Interview with Cy Chermak, November 16, 2016

Partial Transcript: We're on. This interview is for the Don Galloway Oral History Project.

Segment Synopsis: Chermak talks about his own life and the trajectory of his career, from being an actor to a full time producer.

Keywords: Television producers; Television writers

Subjects: Chermak, Cy, 1929-; Television producers and directors

Partial Transcript: Could you just characterize your relationship with Don Galloway?

Segment Synopsis: Chermak talks about his limited relationship with Don Galloway. He was the producer of the "Ironside" series while Galloway was an actor on it. On one occasion he invited Galloway and his wife to dinner, but did not have any other social interaction beyond work. He lost contact in 1974 when the series ended.

Keywords: Ironside (Television show); Kentucky actors

Subjects: Chermak, Cy, 1929-; Galloway, Don, 1937-2009; Television

Partial Transcript: Don left Lexington for New York City in the summer of 1962 and by 1967 he's a regular on "Ironside."

Segment Synopsis: Chermak doesn't know how Galloway became successful, but he talks about his casting in "Ironside." He thinks that at that time Universal Studios was building a cadre of actors and had signed up Galloway, probably because of his previous work. The studio then got him into the NBC show "Ironside." Chermak was not involved in the original casting for the series.

Keywords: Casting in television; Ironside (Television show); National Broadcasting Company (NBC)

Subjects: Chermak, Cy, 1929-; Galloway, Don, 1937-2009; Television; Universal Pictures (Firm)

Partial Transcript: Some--one person told me that after the second season in the show...

Segment Synopsis: Chermak talks about not being aware of a rumored intent to fire Galloway after the first season of "Ironside." But he is not surprised that Raymond Burr would have gone against that move since Burr was a friend and protector of Galloway.

Keywords: Ironside (Television show)

Subjects: Burr, Raymond, 1917-1993; Galloway, Don, 1937-2009; Television

Partial Transcript: Well, do you think, um--well, what did you think of Don Galloway's talent as an actor?

Segment Synopsis: Chermak talks about Galloway being a good actor. He reviewed one episode of "Ironside" - in which Galloway's character has a lead role - and found his performance to be good. He talks about that episode. He thinks Galloway's character in "Ironside" was ordinary, but Don did well. Chermak is not sure if Galloway would have been the lead in a series given the subordinate characters he had been playing.

Keywords: Ironside (Television show); Kentucky actors; Television drama

Subjects: Galloway, Don, 1937-2009; Television; Television actors and actresses

Partial Transcript: And, and Galloway ends of being a supporting player for the rest of his life.

Segment Synopsis: Chermak talks about the reasons he thinks some actors are successful in the television industry. Sometimes it's just luck, sometimes it's the personality that gets someone a job. He gives the example of actor Peter Falk and talks about the acting skills of Raymond Burr.

Keywords: Kentucky actors; Success; Successful actors

Subjects: Burr, Raymond, 1917-1993; Falk, Peter; Galloway, Don, 1937-2009; Television; Television actors and actresses

Partial Transcript: You mentioned that you, um, met his wife Linda on one occasion.

Segment Synopsis: Chermak talks about meeting Don Galloway's wife Linda and what he thought about her acting. He was surprised to hear about their divorce since they seemed to be a happy couple. The last time he saw Galloway's acting was in the last episode of "Ironside" he produced, which was in 1974. He thinks that Galloway became better as an actor in the course of time.

Keywords: Ironside (Television show); Kentucky actors

Subjects: Galloway, Don; Television actors and actresses

Partial Transcript: It, it's been forty years since you worked with him.

Segment Synopsis: Chermak talks about working with Galloway for seven years, but still not knowing much about him. He thinks we remember less of good people in our lives. Don Galloway was one of the good people. He thinks that Galloway probably did not have a career commensurate with his talents since he did not get good roles initially. But things could have been different if he had persisted. After "Ironside," his possibilities as an actor became limited since people started casting him only in roles similar to the one he had in that series.

Keywords: Ironside (Television show); Kentucky actors; Success in acting; Typecasting

Subjects: Galloway, Don, 1937-2009; Television actors and actresses

Partial Transcript: Um, what in general do--you know he, he was, um--played on "General Hospital" for two years.

Segment Synopsis: Chermak talks about the disdain, in his time, for soap operas. Don Galloway had acted in a soap opera at the end of his career for a couple of years. Chermak notes that it's been 42 years since he worked with Galloway and so doesn't remember much about that relationship. He ran into Galloway once at a reunion party organized by Universal Studios. He also talks about how Raymond Burr was protective of Don Galloway.

Keywords: Kentucky actors; Perception of soap operas; Soap opera actors; Soap operas

Subjects: Burr, Raymond, 1917-1993; Galloway, Don, 1937-2009; Television actors and actresses; Television soap operas; Universal Pictures (Firm)