Carl Reiner: He Was Good at Everything
Original Airdates: July 24-26, 2020
TVC 502.1: Tony and Donna join Ed as TV Confidential dedicates its entire two-hour program this week to the life and career of Carl Reiner, the Grammy Award-winning and multiple Emmy Award-winning actor, writer, producer, director, author, philanthropist and humanitarian who passed away on Monday, June 29 at age 98. Topics include Reiner’s generosity, his service in the Pacific as a member of the Army Entertainment section during World War II, and the many ways in which The Dick Van Dyke Show set the standard for the modern-day sitcom.
When Carl Met Mel
Original Airdates: July 24-26, 2020
TVC 502.2: Tony, Donna, and Ed discuss Carl Reiner’s lifelong friendship with Mel Brooks, which began when they wrote for and performed with Sid Caesar on Your Show of Shows (NBC, 1950-1954) and continued for the next seventy years.
Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks, and “The 2,000 Year Old Man”
Original Airdates: July 24-26, 2020
TVC 503.3: Comedy historian and longtime entertainment publicist Jeff Abraham talks to Ed about how “The 2,000 Year Old Man,” the classic comedy routine by Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks, morphed from a dinner party act that Reiner and Brooks used to perform before friends into a series of international smash record albums. Jeff worked with Carl Reiner on many occasions over the past seventeen years, including, most recently, with the National Comedy Center.
Carl Reiner’s Love of Game Shows
Original Airdates: July 24-26, 2020
TVC 503.4: Singer/actress Ilene Graff (Mr. Belvedere) joins Ed as TV Confidential continues its program-length tribute to Carl Reiner. Irene’s father, singer Jerry Graff, served with Reiner in the same Special Services unit of the U.S. Army in World War II—a unit that also happened to include Howard Morris (Your Show of Shows), Allen Ludden (Password), and Maurice Evans (Bewitched)—plus she shares some personal memories, including one that touches on Reiner’s love of TV game shows. This segment also includes a recap of the recent Zoom webinar featuring Ilene and the other surviving cast members of Mr. Belvedere.
Carl Reiner: An Actor’s Director
Original Airdates: July 24-26, 2020
TVC 503.5: Film and television actor Basil Hoffman talks to Ed about why Carl Reiner was an “actor’s director.” Hoffman was directed by Reiner twice in his career, including the feature motion picture All of Me (1984).
Carl Reiner: An Angel in Real Life
Original Airdates: July 24-26, 2020
TVC 503.6: Emmy Award-winning actress Loretta Swit (M*A*S*H, SwitHeart) talks to Ed about acting with and being directed by Carl Reiner in the “Good Neighbor Maxine” episode of his short-lived but fondly remembered comedy anthology series Good Heavens (ABC, 1976). Topics include how, in many respects, the premise of Good Heavens embodied who Reiner was as a person. Also in this segment: How Reiner later immortalized the fedora that he wore when he played Mr. Angel on Good Heavens.
Carl Reiner, Moosie Drier, and Oh, God!
Original Airdates: July 24-26, 2020
TVC 503.7: Director, voice actor, and former child star Moosie Drier joins Ed as TV Confidential continues its program-length tribute to Carl Reiner. Moosie was directed by Reiner directed in Oh, God! (1976), and he shares a few memories of working with Reiner, John Denver, George Burns, Teri Garr, and Rachel Longaker on the set of the film.
The Film Career of Carl Reiner
Original Airdates: July 24-26, 2020
TVC 503.8: Tony, Donna, and Ed talk about some of Carl Reiner’s other work as a motion picture director and screenwriter, including Enter Laughing, Where’s Poppa, The Thrill of It All, and The Jerk, as well as his onscreen appearances in the Ocean’s Eleven movies. This segment also includes a remembrance from Richard Benjamin that originally aired in January 2020 on TV Confidential.
Roslyn Kind on Estelle and Carl Reiner
Original Airdates: July 24-26, 2020
TVC 503.9: Singer/actress Roslyn Kind (Light of Love, Save the Country) shares some memories of her longtime friendship with Estelle Reiner, the actress and cabaret singer also known as Mrs. Carl Reiner (and who had a memorable cameo appearance in When Harry Met Sally, directed by Rob Reiner). This segment also includes quotes from actress Lily Tomlin and actor Jamie Farr, both courtesy of Harlan Boll.
Coda to Carl Reiner
Original Airdates: July 24-26, 2020
TVC 503.10: Tony, Donna, and Ed with some final thoughts on the life and legacy of Carl Reiner, including his activism and how Reiner used Twitter to provide his fans with a window into his mind on a variety of topics. The above photo of Reiner, his daughter, Anne Reiner, and Mel Brooks is courtesy of Carl Reiner’s Twitter feed. It was taken two days before his death and was the last photograph he ever took. Carl Reiner passed away on Monday, June 29 at age 98.
Carl Reiner: Extra Portion
Original Airdates: July 24-26, 2020
TVC 503.11: Tony, Donna, and Ed discuss Carl Reiner’s decision to end production of The Dick Van Dyke Show (CBS, 1961-1966) after five seasons, as well as some of Reiner’s other efforts in television, including The New Dick Van Dyke Show (CBS, 1971-1974). This segment, which also includes a clip from Reiner’s interview with the Archive of American Television, was not included in the terrestrial broadcast of this week’s program because of time constraints. Carl Reiner passed away on Monday, June 29 at age 98.
The following segments on the career of Carl Reiner originally aired on various editions of TV Confidential between 2013 and 2018 and were posted during the month of July 2020 as bonus editions of the TV Confidential podcast.
