Tag Archives: ABC

DO YOU LOVE LUCY?

6 Aug

100 years ago today, on Sunday, August 6, 1911 one of TV’s most gifted comic actresses was born in Jamestown, New York; Lucille Ball.

Although Lucille Ball would find success as a model and then as an actress on film, stage and radio, it was her work in TV that made her an American treasure and icon.

She turned to TV when CBS asked her to develop her radio hit “My Favorite Husband” for the new medium. She agreed with one stipulation; that her real-life husband, Desi Arnaz, star alongside her. But CBS executives didn’t think America would accept Ball with a Cuban husband, so Lucy & Desi toured the country with a vaudeville act. The success of that tour led to CBS picking up “I Love Lucy.”

Your blogger, sitting in for Fred Mertz, during the “I Love Lucy” 50th Anniversary Tour in 2001.

America had a love affair with “I Love Lucy” and the sitcom ran for seven seasons and 180 episodes. After some changes the show became “The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour” and ran for 3 more seasons.

Lucy & Desi divorced in 1960 and Lucille Ball returned to sitcoms with “The Lucy Show” in 1962. Vivian Vance returned as Lucy’s “partner in crime” and veteran actor Gale Gordon became the male foil for Lucy’s wacky hijinks. It ran on CBS for six seasons (1962-1968) before giving way to “Here’s Lucy” which also co-starred Gale Gordon and Ball’s children Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr. “Here’s Lucy” also ran on CBS for six seasons (1968-1974).

In 1986, at the age of 75, Lucille Ball was lured back to TV for an ABC sitcom called “Life with Lucy.” Unfortunately, even with former co-star Gale Gordon in the cast, the old magic wasn’t there and only eight episodes were broadcast. “Life with Lucy” was Lucille Ball’s only failure on TV but it’s not how she’ll be remembered.

Lucille Ball was a comedic genius who we welcomed her into our homes from 1951 to 1974 (except for two years off). There have been other talented and exceptional comedic actresses on TV but Lucille Ball stands alone as the first and arguably the best.

She also became the first woman to run a Hollywood studio when she bought Desi’s share of Desilu following their divorce.

Today she is also remembered by The Lucy-Desi Center in her hometown of Jamestown, New York which manages two facilities: The Lucy-Desi Museum and The Desilu Playhouse. The center’s premiere event is The Lucille Ball Festival of Comedy, held each August. This year, in honor of Lucy’s 100th birthday, there were performances by Joan Rivers and Paula Poundstone. Lucy Fest continues through Sunday (August 7th).

Lucille Ball died in April 1989 at the age of 77, but she left her mark on several generations, who will always love Lucy.

Happy 100th birthday Lucy.

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MARCIA, MARCIA, MARCIA

5 Aug

55 years ago today, on Sunday, August 5, 1956 actress Maureen McCormick was born in Los Angeles, California. 

Your blogger with Maureen McCormick, circa 1994.

Maureen’s TV career began in 1965 with appearances on “The Farmer’s Daughter,” “Honey West” and “Bewitched.” That was followed by roles on “Camp Runamuck,” “I Dream of Jeannie” and “My Three Sons.” Then in 1969 she landed the role of Marcia Brady in “The Brady Bunch.”

What can we say about “The Brady Bunch” that hasn’t already been said? I remember my older sister suggesting we watch this new show that she heard was supposed to be good, and I never stopped watching.

Although the sitcom ran for only 5 seasons it launched a brand that kept returning in several genres and is still remembered fondly. Is there anyone between ages 45 and 60 who doesn’t know all the words to the theme song?

Maureen McCormick would appear in most of the Brady “spin-offs” including “The Brady Bunch Hour” – a variety show that ran in the 1976-77 season and “The Brady Brides” – a sitcom that ran in 1981 for less than a season. She did not appear in the 1990 dramatic series “The Bradys.”

McCormick also starred in the TV movie, “Get to the Heart: The Barbara Mandrell Story” in 1997, as country singer Barbara Mandrell.

More recently she appeared on VH1’s “Celebrity Fit Club” in 2007.

In 1994 Maureen –played the role of Rizzo in the Broadway revival of Grease. That’s when I met and interviewed her.  I can’t lie. It was “groovy” meeting “Marcia Brady.”

Happy Birthday Maureen.

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7/7/77 @ 7pm

7 Jul

Today is the 34th wedding anniversary of Mr. & Mrs. Dick Clark.

Dick Clark on set in the 1970s during a taping of "The $10,000 Pyramid."

