Woody Allen discusses his life and art, the influence of both success and failure on his work, and how he finds comedy in life’s difficulties and trials. He discusses his first screenplay, “What’s Up Pussycat?” and other comedians who have influenced the development of his own comedic work, including Mort Sahl, Charlie Chaplin, the Marx Brothers, and George S. Kaufman.

Promoting a production of "The Zoo: A Musical Folly," with the Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Chicago's Executive Producer Gretchen Potts and Artistic Director Carl Forsberg.

Studs Terkel heads to the British town of Stratford-upon-Avon (the birthplace of William Shakespeare) intending to interview Sir John Gielgud, and getting a few words before Studs realizes that Sir John is not intending to be interviewed. He speaks instead to other members of the company. Then he meets Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence in the Falcon Hotel.

Vlado Habunek, the Director of The Croatian National Theater, also a teacher at the University of Zagreb and board member for the Debrovnik Summer Festival discusses how all arts are seeking new revelations with Studs Terkel. Terkel asks Habunek to compare American Actors with Croatian actors because they are subsidized by the state. He sees Croatian actors as too secure and admires the ambition of American actors. The fact that theater reflects life and life is difficult begins a discussion on the status of theater today.

Studs Terkel reintroduces this 1958 broadcast with Jacques Tati in a 1992 rebroadcast. At 39:06, Terkel includes a musical epilogue to the conversation with Jacques Tati with French children's songs such as "Cadet Rousselle". Tati discusses his films "Mr. Hulot's Holiday" and" Mon Oncle" and his emphasis as writer, director, actor, and producer to maintain a naturalness. He doesn't want lights, cameras or action to influence the actors. Naturalness will respect independence and keeping it simple and real will create pride and invite people in.

The comedic creative force of Lily Tomlin and Tomlin's comedy writer Jane Wagner discuss the character of Edith Ann as well as the bag lady, Trudy. The comic geniuses discuss with Studs Terkel the new release "Edith Ann: My Life So Far". Tomlin assumes the character of Edith Ann to relay stories of her life in a dysfunctional family as a six year old. Edith Ann writes letters to Rush Limbaugh, Howard Stern, and Senate representatives to get her message heard. She tells the Senator that kids model grownups and grownups need to act better to protect the kids.

According to Sir Cedric Hardwicke, plays are only fashionable in New York City even though people all around the country are hungry to see a good play. In England around Christmas time, Hardwicke says children are exposed to plays at an early age, unlike here in the states, where there aren't any plays geared toward children.

Actor and director Sidney Poitier offers his reflections about his autobiographical memoir, "This Life". Poitier explains how he never had ambitions to be an actor and yet he stumbled into acting when looking through the clasisfied ads. There's a story about his agent trying to settle a negotiation on Poitier's behalf. Poitier's agent told the others involved that Poitier was offered a film in Hollywood. Believing it was a cheap ploy, the agent was told to tell Poitier to go onto Hollywood, and the rest is history for Sidney Poitier.

Rilla Bergman, Lou Fant, and Bill Reese converse with Studs about The National Theater for the Deaf and the production they are presenting. Two of the actors Ms. Bergman and Mr. Reese discuss what it took to learn, as hearing people, the best ways to express themselves with sign language. They all talk about how much more expressive the actors in the Deaf Theater have to be to convey the message of the piece they are presenting.

Terkel interviews actor/director Sam Wanamaker. They talk about his latest production of Macbeth at the Goodman Theater. This interview is done in two parts.

Principal actor Roscoe Lee Browne, playwright Derek Walcott, and director Gregory Mosher discuss the play "Pantomime" and it's major themes of racial role reversal, Robinson Crusoe influences, and colonialism.

Peter Ustinov discusses his wide-ranging career in the arts as an actor, author, director, and dramatist.

Discussing PROJECT! with Free Street Theater founder Pat Henry and lyricist Tricia Alexander. Produced by the Free Street Theater, PROJECT! is a series of inner-city vignettes in song and dance about life in an inner-city housing project. All of the actor