Buddy Ebsen: From The Tin Man to King of the Hill

December 25, 2023November 20, 2022 / thewritelife61 / 2 Comments

As we wind up our blog series, “Time for Some Texas Tea,” we are also reading the last blog of the year. We have been learning about the careers of several actors who appeared on The Beverly Hillbillies and today we have saved Buddy Ebsen who had the most successful career of the cast.

Ebsen was born Christian Ludolf Ebsen Jr. in 1908 in Illinois. He was the only son of four children born to his parents who had immigrated from Germany. His father was a choreographer and owned a dance studio. He was also a physical fitness advocate and operated a gym for the local school district. His mother was a painter.

When Buddy was ten, his family moved to Florida for this mother’s health, eventually ending up in Orlando where he took dance at his father’s studio. Ebsen was a member of the swim team all four years and became a Florida State Champion. He graduated in 1926. Originally, he chose a career in medicine and attended the University of Florida at Gainesville. He transferred to Rollins College in Winter Park for a year to be closer to home and save money. They had no science courses, so his mom suggested he take an acting class. When the Florida land boom crashed, Ebsen could no longer afford his tuition and he had to drop out.

He moved to New York City and worked at a soda fountain to get by. Ebsen began his career in the entertainment industry as a dancer. He and his sister were known as The Baby Astaires and they performed in supper clubs and on vaudeville. They were booked at the Palace Theater in New York City after Walter Winchell saw them perform in Atlantic City and gave them a rave review.

In 1933 Buddy married Ruth Cambridge; their marriage ended in divorce in 1945 after having two daughters.

His first film was Broadway Melody of 1936. In that same year, he danced with Shirley Temple in Captain January. In 1938 he appeared with Judy Garland as his dance partner. Walt Disney brought Ebsen in to be filmed dancing in front of a grid so the animators could use it to draw the Silly Symphonie with Mickey Mouse.

MGM offered Buddy an exclusive contract but he turned it down, and Louis Mayer told him he would never work in Hollywood again. In 1939 the same MGM cast him as the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz. Ebsen and Ray Bolger swapped roles and Buddy became the Tin Man. He recorded the songs, went through all the rehearsals, and then began filming the movie. He began experiencing body aches, cramps, and shortness of breath which eventually landed him in the hospital. Doctors diagnosed him with an allergy to the aluminum dust in the makeup, and he had to give up the role and was replaced by Jack Haley.

Ebsen took up sailing after he recovered and learned it so well that he taught it to naval officer candidates. He was turned down every time he tried to enlist in the Navy. The US Coast Guard did accept his application, and he was made a lieutenant, junior grade. He served on the USS Pocatello which was a weather ship, recording weather 1500 miles west of Seattle. He was honorably discharged in 1946.

Ebsen received permission from the Pocatello’s commanding officer to bring aboard costumes, props, and musical instruments. He wrote, cast, and directed vaudeville shows, concerts, and plays while on the sea. Rehearsals were held in the cramped steering room.

In 1945, Ebsen married fellow lieutenant Nancy Wolcott. They had four daughters and a son. Their marriage lasted 39 years but also ended in divorce.

In 1949, he made his television debut on The Chevrolet Tele-Theater. During the fifties, he continued to make films and to appear on television series.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s Photo: pinterest.com

During the decade of the sixties, he was very busy in both mediums. He made four big-screen films including Breakfast at Tiffany’s. He appeared primarily on television, with appearances on a variety of shows including Maverick, The Twilight Zone, The Andy Griffith Show, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, and Rawhide.

From 1962-71, Buddy became Jed Clampett, the head of the family who moves them to Beverly Hills after they earn millions from oil on their Tennessee land. The critics did not like The Beverly Hillbillies one bit. However, the viewers made the number one show several times. I have to side with the critics. Although the show still had high ratings in 1971, it was canceled by the network because they wanted to move their shows in a more “urban” direction.

Nancy Kulp seemed to be close to most of the cast especially Irene Ryan as Granny and Raymond Bailey, and Ebsen seemed to be close to most of the cast, especially Donna Douglas and Max Baer. However, Kulp and Ebsen were definitely not close. He was very much a conservative and she was decidedly liberal. Donna Douglas related that “they had a different view, so they had some heated discussions about that. They would go on for weeks.” In 1994, Kulp ran for US House of Representatives in her native Pennsylvania. Ebsen not only supported her opponent, he offered to make commercials talking about how liberal she was. He had no connection with Pennsylvania at the time. She claims he was just being spiteful, and he claims she did not know the issues.

After the cancellation of The Beverly Hillbillies, Ebsen appeared in Hawaii Five-0 and then in quite a run of made-for-television movies. In 1973, Buddy was offered his second starring role in a show as Barnaby Jones, a detective who comes out of retirement to investigate the death of his son. Lee Meriwether played his widowed daughter-in-law Betty. Barnaby Jones stayed out of retirement until 1980 when the show was canceled. The show was still receiving decent ratings, but Buddy decided he was ready for retirement.

When asked about Ebsen, Meriwether said, “He really worked at being at the top of his game. You had to keep up with him. I adored him. I think he had feelings for me too.” She later said that “he loved the idea of being a detective. We had CSI-type equipment in the office on the set and he liked doing his own tests.”

Despite a rumored relationship with Meriwether, in 1985, Ebsen married his third wife, Dorothy Knott, and they remained together until his death.

Except for a few credits here and there, Ebsen did not have a lot of acting credits after the mid-eighties. He did accept a recurring role on Matt Houston during season three of that show when he played Matt’s uncle for 22 episodes.

His last movie was a cameo in the big-screen film, The Beverly Hillbillies, and he played Barnaby Jones. His last acting role as a person was Burke’s Law in 1994. His last television appearance was a voice only for King of the Hill in 1999.

In addition to sailing, Ebsen had a lot of other interests. He was an avid coin collector. He also wrote several novels and books. He also released three albums, The Beverly Hillbillies with Irene Ryan in 1993, Buddy’s Originals in 2001, and Buddy Ebsen Says Howdy in 2003.

If that was not enough, he played the guitar, golfed, rode horses, painted, gardened, fished, and traveled.

Ebsen passed away in 2003. His Coast Guard papers are stored at the US Coast Guard Historian’s Office in Washington DC.

Many of the rest of his records were given to the University of Wyoming American Heritage Center by his wife after he passed away. The gift included papers from all stages of his career, artwork created by him, his sailing trophies, and athletic medals among other items. The AHC has a large Hollywood and entertainment collection.

In October of 2022, a new exhibit was unveiled, “The Entertaining Life of Buddy Ebsen.” He certainly did have an entertaining life. While Jed Clampett made him famous, his career was much more interesting than that one role.

Thanks for getting to know Buddy Ebsen better and for taking this journey in 2023 to learn more about classic television and all the people who were important in that evolution.

Irene Ryan: Beverly Hills Granny

December 18, 2023November 20, 2022 / thewritelife61 / 2 Comments

As we continue “Time for Some Texas Tea,” we are learning about the career of Irene Ryan today. Born Jessie Irene Noblitt in 1902 in Texas, Ryan had a varied career, appearing in vaudeville, film, radio, Broadway, and television. Irene’s father was an Army sergeant who grew up in North Carolina, and her mother grew up in Ireland. Her only sibling, Anna, was seventeen years older than her. A couple of years after she was born, the family moved to California.

Ryan was destined to be a star. When she was eleven, she was paid $3 for singing “Pretty Baby” in a contest in San Francisco. When she was fourteen, she lied about her age and began working for a stock company after two years of high school. She never did graduate.

At age twenty she married Tim Ryan who was a comedian and writer. They performed together in vaudeville and were known as “Tim and Irene.” When vaudeville died, the couple got their own radio program that was also called “Tim and Irene.” Between 1935 and 1937, they made eleven short comedies for Educational Pictures. She played the flighty wife (was there any other kind of wife in the 1930s? Not according to film and later television). The duo substituted for Jack Benny in The Jell-o Summer Show for NBC’s red network in 1936.

Photo: Texas, Brooklyn and Heaven 1948 Photo: wikipedia.com

In 1941, Ryan was in her first film, Melody for Three. She would also be in Bonzo Goes to College and Mighty Joe Young.

The couple divorced in 1942, twenty years after they married; they had no children. Irene toured with Bob Hope during WWII and was featured on his radio show for two years. Tim had a busy big-screen career, and the two of them were in four films together. Before he passed away, Tim appeared in 152 films, including From Here to Eternity, Mr. and Mrs. North, and The Stratton Story.

In 1946, Irene (who continued to use “Ryan” as her stage name) married Harold E. Knox. He was involved in film production. They stayed together for 15 years before divorcing.

While she continued making films, Irene also kept a hand in radio. She joined the cast of “The Jack Carson Show” as a neighborhood store owner running a candy store and lending library. She appeared in 30 films in the forties and fifties.

Her first television role came about in 1955 on The Danny Thomas Show. During the rest of the decade, she could be seen in five additional series.

Her last film role was for Desire in the Dust in 1960. From then on she only worked in television. During that decade she had spots on My Three Sons, Wagon Train and Mister Ed among others.

However, in 1962, she was offered the role that made her famous: Granny on The Beverly Hillbillies. As Daisy Moses, Jed’s mother-in-law, she moved with the family from Tennessee to Beverly Hills where she continued the way of life that she lived before. When she showed up for her audition with her hair in a bun and her feisty attitude, everyone knew they had found Granny.

Her role as Granny earned her Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy in 1963 and 1964. She lost to Shirley Booth for Hazel in ’63 and Mary Tyler Moore for The Dick Van Dyke Show in ’64.

Like the Clampetts, Irene also enjoyed being outside and enjoying nature. She owned a summer cottage on Clark Lake in Jackson County, Michigan. Also, a la Granny Clampett, Irene released a cookbook called Granny’s Hillbilly Cookbook and actually included a recipe for possum. The cast mentioned that she used to put on a very large Christmas feast for them around the holidays.

In the late sixties and early seventies, Irene was a celebrity panelist on Password.

After the Rural Purge we have discussed so many times when the show was ended, Ryan starred as Berthe in “Pippin” on Broadway, directed by Bob Fosse in 1972. She was nominated for a Tony but lost to Patricia Elliott for a “Little Night Music.”

Her last acting credit was for Love American Style in 1972. Ryan was a heavy smoker and her castmates had all worried about her. In 1973, she suffered a stroke while performing on Broadway. She was diagnosed with a brain tumor and she passed away in April of 1973 at age 70. She did not die from cancer but from the tumor and heart disease.

Since she had no children, the year before she died, Ryan set up the Irene Ryan Scholarships Foundation through the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. She had built up a considerable fortune, investing wisely and saving much of her money, and these are still being given out today. Ryan mentioned that her role of Granny allowed her to walk around freely without being recognized when she was not made up to be an elderly person. She embraced the role of Granny and even included the word on her tombstone. Irene acknowledged that she had never been a big star in the entertainment world, but she said that “I loved show business, every minute of it. Why? To really love show business, you have to be OF it, not just IN it. That’s me honey, I’m OF it.” I guess it is similar to writing. You’re not just doing it, you are it. And the fact that she could follow her passion and still be free to be herself off the set without being recognized was an added bonus. She was generous with her talent, with her time for her castmates, and for the up and coming actors who are still benefiting from her sharing her wealth today.

Raymond Bailey: Banking On a Starring Role

December 11, 2023November 19, 2022 / thewritelife61 / 3 Comments

This month’s blog series is “Time for Some Texas Tea.” We are learning about some of the stars of The Beverly Hillbillies. Today we are banking on getting to know Milburn Drysdale, also known as Raymond Bailey.

Bailey was born Raymond Thomas Bailey in 1934 in San Francisco, California. When he was only a teenager he made the trek to Hollywood to try his hand at acting. He had a tougher time breaking into the business and worked a lot of odd jobs including day laborer in a silent movie theater where he was fired after sneaking into a mob scene which I found pretty funny and creative. He also worked as a stockbroker and a banker which would come in handy later in his career.

When things did not seem to be working out, he moved to New York City. He had no better luck on the east coast than on the west coast, so he joined the crew as a merchant seaman and toured the world, including China, Japan, the Philippines, the Mediterranean, and Hawaii. While in Hawaii, he also worked on a pineapple plantation, acted in the community theater, and sang for a local radio station.

He decided to give Hollywood a second chance in 1938, and he actually began getting some small movie parts. His first credited role was in SOS Tidal Wave. He was Mr. West in The Green Hornet in 1940. He appeared in 30 movies before Pearl Harbor was struck. When the US entered WWII, he joined the US Merchant Marine. After his time was up, he returned to Hollywood.

In 1951, Bailey married Gaby George and they would remain married until his death. I could not learn much about Gaby, but she was born in another country, and they were married in Manhattan. I’m not sure if she came here earlier in her life or met Bailey while he was traveling the world. She would have been 37 when they married, and I believe she received naturalization papers when she was 55.

The Alfred Hitchcock Show “Breakdown” Photo: completehitchcock.com

Raymond continued receiving big-screen roles, and in 1952 he had his first television appearance in Tales of Tomorrow as Congressman Burns. He appeared in forty-six additional series during the decade of the fifties, including The Donna Reed Show, Jack Benny, Burns and Allen, Gunsmoke, and Private Secretary. His movie career continued with roles in 26 films including Sabrina, Picnic, King Creole, and Vertigo. In the mid-fifties, he also explored Broadway with roles in four plays.

While Bailey didn’t abandon his film career, the sixties found him on the small screen the majority of the time. In the early sixties, he could be seen on a variety of shows including Lassie, The Ann Sothern Show, Bachelor Father, Perry Mason, Bonanza, My Three Sons, and Mister Ed. In 1961, he was offered his first regular role as Mr. Beaumont on My Sister Eileen. He appeared in 25 of the 27 episodes of the show.

In 1962 he was offered the role he would become a household name for: Milton Drysdale on The Beverly Hillbillies. His time as a banker helped him manage millions of dollars in the Clampett accounts. Much to his wife’s chagrin, Drysdale talks the Clampetts into buying the mansion right next to his so he can keep a better eye on them and their money. He was their mentor as they adjusted from country life to city life as much as they could adjust.

Unfortunately, Bailey developed Alzheimer’s, and the symptoms began just as the show was ending. The Beverly Hillbillies was canceled during the “Rural Purge” when all country-related shows were ended by the network in 1971. After the series was canceled, Ray only had two acting credits; they were both in Disney movies that came out in the mid-seventies: Herbie Rides Again and The Strongest Man in the World.

Baily then became a bit of a recluse until his death in 1980 from a heart attack. It sounds like the only non-family member he kept in touch with was Nancy Kulp who played his secretary Jane on The Beverly Hillbillies.

It was fun to learn more about the career of Raymond Bailey. He certainly defined the word “perseverance.” I’m glad he was able to do what he had a passion for. It would have been interesting to see how he would have done in another comedy series. His Alzheimer’s diagnosis probably ended his career twenty years earlier than it would have. It sounds like he found love and a fulfilling career and that is certainly a success no matter what your profession is.

Donna Douglas: Southern Girl at Heart

December 4, 2023November 19, 2022 / thewritelife61 / 2 Comments

The Beverly Hillbillies' Star Donna Douglas Dies - ABC News — Photo: abcnews.com

This month’s blog series is “Time for Some Texas Tea,” stars of The Beverly Hillbillies. We begin our series with Elly May Clampett, played by Donna Douglas. Born Doris Ione Smith in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1932, Douglas’s upbringing could not have prepared her for her most famous role of Elly May Clampett any better, because she was a tomboy and loved animals. She had eight male cousins, and she wore their hand-me-downs, went fishing with them, and pitched on an all-boy softball team. In high school, she played softball and basketball, but did switch to cheerleading as she got older. Like many of her classmates during that era, she married shortly after high school. After she had a son, she and her husband Roland Bourgeois divorced three years after their wedding.

