TVXOHOF MEMORIAL TRIBUTE - KATHY "KITTEN" ANDERSON

From People
[Brenton Blanchet]:
Lauren Chapin, a former child star known for her role in '50s sitcom Father Knows Best, has died. She was 80.
Chapin's son, Matthew, announced the news via Facebook on Tuesday, Feb. 24, and shared that the actress died following a cancer diagnosis.

"After a long hard-fought battle over the past 5 years, the time has come. My mother, Lauren Chapin passed away from her battle with cancer tonight," Matthew wrote, tagging a fan page for his mom. "I'm at a complete loss for words right now. Please keep my sister and family in your thoughts and prayers as we go through this incredibly tough time."

And hopefully, the Television Crossover Hall of Fame will do just that with the memorial tribute induction of

KATHY "KITTEN" ANDERSON

From Wikipedia:
Lauren Ann Chapin (May 23, 1945 – February 24, 2026) was an American actress who played the role of the youngest child "Kathy Anderson" (nicknamed "Kitten") on the television show 'Father Knows Best' between 1954 and 1960. She appeared in 196 episodes of the 203 in the series. Chapin was awarded five Junior Emmys for Best Child Actress.

The TV cast reunited for a pair of TV films on NBC: "Father Knows Best Reunion" on May 15, 1977, and "Father Knows Best: Home for Christmas" on December 18, 1977.

In the 17 years since the series had ended, the characters of Betty and Bud had both married and had families of their own. Betty was the widowed mother of two girls, Jenny (Cari Anne Warder) and Ellen (Kyle Richards), while Bud and his wife Jean (Susan Adams) were the parents of a son, Robert "Robby" (Christopher Gardner).

Kathy had become engaged to a doctor, Jason Harper (Hal England).

Here are the productions which get "Kitten" in the TVXOHOF:

FATHER KNOWS BEST
201 Episodes (1954-1960)

THE FATHER KNOWS BEST REUNION (1977 TV movie)

FATHER KNOWS BEST: HOME FOR CHRISTMAS (1977 TV movie)

Three separate productions are all that is needed for membership in the Hall.  And the two reunion movies are distinct from the actual series.

Welcome to the Hall, Lauren Chapin.  As Red Skelton would say, "Good night and may God bless...."

TVXOHOF TRIBUTE 02/24/2026 - SAM McGUIRE

 
From Deadline
[by Mike Fleming, Jr.]:
Robert Carradine has died at age 71. He took his own life Monday. The actor is best known for his roles in The Long Riders, Revenge of the Nerds and Lizzie McGuire.

A beloved member of the storied clan of actors, Carradine was the bedrock of his family, according to surviving older brother Keith Carradine. But he struggled for two decades with bipolar disorder and ultimately it got the best of him.

SAM McGUIRE

From Wikipedia:
Robert Reed Carradine (March 24, 1954 – February 23, 2026) was an American actor. A member of the Carradine family, he made his first appearances on television Western series such as Bonanza and his brother David's TV series, Kung Fu.

Carradine is also well remembered for his roles as fraternity nerd Lewis Skolnick in the Revenge of the Nerds films and Sam McGuire in the Disney Channel series Lizzie McGuire.

From 2001 to 2004, Carradine played father Sam McGuire on 'Lizzie McGuire', starring Hilary Duff. The series was widely popular among young viewers, and its realistic portrayal of adolescent issues also appealed to parents.  (Sam McGuire sometimes struggles with the pressure of raising a teenager and is a bit slow-minded.)

A feature film based on the series, "The Lizzie McGuire Movie", was released in 2003.   It serves as the finale of the Disney Channel television series 'Lizzie McGuire' and was the first theatrical film based on a Disney Channel show. It follows the title character and her classmates on a graduation trip to Rome, where she gets mistaken for a famous Italian pop star and embarks on an unexpected adventure. The events of the film take place after the second and final season of 'Lizzie McGuire'.

A revival series was announced in August 2019 to be entering production for Disney+, with Duff reprising her role and Minsky returning as showrunner, but Minsky later departed from the role. Lamberg, Thomas, Todd and Carradine were also attached to return to the series in their original roles. The series began production in association with Disney Channel, but entered a hiatus after Minsky's departure and did not resume; the revival was officially canceled in December 2020.

LIZZIE McGUIRE
65 Episodes (2001-2004)

THE LIZZIE McGUIRE MOVIE (2003)

LIZZIE McGUIRE (2020)
2 Episodes

Eventually Hilary Duff, Hallie Todd, and Jake Thomas should enter the TVXOHOF as well, with those exact same qualifications.  But hopefully there will be plenty of time for that.

