TV Confidential with Ed Robertson

TVC 561.1: Ed welcomes back David Koenig , author of Mouse Tales: A Behind the Ears Look at Disneyland , Danny Kaye: King of Jesters , and other pop culture titles. David's latest book, Shooting Columbo: The Lives and Deaths of TV's Rumpled Detective , takes us behind the scenes of the production of Columbo , the groundbreaking mystery series starring Peter Falk and created by Richard Levinson and...

TVC 561.2: David Koenig , author of Shooting Columbo: The Lives and Deaths of TV's Rumpled Detective , discusses how Prescription: Murder (the original pilot for Columbo ) evolved from the original TV production that Richard Levinson and William Link wrote in 1960 to a full-length stage production starring Joseph Cotten, Agnes Moorehead, and Thomas Mitchell (with Mitchell essaying the role of Lieu...

TVC 561.3: Greg Ehrbar and Ed pay tribute to Will Ryan , the actor, voice artist, songwriter, singer, and musician who passed away on Friday, Nov. 19 at age 72. Topics this segment include Will's many contributions to Disney Entertainment and Walt Disney Records, plus his long association with the audio drama Adventures in Odyssey . Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered...

TVC 561.4: Ed welcomes back actress , author , teacher , speaker , radio host , and legendary "scream queen" Dee Wallace . Dee's latest book, Born: Giving Birth to a New You , is a hands-on, reader-friendly guide to the principles of self-creation that Dee has taught and lived by for most of her life. Born not only shows how spirituality, brain science, and religion all teach the same principles t...

TVC 561.5: Dee Wallace talks to Ed about the fortieth anniversary of the release of E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial ; how the tremendous success of E.T. not only changed the course of Dee's life as an actress, but allowed her to change and expand how she saw herself as a person; and how we can all learn the principles of creation by following the example of E.T. Dee's latest book, Born: Giving Birth t...

TVC 561.6: Greg Ehrbar and Ed discuss Will Ryan 's voice acting career, which spanned many film and TV productions for all major studios; his performing career with The Saguaro Sisters as part of Will Ryan and the Cactus County Cowboys; and the renaissance he enjoyed with actor Nick Santa Maria as faux comedy team Benny Biffle and Sammy Shooster in The Misadventures of Biffle and Shooster . Will R...

TVC 458.1: Actors Nick Santa Maria and Will Ryan (The Misadventures of Biffle and Shooster) appear in character as Benny Biffle and Sammy Shooster as we take a look at Biffle and Shooster's often overlooked, but nonetheless significant TV career of the 1960s. The Misadventures of Biffle and Shooster is available now on DVD. In addition, The Biffle and Shooster Portable Guide to Etiquette is availa...

TVC 533.2: Ed plays Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with George Chakiris , the Academy Award-winning actor known around the world as Bernardo, the leader of The Sharks, in the iconic 1961 screen adaptation of West Side Story . In this segment, George shares memories of working with John Astin and Simon Oakland in West Side Story , and with Elaine Stritch in the national stage product...

TVC 533.3: Oscar winner George Chakiris discusses the approach he took to playing Frederic Chopin in the acclaimed PBS miniseries Notorious Woman , plus he shares a few memories of starring opposite Barbara Carrera in the "dream season" of Dallas . My West Side Story: A Memoir by George Chakiris is available in hardcover and as an eBook from Lyons Press and includes a wonderful back cover quote fr...

TVC 533.4: Ed welcomes back entertainment legend Ruta Lee . Ruta's new memoir, Consider Your Ass Kissed , not only is the story of how a young girl—the daughter of Lithuanian immigrants—became one of the most legendary entertainers in Hollywood history through hard work and determination, but includes a treasure trove of authentic memories about the Golden Age of Entertainment, including her work...

TVC 533.5: Ruta Lee shares the amazing but true story of how she convinced Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev to release her 92-year-old Lithuanian grandmother from the Soviet Union in 1964 so that she could live her remaining years in America—and be reunited with her daughter, Ruta's mother, for the first time in thirty-six years. Ruta's memoir, Consider Your Ass Kissed , is available for pre-order...

TVC 458.2: Will Ryan, Nick Santa Maria, and Michael Schlesinger (The Misadventures of Biffle and Shooster) appear in character as Greg and Ed continue their look at the faux television career of Biffle and Shooster, including their short-lived Saturday morning cartoon series and their celebrated appearance on Batman. The Misadventures of Biffle and Shooster is available on DVD. The Biffle and Shoo...

