Sunday, February 7, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Who starred in multiple Classic TV shows?
A few days ago I was reading about the death of actor Pernell Roberts on IMDb. He was the last surviving member of the "Bonanza" cast. (Ironically, he was the first to leave the show.) Roberts later starred in "Trapper John, MD", a series about the post-war medical practice of MASH doctor Trapper John McIntyre. Could this be considered a true spin-off of MASH? If so, this may be the only time the same actor wasn't used to portray the character in the 2nd show (unlike Frasier, The Jeffersons, etc).
Anyway, it got me to thinking "What actors starred in multiple Classic TV shows?" (By "starred", I mean in the regular or recurring cast, not a guest-starring role.)
The most well-known would be Lucille Ball. She was in "I Love Lucy", "The Lucy Show", and "Here's Lucy". (Then again, were these really three different shows, or just a remix of the same theme?)
The first one that came to me was Sally Field. She was the title character in both "Gidget" and "The Flying Nun", before going on to a film career.
Fred Gwynne played one of the 2 main cops in "Car 54 Where Are You?", then starred as Herman Munster in "The Munsters".
One that crossed 2 decades was Bob Denver. After playing Maynard G. Krebbs ("the G stands for Walter") in "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis", he of course went on to play Gilligan.
If we wanted to stretch the boundaries of the Classic TV era, we could also consider Larry Hagman, who played Jeannie's master Major Tony Nelson in "I Dream of Jeannie", before playing the completely different J.R. Ewing in "Dallas". I could also go on about Ron Howard and Don Knotts, but I'm not going to mention any of these 3, so as not to incur the wrath of you-know-who.
In the co-star category, a few stand out:
Gale Gordon appeared in "Dennis the Menace" as John Wilson, the replacement 'Mister Wilson' (presumably after Dennis wore out the first one!) Later he was in "The Lucy Show" as Mr. Mooney, Lucy Carmichael's windbag of a boss.
William Frawley was in "I Love Lucy" as neighbor Fred Mertz, and later played Bub in "My Three Sons".
Speaking of the Mertzes, Vivian Vance played Fred's wife Ethel, then essentially repeated the same role in the other Lucille Ball shows as Vivian.
William Schallert is probably best known as Martin Lane, Patty's father in "The Patty Duke Show". He was also one of Dobie Gillis' teachers. I don't know what other TV shows he was in, but he's just the type that would appear as a storekeeper in "Leave it to Beaver", or some such part.
Ann B. Davis was Bob Cummings' gal Friday in "Love That Bob", but is better known as Alice in "The Brady Bunch".
Richard Deacon played essentially the same role (pompous bore) as Fred Rutherford in "Leave it to Beaver" and as Mel Cooley in "The Dick Van Dyke Show".
Don DeFore was Ozzie Nelson's neighbor Thorny Thornapple, and also Hazel's boss 'Mister B' in "Hazel".
One that is probably all but forgotten is Angela Cartwright. She played the younger daughter in both "Make Room for Daddy" and "Lost in Space".
I'm sure there are others, but I was doing this post off the top of my head, and also wanted to leave something for others to comment on.
Anyway, it got me to thinking "What actors starred in multiple Classic TV shows?" (By "starred", I mean in the regular or recurring cast, not a guest-starring role.)
The most well-known would be Lucille Ball. She was in "I Love Lucy", "The Lucy Show", and "Here's Lucy". (Then again, were these really three different shows, or just a remix of the same theme?)
The first one that came to me was Sally Field. She was the title character in both "Gidget" and "The Flying Nun", before going on to a film career.
Fred Gwynne played one of the 2 main cops in "Car 54 Where Are You?", then starred as Herman Munster in "The Munsters".
One that crossed 2 decades was Bob Denver. After playing Maynard G. Krebbs ("the G stands for Walter") in "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis", he of course went on to play Gilligan.