For now, the Hall salutes the memory of Robert Carradine.

TVXOHOF, FEBRUARY 2026 PART TWO - BUY GEORGE!

While I’m at it, the Hall has another induction tied into that of George Foreman’s...

The George Foreman Grill  

Along with the countless infomercials and commercials which eventually led to netting Foreman over 4 million a month rom the resulting sales, the Grill was either featured or mentioned in the following shows:

THE OFFICE
THE INJURY (2006)

Michael accidentally cooked his foot after stepping on his George Foreman Grill, which he used to cook bacon bedside. 

Michael Scott:

I enjoy having breakfast in bed. I like waking up to the smell of bacon. Sue me. And since I don't have a butler, I have to do it myself. So, most nights before I go to bed, I will lay six strips of bacon out on my George Foreman grill. Then I go to sleep. When I wake up, I plug in the grill. I go back to sleep again. Then I wake up to the smell of crackling bacon. It is delicious. It's good for me. It's a perfect way to start the day.

Jim Halpert:
I wanna clamp Michael's face in a George Foreman grill.

CHICAGO FIRE
TRY LIKE HELL (2019)

Joe Cruz: 
Are you moving?
Captain Casey:
No, Benny's house sold. Had to clear the place out.
Cruz:
Oh, um... well... I happened to notice a classic George Foreman Grill in there.
Casey:
All yours.
Cruz:
Thanks, Boss!

THE CARMICHAEL SHOW
LOW EXPECTATIONS (2017)

GRACE & FRANKIE
THE LABELS (2017)

THE BIG BANG THEORY
THE ROBOTIC MANIPULATION (2010)

Penny:
So, um, Amy, what about you? Do you date much?
Amy Farrah Fowler:
Once a year. It's a deal I made with my mother in exchange for her silence on the matter, as well as the occasional use of her George Foreman Grill that seals in the flavor without the fat.

KING OF THE HILL
BOXIN’ LUANNE

George Foreman:
Hey, Maybe there's something you can do for me. How would you feel about carrying my grill in your shop?
Hank Hill:
Oh, huh... sorry. We have a strict policy about that, no novelty grills.
George Foreman:
NOVELTY GRILL?
Hank Hill:
Yeah, you know, no offence, but your grill is kinda like an iron.
George Foreman:
YOU'RE CALLING MY GRILL AN IRON? I've been hit below the belt before, but nothing like this.
Hank Hill:
I think it's a great product for dieters and little girls who want to play barbeque, But you can't compare it to a propane powered grill.
George Foreman:
FIGHT'S ON!
Hank Hill:
WHAT? No.
George Foreman:
I said 'Fight's on!' What's the matter? SMELLING ALL THAT PROPANE CAUSED YOU BRAIN DAMAGE?  THAT'S WHAT IT DOES YOU KNOW!
Hank Hill:
NO, THAT IS NOT ACCURATE. Those studies were done on sick monkeys. And at least my grill isn't sold in... housewares.

The George Foreman Grill is not the first inanimate object to be inducted into the Television Crossover Hall of Fame.  But most of those were fictional - Playpen magazine, the LA Tribune, the NY Chronicle, Morley Cigarettes. 

As an actual item, the grill isn't alone in the Hall, however; there are also real movies and TV shows, like the 'Tonight' show, 'The View', 'Star Trek', "It's A Wonderful Life", and "Miracle On 34th Street".  Plus the Titanic, COVID 19, and locations like the White House, Las Vegas, and the Playboy Mansion.

So there we have it for this February - the George Foreman Grill joins George Foreman in the Class of 2026! 

TVXOHOF, FEBRUARY 2026 - GEORGE FOREMAN

 

Boxing legend George Foreman died March 21 last year.  It was my decision to hold off his deserved induction into the Television Crossover Hall of Fame so that he could get this monthly showcase for February.  George Foreman certainly deserved to represent Black History Month.

GEORGE FOREMAN

From ESPN:
"Big" George Foreman, one of the most influential and recognizable boxers of all time, died Friday, his family announced on his social media account. He was 76.

Foreman, who won an Olympic gold medal in 1968, was a two-time heavyweight champion and Hall of Fame boxer.

He is perhaps best known for the historic Rumble in the Jungle bout with Muhammad Ali in 1974 in Zaire, a fight Foreman lost in an upset via eighth-round knockout. It's arguably the most famous fight of all time, and the "When We Were Kings" film that chronicled the fight won an Oscar for best documentary feature.

