First hour: Ed, Frankie, Tony Figueroa and Donna Allen comment on the passings of Stephen J. Cannell, Tony Curtis and Arthur Penn, the recent premieres of Law & Order: Los Angeles, Undercovers, No Ordinary Family, The Defenders, Running Wilde and The Event, and the cancellation of Lone Star.
Second hour: Ed welcomes Amy Ricalde, a nationally renowned voiceover artist who helps companies such as Microsoft, Disney and ESPN increase the value of their brands through the use of the right voice. The hour also features an encore presentation of our conversation with Randy Thomas, the voice of Entertainment Tonight and co-author of Voice for Hire: Launch and Maintain a Career in Voice-Over, as well as David Krell's recollections of NBC's rise to the top in the 1980s.
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"
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
This week in Television History: October 2010 PART II
Listen to me on TV CONFIDENTIAL with Ed Robertson and Frankie Montiforte Broadcast LIVE every other Monday at 9pm ET, 6pm PT (immediately following STU'S SHOW) on Shokus Internet Radio. The program will then be repeated Tuesday thru Sunday at the same time (9pm ET, 6pm PT)on Shokus Radio for the next two weeks, and then will be posted on line at our archives page at TVConfidential.net. We are also on Share-a-Vision Radio (KSAV.org) Friday at 7pm PT and ET, either before or after the DUSTY RECORDS show, depending on where you live.
As always, the further we go back in Hollywood history, the more that fact and legend become intertwined. It's hard to say where the truth really lies.
Oct 11, 1975
Saturday Night Live debuts.
The topical comedy sketch show featuring Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, Garrett Morris, Jane Curtin and Laraine Newman, makes its debut on NBC; it will go on to become the longest-running, highest-rated show on late-night television.
The 90-minute program, which from its inception has been broadcast live from Studio 8H in the GE Building at Rockefeller Center, includes a different guest host and musical act each week. The opening sketch of each show ends with one actor saying, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!”
Created by the Canadian-born comedy writer Lorne Michaels, SNL has introduced a long list of memorable characters and catchphrases--from Gilda Radner’s Roseanne Roseannada, to the Coneheads, to Billy Crystal’s Fernando (“You look mahvelous”), to Dana Carvey’s Church Lady (“Isn’t that special?”), to bodybuilders Hans and Franz (“We’re going to pump you up”), to Coffee Talk host Linda Richman (“like buttah” and “I’m all verklempt”)--that have become part of pop-culture history. The show, whose cast has changed continually over the years, has also launched the careers of such performers as Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, Mike Myers, Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, David Spade, Jon Lovitz, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tina Fey. Some SNL sketches have even been turned into feature films, the two most successful examples being 1980’s The Blues Brothers and 1992’s Wayne’s World.
The show was originally known as NBC’s Saturday Night because there was another show on ABC called Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell. However, NBC eventually purchased the naming rights, and since 1977 the edgy comedy program has been called Saturday Night Live. Lorne Michaels served as the show’s producer from 1975 to 1980, followed by Jean Doumanian from 1980 to 1981. Dick Ebersol helmed the show from 1981 to 1985. Michaels returned to the program that year, and has remained executive producer ever since.
The influential comedian George Carlin hosted the debut episode of SNL. Later that year, Candace Bergen became the first woman to assume SNL hosting duties. She went on to host the program four more times. In 1982, seven-year-old Drew Barrymore hosted the show, becoming the youngest person ever to do so.
SNL is known for its topical parodies and impersonations, and for pushing boundaries with its sketches. The show is also recognized for its political humor. Chevy Chase famously portrayed President Gerald Ford as a klutz, while Dana Carvey spoofed President George H.W. Bush and his “read my lips” line. More recently, Amy Poehler has played Senator Hillary Clinton in numerous skits (including one with the senator herself) and Tina Fey has portrayed the 2008 Republican vice-presidential nominee, Sarah Palin.
October 12, 1970
Kirk Thomas Cameron is born. Best-known for his role as Mike Seaver on the television situation comedy Growing Pains, as well as several other television and film appearances as a child actor.
Recently, he portrayed the lead roles in the Left Behind film series and in the 2008 drama film, Fireproof.
Cameron is also an active Christian evangelist, currently partnering with Ray Comfort in the evangelical ministry The Way of the Master, and has co-founded The Firefly Foundation with his wife, actress Chelsea Noble. He stated that his main priorities in life are: "God, family, career — in that order," and he says that this decision has had negative consequences on his career.
