Historic Events and Social Change


The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

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About

HISTORY AND TELEVISION

As a productive cultural force, television is involved in projecting new modes and forms of historical understanding. These forms do not always follow from traditional scholarly or professional ideas about history. On the contrary, for a number of reasons, television has been widely seen as contributing to the disappearance or loss of history in the contemporary postmodern condition. The emphasis on television's "liveness," based in its technology and its common discursive and rhetorical strategies, has led some theorists to the conclusion that television plays a central role in erasing a sense of the past, and eliminating a common, coherent linear sense of cultural and social development.

It is certainly the case that conventional history is increasingly hard to identify in mass culture, especially in the form of coherent linear narratives, a clear set of major historical players, or readily identifiable class struggles. At the same time, however, television seems obsessed with defining itself in relation to history. Television's ubiquity suggests that its conceptions of history--both its representations of specific events and its appropriation of history as a way of understanding the world--must be taken seriously. Television does not supplant, but coexists with, familiar ideas about how we know the past, what we know of the past, and the value of such knowledge. In the process, television produces everyday forms of historical understanding.

As a result, it is probably more accurate to propose that television is contributing to a significant transformation and dispersion of how we think about history, rather than to the loss of historical consciousness. Television offers forms of history that are simultaneously more public than traditional, professional history and more personal and idiosyncratic. This is because the medium's historical narratives are available to mass viewing publics, but also engage viewers in diverse, and even highly idiosyncratic ways. While history may be conceived in both broadly social and intensely personal terms, television has transformed the ways in which individuals understand and position themselves in relation to either of these definitions.

In the case of the United States, it is nearly impossible to think about American culture and its global influence today without including everyday media culture as an integral part of this history. Significant historical events and conjunctures of postwar 20th century American history--the Vietnam war, the assassination of John F. Kennedy, civil rights and student protests, the Challenger explosion, the Persian Gulf War--can hardly be imagined without the television images which carried them into American (and other) homes. Similar conditions, events, and moments, such as the collective memory of the 1952 coronation of Queen Elizabeth for British viewers, exist in other nations of the world which have also had a long experience with television. As these examples suggest, for some established nation-states television can actually connote national identity through a televisual history. Other nations and regions, particularly in the postcolonial world, have yet to see representations of their national identity consistently emerge on their television screens. And yet another group of nations and regions, such as post-apartheid South Africa, are experiencing a transformation of the historical representation of their televisual national identity.

Nearing the end of the 20th century, the idea of "video diplomacy" also has increasing importance in a world linked by telecommunications technology and covered by international television news organizations. Indeed television news--with its emphasis on being live and up to date--is one of the key places where television most insistently promotes its historical role. The rapid growth of television in the postcolonial world, coincident with the end of the Cold War (since 1989, sets in use worldwide have doubled, with most of that growth in the postcolonial world) suggests that the impact of televisual history first experienced in the United States will now be seen on a world scale. The live televising of coups and crises in post-Soviet Russia is one recent example of the globalizing trend of television and historical consciousness. Other indicators include the unprecedented global circulation of war reporting, of political journalism, and of the lives and misfortunes of celebrities.

In other contexts television links history to world-historical events, often before they have even begun. The term "history" is regularly used to designate events before, during, and after they occur. In this vein, television casts all sorts of events as history including the Middle East peace summit in Madrid; the fall of the Berlin Wall; the annual World Series in baseball; Michael Jordan's return to basketball; odd spectacles such as "Hands Across America;" and the first primetime airing of the final episode of M*A*S*H. From the apparently sublime to the apparently inexplicable, "history" is a term and a conceptual field that television often bandies about with surprising frequency and persistence. In the process conventional ideas of history as a distinctive temporal and narrational discourse are dispersed. "History" becomes a process wherein events and people in the present (and future) are simultaneously implicated in a social, political, and cultural heritage. Past and present, then and now, are set in a temporal tourniquet, akin to a moebius strip.

Television routinely correlates liveness and historicity in the form of equivalence, alibi, reversals, and identity, especially in the area of news and public affairs/documentary programming. In the context of news coverage, especially events that warrant live coverage, it is not unusual to hear that the events thus presented are "historic." At the same time, the very presence of television at an event constitutes a record for posterity. In this sense television acts as an agent of history and memory, recording and preserving representations to be referenced in the future. The institution of television itself becomes the guarantor of history, even as it invokes history to validate and justify its own presence at an event.

Another factor at work in this array is the long-term search by broadcasters for a recognition of their own legitimacy as social institutions; many critics of television have linked the rise of a televisual historical consciousness and the aggressive self-promotion of the broadcasting industry when criticizing television for its supposed failure to fully advance public ideals. Even while driven by the lure of significant profit American television broadcasters are often desperate to dissociate themselves from discourses presenting television as a vast wasteland. As part of a spirited defense against their many detractors they point to their unique ability to record and represent history. The "high culture--low culture" debate, so prevalent in analyses of American media, has sunk its roots into this issue as well.

In much of the rest of the world, by contrast, government investment in broadcasting has meant that questions of legitimation, and subsequent defense through claims of unique historical agency, have been less urgent. However, following the worldwide wave of privatization of media outlets which began in the 1980s television broadcasters throughout the world may begin to mimic their American predecessors. They, too, may protect their self interests by turning the production of "history on television" and "television as history" into a useable past.

As a result of all these activities, it is possible to see how forms of historical consciousness purveyed by television get transformed in the process of representing current events that are all equally "historic." Television promotes ideas about history that involve heterogeneous temporal references--past, present, and future. But actual historical events are unstable combinations of public and private experiences, intersecting both global and local perspectives. By proposing combinations and permutations of individual memory and official public document, television produces a new sense of cultural and social viewers.

For example, in relation to past events, television frequently addresses viewers as subjects of a distinctive historical consciousness: Americans of various ages are all supposed to remember where we were when we first heard and saw that John F. Kennedy was shot, that the space shuttle Challenger had exploded, or when the bombs began to drop on Baghdad, signaling the start of the Persian Gulf War. The drama of the everyday can be similarly historicized when, for example, television promotes collective memories of Kathy Fiscus for one American generation or Baby Jessica for another. By addressing viewers in this way, television confirms its own central role as the focal point of the myriad individual experiences and memories of its individual viewers. In the process the medium brings sentimental domestic drama into direct relation with public, domestic, and global histories.

In all these instance, television's ideas of history are intimately bound up with the history of the medium itself (and indirectly with other audiovisual recording media), and with its abilities to record, circulate, and preserve images. In other words, the medium's representations of the past are highly dependent on events that have been recorded on film or video, such that history assumes the form of television's self-reflection. The uses of available still photography and audio recordings can also, on occasion, play a significant role in this regard. The medium's own mechanisms--its prevailing technologies and discourses--become the defining characteristics of modern historiography. Similarly, the television journalist--particularly the news anchor--can become an embodied icon of television's ability to credibly produce and represent history. Many nations have (or have had) a number of individuals achieve this status typically associated with an American reporter like Walter Cronkite. Now television journalists seem on the cusp of achieving this at transnational and transcultural levels. An emergent example here is Peter Arnett, correspondent for the Cable News Network (CNN). Television may in the process also begin to produce a new sense of global histories, along with national and personal histories.

This self-reflective nature of television's historiography develops in relation to both public events and in relation to the medium's own programming. American television routinely celebrates its own past in an array of anniversary, reunion, and retrospective shows about its own programs, and even in "bloopers" specials which compile outtakes and mistakes from previously-aired programs. Programs of this ilk serve multiple functions, and have various implications with regards to ideas of history. Self-promotion, in the form of inexpensive, recycled programming, is one obvious motivation for these shows, especially as the multi-channel environment means that more "old" shows are rerun on broadcast and cable services. This also becomes a kind of self-legitimation, by means of retrospective logic. For if American programs such as The Tonight Show, The Brady Bunch, or Laverne and Shirley warrant celebratory reunion or retrospective celebration, even years after they are no longer in production, this must mean they are important cultural artifacts/events.

Television thus continually rewrites its own past in the form of "history" as a way of promoting itself and its ongoing programming as a significant, legitimate part of culture. In the process, postwar American popular culture is held up as the measure of social-cultural history more generally. All viewers are enjoined to "remember" this heritage, whether they experienced it first-hand, in first-run, or not. This can even lead to the production of instant nostalgia, when special programs herald popular series' final episodes (such as occurred with Cheers and Knots Landing), just as those final new episodes air in primetime. This sort of self-promotional and self-reflective ballyhoo (in network specials, as well as on talk shows, entertainment news programs, and local news programs around the country) proposes that these programs have been absorbed into a common popular cultural historical heritage from the very moment they are no longer presenting new episodes in primetime.

Programming schedules and strategies in themselves adopt and offer these new ideas about history, especially in terms of popular culture. This is increasingly apparent in the multi-channel universe, as television becomes something of a cultural archive, where movies and television programs from the past are as readily accessible as new programs. This can even be made self-conscious, as in the case of Nick at Night (a programming subdivision of Nickelodeon, an American cable network), which features American sitcoms from the 1960s and 1970s, and promotes itself as "celebrating our television heritage." In 1995 Nickelodeon proposed a second network, programmed exclusively with old television shows. The name for this collection of reruns would be "TV-Land." Once again, the history in question is the medium's own history, self-referentially reproducing itself as having cultural value and utility.

Beyond these strategic constructions of the historical significance of television as medium, a specific sense of history also pervades television's fiction programs. Because of the nature of American commercial television programming, individual programs develop and project a sense of history in direct proportion to their success--the longer they stay on the air, the more development there is over time. Characters and the actors who portray them not only age, but accrue a sense of density of experience and viewers may establish variable relationships with these characters and their histories. This sense of continuity and history, linking and intersecting fictive worlds with the lives of viewers, seems strongest and most explicit in serial melodrama, but equally affects any successful, long-running series. It is also complicated by the question of syndication and reruns where the interplay of repetition and development, seriality and redundancy leads to the sense that history is malleable and mutable, at least at the level of individual, everyday experience. While many European television programs intentionally have a limited run of episodes, other long-running programs such as Eastenders indicate that this tendency is not unique to American television. Furthermore, complicated historical issues can certainly be involved in limited-run series, as suggested by miniseries such as Roots in the United States or Yearnings in China.

As suggested above, many of these ideas about history are powerfully played out in the context of serial melodrama, a genre which may seem as far removed from "history" in the conventional sense as anything on television. These "soap operas" offer stories that may continue for decades, maintaining viewer allegiances in the process, even though the stories are punctuated by redundancies on the one hand, and unanticipated reversals on the other. These narrative conventions are some of the very things for which the genre is often derided--slow dramatic progress, the ongoing breakups of good relationships, the routine revival of characters presumed dead, and sudden revelations that characters were switched at birth, or the product of previously unrevealed affairs, leading to major reconstruals of family relations. But these characteristic narrative strategies also produce a subtle and sophisticated sense of historicity and temporality, in the context of the accumulation of a long-term historical fiction and long-term viewing commitments. Among other things, they encourage a persistent reexamination of conventional assumptions and attitudes about lineage, and about family and community relations, in patriarchal culture. In the process they also offer a sense that the force and weight of the past is important, but not always readily transparent, requiring the active interpretive involvement and participation of the most ordinary people, including soap opera viewers. Complex and contradictory ideas about temporality and narrative contribute to a popular historical consciousness because they have everything to do with individuals' actual relations to and ideas about historicity. One example is found in the various telenovelas produced and aired in Brazil during the recent downfall of the Collor presidency; these telenovelas were read by audiences as socio-political texts embued with the twists and turns which eventually led to Collor's resignation.

Television also produces ideas about history through historical fictions, in particular in primetime dramas and historical miniseries. These offer particular revisions and interpretations of the past, often inflected by a sense of anachronism. It is not surprising that many controversial social issues continue to be readily explored in the context of historical narrative. For viewers, the historical fictions provide the alibi of a safe distance and difference in relation to situations they might encounter in the present. A range of programs have thus explored ideas about race, gender, and multiculturalism in anachronistic historical contexts, allowing the past to become the terrain for displacing and exploring contemporary social concerns. In this way particular historical moments, however fictionalized, may be revivified in conjunction with contemporary social issues. This occurs, for example, in programs as Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, I'll Fly Away, Homefront, and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, to name some notable American examples from the 1990s.

While these historical frames permit an opportunity for exploring issues that might otherwise be considered overly controversial (especially in the present), they also propose that the issues are not necessarily of current or topical concern, since they are retrospectively projected into the past. In this context, it is also interesting to examine which periods of the past become fertile territory for reexamination. Television often focuses on periods which are based in the recent past and thus overdetermined in their familiarity; or, the chosen moments are widely recognized as eras of national transition or upheaval, providing opportunity for the exploration of many socially charged topics. Even within particular programs dealing with these particular periods, however, the idea of a stable linear historicity is not necessarily the rule.

In various ways, then, television situates itself at the center of a process wherein it produces and reconstructs history for popular consumption. For if the things it reports are historical, sometimes before they have even occurred, and if early television programs are our common cultural heritage, then the medium itself is the agent of historical construction. This reaches extremes when the medium's presence at an event becomes the "proof" of the event's historical importance, a tautological process which tends to encourage self-absorption, self-referentiality, and self-legitimation. Watching television and being on television become twin poles of a contemporary cultural experience of historicization. Viewers are likely to get caught up in this process.

There is, for example, the case of a young woman standing in a crowd on an L.A. freeway overpass in the summer of 1994, waiting for O.J. Simpson to pass by in a white Ford Bronco, trailed by police who were trying to arrest him. A reporter from CNN asked her why she was there. She explained that she had been watching it all on television, and realized that O.J. would pass near her house and, she said, "I just wanted to be a part of history." In the logic of contemporary television culture she achieved her goal, because she was on television and was able to write history in her own voice, live, with her presence and participation in a major televised event.

- Mimi White and James Schwoch

FURTHER READING

Boddy, William. Fifties Television: The Industry and Its Critics. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1990.

Caldwell, John Thornton. Televisuality: Style, Crisis, and Authority in American Television. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1995.

Dayan, Daniel, and Elihu Katz. Media Events: the Live Broadcasting of History. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1992.

Freehling, William W. "History and Television." Southern Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal of the South (Natchitoches, Louisiana), Spring, 1983.

Jameson, Frederic. Postmodernism, or, The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism. Durham: Duke University Press, 1991.

Jenkins, Henry, III. "Reading Popular History: The Atlanta Child Murders." Journal of Communication Inquiry (Iowa City, Iowa), Summer, 1987.

Lipsitz, George. Time Passages: Collective Memory and American Popular Culture. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1990.

McChesney, Robert, and William Solomon, editors. Ruthless Criticism: New Perspectives in U.S. Communication History. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1993.

Monaghan, David. "Em-Bodying the Disembodied: Tumbledown, Resurrected, and Falklands War Mythology." 1993 Works and Days: Essays in the Socio-Historical Dimensions of Literature and the Arts (Indiana, Pennsylvania), Fall, 1993.

Negt, Oskar, and Alexander Kluge. Offentlichkeit und Erfahrung (Public Sphere and Experience). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1993.

O'Connor, John E., editor. Image as Artifact: the Historical Analysis of Film and Television. Washington: American Historical Association, 1990.

Pilgrim, Tim A. "Television and the Destruction of Democracy: Blurring of Fiction and Fact as a Hegemonic Tool." Studies in Popular Culture (Louisville, Kentucky), 1992.

Ronning, Helge, and Knut Lundby. Media and Communication: Readings in Methodology, History, and Culture. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991.

Schudson, Michael. The Power of News. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1995.

Schwoch, James, Mimi White, and Susan Reilly. Media Knowledge. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1992.

Spigel, Lynn. Make Room for TV. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1992.

Winston, Brian. Misunderstanding Media. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1986.

