When Arlene Herson looks at the wall of photos in her home office of herself alongside celebrities like Dionne Warwick, Suzanne Somers and Chuck Norris, she doesn’t feel disarmed by the unlikelihood of seeing herself interviewing some of the most recognizable names in entertainment for national television. Now, just as the days the photos were taken—some more than 40 years ago—her thoughts are not of starstruck awe or surprise, but rather of the good fortune she’s had to speak with such interesting people. “It makes me smile,” she says. “It gives me good thoughts about what I’ve done over the years.”
“Getting To Know You with Arlene Herson” debuted in 1978 as a local cable program that featured interviews with local movers and shakers around New Jersey. (The pilot was an interview with her late husband, real estate attorney and developer Milton Herson.) The show’s title evolved into “The Arlene Herson Show” and quickly grew in popularity until it was elevated to the state and eventually national level, with the caliber of celebrity guests growing in proportion. Herson has listened as Sammy Davis Jr. spoke candidly about his thoughts of suicide, talked with Liberace about his impoverished childhood, and shared laughs with Phyllis Diller. “Every time I interviewed somebody I learned something new about them, and that’s what I wanted to share,” says Herson.
Regardless of star status, Arlene Herson’s ease and comfort is apparent in every interview, many of which can now be found on YouTube. A natural people-person with a knack for mining secrets, it’s small wonder that Herson found her niche as a television show host, even if being on TV was the last thing she expected for her career.
“I had no TV experience, I had nothing to do with TV at all, and no background,” says Herson. “It just happened by accident.”
Prior to her success as a television host, Herson was a Manhattan socialite, spending her time perfecting her tennis game and supporting local charities, but she soon grew restless. “[After] two years I said, ‘Oh my God, I’ve gotta go to work, I’ve gotta do something,’” says Herson, and she found a job selling ad space for a local newspaper. Eventually, a space opened up for the paper’s social column, and she began writing “The Social Scene by Arlene,” covering all the happenings of upper-crust New Jersey. Through her work on the column, she met the mayor of a local town who was interested in starting a cable show with her, but when he had to drop out to run for re-election, his wife suggested Arlene do the show herself. “And I thought, ‘why not?’’’ recalls Herson.
Herson’s show won numerous awards during its 1978-1991 run (it’s still in syndication) and was nominated for the CableACE Award, essentially the Academy Awards of cable television. The show ended after Milton accepted a job in D.C., where Arlene discovered a new passion: theatre. Herson produced the opera “The Magic Flute” and the award-winning musical “1776,” which featured members of Congress portraying the country’s Founding Fathers. “It wasn’t like today where Democrats don’t talk to Republicans,” she says. “It was like a big fraternity.” She hoped to continue the musical every two years with a rotating cast of new members of Congress, but the couple was soon on the move again, this time to Boca, where Milton accepted a position teaching in Lynn University’s master’s program.
Since moving to Boca, Herson hasn’t slowed down. She’s interviewed celebrities for NPR’s “Florida Forum” radio show; continues to accept speaking engagements, where she shares inspirational behind-the-scenes stories from celebrity interviews; and was appointed in 2004 by then-President George W. Bush to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, where she shared the harrowing stories of Holocaust survivors.
Herson continues to be an active member of the Boca community, sitting on the board of the Boca Raton Historical Society and taking part in a dizzying amount of local organizations. She is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Society of Arts and Letters, the Opal Award from the Boca Raton Rotary Club and countless more.
“I’ve done a lot, and still doing it,” says Herson. “And I’ve loved every minute of it.”
This article is from the September/October 2023 issue of Boca magazine. For more like this, click here to subscribe to the magazine.
