author, along with Christopher Fryer, of Three-Cornered Circle, is a screen play released in book form that is also an adaptation of one of the most poignant stories of Bob and Chris' book Crane: Sex, Celebrity, and My Father's Unsolved Murder: the period in Bob's life when he had to juggle the biggest break of his career at the time—being hired as right-hand man for movie superstar John Candy—with the tragic news that Bob's wife at the time, artist and landscape designer Kari Hildegrand, has been diagnosed with cancer.  Joining Bob and Ed at Davenport's are commercial artist John Cerney, who did the cover art and other illustrations that appear in Three-Cornered Circle, and Meagan Bejar, the managing editor of the book. Topics this segment include how Bob first met John Candy while interviewing him and the other cast members of SCTV for Playboy magazine, how Candy embodied the Second City philosophy of “Yes, and…,” and how Candy was a sweet man with a huge heart who always did his best to take care of his family and the people who were closest to him. Three-Cornered Circle is available through Kill Fee Publishing.

TVC 696.5: Via remote from the back patio of Davenport's Restaurant in Encino, California: Robert Crane, John Cerney, and Meagan Bejar talk to Ed about Bob's experience with dealing with tragedy and loss; why “closure” is a media term; how John Candy came from a humble background, after losing his father when he was five; and how Candy once lobbied NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana to play for the Toronto Argonauts in the CFL when Candy co-owned that team. Bob's latest book, Three-Cornered Circle, which he co-authored with Christopher Fryer, is available through Kill Fee Publishing.

TVC 696.6: Christopher Fryer, co-author, along with Robert Crane, of Three-Cornered Circle, shares a few of his favorite stories about his encounters with John Candy, including the time when he, Bob, Candy, and then-NBC broadcaster Bob Costas were all stuck in the same car together along the Garden State Parkway while heading for a concert in New Jersey. Three-Cornered Circle is available through Kill Fee Publishing.

A special preview of our upcoming interview with Kiki Ebsen, youngest daughter of Buddy Ebsen, and an accomplished singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist in her own right. Kiki will perform an evening of jazz standards at the G Spot jazz venue in Los Angeles on Sunday, July 6 beginning at 7pm. Our complete conversation with Kiki will air during the weekend of July 18 on TV Confidential, then will become available for listening on demand as a podcast on Monday, July 21.  Photo of Kiki Ebsen by Cliff Lipson. Photo courtesy KikiEbsen.com

TVC 695.1: Ed welcomes Academy Award-nominated director and animator Bill Kroyer (FernGully: The Last Rainforest, Tron, Technological Threat). The title of Bill's memoir, Mr. In-Between: My Life in the Middle of the Animation Revolution, is a play on words: He began his career in animation drawing something known as “in-betweens,” while the story arc of his career in animation happens to coincide with the many changes in the landscape of animation that have occurred over the past five decades. Mr. In-Between is available wherever books are sold through CRC Press. Topics this segment why working in animation is a “God-like” profession; the generosity in spirit among animators in general; how a chance meeting with legendary Warner Bros. animator Chuck Jones in Chicago circa 1974 inspired Bill to try his luck in Hollywood; plus Bill's early experiences in television working with producer Glen Larson and Stephen J. Cannell.

TVC 695.2: Academy Award-nominated director and animator Bill Kroyer talks to Ed about what an “in-between” is in animation; why it took more than the success of Tron, the first feature motion picture to integrate computer-generated imagery, for CGI to take off; what led Bill into directing; and how he came to work with Mick Jagger on the music video for “Hard Woman,” one of the first videos to use CGI software that implemented movement. Bill's memoir, Mr. In-Between: My Life in the Middle of the Animation Revolution, is available wherever books are sold through CRC Press.

TVC 695.4: Via remote from the back patio of Davenport's Restaurant in Encino, California: Ed welcomes back Robert Crane, eldest son of Hogan's Heroes star Bob Crane, and the author or co-author of several books on movies and television, including My UnHollywood Family, Hollywood Plateau, Jack Nicholson: The Early Years, Bruce Dern: Things I've Said, But Probably Shouldn't Have: An Unrepentant Memoir, and Crane: Sex, Celebrity, and My Father's Unsolved Murder (the last three of which were collaborations with Bob's longtime writing partner,  Christopher Fryer). Bob and Chris' latest book, Three-Cornered Circle, is a screen play released in book form that is also an adaptation of one of the most poignant stories of the Crane book: the period in Bob's life when he had to juggle the biggest break of his career at the time—being hired as right-hand man for movie superstar John Candy—with the tragic news that Bob's wife at the time, artist and landscape designer Kari Hildegrand, has been diagnosed with cancer. Three-Cornered Circle is available through Kill Fee Publishing. Also joining Bob and Ed at Davenport's are commercial artist John Cerney, who did the cover art and other illustrations that appear in Three-Cornered Circle, and Meagan Bejar, the managing editor of the book.

TVC 695.5: Ed welcomes back Christopher Fryer, co-author, along with Robert Crane, of Three-Cornered Circle and other books on movies and television. Topics this segment include how Chris and Bob worked together on Crane: Sex, Celebrity, and My Father's Unsolved Murder (and, to some degree, on Three-Cornered Circle); the importance of using dialogue to conveying the emotion necessary to drive the story when writing for the screen; and why there can never any “closure” when someone you truly love suddenly dies. Three-Cornered Circle is available through Kill Fee Publishing.

TVC 694.1: Ed welcomes back Tom Lisanti, renowned historian of sixties cinema, and the author of such books as Carol Lynley: Her Film & TV Career in Thrillers, Fantasy and Suspense and Ryan's Hope: An Oral History of Daytime's Groundbreaking Soap. Tom's recent books include Dueling Harlows: The Race to Bring the Actress's Life to the Silver Screen, everything you wanted to know about the two major motion pictures released in 1965 about screen legend Jean Harlow—both of which happened to be named Harlow—and the highly publicized efforts by rival producers Bill Sargent and Joseph Levine to out-do each other. Sargent's Harlow, a quickly made independent movie starring Carol Lynley, was filmed in black and white, using Sargent's patented technology Electronovision. Levine's Harlow, a big budget biopic starring Carroll Baker, was filmed in color for Paramount Pictures. Both Harlows were originally released within a few weeks of each other in 1965; both are available now on home entertainment. Dueling Harlows is available from McFarlandPub.com. Topics this segment include why the Lynley/Sargent Harlow is much better than what the original reviews would suggest; how Lynley originally signed on because Judy Garland was attached to the project, only to remain stuck on it once Garland quit; and why the real-life story of Harlow herself generated such interest in movie makers. 

TVC 694.2: Tom Lisanti, author of Dueling Harlows: The Race to Bring the Actress's Life to the Silver Screen, talks to Ed about his forthcoming oral history of the brief period in which the daytime soap Another World (NBC, 1964-1999) expanded from sixty minutes in length to ninety minutes.