TVC 560.1: Ed welcomes back Mark Shaw , investigative reporter, former criminal defense attorney and cable TV legal analyst, and the author of more than twenty-five books, including The Reporter Who Knew Too Much , a biography of Dorothy Kilgallen , the Pulitzer Prize-nominated newspaper columnist and panelist on What's My Line? whose mysterious death in November 1965 remains unsolved to this day....

TVC 560.2: Mark Shaw , author of Collateral Damage: The Mysterious Deaths of Marilyn Monroe and Dorothy Kilgallen and The Ties That Bind Them to Robert Kennedy and the JFK Assassination , discusses a few of the fifty remarkable similarities between the lives and deaths of Pulitzer Prize-nominated newspaper columnist Dorothy Kilgallen and film legend Marilyn Monroe. Want to advertise/sponsor our sh...

TVC 560.3: From November 2011: Tony, Donna, and Ed discuss the anniversary of the premiere of Bosom Buddies (ABC, 1980-1982), as well as the onscreen chemistry and off-camera friendship between series stars Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari. Peter Scolari passed away on Oct. 22, 2021 at age sixty-six. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertis...

TVC 560.4: Television critic, columnist, and entertainment journalist Ray Richmond joins Ed for an early 100th birthday salute to entertainment legend Betty White . Ray's latest book, Betty White: 100 Remarkable Moments in an Extraordinary Life , provides a visual salute to the eighty-year performing career of the First Lady of Television, including her lifelong passion for animals; the various gl...

TVC 560.5: Ray Richmond, author of Betty White: 100 Remarkable Moments in an Extraordinary Life , talks to Ed about Allen Ludden's year-long effort to woo Betty White; why they proved to be the perfect mates for each other; and the many ways in which their marriage bucked the odds. Betty White: 100 Remarkable Moments in an Extraordinary Life becomes available wherever books are sold beginning Tues...

TVC 560.6: Ray Richmond, author of Betty White: 100 Remarkable Moments in an Extraordinary Life , talks to Ed about the numerous ways in which Betty White has left her mark on television. A visual salute to White's eighty-year performing, Betty White: 100 Remarkable Moments in an Extraordinary Life not only includes tributes from such friends and colleagues as Gavin MacLeod, Ed Asner, Carol Burnet...

TVC 559.1: A return appearance by Emmy Award winner Ron Bacon , a true pioneer of television who wore many hats throughout his thirty-five year career in TV production, including stage manager, associate director, writer, producer, and director on more than 12,500 network TV broadcasts, covering just about every type of programming available , including variety shows, variety specials, sporting ev...

TVC 559.2: Emmy Award winner Ron Bacon talks to Ed about his many years of working with Dick Clark, including Clark's knack for recognizing talent and his willingness to listen to others; how Ron was approached to play Meathead in Those Were the Days , the second pilot for All in the Family ; and his work on other scripted series, including the short-lived ABC-TV version of Operation: Petticoat ....

TVC 559.3: Ed welcomes Ebin Antony, an actor and voice artist who recently made his Hollywood film debut in the horror thriller Spoken . Spoken is now available for viewing on demand through Amazon Prime. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast edition of our program. They're great to work with...

TVC 559.4: Ed welcomes Emmy Award-winning art director and set decorator Ray Klausen . Ray's memoirs, Behind the Scenes: From Hollywood to Broadway , not only is a history of theatre and variety television in its heyday, but pays homage to the many teachers who made a difference in Ray's life—both the teachers in his formative years in high school and college, and the many mentors who guided Ray a...

TVC 559.5: Emmy Award-winning art director and set decorator Ray Klausen shares a few stories about his career as the set designer of more than 400 productions for television, Broadway, and Las Vegas showrooms, including working with such stars as Carol Burnett, Lynda Carter, and Bernadette Peters, and producers Allan Carr and Dick Clark. Ray's memoirs, Behind the Scenes: From Hollywood to Broadwa...

TVC 559.6: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with multi-award-winning actor, comedian, screenwriter, director, voice artist, and radio host Harry Shearer ( The Simpsons , This is Spinal Tap , Le Show ). Topics include Harry's career as a voice artist, including when he first discovered his gift for mimicry, why he considers the voices he creates to be characters (versus impressions), a...

TVC 558.1: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with James Rosin , author of the novellas Butterfly and Belle Garden Beat and the publisher of The Many Faces of Nehemiah , the memoirs of his cousin Nehemiah Persoff, one of the greatest and most versatile character actors of the twentieth century. Topics this segment include Persoff's long association with the Actors Studio in New York, an...