In the co-star category, a few stand out:
Gale Gordon appeared in "Dennis the Menace" as John Wilson, the replacement 'Mister Wilson' (presumably after Dennis wore out the first one!) Later he was in "The Lucy Show" as Mr. Mooney, Lucy Carmichael's windbag of a boss.
William Frawley was in "I Love Lucy" as neighbor Fred Mertz, and later played Bub in "My Three Sons".
Speaking of the Mertzes, Vivian Vance played Fred's wife Ethel, then essentially repeated the same role in the other Lucille Ball shows as Vivian.
William Schallert is probably best known as Martin Lane, Patty's father in "The Patty Duke Show". He was also one of Dobie Gillis' teachers. I don't know what other TV shows he was in, but he's just the type that would appear as a storekeeper in "Leave it to Beaver", or some such part.
Ann B. Davis was Bob Cummings' gal Friday in "Love That Bob", but is better known as Alice in "The Brady Bunch".
Richard Deacon played essentially the same role (pompous bore) as Fred Rutherford in "Leave it to Beaver" and as Mel Cooley in "The Dick Van Dyke Show".
Don DeFore was Ozzie Nelson's neighbor Thorny Thornapple, and also Hazel's boss 'Mister B' in "Hazel".
One that is probably all but forgotten is Angela Cartwright. She played the younger daughter in both "Make Room for Daddy" and "Lost in Space".
I'm sure there are others, but I was doing this post off the top of my head, and also wanted to leave something for others to comment on.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
IMDb Television Boards
Well.....it seems our pal JEFJR has finally gotten through to the powers that be over at IMDb. They have cordoned off the area of TV into sections of years now!! There are now SEPERATE boards for Television from 1940's, 1950's, 1960's....etc etc.
Good for them, and I hope the experiment works!! I already posted on the 1940's board, and first I might add, about the original Life of Riley from 1949.
I've seen a few of the episodes from that year and am always happy to see JACKIE GLEASON as Riley.....although for me, growing up as a kid watching re-runs in the 60's, William Bendix will always be my true Riley.
So, here's to IMDb for doing something right!!! Let's hope it doesn't hinder this Blog of Jefjr's!!
Good for them, and I hope the experiment works!! I already posted on the 1940's board, and first I might add, about the original Life of Riley from 1949.
I've seen a few of the episodes from that year and am always happy to see JACKIE GLEASON as Riley.....although for me, growing up as a kid watching re-runs in the 60's, William Bendix will always be my true Riley.
So, here's to IMDb for doing something right!!! Let's hope it doesn't hinder this Blog of Jefjr's!!
Well now, isn't that just dandy!
Less than 24 hours after I sent the message below to the IMDb help desk, they have split up the Classic TV board into 7 different boards - one per decade. Who knew the inertia of IMDb could reverse direction that quickly? (I wonder if this blog is moot now?)
Now that it's a new decade, it's long past the time when you need to split up the Classic TV board.
Please divide this into 3 boards: 40s to 60s, 70s & 80s, and 90s to 00s. The amount of (what we old-timers consider to be) garbage about TV shows from the 1990s and 1980s that clutters this "Classic" board makes it intolerable to browse for what we consider to be classics.
I realize that each age group is going to have its own definition of "classic", which is why it's time for IMDb to retire that label and use decades, like I specified above. This way, the kiddies that want to foam over "Friends" or "Melrose Place" can do so with like-minded board readers, while the older set can chatter about "Leave it to Beaver" or "Bonanza". People can then visit the boards of their liking, and stay away from boards they consider to be "too old" or "too recent".
What do you think?
Now that it's a new decade, it's long past the time when you need to split up the Classic TV board.
Please divide this into 3 boards: 40s to 60s, 70s & 80s, and 90s to 00s. The amount of (what we old-timers consider to be) garbage about TV shows from the 1990s and 1980s that clutters this "Classic" board makes it intolerable to browse for what we consider to be classics.
