In the early 2000s, when TV ratings for the Tony Awards seemed perennially stuck in the basement, Broadway fretted that CBS might ditch the telecast. Rumors swirled that the Tonys would go local, broadcast by NY1, Channel 13 or A&E Network (before it became “Law & Order” Network).
Producers were terrified. The Tonys, even with low ratings, still boosted ticket sales. It was, back then, Broadway’s one and only chance to reach a national audience.
And then, to the relief of the theater industry, word came down from CBS chief Les Moonves: “As long as I’m here, the Tonys will be here, too.”
Moonves has been true to his word. The ratings have been up and down over the years, but Moonves and CBS have never wavered in their support of the Tonys telecast.
“CBS and Broadway have been tied together for years,” Moonves tells me. “I think of the Tony Awards as part of our heritage. The show is a money-loser for CBS, but there are certain things that are more important than making money. I know this sounds corny, but part of being a broadcaster is public trust. And I believe it is important for us to show America what is happening on Broadway.”
Moonves’ abiding faith in the Tonys may pay off this year. With the hype surrounding “Hamilton” and the popularity of James Corden, this year’s host, the ratings could hit an all-time high, reaching perhaps 8 million to 9 million viewers. (Viewership normally hovers around 7 million.)
That’s hardly Oscar territory, but Moonves, who grew up in Valley Stream, LI, doesn’t care. He’s sticking with the Tonys because he’s loved Broadway ever since he was a kid.
“Having been a mediocre actor, I can appreciate the great actors on television, in the movies and on Broadway.”
- Les Moonves
“I have two memories from when I was 5 years old,” he says. “One is seeing the Brooklyn Dodgers in Ebbets Field. I remember the green grass. The other is seeing Mary Martin in ‘Peter Pan.’ I can still hear the orchestra at the beginning of the play.”
In high school, Moonves appeared in productions of “The Glass Menagerie” and “Death of a Salesman.” At Bucknell University, he starred in Jean-Claude van Itallie’s experimental play “The Serpent.” He also directed Clifford Odets’ “Waiting for Lefty.”
“I loved being around the theater,” he says.
He gave acting a shot in New York and then Los Angeles, appearing on two of my favorite shows when I was a kid — “The Six Million Dollar Man” and “Cannon.”
I must confess, I don’t remember him.
“I had a very undistinguished career as an actor,” he says, laughing.
He also worked behind the scenes. One of his first employers in New York was Charlotte Wilcox, a highly regarded general manager of such Broadway shows as Gloria Estefan’s “On Your Feet!” and “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.”
“Charlotte was one of my mentors,” he says.
Moonves recalls the exact moment he decided to hang up the acting career, such as it was, and jump to the business side of show business: “I was producing a play called ‘The Hasty Heart’ in a 99-seat theater. I was running around trying to get it on, and my agent called to tell me I had an audition. And I realized I loved being busy — being busy at the theater. I thought, ‘You are going to be a better producer or an executive than you’re ever going to be as an actor.’ ”
Since he now ranks as one of the most powerful media moguls in the world — with a 2015 pay package of $56.8 million — it was probably a good decision.
One of his strengths as an entertainment mogul, who’s had a hand in producing such shows as “Blue Bloods,” “The Good Wife” and “The Big Bang Theory,” is his affinity for actors.
“I know what it’s like to sit outside a casting office and see 12 guys who look exactly like you,” he says. “And that feeling of dread that you’re not going to get the part. Having been a mediocre actor, I can appreciate the great actors on television, in the movies and on Broadway.
“And though I’ve made my bones in television, the Tonys keeps me attached to something I love — the theater.”
So it still holds — as long as you’re at CBS, the Tonys will be there, too?
“Absolutely,” he says.