The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation this week launched EmmyTVLegends.org, which gives online viewers unique access to the Academy’s vast stores of oral histories, recorded on video for posterity. I’ll be upfront and say that I haven’t watched all of these videos — but that’s because it’d be nearly impossible to do so. More than 200 television industry figures have been interviewed for the project, with many more still to come, so there are hundreds of hours of footage preserved for those interested.
But while sheer volume is the main reason I haven’t watched them all, it doesn’t help that the interviewing approach taken in these videos — which are condensed down from hours of footage to approximately half-hour chunks — is pretty dull and dry. Sound quality is inconsistent; many are well-recorded, but some (like the Michael J. Fox interview) are quiet and tinny. And there’s an obsession with leading in on the question “Is that your real name?” which makes for an especially poor kick-off, and there’s also no modulation in terms of camera work or editing. Frankly, when you’ve made Beatrice Arthur boring, you know you’ve doing something wrong.
Fortunately, though, the videos have been annotated and cataloged for content, not just person, and there are some real treasures once you dig in. Topics one can browse by include Bloopers; Creative Influences and Inspiration; Historic Events and Social Change; and Memorable Moments on Television. You can also explore by name of show discussed.
By clicking on the Pop Culture topic, for example, you learn how, exactly, the character of Mr. Sulu on Star Trek got his name (hint: according to George Takei, Gene Roddenberry was trying to find something vaguely pan-Asian). Interested in the show House? Director Paris Barclay has nothing but nice things to say about Hugh Laurie’s accent, and offers great detail on the challenges of directing the Emmy-winning episode Three Stories. And makeup artist Rick Baker, the only person currently categorized as a stylist, has advice for those aspiring to create special effects makeup.
What’s impressive is the range of those interviewed, from actors to writers to professionals at all levels of the industry. And as more and more legends are lost, the value of this archive becomes clearer. Variety columnist Army Archerd, for example, passed away last week, but anecdotes like the one about his decision to break the story that Rock Hudson was dying of AIDS — extremely controversial for 1986 — remain accessible.
The archive is thus a mixed bag, but valuable nonetheless. Because as a resource, these videos are precious. But it’s the web site’s interactivity that actually makes them worth watching.
