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Bill Dana

Comedian/ Writer

"Bill Dana was Jose Jimenez. The line between was invisible.. I love that character, because he was just so sweet -- there was a Pollyanna aspect to him. That everything's going to be all right. It never was a caricature.  He's not a Latin character. He's a universal character."

About This Interview

Bill Dana was interviewed for nearly three hours in Los Angeles, CA. Dana talked about growing up in the Depression, his interest in comedy, and his stint as an NBC page. He discussed teaming up for a comedy act with Gene Wood, before joining The Steve Allen Show, where he became head writer. He detailed some of the show's recurring sketches, including "The Question Man" "Man on the Street" and the "Nutley-Hinkley Report." He then chronicled the creation of his famous character, "Jose Jimenez" which began on Allen's show. He described Jimenez’s character's traits, his many appearances, his retirement, the response of the Latino community regarding the character, and the culmination of Jimenez's fame on The Bill Dana Show. He discussed his work as a producer on The Milton Berle Show; his roles on St. Elsewhere and The Golden Girls; and his writing of the famous All in the Family episode, "Sammy's Visit" featuring Sammy Davis Jr. Lastly, he talked about his current work with Emerson College and his creation of the American Comedy Archives. The interview was conducted by Jeff Abraham on February 10, 2007.

Related To This Video

  • Shows
  • People
  • Topics

Shows

  • All in the Family
  • All in the Family: "Sammy's Visit"
  • Bill Dana Show, The
  • Danny Thomas Show, The aka Make Room for Daddy
  • Ed Sullivan Show, The aka Toast of the Town
  • Garry Moore Show, The
  • Get Smart
  • Golden Girls, The
  • Martha Raye Show, The
  • Milton Berle Show, The (1966-67, ABC)
  • No Soap, Radio
  • Spike Jones Show, The
  • St. Elsewhere
  • Steve Allen Show, The (1956-1961, NBC)
  • Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme Summer Show, The
  • Tonight (The Tonight Show with Steve Allen)

People

  • Steve Allen
  • Milton Berle
  • Jonathan Harris
  • Buck Henry
  • Sheldon Leonard
  • Carroll O'Connor
  • Elvis Presley

Topics

  • Creative Influences and Inspiration
  • Historic Events and Social Change
  • Memorable Moments on Television
  • Pop Culture
  • TV’s Golden Age (1940s & ‘50s)

Featured Content

From youtube: Bill Dana as Jose Jimenez in the Santa Claus sketch, with straight-man Pat Harrington, ca.1959:

 

Resources

Click to view:

Bill Dana's official Website

Bill Dana's Biography from Emerson College's American Comedy Archives

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  • Highlights
  • Chapters
  • Shows
  • People
  • Topics

Highlights

  • Bill Dana on his feelings today toward the character that made him famous: "Jose Jimenez"Bill Dana on his feelings today toward the character that made him famous: "Jose Jimenez"
  • Bill Dana on writing for the voice of Don Adams; the birth of "would you believe" jokesBill Dana on writing for the voice of Don Adams; the birth of "would you believe" jokes
  • Bill Dana on the birth of his character "Jose Jiminez" on <i>The Steve Allen Show</i>  in 1959Bill Dana on the birth of his character "Jose Jiminez" on The Steve Allen Show in 1959
  • Bill Dana on writing the episode "Sammy's Visit" for <i>All in the Family</i> ; starring Sammy Davis, Jr.Bill Dana on writing the episode "Sammy's Visit" for All in the Family ; starring Sammy Davis, Jr.
  • Bill Dana on his advice to aspiring writers and comediansBill Dana on his advice to aspiring writers and comedians
  • Bill Dana on breaking in new comedic material, live, on The Garry Moore Show as part of the comedy team "Dana and Wood". Bill Dana on breaking in new comedic material, live, on The Garry Moore Show as part of the comedy team "Dana and Wood". 
  • Bill Dana on his recurring role as "Uncle Angelo" on The Golden Girls; the biggest laugh he ever got was on that showBill Dana on his recurring role as "Uncle Angelo" on The Golden Girls; the biggest laugh he ever got was on that show