I realize that each age group is going to have its own definition of "classic", which is why it's time for IMDb to retire that label and use decades, like I specified above. This way, the kiddies that want to foam over "Friends" or "Melrose Place" can do so with like-minded board readers, while the older set can chatter about "Leave it to Beaver" or "Bonanza". People can then visit the boards of their liking, and stay away from boards they consider to be "too old" or "too recent".
What do you think?
"Excuse me, I'm NOT speaking jive anymore!"
Now I see why these companies stopped dragging their feet on the Leave it to Beaver DVDs!
Dobie Gillis
Dobie's probably wondering "Why is every other TV show from the 1950s and 1960s available on DVD except mine and Adam West's?" (Yes, Dennis the Menace too, but Dobie probably feels he's above that lovable runt.)
Last year, I bought the entire series on DVD-R from ioffer.com. Most of the episodes are of good quality, but I'd still like them to put out an official release, with commentary by Dobie and whoever else is available. I'd buy at least 1 season.
I think I may do that with the Patty Duke Show, now that it's available also. (I previously got that whole series on DVD-R. The quality's not as good as the Dobie Discs.)
Where's the Dennis the Menace DVD?
In the past few years (since the Leave it to Beaver drought started), we've seen the release of two Donna Reed seasons, four seasons of Father Knows Best, a few volumes of My Three Sons, and also season 1 of Patty Duke and Room 222.
Where's Dennis?!?
Leave it to Beaver
Recently, it was noted on IMDb that Shout Factory will be releasing the complete set of all seasons of LITB episodes in June 2010. At the same time, they are releasing season 3 separately.
Announcement on TV Shows On DVD website
Since I already have seasons 1 and 2, I'm wondering if seasons 4, 5, and 6 will also be available separately. I went on Amazon.com, but this set is not available for pre-order yet. (I hope this isn’t a false alarm.)
List of Classic TV shows
Here is a list of some of the more well-known Classic TV shows.
If I've missed something, please comment below, and I'll add it to the list.
1950s Comedy:
Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, The
Bachelor Father
Burns and Allen
Dennis the Menace
Donna Reed Show, The
Father Knows Best
Honeymooners, The
I Love Lucy
I Married Joan
Jack Benny Program, The
Leave it to Beaver
Life of Riley, The
Love That Bob
Make Room for Daddy
Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, The
My Little Margie
Our Miss Brooks
Phil Silvers Show, The
Real McCoys, The
Three Stooges, The (yes, technically they were theatrical shorts, but for all practical purposes for anyone reading this blog, these were TV programs!)
1960s Comedy:
Addams Family, The
Andy Griffith Show, The
Batman
Beverly Hillbillies, The
Bewitched
Brady Bunch, The
Car 54 Where Are You
Courtship of Eddie's Father, The
Dick Van Dyke Show, The
F Troop
Family Affair
Farmer's Daughter, The
Flying Nun, The
Get Smart
Gidget
Gilligan's Island
Gomer Pyle USMC
Green Acres
Hazel
Hogan's Heroes
I Dream of Jeannie
Love American Style
Lucy Show, The
Mayberry RFD
McHale's Navy
Mister Ed
Monkees, The
Munsters, The
My Favorite Martian
My Three Sons
Patty Duke Show, The
Pete and Gladys
Petticoat Junction
Room 222
Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In
That Girl
Drama:
77 Sunset Strip
Adam-12
Adventures in Paradise
Ben Casey
Burke's Law
Cannonball
Combat!
