Conversations with Legendary Television Stars: Interviews from the First Fifty Years

by James Bawden, Ron Miller

Overview

During television's first fifty years—long before cable networks, Hulu, Netflix, and the like—families would gather around their television sets nightly to watch entertaining shows such as I Love Lucy, Gunsmoke, M*A*S*H, The Beverly Hillbillies, Fantasy Island, and The Rockford Files. Many of the stars of these beloved shows have passed away, but their presence remains intact—not only through their television show performances, which are still viewed and appreciated today, but also through stories they told in interviews over the years.

Seasoned journalists and authors James Bawden and Ron Miller have captured provocative and entertaining interviews with important figures from TV's first fifty years. These thirty-nine interviews, selected from conversations conducted from 1971–1998, present a fascinating glimpse of some of television's most influential performers. Featured are exclusive interviews with major stars (including Donna Reed, James Garner, and Ricardo Montalban), icons of comedy (including Lucille Ball, George Burns, and Milton Berle), TV hosts (including Dick Clark and Ed Sullivan), and notable musical entertainers (such as Glen Campbell, Mary Martin, and Lawrence Welk). Each chapter of this volume explores the subject's television work—with detailed behind-the-scenes disclosures—and includes additional information about the subject's performances in film and on stage.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813177649
Publisher:	University Press of Kentucky
Publication date:	08/13/2019
Series:	Screen Classics
Pages:	360
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.30(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

James Bawden, former TV columnist for the Toronto Star, is renowned for his distinguished profiles of movie stars and directors. He has written for Films in Review and numerous cinema magazines. He is coauthor of Conversations with Classic Film Stars: Interviews from Hollywood's Golden Era and You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet: Interviews with Stars from Hollywood's Golden Era. Ron Miller was TV editor of the San Jose Mercury News from 1977–1999 and a syndicated columnist for the Knight Ridder News Service. A former national president of the Television Critics Association and a recipient of the National Headliner Award, he is currently an instructor at the Academy for Lifelong Learning at Western Washington University.

Table of Contents

Introduction: How Television Created Its Legendary Stars 1

Eddie Albert 6

Eve Arden 13

James Arness 26

Bea Arthur 34

Lucille Bail 41

Milton Berle 57

Mel Blanc 65

George Burns 73

Raymond Burr 80

Glen Campbell 87

Macdonald Carey 92

Dick Clark 100

Mike Connors 110

William Conrad 116

Robert Cummings 123

Susan Douglas 134

Buddy Ebsen 141

John Forsythe 153

Annette Funicello 162

James Garner 167

Peter Graves 178

Lome Greene 184

Julie Harris 193

Art Linkletter 200

Mary Martin 208

Ricardo Montalban 218

Harry Morgan 228

Noel Neill 238

Donna Reed 245

Ann Sothern 253

Robert Stack 265

Ed Sullivan 271

Danny Thomas 278

Vivian Vance 287

Robert Vaughn 294

Jack Webb 300

Lawrence Welk 307

Jonathan Winters 315

Efrem Zimbalist Jr. 321

Acknowledgments 327

About the Authors 329

Index 331

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Make room on your bookshelf for Bawden and Miller's latest release, Conversations with Legendary Television Stars. They've brought back the lost art of conversation, and their style creates an intimate setting, like having a chat with a famous actor or actress over dinner or drinks. Dirt is kicked up and fun, informative, and surprising nuggets are exposed" — Robert Crane, coauthor of Crane: Sex, Celebrity, and My Father's Unsolved Murder

" Conversations with Legendary Television Stars includes interviews based on Q&A sessions Bawden and Miller undertook with an impressive array of stars and leading character players from US television and films over the years. The coauthors' professionalism as reporters and experience with the interviewing process make this an engaging, informative, and fascinating sequel to their other works." — James Robert Parish, author of Hollywood Divas: The Good, the Bad, and the Fabulous

"Readers can turn to any page of this treasure chest of recollections and find insightful, often humorous, and always fascinating remembrances by some of the greatest names in entertainment history. Bawden and Miller have expertly crafted a collage of the industry's most vital voices as they reminisce about their lengthy television careers, as well as their adventures in film, on radio, and onstage. This work is an essential tome for entertainment historians and casual film and television buffs, offering a vibrant portrait of a bygone era and a keen reminder of the wild changes in public tastes and entertainment styles during the twentieth century. That latter fact is best summarized herein by actor Ricardo Montalban, who wistfully reflects: 'We don't dream like we used to dream.'" — Brent Phillips, author of Charles Walters: The Director Who Made Hollywood Dance

James Robert Parish

"Conversations with Legendary Television Stars includes interviews based on Q&A sessions Bawden and Miller undertook with an impressive array of stars and leading character players from US television and films over the years. The coauthors' professionalism as reporters and experience with the interviewing process make this an engaging, informative, and fascinating sequel to their other works."

Brent Phillips

"Readers can turn to any page of this treasure chest of recollections and find insightful, often humorous, and always fascinating remembrances by some of the greatest names in entertainment history. Bawden and Miller have expertly crafted a collage of the industry's most vital voices as they reminisce about their lengthy television careers, as well as their adventures in film, on radio, and onstage. This work is an essential tome for entertainment historians and casual film and television buffs, offering a vibrant portrait of a bygone era and a keen reminder of the wild changes in public tastes and entertainment styles during the twentieth century. That latter fact is best summarized herein by actor Ricardo Montalban, who wistfully reflects: 'We don't dream like we used to dream.'"

Robert Crane

"Make room on your bookshelf for Bawden and Miller's latest release, Conversations with Legendary Television Stars. They've brought back the lost art of conversation, and their style creates an intimate setting, like having a chat with a famous actor or actress over dinner or drinks. Dirt is kicked up and fun, informative, and surprising nuggets are exposed"

Editorial Reviews

Conversations with Legendary Television Stars includes interviews based on Q&A sessions Bawden and Miller undertook with an impressive array of stars and leading character players from US television and films over the years. The coauthors' professionalism as reporters and experience with the interviewing process make this an engaging, informative, and fascinating sequel to their other works.

James Robert Parish

Readers can turn to any page of this treasure chest of recollections and find insightful, often humorous, and always fascinating remembrances by some of the greatest names in entertainment history. Bawden and Miller have expertly crafted a collage of the industry's most vital voices as they reminisce about their lengthy television careers, as well as their adventures in film, on radio, and onstage. This work is an essential tome for entertainment historians and casual film and television buffs, offering a vibrant portrait of a bygone era and a keen reminder of the wild changes in public tastes and entertainment styles during the twentieth century. That latter fact is best summarized herein by actor Ricardo Montalban, who wistfully reflects: 'We don't dream like we used to dream.'

Brent Phillips

Make room on your bookshelf for Bawden and Miller's latest release, Conversations with Legendary Television Stars. They've brought back the lost art of conversation, and their style creates an intimate setting, like having a chat with a famous actor or actress over dinner or drinks. Dirt is kicked up and fun, informative, and surprising nuggets are exposed

Robert Crane