TV Confidential with Ed Robertson

TVC 561.1: Ed welcomes back David Koenig, author of Mouse Tales: A Behind the Ears Look at Disneyland, Danny Kaye: King of Jesters, and other pop culture titles. David's latest book, Shooting Columbo: The Lives and Deaths of TV's Rumpled Detective, takes us behind the scenes of the production of Columbo, the groundbreaking mystery series starring Peter Falk and created by Richard Levinson and William Link that celebrates its fiftieth anniversary on television this fall. Topics this segment include the first appearance of the Columbo character on television (which occurred in a live production of Enough Rope, the original play written by Richard Levinson and William Link, that aired on The Chevy Mystery Show in the summer in 1960); how important Peter Falk was to the success of the series; the pivotal role that Universal Studios executive Sid Sheinberg played in championing the careers of Levinson and Link, series producer Dean Hargrove, and director Steven Spielberg; and how Jackson Gillis and Larry Cohen both left their marks on Columbo.

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TVC 561.2: David Koenig, author of Shooting Columbo: The Lives and Deaths of TV's Rumpled Detective, discusses how Prescription: Murder (the original pilot for Columbo) evolved from the original TV production that Richard Levinson and William Link wrote in 1960 to a full-length stage production starring Joseph Cotten, Agnes Moorehead, and Thomas Mitchell (with Mitchell essaying the role of Lieutenant Columbo), and how Levinson and Link weathered a series of clashes with the actors behind the scenes; the memorable scores that Oliver Nelson and Gil Melle provided for the NBC series; and the influence that actor/director Patrick McGoohan and writer/producer Richard Alan Simmons had on Peter Falk and the Columbo series, both on NBC and on ABC. Shooting Columbo provides a blow by blow account of Peter Falk's endless battles with Universal Studios over the production of the series, a treasure trove of behind the scenes production information, a look at how the various locations in Beverly Hills were chosen, the answers to such burning questions as "What was Columbo's first name?"

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TVC 561.3: Greg Ehrbar and Ed pay tribute to Will Ryan, the actor, voice artist, songwriter, singer, and musician who passed away on Friday, Nov. 19 at age 72. Topics this segment include Will's many contributions to Disney Entertainment and Walt Disney Records, plus his long association with the audio drama Adventures in Odyssey.

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TVC 561.4: Ed welcomes back actress, author, teacher, speaker, radio host, and legendary "scream queen" Dee Wallace. Dee's latest book, Born: Giving Birth to a New You, is a hands-on, reader-friendly guide to the principles of self-creation that Dee has taught and lived by for most of her life. Born not only shows how spirituality, brain science, and religion all teach the same principles that can help us create the life we want, but illustrates how we can all learn the principles of creation by following the example of E.T. and accepting the power of love. As Dee herself puts it in Born, redirecting our inner energy to achieve what we want in life can really be as simple as making ice.

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TVC 561.5: Dee Wallace talks to Ed about the fortieth anniversary of the release of E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial; how the tremendous success of E.T. not only changed the course of Dee's life as an actress, but allowed her to change and expand how she saw herself as a person; and how we can all learn the principles of creation by following the example of E.T. Dee's latest book, Born: Giving Birth to a New You, is a hands-on, reader-friendly guide to the principles of self-creation that Dee has taught and lived by for most of her life.

Dee Wallace also recently published a children's book, Buppa LaPaloo and The I Love Mes: The Most Powerful Little Bear on the Planet, while her latest movie, Every Time a Bell Rings, airs several times throughout December on The Hallmark Channel. Both Born and Buppa LaPaloo and The I Love Mes are available wherever books are sold online, as well as at IAmDeeWallace.com.

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TVC 561.6: Greg Ehrbar and Ed discuss Will Ryan's voice acting career, which spanned many film and TV productions for all major studios; his performing career with The Saguaro Sisters as part of Will Ryan and the Cactus County Cowboys; and the renaissance he enjoyed with actor Nick Santa Maria as faux comedy team Benny Biffle and Sammy Shooster in The Misadventures of Biffle and Shooster. Will Ryan passed away on Friday, Nov. 19 at age 72.

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TVC 458.1: Actors Nick Santa Maria and Will Ryan (The Misadventures of Biffle and Shooster) appear in character as Benny Biffle and Sammy Shooster as we take a look at Biffle and Shooster's often overlooked, but nonetheless significant TV career of the 1960s. The Misadventures of Biffle and Shooster is available now on DVD. In addition, The Biffle and Shooster Portable Guide to Etiquette is available for purchase, as are all four issues of the Biffle and Shooster comic book.

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TVC 533.2: Ed plays Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with George Chakiris, the Academy Award-winning actor known around the world as Bernardo, the leader of The Sharks, in the iconic 1961 screen adaptation of West Side Story. In this segment, George shares memories of working with John Astin and Simon Oakland in West Side Story, and with Elaine Stritch in the national stage production of Company. My West Side Story: A Memoir by George Chakiris is available in hardcover and as an eBook from Lyons Press.

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TVC 533.3: Oscar winner George Chakiris discusses the approach he took to playing Frederic Chopin in the acclaimed PBS miniseries Notorious Woman, plus he shares a few memories of starring opposite Barbara Carrera in the "dream season" of Dallas. My West Side Story: A Memoir by George Chakiris is available in hardcover and as an eBook from Lyons Press and includes a wonderful back cover quote from George's co-star, dear friend, and fellow Oscar winner from West Side Story, Rita Moreno.

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TVC 533.4: Ed welcomes back entertainment legend Ruta Lee. Ruta's new memoir, Consider Your Ass Kissed, not only is the story of how a young girl—the daughter of Lithuanian immigrants—became one of the most legendary entertainers in Hollywood history through hard work and determination, but includes a treasure trove of authentic memories about the Golden Age of Entertainment, including her work opposite such leading men as Clint Eastwood, Burt Reynolds, Charles Bronson, James Garner, Fred Astaire, Robin Williams, Howard Keel, Bob Crane, and Frank Sinatra. Consider Your Ass Kissed is available for pre-order right now at Amazon.com.

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