Tis the Season . . . For New Year’s Resolutions

January 2, 2017February 20, 2018 / thewritelife61 / 2 Comments

Ok, the Christmas commotion has come and gone. We have welcomed in 2017 and celebrated the day attending church and watching football. Now it’s time to get down to business and make that new year’s resolution. There’s no excuse this year, because most of us have an extra day off work on January 2.

I, too, have begun my long list of possible resolutions and then before making the final decision, I decided to do the next-best thing; that is, to concentrate on others’ shortcomings to avoid facing my own. So, I have come up with resolutions for some of my favorite television characters.

Batman – Robin is not living up to his potential as Boy Wonder. If he was, he would resolve to teach Batman a second dance. For example, there is this new fad in the sixties called The Twist.

The Brady Bunch – Mike Brady is an architect right? So I think it’s about time he designed a house for the family with more than one bathroom for six kids to share.

Columbo – I know he’s busy solving all those murders, but this month he needs to find a day to get that coat into the dry cleaner’s for a good dust busting.

Gilligan’s Island – Considering how smart the Professor is, I think it’s time he made a resolution to learn to build a boat from all that wood surrounding him on the island.

Green Acres – In order to save the valley for future generations, Sam Drucker needs resolve to become a campaign manager, electing Arnold as the mayor. He’s the only one with much common sense. Who says an animal can’t be the main character? Has anyone heard of Mr. Ed?

M*A*S*H – No doubt about it, Klinger is very fashionable, but with all the guard duty he takes on and running after Hawkeye and Hunnicutt, he needs to invest in a comfortable pair of pumps.

The Odd Couple – For Felix’s sanity and well-being, Oscar has to bite the bullet and hire a maid to clean his room. It wouldn’t hurt if she was good looking and liked sports.

The Partridge Family – With Shirley and Keith taking on all the singing assignments, I think it’s time for the other four Partridges to take singing lessons. I mean they’ll only look cute hitting that tambourine and drumstick for a few years.

Taxi – The cast of Taxi needs to invent Uber so they no longer have to take orders from Louie De Palma.

The Young and the Restless – The residents of Genoa City need to have a town meeting to draw up their family tree. Most of them have been married to so many of the other residents, that there is no way the kids can take on this as a homework assignment. This probably is ditto for any soap opera still on television.

Those are my top ten. And because you always need a goal on the back burner, the no-brainer resolution is to change the title of Father Knows Best because everyone knows Mother Knows Best.

Happy New Year!

Let’s Get Connected

December 26, 2016February 20, 2018 / thewritelife61 / 2 Comments

Now that Christmas has come and gone, is your brain a bit overloaded? To help you clear the cobwebs and start thinking again, today’s blog is all about making connections. Once you have answered all the questions, check out the answers at the end of the blog.

Part I. Try to guess which star was on each of the following shows. For example, if I said Bachelor Father, To Rome with Love, Dynasty, Charlie’s Angels – the answer would be John Forsythe.

Easy – One Man’s Family, Mr. Peepers, The Odd Couple, Love Sidney
Easier – Leave It to Beaver, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Mothers-in-Law, BJ and the Bear
Harder – The Bob Cummings Show, Petticoat Junction, That Girl, The Partridge Family
Challenge – Hint: This person only appeared on only one episode of each of these series – I Love Lucy, Bachelor Father, The Andy Griffith Show, George Lopez

Part II. Try to figure out how to get from the first show listed to the second show. Each of the stars above is part of one of the links below. For example, if I said Peter Tong on Bachelor Father to Kyle Chandler on Bloodline, the answer would be Peter Tong on Bachelor Father with John Forsythe who was in Dynasty with Heather Locklear who starred in Spin City with Connie Britton who starred in Friday Night Lights with Kyle Chandler who was in Bloodline.

Easier– Tony Dow on Leave it to Beaver to Ed O’Neill on Modern Family
Harder – Wally Cox on Mr. Peepers to Natascha McElhone on Designated Survivor
Challenge – Bob Cummings on Love That Bob to Eddie Cahill on Conviction
Most Challenging – Janis Paige on It’s Always Jan to AnnaLynne McCord on The Night Shift
For a bonus, for each of the four stars in Part I, which two of them were on The Love Boat?
For extra credit, the two stars not in The Love Boat were in a show with “Love” in the title. What were the other two shows?

Answers

Rosemary Decamp
Richard Deacon
Tony Randall
Barbara Eden
Tony Dow (Wally) on Leave it to Beaver with Richard Deacon (Fred Rutherford) on The Dick Van Dyke Show (Mel Cooley) with Mary Tyler Moore (Laura Petrie) on The Mary Tyler Moore Show (Mary Richards) with Gavin MacLeod (Murray Slaughter) on The Love Boat (Captain Stubing) with Ted McGinley (Ace Evans) on Married with Children (Jefferson D’Arcy) with Ed O’Neill (Al Bundy) on Modern Family
Wally Cox on Mr. Peepers (Robinson Peepers) with Tony Randall (Harvey Weskit) on The Odd Couple (Felix Unger) with Penny Marshall (Myrna) on Laverne and Shirley (Laverne DeFazio) with Michael McKean (Lenny) on The X-Files (Morris Fletcher) with David Duchovny (Fox Muldar) on Californication (Hank Moody) with Natascha McElhone (Karen) on Designated Survivor (Alex Kirkman)
Bob Cummings on Love That Bob (Bob Collins) with Rosemary DeCamp (Margaret MacDonald) on That Girl (Helen Marie) with Ted Bessell (Donald Hollinger) on Good Time Harry (Harry Jenkins) with Marcia Strassman (Carol Younger) on Providence (Meredith) with Melina Kanakaredes (Dr. Sydney Hanson) on CSI: NY (Stella Bonasera) with Eddie Cahill (Don Flack) on Conviction (Conner Wallace)
Janis Paige (Jan Stewart) on It’s Always Jan with Merry Anders (Val Marlowe) on How to Marry a Millionaire (Mike McCall) with Barbara Eden (Loco Jones) on I Dream of Jeannie (Jeannie) with Bill Daily (Major Roger Healey) on The Bob Newhart Show (Howard Borden) with Marcia Wallace (Carol Kester) on Full House (Mrs. Carruthers) with Lori Loughlin (Rebecca Katsopolis) on 90210 (Debbie Wilson) with AnnaLynne McCord (Naomi Clark) on The Night Shift (Jessica Sanders)
Rosemary DeCamp and Richard Deacon
Tony Randall appeared on Love American Style and Barbara Eden was on Loco Love.

The Perennial Popularity of 1960s Christmas Shows

December 20, 2016February 20, 2018 / thewritelife61 / 2 Comments

Ask a variety of people from ages 6-106 and they will tell you it’s just not Christmas until they have seen Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, A Charlie Brown Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Frosty the Snowman. They may have other favorites on their list but all ages can agree on these four. In our house, The Ozzie and Harriet Nelson episode, “Busy Christmas” is a given every December. Recently I heard sportscaster Bill Michaels say that he saved a night for hot chocolate and “It’s a Wonderful Life.” We all have those “other” shows that are on our must-see list. However, even with the Nelson show, the animated specials from the 1960s have to be seen at least once or there’s not as much fa-la-la in the house. Let’s look at each of the four.

Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, 1964

Rudolph is born to Donner the Reindeer and Donner’s wife. He is discovered by Santa to have a shiny, glowing red nose. Donner, regardless of Rudolph’s defect, trains him to be a normal reindeer with skills such as gathering food and hiding from the “Abominable Snow Monster,” a giant, furry white beast. To hide Rudolph’s nose, Donner puts dirt on it to cover it with a black coating. This causes Rudolph to talk in a funny accent. Rudolph joins his peers at the Reindeer Games, where he meets Fireball, who is initially friendly and Clarice, a female spectator who takes a liking to Rudolph. Clarice’s flirtation inspires Rudolph to perform better than all of his peers at flying, but in his excitement he knocks the black cover off his nose, revealing a red glow that causes Fireball and the others to turn against him; this distraction, in turn, prompts the coach (Comet) to ban Rudolph from the Reindeer Games. Clarice remains loyal to him, only to be ordered by her father not to shame the family by associating with “a red-nosed reindeer.”

Rudolph soon runs into Hermey, an elf who was forced out of his job at the North Pole’s toy factory; Hermey showed a total lack of interest in the toy making and singing aspects of being an elf and instead wanted to pursue dentistry. They come to the conclusion that they’re both misfits and decide to run away together. On their aimless journey, they run into Yukon Cornelius, the self-described “greatest prospector of the North” who nevertheless seems to never find any silver or gold, and attempt to stay away from the Bumble, an abominable snow monster. Their journey leads them to the Island of Misfit Toys, where toys go when they are abandoned by their owners. King Moonracer, the winged lion that lords over the Island, refuses to let them stay there permanently, instead telling the trio to return home and tell Santa Claus of the toys’ plight, in exchange for one night’s stay on the island. Rudolph refuses the offer and, fearing for his friends’ life, runs off alone.

