TV Confidential with Ed Robertson

TVC 668.1: Ed welcomes actress, producer, and comedienne Kat Kramer, author Jimmy Byrge, and actress and producer Patricia Riley. Jimmy is the author of The Evergreen Christmas Tree, a new children’s book, based on a true story, about a family in the mountains of Tennessee who, despite not having a lot of money, set off to find the perfect Christmas tree that represents love and standing up for what you believe in. Patricia is the creative editor of the book, while Kat wrote the foreword and afterword. A beautiful story of hope, The Evergreen Christmas Tree includes fifteen sign languages signs at the end of the book, making it one of the first children’s book to teach ASL. The Evergreen Christmas Tree becomes available for purchase an eBook and in paperback and hardcover on sixteen platforms beginning Black Friday, Nov. 29, with global distribution in four languages. For more information, including news on upcoming signings and events, follow the book on TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and EvergreenChristmasTree.com.

TVC 668.2: From November 2019: Tony Figueroa remembers Ric Ocasek, the front man of The Cars, with a particular focus on the iconic video “You Might Think,” the first music video to use computer graphics. Ric Ocasek passed away on Sept. 15, 2019.

TVC 668.3: From November 2019: Tony and Ed talk about how the award-winning video “You Might Think” by The Cars—the first music video to use computer graphics—went on to influence the production of movies and TV shows, as well as such other music video pioneers as Michael Nesmith.

TVC 668.4: Ed welcomes back Emmy Award-winning writer, producer, director, and author Joseph Dougherty (thirtysomething, Pretty Little Liars, A Screenwriters Companion: Instruction, Opinion, Encouragement). Calendar year 2024 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Rod Serling (The Twilight Zone, Rod Serling’s Night Gallery). To mark the occasion, Joe’s latest book, Rod Serling at 100, takes a deep dive into the legacy of the Emmy Award-winning writer/producer, with a particular focus on Serling as a writer, and what Serling’s body of work continues to mean to Joe personally. Rod Serling at 100 is available from Fayetteville Mafia Press. Topics this segment include how Serling was among the first writers that got the general public to take science fiction seriously, and why the parables told on The Twilight Zone remain timeless because human emotions are timeless.

TVC 668.5: Joseph Dougherty, author of Rod Serling at 100, talks to Ed about how The Twilight Zone operates on an ethical and moral universe (for the most part); why The Twilight Zone is particularly appealing to anyone who loves language; and why Joe believes that most of the hour-long Twilight Zone episodes are better than most people remember. Rod Serling at 100 is available from Fayetteville Mafia Press.

TVC 668.6: Joseph Dougherty, author of Rod Serling at 100, talks to Ed about “Dust,” “Mr. Denton on Doomsday,” “Mr. Garrity and the Graves,” and other Western-themed episodes of The Twilight Zone, and how Rod Serling’s disenchantment with the television can be traced with the network interference he faced during the production of The Loner (CBS, 1965-1966), the existentialist Western starring Lloyd Bridges that, though set in post-Civil War America circa 1865, really served as Serling’s commentary for the divided nature of America in 1965. Rod Serling at 100 is available from Fayetteville Mafia Press.

TVC 667.1: From November 2014: Tony, Donna, and Ed wish legendary actor Ed Asner a Happy Birthday as part of This Week in TV History. Ed Asner passed away on Aug. 29, 2021 at age ninety-one. Since this segment originally aired in 2014, TV Confidential had the opportunity to talk to Ed several times on our program; you can enjoy those conversations anytime on demand on the TV Confidential podcast, which is available for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever else you find podcasts.  

TVC 667.2: Ed welcomes back Columbo historian David Koenig (Shooting Columbo: The Lives and Deaths of TV’s Rumpled Detective). David’s latest book, Unshot Columbo: Cracking the Cases That Never Got Filmed, takes a deep dive into nineteen Columbo mysteries that were written for either the original NBC series or the ABC revival, but, for one reason or another, never went into production. Topics this segment include the various attempts to bring back Sergeant Wilson, the character played by Bob Dishy in “The Greenhouse Jungle” and “Now You See Him,” beyond those two episodes and why Peter Falk kept opposing those efforts. Both Shooting Columbo and Unshot Columbo are available through Bonaventure Press.

TVC 667.3: David Koenig, author of Unshot Columbo: Cracking the Cases That Never Got Filmed, talks to Ed about how “Old-Fashioned Murder,” the sixth-season episode featuring Joyce Van Patten as the murderer, was originally conceived as a modern-day Richard III that would have featured Burgess Meredith as the lead character, and why Peter Falk always wanted female murderers on the series to be seen as sympathetic characters. Both Shooting Columbo and Unshot Columbo are available through Bonaventure Press.

TVC 667.4: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with Robert Crane, eldest son of Hogan’s Heroes star Bob Crane, and the author of My UnHollywood Family, a fresh look at his relationship with his famous dad (mostly told from the perspective of his mother’s side of the family); the lifelong impact that his dad continues to have on him, his mom, and his siblings; and a story that will resonate with anyone who has survived a broken marriage, grown up in a dysfunctional household, navigated relationships with step parents, or dealt with narcissistic personalities at home or at work. Topics this segment include why Hogan’s Heroes continues to thrive; how Bob got to meet both The Byrds and Buffalo Springfield because of his dad; and how Bob drew inspiration from the style of Nobel Prize winning author Annie Ernaux when he wrote My UnHollywood Family. My UnHollywood Family is available now through Oregon Greystone Press.