 

As I recall, the third Mrs. Clark (the former Kari Wigton) wanted to be certain her husband would never forget their anniversary so she made it very easy for him to remember. They were married on 7/7/77 at 7pm. 

Happy Anniversary Dick and Kari.

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SIGNED, EPSTEIN’S MOTHER

7 May

60 years ago, on Monday, May 7, 1951, actor Robert Hegyes was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey… and like another 1970s sitcom actor, Hegyes is half-Hungarian. Freddie Prinze called himself a Hunga-Rican. Perhaps we can call Robert Hegyes a Hungi-Talian.

After graduating from Glassboro State College with a degree in theater Robert Hegyes joined up with several acting troupes in New York City. Just a few years later he was cast as Juan Epstein in “Welcome Back, Kotter.”

Robert Hegyes 8x10 sent in response to a fan letter in the 1970s.

Juan Epstein, of course, was one of the “sweathogs” (remedial high school students) on the sitcom, who were taught by Mr. Kotter, himself a former “sweathog.” During the time “Welcome Back, Kotter” was a hit show, I was attending a real high school in Brooklyn. Believe me, “Welcome Back, Kotter” was the talk of the school the day after every episode.

When I wrote to Robert Hegyes at the time I was surprised to get the letter, shown below, in return. Most often I would receive a form letter. This one actually appears to be typed and looks less than perfect. For that reason I have always believed that this was a personal response, actually signed by Hegyes. That’s what makes it an even more appreciated and cherished part of my collection.

Letter from Robert Hegyes written on “Welcome Back, Kotter” stationery.

“Welcome Back, Kotter” premiered in September 1975 on ABC and ran for 4 seasons. Hegyes also directed a few episodes. After “Kotter” he appeared in episodes of shows such as, “Diagnosis Murder,” “The Drew Carey Show,” and “NewsRadio.” In the 1980s he had a recurring role as Detective Manny Esposito in the police drama, “Cagney & Lacey”.

Just last month Robert Hegyes joined most of his “Welcome Back, Kotter” colleagues for a reunion at the TV Land Awards.

Happy 60th Birthday Bobby, I wish you all the best. Thanks for making going to high school in Brooklyn in the 70s kinda cool!

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QUINCY MADISON

27 Apr

89 years ago, on Thursday, April 27, 1922, Jacob “Jack” Klugman was born in Philadelphia. Although best known to TV audiences as Oscar Madison, the sloppy half of “The Odd Couple,” his other well-known series “Quincy, M.E.” actually ran for more seasons (7 to 5) and produced more episodes (148 to 114).

Klugman began to act after serving in World War II. His early TV appearances include multiple episodes of famed series like “Inner Sanctum,” “Studio One,” and “Playhouse 90.” Jack Klugman was a working actor, but when he was cast in the TV version of “The Odd Couple” he became a star. While the show achieved some popularity during its run on ABC (1970-1975), it was in syndication that the show really caught fire.

Postcard sent to fans of ABC’s “The Odd Couple” in the 1970s.

In 1993 I interviewed Klugman and Tony Randall in Central Park while they were filming scenes for “The Odd Couple: Together Again” reunion movie. It was about three years after Klugman had surgery for throat cancer, and it left him with a slight and raspy voice. But I was a bit surprised when Klugman was actually apologetic for his inability to answer in full voice. He seemed to be a genuinely nice man.

Reverse side of the same postcard with “autographs” from the stars.

Of course, “The Odd Couple” was followed by “Quincy, M.E.” on NBC in which Klugman played Dr. R. Quincy, a medical examiner (or coroner) who had no first name. In the 1980s Klugman went back to sitcoms with NBC‘s “You Again?” co-starring John Stamos. It lasted just one season.

Happy 89th Birthday Jack. You’re an American treasure.

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UP YOUR NOSE WITH A RUBBER HOSE

31 Mar

66 years ago, on Saturday, March 31, 1945, Gabriel Kaplan was born in Brooklyn. Since then he has been a stand-up comedian, a financial investor, and a champion poker player… but most people know him as the creator and star of “Welcome Back, Kotter.”

From the letterhead used by “Welcome Back, Kotter” in the 1970s.

The sitcom about a man who becomes a teacher in his old high school premiered in September 1975 on ABC and ran for 4 seasons. It also made stars out of Gabe Kaplan and John Travolta.

Kaplan started doing stand-up in the late 1960s and by the early 70s got the break every comic dreamed of – a spot on Johnny Carson’s “Tonight Show.” More TV appearances followed and then Kaplan recorded a comedy album called, Holes and Mellow Rolls. As he explained in his routine, a mellow roll was a kind of ice pop. The album’s title referred to the insults or “ranks” he and his friends used to say to each other in high school. “Up your hole with a mellow roll,” “in your ear with a can of beer,” “up your nose with a rubber hose.”

