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.
