TV Confidential with Ed Robertson

From October 2020: Ed, Tony, and Donna welcome back Ed Asner , the eight-time Emmy Award-winning actor known around the world as Lou Grant both on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and his own hour-long spinoff series, Lou Grant . The 2020-2021 television marks the fiftieth anniversary of the premiere of the Moore show and, by extension, the Lou Grant character. Ed Asner's memoir, Son of a Junkman: My Lif...

From October 2020: Actor and author Ed Asner ( The Mary Tyler Moore Show , Lou Grant , Son of a Junkman , The Grouchy Historian ) talks to Ed, Tony, and Donna about "Chuckles Bites the Dust," arguably the most famous episode of the Moore show; how Lou Grant brought many viewers into the world of print journalism; and who Ed would like to see cast as himself, if a movie were made about his life. Ed...

From October 2020: Ed, Tony, and Donna continue their conversation with Ed Asner , the eight-time Emmy Award-winning actor known around the world as Lou Grant both on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and his own hour-long spinoff series, Lou Grant . Topics this segment include Ed's experiences playing two other iconic characters: Santa Claus, which he famously did in Elf , and God Almighty, whom Ed has p...

TVC 552.1: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with Steve Beverly , recently retired professor of broadcast journalism at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. Besides his extensive background as a TV news professional, Steve has twenty-five years experience doing play-by-play for men's and women's college basketball on television, including thirteen years on a national level. Topics t...

TVC 552.2: Steve Beverly shares a few more memories from his twenty-five-year career calling men's and women's basketball games at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee (including thirteen years on a national level), including the importance of keeping the broadcast entertaining, even if that day's game becomes one-sided. Also in this segment: Steve lets our listeners know what's on tap in Septem...

TVC 552.3: Ed welcomes Susan Silver , one of the original writers for The Mary Tyler Moore Show and one of the very first female writers to break the glass ceiling in the world of TV comedy. Topics this segment include the integral role that Garry Marshall played in helping Susan make that breakthrough, and the many ways in which her personal story arc resembles that of Mary Richards. Susan's memo...

TVC 552.4: Author, speaker, and television pioneer Susan Silver talks to Ed about some of her early TV writing credits, which include what would have been a pivotal episode of That Girl ; some of her other mentors in television, which include producer George Eckstein; and the unlikely circumstances that resulted in her dating comedian Lenny Bruce one New Year's Eve night. Susan's memoir, Hot Pants...

TVC 552.5: Ed welcomes three-time Emmy Award winner Beau Bridges and his daughter, actress/director Emily Bridges . Beau and Emily are the co-playwrights of Acting: The First Six Lessons , an adaptation of a book by Richard Boleslawski about a dedicated acting teacher who not only teaches an aspiring young actress the craft of acting, but dispels invaluable life lessons to her as well. Originally...

TVC 552.6: Beau Bridges and his daughter, actress/director Emily Bridges , talk to Ed about the important role that Theatricum Botanicum has played in both of their performing lives. Beau also answers a few questions about some of his other film, TV, and stage roles, including working with David Janssen on The Fugitive early in his career and his approach to playing such historical figures as Benj...

TVC 551.1: Steve Beverly , game show historian and professor emeritus of broadcast journalism at Union University (Jackson, TN), joins Ed to discuss the various issues surrounding Sony Pictures Television's controversial selection of Jeopardy! executive producer Mike Richards as the new permanent host of the popular game show, officially succeeding Alex Trebek (pictured, with Steve). NOTE: Our con...

TVC 551.2: A return appearance by Emmy Award winner Ron Bacon , a true pioneer of network TV production who wore many hats throughout his thirty-five-year career, which spanned more than 12,500 broadcasts, covering just about every type of programming imaginable . Topics this segment include how Ron's background in filming documentaries for Dick Clark Productions served him well when he made The K...

TVC 551.3: Emmy Award winner Ron Bacon takes Ed behind the scenes of ABC's coverage of the 1984 Summer Olympics, including the many ways in which the production of those Games set the standard for Olympic broadcasts since. Ron won his Emmy for his work on the 1984 Games.  Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests...

TVC 551.4: Television pioneer Ron Bacon talks to Ed about how ABC came to acquire the rights to the Academy Awards in 1960 (and why that was such a coup for the network at the time); his various responsibilities on a typical Oscarcast (which included editing the three-hour broadcast down to fifty-five minutes, for telecast the next day overseas); and how Vanessa Redgrave's controversial acceptance...