Donna won Miss Baton Rouge and Miss New Orleans. She then made the move to New York. She was offered a job as an illustration model for toothpaste ads. She began taking acting lessons while in the city.

In 1958, at age 27 she began her television career. That year she would appear on The Phil Silvers Show, but she was credited with the name Doris Bourgeois, her married name. In 1959 she would appear on The Steve Allen Show, Tightrope, US Marshal, and Bachelor Father.

Her movie career began the same year. She appeared in Career and would go on to show up in six movies before 1970 including Bells Are Ringing, Lover Come Back, and Frankie and Johnny which she starred in with Elvis Presley. Although they remained friends, and Elvis once visited the cast when they were in Memphis filming, I read a few different sources that relate that Donna fell in love with Elvis and was heartbroken he did not feel the same way. Her last big-screen appearance in 2013, Chronicles of Life Trials, was also her last acting credit of her professional life.

With the debut of the sixties, her career took off, and she received roles on twenty television shows in the first half of the decade. You can catch her in a variety of series including Route 66, The Sunset Strip, Hennessey, Pete and Gladys, Dr. Kildare, Jack Benny, Mister Ed, and The Joey Bishop Show.

Alan Hale Jr. (Skipper), and Donna Douglas (Ellymay) once played a married couple on "Mr. Ed" : r/mildlyinteresting — With Alan Hale Jr. on *Mister Ed* Photo: reddit.com

She had a recurring role on Checkmate in 1961 as Barbara Simmons. The plot of the show was that two friends, Don Corey (Anthony George) and Jed Sills (Doug McClure) operate a high-priced detective agency called Checkmate, Inc. in San Francisco. A British criminologist, a former Oxford professor named Carl Hyatt (Sebastian Cabot) helps them.

Photo of Donna Douglas and William D. Gordon The Twilight Zone image 1 — Photo: etsy.com

In 1960 and 1962 she was in The Twilight Zone in two memorable appearances: I remember watching “Eye of the Beholder” when I was younger and the horror of watching it never left me. In the episode, Douglas is a patient in a hospital having plastic surgery to make her more beautiful. The tension is built as they get ready to unwrap her face. You hear the nurses and doctors talking, but no one’s face can be seen After reminding her that the surgery was not guaranteed to be successful, they finally remove the bandages. We suddenly see the beautiful Donna Douglas. A nurse hands her a mirror and Douglas screams hysterically. Then things move back in the shot and as we see the medical personnel around her, we see they look a bit hideous in our standards, and Donna is devastated that she has to remain so “ugly.”

Donna Douglas, Elly May On 'The Beverly Hillbillies,' Dies At 81 | KUNR — Photo: kunr.com

In 1962, Paul Henning was developing a new show about a group of hillbillies who strike oil and move to Beverly Hills to buy a mansion and live the good life. They have a hard time adjusting to the California lifestyle and being millionaires. Douglas beat out hundreds of actresses to get the part of Elly May.

Donna said that she was never allowed to change her lines in the script and that now actors have that freedom, but back then producers were in charge instead of the actors.

Douglas received more fan mail than any other cast member on The Beverly Hillbillies, and she spent hours autographing photos and responding to her fans.

Apart from the spat between Nancy Kulp and Buddy Ebsen later in life, the cast of the show was very close. Douglas, Baer, and Ebsen attended Ryan’s memorial service. Irene Ryan put on a huge Christmas spread for the show’s cast and their families every year.

Donna Douglas, aka May Clampett, Has Died — With Max Baer Photo: kroc-am.com

Douglas and Max Baer Jr. remained close friends for the rest of their lives Baer said “I spoke to her on a semi-regular basis. We weren’t the kind of people who would text, but we would call each other when there was something to share.” During the time of her death, one of Donna’s comments was, “Tell Maxie I thought I was going to get better.”

Max and Donna both visited Ebsen the week before he died, and Douglas gave a eulogy at his funeral. Later, when she discussed their relationship, she said he “was a wonderful man very much like my own father, a quiet, reserved, and caring person.”

After The Beverly Hillbillies was canceled, Donna took on a few roles in the seventies and could be seen on Night Gallery, Love American Style, Adam 12, and McMillan and Wife. During this decade she also tried marriage again with Robert Leeds, who had been the director for The Beverly Hillbillies. They married in 1971 and divorced in 1980. We only see Douglas once in the eighties on The Nanny, where she played herself.

Donna had two issues affecting her offers for television roles. After portraying Elly May Clampett for nine years, she was typecast in the role and her religious beliefs prevented her from appearing in anything in bad taste, immoral, or with nudity. She said she only wanted to do high-quality work and many of the scripts did not meet that criterion for her.

Ken Turner and Donna Douglas - Ken Turner and Donna Douglas - Here Come the Critters - Amazon.com Music

After her acting career, Douglas transitioned into gospel singing, real estate, and motivational speaking. She did not do much with her realty work, because she said while she told her clients all the things that were good about the homes, she also felt it necessary to tell them all the things that were bad about them which was not part of the corporate culture in LA at that time. She did perform frequently as a gospel singer and often gave talks for church youth groups, camps, and colleges. She recorded her first gospel album in 1982. Her gospel albums included “Back on the Mountain” and “Donna Douglas Sings Gospel I & II.” She also released several country records. This same year Donna enrolled at Rhema Bible Training Center in Broken Arrow, OK; she graduated in 1984 with a children’s ministry degree.

Douglas also penned a few books. She wrote Donna’s Critters and Kids: Children’s Stories with a Bible Touch and had an accompanying coloring book. In 2011 she wrote Miss Donna’s Mulberry Acres Farm. In 2013, she released a cookbook, Southern Favorites with a Taste of Hollywood. She included recipes from some of her acting friends including Max Baer, Pat Boone, Buddy Ebsen, Loretta Lynn, Gavin MacLeod, Dolly Parton, and Debbie Reynolds.

Amazon.com: Barbie Collector Beverly Hillbillies Ellie May Doll : Toys & Games

In a 2003 interview with “Confessions of a Pop Culture Addict,” she discussed her role of Elly May: “Elly May was like a slice out of my life. She is a wonderful little door opener for me because people love her, and they love the Hillbillies. Even to this day, it’s shown every day somewhere. But, as with any abilities, she may open a door for you, but you have to have substance or integrity to advance you through that door.” Donna also made the rounds for several fan conventions for the Beverly Hillbillies.

In 2011, Donna sued Mattel when they released an Elly May Barbie doll without her permission to use her likeness. It was settled behind closed doors, but you can still find the doll which came out in 2010 with a Samantha doll from Bewitched and a Jeannie doll from I Dream of Jeannie.

Donna also enjoyed gardening, responding to fan mail, and spending time with her friends and family. She moved back to Baton Rouge in 2005, and in 2015, she died from pancreatic cancer.

Some people might consider her career unlucky after the Beverly Hillbillies, because she was not able to attain the roles she really wanted to do. However, she was able to create new goals for herself, try out different careers in which she became successful.

Donna Douglas - Turner Classic Movies — Photo: tcm.com

As her life was moving from middle to older age, she was able to return home and spend the rest of the years in the place she loved and the place where her roots were. I think that is a successful and healthy life. She also chose to help raise money for charities and give back when she could have justified just enjoying her private life.

She is a great role model for all of us: strive for your dreams, adjust life when necessary, do your very best, give back to others, and remember where you came from. Pretty good advice and she walked the talk! Thank you for being you, Donna Douglas.

Murphy Brown: FYI

November 27, 2023November 27, 2023 / thewritelife61 / 2 Comments

As we wind up our “Work It Out” blog series, we finish with a working crew that was very close on and off the set, a television show about a television show, Murphy Brown.