A now older Rudolph, still unable to find a place in the world, returns home to the North Pole, only to find that his family and Clarice had left to look for him and are now about to be eaten by the Bumble. With the help of Hermey and Yukon, who have come to look for him, they lure the Bumble away and pacify him by knocking him unconscious and allowing Hermey (with dental skills he has acquired by reading books) to remove his sharp teeth. Everyone eventually returns to Santa’s workshop, where a dismayed Santa Claus breaks the bad news that the weather is too bad to take the sleigh out and that Christmas would be canceled. Santa changes his mind when he notices Rudolph’s red nose and asks Rudolph to lead the sleigh team, which he happily accepts.

A Charlie Brown Christmas, 1965

The special begins on a frozen pond, put to use as an ice rink by the Peanuts cast, who skate together as the song “Christmas Time is Here” is heard over the opening credits.

It’s Christmas season, and Charlie Brown is depressed. He confides in Linus this fact, citing his dismay with the over-commercialization of Christmas and his inability to grasp what Christmas is all about; Linus dismisses it as typical Charlie Brown behavior at first. Brown’s depression and aggravation only get exacerbated by the goings-on in the neighborhood. Though his mailbox is empty, he tries sarcastically to thank Violet for the card she never sent him, but Violet just uses the opportunity to put Brown down again. Eventually, Charlie Brown visits Lucy in her psychiatric booth. Lucy, after presumptively diagnosing him with various phobias and admitting she wants real estate as a Christmas gift, determines that Charlie Brown needs more involvement and recommends that he direct a Christmas play. On his way to the auditorium, he finds Snoopy decorating his doghouse for a neighborhood lights and display contest. Continuing onward, he runs into his sister Sally, who asks him to write her letter to Santa Claus. When she hints at having an extremely long and specific list of requests, and says she will accept money as a substitute (“tens and twenties”– a massive amount for a child of Sally’s age in the 1960s), Charlie Brown becomes even more dismayed.

Charlie Brown arrives at the rehearsals, but he is unable to control the situation as the uncooperative kids are more interested in modernizing the play with dancing and lively music. Thinking the play requires “the proper mood,” Charlie Brown decides they need a Christmas tree. Lucy takes over the crowd and dispatches Charlie Brown to get a “big, shiny aluminum tree.” With Linus in tow, Charlie Brown sets off on his quest. When they get to the tree market, filled with numerous trees fitting Lucy’s description, Charlie Brown zeroes in on the only real tree on the lot—a tiny sapling. Linus is reluctant about Charlie Brown’s choice, but Charlie Brown is convinced that after decorating it, it will be just right for the play. They return to the auditorium with the tree, at which point the children (particularly the girls and Snoopy) ridicule, then laugh at Charlie Brown before walking away. In desperation, Charlie Brown loudly asks if anybody really knows what Christmas is all about. Linus, standing alone on the stage, states he can tell him, and recites the angels’ message to the shepherds from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 2, verses 8 through 14 … ending with “That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”

Charlie Brown quietly picks up the little tree and walks out of the auditorium, intending to take the tree home to decorate and show the others it will work in the play. When he arrives, he stops at Snoopy’s decorated doghouse, which now sports a first prize blue ribbon for winning the display contest. He puts an ornamental ball on the top of his tree; the branch, with the ball still on it, promptly flops over to one side instead of remaining upright, prompting him to declare “I’ve killed it” and run off in disgust at his perpetual failure. Linus and the rest of the group, along with Snoopy, quietly arrive outside Snoopy’s doghouse. Linus goes up to the tree and gently props the drooping branch back to its upright position, wrapping his security blanket around the tree. After they reconsider their previous stance, they add the remaining decorations from Snoopy’s doghouse to the tree and start humming “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” Charlie Brown returns, surprised at the humming and the redecorated tree, as his peers greet him with a joyous “Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!” The entire group joins to sing the first verse of “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” as the special ends.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas, 1966

The Grinch is a bitter, grouchy, cave-dwelling creature with a heart “two sizes too small” who lives on snowy Mount Crumpit, a steep high mountain just north of the town of Whoville, home of the merry and warm-hearted Whos. His only companion is his unloved, but loyal dog, Max. From his cave, the Grinch can hear the noisy Christmas festivities that take place in Whoville. Annoyed, he decides to stop Christmas from coming by stealing their presents, trees, and food for their Christmas feast. He crudely disguises himself as Santa Claus, and forces Max, disguised as a reindeer, to drag a sleigh to Whoville. Once there, the Grinch slides down the chimney and steals all of the Whos’ Christmas presents, the Christmas tree, and the log for their fire. He is briefly interrupted in his burglary by Cindy Lou, a little Who girl, but concocts a crafty lie to effect his escape from her home.

The Grinch then takes his sleigh to the top of Mount Crumpit, and prepares to dump all of the presents into the abyss. As dawn breaks, he expects to hear the Whos’ bitter and sorrowful cries, but is confused to hear them singing a joyous Christmas song instead. He puzzles for a moment until it dawns on him that “maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more” than just presents and feasting. The Grinch’s shrunken heart suddenly grows three sizes. The reformed Grinch saves Max from possible death and returns all of the Whos’ presents and trimmings and is warmly invited to the Whos’ feast, where he has the honor of carving the Roast Beast.

Frosty the Snowman, 1969

One day in a school shortly before Christmas, an inept magician named Professor Hinkle is hired to perform for the children. Following this, the children go outside for recess and build a snowman, whom they name Frosty. However, Hinkle’s rabbit Hocus Pocus, escapes from the building while wearing his hat, which the children decide to put on top of Frosty’s head. To their surprise, the magic of the hat causes Frosty to come to life.

This delights the students, but after seeing that the hat is actually magic, the agitated Hinkle wants it back. The children refuse to turn it over to him, but he eventually gets it. After he leaves, Hocus returns the hat to the children, thus bringing Frosty to life for the second time. The children are very happy with their new friend, but the temperature is rising and Frosty must leave for somewhere that is colder. Frosty explains that the only place he won’t melt is the North Pole. They parade through town to the train station, shocking passersby and a policeman. When they get to the station however, they find that they do not have enough money to buy tickets to the North Pole. So, Karen, Frosty, and Hocus sneak into the back of a train headed north. Hinkle also sneaks aboard, determining to get his hat back.

While Frosty is safe from melting in the refrigerated car, Karen is freezing so the group leaves the train and Hocus gathers a group of woodland creatures to build a fire for her. Frosty knows that it is best if Karen is brought home and he and Hocus decide to enlist the help of Santa Claus to transport her there. Hocus leaves to search for Santa, but Hinkle comes back and tries to take Frosty’s hat by force. Frosty and Karen make a getaway from Hinkle, and race down the hill to a small greenhouse used to grow poinsettias. Frosty carries Karen inside where she will be warm and safe. However, Hinkle has followed them on foot and locks the door after Frosty and Karen go inside.

Hocus brings Santa to the greenhouse only to find Karen crying over a melted Frosty. Santa explains to Karen that Frosty is made of Christmas snow and can never melt away. He then opens the greenhouse door which revives Frosty. However, Hinkle arrives, once again claiming that the hat is still his. Santa scolds Hinkle for being greedy, warns him that if he takes the hat, he will never get another Christmas present from him for the rest of his life. Hinkle begs for another chance and Santa tells him that if he starts acting nicer and writes a formal apology, he might reconsider and possibly give Hinkle a new hat for Christmas, to which an overjoyed Hinkle runs home to write his apologies. Afterward, Santa takes Karen home on his sleigh and brings Frosty back to the North Pole, keeping his promise to her that Frosty will return every year when Christmas snowfall comes around.

What is it about these specific shows that have earned them staying power for 50+ years? I think that there are five factors that ensure their must-see status.

One, each has special music we associate with the show and Christmas, in general. “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” is the song the animation is based on. A Charlie Brown Christmas features “It’s Christmas Time,” along with the rest of the soundtrack by Vince Guaraldi. Who could forget the words to “You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch”? And of course there is “Frosty the Snowman.”

Two, the animation is well done, colorful, and eye-catching, great voices, and exceptional characterizations.

