TV CONFIDENTIAL Show No. 745.4 with guest Martha Reeves is now available for listening on demand for free wherever you find podcasts

Martha Reeves on her new album, Searching, and why purple is her favorite color
Original Airdates: Aug. 7-9, 2026
TVC 745.4: Ed welcomes Martha Reeves, the legendary Motown powerhouse who is also one of the most influential voices in American music. Searching, Martha’s first new album in twenty-two years, is a blend of jazz, gospel, blues, R & B, and lived experience that was recorded in New Orleans, alongside acclaimed trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis, and co-produced by Marsalis and Martha’s longtime manager, Chris Roe. Chris also appears with Martha during our call. Searching becomes available wherever you find music beginning Friday, Aug. 14.

Topics this segment include how the making of Searching was very much a collaborative experience; how Martha’s mother taught her never to sing a song unless she understood it and could feel it; meeting Stevie Wonder for the first time when he was eight years old, in Berry Gordy’s office at Motown; why the release of Searching is an answered prayer; and why purple is Martha’s go-to color.

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TV CONFIDENTIAL Show No. 745.3: Ted Turner’s imprint on television is now available for listening on demand for free wherever you find podcasts


Ted Turner’s imprint on television
Original Airdates: Aug. 7-9, 2026
TVC 743.3: Tony, Donna, and Ed discuss the life and career of Ted Turner, the legendary businessman, producer, media mogul, sports team owner, and philanthropist who founded CNN, TNT, Turner Classic Movies, superstation WTBS, and many other platforms. Ted Turner passed away on May 6, 2026 at age eighty-seven.

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TV CONFIDENTIAL Show No. 745.1 with guest Michael Tove is now available for listening on demand for free wherever you find podcasts

Michael Tove, writer and producer of Yale Saleing
Original Airdates: Aug. 7-9, 2026
TVC 745.1: Ed welcomes Michael Tove, writer and producer of Yale Saleing, a thirty-minute short with elements of Alfred Hitchcock and The Twilight Zone about a young couple that find themselves embroiled in a twenty-year-old mystery after purchasing a strange box at a yard sale. Directed by Tom Logan, and starring Eric Roberts, Yale Saleing was making the film festival circuit at the time this interview was recorded; you can watch the film online at EmeraldOakProductions.com. Topics this segment include filming Yale Saleing on location in San Diego, California; the inclusive environment behind the scenes on the set; and the surreal experience Michael had hearing actors performing the words he had written.

 

(L to R) Eliza Roberts, Michael Tove, and Eric Roberts of Yard Saleing

Michael Tove, The Handmaid’s Tale, and Yale Saleing
Original Airdates: Aug. 7-9, 2026
TVC 745.2: Actor, writer, and producer Michael Tove shares a few stories about his early experiences working as an extra on The Handmaid’s Tale (1990), including his encounters with Aidan Quinn, Natasha Richardson, Elizabeth McGovern, Amy Aquino, and Gregory Peck. Yale Saleing, the new short film written and produced by Michael Tove, can be viewed online at EmeraldOakProductions.com.

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TV CONFIDENTIAL Show No. 744.4 with guest Christopher Martini is now available for listening on demand for free wherever you find podcasts

Christopher Martini, director of Everybody’s Angel
Original Airdates: July 31-Aug. 2, 2026
TVC 744.4: Ed welcomes Christopher Martini, stepson of actor Stuart Margolin (the Emmy Award-winning actor known around the world as Angel Martin on The Rockford Files) and an award-winning filmmaker in his own right. Chris is the director of Everybody’s Angel, a forthcoming feature length documentary that will celebrate Stuart’s remarkable life and career. There is a crowdsourcing campaign going on right now at Indiegogo to help cover some of the various costs related to production of the documentary. If you’re a fan of Stuart Margolin and would like to help contribute to the Indiegogo campaign, go to TinyURL.com/EverybodysAngel for more information. Every contribution helps preserve Stuart’s incredible legacy for future generations.

