Ed Robertson
Author ● Journalist ● Radio Host ● Collaborative Writer
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Our thanks to Bill Koenig for the great article about the recent release of THE FBI DOSSIER. Bill is the webmaster behind The Spy Command, an excellent forum about spy movies and spy TV series, and The FBI Episode Guide, another great source about the FBI TV series
This Date in MAVERICK TV History: “Thunder from the North” airs on Nov. 13, 1960. MAVERICK: LEGEND OF THE WEST: Revised Third Edition is now available both as an eBook and in softcover paperback through Black Pawn Press
- THUNDER FROM THE NORTH
Original Airdate: November 13, 1960
Synopsis. Two crooked Army shopkeepers named Marsh and Lawson have cheated the local Indian tribes by supplying faulty or inferior goods. When a tribeswoman named Pale Moon threatens to report them to the Army Commission, the shopkeepers start a war with the Indians, knowing that the Army will not investigate the claim at a time of war. Marsh and Lawson murder Pale Moon’s brother, then decide to pin the crime on the stranger who won $1,500 from them the night before: Beau Maverick.
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
Black Pawn Press, the publisher of 45 YEARS OF THE ROCKFORD FILES, MAVERICK: LEGEND OF THE WEST: Revised Third Edition, RADIO HONEY, and many other titles has just announced its first Black Friday/Cyber Monday promotion! Order a copy of any of Black Pawn Press’s available titles from any retailer, send the dated receipt to Black Pawn and you’ll receive a bonus gift related to the title you’ve purchased. Fans of The Rockford Files and Maverick, for example, will be treated to a PDF copy of an original signed series script. Four-day sale runs from the start of Black Friday through the end of Cyber Monday. For details and more information, visit the Black Pawn Press page on Facebook or Instagram
Black Pawn Press, the publisher of #45YearsofTheRockfordFiles, #mavericklegendofthewest revised third edition,… Posted by Ed Robertson on Monday, November 23, 2020
Breakfast Cereal, Coca-Cola and Television: Next on TVC
We’ll replay our conversations with pop culture historians Tim Hollis and Mark Pendergrast on the next edition of TV CONFIDENTIAL, airing Sept. 4-6 at the following times and venues:
WBRT AM 1320 and FM 97.1 Bardstown, KY Friday 9/4 9am ET 6am PT Listen Live at WBRTCountry.com
Share-a-Vision Radio San Francisco Bay Area Friday 9/4 7pm ET, 4pm PT 10pm ET, 7pm PT Click on the Listen Live button at KSAV.org or listen to us on the KSAV TuneIn channel
RadioSlot.com San Francisco, CA Friday 9/4 10pm ET, 7pm PT Saturday 9/5 11pm ET, 8pm PT Sunday 9/6 11pm ET, 8pm PT with replays Monday thru Friday 11am ET, 8am PT Click on the Talk Slot button at RadioSlot.com
WKXO AM 1500 and FM 103.5 Lexington-Fayette/Richmond/Berea, KY Saturday 9/5 8am ET, 5am PT Streaming at Facebook.com/1035wkxo
WTCA 1050 AM and FM 106.1 South Bend/Plymouth, IN Saturday 9/5 3pm ET, Noon PT Streaming at am1050.com or listen to us on the WTCA TuneIn channel
KSCJ Talk Radio 1360 AM and 94.9 FM Sioux City, IA Saturday 9/5 4pm CT, 2pm PT Sunday 9/6 6pm CT, 4pm PT Streaming at KSCJ.com or listen to us on the KSCJ TuneIn channel
Indiana Talks Huntington, IN Saturday 9/5 8pm ET, 5pm PT Sunday 9/6 10am ET, 7am PT Click on the player at IndianaTalks.com or listen to us on the Indiana Talks TuneIn channel
WON 920 The Apple Brooklyn, NY Saturday 9/5 10pm ET, 7pm PT Streaming at WONNewYork.net
WLAD AM 800 and FM 94.1 Danbury, CT Sunday 9/6 5am ET, 2am PT Also streaming at WLAD.com or listen to us on the WLAD TuneIn channel
KSCO AM-1080 and FM-104.1 San Jose, Santa Cruz and Salinas, CA Sunday 9/6 9am ET, 6am PT Also streaming at KSCO.com or listen to us on the KSCO TuneIn channel
