You know how the details in the lives of the televersions for certain celebrities may change from the Trueniverse to Toobworld?
Here's what I mean - in the Trueniverse, Larry David is married to Laurie David. (Maybe he married her because it would be easy to remember her name?)
But in Toobworld, Larry David is married to Cheryl David in 'Curb Your Enthusiasm'.
In Toobworld, Tim Russert is related to a former police captain in Baltimore, according to 'Homicide: Life On The Street'. Art Carney was related to a waitress in Phoenix, as seen on 'Alice'.
In Toobworld, there are two Drew Careys. One is a known comedian and actor who hosted a couple of improv shows ('Whose Line Is It Anyway?' and 'Green Screen'). The other was a middle-management schlub at a department store in Cleveland, according to 'The Drew Carey Show'.
Dick Van Patten was killed off in an episode of 'Cybill', and Jean-Claude Van Damme was murdered in an episode of 'Las Vegas'. (Of course, there's a good splainin for both - android duplicates! I could have just let the Van Patten reference go, if it weren't for the special he did about life in 'TV Land'.)
Obviously with most of these examples, there was a willing participation by those involved. When it comes to fictionalized versions of real-life companies however, that's not always the case....
There's a company in Boston that makes electronics test equipment called "Teradyne". But in the alternate TV dimension in which '24' takes place, "Terra-Dyne" might have been the company that produced the nerve gas which was used on a California shopping mall.
As printed, the names are different, but that's small comfort to the real company when "Terra-Dyne" is only heard by the audience. Might as well be "Teradyne" then.
And the problem may become compounded when the parent company is revealed to be "Omnicron". Here in our world, that's the name of a company back in my home state of Connecticut which makes voice recorders.
Duhn dunh DUNH!
Teradyne spokesman Tom Newman said, “It makes you wonder if they ever tried to vet anything like that. You’d think they could just Google it in this day and age.”
No word yet whether or not the company will sue. I guess it all depends on whether or not the name is used so much that it becomes a problem with their corporate identity.
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
(NOT Tele-Tubby.....)
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
THE HAT SQUAD: RICKIE LAYNE
With the triumvirate of giants named Don, Darren, and Dennis passing away this past weekend, it would be understandable if the death of Rickie Layne at the age of 81 on 2/11 went without notice. It may have done so, anyway, I don't know.
Rickie Layne was a ventriloquist who frequently appeared on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' with his Yiddish-accented dummy Velvel.
Nat "King" Cole discovered Layne in 1955 and urged Ed Sullivan to put the act on his popular Sunday night variety show.
Cole even made an unusual guarantee: if Layne bombed, Cole would appear on the show for free.
Layne made his Sullivan debut on Jan. 1, 1956, and returned several dozen times. Sullivan was such a fan that he often got into the act himself, serving as straight man for the dummy that called the typically stone-faced host "Ed Solomon."
During one appearance, Sullivan told Velvel that he had bought him a dog as a gift, but Velvel said he hated dogs.
"I used to be a tree!" Velvel explained.
In 2002, the International Ventriloquist Association gave Rickie Layne a lifetime achievement award.
TV SERIES
"Night Court"
- The Next Voice You Hear... (1986) TV Episode .... Morry
"The Jimmy Stewart Show"
- Pro Bono Publico (1971) TV Episode .... Fred Shimmel
"The Thin Man"
- The Painted Witnesses (1958) TV Episode .... Carl
THE LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES
"Toast of the Town"
... aka The Ed Sullivan Show
[Thanks to the IMDb.com]
BCnU......
Tele-Toby
Rickie Layne was a ventriloquist who frequently appeared on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' with his Yiddish-accented dummy Velvel.
Nat "King" Cole discovered Layne in 1955 and urged Ed Sullivan to put the act on his popular Sunday night variety show.
Cole even made an unusual guarantee: if Layne bombed, Cole would appear on the show for free.
Layne made his Sullivan debut on Jan. 1, 1956, and returned several dozen times. Sullivan was such a fan that he often got into the act himself, serving as straight man for the dummy that called the typically stone-faced host "Ed Solomon."
During one appearance, Sullivan told Velvel that he had bought him a dog as a gift, but Velvel said he hated dogs.
"I used to be a tree!" Velvel explained.
In 2002, the International Ventriloquist Association gave Rickie Layne a lifetime achievement award.
TV SERIES
"Night Court"
- The Next Voice You Hear... (1986) TV Episode .... Morry
"The Jimmy Stewart Show"
- Pro Bono Publico (1971) TV Episode .... Fred Shimmel
"The Thin Man"
- The Painted Witnesses (1958) TV Episode .... Carl
THE LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES
"Toast of the Town"
... aka The Ed Sullivan Show
[Thanks to the IMDb.com]
BCnU......
Tele-Toby
BODES ILL FOR BODE
Now that the Olympic farce is over, I was going to suggest that Bode Miller should do the honorable thing and fall on his ski pole.
Instead, there's a more fitting punishment for him that is worthy of Toobworld.....
Bode Miller should be forced to participate in the Claudine Longet Invitational.....
The Claudine Longet Invitational ..
written by: Michael O'Donoghue
Tom Tryman.....Chevy Chase
Jessica Antlerdance.....Jane Curtin
Tom Tryman: Good afternoon, this is Tom Tryman!
Jessica Antlerdance: And this is Jessica Antlerdance!
Tom Tryman: And, of course, we're here in Vale, Colorado, to cover the Claudine Longet Invitational! This is, of course, a men's freestyle skiing competition!
Jessica Antlerdance: So, without further ado, let's go to the slopes. Well, we certainly have a beautiful day for it, Tom.
Tom Tryman: Right you are, Jessica. And, of course, first out will be Helmut Kindle. Helmut is a 24-year-old Frenchman - I'm sorry, he's a West German. And this is his second run of the day, I believe. He had an initial time of 41.8. Looking very good here.
Jessica Antlerdance: That's right, Tom. But Helmut injured his ankle last month, and that's bound to affect his performance here today.
Tom Tryman: He caught an edge there, but he seems to be okay, he's in good shape.. actually, I think he's a little..
[ a shot rings out, as Helmut falls into the snow ]
Tom Tryman: Uh-oh! He seems to have been accidentally shot by Claudine Longet! Yes.. and I'm afraid Helmut Kindle is out of this race!
Jessica Antlerdance: Yes, it's a shame, but that's all part of the exciting world of professional skiing, Tom.
Tom Tryman: Well, he definitely seems out of it, Jessica, and I couldn't agree more. Now, here comes the man to beat - we're going to be seeing him in a second. Of course, Jean-Paul Baptiste. A 28-year-old civil engineer from Verne, Switzerland. And he's strong, he's agile, he's got a great deal of power, Jessica.
Jessica Antlerdance: He'll need all the power he's got on those mobiles, Tom.
Tom Tryman: Look at the way his legs absorb those shocks, as he manuevers his way down this bumpy terrain. There's a very nice move there, a lot of spring, he's really playing this hill.
Jessica Antlerdance: It's easy to see why he won a Bronze Medal in Innsbrook. He's a strong skiier, and a fierce competitor.
Tom Tryman: Mmm-hmm! Well, I would have to say, it's a very fast time up to this point. Uh.. he's doing very well - and there's a very nice move - uh.. I would say, at this halfway point, he's gonig to take third, or maybe even a second-place..
[ a shot rings out, as Jean-Paul falls into the snow ]
Tom Tryman: Uh-oh! Uh-oh! It looks to me like he's been accidentally shot by Claudine Longet!
[ Jean-Paul regains balance on his skis ]
Jessica Antlerdance: Just grazed, I think, Tom..
[ second shot rings, as Jean-Paul falls back into the show ]
Jessica Antlerdance: Oh, no! That one got him, he's down! No, he's down this time.. no, no! No, he's getting up!
[ Jean-Paul continues to ski downhill, albeit a little awkwardly ]
Jessica Antlerdance: Always the mark of a fine athlete is the ability to recover in diffivcult situations.
Tom Tryman: I can't believe he's going for the finish line.. and -
[ third shot rings out, Jean-Paul is down for good ]
Tom Tryman: Oh, no! Again.. again, he's been accidentally shot by Claudine Longet, and, this time, I think he's down to stay, Jessica.
Jessica Antlerdance: We're running a little late, Tom, so let's just cut to a few highlights of this event.
Tom Tryman: Alright, let's do that.
[ show skiier falling into the snow ]
Tom Tryman: Uh.. here, she mistakenly dropped her gun and it went off.
[ show skiier falling into the snow ]
Jessica Antlerdance: Uh.. here, she was just showing the gun to a friend.
[ show skiier falling into the snow ]
Tom Tryman: Yeah.. I think she was just cleaning her gun here, wasn't she?
[ show skiier falling into the snow ]
Tom Tryman: And, once again, of course, showing the un to a friend.
[ show skiier falling into the snow ]
Tom Tryman: Here, I think she just put the gun down in the snow, and it went off by mistake.
Jessica Antlerdance: That looked almost like skeet shooting!
[ Tom and Jessica laugh playfully ]
Tom Tryman: You must mean ski shooting!
[ Tom and Jessica laugh more sardonically ]
Tom Tryman: Oh, well. This has been Tom Tryman.
Jessica Antlerdance: And Jessica Antlerdance.
Tom Tryman: Here in Vale, Colorado, at the Claudine Longet Invitiational.
Jessica Antlerdance: Ski shooting, that's very funny! [ laughs ]
[ fade ]
(Many thanks to the 'SNL' Transcripts Site, and to Claudine Longet - for making it all possible.......)
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
Instead, there's a more fitting punishment for him that is worthy of Toobworld.....
Bode Miller should be forced to participate in the Claudine Longet Invitational.....
The Claudine Longet Invitational ..
written by: Michael O'Donoghue
Tom Tryman.....Chevy Chase
Jessica Antlerdance.....Jane Curtin
Tom Tryman: Good afternoon, this is Tom Tryman!
Jessica Antlerdance: And this is Jessica Antlerdance!
Tom Tryman: And, of course, we're here in Vale, Colorado, to cover the Claudine Longet Invitational! This is, of course, a men's freestyle skiing competition!
Jessica Antlerdance: So, without further ado, let's go to the slopes. Well, we certainly have a beautiful day for it, Tom.
Tom Tryman: Right you are, Jessica. And, of course, first out will be Helmut Kindle. Helmut is a 24-year-old Frenchman - I'm sorry, he's a West German. And this is his second run of the day, I believe. He had an initial time of 41.8. Looking very good here.
Jessica Antlerdance: That's right, Tom. But Helmut injured his ankle last month, and that's bound to affect his performance here today.
Tom Tryman: He caught an edge there, but he seems to be okay, he's in good shape.. actually, I think he's a little..
[ a shot rings out, as Helmut falls into the snow ]
Tom Tryman: Uh-oh! He seems to have been accidentally shot by Claudine Longet! Yes.. and I'm afraid Helmut Kindle is out of this race!
Jessica Antlerdance: Yes, it's a shame, but that's all part of the exciting world of professional skiing, Tom.
Tom Tryman: Well, he definitely seems out of it, Jessica, and I couldn't agree more. Now, here comes the man to beat - we're going to be seeing him in a second. Of course, Jean-Paul Baptiste. A 28-year-old civil engineer from Verne, Switzerland. And he's strong, he's agile, he's got a great deal of power, Jessica.
Jessica Antlerdance: He'll need all the power he's got on those mobiles, Tom.
Tom Tryman: Look at the way his legs absorb those shocks, as he manuevers his way down this bumpy terrain. There's a very nice move there, a lot of spring, he's really playing this hill.
Jessica Antlerdance: It's easy to see why he won a Bronze Medal in Innsbrook. He's a strong skiier, and a fierce competitor.
