Saturday, January 12, 2013
LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES - SENATOR McGOVERN
SENATOR GEORGE McGOVERN
AS SEEN IN:
'Newhart'
["Child In Charge"]
TV STATUS:
A Figure In Dr. Bob Hartley's Dream
TV DIMENSION:
Earth Prime-Time
From Wikipedia:
George Stanley McGovern (July 19, 1922 – October
21, 2012) was an American historian, author and U.S. Representative, U.S.
Senator, and the Democratic Party presidential nominee in the 1972 presidential
election.
McGovern grew up in Mitchell, South Dakota, where he was a renowned debater. He volunteered for the U.S. Army Air Forces upon the country's entry into World War II and as a B-24 Liberator pilot flew 35 missions over German-occupied Europe. Among the medals bestowed upon him was a Distinguished Flying Cross for making a hazardous emergency landing of his damaged plane and saving his crew. After the war he gained degrees from Dakota Wesleyan University and Northwestern University, culminating in a PhD, and was a history professor. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1956 and re-elected in 1958. After a failed bid for the U.S. Senate in 1960, he was elected there in 1962.
As a senator, McGovern was an exemplar of modern American liberalism. He became most known for his outspoken opposition to the growing U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. He staged a brief nomination run in the 1968 presidential election as a stand-in for the assassinated Robert F. Kennedy. The subsequent McGovern–Fraser Commission fundamentally altered the presidential nominating process, by greatly increasing the number of caucuses and primaries and reducing the influence of party insiders. The McGovern–Hatfield Amendment sought to end the Vietnam War by legislative means but was defeated in 1970 and 1971.
McGovern's long-shot, grassroots-based 1972 presidential campaign found triumph in gaining the Democratic nomination but left the party badly split ideologically, and the failed vice-presidential pick of Thomas Eagleton undermined McGovern's credibility. In the general election McGovern lost to incumbent Richard Nixon in one of the biggest landslides in American electoral history. Re-elected Senator in 1968 and 1974, McGovern was defeated in a bid for a fourth term in 1980.
Throughout his career, McGovern was involved in issues
related to agriculture, food, nutrition, and hunger. As the first director of
the Food for Peace program in 1961, McGovern oversaw the distribution of U.S.
surpluses to the needy abroad and was instrumental in the creation of the United
Nations-based World Food Programme. As sole chair of the Senate Select Committee
on Nutrition and Human Needs from 1968 to 1977, McGovern publicized the problem
of hunger within the United States and issued the "McGovern Report" that led to
a new set of nutritional guidelines for Americans. McGovern later served as U.S.
Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture from 1998 to
2001 and was appointed the first UN Global Ambassador on World Hunger by the
World Food Programme in 2001. The McGovern-Dole International Food for Education
and Child Nutrition Program has provided school meals for millions of children
in dozens of countries since 2000 and resulted in McGovern's being named World
Food Prize co-laureate in 2008.
McGovern guest starred as himself in an episode of the television series 'Newhart' (original airdate February 5, 1990). He played a dull caricature of himself in that 'Newhart' episode.
McGovern grew up in Mitchell, South Dakota, where he was a renowned debater. He volunteered for the U.S. Army Air Forces upon the country's entry into World War II and as a B-24 Liberator pilot flew 35 missions over German-occupied Europe. Among the medals bestowed upon him was a Distinguished Flying Cross for making a hazardous emergency landing of his damaged plane and saving his crew. After the war he gained degrees from Dakota Wesleyan University and Northwestern University, culminating in a PhD, and was a history professor. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1956 and re-elected in 1958. After a failed bid for the U.S. Senate in 1960, he was elected there in 1962.
As a senator, McGovern was an exemplar of modern American liberalism. He became most known for his outspoken opposition to the growing U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. He staged a brief nomination run in the 1968 presidential election as a stand-in for the assassinated Robert F. Kennedy. The subsequent McGovern–Fraser Commission fundamentally altered the presidential nominating process, by greatly increasing the number of caucuses and primaries and reducing the influence of party insiders. The McGovern–Hatfield Amendment sought to end the Vietnam War by legislative means but was defeated in 1970 and 1971.
