A true tastemaker and a real gentleman, legendary late night executive producer Peter Lassally died July 19 in Los Angeles. He was 93. Back in 2008, I had the great pleasure of interviewing Mr. Lassally as he was winding up his extraordinary career in late night with his final stint as executive producer of The
I first met Ray Bennett way back when I could barely spell, which is why I started out in the art department at TV Guide Canada. When I lucked into living in LA in the mid-’80s as the magazine’s photo editor, Ray was there, well established and writing many of our cover stories. I sought
Johnny Carson was born on this days a century ago. One hundred years ago?! You are correct, sir. The Emmy and Peabody award-winning entertainer died in 2005 at age 79. In 30 years as host of The Tonight Show, Carson presided over over 4500 episodes, interviewing over 25,000 guests. From 1962 to 1992 he was
Since the dawn of television, viewers have always wanted to be amazed. One who knew this was George Joseph Kresge, Jr., a.k.a. The Amazing Keskin. Billed as a mentalist with special powers of perception, Kreskin (born in 1935 in New Jersey) was one of those amazing TV distractions that tickled viewers in the late ’60s
The death of comedy legend Bob Newhart July 18 had me scrambling for this “From the Vault” conversation with Bill Daily. This was recorded in May of 2014 with the interview arranged to cover the release of The Bob Newhart Show: The Complete Series in a DVD box set from Shout! Factory. I also interviewed
Swiping left or right had a whole other meaning back when Dr. Ruth Westheimer was in her TV prime. The peppery, diminutive sex therapist, who hosted radio and television sex talk shows throughout the ‘80s and into the ‘90s, passed away July 12 in Manhattan. She was 96. To call Westheimer a survivor is an
Harry Belafonte made a lasting impression a dozen years ago on a visit before Television Critics Association reporters. The activist/singer, one of the last Black Civil Rights icons of the 1960s, passed away Tuesday, April 25. He was 96. Back in July of 2011, he stood out as a towering figure from a golden age
I recently was invited to one of the tapings for Season Two of Canada’s Got Talent (returning Tuesday, March 21 on Citytv). When I took my seat inside the large auditorium at Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls, Ont., Howie Mandel was just making his way to the judges desk. A row or two over, a