Tom Tryman: Mmm-hmm! Well, I would have to say, it's a very fast time up to this point. Uh.. he's doing very well - and there's a very nice move - uh.. I would say, at this halfway point, he's gonig to take third, or maybe even a second-place..
[ a shot rings out, as Jean-Paul falls into the snow ]
Tom Tryman: Uh-oh! Uh-oh! It looks to me like he's been accidentally shot by Claudine Longet!
[ Jean-Paul regains balance on his skis ]
Jessica Antlerdance: Just grazed, I think, Tom..
[ second shot rings, as Jean-Paul falls back into the show ]
Jessica Antlerdance: Oh, no! That one got him, he's down! No, he's down this time.. no, no! No, he's getting up!
[ Jean-Paul continues to ski downhill, albeit a little awkwardly ]
Jessica Antlerdance: Always the mark of a fine athlete is the ability to recover in diffivcult situations.
Tom Tryman: I can't believe he's going for the finish line.. and -
[ third shot rings out, Jean-Paul is down for good ]
Tom Tryman: Oh, no! Again.. again, he's been accidentally shot by Claudine Longet, and, this time, I think he's down to stay, Jessica.
Jessica Antlerdance: We're running a little late, Tom, so let's just cut to a few highlights of this event.
Tom Tryman: Alright, let's do that.
[ show skiier falling into the snow ]
Tom Tryman: Uh.. here, she mistakenly dropped her gun and it went off.
[ show skiier falling into the snow ]
Jessica Antlerdance: Uh.. here, she was just showing the gun to a friend.
[ show skiier falling into the snow ]
Tom Tryman: Yeah.. I think she was just cleaning her gun here, wasn't she?
[ show skiier falling into the snow ]
Tom Tryman: And, once again, of course, showing the un to a friend.
[ show skiier falling into the snow ]
Tom Tryman: Here, I think she just put the gun down in the snow, and it went off by mistake.
Jessica Antlerdance: That looked almost like skeet shooting!
[ Tom and Jessica laugh playfully ]
Tom Tryman: You must mean ski shooting!
[ Tom and Jessica laugh more sardonically ]
Tom Tryman: Oh, well. This has been Tom Tryman.
Jessica Antlerdance: And Jessica Antlerdance.
Tom Tryman: Here in Vale, Colorado, at the Claudine Longet Invitiational.
Jessica Antlerdance: Ski shooting, that's very funny! [ laughs ]
[ fade ]
(Many thanks to the 'SNL' Transcripts Site, and to Claudine Longet - for making it all possible.......)
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
CROSSOVER CATCH-UP
I can finally report on my own a crossover that I missed on its first-go-round, but which my crossover compatriots at Tommy Westphall's mind (Link @ Left) reported. I finally saw it two Sundays ago.
'VERONICA MARS'
'VERONICA MARS'
&
'THE X-FILES'
During her investigation into the disappearance of Abel Koontz's daughter, 'Veronica Mars' snooped around the Neptune franchise of the "Lariat" car rental agency.
FBI agents Mulder and Scully sometimes used Lariat's services during their investigations around the country.
Although it would have to be consigned to an alternate universe, it would have been nice if we could have spotted a Lariat counter during the nerve gas attack on the airport, in those first few hours of '24' this season.
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
FBI agents Mulder and Scully sometimes used Lariat's services during their investigations around the country.
Although it would have to be consigned to an alternate universe, it would have been nice if we could have spotted a Lariat counter during the nerve gas attack on the airport, in those first few hours of '24' this season.
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
A SPEEDY RUNNER-UP
The Tooniverse had a full crossover this week, not just the 'Family Guy' immersion into Earth Prime-Time on 'The Late Show'.
(Actually, it happened a few weeks back, as it aired in Ireland first.)
The Green Arrow's sidekick Speedy (now known as "Arsenal" in the DC comic book universe) showed up to give his mentor and a lot of the non-super-powered heroes in the 'Justice League Unlimited' a hand against a demented military officer who was threatening to go all hulkish on Metropolis.
Speedy has been a recurring team-mate in 'The Teen Titans', and so that makes a crossover between 'The Teen Titans' and 'Justice League Unlimited'.
Some might argue the point because the artistic rendering of the two shows is so radically different. But I think the denizens of the Tooniverse are "real"; it's just our perception of their depictions vary from those characters we see in the live-action TV dimensions.
Besides, as Thom pointed out in his coverage of this crossover in his "Crossovers & Spinoffs" page, (Link to the Left), both portrayals of Speedy were voiced by Mike Erwin. I have no bias towards voice actors; I think they do a lot of work in creating a character and stamping it with their imprint.
So if Mike Erwin plays Speedy on both shows, than that's what marks him as the same Speedy in both shows, not his artistic rendering.
Nuff said! (Oops! Wrong comic book company. Sorry, True Believers! Damn!)
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
(Actually, it happened a few weeks back, as it aired in Ireland first.)
The Green Arrow's sidekick Speedy (now known as "Arsenal" in the DC comic book universe) showed up to give his mentor and a lot of the non-super-powered heroes in the 'Justice League Unlimited' a hand against a demented military officer who was threatening to go all hulkish on Metropolis.
Speedy has been a recurring team-mate in 'The Teen Titans', and so that makes a crossover between 'The Teen Titans' and 'Justice League Unlimited'.
Some might argue the point because the artistic rendering of the two shows is so radically different. But I think the denizens of the Tooniverse are "real"; it's just our perception of their depictions vary from those characters we see in the live-action TV dimensions.
Besides, as Thom pointed out in his coverage of this crossover in his "Crossovers & Spinoffs" page, (Link to the Left), both portrayals of Speedy were voiced by Mike Erwin. I have no bias towards voice actors; I think they do a lot of work in creating a character and stamping it with their imprint.
So if Mike Erwin plays Speedy on both shows, than that's what marks him as the same Speedy in both shows, not his artistic rendering.
Nuff said! (Oops! Wrong comic book company. Sorry, True Believers! Damn!)
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
Monday, February 27, 2006
"TINKER TO EVERS TO CHANCE"
Don Knotts passed away.
He acted in "No Deposit, No Return" with Darren McGavin.
Darren McGavin passed away.
He acted in "Mastergate" with Dennis Weaver.
Dennis Weaver passed away.
I don't put any stock in such synchronicity, but I can't help but notice them when I'm putting together the "Hat Squad" tributes.
BCnU....
Tele-Toby
He acted in "No Deposit, No Return" with Darren McGavin.
Darren McGavin passed away.
He acted in "Mastergate" with Dennis Weaver.
Dennis Weaver passed away.
I don't put any stock in such synchronicity, but I can't help but notice them when I'm putting together the "Hat Squad" tributes.
BCnU....
Tele-Toby
THE HAT SQUAD: DENNIS WEAVER
Dennis Weaver has passed away at the age of 81 at his home in Colorado, a home made of recycled aluminum that reflected his concerns for Spaceship Earth.
From 'Gunsmoke' to 'McCloud', with stops along the way in 'Centennial', 'The Lone Ranger', and 'Lonesome Dove: The Series', Dennis Weaver was the essence of Toobworld's Westerner. Long, lonesome, lanky, a man of few words but choice, he achieved his greatest fame as Deputy Marshall Sam McCloud, the Taos, New Mexico lawman who was on special assignment in New York City.
But even his other great milestone, as the beleaguered motorist in Steven Spielberg's early triumph "Duel", could be seen as a man of the West, facing off against his adversary in a stickshift showdown.
He first came to true Toobworld prominence in the greatest TV Western of them all, 'Gunsmoke'. He played Marshall Dillon's sidekick, the lame, drawling Chester Goode. And even though he left the show at the height of its fame in a move worthy of McLean Stevenson or Shelley Long, he was able to overcome the stigma to go on to forge a long and successful career in both TV series and TV movies.
One of my favorites among these was as RJ Poteet, the man who led the cattle drive to 'Centennial'. Not only was that a great series, but one of the best adaptations I've ever seen of a novel. (At 26 hours, I consider that to be a true TV series and not a mini-series. 'Emily's Reasons Why Not' is a mini-series!),
Weaver was married to his wife, the former Gerry Stowell, since 1945. Sixty years married to the same woman (I just heard her say on 1010 WINS that they were together sixty-three years.), and still in the thick of it in Hollywood... that in itself shows that he was an uncommon man.
TV SERIES
"Wildfire" (2005) TV Series .... Henry Ritter (2005)
"Buck James" (1987) TV Series .... Doctor Buck James
"Emerald Point N.A.S." (1983) TV Series .... Rear Adm. Thomas Mallory
"Stone" (1980) TV Series .... Detective Sergeant Daniel Stone
"McCloud" (1970-1977) .... Sam McCloud
"Gentle Ben" (1967) TV Series .... Tom Wedloe
"Kentucky Jones" (1964) TV Series .... Kentucky Jones
"Gunsmoke" (1955-1964) .... Chester Goode (1955-1964)
TV RECURRING ROLES
"Lonesome Dove: The Series"
- Down Come Rain: Part 2 (1994) TV Episode .... Buffalo Bill Cody
- O Western Wind: Part 1 (1994) TV Episode .... Buffalo Bill Cody
- When Wilt Thou Blow: Part 3 (1994) TV Episode .... Buffalo Bill Cody
- Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show (????) TV Episode .... Buffalo Bill Cody
- Last Stand (????) TV Episode .... Buffalo Bill Cody
TV MINI-SERIES
"Pearl" (1978) (mini) TV Series .... Col. Jason Forrest
"Centennial" (1978) (mini) TV Series .... R.J. Poteet
TV MOVIES
High Noon (2000) (TV) .... Mart Howe
The Virginian (2000) (TV) .... Sam Balaam
Stolen Women, Captured Hearts (1997) (TV) .... Captain Farnsworth
Seduction in a Small Town (1997) (TV) .... Sam Jenks
Greyhounds (1994) (TV) .... Chance Wayne
Mastergate (1992) (TV) .... Dale Burden
Disaster at Silo 7 (1988) (TV) .... Sheriff Ben Harlen
Bluffing It (1987) (TV) .... Jack Duggan
A Winner Never Quits (1986) (TV) .... Mr. Wyshner
Cocaine: One Man's Seduction (1983) (TV) .... Eddie Gant
Don't Go to Sleep (1982) (TV) .... Phillip
The Day the Loving Stopped (1981) (TV) .... Aaron Danner
Amber Waves (1980) (TV) .... Elroy 'Bud' Burkhardt
The Islander (1978) (TV) .... Gable McQueen
Intimate Strangers (1977) (TV) .... Donald Halston
Cry for Justice (1977)
Terror on the Beach (1973) (TV) .... Neil Glynn
Female Artillery (1973) (TV) .... Deke Chambers
Rolling Man (1972) (TV) .... Lonnie McAfee
Duel (1971/I) (TV) .... David Mann
The Forgotten Man (1971) (TV) .... Lieutenant Joe Hardy
TV PILOTS
Stone (1979) (TV) .... Daniel Ellis Stone
McCloud: Who Killed Miss U.S.A.? (1970) (TV) .... Sam McCloud
Gentle Giant (1967) .... Tom Wedloe
TV SEQUELS
The Return of Sam McCloud (1989) (TV) .... Sam McCloud
TV SPECIALS
Headin' Home for the Holidays (1986) (TV)
Swing Out, Sweet Land (1970) (TV) .... Tom Lincoln
The John Denver Special (1976) (TV)
TV RELATED MOVIES
Dragnet (1954) .... Captain R.A. Lohrman
THE TOONIVERSE
"The Simpsons"
- The Lastest Gun in the West (2002) TV Episode (voice) .... Buck McCoy
"Captain Planet and the Planeteers" (1990) TV Series (voice) .... Dusty, Josh
TV NARRATION
Subdivide and Conquer: A Modern Western (1999) (TV) .... Narrator
TELE-HISTORY
"The Great Battles of the Civil War" (1994) (mini) TV Series (voice) .... R. E Lee
Going for the Gold: The Bill Johnson Story (1985) (TV) .... Wally Johnson
The Ordeal of Dr. Mudd (1980) (TV) .... Dr. Samuel A. Mudd
The Ordeal of Patty Hearst (1979) (TV) .... Charles Bates
Ishi: The Last of His Tribe (1978) (TV) .... Professor Benjamin Fuller
The Great Man's Whiskers (1972) (TV) .... Abraham Lincoln
TV GUEST APPEARANCES
"Touched by an Angel"
- The Good Earth (2003) TV Episode .... Emmett Rivers
"Family Law"
- Sex, Lies, and Internet (2001) TV Episode .... Judge Richard Lloyd
"The Beast"
- Travinia: Part 2 (2001) TV Episode .... Walter McFadden
- Travinia: Part 1 (2001) TV Episode .... Walter McFadden
"Magnum, P.I."
