Category Archives: classic TV

TV crush: Darleen Carr

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darleen carr

You couldn’t watch TV in the 1970s without having a little crush on Darleen Carr.

Carr, born in 1950, came from an acting family. Her older sister, Charmian, played the oldest girl in “The Sound of Music.”

Darleen Carr herself had musical talent, contributing her voice not only to “The Sound of Music” and “The Jungle Book” but releasing an album of music in 1988.

Although Carr appeared in movies and guest starred on many TV shows in the 1970s and 1980s, she was best known for a couple of parts.

darleen carr long

She was a young temptress in the very strange Clint Eastwood Western “The Beguiled,” a 1971 classic.

She played Henry Fonda’s daughter in “The Smith Family,” an odd 1971 TV series that was a mix of family comedy and police drama starring the veteran film actor.

And she played, Jeannie, Karl Malden’s daughter on “The Streets of San Francisco,” that ’70s Quinn Martin production that co-starred Michael Douglas.

When Malden’s Mike Stone wasn’t worried about the latest killer to stalk the city by the bay, he was worried that his adorable daughter was dating a guy who wasn’t good enough for her.

And who can blame him? Carr was one of TV’s classic sweethearts.

According to the Interwebs, Carr is married to Jameson Parker, the now 65-year-old (!) former co-star of “Simon and Simon.”

In the 1990s, Carr kept busy doing voice acting for animated shows and video games.

Looking ahead to ‘Dallas’ returning … and J.R.

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Dallas / EP201

Like most dedicated “Dallas” fans, I was saddened to hear about the passing, in late November, of Larry Hagman. I really enjoyed the first season of the revival of the show on TNT and I’m looking forward to the Jan. 28 return of the show.

But will “Dallas” survive and maintain its good ratings without Hagman as J.R. Ewing, the man we love to hate?

Production on about a half-dozen of the second season’s 15 episodes was completed before Hagman passed away. TNT and producer Cynthia Cidre have announced Hagman’s death – and the passing of J.R. – will be marked in the eighth episode, set to air March 11. They’re reportedly bringing back other Ewing family members, including brother Gary, played by Ted Shackleford, and his wife Val, played by Joan Van Ark.

I’ve seen the first two episodes of the second season and I can tell you they’re on a level, quality-wise, with the first season.

And Hagman has a wonderful presence in each.

I’ll post fuller previews of each episode before they air. And I’ll be hoping that the show can carry on without its beloved bad guy.

RIP Gerry Anderson, creator of ‘Thunderbirds’

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Thunderbirds

Although he was largely a cult figure in the United States, one of Britain’s top creators of imaginative children’s shows has died.

Gerry Anderson, creator of such fun and, frankly, offbeat shows in the 1960s and 1970s as “Thunderbirds,” “UFO” and “Space: 1999,” has died in his native England, He was 83.

Anderson might be an unfamiliar name to some in the U.S. but his work is instantly recognizable.

Look at the promotional photo above for his groundbreaking 1965 series “Thunderbirds.” Remember the odd but fascinating show about marionettes piloting rescue planes and space ships? The family of puppets who dropped down conveyor belts and into their ships just in time to jet off to handle some far-flung disaster.

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Gerry Anderson.

I can’t say too much about how much Gerry Anderson’s shows sparked my imagination as a child. I had toy versions of Thunderbird 2 and 3. I played with them over endless hours.

thunderbird 2

That’s Thunderbird 2.

Thunderbird 3

And that’s Thunderbird 3.

I’m not sure when I originally saw “Thunderbirds” – early in its U.S. syndication, I’m sure – but I remembered Anderson’s name and while I saw only random episodes of his other puppet series, like “Stingray,” I made sure to check out his later, live-action creations. More on those below.

So RIP Gerry Anderson. Your imaginative work was a big part of my childhood.

Random Gerry Anderson facts:

“Team America:” The goofy puppet movie from the “South Park” guys was inspired by Anderson’s work.

