TV CONFIDENTIAL: A radio talk show about television

TVC 730.4: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with two-time Emmy Award-winning writer and producer Robert Illes (The Carol Burnett Show, Sanford and Son, Fernwood Tonight, Lily, Silver Spoons, Sister, Sister). Bob's memoir, Funny is Money, is a humorous, irreverent, deeply personal, and often moving look at his forty-two-year career writing and producing comedy for network television. Topics this segment include "Lamont, Is That You?", the episode of Sanford and Son that marked Bob's first sale to a network sitcom; Joe and Sons (CBS, 1975), the first network series that Bob created (along with his longtime writing partner, James Stein); and Bob and Jim's experience writing for Fernwood Tonight (Synd., 1977) and America Tonight (Synd., 1978). Funny is Money is available in hardcover, paperback, and as a eBook through Bear Manor Media and Amazon.com.

TVC 730.5: Emmy Award-winning writer and producer Robert Illes talks to Ed about working with producer Alan Thicke behind the scenes of Fernwood Tonight; writing for Toni Tennille, Daryl Dragon, and John Byner on the Captain and Tennille variety series; and writing for Dick Van Dyke on what turned out to be the final season of The Carol Burnett Show. Bob's memoir, Funny is Money, is available in hardcover, paperback, and as a eBook through Bear Manor Media and Amazon.com.

TVC 730.6: Emmy Award-winning writer and producer Robert Illes talks to Ed about meeting and sometimes writing for many of the iconic performers that he grew up watching on TV as a kid; working on his own for the first time after a twenty-five year partnership with James Stein; and how Bob's solo career began with Sister, Sister and continued for another seventeen years. Bob's memoir, Funny is Money, is available in hardcover, paperback, and as a eBook through Bear Manor Media and Amazon.com.

TVC 729.1: Ed welcomes two-time Emmy Award-winning writer and producer Robert Illes (The Carol Burnett Show, Sanford and Son, Fernwood Tonight, Lily, Silver Spoons, Sister, Sister). Bob's memoir, Funny is Money, is a humorous, irreverent, deeply personal, and often moving look at his forty-two-year career writing and producing comedy for network television—a career that not only included such meteoric highs as winning those two Emmys in a span of four years, but which often had moments that left Bob wondering how to find his piece of ground in an industry that always seemed to be shifting. Funny is Money is available in hardcover, paperback, and as a eBook through Bear Manor Media and Amazon.com. Topics this segment include how Bob broke into TV writing (along with his longtime writing partner, James Stein) by working with George Schlatter and Digby Wolfe on Sing America Beautiful, a star-studded variety special headlined by Tennessee Ernie Ford; how Bob and Stein began their comedy career in radio, hosting a popular weekly show on KUSC-FM, the campus radio station for the University of Southern California; and why writing comedy for television is often a two-person job.

TVC 729.2: Emmy Award-winning writer and producer Robert Illes talks to Ed about how he and James Stein got their first big break in television when they wrote the weekly monologue for comedian Bill Cosby on The New Bill Cosby Show (CBS, 1972-1973); working with Tom and Dick Smothers on The Smothers Brothers Show (NBC, 1975) and with legendary comedy writer Pat McCormick on several TV shows; and how a funny moment with writer Stanley Ralph Ross when he and Bob worked together on The New Bill Cosby Show later became the inspiration for one of the Grandfather Stratton episodes of Silver Spoons (NBC, 1982-1987). Bob's memoir, Funny is Money, is available in hardcover, paperback, and as a eBook through Bear Manor Media and Amazon.com.

TVC 729.3: From March 2016: Tony, Donna, and Ed discuss the influence of comedian George Burns on two generations of TV comedy writers. George Burns died on Mar. 9, 1996 as part of This Week in TV History.

