Steve Allen
Stephen Valentine Patrick William Allen was an American television personality, radio personality, musician, composer, actor, comedian, writer, and advocate of scientific skepticism. In 1954, he achieved national fame as the co-creator and first host of The Tonight Show, which was the first late night television talk show. Though he got his start in radio, Allen is best known for his extensive network television career. He gained national attention as a guest host on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts. After he hosted The Tonight Show, he went on to host numerous game and variety shows, including his own The Steve Allen Show, I've Got a Secret, and The New Steve Allen Show. He was a regular panel member on CBS's What's My Line?, and from 1977 until 1981 wrote, produced, and hosted the award-winning public broadcasting show Meeting of Minds, a series of historical dramas presented in a talk format. Allen was a pianist and a prolific composer. By his own estimate, he wrote more than 8,500 songs, some of which were recorded by numerous leading singers. Working as a lyricist, Allen won the 1964 Grammy Award for Best Original Jazz Composition. He also wrote more than 50 books, including novels, children's books, and books of opinions, including his final book, Vulgarians at the Gate: Trash TV and Raunch Radio. In 1996 Allen was presented with the Martin Gardner Lifetime Achievement Award from the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSICOP). He has two stars on the Hollywood Walk ...
Amazon Women on the Moon (1987)
Acclaimed director John Landis (Animal House, The Blues Brothers) presents this madcap send-up of late night TV, low-budget sci-fi films and canned-laughter-filled sitcoms packed with off-the-wall sketches that will have you in stitches. Centered around a ... (more)
Acclaimed director John Landis (Animal House, The Blues Brothers) presents this madcap send-up of late night TV, low-budget sci-fi films and canned-laughter-filled sitcoms packed with off-the-wall sketches that will have you in stitches. Centered around a ... (more)
Something's Got to Give (1962)
Unfinished remake of "My Favorite Wife", due to the firing of Marilyn Monroe from the film. She was eventually re-hired, but died in August, 1962. Film was never completed. (more)
Unfinished remake of "My Favorite Wife", due to the firing of Marilyn Monroe from the film. She was eventually re-hired, but died in August, 1962. Film was never completed. (more)
The Player
(1992)
A Hollywood studio executive is being sent death threats by a writer whose script he rejected - but which one? (more)
A Hollywood studio executive is being sent death threats by a writer whose script he rejected - but which one? (more)
Warning Shot (1967)
Hounded by the press for shooting a doctor, an ousted Los Angeles policeman (David Janssen) works his own case. (more)
Hounded by the press for shooting a doctor, an ousted Los Angeles policeman (David Janssen) works his own case. (more)
College Confidential (1960)
Sociology professor Steve MacInter is conducting a survey at Collins College about the mores and lifestyles of the young people. Some of the good citizens begin to find exception to his sociological survey when they find out it includes questions about sex. ... (more)
Sociology professor Steve MacInter is conducting a survey at Collins College about the mores and lifestyles of the young people. Some of the good citizens begin to find exception to his sociological survey when they find out it includes questions about sex. ... (more)
Night of 100 Stars (1982)
The most glittering, expensive, and exhausting videotaping session in television history took place Friday February 19, 1982 at New York's Radio City Music Hall. The event, for which ticket-buyers payed up to $1,000 a seat (tax-deductible as a contribution to the ... (more)
The most glittering, expensive, and exhausting videotaping session in television history took place Friday February 19, 1982 at New York's Radio City Music Hall. The event, for which ticket-buyers payed up to $1,000 a seat (tax-deductible as a contribution to the ... (more)
The Ratings Game
(1984)
A New Jersey trucker creates a hit TV show with help from his girlfriend in the ratings business. (more)
A New Jersey trucker creates a hit TV show with help from his girlfriend in the ratings business. (more)
Erroll Garner: No One Can Hear You Read (2013)
In a triumphant career that lasted forty years Erroll Garner pushed the playability of the piano to its limits, developed an international reputation, and made an indelible mark on the jazz world. And yet, his story has never been told. Until now. The film ... (more)
In a triumphant career that lasted forty years Erroll Garner pushed the playability of the piano to its limits, developed an international reputation, and made an indelible mark on the jazz world. And yet, his story has never been told. Until now. The film ... (more)
The Making of the Stooges (1984)
A documentary recounting the personal and professional lives of the Three Stooges, including rare footage and interviews with family members. (more)
A documentary recounting the personal and professional lives of the Three Stooges, including rare footage and interviews with family members. (more)