McGovern's long-shot, grassroots-based 1972 presidential campaign found triumph in gaining the Democratic nomination but left the party badly split ideologically, and the failed vice-presidential pick of Thomas Eagleton undermined McGovern's credibility. In the general election McGovern lost to incumbent Richard Nixon in one of the biggest landslides in American electoral history. Re-elected Senator in 1968 and 1974, McGovern was defeated in a bid for a fourth term in 1980.
McGovern guest starred as himself in an episode of the television series 'Newhart' (original airdate February 5, 1990). He played a dull caricature of himself in that 'Newhart' episode.
Friday, January 11, 2013
LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES - BUDDY HACKETT
Here's a preview of our TV Crossover Hall of Fame entry for March....
BUDDY HACKETT
AS SEEN IN:
'Lateline'
["Buddy Hackett"]
TV STATUS:
2013 TVXOHOF inductee
TV DIMENSION:
Earth Prime-Time
From Wikipedia:
Buddy Hackett (born Leonard Hacker, August 31, 1924 – June 30, 2003) was an
American comedian and actor.
Hackett was born in Brooklyn, New York, New York, the son of a Jewish upholsterer. He grew up on 54th and 14th Ave in Borough Park, Brooklyn, across from Public School 103 (now a yeshiva). Living next door was an aspiring baseball player named Sandy Koufax. He graduated from New Utrecht High School in 1942. While still a student, he began performing in nightclubs in the Catskills Borscht Belt resorts. He appeared first at the Golden Hotel in Hurleyville, New York, and he claimed he did not get one single laugh.
Hackett became known to a wider audience when he appeared on television in the 1950s and 1960s as a frequent guest on such talk shows as those of Jack Paar and Arthur Godfrey, telling brash, often off-color jokes, and mugging at the camera. Hackett was also a guest on Jack Paar's last 'Tonight' show in 1962. He was on the Johnny Carson show as a frequent guest.
According to Trivial Pursuit, Hackett has the most appearances of any guest in the history of 'The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'. A collection of these appearances are available on YouTube. During this time, he also appeared as a panelist on 'What's My Line?'.
Hackett also guest-starred in two episodes of 'The Rifleman', one as a hillbilly, the other as a mop boy.
Hackett was born in Brooklyn, New York, New York, the son of a Jewish upholsterer. He grew up on 54th and 14th Ave in Borough Park, Brooklyn, across from Public School 103 (now a yeshiva). Living next door was an aspiring baseball player named Sandy Koufax. He graduated from New Utrecht High School in 1942. While still a student, he began performing in nightclubs in the Catskills Borscht Belt resorts. He appeared first at the Golden Hotel in Hurleyville, New York, and he claimed he did not get one single laugh.
Hackett became known to a wider audience when he appeared on television in the 1950s and 1960s as a frequent guest on such talk shows as those of Jack Paar and Arthur Godfrey, telling brash, often off-color jokes, and mugging at the camera. Hackett was also a guest on Jack Paar's last 'Tonight' show in 1962. He was on the Johnny Carson show as a frequent guest.
According to Trivial Pursuit, Hackett has the most appearances of any guest in the history of 'The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'. A collection of these appearances are available on YouTube. During this time, he also appeared as a panelist on 'What's My Line?'.
Hackett also guest-starred in two episodes of 'The Rifleman', one as a hillbilly, the other as a mop boy.
Hackett starred as the title character in 'Stanley', a situation comedy that also featured Carol Burnett and the voice of Paul Lynde. Produced by Max Liebman, the series aired live on NBC before a studio audience and was one of the last live sitcoms. Stanley revolved around the adventures of the titular character (Hackett) as the operator of a newsstand in a posh New York City hotel.
