TV Confidential with Ed Robertson

TV CONFIDENTIAL: A radio talk show about television brings you lively conversations every week with the stars, writers, directors and other creative people behind the scenes of some of America's most popular shows. An engaging blend of talk and entertainment, TV Confidential often compares today’s programs with those of the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s and ’80s.

TV & Film
1501
More People, Places & Me with James Rosin
TVC 468.2: James Rosin, author of People, Places & Me, shares a few stories about his life as a working actor and working writer (both in L.A. and New York), including his encounters with Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, Albert Finney, Tony Randall, Woody...
35 min
1502
The One and Only Ruta Lee
TVC 468.3: Part 1 of a two-part conversation with actress, singer, dancer, philanthropist, and showbiz legend Ruta Lee (Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Witness for the Prosecution, Sergeants Three, Perry Mason, High Rollers). Ruta’s memoirs, Consider...
28 min
1503
The Generosity of Sherwood Schwartz
TVC 468.4: Ed plays highlights from the Sept. 25 ceremony at the Hollywood Museum that unveiled the new lobby exhibit honoring Dawn Wells and the legacy of Gilligan’s Island, including comments from Ruta Lee that pay tribute to series creator Sherwood...
5 min
1504
The Grace and Kindness of Dawn Wells
TVC 468.5: From the Sept. 25 ceremony at the Hollywood Museum ceremony honoring Dawn Wells and the legacy of Gilligan’s Island: Producer Lloyd Schwartz (The Brady Bunch, A Very Brady Renovation) on how Dawn Wells shared two important traits with the...
10 min
1505
Lost in the Stars with Roberta Levitow
TVC 468.6: Greg Ehrbar interviews Roberta Levitow, daughter of legendary animator and director Abe Levitow (Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol, Gay Purr-ee), and an accomplished director, performer, and teacher in her own right. Roberta’s current album, Lost...
16 min
1506
Remembering Robert Forster
TVC 468.7: TV Confidential remembers Robert Forster, the venerable film and TV actor who passed away Friday, Oct. 11. Forster’s Oscar nomination for his performance in Jackie Brown (1998), and the success he enjoyed in the two decades after that...
3 min
1507
50 Years of The Brady Bunch
TVC 467.1: Tony and Ed continue our celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of The Brady Bunch series and franchise with a look at the latest Brady reincarnation, A Very Brady Renovation.
42 min
1508
Inside the National Comedy Center and Desilu Mu...
TVC 467.2: Ed welcomes Gary Hahn, director of marketing for both The National Comedy Center and the Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum, both of which are based in Jamestown, New York—the birthplace of Lucille Ball.
20 min
1509
The TV Lineage of James DuMont
TVC 467.4: Part 1 of a conversation with noted film and TV character James DuMont (Treme, The Butler, Dallas Buyers Club, Stranger Things 2, Men of a Certain Age). Currently seen, along with Danny McBride and John Goodman, in the Sunday night HBO...
22 min
1510
Robert Clohessy of Blue Bloods
TVC 467.3: Ed welcomes actor Robert Clohessy (Oz, Boardwalk Empire, Blue Bloods). Topics include working alongside Tom Selleck on Blue Bloods and why the family dinner sequences play a major role in the show’s appeal and longevity.
22 min
1511
The Sweetest Sounds of Diahann Carroll
TVC 467.5: TV Confidential remembers Diahann Carroll (Julia, Dynasty, Claudine, No Strings) by replaying a clip from her appearance on Merv Griffin’s short-lived NBC daytime show in February 1963, a few months before Carroll won the Tony Award that...
3 min
1512
A Very Brady Renovation
TVC 467.6: Tony and Ed with a few final thoughts on HGTV’s A Very Brady Renovation, and how the various actors who have played the Bradys have returned to the Brady Bunch franchise, one way or another.