KOMY AM-1340 La Selva Beach and Watsonville, CA Sunday 9/6 9am ET, 6am PT Hear us online on the KOMY TuneIn channel
CROC Radio Kimberley, British Columbia, Canada Sunday 9/6 1pm ET, 10am PT Streaming at CROCRadio.com or listen to us on the CROC Radio TuneIn channel
KLTF 960 AM St. Cloud/Little Falls, MN Sunday 9/6 6pm CT, 4pm PT Streaming at FallsRadio.com or listen to us on the KLTF TuneIn channel
KPLT 1490 AM and 96.3 FM Paris, TX Sunday 9/6 8pm CT, 6pm PT Streaming at EastTexasRadio.com/stations/kplt/ or listen to us on the KPLT TuneIn channel
WDIG AM 1450 Dothan, AL Sunday 9/6 10pm ET, 7pm PT Streaming at WDIGRadio.com or listen to us on the WDIG TuneIn channel
KHMB AM-1710 KHMV-LP 100.9 FM Half Moon Bay, CA Sunday 9/6 9pm PT (Mid ET Mon 9/7) Click on the Listen Live button at KHMBRadio.com or listen to us on the KHMB/KHMV TuneIn channel PassionateWorldTalkRadio.com A member of the Truli Media Group Ann Arbor, MI ~ Boston, MA ~ Chicago, IL ~ Melrose, FL ~ Los Angeles, CA Various times throughout the week on PassionateWorldTalkRadio.com and the PWR channel on TuneIn 
If you grew up watching television in the ’50s, ’60s and early 1970s, you know that part of the fun of watching TV back then were the ubiquitous—and often ingenious—animated commercials for Cap’n Crunch, Sugar Crisp, Lucky Charms, Froot Loops, Fruity Pebbles, Quisp and Quake, Trix, Count Chocula, Franken Berry and numerous other popular breakfast cereals made by Kellogg’s, Post, Quaker, Ralston-Purina and other manufacturers. Much of these appeal of these commercials is the host of animated characters that are still popular today, including Tony the Tiger, Snap, Crackle and Pop, Lucky the Leprechaun, the Trix Rabbit and the Cheerios Kid. These cereal characters became big stars not only through their TV commercials, but through merchandise such as comic books, stuffed toys and, in some cases, their own TV series.
We’ll talk about this, and more, in our second hour as we replay our conversation from September 2013 with author Tim Hollis. Tim’s book Part of a Complete Breakfast: Cereal Characters of the Baby Boom Era not only reveals the origins and appeal of these commercials, but discusses how changing times helped lead to the demise of some of these popular animated breakfast-cereal characters.
Speaking of savvy advertising, we’ll talk about Coca-Cola—a product that has used print, radio and television very effectively throughout its long history—in our first hour as we replay our conversation from September 2013 with Mark Pendergrast, author of For God, Country and Coca-Cola: The Definitive History of the Great American Soft Drink and the Company That Makes It. What began as a medicinal product in 1886 gradually evolved into a refreshment beverage that not only became the dominant consumer product in the United States throughout the 20th century, but, in many respects, came to be identified with America itself.
Originally published in 1993, For God, Country and Coca-Cola has been revised and updated with new information on the history and future of Coca-Cola, including a look at how Coca-Cola and Pepsi, once rivals in the “cola wars,” are now united in the “new cola wars”—despite the fact that both are considered the primary culprits behind the obesity epidemic. The new edition also documents beyond the shadow of a doubt that Coca-Cola originally contained cocaine; discusses the origins of such famous TV campaigns as “The Hilltop Ad” (as well as the differences in how Coke and Pepsi advertise their products), and reveals the original formula used by Frank Mason Robinson, the man who not only gave Coca-Cola its name, but wrote the name in the Spencerian script that became the product’s trademark.
