Each Friday night Ed would “visit” with two celebrities at their homes. The interviews were all done live, with Ed seated in a comfortable chair in the studio while the subject showed him around his or her home – via the immediacy of live television.
At the midpoint of the show Ed would shift to a different personality, who could well be in a different part of the country entirely.
TV cameras were bulky and inconvenient to move around, meaning that a technical crew had to take over the home of the subject several days in advance, running heavy cables from room to room and carefully mapping out every movement to be used on the night of the broadcast, to avoid tangles and confusion.
Actors and actresses, politicians, diplomats, heads of state, inventors, scientists, musicians and high church officials were all “visited” on the series.
When Charles Collingwood took over for Murrow at the start of the 1959 – 1960 season enabling Ed to ease off on his busy schedule, the show did more world traveling and many of the interviews were filmed or taped on location.
Brooklyn Dodgers' catcher Roy Campanella was the first guest. Campanella had just hit the winning home run in game three of the World Series, beating the Yankees that night. Campanella's segment was paired with a visit to the home of conductor Leopold Stokowski and his wife, Gloria Vanderbilt.
Actress Lauren Bacall showed off a whistle, dangling from her charm bracelet during her interview. She told Murrow it was a gift from husband Humphrey Bogart commemorating the famous movie line she delivered to him, "If you want anything at all, all you have to do is whistle. You know how to whistle don't you? Just put your lips together and blow."
One of the most fascinating house tours that ever aired on "Person to Person" was the visit to Liberace's luxurious Sherman Oaks, Calif., home. It begins with Liberace seated on his piano-shaped bed where, he says, he dreams up most of his piano arrangements. It ends next to his piano-shaped pool.
On December 15, 2011, CBS News announced they would bring back the news series. The new program is hosted by Lara Logan and Charlie Rose, two widely respected journalists who excel at the art of conversation.
The new "Person to Person" retains the signature element of the original show - access to the private lives of public people. One note, the new program is taped, not live.
The first episode of the new 2012 season stars
George Clooney, Warren Buffet and
Jon Bon Jovii.
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