PUT ON A HAPPY FACE II

"Bye Bye Birdie" is a part of the TV Universe, thanks to a TV movie from the mid-1990's which starred Jason Alexander as Albert Peterson, Vanessa Williams as Rose Alvarez, Tyne Daly as Mrs. Peterson, and George Wendt as Mr. MacAfee.

So here's their version of "Put On A Happy Face":




It's pozz'ble, just pozz'ble, that Mr. Sweet the musical demon from 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' was responsible for the characters in this tele-version to break out in song.....

Here's the following scene as well:



BCnU!

TVXOHOF, 09/2009-C: MICHAEL OUWELEEN

Where has this week gone? It's almost over and I still haven't put up the latest induction into the TV Crossover Hall of Fame!

As we celebrate the Hall's tenth anniversary, we have a new recruit each week. And the third week is dedicated to the Tooniverse. Because September is traditionally the month in which we salute those behind the scenes who have contributed to the expansion of the TV Universe, this week we're giving the "honor" to Michael Ouweleen.

Here's a thumbnail biographical sketch for an article about success stories who were under 40 years old: Senior Vice President of Development and Creative Direction, Cartoon Network

Michael Ouweleen came to Cartoon Network with an eclectic resume, including a double major in English and theology at Georgetown University and a Madison Avenue copywriting background.

As a vice president at J. Walter Thompson Inc., he wrote copy for a wide range of accounts, from Condomania to Kodak. Subsequently, as a copywriter for Korey, Kay & Partners, Ouweleen handled accounts such as Comedy Central.
Cartoon Network is also a particularly apt spot for Ouweleen because he has produced cartoons as a freelancer, including an animated pilot The Voles and an episode of The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat.

In his current role as Cartoon Network’s senior vice president of development and creative direction, he oversees development and production of all original animated programming aimed at viewers ages 6 to 14; and he directs all on-air promotions, program franchise packaging and on-air operations.
Ouweleen also hasn’t given up on producing cartoons — he is co-creator, writer and executive producer of Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, part of the network’s Adult Swim lineup.
“You know how when someone says they’d love to work in a candy factory or ice cream factory because they love that stuff, and then someone else says, 'Yeah, but you’d get sick of it’?” Ouweleen said. “I just don’t think that’s going to happen to me. But I do think the job is making me fatter.”

Ouweleen has created those Cartoon Network bumpers which expanded the Tooniverse dimension by combining characters from different cartoon series. My personal favorite was a spoof of 'Survivor':


Ouweleen also was the creative force behind the rejuvenation of sad cartoon super-hero 'Birdman' as 'Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law'. That series also became a nexus for other cartoon characters: So here's to Michael Ouweleen. Welcome to the TV Crossover Hall of Fame! [I wish this picture could have been clearer, but I couldn't resist including it as being representative of the work Ouweleen does - even if he didn't necessarily do this one.....]

BCnU!

PUT ON A HAPPY FACE I

Because I went to see a preview of "Bye Bye Birdie" the other night at the renovated Henry Miller's Theater, I wanted to showcase a YouTube clip of Dick Van Dyke performing "Put On A Happy Face". He performed the number on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' while he was still performing in the original production.

Unfortunately, SOFA Entertainment objected to its use and the clip was taken down.

But not before I was able to grab a few, rather fuzzy, screen grabs from it!
However....

For one week during Chita Rivera's 2007(?) revue "The Dancer's Life", Dick Van Dyke joined her onstage to perform a couple of numbers from "Bye Bye Birdie", including "Put On A Happy Face".

Thanks to RyanGlitter, here's their duet on one of those nights:



Janet Leigh was enjoyable in the movie, but this was another example of a role's creator being robbed of the chance to immortalize it on film. Chita Rivera should have played Rose in the original movie!

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: NAPOLEON BONAPARTE

We've featured Napoleon Bonaparte earlier in the year; but with the passing of Henry Gibson, perhaps it's time to give the diminutive French leader the "As Seen On TV" showcase once more......

NAPOLEON BONAPARTE

AS SEEN IN:
'Bewitched'

AS PLAYED BY:
Henry Gibson

Napoleon was summoned into the Stephens' kitchen by Uncle Arthur's attempt to make a French dessert with magic.

I'm not sure who would be the definitive Napoleon on Earth Prime-Time - definitely out of the running would be Verne Troyer's version in 'Jack Of All Trades' - but I think we can come up with a splainin to eliminate Gibson's portrayal from consideration.

At least one other historical figure was summoned into the "real world" by magic in that household, but not from any earlier point in History. Instead, George Washington was "zapped" out of a storybook that belonged to Tabitha. So it could be that when Arthur's spell went awry, Napoleon was brought forth from that same storybook.

(I'm sorry the picture's not clearer, but the source was so tiny that it lost a lot when I enlarged it....)

BCnU!

EDISON SEEN

While searching for pictures of Paul Burke as Detective Adam Flint in 'Naked City', I found this: That's the old marquee for the hotel, which has also been seen in:

'Becker'
'Seinfeld'
'The Incredible Hulk'
'Sex And The City'
and maybe 'McCloud'.....

'The Beautiful Life' was filming there this week, so we'll have to see how the Edison was featured.

BCnU!

