Morgan worked with famously serious Jack Webb on "Dragnet."
One day at 9 am, Harry Morgan told Jack Webb a joke.
They then filmed all day and at 5 p.m., Morgan told another joke, and Jack exploded, "DAMMIT HARRY, QUIT GOOFING AROUND!"
Showing posts with label TV. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TV. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 08, 2015
SHERMAN! T! POTTER!
Facebook reminds me that four years ago yesterday, actor Harry Morgan died. I can't remember if I used this anecdote in the obit I wrote for NBC, but I had to share it here:
Morgan worked with famously serious Jack Webb on "Dragnet."
One day at 9 am, Harry Morgan told Jack Webb a joke.
They then filmed all day and at 5 p.m., Morgan told another joke, and Jack exploded, "DAMMIT HARRY, QUIT GOOFING AROUND!"
Morgan worked with famously serious Jack Webb on "Dragnet."
One day at 9 am, Harry Morgan told Jack Webb a joke.
They then filmed all day and at 5 p.m., Morgan told another joke, and Jack exploded, "DAMMIT HARRY, QUIT GOOFING AROUND!"
Wednesday, October 07, 2015
The most Seventies scene of the 1970s
I lived through every day of the 1970s and relived many of them when co-authoring "Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops?" Therefore I think I am uniquely qualified to offer up this as THE most '70s scene ever.
Bionic Bigfoot (Andre the Giant!) fights the Six Million Dollar Man. Spoiler: STEVE RIPS HIS ARM OFF!
Bionic Bigfoot (Andre the Giant!) fights the Six Million Dollar Man. Spoiler: STEVE RIPS HIS ARM OFF!
Who was bringing up three very creepy girls...
I love this so much. The young stars of "The Brady Bunch" did a heckuva lot of cheesy movies and TV when they weren't hanging around Westdale High.
Bobby Brady got kind of the best deal--he was on "Isis." Peter got to be a werewolf on "Bigfoot and Wildboy," which I only vaguely remember. Greg did "MegaPiranha," but that doesn't really count, it was supposed to be campy. And sweet Marcia did a 1979 TV movie called "A Vacation in Hell" that looks like exactly that.
Be sure to watch the video clips provided (sadly, the Peter as a werewolf one was yanked, leaving just the still photo below) for an extra dose of '70s lunacy.
Bobby Brady got kind of the best deal--he was on "Isis." Peter got to be a werewolf on "Bigfoot and Wildboy," which I only vaguely remember. Greg did "MegaPiranha," but that doesn't really count, it was supposed to be campy. And sweet Marcia did a 1979 TV movie called "A Vacation in Hell" that looks like exactly that.
Be sure to watch the video clips provided (sadly, the Peter as a werewolf one was yanked, leaving just the still photo below) for an extra dose of '70s lunacy.
Tuesday, October 06, 2015
VitameatavegaGAAAAH!
This headline is misleading, I thought maybe they were going to install Scary Lucy in a haunted house and people would turn the corner, see her and freak out.
Friday, April 03, 2015
Punch that card!
Spotted this today at Kelly's school library. Copyright 1996, but looks more like 1956.
Did not know Abraham from "Walking Dead" was a mainframe technician.
Did not know Abraham from "Walking Dead" was a mainframe technician.
Thursday, March 05, 2015
The Road Runner must stay on the road, otherwise, logically, he could not be called "Road Runner"
The 9 unbreakable rules of the Wile E. Coyote universe.
"Rule 8: Whenever possible, make gravity the coyote's greatest enemy."
"Rule 8: Whenever possible, make gravity the coyote's greatest enemy."
Still obsessed with Chuck Jones' coyote/roadrunner rules. Awesome to so clearly, concisely define your characters. pic.twitter.com/MRd4zguD93
— Amos Posner (@AmosPosner) March 4, 2015
Scrappy whaaa?
So apparently my hatred of Scrappy-Doo is not universal, at least according to this Change.org petition an anonymous PCJM reader posted in the comments.
Oh, "yonger" viewers (spelling theirs), trust this old fogey, you do not need a reboot of that annoying pup. Just watch the "Simpsons" Poochie episode a few times. Scrappy has to go, now, his planet needs him. If that planet is the planet of terrible sidekicks, that is.
Oh, "yonger" viewers (spelling theirs), trust this old fogey, you do not need a reboot of that annoying pup. Just watch the "Simpsons" Poochie episode a few times. Scrappy has to go, now, his planet needs him. If that planet is the planet of terrible sidekicks, that is.
Friday, February 27, 2015
Best "In Search Of..." episodes
We all loved Leonard Nimoy as Spock, but in all the discussion of that wonderful character, one of his other classic roles has been forgotten. It's hard to find a 1970s kid who doesn't have fond, freaky memories of "In Search Of...", and Nimoy's straightforward, Spock-logical narration was a huge part of it.
