April 28th, 1957- April 18th, 1968 (with Mike Wallace) continuing till September 14th, 1958-ABC

A half-hour interview series with host Mike Wallace.
On this debut show, Mike interviews actress Gloria Swanson.

Series Premiere.  

NOTE:
   Status of The Mike Wallace Interview
A total of 72 episodes of The Mike Wallace Interview were broadcast by ABC between 1957 and 1958. The series premiered on April 28th, 1957 and was sponsored by Phillip Morris through the April 18th, 1958 episode. The Fund for the Republic then sponsored a 13-week set of interviews entitled “Liberty and Freedom” (one of which was never broadcast) followed by an additional six episodes. The final broadcast took place on September 14th, 1958.

My article about The Mike Wallace Interview can be found here.

The Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin has 66 of the 72 episodes of The Mike Wallace Interview. Five are only available as audio recordings while the rest are kinescopes that have been digitized and made available for viewing online. The Ransom Center also has a transcript of the Ben Hecht interview (broadcast February 25th, 1958) but no audio or video. One of the episodes the Ransom Center does not have a copy of is the controversial Mickey Cohen broadcast from May 19th, 1957.

According to Steve Winston, Associate Curator of Film at the Ransom Center, “There are reports that the BBC still has some excerpts though we have not been able to locate the specific department that might hold them. Other than that, the interview appears to be lost.” Audio of the Cohen episode is part of Archival Television Audio, Inc. collection.

Also missing from the Ransom Center’s collection are the two retractions read by ABC’s Oliver Treyz on May 27th and December 14th. According to Winston, “We have no idea why the footage was not included in the kinescope. We don’t know if they were removed later, or if they were never recorded in the first place.” Archival Television Audio, Inc. has the May 27th retraction read by Treyz.

The UCLA Film & Television Archive has two episodes of the series: the Cyrus Eaton interview that is audio only at the Ransom Center and the Ben Hecht interview that the Ransom Center only has a transcript for. Both the Museum of Broadcasting and The Paley Center for Media have several episodes that are also part of the Ransom Center’s collection.

(According to a December 1957 article in The Los Angeles Times, a filmed “stand-by interview” with Evelyn Rudie was always ready to be used in the event a guest didn’t show up. It is not included in the episode count and its current whereabouts are unknown.)

Abbreviations:                                             

April 28th, 1957-September 14th, 1958-ABC

A half-hour interview series with host Mike Wallace.

The Guest is Eldon Edwards, the "Imperial Wizard" of the Klu Klux Klan.

                                                

April 28th, 1957-September 14th, 1958 (ABC)

A half-hour interview series with host Mike Wallace.

Mike Wallace interviews gangster Mickey Cohen. Cohen discusses the rackets and calls the Los Angeles police chief William H. Parker "a sadistic degenerate."  
 
NOTE: The vast majority of the 72 episodes of ABC’s The Mike Wallace Interview are collected (and have been digitized) at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas. Several of those episodes exist solely on audio. However, one of the most controversial episodes–in which Wallace interviewed Mickey Cohen–is not part of the Ransom collection. Nor can it be found at any of the other big four television archives.

It can, however, be found at Archival Television Audio, Inc. ATA has the complete Mickey Cohen episode (originally broadcast May 19th, 1957). It also has the retraction read by ABC’s Oliver Treyz the following week, October 26, 1957; Ransom has this episode (with Senator Wayne Morse) but the retraction by Treyz is not included nor is a brief retraction by Wallace himself. 
                                                                                                           

April 28th, 1957-September 14th, 1958 (ABC)

A half-hour interview series with host Mike Wallace.

Mike Wallace interviews gangster Mickey Cohen. Cohen discusses the rackets and calls the Los Angeles police chief William H. Parker "a sadistic degenerate."  
 
Also included, the opening of the "lost" Mike Wallace Interview, broadcast, the following week, May 26, 1958:
Host Mike Wallace issues an apology and retracts the statements made by Mickey Cohen, the week before, that adversely reflected the character of Los Angeles police chief William H.Parker and others.

Vice President of ABC TV Oliver Treyz appears and retracts all statements Mickey Cohen made adversely reflecting the character of the Los Angeles  Police Chief William H. Parker,  and others.

NOTE: The vast majority of the 72 episodes of ABC’s The Mike Wallace Interview are collected (and have been digitized) at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas. Several of those episodes exist solely on audio. However, one of the most controversial episodes–in which Wallace interviewed Mickey Cohen–is not part of the Ransom collection. Nor can it be found at any of the other big four television archives.

It can, however, be found at Archival Television Audio, Inc. ATA has the complete Mickey Cohen episode (originally broadcast May 19th, 1957). It also has the retraction read by ABC’s Oliver Treyz the following week, October 26, 1957; Ransom has this episode (with Senator Wayne Morse) but the retraction by Treyz is not included nor is a brief retraction by Wallace himself. 
                                                                                                                        

April 28th, 1957-September 14th, 1958-ABC

A half-hour interview series with host Mike Wallace.

Host Mike Wallace issues an apology and retracts the statements made by Mickey Cohen, the week before, that adversely reflected the character of Los Angeles police chief William H.Parker and others.

Vice President of ABC TV Oliver Treys appears and retracts all statements Mickey Cohen made adversely reflecting the character of the Los Angeles  Police Chief William H. Parker,  and others.

Wallace interviews Wayne Morse, Democratic Senator from Oregon.

