Walter E. Grauman

Walter Grauman, who directed countless projects for television, attests that his proudest career achievement was “flying 56 combat missions in Europe.  The rest of it was fun.” Walter Grauman directed for television from the 1950s to the 1990s, and is often associated with the series of executive producer Quinn Martin: The Untouchables, The Fugitive, The Streets of San Francisco, and Barnaby Jones. 

In his Archive interview, Grauman describes how he began his career in the television industry, as a co-producer (with Alan A. Armer) of the talent search series Lights, Camera, Action.  He describes how he broke into network television, directing for producer Albert McCleery on the live anthology series Cameo Theatre, making such an impression that McCleery hired him to direct for his next series, Matinee Theater. 

For Matinee Theater, Grauman vividly recalls several memorable “close calls” on this live series, which aired daily on NBC.  In one instance, working with boxer Primo Carnera (cast as Frankenstein’s monster), Grauman recounts a harrowing moment that involved a stunt gone wrong: “He lifted [the stuntman] up like he’s a toy, and threw him.  And the guy went right through the scenery. I’m in the control room and all I hear is this crashing thud.  And I think, oh god, that’s the end of the show and the guy’s dead.  Well, by the grace of god, he wasn’t hurt.  He just was bruised a little bit.  And we went on to continue the rest of the show.” 

Grauman looks back on his initial enthusiasm with the first Untouchables script he read (that prompted him to take the job as a producer-director on the series) and discussed several episodes he helmed. He gives his impressions of several stars he worked with in TV, including: Charles Bronson (guesting on Colt .45), Robert Stack (The Untouchables), Peter Falk (Columbo), Buddy Ebsen (Barnaby Jones), and Natalie Wood (The Memory of Eva Ryker). 

Lastly, he recounts his work on the series Murder, She Wrote (and his rapport with star Angela Lansbury), the television movie The Forgotten Man (learning from military advisors how the Viet Cong operated during the Vietnam War), and the series Peter Gunn (including some advice he received from producer-director Blake Edwards on not making artistic compromises).  B-roll includes Grauman displaying and commenting on several behind-the-scenes photos from his career. 

Walter Grauman was interviewed in Los Angeles, CA on April 17, 2009; Stephen Bowie conducted the two-and-a-half-hour interview.