TV CONFIDENTIAL: A radio talk show about television

TVC 689.1: Part 2 of a conversation that began two programs ago with Dore Page, author of Leslie Stevens Goes to Hollywood: Daystar Productions, Kate Manx and the Making of Private Property, a deep dive into the life and career of the maverick television writer and producer best known as the creator of The Outer Limits that particularly focuses on the making of Private Property  (1960), the New Wave-style erotic thriller starring Corey Allen, Warren Oates, and Stevens' wife at the time, Kate Manx. April 2025 marked the 65th anniversary of the release of Private Property. In this segment, Ed, Dore, and guest co-host Chuck Harter discuss the mysterious nature of Manx's death in November 1964, as well as the reasons why Private Property was branded as “indecent” at the time it was originally released—even though the subject matter is quite tame when viewed through a contemporary lens. Leslie Stevens Goes to Hollywood is available through McFarland Books.

TVC 689.2: Dore Page, author of Leslie Stevens Goes to Hollywood: Daystar Productions, Kate Manx and the Making of Private Property, talks to Ed and guest co-host Chuck Harter about Stoney Burke (ABC, 1962-1963), the “art house” look at the lives of 20th-century rodeo riders starring Jack Lord, Bruce Dern, and Warren Oates and produced by Leslie Stevens that ABC canceled after one season—despite garnering a 38 share—partly because the show was considered too ethereal for sponsors to get behind. Other topics this segment include how Warren Oates' character on Stoney Burke can be considered a forerunner to Angel Martin (the character that Stuart Margolin later played on The Rockford Files), and how Stevens came to pattern his independent production company, Daystar Productions, after Quinn Martin Productions once Stevens decided to focus on developing projects for television. Leslie Stevens Goes to Hollywood is available through McFarland Books.

TVC 689.3: Ed welcomes back singer, actress, and philanthropist Ruta Lee (High Rollers, Witness for the Prosecution, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Consider Your Ass Kissed). Ruta will celebrate her ninetieth birthday this coming Friday, May 30 with an evening of song and stories at the Debbie Reynolds Main Stage at the historic El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood. Proceeds for the evening will support The Thalians, the charitable organization to which Ruta has dedicated much of her life over the past sixty years, and which to date has raised has raised more than $50 million for mental health related causes. (NOTE: Though Ruta's performance on May 30 has sold out, you can still make a donation to The Thalians in any amount by going to Thalians.org.) Among other topics this segment, Ruta shares a few memories of co-starring opposite Patrick O'Neal in “A Short Drink from a Certain Fountain,” an episode of The Twilight Zone from 1963 that Ruta considers one of her all-time favorite television performances, not only because of the character she played, but for the opportunity to perform the words of the great Rod Serling. Ruta also tells Ed why her experience filming Sergeants 3 (1962) with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop—and hanging out with the Rat Pack in general—ranks as her “favorite time in life.”

TVC 689.4: Entertainment legend Ruta Lee talks to Ed about how she landed her role in Witness for the Prosecution after producer Arthur Hornblow Jr. spotted her in the audience at a Frank Sinatra concert; why it's important to recognize those moments in life when a benefit happens, and to be grateful for that benefit; the story of Dean Martin's playful nickname for Ruta; and the great compliment that playwright and composer Meredith Willson (The Music Man, The Unsinkable Molly Brown) paid Ruta when he first saw her play Molly Brown on stage at Casa Manana in Texas. Ruta Lee will celebrate her ninetieth birthday on Friday, May 30 with an evening of song and stories at the Debbie Reynolds Main Stage at the historic El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood. Proceeds will support The Thalians, the charitable organization to which Ruta has dedicated much of her life over the past sixty years. Though the May 30 performance has sold out, you can still donate to The Thalians by going to Thalians.org.

TVC 688.1: TV Confidential remembers longtime radio host, author, recording artist, and game show legend Wink Martindale (Gambit, Debt, Tic Tac Dough, Winking at Life, “Deck of Cards”) with a special program-length tribute to the man who became synonymous with the words “emcee” and “host.” Wink Martindale passed away on Tuesday, Apr. 15, 2025 at the age of ninety-one. In this segment, Steve Beverly, retired professor of broadcast journalism at Union University in Jackson, TN (the hometown of Wink Martindale), game show historian, and the host of Steve Beverly's TV Classics, talks to Ed about Martindale developed his skills as a “quality ad-libber” early in his career by doing play-by-play for high school sports broadcasts; how he was often a de facto producer on the set of his game shows, always adapting to changing conditions in the format of the game (particularly in moments when things when awry); and why, unlike most broadcasters, Martindale was never afraid to take a risk by going to a bigger market. Steve Beverly recently re-aired Wink Comes Home, a 90-minute special that he hosted in November 2007 at Union University in which Wink discussed his life and career and took questions from the studio audience, as part of Steve Beverly's TV Classics. That episode is now available for viewing on demand on your smartphone, tablet, or laptop by going to EPlusTV6.com or, if you have the PBS app, typing in West TN PBS, where you'll find Steve Beverly's TV Classics on the drop-down menu of Local Shows.

