TV Confidential with Ed Robertson

TVC 675.4: Emmy Award-winning actress Louise Shaffer (Ryan's Hope) talks to Ed and guest co-host Tom Lisanti about the instrumental role that Ryan's Hope co-creator Claire Labine played in helping Louise transition from acting to writing, and why Maeve Ryan, Helen Gallagher's character on Ryan's Hope, was the hardest character on the series for Louise or any other writer to write for. Other topics this segment includes Louise and Tom's favorite storylines of Ryan's Hope, plus Louise shares a few memories of working with Ben Gazzara on Run For Your Life. Louise is among the four dozen alumni of Ryan's Hope that Tom interviewed for his latest book, Ryan's Hope: An Oral History of Daytime's Groundbreaking Soap.

TVC 675.5: From June 2016: Actress and author Charlotte Stewart (Little House on the Prairie, Twin Peaks, Little House in the Hollywood Hills) shares a few memories about working with David Lynch on both Twin Peaks and Eraserhead, plus she talks to Ed about the "David Lynch-like" approaching to directing that Neil Young took when Charlotte worked with Young on the film Human Highway. David Lynch passed away on Wednesday, Jan. 15 at age seventy-eight.

TVC 674.1: TV Confidential remembers Michael Schlesinger, the film executive and champion of classic movie restoration who was also the writer, producer, and director of The Misadventures of Biffle and Shooster, a collection of 1930s-style comedies—all starring Will Ryan and Nick Santa Maria—that pay homage to The Three Stooges, Abbott and Costello, Laurel and Hardy, and other vintage comedy teams from the Golden Era of Hollywood. Though filmed circa 2013, the sets, camera shots, attention to detail, and, above all, the performances of everyone involved in the Biffle and Shooster films are all so convincing, they look and sound as if they really were unearthed from the 1930s. Michael Schlesinger passed away Thursday, Jan. 9 at age seventy-four. In this segment, which originally aired in August 2018, Mike and Will join Ed and Greg Ehrbar for a conversation about the origin of the Biffle and Shooster characters (and how Mike came to be involved with them); the painstaking dedication to authenticity that Mike took to making the Biffle and Shooster shorts; and how Mike parlayed his friendships with such stars as Robert Forster, H.M. Wynant, and Robert Picardo into getting each of them to appear in the films.

TVC 674.2: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with singer, actor, producer, and entertainment legend Pat Boone. Pat stars, along with Michael Learned, Kevin Sorbo, Tom Wopat, and Dean Cain, in the biopic Our Crossroads, a true story of family and faith that is scheduled for release in July 2025. Pat and Kevin Sorbo also both play Thomas Jefferson in The American Miracle, another film that is slated for release later in 2025, while Pat can currently be seen in Reagan and Miracle in the Valley, both of which are available now for viewing on demand through Amazon Prime. Topics this segment include Pat's longtime friendship with Elvis Presley, which began in 1956 and continued until the day The King died in 1977; why Elvis was terribly shy with most people when he wasn't performing onstage; and the time that Elvis met evangelist Oral Roberts, which Pat had arranged at Elvis' request.

TVC 674.3: Pat Boone talks to Ed about working with Shirley Jones in April Love, with Ann-Margret in State Fair, and with Barbara Eden in All Hands on Deck. Pat can currently be seen in Reagan and Miracle in the Valley, both of which are available now for viewing on demand through Amazon Prime, while Pat's latest movies, Our Crossroads and The American Miracle, are both scheduled for release later in 2025.

We'll be back with a brand new edition of TV Confidential later this week. In the meantime, please enjoy this clip from January 2015 in which Tony, Donna, and Ed look back at the legacy of The Simpsons on television and on pop culture in general. The first regular episode of The Simpsons originally aired on Jan. 14, 1990.

TVC 673.1: Part 2 of a conversation that began just before the holidays with Nick Nugent, author of The Knight Rider Companion: Abridged Edition, everything you wanted to know about the classic TV series starring David Hasselhoff, Edward Mulhare, and the voice of William Daniels. Topics this segment include how series creator Glen Larson originally saw Knight Rider as a contemporary rendering of The Lone Ranger; why KITT and the car were two different entities; the show's impact on 1980s pop culture; and the throughline between Knight Rider, My Mother the Car, and 2001: A Space Odyssey. The Knight Rider Companion Abridged Edition is available from Black Pawn Press and includes new and updated interviews with series creator Glen Larson, series stars David Hasselhoff, William Daniels, and Rebecca Holden, and many other key personnel; an updated Hall of Fame Autograph Guide, Vehicle States Guide, Knight Rider Fonts Guide, Knight Rider Logos Guide, Knight Equipment Guide, and a complete series episode guide; several pages of one-of-a-kind artwork created exclusively for the abridged edition.

TVC 673.2: Nick Nugent, author of The Knight Rider Companion: Abridged Edition, discusses some of the new material available in his book. The Knight Rider Companion Abridged Edition is available from Black Pawn Press.

TVC 673.3: Ed welcomes back Pat Boone, the legendary singer, actor, and all-around entertainer who not only celebrated his ninetieth birthday a few months back, but also recently marked his seventieth year in show business. Pat Boone and Michael Learned star as Bob and Barbara Fraley in the biopic Our Crossroads, a true story of family and faith that also features Kevin Sorbo, Tom Wopat, and Dean Cain. Our Crossroads is scheduled for release in July 2025. Pat Boone and Kevin Sorbo also both play Thomas Jefferson in The American Miracle, another film that is slated for release later in 2025. Pat can currently be seen in Reagan and Miracle in the Valley, both of which are available now for viewing on demand through Amazon Prime. Topics this segment include how Pat met Michael Learned for the first time just before filming their scenes together in Our Crossroads; how Pat approached providing the voice of our sixteenth president for "The Legacy of Abraham Lincoln," a 2023 episode of the animated series Star Spangled Adventures; and why films have always been influential on our culture, particularly among young people.

TVC 673.4: Ed welcomes Dawn Moore, one of the top marketing and branding professionals in the luxury retail industry, and the daughter of Clayton Moore, the actor known to three generations of television viewers as The Lone Ranger. The 2024-2025 television season marks the seventy-fifth anniversary of the premiere of The Lone Ranger (ABC, 1949-1957) on TV. Topics this segment include the throughline between what Dawn does for a living today and what her dad was doing forty and fifty years ago, when he was promoting the brand of The Lone Ranger through his many personal appearances; how her dad was a master of crafting whatever questions were asked of him, whenever he did interviews; the many people who entered careers of service because of the values that Clayton Moore embodied through his performance as The Lone Ranger; and her dad's wry, nonchalant reaction to Dawn telling him that she had met Elizabeth Taylor one day in the course of her work.