October 15, 1951
I Love Lucy, debuts.
Lucille Ball starred as a ditzy wife on the radio show My Favorite Husband from 1948 to 1951. CBS decided to launch the popular series on the relatively new medium of TV. Lucy insisted Desi be cast as her husband in the TV version, though the network executives said no one would believe the couple were married. Desi and Lucy performed before live audiences and filmed a pilot, convincing network executives that audiences responded well to their act, and CBS cast Desi for the show.
Oct 15, 2007
Drew Carey debuts as new host of The Price is Right.
Comedian and actor Drew Carey takes over hosting duties on The Price is Right, the longest-running daytime game show in television history. Carey replaced Bob Barker, who retired at the age of 83 after hosting the show for 35 years. Carey, who was born on May 23, 1958, grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve (his trademark crew cut hairstyle dates back to this period) before beginning a career as a stand-up comic. From 1995 to 2004, he starred in his own television sitcom, The Drew Carey Show, on ABC. From 1998 to 2006, Carey hosted the American version of the improvisational comedy program Whose Line Is It Anyway? His first stint as a game show host came in 2007 with The Power of 10.
To quote the Bicentennial Minute, "And that's the way it was".
Stay Tuned
Tony Figueroa
As always, the further we go back in Hollywood history, the more that fact and legend become intertwined. It's hard to say where the truth really lies.
Oct 11, 1975
Saturday Night Live debuts.
The topical comedy sketch show featuring Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, Garrett Morris, Jane Curtin and Laraine Newman, makes its debut on NBC; it will go on to become the longest-running, highest-rated show on late-night television.
The 90-minute program, which from its inception has been broadcast live from Studio 8H in the GE Building at Rockefeller Center, includes a different guest host and musical act each week. The opening sketch of each show ends with one actor saying, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!”
Created by the Canadian-born comedy writer Lorne Michaels, SNL has introduced a long list of memorable characters and catchphrases--from Gilda Radner’s Roseanne Roseannada, to the Coneheads, to Billy Crystal’s Fernando (“You look mahvelous”), to Dana Carvey’s Church Lady (“Isn’t that special?”), to bodybuilders Hans and Franz (“We’re going to pump you up”), to Coffee Talk host Linda Richman (“like buttah” and “I’m all verklempt”)--that have become part of pop-culture history. The show, whose cast has changed continually over the years, has also launched the careers of such performers as Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, Mike Myers, Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, David Spade, Jon Lovitz, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tina Fey. Some SNL sketches have even been turned into feature films, the two most successful examples being 1980’s The Blues Brothers and 1992’s Wayne’s World.
The show was originally known as NBC’s Saturday Night because there was another show on ABC called Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell. However, NBC eventually purchased the naming rights, and since 1977 the edgy comedy program has been called Saturday Night Live. Lorne Michaels served as the show’s producer from 1975 to 1980, followed by Jean Doumanian from 1980 to 1981. Dick Ebersol helmed the show from 1981 to 1985. Michaels returned to the program that year, and has remained executive producer ever since.
The influential comedian George Carlin hosted the debut episode of SNL. Later that year, Candace Bergen became the first woman to assume SNL hosting duties. She went on to host the program four more times. In 1982, seven-year-old Drew Barrymore hosted the show, becoming the youngest person ever to do so.
SNL is known for its topical parodies and impersonations, and for pushing boundaries with its sketches. The show is also recognized for its political humor. Chevy Chase famously portrayed President Gerald Ford as a klutz, while Dana Carvey spoofed President George H.W. Bush and his “read my lips” line. More recently, Amy Poehler has played Senator Hillary Clinton in numerous skits (including one with the senator herself) and Tina Fey has portrayed the 2008 Republican vice-presidential nominee, Sarah Palin.
October 12, 1970
Kirk Thomas Cameron is born. Best-known for his role as Mike Seaver on the television situation comedy Growing Pains, as well as several other television and film appearances as a child actor.
Recently, he portrayed the lead roles in the Left Behind film series and in the 2008 drama film, Fireproof.
Cameron is also an active Christian evangelist, currently partnering with Ray Comfort in the evangelical ministry The Way of the Master, and has co-founded The Firefly Foundation with his wife, actress Chelsea Noble. He stated that his main priorities in life are: "God, family, career — in that order," and he says that this decision has had negative consequences on his career.