Topics this segment include growing up with Stuart; how Chris’ passion for filmmaking stems from his experience being directed by Stuart in the movie The Glitter Dome; how Stuart’s experience as a writer helped him as an actor, and how his experience as a director helped him as a writer.

James Garner, Stuart Margolin, and The Rockford Files
Original Airdates: July 31-Aug. 2, 2026
TVC 744.5: Christopher Martini, director of the forthcoming documentary Everybody’s Angel: The Stuart Margolin Story, talks to Ed about James Garner was the important person in Stuart’s life; how their long association began after Jim discovered Stuart performing in one of the blackout sketches on Love, American Style, which led him to cast Stuart in Nichols (and, later, in The Rockford Files); and the many ways in which Garner mentored Stuart, both in front of and behind the camera. If you’re a fan of Stuart Margolin and would like to contribute to the crowdsourcing campaign to help underwrite some of the production costs of the documentary, go to TinyURL.com/EverybodysAngel for more information. Every contribution helps preserve Stuart’s incredible legacy for future generations.

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TV CONFIDENTIAL Show No. 744.1: Remembering James Burrows is now available for listening on demand for free wherever you find podcasts


James Burrows: “He Knew How to Do Funny”
Original Airdates: July 31-Aug. 2, 2026
TVC 744.1: Tony, Donna, and Ed discuss the life and career of Emmy Award-winning director and producer James Burrows (Cheers, Frasier, The Mary Tyler Moore Show) in the first in a series of segments that commemorate notable TV actors and behind-the-scenes personnel who passed away earlier in 2026. James Burrows died Friday, June 19 at age eighty-five. Topics this segment include how Burrows approached directing TV sitcoms as if they were thirty-minute stage plays; his early career directing shows for MTM Studios; and his track record for directing pilots that eventually went to series.


Why the legacy of James Burrows is laughter
Original Airdates: July 31-Aug. 2, 2026
TVC 744.2: Tony, Donna, and Ed discuss James Burrows’ impact on Taxi and Cheers (including the famous “What does a yellow light mean?” scene in the Taxi episode in which Reverend Jim takes his driving test), and why laughter is his legacy as a producer and director. James Burrows died Friday, June 19 at age eighty-five.

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TV CONFIDENTIAL Show No. 744.2a: Remembering Gene Shalit and Rex Reed is now available for listening on demand for free wherever you find podcasts

Gene Shalit photo courtesy IMDb.com

Why Gene Shalit was a “30 Rock utility player”
Original Airdates: July 31-Aug. 2, 2026
TVC 744.2a: Tony, Donna, and Ed discuss the TV work of noted film critics Gene Shalit and Rex Reed. Shalit passed away on June 12, 2026, a few weeks after turning 100, while Reed died on May 12, 2026 at age eighty-seven.

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TV CONFIDENTIAL Show No. 744.3: Remembering Ronnie Schell is now available for listening on demand for free wherever you find podcasts

Ronnie Schell as Duke on Gomer Pyle, USMC. Photo courtesy B. Harlan Boll Public Relations

Remembering Ronnie Schell
Original Airdates: July 31-Aug. 2, 2026
TVC 744.3: Tony, Donna, and Ed discuss the life and career of actor, comedian, and voice artist Ronnie Schell (Gomer Pyle, USMC, Good Morning, World, That Girl, The Cat from Outer Space, Gus), including his many appearances on the popular morning show hosted by L.A. radio personality Rick Dees. Ronnie Schell passed away on June 12, 2026 at age ninety-four.

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TV CONFIDENTIAL Show No. 743.4 with guest Jane Seymour is now available for listening on demand for free wherever you find podcasts

Joe Lando (L) and Jane Seymour in Harry Wild

Jane Seymour of Harry Wild
Original Airdates: July 17-19, 2026
TVC 743.4: Ed welcomes Jane Seymour, the Emmy Award-winning and Golden Globe Award-winning actress known around the world as Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman and, more recently, as the star and executive producer of Acorn TV’s hit Irish mystery series Harry Wild. Season Five of Harry Wild recently premiered on Acorn TV and is marked by the highly anticipated on-screen reunion between Jane and her longtime co-star on Dr. Quinn, Joe Lando. New episodes of Harry Wild air Mondays exclusively on Acorn TV. Topics this segment include how Joe came to join the cast of Harry Wild this season; the family-like atmosphere among cast and crew; how Jane, like Harry, has reinvented herself more than once; why Jane enjoys breaking glass ceilings (as she did on Dr. Quinn as well as on Harry Wild); how Jane approaches playing historical figures, which she has done many times throughout her career; and why Harry Wild continues to be such a fan favorite.

