Radnor Studio 21 producer talks about interviews that made his day
A rabbi, a priest and a police officer walk into a TV studio. No, it’s not a joke. It’s just some of the many people from all walks of life who have sat down before the television camera with John Riccuitti, a producer for Radnor Studio 21 Main Line Public Television.
Some of Riccuitti’s favorite interviews have been with veterans.
“I interviewed 27 veterans for the Library of Congress,” said Riccuitti, who served in the Navy in the Vietnam War era. Ralph Galati, a former Air Force pilot who was a prisoner of war at the “Hanoi Hilton” with Sen. John McCain, suggested the Library of Congress interviews after Riccuitti interviewed him.
Riccuitti tells veterans who might be reluctant to share their stories that he never got to interview his dad and five uncles who all served during World War II. “My interview with you is my gift to them,” he says to them.
“I had an uncle who was an interpreter at Nuremburg,” said Riccuitti. “My father was on a ship that was bombed in 1943 and 190 sailors were killed. I have an uncle who was in Guadalcanal in hand-to-hand combat. Another uncle was in Battle of the Bulge. And another uncle was in the Air Force. All my father ever told me was stories about being in Algiers in the Kasbah and bar fights, chairs being thrown around, broken and people had to pay for it before they left. The shore patrol would come and everybody would have to cough up money and give it to the bar owner,” said Riccuitti, who grew up in Upper Darby.
“My interest in the military is partly a debt that we all owe veterans for having their story told,” said Riccuitti. “There is a historical value to it. It’s educational for young kids… Many of the veterans I interview live in our own community and, sadly, I won’t be able to interview all of them. The Vietnam veterans are dying at a faster pace than the World War II veterans are because of Agent Orange, because of all the chemicals that were used for foliage besides Agent Orange.” He tells Vietnam vets “welcome home,” since they were not welcomed back by many when they returned.
A M.A.S.H. unit nurse who he interviewed, Mary Jane Speen, was told to remove her uniform before leaving the plane in San Francisco because protesters might spit on her, Riccuitti said.
One of his most remarkable interviews was with Larry Liss, who is Jewish and a graduate of Harriton High School, who served as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam and performed the “miracle rescue at Causon Be.” Liss rescued 85 people, Vietnamese civilians, Vietnamese Army regulars, U.S. Army Rangers and Marines.
Liss “made six drops in a hot zone under enemy fire. Two is considered a miracle. He did six. The copilot was killed,” said Riccuitti. Liss “heard an angel whispering in his ear, saying, ‘Everything is going to be fine. Don’t worry about it.’”
After the flights were over, one of the passengers asked him about a dark image he saw standing over Liss’ head.
“The whole time he was doing this, he heard this voice say, ‘Don’t worry, Larry,’” said Riccuitti, who received a 2016 Telly Award for that interview.
Another compelling interview was with Holocaust survivor, Henri Perons. During World War II, his mother had to make a “Sophie’s Choice,” allowing his older brother to stay with his dad and fleeing to Belgium with Perons. When the Germans invaded Belgium, he and his mother fled to France, eventually ending up in a concentration camp, Rivesaltes. Perons, then 12 years old, managed to escape through a hole in a fence, but his parents and brother were all murdered by the Nazis at Auschwitz, said Riccuitti.
“I interviewed (singer) Bobby Rydell for the Library of Congress,” said Riccuitti. “What many people may not know is Bobby Rydell worked for the Department of Defense during the Vietnam War and he went to places that Bob Hope didn’t go. These were places where there were rocket attacks.”
On the lighter side, he’s filmed talks with Ray Didinger of the Comcast Sports Network. Didinger wrote a book “The Eagles Encyclopedia” and a play, “Tommy and Me,” about his childhood relationship with Tommy McDonald, a former Philadelphia Eagles player.
Riccuitti said that he always talks to his subjects first to put them at ease and may take acting lessons to improve his on camera interview skills.
“The most comfortable interview I did was with (retired TV news anchor) Lisa Thomas Laury,” he said. “She was very much relaxed but she was used to it. What you want to do as an interviewer is you want to pull the pin and let them talk. You don’t want look like you’re the maven. You want them to do all the work. Let them talk about themselves. The hardest people to interview are lawyers. They become lawyers,” and give short answers, like they’re being deposed, he said.
“One of the better lawyers I interviewed was Steve Wigrizer, one of the plaintiff’s attorneys for two of the victims in the collapse of the Salvation Army building in Center City,” said Riccuitti. “He was very fluid in that. He prevailed in the case. He was very relaxed and talked to me in normal terms. That’s all I try to do. I have a conversation.”
After serving in the Navy, Riccuitti, 69, was hired by SEPTA and started out driving buses. He eventually worked his way up to director of transportation for SEPTA before retiring in 2012. While working at SEPTA, Riccuitti studied at Villanova University, earning a B.A. in liberal arts that taught him “how to write and speak.”
A member of the Radnor Studio 21 board, Riccuitti, was tapped to be acting general manager when George Strimel retired. He stepped down from that gig recently when the public television station hired Vincent Chelli as general manager. Strimel tapped Riccuitti to do a show about public transportation and he took to TV like a duck to water. With Strimel producing, Riccuitti co-directed the Emmy-winning documentary “SEPTA: In Motion.”
Riccuitti has also created projects for Irish Television, including co-producing a film on Duffy’s Cut (a railroad track 30 miles west of Philadelphia where there is a mass grave for 57 Irish immigrant workers who died in August 1832), a Temple vs. Notre Dame football game, and the Pope’s visit to Philadelphia.
He praised Jill Frechie, film editor at Studio 21, as “one of the best editors I’ve worked with.” She has “a tremendous eye” and “great style and taste,” he said.
Riccuitti and his wife, Joan, live in their home that he dubbed “Thistle Dew” (a play on words) in the Villanova section of Radnor. Between them they have six grown children between them.
“Everybody has a story,” said Riccuitti. “The fact they’ll talk to me is an honor…I was lucky and God gave me the ability to sit and talk.”
“My interest in the military is partly a debt that we all owe veterans for having their story told. There is a historical value to it. It’s educational for young kids… Many of the veterans I interview live in our own community and, sadly, I won’t be able to interview all of them. The Vietnam veterans are dying at a faster pace than the World War II veterans are because of Agent Orange, because of all the chemicals that were used for foliage besides Agent Orange.” — John Riccuitti, a producer for Radnor Studio 21 Main Line Public Television.