Three, each Christmas special has a lesson. Rudolph teaches us it’s not only okay to be different; those gifts are what makes each of us unique and special. Watching Charlie Brown, we learn that over-commercialization is not the theme of Christmas. Seems like a lot of us still need to learn this lesson. The Grinch becomes aware that Christmas is not about things, but a feeling of joy. Frosty provides an awareness that Christmas is a magical time and incredible things can happen.

Four, the shows are still marketed. Part of the success of these shows can be explained by the advent of DVDs. However, other Christmas specials are available on DVD without the staying power of these four. Just looking at my Christmas tree reminds me of the potential marketing each of these shows still enjoy. I have several ornaments of the characters on the Rudolph special; we have an entire set of Peanuts Christmas ornaments; a talking Grinch graces our tree that was purchased last year; and we have several Frosty ornaments.

Five, nostalgia might explain some of the popularity but new generations of kids continue to be caught up in the joy of watching these shows year after year. There were several Frosty sequels and a Rudolph sequel that never attained the popularity of the original shows. It’s more the feeling that they instill in us.

I’m not sure about you, but in looking back over the Christmases of my life, I can’t recall a lot of the gifts I’ve received, although there were many special presents. For me, when I reflect back on Christmas and what makes it heart warming there are several things that come to mind: attending church late at night on Christmas Eve with the candles and the Christmas hymns, listening to my favorite Christmas songs, the colored lights on houses and trees, the department store windows that were decorated when I was little, and decorating frosted cookies. It’s those feelings that are conjured up again when I watch these four specials. I was only 3 when Rudolph came out and I was 8 when Frosty debuted, but I can’t recall a Christmas without these shows.

There are not a lot of things I have been able to count on being there with me for over 50 years, but these four shows are on that list. Watching my grandson the day after Thanksgiving when he was watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas makes me happy that he expressed the same feelings about these shows and hopefully his children will as well.

I hope you’ve been able to enjoy these shows this year, but I have to end this because I have a few Christmas specials to catch up on.

When First You Don’t Succeed, Just Redo an Old Show

December 12, 2016February 20, 2018 / thewritelife61 / 2 Comments

If you have been watching television the past few years, you’ve noticed a trend of rebooting old shows and giving them a new spin or writing a sequel. While this has happened before in the history of television—think After M*A*S*H and Trapper John MD or Dragnet—there has now been an influx of remade shows. Just the past few years we have two that seem to have done well in Fuller House and Hawaii 50. However, some didn’t last as long such as The Muppets, which I happened to enjoy. How many of you remember watching the reboots of Ironside, Charlie’s Angels, Get Smart, Dallas, or Wonder Woman? And for extra credit, who can name all the sequels of Star Trek over the past few decades? I’m not sure if this fad is playing on the nostalgia of the baby boomers or just a lack of creativity in Hollywood.

I thought it might be fun to consider what the sequel or reboot of some of my favorite shows from the past might look like.

thirtysomething—In this sequel, sixtysomething, Janie, Leo, Brittany, and Ethan try to deal with their parents who still act like they are 30. Ellen has had to fight for her job due to city cuts, Melissa is now the wealthiest friend after getting into photography for the internet, Elliott and Nancy are separated, again, and she is an artist while he is doing advertising for the Philadelphia Eagles and trying to date the cheerleaders. Hope and Michael are still married. Michael has replaced Miles Drentell upon retirement, and Hope is still trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life.

That Girl – In the reboot, That Guy, Ann Marie would be Donald’s boss, a high powered CEO, and he is the reporter trying to get the scoop and stand up for his important stories like global warming when the magazine wants him to write about famous stars and the latest catfights.

My Three Sons—In the sequel, My Twelve Granddaughters, Steve has become a reality star talking about life with 12 granddaughters in the house and the lack of bathrooms and privacy.

Happy Days—the sequel, Hippy Days, explores the life of Richie and Lori Beth’s kids as they grow up in the late sixties and early seventies.

Gray’s Anatomy—the reboot, Gray’s Monotony looks at the life of a hospital where the nurses spend 75% of their time updating computer files and doctors rush around seeing patients and work part-time jobs to pay for their malpractice insurance. No one has time for affairs or personal relationships.

The Brady Bunch—the sequel combines The Brady Bunch and Alice and stars Ann B. Davis who became a restaurant owner once the Brady kids grew up. They and their kids still stop in to get advice from Alice. Alice is single but engaged to Sam the Butcher.

The Andy Griffith Show—the network started making new episodes of the iconic series but realized that life in small town America has not really changed so, part way through the year, they begin showing reruns and no one notices.

Take some time and think about what your favorite shows might look like. And if you see any of the above shows in the next few years, remember you read about them here first.

The Passing of a Pop-Culture Parent

December 6, 2016February 20, 2018 / thewritelife61 / 2 Comments

In memory of Florence Henderson, who passed on away on Thanksgiving, I just wanted to spend some time reviewing her career. It’s hard not to call someone lucky and successful who became a multimillionaire (10-15 million depending on the source), is well known all over the world, and beloved by many fans. But, after researching her career, I wonder if she had been able to do it over, would she have chosen to take on the role of Carol Brady?

Florence’s life was a far cry from The Brady Bunch; the only similarity was having a huge number of people under one roof. Her father didn’t marry until his late forties and he married a woman 25 years younger than him. He was a tobacco sharecropper and alcoholic and life was not like a sitcom. Florence, growing up in Indiana, was the tenth child to come along, and her father was close to 70 by the time she was born. Her mother and father divorced when she was a teen and then her mother moved to Cleveland, Ohio to work, and Florence did not see her until she was there for a musical performance. Her father passed away the same time she began a Broadway show. She had to choose between keeping the job and attending her father’s funeral, and she took the job and dealt with the guilt for many years.

During her career she was in eleven Broadway shows. She had a very interesting career. She was the first woman to fill in as host for the Tonight Show during the transition from Jack Paar to Johnny Carson. She then became a Today girl on the morning show, presenting the weather and light news in 1959. Although she appeared in various commercials, she is best known for promoting Wesson Oil which she did from 1974-1996. Her last appearance before her death was at a taping of Dancing with the Stars which she had competed in along with Maureen McCormick, her daughter Marcia, on The Brady Bunch. (Dancing with the Stars photo credited to ABC News)

After her iconic role as Carol Brady, she became the queen of one episodes. She appeared in three episodes of her friend Angela Lansberry’s Murder She Wrote, three shows on Fantasy Island, four times on Dave’s World and ten episodes of The Love Boat, the most of any star. However, from 1975-2016, she worked on 31 shows where she appeared in one episode only. Some of these shows were classic sitcoms such as Alice, Roseanne, Ellen, King of Queens, and 30 Rock. Some were dramas including Medical Center, Hart to Hart, and Ally McBeal. Some were children’s or animated shows such as Scooby-Doo Mystery, Inc.; The Cleveland Show; Handy Manny; and Sofia the First. However, the most by far were sitcoms that didn’t leave a lasting impression and many are probably quite forgettable. During those years she appeared on Good Heavens, 3 Girls 3, Glitter, Free Spirit, Night Stand, Samantha Who, Happily Divorced, Trophy Wife, and Instant Mom.

Towards the end of her life, she seemed to find a comfortable place pursuing interesting and wide-ranging activities. She and best friend Shirley Jones did a series of concerts together, she hosted a couple of shows on the Retirement Living network, and did a lot of interviews.

In 1968, she agreed to play the role of Carol Brady but had not heard anything about the show being picked up and was set to star in The Song of Norway being filmed in Norway. She left for the musical still thinking The Brady Bunch was a no- go. However, she later found out it was indeed debuting in 1969. They had to film the first six episodes without her and she did her taping later. Appearing as Carol Brady from 1969-1974 gave her the role of a lifetime. The Brady Bunch has never been off the air since it debuted which says a lot about the show. Many generations of fans admired her and gave her thanks for being a mother figure to them. Some dreamed of being part of a family like the Bradys and obviously Florence could relate, with her background.

The role made her a national symbol and a lot of money, but you have to wonder what it cost her professionally. It was surprising that both Florence and Shirley Jones became America’s mothers on Friday nights after both being given their start by Rogers and Hammerstein earlier in their careers. They also both wrote “tell-all” books about their lives in show business in 2012 and 2013. Both of these women have been busy their entire lives because they were willing to change along with the times and continue to explore alternatives.

In an interview with Tavis Smiley in 2011, Florence reflected on being Carol Brady: “I’m okay with that. I think you have to cherish your past because if you don’t cherish your past and love this moment, you have no future. I know a lot of actors hate it when they’re identified with a role. I know what I’ve done in my career . . . I received tremendous affection from people all over the world.”