Now we know that this show was often a TV version of "The Weekly World News," and its pre-show disclaimer tried to cover itself, admitting that it was based on "theory and conjecture," and "the producers' purpose is to suggest some possible explanations, but not necessarily the only ones."
Here's a look at some of my favorite episodes.
The Bermuda Triangle, first season
Just the idea that our planet had thee mysterious places that could never be explained was both terrifying and fascinating for a kid who'd maybe never left their own hometown.
Bigfoot, first season
Oh yes. He could've been this show's mascot. Completely made up, yet with enough delightful sightings and fuzzy photographs to keep the myth alive.
Killer Bees, first season
Oh, this terrified us. Spotting any bee became akin to seeing your executioner after we watched this one.
Atlantis, first season
It seemed like one day we might even be able to vacation there, playing basketball with the Sea-Monkeys and dunking on Aquaman.
The Lost Dutchman Mine, second season
A supposed lost gold mine in Arizona or Mexico or maybe just made up, but the idea that when we grew up, we might just be able to dig a hole and get rich was a kid's American dream.
Michael Rockefeller, second season
Disappearing people are fascinating, Disappearing zillionaires even more so. Disappearing zillionaires who may have been eaten by cannibals? Score!
The Great Lakes Triangle, third season
Because the Bermuda Triangle was just too darn far away.
The Money Pit Mystery, third season
I feel like this one ran every other week, and we ate it up. It told the tale of supposed buried treasure in a pit in Canada, and every group who went digging for it ended up giving up. Blackbeard's treasure? Marie Antoinette's jewels? There's probably nothing there, but damn, the chase was enticing.
The Lost Colony of Roanoke, fourth season
"Where did they go?" mysteries are always intriguing. See also: The Mary Celeste, numerous other found-sailing-without-crew stories as told in cheesy Scholastic paperbacks.This one is America's first, and the one-word clue CROATOAN makes it even juicier.
The Abominable Snowman, fourth season
If Bigfoot is this show's mascot, the Yeti is his understudy. We kids of the '70s totally believed in these big guys.
Jimmy Hoffa, fifth season
The END ZONE. He's in the END ZONE.
MIAs, sixth season
Were there still Vietnam vets being held prisoner, a la "Rambo"? One of the saddest and most disturbing episodes of a show that usually was much easier to snark at.
The Elephant Man, sixth season
Even if you thought you were funny-looking, hated your braces or glasses or a dumb birthmark, you had nothin' on John Merrick
Houdini's Secrets, sixth season
Houdini had it all for a show like this. Dazzling escape-artist magic, worldwide fame, an abrupt and early death, the whole thing about telling his wife Bess he'd try to talk to her from the beyond. We could only hope that one day, in our lifetime, there'd be another Houdini. (David Copperfield/Blaine, you guys do not count.)
Now we know that this show was often a TV version of "The Weekly World News," and its pre-show disclaimer tried to cover itself, admitting that it was based on "theory and conjecture," and "the producers' purpose is to suggest some possible explanations, but not necessarily the only ones."
Here's a look at some of my favorite episodes.
The Bermuda Triangle, first season
Just the idea that our planet had thee mysterious places that could never be explained was both terrifying and fascinating for a kid who'd maybe never left their own hometown.
Bigfoot, first season
Oh yes. He could've been this show's mascot. Completely made up, yet with enough delightful sightings and fuzzy photographs to keep the myth alive.
Killer Bees, first season
Oh, this terrified us. Spotting any bee became akin to seeing your executioner after we watched this one.
Atlantis, first season
It seemed like one day we might even be able to vacation there, playing basketball with the Sea-Monkeys and dunking on Aquaman.
The Lost Dutchman Mine, second season
A supposed lost gold mine in Arizona or Mexico or maybe just made up, but the idea that when we grew up, we might just be able to dig a hole and get rich was a kid's American dream.
Michael Rockefeller, second season
Disappearing people are fascinating, Disappearing zillionaires even more so. Disappearing zillionaires who may have been eaten by cannibals? Score!
The Great Lakes Triangle, third season
Because the Bermuda Triangle was just too darn far away.
The Money Pit Mystery, third season
I feel like this one ran every other week, and we ate it up. It told the tale of supposed buried treasure in a pit in Canada, and every group who went digging for it ended up giving up. Blackbeard's treasure? Marie Antoinette's jewels? There's probably nothing there, but damn, the chase was enticing.
The Lost Colony of Roanoke, fourth season
"Where did they go?" mysteries are always intriguing. See also: The Mary Celeste, numerous other found-sailing-without-crew stories as told in cheesy Scholastic paperbacks.This one is America's first, and the one-word clue CROATOAN makes it even juicier.