TVC 688.2: Steve Beverly, retired professor of broadcast journalism at Union University in Jackson, TN (the hometown of Wink Martindale), game show historian, and the host of Steve Beverly's TV Classics, talks to Ed about how Wink never lost sights of his roots in Jackson, TN; how the success of the Martindale version of Tic Tac Dough in the 1970s forever changed the public perception of that particular game show (because the original Tic Tac Dough had been tarnished by the quiz show scandal of the late 1950s); and how Martindale's Tic Tac Dough really took off in syndication in 1979, becoming the No. 1. syndicated game show (after failing on CBS the year before), with the “Ken Jennings-like” success of contestant Thom McKee. Also in this segment: Steve and Ed discuss the new version of Tic Tac Dough, hosted by Brooke Burns, which premiered on Game Show Network on Apr. 14, 2025. Wink Martindale passed away on Tuesday, Apr. 15, 2025 at age ninety-nine. Steve Beverly recently re-aired Wink Comes Home, a 90-minute special that he hosted in November 2007 at Union University in which Wink discussed his life and career and took questions from the studio audience, as part of Steve Beverly's TV Classics. That episode is now available for viewing on demand on your smartphone, tablet, or laptop by going to EPlusTV6.com or, if you have the PBS app, typing in West TN PBS, where you'll find Steve Beverly's TV Classics on the drop-down menu of Local Shows.

TVC 688.3: Longtime television announcer Randy West joins Ed as TV Confidential continues its special program-length tribute to game show legend Wink Martindale. Randy was Wink's announcer on five game shows for the Family Channel, including Trivial Pursuit, Boggle, and Jumble. Among other topics in this segment, Randy mentions what he believes are the two reasons for Martindale's great success: his roots in Middle America (which Wink never forgot), and his genuine love for people, which particularly showed during Wink's interactions with the contestants on his various shows. Wink Martindale passed away on Tuesday, Apr. 15, 2025 at age ninety-nine.

TVC 688.4: Randy West, Wink Martindale's announcer on five game shows for the Family Channel, talks to Ed about Wink's career as a spoken-word recording artists (including “Deck of Cards,” “Heavenly Child,” and “I Stand for Everyone”). He also shares a funny story about Wink and Mary Steck, the cue card lady on Trivial Pursuit, that gives you a window into who Martindale was a person. Wink Martindale passed away on Tuesday, Apr. 15, 2025 at age ninety-nine.

TV Confidential continues its program-length tribute to Wink Martindale by bringing you an encore presentation of Wink's appearance on our program in December 2018. Topics this segment include how Wink taught himself how to become an announcer when he was a kid by reading ads from Life magazine aloud; the back story of "Deck of Cards," the spoken word recording that Wink first released in 1959 and which has sold than three million copies ever since; the many ways in which providence has played a role in Wink's life; and how Wink learned more about the nuances of hosting a game show from Dan Enright, co-executive producer of Tic Tac Dough, than from anyone else. Wink Martindale passed away on Tuesday, Apr. 15, 2025 at age ninety-one.

From December 2018: Wink Martindale talks to Ed about why game shows remain a popular form of entertainment on television; the importance of matching the right host with the right game format; how Wink happened to be at radio station WHBQ in Memphis, TN on the night of July 8, 1954, when deejay Dewey Phillips played an Elvis Presley record ("That's All Right, Mama") on the radio for the very first time; and how Wink also met Elvis for the first time that night when the King was summoned to the station, starting a friendship that continued until Presley's death in 1977. Wink Martindale passed away on Tuesday, Apr. 15, 2025 at age ninety-one.

