TV CONFIDENTIAL Show No. 713.3 with Ken Berry is now available for listening on demand for free wherever you find podcasts

Ken Berry, Leonard Nimoy, and Abbott and Costello
Original Airdates: Nov. 7-10, 2025
TVC 713.3: As long as we’re in an F Troop frame of mind, we thought we’d bring you an encore presentation of our conversation with Ken Berry (F Troop, Mayberry, R.F.D., Mama’s Family) from January 2018. Topics this segment include the role that Leonard Nimoy played early in Berry’s career, and how Ken learned both how to be a straight man and how to deliver a punch line when he worked with Abbott and Costello in Las Vegas in the early 1950s. Ken Berry passed away on Dec. 1, 2018. Our conversation with Ken was one of the last, if not the last, interviews he ever gave.

Ken Berry, Buster Keaton, and Carol Burnett
Original Airdates: Nov. 7-10, 2025
TVC 713.4: From January 2018: Ken Berry talks to Ed about his early years as a dancer with the Billy Barnes Revue; his friendship with Buster Keaton (not to mention the major influence the silent film star had on his career); and the important role that Carol Burnett played throughout Ken’s career. Ken Berry passed away on Dec. 1, 2018. Our conversation with Ken was one of the last, if not the last, interviews he ever gave.

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This Date in ROCKFORD FILES History: Janis Paige, Robert Alda, and Richard Romanus star in “A Three-Day Affair with a Thirty-Day Escrow,” airing Nov. 10, 1978. LEARN MORE about this episode in 45 YEARS OF THE ROCKFORD FILES, available in softcover paperback and now as an eBook through Black Pawn Press

  1. A THREE-DAY AFFAIR WITH A THIRTY-DAY ESCROW
    Original Air Date:
    November 10, 1978

    Synopsis. A sheik named Talib kidnaps Rockford and demands to know the whereabouts of his daughter, Khedra Aziz, a woman whom a gigolo named Sean Innes (played by Richard Romanus) hired Rockford to find. After escaping Talib’s family, Jim locates Innes, and discovers a bizarre scheme designed by unscrupulous real estate broker Cy Margulies (Robert Alda) to break up Khedra’s marriage so he can sell her homeLEARN MORE about this episode in the revised third edition of 45 YEARS OF THE ROCKFORD FILES, featuring more than sixty new pages of never before published information about both the original Rockford Files and the CBS reunion movies, including twenty new interviews and six new appendices. 25 percent of the net proceeds from the sales of 45 YEARS OF THE ROCKFORD FILES will be donated to The James Garner Animal Rescue Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds to help rescue organizations, shelters, individuals, fosters, and veterans with emergencies, evacuations, medical care, adoptions, training, pet supplies, shelter, rehabilitation, boarding, transportation, food, and other pressing needs. JGARF is one way for Garner fans to honor Jim’s memory and extend his legacy. Plus… if you order 45 YEARS OF THE ROCKFORD FILES directly from Black Pawn Press, you will receive an exclusive bonus gift. Go to Rockford45.com for more details.
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This Date in MAVERICK TV History: “Hostage,” the first episode featuring Jack Kelly as Bart Maverick, airs on Nov. 10, 1957. MAVERICK: LEGEND OF THE WEST: Revised Third Edition is now available both as an eBook and in softcover paperback through Black Pawn Press

  1. HOSTAGE!
    Original Airdate: November 10, 1957


Synopsis
. Introducing Jack Kelly as Bart Maverick. Bret and Bart seek their way onto the exclusive passenger list for the maiden voyage of The River Princess owned by Andre Devereaux, a wealthy Creole aristocrat who is contemptuous of Americans. After Devereaux’s daughter Yvette is kidnapped by Jody Collins—a muskrat trapper from the Bayous who has a strong hatred for the Creoles—the Maverick brothers try to rescue Yvette.

In many respects, Warner Bros. pioneered production of an hour-long weekly series. Each episode took a minimum of eight calendar days to shoot—but, because each show aired every seven days, that effectively put producer Roy Huggins one day behind schedule from the very beginning. This was especially true given that Maverick began production in August 1957, just a few weeks before its September 22 premiere date.

To remedy the situation, Huggins created a second Maverick character, brother Bart, who could alternate with James Garner as the series lead. That way, Maverick could shoot two episodes at the same time—each with a separate cast and its own production unit—and stay on schedule. After interviewing and auditioning several actors (including Stuart Whitman, Richard Jaeckel, and Michael Dante), Huggins cast Jack Kelly as Bart.