Foreman made history yet again later in his career. He fought five more times after he lost the heavyweight championship to Ali at age 25, including a fifth-round TKO victory over Joe Frazier (whom he stopped in two rounds to first win the title) and a fifth-round knockout of Ron Lyle in a classic slugfest.

After that fifth fight at 28, Foreman shockingly announced his retirement and began a career as an ordained minister in his native Texas.

Foreman was retired for 10 years. He returned to boxing in 1987 at age 38 and mounted arguably the most impressive sports comeback ever.

At first, Foreman padded his record with easy wins. One of them was a second-round knockout of Gerry Cooney. But in 1991, Foreman proved this comeback was for real when he pushed the great Evander Holyfield to the brink in a classic heavyweight title fight at age 42. Though he was unsuccessful in his bid to become a two-time heavyweight champion, Foreman was undeterred.

Five fights later, after a loss to Tommy Morrison, Foreman accomplished the unthinkable.

Down on the scorecards in another title fight, Foreman landed a two-punch combination that laid Michael Moorer down for the count of 10 in 1994. At 45 years, 299 days old, Foreman was once again the heavyweight champion of the world, the oldest man to hold boxing's greatest prize (and also the oldest champion ever, a record that stood for 20 years).

Foreman went on to have a successful career as an HBO boxing analyst. But his greatest success outside the ring was yet to come.

The same year that Foreman defeated Moorer, he launched his eponymous grill, which went on to sell more than 100 million units worldwide. In 1999, he sold the commercial rights to the George Foreman grill for $138 million.

As a member of the League of Themselves, George Foreman’s appearances on these shows locked in his candidacy for joining the TVXOHOF:

HOLLYWOOD SQUARES
12 Episodes (1973-75)

O'Bservation:
I'm surprised that I haven't been able to find a picture of him in one of the boxes on this game show.

SANFORD AND SON
THE DIRECTOR (1976)

Starstruck Fred assumes the director's chair when the champ George Foreman comes to star in a play for Lamont's theater workshop.

Elroy:
Godzilla and George Foreman.
Fred G. Sanford:
Now that would be a fight.
Elroy:
Godzilla would knock him out.
Fred G. Sanford:
No way. George would win blindfolded.
Elroy:
Oh, yeah? How about King Kong?
Fred G. Sanford:
Blindfolded!
Elroy:
Esther?
Fred G. Sanford: [Wincing]
The only way he could beat Esther IS blindfolded.

GOOD SPORTS
LOVE MEANS NEVER HAVING TO SAY YOU'RE HAPPY (1991)

As a guest on their talk show, Foreman talks about his upcoming fight with Gayle and Bobby.  But he also talks about his faith.

HOME IMPROVEMENT
UNCHAINED MALADY(1992)

At home: Tim receives a chain letter with the instructions that it be sent forward to 10 people within 24 hours or else something bad will happen. Tim doesn't buy into that and disregards the letter, despite Jill's warnings. Randy breaks his new bike and has to figure out how to explain that to his parents.

In ‘Tool Time’: Tim is late because his car battery had been dry and someone had parked in his space on the parking lot. He tells Al about the letter and he also warns Tim of the consequences. Turns out he sent Tim the letter and then later found a $20 bill on the street and won a shovel in a radio contest... and Lisa asks if she can stay the night at Al's place because the heating at her place does not work. Even after he accidentally dyes his hands green, Tim refuses to believe in the chain letter's curse because George Foreman himself is coming to make an appearance in ‘Tool Time’.

THE LARRY SANDERS SHOW
HANK'S CONTRACT (1992)

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE

S. 20 E. 09 (1994)

FAMILY FOREMAN
6 Episodes (2008)

A short-lived reality series.  I'm adding it as flavor to the full tally of his fictional televersion.

And making him a multidimensional….

THE TOONIVERSE

KING OF THE HILL
BOXING LUANNE (2003)

George Foreman:
Hey, Maybe there's something you can do for me. How would feel about carrying my grill in your shop?

Hank Hill:
Oh, huh... sorry. We have a strict policy about that, no novelty grills.

George Foreman:
NOVELTY GRILL?

Hank Hill:
Yeah, you know, no offense, but your grill is kinda like an iron.

George Foreman:
YOU'RE CALLING MY GRILL AN IRON? I've been hit below the belt before, but nothing like this.