October 15, 1951
I Love Lucy, debuts.
Lucille Ball starred as a ditzy wife on the radio show My Favorite Husband from 1948 to 1951. CBS decided to launch the popular series on the relatively new medium of TV. Lucy insisted Desi be cast as her husband in the TV version, though the network executives said no one would believe the couple were married. Desi and Lucy performed before live audiences and filmed a pilot, convincing network executives that audiences responded well to their act, and CBS cast Desi for the show.
Oct 15, 2007
Drew Carey debuts as new host of The Price is Right.
Comedian and actor Drew Carey takes over hosting duties on The Price is Right, the longest-running daytime game show in television history. Carey replaced Bob Barker, who retired at the age of 83 after hosting the show for 35 years. Carey, who was born on May 23, 1958, grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve (his trademark crew cut hairstyle dates back to this period) before beginning a career as a stand-up comic. From 1995 to 2004, he starred in his own television sitcom, The Drew Carey Show, on ABC. From 1998 to 2006, Carey hosted the American version of the improvisational comedy program Whose Line Is It Anyway? His first stint as a game show host came in 2007 with The Power of 10.
To quote the Bicentennial Minute, "And that's the way it was".Stay Tuned
Tony Figueroa
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Remembering Stephen J. Cannell: Next on TV CONFIDENTIAL
Join us as we pay tribute to Emmy Award-winning writer/producer Stephen J. Cannell on the next edition of TV CONFIDENTIAL, premiering Monday, Oct. 11 at 9pm ET, 6pm PT on Shokus Internet Radio, with encore presentations Tuesday, Oct. 12 at 11:05pm ET, 8:05pm on PIV World Radio, Friday, Oct. 15 at 7pm ET and PT on Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org, plus three times a day on ShokusRadio.com through Sunday, Oct. 17.
The creator or co-creator of nearly 40 television series, including The Greatest American Hero, Baa Baa Black Sheep, The A Team, Hunter, Wiseguy, 21 Jump Street and The Rockford Files, Stephen J. Cannell overcame the stigma of dyslexia to become not only one of the best producers in American TV history, but one of the most prolific writers the industry has ever known. Joining us as we remember his life and career will be Emmy-winning writer/producer William Link (Columbo, Mannix, Ellery Queen, Murder, She Wrote), a colleague of Cannell’s at Universal throughout the 1970s; television journalist and historian Mark Dawidziak, who interviewed Cannell countless times throughout the 1980s and ’90s; and author Robert J. Thompson, whose books on television include Adventures on Prime Time: The Television Programs of Stephen J. Cannell. We’ll also play an excerpt from our conversation with Stepfanie Kramer about working with Stephen J. Cannell on Hunter, plus clips from Ed Robertson’s interviews with Cannell and Roy Huggins about the origins of Thirty Years of The Rockford Files. If you’re a fan of Stephen J. Cannell and his vast body of work, we certainly hope you’ll join us.
TV CONFIDENTIAL: A radio talk show about television
Tuesdays 11:05pm, 8:05pm PT PIV World Radio
Fridays 7pm ET and PT Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org
Three times a day, every day on Shokus Internet Radio www.tvconfidential.netblog.tvconfidential.net
Also available as a podcast via iTunes and FeedBurner
Find us now on Facebook
The creator or co-creator of nearly 40 television series, including The Greatest American Hero, Baa Baa Black Sheep, The A Team, Hunter, Wiseguy, 21 Jump Street and The Rockford Files, Stephen J. Cannell overcame the stigma of dyslexia to become not only one of the best producers in American TV history, but one of the most prolific writers the industry has ever known. Joining us as we remember his life and career will be Emmy-winning writer/producer William Link (Columbo, Mannix, Ellery Queen, Murder, She Wrote), a colleague of Cannell’s at Universal throughout the 1970s; television journalist and historian Mark Dawidziak, who interviewed Cannell countless times throughout the 1980s and ’90s; and author Robert J. Thompson, whose books on television include Adventures on Prime Time: The Television Programs of Stephen J. Cannell. We’ll also play an excerpt from our conversation with Stepfanie Kramer about working with Stephen J. Cannell on Hunter, plus clips from Ed Robertson’s interviews with Cannell and Roy Huggins about the origins of Thirty Years of The Rockford Files. If you’re a fan of Stephen J. Cannell and his vast body of work, we certainly hope you’ll join us.