Daniel Boone
Dr. Kildare
Dragnet
FBI, The
Flipper
Fugitive, The
Gallant Men, The
Hawaii Five-O
Hawaiian Eye
Highway Patrol
Honey West
I Spy
Ironsides
Lassie
Lost in Space
M-Squad
Man from U.N.C.L.E., The
Mannix
Mission Impossible
Mod Squad, The
Mr. Novak
Outer Limits, The
Perry Mason
Peter Gunn
Ramar of the Jungle
Rat Patrol, The
Rin Tin Tin
Route 66
Scarecrow (Disney mini-series)
Sea Hunt
Sky King
Star Trek
Surfside 6
Swamp Fox, The (Disney mini-series)
T.H.E. Cat
Time Tunnel, The
Twelve O'Clock High
Twilight Zone, The
Untouchables, The
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
Whirlybirds
Westerns:
Bat Masterson
Big Valley, The
Bonanza
Branded
Cheyenne
Death Valley Days
Gunsmoke
Have Gun Will Travel
Laramie
Laredo
Lone Ranger, The
Maverick
Rawhide
Rebel, The
Rifleman, The
Sugarfoot
Virginian, The
Wagon Train
Wild Wild West, The
Wyatt Earp
Variety/Misc:
Candid Camera
Carol Burnett Show, The
Ed Sullivan Show, The
Hullabaloo
Jackie Gleason Show, The
Red Skelton Show, The
Shindig
Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The
Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The
Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color
If I've missed something, please comment below, and I'll add it to the list.
1950s Comedy:
Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, The
Bachelor Father
Burns and Allen
Dennis the Menace
Donna Reed Show, The
Father Knows Best
Honeymooners, The
I Love Lucy
I Married Joan
Jack Benny Program, The
Leave it to Beaver
Life of Riley, The
Love That Bob
Make Room for Daddy
Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, The
My Little Margie
Our Miss Brooks
Phil Silvers Show, The
Real McCoys, The
Three Stooges, The (yes, technically they were theatrical shorts, but for all practical purposes for anyone reading this blog, these were TV programs!)
1960s Comedy:
Addams Family, The
Andy Griffith Show, The
Batman
Beverly Hillbillies, The
Bewitched
Brady Bunch, The
Car 54 Where Are You
Courtship of Eddie's Father, The
Dick Van Dyke Show, The
F Troop
Family Affair
Farmer's Daughter, The
Flying Nun, The
Get Smart
Gidget
Gilligan's Island
Gomer Pyle USMC
Green Acres
Hazel
Hogan's Heroes
I Dream of Jeannie
Love American Style
Lucy Show, The
Mayberry RFD
McHale's Navy
Mister Ed
Monkees, The
Munsters, The
My Favorite Martian
My Three Sons
Patty Duke Show, The
Pete and Gladys
Petticoat Junction
Room 222
Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In
That Girl
Drama:
77 Sunset Strip
Adam-12
Adventures in Paradise
Ben Casey
Burke's Law
Cannonball
Combat!
Daniel Boone
Dr. Kildare
Dragnet
FBI, The
Flipper
Fugitive, The
Gallant Men, The
Hawaii Five-O
Hawaiian Eye
Highway Patrol
Honey West
I Spy
Ironsides
Lassie
Lost in Space
M-Squad
Man from U.N.C.L.E., The
Mannix
Mission Impossible
Mod Squad, The
Mr. Novak
Outer Limits, The
Perry Mason
Peter Gunn
Ramar of the Jungle
Rat Patrol, The
Rin Tin Tin
Route 66
Scarecrow (Disney mini-series)
Sea Hunt
Sky King
Star Trek
Surfside 6
Swamp Fox, The (Disney mini-series)
T.H.E. Cat
Time Tunnel, The
Twelve O'Clock High
Twilight Zone, The
Untouchables, The
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
Whirlybirds
Westerns:
Bat Masterson
Big Valley, The
Bonanza
Branded
Cheyenne
Death Valley Days
Gunsmoke
Have Gun Will Travel
Laramie
Laredo
Lone Ranger, The
Maverick
Rawhide
Rebel, The
Rifleman, The
Sugarfoot
Virginian, The
Wagon Train
Wild Wild West, The
Wyatt Earp
Variety/Misc:
Candid Camera
Carol Burnett Show, The
Ed Sullivan Show, The
Hullabaloo
Jackie Gleason Show, The
Red Skelton Show, The
Shindig
Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The
Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The
Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color
What about this show?