Created by Diane English, the show aired on CBS in the fall of 1988 and ran for a decade. In 2018, a reboot of the original cast had a one-season run of 13 new episodes when we got to catch up on life with the characters.

Murphy Brown is about an investigative journalist, Murphy Brown (Candice Bergman), who works for the news show FYI. I can’t imagine anyone other than Bergen in the role, but English had to fight hard for her because CBS president Kim LeMasters wanted Heather Locklear to have the role.

She is a recovering alcoholic and has a quick wit. Murphy strongly advocates for the integrity of journalism, the unjustness that can be found in politics, and feminist rights. One of her well-known frustrations is that she was so hard on secretaries, they never lasted long and we saw a long string of them come and go during the ten years. Murphy would have 93 of them during the show. One of the best secretary scenes was when Marcia Wallace who played Carol on The Bob Newhart Show worked for her. Murphy finally found a secretary that she loved and then at the end of the show, Bob Newhart appeared as Dr. Hartley and begged Carol to return to work, so she did. In one episode, Murphy finds out that there is actually a support group made up of her former secretaries.

Rounding out the cast was Jim Dial (Charles Kimbrough) who tends to live in the past a bit, Frank Fontana (Joe Regalbuto), Murphy’s best friend, who calls her “Murph.” He is a great reporter but is also a bit insecure. There is a running gag that the producer make him wear a toupee which he hates. Miles Silverberg (Grant Shaud) is that producer; he’s a Harvard grad and overachiever and doesn’t bond with the cast right away. Corky Sherwood (Faith Ford) is a former Miss America. She and Murphy don’t hit it off immediately, but Murphy learns to respect her during the run of the show, and they also become very close. Murphy’s other “person” is Eldin Bernecky (Robert Pastorelli). Eldin is a house painter; he worked around her house for six seasons and he gave her lots of advice and becomes like a brother to her. Then there is Phil (Pat Corley) who owns Phil’s Bar where the crew congregates. The bar is said to be a Washington DC institution and has its share of political knowledge and secrets.

We also get to know (1) Avery Brown (Colleen Dewhurst), Murphy’s mom who is a museum curator. When Dewhurst died in 1991, the producers had Murphy’s mom pass away as well. Murphy named her son Avery. (2) Bill Brown (Darren McGavin), Murphy’s dad, a newspaper publisher. He married a yoga teacher younger than Murphy. Dewhurst won two Emmys for her appearances on this show, and McGavin was nominated in 1990. (3) Audrey Cohen (Jane Leeves) is Miles’ girlfriend for seasons 2-5, but their relationship ended when she took the role of Daphne on Frasier.

In 1991, Murphy became pregnant. The father is her on-again, off-again ex-husband. He does not want to get tied down raising a baby, so Murphy becomes a single parent. One fun scene was Murphy’s baby shower which included several famous guests including Katie Couric, Joan Lunden, Paula Zahn, Mary Alice Williams, and Faith Daniels, all well-known news journalists. Baby Avery was played by Haley Joel Osment. Osment would grow up to play roles in more than 100 movies and television series including Forest Gump, The Sixth Sense, and Thunder Alley where he played Harry Turner.

In the revival, Murphy comes out of retirement to go on the air for a show called “Murphy in the Morning.” She brings back her colleagues Frank and Corky and has Miles produce it. Jim meets them once in a while but chooses to stay in retirement. Pat Patel (Nik Dodani) is their social media manager. Murphy’s son Avery (Jake McDorman), who was a baby when the show ended, has his own news show that competes with his mom but the two of them are very close. Murphy is a die-hard liberal and her son is much more conservative. Phil’s bar is still the place to hang out, but it is now run by Phil’s sister Phyllis (Tyne Daly).

Mother and son don’t see eye to eye often. Photo: variety.com

The original show was loved by critics from the beginning, but it took longer to establish an audience. In the third season, it became a top-ten hit and was number three the next year. The show was nominated for 62 Emmys and won 18. After Bergen won five, she declined to be nominated any longer.

By the ninth season, ratings were declining. Shaud left the show and Lily Tomlin took over his role as executive producer Kay Carter-Shepley. For the last season, Murphy is diagnosed with breast cancer. Bergen was presented with an award from the American Cancer Society because there was a 30% increase in the number of women getting mammograms.

Unfortunately, you cannot buy the DVD set to watch. I read that the first season did not sell as well as expected, so they stopped releasing them. However, the music used in the series seems to be the primary reason. The show used a lot of Motown classics that resulted in astronomical licensing fees for every episode and costs were prohibitive for DVDs.

Although this was a well-written show, the then-current political references do date it a bit, but then again, that was part of the show’s mission, so it’s hard to have it both ways. While I appreciate this show, if I’m going to watch a series about a group of coworkers, I would probably gravitate to The Mary Tyler Moore Show or M*A*S*H but Murphy Brown would definitely be in my top ten work shows.

Taxi: The Hip Fleet of Sunshine Cab Co.

November 20, 2023November 5, 2023 / thewritelife61 / 2 Comments

As we continue with our “Work It Out” blog series, today we are taking a long ride with Taxi. This show was created for ABC by James L. Brooks, Stan Daniels, David Davis, and Ed Weinberger and produced by John Charles Walters Co. The show was apparently inspired by an article in The New Yorker, “Night Shifting for the Hip Fleet” by Mark Jacobson in 1975. The article profiled several drivers who worked the night shift for a New York cab company. Taxi was in business from the Fall of 1978 to the Spring of 1982 on ABC and then drove over to NBC for a year.

The show is set primarily at the Sunshine Cab Company in Manhattan. Louie De Palma (Danny DeVito) is the dispatcher that everyone loves to hate. Brooks said that when they went to visit a company as the night drivers were just coming back from their shifts, they saw a dispatcher taking a bribe from a driver for a clean cab. That gave them the idea of Louis. DeVito described Louie as someone who “made life miserable for everyone. The manifestation of what was going on inside of him came out in a mean-spirited way to those around him. Deep down he just wanted people to love him.”

Drivers included Alex Reiger (Judd Hirsch) who considers cab driver his profession as opposed to a temporary get-by job. Elaine Nardo (Marilu Henner) is a single mother who also works at an art gallery. In the first episode when Elaine is hired, Reiger introduces the crew by saying, “You see that guy over there? Now he’s an actor. The guy on the phone? He’s a prize fighter. This lady here: She’s a beautician. The guy behind her? He’s a writer. Me? I’m a cab driver. I’m the only cab driver in this place.”

Tony Banta (Tony Danza) a boxer, and Bobby Wheeler (Jeff Conaway) a struggling actor are other coworkers. We also get to know the Reverend Jim Ignatowski (Christopher Lloyd), an aging hippie who gets a job driving and Latka Gravas (Andy Kaufman), an immigrant mechanic. Latka was a weird character, and I have to say that I did not enjoy him on the show. Andy Kaufman invented the character for a comedy act. During the show, he met and married Simka (Carol Kane).

The person who probably had the easiest audition was Danza. He said that when he went to read for the show, he had broken his third metacarpal on his right hand and had a black eye from knocking out a guy in the ring in Brooklyn. He had never acted before and didn’t really know what he was doing.

Although the show was a sitcom, there were a lot of important issues tackled during the run of the show including addiction, parenthood, obesity, animal abuse, homosexuality, racism, gambling, grief, divorce, and sexual harassment, among others.

This show had more than its share of important guest stars. Ruth Gordon and Eileen Brennan both were nominated for Emmys for their guest appearances, with Gordon winning hers. Other stars who showed up included Marcia Wallace, Penny Marshall, Dr. Joyce Brothers, Edwin Newman, George Wendt, Ted Danson, Tom Selleck, Tom Hanks, and Bubba Smith.

