Rick Ludwin Collection Page 1 Rick Ludwin Collection OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION Creator: Rick Ludwin, Executive Vice President for Late-night and Primetime Series, NBC Entertainment and Miami University alumnus Media: Magnetic media, magazines, news articles, program scripts, camera-ready advertising artwork, promotional materials, newsletters, correspondence and realia Date Range: 1937-2011 Quantity: 9.0 linear feet Location: Manuscript shelving COLLECTION SUMMARY The majority of the Rick Ludwin Collection focuses primarily on NBC TV primetime and late- night programming beginning in the 1980s through the 1990s, with several items from more recent years, as well as a subseries devoted to The Mike Douglas Show, from the late 1970s. Items in the collection include: magnetic and vinyl media, containing NBC broadcast programs and “FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION” awards compilations program scripts, treatments, and rehearsal schedules industry publications national news clippings awards program catalogs network communications, and camera-ready advertising copy Included in the collection are historical narratives of broadcast radio and television and the history of NBC, including various mergers and acquisitions over the years. 10/9/2013 Rick Ludwin Collection Page 2 Other special interests highlighted by this collection include: Bob Hope Johnny Carson Jay Leno Conan O’Brien Disney Motown The Emmy Awards Seinfeld Saturday Night Live SNL. Carson Daly The Mike Douglas Show Kennedy & Co. AM America Fifteen original Seinfeld table scripts are included; most of which were working copies, reflecting the use of multi-colored pages to call out draft revisions. Other scripts are also contained here--some for primetime, some for broadcast specials such as the landmark three- hour broadcast of SNL’S 25th Anniversary. Several of the scripts include hand notes, presumed to be those of Rick Ludwin. Other documents in this collection are industry-specific, including program development reports, annual independent seasonal reviews covering all major networks, ratings reports, etc. There are also several awards program catalogs from a variety of events ranging from the Emmys to the 23rd American Film Institute Life Achievement Award--presented to Steven Spielberg. Also included are books commemorating the 15th and 20th anniversaries of The Comedy Store, which opened its doors on the Sunset Strip in 1972. These provide biographical and anecdotal information and several photographs of the people who continue to impact a broad sector within the American entertainment industry. Additional industry related monographs in this collection are cataloged within the Miami University Libraries’ collections. The monographs can be located using a keyword search for “Rick Ludwin” in the online catalog. All items in this collection are organized chronologically within series. PROVENANCE OF THE COLLECTION This collection was assembled by Rick Ludwin, a graduate of Miami University, and donated to The Walter Havighurst Special Collections, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. The initial donation was received in 2008. 10/9/2013 Rick Ludwin Collection Page 3 BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION Attaining a B.A. in Speech from Miami University in 1970, Rick Ludwin went on to complete a M.A. at Northwestern University. He soon began working in broadcasting for Chicago and Detroit TV stations, then moved on to writing for Bob Hope and Mike Douglas. In free-lance stints for NBC, Ludwin helped to produce Olympathon ‘79 and the daytime magazine America Alive! While working in Chicago television, he met and impressed Brandon Tartikoff, who soon after was appointed President of NBC Entertainment. Tartikoff offered Ludwin the position of director of variety shows at NBC in 1980. By 1983, Ludwin had been raised to vice president status: 1980 director of variety shows 1983 vice president for specials and variety programs 1989 senior vice president for specials, variety programs and late-night 2005 executive vice president for late-night and primetime series Looking back on his early years with the network Ludwin admits, “I thought I’d be here a year and be fired or would leave out of frustration, and here I am all these years later. It worked out pretty well.” Ludwin is credited for the success of series such as The Tonight Show, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Saturday Night Live, Unsolved Mysteries and Seinfeld. He has served as executive for numerous NBC hit programs since the ‘80s, and has made cameo appearances on Seinfeld, Saturday Night Live, Late Night with Conan O’Brien and alongside Bob Hope. He has also supervised landmark prime time specials such as Motown 25, NBC’s 60th and 75th Anniversary telecasts, numerous EMMY Awards, Golden Globe Awards and Saturday Night Live prime time specials. Being the “longest-tenured employee at NBC Entertainment,” Ludwin “rises up in meetings to argue for what he believes…but rarely stands up to take a bow,” according to Chicago Tribune writer Phil Rosenthal. “Without Ludwin, there would have been no Seinfeld. He commissioned the