TV Confidential with Ed Robertson

From July 2013: Tony, Donna, and Ed remember the final broadcast of Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, its influence on such future competition shows as The Vocie and American Idol, and the aftermath of Godfrey's ill-fated decision to fire Julius LaRosa on the air.   Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential  has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for th...

From July 2013: Tony, Donna, and Ed remember the birthday of Red Skelton, his long-running TV variety series (NBC/CBS, 1951-1971), his genius for pantomime, his influence on such comedians as George Carlin and Robert Klein, and his famous monologue about the meaning of the Pledge of Allegiance. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential  has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertis...

TVC 500.1: From September 2013: Broadcast legend Hugh Downs talks to Ed and Phil Gries about his years as announcer/sidekick on The Jack Paar Tonight Show (NBC, 1957-1962), including the night of Feb. 10, 1960, when Downs found himself suddenly filling in as host after Paar walked off the set of The Tonight Show seven minutes into the broadcast to protest NBC's decision to censor an on-air joke Pa...

TVC 500.2: Part 1 of a two-part conversation with Radames Pera , the actor best known for playing young Kwai Chang Caine, aka "Grasshopper," in the flashback sequences of the original Kung Fu (ABC, 1972-1975), and John Edwards, Mary Ingalls' love interest, on Little House on the Prairie . Earlier this year Universal announced plans to develop Kung Fu as a feature motion picture , while The CW will...

TVC 500.3: Radames Pera , the actor who played young Kwai Chang Caine in the flashback sequences of the original Kung Fu (ABC, 1972-1975), talks to Ed about working with actors Keye Luke, Philip Ahn, James Hong, and Benson Fong and producers Jerry Thorpe and Alex Beaton on the series, and how Kung Fu infused elements of Eastern philosophy into the trappings of a TV Western. Want to advertise/spons...

TVC 500.4: Ed welcomes Peri Gilpin , the award-winning actress known around the world as acerbic radio producer Roz Doyle on Frasier (NBC, 1993-2004). Peri currently stars as a Hollywood agent who eagerly takes on a client in his eighties—only to cast him in a host of less than dignified roles—in Old Guy , the critically acclaimed six-episode short form comedy series that takes a satiric look at h...

TVC 500.5: Actress Peri Gilpin answers listener email questions about her work as a voice actress, her early stage career, and, of course, Frasier . Peri currently stars opposite Roger Burton in Old Guy , the critically acclaimed six-episode short form comedy series that takes a satiric look at how the film and TV industry often portrays older people, particularly those in their seventies and eigh...

TVC 500.6: From September 2013: Broadcast legend Hugh Downs talks to Ed and Phil Gries about his interviews with President Dwight D. Eisenhower and chess champion Bobby Fischer for the Today Show , as well as the night he felt genuinely starstruck in the presence of Rita Hayworth when he interviewed her on The Tonight Show . This segment includes a brief clip from Downs' Tonight Show interview wit...

TVC 500.7: Some final thoughts on the passing of Hugh Downs, including tributes posted via Facebook by author Steven Tiabbi and Patty Duke biographer Bill Jankowski. 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 advertise on our sho...

From July 2015: Tony, Donna, and Ed remember the historic Live Aid concert on July 13, 1985 and how that event helped cement the MTV brand.  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 advertise on our show. Please email  sales@ad...

From July 2015: Remembering Hugh Grant's appearance on The Tonight Show on July 10, 1995 ("What the hell were you thinking?!?"), and how that impacted the network late night talk show wars between Jay Leno and David Letterman. 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...

An encore presentation of our July 2014 conversation with Dwayne Epstein , author of Lee Marvin: Point Blank , an excellent biography of the Academy Award-winning actor . Topics this segment include how Marvin became a household name partly because of television (and, particularly, the nourish crime drama M Squad ). Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential  has partnered with AdvertiseC...

From July 2014: Dwayne Epstein , author of Lee Marvin: Point Blank , talks to Ed about how watching a Lee Marvin performance on screen "was like throwing a glass at a wall," and the many ways in which Marvin created the modern American cinema of violence. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential  has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast...