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TV CONFIDENTIAL Show Nos. 742 and 743: Complete two-part interview with guest Cindy Mitchum is now available for listening on demand for free wherever you find podcasts and includes about ten minutes of additional content that did not air on our terrestrial broadcast due to time constraints

The return of Them Ornery Mitchum Boys
Original Airdates: July 10-12, 2026
TVC 742.1: Ed welcomes back Cindy Mitchum, youngest daughter of legendary character actor John Mitchum and the niece of screen legend Robert Mitchum. Cindy has just rereleased Them Ornery Mitchum Boys: The Adventures of Robert and John Mitchum, a rollicking look at the lives and careers of her famous dad and famous uncle as they move through decades of adventure, war, celebrity, vice, loyalty, and loss, while also crossing paths with such legends as John Wayne, Marilyn Monroe, Burt Reynolds, Charles Bronson, Clint Eastwood, John Carradine, Joi Lansing, and many, many others. Them Ornery Mitchum Boys is available in hardcover and in paperback through Henry Gray Publishing, Amazon.com, and JohnMitchum.com. John Mitchum’s Unabashed Love of Country, Cowboys, and God, the two-CD tribute to the music and poetry of John Mitchum, featuring performances by more than fifty than celebrity colleagues and admirers, is available at CD Baby, Amazon.com, and JohnMitchum.com. Topics this segment include how Them Ornery Mitchum Boys is an unusual memoir that will sometimes remind you of the works of Mark Twain; how the book is as much a celebration of character actors as it is about John and Bob’s careers; the unique bond both John and Bob; and how both Mitchum brothers had a joie de vie that came across in everything they did.

Back cover art for the revised second edition of Them Ornery Mitchum Boys published by Henry Gray Publishing

How Robert and John Mitchum became actors by accident
Original Airdates: July 10-12, 2026
TVC 742.2: Cindy Mitchum, youngest daughter of John Mitchum and the niece of Robert Mitchum, talks to Ed about how both her dad and her uncle became actors by accident; how John was an accomplished prize fighter who could also handle himself in a street brawl if necessary; and the many ways in which Them Ornery Mitchum Boys is like a family album. Them Ornery Mitchum Boys is available in hardcover and in paperback through Henry Gray Publishing, Amazon.com, and JohnMitchum.com. John Mitchum’s Unabashed Love of Country, Cowboys, and God is available at CD Baby, Amazon.com, and JohnMitchum.com.

Cindy Mitchum will appear at Side Show Books, 1639 South La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, CA on Monday, July 20, beginning at 8pm. Cindy will sign copies of Them Ornery Mitchum Boys, followed by a screening the original Cape Fear (1962) starring Robert Mitchum. Cindy will also appear, along with Julie Rogers Pomilia and Mary Hampton, at the annual National Day of the Cowboy weekend celebration in Tombstone, Arizona from July 23 through July 26.

John Mitchum photo courtesy MitchumMedia.com

How Robert and John Mitchum became Them Ornery Mitchum Boys
Original Airdates: July 17-19, 2026
TVC 743.5: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with Cindy Mitchum, youngest daughter of legendary character actor John Mitchum and the niece of screen legend Robert Mitchum. Cindy has just rereleased Them Ornery Mitchum Boys: The Adventures of Robert and John Mitchum, her dad’s raw, funny, and unforgettable memoir about growing up with his older brother—before fame, during fame, and through all the chaos in between. Them Ornery Mitchum Boys is available in hardcover and in paperback through Henry Gray Publishing, Amazon.com, and JohnMitchum.com. John Mitchum’s Unabashed Love of Country, Cowboys, and God, the two-CD tribute to the music and poetry of John Mitchum, featuring performances by more than fifty than celebrity colleagues and admirers, is available at CD Baby, Amazon.com, and JohnMitchum.com. Topics this segment include how Bob and John first became known as “them Ornery Mitchum boys”; the spiritual side of John Mitchum; and why the world “can use a little Mitchum now.”


