| Leta Powell Drake | |
| Birth Name: | Leta Powell |
| Birth Date: | 10 March 1938 |
| Birth Place: | Duluth, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Occupation: | broadcaster, television producer, screenwriter and television personality |
| Years Active: | 1955–2021 |
Leta Powell Drake (March 10, 1938 – September 15, 2021) was an American broadcaster, television producer, screenwriter and television personality on local stations in Nebraska. Drake hosted Live & Learn, a program for seniors on 5 City TV in Lincoln, Nebraska, and has been inducted into the Nebraska Broadcasters Hall of Fame and the Nebraska Press Women's Hall of Fame.
Drake acted in more than 100 plays, and two movies. She was a member of the National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE). She was also one of the creators of the Star City Holiday Parade.
A member of the Screen Actors Guild, Drake served on the boards of the University of Nebraska College of Fine and Performing Arts; UNL Alumni Association; Osher Life Long Learning Institute at UNL; Lincoln General Hospital Auxiliary; Mayor's Film Commission; Muscular Dystrophy Association; Lincoln Advertising Federation; Lincoln Community Playhouse; Theatre Arts for Youth; YMCA; The Salvation Army; 99's (Women pilots); Nebraskans for Public Television; and Nebraska Public Radio.
Born in Duluth, Minnesota,[1] Drake began her broadcasting career at KDAL-TV (now KDLH-TV) there.[2] In 1956, the VFW sponsored the "Voice of Democracy" essay contest for high school students. Leta's voice was recorded for the first time, and she won the city championship. The TV station offered her a part-time job. She began as talent on commercials and was on a live Bingo program.[2]
Drake served as program director at Lincoln, Nebraska's KOLN-TV for 28 years, where she purchased and scheduled programs, and she served as a writer, program producer, and on-air host as well as the public affairs director, and director of children's programming, talent development and sales. She hosted and produced the 10/11 Morning Show for 25 years. She interviewed more than 1,000 movie and TV celebrities, humanitarians and two presidents.[3]
In 1967, Drake created the character of Kalamity Kate on Cartoon Corral.
Drake served as the assistant network program manager for Nebraska Public Television for 13 years.[4] She also programmed the nine station state network and cable system there, as well.
Drake became the spokesperson for Nebraska Public Media through their fund drives and auctions.
In 2020, Drake found herself becoming an internet sensation when her numerous interviews of older celebrities started to go viral. A twitter user named John Frankensteiner posted a compilation clip with the description reading "Currently obsessed with Leta Powell Drake, the greatest interviewer of all time." Many have noted that Drake's style of interviewing tended to be very matter-of-fact and blunt. Notable examples being telling Tim Curry that he "looks evil in many ways", prefacing Lee Remick with "You got to work with Richard Burton in The Tempest, and now he's dead" and telling Gene Hackman, "You've done some brilliant pictures, you've done some stinkers" with a bemused Hackman responding "Really?" Drake believed that the reason her interviews were popular was because she interviewed older celebrities. When she realized that it was because of her approach to interviewing, she stated "I'm not matter-of-fact; I do my homework... If I'm going to do an interview, I come in and look like I know what I'm talking about... And maybe that was it. Confidence will take you a long way, you know, it really will."[5]
She died on September 15, 2021.[6]