TV Confidential with Ed Robertson

TVC 635.6: Actress and author Barbara Feldon ( Get Smart , Getting Smarter: A Memoir , Living Alone and Loving It ) talks to Ed about how the energy of New York City compares to the "slow metabolism" of L.A., the excitement of being a model in New York in the early 1960s, and how models like her were aware of the power and influence that advertising agencies on Madison Avenue had at the time. Both...

TVC 634.4: Greg and Ed continue their conversation about The FBI (ABC, 1965-1974), the long-running Sunday night drama starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. that was also Quinn Martin's longest-running network TV series. Topics this segment include the controversial casting change in the ninth season (Shelly Novack replacing William Reynolds), as well as the how formula of the series more or less stayed t...

TVC 634.5: Ed welcomes back Alison Arngrim, the award-winning actress known around the world as Nellie Oleson, "the No. 1 bitch in TV history" (according to Vanity Fair ) and the bane of Laura Ingalls' existence for seven years on Little House on the Prairie (NBC, 1974-1983). Alison will bring her world-renowned one-woman show, Confessions of a Prairie Bitch ,to the historic Sierra Madre Playhouse...

TVC 634.6: Actress, author, comedienne, and radio host Alison Arngrim ( Little House on the Prairie, Fifty for 50: The Little House Podcast ) talks to Ed about how she landed the role of Nellie Oleson on Little House; why Little House continues to have something for everyone; and working with Michael Landon, both as an actor and as a director Alison will bring her world-renowned one-woman show, Co...

TVC 633.2: Greg Ehrbar joins Ed for a look at The FBI (ABC, 1965-1974), the long-running Sunday night drama starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. that was also Quinn Martin's longest-running network TV series. Topics this segment include a look at the many famous guest stars that appeared on The FBI and how director Quentin Tarantino helped regenerate public interest in The FBI by incorporating footage of...

TVC 633.3: Greg and Ed talk about how some of the various tropes of The FBI (ABC, 1965-1974) changed once William Reynolds replaced Stephen Brooks as Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.'s field partner; the show's relationship with the Ford Motor Company; and such notable episodes as "Ordeal," "Breakthrough," "The Executioners," and "The Hiding Place." All nine seasons of The FBI are available on DVD through War...

TVC 633.4: David Bianculli , longtime television critic and longtime contributor to NPR's Fresh Air , and the author of Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour , joins Ed as TV Confidential pays tribute to comedian Tom Smothers, the comic half of the Smothers Brothers stage act who was also the driving force behind The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (CBS, 1967-1...

TVC 633.5: David Bianculli talks to Ed about how the battles between CBS network executives and Tom Smothers over censorship of behind The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (CBS, 1967-1969) "were like parents who were too strict trying to discipline children who were too rebellious"; the return of The Smothers Brothers to CBS television in 1988, and the emergence of Tom's "Yo-Yo man" character; and th...

From March 2018: A special roundtable discussion in which Tony, Donna, and Ed tackle the question What Exactly Constitutes a Classic TV Series? How would you define it? What are the markers: Is it the era in which the show originally aired, such as the Golden Age of Television? Does it have to do with the show's impact on television, then and now? What about shows that were maligned when they orig...

From March 2018: Part 2 of our special roundtable discussion with Tony and Donna about what makes a classic TV series "classic." If you have your thoughts on this topic, feel free to join the conversation by emailing us,  talk@tvconfidential.net , or posting a comment on our  Facebook page  or via  Twitter . We will work your comments into a future edition of TV Confidential. Want to advertise/spo...

From March 2018: Part 3 of our special roundtable discussion with Tony and Donna about what makes a classic TV series "classic." Topics this segment include shows such as Gilligan's Island , which were panned by critics at the time they originally aired, but which have been become classic subsequent generations have either embraced the show or recognize its quality and impact on other TV programs....

TVC 632.1: Part 3 of our three-part conversation with music and television historian Chuck Harter on the legacy of The Monkees television series (NBC, 1966-1968). Chuck interviewed Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork, and many other key Monkees personnel for Hey, Hey, We're The Monkees , the excellent Disney Channel documentary, written by Chuck, that explores the history of The...

TVC 632.2: Music and television historian Chuck Harter talks to Ed about the Monkees' successful tour of Japan in 1968 ; why Peter Tork left the group in December 1968, after completing production of their NBC special, 33-1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee ; and how the disastrous reception to Revolutions marked the beginning of the end of the Monkees on television. Chuck wrote Hey, Hey, We're The Monkees...