In a joint interview conducted with Shirley Jones and Florence Henderson, Shirley recalled that her agent told her not to do The Partridge Family. He said that if she was successful, she would be locked into the role forever. She wanted a series so she could be home to raise her children, so she took it. She did admit that her agent was right. Even though she had done 20 movies before The Partridge Family, she was forever known as Shirley Partridge. However, she took said at least it was a show she could be proud of and an entire family could watch it together without anything shocking taking place.

After being The Fonz, Henry Winkler was so typecast that he went into directing and producing because he couldn’t get out of the Fonz’s shadow. I’m not sure why this happens to actors. I think it has something to do with the television being in our homes and we begin to relate to these characters as if they’re real people. We don’t want anything to ruin the fantasy of the character and how genuine they have become to us. Actors in movies seem to be able to move from role to role without the same obstacles as television stars.

I guess if you have to be typecast in a role, the role of Carol Brady is not a bad one to identify with. In a recent interview, Florence talked about that fact and if she has to be Carol Brady forever, at least the show “represents what everyone wants in life, and that is a loving family, unconditional love, a place to make mistakes, to get angry, to be forgiven, and to forgive. (photo below credited to Closerweekly)

Florence Henderson had four children and many grandchildren and became the type of mother and grandmother she portrayed on television rather than the role model she grew up with. That is certainly a success in any field. Not only did she have close relationships with her own family, but she stayed close to her “Brady family” for the past five decades. If that was not enough, she influenced generations of viewers who hopefully took something of Carol Brady and incorporated it into their idea of what a mother should be like.

I am in that generation who lived for Friday nights to watch The Brady Bunch and The Partridge Family, wanting to be part of their families, even if it was from a living room across the country. Along with many viewers from that generation, I was sad to learn of Florence Henderson’s death and did feel like someone special from my life had passed away. Certainly my realization of the ideal mother was based partly on Carol Brady, Shirley Partridge, Donna Stone, Kate Bradley, and even Bentley Greg and Steve Douglas. With each of their passing, it does feel like losing a family member.

Thank you Florence for your positive outlook, your energy, your wide range of interests, your honesty, and your willingness to take on parenting a whole generation of baby boomers. Rest in peace.

Decorate With Style

November 28, 2016February 20, 2018 / thewritelife61 / 2 Comments

With the Christmas shopping season fully in swing, I thought it would be fun to look at ways to decorate with movie and television collectibles. If you are looking for a unique gift for someone on your list or trying to come up with ideas to share with others, think about personalizing home décor with items that showcase pop culture favorites.

Whether you want to sprinkle a few items in around your house or devote an entire room to a theme, there are a lot of fun ideas to display your passions.

If you are shopping for children, think about purchasing a movie poster from the first movie they ever went to. Our oldest son’s first movie at 3 was supposed to be an animated Christmas feature, but they had a problem with the film and showed Home Alone instead. I thought he would be bored (or scared), but he loved it, and we commemorated that memory with a framed movie poster for his room. Maybe your child is older but has a movie she watches over and over.

Our middle son collected old board games. We still have a lot of those and play them a lot. You can find games about shows from the 1950s up through the present. Here are just a few of the ones I’ve seen out there: The Lone Ranger, Happy Days, McHales’s Navy, The Partridge Family, The Patty Duke Show, The Big Bang Theory, Modern Family, The Honeymooners, The Office, and hundreds more.

If you have an avid sports fan to buy for, think about decorating with movies and tv shows about sports. How about the lobby cards for Remember the Titans, a basketball signed by Gene Hackman from Hoosiers, or a Happy Gilmore script signed by the entire cast.

Decorating with western items can also be a fun theme. Consider redoing your guest room with a western flare. What would you put in it? How about Clint Eastwood’s hat from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. I’ve seen a Roy Rogers bedspread, a John Wayne figurine, a Lone Ranger poster for the wall, and on the night stand place a couple of Bonanza tin cups for morning coffee and a CD player with a collection of Old West radio episodes.

Maybe you have a family member who loves Christmas. You can find a variety of Christmas photos from classic television shows. Or buy a small fake Christmas tree and decorate it with Hallmark ornaments from pop culture.

Perhaps you have someone who loves fashion. There are a variety of items you can search for in that category. Many movies had photos taken when they tested their costumes. You can also find clothing, accessories, and jewelry worn on television shows or movies to wear or frame. I have a thirtysomething jacket that was made for the crew and cast and it’s a fun item to hang on the wall.

Someone who likes old advertising can use a variety of collectibles scattered throughout the house. You can find stars promoting everything from cold cream to coffee. We have an ad of Ozzie and Harriet Nelson in our laundry room for a Hot Point washing machine.

Do you have a doll collector on your list ? There are hundreds of dolls out there from television series. I’ve seen I Love Lucy, George Burns, Maxwell Smart from Get Smart, That Girl, and Laverne and Shirley. In movie collectibles, you can find Gone with the Wind dolls, Wizard of Oz figures, and even Rock Hudson and Doris Day from Pillow Talk.

Coffee bars are becoming common in new homes. If you have someone who loves entertaining that way, you’re in luck. You can find coffee mugs, serving bowls, and tea sets to display.

Last, but not least, if you know someone who has one show they are drawn to use that as your theme. The iconic show is The Andy Griffith Show. You can find blankets, villages, cups, signs, clocks, and even canned food and muffin packages. However, any show whether it be The Donna Reed Show from the 1950s or Last Man Standing currently on television will have a lot of items to choose from. If you are looking for single show themes, consider advertising items–My Three Sons had a wood block invitation made for the press; props –a typewriter used on Will and Grace; tv guides; music boxes; paper dolls and coloring books; lunch boxes; or even light switch plates.

If you can’t find exactly what you’re looking for, make your own. For example, you could enlarge the sheet music from the theme song and frame it. Or make a shadow box with a few treasured items. You can even make pillows or magnets.

With a little imagination, you can come up with that perfect gift for everyone on your list. The bonus? You get to stay cozy and warm inside when the winds are blowing and the snow is falling and watch your favorite shows while you shop for everyone on your gift list.

Thanksgiving With My Friends

November 21, 2016February 20, 2018 / thewritelife61 / 1 Comment

When Thanksgiving episodes are being considered, Friends has to top the list. Every year for a decade, the crew got together for the fall holiday. Watching these ten episodes provides a fun overview of what was happening in the show during its entire run. Let’s face it, with a decade of holiday shows to write, not everyone can be velvety pumpkin pie with real whipped cream. I’d say a few were turkeys, but who doesn’t think turkey is the best at Thanksgiving, so instead let’s say a couple of them rank up there with Aunt Harriet’s fruit cake. Let’s take a look at the Thanksgiving treats.

Season 1: The One When Underdog Gets Away

Monica and Ross’s parents are in Puerto Rico, so Monica decides to cook for Ross and invites Phoebe and Chandler. The friends chipped in to pay for Rachel’s ticket to Vail so she could spend the holiday with her family. Joey posed for a free clinic ad which painted him as the face of venereal disease, so his family asked him to bypass Thanksgiving this year and ends up at Monica’s as well. Ross leaves for his ex-wife’s saying he will be back for dinner. Before Rachel leaves, they head up to the roof to see the Underdog float that got away from the Macy’s parade and get locked out of the apartment. By the time they get in, Rachel has missed her flight and the dinner is ruined.

Season 2: The One with the List

After Ross kissed Rachel, he has to decide between dating her and Julie. He makes a pro/con list to help him choose, but Rachel sees it on his computer. She locks him out of the apartment. He desperately tries to see her and tell her all the pros he has for her, but the episode ends with both of them looking out their apartment window alone. While this was a Thanksgiving episode, there is very little holiday cheer written into the script.

Season 3: The One with the Football

All the friends are having a holiday dinner and decide to play a football game. Monica and Ross tell how competitive they were at football as kids; in fact, their mom banned football from Thanksgiving. Now that they’re adults they are ready to try it again. Rachel scores the winning touchdown but misses touching the end zone, so Monica and Ross both go for the ball. Neither one of them will let go until dark when they finally declare it a tie. One of Joey’s best lines in the series “There must be a special place in heaven for people that hung out with you two in high school.”

Season 4: The One with Chandler in a Box

Joey refuses to talk to Chandler who kissed his girlfriend. Monica gets ice in her eye preparing the meal but doesn’t want to go to the eye doctor because it’s her ex-boyfriend Richard. Finally, Phoebe calls to make an appointment anyway and finds out Richard is out of town. Monica is treated by his son. Monica flirts with him and invites him to dinner. He reminds her of Richard, and she reminds him of his mother, so their relationship is over before it begins. The friends have a traditional holiday watching football, talking about the past, and drawing Secret Santa names. Eventually Kathy breaks up with Chandler and Joey makes him run off after her.