- Let Me Hear the Music (1985) TV Episode .... Lacy Fletcher-present Day
"The Virginian"
- Train of Darkness (1970) TV Episode .... Jed 'Judge Harker' Haines
"The Name of the Game"
- Give Till It Hurts (1969) TV Episode .... Walter Grayson
"Judd for the Defense"
- The View from the Ivory Tower (1969) TV Episode .... Professor Robert Beardsley
"Gallegher Goes West"
- Showdown with the Sundown Kid (1966) TV Episode .... George Tucker, the Sundown Kid
- The Crusading Reporter (1966) TV Episode .... George Tucker, the Sundown Kid
"Combat!"
- The Farmer (1965) TV Episode .... Noah
"Dr. Kildare"
- A Reverence for Life (1965) TV Episode .... Wayne Wandemeir
"The Twilight Zone"
- Shadow Play (1961) TV Episode .... Adam Grant
"Alfred Hitchcock Presents"
- Insomnia (1960) TV Episode .... Charles Cavender
"Playhouse 90"
- The Dungeon (1958) TV Episode .... Karl Ohringer
"Climax!"
- Burst of Fire (1958) TV Episode .... Steve Maclyn
"The Lone Ranger"
- The Tell-Tale Bullet (1955) TV Episode .... Jeb Sullivan
"Dragnet"
- The Big Screen (1955) TV Episode .... Dave Rotbart
- The Big Bible (1954) TV Episode .... Sergeant Jay Allen
- The Big Present (1954) TV Episode .... Lieutenant Dick Whitley
- The Big Bar (1954) TV Episode .... Russ Camp
- The Big Plant (1954) TV Episode .... Officer Boone
"Schlitz Playhouse of Stars"
- Underground (1955) TV Episode .... Ben
THE LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES
CBS at 75 (2003) (TV) .... Himself
"The Big Show"
- Episode #1.8 (1980) TV Episode .... Host
"The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries"
- The Mystery of the Hollywood Phantom (1977) TV Episode .... Dennis Weaver
"What's My Line?"
- Episode dated 22 April 1962 (1962) TV Episode .... Guest Panelist
"Toast of the Town"
- Episode #12.23 (1959) TV Episode .... Himself
"This Is Your Life"
- Dennis Weaver (1957) TV Episode .... Himself
[Thanks to the IMDb.com]
Usually I end the "Hat Squads" with my usual "BCnU....", but Mr. Weaver himself provided the perfect sign-off.
There yuh go......
Tele-Toby
From 'Gunsmoke' to 'McCloud', with stops along the way in 'Centennial', 'The Lone Ranger', and 'Lonesome Dove: The Series', Dennis Weaver was the essence of Toobworld's Westerner. Long, lonesome, lanky, a man of few words but choice, he achieved his greatest fame as Deputy Marshall Sam McCloud, the Taos, New Mexico lawman who was on special assignment in New York City.
But even his other great milestone, as the beleaguered motorist in Steven Spielberg's early triumph "Duel", could be seen as a man of the West, facing off against his adversary in a stickshift showdown.
He first came to true Toobworld prominence in the greatest TV Western of them all, 'Gunsmoke'. He played Marshall Dillon's sidekick, the lame, drawling Chester Goode. And even though he left the show at the height of its fame in a move worthy of McLean Stevenson or Shelley Long, he was able to overcome the stigma to go on to forge a long and successful career in both TV series and TV movies.
One of my favorites among these was as RJ Poteet, the man who led the cattle drive to 'Centennial'. Not only was that a great series, but one of the best adaptations I've ever seen of a novel. (At 26 hours, I consider that to be a true TV series and not a mini-series. 'Emily's Reasons Why Not' is a mini-series!),
Weaver was married to his wife, the former Gerry Stowell, since 1945. Sixty years married to the same woman (I just heard her say on 1010 WINS that they were together sixty-three years.), and still in the thick of it in Hollywood... that in itself shows that he was an uncommon man.
TV SERIES
"Wildfire" (2005) TV Series .... Henry Ritter (2005)
"Buck James" (1987) TV Series .... Doctor Buck James
"Emerald Point N.A.S." (1983) TV Series .... Rear Adm. Thomas Mallory
"Stone" (1980) TV Series .... Detective Sergeant Daniel Stone
"McCloud" (1970-1977) .... Sam McCloud
"Gentle Ben" (1967) TV Series .... Tom Wedloe
"Kentucky Jones" (1964) TV Series .... Kentucky Jones
"Gunsmoke" (1955-1964) .... Chester Goode (1955-1964)
TV RECURRING ROLES
"Lonesome Dove: The Series"
- Down Come Rain: Part 2 (1994) TV Episode .... Buffalo Bill Cody
- O Western Wind: Part 1 (1994) TV Episode .... Buffalo Bill Cody
- When Wilt Thou Blow: Part 3 (1994) TV Episode .... Buffalo Bill Cody
- Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show (????) TV Episode .... Buffalo Bill Cody
- Last Stand (????) TV Episode .... Buffalo Bill Cody
TV MINI-SERIES
"Pearl" (1978) (mini) TV Series .... Col. Jason Forrest
"Centennial" (1978) (mini) TV Series .... R.J. Poteet
TV MOVIES
High Noon (2000) (TV) .... Mart Howe
The Virginian (2000) (TV) .... Sam Balaam
Stolen Women, Captured Hearts (1997) (TV) .... Captain Farnsworth
Seduction in a Small Town (1997) (TV) .... Sam Jenks
Greyhounds (1994) (TV) .... Chance Wayne
Mastergate (1992) (TV) .... Dale Burden
Disaster at Silo 7 (1988) (TV) .... Sheriff Ben Harlen
Bluffing It (1987) (TV) .... Jack Duggan
A Winner Never Quits (1986) (TV) .... Mr. Wyshner
Cocaine: One Man's Seduction (1983) (TV) .... Eddie Gant
Don't Go to Sleep (1982) (TV) .... Phillip
The Day the Loving Stopped (1981) (TV) .... Aaron Danner
Amber Waves (1980) (TV) .... Elroy 'Bud' Burkhardt
The Islander (1978) (TV) .... Gable McQueen
Intimate Strangers (1977) (TV) .... Donald Halston
Cry for Justice (1977)
Terror on the Beach (1973) (TV) .... Neil Glynn
Female Artillery (1973) (TV) .... Deke Chambers
Rolling Man (1972) (TV) .... Lonnie McAfee
Duel (1971/I) (TV) .... David Mann
The Forgotten Man (1971) (TV) .... Lieutenant Joe Hardy
TV PILOTS
Stone (1979) (TV) .... Daniel Ellis Stone
McCloud: Who Killed Miss U.S.A.? (1970) (TV) .... Sam McCloud
Gentle Giant (1967) .... Tom Wedloe
TV SEQUELS
The Return of Sam McCloud (1989) (TV) .... Sam McCloud
TV SPECIALS
Headin' Home for the Holidays (1986) (TV)
Swing Out, Sweet Land (1970) (TV) .... Tom Lincoln
The John Denver Special (1976) (TV)
TV RELATED MOVIES
Dragnet (1954) .... Captain R.A. Lohrman
THE TOONIVERSE
"The Simpsons"
- The Lastest Gun in the West (2002) TV Episode (voice) .... Buck McCoy
"Captain Planet and the Planeteers" (1990) TV Series (voice) .... Dusty, Josh
TV NARRATION
Subdivide and Conquer: A Modern Western (1999) (TV) .... Narrator
TELE-HISTORY
"The Great Battles of the Civil War" (1994) (mini) TV Series (voice) .... R. E Lee
Going for the Gold: The Bill Johnson Story (1985) (TV) .... Wally Johnson
The Ordeal of Dr. Mudd (1980) (TV) .... Dr. Samuel A. Mudd
The Ordeal of Patty Hearst (1979) (TV) .... Charles Bates
Ishi: The Last of His Tribe (1978) (TV) .... Professor Benjamin Fuller
The Great Man's Whiskers (1972) (TV) .... Abraham Lincoln
TV GUEST APPEARANCES
"Touched by an Angel"
- The Good Earth (2003) TV Episode .... Emmett Rivers
"Family Law"
- Sex, Lies, and Internet (2001) TV Episode .... Judge Richard Lloyd
"The Beast"
- Travinia: Part 2 (2001) TV Episode .... Walter McFadden
- Travinia: Part 1 (2001) TV Episode .... Walter McFadden
"Magnum, P.I."
- Let Me Hear the Music (1985) TV Episode .... Lacy Fletcher-present Day
"The Virginian"
- Train of Darkness (1970) TV Episode .... Jed 'Judge Harker' Haines
"The Name of the Game"
- Give Till It Hurts (1969) TV Episode .... Walter Grayson
"Judd for the Defense"
- The View from the Ivory Tower (1969) TV Episode .... Professor Robert Beardsley
"Gallegher Goes West"
- Showdown with the Sundown Kid (1966) TV Episode .... George Tucker, the Sundown Kid
- The Crusading Reporter (1966) TV Episode .... George Tucker, the Sundown Kid
"Combat!"
- The Farmer (1965) TV Episode .... Noah
"Dr. Kildare"
- A Reverence for Life (1965) TV Episode .... Wayne Wandemeir
"The Twilight Zone"
- Shadow Play (1961) TV Episode .... Adam Grant
"Alfred Hitchcock Presents"
- Insomnia (1960) TV Episode .... Charles Cavender
"Playhouse 90"
- The Dungeon (1958) TV Episode .... Karl Ohringer
"Climax!"
- Burst of Fire (1958) TV Episode .... Steve Maclyn
"The Lone Ranger"
- The Tell-Tale Bullet (1955) TV Episode .... Jeb Sullivan
"Dragnet"
- The Big Screen (1955) TV Episode .... Dave Rotbart
- The Big Bible (1954) TV Episode .... Sergeant Jay Allen
- The Big Present (1954) TV Episode .... Lieutenant Dick Whitley
- The Big Bar (1954) TV Episode .... Russ Camp
- The Big Plant (1954) TV Episode .... Officer Boone
"Schlitz Playhouse of Stars"
- Underground (1955) TV Episode .... Ben
THE LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES
CBS at 75 (2003) (TV) .... Himself
"The Big Show"
- Episode #1.8 (1980) TV Episode .... Host
"The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries"
- The Mystery of the Hollywood Phantom (1977) TV Episode .... Dennis Weaver
"What's My Line?"
- Episode dated 22 April 1962 (1962) TV Episode .... Guest Panelist
"Toast of the Town"
- Episode #12.23 (1959) TV Episode .... Himself
"This Is Your Life"
- Dennis Weaver (1957) TV Episode .... Himself
[Thanks to the IMDb.com]
Usually I end the "Hat Squads" with my usual "BCnU....", but Mr. Weaver himself provided the perfect sign-off.
