Person to Person

Last updated
Person to Person
Person to Person (logo).jpg
Logo for the 2012 version
Genre Interview
Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner (1953–1959)
Bob Daily (1959–1960)
Presented by Edward R. Murrow (1953–1959)
Charles Collingwood (1959–1961)
Charlie Rose (2012)
Lara Logan (2012)
Norah O'Donnell (2022–present)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons9
Production
Executive producer Susan Zirinsky (2012)
ProducersJohn Aaron
Jesse Zousmer
Charles Hill
Robert Sammon
Edward R. Murrow
Running time30 minutes (original run)
60 minutes (revival)
Original release
Network CBS
ReleaseOctober 2, 1953 (1953-10-02) 
September 8, 1961 (1961-09-08)
ReleaseFebruary 8 (2012-02-08) 
November 23, 2012 (2012-11-23)

Person to Person is a popular television program in the United States that originally ran from 1953 to 1961, with two episodes of an attempted revival airing in 2012. Edward R. Murrow hosted the original series from its inception in 1953 until 1959, interviewing celebrities in their homes from a comfortable chair in his New York studio (his opening: "Good evening, I'm Ed Murrow. And the name of the program is 'Person to Person'. It's all live – there's no film"). In the last two years of its original run, Charles Collingwood was the host.

Contents

Although Murrow is best remembered as a reporter on programs such as Hear It Now and See It Now and for publicly confronting Senator Joseph McCarthy; on Person to Person he was a pioneer of the celebrity interview.

The program was well planned, but not strictly scripted, with as many as six cameras and TV lighting installed to cover the guest's moves through his home, and a microwave link to transmit the signals back to the network. The guests wore wireless microphones to pick up their voices as they moved around the home or its grounds. The interviews were done live. [1] The two 15-minute interviews in each program were typically with very different types of people, such as a movie star and a scientist. Guests often used the appearance to promote their latest project or book. [2]

Guests

The first guest was Roy Campanella, who had just hit a home run to win game 3 for the Brooklyn Dodgers against the New York Yankees in the 1953 World Series. He later appeared in a wheelchair in 1959 following his automobile accident. [3]

The long list of guests included then-Senator John F. Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline, Elizabeth Taylor, Andy Williams (1960), Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre Bernstein, Mae West, Jerry Lewis, Marlon Brando, Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, Liberace, Ethel Waters, [4] Sammy Davis Jr., Groucho and Harpo Marx, Margaret Mead, Harry Truman, Marilyn Monroe, W.C. Handy, Duke Ellington, Tallulah Bankhead, Noël Coward, Ethel Merman, Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, Fidel Castro, Bing Crosby, Julie Newmar, Leopold Stokowski, Kirk Douglas, and John Steinbeck. [5]

The show featuring Bing Crosby and Mary Margaret McBride in December 1954 was the first time the show appeared in the top-10 TV shows as measured by Trendex. [3] The highest-rated featured Elizabeth Taylor, Mike Todd, and Mark Van Doren with a 35 Trendex. [3]

Revivals

On December 15, 2011, CBS News announced they would bring back the news series with Charlie Rose and Lara Logan as hosts. [6] The network announced plans for two separately scheduled episodes, based on taped rather than live interviews. [7] According to Susan Zirinsky, an executive producer of the new show and of 48 Hours , they "tried to stay true to Edward R. Murrow's concept. The two reporters remain in New York, and we are taken in by the artist or the newsmaker into a special place. There's an intimacy when someone allows you into their home." [7]

The first episode, airing on February 8, 2012, featured interviews with George Clooney, Jon Bon Jovi, and Warren Buffett. [8] The premiere attracted 5.9 million viewers, less than a third of the viewers watching American Idol and fewer than the 8.44 million who watched The Middle ; it outrated One Tree Hill and Whitney , though the latter attracted a larger share of the 18–49 audience. [9]

Had the two specially scheduled episodes been well-received, Person to Person could have become a regularly scheduled series. [7] The second episode aired on November 23, 2012 (Black Friday), featuring Sean Penn, Alicia Keys, and Drew Brees.

