TV Confidential with Ed Robertson

TVC 670.4: Ed welcomes back Stefanie Powers, the actress known around the world as Jennifer Hart on Hart to Hart (ABC, 1979-1984), and the founder and president of the William Holden Wildlife Foundation, a nonprofit organization that Stefanie established in 1982 in memory of her longtime life partner that continues and furthers the conservation work of William Holden in East Africa. Topics this segment include why Stefanie considers herself a conservationist, as opposed to a philanthropist; how Stefanie's interest in wildlife stemmed from a young age, long before she met Holden; and the difference between "going on vacation" and "traveling with purpose." The United Nations honored Stefanie Powers earlier this year as an Agent of Change in recognition for her work with the William Holden Wildlife Foundation. She is also featured in Vision for the Future: Capturing Inspiring Stories from Leaders and Changemakers, a new anthology eBook that profiles twenty-five visionaries who not only are making a significant impact in their respective fields, but are dedicated to making the world a better place through hope, action, and lasting change. Vision for the Future is available for free at visionforthefuture.ai.

TVC 671.5: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with Stefanie Powers, the actress known around the world as Jennifer Hart on Hart to Hart (ABC, 1979-1984) and the founder and president of the William Holden Wildlife Foundation (WHWF.org). Topics this segment include Stefanie's work as chair of the Seasoned Performers Committee for both the L.A. Local and the National Board Committee of Seniors for SAG-AFTRA, where she continues to deal with the recent lawsuits over ageism and recent insurance issues for SAG members. She also shares a few memories of co-starring with Harold Gould on The Feather and Father Gang (ABC, 1976-1977), as well as the story of how she and Robert Wagner met St. Pope John Paul II in Italy in the summer of 1983, just before they went to Greece to film the season premiere of Hart to Hart that year. Stefanie Powers is also featured in Vision for the Future: Capturing Inspiring Stories from Leaders and Changemakers, a new anthology eBook that profiles twenty-five visionaries who not only are making a significant impact in their respective fields, but are dedicated to making the world a better place through hope, action, and lasting change. Vision for the Future recognizes Stefanie for her work with WHWF.org, the nonprofit organization that Stefanie established in 1982 that continues and furthers the conservation work of William Holden in East Africa. Vision for the Future is available for free at visionforthefuture.ai.

TVC 670.5: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with Ray Richmond, author of The Sopranos: The Complete Visual History, a twenty-fifth anniversary celebration of the multi-Emmy Award-winning drama that not only broke new ground in television when it premiered in 1999, but launched the current Golden Age of dramatic television on cable and digital platforms, while also taking the concept of anti-hero as TV protagonist to an entirely different level. Topics this segment include how series creator David Chase originally based The Sopranos on his relationship with his mother; the controversial ending of the series in 2007; and why The Sopranos, at its heart, is a series about family. The Sopranos: The Complete Visual History is available wherever books are sold through Insight Editions.

TVC 670.6: From June 2013: Jennifer Armstrong, former staff writer for Entertainment Weekly and the author of many books on popular television, joins Ed, Tony, and Donna for a roundtable discussion on the career of James Gandolfini and the impact of The Sopranos on popular culture. This segment with Jennifer was recorded on June 20, 2013, one day after Gandolfini's sudden death at the age of fifty-one.

TVC 669.1: Part 2 of a conversation that began on our last program with Emmy Award-winning writer, producer, director, and author Joseph Dougherty (thirtysomething, Pretty Little Liars, A Screenwriters Companion: Instruction, Opinion, Encouragement). Joe's latest book, Rod Serling at 100: One Writer's Acknowledgment, 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. Topics this segment include Serling's apparent affection for Julius Moomer, the effervescent yet talentless television writer who served as Serling's protagonist in the famous Twilight Zone episode "The Bard" (and who had previously appeared as a minor character in Serling's live television drama The Velvet Alley); the similarities in structure between the Twilight Zone episode "Nervous Man in a Four-Dollar Man" and "Last Night of the Jockey"; and the contentious television interviews that Serling gave to Mike Wallace and Dick Cavett in 1959 and 1972, respectively. Rod Serling at 100 is available from Fayetteville Mafia Press.

TVC 669.2: Joseph Dougherty, author of Rod Serling at 100, talks to Ed about "They're Tearing Down Tim Riley's Bar," the first-season episode of Rod Serling's Night Gallery that is widely considered to be among the very best pieces of writing that Serling ever did, and why Joe believes the episode itself "exists somewhere in a space between The Twilight Zone and Night Gallery." Rod Serling at 100 is available from Fayetteville Mafia Press.

TVC 669.3: Joseph Dougherty, author of Rod Serling at 100, talks about the opportunity he once had to adapt Rod Serling's live television drama The Velvet Alley into a film, and how surprised he was to learn just how sparsely Serling wrote when Joe studied Serling's script for "The Purple Testament" for style purposes as part of the Velvet Alley project. Also in this segment: Ed asks Joe about his experiencing working with acclaimed actor David Strathairn when Stathairn starred in Joe's stage play Chester Bailey. Rod Serling at 100 is available from Fayetteville Mafia Press.

TVC 669.4: Ed welcomes back Ray Richmond, longtime television critic and entertainment reporter for such trade publications as The Hollywood Reporter and Daily Variety. Ray's latest book, The Sopranos: The Complete Visual History, celebrates the twenty-fifth anniversary of the premiere of The Sopranos, the multi-Emmy Award-winning drama created by David Chase and starring James Gandolfini that broke new ground in television when it premiered in 1999, launching the current Golden Age of dramatic television on cable and digital platforms, while also taking the concept of anti-hero as TV protagonist to an entirely different level. Topics this segment include how each episode of The Sopranos is a like a one-hour movie; why so many viewers embraced the characters on The Sopranos like extended members of their own families; and why "Paulie Walnuts," the character played by Tony Sirico, is Ray's favorite character. The Sopranos: The Complete Visual History is available wherever books are sold through Insight Editions.

TVC 669.5: Via remote from The Hollywood Museum: TV Confidential brings you special audio highlights of the opening night ceremony for Happy Trails, a new exhibit at the Hollywood Museum that celebrates the lives and legacy of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, the legendary King of the Cowboys and Queen of the Westerns. The Happy Trails exhibit 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, merchandise, and more. For tickets and more information, go to TheHollywoodMuseum.com. This segment includes comments and memories from actors Robert Carradine and Stanley Livingston, Emmy-nominated writer, producer, and Westerns historian Rob Word, and Museum founder and president Donelle Dadigan.

TVC 669.6: Via remote from The Hollywood Museum: TV Confidential brings you more highlights of the opening night ceremony for Happy Trails, the new exhibit at the Hollywood Museum that celebrates the lives and legacy of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. This segment includes comments from Dawn Moore, daughter of actor Clayton Moore (Roy and Dale's co-star in The Far Frontier), and Julie Rogers Pomilia, granddaughter of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans and the author of Your Heroes, My Grandparents: A Granddaughter's Love. Julie Rogers Pomilia worked closely with the Museum in putting together the Happy Trails exhibit. Our thanks to B. Harlan Boll, Roger Neal, and Museum founder and president Donelle Dadigan for allowing us to bring you this special coverage as part of our program this week. The Happy Trails exhibit features a host of never before seen personal items from the Roy Rogers collection, including vivid color movie posters, personal furniture made for Roy and Dale by actor George Montgomery, plus vintage photos, collectibles, merchandise, and more. For tickets and more information, go to TheHollywoodMuseum.com.