9 min
1513
The World Series Earthquake
TVC 466.1: Tony, Donna, and Ed remember the Loma Prieta earthquake that occurred in Northern California on Oct. 17, 1989. The 6.9-magnitude quake caused sixty-three deaths; injured 3,757 people; damaged or destroyed homes, buildings, and major...
23 min
1514
99 Performers Who Died Onstage
TVC 466.2: Ed and Tony welcome Jeff Abraham, comedy historian and co-author, along with Burt Kearns, of The Show Won’t Go On: The Most Shocking, Bizarre, and Historic Deaths of Performers Onstage, the first book to explore an aspect of show business...
20 min
1515
The Most Dangerous Profession in Showbiz
TVC 466.3: Jeff Abraham, comedy historian and co-author, along with Burt Kearns, of The Show Won’t Go On: The Most Shocking, Bizarre, and Historic Deaths of Performers Onstage, discusses what appears to be the most dangerous profession in show...
16 min
1516
Peter Onorati of West End and NBC’s This Is Us
TVC 466.4: Ed welcomes back Peter Onorati (This Is Us, West End, Cop Rock, S.W.A.T.). Topics include Peter’s upcoming return appearance this season on This Is Us; his many collaborations with his mentor, Steven Bochco; and his approach to playing such...
24 min
1517
The Only Ed Asner
TVC 466.5: Ed welcomes back eight-time Emmy Award winner Ed Asner (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Lou Grant, God Help Us, A Man and His Prostate). Topics include Ed’s upcoming USA Network series Briarpatch; working with David Janssen on The Fugitive; and...
21 min
1518
How TV Covered the Loma Prieta Earthquake
TVC 466.6: Tony, Donna, and Ed remember how both network and local television covered the Loma Prieta earthquake of Oct. 17, 1989, including how then-ABC Sports broadcaster Al Michaels found himself playing news anchor in the hours immediately...
15 min
1519
Will Beinbrink of It: Chapter Two and Manhattan...
TVC 465.2: Part 2 of the conversation that began last week with Will Beinbrink, the actor who plays Tom Rogan in the worldwide box office hit It: Chapter Two. Topics include Will’s recent collaboration with actor/director Campbell Scott in the film...
38 min
1520
People, Places & Me with James Rosin
TVC 465.1: Ed welcomes back actor and author James Rosin. Jim’s latest book, People Places & Me, reflects on his life as a working actor (both in L.A. and New York), his experiences working on stage and on television on both coasts (both as a writer...
23 min
1521
The Invaders on DVD
TVC 465.3: Greg and Ed remember The Invaders (ABC, 1967-1968), the classic series created by Larry Cohen and produced by Quinn Martin about a mild-mannered architect who tries to convince an unbelieving world that aliens from another planet are trying...
21 min
1522
Roy Thinnes of The Invaders
TVC 465.4: An excerpt from Ed’s two-part conversation with Roy Thinnes (The Invaders, The X Files, General Hospital, Dark Shadows) from February 2016. In this segment, Roy discusses his meeting with Quinn Martin that led to him being cast as David...
17 min
1523
50 Years of Scooby-Doo
TVC 465.5: Tony, Donna, and Ed discuss the legacy of the Scooby-Doo franchise. Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? (CBS, 1969-1970) premiered fifty years ago This Week in TV History. (Greg Ehrbar’s review of The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo is available online for...
11 min
1524
45 Years of Little House on the Prairie
TVC 465.6: Tony, Donna, and Ed discuss the career of Michael Landon and how the Little House on the Prairie series (NBC, 1974-1983) differed considerably from the books of Laura Ingalls. Little House on the Prairie premiered forty-five years ago This...
7 min
1525
Happy Birthday, Bob Newhart
TVC 464.1: Tony, Donna, and Ed celebrate the ninetieth birthday of Emmy Award winner Bob Newhart by looking back at Newhart’s career in stand-up comedy and television, with a particular focus on The Bob Newhart Show (CBS, 1972-1978).
32 min