I represent the first generation who, when we were born, the television was now a permanent fixture in our homes. When I was born people had breakfast with Barbara Walters, dinner with Walter Cronkite, and slept with Johnny Carson. Read the full "Pre-ramble"
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Show No. 131
Mar. 21, 2012 |
First hour: Ed welcomes nationally renowned female tribute artist
Peter
Mac. Peter has captured the essence
of Judy Garland in not only his critically acclaimed stage show, Judy and
Me, but also in a series of live cabaret
shows that are currently playing every Friday and Saturday
night at the historic French Quarter Restaurant in West Hollywood. Also in this history: Tony Figueroa and
Donna Allen remember "A House Divided," the episode of Dallas that
originally aired This Week in TV History, and whose cliffhanger ending launched
the "Who Shot J.R.?" phenomenon that dominated entertainment headlines
throughout 1980.
Second hour: Ed welcomes author, photojournalist and television writer Marvin J. Wolf (Fallen Angels, Perfect Crimes, Beating the Odds: The Untold Story of the Rise of ABC). Marv's first novel, The Tattooed Rabbi, introduces readers to crime-solving Rabbi Ben Maimon, a master of the Torah, the Talmud and Tae Kwon Do who is also a discerning student of human nature. Topics include the inspiration for the Rabbi Ben character, as well as Marv's early career as a combat photographer during the Vietnam War, his collaborations with Roy Huggins and ABC founding president Leonard Goldenson, and his encounters with John Wayne, Peter Jennings, David Janssen, George Takei and Barbara Walters. |
Musician
and DVD producer Bill Funt will join us in our first hour as we pay tribute to
Robert Hegyes, the actor known to many of us for
playing Juan Epstein on the long-running ABC series Welcome Back, Kotter. 
Then
in our second hour, we’ll stop by 1313 Mockingbird Lane along with television
historian and author Stephen Cox. Steve has written more than twenty books on
film and television, including The Munsters: A Trip Down Mockingbird Lane.
We’ll not only talk about the original Munsters series starring Fred Gwynne, Al
Lewis and Yvonne de Carlo, but we’ll also ask Steve for his thoughts on 1313 Mockingbird Lane, the reimagining of
The Munsters that is currently in development by NBC. Steve also has some
great stories about his friendship with Al Lewis, as well as his experiences
working alongside Buddy Ebsen and Paul Henning. 
Listen to me on TV CONFIDENTIAL:
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As always, the further we go back in Hollywood history, the more that fact and legend become intertwined. It's hard to say where the truth really lies.
March 30, 1962
Jack Paar films his final episode of The Tonight Show.
Paar had hosted the show since July 1957, six months after Steve Allen stepped down. Paar was known for his emotional outbursts, which included walking off the set of The Tonight Show on February 11, 1960, to protest network censorship of his jokes.
The unflappable Johnny Carson took over as host starting in October 1962.
March 31, 1992
Dateline NBC premieres. NBC had long attempted to catch up with popular newsmagazines on CBS and ABC, which consistently drew top ratings, but failed until the debut of Dateline NBC.
To quote the Bicentennial Minute, "And that's the way it was".
Stay Tuned
Tony Figueroa
