Pioneers of Television

Pioneers of Television

Nearly 100 stars from TV's formative years bring their stories to PBS in the revealing 4-part documentary series Pioneers of Television. Each episode melds compelling new HD interviews with irresistible archival clips to offer a fresh take on TV's founding celebrities.

Sitcoms

This episode focuses on the five key sitcoms that shaped the genre: I Love Lucy, The Honeymooners, Make Room for Daddy, The Andy Griffith Show and The Dick Van Dyke Show.

The last remaining Honeymooner, Joyce Randolph, speaks candidly about Jackie Gleason's distinctive personality. "The two were just magic together. I don't think that Jackie would have been as great without Art," Randolph says.

Similarly, Marlo Thomas offers fascinating insights about her father Danny and the genesis of his Make Room for Daddy sitcom:

My dad used to travel so much, and my mother hated to sleep alone. So we would take turns sleeping in my mother's big huge bed. And we'd bring our toys and our things in there, and then when my dad was about to come home she'd say, 'Make room for daddy.' And we would. And so we said that so much that my father thought that that was a great premise for a show...the idea of making room for this figure that you love that leaves all the time. So that show was pretty much our childhood.

Andy Griffith typically avoids TV interviews, but Pioneers of Television producer Steve Boettcher persuaded Griffith to sit for an extended interview—the result is a rare inside look at the people and techniques that made Griffith's show work. The episode also includes interviews with both Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke, who recount their years together on the breakthrough Dick Van Dyke Show.

Late Night

The distinct contributions and unique personalities of Steve Allen, Jack Paar and Johnny Carson headline this episode. "Johnny always wanted you to do well," Jay Leno recalls, "you'd hear him laughing in the corner with Ed, or he'd poke Ed, or he'd hit the table. And of course, this was a cue to the audience that you were accepted."

This episode features many of the most important figures to emerge on the late-night scene. Merv Griffin gives his last interview before passing away, and Regis Philbin offers revelations about his years as a late night sidekick to Joey Bishop. Dick Cavett and Arsenio Hall provide insight into how their shows broadened the late-night audience. For the first time, Sigourney Weaver offers personal details about her father, Pat, inventor of Tonight and one of the most visionary TV executives ever.

Variety

This episode begins with Ed Sullivan's Toast of the Town and Milton Berle's Texaco Star Theater, and progresses through The Carol Burnett Show, Smothers Brothers and Laugh-in, among others.

Tim Conway and Jonathan Winters tell hilarious stories about their variety show years, and Tommy Smothers reveals new details about the behind-the-scenes story of his own landmark show. Pat Boone offers a compelling first-hand account of the racist policies that made it difficult for him to book African American guests. In the same vein, Tony Orlando reveals the back-story behind his role as the first Hispanic host of a variety series.

Additionally, this episode includes fresh bites from earlier interviews with Milton Berle, Red Skelton and Sid Caesar—and there's no shortage of great clips. Standouts include Andy Williams singing "Moon River" and Flip Wilson's Geraldine. As Arsenio Hall says, "You could not dislike Flip Wilson. There was a warmth about him. And he was brilliant the way he created characters; and the characters had lives of their own. We knew about Geraldine's boyfriend and how jealous he was—and those things brought that character to life."

Game Shows

This episode traces one of broadcasting's strongest genres, from its nascent beginnings in radio through its heyday in the late 60s.

Bob Barker talks about his earliest work, and Merv Griffin details the "eureka" moments that led to the creation of Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune:

The family took us on these long, boring vacations that we didn't want to go on. We'd rather stay home in the summer and play with the kids on the block. They would take us to see the bats fly out of some caves or something. I didn't want to see that. So we would sit in the back of the car and play Hangman. And years later, I remembered it, and I thought, I wonder if that could be a game show.

Monty Hall recounts his compelling rags-to-riches story, and Betty White remembers her role as the first female emcee. In addition, this episode features rare backstage footage of The Price is Right filmed the very day Bob Barker announced his retirement. Clips for this episode are wide-ranging, and include Phyllis Diller's first TV appearance as a painfully shy contestant on Groucho Marx's You Bet Your Life.

Pioneers of Television features dozens of never-before-seen clips, including Johnny Carson performing in his early 20s and lost sitcom footage unseen for five decades. Entertaining and revealing, this series provides an intimate perspective on the individuals and programs that made television history.