Great interview, Dave.

I also prefer Turner Classic Movies (TCM) because it has no commercial interruptions

That was fascinating. Unfortunately, I never got to see AMC when it was good. I read somewhere (not sure if it's true) that like TCM, AMC was supposed to provide commercial-free non-censured movies and for some reason they put commercials and censure movies anyway. I wonder what's the story there.

Did you pee your pants when you realized he was the voice from Evil Dead?

I didn't watch TV for eight years between the years my son was 2 until he was 10. He asked for cable television for his 10th birthday. Oddly enough we still don't watch much TV, but mostly On Demand movies. I missed the whole AMC era. We both prefer more inter-active type of media, and watch moviesas a special event ... sitting in the living room ... and we talk about what is happening in the film.
Catherine
PS. I was told to come see your blog because we share a similar theme ... and we do!

I would so dearly love for TCM to invite Bob to co-host its "The Essentials" one year. But I know he's not enough of a "name" for that.

The old AMC was wonderful. Bob, Nick Clooney, "Remember WENN", the AMC Film Preservation Festival...*sigh*...

This was a outstanding interview, it was a plesure to read it. I had wonder what happen to the hosts of AMC Bob Dorian & Nick Clooney. I like the old "AMC" no commercials.

I was trying to enjoy a movie today on AMC "Hang'em High" to many commercials they interruped the flow of the movie.

I would like to see Bob Dorian and Nick Clooney do an essential on a Sunday with Robert Osborne.

Thank you for this interview and information.
I miss Bob Dorian and his stories on the movies, we were devoted fans.

Because of the changes and commercials, we no longer watch AMC.

BIG MISTAKE !

Frank and Mary

I remember watching AMC religiously in the 80's and 90's, subscribing to their monthly magazine and enjoying Bob Dorian's commentary. It was such a treat to watch a film, usually an older classic not shown on the premium cable channels with no commercials. What a shock to one day tune in and have annoying ads popping up, right in the middle of a line of dialog sometimes! I guess that was in the early 2000's and I have not watched a movie on AMC since. It became just another commercial filled, bothersome channel to be avoided at all costs. If I happen to see a movie listed on AMC that I have not seen or would like to see, I'll make a note of it and go rent it if I can!

I love TCM nowadays, and watch IT religiously. So much fascinating history to be learned.

I always wondered what happened to Bob Dorian, so I googled him and came up with this blog. Very good! I'm happy to hear is still actively in "the business".

Bill In Tonawanda, NY

I miss the old AMC with Bob Dorian as the host of so many classic movies without commercials. He was so full of trivia that I will never forget. He was a big part of my major interest in classic movies on AMC. It is too bad, but I guess it has become a commercial money driven world.
I Miss Bob Dorian!

Just found this blog by searching for Bob Dorian. I too miss his insight into old films. I am so glad that TCM still has unraped films in its vaults.
I too would like to see a round table with Bob Dorian, Nick Clooney, Robert Osborne and Ben Mankewitz. (please forgive my misspelling of your name.) It would be a great course in filmology.

As far as Citizen Kane: I too wondered how the whole "Rosebud" inquiry started if Kane died alone. Also: I just read a script to "RKO 281" and I have a copy of that DVD. Question: Is Ben Mankawitz of TCM related to the Mank who wrote "Citizen Kane"?

Thank you for a great interview.
Paul

Great interview - I'm glad to see Bob's still active and as enthused as ever. It's amazing that, despite his very revealing historical cinema commentary, personal bio info was never a part of it.

Illustrative, perhaps, was his comment, with which I whole heartedly agree, that the artist's work must be kept apart from their personal lives. In fact, my appreciation of their work is adversely affected by some of the statements these performers are called upon to grace us with. Somehow they develop the notion that publicity translates into expertise.

A true gentleman and a class act...

Incredibly excellent interview! Loved Mr. Dorian on AMC (have the Tracy-Hepburn classic, "Desk Set" from AMC, New Year's 1988-89 on tape, one of my all-time favorites...and Mr. Dorian made it all the more enjoyable=). Agree with MUCH of what he spoke about here, and would love to see him and Robert Osborne together on TCM!

Thanks again and God bless you.

Great interview. And his assertions all seem true if not believable. I loved it when he'd come out with this really profound observation or recollection or story, and you'd slap you head and go "WOW!!!!", and he'd say, in the lowest key manner POSSIBLE, "now, let's look at this...".

I loved that! He was so understated when he wanted to be. He had the great stories and classy understatement, which is why I liked him a bit better than Mr. Osborne, who is good nonetheless. And ayeeeemen on the advertisements!