There yuh go......
Tele-Toby
CROSSOVER OF THE WEEK!
The other day I hinted that this week's top crossover would involve squirrels and Martians.
There's been a change in plans; something better has come along.
The good thing is, that other crossover was from a commercial, so I can use that at any time as it's not locked down to any one week of broadcast as would be a TV show episode.
And besides, this crossover is so good, it probably would have trumped everything else that might have come along this week.
On Feb. 23rd, a special guest delivered the Top Ten list on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - Peter Griffin of Quahog, Rhode Island.
Toons cross over from the Tooniverse into the live action Earth Prime-Time all the er, time. Best. Example. Ever. - the animated Man of Steel hanging out with Jerry Seinfeld in Metropolis for that American Express blipvert. My second favorite was Daffy Duck's job interview at Winfred-Louder on 'The Drew Carey Show'.
This appearance by Peter Griffin wasn't even the best example of a crossover between a cartoon show and 'The Late Show'. That honor would belong to those two jerks from 'Beavis and Butthead', who actually interacted with Dave during an interview.
I'm not a fan of those two jerks, but Dave has noted that he is. When it comes to Peter Griffin, however, I'm not too sure Letterman was all that enthused over the appearance by 'The Familiy Guy'. He seemed to have the same lack of spirit he displays when the humor in a Top Ten segment is going south.
I thought it was funny, however, and I've been using a variation on Number Two in my conversations at work since it aired.
Besides, having a cartoon character on a live action show is all that was really needed to make this the Crossover of the Week.
And as for that Top Ten list.......?
10. "If George Bush had Dick Cheney's first name, his name would be Dick Bush; and I'll tell you I'd listen to a lot more of his speeches."
9. "Did the Patriot Act take care of Mujibur and Sirajul?"
8. "Shouldn't Crystal Bernard be in 'Playboy' by now... ? I mean we did our part and sat through seven seasons of 'Wings'."
7. "Laura Bush killed a guy."
6. "This is the best moment in television since Mr. Belvedere sat on his own nuts and fainted."
5. "Did you know Jim Belushi had a brother who was in TV, too?"
4. "Hey, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon! We're all still waiting on that second Oscar-winning script....."
3. "I have always wanted to do this...ladies and gentlemen, the Max Weinberg Seven!"
2. "If Jay Leno makes you laugh, chances are I don't care for you as a person."
I think that beats a combination of squirrels and Martians, don't you?
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
There's been a change in plans; something better has come along.
The good thing is, that other crossover was from a commercial, so I can use that at any time as it's not locked down to any one week of broadcast as would be a TV show episode.
And besides, this crossover is so good, it probably would have trumped everything else that might have come along this week.
On Feb. 23rd, a special guest delivered the Top Ten list on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - Peter Griffin of Quahog, Rhode Island.
'THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN'
&
'FAMILY GUY'
&
'FAMILY GUY'
Toons cross over from the Tooniverse into the live action Earth Prime-Time all the er, time. Best. Example. Ever. - the animated Man of Steel hanging out with Jerry Seinfeld in Metropolis for that American Express blipvert. My second favorite was Daffy Duck's job interview at Winfred-Louder on 'The Drew Carey Show'.
This appearance by Peter Griffin wasn't even the best example of a crossover between a cartoon show and 'The Late Show'. That honor would belong to those two jerks from 'Beavis and Butthead', who actually interacted with Dave during an interview.
I'm not a fan of those two jerks, but Dave has noted that he is. When it comes to Peter Griffin, however, I'm not too sure Letterman was all that enthused over the appearance by 'The Familiy Guy'. He seemed to have the same lack of spirit he displays when the humor in a Top Ten segment is going south.
I thought it was funny, however, and I've been using a variation on Number Two in my conversations at work since it aired.
Besides, having a cartoon character on a live action show is all that was really needed to make this the Crossover of the Week.
And as for that Top Ten list.......?
Top Ten Things I, Peter Griffin, Would Like To Say To America
10. "If George Bush had Dick Cheney's first name, his name would be Dick Bush; and I'll tell you I'd listen to a lot more of his speeches."
9. "Did the Patriot Act take care of Mujibur and Sirajul?"
8. "Shouldn't Crystal Bernard be in 'Playboy' by now... ? I mean we did our part and sat through seven seasons of 'Wings'."
7. "Laura Bush killed a guy."
6. "This is the best moment in television since Mr. Belvedere sat on his own nuts and fainted."
5. "Did you know Jim Belushi had a brother who was in TV, too?"
4. "Hey, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon! We're all still waiting on that second Oscar-winning script....."
3. "I have always wanted to do this...ladies and gentlemen, the Max Weinberg Seven!"
2. "If Jay Leno makes you laugh, chances are I don't care for you as a person."
And the Number One Thing That I, Peter Griffin, Would Like To Say In America....
1. "We should all buy more American-made products.... Which at last check are down to porn and cheeseburgers."I think that beats a combination of squirrels and Martians, don't you?
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
"Thank you, Toby."
David Letterman
'The Late Show With David Letterman'
David Letterman
'The Late Show With David Letterman'
Sunday, February 26, 2006
THE HAT SQUAD: DARREN McGAVIN
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Darren McGavin was painting a movie set in 1945 when he learned of an opening for a small role in the show, climbed off his ladder, and returned through Columbia's front gates to land the part.
The husky, tough-talking performer went on to become one of the busiest actors in television and film, starring in five TV series, including ''Mike Hammer,'' and endearing holiday audiences with his role as the grouchy dad in the 1983 comedy classic ''A Christmas Story.''
McGavin, 83, died Saturday of natural causes at a Los Angeles-area hospital with his family at his side, said his son Bogart McGavin.
McGavin also had leading roles in TV's ''Riverboat'' and cult favorite ''Kolchak: The Night Stalker.'' Among his memorable portrayals was Gen. George Patton in the 1979 TV biography ''Ike.''
Despite his busy career in television, McGavin was awarded only one Emmy: in 1990 for an appearance as Candice Bergen's opinionated father in an episode of ''Murphy Brown.''
He lacked the prominence in films he enjoyed in television, but he registered strongly in featured roles such as the young artist in Venice in ''Summertime,'' David Lean's 1955 film with Katharine Hepburn and Rosanno Brazzi; Frank Sinatra's crafty drug supplier in ''The Man with the Golden Arm'' (1955); Jerry Lewis's parole officer in ''The Delicate Delinquent'' (1957); and the gambler in 1984's ''The Natural.''
In a morbid case of synchronicity, he also starred alongside Don Knotts, who died Friday night, in the 1976 family comedy ''No Deposit, No Return.''
Throughout his television career, McGavin gained a reputation as a curmudgeon willing to bad-mouth his series and combat studio bosses.
McGavin starred in the private eye series ''Mike Hammer'' in the 1950s. In 1968 he told a reporter: ''Hammer was a dummy. I made 72 of those shows, and I thought it was a comedy. In fact, I played it camp. He was the kind of guy who would've waved the flag for George Wallace.''
Born in Spokane, Wash., McGavin was sketchy in interviews about his childhood. He told TV Guide in 1973 that he was a constant runaway at 10 and 11, and as a teen lived in warehouses in Tacoma, Wash., and dodged the police and welfare workers. His parents disappeared, he said.
He spent a year at College of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif., taking part in dramatics, then landed in Los Angeles. He washed dishes and was hired to paint sets at Columbia studio. He was working on ''A Song to Remember'' when an agent told him of an opening for a small role.
''I climbed off a painter's ladder and washed up at a nearby gas station,'' McGavin said. ''I returned through Columbia's front gate with the agent.'' The director, Charles Vidor, hired him. No one recognized him but the paint foreman, who said, ''You're fired.''
McGavin studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse and the Actors Studio and began working in live TV drama and on Broadway. He appeared with Charlton Heston in ''Macbeth'' on TV and played Happy in ''Death of a Salesman'' in New York and on the road.
TV SERIES
"Miracles & Other Wonders" (1992) TV Series .... Host
"Small & Frye" (1983) TV Series .... Nick Small
"Kolchak: The Night Stalker" (1974) TV Series .... Carl Kolchak (1974-1975)
"The Outsider" (1968) TV Series .... David Ross
"Riverboat" (1959) TV Series .... Captain Holden (1959-1961)
"Mike Hammer" (1956) TV Series .... Mike Hammer (1958)
"Crime Photographer" (1951) TV Series .... Casey (June 1951-1952)
TV SPECIALS
Mysteries of the Ancient World (1994) (TV) .... Host
TV MINI-SERIES
"Around the World in 80 Days" (1989/I) (mini) TV Series .... Benjamin Mudge
"Freedom to Speak" (1982) (mini) TV Series
"The Martian Chronicles" (1980) (mini) TV Series .... Sam Parkhill
TV MOVIES
Derby (1995) (TV) .... Lester Corbett
Fudge-A-Mania (1995) (TV) .... Buster
A Perfect Stranger (1994) (TV) .... John Henry Phillips
Mastergate (1992) (TV) .... Folsom Bunting
Perfect Harmony (1991) (TV) .... Mr. Hobbs
Clara (1991) (TV)
By Dawn's Early Light (1990) (TV) .... Condor - Secretary of Interior
Child in the Night (1990) (TV) .... Os Winfield
The Diamond Trap (1988) (TV) .... Chief Walter Vadney
Tales from the Hollywood Hills: Natica Jackson (1987) (TV) (as Darren McGaven) .... A.D. Nathan
Tales from the Hollywood Hills: A Table at Ciro's (1987) (TV) .... A.D. Nathan
The Baron and the Kid (1984) (TV) .... Jack Beamer
Waikiki (1980/I) (TV) .... Captain
Love for Rent (1979) (TV) .... Coach John Martin
Not Until Today (1979) (TV) .... Chief Jason Swan
Donovan's Kid (1979) (TV) .... Timothy Donovan
A Bond of Iron (1979) (TV) .... William Weaver
The Users (1978) (TV) .... Henry Waller
Law and Order (1976) (TV) .... Deputy Chief Brian O'Malley
Something Evil (1972) (TV) .... Paul Worden
The Death of Me Yet (1971) (TV) .... Joe Chalk
Tribes (1970) (TV) .... Gunnery Sgt. Thomas Drake
Berlin Affair (1970) (TV) .... Paul Killian
The Challengers (1970) (TV) .... Jim McCabe
The Challenge (1970) (TV) .... Jacob Gallery
The Forty-Eight Hour Mile (1970) (TV)
TV CLASSICS
The American Clock (1993) (TV) .... Older Arthur Huntington
Inherit the Wind (1988) (TV) .... E.K. Hornbeck
"Studio One"
- Macbeth (1951) TV Episode .... Macduff
TV SEQUELS
"Night Stalker"
- Pilot (2005) TV Episode (uncredited) .... Reporter Standing at Desk
Kojak: It's Always Something (1990) (TV)
The Return of Marcus Welby, M.D. (1984) (TV) .... Dr. David Jennings
TV PILOTS
The Six Million Dollar Man (1973) (TV) .... Oliver Spencer
The Night Strangler (1973) (TV) .... Carl Kolchak
Say Goodbye, Maggie Cole (1972) (TV) .... Dr. Lou Grazzo
Here Comes the Judge (1972) (TV) .... Judge
The Rookies (1972) (TV) .... Sergeant Eddie Ryker
The Night Stalker (1972) (TV) .... Carl Kolchak
Banyon (1971) (TV) .... Lieutenant Pete Cordova
The Outsider (1967) (TV) .... David Ross
TV RELATED MOVIES
Captain America (1991) .... Gen. Fleming
A Christmas Story (1983) .... The Old Man (Mr. Parker)
Mooch Goes to Hollywood (1971) (uncredited) .... Himself
TELE-HISTORY
My Wicked, Wicked Ways... The Legend of Errol Flynn (1985) (TV) .... Dr. Gerrit Koets
"Ike" (1979) (mini) TV Series .... Gen. George S. Patton
Ike: The War Years (1978) (TV)
Brinks: The Great Robbery (1976) (TV) .... James McNally
THE TOONIVERSE
"Gargoyles"
- The Silver Falcon (1995) TV Episode (voice) .... Dominic Dracon
TV RECURRING ROLES
"The X Files"
- Agua Mala (1999) TV Episode .... Arthur Dales
- Travelers (1998) TV Episode .... Agent Arthur Dales
"Murphy Brown"
- I'm Dreaming of a Brown Christmas (1992) TV Episode .... Bill Brown
- Full Circle (1991) TV Episode .... Bill Brown
- Brown Like Me: Part 1 (1989) TV Episode .... Bill Brown
- Brown Like Me: Part 2 (1989) TV Episode .... Bill Brown
"Dr. Kildare"
- With This Ring (1965) TV Episode .... Felix Holman
- When Shadows Fall (1965) TV Episode .... Felix Holman
- In the Roman Candle's Bright Glare (1965) TV Episode .... Felix Holman
- From Nigeria with Love (1965) TV Episode .... Felix Holman
TV GUEST APPEARANCES
"Millennium"
- Midnight of the Century (1997) TV Episode .... Henry Black
"Touched by an Angel"
- Missing in Action (1997) TV Episode .... George Zarko
"Grace Under Fire"
- Take Me to Your Breeder (1996) TV Episode .... Dad
"The Commish"
- Father Image: Part 2 (1995) TV Episode .... Terry Boyle
- Father Image: Part 1 (1995) TV Episode .... Terry Boyle
"Burke's Law"
- Who Killed the King of the Country Club? (1995) TV Episode .... Conrad Hill
"Sisters"
- Judgment Day (1995) TV Episode .... Judge Harrison Bradford
"Murder, She Wrote"
- Angel of Death (1992) TV Episode .... Martin Tremaine
"Civil Wars"
- Shop 'Til You Drop (1992) TV Episode .... Noah Caldecott
"Sibs"
- If I Only Had a Dad (????) TV Episode
"Monsters"
- Portrait of the Artist (1989) TV Episode .... Hubert
"Highway to Heaven"
- The Correspondent (1988) TV Episode .... Hale Stoddard
"Worlds Beyond"
- Voice from the Gallows (1986) TV Episode
"Tales from the Darkside"
- Distant Signals (1985) TV Episode .... Van Conway
"The Hitchhiker"
- Nightshift (1985) TV Episode .... Old Man
"Tales of the Unexpected"
- Heir Presumptuous (1983) TV Episode .... Sheriff Milt Singleton
"Magnum, P.I."