The heart of John Mitchum
Original Airdates: July 17-19, 2026
TVC 743.6: Cindy Mitchum, youngest daughter of John Mitchum and the niece of Robert Mitchum, talks to Ed about the time when her dad helped his friend Father Latimer Garrett, an Episcopal priest, raise the money needed to build Father Garrett’s Boys Ranch, a foster care facility in Acton, California. Them Ornery Mitchum Boys is available in hardcover and in paperback through Henry Gray Publishing, Amazon.com, and JohnMitchum.com. John Mitchum’s Unabashed Love of Country, Cowboys, and God is available at CD Baby, Amazon.com, and JohnMitchum.com.

Cindy Mitchum will appear at Side Show Books, 1639 South La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, CA on Monday, July 20, beginning at 8pm. Cindy will sign copies of Them Ornery Mitchum Boys, followed by a screening the original Cape Fear (1962) starring Robert Mitchum. Cindy will also appear, along with Julie Rogers Pomilia and Mary Hampton, at the annual National Day of the Cowboy weekend celebration in Tombstone, Arizona from July 23 through July 26.

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TV CONFIDENTIAL Show No. 743.1 with guest Mary Hampton is now available for listening on demand for free wherever you find podcasts

Mary Hampton on the life and career of Jim Hampton
Original Airdates: July 17-19, 2026
TVC 743.1: Ed welcomes Mary Hampton, widow of beloved character actor Jim Hampton (F Troop, The Longest Yard, Sling Blade, Teen Wolf), and an accomplished actress in her own right. Mary is also the driving force behind What? And Give Up Show Business?, the story of Jim’s life and career as a working actor, which was published just before Jim’s death in 2021. What? And Give Up Show Business? is available in hardcover through TCU Press and Amazon.com. Topics this segment include how Jim and Mary first met; how Jim was very much a bridge between old Hollywood and new Hollywood; Jim’s many appearances on the Johnny Carson Tonight Show; and how Jim nearly had a network talk show of his own.

Jim Hampton and James Garner in “The Aaron Ironwood School of Success,” an episode of The Rockford Files that originally aired in September 1975

Jim Hampton, James Garner, and Casa Manana
Original Airdates: July 17-19, 2026
TVC 743.2: Actress Mary Hampton, widow of Jim Hampton, talks to Ed about how Jim enjoyed playing golf and backgammon with James Garner; the pivotal role that Casa Manana, the venerable theatre in Fort Worth, Texas, played early in Jim’s career; and how Jim landed the role of Michael J. Fox’s dad in Teen Wolf. What? And Give Up Show Business?, Jim Hampton’s memoir, is available in hardcover through TCU Press and Amazon.com.

Jim Hampton and Burt Reynolds in The Longest Yard (1973)

Jim Hampton, Burt Reynolds, and F Troop
Original Airdates: July 17-19, 2026
TVC 743.3: Actress Mary Hampton, widow of Jim Hampton, talks to Ed about how Burt Reynolds provided a vital assist behind the scenes during the episode of Gunsmoke that also marked Jim’s very first television appearance; how Jim helped Burt many times in return, including the night when Burt guest-hosted the Johnny Carson Tonight Show shortly after posing for Cosmopolitan magazine; and how Jim nearly missed his audition for F Troop. What? And Give Up Show Business?, Jim Hampton’s memoir, is available in hardcover through TCU Press and Amazon.com.

Mary Hampton will appear, along with Cindy Mitchum and Julie Rogers Pomilia, at the annual National Day of the Cowboy weekend celebration in Tombstone, Arizona from July 23 through July 26.

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