Milt Grant, Broadcasting Legend

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16 May 2007 - Milt Grant, my first boss in TV died recently (28 April). I worked for him at WDCA-TV, Channel 20 in Washington DC, which he founded. A hands-on General Manager who took an interest in every aspect of the station, Milt was, well, larger than life; you get some sense of that in his obituary in the Washington Post…

Martin Mull and Milton Grant (1977)
Here’s a shot I took of Milt with Martin Mull (left), then starring in “America 2Night,” a spin-off of “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.”

One afternoon, deep in the farthest reaches of Channel 20’s basement (the Art Dept) I was throwing the I Ching with my supervisor, Art Director Phil Engelke, when Milt made a surprise appearance, wearing a scowl of deep preoccupation. He was trying to decide whether to run “The Bionic Woman” at 6 or 6:30. When he saw what we doing he demanded an explanation, and aimed the full force of his laser-like attention on the ancient divining ritual. “Predict the future…” he repeated thoughtfully. He then ordered us to ask the I Ching whether “The Bionic Woman” would do better at 6 or 6:30. “Have a report on my desk first thing in the morning.”

The I Ching actually seemed to have an opinion on the subject, and as I recall it recommended 6:30; whether or not that influenced Milt’s decision, 6:30 it was, and the show did quite well there.

My 4-year stint at WDCA plays back in my memory like episodes of
“The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” with the same kind of zany personalities
and funny situations. We had one versatile guy, Dick Dysel, who was our “Creature Feature” vampire (Count Gore DeVol), Bozo, and Captain 20 (a Spock knockoff).

Count Gore DeVol
My very first assignment in TV was taking this portrait of Count Gore DeVol, which he still uses on his fabulous T-shirts.

It was at Channel 20 that I designed my first set, for “Space Race,” a gerbil race. We had to propel the lazy gerbils with vacuum cleaners in reverse… other highlights of Channel 20 days: I met Elizabeth Taylor; tried to eat chittlins on the “Petey Greene Show” (couldn’t do it); used newfangled “computer animation” at Image West in LA to create promo animation; commissioned the Starland Vocal Band (”Afternoon Delight”) to sing our jingle, “Good Time Twenty, the Great Entertainer…”

Some of those who worked with Milt Grant refer to the experience as “Grant University.” Indeed, Milt always pushed beyond the limits, and urged – no, required – everyone around him to do the same. The lessons I learned at his school of broadcasting help me every day, and I mourn his passing with respect and gratitude. Thanks Milt.

7 Responses to “Milt Grant, Broadcasting Legend”

  1. Very interesting reading, Mr. Vilardi. It’s good to be reminded of how fun and new television was even then.

    Michael Brown said this on May 16th, 2007 at 4:11 pm

  2. Sorry about the loss of your “boss.” Funny how one’s passing often brings more clarity to our own journey, role they played in help defining who we are, and reminds us of how finite we really are.

    SusieJ said this on May 21st, 2007 at 7:51 pm

  3. Greetings from another Grant University grad.
    Walt Palmer
    Lighting Director
    1978-1980

    Walt Palmer said this on November 3rd, 2007 at 7:35 pm

  4. Hey Walt thanks for checking in! Hope you are doing well. Still in TV?

    I’m writing a new (long overdue) blog entry on Petey Greene; saw the movie “Talk To Me,” based on his life, and it churned up some fond and funny memories of working with him at WDCA. I went on his show once and he tried to get me to eat chittlins!

    It’s a good flick, worth renting when it comes out. Don Cheadle does a great job capturing Petey’s personality.

    All the Best,

    MJ

    MJ said this on November 5th, 2007 at 9:58 am

  5. MJ,
    I am contacting you in regards to a documentary in the works about Bad Brains lead singer HR. We are compiling photos for this production and wanted to know if you have any photos. Below is my contact info.

    Thanks for your time.

    Shamus
    Build Media Development

    shamusdc21@yahoo.com

    Shamus said this on February 3rd, 2008 at 10:28 pm

  6. MJ,

    I work for his station in Roanoke, VA and had the pleasure of talking to him on several occasions on the phone. One day, he called my office at 5:30PM, which was early for him because he started doing his station business later and later in last years of TV. The conversation we had was pleasant, and even included a compliment where he said “your recent promotion raised the bar to a whole new level in television, great work!”. Needless to say, it was a very nice compliment coming from Mr. Grant, owner/CEO etc. but it was more profound than that. Being that I am 35, I knew very little of Milt Grant before I moved to this station and unfortunately learned MORE after his passing. He REALLY did make incredible TV in his day, I only wish I had the chance to pick his brain some more before he left us.

    I am helping to set up a tribute page to him on our station website, so feel free to stop by and take a glance when you have a moment. Also, if you have any other photos of Mr. Grant, it would be great to have a few to post on the site.

    All the best to you and yours. ~~~~~~~~Q

    Quintin Bennett said this on June 16th, 2008 at 8:38 am

  7. Hi Quintin

    Thanks for your perspective. Milt was an amazing guy who knew TV inside out and had a natural instinct for promotion. A compliment from him means a lot! He also knew exactly how to motivate his troops and get the very best work from them.

    As his art director, I could never take his approval for granted – he would scrutinize every ad or promo, and would sometimes make wacky suggestions just to see how I’d defend my creative concept.

    I’m glad you are putting a tribute page together! I’ll root around in my archives and see if I have anything you might consider using. In the meantime feel free to use the shot in this blog entry (I’d appreciate photo credit: MJ Vilardi).

    There was a terrific cover story on Milt in a (now defunct) DC magazine called Regardie’s … I think it was 1988. At the time, Milt had the dubious distinction of losing more money on a TV deal than any single person in history (he paid way too much for Cosby Show reruns). If I find it online I’ll send you a link.

    Best regards,

    MJ Vilardi

    MJ said this on June 16th, 2008 at 11:29 am

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