In 1960, he appeared as himself in an episode of NBC's short-lived crime drama 'Dan Raven', starring Skip Homeier, set on the Sunset Strip of West Hollywood. Hackett also appeared many times on the game show 'Hollywood Squares', in the late 1960s. In one particularly notable episode, Hackett was asked which was the country with the highest ratio of doctors to populace; he answered Israel, or in his words, "the country with the most Jews". Despite the audience roaring with laughter (and Hackett's own belief that the actual answer was Sweden), the answer turned out to be correct.
He appeared as Art Carney's replacement on 'The Jackie Gleason Show'. His later career was mostly as a guest on variety shows and prime time sitcoms, such as 'Boy Meets World' in its 4th season.
In 1978, Hackett surprised many with his dramatic performance as Lou Costello in the television movie "Bud and Lou" opposite Harvey Korman as Bud Abbott. The film told the story of Abbott and Costello, and Hackett's portrayal was widely praised. He and Korman did a memorable rendition of the team's famous "Who's on First?" routine.
Throughout the 1970s Hackett appeared regularly doing TV ads for Tuscan Dairy popsicles and yogurt. But his most famous television campaign was for Lay's potato chips ("Nobody can eat just one!") which ran for 3 years, 1968-1971.
Hackett guest-starred in the 'Space Rangers' episode, "To Be Or Not To Be", as has-been comedian Lenny Hacker, a parody of his stage persona. The character's name was Hackett's own real name.
Hackett also appeared in the short term comedy series 'Action' which starred Jay Mohr as movie producer Peter Dragon. He played Dragon's uncle Lonnie. He appeared again with Mohr as a judge in the reality show 'Last Comic Standing'.
He also played a cameo in an episode of 'Sabrina The Teenage Witch' in 1998, "My Nightmare, the Car".
He also appeared in episodes of 'The Big Valley', 'Get Smart', and 'L.A.
Law'.
His 'Space Rangers' character of Lenny Hacker - as far as Toobworld is concerned - will be a descendant of Buddy Hackett in 2104.
If you can, watch this episode of 'LateLine'. You get to see Buddy in a clip from 'The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson' and singing "Shapoopie" in "The Music Man".
BCnU!
Thursday, January 10, 2013
TVXOHOF, JANUARY 2013 - STUART BAILEY
For years now I've been putting off this induction into the TV Crossover
Hall of Fame; always finding somebody else who - for me, anyway - was always
just a little more interesting to add during the month in which we celebrate
Classic TV.
And I almost did it again this year, thinking that Barnaby Jones or Frank Cannon would be a good choice. Sadly they're both gone now, so a delay in their entry isn't going to disturb them. While we still have Efram Zimbalist, Jr. with us, I think 2013 should be his year to finally receive this "honor".....
STUART BAILEY
It could be argued that 'Peter Gunn' made the TV private eye cool, but it was Stu Bailey who made the archetype suave - every hair in place and that pipe as necessary a prop as his .45.
Better writers than me have given Stu his due:
From Thrilling Detective:
Roy Huggins' decidedly downscale Chandleresque private eye STUART BAILEY appeared in a pretty good novel and a few short stories and was even brought to the big screen in the now-forgotten but surprisingly effective 1948 film noir "I Love Trouble", which starred Franchot Tone as Bailey, along with Janet Blair, Raymond Burr and a well-rounded cast of crime flick vets.
But it was a few years later, after Huggins' considerable
success in the burgeoning TV market, that Bailey really made a splash. Having
already created and produced 'Maverick' and 'The Fugitive', Huggins decided to dust
Bailey off, move him out of the seedy little office and bestow upon him a
fluency in foreign languages, a past as a government agent, a slick wardrobe and
a partner. The result was '77 SUNSET STRIP', inarguably one of the most
influential TV private eye shows in history -- for better and worse.