LEARN MORE about this episode in the revised third edition of Maverick: Legend of the West, featuring more than 100 pages of new information about the show that made James Garner a star. 25 percent of the net proceeds from the sales of the third edition will be donated to The James Garner Animal Rescue Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds to help rescue organizations, shelters, individuals, fosters, and veterans with emergencies, evacuations, medical care, adoptions, training, pet supplies, shelter, rehabilitation, boarding, transportation, food, and other pressing needs. JGARF is one way for Garner fans to honor Jim’s memory and extend his legacy. The revised third edition of Maverick: Legend of the West is available through Black Pawn Press, Amazon.com, and wherever books are sold online.
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This Date in MAVERICK TV History: Efrem Zimbalist Jr. stars as Dandy Jim Buckley in “The Jail at Junction Flats,” airing Nov. 9, 1958. MAVERICK: LEGEND OF THE WEST: Revised Third Edition is now available both as an eBook and in softcover paperback through Black Pawn Press

  1. THE JAIL AT JUNCTION FLATS
    Original Airdate: November 9, 1958


Synopsis
. In Broken Wheel, Wyoming, Bret bumps into the “new” Dandy Jim Buckley, who claims that he’s now making an honest living selling horses. Buckley promises Maverick double his money back if Bret joins him as his business partner. Reluctantly, Maverick loans Buckley $2,000―and is quite shocked when he sees that Dandy Jim is actually buying horses. But Buckley’s true colors show when he plants a rumor about a gold strike, then sells back the horses—at a profit—to anyone foolish enough to check out the “claim.” After Buckley pays Bret his share (then immediately steals it back), Maverick finds Dandy Jim locked inside an apparently impregnable jail in nearby Junction Flats, where Buckley is accused of shooting the sheriff’s nephew. In order to get his money back, Maverick must break Buckley out of jail.

“The Jail at Junction Flats” scored a 46 audience share when it first aired on the night of Nov. 9, 1958, a figure that made it the most-watched episode of Maverick to that point. Both “Gun-Shy” and “The Saga of Waco Williams” would top that mark within a matter of weeks.

LEARN MORE about this episode in the revised third edition of Maverick: Legend of the West, featuring more than 100 pages of new information about the show that made James Garner a star. 25 percent of the net proceeds from the sales of the third edition will be donated to The James Garner Animal Rescue Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds to help rescue organizations, shelters, individuals, fosters, and veterans with emergencies, evacuations, medical care, adoptions, training, pet supplies, shelter, rehabilitation, boarding, transportation, food, and other pressing needs. JGARF is one way for Garner fans to honor Jim’s memory and extend his legacy. The revised third edition of Maverick: Legend of the West is available through Black Pawn Press, Amazon.com, and wherever books are sold online.
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This Date in MAVERICK TV History: “The Ghost Soldiers” airs on Nov. 8, 1959. MAVERICK: LEGEND OF THE WEST: Revised Third Edition is now available both as an eBook and in softcover paperback through Black Pawn Press

  1. THE GHOST SOLDIERS
    Original Airdate: November 8, 1959


Synopsis
. The discovery of gold in the Black Hills of the Dakotas brought on a stampede of prospectors—much to the resentment of the Sioux Indians, who retaliated by killing those who invaded their land. The U.S. Army responded by sending regiments into the Dakota Territories to protect the settlers. While awaiting an inquiry at an Army fort, Bret survives a Sioux attack, along with a veteran sergeant and a young corporal survive the massacre. To buy time while waiting for reinforcements, Maverick and the others—knowing that the superstitious Indians are scared of evil spirits—pretend to be ghosts. But when the Sioux leader calls their bluff and murders the corporal, Maverick must impersonate the dead soldier to prove that the fort is “haunted.” 

LEARN MORE about this episode in the revised third edition of Maverick: Legend of the West, featuring more than 100 pages of new information about the show that made James Garner a star. 25 percent of the net proceeds from the sales of the third edition will be donated to The James Garner Animal Rescue Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds to help rescue organizations, shelters, individuals, fosters, and veterans with emergencies, evacuations, medical care, adoptions, training, pet supplies, shelter, rehabilitation, boarding, transportation, food, and other pressing needs. JGARF is one way for Garner fans to honor Jim’s memory and extend his legacy. The revised third edition of Maverick: Legend of the West is available through Black Pawn Press, Amazon.com, and wherever
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This Date in ROCKFORD FILES History: Lynette Mettey stars in “In Pursuit of Carol Thorne,” airing Nov. 8, 1974. LEARN MORE about this episode in 45 YEARS OF THE ROCKFORD FILES, available in softcover paperback and now as an eBook through Black Pawn Press

  1. IN PURSUIT OF CAROL THORNE
    Original Air Date:
    November 8, 1974

    Synopsis. An elderly couple who claim to be the parents of Cliff Hoad hires Rockford to tail Carol Thorne, a recently paroled convict (played by Lynette Mettey) who is also Cliff’s former girlfriend. Rockford doesn’t realize that his client is a con artist named who, along with Cliff and two other men, robbed a Marine Corps payroll of $1.2 million three years earlier. Miles wants Carol to lead him to Cliff—and to where Cliff stashed the moneyLEARN MORE about this episode in the revised third edition of 45 YEARS OF THE ROCKFORD FILES, featuring more than sixty new pages of never before published information about both the original Rockford Files and the CBS reunion movies, including twenty new interviews and six new appendices. 25 percent of the net proceeds from the sales of 45 YEARS OF THE ROCKFORD FILES will be donated to The James Garner Animal Rescue Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds to help rescue organizations, shelters, individuals, fosters, and veterans with emergencies, evacuations, medical care, adoptions, training, pet supplies, shelter, rehabilitation, boarding, transportation, food, and other pressing needs. JGARF is one way for Garner fans to honor Jim’s memory and extend his legacy. Plus… if you order 45 YEARS OF THE ROCKFORD FILES directly from Black Pawn Press, you will receive an exclusive bonus gift. Go to Rockford45.com for more details
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This Date in ROCKFORD FILES History: Joan Van Ark stars in “Resurrection in Black and White,” airing Nov. 7, 1975. LEARN MORE about this episode in 45 YEARS OF THE ROCKFORD FILES, available in softcover paperback and now as an eBook through Black Pawn Press

  1. RESURRECTION IN BLACK AND WHITE
    Original Air Date:
    November 7, 1975

    Synopsis. Investigative reporter Susan Alexander (played by Joan Van Ark) believes that Dave Krueger was wrongfully convicted of the brutal murder of his girlfriend Cheryl Wilson six years before. Susan hires Rockford to help her prove Krueger innocent.  “Resurrection in Black and White” features some of the most memorable lines of the entire series, including Rockford’s classic retort once he learns that reporter Susan Alexander was nearly killed while investigating the Krueger case.
    “Why didn’t you tell me [about the man who nearly drove your car off the road]?” Rockford asks Susan.
    “Physical violence has a tendency to put some people off,” explains Susan.
    “Yeah,” cracks Rockford. “I’m one of them!”LEARN MORE about this episode in the revised third edition of 45 YEARS OF THE ROCKFORD FILES, featuring more than sixty new pages of never before published information about both the original Rockford Files and the CBS reunion movies, including twenty new interviews and six new appendices. 25 percent of the net proceeds from the sales of 45 YEARS OF THE ROCKFORD FILES will be donated to The James Garner Animal Rescue Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds to help rescue organizations, shelters, individuals, fosters, and veterans with emergencies, evacuations, medical care, adoptions, training, pet supplies, shelter, rehabilitation, boarding, transportation, food, and other pressing needs. JGARF is one way for Garner fans to honor Jim’s memory and extend his legacy. Plus… if you order 45 YEARS OF THE ROCKFORD FILES directly from Black Pawn Press, you will receive an exclusive bonus gift. Go to Rockford45.com for more details.

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This Date in THE FBI History: Gerald S. O’Loughlin and Jacqueline Scott star in “Ordeal,” an episode with an exciting climax and a storyline reminiscent of the French thriller The Wages of Fear, airing Nov. 6, 1966. THE FBI DOSSIER now available from Black Pawn Press

  1. ORDEAL
    Original Air Date:
    Nov. 6, 1966
    Synopsis. In Texas, Rhodes poses as a truck driver as part of Erskine’s effort to recover an eight-pound supply of Nitro XH2, a volatile experimental explosive that was stolen from the Magna Explosives Company. The stolen goods are headed for Corpus Christi en route to South America as part of a Communist attempt to overthrow a Latin American nation.

    LEARN MORE about this episode in THE FBI DOSSIER, everything you wanted to know—and more—about the long-running ABC-TV series produced by Quinn Martin and starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. THE FBI DOSSIER is available through Black Pawn Press, Amazon.com, and wherever books are sold online.