In the rebranding of CBSN into CBS News in 2022, a second revival was announced to run on the service and be hosted by Norah O'Donnell. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bing Crosby</span> American singer and actor (1903–1977)

Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. was an American singer, actor, television producer, television and radio personality and businessman. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a leader in record sales, network radio ratings, and motion picture grosses from 1926 to 1977. He was one of the first global cultural icons. He made over 70 feature films and recorded more than 1,600 songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosemary Clooney</span> American singer and actress (1928–2002)

Rosemary Clooney was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the song "Come On-a My House", which was followed by other pop numbers such as "Botch-a-Me", "Mambo Italiano", "Tenderly", "Half as Much", "Hey There", "This Ole House", and "Sway". She also had success as a jazz vocalist. Clooney's career languished in the 1960s, partly because of problems related to depression and drug addiction, but revived in 1977, when her White Christmas co-star Bing Crosby asked her to appear with him at a show marking his 50th anniversary in show business. She continued recording until her death in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richie Sambora</span> American musician (born 1959)

Richard Stephen Sambora is an American musician, singer, songwriter and producer, best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Bon Jovi from 1983 to 2013. He and lead singer Jon Bon Jovi formed the main songwriting unit for the band. He has also released three solo albums: Stranger in This Town in 1991, Undiscovered Soul in 1998, and Aftermath of the Lowdown released in September 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward R. Murrow</span> American broadcast journalist (1908–1965)

Edward Roscoe Murrow was an American broadcast journalist and war correspondent. He first gained prominence during World War II with a series of live radio broadcasts from Europe for the news division of CBS. During the war he recruited and worked closely with a team of war correspondents who came to be known as the Murrow Boys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlie Rose</span> American TV interviewer and journalist (born 1942)

Charles Peete Rose Jr. is an American journalist and talk show host. From 1991 to 2017, he was the host and executive producer of the talk show Charlie Rose on PBS and Bloomberg LP.

The Merv Griffin Show is an American television talk show starring Merv Griffin. The series ran on NBC from 1962 to 1963; in first-run syndication from 1965 to 1969 and again from 1972 to 1986; and on CBS from 1969 to 1972.

<i>Entertainment Tonight</i> American television series

Entertainment Tonight is an American first-run syndicated news broadcasting newsmagazine program that is distributed by CBS Media Ventures throughout the United States and owned by Paramount Streaming. Having premiered on September 14, 1981, it holds the Guinness World Record as the longest-running entertainment news program on television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Crosby</span> American Dixieland bandleader and vocalist (1913–1993)

George Robert Crosby was an American jazz singer and bandleader, best known for his group the Bob-Cats, which formed around 1935. The Bob-Cats were a New Orleans Dixieland-style jazz octet. He was the younger brother of famed singer and actor Bing Crosby. On TV, Bob Crosby guest-starred in The Gisele MacKenzie Show. He was also a regular cast member of The Jack Benny Program, on both radio and television, taking over the role of bandleader after Phil Harris' departure. Crosby hosted his own afternoon TV variety show on CBS, The Bob Crosby Show (1953–1957). Crosby received two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, for television and radio.

<i>The Hollywood Palace</i> American television variety series

The Hollywood Palace is an hourlong American television variety show broadcast Saturday nights on ABC from January 4, 1964, to February 7, 1970. Titled The Saturday Night Hollywood Palace for its first few weeks, it began as a midseason replacement for The Jerry Lewis Show, another variety show, which lasted only three months.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Crosby (actor)</span> American actor and singer (1933–1995)

Gary Evan Crosby was an American actor and singer. His parents were Bing Crosby, of whom he wrote a highly critical memoir, and the singer and actress Dixie Lee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kathryn Crosby</span> American actress (born 1933)

Kathryn Crosby is a retired American actress and singer who performed in films under the stage names Kathryn Grant and Kathryn Grandstaff.

<i>Good Night, and Good Luck</i> 2005 historical drama film

Good Night, and Good Luck is a 2005 historical drama film about American television news directed by George Clooney, with the movie starring David Strathairn, Patricia Clarkson, Jeff Daniels, Robert Downey Jr., and Frank Langella as well as Clooney himself. The film was co-written by Clooney and Grant Heslov, and it portrays the conflict between veteran journalist Edward R. Murrow (Strathairn) and U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin, especially relating to the anti-communist Senator's actions with the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.

The Edsel Show is an hour-long television special broadcast live on CBS in the United States on October 13, 1957, intended to promote Ford Motor Company's new Edsel cars. It was a milestone in the long career of entertainer Bing Crosby and is notable as the first CBS entertainment program to be recorded on videotape for rebroadcast in the western part of the country following a live performance for the east coast. Crosby arranged for this ‘live’ program to be ‘produced’ by his alma mater Gonzaga University in order that the profits could go to them in a tax efficient way. The program won the Look Magazine TV Award for ‘Best Musical Show’ and was nominated for an Emmy as the “Best Single Program of the Year”.

<i>You Are There</i> (series) American historical educational television and radio series

You Are There is a 1947–1957 American historical educational television and radio series broadcast over the CBS Radio and CBS Television networks.

"On A Slow Boat to China" is a popular song by Frank Loesser published in 1948.

The Bing Crosby – Rosemary Clooney Show commonly referred to as just The Crosby – Clooney Show was an American old-time talk radio program.

The Bing Crosby Show for General Electric was a 30-minute variety old-time radio program starring entertainer Bing Crosby. The series ran on CBS radio from 1952 to 1954. The series was sponsored by the General Electric company and was usually recorded in Hollywood, although some shows were recorded in Palm Springs. The last seven shows of the first season were broadcast as though they had come from Paris, France, but they had actually been recorded in the US prior to Crosby's departure for Europe.

The Ford Show Featuring Bing Crosby was a 5-minute CBS network radio show broadcast from 1957 to 1958. It included an opening theme, one or two songs by Bing Crosby, commercials by Ken Carpenter, closing theme, and on occasion a guest such as Rosemary Clooney.

<i>A Christmas Sing with Bing</i> (1955–1962) American radio program series with a Christmas theme

A Christmas Sing with Bing was a series of transcribed radio hours hosted by Bing Crosby and broadcast on Christmas Eve for eight years from 1955 to 1962. The first edition of the program was released as an LP by Decca Records in 1956. Insurance Company of North America was the broadcast sponsor.

<i>The Ford 50th Anniversary Show</i> 1953 television special

The Ford 50th Anniversary Show, also known as The American Road, was a two-hour television special that was broadcast live on June 15, 1953, from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. Ford Motor Company purchased two hours of prime time from both NBC and CBS for an entertainment extravaganza celebrating the company's 50th anniversary. The program was presented without commercial interruption.

References

  1. McMahon, Ed; David Fisher (2007). When television was Young . Thomas Nelson Inc. pp.  146–149. ISBN   9781401603274 . Retrieved 25 January 2009. murrow person to person.
  2. Newcomb, Horace (2004). Encyclopedia of Television (2 ed.). CRC Press. pp. 1747–1748. ISBN   9781579584115 . Retrieved 25 January 2009.
  3. 1 2 3 Traube, Leonard (June 24, 1959). "Murrow's 'Good Night & Good Luck'". Variety. p. 97. Retrieved June 16, 2019 via Archive.org.
  4. Bogle, Donald (2011). Heat Wave: The Life and Career of Ethel Waters. HarperCollins. pp. 476–477. ISBN   9780062041722.
  5. "Thank You from "Person to Person"". Variety. June 24, 1959. p. 97. Retrieved June 16, 2019 via Archive.org.
  6. "CBS News Brings Back 'Person to Person'". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 11, 2012. Retrieved December 15, 2011.
  7. 1 2 3 Stelter, Brian (February 2, 2012). "Clooney, Buffett and Bon Jovi Featured on First Person to Person". Media Decoder (blog). The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-03-12.
  8. de Moraes, Lisa (February 2, 2012). "'Person to Person' announces lineup: George Clooney, Jon Bon Jovi, Warren Buffett - The TV Column". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2012-02-04.
  9. Seidman, Robert (February 9, 2012). "Wednesday Final Ratings: American Idol, Suburgatory Adjusted Up; Happy Endings, CSI, SVU, Among Many Downward Adjustments". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 12, 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-12.
  10. Steinberg, Brian (January 24, 2022). "CBS Raises Stakes in TV's Broadband News Battle: Top Anchors Will Tackle New Streaming Shows". Variety. Retrieved January 24, 2022.