Hank Hill:
I think it's a great product for dieters and little girls who want to play barbeque. But you can't compare it to a propane powered grill.

George Foreman:
FIGHT'S ON!

Hank Hill:
WHAT?  No.

George Foreman:
I said ‘Fight's On!’ What's the matter? SMELLING ALL THAT PROPANE CAUSED YOU BRAIN DAMAGE?

[yelling in front of a crowd of people]
George Foreman:
THAT'S WHAT IT DOES, YOU KNOW!

Hank Hill: [also talking to the crowd]
NO, THAT IS NOT ACCURATE. Those studies were done on sick monkeys. And at least my grill isn't sold in... housewares.

George Foreman:
I respect that you wanna protect your niece. You know, I didn't want my daughter to become a boxer. Neither did Muhammad. But Joe Frazier, on the other hand, he had his baby girl boxin' in the crib.

Then there are those times when his existence is verified in various Toobworlds because his name is mentioned.
Among these would be:
WHEN BILLIE BEAT BOBBY (2001 TV MOVIE)
BECKER - JAKE’S JAUNT (2001)
FRASIER - ROZ IN THE DOGHOUSE (1995)
GOOD TIMES - J.J. BECOMES A MAN [PART 2: J.J. GETS ARRESTED] (1974)
- THE MAN I MOST ADMIRE (1974)
THE JOHN LARROQUETTE SHOW - AN ODD CUP OF TEA (1995)
THE OFFICE - THE INJURY (2006)
SUPERNATURAL - PHANTOM TRAVELER (2005)
- LUCIFER RISING (2009)
Zachariah: "The Apocalypse." Poor name, bad marketing, puts people off. When all it is, is Ali/Foreman, on a slightly larger scale, and we like our chances. When our side wins - and we will - it's Paradise on Earth! What's not to like about that?
- SLICE GIRLS (2012)
Dean Winchester: Lydia's handing this kid who's calling her mommy over to these two women, right? But this is not a baby. No, no, this kid's got to be 5. And same name -- Emma.
Sam Winchester: You know, George Foreman named all his sons George.
Dean Winchester: Are you deliberately messing with me?
THE X-FILES - AUBREY (1995)
CSI - ENDING HAPPY (2007)
MODERN FAMILY - FINALE, PART 2 (2020)
THE YOUNG OFFENDERS - EPISODE 3.5 (2020)
BETTER OFF TED - RACIAL INSENSITIVITY (2009)
GLEE - GRILLED CHEESUS (2010)
Finn Hudson: It all started a week ago. I was super hungry, and my mom was gone, so I busted out the George Foreman. It wasn't making the cool grill marks it used to after I tried to use it to dry my shoes, but when it comes to grilled cheese, I'm not that fancy. And when I pulled the sandwich out, I saw the face of God... Literally. I had made a Grilled Cheesus.
THE BIG BANG THEORY - THE ROBOTIC MANIPULATION (2010)
Penny: So, um, Amy, what about you? Do you date much?
Amy Farrah Fowler: Once a year. It's a deal I made with my mother in exchange for her silence on the matter, as well as the occasional use of her George Foreman Grill that seals in the flavor without the fat.
WHITE COLLAR - GLOVES OFF (2012)
BIG SKY - WHERE THERE’S SMOKE, THERE’S FIRE (2022)
BONES - THE CHEAT IN THE SHEET (2013)
FRIENDS & NEIGHBORS - THEORETICAL HERPES (2025)
AMERICAN CRIME STORY - THE RACE CARD (2016)  
EMPIRE - MORE THAN KIN (2016)
THE PUNISHER - CROSSHAIRS (2017)
Lewis and his dad watch a recording of Ali vs Foreman on TV.  Lewis's dad mentions that the Muhammad Ali fight he was watching was from 1974.
THE CARMICHAEL SHOW - LOW EXPECTATIONS (2017)
MacGYVER - SKULL + ELECTROMAGNET (2017)
BULL - THANKSGIVING (2017)
BOB’S BURGERS - CHEER UP, SLEEPY GENE (2018)
RAMY - DUDE, WHERE’S MY COUNTRY? (2019)
From those references, Foreman picked up another credit for the Tooniverse, and several others for alternate Toobworlds.
Finally, here are some other members of the League of Themselves with Big George….

Johnny Carson
Classic TV Inductee 2007

Jay Leno
Classic TV Inductee 2010

Donald Trump
April Fool Inductee 2009
[Had to share the month with three others]

Welcome to the Hall, Mr. Foreman.  Make yourself at home….

