Ron Howard - Archive of American Television Interview

Full 6-part oral history interview (notably, the Archive of American Television's 500th) with actor/director Ron Howard who recalls his acting start at age 3. He reminisces about his earliest acting on TV including the "live" drama "Playhouse 90" and his recurring role on "Dennis the Menace". He then talks about his appearance with Bert Lahr on an episode of "G.E. Theatre", in which host Ronald Reagan made special note of Howard. He speaks in-depth about "The Andy Griffith Show" where he played "Opie Taylor". He talks about his role of "Richie Cunningham" on "Happy Days" and discusses the shift in focus to the "Fonzie" character, and discusses memorable episodes (including the jump-the-shark episode). He details his transition to directing -- starting with low-budget features and TV movies (including Cotton Candy and Skyward), before becoming an A-list producer-director. He lastly discusses his work on the Emmy-Award-winning sitcom "Arrested Development". Conducted on October 18, 2006 by Gary Rutkowski.