- Mad Buck Gibson (1981) TV Episode .... Buck Gibson
"Nero Wolfe"
- Gambit (1981) TV Episode .... Philigree
"The Love Boat"
- Promoter, The/The Judges/The Family Plan/Forever Engaged/May the Best Man Win: Part 1 (1980) TV Episode .... Lawrence Evans
- Promoter, The/The Judges/The Family Plan/Forever Engaged/May the Best Man Win: Part 2 (1980) TV Episode .... Lawrence Evans
"The Evil Touch"
- Gornak's Prism (1974) TV Episode
- George (1973) TV Episode
- A Game of Hearts (1973) TV Episode
"Police Story"
- The Ripper (1974) TV Episode .... Matt Hallett
"Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law"
- A Foreigner Among Us (1974) TV Episode
"Shaft"
- Cop Killer (1974) TV Episode
"The Bold Ones: The Lawyers"
- The Invasion of Kevin Ireland (1971) TV Episode .... Kevin Ireland
"Cade's County"
- Homecoming (1971) TV Episode .... Courtney Vernon
"Matt Lincoln"
- Billy (1970) TV Episode
"Bracken's World"
- Infinity (1970) TV Episode .... Max Lassiter
"The Name of the Game"
- Battle at Gannon's Bridge (1970) TV Episode .... Eddie Gannon
- Good-bye Harry (1969) TV Episode .... Sam Hardy
- Shine On, Shine On, Jesse Gil (1968) TV Episode .... Jesse Gil McCray
"Mannix"
- A Ticket to the Eclipse (1970) TV Episode .... Mark
"Love, American Style"
- Love and Double Trouble/Love and the Fly/Love and the Millionaire (1970) TV Episode .... (segment "Love and the Fly")
"Custer"
- Desperate Mission (1967) TV Episode .... Jeb Powell
"Mission: Impossible"
- The Seal (1967) TV Episode .... J. Richard Taggart
"The Man from U.N.C.L.E."
- The Deadly Quest Affair (1967) TV Episode .... Viktor Karmak
"The Virginian"
- The Deadly Past (1967) TV Episode .... Sam Evans
- The Intruders (1964) TV Episode .... Mark Troxel
"Cimarron Strip"
- The Legend of Jud Starr (1967) TV Episode .... Jud Starr
"Gunsmoke"
- Gunfighter, R.I.P (1966) TV Episode .... Joe Bascome
- The Hostage (1965) TV Episode .... Lon Gorman
- Twenty Miles from Dodge (1965) TV Episode .... Will Helmick
"Felony Squad"
- The Streets Are Paved with Quicksand (1966) TV Episode .... Leslie Gorman
"Court Martial"
- All Roads Lead to Callaghan (1966) TV Episode
"Confidential for Women"
- Episode dated 25 April 1966 (1966) TV Episode .... Andy
"The Rogues"
- The Diamond-Studded Pie (1965) TV Episode .... Amos Champion
"Ben Casey"
- Kill the Dream, but Spare the Dreamer (1964) TV Episode
"Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre" - Parties to the Crime (1964) TV Episode .... Joe Masson
- The Game with Glass Pieces (1964) TV Episode .... Franklin Carson
"The Defenders"
- A Taste of Ashes (1964) TV Episode .... Marty Wisnovsky
- Everybody Else Is Dead (1963) TV Episode .... Howard Potter
"The Nurses"
- Hildie (1964) TV Episode
- Episode #3.6 (1964) TV Episode .... Fitz Condon
"The Alfred Hitchcock Hour"
- A Matter of Murder (1964) TV Episode .... Sheridan Westcott
"The United States Steel Hour"
- Marriage Marks the Spot (1962) TV Episode
"Purex Summer Specials"
- The Problem Child (1962) TV Episode .... James Carlisle
"Rawhide"
- The Sendoff (1961) TV Episode .... Jed Hadley
"Route 66"
- The Opponent (1961) TV Episode .... Johnny Copa
"Death Valley Days"
- The Stolen City (1961) TV Episode .... Zacharias Gurney
"Stagecoach West"
- A Place of Still Waters (1961) TV Episode .... Pierce Martin
"The Islanders"
- Island Witness (1961) TV Episode .... Phil
"Decision"
- Man Against Crime (1958) TV Episode .... Dan Garrett
"Studio One"
- The Fair-Haired Boy (1958) TV Episode .... Tom Kendall
- First Prize for Murder (1957) TV Episode .... Johnny Quigg
- Fandango at War Bonnet (1954) TV Episode .... Will Sorrell
"The Alcoa Hour"
- The Original Miss Chase (1957) TV Episode .... Arthur Bryan
- The Archangel Harrigan (1956) TV Episode .... Harrigan
"Robert Montgomery Presents"
- Sunset Boulevard (1956) TV Episode
"Climax!"
- Night of the Heat Wave (1956) TV Episode .... Walter
"It's Always Jan"
- Episode dated 12 May 1956 (1956) TV Episode
"Armstrong Circle Theatre"
- Terror at My Heels (1956) TV Episode .... Lieutenant Melvin Shadduck
- The Town That Refused to Die (1955) TV Episode .... Carl Broggi
- Recapture (1952) TV Episode
"Alfred Hitchcock Presents"
- The Cheney Vase (1955) TV Episode .... Lyle Endicott
- Triggers in Leash (1955) TV Episode .... Red Hillman
"Kraft Television Theatre"
- Blind Alley (1954) TV Episode
- Unequal Contest (1954) TV Episode
"Mama"
- Episode dated 28 May 1954 (1954) TV Episode
"Campbell Playhouse"
- XXXXX Isn't Everything (1954) TV Episode
"Suspense"
- An Affair with a Ghost (1954) TV Episode
- For the Love of Randi (1952) TV Episode
"The Philco Television Playhouse"
- The Rainmaker (1953) TV Episode
"The Revlon Mirror Theater"
- The Enormous Radio (1953) TV Episode
"Danger"
- Hand Me Down (1953) TV Episode
- The Thread of Scarlett (1952) TV Episode
"Short Short Dramas"
- The Double Cross (1953) TV Episode
"Goodyear Television Playhouse"
- Better Than Walking (1952) TV Episode
- The Witness (1952) TV Episode
"Tales of Tomorrow"
- The Duplicates (1952) TV Episode .... Bruce Calvin
THE LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES
"Don Adams' Screen Test"
- To Have and Have Not (1975) TV Episode .... Humphrey Bogart
"It's Your Bet"
- Kathie Browne vs. Darren McGavin (1973) TV Episode .... Panelist
"It Takes Two"
- Episode dated 1 June 1970 (1970) TV Episode .... Himself
"Omnibus"
- Just Be Normal (1954) TV Episode
[Thanks to the IMDb.com]
BCnU.....
Tele-Toby
The husky, tough-talking performer went on to become one of the busiest actors in television and film, starring in five TV series, including ''Mike Hammer,'' and endearing holiday audiences with his role as the grouchy dad in the 1983 comedy classic ''A Christmas Story.''
McGavin, 83, died Saturday of natural causes at a Los Angeles-area hospital with his family at his side, said his son Bogart McGavin.
McGavin also had leading roles in TV's ''Riverboat'' and cult favorite ''Kolchak: The Night Stalker.'' Among his memorable portrayals was Gen. George Patton in the 1979 TV biography ''Ike.''
Despite his busy career in television, McGavin was awarded only one Emmy: in 1990 for an appearance as Candice Bergen's opinionated father in an episode of ''Murphy Brown.''
He lacked the prominence in films he enjoyed in television, but he registered strongly in featured roles such as the young artist in Venice in ''Summertime,'' David Lean's 1955 film with Katharine Hepburn and Rosanno Brazzi; Frank Sinatra's crafty drug supplier in ''The Man with the Golden Arm'' (1955); Jerry Lewis's parole officer in ''The Delicate Delinquent'' (1957); and the gambler in 1984's ''The Natural.''
In a morbid case of synchronicity, he also starred alongside Don Knotts, who died Friday night, in the 1976 family comedy ''No Deposit, No Return.''
Throughout his television career, McGavin gained a reputation as a curmudgeon willing to bad-mouth his series and combat studio bosses.
McGavin starred in the private eye series ''Mike Hammer'' in the 1950s. In 1968 he told a reporter: ''Hammer was a dummy. I made 72 of those shows, and I thought it was a comedy. In fact, I played it camp. He was the kind of guy who would've waved the flag for George Wallace.''
Born in Spokane, Wash., McGavin was sketchy in interviews about his childhood. He told TV Guide in 1973 that he was a constant runaway at 10 and 11, and as a teen lived in warehouses in Tacoma, Wash., and dodged the police and welfare workers. His parents disappeared, he said.
He spent a year at College of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif., taking part in dramatics, then landed in Los Angeles. He washed dishes and was hired to paint sets at Columbia studio. He was working on ''A Song to Remember'' when an agent told him of an opening for a small role.
''I climbed off a painter's ladder and washed up at a nearby gas station,'' McGavin said. ''I returned through Columbia's front gate with the agent.'' The director, Charles Vidor, hired him. No one recognized him but the paint foreman, who said, ''You're fired.''
