TVC 690.1: Ed welcomes back film and television actor James DuMont (The Righteous Gemstones, American Sports Story, The Butler). One of the busiest performers in and out of Hollywood, James can currently be seen opposite Don Johnson, Isabelle Fuhrman, and Jack Huston in Unit 234, the new thriller directed by Andy Tennant that is currently available for viewing on demand after a limited theatrical release in Los Angeles, Atlanta, and other select U.S. cities. Topics this segment include a discussion on the difference between “fortune” and “luck,” and why every actor must continue to work on getting better at their craft if they wish to enjoy a long and successful career.

TVC 690.2: James DuMont talks to Ed about working opposite Don Johnson in the new action thriller Unit 234; his approach to playing the detective who prosecuted fallen NFL superstar Aaron Hernandez in American Sports Story; and the joy of working alongside his son, actor Kelton DuMont, on The Righteous Gemstones. Unit 234 is now available for viewing on demand on Amazon Prime and other steaming platforms.

TVC 690.3: Ed welcomes back Harry Castleman and Walter J. Podrazik, co-authors of Watching TV: American Television Season by Season, a sweeping look at the history of television from 1944 through the present day, from its early inception as a passive activity to its current form as a multi-tiered experience. Recently updated and re-released as a fourth edition, Watching TV not only takes you behind the scenes of every prime time season and prime time schedule over the past nine decades, but includes an ongoing timeline of the major personalities, trends, and breakout shows that comprise the individual stories of each television season. Watching TV: Revised Fourth Edition is available wherever books are sold through Syracuse University Press. Topics this segment include how, despite the many ways in which television has changed since 1944, two things have remained constant: (1) networks want to control the content we watch, while viewers want as many choices as possible, and (2) viewers want to pay as little as possible for the content they watch.

TVC 690.4: Harry Castleman and Walter J. Podrazik, co-authors of Watching TV: American Television Season by Season, talk to Ed about how the phenomenon of “time shifting” for TV viewers began long before the era of streaming; why Jack Gould, television critic for the New York Times during the 1950s and ’60s, can be considered one of the first “influencers” of television (and why Gould was particularly enamored of the many live dramatic anthology series that dominated the first decade of network TV); and why Michael Nesmith (The Monkees, Elephant Parts) was proud to be one of the influencers of television during the mid-to-late 1960s—an era that Nesmith once described to Wally as the “teen age” years of the medium. Watching TV: Revised Fourth Edition is available wherever books are sold through Syracuse University Press.

TVC 689.1: Part 2 of a conversation that began two programs ago with Dore Page, author of Leslie Stevens Goes to Hollywood: Daystar Productions, Kate Manx and the Making of Private Property, a deep dive into the life and career of the maverick television writer and producer best known as the creator of The Outer Limits that particularly focuses on the making of Private Property (1960), the New Wave-style erotic thriller starring Corey Allen, Warren Oates, and Stevens’ wife at the time, Kate Manx. April 2025 marked the 65th anniversary of the release of Private Property. In this segment, Ed, Dore, and guest co-host Chuck Harter discuss the mysterious nature of Manx’s death in November 1964, as well as the reasons why Private Property was branded as “indecent” at the time it was originally released—even though the subject matter is quite tame when viewed through a contemporary lens. Leslie Stevens Goes to Hollywood is available through McFarland Books.

TVC 689.2: Dore Page, author of Leslie Stevens Goes to Hollywood: Daystar Productions, Kate Manx and the Making of Private Property, talks to Ed and guest co-host Chuck Harter about Stoney Burke (ABC, 1962-1963), the “art house” look at the lives of 20th-century rodeo riders starring Jack Lord, Bruce Dern, and Warren Oates and produced by Leslie Stevens that ABC canceled after one season—despite garnering a 38 share—partly because the show was considered too ethereal for sponsors to get behind. Other topics this segment include how Warren Oates’ character on Stoney Burke can be considered a forerunner to Angel Martin (the character that Stuart Margolin later played on The Rockford Files), and how Stevens came to pattern his independent production company, Daystar Productions, after Quinn Martin Productions once Stevens decided to focus on developing projects for television. Leslie Stevens Goes to Hollywood is available through McFarland Books.

TVC 689.3: Ed welcomes back singer, actress, and philanthropist Ruta Lee (High Rollers, Witness for the Prosecution, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Consider Your Ass Kissed). Ruta will celebrate her ninetieth birthday this coming Friday, May 30 with an evening of song and stories at the Debbie Reynolds Main Stage at the historic El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood. Proceeds for the evening will support The Thalians, the charitable organization to which Ruta has dedicated much of her life over the past sixty years, and which to date has raised has raised more than $50 million for mental health related causes. (NOTE: Though Ruta’s performance on May 30 has sold out, you can still make a donation to The Thalians in any amount by going to Thalians.org.)

Among other topics this segment, Ruta shares a few memories of co-starring opposite Patrick O’Neal in “A Short Drink from a Certain Fountain,” an episode of The Twilight Zone from 1963 that Ruta considers one of her all-time favorite television performances, not only because of the character she played, but for the opportunity to perform the words of the great Rod Serling. Ruta also tells Ed why her experience filming Sergeants 3 (1962) with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop—and hanging out with the Rat Pack in general—ranks as her “favorite time in life.”

TVC 689.4: Entertainment legend Ruta Lee talks to Ed about how she landed her role in Witness for the Prosecution after producer Arthur Hornblow Jr. spotted her in the audience at a Frank Sinatra concert; why it’s important to recognize those moments in life when a benefit happens, and to be grateful for that benefit; the story of Dean Martin’s playful nickname for Ruta; and the great compliment that playwright and composer Meredith Willson (The Music Man, The Unsinkable Molly Brown) paid Ruta when he first saw her play Molly Brown on stage at Casa Manana in Texas.

Ruta Lee will celebrate her ninetieth birthday on Friday, May 30 with an evening of song and stories at the Debbie Reynolds Main Stage at the historic El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood. Proceeds will support The Thalians, the charitable organization to which Ruta has dedicated much of her life over the past sixty years. Though the May 30 performance has sold out, you can still donate to The Thalians by going to Thalians.org.