Some sitcom actors only ever get one really great role, but Jim Backus had several. The actor, who played wealthy Wall Street regular Thurston Howell III on the popular castaway series "Gilligan's Island," had already made a name for himself by the show's premiere in 1964. He'd appeared regularly on the radio before TV was the dominant media of the time, and voiced the nearly blind cartoon character Mr. Magoo beginning in 1949. Backus also played a key role in Nicholas Ray's 1955 teen movie "Rebel Without A Cause," portraying the father who falls short when James Dean's angsty antihero Jim Stark needs him.
A few years before "Gilligan's Island," Backus even got his own show, aptly named "The Jim Backus Show" in the style of the time. In the Backus-led series, which was also called "Hot Off the Wire," the actor played a man named Mike O'Toole, who was attempting...
A few years before "Gilligan's Island," Backus even got his own show, aptly named "The Jim Backus Show" in the style of the time. In the Backus-led series, which was also called "Hot Off the Wire," the actor played a man named Mike O'Toole, who was attempting...
- 9/13/2024
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
The culture at large seems to be very ambivalent about Sherwood Schwartz's 1964 sitcom "Gilligan's Island." On the one hand, it was massively popular and, thanks to plum syndication deals, remained in the pop culture consciousness for literally decades, feeding its goofy reruns to multiple generations. The seven stranded castaways are all easily recognizable by millions, and kids grew up chuckling to Gilligan's antics. On the other hand, "Gilligan's Island" is often lambasted, critically, as the nadir of television. The series takes place in a lightweight, cartoonish universe, and it doesn't ever reach deeply into the souls of the characters to analyze how they adapt to being stranded on a tropical island. There is no madness or deterioration, just shenanigans.
Anything as popular as "Gilligan's Island" at least deserves a robust and healthy regard, however. Its seven stars may have been playing broad, slapstick archetypes, but their performances certainly struck a chord.
Anything as popular as "Gilligan's Island" at least deserves a robust and healthy regard, however. Its seven stars may have been playing broad, slapstick archetypes, but their performances certainly struck a chord.
- 8/31/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Don't call them The Addams Family: "The Munsters" may be remembered as one of two darkly funny monster family sitcoms airing in the 1960s, but it's decidedly not the same as its comic strip-based contemporary. "The Munsters," for one thing, pulled its monsters straight from the Universal back catalog, featuring characters based directly on Frankenstein, Dracula, and the Wolf Man. The series starred Fred Gwynne and Yvonne de Carlo as married couple Herman and Lily Munster, whose household consisted of an endearing vampire grandpa (Al Lewis), wolf-boy son (Butch Patrick), human niece (Beverley Owen and Pat Priest), and a whole host of spooky-fun pets including a bat, a cat, a raven, and a dragon-like reptile named Spot.
Despite its enduring spot in the zeitgeist, "The Munsters" actually only ran for two seasons from 1964 to 1966. It was capped off with a movie, "Munsters, Go Home!" that saw the family take a trip to Europe,...
Despite its enduring spot in the zeitgeist, "The Munsters" actually only ran for two seasons from 1964 to 1966. It was capped off with a movie, "Munsters, Go Home!" that saw the family take a trip to Europe,...
- 8/5/2024
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
Few pieces of human anatomy caused quite as much pearl-clutching among conservative media moralists in the 20th century as the uncovered belly button. Marilyn Monroe was barred from exposing her naked tummy up until George Cukor's never-finished 1962 film, "Something's Got to Give," while even Disney fan afoul of Hays Code era censors after threatening to reveal the titular character's navel in 1941's "The Reluctant Dragon." NBC similarly kept a close eye on Barbara Eden's unclothed midriff to ensure there was no funny business with Sidney Sheldon's '60s sitcom "I Dream of Jeannie" (although Eden later claimed it was a non-issue until members of the press made a fuss about it).
It would, of course, be more accurate to say that the exposed female waistline was responsible for most of this hand-wringing. William Shatner spent the '60s flaunting his abs to his heart's content on "Star Trek: The Original Series,...
It would, of course, be more accurate to say that the exposed female waistline was responsible for most of this hand-wringing. William Shatner spent the '60s flaunting his abs to his heart's content on "Star Trek: The Original Series,...
- 6/30/2024
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
Elizabeth MacRae, known for her recurring roles in General Hospital and Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., has died. She was 88.
MacRae died on May 27 in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where she grew up.
After graduating, MacRae pursued a career in acting and auditioned for Otto Preminger’s production of Saint Joan in 1956. Although she didn’t land a role, she continued to pursue acting. She moved to New York City where she studied with Uta Hagen at the Herbert Berghof Studio and gained experience in off-Broadway productions.
MacRae landed her first television role playing a witness in the courtroom series The Verdict Is Yours. Over a career that spanned 25 years, MacRae would be featured in television shows like Route 66, Surfside 6, Rendezvous, The Fugitive, Judd for the Defense, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, I Dream of Jeannie, The Andy Griffith Show, and many more.
One of her most prominent roles was in Gomer Pyle,...
MacRae died on May 27 in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where she grew up.
After graduating, MacRae pursued a career in acting and auditioned for Otto Preminger’s production of Saint Joan in 1956. Although she didn’t land a role, she continued to pursue acting. She moved to New York City where she studied with Uta Hagen at the Herbert Berghof Studio and gained experience in off-Broadway productions.
MacRae landed her first television role playing a witness in the courtroom series The Verdict Is Yours. Over a career that spanned 25 years, MacRae would be featured in television shows like Route 66, Surfside 6, Rendezvous, The Fugitive, Judd for the Defense, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, I Dream of Jeannie, The Andy Griffith Show, and many more.
One of her most prominent roles was in Gomer Pyle,...
- 5/29/2024
- by Armando Tinoco
- Deadline Film + TV
Six decades or so ago, television was dominated by "wholesome" American family sitcoms, with shows like "Leave It to Beaver," "The Andy Griffith Show," and "Father Knows Best" serving as not only entertainment but as a model guide for viewers to emulate their own "perfect family." Assimilation was the key to an idyllic existence, but that doesn't make for an exciting TV lineup. Each network had its standard American family show, but in an attempt to motivate viewers not to touch that dial, they started diversifying what a family looked like.
No, that diversity did not come in the form of families of non-white races ("Good Times" wouldn't launch until 1974), but it did come with magical beings like "I Dream of Jeannie" and "Bewitched," or monstrously weird like "The Addams Family" and "The Munsters." Both "The Addams Family" and "The Munsters" are so beloved that the shows have been reimagined...
No, that diversity did not come in the form of families of non-white races ("Good Times" wouldn't launch until 1974), but it did come with magical beings like "I Dream of Jeannie" and "Bewitched," or monstrously weird like "The Addams Family" and "The Munsters." Both "The Addams Family" and "The Munsters" are so beloved that the shows have been reimagined...
- 5/22/2024
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
Don’t miss a special episode of “On the Red Carpet Icons” featuring the legendary Barbara Eden, airing this Sunday at 3:30 Am on ABC. Host George Pennacchio sits down with the iconic actress to delve into her illustrious Hollywood career.
In this exclusive interview, Barbara Eden opens up about her iconic role as Jeannie in the beloved TV series “I Dream of Jeannie.” Viewers will get a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the show and hear firsthand stories from Eden about her experiences on set.
But the conversation doesn’t stop there. Eden also shares her thoughts on other Hollywood legends, including Elvis Presley and Taylor Swift, providing insight into her interactions with these iconic figures over the years.
Join “On the Red Carpet Icons” as they celebrate the remarkable career of Barbara Eden, a true Hollywood icon. Tune in this Sunday, May 5th, 2024, at 3:30 Am on...
In this exclusive interview, Barbara Eden opens up about her iconic role as Jeannie in the beloved TV series “I Dream of Jeannie.” Viewers will get a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the show and hear firsthand stories from Eden about her experiences on set.
But the conversation doesn’t stop there. Eden also shares her thoughts on other Hollywood legends, including Elvis Presley and Taylor Swift, providing insight into her interactions with these iconic figures over the years.
Join “On the Red Carpet Icons” as they celebrate the remarkable career of Barbara Eden, a true Hollywood icon. Tune in this Sunday, May 5th, 2024, at 3:30 Am on...
- 4/28/2024
- by Jules Byrd
- TV Everyday
CBS sitcom "The Bob Newhart Show" was a staple for American TV audiences of the '70s, thanks in large part to clever writing and Newhart's much-loved performance as psychologist and comedic straight man Bob Hartley. The show ran for six seasons from 1972 to 1978, but it had a surprisingly long pop cultural afterlife. Characters from "The Bob Newhart Show" have popped up in everything from "Murphy Brown" to "St. Elsewhere" to "Alf," though their most famous reappearance came in the jokey "Newhart" finale in 1990. In it, Newhart wakes up in bed next to his wife from the previous series and discovers that this entire sitcom was all an elaborate dream. "The Bob Newhart Show," it turned out, was his real world.
When it wasn't being resurrected for increasingly meta crossovers, "The Bob Newhart Show" was a pretty straightforward sitcom about the life of a mental health clinician and the assortment...
When it wasn't being resurrected for increasingly meta crossovers, "The Bob Newhart Show" was a pretty straightforward sitcom about the life of a mental health clinician and the assortment...
- 4/23/2024
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
Growing up with Nick at Nite, there was one classic series that I adored above all others: "I Dream of Jeannie." Comparisons to that other '60s rom-com fantasy about a supernatural lady causing mayhem in the suburbs be damned, Sidney Sheldon's sitcom was just the blast of silliness that I craved as a kiddo.
As an adult, I've also come to appreciate that easily-rattled U.S. Air Force pilot Anthony "Tony" Nelson (Larry Hagman), his amiable buddy and co-worker Roger Healey (Bill Daily), and Barbara Eden's trouble-making, wish-granting genie ... Jeannie were clearly in a throuple but had to play coy about it to avoid ruffling their neighbors' feathers. Not that they were all that careful about maintaining their cover, what with Roger constantly strolling into Tony and Jeannie's humble abode uninvited with the casualness of someone who definitely doesn't secretly live there. Y'all ain't as slick as you think you are!
As an adult, I've also come to appreciate that easily-rattled U.S. Air Force pilot Anthony "Tony" Nelson (Larry Hagman), his amiable buddy and co-worker Roger Healey (Bill Daily), and Barbara Eden's trouble-making, wish-granting genie ... Jeannie were clearly in a throuple but had to play coy about it to avoid ruffling their neighbors' feathers. Not that they were all that careful about maintaining their cover, what with Roger constantly strolling into Tony and Jeannie's humble abode uninvited with the casualness of someone who definitely doesn't secretly live there. Y'all ain't as slick as you think you are!
- 3/10/2024
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
Opening TV theme songs have tragically become a lost art. On one level, it makes sense. As the line between television and film has grown increasingly blurry in the 21st century, opening titles have become more and more cinematic. The mix of simple earworms and dialogue-free visuals in the opening titles of shows like "Mad Men" are eloquent works of art in and of themselves. It just wouldn't have the same effect if, instead of David Carbonara's haunting suite accompanied by minimalistic animation of an ad man's world literally falling apart, you had someone singing about that ol' scoundrel Don Draper and how his dastardly, womanizing ways are coming back to bite him (as amazing as that sounds).
Of course, things were different when Sherwood Schwartz created "Gilligan's Island." The show required a tad more exposition than your run-of-the-mill sitcom at the time. Whereas series like "Bewitched" and "I Dream of Jeannie...
Of course, things were different when Sherwood Schwartz created "Gilligan's Island." The show required a tad more exposition than your run-of-the-mill sitcom at the time. Whereas series like "Bewitched" and "I Dream of Jeannie...
- 3/10/2024
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
Katy O’Brian is about to be a big star — and for audiences who check out Rose Glass’ “Love Lies Bleeding,” in which the actress stars alongside Kristen Stewart in an audacious, sexy, unpredictable mash-up of body horror, crime thriller, and love story, that concept will prove to be literally true by the film’s wild end. But she’s not slipping into any Hollywood starlet habits just yet.
Case in point: O’Brian signed on to our Zoom interview a full five minutes early this week (practically unheard of!), and offered to spend our extra time “just chatting.” And O’Brian, whose pre-acting resumes includes everything from bodybuilding to a seven-year stint as a police officer in her native Indiana, is a very good conversationalist.
Before joining “Love Lies Bleeding,” which electrified its Sundance audience and seems destined to join the annals of A24’s boldest films, O’Brian spent time on the small screen,...
Case in point: O’Brian signed on to our Zoom interview a full five minutes early this week (practically unheard of!), and offered to spend our extra time “just chatting.” And O’Brian, whose pre-acting resumes includes everything from bodybuilding to a seven-year stint as a police officer in her native Indiana, is a very good conversationalist.
Before joining “Love Lies Bleeding,” which electrified its Sundance audience and seems destined to join the annals of A24’s boldest films, O’Brian spent time on the small screen,...
- 3/7/2024
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Before he started filling up the nation's drug store book racks with tawdry tales of romance and suspense, Sidney Sheldon was one of Hollywood and Broadway's most prolific writers. He could write comedies, musicals, musical-comedies, mysteries, dramas, thrillers ... just about everything short of slasher flicks (though he probably would've knocked out one of those had they been a thing during his 1940s - '60s heyday). Clearly, he had an ear for what worked, and he wasn't just knocking out quickie programmers. He won a Best Original Screenplay Oscar for the Cary Grant-Myrna Loy-Shirley Temple screwball hit "The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer," and earned a Best Musical Tony for the Gwen Verdon-led Broadway smash "Redhead."
And when television came calling, rather than turn up his nose as many of his established film and theater colleagues did during the medium's early days, he enthusiastically picked up the phone.
Sheldon...
And when television came calling, rather than turn up his nose as many of his established film and theater colleagues did during the medium's early days, he enthusiastically picked up the phone.
Sheldon...
- 2/16/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
The "Star Trek" episode "The Apple" contained one of show creator Gene Roddenberry's favorite tropes: a remote, agrarian species living in harmony with nature, overseen by an ineffable technological marvel. In "The Apple," the Edenic planet of Gamma Trianguli VI is the home of a sexually innocent, childlike species that is granted their every wish by an all-powerful computer called Vaal. Vaal appears to be a giant snake-like head carved into the rock, but the Enterprise discovers that it is a machine intelligence that has kept the locals in a perpetual childlike state. They are immortal, but also have never had to work, nor are they allowed to "touch" (that is: have sex). Naturally, it will be up to Kirk (William Shatner) and the crew of the Enterprise to destroy Vaal and teach the aliens that growing up is necessary, and that having sex is okay and super-fun.
The...
The...
- 1/26/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
It's important to remember that few of the actors on "Star Trek," especially in the early days, were familiar with the universe of "Star Trek." While the trappings and themes of Trek are a deeply embedded part of popular culture in the early 21st century, back in the 1960s, "Star Trek" was merely a middling, mid-budget sci-fi network show. As such, when guest stars signed on to play an alien or a creature, they likely needed the premise of "Star Trek" explained to them by a director or a screenwriter. This is the 23rd century, war is over, and humanity is traveling the stars in military-twinged vessels devoted to study and diplomacy. That man, Bill, plays a starship captain named Kirk who leads by instinct. You play a [insert character description here]. These are basic motivations that an actor would need to hear in order to fall into the "Star Trek" ethos before cameras began rolling.
- 1/23/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
All titles below begin streaming for free on January 1 unless otherwise noted:
Originals
Action
Prepare To Die
– 1/13-
A young man trains in the ways of martial arts to seek vengeance on the corrupt landowner who murdered his family.
Documentary
Vice News Presents: Epstein Didn’T Kill Himself
-1/17-
How the mysteries surrounding Jeffrey Epstein’s life and death gave rise to a conspiracy theory that will never die.
Gone Before His Time: Kobe Bryant
-1/26-
Recount the achievements – some personal, some professional, and many halted – of an NBA legend before his untimely death.
TMZ No Bs: Hollywood’S Dumbest Moments
-1/31-
Join TMZ as they examine baffling & cringe worthy celebrity moments – Hollywood stars aren’t always the sharpest tools in the shed.
Horror
Where The Devil Roams
-1/5-
A family of murderous sideshow performers traverse the harsh conditions of Depression-era America in a bloody deal with the Devil.
Originals
Action
Prepare To Die
– 1/13-
A young man trains in the ways of martial arts to seek vengeance on the corrupt landowner who murdered his family.
Documentary
Vice News Presents: Epstein Didn’T Kill Himself
-1/17-
How the mysteries surrounding Jeffrey Epstein’s life and death gave rise to a conspiracy theory that will never die.
Gone Before His Time: Kobe Bryant
-1/26-
Recount the achievements – some personal, some professional, and many halted – of an NBA legend before his untimely death.
TMZ No Bs: Hollywood’S Dumbest Moments
-1/31-
Join TMZ as they examine baffling & cringe worthy celebrity moments – Hollywood stars aren’t always the sharpest tools in the shed.
Horror
Where The Devil Roams
-1/5-
A family of murderous sideshow performers traverse the harsh conditions of Depression-era America in a bloody deal with the Devil.
- 1/12/2024
- by Stephen Nepa
- Age of the Nerd
David Soul, who starred alongside Paul Michael Glaser on the 1970s’ ABC buddy cop show Starsky and Hutch and had a No. 1 hit with the song “Don’t Give Up on Us,” has died. He was 80.
Soul died Thursday after “a valiant battle for life in the loving company of family,” his wife, Helen Snell, said in a statement.
“He shared many extraordinary gifts in the world as actor, singer, storyteller, creative artist and dear friend,” she said. “His smile, laughter and passion for life will be remembered by the many whose lives he has touched.”
Soul also appeared for two seasons on the 1968-70 ABC show Here Come the Brides, played one of the corrupt young motorcycle cops brought down by Clint Eastwood’s Harry Callahan in the thriller Magnum Force (1973) and stood out as a terrified vampire hunter in the 1979 Stephen King CBS miniseries Salem’s Lot.
On two...
Soul died Thursday after “a valiant battle for life in the loving company of family,” his wife, Helen Snell, said in a statement.
“He shared many extraordinary gifts in the world as actor, singer, storyteller, creative artist and dear friend,” she said. “His smile, laughter and passion for life will be remembered by the many whose lives he has touched.”
Soul also appeared for two seasons on the 1968-70 ABC show Here Come the Brides, played one of the corrupt young motorcycle cops brought down by Clint Eastwood’s Harry Callahan in the thriller Magnum Force (1973) and stood out as a terrified vampire hunter in the 1979 Stephen King CBS miniseries Salem’s Lot.
On two...
- 1/5/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
David Soul, best known for his portrayal of Detective Kenneth “Hutch” Hutchinson on ABC’s Starsky & Hutch from 1975 to 1979, has died. He was 80.
News of Soul’s passing was announced by his wife Helen Snell: “He shared many extraordinary gifts in the world as actor, singer, storyteller, creative artist and dear friend,” she wrote in a statement. “His smile, laughter and passion for life will be remembered by the many whose lives he has touched.”
More from TVLineNick Carter 'Completely Heartbroken' Over Sister Bobbie Jean's Death - Read His TributeTom Wilkinson, of The Full Monty and John Adams Miniseries,...
News of Soul’s passing was announced by his wife Helen Snell: “He shared many extraordinary gifts in the world as actor, singer, storyteller, creative artist and dear friend,” she wrote in a statement. “His smile, laughter and passion for life will be remembered by the many whose lives he has touched.”
More from TVLineNick Carter 'Completely Heartbroken' Over Sister Bobbie Jean's Death - Read His TributeTom Wilkinson, of The Full Monty and John Adams Miniseries,...
- 1/5/2024
- by Andy Swift
- TVLine.com
Genies, at least in pop culture, have long been comic foils. Way back in 1940, in “The Thief of Bagdad,” Rex Ingram played Djinn, the movie’s larger-than-life genie — 100 feet tall in his ponytail and red diaper — as a sly, laughing soul man of lighthearted effrontery. The surrealist ’60s sitcom “I Dream of Jeannie” featured Barbara Eden, in diaphanous harem silks, as a magical servant/housewife, blinking her eyes to teleport her clueless “master” out of trouble. And Robin Williams’ vocal performance as the Genie in “Aladdin” may have come closer than any of his other film performances to channeling Williams the free-associational joke geyser.
So in “Genie,” when Melissa McCarthy pops out of a jewel box and reveals herself to be an ancient granter of wishes named Flora, it’s hardly a surprise that 1) the character is a complete lark, and 2) the whole joke is that Flora, though she hasn...
So in “Genie,” when Melissa McCarthy pops out of a jewel box and reveals herself to be an ancient granter of wishes named Flora, it’s hardly a surprise that 1) the character is a complete lark, and 2) the whole joke is that Flora, though she hasn...
- 11/22/2023
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Veteran actress Elaine Devry, who appeared in classic television shows such as Perry Mason, I Dream of Jeannie, and Family Affair, has died. She was 93. According to the funeral home website since1928hull.com, Devry passed away on Wednesday, September 20, at her home in Grants Pass, Oregon. A cause of death was not specified. Born on January 10, 1930, in Compton, California, Devry started her career as a model before moving to Butte, Montana, where she married her high school sweetheart, Dan Ducich. A year later, Ducich was convicted of armed robbery, and the couple divorced in 1952. Duchic died in 1954 of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot. After moving back to California, Devry met actor Mickey Rooney at a driving range in Woodland Hills; the pair began dating and married in Las Vegas in November 1952. She was his fourth wife. The Everett Collection Devry made her first on-screen acting appearances in the Rooney-starring...
- 10/23/2023
- TV Insider
Elaine Devry, who appeared in such films as “The Atomic Kid” and “A Guide for the Married Man” and dozens of television series, died Sept. 20 at her home in Grants Pass, Oregon, according to a notice on a local funeral home website. She was 93.
Devry married actor Mickey Rooney in Las Vegas in November 1952, becoming the fourth of Rooney’s eight wives. She made her first onscreen appearances the following year in the comedy film “A Slight Case of Larceny” starring Rooney, as well as an episode of the Ronald Reagan-hosted CBS anthology series “General Electric Theater.”
In the 1954 sci-fi comedy “The Atomic Kid,” directed by Leslie H. Martinson, she played nurse Audrey Nelson opposite Rooney’s Barnaby “Blix” Waterberry; she was billed as “Elaine Davis (Mrs. Mickey Rooney)” in the credits.
Devry portrayed divorée Jocelyn Montgomery in the 1967 Gene Kelly-directed film “A Guide for the Married Man.
Devry married actor Mickey Rooney in Las Vegas in November 1952, becoming the fourth of Rooney’s eight wives. She made her first onscreen appearances the following year in the comedy film “A Slight Case of Larceny” starring Rooney, as well as an episode of the Ronald Reagan-hosted CBS anthology series “General Electric Theater.”
In the 1954 sci-fi comedy “The Atomic Kid,” directed by Leslie H. Martinson, she played nurse Audrey Nelson opposite Rooney’s Barnaby “Blix” Waterberry; she was billed as “Elaine Davis (Mrs. Mickey Rooney)” in the credits.
Devry portrayed divorée Jocelyn Montgomery in the 1967 Gene Kelly-directed film “A Guide for the Married Man.
- 10/22/2023
- by Michaela Zee
- Variety Film + TV
Elaine Devry, whose career spanned film and dozens of television shows, died Sept. 20 at her home in Grants Pass, Oregon. She was 93 and no cause was given by the funeral home, which listed her under her married name of Davis.
Devry was the fourth wife of actor Mickey Rooney.
After marrying him in November 1952, she first appeared the next year in the Rooney-starring comedy film A Slight Case of Larceny and on an episode of the Ronald Reagan-hosted CBS anthology series, General Electric Theater.
Devry also appeared in such films as China Doll (1958), Man-Trap (1961), The Last Time I Saw Archie (1961), Diary of a Madman (1963), With Six You Get Eggroll (1968), The Cheyenne Social Club (1970), Bless the Beasts & Children (1971), The Boy Who Cried Werewolf (1973) and Herbie Rides Again (1974).
Her TV resume included many guest starring appearances in the early days of television, including stints on Bourbon Street Beat, Bachelor Father,...
Devry was the fourth wife of actor Mickey Rooney.
After marrying him in November 1952, she first appeared the next year in the Rooney-starring comedy film A Slight Case of Larceny and on an episode of the Ronald Reagan-hosted CBS anthology series, General Electric Theater.
Devry also appeared in such films as China Doll (1958), Man-Trap (1961), The Last Time I Saw Archie (1961), Diary of a Madman (1963), With Six You Get Eggroll (1968), The Cheyenne Social Club (1970), Bless the Beasts & Children (1971), The Boy Who Cried Werewolf (1973) and Herbie Rides Again (1974).
Her TV resume included many guest starring appearances in the early days of television, including stints on Bourbon Street Beat, Bachelor Father,...
- 10/22/2023
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Elaine Devry, an actress who appeared in such films as The Atomic Kid and A Guide for the Married Man and on dozens of TV shows after becoming the fourth of Mickey Rooney’s eight wives, has died. She was 93.
Devry died Sept. 20 in her home in Grants Pass, Oregon, according to a notice placed on a local funeral home website.
Devry married Rooney in Las Vegas in November 1952 and made her first onscreen acting appearances the next year in the Rooney-starring comedy film A Slight Case of Larceny and on an episode of the Ronald Reagan-hosted CBS anthology series General Electric Theater.
In the Republic Pictures sci-fi comedy The Atomic Kid (1954), directed by Leslie H. Martinson, she was introduced as “Elaine Davis (Mrs. Mickey Rooney),” and her character, a nurse, marries her husband’s Barnaby “Blix” Waterberry at the end of the movie.
In A Guide for the Married Man...
Devry died Sept. 20 in her home in Grants Pass, Oregon, according to a notice placed on a local funeral home website.
Devry married Rooney in Las Vegas in November 1952 and made her first onscreen acting appearances the next year in the Rooney-starring comedy film A Slight Case of Larceny and on an episode of the Ronald Reagan-hosted CBS anthology series General Electric Theater.
In the Republic Pictures sci-fi comedy The Atomic Kid (1954), directed by Leslie H. Martinson, she was introduced as “Elaine Davis (Mrs. Mickey Rooney),” and her character, a nurse, marries her husband’s Barnaby “Blix” Waterberry at the end of the movie.
In A Guide for the Married Man...
- 10/22/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It’s Frasier Week at IndieWire. Grab some tossed salad and scrambled eggs, settle into your coziest easy chair, and join us. We’re listening.
Finish these sentences. (1) “Now, this is a story all about how…” (2) “They’re creepy and they’re kooky, they’re all together…” (3) “Mom and Dad and Vicky always giving him…” (4) “Who’s that girl? It’s…“ (5) “Hey baby, I heard the blues a callin’…”
The best TV theme songs simultaneously stick in our brains and serve as chapter markers for the shows we love, both compelling us to keep knocking back more episodes and subtly organizing our thoughts about the many stories in the series they anchor. Some themes hang with us for the worse; what ’90s parent didn’t have “Elmo’s World” burned into their brain? Some others are memorable for their intensely enjoyable earworm qualities; see “I Dream of Jeannie” and “Green Acres” for details.
Finish these sentences. (1) “Now, this is a story all about how…” (2) “They’re creepy and they’re kooky, they’re all together…” (3) “Mom and Dad and Vicky always giving him…” (4) “Who’s that girl? It’s…“ (5) “Hey baby, I heard the blues a callin’…”
The best TV theme songs simultaneously stick in our brains and serve as chapter markers for the shows we love, both compelling us to keep knocking back more episodes and subtly organizing our thoughts about the many stories in the series they anchor. Some themes hang with us for the worse; what ’90s parent didn’t have “Elmo’s World” burned into their brain? Some others are memorable for their intensely enjoyable earworm qualities; see “I Dream of Jeannie” and “Green Acres” for details.
- 10/15/2023
- by Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
Anyone who grew up in the 1970s can tell you the story of a lovely lady, who was bringing up three very lovely girls, and a man named Brady, who was busy with three boys of his own. Of course, one day, the lady met this fellow, and the rest is TV history. When Carol Martin (Florence Henderson) married Mike Brady (Robert Reed), all six of their children came together, along with their trusty maid Alice (Ann B. Davis), to become the sitcom family known as "The Brady Bunch."
"The Brady Bunch" is one of the most beloved and memorable sitcoms of all time. The adolescent antics of Greg (Barry Williams), Peter (Christopher McKnight), Bobby (Mike Lookinland), Marcia (Maureen McCormick), Jan (Eve Plumb), and Cindy (Susan Olsen) made for plenty of comedy and drama as the bunch dealt with the trials and tribulations of a blended family, sibling rivalries, growing up,...
"The Brady Bunch" is one of the most beloved and memorable sitcoms of all time. The adolescent antics of Greg (Barry Williams), Peter (Christopher McKnight), Bobby (Mike Lookinland), Marcia (Maureen McCormick), Jan (Eve Plumb), and Cindy (Susan Olsen) made for plenty of comedy and drama as the bunch dealt with the trials and tribulations of a blended family, sibling rivalries, growing up,...
- 10/6/2023
- by Ethan Anderton
- Slash Film
All titles below begin streaming for free on October 1 unless otherwise noted:
Originals
Documentary
TMZ Presents:
Tragically Viral
– 10/11-
What happens when the quest for clicks goes too far? TMZ examines the dark & sometimes deadly side of social media in Tragically Viral.
Scariest Monsters In The World
-10/18-
Join us as we embark on this international countdown of the scariest monsters in the world – who will be on your list as the most creepy?
TMZ No Bs: Rich, Famous & Terrified Stars
-10/25-
TMZ examines some of the most downright terrifying experiences celebs have faced that prove being a celebrity isn’t all glitz & glamor.
Horror
Dante’S Hotel
-10/13-
When an unknown assailant preys on a haunted hotel’s patrons, an event planner teams up with a mysterious tenant who’s dark past is the key to freeing the cursed hotel
The Devil Comes To Kansas City
-...
Originals
Documentary
TMZ Presents:
Tragically Viral
– 10/11-
What happens when the quest for clicks goes too far? TMZ examines the dark & sometimes deadly side of social media in Tragically Viral.
Scariest Monsters In The World
-10/18-
Join us as we embark on this international countdown of the scariest monsters in the world – who will be on your list as the most creepy?
TMZ No Bs: Rich, Famous & Terrified Stars
-10/25-
TMZ examines some of the most downright terrifying experiences celebs have faced that prove being a celebrity isn’t all glitz & glamor.
Horror
Dante’S Hotel
-10/13-
When an unknown assailant preys on a haunted hotel’s patrons, an event planner teams up with a mysterious tenant who’s dark past is the key to freeing the cursed hotel
The Devil Comes To Kansas City
-...
- 9/28/2023
- by Stephen Nepa
- Age of the Nerd
Sharon Farrell, whose screen credits include the original “Hawaii Five-o”, several years on “The Young and the Restless” and the cult horror film “It’s Alive”, has died at age 82.
According to Deadline, Farrell died back in May, but her death had only recently been discovered by relatives.
Among Farrell’s extensive credits also included the films “The Stunt Man”, “Lone Wolf McQuade”, “Marlowe”, “The Reivers” and “Can’t Buy Me Love”.
Read More: Mark Margolis, ‘Breaking Bad’ And ‘Scarface’ Actor, Dead At 83
In 1974’s “It’s Alive”, she starred as Lenore, mother of a monstrously deformed baby who goes on a killing spree.
On television, Farrell joined the cast of “Hawaii Five-o” in its final season, playing as Det. Lori Wilson. She also portrayed Florence Webster on “Y&R” between 1991-97.
“Hawaii Five-o” (L-r): Jack Lord, William Smith, Sharon Farrell, Moe Keale, Herman Wedemeyer. Photo: Everett Collection
Following her first screen appearance in the late 1950s,...
According to Deadline, Farrell died back in May, but her death had only recently been discovered by relatives.
Among Farrell’s extensive credits also included the films “The Stunt Man”, “Lone Wolf McQuade”, “Marlowe”, “The Reivers” and “Can’t Buy Me Love”.
Read More: Mark Margolis, ‘Breaking Bad’ And ‘Scarface’ Actor, Dead At 83
In 1974’s “It’s Alive”, she starred as Lenore, mother of a monstrously deformed baby who goes on a killing spree.
On television, Farrell joined the cast of “Hawaii Five-o” in its final season, playing as Det. Lori Wilson. She also portrayed Florence Webster on “Y&R” between 1991-97.
“Hawaii Five-o” (L-r): Jack Lord, William Smith, Sharon Farrell, Moe Keale, Herman Wedemeyer. Photo: Everett Collection
Following her first screen appearance in the late 1950s,...
- 8/6/2023
- by Brent Furdyk
- ET Canada
More than 1,000 artifacts from decades of television will hit the auction block on June 2-4.
Among the items up for bids are The Tonight Show set from which Johnny Carson kept a nation awake and entertained until his 1992 farewell; the desk and New York City skyline from David Letterman’s Late Night; Archie and Edith Bunker’s Queens living room from All in the Family, including the two most famous chairs in sitcom history; and the bar around which the Cheers regulars congregated.
Heritage Auctions is handling what’s termed the “Landmark Comisar Collection.” It was amassed by collector James Comisar for three decades, with the goal of housing the items in a museum.
It began simply enough in 1989, with two hand-painted title cards from The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson that appeared before commercial breaks and promised “More to Come.” These were the first of more than 10,000 artifacts Comisar acquired.
Among the items up for bids are The Tonight Show set from which Johnny Carson kept a nation awake and entertained until his 1992 farewell; the desk and New York City skyline from David Letterman’s Late Night; Archie and Edith Bunker’s Queens living room from All in the Family, including the two most famous chairs in sitcom history; and the bar around which the Cheers regulars congregated.
Heritage Auctions is handling what’s termed the “Landmark Comisar Collection.” It was amassed by collector James Comisar for three decades, with the goal of housing the items in a museum.
It began simply enough in 1989, with two hand-painted title cards from The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson that appeared before commercial breaks and promised “More to Come.” These were the first of more than 10,000 artifacts Comisar acquired.
- 5/27/2023
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
In the 1970s, no one expected the first "Star Wars" movie to be such a runaway hit, least of all theater exhibitors. Writer-director George Lucas famously shopped around his script to studios like United Artists, Universal Pictures, and even future Lucasfilm owner Disney, according to Vanity Fair, but he couldn't secure financing with any of them. Though Lucas had already earned two Academy Award nominations for his pre-"Star Wars" masterpiece, "American Graffiti," his previous foray into science fiction, "Thx 1138," had fared less successful. It was only 20th Century Fox, led by Alan Ladd Jr. at the time, that was willing to take a chance on Lucas and his space opera.
Getting "Star Wars" made was just the first step for Lucas. Fox had to distribute it next, and as Mental Floss notes, it was afraid the movie would flop if released as part of a packed summer schedule.
Getting "Star Wars" made was just the first step for Lucas. Fox had to distribute it next, and as Mental Floss notes, it was afraid the movie would flop if released as part of a packed summer schedule.
- 5/20/2023
- by Joshua Meyer
- Slash Film
Bela Bajaria Talks Programming Strategy, Teases ‘The Crown’ Premiere Date At Netflix’s First Upfront
For years, Netflix had focused squarely on subscriber growth and becoming the dominant player in the streaming world. That changed last year when, after a big market correction, Netflix made a course correction with a focus on profits, including an ad-supported tier which launched in November.
Six months later, Netflix is holding its first upfront presentation for advertisers, which also marks the first major public speech by top programming executive Bela Bajaria since she was named Chief Content Officer for the streamer in January.
During the virtual event, she spoke about “super serving” the audience — a term frequently used this upfront week — revealing that Netflix members “watch, on average, six different genres a month.”
Because of the unprecedented growth of Netflix’s original slate over the past decade, the streamer has faced criticism that it’s hard to maintain quality control on such large volume. Bajaria indicated that Netflix plans...
Six months later, Netflix is holding its first upfront presentation for advertisers, which also marks the first major public speech by top programming executive Bela Bajaria since she was named Chief Content Officer for the streamer in January.
During the virtual event, she spoke about “super serving” the audience — a term frequently used this upfront week — revealing that Netflix members “watch, on average, six different genres a month.”
Because of the unprecedented growth of Netflix’s original slate over the past decade, the streamer has faced criticism that it’s hard to maintain quality control on such large volume. Bajaria indicated that Netflix plans...
- 5/17/2023
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
The wrecking ball is set to fall on several historic TV homes, including the one used in both ’60s sitcom “Bewitched” and ’70s musical series “The Partridge Family,” and the retro location for Marvel’s “WandaVision,” TheWrap has confirmed.
According to a Warner Bros. Ranch source who spoke with TheWrap, the demolition is slated for an unspecified point this summer.
Warner Bros. took over the property from Columbia Pictures in 1990. Among the many movies shows that have filmed on the street are “American Beauty,” “Lethal Weapon,” “Christmas “National Lampoon’s Vacation,” “Pleasantville,” while TV shows include”Father Knows Best,” “I Dream of Jeannie,” “Eight is Enough,” “The Middle,” “Young Sheldon” and “Animal Kingdom,” according to IMDb.
The homes on the tree-lined, time-capsule street, along with the neighboring park, swimming pool and brownstone facades, will be leveled and paved to make way for 16 new soundstages, offices and parking. Warner Bros. sold the...
According to a Warner Bros. Ranch source who spoke with TheWrap, the demolition is slated for an unspecified point this summer.
Warner Bros. took over the property from Columbia Pictures in 1990. Among the many movies shows that have filmed on the street are “American Beauty,” “Lethal Weapon,” “Christmas “National Lampoon’s Vacation,” “Pleasantville,” while TV shows include”Father Knows Best,” “I Dream of Jeannie,” “Eight is Enough,” “The Middle,” “Young Sheldon” and “Animal Kingdom,” according to IMDb.
The homes on the tree-lined, time-capsule street, along with the neighboring park, swimming pool and brownstone facades, will be leveled and paved to make way for 16 new soundstages, offices and parking. Warner Bros. sold the...
- 4/22/2023
- by Sharon Knolle
- The Wrap
For many decades, the “Big Three” networks dominated American television, bringing laughter, drama, breaking news and real-life events into our homes. NBC, CBS and ABC have broadcast thousands of fictional programs, sporting events, talk shows and news programs for nearly a century, with roots in radio. Television programming began in the 1940s, with the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) leading the way, establishing several firsts for the medium, and becoming home to some of the longest-running programs in the history of the small screen.
But which 30 primetime and late night scripted series are the absolute best? We rank our favorites in the photo gallery above based on quality, quantity (number of seasons/episodes), impact on society and other shows, plus Emmy Awards nominations/wins. Each show on our list has some combo of at least a few of those traits (some have all four!).
In 1948, Milton Berle began hosting “Texaco Star Theatre,...
But which 30 primetime and late night scripted series are the absolute best? We rank our favorites in the photo gallery above based on quality, quantity (number of seasons/episodes), impact on society and other shows, plus Emmy Awards nominations/wins. Each show on our list has some combo of at least a few of those traits (some have all four!).
In 1948, Milton Berle began hosting “Texaco Star Theatre,...
- 4/20/2023
- by Susan Pennington and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
For many decades, the “Big Three” networks dominated American television, bringing laughter, drama, breaking news and real-life events into our homes. NBC, CBS and ABC have broadcast thousands of fictional programs, sporting events, talk shows and news programs for nearly a century, with roots in radio. Television programming began in the 1940s, with the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) leading the way, establishing several firsts for the medium, and becoming home to some of the longest-running programs in the history of the small screen.
But which 30 primetime and late night scripted series are the absolute best? We rank our favorites based on quality, quantity (number of seasons/episodes), impact on society and other shows, plus Emmy Awards nominations/wins. Each show on our list has some combo of at least a few of those traits (some have all four!).
In 1948, Milton Berle began hosting “Texaco Star Theatre,” and ruled Tuesday night television for several years,...
But which 30 primetime and late night scripted series are the absolute best? We rank our favorites based on quality, quantity (number of seasons/episodes), impact on society and other shows, plus Emmy Awards nominations/wins. Each show on our list has some combo of at least a few of those traits (some have all four!).
In 1948, Milton Berle began hosting “Texaco Star Theatre,” and ruled Tuesday night television for several years,...
- 4/20/2023
- by Susan Pennington, Chris Beachum and Misty Holland
- Gold Derby
Netflix yesterday gave The Night Agent a quick Season 2 pickup only six days after the action-thriller from creator Shawn Ryan and Sony Pictures TV launched with the third-best premiere week of viewing for a new series — only behind Wednesday and Dahmer — putting the series starring Gabriel Basso on track to potentially land in the Top 5 of Netflix’s all-time most popular series.
Related Story We’ll Be Back: Photo Gallery Of TV Series Renewed In 2023 Related Story 'The Night Agent' Renewed For Season 2 By Netflix Related Story 'The Night Agent' Leads Netflix TV Charts With Record Debut Week
“I’m still getting my head around it,” Ryan, creator of The Shield and showrunner of S.W.A.T., said. “I’ve had a long career and certainly some success stories, but nothing quite like this in terms of intense, immediate fan reaction. Almost doesn’t feel real.”
The renewal...
Related Story We’ll Be Back: Photo Gallery Of TV Series Renewed In 2023 Related Story 'The Night Agent' Renewed For Season 2 By Netflix Related Story 'The Night Agent' Leads Netflix TV Charts With Record Debut Week
“I’m still getting my head around it,” Ryan, creator of The Shield and showrunner of S.W.A.T., said. “I’ve had a long career and certainly some success stories, but nothing quite like this in terms of intense, immediate fan reaction. Almost doesn’t feel real.”
The renewal...
- 3/30/2023
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Baz Luhrmann’s movie Elvis became a smash hit. Despite this, it wasn’t the first or only movie with a similar style or subject matter. Here are a few films you might want to watch if you loved the movie.
Elvis Presley | Gab Archive / Contributor 5. ‘The King’
Luhrmann’s Elvis is celebratory in many ways. It also portrays the subject of Elvis and race in the most positive light possible. That’s to be expected given that the film was produced by Priscilla Presley.
The King is a documentary that looks at Elvis and race from a more critical perspective. It uses the “Can’t Help Falling in Love” singer’s legacy as a metaphor for the history of the United States. It features interviews with many notable figures, including Van Jones, Chuck D from Public Enemy, and others. The King didn’t get much attention upon release, but it...
Elvis Presley | Gab Archive / Contributor 5. ‘The King’
Luhrmann’s Elvis is celebratory in many ways. It also portrays the subject of Elvis and race in the most positive light possible. That’s to be expected given that the film was produced by Priscilla Presley.
The King is a documentary that looks at Elvis and race from a more critical perspective. It uses the “Can’t Help Falling in Love” singer’s legacy as a metaphor for the history of the United States. It features interviews with many notable figures, including Van Jones, Chuck D from Public Enemy, and others. The King didn’t get much attention upon release, but it...
- 2/22/2023
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Fantastical elements have been part of television since 1964's "Bewitched" and 1965's "I Dream of Jeannie. In the following decades, the genre's popularity has only grown, moving beyond family-friendly sitcoms. The '90s brought us "Hercules" and "Xena: Warrior Princess." The 2000s ushered in the massive cultural phenomenon of "Lost." The world of fantasy television is wonderfully expansive, featuring some of the most critically-acclaimed television -- from philosophical comedies like "The Good Place" to time travel romantic dramas like "Outlander," to high fantasy tales of intrigue and betrayal like "House of the Dragon." For every beloved series, there's a critically-panned fantasy flop. Every "Game of Thrones" season 1, there's a "Game of Thrones" season 8.
But the reviews are not the end all be all of a show's enjoyability. After all, art is subjective. Sometimes media that didn't work for critics can still be a great time. Even if a show was not well-received on its release,...
But the reviews are not the end all be all of a show's enjoyability. After all, art is subjective. Sometimes media that didn't work for critics can still be a great time. Even if a show was not well-received on its release,...
- 1/25/2023
- by Addison Peacock
- Slash Film
Maggie Thrett, the actress and singer who most memorably played Ruth in the “Mudd’s Women” episode of the original Star Trek, has died her family announced. She was 76.
“Mudd’s Women” is one of the most memorable episodes of the 1960s Star Trek, in no small part because it featured three stunningly beautiful women who seem to have strange powers over the male members of the Enterprise crew — except Spock, of course.
Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2022 Photo Gallery
The women are en route to a mining colony where they are to become wives for the wealthy but lonely men who mine precious dilithium crystals. Their secret is that they are made both beautiful and irresistible by taking a so-called “Venus” drug given to them by one of the series’ most memorable rascals, Harry Mudd (Roger Carmel).
Ironically, though Carmel was her neighbor, Thrett...
“Mudd’s Women” is one of the most memorable episodes of the 1960s Star Trek, in no small part because it featured three stunningly beautiful women who seem to have strange powers over the male members of the Enterprise crew — except Spock, of course.
Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2022 Photo Gallery
The women are en route to a mining colony where they are to become wives for the wealthy but lonely men who mine precious dilithium crystals. Their secret is that they are made both beautiful and irresistible by taking a so-called “Venus” drug given to them by one of the series’ most memorable rascals, Harry Mudd (Roger Carmel).
Ironically, though Carmel was her neighbor, Thrett...
- 12/24/2022
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Maggie Thrett, the actress and singer who portrayed one of the three glamorous humanoids who require pills to keep them from aging on the early Star Trek episode “Mudd’s Women,” has died. She was 76.
Thrett died Sunday of complications from an infection at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, New York, family members told The Hollywood Reporter.
Thrett also starred as a flower child alongside Yvette Mimieux, Christopher Jones and Judy Pace in the sex revenge romp Three in the Attic (1968), a box office hit for indie distributor Aip. She and the film received a mention on a TV spot that played in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019).
On “Mudd’s Women,” which premiered on Oct. 13, 1966, as the sixth episode of NBC’s Star Trek — it was shot as the series’ second installment — Thrett, with her long brown hair,...
Maggie Thrett, the actress and singer who portrayed one of the three glamorous humanoids who require pills to keep them from aging on the early Star Trek episode “Mudd’s Women,” has died. She was 76.
Thrett died Sunday of complications from an infection at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, New York, family members told The Hollywood Reporter.
Thrett also starred as a flower child alongside Yvette Mimieux, Christopher Jones and Judy Pace in the sex revenge romp Three in the Attic (1968), a box office hit for indie distributor Aip. She and the film received a mention on a TV spot that played in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019).
On “Mudd’s Women,” which premiered on Oct. 13, 1966, as the sixth episode of NBC’s Star Trek — it was shot as the series’ second installment — Thrett, with her long brown hair,...
- 12/23/2022
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It's almost impossible to talk about the original 1964 "The Addams Family" without mentioning the other 1964 television show that also features a family of outcasts: "The Munsters." During their heyday, both of these monster-centric sitcoms famously aired during the same time slot, but on different networks, forcing viewers to pick a side. If you were Team Addams, you most likely loved the macabre antics of Morticia and Gomez and their two odd children, Wednesday and Pugsley, but if you were Team Munster, you probably enjoyed your sitcom quirk with a little more actual monster to it.
"The Addams Family" — which is based on "The New Yorker" cartoon created by Charles Addams — depicts a family of outcasts who love all things dark and dangerous, whereas the Munsters are actual monsters —I.E. Frankenstein and Dracula and a werewolf son, oh my! — living relatively normal, suburban lives. These differences are at the heart...
"The Addams Family" — which is based on "The New Yorker" cartoon created by Charles Addams — depicts a family of outcasts who love all things dark and dangerous, whereas the Munsters are actual monsters —I.E. Frankenstein and Dracula and a werewolf son, oh my! — living relatively normal, suburban lives. These differences are at the heart...
- 12/17/2022
- by Miyako Pleines
- Slash Film
Ron Masak, Angela Lansbury’s Murder, She Wrote co-star, has died aged 86.
The Chicago-born character actor, whose extensive range of TV credits include Police Story, I Dream of Jeannie and Falcon Crest, died from natural causes.
His granddaughter Kaylie Defilippis announced the news via The Hollywood Reporter.
Masak’s career lasted for six decades. His other TV appearances include an episode of The Twilight Zone, The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Get Smart.
However, it was playing Cabot Cove Sheriff Mort Metzger in the final eight seasons of Murder, She Wrote that Masak is best known. He joined the show in 1988, and appeared in 41 episodes in total.
Masak’s death comes eight days after his co-star Angela Lansbury died, aged 96.
The actor’s film debut arrived in John Sturges’s 1968 thriller Ice Station Zebra, which he starred in opposite Rock Hudson and Ernest Borgnine.
In 2015, Masak wrote a memoir titled...
The Chicago-born character actor, whose extensive range of TV credits include Police Story, I Dream of Jeannie and Falcon Crest, died from natural causes.
His granddaughter Kaylie Defilippis announced the news via The Hollywood Reporter.
Masak’s career lasted for six decades. His other TV appearances include an episode of The Twilight Zone, The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Get Smart.
However, it was playing Cabot Cove Sheriff Mort Metzger in the final eight seasons of Murder, She Wrote that Masak is best known. He joined the show in 1988, and appeared in 41 episodes in total.
Masak’s death comes eight days after his co-star Angela Lansbury died, aged 96.
The actor’s film debut arrived in John Sturges’s 1968 thriller Ice Station Zebra, which he starred in opposite Rock Hudson and Ernest Borgnine.
In 2015, Masak wrote a memoir titled...
- 10/21/2022
- by Jacob Stolworthy
- The Independent - TV
Ron Masak, the character actor best known for portraying Sheriff Mort Metzger on “Murder, She Wrote,” died on Thursday. He was 86.
According to a family statement, Masak died of natural causes and was surrounded by his wife, Kay, and six children.
Born in Chicago, Ill. on July 1, 1936, Masak studied theater at Chicago City College and made his acting debut with the Drama Guild in 1954. Throughout the 1960s and ’70s, he would appear in iconic television series such as “The Twilight Zone” (1960), “The Monkees” (1968), “Get Smart” (1968), “I Dream of Jeannie” (1968-69), “Bewitched” (1969-70), “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” (1971), “Love Thy Neighbor” (1973), “Police Story” (1975-1978) and “Wonder Woman” (1978).
He hit his big break as Sheriff Mort Metzger on “Murder, She Wrote” in 1985, appearing in over 40 episodes of the beloved series until its end in 1996. During the ’80s and ’90s is also when Masak began to get a reputation as the “King of Commercials,...
According to a family statement, Masak died of natural causes and was surrounded by his wife, Kay, and six children.
Born in Chicago, Ill. on July 1, 1936, Masak studied theater at Chicago City College and made his acting debut with the Drama Guild in 1954. Throughout the 1960s and ’70s, he would appear in iconic television series such as “The Twilight Zone” (1960), “The Monkees” (1968), “Get Smart” (1968), “I Dream of Jeannie” (1968-69), “Bewitched” (1969-70), “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” (1971), “Love Thy Neighbor” (1973), “Police Story” (1975-1978) and “Wonder Woman” (1978).
He hit his big break as Sheriff Mort Metzger on “Murder, She Wrote” in 1985, appearing in over 40 episodes of the beloved series until its end in 1996. During the ’80s and ’90s is also when Masak began to get a reputation as the “King of Commercials,...
- 10/21/2022
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Ron Masak, the familiar character actor who as Cabot Cove Sheriff Mort Metzger was the beneficiary of Jessica Fletcher’s crime-solving prowess on the last eight seasons of Murder, She Wrote, has died. He was 86.
Masak died Thursday of natural causes at a hospital in Thousand Oaks, his granddaughter Kaylie Defilippis told The Hollywood Reporter.
The Chicago native appeared six times on Police Story, five times on Bewitched and four times on Webster and also showed up on everything from The Flying Nun, Get Smart, I Dream of Jeannie, Ironside and The Mary Tyler Moore Show to Magnum, P.I., The Rockford FIles, Columbo, Falcon Crest and Cold Case during his six-decade career.
In February 1960, the everyman actor portrayed a harmonica-playing soldier on “The Purple Testament,” the 19th episode of The Twilight Zone, and had a turn as a nutty Dracula-like count on...
Ron Masak, the familiar character actor who as Cabot Cove Sheriff Mort Metzger was the beneficiary of Jessica Fletcher’s crime-solving prowess on the last eight seasons of Murder, She Wrote, has died. He was 86.
Masak died Thursday of natural causes at a hospital in Thousand Oaks, his granddaughter Kaylie Defilippis told The Hollywood Reporter.
The Chicago native appeared six times on Police Story, five times on Bewitched and four times on Webster and also showed up on everything from The Flying Nun, Get Smart, I Dream of Jeannie, Ironside and The Mary Tyler Moore Show to Magnum, P.I., The Rockford FIles, Columbo, Falcon Crest and Cold Case during his six-decade career.
In February 1960, the everyman actor portrayed a harmonica-playing soldier on “The Purple Testament,” the 19th episode of The Twilight Zone, and had a turn as a nutty Dracula-like count on...
- 10/21/2022
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Harry Flynn, a veteran publicist whose clients over the decades included Bob Hope, Michael Landon, Carroll O’Connor, Donna Reed and various TV networks and film studios, has died. He was 92.
A friend of his family told Deadline that Flynn died October 5 of natural causes in Los Angeles.
He started in the business during the 1950s but left publicity for a while to write for fan magazines. In 1962, Flynn joined the newly formed ABC on-air promotion department as a writer-producer. Two years later he moved to Columbia’s Screen Gems and would run its TV promotion/publicity department for the next five years, working on such classics series as Bewitched, I Dream Of Jeannie, The Monkees, The Donna Reed Show, The Flying Nun and others.
Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2022: Photo Gallery Related Story Meghan Markle Says She Was Treated Like A "Bimbo" When She Worked On 'Deal or...
A friend of his family told Deadline that Flynn died October 5 of natural causes in Los Angeles.
He started in the business during the 1950s but left publicity for a while to write for fan magazines. In 1962, Flynn joined the newly formed ABC on-air promotion department as a writer-producer. Two years later he moved to Columbia’s Screen Gems and would run its TV promotion/publicity department for the next five years, working on such classics series as Bewitched, I Dream Of Jeannie, The Monkees, The Donna Reed Show, The Flying Nun and others.
Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2022: Photo Gallery Related Story Meghan Markle Says She Was Treated Like A "Bimbo" When She Worked On 'Deal or...
- 10/19/2022
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Mark Miller, who portrayed the patriarch of a castle-dwelling family on the 1960s NBC sitcom Please Don’t Eat the Daisies and co-wrote the Keanu Reeves-starring romantic drama A Walk in the Clouds, has died. He was 97.
Miler died Friday in Santa Monica of natural causes, a family spokesperson announced. Survivors include his daughter and Tony-nominated actress Penelope Ann Miller.
Miller also wrote, produced and starred in the classic family film Savannah Smiles (1982), which was inspired by and named for his youngest daughter. It’s the story of a runaway girl (Bridgette Andersen) who forms an improvised family with the two escaped convicts (Miller, Donovan Scott) who find her.
On Please Don’t Eat the Daisies, which aired for two seasons and 58 episodes from 1965-67, the native Texan played college professor Jim Nash opposite Patricia Crowley as newspaper writer Joan Nash. They are the...
Mark Miller, who portrayed the patriarch of a castle-dwelling family on the 1960s NBC sitcom Please Don’t Eat the Daisies and co-wrote the Keanu Reeves-starring romantic drama A Walk in the Clouds, has died. He was 97.
Miler died Friday in Santa Monica of natural causes, a family spokesperson announced. Survivors include his daughter and Tony-nominated actress Penelope Ann Miller.
Miller also wrote, produced and starred in the classic family film Savannah Smiles (1982), which was inspired by and named for his youngest daughter. It’s the story of a runaway girl (Bridgette Andersen) who forms an improvised family with the two escaped convicts (Miller, Donovan Scott) who find her.
On Please Don’t Eat the Daisies, which aired for two seasons and 58 episodes from 1965-67, the native Texan played college professor Jim Nash opposite Patricia Crowley as newspaper writer Joan Nash. They are the...
- 9/14/2022
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
On 828 Day at 8:28 Am, exactly one year after Netflix announced that Manifest has been resurrected following its cancellation by NBC, the streamer unveiled a premiere date for Part 1 of the series’ fourth and final season.
It will debut Nov. 4, 2022
As previously announced, Season 4 of Manifest will be released in two parts consisting of 10 episodes each. When Montego Air Flight 828 landed safely after a turbulent but routine flight, the crew and passengers were relieved. Yet in the span of those few hours, the world had aged five years — and their friends, families and colleagues, after mourning their loss, had given up hope and moved on. Now, faced with the impossible, they’re all given a second chance. But as their new realities become clear, a deeper mystery unfolds and some of the returned passengers soon realize they may be meant for something greater than they ever thought possible in this emotionally rich,...
It will debut Nov. 4, 2022
As previously announced, Season 4 of Manifest will be released in two parts consisting of 10 episodes each. When Montego Air Flight 828 landed safely after a turbulent but routine flight, the crew and passengers were relieved. Yet in the span of those few hours, the world had aged five years — and their friends, families and colleagues, after mourning their loss, had given up hope and moved on. Now, faced with the impossible, they’re all given a second chance. But as their new realities become clear, a deeper mystery unfolds and some of the returned passengers soon realize they may be meant for something greater than they ever thought possible in this emotionally rich,...
- 8/28/2022
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Larry Storch, the comedic character actor who also did voiceover work and impressions and was best known for his role as Corporal Randolph Agarn on “F Troop,” has died. He was 99.
His family released a statement on his Facebook page, saying, “It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share with you the news our beloved Larry passed away in his sleep overnight. We are shocked and at a loss for words at the moment. Please remember he loved each and every one of you and wouldn’t want you to cry over his passing. He is reunited with his wife Norma and his beloved F Troop cast and so many friends and family.”
Storch was a familiar face on TV shows throughout the 1960s and ’70s — he starred in the 1970s children’s show “The Ghost Busters” and appeared on “The Love Boat” and “Car 54, Where Are You?” On “Married…...
His family released a statement on his Facebook page, saying, “It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share with you the news our beloved Larry passed away in his sleep overnight. We are shocked and at a loss for words at the moment. Please remember he loved each and every one of you and wouldn’t want you to cry over his passing. He is reunited with his wife Norma and his beloved F Troop cast and so many friends and family.”
Storch was a familiar face on TV shows throughout the 1960s and ’70s — he starred in the 1970s children’s show “The Ghost Busters” and appeared on “The Love Boat” and “Car 54, Where Are You?” On “Married…...
- 7/8/2022
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
Larry Storch, the stand-up comic turned ubiquitous television actor who made an indelible impression as the bumbling Corporal Randolph Agarn on the 1960s sitcom F Troop, has died. He was 99.
His death was announced on his Facebook page. “It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share with you the news our beloved Larry passed away in his sleep overnight. We are shocked and at a loss for words at the moment. Please remember he loved each and every one of you and wouldn’t want you to cry over his passing. He is reunited with his wife Norma and his beloved F Troop cast and so many friends and family.”
Born in New York City – his Bronx accent would be used to enduring effect in his comic portrayals – Storch began his show business career as a stand-up comic and parlayed his popularity to a prolific and long-lasting television career,...
His death was announced on his Facebook page. “It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share with you the news our beloved Larry passed away in his sleep overnight. We are shocked and at a loss for words at the moment. Please remember he loved each and every one of you and wouldn’t want you to cry over his passing. He is reunited with his wife Norma and his beloved F Troop cast and so many friends and family.”
Born in New York City – his Bronx accent would be used to enduring effect in his comic portrayals – Storch began his show business career as a stand-up comic and parlayed his popularity to a prolific and long-lasting television career,...
- 7/8/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Larry Storch, who memorably played Corporal Randolph Agarn on the mid-1960s ABC sitcom F Troop, died on July 8, six months shy of his 100th birthday.
The actor’s passing was announced by his official Facebook page.
More from TVLineLittle House on the Prairie's Hersha Parady Dead at 78Wwe Hall of Famer Terry Funk Dead at 79 - Ric Flair and Mick Foley Pay TributeAnother World's Nancy Frangione Dead at 70
“It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share with you the news our beloved Larry passed away in his sleep overnight,” the message reads. “We are shocked and at...
The actor’s passing was announced by his official Facebook page.
More from TVLineLittle House on the Prairie's Hersha Parady Dead at 78Wwe Hall of Famer Terry Funk Dead at 79 - Ric Flair and Mick Foley Pay TributeAnother World's Nancy Frangione Dead at 70
“It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share with you the news our beloved Larry passed away in his sleep overnight,” the message reads. “We are shocked and at...
- 7/8/2022
- by Matt Webb Mitovich
- TVLine.com
By Lee Pfeiffer
Kino Lorber has released the 1964 comedy "The Brass Bottle" on Blu-ray. The film appears to have been the inspiration for the hit TV series "I Dream of Jeannie" which starred Barbara Eden as the sultry title character. Some cinephiles argue that the film and TV series have nothing to do with one another, but it seems to me that if you make a movie with Barbara Eden and a genie from a brass bottle, than it's more than a coincidence that a TV series starring Eden featuring a genie and a brass bottle soon appears. It is true that Eden does appear as the female lead in the feature film, but in a very down-to-earth role as Sylvia, the fiancee of aspiring-but-unsuccessful architect Harold Ventimore (Tony Randall). Sorry, guys, no navel-gazing to be had here.The premise of the plot is as old as the pyramids: Harold...
Kino Lorber has released the 1964 comedy "The Brass Bottle" on Blu-ray. The film appears to have been the inspiration for the hit TV series "I Dream of Jeannie" which starred Barbara Eden as the sultry title character. Some cinephiles argue that the film and TV series have nothing to do with one another, but it seems to me that if you make a movie with Barbara Eden and a genie from a brass bottle, than it's more than a coincidence that a TV series starring Eden featuring a genie and a brass bottle soon appears. It is true that Eden does appear as the female lead in the feature film, but in a very down-to-earth role as Sylvia, the fiancee of aspiring-but-unsuccessful architect Harold Ventimore (Tony Randall). Sorry, guys, no navel-gazing to be had here.The premise of the plot is as old as the pyramids: Harold...
- 5/8/2022
- by [email protected] (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
In the 1950s and early 1960s, American family sitcoms were all the rage. Shows like "Leave it to Beaver," "Father Knows Best," "Life with Blondie," and "The Andy Griffith Show" were wholesome looks at the idyllic, assimilated, white ways of American living, and dominated small screens across the country. Knowing that the cable stations couldn't survive off one type of family sitcom, writers started getting a little more creative. "Bewitched" took the typical formula of a married couple and incorporated the magic of witchcraft, as did the popular "I Dream of Jeannie." When it came time to revamp the family sitcom, creatives started tackling different worlds than that...
The post Why The Munsters Are So Beloved appeared first on /Film.
The post Why The Munsters Are So Beloved appeared first on /Film.
- 4/21/2022
- by Ariel Fisher
- Slash Film
“Ghosts” may be the unlikeliest comedy hit in recent CBS history. It’s a single-camera half-hour, adapted from a cult U.K. series, and it’s not from Chuck Lorre. Yet the show, which was just renewed for a second season, has already become a breakout for the Eye network, averaging 8.1 million viewers season-to-date, and improving its time period 15% from last year.
And that’s just on linear, where “Ghosts” is the No. 2 comedy on broadcast, behind only CBS’ “Young Sheldon.” It is also performing well on Paramount Plus, which reports that it’s the No. 1 comedy on the streamer.
“It’s the most pleasant kind of surprise,” says CBS Entertainment president Kelly Kahl. “Material we fell in love with, a pilot we fell in love with. It’s like most hits, nothing screamed that, ‘hey, this is gonna be a breakout hit.’ We hoped for it. We always do.
And that’s just on linear, where “Ghosts” is the No. 2 comedy on broadcast, behind only CBS’ “Young Sheldon.” It is also performing well on Paramount Plus, which reports that it’s the No. 1 comedy on the streamer.
“It’s the most pleasant kind of surprise,” says CBS Entertainment president Kelly Kahl. “Material we fell in love with, a pilot we fell in love with. It’s like most hits, nothing screamed that, ‘hey, this is gonna be a breakout hit.’ We hoped for it. We always do.
- 2/3/2022
- by Michael Schneider
- Variety Film + TV
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