TV CONFIDENTIAL: A radio talk show about television Fri 9am ET, 6am PT on WBRT AM 1320/FM 97.1 (Bardstown, KY) Fri 7pm ET and PT on Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org and CX Radio Brazil Fri 10pm ET, 7pm PT, Sat/Sun 11pm ET, 8pm PT on RadioSlot (San Francisco, CA) Sat 9am ET, 6am PT on WKXO 1500 AM and 103.5 FM (Lexington-Fayette/Richmond/Berea, KY) Sat 3pm ET, Noon PT on WTCA 1050 AM and 106.1 FM (Plymouth, IN) Sat 4pm CT, 2pm PT and Sun 6pm CT, 4pm PT on KSCJ 1360 AM and 94.9 FM (Sioux City, IA) Sat 8pm ET, 5pm PT and Sun 10am ET, 7am PT on Indiana Talks (Huntington, IN) Sat 10pm ET, 7pm PT on 920 WON The Apple (Brooklyn, NY) Sun 5am ET, 2am PT on WLAD-AM 800 and FM 94.1 (Danbury, CT) Sun 9am ET, 6am PT on KSCO-AM 1080 (San Jose/Santa Cruz/Salinas, CA) Sun 9am ET, 6am PT on KOMY-AM 1340 (La Selva Beach/Watsonville, CA) Sun 1pm ET, 10am PT on CROC Radio (British Columbia, Canada) Sun 6pm CT, 4pm PT on KLTF (St. Cloud/Little Falls, MN) Sun 8pm CT, 6pm PT on KPLT AM and FM (Paris, TX) Sun 10pm ET, 7pm PT on WDIG AM (Dothan, AL) Sun 9pm PT, Mon Mid ET on KHMB-AM and FM (Half Moon Bay, CA) Various times throughout the week on the Entertainment Channel at Passionate World Talk Radio
Did you miss last week’s show? Download the podcast by hitting SHARE and listen to it on demand:
Join our mailing list and receive our weekly newsletter with news on upcoming guests and other things you’ll want to know. Best of all, it’s free! TV Confidential now has its own YouTube channel and TuneIn channel. Catch up on recent episodes, on demand, on the go, and for free. 
Alexa users: You can now listen to TV Confidential any time on your smart speaker just by saying “Alexa, play TV Confidential.” Become a TV Confidential Confidant and receive unlimited access to the last five years of TV Confidential and other Members Only privileges, including the opportunity to participate in select guest interviews, and more. Joining is easy. To find out how, go to TelevisionConfidential.com and click Become a Confidant.
Podcast of TV CONFIDENTIAL Show No. 506 with guest Amy Stoch is now available for listening on demand
Amy Stoch of Bill and Ted 3 Original Airdates: Aug. 28-30, 2020 TVC 506.4: Actress Amy Stoch (Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Dallas, the Gunsmoke reunion movies) talks to Ed about reprising her role as Missy, Bill Preston’s stepmom, in Bill and Ted Face the Music. She also shares the story of the wonderful compliment that Barbara Bel Geddes paid her early during her arc on Dallas. Bill and Ted Face the Music is now showing in select drive-ins and is available for viewing on demand on many platforms.
Amy Stoch on working with TV legend James Arness Original Airdates: Aug. 28-30, 2020 TVC 506.5: Actress Amy Stoch (Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Bill and Ted Face the Music) shares a few memories of playing Matt Dillon’s daughter in the Gunsmoke reunion movies. She also talks to Ed about her second career as an adjunct instructor at four universities (and the challenges of teaching her students online this past semester, in light of COVID-19). Bill and Ted Face the Music is now showing in select drive-ins and is available for viewing on demand on many platforms.
