TV Confidential with Ed Robertson

TVC 711.6: Paul Myers, author of John Candy: A Life in Comedy, talks to Ed about Candy's impact in the movies, particularly at a time when many major comedy stars were also huge box office stars. John Candy: A Life in Comedy tells the full story of the man behind the laughs from the people who knew him best, including Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Tom Hanks, Ron Howard, Steve Martin, Catherine O'Hara, Martin Short, Jennifer Candy, John Hughes III, James Hughes, Robert Crane, Mike Myers, and many, many others. The book is available wherever books are sold through House of Anansi Books, as well as Amazon.com. Paul Myers has several appearances in both the U.S. and Canada over the next several weeks. For details on these and other upcoming events, go to Houseof Anansi.com and type in John Candy A Life in Comedy Book Tour

TVC 710.1: Ed welcomes back Rich Podolsky, longtime journalist, onetime beat writer for the Miami Dolphins, onetime staff writer for CBS Sports and ABC Television, and the author of several books, including You Are Looking Live: How The NFL Today Revolutionized Sports Broadcasting. Rich's latest book, Madden & Summerall: How They Revolutionized NFL Broadcasting, takes a deep dive in the twenty-one-year broadcast partnership of John Madden and Pat Summerall—two stalwarts of the NFL who each, separately, left their own mark on the game, but, once they were paired together in October 1981, revolutionized how NFL games were broadcast on television while also becoming the greatest broadcast team ever. Topics this segment include how the rise of Madden and Summerall also marked the rise of the NFL as America's TV spectacle; how each man understood instinctively the other's love and understanding of the NFL; how Madden prepared for each television broadcast in much the same way as he approached every game that he coached; Madden's insatiable curiosity about people; and how Madden's dual career in radio (and, particularly, his early partnership with KSFO radio personality Gene Nelson) helped him hone his timing for his work in television. Madden & Summerall is available wherever books are sold through Lyons Press.

TVC 710.2: Rich Podolsky, author of Madden & Summerall: How They Revolutionized NFL Broadcasting, talks to Ed about the so-called "contest" between Pat Summerall and Vin Scully in the early weeks of the 1981 NFL season over who would welcome John Madden's permanent on-air partner on CBS; how the commercials Madden did for Lite Beer from Miller helped sell then-CBS president Van Gordon Sauter on Madden's appeal to audiences; how the introduction of the Telestrator (aka the CBS Chalkboard) allowed Madden to become "America's nutty football professor"; and how Rich's personal connection with Madden—which began in the early 1970s, when Rich was a beat writer for the Miami Dolphins, and which developed further when Rich worked for ABC and CBS—gives Madden & Summerall tremendous depth and insight. Madden & Summerall is available wherever books are sold through Lyons Press.

TVC 710.3: From October 2015: Tony, Donna, and Ed remember the premiere of The Phil Silvers Show (CBS, 1955-1959), aka You'll Never Get Rich (the original title of the series), aka Sergeant Bilko and Bilko (as the show was both known once it went into reruns). The series not only made a star of Phil Silvers, but established Nat Hiken as a creative force in television.

TVC 710.4: Ed welcomes back actress, comedienne, author, and entrepreneur Rhonda Shear (Up All Night, Rhonda Shear Intimates, Up All Night: From Hollywood Bombshell to Lingerie Model, Life Lessons From An Accidental Feminist). Rhonda is bringing back Up All Night—by popular demand—as a series of specials, in partnership with the Kings of Horror channel on YouTube, that will spotlight all kinds of indie horror movies, from grassroots DIY to festival standouts, cult classics, and world premieres, while also featuring Rhonda's trademark comedy sketches and blackout segments and such celebrity guests as legendary scream queen Linnea Quigley. Rhonda Shear Up All Night premieres Saturday, Oct. 25 at 10pm ET, 7pm PT at KingsofHorror.com, with additional specials scheduled to premiere Saturday, Nov. 22 and Saturday, Dec. 20 (also at 10pm ET, 7pm PT each night at KingsofHorror.com). The series will then expand to twice a month beginning in January 2026. For more details, go to RhondaShearAllUpNight.com. For more on Rhonda Shear Intimates, go to RhondaShear.com.

TVC 710.5: Rhonda Shear talks to Ed about studying improvisation from Harvey Lembeck when she first came to Los Angeles, and how Lembeck taught her to become fearless as a comedienne; why learning improv is a good skill to have, no matter what your profession; how the perception of women in comedy has changed considerably since Rhonda began her career; and Rhonda's approach to writing comedy. Rhonda Shear Up All Night premieres Saturday, Oct. 25 at 10pm ET, 7pm PT at KingsofHorror.com, with additional specials scheduled to premiere Saturday, Nov. 22 and Saturday, Dec. 20 (same time, same channel). The series will then expand to twice a month beginning in January 2026. For more details, go to RhondaShearAllUpNight.com. For more on Rhonda Shear Intimates, go to RhondaShear.com.

TVC 709.6: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with Emmy Award-winning actress, producer, and author Mariette Hartley (The Incredible Hulk, Goodnight, Beantown, Breaking the Silence, Law and Order: SVU). In this segment, Mariette talks to Ed about "Cotter's Girl," the classic episode of Gunsmoke from 1963 whose storyline is reminiscent of Pygmalion; her frequent appearances on shows produced by Quinn Martin; and her association with Rod Serling, which began when Mariette asked Serling to speak at her school after she had watched Requiem for a Heavyweight on television, and which culminated about ten years later, when Mariette appeared in "The Long Morrow," one of the final episodes of The Twilight Zone. Mariette Hartley co-stars, co-wrote, and co-produced, along with her husband Jerry Sroka, in Our (Almost Completely True) Love Story, a charming romantic comedy that is available now for streaming on demand on Amazon Prime and other major platforms; it is also available on DVD and Blu-ray.

TVC 709.1: From October 2015: Tony, Donna, and Ed remember the premiere of Captain Kangaroo (CBS, 1955-1984) and its impact on other children's television programs, including Romper Room and Bozo the Clown.

TVC 709.2: From October 2015: Tony, Donna, and Ed continue their look at the broadcast history of Captain Kangaroo (CBS, 1955-1984), including a few word about The New Captain Kangaroo, the reboot starring John McDonough, which ran on the Fox Family Channel from 1997-2000.

TVC 709.3: Part 2 of the conversation that began last week with Howard Smith, author of My Friend Johnny, a memoir of Howard's twenty-year friendship with Johnny Carson, which began in 1985 when Howard found himself living four doors down the street from Carson in Malibu, and which continued until the end of Carson's life. Topics this segment include a look at some of the other celebrities from business, sports, politics, and entertainment that Howard came to know during his career as a tech mogul, including NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton and President Gerald Ford. My Friend Johnny is available at MyFriendJohnny.com. Calendar year 2025 marks not only the twentieth anniversary of Carson's passing, but the 100th anniversary of his birth.