TVC 729.4: Ed welcomes back renowned actress, author, and conservationist Stefanie Powers (Hart to Hart, The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., One from the Hart). The United Nations recently honored Stefanie as an Agent of Change in recognition for her work with the William Holden Wildlife Foundation, the nonprofit organization that Stefanie established in 1982 in memory of her longtime life partner that continues and furthers the conservation work of William Holden in East Africa. Topics this segment include how Stefanie's passion for protecting animals and preserving wildlife stems from her early childhood; how Holden was never afraid to back from a challenge, when he was a young man; how Holden came to form the first-ever game ranch for the preservation of species in East Africa in 1950, long before the general public ever knew about conservationism; and the circumstances that led Stefanie to be cast as April Dancer in The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. Calendar year 2026 marks the sixtieth anniversary of the premiere of The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. March is Women's History Month, while Wednesday, Apr. 22 is Earth Day. Stefanie Powers is also profiled in Vision for the Future: Capturing Inspiring Stories from Leaders and Changemakers, a new anthology eBook that profiles twenty-five visionaries who not only are making a significant impact in their respective fields, but are dedicated to making the world a better place through hope, action, and lasting change. Vision for the Future is available for free at visionforthefuture.ai.

TVC 726.5: From March 2016: Tony, Donna, and Ed remember the premiere of the Emmy Award-winning drama Family (ABC, 1976-1980) as part of This Week in TV History.

TVC 726.6: From February 2014: Ed and guest co-host Phil Gries welcome Joe Franklin, the legendary TV talk show host whose popular weekday talk show, Joe Franklin's Memory Lane, not only aired every day on New York television for more than forty years (1950-1993), but was also broadcast nationally for many years on superstation WOR and syndicated in many other markets. This past Thursday, Mar. 12, 2026 would have been Franklin's 100th birthday.

TVC 726.7: Ed and guest co-host Phil Gries play more of their conversation with legendary TV talk show host Joe Franklin. Our conversation with Joe originally aired in February 2014, eleven months before his passing in January 2015. Thursday, Mar. 12, 2026 would have been Joe Franklin's 100th birthday.

TVC 728.1: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with authors, playwrights, and producers Anthony Wynn and Robert Wood. Tony and Bob's latest book, Two for the Road, chronicles the lifelong love story of Barry Morse and his wife of sixty years, actress Sydney Sturgess, as told through the many cards, letters, and audio recordings that Barry and Sydney sent to each other in the course of their marriage. Topics in this segment include Morse's lifelong friendship with playwright George Bernard Shaw; how he always took his work seriously, but never himself seriously; and his genuine affection and compassion for people. Two for the Road: The Lives and Love of Actors Barry Morse and Sydney Sturgess is available for purchase at Amazon.com in the U.S., Amazon.ca in Canada, and Amazon.co.uk in the UK, as well as many other online retailers. Anthony Wynn and Robert Wood also produced the short film The Return of Victor Bergman, which was recently released on Blu-ray by Anderson Entertainment as part of their Space 1999: Super Space Theatre Collectors Edition Blu-ray package. Barry Morse filmed this piece just before his death in 2008.

TVC 728.2: TV Confidential remembers Neil Sedaka, the Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, and pianist who sold millions of records worldwide and who wrote or co-wrote more than five hundred songs for himself and other artists in a career that spanned nearly seven decades. Neil Sedaka passed away Friday, Feb. 27 at the age of eighty-six. Because of the often symbiotic relationship between music and television, Neil Sedaka has been the subject of many conversations on TV Confidential, including this segment from June 2012 with Rich Podolksy about Aldon Music, the song publishing firm formed by Don Kirshner in 1958 that published more than two hundred hit records in a five year span, while also launching the careers of such artists as Bobby Darin, Connie Francis, Carole King, Howard Greenfield, and Neil Sedaka. Rich Podolsky's books on music history include Don Kirshner: The Man with The Golden Ear and Neil Sedaka: Rock 'n' Roll Survivor.

TVC 728.3: Our remembrance of Neil Sedaka continues with clips from our conversation from March 2024 with legendary music manager Harvey Lisberg about "Is This the Way to Amarillo," the Sedaka-penned song that became a huge hit in 1971 for British singer Tony Christie; from April 2016 with Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Toni Tennille about "Love Will Keep Us Together," the Sedaka tune that made superstars out of Captain and Tennille while also winning the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 1975; and from September 2025 with Ruta Lee about one of Sedaka's final public appearances, a surprise performance at Ruta's ninetieth birthday celebration in May 2025. Neil Sedaka passed away Friday, Feb. 27 at the age of eighty-six. Photo of Neil Sedaka courtesy Facebook.