Highlights
Tim Russert on his Meet the Press broadcast with Vice President Dick Cheney in the aftermath of 9/11
02:09
Larry King on his experiences during 9/11
02:16
Walter Cronkite on "the great story of our century"; man landing on the moon
01:33
Barbara Walters on John F. Kennedy's assassination
03:39
Sam Donaldson on how press access changed between the Vietnam and the Gulf Wars
01:26
Ed Bradley on covering a Martin Luther King, Jr. speech during his first field reporting experience for a Philadelphia radio station
03:09
Who talked about this topic

Dr. John Leverence

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Dr. John Leverence on how the Television Academy has addressed inclusivity and avoided the kind of criticism that the #OscarsSoWhite reaction to the Motion Picture Academy's Oscar awards has experienced in recent years
01:57
Dr. John Leverence on Viola Davis winning an Emmy for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series in 2015 (for How to Get Away with Murder) as the first Black actress to win in that category
00:58
Dr. John Leverence on the Primetime Emmy telecast that aired shortly after 9/11
04:56
Dr. John Leverence on the record number of Black performers to win at the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards
00:53
Dr. John Leverence on the role television has played during the COVID-19 pandemic
02:59
Dr. John Leverence on how the COVID-19 pandemic might impact the television industry, moving forward
02:55

Robert Adler

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Robert Adler on early projects he was assigned at Zenith and on Zenith and World War II
05:40

Mary V. Ahern

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Mary V. Ahern on her experience during World War II
02:21
Mary V. Ahern on how opportunities for women in television have changed over the years
01:24
Mary V. Ahern on her experience as a female television producer in the 1950s
02:12

Alan Alda

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Alan Alda on the connection between the Korean War setting of M*A*S*H and the then-contemporary conflict in Vietnam
01:23
Alan Alda on Loretta Swit's contribution to making her M*A*S*H character three-dimensional
01:37

Steve Allen

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Steve Allen on being drafted into World War II
01:16

John Amos

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John Amos on the public reaction to Roots
02:34
John Amos on his experience playing "Kunta Kinte" on Roots and how his background prepared him for it
12:12
John Amos on the effect of Roots on his personal self-esteem
01:00
John Amos on guest-starring on Two and a Half Men
03:36
John Amos on how roles for African-Americans have changed since he started acting
01:39

Alex Anderson

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Alex Anderson on his experiences during World War II
01:49

Robert G. Anderson

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Robert G. Anderson on interviewing Indira Gandhi
02:39
Robert G. Anderson on his recollections of being on a plane on 9/11
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Howard Anderson, Jr.

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Howard Anderson Jr. on his military service 
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Julie Andrews

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Julie Andrews on the TV movie Our Sons
01:38

Charlie Andrews

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Charlie Andrews on his service in World War II
01:49

Army Archerd

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Army Archerd on serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II
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Army Archerd on being on a lot when he found out about President Kennedy's death and not using his "Good Morning" tagline in his column the day after the assassination
01:35
Army Archerd on breaking the story of Rock Hudson's AIDS
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Lucie Arnaz

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Lucie Arnaz on problems faced with I Love Lucy due to her father, Desi Arnaz, being Cuban
01:05

James Arness

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James Arness on his experience with World War II
03:13

Peter Arnett

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Peter Arnett on reporting from Saigon for the Associated Press during the Vietnam War
13:46
Peter Arnett on competing news outlets in Vietnam during the Vietnam War
04:30
Peter Arnett on covering the Buddhist crisis in Vietnam for the Associated Press
04:55
Peter Arnett on getting stories out of Vietnam, and on television news being late with the stories
03:45
Peter Arnett on government interference in his reporting from Vietnam
07:35
Peter Arnett on appealing to the Kennedy administration when South Vietnam was hampering their reporting from the region
09:23
Peter Arnett on covering the attempted coup in Vietnam
03:53
Peter Arnett on covering the Tet Offensive in Vietnam, and military complaints about the coverage
14:03
Peter Arnett on the reaction of the Lyndon Johnson administration to his AP reporting from Vietnam
09:50
Peter Arnett on how the Vietnam War changed reporting on wars that came after
08:03
Peter Arnett on laying the groundwork for CNN's coverage of the Gulf War
10:46
Peter Arnett on broadcasting, along with Bernard Shaw and John Holliman, from the Al Rashid Hotel the night of the American bombing of of Baghdad which marked the start of the Gulf War
13:08
Peter Arnett on public reaction to his, Bernard Shaw's, and John Holliman's coverage of the bombing of Baghdad from the Al Rashid Hotel
03:49
Peter Arnett on using words rather than images to describe the action on the ground in Baghdad the first day of the Gulf War, and on dealing with Iraqi security
03:21
Peter Arnett on Iraqi security forces attempting to censor his reports from Baghdad
08:57
Peter Arnett on staying behind in Baghdad during the Gulf War after his colleagues from CNN left
02:02
Peter Arnett on CNN and Ted Turner resisting pressure from the George H.W. Bush administration to pull Arnett out of Baghdad during the Gulf War
02:40
Peter Arnett on reporting on the bombing of a baby milk factory during the Gulf War, and on the growing criticism of his reporting from Baghdad
11:05
Peter Arnett on interviewing Saddam Hussein during the Gulf War
19:27
Peter Arnett on getting the tapes of his Saddam Hussein interview back to CNN without censorship from the Iraqi Ministry of Information
03:27
Peter Arnett on the events leading up to his 1997 interview with Osama bin Laden
15:02
Peter Arnett on his 1997 interview with Osama bin Laden
14:19

Bob Banner

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Bob Banner on his service in World War II
02:19
Bob Banner on producing Peggy Fleming Visits the Soviet Union
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Paris Barclay

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Paris Barclay on directing a pivotal episode of ER in which a main character is revealed to have AIDS, and seeing the power of television's reach
04:43

Erik Barnouw

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Erik Barnouw on attending the RCA television demonstration at the 1939 World's Fair
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Erik Barnouw on how World War II impacted him and his work
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Erik Barnouw on forming and heading the Armed Forces Radio Services education unit
09:04

Cliff Barrows

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Cliff Barrows on Billy Graham's response to JFK's Assassination
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Cliff Barrows on Billy Graham's response to the Civil Rights Movement
01:40
Cliff Barrows on his response to 9/11
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Ralph M. Baruch

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Ralph M. Baruch on his family's experiences in World War II in Germany and France
19:08

Anne Beatts

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Anne Beatts on original (and sole African-American) Saturday Night Live cast member Garrett Morris and how he was used on the show
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Anne Beatts on hiring an all-female writing staff for Square Pegs (with "token" male Andy Borowitz)
00:58
Anne Beatts on late-night television as an area that still hasn't fully accepted female writers
01:33

Samantha Bee

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Samantha Bee on being one of the few female hosts in late night, on Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
05:39
Samantha Bee on #MeToo series on Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, and on her thoughts on the movement in general
02:37

William Bell

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William Bell on Walter Cronkite interrupting As the World Turns to announce President Kennedy had been killed
02:12
William Bell on incorporating events of the Vietnam War into the storylines of Days of Our Lives
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Dick Berg

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Dick Berg on his experiences in World War II
01:33

Lowell Bergman

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Lowell Bergman on his opinion of network news when he joined ABC and investigating Chappaquiddick
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Milton Berle

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Milton Berle on booking the African-American group The Four Step Brothers on Texaco Star Theater
05:31

Walter Bernstein

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Walter Bernstein on how the Great Depression impacted his family
00:34
Walter Bernstein on being drafted in 1941, serving in public relations during World War II, and writing a musical comedy play for the troops (pre-USO)
02:18
Walter Bernstein on getting transferred to do public relations for the Irving Berlin play "This is the Army" during World War II, controversy over a piece he wrote for The New Yorker, and getting transferred again to write for Yank magazine
02:12
Walter Bernstein on writing for Yank, the official magazine of the Army, and traveling overseas as a magazine correspondent
02:49
Walter Bernstein on the Army being aware of his left-leaning political beliefs
04:21
Walter Bernstein on reporting for Yank magazine from Jerusalem during World War II; on the atrocities against Jews during World War II
02:12
Walter Bernstein on reporting for Yank magazine from combat situations during World War II and interviewing Tito in Yugoslavia without the Army's consent
08:21

Tom Bettag

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Tom Bettag on covering the Vietnam War during his early years at CBS News
03:11
Tom Bettag on the "rules" for reporting on the Vietnam War, and on what he learned from the experience of covering it
07:52
Tom Bettag on trying to land an interview with Saddam Hussein for CBS Evening News with Dan Rather
03:41
Tom Bettag on covering the Gulf War for CBS Evening News with Dan Rather, and on landing an interview with Saddam Hussein
03:41

Wade Bingham

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Wade Bingham on shooting the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II for CBS News
01:37
Wade Bingham on the types of films he made as a child, and on making training films during World War II
09:47
Wade Bingham on covering the Korean War for CBS News
09:44
Wade Bingham on covering the Battle of Chongju and other battles during the Korean War
04:00
Wade Bingham on covering the firing of General Douglas MacArthur during the Korean War for CBS News
12:34
Wade Bingham on his most memorable moments covering the Korean War for CBS News
02:47
Wade Bingham on memorable moments shooting the Korean War for CBS News
04:30
Wade Bingham on Edward R. Murrow bringing See it Now to Korea during the Korean War
10:13
Wade Bingham on competing with other news organizations during the Korean War, and on bringing sound to his footage of it
07:46
Wade Bingham on covering the French involvement in Vietnam, which was a precursor to the Vietnam War
05:50
Wade Bingham on covering the early stages of the Vietnam War for CBS News
07:59
Wade Bingham on covering China's Taiwan Straits Crisis for CBS News
08:25
Wade Bingham on covering the opium trade of Burma and Laos for CBS News
06:31
Wade Bingham on covering the Suez Crisis in 1956
06:24
Wade Bingham on shooting a hydrogen bomb test
03:25
Wade Bingham on covering Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev's visit to Indonesia in 1960
05:45
Wade Bingham on shooting an hydrogen bomb test for CBS News
06:43

Frank Biondo

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Frank Biondo on working the 1964 World's Fair color television display for NBC
02:04

William Blinn

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William Blinn on "Huggy Bear" on Starsky and Hutch
01:28
William Blinn on the reaction to Brian's Song, and on dealing with the racial aspect of the story
03:59
William Blinn on writing the miniseries Roots
28:30

Allan Blye

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Allan Blye on the moment between Harry Belafonte and Petula Clark on Clark's 1968 special Petula when the two performers linked arms, which caused controversy at the time
01:20

Haskell Boggs

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Haskell Boggs on his activities during World War II
03:06

Mili Lerner Bonsignori

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Mili Lerner Bonsignori on working on the pilot episode of See It Now which followed how a donation of blood made it to a soldier in the Korean War
00:28
Mili Lerner Bonsignori on not being treated as an equal to the men on See It Now
04:20

Al Borden

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Al Borden on his experience in World War II and living through the Great Depression
01:24
Al Borden on his service in World War II
01:48

Yvette Lee Bowser

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Yvette Lee Bowser on balancing serious subject matter within the context of a comedy on A Different World -- including the episode "If I Should Die Before I Wake"
03:31
Yvette Lee Bowser on taking two weeks off from Hangin' with Mr. Cooper to write the pilot for Living Single and on several white male writers getting promoted during her absence; on forming her production company, SisterLee Productions
02:19
Yvette Lee Bowser on pitching her idea for Living Single, pushing back on network notes in order to keep "Maxine Shaw", and finalizing the pilot script for the show
03:37
Yvette Lee Bowser on building the visual environment on Living Single
01:28
Yvette Lee Bowser on the tone of Living Single and on socially responsible storytelling
03:46
Yvette Lee Bowser on Living Single fan mail that she received
01:20
Yvette Lee Bowser on the "Maxine Shaw Effect" from Living Single
01:47
Yvette Lee Bowser on being the first Black woman to create, run, and produce her own primetime series in the U.S. -- with Living Single
01:03
Yvette Lee Bowser on the Black-ish episode "Hope"
04:26
Yvette Lee Bowser on running the first season of Run the World, which shot in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, and on the show getting a second season
06:10
Yvette Lee Bowser on how pandemic production operated on Unprisoned and on the Zoom writers' room on the show
04:19
Yvette Lee Bowser on discussions with Justin Simien that led to the "Chapter V" episode of Dear White People in which "Reggie" has a gun pulled on him by campus police
05:34
Yvette Lee Bowser on writing a couple episodes of Dear White People, including co-writing "Volume 2: Chapter IX", in which "Sam" returns home after her father's death; on the female friendships on Dear White People
03:20
Yvette Lee Bowser on the legacy of Dear White People
00:24
Yvette Lee Bowser on working with Onyx Collective on UnPrisoned
01:37

Peter Boyle

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Peter Boyle on Everybody Loves Raymond being in production during 9/11 and launching promotions for syndication that morning
02:08

Ed Bradley

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Ed Bradley on covering a Martin Luther King, Jr. speech during his first field reporting experience for a Philadelphia radio station
03:09
Ed Bradley on the impact of the "boat people" story about Vietnamese refugees, and recognizing the reach of 60 Minutes
02:20

Kevin Bright

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Kevin Bright on how Friends responded to 9/11
02:37

David Brinkley

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David Brinkley on his World War II experience
02:34
David Brinkley on covering the Civil Rights Movement
00:56
David Brinkley on interviewing a young Martin Luther King, Jr. before the Brown vs Board of Education ruling came down
01:41
David Brinkley on Jesse Helms, at the time, a local Southern reporter who went on the air to "answer Brinkley's lies"
01:39
David Brinkley on covering John F. Kennedy's assassination
04:51

Tom Brokaw

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Tom Brokaw on how KMTV in Omaha covered the assassination of President John F. Kennedy
06:02
Tom Brokaw on covering the Civil Rights Movement from WSB in Atlanta
04:07
Tom Brokaw on covering the Watts Riots and various other stories at KNBC News in Los Angeles
06:53
Tom Brokaw on interviewing Mikhail Gorbachev on NBC Nightly News
02:06
Tom Brokaw on the role of the network news anchor, and on going to South Africa to cover the release of Nelson Mendela
03:41
Tom Brokaw on NBC Nightly News covering the fall of the Berlin Wall
09:06
Tom Brokaw on the NBC Nightly News coverage of 9/11
06:59
Tom Brokaw on being targeted with an anthrax letter in 2001
02:05

Vivian Brown

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Vivian Brown on how The Weather Channel deals with severe weather conditions including Hurricane Katrina
03:47
Vivian Brown on reporting on Hurricane Katrina for The Weather Channel
03:50
Vivian Brown on reporting on Hurricane Sandy for The Weather Channel
02:35
Vivian Brown on reporting from The Weather Channel on 9/11
04:16
Vivian Brown on dealing with racism in the industry
02:32
Vivian Brown on being a female meteorologist 
02:51

Frances Buss Buch

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Frances Buss Buch on working on the CBS TV news program when Pearl Harbor was attacked
01:56
Frances Buss Buch on the press she got for being one of the first women directors at CBS
02:24
Frances Buss Buch on directing "Telecolor Clinics" for The American Cancer Society
07:43

James Burrows

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James Burrows on why Will & Grace can get away with some of the topics it covers; on being involved with a somewhat political show
02:32
James Burrows on Standards and Practices having issues with some jokes on Will & Grace
03:18
James Burrows on how Will & Grace has been perceived in the gay community
00:34

LeVar Burton

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LeVar Burton on the impact of Roots
02:16

Vince Calandra

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Vince Calandra on getting African-American talent on The Ed Sullivan Show
03:24
Vince Calandra on Ed Sullivan's contributions to the Civil Rights Movement and putting African-Americans on television
02:51

Reuben Cannon

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Reuben Cannon on how the business of casting has changed since he started as the first black casting director
01:00

Jim Cantore

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Jim Cantore on covering Hurricane Katrina live from the field for The Weather Channel
12:35
Jim Cantore on covering the Joplin Tornado
06:59
Jim Cantore on covering Hurricane Sandy for The Weather Channel
02:14
Jim Cantore on weather events he's witnessed that have changed history
04:54

Charles Cappleman

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Charles Cappleman on the Korean War interrupting his broadcasting career
10:12

Josie Carey

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Josie Carey on the impact of World War II on her family as she was growing up
00:47