It was that part of his stand-up act that drew the most attention and allowed Gabe Kaplan (along with Alan Sacks) to create a sitcom based on his high school experiences. The premise had Gabe Kotter (once a remedial student or “sweathog”) return to teach the current “sweathogs” at his old high school. And it became a hit.

Card with pre-printed autograph, sent to fans of “Welcome Back, Kotter.”

During the time “Welcome Back, Kotter” was a hit show, I was attending a real high school in Brooklyn. And since Gabe Kaplan was actually from Brooklyn a friend and I decided we should interview his parents for our school newspaper. We looked in the phone book and found a listing for Kaplan in the correct neighborhood. My friend called and did the talking. Gabe Kaplan’s mother agreed to let us come to their home to interview them. She asked us to call back the following week to set a date.

When we called again Mrs. Kaplan said Gabe never heard of our high school and didn’t think it was a real school. So he told her not to do the interview, and that was the end of it.

Months, maybe years, later I saw Gabe Kaplan on a talk show discussing fame. He said that when “Welcome Back, Kotter” became a hit people would call his parents pretending to be from phony high schools just to score an interview. I always wondered if he meant us.

For the record, we were real, our high school was real, and the interview request was real. Our school — Edward R. Murrow High School — was brand new and in just its second year of existence. That may be why Kaplan (out in Hollywood) had never heard of it. And I suppose “Edward R. Murrow” would’ve been a great name to use for a made-up school.

Gabriel Kaplan autograph signed outside the Ed Sullivan Theater on October 18, 1975.

After “Welcome Back, Kotter” Kaplan starred in several films and gave sitcoms one more try with “Lewis & Clark” (1981-82). His next act led him to the financial markets and then professional poker.

Since the late 1970s Gabe Kaplan has been a champion poker player participating in the World Poker Tour, the World Series of Poker, and winning the Super Bowl of Poker Main Event in 1980. Kaplan has earned more than $1-million playing poker professionally.

He has also been a poker TV commentator, most notably for 6 seasons on “High Stakes Poker” on GSN.

Close-up of Gabriel Kaplan’s autograph.

The cast of “Welcome Back, Kotter” will be honored at this year’s TV Land Awards in April. All the living former cast members: Gabe Kaplan, Marcia Strassman, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs (aka Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs), Ron Palillo, Robert Hegyes, and even John Travolta are planning to attend. And if anybody’s a no-show? “Up your hole with a mellow roll.”

Oh… and Happy Birthday Gabe.

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THANKS TONY

26 Feb

91 years ago today, on Thursday, February 26, 1920, A. Leonard Rosenberg was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. After taking the name Tony Randall he would become a star of stage, screen, and television.

Most sources give Randall’s birth name as Leonard Rosenberg, but according to the 1937 Tulsa Central High School yearbook, he was known as A. Leonard Rosenberg… and according to other sources, which I cannot confirm, the “A” stood for Arthur.

Postcard sent to fans of ABC’s “The Odd Couple” in the 1970s.

It’s “odd” to think of Tony Randall as a Jew from Oklahoma. He was so closely associated with New York and became the quintessential New Yorker. In fact, once when I was about 12, I followed Tony Randall from The Ed Sullivan Theater to The Russian Tea Room. Why? I wanted to see where he was going!

Depending on your age, you might know Randall best from the 1950’s sitcom “Mr. Peepers,” which starred Wally Cox… or you might know him best from his many late night talk show appearances with Johnny Carson, David Letterman, or Conan O’Brien. But it’s safe to say most know Tony Randall best as Felix Unger from ABC’s “The Odd Couple.”

Reverse side of the same postcard with “autographs” from the stars.

Although “The Odd Couple” ran on the network for 5 seasons, it became an absolute smash in syndication, which elevated Randall and co-star Jack Klugman into beloved members of our own families.

Tony Randall died on May 17, 2004 at the age of 84. He was survived by his second wife, Heather Harlan Randall, a daughter, Julia Laurette Randall, now 13-years old, and a son, Jefferson Salvini Randall, now 12.

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S.W.A.T.? SWEET!

24 Feb

36 years ago tonight, on Monday, February 24, 1975, the series “S.W.A.T.” premiered on ABC.

One week earlier, on Feb 17, the 2-hour pilot aired, but the first episode of the series was broadcast on this date in TV history.