TVC 728.4: Ed welcomes back actor, author, and documentary filmmaker James Rosin. Jim wrote, produced, and directed Philly Hoops, a deep dive into the early years of one of the NBA's most storied franchises, The Philadelphia Warriors (now the Golden State Warriors), that also traces the rise of professional basketball in the City of Brotherly Love, including the history of the Philadelphia SPHAs, the first professional basketball team in Philadelphia, and a look at the life and legacy of Eddie Gottlieb, the man who not only owned and operated the SPHAs, but was the original owner and coach of the Philadelphia Warriors franchise, not to mention one of the founders of the NBA. Philly Hoops is available on DVD through Amazon.com as well as MovieZyng.com.  

TVC 728.5: Actor, author, and documentary filmmaker James Rosin talks to Ed about Wilt Chamberlain's historic 100-point game for the Philadelphia Warriors, which occurred on Mar. 2, 1962 in Hershey, Pennsylvania (the Warriors beat the New York Knicks that night, 169-147); how many of the Warriors players during the first sixteen years of the franchise, including Chamberlain, had direct ties to the city of Philadelphia; and the sale of the Warriors to San Francisco in 1962. Jim's documentary Philly Hoops is available on DVD through Amazon.com as well as MovieZyng.com. Photo of Wilt Chamberlain by Paul Vathis and courtesy Wirephoto Archives.

TVC 728.6: Actor, author, and documentary filmmaker James Rosin talks to Ed about how the Philadelphia SPHAs, the first professional basketball team in Philadelphia, were also one of the best teams on the East Coast during the first part of the twentieth century, competing against—and often beating—some of the best teams in the country, including the Harlem Globetrotters; and how the SPHAs eventually morphed into the Washington Generals, the traveling exhibition team that became the Globetrotters' permanent perennial opponent. Jim's documentary Philly Hoops is available on DVD through Amazon.com as well as MovieZyng.com. Photo of the SPHAs courtesy Encylopedia of Greater Philadelphia.

TVC 727.1: Tony Figueroa and Donna Allen join Ed for an expanded edition of This Week in TV History that remembers Rob Reiner, the Emmy Award-winning actor and writer and Academy Award-nominated director and producer who died tragically on Dec. 14, 2025. Reiner was born on Mar. 6, 1947. The segment begins with Tony sharing a story about the circumstances that led him to spend an afternoon with Reiner about thirty years ago. Photo courtesy Newsday

TVC 727.2: Tony, Donna, and Ed discuss Rob Reiner's experience as a staff writer for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (CBS, 1967-1969), as well as some of Reiner's notable "non-Meathead" roles on television, including his guest appearances as Myrna's boyfriend Sheldn on The Odd Couple in September 1974 (in the episode that also marked Penny Marshall's final appearance as Myrna) and as second-rate pro football quarterback King Sturtevant in "The No-Cut Contract," an episode of The Rockford Files that originally aired in January 1976. Rob Reiner was born Mar. 6, 1947 as part of This Week in TV History.

TVC 727.3: Tony, Donna, and Ed discuss Rob Reiner's production company, Castle Rock Entertainment, which produced, among other things, the long-running sitcom Seinfeld; the role that Reiner played in bringing Michael McKean and David L. Lander to the attention of Garry Marshall, which led to Marshall casting McKean and Lander as Lenny and Squiggy on Laverne & Shirley; and Reiner's marriages to Penny Marshall and Michele Singer. Rob Reiner was born Mar. 6, 1947 as part of This Week in TV History. Photo courtesy Embassy Pictures

TVC 727.3a: Tony, Donna, and Ed discuss some of the lighter moments between Mike and Archie on All in the Family; why it was notable that many episodes of All in the Family took place on a Sunday; and how Rob Reiner created Norman Lear with recognizing that he could be funny on camera, even before his dad, Carl Reiner, did. Rob Reiner was born Mar. 6, 1947 as part of This Week in TV History.