Derek Meddings. The designer of Anderson’s intricate miniature worlds went on to design the look of some of the grandest special effects from the James Bond movies.

gerry anderson ufo babe

“UFO.” In 1970, the first live-action Gerry Anderson series that I ever saw, “UFO,” aired around the world. About a government organization that battled an alien invasion, “UFO” was groovy in an “Austin Powers” kind of way, with British babes in wild purple wigs.

“Space: 1999” and the end of the world. “Space: 1999” was probably the best-known of Anderson’s live-action series, running for a couple of seasons beginning in 1975. Martin Landau and Barbara Bain starred in the series about what would happen if nuclear waste on the moon exploded and pushed the moon out of Earth’s orbit.

RIP Gerry Anderson.

‘Christmas with Friends’ Johnny, Doc, Ed and Tommy

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christmas with friends

When I was a teen and young adult, I always liked to be the last person in the house awake on Christmas Eve. I enjoyed putting presents for family members under the tree and I liked the quiet moments that time of night – that particular night – brought.

Being a child of TV and a fan of “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson,” I also enjoyed “Christmas with Friends.” The show was a half-hour NBC special that aired on Christmas Eve in the Carson show time slot.

johnny carson santa

Videos of the show I’ve seen online indicate the special aired in the early to mid-1980s, but I swear that I remember it from before that time. I also remember the show differently, without the Christmas “video” segments and with more bits from Johnny Carson – usually glimpsed just at the beginning in a Santa outfit – and his dependable “Tonight Show” crew.

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The show really revolved around “Tonight Show” bandleader and trumpet player without peer Doc Severinsen, who led the show’s orchestra in a few classic Christmas tunes.

doc, ed, tommy

Tommy Newsom, saxophone player and comic foil, was also on hand, as was Ed McMahon, Carson’s sidekick for many years.

“Christmas with Friends” seems unlikely today, and I can’t personally imagine any late night TV traditions less tongue-in-cheek than the current David Letterman tradition of Jay Thomas throwing a football at a meatball on top of Dave’s tree.

 

 

Today in Christmas: Five secrets of ‘The Grinch’

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grinch and max

Since it first aired in 1966, “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” has become a pop culture institution. It’s one of the best animated films ever made. It’s a touchstone of the holiday season. It’s a common thread for generations of movie, TV and children’s book fans.

And yet there are a few things many of us don’t know about the special. Here are five things you might not know.

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Boris Karloff. Yes, everyone knows that Karloff, immortalized forever as Universal’s Frankenstein monster in the studio’s movie series from the 1930s, provided the narration and the voice of the Grinch. But most probably think that Karloff had been in hibernation for decades before recording the Grinch and then passing from this plane of existence in 1969. But Karloff was active in show business even three decades after his Frankenstein heyday. He was memorable not only as the Grinch but also for appearances on “The Wild, Wild West,” “The Girl from UNCLE” and “I Spy.” He even hosted the “Thriller” anthology TV series for two years beginning in 1960.

thurl ravenscroft

Thurl Ravenscroft. Possessor of one of the great names of all time, Ravenscroft was the man behind the booming bass voice who sang “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.” Because Ravenscroft wasn’t credited, many people assumed that Karloff sang the song. Ravenscroft had, up until his death in 2005, a long and varied career. He was the voice of Tony the Tiger in Frosted Flakes commercials. His voice can be heard in the Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion Disney attractions. He had a brush with another animated pop culture franchise by singing the song “No Dogs Allowed” in “Snoopy, Come Home.”

Chuck Jones. I’m of the opinion that the “Grinch” animated show wouldn’t be half as good if not for director Chuck Jones, seen above with Karloff. A legendary animation director, Jones – who died in 2002 – directed many great Warner Brothers cartoons, including two of my favorites, “What’s Opera, Doc” and “One Froggy Evening.” Jones’ talent permeates the “Grinch” special but is especially notable in the little touches, including the expressions on the Grinch’s canine sidekick, Max.