Marcy Carsey

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Marcy Carsey on the progression of her career at ABC and becoming head of series television
02:05
Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner on the Cosby spin-off A Different World and the awareness the program brought to black colleges
02:38

Thomas Carter

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Thomas Carter on the African-American cast of The White Shadow  and fan reaction to the show
02:23
Thomas Carter on addressing racial issues in the series Equal Justice
06:41
Thomas Carter on the portrayal of African-Americans on television in 2013
04:50
Thomas Carter on dealing with racism in his career
03:57

Chris Carter

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Chris Carter on how 9/11 impacted The X-Files
01:03
Chris Carter on the series The Lone Gunmen and it having predicted some aspects of 9/11
02:29

Dan Castellaneta

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Dan Castellaneta on The Simpsons episode "Homer versus New York" and the timing of airing that show after 9/11
03:38

Gilbert Cates

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Gilbert Cates on the TV movie Consenting Adult, for which he was nominated for an Emmy
02:10

Tucker Cawley

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Tucker Cawley on his experience on 9/11
02:06

Leo Chaloukian

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Leo Chaloukian on hearing 4 gunshots in the recording from the motorcycle policeman at JFK's Assassination - indicating at least 2 gunmen
04:16

Marge Champion

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Marge Champion on her experiences during World War II
01:33

Les Charles

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Les Charles on remembering when JFK was assassinated
01:37

Glen Charles

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Glen Charles on JFK's assassination

RuPaul Charles

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RuPaul Charles on the pressures of being black and gay during the run of The RuPaul Show and on RuPaul's Drag Race
RuPaul Charles on the legacy and message of RuPaul's Drag Race
01:37
RuPaul Charles on the contestants of RuPaul's Drag Race, and their courage and vulnerability
04:35
RuPaul Charles on his message as a performer
04:13
RuPaul Charles on the contestants of RuPaul's Drag Race, and their courage and vulnerability
04:35

Michael Chiklis

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Michael Chiklis on 9/11 occurring during the run of The Shield
00:58

Margaret Cho

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Margaret Cho on Good Times being her favorite show
01:00
Margaret Cho on the challenge of getting roles on television when there were no parts for Asian Americans
01:32
Margaret Cho on how All-American Girl came about -- successful comedians got their own sitcoms in the '90s and she had a unique viewpoint as a young Asian American woman
02:49
Margaret Cho on the groundbreaking aspects of All-American Girl -- the first representation of a Korean American family on U.S. primetime television
03:10
Margaret Cho on network notes she got on All-American Girl -- that she was too fat
04:51
Margaret Cho on Drop Dead Diva tackling body issues head on
00:50
Margaret Cho on Eddie Huang approaching her to discuss Fresh Off the Boat since she had previously navigated a show starring an Asian American family on U.S. primetime television, and on what had changed in the culture between the time of All-American Girl and Fresh Off the Boat
02:00
Margaret Cho on the legacy of All-American Girl
00:54
Margaret Cho on what the COVID-19 pandemic experience has been like for her, on the violence against Asian Americans during the pandemic, and on the many streaming services she's been watching
02:25
Margaret Cho on doing remote shows and connecting with fans during the COVID-19 pandemic
00:34
Margaret Cho on what production has been like during the COVID-19 pandemic
01:01
Margaret Cho on COVID protocols for TV production during the COVID-19 pandemic
03:14
Margaret Cho on shooting and traveling during the COVID-19 pandemic
00:56
Margaret Cho on the progress television has made in Asian American representation in front of and behind the camera
01:09
Margaret Cho on advice for young women entering the industry
00:31
Margaret Cho on what she's most looking forward to when the COVID-19 pandemic ends
00:53

Sam Christaldi

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Sam Christaldi on Du Mont and the 1939 World's Fair and the early price of television sets
02:34
Sam Christaldi on World War II's impact on Du Mont
02:12

Ed Christie

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Ed Christie on designing a South African puppet with AIDS for Sesame Street South Africa
04:00

Robert Clary

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Robert Clary on being placed in a concentration camp with this family during World War II
04:48
Robert Clary on being liberated from Buchenwald in 1945
02:21
Robert Clary on how Hogan's Heroes was vastly different from his own real life World War II experience, and more on his character, "LeBeau"
05:25
Robert Clary on his eventual decision to share his and his family's story of being placed in a concentration camp during World War II
05:28
Robert Clary on his work speaking about the Holocaust for the Shoah Foundation, and on being the subject of the documentary "Robert Clary A5714: A Memoir of Liberation"
02:10
Robert Clary on being in Dallas when John F. Kennedy was assassinated
01:07

Art Clokey

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Art Clokey on working with film during World War II
11:13

Andy Cohen

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Andy Cohen on announcing the death of Osama bin Laden on Watch What Happens Live
00:57

Louis Nye with Emerson College

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Louis Nye on material he did about World War II that he performed for G.I.s and for officers
04:27

Hugh Hefner with Emerson College

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Hugh Hefner on putting African American comedian Dick Gregory on Playboy's Penthouse and in his nightclubs
04:33

Carlos Mencia with Emerson College

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Carlos Mencia on doing Latino-based humor, and on listening to accents
04:07
Carlos Mencia on the controversy surrounding his use of the term "beaner"
01:44
Carlos Mencia on how different groups react to his act, and Mind of Mencia
05:43

Shelley Berman with Emerson College

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Shelley Berman on the importance of comedy in his life, and on the importance of comedy during World War II
11:34

Beatrice Arthur with Emerson College

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Beatrice Arthur on homosexuality on television
02:53

Dick Gregory with Emerson College

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Dick Gregory on the challenges of an African-American comedian working nightclubs in the early 1960s
07:33
Dick Gregory on his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement
06:25
Dick Gregory on his relationship with Martin Luther King, and on when it's appropriate to joke about tragedy
04:35
Dick Gregory on taking a stand on civil rights issues, and on the power of music
02:41
Dick Gregory on if it was worth it, and on summing up his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement
11:52

Paul Rodriguez with Emerson College

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Paul Rodriguez on the Mexican-American community's reaction to a.k.a. Pablo, and their objections to his act
05:31
Paul Rodriguez on being inspired by Richard Pryor to use his Mexican heritage and identity in his act, and on the language he uses in his act
05:32
Paul Rodriguez on the then-current state of his career, and on his relationship with the Mexican-American community
03:12
Paul Rodriguez on things he has had the opportunity to do in his career, and on the then-current state of Latinos in comedy
02:00

Dick Cavett with Emerson College

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Dick Cavett on Bob Hope getting booed at a USO show in Vietnam
01:03

Barbara Feldon with Emerson College

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Barbara Feldon on being grateful for her time on Get Smart and how the industry is not generous to women; on how comedy is more fun to do than drama
02:28
Barbara Feldon on working without shoes on Get Smart and trying to look shorter than she was
00:57

Norman Lear with Emerson College

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Norman Lear on where he was on December 7, 1941 and on his time in the army
03:10

John Conte

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John Conte on seeing television at the 1939 World's Fair
02:47

Anderson Cooper

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Anderson Cooper on covering 9/11 and going to work for CNN
02:10
Anderson Cooper on covering Hurricane Katrina 
10:56
Anderson Cooper on covering the earthquake in Haiti 
05:54

Barbara Corday

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Barbara Corday on the premise of Cagney & Lacey and on dealing with women's issues on the show
04:43
Barbara Corday on the challenges of being a female executive in television
03:00
Barbara Corday on how the status of women in television has changed since she started
04:45
Barbara Corday on pitching Cagney & Lacey in 1974 and on being involved in the women's movement at the time
05:11

Fred de Cordova

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Fred de Cordova on his experiences in World War II
03:21

Alexander Courage

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Alexander Courage on becoming a bandleader in the Army during World War II and attending the Army Music School
04:44
Alexander Courage on starting to arrange music while he was in the Army
02:34

Katie Couric

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Katie Couric on feeling like most of the women at ABC News were in subservient positions
01:37

Ron Cowen

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Ron Cowen on writing 1985's An Early Frost (with Daniel Lipman), which depicted the AIDS epidemic, being his proudest career achievement
01:34

Ane Crabtree

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Ane Crabtree on her research for the costumes of The Handmaid's Tale, how she was impacted by the subject matter of the show, and design ideas for the Handmaids, Econopeople, Guardians, Aunts, and Commanders
12:50
Ane Crabtree on how Gilead in The Handmaid's Tale is similar to present day, and how costumes similar to those she designed began to be worn at political protests
21:12
Ane Crabtree on her research for the costumes of Pan Am and researching JFK's death
03:12
Ane Crabtree on where she was when the COVID-19 pandemic occurred and how it impacted production
09:55
Ane Crabtree on how opportunities have changed since she started in the industry and on the importance on having multi-racial crews
07:40

Douglas S. Cramer

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Douglas S. Cramer on developing Bridget Loves Bernie
03:21

David Crane

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David Crane on positive portrayals of gay characters on his shows
01:12
David Crane and Marta Kauffman on how 9/11 affected production on Friends
02:40
David Crane and Marta Kauffman on how 9/11 affected production on Friends
02:40

Richard Crenna

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Richard Crenna on his activities during World War II
01:58

Judith Crist

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Judith Crist on Al Morgan of Today being a big supporter of women
01:19
Judith Crist on why she left Today and feeling the decision to let her go was sexist
01:33
Judith Crist on getting to know women in television
03:27
Judith Crist on not encountering sexism in the television industry
12:24

Billy Crystal

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Billy Crystal on performing in a comedy team after college, and on watching the Vietnam War draft lottery on television
03:40
Billy Crystal on being cast as "Jodie Dallas" on Soap, television's first regular, gay character
07:11
Billy Crystal on the reception of his Soap character, "Jodie Dallas," who was gay
01:50
Billy Crystal on professional concerns he had about playing a gay character on Soap, and on his first HBO stand-up comedy special
05:11

Robert Culp

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Robert Culp on working on a Shirley Temple's Storybook episode when he heard that President Kennedy had been shot
01:23
Robert Culp on dealing with the racial aspect of I Spy
02:31

Ann Curry

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Ann Curry on being hired as a reporter at KTVL in Medford, Oregon, a station that had never before had a female reporter, and on the sexism she faced on the job
04:27
Ann Curry on aspiring to be a news anchor like Walter Cronkite early in her career, and how she navigated her ambitions with few available role models in broadcast journalism who were women or people of color
02:45
Ann Curry on reporting on the Darfur genocide, and on why she was so committed to covering the atrocity and other stories she cared about deeply
05:20
Ann Curry on reporting on the war in Kosovo for Today
08:13
Ann Curry on 9/11, and on how she contributed to NBC News' reporting on the tragedy, and on going to Ground Zero on September 12th and every day for weeks after
07:18
Ann Curry on her dedication to covering the genocide in Darfur for Today, and on interviewing the world leaders involved in the conflict, including President of Sudan Omar al-Bashir and President of Chad Idriss Deby
11:12
Ann Curry on inappropriate behavior she witnessed at NBC News, and on the then-current battle to prevent harassment of women in the workplace
05:18
Ann Curry on how she has seen opportunities for women and people of color change in journalism over the course of her career
02:14

Bill Dana

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Bill Dana on being sent to witness the concentration camp at Dachau by President Eisenhower
07:08
Bill Dana on the Leopoldville disaster, the "Cheshire Cats," and visiting Dachau concentration camp
Bill Dana on the relationship of the fictional "Jose Jimenez "and the real Bill to the NASA Apollo program - Alan Shepard's code name was "Jose"
00:47

Ossie Davis

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Ossie Davis on his experience during World War II
02:08
Ossie Davis on joining the Civil Rights Movement along with his wife Ruby Dee, and on television's role in the movement
07:22
Ossie Davis on joining the Civil Rights Movement along with his wife, Ruby Dee, and on television's role in the movement
07:22
Ossie Davis on how television aided in the Civil Rights Movement
03:39
Ossie Davis on how opportunities for African Americans in television have changed since he started his career
01:32

James Day

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James Day on his experiences in World War II
05:05
James Day on Frieda Hennock, the first female commissioner of the FCC
02:14

Ramin Djawadi

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Ramin Djawadi on scoring The Eternals during the COVID-19 pandemic
02:32

Phil Donahue

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Phil Donahue on his television talk show, Donahue, and the controversial topics covered
13:43
Phil Donahue on interviewing boxer Joe Frazier and doing the show from Attica Street prison
07:31

Louis Dorfsman

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Louis Dorfsman on seeing television at the 1939 World's Fair and the development of color television
02:31
Louis Dorfsman on joining the Army during World War II
06:55
Louis Dorfsman on seeing television at the 1939 World's Fair and the development of color television
02:31

David Dortort

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David Dortort on his activities during World War II
03:31

Hugh Downs

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Hugh Downs on racial tensions and booking diverse guests on The Tonight Show
02:30
Hugh Downs on seeing television for the first time at the 1939 World's Fair
01:04
Hugh Downs on hosting the first television program on space "The First Step Into Space" and his interest in scientific programming
02:59

Bob Doyle

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Bob Doyle on his experience during World War II
06:20
Bob Doyle on the Kennedy-Nixon Debates, and on knowing John F. Kennedy
02:12
Bob Doyle on how the Quiz Show Scandals and the assassination of John F. Kennedy impacted television
02:41

Betty Cole Dukert

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Betty Cole Dukert on hard to anticipate questions from female journalists and balancing the panel of reporters on Meet the Press
03:01
Betty Cole Dukert on Meet the Press'  coverage of The Cold War
07:21
Betty Cole Dukert on Fidel Castro appearing on Meet the Press
02:44
Betty Cole Dukert on Anastas Mikoyan appearing on Meet the Press
05:30
Betty Cole Dukert on the assassination of John F. Kennedy
03:04
Betty Cole Dukert on Martin Luther King, Jr. on Meet the Press
03:31
Betty Cole Dukert on Golda Meir and Anwar Sadat appearing on Meet the Press  and doing Meet the Press from Israel 
10:22
Betty Cole Dukert on Yassir Arafat appearing on Meet the Press
07:17
Betty Cole Dukert on covering the Vietnam War on Meet the Press
11:14
Betty Cole Dukert on being a female producer and the male to female ratio of guests on Meet the Press
04:56

Dominick Dunne

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Dominick Dunne on his service in the Army during World War II
07:03
Dominick Dunne on television coverage of the sinking of the Andrea Doria 
01:38

Rebecca Eaton

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Rebecca Eaton on finding out she was pregnant on the same day she was offered the job of executive producer of Masterpiece Theatre
04:21
Rebecca Eaton on the roles women had at PBS in the early 1970s, and how that has changed over time
01:54
Rebecca Eaton on the controversy surrounding the Masterpiece Theatre program "Portrait of a Marriage", which featured love scenes between two women
03:03
Rebecca Eaton on the challenges of balancing her professional life and personal life as a female producer
03:44

Barbara Eden

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Barbara Eden on the perceived anti-feminist aspects of I Dream of Jeannie
01:27
Barbara Eden on touring with Bob Hope's USO tour in the Persian Gulf
01:35

Ralph Edwards

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Ralph Edwards on his bond, paper, and copper drives with Truth or Consequences during World War II
02:34
Ralph Edwards on the 1958 episode of This Is Your Life set in Hawaii to honor those who perished at Pearl Harbor and raise funds for a memorial
03:17

Hector Elizondo

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Hector Elizondo on Cane  representing a Latino family
00:57

Linda Ellerbee

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Linda Ellerbee on covering the return of the American hostages from Iran in 1981
05:30
Linda Ellerbee on how things have changed for women in television over the years
04:42
Linda Ellerbee on the Nick News coverage of 9/11
02:37

Ruth Engelhardt

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Ruth Engelhardt on her sister being an agent at William Morris, and on how she was treated as a woman in the industry
04:25

Jeannie Epper

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Jeannie Epper on being one of the founding members of the Stuntwoman's Association of Motion Pictures
03:36
Jeannie Epper on the challenges that stuntwomen face that stuntmen don't
04:04
Jeannie Epper on her few close fellow stuntwomen and the passing of her brothers and sisters
02:16
Jeannie Epper on the lack of women stunt coordinators
02:54

Danny Epstein

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Danny Epstein on being in the NBC studio when man walked on the moon
02:27

