Title:
Arte Johnson ACA Oral History, June 2, 2005.
Creator:
Johnson, Arte, 1929-2019
Creator:
Dana, Bill, 1924-2017
Creator:
Matz, Jenni
Creator:
Emerson College. American Comedy Archives
Record Type:
digital moving image formats
Record Type:
oral histories (literary works)
Date:
2005-06-02
Description:
In his one-hour interview for the American Comedy Archives at Emerson College, Arte Johnson (1929-2019) talks about transitioning from doing publicity at Viking Press to show business and his first audition for "Gentleman Prefer Blondes." He recounts his first experience working with Jack Benny and working on the comedy series "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In." He talks about ad-libbing and using double-talk and different dialects to create ethnic characters. He also discusses what makes a comedian, and how it's important to have a back-up career during down-turns in their show business career. Jenni Matz and Bill Dana conducted the interview on June 2, 2005 in Los Angeles, CA. Additional topics covered include: Creative Influences and Inspiration, Pivotal Career Moments, Television Industry, Comedy Series, Daytime/Primetime Serials, and Game Shows. Other shows mentioned during the interview include '3-2-1 Contact,' 'The Andy Griffith Show,' 'The Dick Van Dyke Show,' 'The Donna Reed Show,' 'Don’t Call me Charlie,' 'Fantasy Island,' 'The Gong Show,' 'It’s Always Jan,' 'The Jack Benny Program,' 'Knockout,' 'Lost in Space,' 'The Love Boat,' 'Mama,' 'The Partridge Family,' 'Playboy after Dark,' 'Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In,' and 'Sally.'
Extent:
00:54:37
Subject:
Actors
Subject:
Television broadcasting
Subject:
Bearde, Chris
Subject:
Benny, Jack, 1894-1974
Subject:
Burns, George, 1896-1996
Subject:
Carroll, Pat, 1927-
Subject:
Darin, Bobby
Subject:
Davis, Sammy, Jr., 1925-1990
Subject:
Glick, Milton, 1937-2011
Subject:
Hope, Bob, 1903-2003
Subject:
Horne, Lena
Subject:
Kaye, Danny
Subject:
Keyes, Paul W., 1924-2004
Subject:
Monk, Julius, 1912-1995
Subject:
Schlatter, George, 1932-
Subject:
Winters, Jonathan
Collection:
Bill Dana Oral History Interview Collection (ACC-MSS 002), 1L
Location:
Emerson College Archives and Special Collections
Rights Restrictions:
This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) (http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/). For questions about rights statements, or access to the original document please contact the Emerson College Archives and Special Collections at www.emerson.edu/library/archives.
Access Restrictions:
No known access restrictions.
Language:
English
Identifier:
acc_mss002_johnson_2005_06_02.mp4