Brooks wrote for The Simpsons and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Daniels also wrote for The Mary Tyler Moore Show and was best known for The Tonight Show. Davis was one of the writers behind The Bob Newhart Show and Weinberger would go on to write for The Cosby Show. It was no surprise that this show was known for its amazing writing, and the series was nominated for 31 Emmys during its five seasons, it won 18 of them, most impressively it won Outstanding Comedy in 1979, 1980, and 1981. Kane, Hirsch, DeVito, and Lloyd and all won Emmys for acting. James Burrows won two for directing.

Taxi had one of the most-recognized theme songs from the 1980s. “Angela” was written and performed by Bob James.

I did not hear much about conflict on the set, although several performers, including Hirsch, indicated they did not care much for Kaufman. Kaufman had it written in his contract that he only work two days a week, so for most of the filming a guy with a sign around his neck that said “Andy” worked with the cast, so I don’t think there was necessarily a lot of bonding with him anyway.

Conaway was fired after 69 episodes. It was apparently well-known that he had a major addiction problem, and when one of the producers discovered him passed out when he was supposed to be filming, they wrote him out of the episode and then wrote him out of the show.

The cast seemed very happy and like a family. Henner said that they could always express an opinion about their character and thoughts on a scene. Brooks said Burrows was able to bridge the two worlds of writers and actors. He spent time with actors all day and then went to the writers’ room to talk to them and was the liason between the two. Henner agreed and said that Burrows was brilliant at adding memorable moments to a scene. She said in one episode she was losing her mind a bit and someone says the champagne is flat and the producer had her bend over and blow bubbles in the glass. She said it was brilliant.

DeVito also mentioned a scene that was special for him. One night when Louie was all alone in the garage, he took out the mic and sang a song. Then he said, “I always wanted to do that.” It was a very heart-warming moment and made Louie more interesting and gave him more depth.

Burrows said that most of the cast was young and they all bonded so well. Sometimes they went roller skating, to dances, and they even had a softball team. Rhea Perlman was on the show off and on and during one of their lunch breaks, she and DeVito got married.

Henner talked about their weekly parties. She said everyone at Paramount wanted to hang out with them including the cast of Happy Days, Mork & Mindy, Laverne & Shirley, and Bosom Buddies. She said that John Travolta and Frances Ford Coppola stopped by. John Belushi hung out with DeVito a lot and was there for one of their get-togethers and he died the next day.

Hirsch said the group wanted something to do after the show because they didn’t want to go home; they wanted to hang out together more than anything else.

Brooks probably summed up the show the most eloquently. He said that “there’s a lot of things that take a glow in retrospect. The great thing about Taxi was that there wasn’t a moment on the show they didn’t appreciate how lucky there were to have it. That was the show’s energy. I’ve never seen anything like it. . . People show up at the right time and everyone’s lucky enough to have each other at a certain point. It becomes a beautiful team sport.”

Isn’t that the best tribute anyone could give a show? I’m glad they all had an appreciation for it, and I’m glad they included us in their family.

Empty Nest: These Birds Kept Flying Home

November 13, 2023November 5, 2023 / thewritelife61 / 2 Comments

This month we are looking at sitcoms dealing with careers in our “Work It Out” series. Today I also am learning a lot about a show that I thought was okay but had a big following and was quite popular for seven seasons: Empty Nest.

This show was produced by Witt/Thomas/Harris Productions, the same team that produced Benson which we learned about last week. It was a spin-off of The Golden Girls which also was produced by the group. However, it is a stretch to connect the original episode and this series. In 1987 George (Paul Dooley) and Renee (Rita Moreno) were a couple who lived next to the Girls. They were suffering from Empty Nest Syndrome after their daughter (Jane Hamick) left for college and their son (Geoffrey Lewis) lived on his own. They had a neighbor Oliver (David Leisure).

Rita did not think the show was very well written. She said Susan Harris was ill at the time. The Corliss house and neighbor was about the only thing that was included in the new show.

On Empty Nest, Dr. Harry Weston (Richard Mulligan) is a widowed pediatrician. His two adult daughters Barbara (Kristy McNichol) and Carol (Dinah Manoff) move back in with him. Rounding out the cast was neighbor Charley (David Leisure) and Weston’s nurse Laverne (Park Overall). Carol is the oldest and had gone through a bad divorce. Barbara was the middle child and was a tough, undercover cop. Their youngest sister Emily was off at college and never seen in the first three seasons. When McNichol left the show early in the fifth season, Emily (Lisa Rieffel) moved back home but she left after that year, and for the final two seasons, only Carol remained at home, although McNichol did return for the finale. Charley bonded with Harry and considered him a surrogate father figure. Their dog Dreyfuss (Bear) also lived with the crew.

Bear’s father was a Golden Retriever mix and his mother was a St. Bernard. Bear’s entire family was in show business. His father was in Father Murphy and Summer Rental with John Candy. His brother was in both Steel Magnolias and The Bodyguard. His children continued the tradition taking roles in several movies including Homeward Bound II. Mulligan and Bear were close. Richard would greet him every morning and give him a treat.

The cast was well aware of each other before working together. McNichol had worked with Manoff who played her friend on Family earlier in the 80s. Mulligan had played Manoff’s father on Soap. Mulligan and McNichol worked together on The Love Boat. And, McNichol and Leisure were in the movie You Can’t Hurry Love in 1988.

The reason this show is considered in this month’s blog is that a lot of the show revolved around Harry’s medical practice. He worked at a hospital for the first five seasons with his nurse Laverne. The two are good friends. For the final two seasons, Harry retires and then decides to help out an inner city clinic run by Dr. Maxine Douglas (Marsha Warfield). When Laverne is fired by Harry’s replacement, he hires her at the clinic.

Some notable guest stars who showed up along the way included Don Adams, Diana Muldaur, Loni Anderson, Mayim Bialik, Angie Dickinson, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Shirley Jones, Audrey Meadows, and Doris Roberts.

The theme song was “Life Goes On,” written by John Bettis and George Tipton; it was performed by Billy Vera.

Critics liked the show. In 1988, TV Guide said “it’s a simple premise, but it’s vintage Harris and like everything else she does, Empty Nest has been meticulously thought out and superbly cast. Each of the regulars is carefully drawn, consistently realized . . . as for Empty Nest, it’s warm and entertaining comedy . . if you like the humor in Golden Girls, you’ll enjoy Empty Nest. And even if you don’t like Golden Girls, sample Empty Nest anyway. Trust us.” In 1992, TV Guide still liked the show and said, “Harry Weston is delicious and Dreyfuss the dog is delightful. Empty Nest is home to an experienced ensemble that knows its way around a sitcom.”

Mulligan was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy in 1989, 1990, and 1991, winning in 1989. He was beat out by Ted Danson for Cheers in 1990 and Burt Reynolds for Evening Shade in 1991.

Most viewers loved the show the first four seasons, but after McNichol left and Harry retired, the quality seemed to wane. The show was in the top for seasons one through three. However, after that, it slowly declined, coming in #23 for season four, #45 for season five, #62 for season six, and #118 for season seven, so there was no surprise when it was canceled.

Grace Zabriskie appeared in the very first and very last episode of the series. In episode one, she was a woman who dated Harry, and in the finale, she played Laverne’s mother.

One of the typical plots that a lot of people mentioned as one of their favorites was episode 22 from season 1 where we watch Dr. Weston visit five different patients during one episode. At the end of the show, we realize that we have been following Billy from a newborn to 18 years of age, and we understand how much influence a family doctor can have on one patient.

Rue McClanahan talked about how Park Overall would spend her breaks roller skating in the parking lot. However, during season five, she broke her leg doing so and had to miss several episodes and spend several more with crutches in a cast.

I have read a few times in the past few years doing research that Bea Arthur could be very difficult to work with. She was not the favorite on The Golden Girls set and, apparently, she caused an issue on Empty Nest as well. She despised gum chewing and would make the crew spit out their gum. When she guest starred on Empty Nest, she saw Manoff chewing gum and told her to get rid of it. When Manoff declined, Arthur stormed off the set. Speaking of Manoff, she was able to direct seven episodes of the series during the last three seasons. She directed five other shows including an episode of Sabrina, the Teen-Aged Witch. She was also credited with writing two of the Empty Nest episodes.

