MUSEUM OF TELEVISION & RADIO, THE: ONE ON ONE: CLASSIC TELEVISION INTERVIEWS (TV)

Summary

The Museum of Television & Radio presents this retrospective program, "One on One: Classic Television Interviews," which features the interviewers and subjects who have made question-and-answer sessions one of the medium's most popular staples. Mike Wallace, Alan Alda, Mary Tyler Moore, Lena Horne, Bob Costas, and Barbara Walters introduce segments that present excerpts from revealing and surprising exchanges with presidents, politicians, statesman, actors, artists, musicians, athletes, and newsmakers. The program opens with brief clips of Edward R. Murrow interviewing Marilyn Monroe, Barbara Walters interviewing Fidel Castro, Jack Paar interviewing John F. Kennedy, and Mike Wallace interviewing John Ehrlichman (1973). Wallace introduces the first segment, which features excerpts from some of the most direct, and often confrontational, moments in television interview history, in footage of the following interviewers and interview subjects: Wallace and Barbra Streisand (1991); Walters and Claus von Bulow (1982); Roger Mudd and Sen. Edward Kennedy (1979); Murrow and Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy (1954); Ted Koppel and Ferdinand Marcos, deposed president of the Philippines (1986); Wallace and Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega (1988); Diane Sawyer and Admiral Hyman Rickover (1984), and Murrow with Rickover (1956); Wallace and film director Roman Polanski (1978); Katie Couric and President George Bush (1992); Koppel and Sen. Gary Hart (1987); Phil Donahue and Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton (1992); Donahue and Jane Fonda (1972), and Walters with Fonda (1986); Paar and Robert Kennedy (1959); David Brinkley and Jimmy Hoffa (1963); Wallace with admitted hitman Pete "the Greek" (1976); and Walters interviewing the Shah and Empress of Iran (1977). Dick Cavett discusses his 1973 interview with Katharine Hepburn as excerpts from that interview are shown. Following excerpts from Bob Costas's 1991 interview with Paul McCartney, Costas introduces the next segment, in which celebrities discuss their private side and the relationships that have shaped their lives. Interviewers and interviews subjects are as follows: Tom Snyder and John Lennon (1975); Walters and Cher (1988); Sonny Bono and Cher on "Late Night With David Letterman (1987); Koppel interviewing embattled televangelists Jim and Tammy Bakker (1987); Walters with world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson and his wife, actress Robin Givens (1988); Alastair Burnet interviewing Prince Charles and Princess Diana of Great Britain (1985); Murrow with John and Jacqueline Kennedy (1953); Donahue with Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood (1976); Donahue interviewing his future wife, actress Marlo Thomas (1977); Murrow with Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall (1954); Walters and Sophia Loren (1991); Charles Collingwood with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton (1970); Walters and Bing Crosby (1977); Chantal and Michael Landon (1991); and Ed Bradley with George Burns (1988). Morley Safer comments on his 1984 "60 Minutes" interview with Jackie Gleason as clips from the interview are shown. Introduced by Alda, the next segment's theme is "moments of courage." The segment begins with a clip from an innovative 1976 episode of "M*A*S*H*," in which real-life journalist Clete Roberts interviews Alda's fictional character "Hawkeye" Pierce. Included in this segment are excerpts from the following interviews: Murrow interviewing Korean soldiers in 1952; Safer interviewing American soldiers in Vietnam in 1967, and with James Brady in 1988; Koppel interviewing AIDS patient Ken Meeks (1986); Walters with tennis great Arthur Ashe (1992); Murrow with Carl Sandburg (1954); Bill Moyers interviewing Rosedale residents who describe instances of racial prejudice (1976); Charlie Rose with Toni Morrison (1993); and Moyers with poet Maya Angelou (1982). As the segment ends, Walter Cronkite comments on his 1964 interview with former President Dwight D. Eisenhower on the beaches of Normandy as an excerpt is shown. Mary Tyler Moore is shown in a 1991 interview with Costas. Moore then introduces the next segment, which looks at "unplanned moments" in television interviews. Included are Cavett and Lester Maddox (1970); Howard Cosell and Muhammad Ali (1976); Wallace with pianist Vladimir Horowitz, who gives an impromptu performance (1977); Jack Benny with Johnny Carson (playing the drums, 1963); Murrow and Marlon Brando (1955); Frank Bourgholster with President Harry S. Truman (playing the piano, 1952); Paar with Richard Nixon (playing the piano, 1963); Arsenio Hall with Democratic candidate Bill Clinton (playing the saxophone, 1992); Murrow with jazz great Louis Armstrong (1955); and Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin in interviews conducted by Cronkite (1977) and Walters (also 1977). Paar talks about interview methods and his 1959 interview with Cuban leader Fidel Castro. Horne introduces the next segment, which focuses on "moments of inspiration" and the creative process. Horne is shown in extended excerpts from a 1981 interview with Ed Bradley. Included are the Cavett-Hepburn interview (1973); the Murrow-Brando interview (1955); Wallace and Kirk Douglas (1957); Melvyn Bragg talking with Sir Laurence Olivier (1982); Safer with Woody Allen (1974); David Frost and Robin Williams (1991); Snyder and Alfred Hitchcock (1973); Safer and tenor Luciano Pavarotti (1979); Murrow and Frank Sinatra (1956); Cronkite and Sinatra (1965); and Costas with Paul Simon (1991). Koppel comments on how Clinton has changed as an interview subject since he became president of the United States. Hosted by Walters, the program's final segment, "Talking with the Presidents," shows American presidents discussing in part the awesome responsibility that the executive branch confers. Interviews shown include former Pres. Nixon in interviews with Walters (1980) and Frost (1977); Sawyer and Sam Donaldson interviewing President Bush (1989); former President Truman in interviews with Murrow (1958) and David Susskind (1961); President Kennedy in interviews with Sander Vanocur (1962) and William Lawrence (1962); Cronkite with former President Eisenhower (1963) and former Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson (1970); Pres. Ronald Reagan speaking to children (1988); Walters with former President Jimmy Carter (1982); Bernard Shaw interviewing former President Gerald Ford (1992); and Harry Smith interviewing President Clinton in 1993. Barbara Walters concludes the program by commenting on characteristics of the television interview and the responsibility of the interviewer. Commercials deleted.