In keeping with the "Classic TV" title of this blog, discussions about any TV show after 1969 are not welcome, with the following exceptions:
The Bob Newhart Show
MASH
If you feel another post-1969 show should be added to this list, please comment below. Thanks for helping to keep this blog "Classic"!
The Bob Newhart Show
MASH
If you feel another post-1969 show should be added to this list, please comment below. Thanks for helping to keep this blog "Classic"!
List of bloggers
Here is the list of posters already able to initiate blog entries:
JEFJR
Billy!!!
After you have read the "About This Blog" thread, if you would like to become an author on this blog, do the following:
1. Create a Blogger account screen name.
2. Post a comment below in this thread that includes the email address you used when creating your screen name in #1 above. (Don't mix your request and email in the same comment as other commentary, because I will be deleting the comment containing your email shortly after entering your email address into the "system", so it's not public for too long.)
3. I can then email you an invitation to join as an author.
4. Go to your email inbox and follow the link and instructions to be "activated" as an author.
JEFJR
Billy!!!
After you have read the "About This Blog" thread, if you would like to become an author on this blog, do the following:
1. Create a Blogger account screen name.
2. Post a comment below in this thread that includes the email address you used when creating your screen name in #1 above. (Don't mix your request and email in the same comment as other commentary, because I will be deleting the comment containing your email shortly after entering your email address into the "system", so it's not public for too long.)
3. I can then email you an invitation to join as an author.
4. Go to your email inbox and follow the link and instructions to be "activated" as an author.
About this blog
Welcome to JEFJR's Classic TV Blog. I started this blog on February 3, 2010 as an alternative to IMDb's Classic TV message board. In recent times, that board has become infested with posts about shows in the "post-classic" period. I understand that every age group has their own definition of what is "classic", but (as on eBay) "classic" (or vintage) is generally accepted to be prior to 1970. That is the definition of "classic" on this blog. Hopefully, like-minded posters will find this blog to be a refreshing break from the neo-classic chatter on the IMDb board.
I am setting this blog up as an experiment, hoping to shoe-horn the function of a message board into the format of a blog. No money is being made from this, and there is no advertising, banners, or any other such nonsense on here. I just want a place where I can go read peoples' comments about Classic TV (and post my own).
I also don't have the time or the desire to be the sole source of content on this blog, and I welcome all posters from IMDb's "Classic TV" board who share my dismay over that board's direction to use this blog as an alternative. If you would like to be able to initiate posts to this blog, first continue reading to the end of this thread (including "Blogging Guidelines"), then scroll back here and go to this thread and follow the directions.
Scope:
The scope of this blog will be TV programs from the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. Some programs from the 1970s will be welcome too, if they were good, groundbreaking, and/or long-running. (for example: MASH, Bob Newhart, etc. However, do not post about Silver Spoons or the like!)
Don’t even consider posting about shows from the 1980s, 1990s, or 2000s, as they are not in this blog's definition of "Classic TV", and will likely be deleted. (This blog's administration will consider other post-1969 shows to be added to the exception list. Just add a comment to the "What about this show?" thread.)
Posting about reality shows or "American Idol" will result in the revocation of your blogging privileges! :)
Blogging Guidelines:
We’ve all been on message boards where posters have been too lazy to concern themselves with spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and subject-line content. Whenever this is pointed out to them, they usually respond with comments to the effect that they are on a message board, not a Pulitzer Prize application. I don’t think it’s too much to ask that posters consider the readability of their posts by others, and make an attempt at good spelling, punctuation, etc.
This blog is also meant to be an area of civil discussion, so a lot of what is tolerated on IMDb will not be here. With that in mind, here are some guidelines:
1. Make your best attempt at spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.
2. When posting a blog entry, add labels at the end of your post. At a minimum, you should include 3 labels: The full TV program name, the decade (prefixed by 2 dots), and your screen name (prefixed by 1 dot). Any other labels that are not show titles should be prefixed with 2 dots, so they won't sort together with show titles or bloggers' screen names.