Chapters

  • Chapter 1
  • On his childhood in Quincy, MA; on his brother Irving Szathmary, on growing up during the Depression; finding humor in difficult situations
  • On his brother Arthur who taught him an awareness of language, which would play a great role in his comedic writing, malaprops, and the dialects he would use in characters such as Jose Jimenez; on other early influences; his education; meeting Gene Wood
  • On his Army service during WWII; on realizing the power of language; on the Leopoldville disaster; on being sent to witness the Dachau concentration camp by President Eisenhower
  • On the G.I Bill that enabled him to go to Emerson College; on forming a comedy duo with Gene Wood; on heading to California to pursue work in the early 1950s
  • Chapter 2
  • On early odd jobs as a layout electrician and how he wound up (by a misunderstanding) as head of equipment at Douglas Aircraft base on the Nike Missile project; 
  • On getting a job as a page at NBC on Date in Manhattan with Ed Herlihy and Broadway Open House at Studio 8H; on his comedy partner Gene Wood and their comedy routines such as "What would have happened if..."; on becoming "Dana" from Szathmary
  • On his management; starting a career in comedy writing
  • On a bit he wrote for Don Adams which got him noticed by Steve Allen and hired as head writer, and for a time, the only writer, on the Steve Allen Tonight Show
  • Chapter 3
  • On Don Hinkley; memorable comedy sketches "The Question Man" and "The Nutley-Hinkley-Butley-Winkly Report"; the Martha Raye Show; Steve Allen
  • On the genesis of the "Man on the Street" segments on The Steve Allen Show;working with Don Knotts, Tom Poston, Louis Nye on those sketches; the difference in format between the Steve Allen Primetime show and the "Plymouth" show on ABC; hiring Buck Henry 
  • On the birth of his character "Jose Jimenez" on The Steve Allen Showin 1959
  • Chapter 4
  • On "Jose the Astronaut" who first appeared on The Garry Moore Show; on Mickey Kapp's recording of "Jose Jimenez" at the Hungry i; the relationship of the fictional Jose and the real Bill to the NASA Appollo program; on some memorable Jose the Astronaut lines
  • On his proudest moments being associated with the NASA astronauts
  • On the huge popularity of his character "Jose"; on transforming his alter ego into a "real flesh and blood character" on Make Room For Daddy with Danny Thomas
  • On The Bill Dana Show getting greenlit without a pilot or a script; the premise of the show with Jose as a bellman at the Park Central Hotel; on the cast with Jonathan Harris, Gary Crosby, Maggie Peterson, Don Adams
  • On the Bill Dana Show being cancelled, but being happy for Don Adams to continue on Get Smart along
  • On writing for Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme and the Spike Jones Show
  • Chapter 5
  • On first appearing on variety shows such as The Ed Sullivan Show as "Jose Jimenez"
  • On "Discover America with Jose Jimenez" , and NBC special series which he wrote with Al Wasserman
  • Bill Dana on some of the initial backlash to the Jose Jimenez character, while he was a member of the National Hispanic Media Coalition
  • On retiring his Jose Jimenez character
  • On how he came to produce The Milton Berle Show, which he compared to "choreographing a typhoon"
  • On how he came to write the classic All in the Family episode "Sammy's Visit" with Sammy Davis, Jr.
  • Chapter 6
  • On the All in the Family episode with Sammy Davis, Jr. where he kissed Archie Bunker
  • On No Soap, Radio breaking the "fourth wall"
  • On St. Elsewhere, on which he played Jonas Fiscus, Howie Mandel's father on the show
  • On his recurring role as "Uncle Angelo" on The Golden Girls; working with Bea Arthur, Betty White, Estelle Getty, Susan Harris
  • On reflecting back on the character that made him famous, "Jose Jimenez" and his feelings about him now
  • On founding the American Comedy Archives at Emerson College; on the challenges of being a comedian
  • On co-writing "The Laughter Prescription" with Dr. Lawrence Peter about the healing power of laughter
  • On advice to aspiring writers