TVC 727.4: Ed welcomes back authors, playwrights, and producers Anthony Wynn and Robert Wood. Tony and Bob worked closely with actor Barry Morse on numerous projects during the last thirteen years of Barry's life, including the publication of his memoir, Remember with Advantages, as well as two stage productions of A.R. Gurney's Love Letters featuring Barry Morse. Tony and Bob's latest book, Two for the Road, chronicles the lifelong love story of Barry Morse and his wife of sixty years, actress Sydney Sturgess, as told through the many cards, letters, and audio recordings that Barry and Sydney sent to each other in the course of their marriage. Two for the Road also includes the publication of the play that Tony and Robert wrote about Barry and Sydney (also called Two for the Road), which was first presented as a staged reading in 2017. Topics this segment include how Two for the Road, both the play and the book, is essentially the play Love Letters, tailored for Morse and Sturgess. Two for the Road: The Lives and Love of Actors Barry Morse and Sydney Sturgess is available for purchase at Amazon.com in the U.S., Amazon.ca in Canada, and Amazon.co.uk in the UK, as well as many other online retailers.

TVC 727.5: Barry Morse biographers Anthony Wynn and Robert Wood talk to Ed about how Morse helped start PAL, the Performing Arts Lodges of Toronto (the Canadian equivalent of the Motion Pictures Actors Home in Woodland Hill, CA), shortly after his wife, Sydney Sturgess, was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, as well as Morse's many efforts to raise funding for PAL throughout the last two decades of his life. Tony and Bob's latest book, Two for the Road: The Lives and Love of Actors Barry Morse and Sydney Sturgess, is available for purchase at Amazon.com in the U.S., Amazon.ca in Canada, and Amazon.co.uk in the UK, as well as many other online retailers.

TVC 727.6: Barry Morse biographers Anthony Wynn and Robert Wood share some behind-the-scenes stories about the benefit productions of Love Letters from 1995 (featuring Barry Morse and June Lockhart) and from 1999 (with Morse and Barbara Bain). Other topics this segment include how Morse considered the fans of Space: 1999 to be his "honorary grandchildren." Tony and Bob's latest book, Two for the Road: The Lives and Love of Actors Barry Morse and Sydney Sturgess, is available for purchase at Amazon.com in the U.S., Amazon.ca in Canada, and Amazon.co.uk in the UK, as well as many other online retailers. Tony and Bob also produced the short film The Return of Victor Bergman, which was recently released on Blu-ray by Anderson Entertainment as part of their Space 1999: Super Space Theatre Collectors Edition Blu-ray package. Barry Morse filmed this piece just before his death in 2008.

TVC 726.1: From February 2016: Tony, Donna, and Ed discuss the final episode of Shindig (ABC, 1964-1966) on Jan. 8, 1966, the premiere of Third Rock from the Sun (NBC, 1996-2001) on Jan. 9, 1996, and the premiere of Sam 'n' Henry on Chicago radio station WGN on Jan. 12, 1926. Created by and starring Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll, and considered by many to be the first situation comedy, Sam 'n' Henry was reworked two years later as the long-running but controversial series Amos 'n' Andy.

TVC 726.2: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with Hal Eisner, the multiple award-winning broadcast journalist who covered the news every day for fifty-eight years, including fifteen years at various radio stations in Texas and Louisiana and the last forty-three years on television in Los Angeles. Hal's memoir, An Accidental Career, is available through Amazon.com. Topics this segment include how Hal's encounters with such celebrities as Ed Asner and Roy Scheider; how news reporting is another form of storytelling; and how living in retirement can be like floating in a bowl of Jell-o. For our listeners in the Greater L.A. Metro area, Hal Eisner will appear at Vroman's Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena, CA on Wednesday, Mar. 4 beginning at 7pm.

TVC 726.3: Ed welcomes Jennifer Jones, the first African-American member of the world renowned Radio City Rockettes, and an award-winning performer who is celebrated for her pioneering achievements and unwavering advocacy for equal rights in the arts. Jennifer's memoir, Becoming Spectacular: The Rhythm of Resilience from The First African-American Rockette, not only tells the story of how she helped establish a transformative era for The Rockettes while inspiring other black dancers, but also recounts her triumphant battle against colorectal cancer in 2018. March is both Women's History Month and Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Becoming Spectacular is available wherever books are sold through Amistad Books, an imprint of HarperCollins. Topics this segment include how Jennifer's faith helped her overcome some of the challenges she faced during her early days with the Rockettes; how she knew, from a young age, that she wanted to perform on stage; and how conquering self-doubt is like peeling away layers of an onion. For our listeners in the Greater L.A. Metro area, Jennifer Jones' story is also included in This Joint is Jumpin', a new exhibit at The Hollywood Museum that honors the contributions of many notable black artists, singers, actors, writers, and sports figures, including Whitney Houston, Lena Horne, Denzel Washington, Ella Fitzgerald, The Pointer Sisters, Dionne Warwick, Forrest Whitaker, Wesley Snipes, Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor, Angela Bassett, Muhammad Ali, Will Smith, Halle Berry, Viola Davis, Diana Ross, and Oprah Winfrey. For tickets and more information: TheHollywoodMuseum.com

TVC 726.4: Jennifer Jones, the first African-American member of the Radio City Rockettes, talks to Ed about her battle against colorectal cancer in 2018 (including the importance of having the right medical team for her); how she came to write her children's book, On the Line; how she came to create the Dancing Jenn doll; and how she first dreamed of dancing on stage when she was nine years old, after seeing The Wiz on Broadway. March is both Women's History Month and Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Both Jennifer's memoir, Becoming Spectacular, and her children's book, On the Line, are available through HarperCollins and Amazon.com, while the Dancing Jenn doll is available through Wal-Mart. For our listeners in the Greater L.A. Metro area, Jennifer Jones' story is also included in This Joint is Jumpin', a new exhibit at The Hollywood Museum that honors the contributions of many notable black artists, singers, actors, writers, and sports figures. For tickets and more information: TheHollywoodMuseum.com

TVC 725.1: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with Harvey Lisberg, the legendary music manager who shaped the careers of such iconic artists as Herman's Hermits, 10cc, and Tony Christie. Topics this segment include why Herman's Hermits did not tour the United States during the last three years when they were together; how changing trends in the music industry ultimately played a role in the band's demise; and why Don Kirshner respected Harvey's uncanny ability to recognize a hit record. Harvey's memoir, I'm Into Something Good: My Life Managing 10cc, Herman's Hermits, and Many More, is available wherever books are sold through Omnibus Press. Chuck Harter co-hosts.

TVC 725.2: Harvey Lisberg, manager of Herman's Hermits, talks to Ed and guest co-host Chuck Harter about the important role that radio played in the band's rise to the top of the charts; Harvey's favorite songs of Herman's Hermits; and why Peter Noone continues to be a true showman to this day. Harvey's memoir, I'm Into Something Good, is available wherever books are sold through Omnibus Press.

TVC 725.3: From January 2012: Award-winning television writer/producer Larry Brody talks to Ed about some of the ways in which television has changed since he first broke in as a writer in the late 1960s; Larry's experience working on Barnaby Jones, The Streets of San Francisco, and other shows produced by Quinn Martin; and why the medical drama House also serves as an illustration for how the television industry works.

TVC 725.4: Ed welcomes Hal Eisner, the multiple award-winning broadcast journalist who covered the news every day for fifty-eight years, including fifteen years at various radio stations in Texas and Louisiana and the last forty-three years on television in Los Angeles, primarily as a field reporter for FOX 11, but also for KCOP (Channel 13) and, for a few years, as a reporter for the L.A. bureau of CNN. Hal's memoir, An Accidental Career, is available through Amazon.com. Topics this segment include how Hal's ability to connect immediately with the people whose lives he covered—a trait he got from his dad—has served him well throughout his career, even in difficult circumstances; the power of organic reporting; and why Hal chose to remain in Los Angeles and cover local news after his tenure at CNN ended. For our listeners in the Greater L.A. Metro area, Hal Eisner will appear at Vroman's Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena, CA on Wednesday, Mar. 4 beginning at 7pm.

TVC 725.5: Award-winning broadcast journalist Hal Eisner talks to Ed about the day in March 2021 when he was nearly killed after being struck by a drunk driver while covering a story in Hollywood—and the remarkable role that social media played in helping him get back on his feet. Hal's memoir, An Accidental Career, is available through Amazon.com. For our listeners in the Greater L.A. Metro area, Hal Eisner will appear at Vroman's Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena, CA on Wednesday, Mar. 4 beginning at 7pm.

