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Charlie Andrews

Show Creator/ Producer

"When 'The Today Show' began in 1952 we only had two sponsors. There was a dog food and a spaghetti company … We had a dog food commercial and what we used to do … was put a plate of the dog food there, and a box with a dog, so they could see the name of the food.  And then they’d have a puppy that hadn’t been fed for awhile …  I’m standing with Mort Warner, the producer of the show … The kid put the dog down next to the food, but the dog didn’t go for the food. The dog squatted and defecated the size of a big Cuban cigar, right next to the food. Well, the kid froze … Mort stepped up to the table and he just rolled it off on his hand, stepped out of the shot, they punched up the shot, the dog’s eating the food and everything’s fine. When it was over, Mort walked over to the kid and he said, 'Son, I just want to show you the difference between a producer and a floor director.' And many is the time, as the years goes on, I stood in a studio where it’s falling down on my ears and I’m thinking, 'Here I am again, with a handful of dog doo.' But that’s what a producer does. He does whatever has to be done, and there’s almost no other definition for it. When coffee gets spilled on the floor, producers wipe it up. When dogs do bad things in the shot, they pick it up. And then there’s other little things. You get to hire girls, too."

About This Interview

Charlie Andrews (1916-2004) was interviewed for four hours in West Hampton, NY.  Andrews created the groundbreaking Chicago-based shows Studs’ Place with Studs Terkel and Garroway at Large with David Garroway, both of which he discussed in detail. He talked about his later move to New York were he had a long successful career as a producer of the popular series: The Arthur Godfrey Show, Today, and Candid Camera.  The interview was conducted by Henry Colman on October 20, 1998.

Related To This Video

  • Shows
  • People
  • Genres

Shows

  • Arthur Godfrey Time
  • Arthur Godfrey and His Friends
  • Studs’ Place

People

  • Studs Terkel

Genres

  • Game Shows
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  • Highlights
  • Chapters
  • Shows
  • People

Highlights

  • Show Creator/writer Charlie Andrews on the start of <i>Studs' Place</i> (02m 23s)Show Creator/writer Charlie Andrews on the start of Studs' Place (02m 23s)
  • Producer Charlie Andrews on working with Arthur Godfrey (for which he did for his shows <i>Arthur Godrey Time</i> [daytime, radio-TV] and <i>Arthur Godfrey and His Friends</i>) (07m 12s)Producer Charlie Andrews on working with Arthur Godfrey (for which he did for his shows Arthur Godrey Time [daytime, radio-TV] and Arthur Godfrey and His Friends) (07m 12s)
  • Show Creator/writer Charlie Andrews on Studs Terkel (01m 45s)Show Creator/writer Charlie Andrews on Studs Terkel (01m 45s)
  • Show Creator/writer Charlie Andrews on the cast of <i>Studs' Place</i>— including Beverly Younger and Chet Roble (01m 34s)Show Creator/writer Charlie Andrews on the cast of Studs' Place— including Beverly Younger and Chet Roble (01m 34s)

Chapters

  • Chapter 1
  • Full Chapter One
  • Chapter 2
  • Full Chapter Two
  • Chapter 3
  • Full Chapter Three
  • Chapter 4
  • Full Chapter Four
  • Chapter 5
  • Full Chapter Five
  • Chapter 6
  • Full Chapter Six
  • Chapter 7
  • Full Chapter Seven
  • Chapter 8
  • Full Chapter Eight

Shows

  • Arthur Godfrey Time
    • Producer Charlie Andrews on working with Arthur Godfrey (for which he did for his shows Arthur Godrey Time [daytime, radio-TV] and Arthur Godfrey and His Friends) (07m 12s)
  • Arthur Godfrey and His Friends
    • Producer Charlie Andrews on working with Arthur Godfrey (for which he did for his shows Arthur Godrey Time [daytime, radio-TV] and Arthur Godfrey and His Friends) (07m 12s)
  • Studs’ Place
    • Show Creator/writer Charlie Andrews on the start of Studs' Place (02m 23s)
    • Show Creator/writer Charlie Andrews on how the show was "written" (02m 16s)
    • Show Creator/writer Charlie Andrews on the cast of Studs' Place— including Beverly Younger and Chet Roble (01m 34s)
    • Show Creator/writer Charlie Andrews on the rehearsal process on Studs' Place (01m 30s)
    • Show Creator/writer Charlie Andrews on Studs Terkel (01m 45s)
    • Show Creator/writer Charlie Andrews on Studs' Place's transition from NBC to ABC. (01m 01s)

People

  • Arthur Godfrey
    • Producer Charlie Andrews on working with Arthur Godfrey (for which he did for his shows Arthur Godrey Time [daytime, radio-TV] and Arthur Godfrey and His Friends) (07m 12s)
  • Chet Roble
    • Show Creator/writer Charlie Andrews on the cast of Studs' Place— including Beverly Younger and Chet Roble (01m 34s)
  • Studs Terkel
    • Show Creator/writer Charlie Andrews on Studs Terkel (01m 45s)
  • Beverly Younger
    • Show Creator/writer Charlie Andrews on the cast of Studs' Place— including Beverly Younger and Chet Roble (01m 34s)
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