PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA, THE: A CELEBRATION OF LEONARD GOLDBERG'S TELEVISION CAREER {LONG VERSION}
Summary
One in a series of evenings and special screenings presented at the Paley Center for Media. Held at the Paley Center in Los Angeles, this evening honors film and television producer Leonard Goldberg.
Barbara Dixon (director, The Paley Center for Media in Los Angeles) offers opening remarks before introducing moderator Peter Bart (vice-president and editor-in-chief, Variety). A short film about Goldberg is then screened, featuring commentary from colleagues and providing background on the following: his family life in Brooklyn; his education at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania; his transition from businessman to television executive; his involvement with ABC daytime shows including "The Dating Game," “The Newlywed Game,” “Dark Shadows,” and a cartoon version of “The Beatles”; his hiring of Barry Diller and Michael Eisner for assistant positions at ABC; his launching of original films made for ABC under the umbrella title of "The Movie of the Week"; his move to Screen Gems to produce TV movies like “Brian’s Song”; his work with Aaron Spelling on shows such as “Charlie’s Angels,” "The Rookies," "Fantasy Island," "Hart to Hart," and “Starsky and Hutch”; his affection for "Family" superseding the other series he produced with Spelling; his hiring of Edward Zwick in 1976 as a writer for "Family”; his "more serious" made-for-television films like “The Boy in the Plastic Bubble” and “Little Ladies of the Night”; and the social impact of his 1984 TV film about incest, “Something About Amelia.”
After the film, Bart introduces the panelists: Goldberg; Zwick, Eisner, and screenwriter William Blinn, who was hired by Goldberg to write the script for "Brian's Song," then penned episodes of "Starsky and Hutch" and "The Rookies" for Goldberg.
The panelists discuss topics which include: a case of mistaken identity involving Goldberg, Eisner and Fox network founder Diller; the current lack of independent TV producers; how Goldberg masterminded the "revolutionary idea" of made-for-TV movies at ABC; how “Brian’s Song” set the bar for TV sports films; how Goldberg “defined an age” of television; the impact of the drama series “Family,” despite it not being "a runaway hit"; current shows' out-of-control expenses; Eisner’s initial rejection of “Starsky and Hutch” and how Goldberg provoked his subsequent change of heart; Goldberg’s transition from television to film upon becoming 20th Century Fox's president; the “appetite” of actors for challenging roles; the quality of today’s programming as compared to "the old days”; whether the future of television rests in cable; the increasing impact of the Internet on programming; how advertisers count on network television for "the greatest reach”; the ongoing need for “storytellers” as opposed to technical filmmakers; and Goldberg’s unique shorthand for analyzing his shows’ characters.
Questions from the audience then lead to a discussion of the following: the impatience of networks to let shows "find their footing"; how producer Danny Thomas prevented “The Dick Van Dyke Show's" cancellation after its first season; why media mogul -- and audience member -- Sumner Redstone champions strong scripts and believes that "content is king”; whether current politics will affect the landscape of television; the need for “creativity and passion” to consistently surface in producers; how the negatively received concept for a show entitled “The Alley Cats” later became “Charlie’s Angels"; and the resilience of the entertainment industry, regardless of product.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: October 2, 2008 7:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:12:47
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:93326
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Barbara Dixon … Host
- Peter Bart … Moderator
- Leonard Goldberg … Panelist
- William Blinn … Panelist
- Edward Zwick … Panelist
- Michael Eisner … Panelist
- Barry Diller
- Sumner Redstone
- Aaron Spelling
- Danny Thomas