TV Confidential with Ed Robertson

From December 2010: Part 2 of our roundtable discussion about Saturday morning cartoons from the 1960s and '70s, an era of appointment viewing for many of us that is sadly lost today. Topics this segment include the various live-action Saturday morning shows produced by Filmation Associates and Sid & Marty Krofft Productions during the mid 1970s.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastcho...

From December 2010: Tony, Donna, and Ed with a look back at Jonny Quest, Scooby Doo, Where Are You?, Schoolhouse Rock , classic Bugs Bunny and other favorite Saturday morning cartoons---a touchstone of childhood, particularly for those of us who grew up in the 1960s and '70s, that has virtually disappeared from network television in recent years. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential...

TVC 518.1: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with actress, photographer , clothes designer , educator, activist, and author Daphne Maxwell Reid ( The Fresh Prince of Bel Air , Sister, Sister, Jacqueline and Jilly, Simon and Simon, WKRP in Cincinnati, Frank's Place ) . Topics this segment include Daphne's mini-memoir, Grace + Soul & Mother Wit , in which she shares many recipes from her...

TVC 518.2: Actress, author , photographer , clothes designer , seamstress, and self-described "fabric-aholic" Daphne Maxwell Reid talks to Ed about her process for designing clothes and how every design begins with her choice of fabric. She also reflects on the recent election of U.S. Senator Kamala Harris as the first female and the first African-American to be elected Vice-President of the Unite...

TVC 517.1: Ed welcomes Emmy-nominated writer, producer, actor and playwright Billy Van Zandt ( I Love Lucy: The Very First Show , Martin, The Hughleys , Newhart ). Billy's memoir, Get in the Car, Jane! Adventures in the TV Wasteland , not only provides a front row seat to the absurdity that often goes on behind the scenes of network TV sitcoms, but provides useful tips on how to deal with the day-...

TVC 517.2: Emmy-nominated writer/producer Billy Van Zandt ( I Love Lucy: The Very First Show , Martin, The Hughleys , Newhart ) talks to Ed about the similar approach that Martin Lawrence and Jerry Lewis had as comedians; why the production of Martin reminded him of his experience behind the scenes on Newhart ; and why working with Don Rickles on Daddy Dearest remains his favorite experience in te...

TVC 517.3: Game show historian and TV host Steve Beverly ( Steve Beverly's TV Classics ) shares some thoughts on who might be named the next host of Jeopardy! and the particular challenges facing that successor in light of the passing of Alex Trebek. Steve Beverly's TV Classics paid tribute to Trebek's early game show career; that program is now available for viewing on demand at EPlusTV6.com . TV...

TVC 517.4: Part 2 of our conversation that began last week with groundbreaking comedian Tom Dreesen . Tom provides insight on how to find your own voice as a stand-up comedian, plus he shares the invaluable advice that Jack Benny once gave Tom early in his stand-up career. Tom Dreesen's memoir, Still Standing: My Journey from Streets and Saloons to the Stage, and Sinatra , not only includes great...

TVC 517.5: Ed welcomes actress, photographer , clothes designer , and author Daphne Maxwell Reid ( The Fresh Prince of Bel Air , Sister, Sister, Jacqueline and Jilly, WKRP in Cincinnati , Frank's Place). Daphne can be seen in the cast reunion of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air that is now streaming on HBO Max. She also stars in The Business of Christmas , a new holiday movie that will premiere on BET+...

TVC 517.6: From April 2011: Phil Gries plays a clip from the Mar. 19, 1967 telecast of Irving Berlin's Annie Get Your Gun on NBC starring Ethel Merman. As no known video of this production exists, this truly is an example of The Sounds of Lost Television. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast...

From September 2013: Actress and producer Sheree J. Wilson shares a few memories about her years starring on Dallas and Walker: Texas Ranger . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From March 2012: Tony, Donna and Ed remember " A House Divided ," the famous episode of  Dallas  that launched the "Who Shot J.R.?" phenomenon of 1980, and how a perfect storm of events that summer fueled worldwide interest in the outcome of the cliffhanger. "A House Divided" originally aired March 21, 1980; "Who Done It," the episode that revealed J.R.'s assailant, originally aired Nov. 21, 1980....

