Vince Calandra

Vince Calandra was interviewed for four hours plus in Woodland Hills, CA.  Mr. Calandra talked about working his way up from the mailroom at CBS, where he was eventually promoted to librarian at CBS Films, where he handled the network’s syndication vaults. He talked about transferring to The Ed Sullivan Show, where he worked in production, including handling the cue cards for the show. He described his promotion to talent coordinator for the series as well as some of the guests he booked including Jim Henson, Jackie Mason, Alan King, Irving Berlin and Bob Dylan. He also spoke in detail about one of the show’s historical highlights, the first American television appearance appearance of The Beatles. He also detailed his later work as the talent executive on the syndicated Mike Douglas Show and, later, The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers. He spoke of his current projects including working as a talent executive for AFI specials and the American Teacher Awards. B-roll consisted of photos highlighting his years on The Ed Sullivan Show (including the Beatles rehearsal where Mr. Calandra stood in for George Harrison), favorite guests including Fred Astaire and Frank Sinatra, and a photo from the Mike Douglas Show.  The interview was conducted by Jeff Abraham on December 4, 2003.