BORN TO RERUN: QUEER AS MERLIN

Here's an amusing pictorial comparison of 'Merlin' with the original version of 'Queer As Folk'. Maybe certain TV characters are doomed to repeat their past lives.....

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AS SEEN ON TV: BOOKER T. WASHINGTON

BOOKER T. WASHINGTON

AS SEEN IN:
"Booker"

AS PLAYED BY:
Shavar Ross

"On September 18, 1895, the African American educator and leader Booker T. Washington delivered his famous "Atlanta Compromise" speech at the Cotton States and International Exposition in Atlanta. Considered the definitive statement of what Washington termed the "accommodationist" strategy of black response to southern racial tensions, it is widely regarded as one of the most significant speeches in American history."

"Washington renounced agitation and protest tactics. He urged blacks to subordinate demands for political and social rights, concentrating instead on improving job skills and usefulness. "The opportunity to earn a dollar in a factory just now is worth infinitely more than the opportunity to spend a dollar in an opera-house," he said."

"Booker" was about his life as a boy......

http://www.africawithin.com/bios/booker/atlanta_compromise.htm

BCnU!

THE HAT SQUAD: HENRY GIBSON

Henry Gibson has passed away from cancer; he was 73 years old.

He first came to fame in Toobworld as the gentle poet of 'Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In' back in the 1960's, and made many appearances in other shows providing a rich registry of citizens for the TV Universe. (And "TV Universe" is meant literally, as several of his characters were aliens from other worlds.) In his later years, Gibson had a recurring role on 'Boston Legal' as Justice Clark Brown, always very funny as he sputtered "Outrageous!" at some comment made by Alan Shore in Judge Brown's courtroom.

On 'Laugh-In', one of his two most famous "characters" were as a tea-sipping priest, usually seen at the opening cocktail party, and as himself reciting a poem... by Henry Gibson. But there were other characters during his three years on the show:



Here's one of his best known poems:

"The Alligator is my pal

He could be your pal, too.

You'd like him better as a friend

Than wearing him as shoes..."

'Laugh-In' exists in Skitlandia, the alternate TV dimension for sketch comedy shows. This is why it was never a Zonk that Mr. Gibson and other alumni from the show appeared in a dream sequence on an episode of 'Mad About You'. As both Paul and Jamie were sharing the dream, it could be splained away that they were tapping into a telepathic connection with that other dimension.....



Henry Gibson created several TV characters before 'Laugh-In' came along in 1968, on such shows as 'The Dick Van Dyke Show', 'My Favorite Martian', '77 Sunset Strip', and 'F Troop'. Here he is as "macho" movie star Quirt Manly on 'The Beverly Hillbillies':



In movies like "The Blues Brothers" and "The Burbs", the sweet and gentle Henry Gibson was cast as the villain. Although his roles weren't actually villains per se, Robert Altman saw in Gibson a darker side which he helped the actor to bring forth in "Nashville" and "The Long Goodbye". On TV as well, Henry Gibson could play the bad guy with panache:



I learned of Henry Gibson's death when I got home from the theater; I had been to see a preview for "Bye Bye Birdie" (with John Stamos, Gina Gershon, and Bill Irwin). And even this rough jump-cut in my life can be summed up with a clip from Toobworld that blends both stories together:



Some of Henry Gibson's characters will live forever, and I'm talking about within the "reality" of Toobworld. Twice Gibson played leprechauns, once in an episode of 'Bewitched' and much later in a Disney TV movie, "The Luck Of The Irish". (If anything, I think the two characters are father and son rather than the same Irish imp using an alias.) And a character like Nilva on 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine' hasn't even been born yet.

So we'll always have Henry Gibson in the TV Universe in more ways than just syndicated repeats.....

Good night, and may God bless.

BCnU......

Billy Joel - Tell Her About It

Billy Joel - Tell Her About It
Uploaded by jpdc11. - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.

AS SEEN ON TV: ED SULLIVAN

Thanks to my good friend NYMarkie, I got to see "Bye Bye Birdie" on Broadway Wednesday night at the newly refurbished Henry Miller's Theater, with a pre-show event at the MonteNapo restaurant in the New York Times Building.

One of the "double pleasure" highlights for this classic TV fan was hearing Will Jordan once again impersonate TV's greatest impresario, Ed Sullivan. Will Jordan has played the role in the movies - "Down With Love", "I Wanna Hold Your Hand", "The Doors", "The Buddy Holly Story" and "Mr. Saturday Night". On TV, he's played Sullivan for such talk show hosts as Mike Douglas, Merv Griffin, Johnny Carson, and even on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' as well. He was in the 1990's version of "Bye Bye Birdie" for Toobworld, which starred Jason Alexander, Vanessa Williams, Tyne Daly, and George Wendt. There's one showcase of Will Jordan as Ed Sullivan out there in the world of online TV, but unfortunately YouTube won't allow it to be embedded. (But I'll have it up very soon!)

ED SULLIVAN

AS SEEN IN:
"Tell Her About It"
[music video by Billy Joel]

AS PLAYED BY:
Will Jordan
OH! The show? The music is timeless, the book horribly dated. Gina Gershon was fantastic as Rose, and Bill Irwin may be too tightly wound up but still very funny as Mr. MacAfee. (Funny how most of us know that name so well nowadays!) As for John Stamos, he acquitted himself well, but how can anyone really stack up against a legend like Dick Van Dyke?

BCnU!