TVC 687.1: Ed and guest co-host Chuck Harter welcome Dore Page, author of Leslie Stevens Goes to Hollywood: Daystar Productions, Kate Manx and the Making of Private Property, a deep dive into the life and career of Leslie Stevens—the maverick television writer and producer whom most of us know best as the creator of The Outer Limits—that particularly focuses on Stevens' early career as a playwright (including the Broadway production of The Marriage Go-Round); the back story of Daystar Productions, the production company that Stevens formed with Stanley Colbert, which Stevens intended to be the first truly independent TV and film production company; and the making of Private Property (1960), the New Wave-style erotic thriller that Stevens made for relatively little money, but which went on to gross several million dollars—despite being flagged as indecent at the time it was originally released. Dore's book also explores the tragic life of stage actress Kate Manx, Stevens' wife at the time he made Private Property. Though Manx made a brief splash in Hollywood after the release of Private Property, her film and TV career never got off the ground, while the actress herself died under mysterious circumstances in November 1964. Leslie Stevens Goes to Hollywood is available through McFarland Books.

TVC 687.2: Dore Page, author of Leslie Stevens Goes to Hollywood: Daystar Productions, Kate Manx and the Making of Private Property, talks to Ed and guest co-host Chuck Harter about the fragile mix of ambition, frustration, and insecurity that comprised the psyche of actress Kate Manx, and the extent to which depression may have factored into the circumstances leading up to Manx's death in November 1964. Leslie Stevens Goes to Hollywood is available through McFarland Books.

TVC 687.3: Peter Ford, son of screen legends Glenn Ford  and Eleanor Powell and the author of Glenn Ford: A Life, talks to Ed about how his dad used his star power to hire directors and actors on Cade's County (CBS, 1971-1972) with whom he'd worked before, including George Marshall, Leo Penn, Edgar Buchanan, Barbara Rush, and Broderick Crawford; how James Woods saved Peter's life in 1976 while the two of them filmed a scene together for “Sins of Thy Father,” an episode of Barnaby Jones; and some of the notable people who hired Peter during his twenty-year career as a building contractor, including Don Simpson, Frank Gehry, Blake Edwards, George Clooney, Sally Kellerman, Mary Kay Place, and Steve Tisch. Glenn Ford: A Life is available wherever books are sold through University of Wisconsin Press.

TVC 686.1: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with Laurel and Hardy historian Randy Skretvedt. Chuck Harter co-hosts. Topics this segment include what first sparked Randy's interest in Laurel and Hardy; Randy's favorite scene in March of the Wooden Soldiers; and why Wooden Soldiers remains so popular, more than ninety years after its original release. Randy's latest book, March of the Wooden Soldiers: The Amazing Story of Laurel & Hardy's Babes in Toyland, is available from Bonaventure Press.

TVC 686.2: Peter Ford, son of screen legends Glenn Ford and Eleanor Powell, helps Ed celebrate the seventieth anniversary of the release of Blackboard Jungle, the iconic film from 1955 that not only starred Glenn Ford as a young English teacher in an inner-city high school, but which prominently featured the song “Rock Around the Clock” in its soundtrack, putting Bill Haley and the Comets on the map while also launching the era of rock 'n' roll music. Peter Ford was just ten years old when Blackboard Jungle was released, yet he played a very prominent role in getting his dad and director Richard Brooks to integrate “Rock Around the Clock” into Blackboard Jungle—indeed, Little Stevie van Zandt once credited Peter as being the catalyst for one of the seminal moments in rock 'n' roll history. Peter Ford is also the author of Glenn Ford: A Life, an intimate look at the life and times of one of our finest screen actors.

TVC 686.3: Peter Ford, son of screen legends Glenn Ford and Eleanor Powell and the author of Glenn Ford: A Life, talks to Ed about working with his dad and Edgar Buchanan on Cade's County (CBS, 1971-1972), including the back story for why the series did not last more than one season; how Peter became a reserve deputy for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department a few years after Cade's County ended; and how both he and Bobby Sherman once appeared together as bachelors (Peter, reluctantly so) on a segment of The Dating Game. Glenn Ford: A Life is available wherever books are sold through University of Wisconsin Press.

From August 2014: Authors Paul Green and Mary Ann Anderson join Ed for a look back at the life and career of Jeffrey Hunter. Paul's book Jeffrey Hunter: The Film, Television, Radio and Stage Performances is a comprehensive look at the actor best known for his starring roles as Martin Pawley in The Searchers, Christopher Pike in the original pilot episode of Star Trek, and Jesus Christ in Nicholas Ray's King of Kings. Mary knew Jeffrey Hunter; her mother, actress Emily McLaughlin, married Hunter just three months before he died in May 1969. By all acccounts, Jeffrey Hunter was not only highly respected as an actor, but a genuinely nice person. His sudden death age at forty-two was a shock to everyone who knew him and left many wondering what direction his life and career would have taken, had he lived.