TVC 632.3: Music and television historian Chuck Harter shares some final thoughts on the the legacy of The Monkees television series (NBC, 1966-1968), including the revival of interest in both the group and the series in 1986 (following the MTV marathon); the mid 1990s revival, including the tour in England featuring all four Monkees; Mike Nesmith's insight into why all four members gelled, despit...

TVC 632.4: Film and television actor James DuMont talks to Ed about his upcoming one-man show, My Life as a DJ , and his plans to develop a biopic about his great-uncle, Allen DuMont, inventor of the Cathode tube ray and the founder of the DuMont television network. James can currently be seen opposite Eddie Murphy and Tracee Ellis Ross in Candy Cane Lane , the new Christmas movie now streaming on...

TVC 632.5: Actor James DuMont talks to Ed about filming some of his scenes for Candy Cane Lane at the famous "Schlemiel! Schlimazel!" bottling plant in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where Laverne & Shirley took place; how director Reginald Hudlin likens James' work as an actor to being a closer in baseball; developing his skills in improvisation while playing Danny McBride's right-hand man on The Righteous...

TVC 631.4: George Schlatter, creator and producer of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In and Real People , discusses why Turn-On (ABC, 1969), the surreal sketch comedy series that was canceled fifteen minutes into its first and only network TV broadcast, was ahead of its time. The first two episodes of Turn-On are now available for viewing on demand, for free, on the Clown Jewels channel on YouTube . The pr...

TVC 631.5: George Schlatter, creator and producer of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In and Real People , talks to Ed about casting Robin Williams for the 1977 revival of Laugh-In; his hopes for launching a contemporary edition of Laugh-In in the near future; and why his friend Ernie Kovacs likely would've been proud of Turn-On , had he lived to see it. George's memoir, Still Laughing: A Life in Comedy , i...

TVC 631.5a: Part 2 of our conversation with music and television historian Chuck Harter about The Monkees television series (NBC, 1966-1968) and why it still holds up today. Chuck interviewed Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork, and many other key Monkees personnel for Hey, Hey, We're The Monkees , the excellent Disney Channel documentary, written by Chuck, that explores the hist...

TVC 631.6: Music and television historian Chuck Harter talks to Ed about some of the ways in which the second season of The Monkees (NBC, 1966-1968) differs from the first (to the point where the second season is almost an entirely different series), and how the success of the Monkees tour in 1967 changed the group's attitude about doing the show. Chuck wrote Hey, Hey, We're The Monkees , the exce...

TVC 630.1: Actor, comedian, and impressionist Jim Meskimen talks to Ed about his interest in charcoal sketch drawings; his early background as a cartoonist and work in animation; how he first discovered his gift for mimicry; and the online course he teaches, The Working Actor Method . Jim recently played talk show legend Phil Donahue in Welcome to Chippendales ; he can also be seen in Gaslit , The...

TVC 630.2: Ed welcomes back Don Most , the actor known around the world as Ralph Malph on Happy Days , and an accomplished singer whose vocal style pays homage to the Swing Era and the music of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Bobby Darin. Don's new album, New York High , is a collection of contemporary jazz standards (including covers of "Smoke from a Distant Fire," "Fly Me to the Moon," and "The...

TVC 630.3: Singer/actor Don Most gives Ed and his listeners an idea of the thought process behind putting together both a live show and an album such as New York High . Don's latest album, New York High , is available wherever music is sold. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast edition of our...

TVC 629.5: Ed welcomes back singer/actor Robert Davi ( License to Kill, The Goonies, Profiler , Davi Sings Sinatra ). Robert will perform his music show, Robert Davi: My Kind of Town, an evening of music that pays tribute to both the Great American Songbook and his idol and mentor, Frank Sinatra, at the Black Box Center for the Arts , 8221 Glades Road, Suite No. 10, in Boca Raton, Florida on Sunda...

TVC 629.6: Ed welcomes TJ Lubinsky, director and co-executive producer of Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme: Memories of My Mom and Dad , a two-hour special, hosted by David Lawrence, that takes a joyful look at how television helped Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme become the most successful husband-and-wife singing duo of all time. Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme: Memories of My Mom and Dad premieres...