Children's Programming


The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

02:26

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About

Children's Programming describes shows designed specifically for children, that can be educational and/or entertainment based.

Highlights
Loretta Long on the curriculum goals of Sesame Street, on the diversity of the cast, and on how the show impacts viewers
04:31
Sonia Manzano on her favorite moments and reactions to Sesame Street
03:18
"Buffalo" Bob Smith on hosting Hoody Doody
28:52
Lucille Bliss on creating and hosting The Happy Birthday to You Show
15:10
LeVar Burton on Reading Rainbow winning awards and the show's impact
01:40
FCC chair Newton Minow on his views and hopes for children's programming
01:46
Who talked about this genre

Andy Ackerman

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Andy Ackerman on TV shows he grew up watching: The Mickey Mouse Club
00:10

Ray Aghayan

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Ray Aghayan on costume design for Shirley Temple's Storybook
02:49

Debbie Allen

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Debbie Allen on working on Captain Kangaroo
00:31

Julie Andrews

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Julie Andrews on Julie on Sesame Street
01:27

Buddy Baker

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Buddy Baker on arranging music for The Mickey Mouse Club; on meeting Annette Funnicello
08:35
Buddy Baker on working with the cast and arranging music for The Mickey Mouse Club
02:17

Bob Banner

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Bob Banner on his experiences working in production on Kukla, Fran & Ollie
11:55
Bob Banner on producing Real Kids, Real Adventures for the Discovery Channel
03:55
Bob Banner on working with Jim Henson and the Muppets on The Jimmy Dean Show and A Sesame Street Christmas 
04:26

Lewis Bernstein

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Lewis Bernstein on what goes into a season's writing on Sesame Street
02:49
Executive producer Lewis Bernstein on the importance of music to Sesame Street
00:54

Frank Biondo

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Frank Biondo on being a camera operator on Sesame Street
47:20
Frank Biondo on being a camera operator on The Best of Families
01:37
Frank Biondo on being a camera operator on The Electric Company
04:00
Frank Biondo on memorable songs and episodes of Sesame Street and types of camera shots on the show
17:27

Lucille Bliss

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Lucille Bliss on creating and hosting The Happy Birthday to You Show
15:10
Lucille Bliss on packaging The Happy Birthday to You Show and dealing with sponsors
03:53
Lucille Bliss on working with children on The Happy Birthday to You Show
03:29

Allan Blye

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Allan Blye on performing on Misterogers, Fred Rogers' CBC precursor to Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
05:42

Sam Bobrick

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Sam Bobrick on his first official writing job for Make Me Laugh, hosted by Robert Q. Lewis, and on writing for Captain Kangaroo
04:48

Ernest Borgnine

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Ernest Borgnine on his "Mermaid Man" character on Spongebob Squarepants; on doing voiceover roles
04:14

Peter Boyle

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Peter Boyle on his father's work in children's television
03:16

Frances Buss Buch

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Frances Buss Buch on substituting for the host of Children's Story
01:07
Frances Buss Buch on directing The Whistling Wizard
04:10
Frances Buss Buch on directing The Whistling Wizard
01:51

LeVar Burton

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LeVar Burton on how he became involved with the children's show Reading Rainbow on PBS
20:38

Josie Carey

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Josie Carey on hosting The Children's Corner, with Fred Rogers doing characters
21:07
Josie Carey on hosting The Children's Corner
29:27
Josie Carey on hosting Josie's Storyland
10:07
Josie Carey on hosting The Children's Corner, featuring Fred Rogers
28:50
Josie Carey on going to do a children's show in South Carolina
02:55
Josie Carey on her work on the local South Carolina children's show Wheee!
09:13

Steve Carlin

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Steve Carlin on creating and producing Rootie Kazooite
15:48
Steve Carlin on creating Rootie Kazootie (Part 2)
10:18

Ed Christie

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Ed Christie on his art direction duties on Sesame Street
01:34
Ed Christie on who owns the Sesame Street characters
03:13
Ed Christie on designing for international productions of Sesame Street
12:09
Ed Christie on how Sesame Street has changed since he started on the show
03:39
Ed Christie on designing a South African puppet with AIDS for Sesame Street South Africa
04:00