TVC 685.1: Ed and guest co-host Chuck Harter welcome author, voice artist, radio host, and Laurel and Hardy historian Randy Skretvedt. Randy's latest book, March of the Wooden Soldiers: The Amazing Story of Laurel & Hardy's Babes in Toyland, is a detailed, behind-the-scenes look at the making of March of the Wooden Soldiers (1934), the adaptation of the Victor Herbert operetta Babes in Toyland (which, in fact, was the title of Wooden Soldiers when it was originally released) that not only has remained a holiday tradition on television since the early 1950s, but was reportedly Stan Laurel's favorite film of the ones with he did with Oliver Hardy. Topics this segment include how March of the Wooden Soldiers was originally intended as an Eastertime release in 1934, as well as the many delays that plagued the production of the movie. March of the Wooden Soldiers: The Amazing Story of Laurel & Hardy's Babes in Toyland is available from Bonaventure Press.

TVC 685.2: Laurel and Hardy historian Randy Skretvedt, author of March of the Wooden Soldiers: The Amazing Story of Laurel & Hardy's Babes in Toyland, talks to Ed and guest co-host Chuck Harter about how Stan Laurel not only acted as the de facto director on many of the comedy team's films, but closely oversaw the editing of their films, and how Oliver Hardy was an accomplished actor who was beloved by cast and crew off-camera. March of the Wooden Soldiers: The Amazing Story of Laurel & Hardy's Babes in Toyland is available from Bonaventure Press.

TVC 685.3: Ed welcomes renowned actress, teacher, and independent filmmaker Michelle Danner (Hello Herman, The Runner, Bad Impulse). Michelle's latest film, The Italians, is an ensemble comedy-drama about an idiosyncratic Italian-American family that drive each other crazy, but who pull themselves together upon learning that the matriarch (Michelle's character) has a serious heart condition—a crisis that causes the entire family to reevaluate themselves. Michelle Danner stars in and directs The Italians, which also features Rob Estes, Matthew Daddario, Abigail Breslin, Lainie Kazan, and a lot of scenes with food. Michelle talks to Ed about what attracted her to making The Italians; why the movie represents a change of pace for her; and what it was like to direct Donald Sutherland in Miranda's Victim (2023), a historical drama that turned out to be one of Sutherland's final screen appearances. The Italians is now available for streaming on demand on Amazon Prime. 

TVC 684.1: Ed welcomes Nelson Aspen, award-winning entertainment reporter, one of the leading authorities on the subject of the sinking of the Titanic on Apr. 15, 1912, and the author of Kindred Spirits: A Titanic Tale. Inspired by Nelson's personal experiences, Kindred Spirits not only spans the time between the night when the Titanic met her tragic fate and the hedonistic party scene of contemporary Manhattan, but is a story of love and redemption that was denied to gay men at the time because of the constraints of Edwardian England. Topics this segment include why the Titanic tragedy has remained a source of fascination for more a century; how Nelson's knowledge of Titanic history helped actress Alexandra Boyd land a role in James Cameron's Titanic; and why moviegoers are drawn to "water stories" such as Titanic and The Poseidon Adventure. Kindred Spirits is available wherever books are sold through Red Sky Presents. Titanic Talk, the podcast co-hosted by Nelson Aspen and Alexandra Boyd, is available wherever you find podcasts. For our listeners in the greater L.A. metro area, Nelson will appear at the Titanic Anniversary Weekend aboard the RMS Queen Mary in Long Beach California on Apr. 12-13-14. For more on that, check out TitanicWeekend.com. He'll also be at the Lobby Lounge at the Four Seasons / Los Angeles on Tuesday, Apr. 15, the actual anniversary date of the sinking of the Titanic. For our listeners in New York, Nelson Aspen will appear at the Clay Restaurant in New York City on Tuesday, Apr. 29 and at Ortomare Ristorante in New York City on Friday, May 2. He also has events coming up in England and in Ireland during the last week of May, and in Baltimore and New York during the month of July. For details and more information, visit NelsonAspen.com

TVC 684.2: Nelson Aspen, author of Kindred Spirits: A Titanic Tale, tells Ed the back story of his decades-long friendship with actress Carol Lynley, plus he recommends some film adaptations of the Titanic story, including A Night to Remember, the 1958 film starring Kenneth More that is based on Walter Lord's book of the same name. (Nelson wrote the foreword to Tom Lisanti's excellent book Carol Lynley: Her Film and TV Career in Thrillers, Fantasy, and Suspense.) Kindred Spirits is available wherever books are sold through Red Sky Presents. Titanic Talk, the podcast co-hosted by Nelson Aspen and Alexandra Boyd, is available wherever you find podcasts. 