I remember and enjoyed Bob Dorian. He had an informative, laid-back manner. AMC was a competitor of TCM, and Bob Dorian was part of the reason. Commercials, designed for the futile, have eliminated AMC as watchable by many. Happily, we still have TCM and Robert Osborne.

I do so miss AMC and Bob Dorian. I discovered AMC in 1988 during a stay-at-home from work during
recovery from surgery. AMC was my favorite channel, as TCM is now. When I turned the tv on one day, and saw a commercial for the USPostal Service, I thought I was accidentally on the wrong channel.
Later, seeing an Elvira look-alike introduce a movie ended my patience and love affair with AMC. Glad I have memories of AMC with Mr. Dorian, and so glad he is doing well. What a treat it would be to see him on TCM one day with Mr. Osborne - 2 wonderful hosts on the same screen. Here's hoping they make it happen.

There was a question about Ben Mankiewicz. He is the grandson of Herman Mankiewicz who, along with Orson Welles, wrote Citizen Kane.

When TCM first came out, most of the original widescreen movies were presented in that format causing AMC to have a campaign on the widescreen format. There was a time when Bob Dorian had great intros and closings, but as he neared his end with AMC, most of his intros were shortened to under a minute and his closing were 30 seconds or less. Hindsight is 20-20 but that was the beginning of the end of AMC; at least the way we all knew and loved it. I thought Nick Clooney did a great job also. However, you can't say who was better; you just appreciated them the way they were.

I love Robert Osborne and he comes to Sedona for our movie festival but he has lost some serious weight and I hope it's just from a diet. If anything ever happens to him, I fear TCM may go a similar way that AMC did as Ben Mankiewicz is only 42 and likes a lot of the newer movies. Not that there aren't some great ones, I just like the real oldies but goodies. Here's a list of some that I'd like to see if they're not burnt out.

"The Third Voice" 1960 with Edmond O'Brien, Laraine Day and Julie London:
"An Inspector Calls" 1954 with Alastair Sim:
"The Constant Nymph" 1943 with a fabulous cast including Charles Boyer, Joan Fontaine and Alexis Smith:

I, too, loved AMC in the 90s, before commercials, pop ups, and "modern tastes" took over. My fondest memories are of Remember WENN, on which Bob Dorian appeared several times as a frustrated sponsor. All of that is gone now, and it is a huge loss for those who recall when television meant wholesome entertainment.

Could we get a petition together to get Bob Dorian and the old AMC format back! I loved the movies and the format! I would watch AMC even after the movies were over and see interesting facts and occupations. For instance, the model who dressed in different clothes and did self portrait painting! Such a different time! It was nostalgia at its best! I once saw Bob Dorian when he came to tell stories before a screening of Rogers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma in Denver's historic Paramount Theatre! The place was packed! What a night!

I miss the old AMC als, commercials ruin the flow of the films. Movies were meant to be viewed with no interruptions. I simply quit watching AMC and now watch TCM exclusively when it comes to Classic Films. I prefer the films of the 30's 40's and 50's

I met Bob Dorian twenty years ago after I had just played Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady in Cleveland, and he had just played Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady on Long Island, where I was originally from. I had watched AMC back then, when it was free of commercial interruption and when they refused to air black and white films that were butchered by adding color.

I visited the AMC studios with my twin sister, and presented him with a special poem written by a professional poet I hired, that expressed my love for old movies, and my bond with Mr. Dorian due to our mutual love for My Fair Lady and the roles each of us played. He gave us a tour of the AMC studios, and took us to lunch. I still have the photos, and remember that time with much fondness.

I was so sad to see how AMC had changed, and of course, to no longer see him as host.

Bob, if you are reading this, I never did play Eliza again, but it is a memory I will treasure forever!

Your friend,
Linda

bob dorian and I worked for the same radio sation back in the Jurassic days. I had the pleasure of doing a lot of radio commercials with bob. He, I remember was an extremely talented man with his finger on every aspect of the show business pie. I hope he is well and doing the thing he loves which is every aspecy of show business....

Bob was great on AMC and the Remember WENN production was really good.
Now-No Bob Dorian AND tons of commerical interuptions AND AMC interuptions telling you all about their upcoming shows bla, bla, bla.

I might watch AMC about 1 time per year now.
The only good thing about AMC is that you can leave to go shopping or whatever and when you return (because of all interuptions) you haven't miss a thing!

Bob was a great host-I miss him.