TVC 724.1: Ed welcomes back Harvey Lisberg, the legendary music manager who shaped the careers of such iconic artists as Herman's Hermits, 10cc, and Tony Christie. Harvey's memoir, I'm Into Something Good, a captivating journey through the golden era of music, is available wherever books are sold. Topics this segment include what made Herman's Hermits different from most other British bands of the 1960s; how "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter" began as a novelty song before becoming one of the band's biggest hits; and why the band's first appearance on television was "a disaster." Chuck Harter co-hosts.

TVC 724.2: Harvey Lisberg, manager of Herman's Hermits, talks to Ed and guest co-host Chuck Harter about the band's brief foray into motion pictures in the mid 1960s (including Where The Boys Meet the Girls and Hold On!), and why the band's voices, particularly on the harmonies of their songs, was critical to their success. Harvey's memoir, I'm Into Something Good: My Life Managing 10cc, Herman's Hermits, and Many More, is available wherever books are sold through Omnibus Press.

TVC 724.3: Harvey Lisberg, manager of Herman's Hermits, talks to Ed and guest co-host Chuck Harter about why Hold On! (1966), the first movie starring Herman's Hermits, is "a poor man's A Hard Day's Night; how frontman Peter Noone handled the band's sudden burst to fame when he was just sixteen; and why the music of Herman's Hermits was never as respected in England as it was in the United States. Harvey's memoir,  I'm Into Something Good: My Life Managing 10cc, Herman's Hermits, and Many More, is available wherever books are sold through Omnibus Press.

Please enjoy this special preview of our upcoming conversation with Jennifer Jones, the first African-American member of the world renowned Radio City Rockettes, and an award-winning performer who is celebrated for her pioneering achievements and unwavering advocacy for equal rights in the arts. Jennifer's memoir, Becoming Spectacular: The Rhythm of Resilience from The First African-American Rockette, not only tells the story of how she helped establish a transformative era for The Rockettes while inspiring other Black dancers, but also recounts her triumphant battle against colorectal cancer in 2018. February is Black History Month. March is both Women's History Month and Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Becoming Spectacular is available wherever books are sold through Amistad Books, an imprint of HarperCollins. Our complete conversation with Jennifer Jones will air during the weekend of Feb. 27 on TV Confidential.  For our listeners in the Greater L.A. Metro area, Jennifer Jones' story is also included in This Joint is Jumping, a new exhibit at The Hollywood Museum that honors the contributions of many notable Black artists, singers, actors, writers and sports figures, including Whitney Houston, Lena Horne, Denzel Washington, Ella Fitzgerald, The Pointer Sisters, Dionne Warwick, Forrest Whitaker, Wesley Snipes, Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor, Angela Bassett, Muhammad Ali, Will Smith, Halle Berry, Viola Davis, Diana Ross, and Oprah Winfrey. This Joint is Jumping becomes open to the public on Friday, Feb. 19. For tickets and more information: TheHollywoodMuseum.com

We took a few days off, but we'll be back with a brand new edition of TV Confidential later this week. In the meantime, please enjoy this Blast from the Past clip from February 2016 in which Tony, Donna, and Ed discuss the television career of Sandy Duncan (Funny Face, The Hogan Family) as part of This Week in TV History. Sandy Duncan was born on Feb. 20, 1946.

TVC 723.6: From July 2020: Actor, author and acting teacher Basil Hoffman (Acting and How to Be Good at It, Cold Reading and How to Be Good at It) talks to Ed about how Jim Hutton and James Garner were two of the many actors he worked with who happened to be tall; how Richard Benjamin and Alan J. Pakula are examples of "actor first" directors (and how Steven Spielberg and the Coen Brothers exemplify "camera first" directors); and how Basil also happened with a number of actors who were father and son, including Jim Hutton and Timothy Hutton and Carl Reiner and Rob Reiner. Basil Hoffman passed away on Sept. 17, 2021.