TV CONFIDENTIAL: A radio talk show about television
Tuesdays 11:05pm, 8:05pm PT PIV World Radio
Fridays 7pm ET and PT Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org
Three times a day, every day on Shokus Internet Radio www.tvconfidential.netblog.tvconfidential.net
Also available as a podcast via iTunes and FeedBurner
Find us now on Facebook
Friday, October 08, 2010
Your Mental Sorbet: Andy Griffith Show Pilot Missing Scene
Here is another "Mental Sorbet" that we could use to momentarily forget about those things that leave a bad taste in our mouths.On October 3, 1960 at 9:30 p.m., The Andy Griffith Show made its debut. On February 15, 1960, "Danny Meets Andy Griffith" was telecast on The Danny Thomas Show. In the episode, Griffith played fictional Sheriff Andy Taylor of Mayberry, North Carolina, who arrests Thomas for running a stop sign. Future players in The Andy Griffith Show, Frances Bavier and Ron Howard, appeared in the episode as townspeople, Henrietta Perkins, and Sheriff Taylor's son,
This is the scene which was cut from the syndication print that were used on the Andy Griffith and Make Room for Daddy dvds. In the previous scene, Widow Perkins had explained to Andy why she was not able to pay her taxes. She had rented a suit for her late husband to wear at his funeral with the plan that the suit would be removed before burial. But he was buried in it and she has been paying 50 cents a day rent for the last 2 years. In this scene Andy confronts the storekeeper who rented the suit.
Stay Tuned
Tony Figueroa
Wednesday, October 06, 2010
TV Confidential Archives Sept. 27, 2010
First hour: Ed and Frankie discuss the dismissals of NBC president Jeff Zucker and CNN president Jon Klein; the passing of character actor Harold Gould; and the recent premieres of Lone Star, $#*! My Dad Says, Detroit 187, Outsourced, Hawaii Five-O, Mike and Molly, Boardwalk Empire and other new television series.
Second hour: Ed and Frankie welcome actor and voiceover artist Jerry Houser (Slap Shot, Summer of '42, The Brady Brides) for a conversation that includes Jerry's memories of working with Paul Newman, Neil Simon, Goldie Hawn, Alan Alda, Paul Sorvino, Anthony Hopkins, Sir Richard Attenborough, Paul Bogart, Robert Mulligan and his co-stars from Summer of '42, Jennifer O'Neill and Gary Grimes. Jerry will be appearing at the next Hollywood Show in Burbank, Calif. on Oct. 9-10.
Bonus Segment: In this special edition of This Week in TV History, Tony Figueroa remembers George Clooney's first appearance on The Facts of Life, Patrick Duffy's return as Bobby Ewing in the infamous "Return to Camelot" episode of Dallas, and the premiere of The Tonight Show with Steve Allen, as well as the births of Bill Murray, Jim Henson, Spanky McFarland and Barbara Walters, and the death of Rock Hudson.
Second hour: Ed and Frankie welcome actor and voiceover artist Jerry Houser (Slap Shot, Summer of '42, The Brady Brides) for a conversation that includes Jerry's memories of working with Paul Newman, Neil Simon, Goldie Hawn, Alan Alda, Paul Sorvino, Anthony Hopkins, Sir Richard Attenborough, Paul Bogart, Robert Mulligan and his co-stars from Summer of '42, Jennifer O'Neill and Gary Grimes. Jerry will be appearing at the next Hollywood Show in Burbank, Calif. on Oct. 9-10.
Bonus Segment: In this special edition of This Week in TV History, Tony Figueroa remembers George Clooney's first appearance on The Facts of Life, Patrick Duffy's return as Bobby Ewing in the infamous "Return to Camelot" episode of Dallas, and the premiere of The Tonight Show with Steve Allen, as well as the births of Bill Murray, Jim Henson, Spanky McFarland and Barbara Walters, and the death of Rock Hudson.
Monday, October 04, 2010
This week in Television History: October 2010 PART I
Listen to me on TV CONFIDENTIAL with Ed Robertson and Frankie Montiforte Broadcast LIVE every other Monday at 9pm ET, 6pm PT (immediately following STU'S SHOW) on Shokus Internet Radio. The program will then be repeated Tuesday thru Sunday at the same time (9pm ET, 6pm PT)on Shokus Radio for the next two weeks, and then will be posted on line at our archives page at TVConfidential.net. We are also on Share-a-Vision Radio (KSAV.org) Friday at 7pm PT and ET, either before or after the DUSTY RECORDS show, depending on where you live.