So successful, in fact, that Warner Brothers itself began spewing out copy cat versions such as 'Hawaiian Eye', 'Bourbon Street Beat', and 'Surfside Six' almost immediately. Other studios were quick to follow suit, and the formula of handsome male leads, "wacky" characters who drop by and "cool" premises and locations, not to mention the now almost-ubitquious 60-minute format, can be seen in everything from 'Riptide' to 'Magnum P.I.' to 'Las Vegas'.
From TV.com:
Private eye Stu Bailey is a suave, cultured former OSS officer who is an expert in languages. His partner, Jeff Spencer, is also a former undercover government agent, and like Bailey, a judo expert. The duo works out of an office at no. 77 Sunset Strip in Hollywood, but their cases lead them all over the world. The Stu Bailey character was originated by Roy Huggins in a story called "Death and the Skylark", published in Esquire Magazine in December 1952. Huggins later adapted this story into an episode of Warner Bros' ABC TV series 'Conflict' entitled "Anything for Money", broadcast on 16 Apr 1957, starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr. This led to the idea of building a series around the private eye character.
These are the appearances which guaranteed Stuart Bailey a place among the
other TV Crossover greats:
'Conflict'
- "Anything for Money" (1957)
"Girl on the Run" (1958)
'77 Sunset Strip' (166 episodes)
'Hawaiian Eye'
- "Malihini Holiday" (1959)
- "Three Tickets to Lani" (1959)
- "I Wed Three Wives" (1960)
- "Blackmail in Satin" (1962)
Welcome to the club, Mr. Bailey! I'm sorry it took so long......
BCnU!
LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES - JENNIFER GREY
JENNIFER GREY
AS SEEN IN:
'It's Like, You Know...'
TV DIMENSION:
Earth Prime-Time
From Wikipedia:
Jennifer Grey (born March 26, 1960) is an American actress known for her
roles in the 1980s films "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and "Dirty Dancing", the
latter for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. She is also known
for her 2010 victory in the eleventh season of the American version of 'Dancing
with the Stars'. Grey is the daughter of Academy Award-winning actor Joel Grey
and former actress/singer Jo Wilder.
In the early 1990s, Grey underwent two rhinoplasty procedures–the second of which was necessary to correct problems stemming from the first–that resulted in a nose that caused even close friends to fail to recognize her, and the major change in her appearance negatively affected her career. Of the experience she said, "I went in the operating room a celebrity – and came out anonymous. It was like being in a witness protection program or being invisible." She briefly considered changing her name in order to start her career anew, but ultimately decided against this.
From March 1999 until January 2000 Grey starred as herself in the short-lived ABC sitcom 'It's Like, You Know...', which satirized her much-publicized nose job as a running gag.
In the early 1990s, Grey underwent two rhinoplasty procedures–the second of which was necessary to correct problems stemming from the first–that resulted in a nose that caused even close friends to fail to recognize her, and the major change in her appearance negatively affected her career. Of the experience she said, "I went in the operating room a celebrity – and came out anonymous. It was like being in a witness protection program or being invisible." She briefly considered changing her name in order to start her career anew, but ultimately decided against this.
From March 1999 until January 2000 Grey starred as herself in the short-lived ABC sitcom 'It's Like, You Know...', which satirized her much-publicized nose job as a running gag.
BCnU!
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
CROSSING ZONE - "MR. BEVIS" IN THE "NAKED CITY"
Lt. Mike Parker of the 65th Precinct in Manhattan (nicknamed 'Naked City')
may have found himself in need of some easy cash as well. This would splain why
we see him working as a bartender in New York City when Mr. James B.W. Bevis
stopped in for a few drinks to "fortify" himself after getting fired from his
job.
Unlike "Mr. Bevis", Mike couldn't see the guardian angel who had arrived in
the bar from 'The Twilight Zone'.....
BCnU!
LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES - LARRY STORCH
Larry Storch turned 90 years old yesterday.....