TVC 684.2a: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with Hank Garrett, the actor known around the world as Officer Nicholson on Car 54, Where Are You? and one of the most accomplished voice artists in the entertainment industry. In this segment Hank shares a few memories of working with Peter Falk on Columbo: Undercover and with Buddy Hackett at one of the nightclubs in the Catskill Mountains of New York early in Hank's career. Hank's memoir, From Harlem Hoodlum to Hollywood Heavyweight, is available through Briton Publishing, Amazon.com, and other online retailers.

TVC 684.3: Hank Garrett talks to Ed, Tony, and Donna about working with Sophia Loren in the 1979 thriller Firepower; the night Hank once escorted Audrey Hepburn for a Hollywood event; and the generosity that Tony Bennett showed Hank when he opened for Bennett at the Copa Cabana. Hank's memoir, From Harlem Hoodlum to Hollywood Heavyweight, is available through Briton Publishing, Amazon.com, and other online retailers.

TVC 683.1: Ed welcomes back David Arnoff, one of the best music photographers of his generation. David's book Shot in the Dark is a collection of photos featuring Patti Smith, The Clash, Devo, Blondie, Lydia Lunch, The Cramps, The Ramones, David Johanson, Misfits, Nick Cave, Siouxsee and the Banshees, Joan Jett, Elvis Costello, and other music artists—all taken circa 1976 to 1985, and nearly of all which capture these performers in seminal moments in their careers. Shot in the Dark is available at DavidArnoff.com. Topics this segment include how the Beatles and other British bands helped shape the music scene of the 1960s, and how shows like Shindig and Hullabaloo helped influence David's decision to become a photographer.

TVC 683.2: Music photographer David Arnoff discusses some of the photographs that appear in his book Shot in the Dark, including the ones of Lou Reed, Elvis Costello, and The Kramps. Other topics this segment include what first sparked David's interest in photography, why he is particularly drawn to “journalistic photography” (i.e., photos that capture candid moments off-stage, but which do not appear staged because there are usually taken in a more controlled environment), and why black and white photography is much “cleaner” in nature. Shot in the Dark is available at DavidArnoff.com

TVC 683.5: Ed, Tony, and Donna welcome back Hank Garrett, the actor known around the world as Officer Nicholson on Car 54, Where Are You? and one of the most accomplished voice artists in the entertainment industry. Topics this segment include how Hank first developed his skill for dialects after watching Sid Caesar rehearse for Your Show of Shows. Hank's memoir, From Harlem Hoodlum to Hollywood Heavyweight, is available through Briton Publishing, Amazon.com, and other online retailers.

TVC 683.6: Hank Garrett talks to Ed, Tony, and Donna about competing against Sammy Davis Jr. in a “quick draw” competition, sparring with Elvis Presley in Las Vegas, and co-starring opposite James Earl Jones on Paris (CBS, 1979-1980). Hank's memoir, From Harlem Hoodlum to Hollywood Heavyweight, is available through Briton Publishing, Amazon.com, and other online retailers.

TVC 682.1: Ed welcomes Elva Green, author of The Jeffersons: A fresh look back at The Jeffersons (CBS, 1975-1985), Norman Lear's longest-running sitcom, starring Isabel Sanford, Sherman Hemsley, an Marla Gibbs, and Eddie Green: The Rise of an Early 1900s Black American Entertainment Pioneer. Chuck Harter co-hosts. Topics this segment include how, while The Jeffersons was an immediate hit among viewers, reviews of the show during its first few years on the air were split—both among white critics and black critics—over whether the show was funny or not.

TVC 682.2: Elva Green, author of The Jeffersons: A fresh look back, talks to Ed and guest co-host Chuck Harter about such notable episodes of The Jeffersons as “George's First Dollar” and “And The Doorknobs Shone Like Diamonds,” plus she gives a preview of her upcoming book on Good Times. The Jeffersons: A fresh look back is available through Bear Manor Media.