Kevin Clash

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Kevin Clash on working on Captain Kangaroo
15:28
Kevin Clash on working on Sesame Street
12:59
Kevin Clash on playing "Elmo" on Sesame Street
28:50

Bob Claver

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Bob Claver on working on Time for Fun  with Bob Keeshan
01:53
Bob Claver on writing for Captain Kangaroo 
15:45

Chuck McCann with Emerson College

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Chuck McCann on hosting his own children's shows on WPIX in New York City
05:18
Chuck McCann on the various characters he did on his local WPIX show
03:50
Chuck McCann on hosting The Rootie Kazootie Club
06:05
Chuck McCann on performing with puppets on Today, which led to a job on The Sandy Becker Show
17:55

Joan Ganz Cooney

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Joan Ganz Cooney on Louis Friedman and the creation of The Children's Television Network
12:53
Joan Ganz Cooney on the creation of Sesame Street
30:45
Joan Ganz Cooney on the use of Muppets on Sesame Street and initial reaction to the show
02:43
Joan Ganz Cooney on the importance of humor in Sesame Street
00:06
Joan Ganz Cooney on the Sesame Street episode following actor Will Lee's death,  "Farewell, Mr. Hooper" (airdate: November 24, 1983)
01:16
Joan Ganz Cooney on the international versions of Sesame Street
11:36
Joan Ganz Cooney on Joan Ganz Cooney on Jim Henson's request to run licensing of the Sesame Street Muppets
00:47
Joan Ganz Cooney on the reading program, The Electric Company
08:49
Joan Ganz Cooney on the math program, Square One TV
07:04
Joan Ganz Cooney on the science program, 3-2-1 Contact
00:41
Joan Ganz Cooney on the science program, 3-2-1 Contact
02:28
Joan Ganz Cooney on the math program, Square One TV
04:04
Joan Ganz Cooney on the program to promote reading, Ghostwriter
01:36

John Debney

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John Debney on his first screen credit, for The Wonderful World of Disney
02:44

Milton Delugg

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Milton Delugg on Carol Burnett's role on The Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney Show
00:57

Richard Donner

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Richard Donner on directing The Banana Splits Adventure Hour
06:15

Hugh Downs

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Hugh Downs on announcing for Kukla, Fran & Ollie
05:44

Dominick Dunne

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Dominick Dunne on his first job in television as a floor manager on Howdy Doody
12:28

Rebecca Eaton

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Rebecca Eaton on working for the PBS children's show Zoom
04:37

Danny Epstein

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Danny Epstein on the beginning of his association with Sesame Street and the research that went into creating Sesame Street; on the music on the show
09:12
Danny Epstein on the hit songs of Sesame Street and working with the cast
27:28
Danny Epstein on the success and legacy of Sesame Street
03:19

Ray Forrest

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Ray Forrest on hosting Children's Theater -- a children's television program composed of films, c. 1949-1951 and likely TV's first educational program
06:06
Ray Forrest on being told that he was getting transferred back to radio announcing for Pat Kelly, quitting, then getting asked to host Children's Theater on Saturday mornings -- NBC's first Saturday television programming
05:49
Ray Forrest on his film work (including underwater films) for the Saturday version of Children's Theatre
01:44
Ray Forrest on the awards Children's Theatre won

Sonny Fox

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Sonny Fox on working on the first weekly, remote television show at CBS, children's show Let's Take a Trip
04:13
Sonny Fox on his first job in educational television for the children's show The Finder
04:42
Sonny Fox on the wonderful time he had hosting the children's program Wonderama
19:51
Sonny Fox on advice for those interested in hosting a children's show
02:09

Dennis Franz

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Dennis Franz on Howdy Doody, the first television show he became aware of as a child
00:36