Kevin Eubanks

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Kevin Eubanks on the first Tonight Show back after 9/11
04:45

George Faber

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George Faber on his experiences during World War II
03:01

Jeff Fager

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Jeff Fager on producing stories in the Middle East in the 1980s for CBS Evening News with Dan Rather
04:08
Jeff Fager on covering the Soviet Union for CBS Evening News with Dan Rather, including a story where they explored what Russians were proud of
02:11
Jeff Fager on producing stories on the Gulf War for CBS Evening News with Dan Rather and 60 Minutes
03:01
Jeff Fager on where he was on 9/11 and coverage of the event on 60 Minutes II and CBS Evening News
04:55
Jeff Fager on the Abu Ghraib story on 60 Minutes II
09:00
Jeff Fager on the controversial 2013 60 Minutes story on Benghazi
06:31

Edie Falco

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Edie Falco on running into James Gandolfini on the street on 9/11 and how 9/11 affected The Sopranos
01:30

Jerry Falwell

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Jerry Falwell on civil rights issues
03:01

Elma Farnsworth

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Elma Farnsworth on her husband Philo T. Farnsworth avoiding the television demonstration at the 1939 World's Fair
01:25
Elma Farnsworth on her husband Philo T. Farnsworth's camera tube being a part of the Apollo mission to the moon in 1969
01:04

Jamie Farr

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Jamie Farr on keeping in touch with Red Skelton when Farr got drafted in 1957 and the pair entertaining troops together
04:13
Jamie Farr on getting drafted during the Korean conflict
00:57

Irving Fein

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Irving Fein on trying to serve as a publicist for a General during World War II
03:40

Julian Fellowes

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Julian Fellowes on the rape storyline on Downton Abbey
03:34

Sally Field

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Sally Field on starting her own production company
01:40
Sally Field on ageism against women in the industry, and how things were changing at the time
05:09

Betsy Fischer

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Betsy Fischer on major news events covered on Meet the Press - September 11, 2001
01:07

Les Flory

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Les Flory on preparing for broadcast television and the 1939 World's Fair
03:28
Les Flory on commercial television coming to a halt when World War II started and the development of new technologies during the war years
03:12

Tom Fontana

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Tom Fontana on being in New York City on 9/11
02:26
Tom Fontana on writing for America: A Tribute to Heroes 
01:53

Dorothy Fontana

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Dorothy Fontana on the challenges of being a woman writer and using D.C. Fontana on her scripts so that she would be given a chance
03:01
Dorothy Fontana on "Uhura" and "Number One"- one of the first major female black characters, on Star Trek
01:29
Dorothy  Fontana on the Star Trek episode "Friday's Child", over which she argued with Gene Rodenberry about the portrayal of women; she had a different ending
01:55
Dorothy Fontana on writing for The Streets of San Francisco
03:13

Horton Foote

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Horton Foote on the television exhibit at the 1939 World's Fair
01:55
Horton Foote on his activities during World War II, and on bringing his play "Only the Heart" to Broadway
04:41

Ray Forrest

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Ray Forrest on his father trying to bring his family to America from Germany, but instead serving in World War I for Germany
01:38
Ray Forrest on attending the 1939-40 World's Fair
00:32
Ray Forrest on his on-air announcement of the start of World War II
01:21
Ray Forrest on being drafted into the TFPL (Training Film Production Laboratory) in World War II
03:04
Ray Forrest on working for the Signal Corps during World War II and then joining the OSS (because he spoke fluent German), and getting into a serious vehicle accident
06:02
Ray Forrest on visiting the TV station and appearing on television in uniform during World War II
01:04

Reuven Frank

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Reuven Frank on seeing television at the 1939-40 World's Fair, and on his first job in television news
05:47
Reuven Frank on John Chancellor's coverage of the desegregation of Central High School in Little Rock, AR for The Huntley-Brinkley Report
07:43
Reuven Frank on NBC covering the coronation of Queen Elizabeth
07:36
Reuven Frank on NBC News' coverage of the space race in the '60s
05:52
Reuven Frank on erection of the Berlin Wall
08:08
Reuven Frank on erection of the Berlin Wall
04:14
Reuven Frank on the Cuban Missile Crisis
04:17
Reuven Frank on NBC's coverage of the Bay of Pigs invasion
01:33
Reuven Frank on NBC's coverage of the John F. Kennedy assassination and funeral
04:43
Reuven Frank on Chet Huntley and David Brinkley reporting on the John F. Kennedy assassination and funeral for The Huntley-Brinkley Report
07:12
Reuven Frank on the NBC News documentary The Tunnel
21:29
Reuven Frank on the NBC News coverage of the Vietnam War
05:47
Reuven Frank on NBC News' coverage of the anti-Vietnam War movment
02:45
Reuven Frank on NBC News coverage of the Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King assassinations
04:51
Reuven Frank on NBC News coverage of the 1968 Democratic convention in Chicago
10:49

Jonathan Frid

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Jonathan Frid on his experience during World War II
05:22

Murray Fromson

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Murray Fromson on catching a glimpse of the Hindenburg flying over the Bronx on the day of its crash, on May 6, 1937
03:04
Murray Fromson on his experiences growing up during the Great Depression
01:47
Murray Fromson on seeing his Japanese-American classmates taken out of their classroom a few weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the discrimination he witnessed against Japanese-Americans
02:07
Murray Fromson on what the atmosphere was like during the Great Depression, and how this inspired his interest in journalism
01:12
Murray Fromson on being drafted during the Korean War, and he came to write for "Stars and Stripes"
02:24
Murray Fromson on what it was like to write for "Stars and Stripes" during the Korean War, and how a story he wrote got him transferred from being stationed in Japan to Korea
02:38
Murray Fromson on some of his most striking memories of reporting for "Stars and Stripes" in Korea during the Korean War
04:29
Murray Fromson on getting in trouble for a story he wrote about a Marine while reporting for "Stars and Stripes" during the Korean War, and how this led to him being hired by the Associated Press
06:17
Murray Fromson on being a correspondent in Japan, reporting on Japan and Korea following the end of the Korean War
03:02
Murray Fromson on stopping in Saigon and Cambodia on his way to reporting in Singapore in 1956
03:29
Murray Fromson on covering Henry Cabot Lodge (Richard M. Nixon's running mate) for NBC News during the 1960 election, and watching the Kennedy-Nixon debates with Lodge
01:04
Murray Fromson on covering the Cuban Missile Crisis for CBS News
01:49
Murray Fromson on news coverage of the assassination of John F. Kennedy
01:19
Murray Fromson on his response to Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination, having met King while covering the marches in Selma, AL
04:46
Murray Fromson on covering the Vietnam War for CBS News
03:53
Murray Fromson on torture he witnessed while covering the Vietnam War for CBS News, and a court martial trial he covered
04:46
Murray Fromson on the My Lai Massacre and the horrors of war
01:44
Murray Fromson on a piece he wrote for "The New York Times," which was an interview with an unnamed general who said the war in Vietnam was unwinnable - the general did not allow his name to be revealed until 2006 (it was Frederick C. Weyand)
03:23
Murray Fromson on how his transfer to the Chicago bureau of CBS News came about due to an experience in Vietnam
05:38
Murray Fromson on Walter Cronkite's visit to Vietnam
01:56
Murray Fromson on what he told Walter Cronkite on his visit to Vietnam
03:15
Murray Fromson on going to Moscow to cover the Soviet Union for CBS News in 1972
02:45
Murray Fromson on what it was like to live in Moscow during the Cold War and to report for CBS News
03:12
Murray Fromson on a press conference with Leonid Brezhnev before his visit to the United States in 1973
04:02
Murray Fromson on the biggest stories he covered while he was in Moscow for CBS News
04:45
Murray Fromson on covering the end of the Vietnam War, including the plane crash of a flight taking orphans out of Vietnam
05:20
Murray Fromson on the parallels between the Iraq War and the Vietnam War
01:19
Murray Fromson on 9/11 and its aftermath
01:42

Pamela Fryman

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Pamela Fryman on how the industry has changed since she started, and on women in the industry
03:49

James Garner

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James Garner on his family and World War II
01:23
James Garner on serving in the Korean War
03:02

Betty Garrett

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Betty Garrett on working at the 1939 World's Fair, and on the television exhibition
05:03
Betty Garrett on working at the 1939 World's Fair, and on the television exhibition
05:03

Greg Garrison

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Greg Garrison on his experience in World War II
04:00

Larry Gelbart

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Larry Gelbart on touring with Bob Hope during the war, and how Hope was almost a victim of a bombing attack while in Vietnam
01:32
Larry Gelbart on how the Korean conflict was the real backdrop for the fictional M*A*S*H television series
04:27
Larry Gelbart on AfterMASH, the unsuccessful followup to M*A*S*H which he says took the "wrong take" on what should never have been a comedy
01:19

David Gerber

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David Gerber on his experience in World War II
06:12
David Gerber on producing Flight 93 
05:22

Marla Gibbs

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Marla Gibbs on staying behind at the first table read of The Jeffersons to offer her opinions on naturalistic dialogue, among other points
01:56
Marla Gibbs on casting African-American actors on 227
02:53

Sandra Gimpel

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Sandra Gimpel on how she became a stunt coordinator in the 1970s and the fact that women were mostly not stunt coordinators at the time, and on becoming second unit director, as well as stunt coordinator on Mrs. Columbo
05:52
Sandra Gimpel on how the equipment used by stunt performers has changed over time, especially for women, who oftentimes in the past could not wear padding because it was so bulky and too visible under costumes
02:47

Paul Michael Glaser

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Paul Michael Glaser on appearing on 60 Minutes  to discuss his wife Elizabeth Glaser's struggle with HIV/AIDS
01:41
Paul Michael Glaser on dealing with his wife and children's HIV-positive diagnoses and creating the Pediatric AIDS Foundation
03:39
Paul Michael Glaser on his role as the Chairman of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
07:56

Lesli Linka Glatter

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Lesli Linka Glatter on gender discrimination in her career, and discrimination and harassment in the television industry
04:49
Lesli Linka Glatter on how things have changed for women in the industry since she started
01:33

Gary David Goldberg

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Gary David Goldberg on the effect of 9/11 on Spin City
00:59

Whoopi Goldberg

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Whoopi Goldberg on how seeing Sidney Poitier in the film In the Heat of the Night impacted her
01:51
Whoopi Goldberg on wanting to be in the Star Trek reboot, Star Trek: The Next Generation, because Star Trek was the first show to depict Black people in the future
04:19
Whoopi Goldberg on the culture at the time (1985) not allowing for the same representation of a lesbian relationship in the film of The Color Purple as in the book
00:52
Whoopi Goldberg on the HBO documentary she produced about Moms Mabley, Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley
09:28

Leonard Goldberg

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Leonard Goldberg on the people helped by the TV movie Something About Amelia (which dealt with incest)
02:53

Leonard H. Goldenson

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Leonard H. Goldenson on seeing television for the first time at the 1939 World's Fair
00:34
Leonard H. Goldenson on the network aftermath of JFK's assassination
00:52
Leonard H. Goldenson on a photo of Richard Nixon; on his working relationship with Nixon and on the Nixon-Kennedy debates
03:21

Thomas T. Goldsmith, Jr.

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Thomas T. Goldsmith, Jr. on World War II interrupting and delaying the development of television
02:55
Thomas T. Goldsmith, Jr. on DuMont's Model 180, their first television set, and demonstrating it at the 1939 World's Fair
01:43
Thomas T. Goldsmith, Jr. on DuMont Laboratories' activities during World War II
04:55

Lewis Gomavitz

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Lewis Gomavitz on his early experiences in theater and on meeting Burr Tillstrom at the 1939 World's Fair
06:30
Lewis Gomavitz on his experience with World War II
03:56
Lewis Gomavitz on his experiences with World War II and on working at an experimental television station
11:57
Lewis Gomavitz on being in mission control during the Moon Landing
02:16

Julian Gomez

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Julian Gomez on his personal experience of 9/11, and on television's function in the face of tragedy
06:02
Julian Gomez on editing the World Trade Center episode of Modern Marvels, later repurposed into The World Trade Center: Rise and Fall of an American Icon
10:15

Julian Goodman

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Julian Goodman on serving in World War II for a short time and contracting pneumonia
02:51
Julian Goodman on NBC news coverage of the Vietnam War
02:15
Julian Goodman on NBC's coverage of Lee Harvey Oswald's death - TV's first live murder
02:48
Julian Goodman on the significance of space coverage
00:11
Julian Goodman on NBC's coverage of the moon landing
01:12

Louis Gossett, Jr.

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Louis Gossett, Jr. on appearing with James Garner in the feature film "Skin Game," and on appearing in socially-conscious projects
02:07
Louis Gossett, Jr. on the impact producer Norman Lear had on opportunities for African-American actors in television
00:24
Louis Gossett, Jr. on doing research to play "Fiddler" in Roots, and why the character was a breakthrough for him in terms of his acting process
04:06
Louis Gossett, Jr. on filming the "my name is Toby" scene in Roots, and on using the line "there's gonna be another day" (which he improvised) with Alex Haley's permission
03:06
Louis Gossett, Jr. on the legacy of Roots
03:12
Louis Gossett, Jr. on the role of the actor in society, and how the arts can help or harm
04:37
Louis Gossett, Jr. on being the second black actor to win an Oscar, and on what it meant to his career
04:18
Louis Gossett, Jr. on how things have changed for African-American actors since he started
01:17
Louis Gossett, Jr. on how things have changed for African-American actors since he started
01:17

Lee Grant

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Lee Grant on how opportunities for women in television have changed over the years
02:25

Hal Gurnee

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Hal Gurnee on directing Tonight Starring Jack Paar from the Berlin Wall
06:16

Earle Hagen

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Earle Hagen on joining the radio production unit of the Air Force during World War II
03:02
Earle Hagen on NBC initially not approving Bill Cosby to co-star in I Spy because it feared repercussions from Southern affiliates
02:02

Monty Hall

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Monty Hall on the diversity of Let's Make a Deal contestants
01:58

Donald Hall

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Donald Hall on Hallmark Hall of Fame's presentation of "Green Pastures"
03:13

Robert Halmi, Sr.

