New Portal Features Television’s Greatest Stories

LOS ANGELES: The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation has launched EmmyTVLegends.org, a new video portal that offers free, public access to the Archive of American Television, a collection of videotaped interviews with more than 600 influential figures that have shaped the television industry.

Since 1996, the Archive has conducted in-depth interviews with television’s biggest stars, industry legends, and crucial behind-the-scenes players who make television magic. In 2005, the Archive began releasing the interviews online, but until now there was no easy way to search and navigate the footage.

Visitors can now enjoy such footage as: Mary Tyler Moore recalling what her comedic hero, Lucille Ball, told her one day on the set of The Dick Van Dyke Show," and why it was the most rewarding moment of her career; Phylicia Rashad revealing that Nelson Mandela credits The Cosby Show for easing tensions with his prison guard; recently departed news legend Walter Cronkite relating the difficulty of deciding to publicly and personally express his disillusionment about the Vietnam War on his newscast, and stars including Betty White, Alan Alda, William Shatner speaking at unprecedented length about their TV careers.

"We always envisioned the Archive of American Television as a free, dynamic, and accessible resource for anyone who loves the medium of television," said Television Academy Foundation chairman Jerry Petry. "EmmyTVLegends.org is a fascinating destination, serving up great stories and career reminiscences about your favorite television stars and programs, as well as all the drama, comedy, and twists of fate that created this medium and continue to shape it today."