Author Archives: Ralph

Prepping OIL

FILMED April-November 1980 Monday morning, March 3, 1980, I reported to the 20th Century Fox lot to start my prep of OIL. The previous two days I spent much of the time at Sarane’s house, where stunned relatives and friends … Continue reading

Posted in Dynasty | 8 Comments

Oil

FILMED April-November 1980 Sarane. A beautiful name. An unusual name. Sarane was my first cousin, and her mother created the name. As per Jewish custom she was named for a deceased relative and given the Hebrew name (phonetically) of Sora, … Continue reading

Posted in Dynasty | 18 Comments

The Scavengers: Part II

FILMED November 1978 During its first two season on the air as a regular series, when the format was a continuing story week to week, HOW THE WEST WAS WON started each episode with a lengthy recap of the story … Continue reading

Posted in How The West Was Won | 1 Comment

The Scavengers

FILMED November 1978 Late in 1978 I was booked to direct an episode of HOW THE WEST WAS WON, a 90-minute weekly series produced at my old stomping grounds in Culver City, MGM. The series had a fascinating gestation history. … Continue reading

Posted in How The West Was Won | 2 Comments

The Portrait

FILMED August 1978 Last week after I posted THE MONEY FARM, an episode of JUDD FOR THE DEFENSE, on my website, I received the following e-mail from a friend: We just finished watching/reading The Money Farm and loved it. Sure … Continue reading

Posted in The Waltons | 8 Comments

The Money Farm

FILMED August 1967 There was a published theatre book when I graduated from the Pasadena Playhouse written by Frenchman Georges Polti: THE THIRTY-SIX DRAMATIC SITUATIONS. The book listed his thirty-six situations and contained extended explanations and examples of every one … Continue reading

Posted in Judd For The Defense | 10 Comments

The Snow Job

FILMED  October  1972 Venice, California is a beachfront neighborhood of the city of Los Angeles, situated south of Santa Monica. Founded in 1905 as a seaside resort town, several miles of canals were dug to drain the marshes in preparation … Continue reading

Posted in The Rookies | 12 Comments

Perilous Times

FILMED February 1965 Come September 2, 2014, it will be five years since I launched the trek that evolved into this website. As I approach this fifth anniversary, I am recognizing the journey has proved to be so much more … Continue reading

Posted in Chrysler Theatre | 17 Comments

The Deadly Species

FILMED January 1972 Great article, Mr. Senensky, real “who’s who” of superb 60s and 70s television actors. The above was part of a COMMENT left on my last post — ARRANGEMENT WITH TERROR. The writer was referring to the actors … Continue reading

Posted in The FBI | 5 Comments

Arrangement With Terror

FILMED November 1971 There was something different about that opening. Did you catch it? ARRANGEMENT WITH TERROR was the fifteenth episode of THE FBI that I directed. It was only the second one where the criminal charged with the crime … Continue reading

Posted in The FBI | 8 Comments