The Abominable Snowman, fourth season
If Bigfoot is this show's mascot, the Yeti is his understudy. We kids of the '70s totally believed in these big guys.
Jimmy Hoffa, fifth season
The END ZONE. He's in the END ZONE.
MIAs, sixth season
Were there still Vietnam vets being held prisoner, a la "Rambo"? One of the saddest and most disturbing episodes of a show that usually was much easier to snark at.
The Elephant Man, sixth season
Even if you thought you were funny-looking, hated your braces or glasses or a dumb birthmark, you had nothin' on John Merrick
Houdini's Secrets, sixth season
Houdini had it all for a show like this. Dazzling escape-artist magic, worldwide fame, an abrupt and early death, the whole thing about telling his wife Bess he'd try to talk to her from the beyond. We could only hope that one day, in our lifetime, there'd be another Houdini. (David Copperfield/Blaine, you guys do not count.)
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Happy 94th birthday, Abe Vigoda!
Abe Vigoda turns 94 today. That's not an unimaginable age--my dad got to 93, and Vigoda was born the year between my dad and my mom, who reached 91.
What makes Abe the poster child for "old people you thought were dead who will live forever," the guy who has websites that exist just to determine his life status, the guy whose death has been misreported not once but twice, is that he's looked old for about a thousand years.
In the '70s, we all thought he was the oldest cast member in "Barney Miller" and "Fish." We had no idea he'd still be holding on in 2015.
I tried to watch "Fish." It had a bunch of kids and seemed like it might be a bigger-familied version of "All in the Family." It was awful, just awful, but we often watched it anyway because nothing else was on.
But then it's impossible to forget that Vigoda was also Sal Tessio, one of the Godfather's top lieutenants, the one who attempted the Barzini betrayal. It's the smart move. Tessio was always the smarter one. But you know, Mike, it was only business.
What makes Abe the poster child for "old people you thought were dead who will live forever," the guy who has websites that exist just to determine his life status, the guy whose death has been misreported not once but twice, is that he's looked old for about a thousand years.
In the '70s, we all thought he was the oldest cast member in "Barney Miller" and "Fish." We had no idea he'd still be holding on in 2015.
I tried to watch "Fish." It had a bunch of kids and seemed like it might be a bigger-familied version of "All in the Family." It was awful, just awful, but we often watched it anyway because nothing else was on.
But then it's impossible to forget that Vigoda was also Sal Tessio, one of the Godfather's top lieutenants, the one who attempted the Barzini betrayal. It's the smart move. Tessio was always the smarter one. But you know, Mike, it was only business.
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Sigmund, you are a rotten sea monster!
So apparently Amazon is remaking "Sigmund and the Sea Monsters" for a new generation. And I think I am in sync with all Gen Xers everywhere when I say, "WHATCHOO TALKIN' ABOUT, WILLIS?"
One cannot simply remake a Sid and Marty Krofft production. The charm of the Kroffts, the reason we're still talking about their shows today, is the innocent goofiness of the whole thing. The terrible costumes, the weak special effects, the canned laughter, the bad scripts. We loved it, but it was about the only thing on, and we also loved Twinkies and Sharkleberry Fin Kool-Aid too.
I love the reader comment on io9 that suggests:
"What we need is for someone to take the concept of Land of the Lost and redo it in a completely serious way with good special effects for the Sleestak. God I still remember the pylons that had the crystals in it that could control the weather. Then to find out the Sleestak had an evolutionary regression to become the mindless beings they were, when they used to be incredibly intelligent. That stuff blew my little mind way back then."
One cannot simply remake a Sid and Marty Krofft production. The charm of the Kroffts, the reason we're still talking about their shows today, is the innocent goofiness of the whole thing. The terrible costumes, the weak special effects, the canned laughter, the bad scripts. We loved it, but it was about the only thing on, and we also loved Twinkies and Sharkleberry Fin Kool-Aid too.
I love the reader comment on io9 that suggests:
"What we need is for someone to take the concept of Land of the Lost and redo it in a completely serious way with good special effects for the Sleestak. God I still remember the pylons that had the crystals in it that could control the weather. Then to find out the Sleestak had an evolutionary regression to become the mindless beings they were, when they used to be incredibly intelligent. That stuff blew my little mind way back then."
Monday, February 09, 2015
Speaking of Scooby...
Speaking of Scooby, I saw this on one of my favorite Twitter feeds, Old School Ads (follow them if you're not already!) and couldn't resist it. I think as a kid it would've been a little freaky to see the cartoon characters next to the photos of the actors who voiced them. Like peeking behind the curtain in Oz...
'Bloodline'
Well, I MAY have just gone and marked my calendar for March 20, the date that Netflix debuts its new show, "Bloodline," starring Kyle "Coach Taylor" Chandler as a scion of a rich Florida family in a drama that reminds me of "Dallas" and a little bit of "Brothers and Sisters" in all the best ways. (Also: Sam Shepard! Sissy Spacek!)
