Author Archives: Ralph

The Gift

FILMED November 1973 When I returned to THE WALTONS in November, the script I was assigned to direct felt like a gift. It was going to give me the opportunity to make an audience cry. My main goal when directing … Continue reading

Posted in The Waltons | 7 Comments

The Chicken Thief

FILMED August 1973 The year following TO TASTE OF TERROR on THE ROOKIES was a bleak year professionally. I was back directing the longer form, but the days of going from a great script on TWILIGHT ZONE to another on … Continue reading

Posted in The Waltons | 21 Comments

To Taste Of Terror

FILMED July 1972 By the beginning of the 1972-73 season I was back doing hour-long shows exclusively. I should have said back doing hour-long DETECTIVE shows exclusively. After DAN AUGUST I stayed on at QM for another batch of THE … Continue reading

Posted in The Rookies | 2 Comments

Dead Witness To A Killing

FILMED November 1970 Five months after fighting the sands of Point Dume I was still bouncing back and forth between sit-coms and drama. The comedy bookends were NANNY AND THE PROFESSOR and THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY; the dramas in the middle … Continue reading

Posted in Dan August | 10 Comments

The Sharpshooter

FILMED June 1970 My transformation from dramatic director of hour-long shows to comedy director of sit-coms had been very abrupt. In August of 1968 I was the former; in December of the same year after a four-month work-free hiatus I … Continue reading

Posted in Matt Lincoln | 7 Comments

The Undergraduate

FILMED July 1971 Television has never been hesitant or disinclined when it came to stealing from the movies. I should know. I’ve been involved in several of those heists. On DR. KILDARE, when I was the assistant to the producer, Buzz … Continue reading

Posted in The Partridge Family | 9 Comments

Guess Who’s Coming To Drive?

FILMED June 1971 I was told that one of the directors (who shall remain nameless) of THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY came into the producer’s office on his first day of prep, tossed his script on the producer’s desk and said, “Okay! What … Continue reading

Posted in The Partridge Family | 5 Comments

Dora! Dora! Dora

FILMED June 1971 And thus began what I thought was a very funny script. It was entitled DORA! DORA! DORA! (a play on words of the Twentieth Century Fox war film, TORA! TORA! TORA!) and was written by Lloyd Turner … Continue reading

Posted in The Partridge Family | 6 Comments

Forty Year Itch

FILMED May 1971 Five months after I got the Partridge down from the Pear Tree, when I was firmly ensconced as a sit-com director but also reestablished to my pre-THE THOLIAN WEB situation as a reliable director of dramas, I … Continue reading

Posted in The Partridge Family | 7 Comments

A Partridge Up A Pear Tree

FILMED December 1970 First a slight correction in the interview: Lenny Horn was an associate director, not an associate producer, on PLAYHOUSE 90. He sat at the control panels next to the director during the airing, working a step ahead … Continue reading

Posted in The Partridge Family | 5 Comments