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Robert Halmi, Sr. on producing the TV movie about abortion, Choices
02:25
Robert Halmi, Sr. on producing DC 9/11: Time of Crisis
03:04

Don Hastings

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Don Hastings on doing a scene on As the World Turns which was preempted by the Kennedy assassination
04:24

Jeffrey Hayden

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Jeffrey Hayden on Quincy's plots, including the episode "Seldom Silent, Never Heard," that influenced the passing of the Orphan Drug Act (ODA)
04:20

Skitch Henderson

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Lyle "Skitch" Henderson on his proudest career achievement, and on his playing for three hour live on NBC the evening of the Kennedy assassination
03:25

Florence Henderson

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Florence Henderson on working during her pregnancies
01:42
Florence Henderson on her role in Just Another Kid: an AIDS Story
03:29

Winifred Hervey

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Winifred Hervey on her recollections of 9/11
01:29

Albert Heschong

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Albert Heschong on his activities during World War II and on doing sets for "Pursuit of Happiness"
09:31
Albert Heschong on the 1939 World's Fair
02:17

Don Hewitt

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Don Hewitt on his experience during World War II
06:38
Don Hewitt on covering the Queen Elizabeth Coronation
01:06
Don Hewitt on covering the Korean War for CBS News, and on how the technology of the industry has changed
04:48
Don Hewitt on producing the Kennedy-Nixon debates
01:39
Don Hewitt on the 1960 Kennedy-Nixon Debates
06:02
Don Hewitt on CBS News covering the assassination and funeral of John F. Kennedy
04:23
Don Hewitt on the CBS coverage of the Gulf of Tonkin hearing
00:54
Don Hewitt on how television changed the public's opinion of the Vietnam War
03:08
Don Hewitt on television's coverage of the Gulf War
03:02

Martin Hoade

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Martin Hoade on his experience with World War II
01:49
Martin Hoade on the first time he saw television at the 1939 World's Fair
01:23
Martin Hoade on directing the made-for-television movie Duty Bound, about the Vietnam War
04:32
Martin Hoade on the first time he saw television at the 1939 World's Fair
01:23

Hal Holbrook

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Hal Holbrook on going into the Army during World War II
09:39
Hal Holbrook on appearing in the groundbreaking made-for-television movie That Certain Summer
10:39

Ellen Holly

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Ellen Holly on the challenges early on of finding parts as a Black actress, and on being cast in the Broadway production of Too Late the Phalarope
08:11
Ellen Holly on how typecasting boxes in actors, particularly African Americans
08:56
Ellen Holly on the difficulties faced by an African American actress who is considered "too light"
04:02
Ellen Holly on writing The New York Times article "How Black Do You Have to Be?" and on the reaction to it
06:55
Ellen Holly on guest-starring on Dr. Kildare, and on having to wear makeup to make her skin appear darker for the show
02:27
Ellen Holly on her groundbreaking early storyline on One Life to Live, where she was the first Black actress to play a central character on a daytime drama, and on working with the crew of the show and show creator Agnes Nixon
11:18
Ellen Holly on her difficulties renewing her One Life to Live contract after the first year
10:19
Ellen Holly on going to bat for One Life to Live producer Doris Quinlan
15:24
Ellen Holly on the fallout from her going to bat for One Life to Live producer Doris Quinlan
02:07
Ellen Holly on her difficulties playing opposite the actor who portrayed "Dr. Jack Scott" on One Life to Live, which led to her first exit from the show
07:47
Ellen Holly on her and Lillian Hayman being fired from One Life to Live by producer Paul Rauch
06:42
Ellen Holly on coming to a late realization about One Life to Live and about Agnes Nixon
07:03
Ellen Holly on finally learning why she was chosen to be on One Life to Live by producer Agnes Nixon and ABC executive Brandon Stoddard
06:47
Ellen Holly on having been the focus of the first year of One Life to Live, and on the producers' fears of it becoming a "black show"
05:47
Ellen Holly on being at the 1963 March on Washington with her aunt Anna Arnold Hedgeman
06:03

Silvio Horta

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Silvio Horta on the Latino heritage and social class of Ugly Betty
02:59
Silvio Horta on the issue of sexuality on Ugly Betty
01:11
Silvio Horta on the Latino heritage and social class of Ugly Betty
02:59

Ron Howard

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Ron Howard on the television movie Skyward and the casting of an ingenue with a disability
01:50

Stanley Hubbard

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Stanley Hubbard on the pause in the development of television during World War II and his father's early radio stations
02:35
Stanley Hubbard on KSTP's coverage of the Kennedy Assassination
01:53
Stanley Hubbard on KSTP's coverage of the Vietnam War
04:52

Roy Huggins

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Roy Huggins on his activities during World War II
04:10

Kim Hunter

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Kim Hunter on learning of the Kennedy assassination while shooting The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
01:46

Eddie Foy III

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Eddie Foy III on casting Julia
05:25

David Isaacs

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Ken Levine and David Isaacs on the death of Frasier co-creator David Angell on 9/11
02:31

Seaman Jacobs

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Seaman Jacobs on attending the 1939 World's Fair, and on the first time he saw television
05:43

Alan Jaggs

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Alan Jaggs on his service in World War II
02:15

Allison Janney

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Allison Janney on how 9/11 was dealt with on The West Wing  and where she was on 9/11
01:54

Herb Jellinek

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Herb Jellinek on The Day After
05:02

Joseph Jennings

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Joseph Jennings on his activities during World War II
01:01

Julie Ann Johnson

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Julie Ann Johnson on the challenges of being a female stunt person in the 1960s, and on founding the Stuntwoman's Association
06:43
Julie Ann Johnson on the changes she's trying to make in the stunt industry to improve safety, and also for minorities and women
11:12
Julie Ann Johnson on the then-current state of the stunt industry for stunt women and safety standards
03:48
Julie Ann Johnson on the course of action stunt women have if they feel discriminated against or harassed, and what she would like to see happen
05:29

Lamont Johnson

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Lamont Johnson on directing Crisis at Central High
04:24
Lamont Johnson on directing the groundbreaking drama That Certain Summer, starring Martin Sheen and Hal Holbrook
03:53

Charles Floyd Johnson

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Charles Floyd Johnson on executive producing John Lewis: Get in the Way -- the first documentary on Congressman John Lewis
05:30
Charles Floyd Johnson on 9/11 occurring while JAG was in production and how it impacted the show
02:56
Charles Floyd Johnson on being the sole, or one of very few, associate producers of color when he accepted the job on The Rockford Files
00:22
Charles Floyd Johnson on Magnum, P.I. being a show about Vietnam veterans returning home
01:20
Charles Floyd Johnson on meeting John F. Kennedy, attending his inauguration, and watching his funeral procession
01:16
Charles Floyd Johnson on his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement
00:20
Charles Floyd Johnson on how opportunities for African Americans have changed since he first started in the industry
03:18
Charles Floyd Johnson on addressing a racist comment made to him early in his career
02:46

George Clayton Johnson

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George Clayton Johnson as serving as a cartographer for the Army
10:16

Quincy Jones

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Quincy Jones on first working on Holllywood films
03:05

Loren Jones

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Loren Jones on RCA's television exhibit at the 1939 World's Fair
01:25
Loren Jones on having been privy to the development on the atom bomb
01:12

Shirley Jones

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Shirley Jones on ageism in the industry and on her family following in her footsteps
03:26

Lucille Kallen

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Lucille Kallen on being the only female in the writers room of Your Show of Shows
06:21

Hal Kanter

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Hal Kanter on his experience of World War II with Bob Hope
05:05
Hal Kanter on creating Julia starring Diahann Carroll, the first series with an African-American female in a starring role
12:07

Sidney M. Katz

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Sidney M. Katz on his experience as an editor and filmmaker in World War II
02:55

Marta Kauffman

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Marta Kauffman on the status of female writers on television when she started
01:33
Marta Kauffman on making sure the shows she produces are friendly for female staff members, and how things have changed for women in television
02:56

Elodie Keene

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Elodie Keene on advocating for more female directors on L.A. Law
03:48
Elodie Keene on how opportunities for women in the industry have changed since she started
03:59
Elodie Keene on directing the first lesbian kiss on television on L.A. Law, and on the lesbian scenes in Pretty Little Liars
02:12
Elodie Keene on directing scenes in Switched at Birth in sign language
02:31

David E. Kelley

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David E. Kelley on creating Boston Legal in the post- 9/11 era
03:00

Don Roy King

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Don Roy King on directing coverage of 9/11 for CBS
04:43

Lynwood King

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Lynwood King on his experiences in World War II
05:30

Ernest Kinoy

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Ernest Kinoy on The Defenders  episode "The Non-Violent" and the Civil Rights movement
01:24
Ernest Kinoy on the first time he saw television at the 1939 World's Fair
01:01
Ernest Kinoy on the public reaction to Roots  and its impact on the Civil Rights movement
02:20
Ernest Kinoy on the legacy of Roots  and Roots: The Next Generations
02:22

Jeff Kisseloff

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Jeff Kisseloff on his experience of watching the coverage of President John F. Kennedy's assassination and funeral on television
01:48
Jeff Kisseloff on the truth of the Alger Hiss story emerging in his oral history research
09:54

Eartha Kitt

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Eartha Kitt on being an African-American performer on television in the 1950s
07:30
 Eartha Kitt on dealing with racism in television
02:46

Jack Klugman

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Jack Klugman on being drafted in War World II
01:13

Buz Kohan

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Buz Kohan on his memories of JFK's assassination and how it impacted his work - he was supposed to work on a Perry Como Special in Dallas, Texas
02:38

Mario Kreutzberger

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Mario Kreutzberger on Sabado Gigante's show on 9/11

Sid Krofft

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Sid Krofft on the 1939 World's Fair
00:51

Sheila Kuehl

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Sheila Kuehl on the planned Zelda Gilroy  spin-off of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
06:28
Sheila Kuehl on Bob Denver as "Maynard G. Krebs" on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
06:16
Sheila Kuehl on coming out on The Geraldo Rivera Show and Good Morning America
02:04
Sheila Kuehl on the Supreme Court's 2013 ruling regarding gay marriage
01:42
Sheila Kuehl on being the first lesbian elected to the California State Assembly
02:04
Sheila Kuehl on coming out on The Geraldo Rivera Show and Good Morning America
02:04

Paul LaMastra

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Paul LaMastra on editing the made-for-television movie Foxfire and living with HIV
11:37

Mort Lachman

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Mort Lachman on writing for Bob Hope's USO shows
02:42
Mort Lachman on traveling to Vietnam with Bob Hope
02:48

Perry Lafferty

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Perry Lafferty on his activities during World War II, including working for Armed Forces Radio
07:45

Rita Lakin

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Rita Lakin on the first time she saw television, and on her experience with World War II
03:17
Rita Lakin on the advent of the showrunner, and on being the first female showrunner on Flamingo Road
03:50
Rita Lakin on the television movie Torn Between Two Lovers, and on advancing the cause of more women television writers
01:33

John Langley

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John Langley on how he was impacted by 9/11
02:25
John Langley on the documentary special Terrorism: Target USA
01:07
John Langley on the documentary special Who Murdered JFK?, executive produced by Haim Saban and hosted by columnist Jack Anderson (and Langley's disbelief in the show's theory)
03:25
John Langley on working to reverse negative stereotyping of people of color as criminal suspects (and hitting their demo) on Cops, by going against the grain of actual percentages
02:12

Angela Lansbury

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Angela Lansbury on her recollections of the outbreak of World War II
13:53

Ring Lardner, Jr.

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Ring Lardner, Jr. on his experiences during World War II
03:16

Peter Lassally

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Peter Lassally on how his German family was affected by World War II
02:57

Lucy Lawless

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Lucy Lawless on Xena's world on Xena: Warrior Princess  and the lesbian overtones of the show
02:41
Lucy Lawless on dealing with her fame from Xena: Warrior Princess  and being a feminist icon
02:00
Lucy Lawless on how television has changed for women and in general since she started acting
02:25

Gene LeBell

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Gene LeBell on getting drafted during the Korean War and joining The Coast Guard
06:38
Gene LeBell on doing stunts for black actors
01:32

Norman Lear

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Norman Lear on his experience with World War II in the Air Force
02:28

Michael Learned

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Michael Learned on how things have changed for actresses since she started acting
01:25

Jim Lehrer

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Jim Lehrer on his experience growing up during World War II
01:38
Jim Lehrer on covering the assassination of John F. Kennedy
15:51
Jim Lehrer on the JFK Memorial in Dallas
03:11
Jim Lehrer on joining up with Robert MacNeil and covering the Watergate hearings
04:23
Jim Lehrer on covering the Vietnam War
01:15

Sheldon Leonard

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Sheldon Leonard on seeing television for the first time at the 1939 World's Fair
00:47
Sheldon Leonard on the classic Dick Van Dyke Show episode "That's My Boy?"
02:13

Ken Levine

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Ken Levine and David Isaacs on the death of Frasier  co-creator David Angell on 9/11
02:31

Barry Levinson

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Barry Levinson on the political climate in 2016 and how it related to the media climate of the time
01:37
Barry Levinson on directing HBO's You Don't Know Jack and the effect of the movie on the dialogue surrounding assisted suicide
01:30

Richard Lewis

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Richard Lewis on the first time he saw television, at the 1939 World's Fair
02:34
Richard Lewis on his experience during World War II
02:20

Frank Liberman

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Frank Liberman on his experience with World War II
05:16

Judith Light

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Judith Light on dealing with the AIDS crisis and playing "Jeanne White" in The Ryan White Story
14:35
Judith Light on starring in A Step Toward Tomorrow with Christopher Reeve
02:49
Judith Light on her Ugly Betty character "Claire Meade" and working with America Ferrera as "Betty Suarez"
04:44
Judith Light on the importance of Transparent
04:13

William Link

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William Link on his family's experience of World War II
02:33
William Link on writing and producing That Certain Summer
07:55

Daniel Lipman

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Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on their first impressions of An Early Frost when the idea was presented to them by NBC, and why they insisted that the main character, who had AIDS, be alive at the end of the movie
02:12
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on the research they did when writing the 1985 made-for-television movie An Early Frost, which depicted the AIDS crisis, by visiting AIDS patients at Santa Monica Hospital
03:03
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on the kinds of notes they received from executives on their 1985 made-for-television movie An Early Frost, which depicted the AIDS crisis, and on the public response to the movie
05:48
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on the importance of An Early Frost their 1985 made-for-television movie which depicted the AIDS crisis, being written and played for a mass audience
02:18
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on the response of the gay community to their made-for-television movie An Early Frost
03:45
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on what they hoped the audience would take away from their made-for-television movie An Early Frost, which depicted the AIDS crisis: education, tolerance, and compassion
02:36
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on Sisters being one of the only television dramas to explore the lives of women at its center
01:29
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on the success of Sisters among female viewers, despite the fact that executives did not normally pay attention to that demographic
01:37
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on the research they did when writing the 1985 made-for-television movie An Early Frost, which depicted the AIDS crisis, by visiting AIDS patients at Santa Monica Hospital
03:03
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on the Sisters characters "Norma Lear" (played by Nora Dunn), who was gay, and on the character came to be recurring, rather than appearing in just a few episodes
02:02
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on their push to have as many female directors and writers on Sisters as they could
01:31
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on how they approached the storyline where Swoosie Kurtz's character, "Alex Reed", had breast cancer on Sisters
03:14
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on the television and political atmosphere for both gay people and gay characters at the time they were developing Queer as Folk
04:47
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on the press reaction to Queer as Folk, and in particular the pushback they got from the gay community
04:16
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on Queer as Folk presenting a reflection of the gay community in a way that had never been seen before on television, and the power of that: "seeing a reflection of yourself validates your life. It validates who you are. It validates that you exist"
01:41
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on the impact of the depictions of sex on Queer as Folk and their intention behind it
01:52
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on how they approached the storyline where "Justin" is the victim of a hate crime at the end of season one of Queer as Folk
05:30
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on the depiction of people living with HIV/AIDS on Queer as Folk
07:39
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on the difference between what they could depict in their 1985 made-for-television movie An Early Frost and on Queer as Folk, both of which centered on gay characters
02:02
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on the bombing storyline in the final season of Queer as Folk and why they wanted to depict an attack on the gay community in that manner
02:47
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on being on set in Canada for Queer as Folk on 9/11
02:12
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on their first impressions of An Early Frost when the idea was presented to them by NBC, and why they insisted that the main character, who had AIDS, be alive at the end of the movie
02:12
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on the research they did when writing the 1985 made-for-television movie An Early Frost, which depicted the AIDS crisis, by visiting AIDS patients at Santa Monica Hospital
03:03
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on the kinds of notes they received from executives on their 1985 made-for-television movie An Early Frost, which depicted the AIDS crisis, and on the public response to the movie
05:48
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on the importance of An Early Frost their 1985 made-for-television movie which depicted the AIDS crisis, being written and played for a mass audience
02:18
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on the response of the gay community to their made-for-television movie An Early Frost
03:45
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on what they hoped the audience would take away from their made-for-television movie An Early Frost, which depicted the AIDS crisis: education, tolerance, and compassion
02:36
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on Sisters being one of the only television dramas to explore the lives of women at its center
01:29
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on the success of Sisters among female viewers, despite the fact that executives did not normally pay attention to that demographic
01:37
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on the research they did when writing the 1985 made-for-television movie An Early Frost, which depicted the AIDS crisis, by visiting AIDS patients at Santa Monica Hospital
03:03
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on the Sisters characters "Norma Lear" (played by Nora Dunn), who was gay, and on the character came to be recurring, rather than appearing in just a few episodes
02:02
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on their push to have as many female directors and writers on Sisters as they could
01:31
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on how they approached the storyline where Swoosie Kurtz's character, "Alex Reed", had breast cancer on Sisters
03:14
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on the television and political atmosphere for both gay people and gay characters at the time they were developing Queer as Folk
04:47
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on the press reaction to Queer as Folk, and in particular the pushback they got from the gay community
04:16
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on Queer as Folk presenting a reflection of the gay community in a way that had never been seen before on television, and the power of that: "seeing a reflection of yourself validates your life. It validates who you are. It validates that you exist"
01:41
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on the impact of the depictions of sex on Queer as Folk and their intention behind it
01:52
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on how they approached the storyline where "Justin" is the victim of a hate crime at the end of season one of Queer as Folk
05:30
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on the depiction of people living with HIV/AIDS on Queer as Folk
07:39
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on the difference between what they could depict in their 1985 made-for-television movie An Early Frost and on Queer as Folk, both of which centered on gay characters
02:02
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on the bombing storyline in the final season of Queer as Folk and why they wanted to depict an attack on the gay community in that manner
02:47
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on being on set in Canada for Queer as Folk on 9/11
02:12