TVC 682.3: Ed and guest co-host Chuck Harter welcome award-winning producer, director, writer, journalist, and author Burt Kearns. Burt's latest book, SHEMP! The Biography of The Three Stooges' Shemp Howard: The Face of Film Comedy, not only takes a deep dive into the life and career of Shemp Howard—one of the original members of The Three Stooges and, in real life, the older brother of Moe Howard and Curly Howard—but debunks many myths both about Shemp's career before and during The Three Stooges and about Shemp's personal life, including some myths that were perpetuated by either Moe Howard or members of Moe's family. SHEMP! is available through Applause Books.

TVC 682.4: Burt Kearns, author of SHEMP! The Biography of The Three Stooges' Shemp Howard: The Face of Film Comedy, talks to Ed and guest co-host Chuck Harter about some of the more notable roles in Shemp Howard's diverse career as a solo actor, including Private Buckaroo (1942), a musical comedy featuring Harry James, The Andrews Sisters, and Mary Wickes that Burt says is as close to a star vehicle that Shemp ever had; why Shemp rejoined The Stooges in 1946, after Curly's debilitating stroke; and why rejoining the Stooges gave Shemp an immortality that he may not have achieved had he remained on his own. SHEMP! is available through Applause Books.

TVC 682.5: Burt Kearns, author of SHEMP! The Biography of The Three Stooges' Shemp Howard: The Face of Film Comedy, talks to Ed and guest co-host Chuck Harter about how the repeated blows to the head that Shemp Howard, Curly Howard, and Larry Fine all took during the many live appearances that The Three Stooges made every year during their annual hiatus from Columbia Pictures resulted in cerebral hemorrhages that proved to be fatal for all three actors. SHEMP! is available through Applause Books.

We'll be back with a brand new edition of TV Confidential later this week. In the meantime, please enjoy this clip from March 2012 in which Tony, Donna and Ed remember “A House Divided,” the famous episode of Dallas that launched the “Who Shot J.R.?” phenomenon of 1980. “A House Divided” originally aired Mar. 21, 1980.

We'll be back with a brand new edition of TV Confidential later this week. In the meantime, please enjoy this clip from March 2013 in which Tony, Donna, and Ed remember the first nationally televised broadcast of the Academy Awards ceremony, which took place on Mar. 19, 1953 during This Week in TV History.

TVC 681.1: Music journalist A. Scott Galloway joins Ed as TV Confidential remembers the life and legacy of Grammy Award-winning recording artist Roberta Flack. Scott interviewed Flack in 1988 for her comeback album, Oasis, plus he wrote a very eloquent essay on his Facebook page that captures why the news of her death struck a chord with music lovers around the world, particularly those of us who grew up listening to her songs playing on the radio throughout the 1970s. Roberta Flack passed away Monday, Feb. 24 at the age of eighty-eight. Topics this segment include how Flack was a “full, 360-degree” artist; her tireless activism on behalf of gay rights, women's rights, people's rights, and liberty as an American human being; how Clint Eastwood changed the trajectory of Flack's life and career by integrating “First Time Ever I Saw Face” in the pivotal love sequence between Eastwood and Donna Mills in Play Misty for Me; and how the success of Oasis was a “buoyant, wonderful surprise.”  

TVC 681.2: From October 2010: Charles Fox, the Grammy Award-winning and Emmy Award-winning composer who co-wrote “Killing Me Softly with His Song” along with Norman Gimbel, talks to Ed about the phone call he received from Roberta Flack in 1972, asking if she could perform “Killing Me Softly,” and how that call changed Charles' life. Nearly forty years later, Flack wrote the foreword to Charles' memoir, Killing Me Softly: My Life in Music (Scarecrow Press, 2010). Roberta Flack passed away Monday, Feb. 24 at the age of eighty-eight.

TVC 681.2a: From January 2012: Television writer/producer Larry Brody takes Ed and his listeners behind the scenes of Police Story (NBC, 1973-1979), the Emmy Award-winning police anthology series created by Joseph Wambaugh and executive produced by David Gerber. Larry received one of his first breaks in television working with Gerber. Topics this segment include Gerber's peculiar mandate that discouraged writers on his shows from ever allowing characters to show any positive emotion. Joseph Wambaugh passed away Friday, Feb. 28 at the age of eighty-eight. Also in this segment: A remembrance of Gene Hackman, the Academy Award-winning actor who was found dead in his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, along with his wife Betsy Arakawa, on Wednesday, Feb. 26.