As always, the further we go back in Hollywood history, the more that fact and legend become intertwined. It's hard to say where the truth really lies.
Oct 4, 1990
Beverly Hills, 90210 debuts on Fox.
Created by Darren Star and produced by Aaron Spelling, the show turned its relatively unknown cast of actors, including Luke Perry, Jason Priestley and Tori Spelling (Aaron’s daughter), into household names. It also tackled a number of topical issues ranging from domestic abuse to teen pregnancy to AIDS and paved the way for other popular teen dramas, including Dawson’s Creek and The O.C.
Beverly Hills, 90210 originally centered around Brenda (Shannen Dougherty) and Brandon Walsh (Priestley), middle-class high-school-age twins from Minnesota who relocate to ritzy Beverly Hills with their parents. The Walshes attend the fictional West Beverly Hills High School, along with bad boy Dylan (Perry), popular blonde Kelly (Jennie Garth), rich kid Steve (Ian Ziering), virginal Donna (Spelling) and nerdy David (Brian Austin Green). Over the course of the show’s 10 seasons, the characters became entangled in numerous love triangles, graduated from high school and moved on to college and careers.
The show was the first big hit for the screenwriter and producer Darren Star, who went on to create the 90210 spinoff Melrose Place, which originally aired from 1992 to 1999, and the popular HBO TV series Sex and the City, which originally aired from 1998 to 2004. Aaron Spelling, who died in 2006 at the age of 83, was one of the most prolific producers in the history of television. Spelling’s credits include The Mod Squad, Charlie’s Angels, Dynasty, Starsky and Hutch, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island and 7th Heaven.
The final episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 aired on May 17, 2000. A new version of the show, titled 90210, premiered on September 2, 2008. The show follows a Kansas family who moves to Beverly Hills. Of the original Beverly Hills, 90210, cast, Jennie Garth reprises her role as Kelly, now a guidance counselor at West Beverly Hills High, while Shannon Doherty has guest starred as Brenda, who has become an actress.
October 5, 1950
The game show You Bet Your Life, starring host Groucho Marx, airs its first TV episode.
The show had debuted on radio in 1947. Thanks to Marx's sarcastic humor and improvised wisecracks, the show became a hit first on radio and then on television. The show ran until 1961.
October 9, 1953
Anthony Marcus "Tony" Shalhoub was born.
The actor of Lebanese origin is best known for his role as manic-obsessive sleuth Adrian Monk on the TV series Monk. By 1991, one of his first television roles was as the Italian cabdriver Antonio Scarpacci in the sitcom Wings. Shalhoub was pleasantly surprised to land the role after having a recurring role in the second season. In the same time period, Shalhoub played physicist Dr. Chester Ray Banton in the X-Files second-season episode Soft Light. He later returned to series television in 1999, this time in a lead role on Stark Raving Mad opposite Neil Patrick Harris. The show did not attract much of an audience, and NBC cancelled the series in July 2000.
After a two-year absence from the small screen, Shalhoub starred in Monk, in which he plays a San Francisco detective diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder, for USA Network. Michael Richards had been offered the role when the show was being considered for broadcast on ABC, a network which would later rerun the first season in 2003, but he eventually turned it down. Shalhoub was nominated for Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series seven times consecutively, from 2003-2009, and won in 2003, 2005, and 2006.
October 9, 1954
Scott Stewart Bakula is born.
His most prominent roles have been as Sam Beckett in the science fiction television series Quantum Leap, and as Captain Jonathan Archer in Star Trek: Enterprise. He also co-starred with Maria Bello in the short-lived CBS television series Mr. & Mrs. Smith and had a recurring role in the sitcom Murphy Brown.
To quote the Bicentennial Minute, "And that's the way it was".
Stay Tuned
Tony Figueroa
As always, the further we go back in Hollywood history, the more that fact and legend become intertwined. It's hard to say where the truth really lies.
Oct 4, 1990
Beverly Hills, 90210 debuts on Fox.
Created by Darren Star and produced by Aaron Spelling, the show turned its relatively unknown cast of actors, including Luke Perry, Jason Priestley and Tori Spelling (Aaron’s daughter), into household names. It also tackled a number of topical issues ranging from domestic abuse to teen pregnancy to AIDS and paved the way for other popular teen dramas, including Dawson’s Creek and The O.C.
Beverly Hills, 90210 originally centered around Brenda (Shannen Dougherty) and Brandon Walsh (Priestley), middle-class high-school-age twins from Minnesota who relocate to ritzy Beverly Hills with their parents. The Walshes attend the fictional West Beverly Hills High School, along with bad boy Dylan (Perry), popular blonde Kelly (Jennie Garth), rich kid Steve (Ian Ziering), virginal Donna (Spelling) and nerdy David (Brian Austin Green). Over the course of the show’s 10 seasons, the characters became entangled in numerous love triangles, graduated from high school and moved on to college and careers.
The show was the first big hit for the screenwriter and producer Darren Star, who went on to create the 90210 spinoff Melrose Place, which originally aired from 1992 to 1999, and the popular HBO TV series Sex and the City, which originally aired from 1998 to 2004. Aaron Spelling, who died in 2006 at the age of 83, was one of the most prolific producers in the history of television. Spelling’s credits include The Mod Squad, Charlie’s Angels, Dynasty, Starsky and Hutch, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island and 7th Heaven.
The final episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 aired on May 17, 2000. A new version of the show, titled 90210, premiered on September 2, 2008. The show follows a Kansas family who moves to Beverly Hills. Of the original Beverly Hills, 90210, cast, Jennie Garth reprises her role as Kelly, now a guidance counselor at West Beverly Hills High, while Shannon Doherty has guest starred as Brenda, who has become an actress.
October 5, 1950
The game show You Bet Your Life, starring host Groucho Marx, airs its first TV episode.
The show had debuted on radio in 1947. Thanks to Marx's sarcastic humor and improvised wisecracks, the show became a hit first on radio and then on television. The show ran until 1961.
October 9, 1953
Anthony Marcus "Tony" Shalhoub was born.
The actor of Lebanese origin is best known for his role as manic-obsessive sleuth Adrian Monk on the TV series Monk. By 1991, one of his first television roles was as the Italian cabdriver Antonio Scarpacci in the sitcom Wings. Shalhoub was pleasantly surprised to land the role after having a recurring role in the second season. In the same time period, Shalhoub played physicist Dr. Chester Ray Banton in the X-Files second-season episode Soft Light. He later returned to series television in 1999, this time in a lead role on Stark Raving Mad opposite Neil Patrick Harris. The show did not attract much of an audience, and NBC cancelled the series in July 2000.
After a two-year absence from the small screen, Shalhoub starred in Monk, in which he plays a San Francisco detective diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder, for USA Network. Michael Richards had been offered the role when the show was being considered for broadcast on ABC, a network which would later rerun the first season in 2003, but he eventually turned it down. Shalhoub was nominated for Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series seven times consecutively, from 2003-2009, and won in 2003, 2005, and 2006.
October 9, 1954
Scott Stewart Bakula is born.
His most prominent roles have been as Sam Beckett in the science fiction television series Quantum Leap, and as Captain Jonathan Archer in Star Trek: Enterprise. He also co-starred with Maria Bello in the short-lived CBS television series Mr. & Mrs. Smith and had a recurring role in the sitcom Murphy Brown.
To quote the Bicentennial Minute, "And that's the way it was".Stay Tuned
Tony Figueroa
Sunday, October 03, 2010
The Voice of Entertainment Tonight: Next on TV CONFIDENTIAL
Nationally known voiceover artists Randy Thomas and Amy Ricalde will be our guests on the next edition of TV CONFIDENTIAL, premiering Monday, Oct. 4 at 9pm ET, 6pm PT on Shokus Internet Radio, with encore presentations Tuesday, Oct. 5 at 11:05pm ET, 8:05pm on PIV World Radio, Friday, Oct. 8 at 7pm ET and PT on Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org, plus three times a day on ShokusRadio.com through Sunday, Oct. 10
In our second hour, we'll replay our conversation with Randy Thomas, the voice of Entertainment Tonight, The Insider, Hooked on Phonics and the first female announcer to announce The Academy Awards, The Emmy Awards, The Tony Awards and The Miss America Pageant. Randy is also co-author, along with Peter Rofé, of Voice for Hire: Launch and Maintain a Career in Voice-Over. If you have not heard our conversation with Randy before, and are interested in breaking into the voiceover profession, we invite you to join us. The hour will also feature a brand new interview with nationally known voiceover artist Amy Ricalde. Amy helps companies such as Microsoft increase the value of their brands through the use of the right voice. She'll talk about her work, as well as some of the famous voices who have inspired her (such as those of William Shatner and James Earl Jones), when she joins us at the top of the second hour.
In our first hour, we'll continue our look at some of the recent network television premieres, as well as read comments from listeners. If you have thoughts on any of the new fall series, and would like to be part of our conversation, send us an email at talk@tvconfidential.net. We will incorporate your comments into the program on our next show.
TV CONFIDENTIAL: A radio talk show about television
Tuesdays 11:05pm, 8:05pm PT PIV World Radio
Fridays 7pm ET and PT Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org
Three times a day, every day on Shokus Internet Radio www.tvconfidential.net
blog.tvconfidential.net
Also available as a podcast via iTunes and FeedBurner
Find us now on Facebook
In our second hour, we'll replay our conversation with Randy Thomas, the voice of Entertainment Tonight, The Insider, Hooked on Phonics and the first female announcer to announce The Academy Awards, The Emmy Awards, The Tony Awards and The Miss America Pageant. Randy is also co-author, along with Peter Rofé, of Voice for Hire: Launch and Maintain a Career in Voice-Over. If you have not heard our conversation with Randy before, and are interested in breaking into the voiceover profession, we invite you to join us. The hour will also feature a brand new interview with nationally known voiceover artist Amy Ricalde. Amy helps companies such as Microsoft increase the value of their brands through the use of the right voice. She'll talk about her work, as well as some of the famous voices who have inspired her (such as those of William Shatner and James Earl Jones), when she joins us at the top of the second hour.
In our first hour, we'll continue our look at some of the recent network television premieres, as well as read comments from listeners. If you have thoughts on any of the new fall series, and would like to be part of our conversation, send us an email at talk@tvconfidential.net. We will incorporate your comments into the program on our next show.
TV CONFIDENTIAL: A radio talk show about television
Tuesdays 11:05pm, 8:05pm PT PIV World Radio
Fridays 7pm ET and PT Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org
Three times a day, every day on Shokus Internet Radio www.tvconfidential.net
blog.tvconfidential.net
Also available as a podcast via iTunes and FeedBurner
Find us now on Facebook
This week in Television History: "The Andy Griffith Show" Turn Fifty
Listen to me on TV CONFIDENTIAL with Ed Robertson and Frankie Montiforte Broadcast LIVE every other Monday at 9pm ET, 6pm PT (immediately following STU'S SHOW) on Shokus Internet Radio. The program will then be repeated Tuesday thru Sunday at the same time (9pm ET, 6pm PT)on Shokus Radio for the next two weeks, and then will be posted on line at our archives page at TVConfidential.net. We are also on Share-a-Vision Radio (KSAV.org) Friday at 7pm PT and ET, either before or after the DUSTY RECORDS show, depending on where you live.
Sheldon Leonard, producer of The Danny Thomas Show and Danny Thomas, hired veteran comedy writer Arthur Stander (who had written many of the Danny Thomas episodes) to create a pilot show for Andy Griffith which featured him as justice of the peace and newspaper editor in a small town.
On February 15, 1960, "Danny Meets Andy Griffith" was telecast on The Danny Thomas Show. In the episode, Griffith played fictional Sheriff Andy Taylor of Mayberry, North Carolina, who arrests Thomas for running a stop sign. Future players in The Andy Griffith Show, Frances Bavier and Ron Howard, appeared in the episode as townspeople, Henrietta Perkins, and Sheriff Taylor's son, Opie. General Foods, sponsor of The Danny Thomas Show, had first access to the spinoff and committed to it immediately. On October 3, 1960 at 9:30 p.m., The Andy Griffith Show made its debut. Andy is teamed with an inept but well-meaning deputy, Barney Fife (Don Knotts), has a spinster aunt and housekeeper, Aunt Bee (Frances Bavier), and a young son, Opie (Ron Howard, billed as Ronny).
I think there is a lot of Barney in all of us. We may strive to be like Andy Taylor, act like Andy Taylor and may even fool ourselves into thinking that we are Andy Taylor. But we are really are Barney Fife full of good intentions but with a bullet in our pocket.
As always, the further we go back in Hollywood history, the more that fact and legend become intertwined. It's hard to say where the truth really lies.