TVC 723.1: Ed welcomes Glenn Stewart, an adjunct professor at Westfield State University (Westfield, Massachusetts) whose background in media includes twenty-five years in radio, both as an on-air personality and as a station programmer for many stations across the United States. Glenn's new book, Columbo Explains the Seventies: A TV Cop's Pop Culture Journey, asks the question, "If you sealed all forty-five episodes of the original Columbo (NBC, 1971-1978) in a time capsule and unearthed them one hundred years later, what would those episodes of Columbo tell us about the culture of the 1970s?" Columbo Explains the Seventies is available through Bonaventure Press and Amazon.com. Topics this segment include how the original Columbo is more a clash of styles versus a study in class conflict; how social capital is portrayed in Columbo; and the extent to which the series reflects the melting pot of Los Angeles in the 1970s.

TVC 723.2: Glenn Stewart, author of Columbo Explains the Seventies, discusses some of the differences between the original Columbo (NBC, 1971-1978) and the revival of Columbo in the 1990s (ABC, 1989-2003), and how one of his goals for the book is to get readers to revisit the NBC series. Columbo Explains the Seventies is available through Bonaventure Press and Amazon.com.

TVC 723.3: Glenn Stewart, author of Columbo Explains the Seventies, talks to Ed about Patrick McGoohan's peculiar relationship with Columbo as an actor, writer, and director. While McGoohan starred in two of the very best episodes of the original Columbo ("By Dawn's Early Light," "Identity Crisis") and one of the better episodes of the ABC series ("Agenda for Murder"), he also contributed to some of the problems that plagued Columbo in the 1990s (including, most notably, the episode "Murder with Too Many Notes"). Columbo Explains the Seventies is available through Bonaventure Press and Amazon.com.

TVC 723.4: Ed welcomes Barry Pearl, the award-winning actor, director, and producer known to musical lovers around the world as "Doody" in Paramount's iconic film Grease (1978), although Barry's association with Grease dates back to the early 1970s (and continues to this day). Barry is getting ready to direct a new stage production of I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, a witty, honest and affectionate look at modern love that is also the longest running revue in off-Broadway history. I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change runs Wednesday, Feb. 18 through Sunday, Mar. 8 at the International City Theatre in Long Beach, CA. For tickets and more information, call (562) 436-4610 or go to InternationalCityTheatre.org. Topics this segment include how Barry learned the Viola Spolin method of improv while working with actor/director Howard Storm; why fearlessness is at the essence of all improvisational acting; and Barry's experience directing Sid Caesar in a stage production of Oliver! in the early 1970s. The International City Theatre is located at the Beverly O'Neill Theater at The Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center 330 East Seaside Way, in Long Beach, CA 90802.

TVC 723.5: Actor, director, and producer Barry Pearl talks to Ed about teaching improv to special needs students at Inclusion Films (the film company, run by Joey Travolta, that teaches and employs people in the film industry who have developmental and physical disabilities); how actor and director Jerry Paris mentored Barry when Barry first came out to Los Angeles in the mid 1970s; Barry's experience working with Don Rickles on CPO Sharkey in 1976; and how being eliminated from the cast of Sharkey in the spring of 1977 turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because it set into motion the events that led Barry to be cast as Doody in Grease. Barry Pearl is getting ready to direct a new stage production of I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change that will run Wednesday, Feb. 18 through Sunday, Mar. 8 at the International City Theatre (located at the Beverly O'Neill Theater at The Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, 330 East Seaside Way, in Long Beach, CA 90802). For tickets and more information, call (562) 436-4610 or go to InternationalCityTheatre.org.

TVC 722.1: From January 2016: James Bigwood joins Ed for a look at the life and career of Alan Napier (1903-1988), the British actor best known to three generations of TV viewers as Alfred the butler on Batman. Jim is co-author of Not Just Batman's Butler: The Autobiography of Alan Napier, a combination memoir, biography and filmography that is largely based on a manuscript that Napier wrote himself in 1969. Jim first learned about this manuscript in 1975, when he interviewed Napier for Films in Review. Over the ensuing years, he helped flesh out the manuscript (including the chapters on the last twenty years of Napier's life) and eventually got it published. January 2026 marks the sixtieth anniversary of the premiere of Batman. Not Just Batman's Butler is available through McFarlandPub.com. You can also order it by calling (800) 253-2187. Audio clips of Alan Napier heard in this segment courtesy of Jeffrey Vance.