Loretta Long

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Loretta Long on the power of television, and on the impact that her character of "Susan" on Sesame Street has had on black television characters
01:31

Julia Louis-Dreyfus

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Julia Louis-Dreyfus on being the only woman on the set of Seinfeld
00:42
Julia Louis-Dreyfus on the atmosphere on the largely female set of The New Adventures of Old Christine
02:00

Susan Lucci

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Susan Lucci on All My Children's  controversial abortion storyline
01:57
Susan Lucci on the coming out of "Erica Kane's" daughter storyline on All My Children
03:12
Susan Lucci on her character "Erica Kane's" drug addiction storyline on All My Children
02:17
Susan Lucci on All My Children  being in production on 9/11 and her reaction to it
07:02

Sidney Lumet

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Sidney Lumet on his experience during World War II
04:03
Sidney Lumet on seeing television at the World's Fair, and on getting into television
02:41

Stewart MacGregory

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Stewart MacGregory on seeing television at the 1939 World's Fair
02:24
Stewart MacGregory on getting into radio in New York and the onset of World War II
09:24
Stewart MacGregory on his experiences in World War II
08:25
Stewart MacGregory on becoming a cryptograph specialist in World War II
04:34
Stewart MacGregory on going to work for The Kraft Music Hall with Perry Como and traveling to Dallas to film the day after John F. Kennedy was shot
10:17

Abby Mann

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Abby Mann on writing the Playhouse 90 classic "Judgment at Nuremberg"
15:23
Abby Mann on writing Playhouse 90: "Judgement at Nuremberg"
17:10
Abby Mann on developing the made-for-television movie King
10:57

Delbert Mann

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Delbert Mann on entering World War II, his recollections of Pearl Harbor, and joining the Air Force
08:53

Anita Mann

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Anita Mann on witnessing bigotry towards African-American dancers
04:10
Anita Mann on facing discrimination in the industry as a woman
03:18

Randolph Mantooth

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Randolph Mantooth on 9/11
02:59

Martin Manulis

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Martin Manulis on his experience during World War II
05:10

Sonia Manzano

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Sonia Manzano on the difficulty for an Hispanic actor to find non-stereotypical roles
01:13

E. G. Marshall

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E.G. Marshall on working at the 1939-40 World's Fair, and on his earliest memories of television
03:11

Penny Marshall

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Penny Marshall on directing the features "The Preacher's Wife," "Riding in Cars with Boys," and dealing with 9/11
03:52

Leslie H. Martinson

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Leslie H. Martinson on his experiences in World War II
04:59

Bob May

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Bob May on continuing to work with Olsen & Johnson when he was drafted into the Army during World War II
02:56

David McCallum

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David McCallum on the concept of a Russian agent and an American agent working together on The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
01:15
David McCallum on his memories of bombs falling in England during World War II
03:44

Beth McCarthy-Miller

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Beth McCarthy-Miller on directing Saturday Night Live in the wake of the 9/11 attacks and directing America: A Tribute to Heroes
08:40
Beth McCarthy-Miller on being a woman working on Saturday Night Live
02:44
Beth McCarthy-Miller on directing Saturday Night Live  in the wake of the 9/11 attacks and directing America: A Tribute to Heroes
08:40

Jim McKay

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Jim McKay on his experience of World War II
03:37
Jim McKay on his interview with Fidel Castro and on the Cuban Missile Crisis
03:58

Ed McMahon

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Ed McMahon on his activities during World War II
04:14
Ed McMahon on flying fighter planes as a Marine in the Korean War
01:27

Barney McNulty

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Barney McNulty on his experience of World War II
07:00
Barney McNulty on seeing television for the first time at the 1939 World's Fair
01:57
Barney McNulty on traveling with Bob Hope on his USO Tours of Vietnam
17:16

Eryn Krueger Mekash

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Eryn Krueger Mekash on how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted makeup for television and what the then-current production conditions were like
05:28
Eryn Krueger Mekash on her approach to the makeup on The Normal Heart, and on winning an Emmy for her work
08:10

Bill Melendez

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Bill Melendez on his experiences during World War II
03:19

S. Epatha Merkerson

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S. Epatha Merkerson on how 9/11 affected Law & Order
05:41

Burt Metcalfe

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Burt Metcalfe on how M*A*S*H related to Vietnam
01:47

Al Michaels

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Al Michaels on sports reporting during national tragedies; 9/11
05:14

Sig Mickelson

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Sig Mickelson on CBS News' coverage of the Korean War
02:03
Sig Mickelson on a dust up between CBS News and the Eisenhower White House over a scheduled interview with then-Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev
09:58
Sig Mickelson on CBS News' coverage of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and the technology associated with the broadcast
08:01
Sig Mickelson on the technological challenges of CBS News covering Queen Elizabeth's coronation and the innovations it helped bring about
14:16
Sig Mickelson on the Kennedy-Nixon Debates
06:26

Mitch Miller

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Mitch Miller on Leslie Uggams, who was a featured vocalist on Sing Along with Mitch
02:51
Mitch Miller on his political activism and John F. Kennedy's assassination
03:53

Walter C. Miller

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Walter C. Miller on a conversation he had with Milton Berle on the day of John F. Kennedy's assassination
00:44

JP Miller

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JP Miller on how the great depression and World War II impacted him
05:06
JP Miller on getting hurt while fighting in World War II

Don Mischer

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Don Mischer on JFK's assassination and starting in television
03:17

Vic Mizzy

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Vic Mizzy on serving in the Navy's welfare recreation office during World War II - working on films and writing shows
03:53
Vic Mizzy on composing songs that became hits during World War II
01:52
Vic Mizzy on playing the organ for the Navy during World War II and falling ill
08:36

John Moffitt

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John Moffitt on how The Ed Sullivan Show did not reference the Vietnam War
00:39
John Moffitt on how The Ed Sullivan Show reflected the Civil Rights Movement
00:55
John Moffitt on working on The Ed Sullivan Show during the time of the assassination and funeral of John F. Kennedy
02:48

Paul Monash

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Paul Monash on his experience during World War II
02:05

Bill Monroe

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Bill Monroe on the major news stories covered during his time at WDSU in New Orleans, including the Civil Rights Movement and the Emmett Till trial
04:01
Bill Monroe on the introduction of editorials on local news shows, like WDSU, and on their editorials on school desegregation
08:43
Bill Monroe on winning a Peabody Award in 1960 for his editorials on school desegregation
03:48
Bill Monroe on NBC News' coverage of the Civil Rights Movement, and on covering Martin Luther King, Jr. and his relationship with John F. Kennedy, and on covering the assassinations of the era
04:09
Bill Monroe on covering the Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis for NBC News
03:37
Bill Monroe on NBC News' coverage of the John F. Kennedy assassination and funeral
03:50
Bill Monroe on NBC News' coverage of Vietnam
01:14
Bill Monroe on NBC News' coverage of the Vietnam War, and on covering the Lyndon B. Johnson administration
07:40
Bill Monroe on Meet the Press' coverage of Iran circa 1979, during the Iran Hostage Crisis
08:44
Bill Monroe on his greatest career achievements and regrets, and on the role television played in the Civil Rights Movement
05:05
Bill Monroe on the events that have changed the country the most in the 20th century
02:43

Millie Moore

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Millie Moore on how women editors have progressed through the years
01:50
Millie Moore on being one of the sole women in the A.C.E. when she joined
03:03
Millie Moore on women being more welcomed into the A.C.E. as editors, not just librarians, after the studio system began to crumble
00:45

Thomas W. Moore

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Thomas W. Moore on his experience with World War II
03:06
Thomas W. Moore on the Kennedy/Nixon debates of 1960
05:51
Thomas W. Moore on the Kennedy-Nixon Debates
10:10

Mary Tyler Moore

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Mary Tyler Moore on filming The Dick Van Dyke Show episode "Turtles, Ties, and Toreadors" (airdate: December 4, 1963) without an audience due to JFK's assassination
01:29

Rita Moreno

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Rita Moreno on appearing in The 20th Century-Fox Hour production of "Broken Arrow" and having to put on a Native American accent
01:39
Rita Moreno on breaking ground as a Latina actress
04:12
Rita Moreno on being a role model for latino actors and actresses
03:06

Priscilla Morgan

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Priscilla Morgan on her brother's experience in World War II and joining the WAVES
08:10
Priscilla Morgan on her experiences in the Navy WAVES
04:49
Priscilla Morgan on being a female agent in the '50s
05:41

Donald A. Morgan

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Donald A. Morgan on lighting different skin tones for television in the 1970s
04:12
Donald A. Morgan on his work on Benson and on lighting Robert Guillaume properly
04:31
Donald A. Morgan on his work as director of photography on the initial episodes of the Netflix series The Upshaws -- requesting changes to the set and lighting different skin tones of cast members
03:52
Donald A. Morgan on how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted production on Last Man Standing and The Conners
04:45
Donald A. Morgan on the challenges of shooting the live episodes of The Conners -- one shot during the COVID-19 pandemic
01:36
Donald A. Morgan on how cinematography for television has changed since he first started in the business -- becoming more diverse
00:39

Pat Morita

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Pat Morita on his family being placed in an internment camp during World War II
04:46
Pat Morita on starring in Farewell to Manzanar, which portrayed the Japanese internment camps
07:19
Pat Morita on racism in the television industry
04:48

Tad Mosel

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Tad Mosel on growing up in the Great Depression and his experience in World War II
04:03

Robert Mott

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Robert Mott on the Kennedy assassination
01:19

Bill Moyers

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Bill Moyers on the very beginning of the Vietnam conflict
00:32

E. Roger Muir

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E. Roger Muir on the first time he saw television in 1939, and on going to work for NBC
03:16

Jonathan Murray

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Jonathan Murray on being in production on The Real World during 9/11
02:51

Frank Nastasi

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Frank Nastasi on his service in World War II
00:37

Anne Nelson

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Anne Nelson on CBS Radio during World War II, and on content concerns
03:12
Anne Nelson on becoming the first female executive at CBS, and the difficulties she encountered getting there
00:46
Anne Nelson on her style of negotiation, and on the challenges of being a female in business affairs in her era
07:23
Anne Nelson on being a female television executive in her era
01:15

Alan Neuman

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Alan Neuman on the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and on his relationship with the Kennedy family
04:02

Horace Newcomb

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Horace Newcomb on how television made him and the society more socially aware
05:34
Horace Newcomb on participating in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s
05:22
Horace Newcomb on awarding Peabody Awards for the news coverage of 9/11, and on the process of judging for the awards
07:49

David Newell

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David Newell on how World War II impacted his family
01:51

Bob Newhart

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Bob Newhart on his time in the service during The Korean War
02:06

Nichelle Nichols

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Nichelle Nichols on how African-Americans were portrayed on television while she was growing up
02:27
Nichelle Nichols on almost leaving Star Trek, and then staying at the behest of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
11:38
Nichelle Nichols on Gene Roddenberry coming up with the idea for Star Trek, and wanting a diverse cast
11:09
Nichelle Nichols on the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger, and on her involvement with NASA recruiting
13:59
Nichelle Nichols on meeting Coretta Scott King, and discussing Star Trek with her
07:47
Nichelle Nichols on the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
05:02
Nichelle Nichols on Gene Roddenberry making Star Trek a breakthrough for diversity on television
04:58
Nichelle Nichols on the Star Trek episode "Plato's Stepchildren" in which she shared television's first interracial kiss with "Captain Kirk" (William Shatner)
15:59
Nichelle Nichols on how things have changed for African-American actors since she began her career
01:21
Nichelle Nichols on fan reaction to the Star Trek episode "Plato's Stepchildren" in which she shared television's first interracial kiss with "Captain Kirk"
03:12

Agnes Nixon

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Agnes Nixon on a topical story about the Vietnam War on All My Children
01:42

Soledad O'Brien

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Soledad O'Brien on penning "A MeToo Moment for Journalists of Color" for The New York Times in July 2020
04:42
Soledad O'Brien on where she was at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and what pandemic production has been like
06:10
Soledad O'Brien on where she was on 9/11
03:35
Soledad O'Brien on covering the 2004 tsunami in Thailand
03:53
Soledad O'Brien on covering Hurricane Katrina; on her interview with FEMA director Michael Brown
07:43
Soledad O'Brien on the state of journalism in the 1990s, women she worked with at KRON, and whether or not she faced bias and discrimination at that time
04:26
Soledad O'Brien on her experience flying out of the Baton Rouge airport after covering Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans for several weeks
01:42
Soledad O'Brien on covering the 2010 earthquake in Haiti
05:08
Soledad O'Brien on Jesse Jackson's comments to her after Black in America: "Eyewitness to Murder: The King Assassination" aired
02:38

Edward James Olmos

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Edward James Olmos on the future of Latinos on television
02:45
Edward James Olmos on the ongoing lack of diversity on television and in movies
03:36

Lori Openden

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Lori Openden on the impact of Will & Grace on American culture
00:32
Lori Openden on how diversity in casting has changed since she started in the industry
01:53
Lori Openden on the casting field being predominately women
01:12

Don Pardo

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Don Pardo on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, and having to read the announcement of his death
03:22

Gail Parent

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Gail Parent on being the only female writer on a variety show when she was hired on The Carol Burnett Show
03:31
Gail Parent on how the business has changed for women since she started
01:07

Fess Parker

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Fess Parker on his experience during World War II
02:58

Estelle Parsons

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Estelle Parsons on how she was treated as a woman on the Today set
01:34

Arthur Penn

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Arthur Penn on attending the 1939 World's Fair
00:37
Arthur Penn on his experience with World War II, and on meeting Fred Coe and Lester Shorr
09:20
Arthur Penn on putting on plays while touring around Europe during World War II
06:16

Alan Perris

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Alan Perris on promoting diversity at WJXT in Jacksonville and working for Ben Bradley
02:01

Bill Persky

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Bill Persky on how he and partner San Denoff came to write for The Dick Van Dyke Show, on on writing the classic episode "That's My Boy??" with Sheldon Leonard
05:05
Bill Persky on shooting The Dick Van Dyke Show on the week of the John F. Kennedy assassination
04:39
Bill Persky on how That Girl reflected its time, and on the show's feminist undertones
04:16
Bill Persky on the Kate & Allie episode "Landlady" which dealt with LGBTQ issues
04:06

Frederick S. Pierce

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Frederick S. Pierce on ABC's coverage of the Kennedy assassination and other big news stories of the day
03:01

Don Pike

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Don Pike on engineering cameras for bombs during World War II
06:45

Abraham Polonsky

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Abraham Polonsky on first encountering television at the 1939 World's Fair
02:13
Abraham Polonsky on his experience with World War II
01:46
Abraham Polonsky on being involved with the OSS during World War II
10:15

Tom Poston

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Tom Poston on his service in World War II
02:33

Jeff Probst

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Jeff Probst on the impact of 9/11 on Survivor
01:20

Jacques Pépin

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Jacques Pépin on his family's experience with World War II, and on food rationing during the war
03:19

Ward Quaal

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Ward Quaal on the country entering Word War II and on announcing the attack on Pearl Harbor
06:37
Ward Quaal on the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and how it was covered by WGN
02:26

Sterling Quinlan

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Sterling "Red" Quinlan on his experience with World War II
05:29

Hector Ramirez

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Hector Ramirez on 9/11
02:58

Jorge Ramos

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Jorge Ramos on Univision covering presidential politics and its importance to the Latino community
02:31
Jorge Ramos on covering 9/11 for Noticiero Univision
03:49
Jorge Ramos on being an objective journalist and covering the Elián González story
02:57
Jorge Ramos on interviewing President Obama and pressing him on immigration reform
03:23
Jorge Ramos on interviewing various world leaders
01:47
Jorge Ramos on hosting an English-language show for Fusion
03:30
Jorge Ramos on what he hopes to achieve with his influence 
02:03
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on what separates Univision from other news gathering organizations 
06:30
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on issues that are important to them personally 
03:54
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on Univision's role in the 2008, 2012 and then-upcoming 2016 elections 
05:43
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on the emergence of Latino candidates in presidential elections 
01:55
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on changes they've seen in television journalism and Spanish news
03:45
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on the then-future of Spanish-language news and Latino journalists 
04:26
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on dream projects or goals in the then-future
03:30

Arthur Rankin, Jr.