TVC 681.3: Ed welcomes back singer/actress Linda Purl (Happy Days, Matlock, The Office). Linda is about to star in Crazy Mama, a riveting one-woman play that not only sheds light on the issue of mental illness with Southern-style humor and directness, but will feature Linda playing sixteen different characters. Ed asks Linda what first attracted her to the play and how she approaches to taking on the various personalities she must assume over the course of the story, plus Linda shares a few memories about working with Garry Marshall, including the many ways that Marshall kept the cast of Happy Days grounded despite the show's enormous success. Written by Sharon Scott Williams and directed by Linda's fellow Happy Days alumnus Anson Williams, Crazy Mama makes its world premiere at the Rubicon Theatre in Ventura, California on Wednesday, Mar. 26 through Sunday, Apr. 6. For tickets and more information, call (805) 667-2900 or go to RubiconTheatre.org. Linda Purl will also perform at the Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood, California for one night only, Sunday, Mar. 16, beginning at 7:30pm. Click here for tickets and more information.

TVC 681.4: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with Anne Serling and Jodi Serling, the daughters of Rod Serling, and Marc Scott Zicree, longtime television writer/producer and the author of The Twilight Zone Companion. Dec. 25, 2024 marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of Rod Serling, while the 2024-2025 television season marks the 65th anniversary of the premiere of The Twilight Zone on CBS. In this segment, Anne and Jodi share a few examples of the “many moments of helpless hilarity” that they often experienced while growing up with their dad; Marc talks about how Serling, like many good writers, “listened more than he talked”; while Anne and Jodi both discuss Serling's experience as a teacher at Ithaca College in New York, and how he often learned more from his students that they did from him. Both The Twilight Zone Companion and Anne's book, As I Knew Him: My Dad, Rod Serling, are available wherever books are sold.

TVC 681.5: Anne Serling and Jodi Serling, the daughters of Rod Serling, and Marc Scott Zicree, author of The Twilight Zone Companion, share some final thoughts with Ed about the legacy of Rod Serling, including how Serling never “saw the signpost up ahead” with regard to the tremendous impact that his writing continues to have. Both The Twilight Zone Companion and Anne's book, As I Knew Him: My Dad, Rod Serling, are available wherever books are sold.

TVC 680.3: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with Harrison Page, the actor known around the world as Joshua in Lionheart, Captain Trunk on Sledge Hammer!, CPO Robinson on CPO Sharkey, and Niles in Russ Meyer's Vixen! Topics this segment include how Harrison approached playing Niles when he first read the script for Vixen; why it's important for every actor to know the difference between listening and hearing every time they take the stage or work; and the success of Vixen at the box office led Meyer to cast Harrison in Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, after he had sent Harrison the script for Beyond in advance and asked for his input.

TVC 680.4: Harrison Page talks to Ed about how the success of Vixen led Michael Landon to cast him in “The Wish,” an episode of Bonanza written and directed by Landon that not only aired in 1969, but also marked Harrison's first network appearance; how, upon completing production of “The Wish,” Landon made a phone call that resulted in Harrison being cast in “Tooth of the Serpent,” an episode of Mannix that also aired in 1969; and how Peter Falk immediately made Harrison feel at ease by paying homage to the character Harrison played in Lionheart on the first day of the shoot for Columbo: Undercover. Harrison Page will be seen opposite Jonathan Majors in Magazine Dreams, the story of a man who looks after his ailing grandfather while trying to succeed in the world of professional bodybuilding. Magazine Dreams is scheduled for release in theaters on Friday, Mar. 21.

TVC 680.5: Ed welcomes Anne Serling and Jodi Serling, the daughters of Rod Serling, and Marc Scott Zicree, longtime television writer/producer and the author of The Twilight Zone Companion, for a celebration of both the 100th anniversary of the birth of Rod Serling and the 65th anniversary of the premiere of The Twilight Zone on CBS television. Anne's book, As I Knew Him: My Dad, Rod Serling, is an intimate portrait of the Emmy Award-winning writer/producer that is also a moving testament to the love between fathers and daughters, while The Twilight Zone Companion (now in its third edition) not only has influenced such TV show runners and filmmakers as J.J. Abrams, Vince Gilligan, Brannon Braga, Matthew Weiner, and Ron Moore, but created the genre of books that capture the history of popular television series. Topics this segment include how Serling never let his tremendous notoriety go to his head because he kept himself grounded (and his family kept him grounded).

TVC 680.6: Anne Serling and Jodi Serling, the daughters of Rod Serling, and Marc Scott Zicree, author of The Twilight Zone Companion, talk to Ed about how Rod Serling was not only the first modern-day show runner, in that he was a writer who also served as his own producer, but also the “Leonardo da Vinci of television,” in that he represented the pinnacle of what the medium can do. Other topics this segment include thoughts on such notable Twilight Zone episodes as “Eye of the Beholder,” “Walking Distance,” and “On Thursday We Leave for Home.” Both The Twilight Zone Companion and Anne's book, As I Knew Him: My Dad, Rod Serling, are available wherever books are sold.

We'll be back with a brand new edition of TV Confidential later this week. In the meantime, please enjoy this clip from February 2020 in which Tony and Ed remember Pink Lady and Jeff (NBC, 1980), the short-lived and, in many respects, infamous variety series produced by Sid & Marty Krofft, which premiered on Mar. 1, 1980 during This Week in TV History. Tony's coverage includes first-hand knowledge: He was in the studio audience at NBC/Burbank on the night that the first episode of Pink Lady was taped in December 1979.

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 some of the early TV roles of Howard Hessman, before he became known as Dr. Johnny Fever on WKRP in Cincinnati, as part of This Week in TV History. Howard Hesseman was born on this day in 1940. 

TVC 679.1: TV Confidential remembers actor, author, playwright, and decorated U.S. Army veteran James McEachin (Tenafly, Matlock, The Perry Mason Mysteries, Play Misty for Me, The Heroin Factor, Farewell to the Mockingbirds, The Alpha Caper, Above the Call: Beyond the Duty, Reveille, Swing Low, My Sweet Chariot: The Ballad of Jimmy Mack) by bringing you an encore presentation of a conversation with James that originally aired in February 2013. James McEachin passed away on Jan. 11, 2025 at the age of ninety-four. At the time we spoke with James in February 2013, he had just released the audiobook edition of Tell Me a Tale: A Novel of the Old South that delves into the many issues of slavery during the Civil War era while also offering a better understanding of the white man's view of the times. James' reading of the Tell Me a Tale audiobook ”is so good,” said Peter Bart of Daily Variety, “it would make Morgan Freeman a fan.” Topics this segment how James originally wrote Tell Me a Tale in 1965, and how the novel generated interest from both Henry Fonda and Hal Holbrook. TV Confidential spoke to James McEachin a second time in November 2014. That conversation is available for listening on demand for free by clicking here. 

TVC 679.5: From February 2013: Actor, author, playwright, and decorated Korean War veteran James McEachin about why he re-enlisted in the U.S. Army to serve in Korea after previously serving in Japan (and why it was important to James that he serve on the frontlines in Korea); serving with the 9th Infantry Regiment, an all-black unit; living with post-traumatic stress disorder after being shot at in Korea; working with Gary Sinise on behalf of U.S. veterans; reuniting with David Huddleston, his co-star on Tenafly, in the short film Reveille; and how James' experience in Reveille led him to write his one-man show, Above The Call: Beyond the Duty. James McEachin passed away on Jan. 11, 2025 at the age of ninety-four. TV Confidential spoke to James McEachin a second time in November 2014. That conversation is available for listening on demand for free by clicking here.

TVC 679.6: From February 2013: James McEachin talks to Ed about the important role that Jack Webb played early in his acting career, particularly when James was under contract at Universal. He also shares a few memories of working with Clint Eastwood, Charles Floyd Johnson, David Janssen, and James Garner. James McEachin passed away on Jan. 11, 2025 at the age of ninety-four. TV Confidential spoke to James McEachin a second time in November 2014. That conversation is available for listening on demand for free by clicking here.

TVC 679.4: Ed welcomes Harrison Page, the actor known around the world as Joshua in Lionheart, Captain Trunk on Sledge Hammer!, CPO Robinson on CPO Sharkey, and Niles in Russ Meyer's Vixen! Topics this segment include how Meyer first cast Harrison in Vixen!; working with Erica Gavin in Vixen! (and, particularly, how she and Harrison approached playing the controversial scene in the film in which Niles rapes Vixen); how Harrison came to be cast in Sledge Hammer!, and how he drew on some of his training with Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio to ground his performance as Trunk, especially whenever the script called for Trunk to yell at Hammer. 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. In addition, both Russ Meyer's Up! and Russ Meyer's Motorpsycho are now available for pre-order at SeverinFilms.com.