I do remember watching the early seasons of this show and thinking it was a decent show. I did not remember that McNichol had to leave for mental health reasons, so I’m guessing I stopped watching it before she quit. However, being in the top ten for three years is, or at least was at the time, a good indication of quality and then you add in TV Guide liking the show and Mulligan’s nominations for Emmy awards, and it presents good evidence of a well-rounded show. I did read that Overall could be a bit difficult on the set, and one of those comments came directly from her.

Marty Pollio, guest starred in season six when things weren’t so great and still had good things to say about the cast. He said that “it was an honor to be doing scenes with Richard Mulligan, he was talented beyond belief, and a great guy too. I never realized what a good actress Dinah Manoff was until I watched her work on this particular episode . . . nice person as well. The set was pretty relaxed and friendly. . . I had a really good time on this one.” It would probably have been better for the quality of the show to be a four-season show than a seven-season show.

I agree with TV Guide. If you were a fan of Golden Girls, you definitely should check out the first three seasons of Empty Nest. And even if you are in that small group of people who did not like Golden Girls, you should watch a few episodes and see what you think. However, that is easier said than done. There is no official DVD set; however, there are bootlegs on several places. I also could not find any streaming channels showing it. YouTube does have at least the first episode. Perhaps with all the classic tv channels out there, this show will make a comeback.

Benson: Still Standing

November 6, 2023November 3, 2023 / thewritelife61 / 2 Comments

In this month’s series, “Work It Out” we are looking at some of our favorite sitcoms that revolve around work and careers. This week we are checking out one of my favorite characters on television. He started as a minor role in a controversial show, and went on to make a name for himself; the show is literally named for his character, Benson.

The series was created by Susan Harris, and produced by Witt/Thomas/Harris Productions.

Benson (Robert Guillaume) worked for the Tate family on Soap and later went to help out Governor Eugene Gatling (James Noble), Jessica Tate’s cousin. Benson started in the governor’s household but was so competent that it didn’t take long to move him into the role of state budget director and then lieutenant governor.

Any time that you have a show about politics, there is room for sarcasm and humor, and this show featured both. Benson has an enjoyable, sarcastic wit. By that I mean, most characters would come off arrogantly with so much sarcasm, but Benson is so sophisticated and wise that he just gets away with it. And to be honest, he typically is only sarcastic when the character or the action calls for it.

One of the people who often gets his sarcasm is the cook Gretchen (Inga Swenson). Clayton Endicott III (Rene Auberjonois) also gets his fair share. In season three, Denise Stevens (Didi Conn) is Benson’s press secretary. Rounding out the cast is the governor’s daughter Katie (Missy Gold), who is about ten, and only gets respect from Benson.

Jerry Seinfeld had a short-lived role on Benson, and this was his first acting job. He played Frankie, a delivery boy, but apparently, he had some differences with the cast or crew and was let go.

The show was nominated for seventeen Emmy nominations. Robert Guillaume was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in 1980 and every year from 1982-1985, winning in 1985. He lost to Richard Mulligan for Soap in 1980, to Alan Alda for M*A*S*H in 1982, Judd Hirsch for Taxi in 1983, and John Ritter for Three’s Company in 1984. Swenson was nominated for supporting actress in 1980, 1982 and 1985. Auberjonois was also nominated for supporting actor in 1984.

Guillaume said that for him, the show was always about that fact that a black man was standing on his own two feet and after he had to deal with anyone, he was still standing. But most people put it in a box, deciding that it was about a black man who was the smartest man in the room and he was very militant. He said that Benson looked at people’s ability, not their skin color but that was not what viewers took away from the show.

Robert Guillaume would not have been thought the most likely person to star in a sitcom for most of his career. He was born in St. Louis in 1927 and raised by his grandmother. He loved music and idolized several singers including Paul Robeson. He joined the army from 1945-47. While attending St. Louis University and Washington University where he majored in music, he worked as a postal clerk and a streetcar driver.

When he was 30, he won a scholarship for a classical music three-month stint in Colorado. In 1959 he toured Europe with Quincy Jones, Clark Terry, and Harold Nicholas in “Free and Easy.” During the sixties and seventies, he worked in musical theater, in a variety of productions.

His first television appearance was on Julia in 1969. During the seventies, he only had a few television roles but they were all in very popular shows including Marcus Welby, MD; Sanford and Son; All in the Family; The Jeffersons; and Good Times. His role of Benson on Soap began in 1977.

Because Benson was thought of simply as a sitcom, Guillaume said the work he was most proud of was not Benson or Soap; his favorite role was when he was on Sports Night. This is a series that I will definitely be checking out for future blogs. Whether you get to know him on Soap or Benson, Benson is just a fun character to get to know.

Henry Winkler: Simply Amazing

October 30, 2023October 30, 2023 / thewritelife61 / 2 Comments

Today we are learning about the career of Henry Winkler. Although he was typecast for many years following Happy Days, he managed to continue his career with a variety of roles.

His parents were German Jews who lived in Berlin during the occupation of Nazi Germany. His father knew they would not be safe there and left in 1939. Winkler described what happened in an interview with Terry Gross on NPR in 2019: “My father knew that it was time. He got a six-week visa from Germany to come and do work in New York but was expected to come right back. I have told this story–that he took his mother’s jewelry, bought a box of chocolate, melted the chocolate down, put the pieces of jewelry in the chocolate box, melted–poured the chocolate over the jewelry, put the box under his arm, so when he was stopped by the Nazis and they said, are you taking anything of value out of Germany, he said, no, you can open every bag; we’ve got nothing. And the jewelry that he encased in chocolate, he sold when he came out of Ellis Island into New York and was able to start a new life here, slowly but surely. I have the actual letters from the government each time my father requested to stay a little longer, and they would say yes. And I was born.”

Although his family did not keep kosher, Henry and his sister Beatrice were raised with the traditions of Conservative Judaism.

Winkler struggled with his studies but he was popular and very funny. His parents were frustrated by his inability to learn. Apparently, his father spoke eleven languages and could easily do math in his head. Henry’s self-esteem began to suffer during these years. Because his grades weren’t better, he was banned from most theater productions, which was what he was most interested in. He was able to appear in “Billy Budd” in eighth grade and in “Of Thee I Sing” in high school.

When Winkler gave a talk at the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity, he tried to describe what it had been like for him in school: “You want so badly to be able to do it and you can’t. And no matter how hard you try, it’s not working . . . I would study my words. I would know them cold. I would know them backwards and forwards. I would go to class. I would pray that I had retained them. Then I would get the test and spend a lot of time thinking about where the hell those words went. I knew them. They must have fallen out of my head. Did I lose them on the street? Did I lose them in the stairwell? Did I lose them walking through the classroom doorway? I didn’t have the slightest idea of how to spell the words that I knew a block and a half away in my apartment the night before.”

Henry Winkler Talks About His Dyslexia in CBS Interview | Understood - For learning and thinking differences — Photo: understood.org

After high school, he attended Emerson College to study theater. He applied to 28 colleges but his grades kept him from being accepted at 26 of them. He majored in theater and minored in child psychology. During his time there he was a member of the Alph Pi Theta fraternity. He had a role in “Peer Gynt” as Peer Gynt. Although he also struggled with college courses, he stayed the course for four years and graduated in 1967. He was admitted to the Yale School of Drama in 1967. He appeared in a number of productions there. He received his MFA in 1970. Twenty-six years later he spoke at Graduation Day at Yale.

He began doing commercials in New York after graduation and starred in The Lords of Flatbush and Crazy Joe, two independent films. He appeared one day on Broadway; the show opened and closed on the same day. He also performed with an improv group, Off the Wall in New York.