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Arthur Rankin Jr. on World War II delaying his career
06:33

Keith Raywood

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Keith Raywood on production designing The Concert for New York City after 9/11
07:18

Sumner Redstone

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Sumner Redstone on code breaking during World War II
04:45

Marian Rees

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Marian Rees on becoming involved with the black community
05:40
Marian Rees on producing "Tell Me Where it Hurts" for General Electric Theater  and her commitment to feminism 
04:23
Marian Rees on producing The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman
08:22
Marian Rees on executive producing "Love Is Never Silent" for Hallmark Hall of Fame  and her struggle with the network to cast deaf actors in lead roles
09:26
Marian Rees on executive producing Ruby Bridges
14:48
Marian Rees on the African-American crew on Ruby Bridges  and gaining Ruby Bridges' trust
06:16
Marian Rees on the Norman Rockwell painting on which Ruby Bridges  was based and recreating it
07:25
Marian Rees on public reaction and the educational benefits of Masterpiece Theatre's American Collection's "Almost a Woman"
14:48
Marian Rees on her involvement in Women in Film
07:01

Della Reese

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Della Reese on dealing with racism
00:49
Della Reese on how she's perceived in America because of the color of her skin, and on fighting for civil rights
01:05

Tim Reid

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Tim Reid on attending the March on Washington and his involvement with the Civil Rights Movement
03:13
Tim Reid on addressing race head-on in his stand-up comedy act with Tom Dreesen
06:23
Tim Reid on working with Richard Pryor on The Richard Pryor Show
04:05
Tim Reid on being told he wasn't "Black enough" in his portrayal of a character
01:20
Tim Reid on the "Who is Gordon Sims?" episode of WKRP in Cincinnati
03:50
Tim Reid on the impact of WKRP in Cincinnati; on writing the episode "A Family Affair" which dealt with race
06:09
Tim Reid on the representation of a Black couple on Snoops and fighting for the representation he wanted
01:22
Tim Reid on dealing with serious subjects on "The Bridge" and the "Frank Joins the Club" episodes of Frank's Place
04:21
Tim Reid on pitching Frank's Place with Hugh Wilson and doing research for the show; on the quality of the show
01:12
Tim Reid on launching LGCYTV.com, a streaming service designed by and for the African diaspora, during the COVID-19 pandemic and on fostering young talent
07:32
Tim Reid on production during the COVID-19 pandemic
02:04
Tim Reid on missing international travel during the COVID-19 pandemic
01:01
Tim Reid on how opportunities in the television industry have changed since he first started in the business
04:55
Tim Reid on production during the COVID-19 pandemic
02:04

Del Reisman

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Del Reisman on his service during World War II, and on his education
10:23
Del Reisman on the impact World War II had on Rod Serling's writing, and on Serling's celebrity, brought about by The Twilight Zone
01:11

Ed Resnick

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Ed Resnick on shooting the atomic bomb tests in Las Vegas for KTLA
06:09
Ed Resnick on the logistics of shooting the atomic bomb tests, which were broadcast live on KTLA
06:12
Ed Resnick on the crew of KTLA's broadcast of the atomic bomb test
02:41

Gene Reynolds

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Gene Reynolds on his service in the Navy in World War II
00:55
Gene Reynolds on how African-Americans were depicted on Room 222
02:36
Gene Reynolds on M*A*S*H  in regards to Vietnam
01:57

Larry Rhine

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Larry Rhine on his experience with World War II
07:08

John Rich

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John Rich on casting Mike Evans as "Lionel Jefferson" on All in the Family
06:42

Hank Rieger

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Hank Rieger on serving in World War II and having his first experience with public relations during the war
06:20
Hank Rieger on meeting astronaut Neil Armstrong shortly after the Moon Landing
02:24
Hank Rieger on publicity for NBC shows with African-Americans lead actors
02:58
Hank Rieger on NBC's African-American executives when he worked with the network
00:31
Hank Rieger on advice to someone wanting to go into Public Relations, and how it's a great career for women
02:37

Heino Ripp

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Heino Ripp on his work as a technical director on various Apollo missions
04:17
Heino Ripp on being in the newsroom on D-Day
02:21
Heino Ripp on where he was when John F. Kennedy was assassinated
03:38

Maria Riva

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Maria Riva on appearing on a series of cerebral palsy telethons in the 1950s at the request of Yul Brynner (the airtime donated by ABC President Leonard Goldenson), and trying to dispel the stigma of the disease
01:26

Joan Rivers

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Joan Rivers on the first time she saw television at the 1939 World's Fair
00:38

Doris Roberts

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Doris Roberts on seeing television at the 1939-40 World's Fair
00:49
Doris Roberts on the cast of Everybody Loves Raymond having been in New York City on 9/11
05:40
Doris Roberts on meeting 9/11 first responders and finding out how much Everybody Loves Raymond meant to them
02:04
Doris Roberts on the challenge of being an older woman in Hollywood and beyond
04:13

Fatima Robinson

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Fatima Robinson on working with Pharrell Williams on his performance of "Happy" at the Grammys
01:12
Fatima Robinson on choreographing the "Juneteenth" and "Purple Rain" episodes of Black-ish
02:44
Fatima Robinson on choreographing the halftime show for Super Bowl LVI (Dr. Dre and West Coast hip-hop All-Stars) and how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the show
02:25
Fatima Robinson on choreographing Kendrick Lamar's performance at the 2016 Grammys and working with Lil Baby on his performance at the 2021 Grammys
03:40
Fatima Robinson on receiving her first choreography Emmy nomination, for Beyoncé's performance at the 2022 Oscars
02:25

Al Roker

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Al Roker on covering 9/11 on Today
03:39

Phil Roman

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Phil Roman on his experience in the Korean War
02:22

Andy Rooney

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Andy Rooney on his experience in World War II, and on writing for Stars and Stripes
12:56
Andy Rooney on his work at Stars and Stripes during World War II
12:15
Andy Rooney on the CBS Radio coverage of World War II, and on going to Normandy in the wake of D-Day
09:31
Andy Rooney on his editors at Stars and Stripes and on encountering Ernest Hemingway
05:14
Andy Rooney on covering the end of World War II for Stars and Stripes
02:10
Andy Rooney on seeing television at the 1939 World's Fair
01:04
Andy Rooney on writing CBS News documentaries about the Civil Rights Movement of the '60s including Black History: Lost, Stolen or Strayed hosted by Bill Cosby
03:02

Meta Rosenberg

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Meta Rosenberg on developing the series Julia starring Diahann Carroll
03:57
Meta Rosenberg on advice to an aspiring television producer and succeeding in the industry as a woman
02:21

Howard Rosenberg

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Howard Rosenberg on reader response to his column on 9/11
02:38

Tim Russert

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Tim Russert on his Meet the Press broadcast with Vice President Dick Cheney in the aftermath of 9/11
02:09
Tim Russert on how he found out about the attack and how journalists responded to 9/11
01:34

Romilly Rutherford

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Romilly Rutherford on the television demonstration at the 1939 World's Fair
01:01
Romilly Rutherford on the television demonstration at the 1939 World's Fair
01:01

Maria Elena Salinas

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Maria Elena Salinas on the challenges of being a female news anchor
02:47
Maria Elena Salinas on how identifying with two cultures informed her news reporting
00:59
Maria Elena Salinas on the state of Hispanic news when she started
03:38
Maria Elena Salinas on the state of Hispanic news when she started
22:43
Maria Elena Salinas on appealing to different aspects of the Latino community
Maria Elena Salinas on covering the beatification of Juan Diego
03:39
Maria Elena Salinas on covering the 1994 talks between Mexico and the Zapatistas
02:49
Maria Elena Salinas on covering various natural disasters like earthquakes and hurricanes and dealing with her personal feelings about such events 
10:13
Maria Elena Salinas on covering the Iraq War from Baghdad
23:28
Maria Elena Salinas on interviewing then-governor Pete Wilson about his stance on immigration issues for California 
02:30
Maria Elena Salinas on covering immigration and doing advocacy journalism 
03:37
Maria Elena Salinas on her difficult interview with Augusto Pinochet
01:34
Maria Elena Salinas on being called "the most recognized and trusted Hispanic newswomen in America"
01:50
Maria Elena Salinas on the current state and then-future of diversity in television 
01:30
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on what separates Univision from other news gathering organizations
06:30
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on issues that are important to them personally
03:54
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on Univision's role in the 2008, 2012 and then-upcoming 2016 elections
05:43
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on the emergence of Latino candidates in presidential elections
01:55
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on changes they've seen in television journalism and Spanish news
03:45
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on the then-future of Spanish-language news and Latino journalists
04:26
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on dream projects or goals in the then-future
03:30

Marlene Sanders

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Marlene Sanders on publishing the book "Waiting for Primetime" and her conclusions about women in broadcasting
02:31
Marlene Sanders on the number of women in television when she started
00:57
Marlene Sanders on covering JFK's assassination and the Cuban Missile Crisis
04:05
Marlene Sanders on hearing Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" speech first-hand in Washington D.C. during the March on Washington
01:28
Marlene Sanders on other female journalists when she came along
02:50
Marlene Sanders on being the first woman to anchor an evening news broadcast (for one night) and later for three months; on more women entering the business
04:29
Marlene Sanders on her role in the women's movement
10:08
Marlene Sanders on where she was on 9/11
01:10
Marlene Sanders on advice for women in broadcast journalism
01:33

Jay Sandrich

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Jay Sandrich on the impact the women's movement came to have on The Mary Tyler Moore Show
01:30
Jay Sandrich on an episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show with a character who is gay and getting that episode on air
01:52
Jay Sandrich on how Susan Harris brought a woman's perspective to the writing on Soap
01:43
Jay Sandrich on a scene in Soap which deals with sexual tension, written from a woman's perspective
01:15
Jay Sandrich on the controversies surrounding some of the gay themes of the show Soap
02:53
Jay Sandrich on the thrill of having the number one show in American be about an African American family (The Cosby Show)
01:44
Jay Sandrich on the show Love, Sidney based on a film, which had a gay character, though the network wouldn't allow a gay character on the television version
01:19
Jay Sandrich on what good comedy can do for us socially
01:37

Isabel Sanford

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Isabel Sanford on her experience with World War II, and on her early memories of television and movies
04:33

Ted Sarandos

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Ted Sarandos on how he made the decision to shoot a sixth season of House of Cards without Kevin Spacey, following Spacey's #MeToo scandal
01:30
Ted Sarandos on Netflix objecting to Georgia's proposed restrictive abortion legislation, as Netflix films many shows in Atlanta
01:59
Ted Sarandos on the importance of diverse voices in the executive team at Netflix, as well as the creators of its content, and on the female show creators at Netflix
02:18
Ted Sarandos on the importance of pay equity, and on the importance transparency in regards to executives' pay and diversity data in production
06:37

Joseph Sargent

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Joseph Sargent on casting black extras on Gunsmoke
01:37

William Schallert

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William Schallert on starting the Committee for Performers with Disabilities
05:01

Edgar J. Scherick

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Edgar Scherick on getting drafted into the Air Corps as a meteorologist during World War II
01:00
Edgar Scherick on remembering seeing television at the 1939-40 World's Fair
00:26
Edgar Scherick on being the only ABC executive in the office when President John F. Kennedy was shot; on the special ABC programming done at the time
03:05
Edgar Scherick on producing the ABC Weekend Special TV movie "Tales of the Nunundaga"
00:55

Bob Schieffer

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Bob Schieffer on covering the Vietnam War as a newspaper reporter
04:31
Bob Schieffer on covering the assassination of John F. Kennedy for the "Fort Worth Star-Telegram," and on interviewing Marguerite Claverie Oswald, the mother of Lee Harvey Oswald
08:06
Bob Schieffer on covering anti-Vietnam War demonstrations for CBS News
03:04
Bob Schieffer on covering the Vietnam War as the Pentagon correspondent for CBS News
02:51
Bob Schieffer on covering George W. Bush and the Iraq War as CBS News Chief Washington correspondent
03:43
Bob Schieffer on his experience on 9/11
04:46

Herbert S. Schlosser

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Herbert S. Schlosser on his role in getting more African-Americans on television with shows like I Spy and Julia
02:51
Herbert S. Schlosser on programming Julia, and on African-American representation on television
03:16

Alfred Schneider

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Alfred Schneider on the decision not to allow two men to kiss on Thirtysomething
01:34
Alfred Schneider on writer/producer Susan Harris's response to being told that a scene in Soap where women were discussing sex had to be cut
00:51
Alfred Schneider on negotiating the depiction of the controversial subject matter of That Certain Summer
01:43
Alfred Schneider on meeting with special interest groups and handling their concerns about portrayals of certain groups and depictions of controversial topics on television
02:15
Alfred Schneider on sit-in protests by the gay community in response to Marcus Welby, M.D.
01:28

Reese Schonfeld

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Reese Schonfeld on television news covering the Civil Rights Movement
09:47
Reese Schonfeld on UPI's coverage of President John F. Kennedy's assassination and funeral, and on their attempts to obtain the Zapruder film
15:27
Reese Schonfeld on UPI's coverage of the Vietnam War
05:34
Reese Schonfeld on CNN's coverage of the release of the hostages at the conclusion of the Iran Hostage Crisis
01:09

Daniel Schorr

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Daniel Schorr on seeing television at the 1939 World's Fair
01:41
Daniel Schorr on his experiences during World War II
01:45
Daniel Schorr on his experiences during World War II
05:11
Daniel Schorr on going to Moscow for CBS News in 1955, and on getting in with Edward R. Murrow
07:46
Daniel Schorr on interviewing Nikita Khrushchev in Moscow on Face the Nation
07:33
Daniel Schorr on covering Nikita Khrushchev's trip to the United States in 1959 for Eyewitness to History
04:10
Daniel Schorr on how CBS News portrayed Nikita Khrushchev, and on negotiating his Face the Nation interview
03:36
Daniel Schorr on being expelled by Moscow by the KGB, and on covering various stories for CBS News
02:18
Daniel Schorr on covering the construction of the Berlin Wall for CBS News, and John F. Kennedy's visit to Germany
04:21
Daniel Schorr on covering various stories in Eastern Europe in the early 1960s
05:42
Daniel Schorr on doing a CBS documentary on East Germany, and on clashing with William S. Paley
06:43

Robert Schuller

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Robert Schuller on dealing with Civil Rights and racism on Hour of Power
04:01
Robert Schuller on Hour of Power  expanding into Russia and meeting Mikhail Gorbachev
05:38

Sherwood Schwartz

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Sherwood Schwartz on serving in the U.S. Army and writing for Armed Forces Radio during World War II
09:02
Sherwood Schwartz on hearing of JFK's assassination while filming the Gilligan's Island pilot
00:56

Ralph Senensky

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Ralph Senensky on serving in World War II
02:23
Ralph Senensky on an episode of Arrest and Trial shutting down because of JFK's assassination
02:18

Paul Shaffer

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Paul Shaffer on returning to Late Show with David Letterman after September 11th
02:51

Mel Shavelson

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Mel Shavelson on Bob Hope entertaining the troops in Vietnam, and on the politics of the time
07:03
Mel Shavelson on being part of a minstrel show in high school and on racial breakthroughs in television
04:27