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This Date in MAVERICK TV History: Wayde Preston stars in “The Witch of Hound Dog,” airing Nov. 6, 1960. MAVERICK: LEGEND OF THE WEST: Revised Third Edition is now available both as an eBook and in softcover paperback through Black Pawn Press

  1. THE WITCH OF HOUND DOG
    Original Airdate: November 6, 1960


Synopsis
. In Hound Dog, Tennessee, Bart enlists the help of town doctor Luke Baxter (played by Wayde Preston) in his efforts to collect a $10,000 gambling debt from “Hound Dog” Harris. 

Wayde Preston previously starred as the titular character in “The Saga of Waco Williams,” one of the most famous episodes of of the entire series.

LEARN MORE about this episode in the revised third edition of Maverick: Legend of the West, featuring more than 100 pages of new information about the show that made James Garner a star. 25 percent of the net proceeds from the sales of the third edition will be donated to The James Garner Animal Rescue Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds to help rescue organizations, shelters, individuals, fosters, and veterans with emergencies, evacuations, medical care, adoptions, training, pet supplies, shelter, rehabilitation, boarding, transportation, food, and other pressing needs. JGARF is one way for Garner fans to honor Jim’s memory and extend his legacy. The revised third edition of Maverick: Legend of the West is available through Black Pawn Press, Amazon.com, and wherever
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TV CONFIDENTIAL Show Nos. 711 and 712: Complete two-part interview with Paul Myers, author of John Candy: A Life in Comedy, is now available for listening on demand for free wherever you find podcasts


Paul Myers, author of John Candy: A Life in Comedy

Original Airdates: Oct. 24-27, 2025
TVC 711.5: Ed welcomes musician, author, and comedy historian Paul Myers (Kids in the Hall: One Dumb Guy). Paul’s latest book, John Candy: A Life in Comedy, is a heartwarming portrait of the beloved actor, improv comedian, and box office star who would have turned seventy-five this coming Friday, Oct. 31. John Candy died tragically of a heart attack in April 1994 at the age of forty-three. Topics this segment include how Paul’s book explores a fundamental question: What was it about Candy that made so many people feel the loss of his life so deeply, even if they only knew him from his movies. John Candy: A Life in Comedy is available wherever books are sold through House of Anansi Books, as well as Amazon.com.

John Candy: A Comedy Whirlwind
Original Airdates: Oct. 24-27, 2025
TVC 711.6: Paul Myers, author of John Candy: A Life in Comedy, talks to Ed about Candy’s impact in the movies, particularly at a time when many major comedy stars were also huge box office stars. John Candy: A Life in Comedy tells the full story of the man behind the laughs from the people who knew him best, including Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Tom Hanks, Ron Howard, Steve Martin, Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short, Jennifer Candy, John Hughes III, James Hughes, Robert Crane, Mike Myers, and many, many others. The book is available wherever books are sold through House of Anansi Books, as well as Amazon.com.

Paul Myers has several appearances in both the U.S. and Canada over the next several weeks. For details on these and other upcoming events, go to Houseof Anansi.com and type in John Candy A Life in Comedy Book Tour


John Candy and the esprit de corps among the cast of SCTV

Original Airdates: Oct. 31-Nov. 3, 2025
TVC 712.5: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with Paul Myers, author of John Candy: A Life in Comedy, a heartwarming portrait of the beloved actor, improv comedian, and box office star who, had he lived, would have turned seventy-five on Oct. 31, 2025. Topics this segment include how Candy and his fellow cast members of SCTV all embodied the spirit and philosophy of Second City, a “model society for improv” in which all actors sees themselves as talented peers who could help make each other better; why Dave Thomas and Joe Flaherty are the two linchpins behind the story Paul tells in John Candy: A Life in Comedy; and Candy had an unerring knack for always making choices in comedy that he knew were both real and right. John Candy: A Life in Comedy is available wherever books are sold through House of Anansi Books, as well as Amazon.com.

John Candy, Stripes, and Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
Original Airdates: Oct. 31-Nov. 3, 2025
TVC 712.6: Paul Myers, author of John Candy: A Life in Comedy, talks to Ed about two instances in the film career of John Candy in which art imitated life—the scene in Stripes in which Candy’s character, Dewey Oxburger, reveals his motivation for joining the Army; and Dell Griffith’s “I like me” speech in Plains, Trains, and Automobiles—and how the latter particularly illustrates how director John Hughes understood who Candy was as a person like few others. John Candy: A Life in Comedy is available wherever books are sold through House of Anansi Books, as well as Amazon.com.

Paul Myers has several appearances in both the U.S. and Canada over the next several weeks. For details on these and other upcoming events, go to Houseof Anansi.com and type in John Candy A Life in Comedy Book Tour

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