Season 5: The One with All the Thanksgivings

After eating a big meal where they talked about what they were thankful for, the friends reminisce about the worst Thanksgivings they remember. Ross talks about his marital situation, Phoebe remembers being in the Revolutionary War in a prior life, Chandler talks about his parents’ divorce, Joey describes a holiday before they all knew each other when he stuck his head in the turkey to scare Chandler and got it stuck. Monica says when she met Chandler he told Ross she was fat. The next year, he drools over a slim Monica and to get even she pretends to lure him so he will undress and be left alone. However, she accidently drops a knife on his foot and he loses part of his toe. When he hears the story he is furious but then Monica puts the turkey on her head and dances around. Not only does he lose his anger, but he tells her he loves her.

Season 6: The One Where Ross Got High

Monica and Ross’s parents are coming for Thanksgiving. Chandler is trying to impress them since he and Monica are engaged, but they don’t seem to like him. It turns out one weekend when Ross was home from college, they caught him getting high in his room and he blamed it on Chandler. Monica tells Ross he has to come clean. He doesn’t so she begins airing his dirty laundry. He in turn says Monica and Chandler have been living together and she retaliates that he and Rachel have been married and divorced. The Gellars leave liking Chandler better than their own children.

Season 7: The One Where Chandler Doesn’t Like Dogs

Phoebe is dog-sitting. Chandler doesn’t want to admit he hates dogs so he pretends to be allergic. The girls take the dog to Ross’s apartment but later sneak him back in. Rachel’s coworker Tag joins the group because his girlfriend broke up with him. He and Rachel realize they have feelings for each other.

Season 8: The One with the Rumor

Ross’s old friend Will comes for Thanksgiving. He lost 150 pounds since high school. He reveals that he and Ross had an “I Hate Rachel Green” Club because she was so mean in high school. Rachel is mad but especially at Ross because she declares that she never did anything mean to him till Monica reminds her she told everyone in school that Ross made out with the school librarian. Joey turns Phoebe’s old maternity pants into his new Thanksgiving pants.

Season 9: The One with Rachel’s Sister

Rachel’s older sister comes for the meal. She manages to offend everyone, and no one likes her. Joey remembers he was supposed to be in the Macy’s parade with his Days of Our Lives cast members but it’s now over. The other running gag is Monica wants everyone to be especially careful with their new wedding china, and Joey is given an old plate because they can’t trust him. Not one of the better episodes.

Season 10: The One with the Late Thanksgiving

Monica decides she needs a break from hosting Thanksgivings. Phoebe talks her into competing with her prior meals and she talks Rachel into entering Emma into a baby beauty pageant. Ross and Joey are almost an hour late because they were at a Rangers hockey game. When Monica overhears the excuses they are thinking of using she locks them out of the apartment. Eventually she lets them in. After the meal, Chandler and Monica get a call that a birth mother is considering them as a candidate to adopt her baby.

FRIENDS, David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry, Jennifer Aniston, ‘The One With The Late Thanksgiving’, (Season 10, epis. #226), 1994-2004, © Warner Bros. / Courtesy: Everett Collection

As you reviewed these episodes, I hope you remembered your favorites or were intrigued by several you want to watch. Pick one for an appetizer, one for the main entrée and your favorite for the pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving weekend. When you consider everything you are thankful for this holiday, remember creative writing and amazing casts because they really don’t all come together very often.

Happy Thanksgiving.

A Bachelor Party For Everyone

November 14, 2016February 20, 2018 / thewritelife61 / 1 Comment

Each month I would like to take a look at one of my favorite sitcoms. November’s show is Bachelor Father which ran from 1957-1962. Bachelor Father is one of my all-time favorite shows. With its sophisticated writing, realistic relationships, and elegant lifestyle, I can find something new each time a re-watch an episode. Before Steve Douglas (My Three Sons), Andy Taylor (The Andy Griffith Show), Bill Davis (Family Affair), Phil Drummond (Different Strokes), and Danny Tanner (Full House), Bentley Gregg took on the responsibility of raising his niece after her parents were killed in a car accident. Somehow he was a lucrative lawyer in Beverly Hills, raised a respectful and intelligent niece, participated in civic affairs, and never let any of it cramp his dating life, well rarely. Part of his success can be attributed to Peter, his houseboy who was the “Mother” of the family and kept the household running smoothly.

Starring John Forsythe as Bentley Gregg, Noreen Corcoran as Kelly, and Sammee Tong as Peter, the series debuted on CBS in September 1957, airing alternate weeks with The Jack Benny Show. In 1959, the show moved to NBC, and the final season in 1962 it aired on ABC. The program was based on a radio episode, “A New Girl in His Life,” which was heard on General Electric Theater in May of 1957. During the show’s run, 157 episodes were filmed, all in black and white. While there was a revolving cast of beautiful women on the show, the other regulars were Kelly’s best friend Ginger played by Bernadette Withers, Kelly’s boyfriend Howard Meecham played by Jimmy Boyd, and their dog Jasper.

The character of Bentley Gregg was based on two well-known Beverly Hills bachelors. Their names were combined for this character. No serious thoughts were given to creating a steady relationship for Bentley by the writers because he had an aversion to marriage, so Kelly was the only permanent woman in his life.

John Forsythe was born Jacob Lincoln Freund in Penns Grove, NJ the son of a Wall Street businessman. He later moved to Brooklyn and went on to school at the University of North Carolina. After college he was hired as the announcer for the Brooklyn Dodgers. He signed a contract with Warner Brothers in 1943. Eventually he moved his family to California in order to give them a stable home life. He starred in two other sitcoms in the 60s, The John Forsythe Show in 1965-66 and To Rome with Love in 1969-71. He is best known as the voice of Charlie on Charlie’s Angels and the role of Blake Carrington on Dynasty. He died April 1, 2010 of pneumonia at 92.

Noreen Corcoran was suggested by Ronald Reagan for the character of Kelly, because he felt she was believable as a typical 13-year-old. She began appearing in films in 1951 and was on various television episodes before getting the role of Kelly. After the show ended, she made a few appearances on shows including Dr. Kildare, Gunsmoke, and The Big Valley and appeared in the movie Gidget Goes to Rome. In 1963 she released the musical single “Love Kitten.” In 1966 she began an 11-year association with the Lewitzky Dance Company. She passed away January 15, 2016 of cardiopulmonary disease at 72.

Sammee Tong had been a stand-up comedian. Forsythe insisted that Tong be a major character on the show, and the banter between Bentley and Peter was similar to that of Steve Douglas and Uncle Charlie or Bills Davis and Mr. French. Although “Peter” spoke broken English, Sammee Tong spoke excellent English. Tong’s first film was Happiness Ahead in 1934. He appeared in more than 30 films and 40 television programs between 1935 and 1965. He was a good friend of Mickey Rooney’s and played his friend on the sitcom Mickey which was cancelled in 1965. By that time Tong was deeply in debt due to a gambling problem, and he committed suicide October 27, 1964 at age 63. His last appearance was posthumously as Cook in the 1965 film Fluffy.

Some of Bentley’s women were played by actresses who would go on to become famous including Whitney Blake, Donna Douglas, Barbara Eden, Sally Kellerman, Sue Ane Langdon, Joyce Meadows, and Mary Tyler Moore.

Male guest stars included Jack Albertson, Parley Baer, Jack Benny, Edgar Bergen, Bill Bixby, Ronnie Burns, Richard Deacon, Joe Flynn, Howard McNear, Sid Melton, Ryan O’Neal and Harry Von Zell.

Harry Ackerman produced the first season and was replaced by Everett Freeman for the rest of the series’ life when Ackerman went on to work for other sitcoms, including Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie. The show was sponsored by American Tobacco which made Tareyton cigarettes and American Home Products which marketed Anacin, Dristan, and the Chef Boyardee line.

The show was filmed at Revue Studios and produced by Forsythe’s Bachelor Productions. The episodes were filmed at 4024 Radford Avenue in Studio City and the exteriors were shot at 120 Colonial Street, Backlot at Universal Studios. The end of Colonial Street was also known as New England Street. In the photo below, the house at the right was the Bachelor Father house. The Cleaver house from Leave It to Beaver was across the street. The Gregg family lived at 113 Rexford Drive in Beverly Hills. Bentley’s office was Room 106 in the Crescent Building on Crescent Drive in Los Angeles.

The theme song, “Bachelor Father” was written by David Kahn and Johnny Williams, today known as John Williams, the famous movie composer.

Vincent Dee was the costume supervisor, Florence Bush was the hair stylist, and Leo Lotito Jr. was the make-up artist.

Dialogue From Bachelor Father

Season 2 / Episode 1: – Bentley and the Finishing School

Kelly Gregg: Peter, I cleaned my room.
Peter Tong: What you tryin’ to do – ruin your reputation?

Season 5 / Episode 36: – Bentley Takes it Easy

Bentley Gregg: [regarding his upcoming home vacation] First and foremost, I’m going to do absolutely nothing.
Peter Tong: If you get tired doing nothing, I’ll be glad to help out.
Bentley Gregg: It’ll be nice to have an expert around.

Season 4 / Episode 33: – Kelly’s Charge Account

Kelly Gregg: I’ll have you know I walked right through Kessler’s this afternoon, and all I bought was a hair net. I just wanted the thrill of signing for something.
Peter Tong: You be careful. Remember, charge account like ocean. One step too far – you go under.

Season 4 / Episode 2: – Kelly Learns to Drive

Bentley Gregg: Don’t you think that you’ve been vacillating enough?
Peter Tong: That depend.
Bentley Gregg: On what?
Peter Tong: What vacillating mean.

Season 3 / Episode 5: – Kelly’s Idol

Peter Tong: Hello, Mr. Gregg. You’re home early.
Bentley Gregg: Peter, I’ve just spent eight of the most miserable boring hours of my life with one the most beautiful girls in this town.
Peter Tong: Sometime even Mickey Mantle don’t get to first base.

Fun Facts

Jimmie Boyd (Howard) recorded the 1952 Christmas song “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.”

Ginger’s last name changed three times during the run of the show. She was referred to as Ginger Farrrell, Loomis, and Mitchell.

Ginger was played by Bernadette Withers. Jane Withers was her aunt, and Jane was best known as Josephine the Plumber.

In Episode 5 of Season 4, Linda Evans (then Linda Evenstad) played one of Kelly’s girlfriends who had a big crush on Bentley. She would later play his wife on Dynasty.

During the five years of the show, Bentley had five different secretaries: Vickie, Kitty 1, Kitty 2, Suzanne, and Connie; could he have been related to Murphy Brown?

Some of the episodes can be seen on youtube.com. Antenna TV had Bachelor Father on its schedule but it was replaced in 2015. We can only hope they will bring it back soon and that the show will finally be given its due and released on DVD so we can once again enjoy the Gregg family and friends.

Below is the list of episodes by season.

Season 1

Bentley And The P.T.A. (9/29/1957)
Bentley versus The Girl Scouts (10/6/1957)
Bentley And The lady Doctor (10/13/1957)
Date With Kelly (10/20/1957)
Uncle Bentley keeps His Promise (10/27/1957)
Bentley And The Baby Sitter (11/3/1957)
Uncle Bentley And The Aunts (11/10/1957)
Bentley And The Revolving Housekeeper (11/24/1957)
Bentley And The Talent Contest (1/5/1958)
Bentley, The Homemaker (1/19/1958)
Bentley And His Junior Image (2/2/1958)
Uncle Bentley Loans Out Peter (2/16/1958)
Bentley And The Social Worker (3/2/1958)
A Sister For Kelly (3/16/1958)
Waiting Up For Kelly (3/30/1958)
Woman Of The house (4/13/1958)
Peter falls In love (4/27/1958)
Bentley’s Prospective Son-In-Law (5/11/1958)
Bentley’s Clubhouse (5/25/1958)
Uncle Bentley And The Matchmaker (6/8/1958)

Season 2

Bentley And The Finishing School (9/14/1958)
Parent’s Night (9/28/1958)
Bentley Leads A Dog’s Life (10/12/1958)
Bentley & the Teenage Siren (10/26/1958)
Bentley & Peter’s Teacher (11/9/1958)
Bentley And The Wedding Bells (11/23/1958)
Kelly’s Mad Crush (11/7/1958)
Bentley’s Big Case (12/21/1958)
Bentley’s Economy Wave (1/4/1959)
Decisions, Decisions (1/18/1959)
Bentley And The Kleptomaniac (2/1/1959)
A Phone For Kelly (2/15/1959)
Bentley, The Proud Father (3/15/1959)
Bentley’s Aunt Caroline (3/29/1959)
Bentley, Man Of Steel (4/12/1959)
Bentley And The Motorcycle (4/26/1959)
Bentley The Star Maker (5/1/1959)
Bentley, The Organizer (5/10/1959)
Bentley And The beauty Contest (5/24/1959)
Bentley, The Hero (6/7/1959)

Season 3

Peter Meets His Match (9/17/1959)
Bentley & the dog Trainer (9/24/1959)
The Case Against Gisele (10/1/1959)
Bentley And The Gullible Guitarist (10/8/1959)
Kelly’s Idol (10/15/1959)
East Meets West (10/22/1959)
Bentley And Grandpa Ling (10/29/1959)
Kelly, The Golddigger (11/5/1959)
The Rescue Of Rufus (11/12/1959)
A Key For Kelly (11/19/1959)
Bentley’s Double Play (11/26/1959)
Bentley And The Brainy Beauty (12/3/1959)
Bentley Plays Cupid (12/10/1959)
Kelly’s Secret (12/17/1959)
Bentley Goes To Washington (12/24/1959)
Kelly, The Politician (12/31/1959)
Bentley, The Gentleman Farmer (1/7/1960)
Bentley And The Combo (1/14/1960)
Bentley And The Bartered Bride (1/21/1960)
The Blonde Issue (1/28/1960)
Bentley And The Majorette (2/4/1960)
Bentley, The Model Citizen (2/18/1960)
The Fishing Trip (2/25/1960)
The Fortune Cookie Caper (3/3/1960)
Kelly And The College Man (3/10/1960)
Kelly, The Career Woman (3/17/1960)
Bentley’s New House (3/24/1960)
Bentley, The Stage Mother (4/7/1960)
The Woman’s Angle (4/14/1960)
Bentley Meets The Perfect Woman (4/21/1960)
Bentley And The Travel Agent (4/28/1960)
The Very Friendly Witness (5/5/1960)
Bentley And The Blood Bank (5/12/1960)
A Man Of Importance (5/19/1960)
Bentley And The Beach Bum (5/26/1960)
Where There’s A Will (6/2/1960)
Bentley’s Birthday Gift (6/9/1960)

Season 4

Kelly, The Matchmaker (8/26/1960)
It Happens In November (9/7/1960)
Jasper The Second (9/15/1960)
Kelly Learns To Drive (9/22/1960)
Trail Separation (9/29/1960)
Mystery Witness (10/6/1960)
A Crush On Bentley (10/13/1960)
Peter Gets Jury Notice (10/20/1960)
Hilda The Jewel (10/27/1960)
How To Catch A Man(11/10/1960)
Bentley Cracks The Whip (11/24/1960)
Bentley And The Big Board (12/1/1960)
Dear Bentley (12/15/1960)
Bentley And The Lost Chord (12/22/1960)
Ginger’s Big Romance (12/29/1960)
Bentley The Angel (1/5/1961)
Bentley Goes To Europe (1/19/1961)
Bentley And The Woodpecker (1/21/1961)
The Greggs In Rome (1/26/1961)
The Greggs In London (2/2/1961)
The Greggs In Paris (2/16/1961)
Encore In Paris (2/23/1961)
There’s No Place Like Home (3/2/1961)
Bentley Swims Upstream (3/9/1961)
A Man Among Men (3/16/1961)
Peter’s China Doll (3/23/1961)
Bentley And The Counterspy (3/30/1961)
Peter Plays Cupid (4/6/1961)
Bentley And The Great Debate (4/13/1961)
Bentley And The Nature Girl (4/20/1961)
Bentley’s Mad Friends (4/27/1961)
Hilda Rides Again (5/4/1961)
Kelly’s Charge Account (5/11/1961)
Bentley Builds A Pool (5/18/1961)
Bentley Slays A dragon (5/25/1961)
A Favor For Bentley (6/1/1961)
Kelly Gets A Job (6/8/1961)
Kelly’s Tangled Web (6/15/1961)
Bentley’s Barbecue (6/22/1961)
Drop That Calorie (7/6/1961)

Season 5

Kelly’s Graduation (9/21/1961)
King’s English (10/3/1961)
Rush Week (10/10/1961)
Kelly And The Free Thinker (10/17/1961)
A Party For Peter (10/24/1961)
Never Steal An Owl (10/31/1961)
Bentley’s Catered Affair (11/7/1961)
House At Smuggler’s Cove (11/14/1961)
Peter’s Punctured Wedding (11/21/1961)
Star Light, Star Not So Bright (11/28/1961)
Bentley And The Time Clock (12/5/1961)
Birth Of A Song (12/12/1961)
Deck The halls (12/19/1961)
The Law And Kelly Gregg (12/26/1961)
How To Throw Your Voice (1/2/1962)
Kelly, The Yes Man (1/9/1962)
Gold In Them Hills (1/16/1962)
How Howard Won His “C” (1/23/1962)
Pinch That Penny (1/30/1962)
Blossom Comes To Visit (2/6/1962)
Bentley And The Homebody (2/13/1962)
Summer Romance (2/20/1962)
Hong Kong Suit
Will Success Spoil Jasper? (3/6/1962)
The Twain Shall Meet (3/9/1962)
Strictly Business (3/13/1962)
On The Old Camp Ground (3/20/1962)
A Visit To The Bergens (3/27/1962)
The Richest Cat (4/3/1962)
Bentley Goes To Bat (4/17/1962)
Kelly’s Engagement (4/24/1962)
Kelly, The Home Executive (5/1/1962)
Blossom Time At The Greggs (5/8/1962)
What Men Don’t Know (5/15/1962)
Marry Thy Neighbor (5/22/1962)
Bentley Takes It Easy (5/29/1962)
Boys Will Be Boys (6/5/1962)
Divided House (6/12/1962)
Peter, The Medicine Man (6/19/1962)
Curfew Shall Not Ring Tonight (6/26/1962)

Tonight’s Partridge Family Episode Features . . .

November 7, 2016February 20, 2018 / thewritelife61 / 1 Comment

The Partridge Family (ABC) later seasons (1971 – 1974) Shown from left: (top) Brian Forster, Danny Bonaduce, Suzanne Crough; (front) David Cassidy, Shirley Jones, Susan Dey

Ask any girl who grew up in the late sixties and early seventies and they will tell you their favorite night of television was Friday. We looked forward to watching The Brady Bunch, The Partridge Family, Room 222, The Odd Couple, and Love American Style, but the first hour of the night was the only “can’t miss” one. Boys coming of age in that era might have a tough time deciding between Samantha Stevens and Jeannie, but almost every girl will tell you Keith Partridge beat out Greg Brady hands down. Like most nine-year-olds in 1970, I had a huge crush on Keith Partridge. Watching the episodes today takes me right back to that time, and I feel like a kid on Friday night again.

The Partridge Family aired from 1970-1974, and the concept was based on the Cowsills. The Cowsill family grew up in Rhode Island, and by 1967 the band consisted of siblings ages 8-19 and their mother. Although the group no longer includes all the siblings, they still tour and record.

I still enjoy watching the episodes today. Even though the show is filled with nostalgia as far as clothing and interior décor, the problems faced by the Partridge Family were primarily the same problems faced by all families with kids and many of the shows have a timeless appeal. I’m not sure that anyone not growing up during that time period realizes the impact of the Partridge Family. I still have the Partridge Family game, we had trading cards that were collected and the back of the cards put together formed a puzzle. I had paperback books featuring the Partridge Family and lots of kids had albums, lunch boxes and other collectible memorabilia. Danny is often referred to as a brat, but I like the character of Danny Partridge. Then again, I liked all the Partridge Family members.

However, what I wanted to talk about in this blog is the unbelievable guest stars that the show was able to attract. Of course, Shirley Jones was a well-liked and famous movie star and she had a lot of connections in the industry. However, the names of the people who appeared on an episode of The Partridge Family during those four short years is incredible. I counted more than 50 looking at various shows over the years. Let’s look at some of those guest stars.

Ray Bolger, the Scarecrow, and Margaret Hamilton, the wicked witch, from the Wizard of Oz both made appearances. Ray Bolger played Shirley Partridge’s father on several shows. Margaret Hamilton is Rueben’s mother.

Two Dick Van Dyke Show cast members were featured: Morey Amsterdam, Buddy Sorrel and Ann Morgan Guilbert, Milly Helper. Amsterdam provided Danny with some bad comedy material in the first season. Guilbert is married to Norman Fell in the show and they visit Shirley when their son Keith’s age develops a crush on Shirley which he mistakenly thinks is reciprocated.

In addition to Ann and Morey, there were a lot of previous sitcom stars on the show. John Astin from the Addams Family, plays an eccentric millionaire. Edgar Buchanan, Uncle Joe from Petticoat Junction, plays a judge which he also portrayed in the movie, Move Over Darling, starring Doris Day and James Garner. Rosemary DeCamp played Shirley’s mother. Rosemary had been featured on lots of tv shows. She was on Love That Bob and was Ann Marie’s mother on That Girl. Arte Johnson from Laugh-In was in two episodes, one as an artist who paints a nude on the family garage when they are out of town. Harry Morgan, a sitcom veteran, played, a man faking whiplash in the first season and appeared again in 1972 as another character. William Schallert who was Patty Lane’s father on The Patty Duke Show stars as a folk musician whose career has taken a nose dive. Ronne Troup who played Polly on My Three Sons was on the show as the fourth season began as their neighbor complains about their music.

Not only were the past tv stars featured but a lot of up and coming stars showed up. Meredith Baxter gifts a million dollars to the Partridges and they find they don’t enjoy being wealthy. Bert Convy played one of Shirley’s serious boyfriends on three shows. Norman Fell is the father of a young man who gets a crush on Shirley when she goes back to school using her maiden name. He later married Helen and was Stanley Roper on Three’s Company. Pat Harrington Jr. appeared the first season and came back as someone else three years later. While he was in hundreds of tv episodes, he is probably most often recognized as Schneider from One Day at a Time. The Partridges try to set up Ann Jillian with their delivery boy to build up his confidence. If she had dated him, she might not have ended up a waitress on It’s a Living. Gordon Jump who was a veteran tv guest star, best known as Arthur Carlson from WKRP in Cincinnati, was on seven episodes as different characters. Richard Mulligan appeared in one show as Shirley’s boyfriend but also came back for another episode two years later; we know him as Burt on Soap and Dr. Westin on Empty Nest. Annette O’Toole plays Keith’s girlfriend in the second season; later her marriage with Nash doesn’t work out on Nash Bridges. Rob Reiner, who will soon be “Meathead” on All in The Family, appears as Snake, a rough biker with a heart of gold who likes Laurie. Vic Tayback who we know best as Mel on Alice appeared as three different characters on three different shows, Nancy Walker is the mother of Shirley’s date before she was Rhoda’s mom in later years.

Three of the five Charlie’s Angels showed up on different shows: Farrah Fawcett was a “pretty girl” the kids hire to try to get Harry Morgan to reveal that his whiplash is not real. Cheryl Ladd is the popular girl Keith wants to take to the dance after promising to take Laurie’s friend. Jaclyn Smith plays the niece of Shirley’s boyfriend. When he buys her a ring for graduation, the kids assume she is his fiancé and take matters into their own hands.

We had big stars from different genres including Johnny Cash playing himself and introducing the first concert the family is performing in Vegas. Richard Pryor talks the Partridges into playing for his charity event, and Bobby Sherman plays a singer, Bobby Conway. This episode actually turned into a spinoff for a short time.

Many famous or soon-to-be-famous movie stars can be spied on episodes including Jackie Coogan who replaced Ray Bolger as Shirley’s father on two later shows. Jodie Foster and Danny have a love/hate relationship when their parents are dating. Lou Gosset Jr., producing a charity event with Richard Pryor, asks the Partridges to fill in when a group cancels. Mark Hamill is Laurie’s boyfriend before he even knew Princess Leia. Charlotte Rae, a bit out of her typical character, plays a doctor.

I could continue, but every blog has to end sometime. It is amazing how many famous people were willing to appear in a new sitcom not only once but up to seven times as seven different characters. It says a lot about the reputation of the show. Let’s finish up with some fun facts about the show.

Shirley Jones was recruited to be Carol Brady but passed and took The Partridge Family
Partridge had passed away in the first episode, but his first name is never mentioned on the show.
Rueben Kincaid’s middle name is Clarence.
When the Partridges are asked to replace another musical act for a charity event put on by Richard Pryor and Lou Gossett Jr., the group that cancelled is the Temptations.
When Laurie gets braces, she can hear radio signals in her mouth, and it interferes with her performing. The music she “hears” in her mouth is The Rolling Stones.

Trick or Treat? The Halloween Episodes of Bewitched

October 31, 2016February 19, 2018 / thewritelife61 / 6 Comments

Happy Halloween! It doesn’t seem right to discuss Halloween episodes without considering the series that made witches fun—Bewitched. During its eight years from 1964-1972, Bewitched produced five Halloween episodes. Let’s discuss each of these shows in more depth.