Albert Freedman

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Albert Freedman on writing for and performing on The Pinky Lee Show
01:29
Albert Freedman on the type of humor on The Pinky Lee Show; on working with Pinky Lee
04:39
Albert Freedman on working for the children's show Make Your Wish
04:10
Albert Freedman on the scripted nature of > Juvenile Jury
01:56

Gerald Fried

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Gerald Fried on composing for "Mathnet" on children's show Square One TV
01:31

Michael Fuchs

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Michael Fuchs on developing Fraggle Rock for HBO
04:15

Tony Geiss

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Writer Tony Geiss on the importance of music on Sesame Street; on Buffy Saint-Marie's appearance and the song written for her; on some of the series' famous songs, including "Elmo's" theme
05:52

Lewis Gomavitz

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Lewis Gomavitz on the genesis of Kukla, Fran & Ollie created by Burr Tillstrom, including the casting of Fran Allison
05:17
Lewis Gomavitz on directing Kukla, Fran & Ollie
28:53
Lewis Gomavitz on directing Kukla, Fran & Ollie
28:09
Lewis Gomavitz on directing Kukla, Fran, & Ollie
27:50
Lewis Gomavitz on directing Kukla, Fran & Ollie
24:25

Herb Granath

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Herb Granath on his memories of The Howdy Doody Show
01:38

Marge Greene

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Marge Greene on working on the local puppet show Nixie the Pixie
02:44
Marge Greene on writing and hosting the childrens' show Tots and Tales with Marge Greene
00:52

Don Hastings

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Don Hastings on his early impressions of television, and on making his television debut on Magic Cottage
02:40
Don Hastings on Captain Video and His Video Rangers
24:29
Don Hastings on appearing on Captain Video and His Video Rangers
11:07

Martin Hoade

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Martin Hoade on working on Watch the World
01:07

Leslie Hoffman

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Leslie Hoffman on being stunt coordinator for the ABC Afterschool Special  "Me and My Hormones"
01:14

Geri Jewell

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Geri Jewell on "decapitating Big Bird" when she appeared on Sesame Street
04:24

Robert Justman

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Robert Justman on working as second assistant director on The Mickey Mouse Club
03:00

Eddie Kean

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Eddie Kean on writing music for Howdy Doody
05:00
Eddie Kean on writing for Howdy Doody
29:02
Eddie Kean on writing for Howdy Doody
28:31

Bob Keeshan

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Bob Keeshan on playing "Clarabell the Clown" on Howdy Doody
23:08
Bob Keeshan on his time on Howdy Doody
27:24
Bob Keeshan on "Buffalo" Bob Smith's feelings toward him; on being fired from Howdy Doody; on his memories of Howdy Doody
15:24
Bob Keeshan on Captain Kangaroo
28:24
Bob Keeshan on creating and starring in Captain Kangaroo
26:09
Bob Keeshan on how Captain Kangaroo changed over the years
07:11
Bob Keeshan on the industry's responsibility to children
01:40

Lynwood King

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Lynnwood King on stage managing Marlin Perkins' Zoo Parade
02:13

Marty Krofft

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Sid and Marty Krofft on creating H.R. Pufnsuf
23:23
Sid and Marty Krofft on the creation and production of H.R. Pufnstuf
28:17
Sid and Marty Krofft on creating The Bugaloos
10:24
Sid and Marty Krofft on creating, pitching, and casting Lidsville
05:41
Sid and Marty Krofft on creating Sigmund and the Sea Monsters
06:53
Sid and Marty Krofft on the concept and production of Land of the Lost; on the show's writers and the program's success
05:42

Sid Krofft

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Sid and Marty Krofft on creating H.R. Pufnsuf
23:23
Sid and Marty Krofft on the creation and production of H.R. Pufnstuf
28:17
Sid and Marty Krofft on creating The Bugaloos
10:24
Sid and Marty Krofft on creating, pitching, and casting Lidsville
05:41
Sid and Marty Krofft on creating Sigmund and the Sea Monsters
06:53
Sid and Marty Krofft on the concept and production of Land of the Lost; on the show's writers and the program's success
05:42