Shows

  • All In The Family
    • Bill Dana on how he came to write the classic All in the Family episode "Sammy's Visit," and how he and producer Norman Lear invented the show's premise (02m 31s)
    • Writer Bill Dana on John Rich not acknowledging his writing of "Sammy's Visit,' when Rich won the Emmy Award for Best Directing in Comedy in 1972"
  • All in the Family
    • Bill Dana on how, due to a mistake, he was not put up for an Emmy Award for the All in the Family episode "Sammy's Visit" (00m 29s)
    • Writer Bill Dana on John Rich not acknowledging his writing of "Sammy's Visit,' when Rich won the Emmy Award for Best Directing in Comedy in 1972 (00m 31s)
    • Bill Dana on Carroll O'Connor's "compliment" of Dana's writing on the All in the Family episode "Sammy's Visit" (00m 40s)
  • All in the Family: "Sammy's Visit"
    • Bill Dana on how he came to write the classic All in the Family episode Sammy's Visit, and how he and producer Norman Lear invented the show's premise (02m 31s)
    • Bill Dana on how, due to a mistake, he was not put up for an Emmy Award for the All in the Family episode "Sammy's Visit" (00m 29s)
    • Writer Bill Dana on John Rich not acknowledging his writing of "Sammy's Visit,' when Rich won the Emmy Award for Best Directing in Comedy in 1972
    • Bill Dana on the famous kiss between Archie Bunker and Sammy Davis Jr on the All in the Family episode he wrote (00m 46s)
    • Writer Bill Dana on the kiss scene in the All in the Family episode "Sammy's Visit" (00m 46s)
    • Writer Bill Dana on John Rich not acknowledging his writing of Sammy's Visit, when Rich won the Emmy Award for Best Directing in Comedy in 1972 (00m 31s)
    • Bill Dana on Carroll O'Connor's compliment of Dana's writing on the All in the Family episode Sammy's Visit (00m 40s)
  • Bill Dana Show, The
    • Bill Dana on getting a call from Sheldon Leonard that NBC had greenlit The Bill Dana Show without a pilot or a script
    • Bill Dana on replacing Gary Crosby with Don Adams on The Bill Dana Show, as Byron Glick, the hotel inspector
    • Bill Dana on the relationship between his character "Jose Jimenez" and Don Adam's "Byron Glick" on The Bill Dana Show
    • Bill Dana on why the Bill Dana Show was cancelled after 42 episodes
  • Danny Thomas Show, The aka Make Room for Daddy
    • Bill Dana on how Jose Jimenez came to be a regular character on Make Room for Daddy / The Danny Thomas Show
  • Ed Sullivan Show, The aka Toast of the Town
    • Bill Dana on appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show as "Jose Jimenez"
  • Garry Moore Show, The
    • Bill Dana on breaking in new comedic material, live, on The Garry Moore Show as part of the comedy team "Dana and Wood". 
    • Bill Dana on his character "Jose Jimenez" who first appeared  as "Jose the Astronaut" on The Garry Moore Show
  • Get Smart
    • Bill Dana on his brother Irving (Szathmary)'s musical career, including writing the theme song for Get Smart among many other shows (00m 42s)
  • Golden Girls, The
    • Bill Dana on his recurring role as "Uncle Angelo" on The Golden Girls; the biggest laugh he ever got was on that show
    • Bill Dana on appearing as "Uncle Angelo" on The Golden Girls as Sophia's brother
  • Martha Raye Show, The
    • Bill Dana on Gloria Lockerman and her appearance on the Martha Raye Show with Tallulah Bankhead (02m 00s)
    • Bill Dana on some memorable sketches he wrote for The Martha Raye Show with Don Hinkley
  • Milton Berle Show, The (1966-67, ABC)
    • Bill Dana on how he came to produce The Milton Berle Show; working with the star
  • No Soap, Radio
    • Bill Dana on No Soap, Radio breaking the fourth wall
  • Spike Jones Show, The
    • Bill Dana on writing and producing for Spike Jones (02m 23s)
  • St. Elsewhere
    • Bill Dana on his recurring role on St. Elsewhere; working with Howie Mandel
  • Steve Allen Show, The (1956-1961, NBC)
    • Bill Dana on becoming the head writer on The Steve Allen Show in 1956; does a sample from a routine he wrote for Don Adams to perform on that show, which got him discovered by Steve and hired as a writer
    • Bill Dana on moving from Steve Allen's Tonight show to the Primetime Plymouth show (00m 44s)
    • Bill Dana on writing the memorable sketches "The Nutley-Hinkley-Butley-Winkley Report" and "The Question Man" with Don Hinkley and Leonard Stern
    • Bill Dana on the genesis of the "Man on the Street" segments on The Steve Allen Show; working with Don Knotts, Tom Poston, Louis Nye on those sketches
    • Bill Dana on the "letters to the editor" sketches on The Steve Allen Show
    • Bill Dana on the difference in format between the Steve Allen Primetime show and the "Plymouth" show on ABC
    • Bill Dana on the birth of his character "Jose Jimenez" on The Steve Allen Show in 1959
  • Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme Summer Show, The
    • Bill Dana on writing for Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme (03m 34s)
  • Tonight (The Tonight Show with Steve Allen)
    • Bill Dana on becoming the head writer on The Steve Allen Show in 1956; does a sample from a routine he wrote for Don Adams to perform on that show, which got him discovered by Steve and hired as a writer
    • Bill Dana on his role on the Tonight Show with Steve Allen; other writers on the show
    • Bill Dana on writing the memorable sketches "The Nutley-Hinkley-Butley-Winkley Report" and "The Question Man" with Don Hinkley and Leonard Stern
    • Bill Dana on the genesis of the "Man on the Street" segments on The Steve Allen Show; working with Don Knotts, Tom Poston, Louis Nye on those sketches
    • Bill Dana on the "letters to the editor" sketches on The Steve Allen Show