Podcast of TV CONFIDENTIAL Show No. 506 with guest Larry Strauss is now available for listening on demand
COVID-19 and What Makes a School “A School” Original Airdates: Aug. 28-30, 2020 TVC 506.1: Ed welcomes author, screenwriter, USA Today opinion columnist, and educator Larry Strauss. Larry has taught high school English in South Los Angeles for nearly thirty years, while his books include The Facts of My Life, the memoir of his mother, stage and television actress Charlotte Rae. Topics this segment include the misguided federal pressure to reopen campuses in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the fundamental question of what constitutes a school, and why so many aspects of classroom teaching cannot be replicated by distance learning.
Larry Strauss, Charlotte Rae, and The Facts of My Life Original Airdates: Aug. 28-30, 2020 TVC 506.2: Author, screenwriter, USA Today opinion columnist, and high school educator Larry Strauss talks to Ed about working with his mother, Charlotte Rae, on her memoir, The Facts of My Life.
Amy Stoch and Larry Strauss: Next on TVC
Actress and educator Amy Stoch and author, educator and USA Today columnist Larry Strauss will join us this weekend on TV CONFIDENTIAL, airing Aug. 28-30 at the following times and venues:
WBRT AM 1320 and FM 97.1 Bardstown, KY Friday 8/28 9am ET 6am PT Listen Live at WBRTCountry.com
Share-a-Vision Radio San Francisco Bay Area Friday 8/28 7pm ET, 4pm PT 10pm ET, 7pm PT Click on the Listen Live button at KSAV.org or listen to us on the KSAV TuneIn channel
RadioSlot.com San Francisco, CA Friday 8/28 10pm ET, 7pm PT Saturday 8/29 11pm ET, 8pm PT Sunday 8/30 11pm ET, 8pm PT with replays Monday thru Friday 11am ET, 8am PT Click on the Talk Slot button at RadioSlot.com
WKXO AM 1500 and FM 103.5 Lexington-Fayette/Richmond/Berea, KY Saturday 8/29 8am ET, 5am PT Streaming at Facebook.com/1035wkxo
WTCA 1050 AM and FM 106.1 South Bend/Plymouth, IN Saturday 8/29 3pm ET, Noon PT Streaming at am1050.com or listen to us on the WTCA TuneIn channel
KSCJ Talk Radio 1360 AM and 94.9 FM Sioux City, IA Saturday 8/29 4pm CT, 2pm PT Sunday 8/30 6pm CT, 4pm PT Streaming at KSCJ.com or listen to us on the KSCJ TuneIn channel
Indiana Talks Huntington, IN Saturday 8/29 8pm ET, 5pm PT Sunday 8/30 10am ET, 7am PT Click on the player at IndianaTalks.com or listen to us on the Indiana Talks TuneIn channel
WON 920 The Apple Brooklyn, NY Saturday 8/29 10pm ET, 7pm PT Streaming at WONNewYork.net
WLAD AM 800 and FM 94.1 Danbury, CT Sunday 8/30 5am ET, 2am PT Also streaming at WLAD.com or listen to us on the WLAD TuneIn channel
KSCO AM-1080 and FM-104.1 San Jose, Santa Cruz and Salinas, CA Sunday 8/30 9am ET, 6am PT Also streaming at KSCO.com or listen to us on the KSCO TuneIn channel
KOMY AM-1340 La Selva Beach and Watsonville, CA Sunday 8/30 9am ET, 6am PT Hear us online on the KOMY TuneIn channel
CROC Radio Kimberley, British Columbia, Canada Sunday 8/30 1pm ET, 10am PT Streaming at CROCRadio.com or listen to us on the CROC Radio TuneIn channel
KLTF 960 AM St. Cloud/Little Falls, MN Sunday 8/30 6pm CT, 4pm PT Streaming at FallsRadio.com or listen to us on the KLTF TuneIn channel
KPLT 1490 AM and 96.3 FM Paris, TX Sunday 8/30 8pm CT, 6pm PT Streaming at EastTexasRadio.com/stations/kplt/ or listen to us on the KPLT TuneIn channel
WDIG AM 1450 Dothan, AL Sunday 8/30 10pm ET, 7pm PT Streaming at WDIGRadio.com or listen to us on the WDIG TuneIn channel
