Spotlight on Nebraska’s Greatest Interviewer: Leta Powell Drake

Recently, film Twitter has been on fire with a supercut of interviews by Lincoln, Nebraska TV personality Leta Powell Drake. There are some big laughs in the edit, which of course compiles the most awkward moments from a number of interviews.

It’s true that Drake has a unique style, and a big personality, but she’s also good at her job, inasmuch as her job is to get something new and different from her guests, who tend to repeat the same answers during these local interview junkets. Drake makes the interviews must-see TV. Fortunately for all of us, there are hours and hours of her interviews on YouTube. We haven’t watched all of them, but here are some of our favorites.

Tim Curry is clearly having a hard time keeping a straight face as Drake interviews him in Rocky Horror regalia. He’s very funny here, and plays along winningly:

The not-terribly-shy Telly Savalas brings that 5 minutes before closing time at the singles bar energy to this interview:

Another actor well-known for playing a TV detective, Peter Falk. She asks him about his missing eye – great stories here – and playfully berates him for doodling during the interview:

Another huge personality is actress Carrie Nye – who also happened to be the wife of native Nebraskan Dick Cavett. Here she talks about Richard Burton’s drinking, the challenge of doing a daily soap opera, and her Mississippi accent: