1967 TV--- 50 Years Later

Was 1967 the greatest year in US television history?

Well, I guess that depends on what the criteria is for quality. There weren't a whole lot of lead women on TV yet (but it was getting better). THAT GIRL, for example, was on its second year. There weren't a whole lot of minority characters, either, but the ones that *were* there were not maids, such as Uhura on STAR TREK or Barney on MISSION:IMPOSSIBLE. So things were getting better.

I'm sure arguments could be made for more overall quality in different years, but just take a look at the shows that were on the air as of September 1967. See for yourself how many of these shows have stood the test of time and are still beloved, 50 years later!

TV Guide: Carol Burnett Show (May 4,1968)

Continuing the story from last week, when I found this issue of TV Guide for sale at an antique mall, even though it was wrapped in plastic I just knew that I would love it for the promised Mission: Impossible article inside.

What I did not know was that besides the other three "featured" articles as listed on the cover, this issue also featured an un-heralded interview slash profile of rising new star Vicki Lawrence, from The Carol Burnett Show!

Major bonus points!!

"Tarzan" on TV

June 2 was Johnny Weissmuller's birthday. I wanted to do something special for him, but he didn't actually appear as "Tarzan" on television except when his movies were broadcast (I saw them in St. Louis on KPLR-TV channel 11 mostly).

However, "Tarzan" *did* appear on TV. First he was portrayed by Ron Ely on the TV series TARZAN which ran from 1966-1968. His co-star was Manuel Padilla, Jr as "Jai." There was no Jane; in this series Tarzan was basically a lone adventurer and protector of the jungle. I always got the feeling that Jane was about to enter into this world; I think it would have been cool if Jane *had* been introduced into this continuity, although Tarzan was hardly a man of mystery (as he was supposedly at the beginning of the Johnny Weissmuller-Maureen O'Sullivan film series).

The next Tarzan on TV that I know of was the cartoon version, which ran from 1977-1982. First he was co-billed with Batman, then with a group called The Super Seven, then with The Lone Ranger, and finally with Zorro. During all of these versions, there was no actual "teaming-up" involved; cartoons could better fit into 10-15 minute segments if they were under an overall show title umbrella. I have to say I didn't watch a lot of these shows, although I recall them being around.

The next Tarzan on TV ran from 1991-1994. It starred Wolf Larson as Tarzan and Lydie Deneir as Jane Porter. I was in Japan at this time and have never seen this. It looks kind of cheesy.

When Disney made their cartoon TARZAN they also made The Legend of Tarzan as a follow-up. It appeared on the Disney Channel as well as UPN and other cable networks. None of the voice talents from the movie were involved in the TV series.

And lastly, for legions of fans of Carol Burnett the "Tarzan Yell" belongs to her. She was often asked to perform it for her fans during her variety series, which ran from 1967-1978. Here she explains how it started to Larry King.

Happy Birthday, Carol Burnett!

Carol Burnett is most famous for her classic television variety series, which ran from 1967-1978. However, she also appeared in several motion pictures, which means that because today is Film Friday we are going to celebrate her birthday. Today she is 80 years old.

The movie Burnett is probably most well-known for is Annie, from 1982. She plays the evil Miss Hanigan, the woman who tries to cheat young Little Orphan Annie out of her happiness. She has one of the best lines in the movie: "Why anybody would want to be an orphan is beyond me." I always thought of her portrayal as being similar to her "Eunice" character from her television show: an unhappy person who basically means well but who lashes out when cornered.

Another film that is worth seeing is Noises Off from 1992. This is a famous British comedy play about an off-off-Broadway show and the hilarity that ensues both in front of and in back of the stage curtain. The show is much funnier but the movie has many funny moments. Burnett plays the lead actress playing the house-keeper; as she begins to suspect that her husband and co-star in the play is cheating on her, things get vindictive pretty quickly.

Burnett also appeared with Alan Alda in the serious comedy, The Four Seasons (1981). I hate to say this, but I was tired of Alda by this point and did not enjoy anything with him in it (not even MASH by this point, sorry!). So I never saw this. While doing research for this article I read a description of the story and it sounds like typical Alan Alda DRAMA with a capital "d." No, thanks.

Another famous film she appeared in was her first serious role, the mother of a son killed accidentally in Friendly Fire (1979). I remember watching this either then or later and being struck by just how talented Carol Burnett was.

Carol Burnett is an awesomely talented actress/comedienne and it is my pleasure to add my wishes to her special day.

Happy Birthday, Carol Burnett!

 

 co-starring Michael Caine, John Ritter, Christopher Reeve,

and Denholm Elliot in his last role

 

 co-starring Ned Beatty and Sam Waterston

Happy Birthday, Leonard Nimoy & Vicki Lawrence!

Today March 26 is not only the birthday of two of my favorite TV stars, but it is also the birthday of one of my all-time favorite comic book artists! I will talk about Jose Luis Garcia Lopez tomorrow but for now it's TV Tuesday so it's time to celebrate Leonard Nimoy and Vicki Lawrence!

Happy Birthday, Leonard Nimoy!

I first came across Mr. Nimoy on some science fiction show called "Star Trek." You may have heard of it. I think the character of Mr. Spock is incredibly attractive to kids in general and boys in particular: as you are getting older, how do you balance your inclination to be "smart" with your wanting to be "active" and to "fit in." Atleast, that's what attracted me to the Mr. Spock character. As a kid I didn't understand the formula for the Kirk-Spock-McCoy friendship; I just knew it was fun to watch them. Very quickly I identified with Spock and McCoy over Kirk; to this day Kirk is one of my least favorite "Star Trek" characters. He's just not that interesting to me! Spock, on the other hand, was brought to life by Leonard Nimoy and I could watch him for hours and hours.

Quick question: what character played by Leonard Nimoy appeared as a one-named "supporting" character to the "lead" character named Jim, then went away without any explanation whatsoever? The answer, is, of course, The Great Paris from "Mission: Impossible!" Yes, there have been quite a few actors who appeared on both "Star Trek" and "Mission," but none as prominent as Leonard Nimoy! When Martin Landau quit the show after three years, Leonard was already on the Paramount lot, having just lost his "Star Trek" job. A quick contract later, Spock was replaced by Paris; Jim Kirk was replaced by Jim Phelps. I've read that Mr. Nimoy almost never gets asked questions about his "Mission" days....so if I ever get to meet him, I'm for sure going to ask him some "Mission" stories.

Here's a great example of just how far into pop culture Leonard Nimoy has permeated. 

Here he is with two voice cameos on "The Big Bang Theory." 

Happy Birthday, Vicki Lawrence! 

Have you heard the story about how Vicki Lawrence was "discovered" by Carol Burnett? She was graduating from high school in 1967 and wrote a fan letter telling Carol about how many people told her she (Vicki) resembled her (Carol). Carol and her husband visited Vicki on a lark and was taken with the youth; they hired her for The Carol Burnett Show that fall. Vicki was able to show just how talented she was, and stayed with the show the entire eleven years. During this time she helped create the role she is most famous for, Mrs. Thelma "Mama" Harper. After The Carol Burnett Show ended, Vicki Lawrence reprised the role on "Mama's Family" from 1983~1990. Along the way, she also recorded the Number One hit, "The Night The Lights Went Out in Georgia," written by her then-husband, Bobby Russell. Reba McIntire later re-made it in 1991.

The Carol Burnett Cast reunion circa 2000

(Lyle Waggoner, Vicki, Harvey Korman, Carol, and Tim Conway)

Here's Vicki as "Mama" and Carol as "Eunice" on Password Plus circa 1980. 

They play in character. It's hilarious! There are atleast seven parts if you want

to watch them all...!  

Happy Birthday Carol Burnett!

When I was a kid, between the ages of ten and fifteen, most every Saturday night my family spent time together watching The Carol Burnett Show. We laughed with Carol and her awesome cast: Vicki Lawrence, Harvey Korman, Lyle Waggoner, and later, Tim Conway. They always looked like they were having such a good time! My sisters often pretended to be Eunice and Mama from "The Family" at our dinner table. I had a fun childhood.

After both of my sisters went off to college and I got old enough to go out on Saturday nights, we stopped watching Carol. I have bought several TV DVD collections over the years, but Carol Burnett is, unfortunately, not yet available. I will buy it as soon as I see it and devour every season. She made her debut in 1967 and went off the air in 1978.

Carol Burnett's birthday is Thursday, April 26, 1933. She will be 79 years young.

There were plenty of clips I thought about posting here. Besides having her classic variety show she made a name for herself on the older Gary Moore Show. She has recorded comedy albums and had television specials with such diverse friends as Julie Andrews and Beverly Sills. She was in several wonderful movies such as Annie and Noises Off. (If you haven't seen this, rent it. It's hilarious!)

Then I came across an episode of "Password Plus" from the late 70s where she and co-star/friend Vicki Lawrence portray Eunice and Mama actually playing the game Password with the late great Alan Ludden (Mr. Betty White). Also on the show is the late McLean Stevenson and Joanna Gleason from "Hello, Larry." Not only are Carol and Vicki playing a word game, they are damn funny doing it. Now *that* is talent. So I knew this was the clip I wanted to feature.

Happy Birthday, Carol Burnett!

WHM 2012 TV Women of the 70s

There were plenty of strong women characters on TV when I was growing up in the Seventies. I woul like to take this time today to talk about some of my favorites.
No conversation about strong television personalities can ignore Lucille Ball, but by the time I was cognizant and choosing what shows I wanted to watch (i.e., the Seventies), Lucy was mostly off the air. So she was never one of my favorites. I LOVE LUCY is a TV classic, and I may write about it some time, but it doesn't fit the theme of today's article. I do remember watching HERE'S LUCY (1968-74) on some Monday nights, though. This was her last show, co-starring an adorable Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz, Jr. I recall very distinctly the episode where she tries on the diamond ring belonging to Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton but then couldn't get it off. I think the most memorable thing about this show was the Puppet Lucy that started the show, haha!

Speaking of Lucy, her co-star in the movie, "MAME" Bea Arthur was also a huge TV star in the Seventies on MAUDE (1972-78). I remember watching this some, but more for Adrienne Barbeau then for Bea Arthur, haha! She scared me, and I was never a fan of her sarcasm. I never watched her later series, GOLDEN GIRLS, either.

Can you identify Loretta Swit in this
photo of MASH cast season 5?

Another bossypersonality of the Seventies was Loretta Swit on MASH (1972-83). Margaret Houlihan started off as "Hot Lips," a shrill, opportunistic Head Nurse surrounded by men (in a cast of more than a dozen men, Swit was the only woman). By the end of the series, she was a more mature, emotionally open, divorced yet fulfilled woman. In many ways her character mirrored the changes going on in women's lives in the Seventies: she started out as dependant on a man but wanting independance, straining for an individual identity. And while I enjoyed MASH very much, Margaret was never my favorite character.

Of course, the most successful woman on US television in the Seventies was Mary Tyler Moore. Not only did she have her own show (1970-77), but her production company MTM (with a kitten instead of a lion; I loved that) was responsible for RHODA, PHYLLIS, WKRP, and dozens more. I always watched MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW but as a youngster it didn't really speak to me if you know what I mean. I was more entertained by BOB NEWHART, whose wife character was portrayed by the wonderful Suzanne Pleshette. I've since come around, of course, and appreciate MTM for being a warm, affectionate look at friends working together.

So which women *did* speak to me? I'm glad you asked!

The first TV woman I really looked forward to watching was Lindsay Wagner on THE BIONIC WOMAN (1975-78). Jaime Sommers was a tennis pro and former girl-friend of Steve Austin (a man barely alive...). When she suffered injuries in a parachuting accidentshe was given bionic legs, a bionic arm, and a bionic ear (the better to hear you with, my dear). She made her debut on a special two-part episode of THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN starring Lee Majors. However, for some reason I can't recall now, her mind fought against the bionic implants and she had to lose her memory so that she could survive. I remember how sad it was for her to wake up after her final surgery and have no idea who Steve was, even though they had planned to get married. Talk about a tear-jerker! She was so popular that she had her own series spun-off. According to legend, actress Lindsay Wagner was so concerned about being type-casted as a super-hero that her contract stipulated that she had to play different types of characters as Jaime goes undercover to fight crime. So she played a teacher, a college professor, a wrestler, and a roller-derby player, just to name a few. It made for some fun episodes.

. No discussion of super-heroes on Seventies TV can be complete without mentioning Lynda Carter as WONDER WOMAN (1975-79). The original TV movie featured Cathy Lee Crosby in 1974. A year later the better known version made its appearance as a series of three TV movies set durin World War II. It became a series, but then switched networks (ABC to CBS) and time frames (WWII to the present). I have to say that although I watched it initially, after it became a series I was never a fan. Sure, I liked Lynda Carter. And I wanted to like it. But the stories got dumber, and the producers refused to bring in established bad guys like The Cheetah or Dr. Psycho. How many times were you going to watch Wonder Woman beat up spies and mad scientists?

Two shows where you knew exactly what you were getting were CHARLIE'S ANGELS (1976-1981) and THREE'S COMPANY (1977-1984). Oddly enough, I didn't care much for the first year of ANGELS, with Farrah Fawcett. It was in the second year, when Cheryl Ladd joined with Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith, that I really started to watch it. These three were "my" Angels. I guess I was the only boy in America without a Farrah poster on my wall, haha! I was never  fan of the Seventies "feathered" hair look, for one thing. Give me long, beautiful, straight hair any day! I had a soft spot in my heart for Kate Jackson from when she played a nurse on THE ROOKIES, so she was my favorite. When she quit I stopped watching it.

As for THREE'S COMPANY, I was a fan of it when it first started, but after greed got into the act I moved on. The original set-up was of two women room-mates finding a guy needing a place to stay; he pretends to be gay so that the landlord lets him stay. Originally cast with Suzanne Sommers, Joyce DeWitt, and John Ritter as the room-mates and Norman Fell and Audra Lindley as The Ropers, the show was new and usually pretty funny. Then after the first year or so things started to happen. Joyce DeWitt permed her hair, making her less attractive to me. The Ropers moved off for their own short-lived series and were replaced by Don Knotts. I'm not a huge Don Knotts fan; his bug-eyed expressions just annoy me. And as a character, a swinging bachelor senior citizen is not as funny as a perve and his sex-crazed wife. And lastly, Suzanne Sommers wanted more money to stay; when she didn't get it, she walked. The chemistry of the cast was destroyed, and it never recovered.

One show that I never stopped watching until she retired it herself was THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW (1967-78). Carol Burnett is probably my favorite TV personality of all time. Not only was she incredibly funny but she was honest (I loved those "answer questions from the audience" segments) and she could sing adequately. Best of all, she surrounded herself with equally funny and talented people. Her variety show was one of the few shows that my whole family would watch together. "As The Stomach Turns" was her continuous take-off on silly soap operas. "The Family" was Eunace, Ed, and Mama facing various problems that later morphed into MAMA'S FAMILY. "The Later Show" was their regular parodies of old Hollywood movies which I tended not to know, but somehow still found funny. I mean, you didn't have to know "Gone With The Wind" to think Scarlett wearing a curtain rod in her dress was funny...it helped, sure, but it wasn't required. Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, Lyle Waggoner, and Tim Conway were her supporting players, and a funnier group of comedian were not assembledon television until The Not-Ready-For-Prime-Time Players. Her show had wonderfully talented guests, too: I remember Ken Berry, Jim Nabors, the Jackson Five, Steve Lawrence, and Betty White all making guest appearnances.

The last great comedy of the Seventies as far as I was concerned was WKRP in CINCINNATI (1978-82). This show was an ensemble cast with two equally wonerful women: Loni Anderson as Jennifer Marlowe, the receptionist, and Jan Smithers as Bailey Quarters, gofer-Sales Assistant-News Assistant. Jennifer got the big laughs with her visual high-jinks and arced eyebrows; Bailey got the character-driven laughs. Both were enjoyable additions to the otherwise male cast. Similar to the great "Mary Anne or Ginger?" debate, I couldn't pick just one! And that's my segueway to next week's topic...so be here,aloha! :-)