Bomber Happy Days Fonzie Jacket - Jackets Creator — Photo: usajacket.com

In 1973 he moved to California. His first role there was on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Although he paid his dues in New York, he was hired as Arthur Fonzarelli on Happy Days his second week in Hollywood. He would portray the Fonz for a decade. The part was originally written a minor role on the show. Winkler did not want to portray the character as a stereotyped role which is probably why he became so popular. He was allowed to wear a black leather jacket only on his motorcycle the first year. Winkler never drove the cycle because the first time he tried, he crashed. His motorcycle on the show was the same one Steve McQueen used in the last scene of The Great Escape in 1963.

During his time on the show, he was diagnosed with dyslexia, explaining his tough time at school.

During the middle of season two, his character became a regular cast member. Many fans attribute to his performance in the episode “Guess Who’s Coming to Christmas.” By season three, he was considered one of the leads in the show.

Both Ron Howard who played Richie and Winkler told writer Stephanie Nolasco of Fox News how they felt about each other and their time on Happy Days. Winkler had a hard time dealing with his sudden fame, and Howard was able to provide some grounding for him. Winkler described this time, “It’s unnatural—the human condition does not prepare you for stardom. That’s just the way it is. So, you have to hold on to yourself and then you’ve got friends like Ron who doesn’t take it all seriously. I learned from him; he was my teacher. And Garry Marshall never took bad behavior from anybody. He was a father figure. He was very funny and very idiosyncratic, and then he was very strict.”

Winkler also discussed his friendship with Howard. “I think people gravitate to the Fonzie/Richie relationship because Ron and I are ten years apart. He was 19 and I was 27. We had a connection that you cannot describe in real life, and it was similar off-camera. He gave me my first mitt; I’d never played baseball before. He’s my brother.”

Howard echoed the sentiments. “We were fast friends from the beginning. It continues all these years later. It was exciting for me to work with Henry because he was really a trained actor who attended Yale Drama School; just a trained New York actor. And, I’d grown up sort of through the Hollywood television system, so for me to work with this guy who was so thoughtful, so creative, and yet so hilarious, was really an opportunity for me to learn and grow and we just clicked, you know.”

The sudden fame for Fonzie might have damaged the friendship Winkler had with Ron Howard, but they were both professionals and never had their egos inflated. They honestly discussed what was happening and while Howard had a harder transition with the show, he understood that Fonz had become a national icon. Even now decades after the show ended, people recognize his “Ayyy” and “correctamundo” catch phrases and his thumb’s up gesture.

After the show was canceled, his leather jacket was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution for the National Museum of American History. A bronze statue of the Fonz was erected in Milwaukee in 2008 along the Milwaukee Riverwalk.

Fonzie was adored by many kids, especially kids who needed some extra help or attention. Marshall was asked if the show could do something to help kids realize how important reading was. In one of the episodes, The Fonz went to the library and checked out a book, saying “Everybody is allowed to read.” That week, library card registrations increased by 500%. In another situation, one day a call came to Paramount Studios. It was from a teenage boy who was contemplating suicide. He wanted to talk to Fonzie. Winkler picked up the call and gave the boy hope, convincing him not to take his life.

Tom Bosley and Marion Ross Photo: ebay.com

He received 50,000 letters a week. He also received $50,000 an episode. Winkler described The Fonz as his alter ego; he said that Fonz was everything he had always wanted to be: in charge, confident, and adored by others. Winkler credits Marion Ross and Tom Bosley, Mr. and Mrs. Cunningham on Happy Days, with being his acting mentors. He loved them for what they taught him and for being great people. When Bosley died, Winkler said “Tom was a family member, both on and off the sound stage. We acted together, traveled together, and played charades together. He was a loving husband, a doting father, and a fantastic grandfather.”

During his years on Happy Days, Winkler was able to tackle several other roles in the off season. He was a Vietnam War vet with PTDS in Heroes for which he received a Golden Globe nomination. He was in Carl Reiner’s The One and Only and in Ron Howard’s Night Shift.

Stacey Weitzman + Henry Winkler: Inside the Fonz's Real Life Love Story — Henry and Stacey Photo: wideopencountry.com

He also tackled the role of husband, when he married Stacey in 1978. After two years of dating, they married in the same synagogue where Winkler had his bar mitzvah. Together they raised three children, and they have been involved with a variety of children’s charities including the Children’s Action Network, the Annual Cerebal Palsy Telethon, the Epilepsy Foundation of America, the Toys for Tots, the National Committee for Arts for the Handicapped, and Special Olympics.

Even with these roles and several other television appearances under his belt, when Happy Days ended, Winkler was typecast and could not get quality roles. Winkler went the route of producer and director. He was one of the developers of MacGyver and produced and directed Sabrina the Teenage Witch. He worked on two movies: Memories of Me with Billy Crystal and Cop and a Half with Burt Reynolds. He also had appearances in Scream in 1996 and The Waterboy in 1998 and on television in The Practice in 1997 and Arrested Development in 2003.

In 2003, he added writer to his resume, creating a new series of children’s books, Hank Zipzer about a dyslexic boy, with co-author Lin Oliver. The BBC televised the series, and Winkler appeared as Mr. Rock in the show. Winkler and Oliver went on to create Here’s Hank, the Ghost Buddy series and the Alien Superstar series. Queen Elizabeth appointed him Honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2011, and he was named one of the United Kingdom’s Top Ten Literary Heroes in 2013. In 2019, he was awarded the Bill Rosendahl Public Service Award for Contributions to the Public Good for his book series. In 2016, the award was renamed after Bill Rosendahl, a progressive political leader, Los Angeles’ first openly gay City Council member, an educator, a Vietnam veteran, an award-winning host of thousands of public affairs programs, and president of the Los Angeles Press Club.

In 2016 he joined the ranks of actors participating in reality shows on Better Late Than Never. During season two, Winkler traveled to Berlin and shared his family’s story. This was a quirky 12-episode reality show. NBC described it as: “This hilarious fish-out-of-water comedy/reality show follows cultural icons Henry Winkler, William Shatner, Terry Bradshaw and George Foreman on their greatest adventure yet. Deciding it’s Better Late Than Never, these four national treasures embark on the journey of a lifetime, traveling across Asia on their own with no schedule and no itinerary. The only “help” will come from Jeff Dye, a young, strong, tech-savvy comedian with an agenda of his own – who isn’t above leading the men off track. Each stop is packed with hilarious cultural experiences, heartwarming spectacles and unexpected twists as our legends take on this unforgettable adventure.”

Better Late Than Never art features Henry Winkler, William Shatner, Terry Bradshaw, George Foreman | EW.com — Photo: entertainmentweekly.com

In 2018, Winkler starred in the show Barry and won his first Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Emmy. The plot features a hit man from the Midwest who moves to Los Angeles and becomes fascinated with the city’s theater life.

The show was on HBO for two seasons and Bill Hader, one of the creators and star of the show, wanted Henry for the part of acting teacher Gene Cousineau. Winkler mentioned he was 27 when he got the regular role on Happy Days and 72 when he got the role on Barry. Stage 19 of Paramount was where Barry was filmed; it was also the same sound stage used for Happy Days. Hader wrote Cousineau as a dark, cold character and while he could humiliate his students, Winkler brought some warmth to the character as well.

Winkler is a loyal Democrat and has campaigned for, and financially supported, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, John Kerry, and Barack Obama.

Happy Days': Henry Winkler Revealed How He and John Ritter Met — With Friend John Ritter Photo: outsider.com

In addition to being lifelong friends with Ron Howard, Winkler was a close friend of John Ritter. They met at an ABC party in 1978 and became close friends. Winkler was actually on the set of John’s show when he collapsed and had to be taken to the hospital shortly before his death.