McGavin studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse and the Actors Studio and began working in live TV drama and on Broadway. He appeared with Charlton Heston in ''Macbeth'' on TV and played Happy in ''Death of a Salesman'' in New York and on the road.
TV SERIES
"Miracles & Other Wonders" (1992) TV Series .... Host
"Small & Frye" (1983) TV Series .... Nick Small
"Kolchak: The Night Stalker" (1974) TV Series .... Carl Kolchak (1974-1975)
"The Outsider" (1968) TV Series .... David Ross
"Riverboat" (1959) TV Series .... Captain Holden (1959-1961)
"Mike Hammer" (1956) TV Series .... Mike Hammer (1958)
"Crime Photographer" (1951) TV Series .... Casey (June 1951-1952)
TV SPECIALS
Mysteries of the Ancient World (1994) (TV) .... Host
TV MINI-SERIES
"Around the World in 80 Days" (1989/I) (mini) TV Series .... Benjamin Mudge
"Freedom to Speak" (1982) (mini) TV Series
"The Martian Chronicles" (1980) (mini) TV Series .... Sam Parkhill
TV MOVIES
Derby (1995) (TV) .... Lester Corbett
Fudge-A-Mania (1995) (TV) .... Buster
A Perfect Stranger (1994) (TV) .... John Henry Phillips
Mastergate (1992) (TV) .... Folsom Bunting
Perfect Harmony (1991) (TV) .... Mr. Hobbs
Clara (1991) (TV)
By Dawn's Early Light (1990) (TV) .... Condor - Secretary of Interior
Child in the Night (1990) (TV) .... Os Winfield
The Diamond Trap (1988) (TV) .... Chief Walter Vadney
Tales from the Hollywood Hills: Natica Jackson (1987) (TV) (as Darren McGaven) .... A.D. Nathan
Tales from the Hollywood Hills: A Table at Ciro's (1987) (TV) .... A.D. Nathan
The Baron and the Kid (1984) (TV) .... Jack Beamer
Waikiki (1980/I) (TV) .... Captain
Love for Rent (1979) (TV) .... Coach John Martin
Not Until Today (1979) (TV) .... Chief Jason Swan
Donovan's Kid (1979) (TV) .... Timothy Donovan
A Bond of Iron (1979) (TV) .... William Weaver
The Users (1978) (TV) .... Henry Waller
Law and Order (1976) (TV) .... Deputy Chief Brian O'Malley
Something Evil (1972) (TV) .... Paul Worden
The Death of Me Yet (1971) (TV) .... Joe Chalk
Tribes (1970) (TV) .... Gunnery Sgt. Thomas Drake
Berlin Affair (1970) (TV) .... Paul Killian
The Challengers (1970) (TV) .... Jim McCabe
The Challenge (1970) (TV) .... Jacob Gallery
The Forty-Eight Hour Mile (1970) (TV)
TV CLASSICS
The American Clock (1993) (TV) .... Older Arthur Huntington
Inherit the Wind (1988) (TV) .... E.K. Hornbeck
"Studio One"
- Macbeth (1951) TV Episode .... Macduff
TV SEQUELS
"Night Stalker"
- Pilot (2005) TV Episode (uncredited) .... Reporter Standing at Desk
Kojak: It's Always Something (1990) (TV)
The Return of Marcus Welby, M.D. (1984) (TV) .... Dr. David Jennings
TV PILOTS
The Six Million Dollar Man (1973) (TV) .... Oliver Spencer
The Night Strangler (1973) (TV) .... Carl Kolchak
Say Goodbye, Maggie Cole (1972) (TV) .... Dr. Lou Grazzo
Here Comes the Judge (1972) (TV) .... Judge
The Rookies (1972) (TV) .... Sergeant Eddie Ryker
The Night Stalker (1972) (TV) .... Carl Kolchak
Banyon (1971) (TV) .... Lieutenant Pete Cordova
The Outsider (1967) (TV) .... David Ross
TV RELATED MOVIES
Captain America (1991) .... Gen. Fleming
A Christmas Story (1983) .... The Old Man (Mr. Parker)
Mooch Goes to Hollywood (1971) (uncredited) .... Himself
TELE-HISTORY
My Wicked, Wicked Ways... The Legend of Errol Flynn (1985) (TV) .... Dr. Gerrit Koets
"Ike" (1979) (mini) TV Series .... Gen. George S. Patton
Ike: The War Years (1978) (TV)
Brinks: The Great Robbery (1976) (TV) .... James McNally
THE TOONIVERSE
"Gargoyles"
- The Silver Falcon (1995) TV Episode (voice) .... Dominic Dracon
TV RECURRING ROLES
"The X Files"
- Agua Mala (1999) TV Episode .... Arthur Dales
- Travelers (1998) TV Episode .... Agent Arthur Dales
"Murphy Brown"
- I'm Dreaming of a Brown Christmas (1992) TV Episode .... Bill Brown
- Full Circle (1991) TV Episode .... Bill Brown
- Brown Like Me: Part 1 (1989) TV Episode .... Bill Brown
- Brown Like Me: Part 2 (1989) TV Episode .... Bill Brown
"Dr. Kildare"
- With This Ring (1965) TV Episode .... Felix Holman
- When Shadows Fall (1965) TV Episode .... Felix Holman
- In the Roman Candle's Bright Glare (1965) TV Episode .... Felix Holman
- From Nigeria with Love (1965) TV Episode .... Felix Holman
TV GUEST APPEARANCES
"Millennium"
- Midnight of the Century (1997) TV Episode .... Henry Black
"Touched by an Angel"
- Missing in Action (1997) TV Episode .... George Zarko
"Grace Under Fire"
- Take Me to Your Breeder (1996) TV Episode .... Dad
"The Commish"
- Father Image: Part 2 (1995) TV Episode .... Terry Boyle
- Father Image: Part 1 (1995) TV Episode .... Terry Boyle
"Burke's Law"
- Who Killed the King of the Country Club? (1995) TV Episode .... Conrad Hill
"Sisters"
- Judgment Day (1995) TV Episode .... Judge Harrison Bradford
"Murder, She Wrote"
- Angel of Death (1992) TV Episode .... Martin Tremaine
"Civil Wars"
- Shop 'Til You Drop (1992) TV Episode .... Noah Caldecott
"Sibs"
- If I Only Had a Dad (????) TV Episode
"Monsters"
- Portrait of the Artist (1989) TV Episode .... Hubert
"Highway to Heaven"
- The Correspondent (1988) TV Episode .... Hale Stoddard
"Worlds Beyond"
- Voice from the Gallows (1986) TV Episode
"Tales from the Darkside"
- Distant Signals (1985) TV Episode .... Van Conway
"The Hitchhiker"
- Nightshift (1985) TV Episode .... Old Man
"Tales of the Unexpected"
- Heir Presumptuous (1983) TV Episode .... Sheriff Milt Singleton
"Magnum, P.I."
- Mad Buck Gibson (1981) TV Episode .... Buck Gibson
"Nero Wolfe"
- Gambit (1981) TV Episode .... Philigree
"The Love Boat"
- Promoter, The/The Judges/The Family Plan/Forever Engaged/May the Best Man Win: Part 1 (1980) TV Episode .... Lawrence Evans
- Promoter, The/The Judges/The Family Plan/Forever Engaged/May the Best Man Win: Part 2 (1980) TV Episode .... Lawrence Evans
"The Evil Touch"
- Gornak's Prism (1974) TV Episode
- George (1973) TV Episode
- A Game of Hearts (1973) TV Episode
"Police Story"
- The Ripper (1974) TV Episode .... Matt Hallett
"Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law"
- A Foreigner Among Us (1974) TV Episode
"Shaft"
- Cop Killer (1974) TV Episode
"The Bold Ones: The Lawyers"
- The Invasion of Kevin Ireland (1971) TV Episode .... Kevin Ireland
"Cade's County"
- Homecoming (1971) TV Episode .... Courtney Vernon
"Matt Lincoln"
- Billy (1970) TV Episode
"Bracken's World"
- Infinity (1970) TV Episode .... Max Lassiter
"The Name of the Game"
- Battle at Gannon's Bridge (1970) TV Episode .... Eddie Gannon
- Good-bye Harry (1969) TV Episode .... Sam Hardy
- Shine On, Shine On, Jesse Gil (1968) TV Episode .... Jesse Gil McCray
"Mannix"
- A Ticket to the Eclipse (1970) TV Episode .... Mark
"Love, American Style"
- Love and Double Trouble/Love and the Fly/Love and the Millionaire (1970) TV Episode .... (segment "Love and the Fly")
"Custer"
- Desperate Mission (1967) TV Episode .... Jeb Powell
"Mission: Impossible"
- The Seal (1967) TV Episode .... J. Richard Taggart
"The Man from U.N.C.L.E."
- The Deadly Quest Affair (1967) TV Episode .... Viktor Karmak
"The Virginian"
- The Deadly Past (1967) TV Episode .... Sam Evans
- The Intruders (1964) TV Episode .... Mark Troxel
"Cimarron Strip"
- The Legend of Jud Starr (1967) TV Episode .... Jud Starr
"Gunsmoke"
- Gunfighter, R.I.P (1966) TV Episode .... Joe Bascome
- The Hostage (1965) TV Episode .... Lon Gorman
- Twenty Miles from Dodge (1965) TV Episode .... Will Helmick
"Felony Squad"
- The Streets Are Paved with Quicksand (1966) TV Episode .... Leslie Gorman
"Court Martial"
- All Roads Lead to Callaghan (1966) TV Episode
"Confidential for Women"
- Episode dated 25 April 1966 (1966) TV Episode .... Andy
"The Rogues"
- The Diamond-Studded Pie (1965) TV Episode .... Amos Champion
"Ben Casey"
- Kill the Dream, but Spare the Dreamer (1964) TV Episode
"Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre" - Parties to the Crime (1964) TV Episode .... Joe Masson
- The Game with Glass Pieces (1964) TV Episode .... Franklin Carson
"The Defenders"
- A Taste of Ashes (1964) TV Episode .... Marty Wisnovsky
- Everybody Else Is Dead (1963) TV Episode .... Howard Potter
"The Nurses"
- Hildie (1964) TV Episode
- Episode #3.6 (1964) TV Episode .... Fitz Condon
"The Alfred Hitchcock Hour"
- A Matter of Murder (1964) TV Episode .... Sheridan Westcott
"The United States Steel Hour"
- Marriage Marks the Spot (1962) TV Episode
"Purex Summer Specials"
- The Problem Child (1962) TV Episode .... James Carlisle
"Rawhide"
- The Sendoff (1961) TV Episode .... Jed Hadley
"Route 66"
- The Opponent (1961) TV Episode .... Johnny Copa
"Death Valley Days"
- The Stolen City (1961) TV Episode .... Zacharias Gurney
"Stagecoach West"
- A Place of Still Waters (1961) TV Episode .... Pierce Martin
"The Islanders"
- Island Witness (1961) TV Episode .... Phil
"Decision"
- Man Against Crime (1958) TV Episode .... Dan Garrett
"Studio One"
- The Fair-Haired Boy (1958) TV Episode .... Tom Kendall
- First Prize for Murder (1957) TV Episode .... Johnny Quigg
- Fandango at War Bonnet (1954) TV Episode .... Will Sorrell
"The Alcoa Hour"
- The Original Miss Chase (1957) TV Episode .... Arthur Bryan
- The Archangel Harrigan (1956) TV Episode .... Harrigan
"Robert Montgomery Presents"
- Sunset Boulevard (1956) TV Episode
"Climax!"