Maybe because I'm the youngest of 7 spread out over 3 generations (1 Silent, 5 Baby Boomers, and me, the lone Gen Xer), I'm fascinated with family and sibling dramas and issues. Other than soaps, not too many shows tackle them in a big, messy, complex way, and this does look promising. Also, Netflix, so binge-watching is definitely a possibility.
Maybe because I'm the youngest of 7 spread out over 3 generations (1 Silent, 5 Baby Boomers, and me, the lone Gen Xer), I'm fascinated with family and sibling dramas and issues. Other than soaps, not too many shows tackle them in a big, messy, complex way, and this does look promising. Also, Netflix, so binge-watching is definitely a possibility.
Scrappy Doo, the Cousin Oliver of Scooby-Doo
The sheer number of float-over ads on this Christian Science Monitor post about "Google Doodles You'll Never See" is annoying, but I like the concept and especially the Doodle about "Scooby-Doo's B Team."
Most '70s-'80s kids know the ultra-annoying Scrappy Doo, who was the Cousin Oliver of the Scooby universe. According to Wikipedia, though, people actually liked him at the time. ("Scrappy-Doo was added to the cast of Scooby-Doo to save the show's ratings, which by 1979 had begun to sink to the point of cancellation threats from ABC.[3] After his addition to the show proved to be a ratings success, Hanna-Barbera restructured the show around Scrappy in 1980. ") What? I was a little old for cartoons when he was brought on, but I've never heard of anyone admiting to even tolerating that bratty little pup. As this Cartoon Network ad admits.
But possibly even worse was the gray dog on the left-hand side, the so-forgettable Scooby-Dum. (Voiced by the amazing Daws Butler, who did Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear and so many other cartoon greats.) Again, Wikipedia is hilarious about him. Is he Scooby's brother? His cousin? Both? Is this a southern swamp "I'm my own grandpaw" lineage thing? Best line: " The inclusion of Scooby-Dum was considered one of the first missteps in Scooby-Doo cartoons."
I think their first clue should've been that Scooby-Doo and Scooby-Dum had an incredibly complicated handshake-and-greeting procedure. And also the fact that "Dum" was LITERALLY IN HIS NAME.
Most '70s-'80s kids know the ultra-annoying Scrappy Doo, who was the Cousin Oliver of the Scooby universe. According to Wikipedia, though, people actually liked him at the time. ("Scrappy-Doo was added to the cast of Scooby-Doo to save the show's ratings, which by 1979 had begun to sink to the point of cancellation threats from ABC.[3] After his addition to the show proved to be a ratings success, Hanna-Barbera restructured the show around Scrappy in 1980. ") What? I was a little old for cartoons when he was brought on, but I've never heard of anyone admiting to even tolerating that bratty little pup. As this Cartoon Network ad admits.
But possibly even worse was the gray dog on the left-hand side, the so-forgettable Scooby-Dum. (Voiced by the amazing Daws Butler, who did Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear and so many other cartoon greats.) Again, Wikipedia is hilarious about him. Is he Scooby's brother? His cousin? Both? Is this a southern swamp "I'm my own grandpaw" lineage thing? Best line: " The inclusion of Scooby-Dum was considered one of the first missteps in Scooby-Doo cartoons."
I think their first clue should've been that Scooby-Doo and Scooby-Dum had an incredibly complicated handshake-and-greeting procedure. And also the fact that "Dum" was LITERALLY IN HIS NAME.
Friday, May 16, 2014
Here's the story...
Fun slideshow of The Brady Bunch stars then and now.
Hadn't seen Alice in a long time. Love Ann B. Davis. We'll be sad when she goes.
Greg didn't age as well as Marcia, but he's still so recognizable. And Carol looks amazing, as always.
Hadn't seen Alice in a long time. Love Ann B. Davis. We'll be sad when she goes.
Greg didn't age as well as Marcia, but he's still so recognizable. And Carol looks amazing, as always.
Thursday, August 01, 2013
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Come aboard, we're expecting you
Love this: Captain Stubing (Gavin McLeod, also Murray Slaughter) has a perfectly named book coming out in October: "This Is Your Captain Speaking."
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Damn straight
I miss that show, though I was just thinking the other day that I probably will give my DVDs of it away. It's a long, complicated wonderful novel of a show, but I don't think I'll relive it.
Monday, July 09, 2012
Wonder Twin dentures, activate!
"Super Golden Friends" takes a look at what would happen if the Super Friends crossed over with "The Golden Girls."
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Downton, things will be great when we're Downton...
A writer at Newsweek is ALL TICKED OFF that Americans DARE to enjoy "Downton Abbey." Dude, do you even KNOW what's on other channels? Would you prefer we melt our brains with more Kardashian shows?
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