Stanley Siegel Collection Library Footage
Stanley Siegel on Stanley Siegel Collection Footage

Stanley Siegel

Stanley Siegel Collection

1970-2016

Color Videotape

The irrepressible Stanley Siegel pioneered an exciting and dynamic television interview style in the 1970s with his hit morning show in New York City. Stanley believed that TV news anchors had become dull cardboard-cutouts who lacked substance and real character so he set about tackling his interview subjects with a refreshingly unscripted (and sometimes unhinged) approach, with results ranging from the hard-hitting to the ridiculous. Whether he was talking to a local hot dog vendor or a world famous movie star, Stanley had a knack for showing another side of his guests.

Early one morning on his way to the studio, Stanley encountered Truman Capote who was stumbling out of a cab and invited him to appear on the show which was going on the air live in a matter of minutes. Where most TV hosts would have faltered and had great difficulty handling a drunken guest and his unintelligible rambling, Siegel proceeded to deftly lead Capote on a starkly emotional discussion of his problem and the prospect of recovery.

Stanley would take twists and turns during his interviews; would seek to turn them into a confrontation, a therapy session or sometimes even a circus sideshow. By the late seventies, Stanley’s passionate and somewhat manic energy shook up the status quo in the biggest TV market in the USA and paved the way for the likes of such charismatic names as Phil Donahue and Geraldo Rivera.

Still Stanley seemed continually frustrated throughout his career that TV reporters and newsmen were expected to be "yes men" for the network and station-owners, pushing the company agenda and talking on their scripts. He considered it his mission to try and change that and a result he moved jobs/markets frequently through the 70s, 80s and 90s due to run-ins with the powers that be at the stations.

In the late 1970s Stanley hooked up with Roger Ailes who became his producer. Roger was a 'good sport' in Stanley's words and put up with all manner of Siegel’s crazy on-air stunts. It is clear that Stanley strongly influenced Roger Ailes, who had previously worked with the likes of Mike Douglas on more tame and traditional talk programming. Roger of course went on to change the way TV news is presented at Fox News and in this day and age anchors mouthing-off and showing their stripes has become more the rule than the exception. Stanley had a small but significant role in that evolution, for better or worse, and he continued to break the rules in television for over 50 years, working steadily right up until the time of his death in 2016.

Stanley Siegel’s incomparable legacy comprises a fascinating collection of hundreds upon hundreds of unique interviews with many great actors, authors, politicians, musicians, gangsters, and regular everyday folk running the gamut from housewives to taxi drivers to street hustlers. Guests on The Stanley Siegel Show include Johnny Cash, Jimmy Carter, Bette Davis, Sylvester Stallone, William F. Buckley, Gore Vidal, Billy Dee Williams, Sargent Shriver, OJ Simpson, Melvin Belli, Sammy Davis Jr, Dolly Parton, Roy Cohn, Nancy Reagan, George Willig, Phillipe Petit, Steve Martin, Sparks, Warren Beatty, Ann Margret, Norman Mailer, Abba Eban, Andrew Young, Kenny Rogers, Don King, Jimmy Breslin, Mayor Abe Beame, Terry Bradshaw, Truman Capote, Milton Berle, Christine Jorgensen, James Earl Jones, Jerry Falwell, Lynn Redgrave, Barbara Walters, Bob Guccione Jr, Tony Curtis, Magic Johnson, Bob Mackie, Jack Lemmon, Shelley Winters, Anthony Perkins, Governor Jerry Brown, Elliot Gould, Omar Sharif, Jon Peters, Howard Cosell and more!

Stanley Siegel Collection Television Library includes footage of:

Steve Martin Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Steve Martin

Sylvester Stallone Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Sylvester Stallone

Warren Beatty Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Warren Beatty

Ann-Margret Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Ann-Margret

Penelope Spheeris Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Penelope Spheeris

Berlin Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Berlin

Nudists Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Nudists

Swingers Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Swingers

Timothy Leary Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Timothy Leary

Truman Capote Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Truman Capote

Jimmy Carter Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Jimmy Carter

Robert Evans Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Robert Evans

Margaret Mead Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Margaret Mead

Roy Cohn Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Roy Cohn

Shirley Maclaine Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Shirley Maclaine

Shelley Winters Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Shelley Winters

Sammy Davis Jr.  Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Sammy Davis Jr.