From July 2014: Dwayne Epstein , author of Lee Marvin: Point Blank , talks to Ed about the outcome of the controversial palimony lawsuit of 1979 involving Lee Marvin and Michelle Triola, as well as Marvin's love/hate relationship with the medium of television. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential  has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the po...

An encore presentation of our December 2014 conversation with actor, producer, and director Stanley Livingston . Known around the world as Chip Douglas on My Three Sons (ABC/CBS, 1960-1972), Stan is also the founder and CEO of The Actors Journey Project , a teaching program for both aspiring actors and working actors that helps fill a crucial gap in an actor's education. While many colleges, unive...

From December 2014: Actor, director, and producer Stanley Livingston talks to Ed about working with Ozzie Nelson and Jackie Cooper in the years before he was cast as Chip Douglas on My Three Sons , and how Nelson was particularly instrumental in the launch of Stan's acting career. Stan is also the founder and CEO of The Actors Journey Project , a teaching program for both aspiring actors and worki...

From December 2104: Actor, director, and producer Stanley Livingston talks to Ed about the many parallels between working actors and working writers, as well as some of his other upcoming projects. Stan is also the founder and CEO of The Actors Journey Project , a teaching program that connects the dots of the business side of the acting industry for working actors, aspiring actors, and parents of...

From September 2013: Broadcast legend Hugh Downs talks to Ed and Phil Gries about the events that first brought him to NBC; his appearances on The Jack Benny Program (including one that also featured Rock Hudson); working with Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, and Carl Reiner on the short-lived variety series Sid Caesar Invites You (ABC, 1958); and which interview, among the many that Hugh conducted throu...

From September 2013: Hugh Downs talks to Ed and Phil Gries about the day he conducted the NBC orchestra when it played his original composition "Sandwriting" on The Merv Griffin Show; why composers aren't always the best conductors of their own work; and the brief time when Hugh wore three different hats on NBC-TV at the same time: host of The Today Show, host of Concentration, and sidekick to Jac...

From September 2013: Ed and Phil Gries welcome broadcast legend Hugh Downs. In a career that spanned seven decades, Hugh left his mark on three of the most iconic shows in television history (The Tonight Show, The Today Show, and ABC's 20/20). plus he hosted Over Easy and Live from Lincoln Center for PBS, the syndicated talk show Not for Women Only (with Barbara Walters), and the long-running NBC...

From September 2016: Award-winning writer Vince Waldron, author of The Official Dick Van Dyke Show Book, joins Tony, Donna, and Ed for a behind-the-scenes look at the making of The Dick Van Dyke Show, the most acclaimed comedy series of TV's golden age. Vince's book tells you everything you wanted to know about the iconic sitcom, as seen through the eyes of the cast and crew, including Carl Reiner...

From September 2016: Television historian and Emmy Award-winning writer Vince Waldron joins Tony, Donna, and Ed for a behind-the-scenes look at the making of The Dick Van Dyke Show, the most acclaimed comedy series of TV's golden age. Vince's book The Official Dick Van Dyke Show Book, Deluxe Expanded Archive Edition tells you everything you wanted to know about the iconic sitcom, as seen through t...

From September 2018: Ed, Greg Ehrbar and Greg's son, Colin, discuss the "Uncle Goopy" sketch featuring Carl Reiner, Sid Caesar, and Howard Morris, the famous parody of This is Your Life from Your Show of Shows that continues to find new audiences today because it is timeless and funny. Carl Reiner passed away on Monday, June 29 at age 98. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential  has pa...

From September 2018: Greg Ehrbar talks to Ed about how the "Uncle Goopy" sketch from Your Show of Shows, featuring Carl Reiner, Sid Caesar, and Howard Morris, continues to resonate with all kinds of audiences, including comedian Billy Crystal and even Greg's dog. Carl Reiner passed away on Monday, June 29 at age 98. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential  has partnered with AdvertiseC...

TVC 499.4: From June 2011: Tony, Donna, and Ed remember the finalization of Sonny & Cher's divorce on June 27, 1975, and how the couple's separation impacted not only The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour (CBS, 1971-1974), but their respective solo variety hours during the 1974-1975 television season. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential  has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertisin...