Here is your Shop Local Saturday
a little spark of madness
that we could use to momentarily forget about those things that leave a bad taste in our mouths.
Telly and Gordon want a "Mr. Hooper Egg Cream."
Stay Tuned
Tony Figueroa
I represent the first generation who, when we were born, the television was now a permanent fixture in our homes. When I was born people had breakfast with Barbara Walters, dinner with Walter Cronkite, and slept with Johnny Carson. Read the full "Pre-ramble"
Saturday, November 30, 2024
Friday, November 29, 2024
Your HOLIDAY SOR-BAY: The Jack Benny Program - Christmas Shopping
Here is a
"HOLIDAY SOR-BAY"
a little spark of madness
that we could use to artificially maintain our Christmas spirit.
|
Happy Shopping
Tony Figueroa
Thursday, November 28, 2024
Your Holiday Sor-Bay: Thanksgiving 2024
As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly!
This is a little brain candy to snack on while dinner is cooking.
May we all be thankful for what we are about to view...
In 1997 TV Guide ranked this episode number 40 on its '100 Greatest Episodes of All Time' list.
Wednesday, November 27, 2024
Your HOLIDAY SOR-BAY: Hallmark Channel Christmas Promo (James Franco) - SNL
Here is a
"HOLIDAY SOR-BAY"
a little spark of madness
that we could use to artificially maintain our Christmas spirit.
Tony Figueroa
Tuesday, November 26, 2024
Earl Holliman
 |
| Henry Earl Holliman September 11, 1928 – November 25, 2024 |
Earl Holliman became known to television audiences through his portrayal as Sundance in CBS's Hotel de Paree, with costar Jeanette Nolan, from 1959 to 1960, and in the title role of Mitch Guthrie with Andrew Prine in NBC's Wide Country, a drama about modern rodeo performers that aired for 28 episodes between 1962 and 1963.
He also had the distinction of appearing in the debut episode of CBS's The Twilight Zone, titled "Where Is Everybody?", which aired on October 2, 1959, the same night as the premiere of Hotel de Paree. In 1967, Holliman guest-starred on Wayne Maunder's short-lived ABC military-Western series Custer. In 1970 and 1971, Holliman made two appearances in the Western comedy series Alias Smith and Jones starring Pete Duel and Ben Murphy.
From 1974 to 1978, he portrayed Sergeant Bill Crowley opposite Angie Dickinson in the Police Woman series. He co-starred in all 91 episodes of the hit series (which he later remarked changed his life), playing the police department superior of undercover officer Pepper Anderson. He later took part in The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast comedy roast of co-star Dickinson on August 2, 1977.
Holliman continued to appear in television guest roles throughout the 1970s to 1990s. He shared a starring role in the CBS movie Country Gold (a made for television remake of All About Eve), filmed on location in Nashville, Tennessee, which also featured Loni Anderson, Linda Hamilton, and Cooper Huckabee. He was also a regular celebrity panelist on The Hollywood Squares, where he was recognized for his ability to trick the contestants with believable bluff answers. His most notable role during this period was in the hit miniseries The Thorn Birds with Richard Chamberlain and Rachel Ward.[24] He also took part in the Gunsmoke reunion movie Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge in 1987 as Jake Flagg, having guest-starred on the Gunsmoke TV series with James Arness three times between 1969 and 1973.
He was an occasional celebrity on the $25,000 and $100,000 Pyramid game shows between 1983 and 1991. In 1991 and 1994, Holliman had two guest-star roles on Murder, She Wrote. From September 15, 1991, to January 4, 1992, he appeared in the lead role of Detective Matthew Durning on the CBS sitcom P.S. I Luv U (a role which he got due to his prominence in Police Woman two decades prior).
Later in his career, Holliman had a recurring role as Fred Duffy, the father of the title character Caroline Duffy, on Caroline in the City, appearing in three episodes, and he additionally starred in the 1997–99 television series Night Man as Frank Dominus, a disgraced former police officer and father of the main character.
Holliman was a vegetarian and was against the exploitation of animals by using their fur for clothing. He was known for his work as an animal rights activist, including serving for more than 25 years as president of Actors and Others for Animals. He was well known for nursing animals on his own property, at one point feeding roughly 500 pigeons in a day, as well as healing a wounded dove and a blind opossum inside his home.
For many years, he was one of many in the film community to help organize meals during the Christmas season for the less fortunate at the Los Angeles Mission.
 |
| Good Night Mr. Holliman |
 |
| Stay Tuned Tony Figueroa |
Monday, November 25, 2024
This Week in Television History: November 2024 PART IV
November
26, 1989
The television series MTV
Unplugged, featuring stripped-down acoustical performances by a wide range
of artists not usually known for such performances, makes its broadcast
premiere on this day in 1989.
The
premiere episode of MTV Unplugged was only lightly promoted by the
network, in part because it featured a lineup whose biggest name was the
English pop group Squeeze—a band whose greatest popular success was already
several years behind it. The episode also featured performances by the relatively
unknown singer-songwriter Syd Straw, Cars guitarist Elliot Easton and
singer-songwriter Jules Shear, who went on to act as host in the first season
of MTV Unplugged. Following this less-than-star-studded debut,
subsequent episodes featured a smattering of moderately popular acts like
10,000 Maniacs and Michael Penn along with performers with little or no name
recognition among the MTV generation, like Graham Parker and Dr. John.Late
in its first season, however MTV Unplugged began to gain popular
momentum with noteworthy appearances by Sinead O'Connor and Aerosmith. It was a
second-season appearance by Paul McCartney, however, that probably turned the
show into the success it became when McCartney released a recording of his
performance as Unplugged (The Official Bootleg)—an album that enjoyed
tremendous popular success. Soon enough, MTV Unplugged became a popular
stop not only for some of the biggest contemporary acts of the early 1990s,
such as R.E.M. and Nirvana, but also for older artists looking to relaunch
their brands with a younger audience, such as Eric Clapton, Rod Stewart and
Tony Bennett. Unplugged albums released by the latter three artists each
went on to sell upwards of a million copies, making the MTV Unplugged brand
a saleable commodity.
The
program has not been without its critics. Steve Albini, for instance, who
produced Nirvana's final studio album, In Utero, told Time magazine
in 1995, "From an artistic standpoint, it's a total joke.... You take
bands that are fundamentally electric-rock bands and put acoustic guitars in
their hands and make them do a pantomime of a front-porch performance."
Nevertheless, MTV Unplugged is among the most successful original
programs ever produced by MTV.
November 30, 1929
Richard
Wagstaff "Dick" Clark is born.
He
was an American radio and television
personality, as well as a cultural
icon who remains best known for hosting American television's longest-running
variety show, American
Bandstand, from 1957 to 1987. He
also hosted the game show Pyramid and Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, which transmitted Times Square's New Year's Eve celebrations worldwide. Clark was
also well known for his trademark sign-off, "For now, Dick Clark. So
long!", accompanied with a military salute.
December 1, 1994
The Game Show Network was launched.
Game Show Network
launched at 7:00 p.m. ET on December 1, 1994. The first aired game show
was What's My Line?. From 1994 until about 1997, the network aired
classic pre-1972 game shows as well as game shows made after 1972, most of
which came from the Mark Goodson–Bill Todman library.
The network aired game shows in a 24-hour cycle, and also used live
interstitials as wraparound programming. In its first few months, GSN's
commercials consisted of public
service announcements (PSAs),
promotions for its programming and commercials related to network parent
company Sony. By
1995, when the network began to expand, the network began accepting
conventional advertising as it gained new sponsorships.
December 1, 2004
NBC anchor Tom Brokaw made he final appearance as
anchor on NBC Nightly News.
He began his run on the show in April 1982. It was
planned that Brokaw would host at least three documentaries a year for NBC.
November
26, 1989
The television series MTV
Unplugged, featuring stripped-down acoustical performances by a wide range
of artists not usually known for such performances, makes its broadcast
premiere on this day in 1989.
The
premiere episode of MTV Unplugged was only lightly promoted by the
network, in part because it featured a lineup whose biggest name was the
English pop group Squeeze—a band whose greatest popular success was already
several years behind it. The episode also featured performances by the relatively
unknown singer-songwriter Syd Straw, Cars guitarist Elliot Easton and
singer-songwriter Jules Shear, who went on to act as host in the first season
of MTV Unplugged. Following this less-than-star-studded debut,
subsequent episodes featured a smattering of moderately popular acts like
10,000 Maniacs and Michael Penn along with performers with little or no name
recognition among the MTV generation, like Graham Parker and Dr. John.
Late
in its first season, however MTV Unplugged began to gain popular
momentum with noteworthy appearances by Sinead O'Connor and Aerosmith. It was a
second-season appearance by Paul McCartney, however, that probably turned the
show into the success it became when McCartney released a recording of his
performance as Unplugged (The Official Bootleg)—an album that enjoyed
tremendous popular success. Soon enough, MTV Unplugged became a popular
stop not only for some of the biggest contemporary acts of the early 1990s,
such as R.E.M. and Nirvana, but also for older artists looking to relaunch
their brands with a younger audience, such as Eric Clapton, Rod Stewart and
Tony Bennett. Unplugged albums released by the latter three artists each
went on to sell upwards of a million copies, making the MTV Unplugged brand
a saleable commodity.
The
program has not been without its critics. Steve Albini, for instance, who
produced Nirvana's final studio album, In Utero, told Time magazine
in 1995, "From an artistic standpoint, it's a total joke.... You take
bands that are fundamentally electric-rock bands and put acoustic guitars in
their hands and make them do a pantomime of a front-porch performance."
Nevertheless, MTV Unplugged is among the most successful original
programs ever produced by MTV.
November 30, 1929
Richard Wagstaff "Dick" Clark is born.
He
was an American radio and television
personality, as well as a cultural
icon who remains best known for hosting American television's longest-running
variety show, American
Bandstand, from 1957 to 1987. He
also hosted the game show Pyramid and Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, which transmitted Times Square's New Year's Eve celebrations worldwide. Clark was
also well known for his trademark sign-off, "For now, Dick Clark. So
long!", accompanied with a military salute.
December 1, 1994
The Game Show Network was launched.
Game Show Network
launched at 7:00 p.m. ET on December 1, 1994. The first aired game show
was What's My Line?. From 1994 until about 1997, the network aired
classic pre-1972 game shows as well as game shows made after 1972, most of
which came from the Mark Goodson–Bill Todman library.
The network aired game shows in a 24-hour cycle, and also used live
interstitials as wraparound programming. In its first few months, GSN's
commercials consisted of public
service announcements (PSAs),
promotions for its programming and commercials related to network parent
company Sony. By
1995, when the network began to expand, the network began accepting
conventional advertising as it gained new sponsorships.
December 1, 2004
NBC anchor Tom Brokaw made he final appearance as anchor on NBC Nightly News.
He began his run on the show in April 1982. It was
planned that Brokaw would host at least three documentaries a year for NBC.
Stay Tuned
Tony Figueroa
Sunday, November 24, 2024
Chuck Woolery
 |
| Charles Herbert Woolery March 16, 1941 – November 23, 2024 |
|
| Good Night Mr. Woolery Stay Tuned Tony Figueroa |
Your HOLIDAY SOR-BAY: The Mary Tyler Moore Show - Not a Christmas Story
Here is your
a little spark of madness
that we could use to momentarily forget about those
things that leave a bad taste in our mouths.
|
Stay Tuned
Tony Figueroa
Tony Figueroa
Monday, November 18, 2024
This Week in Television History: November 2024 PART III
November 19, 1919
Alan Young is
born Angus Young.
The British-born Canadian actor and voice actor best known for his role as
Wilbur Post in the television series Mister Ed and as the voice of Scrooge McDuck in Disney films, TV series
and video games. During the 1940s and 1950s, he starred in his own shows on
radio and television.
November 19, 1959
The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show Premieres Jet Fuel
Formula.
The
Rocky and Bullwinkle Show is the
collective name for two separate animated series: Rocky and
His Friends (1959 – 1961) and The Bullwinkle Show (1961 – 1964). Rocky & Bullwinkle
enjoyed great popularity during the 1960s. Much of this success was a result of
it being targeted towards both children and adults. The zany characters and
absurd plots would draw in children, while the clever usage of puns and topical
references appealed to the adult demographic. Furthermore, the strengths of the series helped it
overcome the fact that it had choppy, limited animation; in fact, some critics described the series as a
well-written radio
program with pictures.
The show was broadcast for the first time in the fall of 1959 on the ABC
television network under the title Rocky and His Friends twice a week,
on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, at 5:30pm(et). In 1961, the series was
moved to NBC where it was renamed The Bullwinkle
Show, and first appeared on Sundays at 7pm(et), just before Walt
Disney's Wonderful World of Color; eventually, it was
rescheduled on late Sunday afternoons, and early Saturday afternoons in its
final season. Subsequently, in 1964, the show returned to ABC, where it was
canceled within a year. However, reruns of episodes were still continually
aired on ABC's Sunday morning schedule [11am(et)] until 1973, at which time the
series went into syndication. In addition, an abbreviated fifteen minute
version of the series ran in syndication in the 1960s under the title The
Rocky Show. This version was sometimes shown in conjunction with The
King and Odie, a fifteen minute version of Total Television's King
Leonardo and His Short Subjects. The King and Odie was
similar to Rocky and Bullwinkle in that it was sponsored by General
Mills and animated by Gamma Productions.
November 20, 1939
Richard Remick ”Dick“ Smothers is born.
He is best known for being half of the
musical comedy team the Smothers Brothers, with his older brother Tom.
November 21
World Television Day
World Television Day celebrates the daily value of
television as a symbol of communication and globalization. Television is one of
the single greatest technological advances of the 20th century, serving to
educate, inform, entertain and influence our decisions and opinions. It is estimated that approximately 90% of
homes around the world have televisions, however, with the introduction of
internet broadcasting, the number is declining in favor of computers.
World Television Day was proclaimed by the United
Nations in 1996. It is celebrated annually on November 21.
November 19, 1919
Alan Young is born Angus Young.
The British-born Canadian actor and voice actor best known for his role as
Wilbur Post in the television series Mister Ed and as the voice of Scrooge McDuck in Disney films, TV series
and video games. During the 1940s and 1950s, he starred in his own shows on
radio and television.
November 19, 1959
The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show Premieres Jet Fuel
Formula.
The
Rocky and Bullwinkle Show is the
collective name for two separate animated series: Rocky and
His Friends (1959 – 1961) and The Bullwinkle Show (1961 – 1964). Rocky & Bullwinkle
enjoyed great popularity during the 1960s. Much of this success was a result of
it being targeted towards both children and adults. The zany characters and
absurd plots would draw in children, while the clever usage of puns and topical
references appealed to the adult demographic. Furthermore, the strengths of the series helped it
overcome the fact that it had choppy, limited animation; in fact, some critics described the series as a
well-written radio
program with pictures.
The show was broadcast for the first time in the fall of 1959 on the ABC
television network under the title Rocky and His Friends twice a week,
on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, at 5:30pm(et). In 1961, the series was
moved to NBC where it was renamed The Bullwinkle
Show, and first appeared on Sundays at 7pm(et), just before Walt
Disney's Wonderful World of Color; eventually, it was
rescheduled on late Sunday afternoons, and early Saturday afternoons in its
final season. Subsequently, in 1964, the show returned to ABC, where it was
canceled within a year. However, reruns of episodes were still continually
aired on ABC's Sunday morning schedule [11am(et)] until 1973, at which time the
series went into syndication. In addition, an abbreviated fifteen minute
version of the series ran in syndication in the 1960s under the title The
Rocky Show. This version was sometimes shown in conjunction with The
King and Odie, a fifteen minute version of Total Television's King
Leonardo and His Short Subjects. The King and Odie was
similar to Rocky and Bullwinkle in that it was sponsored by General
Mills and animated by Gamma Productions.
November 20, 1939
Richard Remick ”Dick“ Smothers is born.
He is best known for being half of the
musical comedy team the Smothers Brothers, with his older brother Tom.
November 21
World Television Day
World Television Day celebrates the daily value of
television as a symbol of communication and globalization. Television is one of
the single greatest technological advances of the 20th century, serving to
educate, inform, entertain and influence our decisions and opinions. It is estimated that approximately 90% of
homes around the world have televisions, however, with the introduction of
internet broadcasting, the number is declining in favor of computers.
World Television Day was proclaimed by the United Nations in 1996. It is celebrated annually on November 21.
Stay Tuned
Tony Figueroa
Monday, November 11, 2024
This Week in Television History: November 2024 PART II
November 13, 1949
Caryn Johnson, later known as Whoopi Goldberg, is born
in New York City.
Goldberg began acting at
age eight in children's theater productions. She dropped out of high school
during her freshman year, later citing a learning disability that teachers
mistook for retardation. She began using drugs but later cleaned up and resumed
her interest in acting. She married her substance abuse counselor and had a
daughter. She started winning small roles in Broadway shows including Jesus
Christ Superstar and Hair. Her marriage ended, and she moved with
her daughter to California, where she began performing with improv groups in
San Diego and San Francisco while earning money as a bank teller, makeup
artist, and other odd jobs.Goldberg launched a
comedy act with comedian Don Victor but was soon performing a hit solo act
called "Spook Show." She toured the country with her comedy,
eventually ending up on Broadway.
In
1985, three days after her 36th birthday, she made her movie debut in The
Color Purple, also starring Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover. She earned an
Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. She later appeared in numerous
comedies, including Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986), and won the Best
Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as a psychic in Ghost (1990). Her
1993 comedy, Sister Act, was such a phenomenal hit that she earned $8
million for Sister Act II, which made her one of the industry's
highest-paid actresses. She briefly had her own talk show and guest-starred
regularly on Star Trek: The Next Generation. She has been married
several times and has several grandchildren.
November 15, 1929
Edward Asner is born.
Film, television, stage, and
voice actor and a former president of the Screen
Actors Guild. He is primarily known
for his Emmy Award-winning role as Lou Grant during the
1970s and early 1980s, on both The
Mary Tyler Moore Show and
its spin-off series Lou
Grant, making him one of the few
television actors to portray the same leading character in both a comedy and a
drama.
November 15, 1919
Joseph Albert Wapner is
born.
The
retired American judge and former television "judge." He is the
first star of the ongoing reality courtroom series The
People's Court. The court show's
first run in syndication, with Wapner presiding as "judge", lasted
from 1981 to 1993. This run lasted 12 seasons and 2,484 episodes. Unlike the
show's second run which has been presided over by multiple judges, Wapner was
the sole judge to preside during the court show's first run.
Wapner's tenure on the program made him the first star
of arbitration-based
reality court shows, what is now a
most popular trend in the judicial genre. Until the summer of 2013, Wapner also
held the title of longest reigning arbiter over The People's Court.
However, by completion of the court show's 2012-2013 season, Marilyn Milian captured this title from him and became the
longest-reigning judge over the series. Five years after presiding over the The
People's Court, Wapner returned
to television as a judge on the nontraditional
courtroom series, Judge Wapner's Animal Court, lasting for 2 seasons (1998-1999 and 1999-2000).
November 17, 1944
Actor and director Danny DeVito is born in Neptune,
New Jersey.
A former hairdresser,
DeVito made his stage debut in 1969. He began appearing in small movie roles,
including One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975). He spent five years
playing cab dispatcher Louie De Palma on the TV sitcom Taxi. By the mid
1980s, with comedy credits like Romancing the Stone (1984) and Ruthless
People (1986), he was in high demand as a comic actor. He began directing
in 1987, with Throw Mama from the Train, followed by the hit The War
of the Roses (1989). Recent credits include L.A. Confidential (1997)
and The Rainmaker (1997). In 1994, he began producing films with great
success. His hits as producer have included, including Pulp Fiction
(1994), Get Shorty (1995) and Erin Brockovich (2000). Married to
actress Rhea Perlman, DeVito owns his own film company, Jersey Films. DeVito currently
plays Frank Reynolds on FX's critically acclaimed comedy It's Always Sunny
in Philadelphia.
November 13, 1949
Caryn Johnson, later known as Whoopi Goldberg, is born
in New York City.
Goldberg began acting at
age eight in children's theater productions. She dropped out of high school
during her freshman year, later citing a learning disability that teachers
mistook for retardation. She began using drugs but later cleaned up and resumed
her interest in acting. She married her substance abuse counselor and had a
daughter. She started winning small roles in Broadway shows including Jesus
Christ Superstar and Hair. Her marriage ended, and she moved with
her daughter to California, where she began performing with improv groups in
San Diego and San Francisco while earning money as a bank teller, makeup
artist, and other odd jobs.
Goldberg launched a
comedy act with comedian Don Victor but was soon performing a hit solo act
called "Spook Show." She toured the country with her comedy,
eventually ending up on Broadway.
In
1985, three days after her 36th birthday, she made her movie debut in The
Color Purple, also starring Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover. She earned an
Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. She later appeared in numerous
comedies, including Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986), and won the Best
Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as a psychic in Ghost (1990). Her
1993 comedy, Sister Act, was such a phenomenal hit that she earned $8
million for Sister Act II, which made her one of the industry's
highest-paid actresses. She briefly had her own talk show and guest-starred
regularly on Star Trek: The Next Generation. She has been married
several times and has several grandchildren.
November 15, 1929
Edward Asner is born.
Film, television, stage, and
voice actor and a former president of the Screen
Actors Guild. He is primarily known
for his Emmy Award-winning role as Lou Grant during the
1970s and early 1980s, on both The
Mary Tyler Moore Show and
its spin-off series Lou
Grant, making him one of the few
television actors to portray the same leading character in both a comedy and a
drama.
November 15, 1919
Joseph Albert Wapner is
born.
The
retired American judge and former television "judge." He is the
first star of the ongoing reality courtroom series The
People's Court. The court show's
first run in syndication, with Wapner presiding as "judge", lasted
from 1981 to 1993. This run lasted 12 seasons and 2,484 episodes. Unlike the
show's second run which has been presided over by multiple judges, Wapner was
the sole judge to preside during the court show's first run.
Wapner's tenure on the program made him the first star
of arbitration-based
reality court shows, what is now a
most popular trend in the judicial genre. Until the summer of 2013, Wapner also
held the title of longest reigning arbiter over The People's Court.
However, by completion of the court show's 2012-2013 season, Marilyn Milian captured this title from him and became the
longest-reigning judge over the series. Five years after presiding over the The
People's Court, Wapner returned
to television as a judge on the nontraditional
courtroom series, Judge Wapner's Animal Court, lasting for 2 seasons (1998-1999 and 1999-2000).
November 17, 1944
Actor and director Danny DeVito is born in Neptune, New Jersey.
A former hairdresser,
DeVito made his stage debut in 1969. He began appearing in small movie roles,
including One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975). He spent five years
playing cab dispatcher Louie De Palma on the TV sitcom Taxi. By the mid
1980s, with comedy credits like Romancing the Stone (1984) and Ruthless
People (1986), he was in high demand as a comic actor. He began directing
in 1987, with Throw Mama from the Train, followed by the hit The War
of the Roses (1989). Recent credits include L.A. Confidential (1997)
and The Rainmaker (1997). In 1994, he began producing films with great
success. His hits as producer have included, including Pulp Fiction
(1994), Get Shorty (1995) and Erin Brockovich (2000). Married to
actress Rhea Perlman, DeVito owns his own film company, Jersey Films. DeVito currently
plays Frank Reynolds on FX's critically acclaimed comedy It's Always Sunny
in Philadelphia.
Stay Tuned
Tony Figueroa
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