KHMB AM-1710 KHMV-LP 100.9 FM Half Moon Bay, CA Sunday 8/30 9pm PT (Mid ET Mon 8/31) Click on the Listen Live button at KHMBRadio.com or listen to us on the KHMB/KHMV TuneIn channel PassionateWorldTalkRadio.com A member of the Truli Media Group Ann Arbor, MI ~ Boston, MA ~ Chicago, IL ~ Melrose, FL ~ Los Angeles, CA Various times throughout the week on PassionateWorldTalkRadio.com and the PWR channel on TuneIn 
Amy Stoch’s career in the spotlight began as a contestant on Star Search. That eventually led to regular TV roles on Dallas (as Lisa Alden), Days of Our Lives, and the Gunsmoke reunion movies (as Beth Dillon, Matt Dillon’s daughter), plus appearances in such feature motion pictures as Soul Man, Summer School, Guts and Glory: The Rise and Fall of Oliver Stone, and Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (as Missy, Bill Preston’s hot stepmom).
Amy Stoch recently reprised her role as Missy in Bill and Ted Face the Music, the rollicking third film in the Bill and Ted series. She’ll tell us what it was like to revisit a character that she hadn’t played in thirty years, plus we’ll talk about her second career as an adjunct instructor at four universities (and the challenges of teaching her students online this past semester, in light of COVID-19), as well as ask her a few questions about her other movie and TV roles. Amy Stoch will join us in our second hour. Bill and Ted Face the Music will be released Tuesday, Sept. 1 by Orion Pictures.
This week’s program will also include a conversation with author, screenwriter, opinion columnist, and high school educator Larry Strauss. Larry has taught high school English in South Los Angeles for nearly thirty years. He has also written more than a dozen books—one of which, The Facts of My Life, he co-authored with his mother, stage and television actress Charlotte Rae.
Also a member of USA Today’s board of contributors, Larry has written several op-ed pieces since the outbreak of COVID-19 on such topics as the misguided federal pressure to reopen campuses, the fundamental question of what constitutes a school, and why so many aspects of classroom teaching cannot be replicated by distance learning. Larry Strauss will join us in our first hour.
TV CONFIDENTIAL: A radio talk show about television Fri 9am ET, 6am PT on WBRT AM 1320/FM 97.1 (Bardstown, KY) Fri 7pm ET and PT on Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org and CX Radio Brazil Fri 10pm ET, 7pm PT, Sat/Sun 11pm ET, 8pm PT on RadioSlot (San Francisco, CA) Sat 9am ET, 6am PT on WKXO 1500 AM and 103.5 FM (Lexington-Fayette/Richmond/Berea, KY) Sat 3pm ET, Noon PT on WTCA 1050 AM and 106.1 FM (Plymouth, IN) Sat 4pm CT, 2pm PT and Sun 6pm CT, 4pm PT on KSCJ 1360 AM and 94.9 FM (Sioux City, IA) Sat 8pm ET, 5pm PT and Sun 10am ET, 7am PT on Indiana Talks (Huntington, IN) Sat 10pm ET, 7pm PT on 920 WON The Apple (Brooklyn, NY) Sun 5am ET, 2am PT on WLAD-AM 800 and FM 94.1 (Danbury, CT) Sun 9am ET, 6am PT on KSCO-AM 1080 (San Jose/Santa Cruz/Salinas, CA) Sun 9am ET, 6am PT on KOMY-AM 1340 (La Selva Beach/Watsonville, CA) Sun 1pm ET, 10am PT on CROC Radio (British Columbia, Canada) Sun 6pm CT, 4pm PT on KLTF (St. Cloud/Little Falls, MN) Sun 8pm CT, 6pm PT on KPLT AM and FM (Paris, TX) Sun 10pm ET, 7pm PT on WDIG AM (Dothan, AL) Sun 9pm PT, Mon Mid ET on KHMB-AM and FM (Half Moon Bay, CA) Various times throughout the week on the Entertainment Channel at Passionate World Talk Radio
Did you miss last week’s show? Download the podcast by hitting SHARE and listen to it on demand:
Join our mailing list and receive our weekly newsletter with news on upcoming guests and other things you’ll want to know. Best of all, it’s free! TV Confidential now has its own YouTube channel and TuneIn channel. Catch up on recent episodes, on demand, on the go, and for free.