Geraldine Laybourne

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Geraldine Laybourne on how You Can't Do That on Television came to be on Nickelodeon; the invention of "green slime"
03:17

Art Linkletter

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Art Linkletter on his friendship with Walt Disney and on hosting the live broadcast of the opening of Disneyland
07:11

Loretta Long

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Loretta Long on playing "Susan" on Sesame Street
09:34
Loretta Long on playing "Susan" on Sesame Street
30:20
Loretta Long on playing "Susan" on Sesame Street
19:27

James L. Loper

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James L. Loper on the introduction of Sesame Street
04:00
James L. Loper on Mister Rogers Neighborhood and the Sears Foundation
03:13

Anita Mann

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Anita Mann on working with Jim Henson on various Muppet projects including The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show
16:15

Sonia Manzano

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Sonia Manzano on being cast on Sesame Street
04:13
Sonia Manzano on the Sesame Street episode "Farewell, Mr. Hooper" (airdate: November 24, 1983)
03:08
Sonia Manzano on how children react to Sesame Street
03:18
Sonia Manzano on Sesame Street creator Joan Ganz Cooney
01:24
Sonia Manzano on the legacy of Sesame Street
00:39

Bob McGrath

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Bob McGrath on how his character on Sesame Street came to have the name Bob
00:23
Bob McGrath on a favorite scene with actor Will Lee ("Mr. Hooper") in the special Christmas Eve on Sesame Street
00:40
Bob McGrath on how Will Lee's passing was handled on Sesame Street
01:36
Bob McGrath on his fond memories of working with Caroll Spinney as "Big Bird" and "Oscar The Grouch" on Sesame Street
02:54
Bob McGrath on what makes The Muppet characters unique on Sesame Street
10:48
Bob McGrath on advice he would give to a performer wanting to work in children's television
02:03
Bob McGrath on the evolution of the music of Sesame Street over the years, on his favorite moments on the show, and on celebrating the 35th anniversary of Sesame Street and the show's success
07:15

Lee Mendelson

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Lee Mendelson on producing the Saturday morning children's show Hot Dog
01:00
Lee Mendelson on producing Hot Dog
01:32

S. Epatha Merkerson

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S. Epatha Merkerson on getting cast as "Reba" on Pee-Wee's Playhouse
13:46

Newton N. Minow

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FCC chair Newton Minow on his views and hopes for children's programming
01:46

Paul Monash

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Paul Monash on writing Atom Squad
07:19
Paul Monash on writing for Atom Squad, and on writing features
04:41

Thomas W. Moore

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Thomas W. Moore on programming and developing The Flintstones
04:25

Rita Moreno

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Rita Moreno on appearing as a regular cast member on The Electric Company
11:25

Lloyd Morrisett

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Lloyd Morrisett on the birth of Sesame Street
Lloyd Morrisett on the research and efforts that went into creating Sesame Street
07:07
Lloyd Morrisett on fundraising to get Sesame Street made and trying to get it on the air
12:38
Lloyd Morrisett on the early days of production on Sesame Street
08:09
Lloyd Morrisett on how Sesame Street was a product of its time
02:27
Lloyd Morrisett on research and early production on Sesame Street
04:19
Lloyd Morrisett on funding for a second season of Sesame Street
05:00
Lloyd Morrisett on the future of Sesame Workshop and the success and impact of Sesame Street
01:57

Robert Mott

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Robert Mott on doing sound effects for Captain Kangaroo
08:45
Robert Mott on doing sound effects for Captain Kangaroo
08:18

E. Roger Muir

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E. Roger Muir on producing Howdy Doody
18:30
E. Roger Muir on producing Howdy Doody
28:14
E. Roger Muir on producing Howdy Doody
28:37
E. Roger Muir on developing Gumby with Art Clokey
05:07

Thad Mumford

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Thad Mumford on writing for The Electric Company
14:08
Thad Mumford on writing songs for Sesame Street with Joe Raposo
03:56

