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Category Archives: television history
Married to the Story: Fay and Michael Kanin’s Life in Scripts
In the golden age of Hollywood—a time when stars were larger than life and scripts were golden tickets to silver screens—Fay and Michael Kanin were busily crafting standout, human, funny, and thought-provoking stories in American entertainment. Together, they formed one … Continue reading
Posted in Broadway, Film History, Hollywood history, Screenwriting, television history, Uncategorized
Tagged Academy Awards, American Heritage Center, Creative Partnerships, Emmy Awards, Fay Kanin, Goodbye My Fancy, Hollywood Blacklist, McCarthyism, Michael Kanin, Rashomon, Screenwriting duo, Teacher's Pet, Television writing, Woman of the Year, Women in Film
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On the Air and in the Aisles: How Kraft Music Hall Sold a Show and a Brand
A standard of the Golden Age of Radio, musical-variety radio programs surged in popularity in the early 1930s as consumers gained access to affordable radio units. These shows, often blending comedy with music, remained beloved throughout the Great Depression. Typically … Continue reading
Posted in Advertising, Entertainment history, Golden Age of Radio, Hollywood history, radio history, television history, Uncategorized
Tagged 1930s, 1940s, American Heritage Center, Bing Crosby, Brand Integration, Carroll Carroll, Hollywood, J. Walter Thompson, John Scott Trotter, Ken Carpenter, Kraft Foods, Kraft Music Hall, Miracle Whip, Musical Variety, NBC radio, Paul Whiteman, Radio Advertising, Radio Networks, Radio Sponsorship
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Samuel A. Peeples: From Western Frontiers to Sci-Fi Stardom
In 1965, a Western writer helped launch an unexpected science fiction phenomenon. Samuel A. Peeples (1917-1991) was an American screenwriter and novelist whose career spanned genres and mediums, leaving a lasting impact on both Westerns and science fiction. Samuel’s career … Continue reading
Posted in Entertainment history, science fiction, television history, Uncategorized, Western fiction, Western genre, Writers and authors
Tagged 1960s Television, American Heritage Center, Brad Ward (pen name), Custer, Film archives, Flash Gordon, Gene Roddenberry, Jason of Star Command, Lancer, NBC, Pop culture history, Samuel A. Peeples, Science Fiction Writers, Screenwriting, Spectre (1977), Star Trek, Television pilots, Television writing, The Tall Man, Western novels, Western Writers, Where No Man Has Gone Before, William Shatner
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Scrooge Magoo – The Making of Mister Magoo’s Christmas Carol
From 1962 to 1967, a hallmark of the Yuletide season was the television broadcast of Mister Magoo’s Christmas Carol. TV viewers of a certain age will remember the unlikely pairing of cartoon character Mister Magoo with the age-old Charles Dickens’ … Continue reading
Posted in Animation history, Holidays, television history, Uncategorized
Tagged 1962, Abe Levitow, Animated Television, Animation Archives, Bob Merrill, Broadway Adaptations, Charles Dickens, Christmas Carol, Christmas specials, Darrell Van Citters, Holiday Programming, Jim Backus, Jule Styne, Lee Orgel, Mister Magoo, Musical Animation, NBC Television, Television Firsts, UPA (United Productions of America), Vintage Television
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Little House on the Prairie
This western historical television drama was based on bestselling books by Laura Ingalls (1867-1957). NBC picked it up 50 years ago in 1974 and the television series ran until March 21, 1983. This western historical television drama was based on … Continue reading
Posted in American West, Entertainment history, Literature, television history, Uncategorized
Tagged 1970s Television, 1980s Television, American Heritage Center, Archives, Family Programming, Historical Collections, Historical Drama, Ingalls Family, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House on the Prairie, Michael Landon, NBC Television, Pioneer life, Television Adaptations, Television Scripts, Western Literature
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Parallel Universes: Alternate Histories of Beloved Sci-Fi Franchises
Every writer and every producer can tell you that for every successful idea, a hundred more ended up lying in a wastepaper basket somewhere or scooped up into a folder to use later, only to languish, forgotten by all. While … Continue reading
The Macabre Magic of Richard Matheson’s Stories -Part Two
In this blog series, we are celebrating the life and work of Richard Matheson, a master of horror, science fiction, and fantasy. His stories and novels have inspired countless films, TV shows, and writers, from The Twilight Zone to Steven … Continue reading
Posted in Authors, Fantasy, Halloween, Horror, Literature, Pop Culture, popular culture, science fiction, television history, Uncategorized
Tagged book to film adaptations, Combat!, Edgar Allan Poe, Fantasy Writers, Film Adaptations, Halloween, Horror Author, Horror Writers, Jerry Sohl, Richard Matheson, Robert Altman, Roger Corman, Science Fiction Writers, Screenwriter, Star Trek, The Comedy of Terrors, The Twilight Zone
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From Talking Movies to Looney Tunes – Celebrating 100 Years of Warner Brothers
April 4, 2023, marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of Warner Brothers Pictures. Here at the American Heritage Center, we have the papers of some of the creative personalities behind the films for which Warner Brothers is revered. The … Continue reading
Posted in Animation, cartoons, Film History, Hollywood history, motion picture history, music, popular culture, television history, Uncategorized
Tagged Animated Cartoons, Bugs Bunny, Carl Stalling, Creative Collaboration, Jack Scholl, Looney Tunes, M. K. Jerome, Merrie Melodies, Michael Maltese, Music Composition, Porky Pig, Scriptwriting Process, Tweety, Warner Brothers Pictures
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