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Albert Hague. Yes, Mr. Shorofsky from the “Fame” movie and TV series has a “Grinch” connection. He wrote the music for “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.” His 2001 obituary noted that Dr. Seuss himself, Theodore Geisel, said that Hague contributed greatly to the special. “Any man who slides an octave on the word ‘Grinch’ gets the job,” Geisel said upon hearing Hague’s work.

Other Grinches. I’m not talking about the Jim Carrey movie. Two other animated specials, “Halloween is Grinch Night” and “The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat,” aired in subsequent decades. Although the wonderful Hans Conried performed the Grinch in the first, neither can compare to the original special.

 

TV crush: Sherry Jackson

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sherry jackson star trek

Once you’d seen Sherry Jackson’s appearance on an episode of the original “Star Trek” series, chances are you never forgot her.

As Andrea, a startlingly human android in the 1966 episode “What Are Little Girls Made Of,” Jackson single-handedly sparked puberty for a few million young boys.

In that crazy criss-cross jumpsuit, Jackson posed a special kind of peril for Capt. Kirk. Seriously, how could he keep his mind on the problem at hand – controlling a planet-bound android inventor and his huge killer robot (played by Ted Cassidy of “The Addams Family”) when Jackson was there, looking … really not at all robotic?

sherry jackson and ted cassidy

Jackson, who is now 70 (!), was a regular on 1950s TV in “The Danny Thomas Show.” By the 1960s she was all grown up, a point driven home by her “Star Trek” appearance and a series of movies she made in the 1960s and 1970s.

Today, Jackson is immortalized not only on home video and online but through a website, sherryjackson.net, that offers up not only video clips but autographed photos.

Here’s to the lovely Ms. Jackson.

 

First look at Tyreese in ‘The Walking Dead’

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The first seven episodes of the third season of AMC’s “The Walking Dead” have blown past us at an alarmingly fast rate – especially when compared to the second season on Hershel’s farm.

So it’s startling that we’re already approaching the mid-season finale, this Sunday, when “Made to Suffer” airs.

I’ll be looking forward to this one for a number of reasons, including the first appearance for Tyreese, a fan favorite character from the comics who’ll be played by Chad Coleman on the series.

Above is a screen grab from a Spanish-language trailer that purports to show Tyreese and a small group of survivors walking into what appears to be a demolished facility.

Here’s some questions we want to know:

What’s up with Tyreese and the other survivors? We know from the comics that Tyreese soon becomes a staunch ally of Rick. But it almost looks like they enter the prison after it’s been demolished and deserted.

If that’s the prison, what happened to it? We can’t forget that the Governor stole some National Guard equipment from an armory earlier in the season. Does he use it to attack the prison, which he had apparently considered impossible to clear of walkers?

What happens when Michonne takes the bag off the Governor’s walker daughter?

What happens when Merle and Daryl are reunited? Will they clash? Will they make peace?

What happens in the second half of the season, which begins early next year? Is the prison rubble? Will the Governor’s town of Woodbury survive? Will our heroes find themselves on the road again?

We’ll know some of those answers, maybe, this Sunday.

 

Goodbye Larry: Hagman was a class act

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I had a lot of fun last summer watching the revival of “Dallas,” and most of that was because of Larry Hagman. Sure, the plots were fun and the rest of the cast – holdovers and newcomers – were better-than-might-be-expected.

But Hagman, with his devilish smile and crazy eyebrows, was the centerpiece of the revival just as he was in the original series.

The loss to the series and to entertainment in general is enough reason to mourn the passing yesterday of Hagman, who died at 81 after a battle with cancer.

Hagman was, by most accounts, a pretty good guy and someone who knew how lucky he was. He had a big hit with “I Dream of Jeannie” in the 1960s, a long-running hit with “Dallas” in the 1970s and 1980s and the revival last year on TNT. In between, he lived a comfortable life.