Cataloging of this program was made possible by Daniel J. Grover.

Details

• NETWORK: CBS
• DATE: November 29, 1993 Monday 9:30 PM
• RUNNING TIME: 1:09:48
• COLOR/B&W: Color
• CATALOG ID: T:30592
• GENRE: Specials; Talk/Interviews
• SUBJECT HEADING: Actors; AIDS (Disease); Boxing; Iran - Officials - Talk/Interviews; Korean War - 1952; Panama - Officials - Talk/Interviews; Philippines - Officials - Talk/Interviews; Piano music; Poets; Racism; Rosedale, N.Y.; Saxophone music; Sports; U S - Elections; U S - Officials - Talk/Interviews; U S - Politics and government; U S - Presidency; Vietnam War - 1967
• SERIES RUN: CBS - TV, 1993
• COMMERCIALS: N/A

CREDITS

• Robert M. Batscha … Executive Producer
• Peter Kunhardt … Executive Producer
• Ellen Rossen … Senior Producer
• Robin Horlick … Associate Producer, Direction (Misc.), Associate Director
• Kara Thomas … Associate Producer
• James Bogdanoff … Production (Misc.), Archival Producer
• Robert B. Read … Production (Misc.), Archival Producer
• Jan S. Rifkinson … Director
• Knute Walker … Writer
• Dyllan McGee … Production (Misc.), Production Associate
• James Edgar … Production (Misc.), Production Coordinator
• Michael Kunhardt … Production (Misc.), Production Coordinator
• Joan Caron … Production (Misc.), Production Coordinator
• Philip Kunhardt … Production (Misc.), Production Consultant
• Louis Lino … Music by
• Mike Wallace … Host
• Alan Alda … Host
• Mary Tyler Moore … Host
• Lena Horne … Host
• Bob Costas … Host
• Barbara Walters … Host
• Ali, Muhammad (See also: Clay, Cassius)
• Maya Angelou
• Woody Allen
• Arthur Ashe
• Lauren Bacall
• Jim Bakker
• Tammy Bakker
• Menachem Begin
• Jack Benny
• Humphrey Bogart
• Sonny Bono
• Frank Bourgholster
• Ed Bradley
• Melvyn Bragg
• Marlon Brando
• David Brinkley
• Claus von Bulow
• Alistair Burnet
• George Burns
• Richard Burton
• George Bush
• Johhny Carson
• Jimmy Carter
• Fidel Castro
• Dick Cavett
• Chantal
• Charles, Prince of Wales
• Cher
• Bill Clinton
• Charles Collingwood
• Howard Cosell
• Bob Costas
• Katie Couric
• Walter Cronkite
• Bing Crosby
• Diana, Princess of Wales (See also: Spencer, Diana)
• Phil Donahue
• Sam Donaldson
• Kirk Douglas
• John Ehrlichman
• Dwight D. Eisenhower
• Empress of Iran
• Jane Fonda
• Gerald Ford
• David Frost
• Robin Givens
• Jackie Gleason
• Gary Hart
• Katharine Hepburn
• Alfred Hitchcock
• Hoffa, James R. "Jimmy"
• Lena Horne
• Vladimir Horowitz
• Lyndon B. Johnson
• Edward Kennedy
• Jacqueline Kennedy
• John F. Kennedy
• Robert Kennedy
• Ted Koppel
• Landon, Michael (Eugene Maurice Orowitz)
• William Lawrence
• John Lennon
• David Letterman
• Sophia Loren
• Joseph R. McCarthy
• Paul McCartney
• Lester Maddox
• Ferdinand Marcos
• Ken Meeks
• Marilyn Monroe
• Toni Morrison
• Roger Mudd
• Edward R. Murrow
• Richard M. Nixon
• Manuel Noriega
• Laurence Olivier
• Jack Paar
• Luciano Pavarotti
• Pete "the Greek"
• Roman Polanski
• Ronald Reagan
• Hyman Rickover
• Clete Roberts
• Charlie Rose
• Anwar el- Sadat
• Morley Safer
• Carl Sandburg
• Diane Sawyer
• Bernard Shaw
• Paul Simon
• Frank Sinatra
• Shah of Iran
• Harry Smith
• Tom Snyder
• Barbra Streisand
• David Susskind
• Elizabeth Taylor
• Marlo Thomas
• Harry S. Truman
• Mike Tyson
• Robert Wagner
• Robin Williams
• Natalie Wood