Saturday, January 30, 2016

TV CONFIDENTIAL Archives: Show No. 300, 301, 302, 303 and 304.

In addition, select programs from the past two years are available for purchase for a nominal fee. Click here for more information.

Show No. 300 with guest Bo Svenson
Original Airdate: Week of Dec. 9-14, 2015
First hour: Tony Figueroa and Donna Allen remember the 50th anniversary of A Charlie Brown Christmas and the 35th anniversary of Magnum, p.i. Also in this hour: Ed commemorates Frank Sinatra’s 100th birthday by playing highlights from our conversations with Robert Davi and Barbara van Orden about the legacy of Ole Blue Eyes, as a singer, actor and humanitarian. 

Second hour: Actor, producer and director Bo Svenson (Breaking Point, North Dallas Forty, Kill Bill, Here Come the Brides, Inglorious Basterds) talks to Ed about his upcoming film Don’t Call Me Sir, the inspiring story of groundbreaking judo legend Rusty Kanokogi, which will also feature the acting debut of Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison. For information on the film, go to SupportDontCallMeSir.com. Also in this hour: Phil Gries remembers the NBC 1967 telecast of Annie Get Your Gun as part of The Sounds of Lost Television.

Show No. 301 with guest Lorraine Santoli
Original Airdate: Week of Dec. 16-21, 2015
First hour: Tony Figueroa and Donna Allen remember the birth of baby Joey Stivic on All in the Family, which originally aired during This Week in TV History. Also in this hour: Greg Ehrbar discusses the recent DVD releases of The Original Christmas Classics Gift Sets and The Glen Campbell Christmas Special

Second hour: Ed and Greg welcome Lorraine Santoli, author of four books, onetime publicist for the Walt Disney Company, and former director of corporate synergy for the entire Disney company. Lorraine’s latest book, Inside the Disney Marketing Machine: In the Era of Michael Eisner and Frank Wells, discusses what synergy is, how it came to shape the way in which Disney has done business over the past three decades, and how it helped shaped such promotional campaigns as the famous “I’m Going to Disneyland” spots that we see at the end of every Super Bowl. 

Show No. 302 with guest James Bigwood
Original Airdate: Week of Jan. 6-11, 2016
First hour: Tony Figueroa and Donna Allen discuss the legacy of the Batman television series, which premiered fifty years ago This Week in TV History. The segment includes highlights from our October 2013 conversation with Joel Eisner, author of The Official Batman Batbook. Also in this hour: Greg Ehrbar with a look of recently released Peanuts specials on DVD. 

Second hour: James Bigwood joins Ed for a look at the life and career of Alan Napier, the British actor best known to many TV viewers as Alfred the butler on Batman. Jim is co-author of Not Just Batman’s Butler: The Autobiography of Alan Napier, a combination memoir, biography and filmography that is largely based on a manuscript that Napier wrote himself in 1969. Not Just Batman’s Butler is available through McFarlandPub.com. You can also order it by calling (800) 253-2187. 

Show No. 303 with guests Dee Wallace and Stu Shostak
Original Airdate: Week of Jan. 13-18, 2016
First hour: A replay of our January 2012 conversation with Emmy Award-winning actor/comedian Pat Harrington, which discussed not only how Pat came to play Schneider on One Day at a Time, but many of his early experiences in television, including his work with Steve Allen. Also in this hour: TV historian and Internet radio host Stu Shostak (Stu’s Show) joins Ed, Tony and Donna to share some personal memories of Harrington, whom he knew as a friend since 1975. 

Second hour: Actress, author and teacher Dee Wallace (E.T.: The ExtraterrestrialCujoThe HowlingThe FrightenersCritters), joins Ed to discusses her new series on Amazon Prime, Just Add Magic; her upcoming appearance on Supernatural; and how she came to develop Buppa LaPaloo, a teddy bear that teaches the importance of self love to children ages four to seven.

Show No. 304 with guest Anson Williams
Original Airdate: Week of Jan. 20-25, 2016
Actor, author, director and entrepreneur Anson Williams (Happy Days, Singing to a Bulldog) joins Ed, Tony and Donna for a conversation about his success in business, his approach to creating consumer products, and his experience on Happy Days. (The interview begins about 45 minutes into the first hour and continues until the end of the program.) Anson’s latest book, The Perfect Portion Cookbook, is a guide to making your favorite comfort foods (all in 100-calorie portions) that also reflects Anson’s business philosophy. The Perfect Portion Cookbook will be officially launched on QVC on Sunday, Feb. 7. Also this week: Part 1 of our look at 2015: The Year in Television, plus a replay of a 2012 interview with Henry Winkler co-conducted by Ed and Gary Snyder.