Peggy Lee Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Peggy Lee

Sparks Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Sparks

Plastic Man Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Plastic Man

Normal Mailer Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Normal Mailer

Sargent Shriver Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Sargent Shriver

Johnny Cash Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Johnny Cash

Kenny Rogers Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Kenny Rogers

Marilyn Chambers Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Marilyn Chambers

Pat Sajak Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Pat Sajak

Jerry Lewis Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Jerry Lewis

Roy Rogers Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Roy Rogers

Menudo Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Menudo

Murray The K Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Murray The K

Bodybuilders Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Bodybuilders

New Romantics Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

New Romantics

Billy Dee Williams Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Billy Dee Williams

Jerry Lee Lewis Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Jerry Lee Lewis

Frank Zappa Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Frank Zappa

Gary Panter Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Gary Panter

Andea McArdle & Reid Shelton Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Andea McArdle & Reid Shelton

Charles Strouse Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Charles Strouse

Martin Charnin Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Martin Charnin

Jim Rissmiller Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Jim Rissmiller

George Willig Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

George Willig

Phillipe Petit Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Phillipe Petit

Susan Lucci Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Susan Lucci

Paul Rodriguez Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Paul Rodriguez

Robert MacNeil Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Robert MacNeil

William F. Buckley Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

William F. Buckley

Bo Derek Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Bo Derek

John Carlos Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

John Carlos

Harvey Fierstein Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Harvey Fierstein

Elvira Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Elvira

Reba Cash Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Reba Cash

Shawn Stern Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Shawn Stern

Nguyen Cao Ky Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Nguyen Cao Ky

George McGovern Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

George McGovern

General William Westmoreland Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

General William Westmoreland

OJ Simpson Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

OJ Simpson

John Ehrlichman Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

John Ehrlichman

Fred Silverman Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Fred Silverman

Lanie Kazan Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Lanie Kazan

Linda Thompson Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Linda Thompson

Bella Abzug Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Bella Abzug

Eugene McCarthy Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Eugene McCarthy

James Wooten Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

James Wooten

Walter Yetnikoff Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Walter Yetnikoff

Cornelia Wallace Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Cornelia Wallace

La Cage Aux Folles Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

La Cage Aux Folles

Nicole Panter Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Nicole Panter

Liz Derringer Footage from Stanley Siegel Collection

Liz Derringer

Title Card Footage Library

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Genres: , , , ,

Guests Include:

  • Steve Martin
  • Sylvester Stallone
  • Warren Beatty
  • Ann-Margret
  • Penelope Spheeris
  • Berlin
  • Timothy Leary
  • Truman Capote
  • Jimmy Carter
  • Robert Evans
  • Margaret Mead
  • Roy Cohn
  • Shirley MacLaine
  • Shelley Winters
  • Sammy Davis, Jr.
  • Peggy Lee
  • Sparks
  • Norman Mailer
  • Sargent Shriver
  • Johnny Cash
  • Kenny Rogers
  • Marilyn Chambers
  • Pat Sajak
  • Jerry Lewis
  • Roy Rogers
  • Menudo
  • Murray The K
  • Billy Dee Williams
  • Jerry Lee Lewis
  • Frank Zappa
  • Gary Panter
  • Andrea McArdle
  • Reid Shelton
  • Charles Strouse
  • Martin Charnin
  • Jim Rissmiller
  • George Willig
  • Phillipe Petit
  • Susan Lucci
  • Paul Rodriguez
  • Robert MacNeill
  • William F. Buckley
  • Bo Derek
  • John Carlos
  • Harvey Fierstein
  • Elvira
  • Reba Cash
  • Shawn Stern
  • Nguyen Cao Ky
  • George McGovern
  • William Westmoreland
  • O.J. Simpson
  • John Ehrlichman
  • Fred Silverman
  • Lanie Kazan
  • Linda Thompson
  • Bella Abzug
  • Eugene McCarthy
  • James Wooten
  • Walter Yetnikoff
  • Cornelia Wallace
  • Nicole Panter
  • Liz Derringer