pilot, took money out of his specials budget to keep the show alive and oversaw the program for its entire run.” Ludwin’s reply, “I don’t put that in the category of death-defying leaps. That’s what we’re supposed to be doing.” In his college days at Miami University, in Oxford, Ohio, Ludwin hosted Studio 14, a variety- comedy show on Miami’s WMUB-TV station. He and classmates wrote, produced, directed, and 10/9/2013 Rick Ludwin Collection Page 4 acted the entire live show. “I had this love for live television. There was nothing more exciting,” says Ludwin. His connections to Miami University remain strong--visiting the campus regularly to talk with students in the Mass Communication Department. Through the Ludwin connection, Miami has been able to secure campus appearances by Bob Hope and Jay Leno. ORGANIZATION OF THE COLLECTION Series I: Program Scripts, Treatments, and Rehearsal Schedules Series II: NBC Newsletter, Press Releases and Marketing Collateral Series III: Press Clip Packages Series IV: Magazine Articles and News Clippings Series V: Magazines Series VI: The Hollywood Reporter - TV Season Guides/Previews Series VII: Program Development Projects and Reports Series VIII: Awards Program Catalogs/Awards Series IX: Miscellaneous Publications Series X: TV Guide Advertisements camera-ready. Series XI: Broadcast Programs and Awards Compilations – DVD Series XII: Broadcast Programs and Awards Compilations – VHS Series XIII: Broadcast Programs – Vinyl Series XIV: Broadcast Programs – U-matic Series XV: The Mike Douglas Show Series XVI: Memorabilia Series XVII: “Studio 14” WMUB-TV Recordings Series XVIII: WLS-TV Chicago Series XIX: Bob Kennedy and AM America RELATED MATERIALS WMUB Archives (http://digital.lib.miamioh.edu/wmub/): contains WMUB TV and Radio recordings found in Series XI and XVII ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION Access: This collection is open under the rules and regulations of the Walter Havighurst Special Collections, Miami University Libraries. Preferred Citation: Researchers are requested to cite the Rick Ludwin Collection and The Walter Havighurst Special Collections, Miami University Libraries in all footnote and bibliographic references. Provenance: All items in the collection were donated to The Walter Havighurst Special Collections by Rick Ludwin. Processed By: K.C. Shann, October 2008 and June 2009; Brittany DelSignore June 2011, 10/9/2013 Rick Ludwin Collection Page 5 October 2011, and April 2012. Property Rights: The Walter Havighurst Special Collections, Miami University Libraries, owns the property rights to this collection. Copyrights: Reproduction of materials in the collection is subject to the restrictions of copyright law. To use materials not yet in the public domain, the researcher must obtain permission from the copyright holder. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION Researchers: Please note box and folder numbers when requesting materials. Series I: Program Scripts, Treatments, and Rehearsal Schedules Box Folder Title Date 1 1 MOTOWN 25: YESTERDAY, TODAY, FOREVER. Script. Pasadena 1983 Civic Auditorium, Pasadena, California. Event Script. Executive Producer: Suzanne de Passe, Produced by Don Mischer, Buz Kohan. Directed by Don Mischer. Producer for Motown Suzanne Coston. 174 pages. 3/22/83. 1 1 MOTOWN’S 25TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL. Treatment. Property of ca. 1983 Motown Productions, Los Angeles, California. DRAFT. 15 pages. ca. March 1983. 1 2 Script for untitled Bob Hope Special. Show #1 – 1987/88 Season. 1987 Executive producer: Bob Hope. Producer: Elliott Kozek. Associate Producer: Silvio Caranchini. Director: Bob Henry. Writers: Jeffrey Barron, Martha Bolton, Fred S. Fox, Seaman Jacobs, Robert Mills, Gene Perret. 65 pages with 8-page insert. 8/31/87. 1 2 HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOB! 50 STARS SALUTE YOUR 50 YEARS WITH 1988 NBC! Studio #2 NBC Burbank. Script. Executive Producer: James Lipton. Producer: Elliott Kozak, Director: Tim Kiley. Associate Producer: Silvio Carnchini. Music & Lyrics James Lipton & Cy Coleman. 202 pages. 5/16/88. 1 3 CHILD SUPPORT. Presentation #01-0101. Script. Written by Leo 1993 Benvenuti, Steve Rudnick, John Mendoza. Directed by Barnet Kellman. TABLE DRAFT. 59 pages. 3/29/93. 1 3 BUNK BED BROTHERS. Script. Written by Matt Goldman, Pat 1996 Hazell, Jay Kogen. Directed by Jamie Widdoes. FINAL DRAFT. 51 pages. 4/25/96. 1 4 SEINFELD. “The Pothole” #04-0816. Script. Written by Steve 1997 O’Donnell and Dan O’Keefe. Directed by Andy Ackerman. TABLE DRAFT. 69 PAGES. 1/25/97. 1 4 SEINFELD. “The Dude” #04-0822. Script. Written by Alec Berg & 1997 Jeff Schaffer. Directed by Andy Ackerman. TABLE DRAFT. 71 pages. 3/29/97. 10/9/2013 Rick Ludwin Collection Page 6 Box Folder Title Date 1 5 SEINFELD. “The Blood” #04-0904. Script. Written by Dan 1997 O’Keefe. Directed by Andy Ackerman. TABLE DRAFT. 70C pages. 9/18/97. 1 5 SEINFELD. “The Junk Mail” #04-0905. Written by Spike Feresten. 1997 Directed by Andy Ackerman. TABLE DRAFT. 73 pages. 9/28/97. 1 6 SEINFELD. “The Betrayal” #04-0908. Script. Written by Dave 1997 Mandel & Peter Mehlman. Directed by Andy Ackerman. TABLE DRAFT. 78 pages. 10/31/97.