September 26, 1960 - December 28, 1962
Jack Linkletter drives to the Santa Rosa Ranch of Joel McCrea, where he and his wife, the former actress Frances Dee, and his family, Jody 28, David 22, and Peter 7 have lived for many years.
It is a working 2000 acre ranch with cattle as its main enterprise.
Joel explains why he originally bought the ranch on advice from colleague and fellow actor, Will Rogers. We hear many anecdotes form Joel McCrea including delivering the LA Times to motion picture stars, producers, and directors who later became contacts for him entering acting. Joel relates how he first met Rudolf Valentino, Ruth Roland and Cecil B. DeMille giving him first breaks getting into the movies as a stuntman, actor and how he once doubled for Greta Garbo in 1929. McCrea states that in the early years actors really wanted to act not like today when money and fame are more their motivation.
Other discussion includes how relaxed an actor he is, why he turned down a role starring opposite Lana Turner and his confrontation with studio chief, Louis B. Mayer, comparing yesterday's films with todays more distasteful films being produced. Joel describes a miniature stage coach given to his sons by director Frank Lloyd...a replica from the movie Wells Fargo which Joel McCrea starred in in 1938. He also talks about his current film release Ride The High Country (1962).
There is an anecdote about Studio boss Sam Goldwyn always spelling his name incorrectly, and his four principles of philosophy applied to living which include Honesty, Unselfishness, Purity and Love.
McCrea discusses his ethics and approach bringing up of his three sons, his 28 year marriage to retired actress Frances Dee.
Eldest son Jody, chimes in and talks briefly about his acting career including trick riding. He states that he has been riding horses since he was two years old, and demonstrates roping a steer on his first try.
NOTE: This is a rare insightful interview, one of only a few that Joel McCrea would ever do on Television. It is a "Lost" broadcast the original tape erased over 50 years ago by NBC.
Here's Hollywood (568 broadcasts) aired as a half-hour interview program, weekday afternoons on NBC at 4:30pm. On October 2, 1961 the show was reduced five minutes giving way to a live news broadcast with Sander Vanocur which aired at 4:55pm.
Here's Hollywood was the leading daytime show for two years. It was the first TV broadcast of its kind, using two mobile vans equipped with 2" video tape equipment which traveled to the homes of celebrities...two locations each day, one star in the morning and one in the afternoon. Most of the interviews aired were ten minutes in length. Two different interviews comprised the full length of the half hour program. Occasionally, one subject would be interviewed for the complete program. Occasionally programs were produced outside of the United States...Hawaii, Germany, France. Five color broadcasts were attempted and then the concept abandoned, due to the complexity of 2" quadruplex video tape at the time.
Dean Miller conducted interviews from September 26, 1960 to September 29, 1961. He was replaced by Jack Linkletter who conducted interviews from October 2, 1961 to December 28, 1962. Joanne Jordan conducted interviews from September 26, 1960 to June 9, 1961. She was replaced by Helen O'Connell who conducted interviews from June 13, 1961 to December 28, 1962.
Note: Only a handful of the 1,100 different interviews survive. Most were erased, discarded, misplaced. NBC Archives have only two surviving kinescopes, one with Joe E. Brown (12-2-61), and one with Linda Darnell (12-4-61). UCLA Film & TV Archive has 46 different subject interview kinescopes on separate negative film and separate optical film.
One surviving complete Here's Hollywood video tape has been uploaded in 2019 by Ron DeFore (personal family copy), showing a visit to the Don Defore's home, including visiting with entire family. Broadcast March 22, 1961.
Archival Television Audio has 82 broadcasts on audio tape, originally recorded by Phil Gries at the time the broadcasts first aired. Most of them are complete interviews. These television Audio Air Checks represent the greatest number of known surviving HERE'S HOLLYWOOD broadcast episodes.
UCLA FILM & Television Archives retains, in their vaults, the greatest number of individual original HERE'S HOLLYWOOD separate 16mm Kinescopes and coinciding separate optical and magnetic sound tracks, representing approximately four dozen shows. Almost ALL of these broadcasts remain in analog form, and not viewable as composite video and audio or accessible in transcript documentation.