TVC 551.5: Ed welcomes actress and director Ellen Geer , daughter of legendary actor Will Geer, and the artistic director of Theatricum Botanicum , the outdoor amphitheatre that Buzz magazine named one of the coolest places in Los Angeles. Founded by Will Geer in 1973, and located in the rustic woods of Topanga Canyon, Theatricum recently resumed outdoor performances after being shuttered last yea...

TVC 551.6: Ellen Geer , artistic director of Theatricum Botanicum , talks to Ed about playing Sunshine Doré in Harold and Maude (and, years later, Maude in a stage production for Theatricum); working with Patrick Stewart in the "Silicon Avatar" episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation ; and playing Sue Ellen's doctor in the famous two-parter on Dallas that culminated in the birth of John Ross Ewi...

TVC 550.1: Mark Dawidziak , television critic and author/editor of more than twenty books on American popular culture, joins Ed, Tony, and Donna for a celebration of Hal Holbrook , the legendary actor who entertained audiences around the world for sixty-three years with for his one-man show, Mark Twain Tonight . Holbrook passed away earlier this year at the age of ninety-five; Mark knew Holbrook p...

TVC 550.2: Mark Dawidziak joins Ed, Tony, and Donna as we continue our tribute to Emmy Award-winning actor Hal Holbrook . Though best known around the world for his one-man show, Mark Twain Tonight , Holbrook was also an incredibly versatile actor who left his mark in movies and on television, including All The President's Men (as Deep Throat), Sandburg's Lincoln (as Abraham Lincoln), Evening Shad...

TVC 550.3: Ed welcomes back film and television actor James Moses Black ( This is Us , Snowfall, Bayou Caviar, Alex and Me , and Black and Blue . James stars as a U.S. Army colonel who develops super highly intelligent mutant fighting machines in S.O.Z.: Soldados o Zombies , the new post-apocalyptic horror series that is now available for viewing on demand at Amazon Prime. James also has a support...

TVC 550.4: A return visit by actress, author, and philanthropist Ruta Lee , the legendary grande dame of Hollywood who is also one of the hardest-working entertainers in showbiz history. Ruta cultivated both her work ethic and her instincts for business as a result of her immigrant parents. Ruta's memoir, Consider Your Ass Kissed , is available right now at Amazon.com , BarnesandNoble.com, as well...

TVC 550.5: Actress, author, and philanthropist Ruta Lee answers email questions about her work as a voice artist for Hanna-Barbera (including the animated series The Frankenstones ); shares a funny story about a mishap that occurred while filming an episode of The Wackiest Ship in the Army ; and helps Ed give away a free copy of her memoir, Consider Your Ass Kissed . Autographed editions of Ruta's...

TVC 550.6: Mark Dawidziak joins Ed, Tony, and Donna as we continue our tribute to the life and career of Emmy Award-winning actor Hal Holbrook . The longtime television critic for the Cleveland Plain-Dealer , Mark knew Holbrook personally for more than thirty-five years. Topics this segment include the many ways in which Holbrook found playing Twain to be a cathartic experience.   Want to advertis...

TVC 549.1: Greg Ehrbar welcomes Emmy nominated and Annie Award-winning writer, director, storyboard artist, and voice actor C.H. Greenblatt ( Spongebob Squarepants, Chowder, Harvey Beaks ). C.H. is the creator and executive producer of Jellystone! , the new animated series that not only marks the first series starring Yogi Bear in thirty years, but features just about every cartoon character in th...

TVC 549.2: Greg and Ed discuss Warner Bros. Archive's recent DVD release of Hank (NBC, 1965-1966), the one-season sitcom that had an innovative, if not complicated, premise. Starring Dick Kallman as an enterprising young man with an unquenchable desire to learn, Hank was also one of the first network TV series with a planned series finale.  Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has p...

TVC 549.3: Part 2 of the conversation that began last week with Marc Cushman about the making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , including the back story of the iconic score composed by Jerry Goldsmith (and why Gene Roddenberry later chose to use it as the theme for Star Trek: The Next Generation ). Marc's latest book, These Are the Voyages: Gene Roddenberry and Star Trek in the 1970s , is a three...

TVC 549.4: Ed welcomes actress Louise Sorel , the award-winning actress known around the world as Vivian Alamain on Days of Our Lives and Augusta Lockridge on Santa Barbara . Topics this segment include some of the writing projects that Louise has developed in recent years; her fierce protection of the Vivian character on Days , and how that stemmed from Louise's background as a stage actress; plu...