Alan Neuman

Alan Neuman (1924-2008) was interviewed for three hours in Los Angeles, CA. Neuman talked about joining NBC as a page in 1947 and his rise through the ranks as stage manager and then director.  He described the studios at Rockefeller Center and the early camerawork on such series as Kraft Television Theater.  He recalled directing NBC’s first televised presidential election coverage in 1948, anchored by Ben Grauer, which lasted so long that he had Grauer doing calisthenics on the air.  He talked about serving as director on such early series as The Three Flames, Mary Kay and Johnny, and Broadway Open House (the forerunner to the Tonight Show).  He spoke in detail about his work with Kate Smith and her manager Ted Collins on The Kate Smith Hour.   Neuman discussed his work as a producer/director on programs that featured several Presidents of the United States, including Presidents Hoover, Eisenhower, and Kennedy.  He talked about the first color remote broadcast done by NBC, for Matinee Theater.  He spoke in detail about the series Wide Wide World and Person to Person, for which he served as a producer.  Additionally, he talked about the era of the Hollywood Blacklist.  B-roll consisted of several photos of Neuman with the Presidents he worked with and a photo from the premiere episode of Adlai Stevenson Presents.  The interview was conducted by Gary Rutkowski on February 15, 2006.