Frank Nastasi

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Frank Nastasi on writing for and appearing on Lunch with Soupy
22:02
Frank Nastasi on writing for and performing on Lunch with Soupy (Part 2)
04:41
Frank Nastasi on writing for and performing on The Soupy Sales Show
16:18
Frank Nastasi on writing for and performing on The Soupy Sales Show  (Part 2)
10:22

David Newell

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David Newell on watching The Children's Corner, with Fred Rogers
03:39
David Newell on working in various capacities on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (Part 1)
25:29
David Newell on working in various capacities on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (Part 2)
29:01
David Newell on working in various capacities on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (Part 3)
28:56

Bill Nye

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Bill Nye on the format, audience, and early days of his show, Bill Nye, The Science Guy
06:12
Bill Nye on his look, topics for, and popular episodes of Bill Nye, The Science Guy
07:59
Bill Nye on reactions, production, and his persona on Bill Nye, The Science Guy
05:50
Bill Nye on the writing and editing on Bill Nye, the Science Guy
06:54
Bill Nye on his favorite moments and episodes of Bill Nye, the Science Guy
03:54
Bill Nye on Bill Nye, The Science Guy's Emmy wins, popular bits, and censorship issues
17:11

Roscoe Orman

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Roscoe Orman on his first days on Sesame Street and trying to win over the kids on set Orman on
03:45
Roscoe Orman on the Jim Henson puppeteers, Muppets he relates to best, and working with Frank Oz and Kevin Clash on Sesame Street
02:53
Roscoe Orman on his audition for "Gordon" on Sesame Street and meeting with writer Jon Stone
04:38
Roscoe Orman on Kevin Clash, "Elmo," and "Hoots the Owl"
05:17
Roscoe Orman on his Sesame Street character "Gordon" and the characteristics writer Jon Stone told him "Gordon" should have
03:46
Roscoe Orman on Sesame Street's: "Farewell, Mr. Hooper"
01:13
Roscoe Orman on Carroll Spinney's "Big Bird" and "Oscar the Grouch"
02:18
Roscoe Orman on the legacy of Sesame Street
02:21
Roscoe Orman on people recognizing him as "Gordon" on Sesame Street
03:18

Fess Parker

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Fess Parker on starring in Davy Crockett
15:17
Fess Parker on starring in Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone
28:51
Fess Parker on starring on Davy Crockett
29:29
Fess Parker on starring on Davy Crockett
14:19

Daniel Petrie, Sr.

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Daniel Petrie, Sr. on directing Panhandle Pete and Jennifer
01:15

Carroll Pratt

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Carroll Pratt on mixing sound for The Mickey Mouse Club
02:31

Sterling Quinlan

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Sterling "Red" Quinlan on Kukla, Fran & Ollie
01:12

Charlotte Rae

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Charlotte Rae on appearing as "Molly the Mail Lady" on Sesame Street
01:24

Arthur Rankin, Jr.

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Arthur Rankin Jr. on The King Kong Show
06:22
Arthur Rankin Jr. on producing Tomfoolery
01:50
Arthur Rankin Jr. on producing Jackson 5ive, and on working with executive Michael Eisner
05:59
Arthur Rankin Jr. on producing Festival of Family Classics
04:25
Arthur Rankin Jr. on producing Kid Power
02:19
Arthur Rankin Jr. on producing Thundercats
06:56
Arthur Rankin Jr. on producing Silverhawks
01:36

Ed Resnick

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Ed Resnick on the early KTLA show Time for Beany
02:34
Ed Resnick on the early KTLA show Judy Splinters
01:41

Heino Ripp

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Heino Ripp on the technical staff of Howdy Doody
02:52

Pat Robertson

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Pat Robertson on the Children's Programming on The Family Channel
03:36

Fred Rogers

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Fred Rogers on the value of television as a teaching tool for children
05:29
Fred Rogers on hosting Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
29:12
Fred Rogers on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
08:32
Fred Rogers on having Michael Keaton as a floor manager on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
02:15
Fred Rogers on The Children's Corner, hosted by Josie Carey
28:09
Fred Rogers on The Children's Corner
14:25
Fred Rogers on starting Misterogers on the CBC in Canada
07:32
Fred Rogers on hosting Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
26:21