LARRY STORCH
AS SEEN IN:
'Married... With Children'
["Something Larry This Way Comes"]
TV DIMENSION:
Earth Prime-Time
From TV Rage:
Kelly is nominated Student of the Month at her acting school by Larry
Storch, and they are going to perform the play, "The Phantom of the
Opera", together. Larry Storch comes to visit the Bundys, but Al is stuck
selling shoes. When Mr. Storch visits the shoe store, Gary punches him for
ruining her once, knocking him out. Al tries to fill his role in the play, but
his plan doesn't work.
I have no idea what that "Gary punches him for ruining her once" meant. And I didn't get any answers from the episode as seen on YouTube. It's in Hungarian (I think):
No matter!
Happy birthday and all the best, Mr. Storch!
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
HAPPY 90TH BIRTHDAY, LARRY STORCH!
Tuesday, Jan. 8, is Larry Storch's 90th birthday. Here are five memorable roles:
1) In his most famous role, he played Corporal Randolph Agarn on F Troop, the sidekick to Forrest Tucker's Sgt. O'Rourke.
2) Texas Jack in the film, "The Great Race," with Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon.
3) Eddie Spenser in the TV series "The Ghost Busters."
4) Charlie the Drunk in "Car 54, Where Are You?"
5) And, in one of his most prolific roles, he voiced the scientist, Phineas J. Woopee, in the "Tennesse Tuxedo" cartoon.
It's limited to only five entries, much like a Top Ten list or my own Super Six list. (But then again, I cheat a lot on how many entries show up.)
Still, here are a few others I would have considered:
- "Captain Newman, MD"
- 'The Queen And I'
- Voice of the Joker in one of those early 'Batman' cartoon series.
- 'The Doris Day Show' as ex-boxer Duke Farentino
- The DMV examiner in an episode of 'Columbo'
- The chimp turned into a human on 'I Dream Of Jeannie'
- "Angie" the hit man in an episode of 'The Persuaders!'
- Archie Bunker's old school chum on 'All In The Family' who tried to hang on to his youth
- The Groovy Guru in an episode of 'Get Smart'
- and as Himself in an episode of 'Married... With Children', running an acting school.
All the best on your 90th, Mr. Storch. And for a long time to come!
LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES - UNCLE MILTIE
I don't know how long this can last in this format, but here's our second
"Two for Tuesday" of the year!
MILTON BERLE
AS SEEN IN:
'The Joey Bishop Show'
["Joey And Milton And Baby Makes Three"]
&
'The Lucy Show'
["Lucy Meets The Berles"*]
TV STATUS:
Serlinguist & Multiversal (and legendary "swordsman")
TV DIMENSION:
Earth Prime-Time
[But also Skitlandia and the Tooniverse]
 |
| (With Ruth Berle) |
From Wikipedia:
Milton Berle (born Milton Berlinger, July 12, 1908 – March 27, 2002) was an
American comedian and actor. As the host of NBC's Texaco Star Theater (1948–55),
he was the first major American television star and was known to millions of
viewers as "Uncle Miltie" and "Mr. Television" during TV's golden age.
O'BSERVATIONS:
Milton Berle was inducted into the TV Crossover Hall of Fame in May of
2003, as that year's "May Queen" (because of his willingness to dress in
drag).
Here's an example:
The following list covers just the items from his TV resume in which he played himself in
sitcoms and dramas. It doesn't even cover all the talk shows and variety
programs he appeared on, let alone the other characters he played on TV.
- 'The Critic' (The Tooniverse)
- 'Amazing Stories'
- 'The Lucy Show'
- 'The Joey Bishop Show'
- 'I Love Lucy'
- 'The Fall Guy'
- 'CHiPs'
- 'The Muppet Show'
- 'That Girl'
- 'Make Room For Granddaddy'
- 'Joey and Milton and Baby Makes Three'
- 'Lucy Meets The Berles'
- 'Jack Benny Program'
- 'Make Room For Daddy'
- 'The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour'
BCnU!
*Milton Berle appeared in two other episodes of 'The Lucy Show' as well - "Lucy Saves Milton Berle" and "Lucy And John Wayne"........
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