Postcard sent to fans of “S.W.A.T.” in the 1970s

Like most civilians (and most 14-year olds) I had never heard of a S.W.A.T. team before, but this show made the acronym a common household term. S.W.A.T. stands for Special Weapons and Tactics. In many big city police departments it’s the unit that’s called in for those heavy-duty assignments when street cops just aren’t enough.

The series “S.W.A.T.” was set in an unnamed California city and featured the five men in the unit. Actor Steve Forrest starred as Lt. Dan “Hondo” Harrelson, the Commanding Officer. Second in command was Sgt. David “Deacon” Kay, played by Rod Perry. A young Robert Urich portrayed Officer Jim Street, while James Coleman and Mark Shera played Officers T.J. McCabe and Dominic Luca, respectively.

Reverse side of the same postcard, featuring "autographs" of the actors

“S.W.A.T.” was a Spelling-Goldberg production and was technically a spin-off of “The Rookies,” also on ABC. “S.W.A.T.” ran February 1975 until June 1976.

Another fun memory: The “Theme from ‘S.W.A.T.’” performed by Rhythm Heritage became a #1 hit song in 1975.

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KING OF THE MINI-SERIES

20 Feb

64 years ago today, on Thursday, February 20, 1947 actor Peter Strauss, the king of the mini-series, was born in Croton-on-Hudson, New York.                        

Strauss’s earliest TV appearances were in the early 1970s in episodes of shows like “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “Hawaii Five-O,” and “Medical Center.” It was the groundbreaking mini-series “Rich Man, Poor Man” which premiered February 1, 1976 on ABC that catapulted Strauss to stardom. It did the same for another young actor named Nick Nolte.

An autographed photo of Peter Strauss, from the 1970s.

What made “Rich Man, Poor Man” unique was that it aired weekly for just 7 weeks with just 9 episodes. It was the first time any series was scheduled this way and it turned out to be a blockbuster.

That led to a sequel called “Rich Man, Poor Man Book II“ which premiered as a regular weekly series in September 1976. It ran for just one season. Strauss then became the “go-to” guy for starring roles in mini-series, including “Masada,” “Tender Is the Night,” and one of my all-time favorites, “Kane & Abel.” (Really, ANY film with an almost shirtless Ed Asner would be one of my all-time favorites).

Peter Strauss has also starred in many TV movies like “Young Joe, the Forgotten Kennedy,” “Angel on My Shoulder,” and “The Jericho Mile” which won him an Emmy Award as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Special.

A close-up of Peter Strauss's autograph on the above photo.

Strauss may also be known by some who love the outdoors. A ranch he once sold to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy is now part of the National Park Service. “Peter Strauss Ranch” is located in Cornell, California.

Peter Strauss will be appearing in the play “Divine Rivalry” at Hartford Stage in Connecticut starting this Thursday, February 24th.

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SITTING IN FOR JOHNNY…

4 Feb

75 years ago today, on Tuesday, February 4, 1936 comedian David Brenner was born in Philadelphia.

After a first career as a writer and producer of TV documentaries, and already in his 30s, Brenner left his job and gave himself one year to make it as a standup comedian. Just as that year was coming to a close David Brenner made an appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” in 1971. From that day on he has had a career in comedy and he gives “The Tonight Show” all the credit.

In fact, according to Brenner, he appeared on Johnny Carson’s “Tonight Show” 158 times, which Brenner says is the record for most appearances by any guest on the show. He also guest-hosted for Johnny more than 50 times.

Publicity photo for David Brenner in “Snip,” an NBC sitcom that never made it to the air.

Although Brenner made hundreds, perhaps thousands, of appearances on TV in the 1970s he has only had his own program once… almost twice. The photo above was from a David Brenner sitcom that was never broadcast. “Snip,” produced by James Komack, was on NBC’s fall schedule and set to premiere in September 1976, but it was abruptly canceled before a single episode aired.

Because “Snip” had an openly gay character, which would have been a first on TV, NBC apparently was concerned and decided not to break that barrier. One year later that distinction went to the character of Jodie Dallas (played by Billy Crystal) on ABC’s “Soap.”

If God Wanted us to Travel by David Brenner

David Brenner finally starred in his own program from September 1986 to May 1987, when he hosted a late night syndicated talk show. “Nightlife” was a 30-minute program with Billy Preston as musical director, but it could not find a niche and lasted just eight months.

David Brenner’s autograph inside If God Wanted us to Travel signed in 1990.

Brenner stopped touring for many years due to a custody battle involving his oldest son, but he is now back on the road.

Happy 75th David… I wish you many more. You made the 1970s a laugh riot for me and my friends.

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