The best part about Hagman’s acting and persona was that he seemed to get the joke but never treated it as one. “Dallas” could have been camp and J.R. Ewing might have been a caricature of a villain. But that didn’t happen. And Hagman seemed to know what people wanted out of their favorite TV actor.

I’ve written about the new “Dallas” – which returns in January – and Hagman a few times in recent months.

First there was a look at what we wanted to see in the new series, then a reaction to the first-rate opener, then reviews of the next-to-last and final episode of the season.

Here’s to Larry Hagman, J.R. Ewing and “Dallas.” We’ll always love you.

Classic Thanksgiving: ‘WKRP in Cincinnati’

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It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without some acknowledgement of the most awesome Thanksgiving TV episode ever.

Yes, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Cheers” had some pretty doggone good Turkey Day episodes. But none could top the 1978 Thanksgiving episode of “WKRP in Cincinnati.”

If you’ve read this far, I don’t have to tell you that “WKRP” was a short-lived but wonderfully silly TV show about a Cincinnati radio station. The show – very similar in characters and execution to the movie “FM” – is a classic of quirky comedy.

The Thanksgiving episode finds station owner Mr. Carlson (Gordon Jump) feeling a bit out of date with the new, young, trendy rock-and-roll tone and staff of the station.

So Carlson and ad sales guy Herb Tarlek (Frank Bonner) arrange a turkey giveaway. Of course, this isn’t a giveaway of frozen turkeys. They’re fresh turkeys. Really fresh.

As newsman Les Nessman looks on and delivers increasingly horrified narration, turkeys are tossed out of a helicopter.

Not surprisingly, they fall like “sacks of wet cement” to the parking lot below.

“As god is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly,” Carlson tells the station staff.

And a TV classic was born.

Classic TV: A Quinn Martin Production

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For most of us growing up in the 1960s and 1970s, the words were as familiar as the title theme music of our favorite shows: “A Quinn Martin Production.”

That phrase was usually intoned, in dramatic fashion, in the opening credits of producer Quinn Martin’s series. It was a convention that made his name recognizable even to people who didn’t pay attention to the names of Hollywood producers.

The list of TV series that Martin produced includes some of the best and most popular shows of their time, including “The Fugitive,” “The FBI,” “The Invaders” and “The Streets of San Francisco.”

In the 1970s, Martin’s productions seemed to center around the offbeat detectives of the day, including “Cannon” – featuring William Conrad as a portly detective not above bouncing bad guys into submission with his belly – and “Barnaby Jones,” featuring Buddy Ebsen as a senior citizen detective.

(You might remember that the odd detectives of the day included “Longstreet,” a blind detective, and “Ironside,” the wheelchair-bound detective.)

Martin’s shows feel kind of dated now. I’ve seen episodes of “Cannon” and “The Fugitive” recently and they’re pretty notable for embracing the TV conventions of the day, including endless transitions (long shots of cars tooling along Southern California roads, anyone?) between dialogue scenes and melodramatic music.

Of all of Martin’s shows, I was most partial to “The Invaders” – in which a man stumbles upon an alien invasion and must try to convince others what’s happening – and “Streets of San Francisco,” featuring Karl Malden and Michael Douglas as a veteran cop and his young maverick partner.

One of the most memorable things about the Martin series was the dramatic titles of the episodes.

Courtesy of the List of the Day webpage on Blogspot, a few Quinn Martin episode titles:

“To Ride a Tiger”

“Death is the Punchline”

“Shadow of Fear”

“Web of Deceit”

“See Some Evil, Do Some Evil”

The titles were parodied, years later, in the “Police Squad” series that led to the “Naked Gun” movies. In that Leslie Nielsen spoof, however, the titles on screen didn’t match those read by the narrator.

Martin died in 1987 at only 65 years old. Among his many distinctions at the time was having produced a series in primetime TV for each of 21 years from 1959 to 1980.