                                                                                         

April 28th, 1957-September 14th, 1958-ABC

A half-hour interview series with host Mike Wallace.

Mike Wallace interviews "Commando" Chuck Kelly, a World War 11 hero. He discusses his misfortunes in civilian life, his business failures, Pollyanna attitudes, wartime experiences, his feelings about killing Germans, the Red Cross, the American Legion, and WACS.                                                                

April 28th, 1957-September 14th, 1958-ABC

A half-hour interview series with host Mike Wallace.

Mike Wallace interviews Steve Allen. Topics include his feud with Ed Sullivan, ratings, and programming. He comments on American journalist Westbrook Pegler, and Eddie Cantor. 
                                                               

April 28th, 1957-September 14th, 1958-ABC

A half-hour interview series with host Mike Wallace.

Mike Wallace interviews actress Diana Barrymore.                                                

April 28th, 1957-September 14th, 1958-ABC

A half-hour interview series with host Mike Wallace.

Mike Wallace interviews Senator James Eastland of Mississippi.
Eastland, a violent segregationist talks about civil rights.                                                          

April 28th, 1957-September 14th, 1958-ABC

A half-hour interview series with host Mike Wallace.

Mike Wallace interviews architect and writer Frank Lloyd Wright. 

                                                                       

April 28th, 1957-September 14th, 1958-ABC

A half-hour interview series with host Mike Wallace.

Guest: Dagmar. Interview parts 1 and 2.

                                                             

April 28th, 1957-September 14th, 1958-ABC

A half-hour interview series with host Mike Wallace.

The Guest is Lili St. Cyr, stripper and burlesque dancer.

                                                             

April 28th, 1957-September 14th, 1958-ABC

A half-hour interview series with host Mike Wallace.

Mike Wallace interviews Elsa Maxwell. Topics include her opinions on international party makers, personalities such as Khrushchev, Jayne Mansfield, Elvis Presley, Maria Callas, Cleveland Amory, the immorality in high society, and divorce. 



                                                                          

April 28th, 1957-September 14th, 1958-ABC

A half-hour interview series with host Mike Wallace.

Mike Wallace interviews Bennett Cerf. The topics include the current state of television.

                                                             

April 28th, 1957-September 14th, 1958-ABC

A half-hour interview series with host Mike Wallace.

Mike Wallace interviews columnist Drew Pearson. The topics include the current crisis resulting from Sputnick and Vanguard, President Eisenhower illness, he predicts Richard Nixon will be the President of the United States within a year (following Eisenhower's resignation), he speaks of Senator John F. Kennedy and his "synthetic public relations buildup," he claims that Kennedy's book "Profiles in Courage" was ghost-written, he also comments on former President Truman and Eisenhower's press secretary James Hagerty.

                                                                                       

April 28th, 1957- April 18th, 1958 (with Mike Wallace) continuing till September 14th, 1958-ABC

A half-hour interview series with host Mike Wallace.
Mike interviews playwright Tennessee Williams.

NOTE:
One of the rare "lost" MIKE WALLACE INTERVIEW broadcasts, of which all but two of the 72 broadcasts survive.  

NOTE:
         Status of The Mike Wallace Interview
A total of 72 episodes of The Mike Wallace Interview were broadcast by ABC between 1957 and 1958. The series premiered on April 28th, 1957 and was sponsored by Phillip Morris through the April 19th, 1958 episode. The Fund for the Republic then sponsored a 13-week set of Mike Wallace interviews entitled “Liberty and Freedom” (one of which was never broadcast) followed by an additional six episodes. The final broadcast took place on September 14th, 1958.

The Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin has 68 of the 72 episodes of The Mike Wallace Interview, donated by Mike Wallace in the 1960's. Four of these broadcasts are only available as audio recordings while the rest are kinescopes. 
The Ransom Center also has a transcript of the Ben Hecht interview (broadcast February 25th, 1958) as well as a kinescope of this show. One of the episodes the Ransom Center does not have is a copy of is the controversial Mickey Cohen broadcast from May 19th, 1957.

According to Steve Winston, Associate Curator of Film at the Ransom Center, “There are reports that the BBC still has some excerpts though we have not been able to locate the specific department that might hold them. Other than that, both interview and retractions appears to be lost.” 

Also missing from the Ransom Center’s collection are the two retractions read by ABC’s Oliver Treyz and Mike Wallace on May 27th  which Archival Television Audio, Inc. does have and December 14th. According to Winston, “We have no idea why the footage was not included in the kinescope. We don’t know if they were removed later, or if they were never recorded in the first place.” 

The UCLA Film & Television Archive has two episodes of the series: the Cyrus Eaton interview that is audio only at the Ransom Center and the Ben Hecht interview that the Ransom Center also retains as a kinescope. Both the Museum of Broadcasting and The Paley Center for Media have several episodes that are also part of the Ransom Center’s collection.

(According to a December 1957 article in The Los Angeles Times, a filmed “stand-by interview” with Evelyn Rudie was always ready to be used in the event a guest didn’t show up. It is not included in the episode count and its current whereabouts are unknown.)
                                                                                    

April 28th, 1957-September 14th, 1958-ABC

A half-hour interview series with host Mike Wallace.

The Guest is Tennessee Williams.

                                                                          

April 28th, 1957-September 14th, 1958-ABC

A half-hour interview series with host Mike Wallace.

Guest: Tennessee Williams