The Muppets Go Hollywood (1979)
Kermit the Frog throws a glamorous party at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub to celebrate the premiere of the Muppets' first feature film, The Muppet Movie. Hosts Dick van Dyke and Rita Moreno interview the wide array of celebrities and Muppets who attend the event. ... (more)
Kermit the Frog throws a glamorous party at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub to celebrate the premiere of the Muppets' first feature film, The Muppet Movie. Hosts Dick van Dyke and Rita Moreno interview the wide array of celebrities and Muppets who attend the event. ... (more)
Mitzi & 100 Guys
(1975)
Mitzi Gaynor in a song and dance hour with an all-male, star-studded ensemble featuring her main guests Michael Landon (Little House on the Prairie) and Jack Albertson (Chico and the Man), plus 28 celebrities as her "Million Dollar Chorus." Songs performed include: ... (more)
Mitzi Gaynor in a song and dance hour with an all-male, star-studded ensemble featuring her main guests Michael Landon (Little House on the Prairie) and Jack Albertson (Chico and the Man), plus 28 celebrities as her "Million Dollar Chorus." Songs performed include: ... (more)
Don't Worry, We'll Think of a Title (1966)
A man is mistaken by foreign agents for a defecting cosmonaut and must prove his identity while evading capture. (more)
A man is mistaken by foreign agents for a defecting cosmonaut and must prove his identity while evading capture. (more)
On Location: Myron Cohen (1976)
With an uncanny ability to mimic just about any dialect he heard and accompany it with a hilariously appropriate facial expression, classic nightclub comedian Myron Cohen built his career on the art of effective storytelling. Filmed in Warwick, R.I., and hosted by ... (more)
With an uncanny ability to mimic just about any dialect he heard and accompany it with a hilariously appropriate facial expression, classic nightclub comedian Myron Cohen built his career on the art of effective storytelling. Filmed in Warwick, R.I., and hosted by ... (more)
Lucy Calls the President
(1977)
Homemaker Lucy Whittaker calls up President Carter to complain about a local political issue—and to her astonishment, he agrees to come dine at her house. Now Lucy has her hands full as family, friends and Secret Service agents invade her home in preparation for ... (more)
Homemaker Lucy Whittaker calls up President Carter to complain about a local political issue—and to her astonishment, he agrees to come dine at her house. Now Lucy has her hands full as family, friends and Secret Service agents invade her home in preparation for ... (more)
Lenny Bruce: Without Tears
(1972)
The outrageous, groundbreaking comic Lenny Bruce, whose iconoclastic material in a conservative era got him into tragic trouble, is profiled by a close friend, Fred Baker, who prefers to remember the laughs Lenny Bruce's memory evokes instead of the tears. By ... (more)
The outrageous, groundbreaking comic Lenny Bruce, whose iconoclastic material in a conservative era got him into tragic trouble, is profiled by a close friend, Fred Baker, who prefers to remember the laughs Lenny Bruce's memory evokes instead of the tears. By ... (more)
Heart Beat (1980)
An exploration of the relationship between Beat Generation writers Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady, and Cassady's wife, Carolyn. (more)
An exploration of the relationship between Beat Generation writers Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady, and Cassady's wife, Carolyn. (more)
I'll Get By (1950)
I'll Get By is an updated remake of the 1940 20th Century-Fox musical Tin Pan Alley. William Lundigan and Dennis Day play William Spencer and Freddie Lee respectively, successful song publishers who make hits out of such numbers as "I Got a Gal in Kalamazoo", "Deep ... (more)
I'll Get By is an updated remake of the 1940 20th Century-Fox musical Tin Pan Alley. William Lundigan and Dennis Day play William Spencer and Freddie Lee respectively, successful song publishers who make hits out of such numbers as "I Got a Gal in Kalamazoo", "Deep ... (more)
James Dean and Me (1995)
A documentary about James Dean. People who knew him or had worked with him reminisce. (more)
A documentary about James Dean. People who knew him or had worked with him reminisce. (more)
The Sunshine Boys (1975)
Lewis and Clark, aka The Sunshine Boys, were famous comedians during the vaudeville era, but off-stage they couldn't stand each other and haven't spoken in over 20 years of retirement. Willy Clark's nephew is the producer of a TV variety show that wants to feature ... (more)
Lewis and Clark, aka The Sunshine Boys, were famous comedians during the vaudeville era, but off-stage they couldn't stand each other and haven't spoken in over 20 years of retirement. Willy Clark's nephew is the producer of a TV variety show that wants to feature ... (more)
Lenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the Truth (1998)
In 1948, Lenny Bruce was just another comic who couldn't get arrested. By 1961, all that would change. (more)
In 1948, Lenny Bruce was just another comic who couldn't get arrested. By 1961, all that would change. (more)