TV Confidential with Ed Robertson

TVC 677.6: Actor and author Laurence Luckinbill (The Boys in the Band, The Delphi Bureau, Star Trek V, Affective Memories: How Chance and The Theater Saved My Life) shares a few memories of his years in Oakland, California, where he moved to be with his family in the 1950s; the many mentors in his life, including the Catholic nun who taught him to appreciate the power of words; and how he first came to learn the difference between a "movie horse" and a "horse" horse while filming an episode of Bonanza. Affective Memories is available wherever books are sold through Sunbury Press.

We'll be back with a brand new edition of TV Confidential later this week. In the meantime, please enjoy this clip from February 2015 in which Tony, Donna, and Ed remember Khan! (CBS, 1975), the short-lived yet controversial series starring Khigh Dheigh as a contemporary private eye who is reminiscent of Charlie Chan. Khan! premiered Feb. 7, 1975 as part of This Week in TV History.

TVC 676.1: An encore presentation of an edition from The Sounds of Lost Television that originally aired in September 2011 in which Phil Gries plays audio highlights from Jackie Gleason, the short-lived CBS prime talk show that The Great One hosted for two months in early 1961, and a show that was borne out of necessity following the demise of You're in The Picture, the infamous game show hosted by Gleason, which CBS canceled after its one and only broadcast on Jan. 20, 1961. This segment includes a clip from the famous on-air "apology" for You're in the Picture (telecast Jan. 27, 1961), in which Gleason spent thirty minutes denouncing Picture as "the biggest bomb" in TV history, plus clips from Gleason's subsequent interviews with Art Carney (telecast Feb. 17, 1961) and Gordon MacRae and Sheila MacRae (telecast Feb. 24, 1961). Audio courtesy ATVAudio.com.

TVC 676.2: From September 2011: Phil Gries plays a clip from Jackie Gleason's interview with Bobby Darin on the Mar. 17, 1961 edition of Jackie Gleason, the short-lived prime talk show (CBS, 1961) that was borne out of necessity following the demise of You're in The Picture, the infamous game show hosted by The Great One that CBS canceled after its premiere broadcast on Jan. 20, 1961. This segment also includes audio from Darin's appearance on Stage Show (CBS, 1954-1956), a music variety series produced by Gleason. Darin's appearance on Stage Show marked his first national TV appearance. Audio courtesy ATVAudio.com.

TVC 676.3: Ed and guest co-host Chuck Harter welcome Erica Gavin, the actress known around the world as the star of Vixen! (1968), the satiric sexploitation movie produced, directed, and co-written by Russ Meyer that esteemed critic Roger Ebert once described as "the quintessential Russ Meyer film." Despite numerous attempts at censorship (including one of the first-ever X ratings and twenty-three separate U.S. prosecutions for obscenity), Vixen! became one of the top-grossing movies of 1968, forever changing the face of independent film making while remaining the creative template for Meyer's unapologetic vision of American cinema. Topics discussed this segment include the various taboo issues that Meyer tackled in Vixen! (nymphomania, racism, communism, draft dodging, lesbianism, and incest) and how the maverick filmmaker was both of his time and ahead of his time. Severin Films has just released Russ Meyer's Vixen!, Russ Meyer's Supervixens, and Russ Meyer's Beneath the Valley of the Ultravixens on Blu-ray for the first time as part of a landmark partnership with the Russ Meyer Trust. The Blu-ray release of Vixen! includes more than three hours of extra features (including a brand-new audio commentary by Erica Gavin, plus archival interviews with Erica Gavin and Harrison Page), while both Supervixens and Beneath the Valley of the Ultravixens are likewise chockful of extra features.

TVC 676.4: A return appearance by Jeffrey Sitcov, founder and president of Doors of Change, the non profit organization that uses arts and music to help keep teenage homeless youths off the streets (and, in many cases, find safe forever homes), and Lucie Arnaz, one of the celebrity spokespeople for Doors of Change. Topics this segment include the many partnerships that Jeffrey has forged with such music superstars as Billy Joel and Elton John to help create awareness of Doors of Change among the general public; some of the many "sustainable" services that Doors of Changes provides homeless teenagers beyond finding them shelter; and why the performing arts particularly resonates with "transitional age" (i.e., teenagers between the age of seventeen and twenty-four) homeless youth. To learn more about Doors of Change, including how you can become involved for as little as $18/month, go to DoorsofChange.org.

TVC 676.5: Jeffrey Sitcov, founder and president of Doors of Change, and Lucie Arnaz, one of the celebrity spokespeople for Doors of Change, talk to Ed about the annual Concert of Hope that will benefit Doors of Change, and which is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 6 in San Diego. Also in this segment: Lucie shares a few memories of working with Neil Simon, Marlin Hamlisch, Carole Bayer Sager, and Robert Klein in the original Broadway production of They're Playing Our Song. To learn more about Doors of Change, including how you can become involved for as little as $18/month, go to DoorsofChange.org.

TVC 675.1: Ed welcomes back Julie Rogers Pomilia, granddaughter of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans and the author of Your Heroes, My Grandparents: A Granddaughter's Love, the storybook tale of a little girl who just happened to have two famous relatives and who cherished every moment that she spent with them. Julie also worked very closely with Steve Nycklemoe, director of operations for The Hollywood Museum, in putting together the Happy Trails exhibit, honoring the life and legacy of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, that is currently on display at the Museum. In this segment, Julie shares memories of hunting and skeet shooting with her grandfather, discusses why family was always important to Roy and Dale, and why Roy always took his responsibility to his fans very seriously.

TVC 675.2: Julie Rogers Pomilia, granddaughter of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans and the author of Your Heroes, My Grandparents: A Granddaughter's Love, talks to Ed about how why Roy Rogers and Dale Evans came to adorn their costumes with rhinestones; Dale's prolific writing career, which included thirty songs and many songs (including "Happy Trails" and "The Bible Tells Me So"); and why Roy and Dale didn't always comprehend the impact of their lives and career on the public at large. The Happy Trails exhibit at The Hollywood Museum features a host of never before seen personal items from the Roy Rogers collection, including an impressive array of vivid color movie posters, personal furniture made for Roy and Dale by actor George Montgomery, plus vintage photos, collectibles, costumes, merchandise, and more. For tickets and more information, go to TheHollywoodMuseum.com.

TVC 675.3: Ed's guests are Emmy Award-winning actress, screenwriter, and novelist Louise Shaffer (Ryan's Hope, Search for Tomorrow, The Edge of Night, All My Suspects, Talked to Death) and film and television historian Tom Lisanti (Talking Sixties Drive-In Movies, Carol Lynley: Her Film & TV Career in Thrillers, Fantasy and Suspense, Trippin' with Terry Southern: What I Think I Remember, Dueling Harlows). Louise is among the four dozen alumni of Ryan's Hope (ABC, 1975-1989) that Tom interviewed for his latest book, Ryan's Hope: An Oral History of Daytime's Groundbreaking Soap, everything you wanted to know about the Emmy Award-winning daytime drama, as told from the perspective of the people who brought you Ryan's Hope. Topics this segment include why part of the appeal of Ryan's Hope for viewers and performers alike was that it was very concrete; why series co-creator Claire Labine was such a great writer of dialogue; and why many of the actors on Ryan's Hope bonded with each other because they shared a background working on the stage.