I do like to add some personal stories to my blogs when possible. I found a fun article in New York Magazine that looked at what famous people like to buy. One of the pieces was about Henry Winkler from October 2021. So, what did the famous Mr. Winkler purchase?:

Penn Ultra-Blue racquetballs to play with his dog Sadie. ($4); A Sony Alpha a6000 Mirrorless Camera ($650); Landmark Theatre Gift Cards ($5); Katz’s Pastrami and Rye food boxes ($155), a reminder of his youth; Munster Cheese from The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills ($15); Winston Boron fly fishing rod ($825); Knudsen’s heavy whipping cream ($4); Gotham Coffee Roasters Brooklyn Blend Coffee ($18) which needs the above cream, no half ‘n half for Henry; and Lavley I’d Rather Be Fly Fishing socks ($12), because no one likes the socks where the elastic stops working after two wash cycles. A bit of fun trivia about an icon’s shopping list.

Perhaps one of the best stories that displays the importance of Henry Winkler comes from journalist Anderson Cooper. Cooper is also dyslexic and said that one of the books that influenced his life was The Fonz: The Henry Winkler Story. He keeps it in his office at CNN. He also mentioned that in meeting Winkler in person as an adult, he realized what a kind and gracious person he is. That is something I read over and over; everyone described Winkler as kind, level-headed, grounded, unbelievably nice, and many other similar sentiments.

Henry Winkler Shares Insights at Vital Ayyy-ging Conference | News | San Diego County News Center — Photo: sandiegocountynews.com

Henry Winkler would be amazing just based on what he did with the character of The Fonz. He would be amazing just based on what he has done for his children’s charity work. He would be amazing just based on how seriously he takes his roles as husband and father. He would be amazing just based on his directing and producing work. He would be amazing just based on his later roles on Arrested Development and Barry. He would be amazing just based on his friendships with coworkers including Ron Howard, Marion Ross, Tom Bosley, Adam Sandler, and John Ritter. He would be amazing just based on his book series as an author. And he would be amazing just based on the work he has done to help others understand dyslexia. Put them all together and add the fact that no one can talk about him without describing what a genuine and kind person he is, and he is well, just simply amazing. Thank you, Henry Winkler, for all the ways you have amazed us over the decades.

James Garner: Moving Forward

October 23, 2023December 2, 2022 / thewritelife61 / 2 Comments

Today we are winding up our blog series about some of our favorite actors. We finish today with one of my favorites who had a dual big-screen and small-screen career, James Garner.

Garner was born in Norman, Oklahoma as James Scott Bumgarner in 1928. His mother died when he was 4, and his father ran a small store and the family lived above it. When James was 7 the store burned down and his father left the boys and gave them to relatives to raise. Later he moved to Los Angeles and became a carpet layer. James’ first stepmom was very abusive, and they finally had a fight when he hit her and she took off. His second stepmother was a total opposite of the first. He called her Mama Grace and said she was a real mother to him.

At 16 James dropped out of high school to join the Merchant Marines. He liked his shipmates but could never get over his chronic seasickness. In 1945 Garner moved to Los Angeles and enrolled in high school. He was a popular student and played both football and basketball, but he was a terrible student. He moved back to Norman the next year to try high school there again. He dropped out before graduating.

He then joined the California Army National Guard where he served his first seven months in Los Angeles. Then he went to Korea for 14 months as a rifleman in the 5^th Regimental Combat Team. He was wounded twice and received two Purple Hearts. He also received his diploma from high school.

After he left the military, he had a variety of odd jobs including laying carpet with his father, pumping gas, installing telephones, chauffeur, dishwasher, janitor, lifeguard, grocery clerk, salesman, oil field worker, and modeling men’s clothing. His entry into the entertainment business is a bit different than most people’s. He was supposed to read lines to lead actors for Broadway production, “The Caine Mutiny Court Martial” in 1954. He was also given a minor, non-speaking role. As he was on the stage, he began to learn about the art of acting.

In 1955 he received a bit part on Cheyenne on television. He was also in Warner Brothers Presents. These small parts led to several offers to act in commercials and a larger offer from Warner Brothers to sign a contract for $200 a week. Garner began his big-screen career with Toward the Unknown in 1956. His film career included 46 additional movies with his last being The Notebook.

It was also 1956, when he married his wife Lois Fleishman Clarke; they would remain married until his death, and the couple had two daughters. They had a very short courtship. They met at the Beverly Hills Courthouse at a political rally for Adlai Stevenson and were a married couple two weeks later.

The couple bought a house in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Brentwood where their neighbors were Steve McQueen, O.J. Simpson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maria Shriver, and Mark Harmon. They were still living there when James passed away.

His successful movie career did not halt his television career. From 1957 to 1962, Garner starred as Bret Maverick on Maverick. Garner developed the type of role he would be known for as the calm, good-natured, likable, smart guy who gets out of trouble using his wit and street smarts. The show was not canceled by the network; unfortunately, Garner and the producers had a dispute over money, and he decided not to come back for the next season.

In August of 1963, Garner was one of several stars who accompanied Martin Luther King Jr. in his March on Washington. He later also recalled sitting in the third row while listening to King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

In 1964 he made what he called his favorite film, The Americanization of Emily with Julie Andrews. He played the personal attendant of a Navy admiral and he said it contained the most impassioned speech of his career.

During the sixties and seventies, he continued making movies and showing up in a few places on television, shows like Rowan and Martin’s Laugh In, The Tonight Show, and several tv movies, one about Bret Maverick.

In 1974 he accepted his second role as star of a television series on The Rockford Files. He played Jim Rockford until 1980. Again, the network did not cancel the show which was still very popular but Garner had been having back pain and did not feel that he should continue the weekly series. He probably made the right choice because he was hospitalized with a bleeding ulcer during 1979; he would have quintuple heart bypass surgery in 1988; and both knees replaced in 2000.

In 1977 Garner began making commercials for Polaroid with Mariette Hartley. They were so convincing of being a married couple, that Hartley had a shirt made that said “I am not James Garner’s wife!” The couple filmed more than 300 commercials together.

After John Ritter passed away in 2003, Garner joined the cast of 8 Simple Rules as Cate’s father Joe and was on the show for the final three seasons.

Garner worked with several charities and foundations during his career. In 2003, he gave $500,000 to the James Garner Chair in the School of Drama for the University of Oklahoma to fund the first-endowed position at that school. He also volunteered with Save the Children.

In 2011, Garner wrote an autobiography called The Garner Files: A Memoir, cowritten with Jon Winokur.

Some of Garner’s hobbies included spending time with his family and political activism. However, his biggest passion was sports. He was a big fan of the Oakland Raiders and could often be seen on the sidelines with the team. He loved golfing. He was inducted into the Off Road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1978. He owned the American International Racing team in the late sixties and he drove the pace cars for the Indianapolis 500 in 1975, 1977, and 1986.

He was also honored by his hometown of Norman, Oklahoma. He has a street named after him there and in 2006, a ten-foot bronze statue as Bret Maverick was erected there.

He was also loved by his coworkers. In 1973, John Wayne named Garner the best American actor in an interview. He was also close friends with Tom Selleck, Sally Field, and Clint Eastwood. When he passed away in 2014 from a heart attack, Sally Field said “My heart just broke. There are few people on this planet I have adored as much as Jimmy Garner. I cherish every moment I spent with him and relive them over and over in my head. He was a diamond.” He was nominated for 15 Emmy awards during his television career, winning in 1977 as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for The Rockford Files.

He didn’t do a lot of comedy but I think he was a funny guy. When he was asked if he would ever consider a nude scene, he said “No, I don’t do horror films.”

James always said he was not concerned with fame; he just wanted to make a good living at something he enjoyed. That comes across as something he truly believed in, not just talking the talk. He lived in the same house and was married to the same woman for most of his life. He did work he was proud of and was very successful in both film and television. He loved sports and his career allowed him to participate in more of those activities that he loved. He was also a generous man, giving to causes that he thought were important.

Although not the most important films in his portfolio, I always think of him acting with Doris Day in The Thrill of it All and Move Over Darling. I enjoyed learning about his life and respect him as a person. He never complained about the terrible childhood he had or used it to make excuses when he did make a poor choice; he said you have to just keep moving forward and he moved forward in an honorable way. Thanks for sharing your life with us and letting us travel forward with you, James Garner.

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