Alexa users: You can now listen to TV Confidential any time on your smart speaker just by saying “Alexa, play TV Confidential.” Become a TV Confidential Confidant and receive unlimited access to the last five years of TV Confidential and other Members Only privileges, including the opportunity to participate in select guest interviews, and more. Joining is easy. To find out how, go to TelevisionConfidential.com and click Become a Confidant.
Podcast of TV CONFIDENTIAL Show No. 505.5 with guest Linda Purl is now available for listening on demand
Linda Purl: Taking a Chance on Love
Original Airdates: Aug. 21-23, 2020
TVC 505.5: Ed welcomes singer/actress Linda Purl (Happy Days, Matlock, The Young Pioneers, The Office, Homeland, Desperate Housewives). Linda’s latest CD, Taking a Chance on Love, includes fresh takes on classic pop tunes from The Great American Songbook. Proceeds from sales of Linda Purl: Taking a Chance on Love will support the Actors Fund.
Linda Purl with Some Happy Days Memories
Original Airdates: Aug. 21-23, 2020
TVC 505.6: Singer/actress Linda Purl shares a few memories of working with Don Most, Jerry Paris, and Garry Marshall on Happy Days. Linda’s latest CD, Taking a Chance on Love, includes fresh takes on classic pop tunes from The Great American Songbook. Proceeds from sales of Linda Purl: Taking a Chance on Love will support the Actors Fund.
Podcast of TV CONFIDENTIAL Show No. 505: How TV Covered the March on Washington is now available for listening on demand
How TV Covered the March on Washington Original Airdates: Aug. 21-23, 2020 TVC 505.2: From August 2013: Phil Gries presents audio highlights of how network television and network radio covered the historic March on Washington on Aug. 28, 1963, when more than 200,000 Americans of every age, race and religion came to Washington, D.C. to support the passage of the landmark Civil Rights Bill. This segment includes clips of ABC News correspondent Howard K. Smith interviewing Philip Randolph, one of the “Big Six” organizers of the march; and NBC News correspondent Marvin Agronsky interviewing socialist, pacifist, and civil rights advocate Norman Thomas.
The Opposition to the March on Washington Original Airdates: Aug. 21-23, 2020 TVC 505.3: From August 2013: Phil Gries plays audio highlights of an ABC News segment from Aug. 28, 1963 in which Sen. Strom Thurmond (D./R.-SC) voiced his opposition to the March on Washington, and of the rebuttal by ABC News correspondent Howard K. Smith voicing his opposition to Thurmond. The audio heard in this segment is from Phil’s private collection.
Hollywood’s Support for the March of Washington Original Airdates: Aug. 21-23, 2020 TVC 505.4: From August 2013: Phil Gries presents audio highlights of how network television and network radio covered the historic March on Washington on Aug. 28, 1963, including NBC News interviews with march supporters Marlon Brando and Burt Lancaster, and ABC News correspondent Lisa Howard interviewing James Baldwin. Also in this segment: A brief excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech. Audio heard in this segment is from Phil’s private collection.