Nina Shaw

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Nina Shaw on how excited she and other family members would be during her childhood when a Black person would be on television -- memories of seeing Leslie Uggams on Sing Along with Mitch and of Cicely Tyson on East Side/West Side
01:06
Nina Shaw on Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin bringing more Black characters to television and on the number of women who worked for Tandem
01:01
Nina Shaw on negotiating talent deals in the 1970s and '80s and how race and gender affected salaries
01:03
Nina Shaw on joining Dern, Mason, Swerdlow & Floum and on many firms not hiring women at that time
01:52
Nina Shaw on Robert Guillaume's role as a civil rights advocate
00:52
NIna Shaw on female directors often "having to get the one shot to screw up"
02:47
Nina Shaw on the relationship between the MeToo Tarana Burke movement and Time's Up
01:17

David Shaw

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David Shaw on his activities during World War II
01:28

Jack Shea

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Jack Shea on entering the Army in 1952 and making training films
01:56
Jack Shea on editing Bob Hope's USO shows
03:19
Jack Shea on music director of Bob Hope's television specials, Les Brown, and entertaining troops at USO shows
05:42

Sid Sheinberg

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Sid Sheinberg on his participation in the Civil Rights Movement while in law school
07:30

Cybill Shepherd

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Cybill Shepherd on how opportunities for women have changed since she started in the industry
01:15

Treva Silverman

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Treva Silverman on the challenges of being the only female on the writing staff of The Dean Martin Show
01:53
Treva Silverman on being the only female writer to work on The Monkees
01:21
Treva Silverman on writing The Mary Tyler Moore Show's "Rhoda Morgenstern," played by Valerie Harper, and on the female characters of the show
03:53
Treva Silverman on the male writing staff of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and helping them write for female characters
03:36
Treva Silverman on how the role of women has changed since she started in television
00:52
Treva Silverman on being the first female writer to win an Emmy Award
01:23

Chet Simmons

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Chet Simmons on the John F. Kennedy assassination and funeral, and on television's coverage of the event
04:20

Bob Simon

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Bob Simon on covering the territorial conflicts in Northern Ireland in the late 1960s through early 1970s
06:54
Bob Simon on covering the Yom Kippur War in 1973
02:46
Bob Simon on coverage of Anwar Sadat's assassination and funeral
02:24
Bob Simon on covering the British invasion of Argentina while he was the CBS New State Dept. correspondent
01:20
Bob Simon on covering the Israeli invasion of Lebanon and the bombing of Beirut
00:39
Bob Simon on his coverage of the protests in Beijing in 1989 and just missing the Tiananmen Square uprising
05:07
Bob Simon on Benjamin Netanyahu and the political conflict in Israel between him and Yitzhak Rabin
01:13
Bob Simon on his recollections of 9/11, and on reporting from Israel
01:50

Garry Simpson

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Garry Simpson on serving in the Navy as a test engineer
01:41
Garry Simpson on showing civil defense films during World War II and NBC not broadcasting television during the war after 1942
03:21

John Singleton

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John Singleton on African American culture around the time he was born (in 1968) and how that affected his parents' generation and his own generation in terms of their identity and their artistic pursuits
02:11
John Singleton on directing "Rosewood" and reflections on its historical context
16:24
John Singleton on how real-world events like the Rodney King verdict and Tupac Shakur's death have affected his work
02:22
John Singleton on what black filmmaking was like in 1991, and how it has changed over time
01:46

Doris Singleton

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Doris Singleton on her husband, Charlie Isaacs, volunteering for service in World War II
00:39

Howard Smit

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Howard Smit on his experiences during World War II
01:31
Howard Smit on participating in making training films for World War II
03:08

Bob Smith

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"Buffalo" Bob Smith on his experience with World War II
01:45

Howard K. Smith

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Howard K. Smith on censorship he faced at CBS radio in Berlin during World War II
00:35
Howard K. Smith on leaving Germany and arriving in Switzerland on December 7, 1941
01:29

Gary Smith

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Gary Smith on working with Sammy Davis, Jr. and on working with African-American performers
10:14
Gary Smith on dealing with the assassination of John F. Kennedy while producing The Judy Garland Show
03:38

Yeardley Smith

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Yeardley Smith on production on The Simpsons during the COVID-19 pandemic -- moving from recording like a radio play with everyone together, to recording in her home, to recording solo at the studio
04:10
Yeardley Smith on her podcast series within a series, Behind the Badge, and addressing police reform in the wake of the murder of George Floyd
06:23
Yeardley Smith on production on The Simpsons during the COVID-19 pandemic -- moving from recording like a radio play with everyone together, to recording in her home, to recording solo at the studio
04:10

Sanford Socolow

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Sanford Socolow on getting drafted into the Korean War and serving in the public information office and the First Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet group
06:06
Sanford Socolow on how Walter Cronkite became "the most trusted man in America" and the story behind Cronkite's on-air condemnation of the Vietnam War (which Cronkite delivered on a special primetime report, not on the CBS Evening News)
05:13
Sanford Socolow on Walter Cronkite's announcement that President Kennedy was dead
02:01
Sanford Socolow on CBS' coverage of the Civil Rights Movement
03:44
Sanford Socolow on CBS's coverage of the Vietnam War
03:55
Sanford Socolow on the friendship between Frank Stanton and Lyndon Johnson and whether it influenced CBS news coverage of Vietnam
04:17
Sanford Socolow on CBS coverage of the Moon Landing
04:03

Suzanne Somers

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Suzanne Somers on how things have changed for women in television since she started

Aaron Spelling

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Aaron Spelling on hiring the cast of Charlie's Angels
02:06

Lesley Stahl

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Lesley Stahl on consciously trying to convey authority as a reporter
01:07
Lesley Stahl on encountering sexism within news crews when she was a rookie reporter for CBS in Washington D.C. in the 1970s
01:47
Lesley Stahl on being told to re-do an on-camera piece without smiling (to exude more authority) while a correspondent for CBS in Washington in the 1970s
00:51
Lesley Stahl on getting hired at CBS' Washington D.C. news bureau, and how affirmative action played a part in her hiring
01:21
Lesley Stahl on the jobs women had at NBC News when she started in 1967
00:24
Lesley Stahl on women in broadcast journalism during her day
01:51

Lynn Stalmaster

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Lynn Stalmaster on how diversity in casting changed during his career
01:52

Frank Stanton

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Frank Stanton on his early awareness of television, and the introduction of television at the 1939 Worlds Fair
01:44
Frank Stanton on his associations with John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon, and on the Kennedy-Nixon debate
04:32
Frank Stanton on CBS News' coverage of Vietnam
01:07

Jean Stapleton

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Jean Stapleton on how All in the Family used comedy to expose social issues, including bigotry
00:37
Jean Stapleton on her involvement with the Women's Movement of the 1970s
01:21

Darren Star

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Darren Star on the censorship issues that arose on Melrose Place, particularly involving the character "Matt Fielding," who was gay
03:16
Darren Star on Sex and the City winning the Emmy right after 9/11
01:25

Ben Starr

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Ben Starr on serving in World War II as an Air Force Navigator and earning the Distinguished Flying Cross
12:54

Fred Steiner

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Fred Steiner on his experience of World War II, composing music for propaganda
01:01

Nick Stewart

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Nick Stewart on performing for both black and white audiences on the Vaudeville circuit
02:54
Nick Stewart on black performers and the type of comedy they practiced
02:24
Nick Stewart on the NAACP protests of Amos 'N' Andy
02:45
Nick Stewart on the end of Amos 'N' Andy  due to protests from the NAACP
05:16
Nick Stewart on how race relations affected the television industry
03:43
Nick Stewart on the then-current state of African-Americans on television 
05:56

J. Michael Straczynski

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J. Michael Straczynski on addressing 9/11 in the "Spiderman" comics
02:49

George Takei

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George Takei on being confined to an American internment camp during World War II 
13:09
George Takei on the dearth of Asian people in the entertainment industry early in his career
01:33
George Takei on Gene Roddenberry and Star Trek's commentary on American society at the time
05:32
George Takei on Gene Roddenberry envisioning diversity as the strength of the Star Trek crew
01:47
George Takei on being an Asian-American actor
04:24
George Takei on being an Asian-American actor
04:24

William Tankersley

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William Tankersley on how CBS Program Practices handled Civil Rights storylines on TV shows in the 1950s and '60s
02:04

Nina Tassler

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Nina Tassler on the importance of developing shows that provide leading roles for women as well as a work-life balance for lead actresses
02:36
Nina Tassler on diversity in television
03:52

Marlo Thomas

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Marlo Thomas on the advice she received from Lucille Ball regarding being a producer
02:21
Marlo Thomas on the rules for sexuality on That Girl
02:13
Marlo Thomas on the TV movie remake of It's a Wonderful Life --  It Happened One Christmas
00:10

Grant Tinker

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Grant Tinker on diversity on television in the 1960s
01:51
Grant Tinker on the lack of diversity in television
00:42

Stanford Tischler

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Stanford Tishchler on serving in World War II as a film editor
03:21
Stanford Tischler on how the mid-70s pilot Only in America was not picked up by ABC because it was considered too "ethnic"
01:10

Robert Trout

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Robert Trout on how his family was impacted by World War I and attending the Presidential inauguration in 1916
06:28
Robert Trout on covering the 1939 World's Fair
01:15
Robert Trout on covering the assassination of John F. Kennedy
01:46

Ret Turner

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Ret Turner on wardrobe challenges like pregnancy
01:03

Saul Turteltaub

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Saul Turteltaub on his friendship with Richard Pryor and Pryor's appearance at a live show called "Calm L.A.," which was meant to calm tensions following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
02:39

Bill Tush

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Bill Tush on September 11th ending his career at CNN
05:52

Leslie Uggams

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Leslie Uggams on the role television played in the Civil Rights Movement
01:05

Tracey Ullman

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Tracey Ullman on the character "Francesca" on The Tracey Ullman Show, whose father was gay, and on receiving a GLAAD award for the character
01:07
Tracey Ullman on the sketch "What Were You Wearing?" on Tracey Ullman's Show, and on the sketch going viral
01:36
Tracey Ullman on how changes can be made in the television industry, in light of the #MeToo and Times Up movements, and on her thoughts on the movements
02:13

Dean Valentine

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Dean Valentine on Ellen DeGeneres' decision for her character "Ellen Morgan" to come out on Ellen and on the cultural impact of "The Puppy Episode"
11:00

Bruce Vilanch

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Bruce Vilanch on his experiences as an openly gay man in Hollywood and how he approached being open about his identity throughout his career
03:51
Bruce Vilanch on how the events of 9/11 affected the Emmy Awards in 2001 and the Academy Awards in 2002
01:39

Helen Wagner

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Helen Wagner on As the World Turns and the Kennedy assassination 
01:21

James Wall

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James Wall on his service during World War II
12:48
James Wall on going overseas to serve during World War II
08:03
James Wall on dancing to boost the morale of the troops during World War II
03:14
James Wall on segregation in the Army during World War II
10:28
James Wall on initially being turned down by CBS when he applied for a stage manager position at the network
04:53
James Wall on how he heard about the shooting of President Kennedy, while working as a stage manager on Captain Kangaroo
01:34
James Wall on stage-managing CBS's coverage of President Kennedy's assassination
01:46
James Wall on stage-managing CBS's coverage of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s funeral
03:54
James Wall on stage-managing CBS's coverage John Glenn orbiting the earth, and other NASA missions
02:40
James Wall on being at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago with Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather
05:32
James Wall on advocating for Black representation on Captain Kangaroo when he was working as a stage manager on the show, and how that led to him being hired as "Mr. Baxter" (after an audition)
03:10

Mike Wallace

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Mike Wallace on 60 Minutes' coverage of the Vietnam War
10:32
Mike Wallace on being sued for libel (and beginning his battle with depression) by William Westmoreland after he interviewed him for his special The Uncounted Enemy: A Vietnam Deception
04:39
Mike Wallace on his 60 Minutes interview with Ayatollah Khomeini
04:34

Joseph A. Wapner

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Joseph Wapner on learning of President Roosevelt's death during World War II
01:19

Malcolm-Jamal Warner

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Malcolm-Jamal Warner on what he believes The Cosby Show  was trying to achieve
01:48
Malcolm-Jamal Warner on black culture on The Cosby Show
00:58
Malcolm-Jamal Warner on how the portrayal of Black Americans has changed since he started acting
02:28

Matthew Weiner

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Matthew Weiner on how JFK's assassination played into Mad Men's plotlines
02:04
Matthew Weiner on the Mad Men  episode, "The Other Woman," in which "Joan Holloway" (Christina Hendricks) prostitutes herself to get an account for the firm
04:41
Matthew Weiner on season six of Mad Men  and using the news events of 1968 as a backdrop 
11:22
Matthew Weiner on the various cultural and historical references and influences for season seven of Mad Men, including the moon landing
08:18
Matthew Weiner on the gender equality themes of Mad Men  season 7a
00:44

Lou Weiss

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Lou Weiss on moving up through the ranks at William Morris and his experience with World War II
02:30

John Wells

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John Wells on crafting the stories of China Beach using real life stories from Vietnam veterans 
04:17
John Wells on Third Watch addressing 9/11 with the episode "In Their Own Words"
05:11

Tom Werner

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Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner on the Cosby  spin-off A Different World  and the awareness the program brought to black colleges
02:38

Joseph Wershba

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Joseph Wershba on his experience with World War II
03:03
Joseph Wershba on the See It Now "Christmas in Korea" report in 1952 with Edward R. Murrow
12:07
Joseph Wershba on 60 Minutes story on The Gulf of Tonkin incident
04:14

Ellen Wheeler

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Ellen Wheeler on the social relevance of Guiding Light  and then-recent storylines
07:40

Betty White

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Betty White on her experience with World War II
01:50
Betty White on how it was for women in television in the early '50s
02:14

Joseph M. Wilcots

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Joseph M. Wilcots on becoming the first Black member of the cinematographers union
04:09
Joseph M. Wilcots on the cinematographers union not being quick to welcome Black members
06:05
Joseph M. Wilcots on how things have changed for Black cinematographers during his career
00:42

Andy Williams

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Andy Williams on his brothers being drafted into World War II and singing in other groups until his brothers returned
00:42

Ethel Winant

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Ethel Winant on early involvement in television via the Pasadena Playhouse and on seeing television at the 1939 World's Fair
02:56
Ethel Winant on her experience during World War II
03:41

Terence Winter

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Terence Winter on the impact of 9/11 on The Sopranos
04:25

Dick Wolf

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Dick Wolf on how 9/11 impacted Law & Order
01:10
Dick Wolf on the feature documentary Twin Towers
01:20

Perry Wolff

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Perry Wolff on his experience in World War II and writing a novel about it
02:39

David L. Wolper

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David L. Wolper on seeing television at the 1939 World's Fair and on his family's first television set
01:19
David L. Wolper on the genesis and production of The Race for Space
05:58
David L. Wolper on producing Roots
28:39

Bud Yorkin

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Bud Yorkin on his service in World War II
01:38

Leo Yoshimura

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Leo Yoshimura on the persistent lack of representation of Asian Americans on television
03:57
Leo Yoshimura on playing "Sulu" in several Star Trek parodies on Saturday Night Live over the years, and on lack of representation of Japanese people on television
06:08
Leo Yoshimura on the persistent lack of representation of Asian Americans on television
03:57

Lauren Zalaznick

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Lauren Zalaznick on her experiences on 9/11
03:01
Lauren Zalaznick on how things have changed for women in television since she started, and on the then-future of women in television
02:53

Frederic Ziv

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Frederic Ziv on how his company was affected by World War II
03:07

Jeff Zucker

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Jeff Zucker on where he was on 9/11 and determining what programming was appropriate for NBC following the tragedy
03:36
Jeff Zucker on the first episode of Saturday Night Live following 9/11
01:26
Jeff Zucker on the importance of diversity in television
00:58

Alan Zweibel

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Alan Zweibel, interviewed from home during the Coronavirus pandemic, on how he has been coping during the Stay at Home mandate
11:22

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