People

  • Don Adams
    • Bill Dana on replacing Gary Crosby with Don Adams on The Bill Dana Show, as Byron Glick, the hotel inspector
    • Bill Dana on writing for comedian Don Adams in the voice that would later surface as "Maxwell Smart" inspired by William Powell; brought to him by his manager Mace Neufeld
  • Steve Allen
    • Bill Dana on working with Steve Allen
  • Milton Berle
    • Bill Dana on working for Milton Berle who he describes as "choreographing a typhoon"
  • Sammy Davis, Jr.
    • Bill Dana on Sammy Davis Jr.'s reaction to the episode of All in the Family he wrote (00m 51s)
  • Jonathan Harris
    • Bill Dana on Jonathan Harris
  • Buck Henry
    • Bill Dana on hiring Buck Henry when he was head writer on the Steve Allen Plymouth show on ABC (00m 35s)
  • Don Hinkley
    • Bill Dana on Don Hinkley, who was his writing partner on the Steve Allen Show
  • Spike Jones
    • Bill Dana on working with Spike Jones, Sr. (01m 00s)
  • Sheldon Leonard
    • Bill Dana on getting a call from Sheldon Leonard that NBC had greenlit The Bill Dana Show without a pilot or a script
    • Bill Dana on Sheldon Leonard not liking Don Adam's voice as Byron Glick on The Bill Dana Show
  • Howie Mandel
    • Bill Dana on working with Howie Mandel while appearing on St. Elsewhere as his father
  • Carroll O'Connor
    • Bill Dana on Carroll O'Connor's "compliment" of Dana's writing on the All in the Family episode "Sammy's Visit" (00m 40s)
  • Elvis Presley
    • Bill Dana on Elvis Presley's appearance on the Steve Allen Show singing "Hound Dog" prior to his Ed Sullivan Show appearance (03m 05s)
  • Neil Simon
    • Bill Dana on how Jose Jimenez became an astronaut, based on a comment by Neil Simon 
  • Irving Szathmary
    • Bill Dana on his brother Irving Szathmary, who was an arranger for Paul Whiteman and later composed the theme for Get Smart and many other TV shows (03m 46s)
  • Gene Wood
    • Bill Dana on meeting writing partner Gene Wood; later they became "Dana and Wood"
    • Bill Dana on comedy partner Gene Wood and examples of their comedy routine (04m 32s)

Topics

  • Creative Influences and Inspiration
    • Bill Dana on being influenced by Danny Kaye and music in general
  • Historic Events and Social Change > Diversity in Television > Minorities
    • Bill Dana on retiring his Jose Jimenez character
  • Historic Events and Social Change > Moon Landing
    • Bill Dana on the relationship of the fictional Jose Jimenez and the real Bill to the NASA Apollo program; Alan Shepard's code name was "Jose"
  • Historic Events and Social Change > War > WWII
    • Bill Dana on the Leopoldville disaster; the "Cheshire Cats"; on visiting Dachau concentration camp
    • Bill Dana on being sent to witness the concentration camp at Dachau by President Eisenhower (07m 08s)
  • Memorable Moments on Television > We Laughed
    • Bill Dana on the famous kiss between Archie Bunker and Sammy Davis Jr on the "All in the Family" episode he wrote (00m 46s)
  • Pop Culture
    • Bill Dana on how in the early days of burlesque there was a sign of the "dirty words" you could not say or else be jailed
  • Pop Culture > Characters & Catchphrases
    • Bill Dana on the birth of his character "Jose Jimenez" on The Steve Allen Show in 1959
    • Bill Dana on how Jose Jimenez became an astronaut, based on a comment by Neil Simon 
    • Bill Dana on his character "Jose Jimenez" who first appeared  as "Jose the Astronaut" on The Garry Moore Show
    • Bill Dana on the perceived backlash to Jose Jimenez
  • Pop Culture > Classic TV series episodes > Comedy
    • Bill Dana on how he came to write the classic All in the Family episode "Sammy's Visit," and how he and producer Norman Lear invented the show's premise (02m 31s)
    • Writer Bill Dana on guest star Sammy Davis, Jr. calling him from the set of the All in the Family episode "Sammy's Visit," to compliment him on the script. (00m 50s)
  • TV’s Golden Age (1940s & ‘50s) > Comedy-Variety
    • Bill Dana on breaking in new material on live television
    • Bill Dana on writing the memorable sketches for The Steve Allen Show; "The Nutley-Hinkley-Butley-Winkley Report" and "The Question Man" with Don Hinckley and Leonard Stern
    • Bill Dana on the genesis of the "Man on the Street" segments on The Steve Allen Show; working with Don Knotts, Tom Poston, Louis Nye on those sketches
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Submitted by iVenge on Mon, 2011-04-11 06:45.

@ClassicShowbiz ha ha ha ha :-)

Submitted by ClassicShowbiz on Thu, 2010-11-18 05:32.

Thank you for leaving the telepattern in. Means a lot to us.

Submitted by TEMPmichaelhansen on Mon, 2010-10-04 03:37.

i went to a dollar store and they had one copy of the BILL DANA SHOW on VHS

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