Bob Banner

Bob Banner (1921-2011) was interviewed for four hours plus in Santa Monica, CA.  Mr. Banner spoke at length about his first experiences in the new medium of television at WBKB, and later WMAQ in Chicago.  He spoke about the "Chicago school" of television, and provided several humorous stories about on-set incidents.  He reminisced about such personalities as Burr Tillstrom and Fran Allison from Kukla, Fran and Ollie, and how they were instrumental in persuading him to accept a position with The Fred Waring Show in New York.  Mr. Banner fondly recalled working with Dinah Shore when he was directing and producing her show, sponsored by Chevrolet, and recalled how her trademark kiss at the end of the show came about.  He also described an incident in a restaurant between Dinah Shore, legendary actress Bette Davis and a fan that clearly pointed out the differences in film and television celebrity.  He spoke about many of the people that he has worked with throughout his career, including Dave Garroway, Carol Burnett, Perry Como, ice skater Peggy Fleming, Ed Wynn and Jim Henson.  He talked about many of the variety shows that he has produced, such as Solid Gold, Star Search and It's Showtime at the Apollo.   Mr. Banner also mentioned his more recent work, including a kids show in its third season on the Discovery Channel, Real Kids, Real Adventures.  The interview was conducted by Henry Colman on November 5, 1999.