TVC 722.2: James Bigwood, co-author of Not Just Batman's Butler: The Autobiography of Alan Napier, talks to Ed about what an eloquent writer Alan Napier was; the variety of characters that Napier played in his stage and film career; and how Napier was often cast as older men (even when he was young) because of his height. Not Just Batman's Butler is available through McFarlandPub.com. You can also order it by calling (800) 253-2187. Audio clips of Alan Napier heard in this segment courtesy of Jeffrey Vance.

TVC 722.3: James Bigwood, co-author of Not Just Batman's Butler: The Autobiography of Alan Napier, talks to Ed about how Alan Napier overcame a stammer when he was a child; why he likely enjoyed wearing the Batsuit on Batman when asked to do so; and Napier's various collaborations with John Houseman and Orson Welles for radio, film, and television. Not Just Batman's Butler is available through McFarlandPub.com. You can also order it by calling (800) 253-2187. Audio clips of Alan Napier heard in this segment courtesy of Jeffrey Vance.

TVC 722.4: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with Mark Malkoff, host of the award-winning Carson Podcast and the author of Love Johnny Carson: One Obsessive Fan's Journey to Find The Genius Behind the Legend, a deep dive into Johnny Carson's thirty-year reign as host of The Tonight Show. Topics this segment include why the act of Carson inviting young comedians to join him on the couch after performing their set had a much greater impact in Los Angeles than when the show was based in New York; how Doc Severinsen became Johnny's band leader in 1967; why Ed McMahon's relationship with Carson was "friendly, yet fearful"; and the back story behind the night in December 1976 when Carson barged onto the set of Don Rickles' NBC series C.P.O. Sharkey (which was taping next-door to The Tonight Show) after realizing that Rickles had broken the cigarette box on Carson's Tonight Show desk the night before. Love Johnny Carson is available wherever books are sold through Dutton Books.

TVC 722.5: Ed welcomes Cam Clarke, one of the youngest members of The King Family, and one of the busiest voice actors in the entertainment industry today. Cam's new book, Now They're All Here: The King Family, Over 100 Years of Entertainment From America's First Family of Song is an oral history that not only traces The King Family's imprint on entertainment over the past century (spanning the worlds of vaudeville, radio, record albums, musical films from the 1940s, and live venues all over the world), but, in many respects, also serves as a King family album. Now They're All Here is available through Rare Bird Books as well as Amazon.com. Topics this segment include how the King Family musical act started on a Christmas morning in Utah; the back story behind the title of the book; the connection between The King Family and Alvino Rey, the bandleader who was also one of the inventors of the electric guitar; and the connection between Cam's father, actor Robert Clarke, and actress/director Ida Lupino.

TVC 722.6: Voice actor Cam Clarke, author of Now They're All Here: The King Family, Over 100 Years of Entertainment From America's First Family of Song, talks to Ed about his accidental path to becoming a voice actor; how he was mentored as a voice artist by Michael Bell; and why a voice actor should "never audition with something you can't sustain." Now They're All Here is available through Rare Bird Books as well as Amazon.com.

TVC 720.3: From December 2015: Tony, Donna, and Ed commemorate the premiere of Magnum, p.i. (CBS, 1980-1988) and the birthday of TV talk show legend Phil Donahue as part of This Week in TV History.

TVC 721.2: Ed welcomes Mark Malkoff, host of the award-winning Carson Podcast and the author of Love Johnny Carson: One Obsessive Fan's Journey to Find The Genius Behind the Legend, a deep dive into Johnny Carson's thirty-year reign as host of The Tonight Show that includes interviews with more than four hundred Tonight Show personnel, including staff members, production people, writers, friends, and such Tonight Show guests as Carol Burnett, Mel Brooks, Bob Saget, Larry King, Michael J. Fox, Paula Poundstone, Loni Anderson, and many, many others. Love Johnny Carson is available wherever books are sold through Dutton Books. Topics this segment include the prominent role that Carson's second wife, Joanne, played in helping Johnny become host of The Tonight Show in 1962; how powerful Joanne was behind the scenes of The Tonight Show, especially during the New York years; and how a surprise appearance by Red Skelton on Carson's Coffee Break, a five-minute show that Carson hosted for Los Angeles station KNXT in the early 1950s, changed the trajectory of Johnny's career