TVXOHOF, MEMORIAL TRIBUTE - DAME AGATHA CHRISTIE

On this day, fifty years ago, Agatha Christie passed away.

From Wikipedia:
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan (née Miller; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976), was an English author known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest writers, particularly in the mystery genre.

A writer during the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction", Christie has been called the "Queen of Crime"—a nickname now trademarked by her estate—or the "Queen of Mystery". She wrote the world's longest-running play, the murder mystery “The Mousetrap”, which has been performed in the West End of London since 1952. She also wrote six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott.

In 1971, she was made a Dame (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to literature. She is the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies.

Christie's first published book, “The Mysterious Affair at Styles”, was released in 1920 and introduced the detective Hercule Poirot, who appeared in 33 of her novels and more than 50 short stories.

Over the years, Christie grew tired of Poirot, much as Doyle did with Sherlock Holmes.  By the end of the 1930s, Christie wrote in her diary that she was finding Poirot "insufferable", and by the 1960s she felt he was "an egocentric creep".

Thompson believes Christie's occasional antipathy to her creation is overstated, and points out that "in later life she sought to protect him against misrepresentation as powerfully as if he were her own flesh and blood". Unlike Doyle, she resisted the temptation to kill her detective off while he was still popular. She married off Poirot's "Watson", Captain Arthur Hastings, in an attempt to trim her cast commitments. 

Miss Jane Marple was introduced in a series of short stories that began publication in December 1927 and were subsequently collected under the title “The Thirteen Problems.”   Marple was a genteel, elderly spinster who solved crimes using analogies to English village life.  

Christie said, "Miss Marple was not in any way a picture of my grandmother; she was far more fussy and spinsterish than my grandmother ever was", but her autobiography establishes a firm connection between the fictional character and Christie's step-grandmother Margaret Miller ("Auntie-Grannie") and her "Ealing cronies".  Both Marple and Miller "always expected the worst of everyone and everything, and were, with almost frightening accuracy, usually proved right". 

Marple appeared in 12 novels and 20 stories.

Christie had a heart attack and a serious fall in 1974, after which she was unable to write.  

Christie never wrote a novel or short story featuring both Poirot and Miss Marple.  In a recording discovered and released in 2008, Christie revealed the reason for this: "Hercule Poirot, a complete egoist, would not like being taught his business or having suggestions made to him by an elderly spinster lady. Hercule Poirot – a professional sleuth – would not be at home at all in Miss Marple's world."

O’Bservation:
Toobworld Central does accept the photo of David Suchet and Joan Hickson as Poirot and Miss Marple to be part of the main Toobworld, just an adventure never seen by the audience in the Trueniverse.

In addition to Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, Christie also created amateur detectives Thomas (Tommy) Beresford and his wife, Prudence "Tuppence" Beresford (née Cowley), who appear in four novels and one collection of short stories published between 1922 and 1974. Unlike her other sleuths, the Beresfords were only in their early twenties when introduced in “The Secret Adversary,” and were allowed to age alongside their creator.  She treated their stories with a lighter touch, giving them a "dash and verve" which was not universally admired by critics. Their last adventure, “Postern of Fate, was Christie's last novel. 

The television adaptation “Agatha Christie's Poirot” (1989–2013), with David Suchet in the title role, ran for 70 episodes over 13 series. It received nine BAFTA award nominations and won four BAFTA awards in 1990–1992. The television series “Miss Marple” (1984–1992), with Joan Hickson as "the BBC's peerless Miss Marple", adapted all 12 Marple novels. The French television series “Les Petits Meurtres d'Agatha Christie” (2009–2012, 2013–2020), adapted 36 of Christie's stories.

There have been at least fourteen incarnations of Hercule Poirot in the Great Mosaic of the Television Universe, including in the Tooniverse, Skitlandia, a Cineverse Borderland, and of course in the main Toobworld, Earth Prime-Time, with David Suchet being accepted as the primary Poirot due to the number of episodes to his credit.

As for Miss Marple, she can be found in at least eight Toobworlds, including the Tooniverse and Skitlandia.  For Earth Prime-Time, Joan Hickson is recognized as the premiere Jane Marple.

Other Christie staples, like Tommy and Tuppence Beresford plus “Bundle” Brent, can be found in several alternate Toobworlds as well.

And so, on the anniversary of her passing, Toobworld Central recognizes Dame Agatha’s contributions to the expansion of the TV Universe as a Creator.