Phil Roman

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Phil Roman on animating Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas
10:59
Phil Roman on animating Horton Hears a Who!
00:52
Phil Roman on animating Mister Magoo at UTA
03:11
Phil Roman on animating Jay Ward's George of the Jungle
08:08
Phil Roman on joining producer Bill Melendez to animate Charlie Brown Specials
05:49
Phil Roman on animating and producing the Charlie Brown Specials with Bill Melendez
12:19
Phil Roman on producing Garfield Specials
14:00
Phil Roman on producing Howie Mandel's Bobby's World cartoon series
02:52

Stanley Ralph Ross

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Stanley Ralph Ross on the development of The Electric Company
01:59
Stanley Ralph Ross on providing voiceover for Super Friends
02:04
Stanley Ralph Ross on providing voiceover for Superman, Rambo, and Inspector Gadget
02:02

Arthur Schneider

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Arthur Schneider on editing The New Mickey Mouse Club
01:35

Hazel Shermet

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Hazel Shermet on playing "Henrietta Hippo" on The New Zoo Revue
05:04

Fred Silverman

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Fred Silverman on developing the successful afternoon "kid's block" on WGN in Chicago including the popular Bozo's Circus, and the prime time Family Classics family-oriented film series which included Lassie and David O. Selznick's Tom Sawyer  
03:48
Fred Silverman on becoming head of daytime programming at CBS in New York and changing and fine-tuning the Saturday morning schedule starting with "superhero adventure" programs which included Underdog, the animated Superman, Space Ghost, and Mighty Mouse.  He describes in detail developing the long-running Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! and other comedy-adventure and "pure-comedy" programs, and touches on developing spin-off concept at during this time
15:57

John Singleton

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John Singleton on working as a production assistant/security guard on Pee-Wee's Playhouse
02:00

Bob Smith

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"Buffalo" Bob Smith on hosting Howdy Doody
16:05
"Buffalo" Bob Smith on hosting Hoody Doody
28:52
"Buffalo" Bob Smith on hosting Howdy Doody
27:32

Caroll Spinney

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Caroll Spinney on playing Mr. Lion on Boston's Bozo's Circus
11:50
Caroll Spinney on going to New York to work for Jim Henson on Sesame Street
27:41
Caroll Spinney on the cast and memorable episodes of Sesame Street
27:12
Caroll Spinney on the second season and beyond of Sesame Street and how Jim Henson's death affected the show
05:17

Fred Steiner

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Fred Steiner on scoring the theme of Beany and Cecil
00:29

Jeremy Stevens

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Jeremy Stevens on co-creating and writing for The Electric Company
18:21

Norman Stiles

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Norman Stiles on writing for Sesame Street (Part 1)
40:10
Norman Stiles on writing for Sesame Street (Part 2)
29:17
Norman Stiles on writing for Sesame Street (Part 3)
16:51
Norman Stiles on writing for Sesame Street (Part 4)
28:39

Dick Stiles

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Dick Stiles on doing art direction for Toy Pony
01:31

Studs Terkel

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Studs Terkel on appearing on Kukla, Fran & Ollie with puppeteer Burr Tillstrom 
03:35

Marlo Thomas

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Marlo Thomas on bringing Free to be... You and Me to television; on the use of satellites; on television's responsibility to children
08:17

Saul Turteltaub

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Saul Turteltaub on writing for Shari Lewis's first network show The Shari Lewis Show
01:14

Bruce Vilanch

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Bruce Vilanch on writing for Sesame Street specials and the Muppets
01:34

James Wall

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James Wall on stage managing and playing "Mr. Baxter" on Captain Kangaroo
16:55
James Wall on stage managing Captain Kangaroo, and on playing Mr. "Baxter" on the show
16:12

Matthew Weiner

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Matthew Weiner on being a child performer on Romper Room
00:50

Dan Wilcox

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Dan Wilcox on writing for Captain Kangaroo
11:51
Dan Wilcox on writing for Sesame Street
32:07