- Night of the Heat Wave (1956) TV Episode .... Walter
"It's Always Jan"
- Episode dated 12 May 1956 (1956) TV Episode
"Armstrong Circle Theatre"
- Terror at My Heels (1956) TV Episode .... Lieutenant Melvin Shadduck
- The Town That Refused to Die (1955) TV Episode .... Carl Broggi
- Recapture (1952) TV Episode
"Alfred Hitchcock Presents"
- The Cheney Vase (1955) TV Episode .... Lyle Endicott
- Triggers in Leash (1955) TV Episode .... Red Hillman
"Kraft Television Theatre"
- Blind Alley (1954) TV Episode
- Unequal Contest (1954) TV Episode
"Mama"
- Episode dated 28 May 1954 (1954) TV Episode
"Campbell Playhouse"
- XXXXX Isn't Everything (1954) TV Episode
"Suspense"
- An Affair with a Ghost (1954) TV Episode
- For the Love of Randi (1952) TV Episode
"The Philco Television Playhouse"
- The Rainmaker (1953) TV Episode
"The Revlon Mirror Theater"
- The Enormous Radio (1953) TV Episode
"Danger"
- Hand Me Down (1953) TV Episode
- The Thread of Scarlett (1952) TV Episode
"Short Short Dramas"
- The Double Cross (1953) TV Episode
"Goodyear Television Playhouse"
- Better Than Walking (1952) TV Episode
- The Witness (1952) TV Episode
"Tales of Tomorrow"
- The Duplicates (1952) TV Episode .... Bruce Calvin
THE LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES
"Don Adams' Screen Test"
- To Have and Have Not (1975) TV Episode .... Humphrey Bogart
"It's Your Bet"
- Kathie Browne vs. Darren McGavin (1973) TV Episode .... Panelist
"It Takes Two"
- Episode dated 1 June 1970 (1970) TV Episode .... Himself
"Omnibus"
- Just Be Normal (1954) TV Episode
[Thanks to the IMDb.com]
BCnU.....
Tele-Toby
THE HAT SQUAD: DON KNOTTS
When it comes time to memorialize the greats of Toobworld, I usually freeze up and depend on the already published obituaries found online to make sure that justice is served their tributes. I'm more comfortable in writing up reports and studies of their actual work.
And so it is with the "Hat Squad" bios for both Don Knotts and Darren McGavin, although I have contributed a few o'bservations throughout them.
There will be more posts in my voice to come when I examine their work in shows like 'The Andy Griffith Show', 'Kolchak: The Night Stalker', 'Three's Company', and 'Riverboat'.
Don Knotts, who kept generations of TV audiences laughing as bumbling Deputy Barney Fife on "The Andy Griffith Show" and would-be swinger landlord Ralph Furley on "Three's Company," has died. He was 81.
Griffith, who had visited Knotts in the hospital before his death, said his longtime friend had a brilliant comedic mind and wrote some of the show's best scenes.
"Don was a small man ... but everything else about him was large: his mind, his expressions." He truly was a giant in Toobworld, having won five Emmy awards for his performance as Deputy Barney Fife.
Griffith told The Associated Press on Saturday, "Don was special. There's nobody like him. I loved him very much. We had a long and wonderful life together."
The actor's half-century career included seven TV series and more than 25 films, but it was the Griffith show that brought him TV immortality.
The show ran from 1960-68, and was in the top 10 of the Nielsen ratings each season, including a No. 1 ranking its final year. It is one of only three series in TV history to bow out at the top: The others are "I Love Lucy" and "Seinfeld." (Although to be fair, Don Knotts was no longer in the cast by the time the show signed off.) The 249 episodes have appeared frequently in reruns and have spawned a large, active network of fan clubs.
As the bug-eyed deputy to Griffith, Knotts carried in his shirt pocket the one bullet he was allowed after shooting himself in the foot. The constant fumbling, a recurring sight gag, was typical of his self-deprecating humor.
Knotts, whose shy, soft-spoken manner was unlike his high-strung characters, once said he was most proud of the Fife character and doesn't mind being remembered that way.
In 1979, he joined the cast of "Three's Company," also starring John Ritter, Suzanne Somers and Joyce DeWitt.
Early in his TV career, he was one of the original cast members of "The Steve Allen Show," the comedy-variety show that ran from 1956-61. He was one of a group of memorable comics backing Allen that included Louis Nye, Tom Poston and Bill "Jose Jimenez" Dana.
As such, it's a shame that we never got to see him appear in an episode of 'St. Elsewhere' as the father to one of the main characters, as did many of his fellow alumni from the 'Steve Allen Show'.
He became well-known for his "nervous man" shtick in the "Man-on-the-Street" segments that were a staple of Allen's show. His character in the segments was a very nervous man obviously uptight about being interviewed on camera. He developed this into the fidgety, high-strung persona that he limned successfully for the rest of his career.
When "The Tonight Show" moved to Hollywood in 1959 with new host Jack Paar, Don also moved to California as a regular. However, he was soon cast in Andy Griffith's new TV series about a small-town sheriff in the role that would make him a legend.
For playing Deputy Barney Fife, Don was nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor five times from 1961 to 1967, winning each time,
In the part-animated 1964 film "The Incredible Mr. Limpet," Knotts played a meek clerk who turns into a fish after he is rejected by the Navy. When it was announced in 1998 that Jim Carrey would star in a "Limpet" remake, Knotts responded: "I'm just flattered that someone of Carrey's caliber is remaking something I did. Now, if someone else did Barney Fife, THAT would be different."
Although Don Knotts made a lot of movies, (and one - "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" - is one of my favorites), only one film has a true Toobworld feel to it. In 1998, he had a key role in the back-to-the-past movie "Pleasantville," playing a folksy television repairman whose supercharged remote control sends a teen boy and his sister into a TV sitcom past.
However, another movie and the Broadway play it was based on, also served a vital role in connection to his career in Toobworld. Destiny intervened when he was cast in the small role of the psychiatrist in the Broadway play "No Time For Sergeants," which starred Andy Griffith, who would play a large part in Don's future career. Don also appeared in the film adaption of the play with Griffith.
About five years after his arrival in New York City came his series TV debut on "The Steve Allen Show." In recent years, he said he had no plans to retire, traveling with theater productions and appearing in print and TV ads for Kodiak pressure treated wood.
He treasured his comedic roles and could point to only one role that wasn't funny, a brief stint on the daytime drama "Search for Tomorrow." "That's the only serious thing I've done. I don't miss that," Knotts said.
His favorite episodes, he said, were "The Pickle Story," where Aunt Bee makes pickles no one can eat, and "Barney and the Choir," where no one can stop him from singing.
"I can't sing. It makes me sad that I can't sing or dance well enough to be in a musical, but I'm just not talented in that way," he lamented. "It's one of my weaknesses."
But he was wrong, of course. His performance as Barney was pure music, a character symphony.
___
Associated Press writer Vicki Smith in Morgantown, W.Va., contributed to this report, as did John C. Hopgood in a biography for the IMDb.com.
TV SERIES
"What a Country" (1986) TV Series .... Principal F. Jerry 'Bud' McPherson (1987)
"Three's Company" .... Ralph Furley (1979-1984)
"Laugh Back" (1975) TV Series .... Various
"The Don Knotts Show" (1970) TV Series .... Host
"The Andy Griffith Show" .... Deputy Barney Fife (1960-1965)
"The New Steve Allen Show" (1961) TV Series .... Regular
"The Steve Allen Show" (1956) TV Series .... Mr. Morrsion
"Search for Tomorrow" (1951) TV Series .... Wilbur Peterson (1953-1955)
TV RECURRING ROLES
"Matlock" .... Les Calhoun (1988-1990)
TV MOVIES
Quints (2000) (TV) .... Gov. Healy
I Love a Mystery (1973) (TV) .... Alexander Archer
Cinderella at the Palace (1978) (TV) .... Himself
TV SEQUELS
Return to Mayberry (1986) (TV) .... Barney Fife
THE TOONIVERSE
"Fatherhood"
- The Second Family (2005) TV Episode (voice) .... Mr. Mauzer
Jingle Bells (1999) (TV) (voice) .... Kris
"101 Dalmatians: The Series"
- Shake, Rattle and Woof/Cadpig Behind Bars (1997) TV Episode (voice) .... Dog Catcher
Timmy's Gift: Precious Moments Christmas (1991) (TV) (voice) .... Titus
The Little Troll Prince (1985) (TV) (voice) .... Professor Nidaros
"Inspector Gadget"
- Ghost Catchers (1985) TV Episode .... Male M.A.D Agent
"Wait Till Your Father Gets Home"
- Don Knotts, the Beekeeper (1974) TV Episode (voice) .... Himself
"The New Scooby-Doo Movies"
- The Spooky Fog (1972) TV Episode (voice) .... Himself
- Guess Who's Knott Coming to Dinner? (1972) TV Episode (voice) .... Himself
SKETCHWORLD
The 3rd Annual TV Land Awards (2005) .... Paul Young ("Desperate Classic Housewives" skit
TV CLASSICS
"Hallmark Hall of Fame"
- The Man Who Came to Dinner (1972) TV Episode .... Dr. Bradley
LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES
"Robot Chicken"
- Operation Rich in Spirit (2005) TV Episode (voice) .... Himself
"Las Vegas"
- Hit Me! (2005) TV Episode .... Himself
The Andy Griffith Show Reunion: Back to Mayberry (2003) (TV) .... Himself/Barney Fife
"8 Simple Rules... for Dating My Teenage Daughter"
- Come and Knock on Our Door (2003) TV Episode .... Himself
Andy Griffith Show Reunion (1993) (TV) .... Himself
"George Burns Comedy Week"
- Disaster at Buzz Creek (1985) TV Episode .... Himself
"The Muppet Show"
- Episode #2.1 (1977) TV Episode .... Himself
Joys (1976) (TV) .... Don Knotts
"The Late Summer Early Fall Bert Convy Show"
- The Premiere Telecast (1976) TV Episode
"The Captain and Tennille"
- Episode #1.11 (1976) TV Episode
Dinah Shore: In Search of the Ideal Man (1973) (TV) .... Himself
"The Flip Wilson Show"
- Episode #3.22 (1973) TV Episode .... Himself
- Episode #3.1 (1972) TV Episode .... Himself
"Make Your Own Kind of Music!"
- Episode #1.1 (1971) TV Episode .... Himself
"The Hollywood Palace"
- Episode #7.16 (1970) TV Episode .... Himself - Host
- Episode #5.24 (1968) TV Episode .... Himself - Host/Singer/Comedian/Sketch Actor
- Episode #1.5 (1964) TV Episode .... Himself - Comedian
"The Andy Williams Show"
- Episode dated 18 October 1969 (1969) TV Episode .... Himself
"The Leslie Uggams Show"
- Episode dated 5 October 1969 (1969) TV Episode .... Himself
Rowan & Martin at the Movies (1968) .... Himself
"The Andy Williams Show"
- Episode dated 15 January 1967 (1967) TV Episode .... Himself
- Episode dated 10 December 1963 (1963) TV Episode .... Himself
"American Bandstand"
- Episode dated 2 April 1966 (1966) TV Episode .... Himself
"The Danny Kaye Show"
- Episode #1.3 (1963) TV Episode .... Himself
TV GUEST APPEARANCES
"Odd Job Jack"
- American Wiener (????) TV Episode .... Dirk Douglas
"Burke's Law"
- Who Killed Good Time Charlie? (1994) TV Episode
"Step by Step"
- Christmas Story (1993) TV Episode .... Deputy Fief
"Newhart"
- Seein' Double (1990) TV Episode (uncredited) .... Iron
"She's the Sheriff"
- Hair (1988) TV Episode .... Moe
"The Love Boat"
- Crew Confessions/Haven't I Seen You?/Reunion (1979) TV Episode .... Herb Grobecker
"Fantasy Island"
- Pentagram/The Casting Director (1979) TV Episode .... Felix Birdsong
- Trouble, My Lovely/The Common Man (1978) TV Episode .... Stanley Scheckter
"Here's Lucy"
- Lucy Goes on Her Last Blind Date (1973) TV Episode .... Ben Fletcher
"The New Andy Griffith Show"
- Pilot (1971) TV Episode (uncredited) .... Barney Fife
"The Bill Cosby Show"
- Swann's Way (1970) TV Episode .... Leo Swann
"Mayberry R.F.D."