The Witches Are Out – 1964 (Episode 7, Season 1)

The show opens with Samantha (Elizabeth Montgomery) and three of her aunts, including Clara (Marion Lorne), in her living room complaining about humans’ tendency to portray witches as ugly old crones. Endora, (Agnes Morehead) absent, is apparently in France where she is said to spend every Halloween avoiding the holiday. Darrin (Dick York) is designing a campaign for a company that makes Halloween candy. The client, Brinkman, wants a stereotyped ugly witch for his logo. When Sam sees the sketches for the new campaign, she and Darrin have a fight. He designs a beautiful witch instead, and when the client does not like it the next day, and Darrin refuses to design a logo with an ugly witch, Larry (David White) fires him. Feeling bad about Darrin losing his job, the aunts and Samantha pay a visit to Brinkman while he is sleeping. They turn his phone into a snake, “twitch” him to a spot where he is ready to be shot by the Foreign Legion, and finally turn him into an old witch before he begs forgiveness and agrees to show them in a favorable light. The next day he has Darrin rehired and uses the beautiful witch. Things turn out great for everyone because it turns out fathers buy most of the Halloween candy, and they like the beautiful witch so sales skyrocket.

Fun Fact: This is Aunt Clara’s first appearance in the show. She mentions her door knob collection and when Brinkman wakes up the next day, all 150 of his door knobs have been taken. In real life, Marion Lorne did have a door knob collection.

Trick or Treat – 1965 (Episode 43, Season 2)

This was my favorite Halloween episode. Endora (Agnes Moorhead) wakes Sam up to tell her to be ready to go to the “sacred volcano” in four hours for Halloween. Sam refuses because they are having the Tates and a client and his wife for dinner. While they are talking later, Sam gets a box of ugly witch decorations delivered. Endora is furious thinking that it came from Darrin; actually it was sent by Larry and made by the client’s company. Endora goes to visit Darrin at work. He tells Endora he will not encourage Sam to go the volcano. Later that night as they are waiting for their company to arrive, Endora turns herself into a little girl in a gypsy costume, played by an adorable Maureen McCormick. When Darrin opens the door to give her candy, she tricks him and turns him into a werewolf. Sam immediately retrieves her mother as the little girl, and Endora pretends to forget the spell. Sam makes her sit in the den to think about it. As they are entertaining their guests, Darrin is in and out of the room, cutting his long nails when they grow, and running upstairs to shave his face and hands. When he becomes a full-blown werewolf, he goes outside to hide and runs into Larry and the client. The client loves the “costume”. When Darrin goes upstairs to “change,” Sam tells her mother that she is behaving just like the stereotype witch humans portray them as and to the one person who believes in them. Endora changes Darrin back to himself, turns back into herself, and stays for dinner.

Fun Fact: Maureen McCormick also appeared on I Dream of Jeannie and My Three Sons before becoming a regular on The Brady Bunch.

Twitch or Treat – 1966 (Episode 81, Season 3)

Endora creates a house across the street from Sam and Darrin so she can hold a Halloween party there. Darrin forbids it, so she changes the party to Sam and Darrin’s house. Uncle Arthur (Paul Lynde) arrives early and has most of the funniest lines in the show. Mrs. Kravitz (Alice Pearce) goes to spy on the house for Halloween, and Uncle Arthur twitches her back to her own front door. When she turns around, she sees a man arriving at the Stevens’ home with a cat which he changes to a beautiful woman. She calls the city councilman running for re-election to tell him there is something fishy in the neighborhood he needs to deal with. The rest of the show occurs at the party. When the councilman and his manager come to the door, Uncle Arthur has them walk through it only to be in the backyard. This happens several times and then they try a window and the same thing happens so they can’t get to the party. During their predicament, the cat/woman decides she likes Darrin and curls up at her feet and asks him to scratch behind her ears; he of course has no idea she’s a cat. The councilman finally gives up and goes home. The girlfriend is turned back into a cat at midnight. At that point, Endora recites her “The Night Before Halloween,” but Arthur keeps interrupting with funny lines, and she gets so annoyed she puts him in the middle of a fountain and takes her guests to the Riviera. One of the best moments in this show is when Sam waves and says “Hi Willie,” and we see Willie Mays across the room. Darrin, surprised and speechless, finally asks if that is indeed Willie Mays. Sam says of course, and Darrin asks if he is “you know”, and Sam says “with a career as amazing as his, could he be anything else.”

Fun Fact: Mr. and Mrs. Kravitz, played by Alice Pearce and George Tobias, played Mr. and Mrs. Fenimore in the Doris Day movie, The Glass-Bottom Boat in 1966. Paul Lynde was also in the movie. The Kravitz house on Bewitched later became the house for The Partridge Family.

The Sane and Safe Halloween – 1967 (Episode 115, Season 4)

Samantha reads Tabitha a Halloween story before bed. The Stevens have decided to raise Tabitha as a human with the same traditions and books other children her age have. When Sam leaves the room, thinking her asleep, Tabitha brings three of the book characters (an elf, a goblin, and a jack o’lantern) to life. Once again, Samantha refers to Endora being in France where she spends every Halloween. Samantha makes Tabitha a leopard costume. Across the street, Gladys Kravitz (now played by Sandra Gould because Alice Pearce died from cancer) is fixing her nephew’s costume, a jack o’lantern that is identical to the character from Tabitha’s book. She explains to him why they are not going to the Stevens’ home for candy. While Sam and Tabitha go trick or treating, the three book characters catch up to them. Thinking they are friends of Tabitha’s, Sam invites them along. At the first house, the woman handing out candy suddenly has a beard. Sam reprimands Tabitha, thinking she used her powers to do that. At the next house, someone freezes the man handing out candy and the elf grabs a bunch more. Now Sam is really mad and tells Tabitha she has to go home and right to bed. When they get home, Sam sees the open book with the characters missing and puts two and two together. She goes back to look for the characters. In the meantime, Gladys’s nephew who runs away from her sees the three characters, and they decide to play a joke by sending the other jack o’lantern back with Gladys. Sam arrives shortly after and makes all three characters go home with her. In the meantime, the jack o’lantern with Gladys throws a pie at a woman handing out dessert and Gladys takes him home. When they get home and she can’t remove his head, she gets worried. When he gets a chance he runs off. In the meantime, Sam realizes she has Gladys’s nephew. When she goes to look for the real jack o’lantern, the elf turns the nephew into a goat. Just in time, Sam gets home, has Tabitha put the three characters back in the book and then turns the goat back into a boy just as Gladys comes looking for him. Luckily, he can’t remember the evening at all.

Fun Fact: Although we never hear them, the Bewitched theme song had lyrics. Singer Steve Lawrence recorded a version of the song and lyrics.

To Trick or Treat or Not To Trick or Treat – 1969 (Episode 177, Season 6)

The show opens with Sam making final fittings to Tabitha’s princess costume. Endora pops in and gets mad when she sees witches’ costumes. Sam tells her she is heading up UNICEF in the neighborhood. Endora and Darrin get into an argument about trick or treating. Neither will give in and Darrin (now played by Dick Sargent) insults Endora. When he gets the office, he realizes that he is slowly becoming a witch. He heads home and apologizes, so Endora returns him to normal, but then he insults her again and she turns him back into a witch. Sam agrees not to trick or treat for UNICEF if Endora fixes Darrin. In the meantime, Larry is upset because their client’s wife is head of UNICEF and is mad Sam quit. Darrin tells Sam she can’t fight his battles. After Sam and Tabitha leave to trick or treat, he takes the UNICEF kids out. Sam and Tabitha see him and help out. While they are at the school UNICEF party, the client and his wife think Darrin looks so good as a witch, they want that for their new trademark. They make lotion and the witch is the “before” look. When they get home, Sam tells Endora that she’s given the stereotype witch more publicity than most people. Endora restores Darrin to normal, and Darrin introduces Sam, the “beautiful” witch to the client who likes the idea and uses the good witch as the “after” photo for their lotion. This was the weakest episode of the bunch. Apparently, the writers could not come up with a new idea because they did an almost identical writing of the first Halloween episode.

Sad Fact: Dick York had a seizure on the set on season five. He had excruciating back pain from an injury he sustained making a movie in the 1950s. He stepped down from the show, never received royalties from reruns, and died on welfare. When Dick Sargent replaced him, the show never referred to Uncle Arthur, Aunt Clara, or the Kravitzes again.

The first four Halloween Bewitched episodes are treats and well worth watching. The last episode is a trick, and like the series itself the last three years, is tired and lacking interest. Skip that show and watch The Glass-Bottom Boat instead. If you’re looking for an unusual theme party, play the episodes that feature Uncle Arthur and use the best one-liners as part of your menu and decorations.

See you in November.

thewritelife61

How pop culture influences us

Author: thewritelife61