3. Don’t make comments that are off-topic to the thread title.
4. "Yeah, me too" posts that add nothing of value are discouraged.
5. Do not pettily (if that’s a word) point out someone’s spelling errors, especially if it’s an obvious typo, such as transposed letters or the pressing of a nearby key by mistake.
6. Do not post in all capital letters (no shouting).
7. No profanity (except for the occasional H and D words).
8. No personal attacks (whether outright or veiled).
9. No smart-ass or self-righteous comments.
10. Debate and disagreements are welcome, but petty arguments are not.
11. Those incessant games found on IMDb (such as "Here’s 10 shows – let's take turns voting on them until we have a winner"). These will be deleted.
12. Do not post about shows from the 1980s onward. Also, use good taste if choosing a 1970s topic.
13. No posts about reality shows or American Idol.
Posts that dabble in #5 to #13 above will most likely be deleted. (Violations of #7, #8, and #13 are guaranteed to be deleted.)
Happy Classic blogging!
I am setting this blog up as an experiment, hoping to shoe-horn the function of a message board into the format of a blog. No money is being made from this, and there is no advertising, banners, or any other such nonsense on here. I just want a place where I can go read peoples' comments about Classic TV (and post my own).
I also don't have the time or the desire to be the sole source of content on this blog, and I welcome all posters from IMDb's "Classic TV" board who share my dismay over that board's direction to use this blog as an alternative. If you would like to be able to initiate posts to this blog, first continue reading to the end of this thread (including "Blogging Guidelines"), then scroll back here and go to this thread and follow the directions.
Scope:
The scope of this blog will be TV programs from the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. Some programs from the 1970s will be welcome too, if they were good, groundbreaking, and/or long-running. (for example: MASH, Bob Newhart, etc. However, do not post about Silver Spoons or the like!)
Don’t even consider posting about shows from the 1980s, 1990s, or 2000s, as they are not in this blog's definition of "Classic TV", and will likely be deleted. (This blog's administration will consider other post-1969 shows to be added to the exception list. Just add a comment to the "What about this show?" thread.)
Posting about reality shows or "American Idol" will result in the revocation of your blogging privileges! :)
Blogging Guidelines:
We’ve all been on message boards where posters have been too lazy to concern themselves with spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and subject-line content. Whenever this is pointed out to them, they usually respond with comments to the effect that they are on a message board, not a Pulitzer Prize application. I don’t think it’s too much to ask that posters consider the readability of their posts by others, and make an attempt at good spelling, punctuation, etc.
This blog is also meant to be an area of civil discussion, so a lot of what is tolerated on IMDb will not be here. With that in mind, here are some guidelines:
1. Make your best attempt at spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.
2. When posting a blog entry, add labels at the end of your post. At a minimum, you should include 3 labels: The full TV program name, the decade (prefixed by 2 dots), and your screen name (prefixed by 1 dot). Any other labels that are not show titles should be prefixed with 2 dots, so they won't sort together with show titles or bloggers' screen names.
3. Don’t make comments that are off-topic to the thread title.
4. "Yeah, me too" posts that add nothing of value are discouraged.
5. Do not pettily (if that’s a word) point out someone’s spelling errors, especially if it’s an obvious typo, such as transposed letters or the pressing of a nearby key by mistake.
6. Do not post in all capital letters (no shouting).
7. No profanity (except for the occasional H and D words).
8. No personal attacks (whether outright or veiled).
9. No smart-ass or self-righteous comments.
10. Debate and disagreements are welcome, but petty arguments are not.
11. Those incessant games found on IMDb (such as "Here’s 10 shows – let's take turns voting on them until we have a winner"). These will be deleted.
12. Do not post about shows from the 1980s onward. Also, use good taste if choosing a 1970s topic.
13. No posts about reality shows or American Idol.
Posts that dabble in #5 to #13 above will most likely be deleted. (Violations of #7, #8, and #13 are guaranteed to be deleted.)
Happy Classic blogging!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)