- Andy and Helen Get Married (1968) TV Episode .... Barney Fife
"Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre"
- The Reason Nobody Hardly Ever Seen a Fat Outlaw in the Old West Is as Follows (1967) TV Episode .... Curly Kid
"The Joey Bishop Show"
- Joey's Hideaway Cabin (1964) TV Episode .... Barney Fife
"The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis"
- Rock-A-Bye Dobie (1960) TV Episode
"The Bob Cummings Show"
- Bob and Schultzy at Sea (1958) TV Episode
[Thanks to IMDb.com]
BCnU.....
Tele-Toby
And so it is with the "Hat Squad" bios for both Don Knotts and Darren McGavin, although I have contributed a few o'bservations throughout them.
There will be more posts in my voice to come when I examine their work in shows like 'The Andy Griffith Show', 'Kolchak: The Night Stalker', 'Three's Company', and 'Riverboat'.
Don Knotts, who kept generations of TV audiences laughing as bumbling Deputy Barney Fife on "The Andy Griffith Show" and would-be swinger landlord Ralph Furley on "Three's Company," has died. He was 81.
Griffith, who had visited Knotts in the hospital before his death, said his longtime friend had a brilliant comedic mind and wrote some of the show's best scenes.
"Don was a small man ... but everything else about him was large: his mind, his expressions." He truly was a giant in Toobworld, having won five Emmy awards for his performance as Deputy Barney Fife.
Griffith told The Associated Press on Saturday, "Don was special. There's nobody like him. I loved him very much. We had a long and wonderful life together."
The actor's half-century career included seven TV series and more than 25 films, but it was the Griffith show that brought him TV immortality.
The show ran from 1960-68, and was in the top 10 of the Nielsen ratings each season, including a No. 1 ranking its final year. It is one of only three series in TV history to bow out at the top: The others are "I Love Lucy" and "Seinfeld." (Although to be fair, Don Knotts was no longer in the cast by the time the show signed off.) The 249 episodes have appeared frequently in reruns and have spawned a large, active network of fan clubs.
As the bug-eyed deputy to Griffith, Knotts carried in his shirt pocket the one bullet he was allowed after shooting himself in the foot. The constant fumbling, a recurring sight gag, was typical of his self-deprecating humor.
Knotts, whose shy, soft-spoken manner was unlike his high-strung characters, once said he was most proud of the Fife character and doesn't mind being remembered that way.
In 1979, he joined the cast of "Three's Company," also starring John Ritter, Suzanne Somers and Joyce DeWitt.
Early in his TV career, he was one of the original cast members of "The Steve Allen Show," the comedy-variety show that ran from 1956-61. He was one of a group of memorable comics backing Allen that included Louis Nye, Tom Poston and Bill "Jose Jimenez" Dana.
As such, it's a shame that we never got to see him appear in an episode of 'St. Elsewhere' as the father to one of the main characters, as did many of his fellow alumni from the 'Steve Allen Show'.
He became well-known for his "nervous man" shtick in the "Man-on-the-Street" segments that were a staple of Allen's show. His character in the segments was a very nervous man obviously uptight about being interviewed on camera. He developed this into the fidgety, high-strung persona that he limned successfully for the rest of his career.
When "The Tonight Show" moved to Hollywood in 1959 with new host Jack Paar, Don also moved to California as a regular. However, he was soon cast in Andy Griffith's new TV series about a small-town sheriff in the role that would make him a legend.
For playing Deputy Barney Fife, Don was nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor five times from 1961 to 1967, winning each time,
In the part-animated 1964 film "The Incredible Mr. Limpet," Knotts played a meek clerk who turns into a fish after he is rejected by the Navy. When it was announced in 1998 that Jim Carrey would star in a "Limpet" remake, Knotts responded: "I'm just flattered that someone of Carrey's caliber is remaking something I did. Now, if someone else did Barney Fife, THAT would be different."
Although Don Knotts made a lot of movies, (and one - "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" - is one of my favorites), only one film has a true Toobworld feel to it. In 1998, he had a key role in the back-to-the-past movie "Pleasantville," playing a folksy television repairman whose supercharged remote control sends a teen boy and his sister into a TV sitcom past.
However, another movie and the Broadway play it was based on, also served a vital role in connection to his career in Toobworld. Destiny intervened when he was cast in the small role of the psychiatrist in the Broadway play "No Time For Sergeants," which starred Andy Griffith, who would play a large part in Don's future career. Don also appeared in the film adaption of the play with Griffith.
About five years after his arrival in New York City came his series TV debut on "The Steve Allen Show." In recent years, he said he had no plans to retire, traveling with theater productions and appearing in print and TV ads for Kodiak pressure treated wood.
He treasured his comedic roles and could point to only one role that wasn't funny, a brief stint on the daytime drama "Search for Tomorrow." "That's the only serious thing I've done. I don't miss that," Knotts said.
His favorite episodes, he said, were "The Pickle Story," where Aunt Bee makes pickles no one can eat, and "Barney and the Choir," where no one can stop him from singing.
"I can't sing. It makes me sad that I can't sing or dance well enough to be in a musical, but I'm just not talented in that way," he lamented. "It's one of my weaknesses."
But he was wrong, of course. His performance as Barney was pure music, a character symphony.
___
Associated Press writer Vicki Smith in Morgantown, W.Va., contributed to this report, as did John C. Hopgood in a biography for the IMDb.com.
TV SERIES
"What a Country" (1986) TV Series .... Principal F. Jerry 'Bud' McPherson (1987)
"Three's Company" .... Ralph Furley (1979-1984)
"Laugh Back" (1975) TV Series .... Various
"The Don Knotts Show" (1970) TV Series .... Host
"The Andy Griffith Show" .... Deputy Barney Fife (1960-1965)
"The New Steve Allen Show" (1961) TV Series .... Regular
"The Steve Allen Show" (1956) TV Series .... Mr. Morrsion
"Search for Tomorrow" (1951) TV Series .... Wilbur Peterson (1953-1955)
TV RECURRING ROLES
"Matlock" .... Les Calhoun (1988-1990)
TV MOVIES
Quints (2000) (TV) .... Gov. Healy
I Love a Mystery (1973) (TV) .... Alexander Archer
Cinderella at the Palace (1978) (TV) .... Himself
TV SEQUELS
Return to Mayberry (1986) (TV) .... Barney Fife
THE TOONIVERSE
"Fatherhood"
- The Second Family (2005) TV Episode (voice) .... Mr. Mauzer
Jingle Bells (1999) (TV) (voice) .... Kris
"101 Dalmatians: The Series"
- Shake, Rattle and Woof/Cadpig Behind Bars (1997) TV Episode (voice) .... Dog Catcher
Timmy's Gift: Precious Moments Christmas (1991) (TV) (voice) .... Titus
The Little Troll Prince (1985) (TV) (voice) .... Professor Nidaros
"Inspector Gadget"
- Ghost Catchers (1985) TV Episode .... Male M.A.D Agent
"Wait Till Your Father Gets Home"
- Don Knotts, the Beekeeper (1974) TV Episode (voice) .... Himself
"The New Scooby-Doo Movies"
- The Spooky Fog (1972) TV Episode (voice) .... Himself
- Guess Who's Knott Coming to Dinner? (1972) TV Episode (voice) .... Himself
SKETCHWORLD
The 3rd Annual TV Land Awards (2005) .... Paul Young ("Desperate Classic Housewives" skit
TV CLASSICS
"Hallmark Hall of Fame"
- The Man Who Came to Dinner (1972) TV Episode .... Dr. Bradley
LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES
"Robot Chicken"
- Operation Rich in Spirit (2005) TV Episode (voice) .... Himself
"Las Vegas"
- Hit Me! (2005) TV Episode .... Himself
The Andy Griffith Show Reunion: Back to Mayberry (2003) (TV) .... Himself/Barney Fife
"8 Simple Rules... for Dating My Teenage Daughter"
- Come and Knock on Our Door (2003) TV Episode .... Himself
Andy Griffith Show Reunion (1993) (TV) .... Himself
"George Burns Comedy Week"
- Disaster at Buzz Creek (1985) TV Episode .... Himself
"The Muppet Show"
- Episode #2.1 (1977) TV Episode .... Himself
Joys (1976) (TV) .... Don Knotts
"The Late Summer Early Fall Bert Convy Show"
- The Premiere Telecast (1976) TV Episode
"The Captain and Tennille"
- Episode #1.11 (1976) TV Episode
Dinah Shore: In Search of the Ideal Man (1973) (TV) .... Himself
"The Flip Wilson Show"
- Episode #3.22 (1973) TV Episode .... Himself
- Episode #3.1 (1972) TV Episode .... Himself
"Make Your Own Kind of Music!"
- Episode #1.1 (1971) TV Episode .... Himself
"The Hollywood Palace"
- Episode #7.16 (1970) TV Episode .... Himself - Host
- Episode #5.24 (1968) TV Episode .... Himself - Host/Singer/Comedian/Sketch Actor
- Episode #1.5 (1964) TV Episode .... Himself - Comedian
"The Andy Williams Show"
- Episode dated 18 October 1969 (1969) TV Episode .... Himself
"The Leslie Uggams Show"
- Episode dated 5 October 1969 (1969) TV Episode .... Himself
Rowan & Martin at the Movies (1968) .... Himself
"The Andy Williams Show"
- Episode dated 15 January 1967 (1967) TV Episode .... Himself
- Episode dated 10 December 1963 (1963) TV Episode .... Himself
"American Bandstand"
- Episode dated 2 April 1966 (1966) TV Episode .... Himself
"The Danny Kaye Show"
- Episode #1.3 (1963) TV Episode .... Himself
TV GUEST APPEARANCES
"Odd Job Jack"
- American Wiener (????) TV Episode .... Dirk Douglas
"Burke's Law"
- Who Killed Good Time Charlie? (1994) TV Episode
"Step by Step"
- Christmas Story (1993) TV Episode .... Deputy Fief
"Newhart"
- Seein' Double (1990) TV Episode (uncredited) .... Iron
"She's the Sheriff"
- Hair (1988) TV Episode .... Moe
"The Love Boat"
- Crew Confessions/Haven't I Seen You?/Reunion (1979) TV Episode .... Herb Grobecker
"Fantasy Island"
- Pentagram/The Casting Director (1979) TV Episode .... Felix Birdsong
- Trouble, My Lovely/The Common Man (1978) TV Episode .... Stanley Scheckter
"Here's Lucy"
- Lucy Goes on Her Last Blind Date (1973) TV Episode .... Ben Fletcher
"The New Andy Griffith Show"
- Pilot (1971) TV Episode (uncredited) .... Barney Fife
"The Bill Cosby Show"
- Swann's Way (1970) TV Episode .... Leo Swann
"Mayberry R.F.D."
- Andy and Helen Get Married (1968) TV Episode .... Barney Fife
"Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre"
- The Reason Nobody Hardly Ever Seen a Fat Outlaw in the Old West Is as Follows (1967) TV Episode .... Curly Kid
"The Joey Bishop Show"
- Joey's Hideaway Cabin (1964) TV Episode .... Barney Fife
"The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis"
- Rock-A-Bye Dobie (1960) TV Episode
"The Bob Cummings Show"
- Bob and Schultzy at Sea (1958) TV Episode
[Thanks to IMDb.com]
BCnU.....
Tele-Toby
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