From December 2018: Game show legend Wink Martindale talks to Ed about his long association with Elvis Presley , which began in July 1954 and continued until the day The King died. Wink was at radio station WHBQ in Memphis, TN on the night when an Elvis Presley record ("That's Alright, Mama") was played on the radio for the very first time, launching a phenomenon that has never stopped.

TVC 516.1: Tony, Donna, and Ed commemorate the passing of broadcast legend Hugh Downs earlier this year as part of a special edition of This Week in History. Topics this segment include what a versatile performer Downs was: He anchored news programs ( Today, 20/20 ), hosted game shows ( Concentration ), co-hosted The Tonight Show with Jack Paar (and filled in for Paar as host on many occasions), a...

TVC 516.2: Tony, Donna, and Ed continue their tribute to Hugh Downs in this special edition of This Week in History. Topics this segment include Downs' impact on TV journalism: He established a level of trust with viewers and interview subjects alike, regardless of the subject matter.  Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponso...

TVC 516.3: From November 2010: Ed and Tony welcome Ken Corday, executive producer of Days of Our Lives . Ken's book, The Days of Our Lives: The True Story of One Family's Dream and The Untold History of Days of Our Lives , not only chronicles the history of Days of Our Lives on television, but pays tribute to his parents, Ted and Betty Corday, the creators and original executive producers of the s...

TVC 516.4: Ed, Tony, and Donna welcome back entertainment legend and comedy pioneer Tom Dreesen . Tom's memoir, Still Standing: My Journey from Streets and Saloons to the Stage, and Sinatra , not only includes great stories of Tom's years working with Tim Reid, Sammy Davis Jr., and Frank Sinatra, but, in many respects, is a story that embodies the American Dream.  Want to advertise/sponsor our sho...

TVC 516.5: Actor, comedian and motivational speaker Tom Dreesen talks to Ed, Tony, and Donna about the generosity that both Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. extended to him throughout his career. Tom's memoir, Still Standing: My Journey from Streets and Saloons to the Stage, and Sinatra , is available in paperback and as an eBook through Post Hill Press and Amazon.com. Want to advertise/sponsor o...

TVC 516.6: From November 2010: Ken Corday, executive producer of Days of Our Lives , talks to Ed and Tony about some of the notable storylines of the first twenty years of Days of Our Lives, as well as the show's occasional struggles with network Standards and Practices over certain subject matters (and, in more recent years, product placement). Ken's book, The Days of Our Lives: The True Story of...

From April 2019: Actress Lee Purcell ( Carol of the Bells, Adam at 6 A.M., Big Wednesday ) shares some memories of working with James Garner on The Rockford Files and with Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno in The Incredible Hulk Returns . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From March 2014: Kimberly Johnson, daughter of Russell Johnson, tells Ed, Tony, Donna, and guest co-host Bill Funt why her dad and the other cast members on Gilligan's Island particularly enjoyed filming the episodes that included dream sequences.  Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential  has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast editio...

From March 2014: Ed, Tony, Donna and guest co-host Bill Funt welcome Kimberly Johnson, the daughter of Russell Johnson, the actor known to three generations of television viewers know Russell Johnson as "The Professor" on Gilligan's Island . In this segment we ask Kimberley when she first realized the impact that the popularity of Gilligan's Island had on viewers and on her family. Want to adverti...

TVC 515.1: Ed welcomes actress, writer and producer Liliana Tandon . Liliana wrote and stars in A Ring for Christmas , a new romantic comedy that also features Lorraine Bracco ( The Sopranos, GoodFellas ) and Michael Gross ( Family Ties ). A Ring for Christmas will air several times throughout November and December on UPtv and on the Philo app. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential h...

TVC 515.2: Greg and Ed discuss the DVD release of The Joe McDoakes Collection starring George O'Hanlon (and produced and directed by Richard L. Bare), and how fans of The Jetsons can hear the intonations of George Jetson in O'Hanlon's voice as he plays McDoakes. Available from Warner Archive. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising...

TVC 515.3: Greg and Ed discuss the Blu-ray release of The Jetsons that includes the original twenty-four episodes from 1962 featuring the voices of George O'Hanlon and Jean Vander-Pyl. 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 and will help you ad...