There are many great comedic characters on TV, but many of these comedic characters went to a farcical extreme. Some even dropped I.Q. points for the sake of a joke. Andy Griffith felt that the integrity of Mayberry’s citizens was more important than a punch line.
Sheldon Leonard, producer of The Danny Thomas Show and Danny Thomas, hired veteran comedy writer Arthur Stander (who had written many of the Danny Thomas episodes) to create a pilot show for Andy Griffith which featured him as justice of the peace and newspaper editor in a small town.On February 15, 1960, "Danny Meets Andy Griffith" was telecast on The Danny Thomas Show. In the episode, Griffith played fictional Sheriff Andy Taylor of Mayberry, North Carolina, who arrests Thomas for running a stop sign. Future players in The Andy Griffith Show, Frances Bavier and Ron Howard, appeared in the episode as townspeople, Henrietta Perkins, and Sheriff Taylor's son, Opie. General Foods, sponsor of The Danny Thomas Show, had first access to the spinoff and committed to it immediately. On October 3, 1960 at 9:30 p.m., The Andy Griffith Show made its debut. Andy is teamed with an inept but well-meaning deputy, Barney Fife (Don Knotts), has a spinster aunt and housekeeper, Aunt Bee (Frances Bavier), and a young son, Opie (Ron Howard, billed as Ronny).
Initially, Griffith played Taylor as a heavy-handed country bumpkin, grinning from ear to ear and speaking in a hesitant, frantic manner. The style recalled that used in the delivery of his popular monologues such as "What it Was, Was Football". He gradually abandoned the 'rustic Taylor' and developed a serious and thoughtful characterization.
Producer Aaron Ruben recalled:
"He was being that marvelously funny character from No Time for Sergeants, Will Stockdale [a role Griffith played on stage and in film]...One day he said, 'My God, I just realized that I'm the straight man. I'm playing straight to all these kooks around me.' He didn't like himself [in first year reruns]...and in the next season he changed, becoming this Lincolnesque character."
Producer Aaron Ruben recalled:
"He was being that marvelously funny character from No Time for Sergeants, Will Stockdale [a role Griffith played on stage and in film]...One day he said, 'My God, I just realized that I'm the straight man. I'm playing straight to all these kooks around me.' He didn't like himself [in first year reruns]...and in the next season he changed, becoming this Lincolnesque character."
As Griffith stopped portraying some of the sheriffs more unsophisticated character traits and mannerisms, it was impossible for him to create his own problems and troubles in the manner of other central sitcom characters such as Lucy in I Love Lucy or Archie Bunker in All in the Family, whose problems were the result of their temperaments, philosophies and attitudes. Consequently, the characters around Taylor were employed to create the problems and troubles, with rock-solid Taylor stepping in as problem solver, mediator, advisor, disciplinarian and counselor. Aunt Bee, for example, was given several wayward romances requiring Andy's intervention, Opie suffered childhood missteps that needed a father's counsel and discipline, and Barney engaged in ill-considered acts on the job that required Sheriff Taylor's professional oversight and reprimand. Andy Griffith has also said that he realized during the earlier episodes of the program that it was much funnier for him to play the straight man to Knotts' "Barney," rather than his being the originator of the comedic scenes between them.
Andy's friends and neighbors include barber Floyd Lawson (Howard McNear), service station attendants and cousins Gomer Pyle (Jim Nabors) and Goober Pyle (George Lindsey), and local drunkard Otis Campbell (Hal Smith). On the distaff side, townswoman Clara Edwards (Hope Summers), Barney's sweetheart Thelma Lou (Betty Lynn) and Andy's schoolteacher sweetheart Helen Crump (Aneta Corsaut) become semi-regulars. Elinor Donahue made twelve appearances as Andy's girlfriend in the first season. In the color seasons, County Clerk Howard Sprague (Jack Dodson) and handyman Emmett Clark (Paul Hartman) appeared regularly, while Barney's replacement deputy Warren Ferguson (Jack Burns) appeared in the sixth season. Unseen characters such as telephone operator Sarah, and Barney's love interest, local diner waitress Juanita Beasley, as mentioned in first season episode "Andy Forecloses", are often referenced. In the series' last few episodes, farmer Sam Jones (Ken Berry) debuts, and later becomes the star of the show's sequel series, Mayberry R.F.D.. Knotts left the show at the end of the fifth season to pursue a career in films but returned to make five guest appearances as Barney in seasons six through eight. His last appearance in the final season in a story about a summit meeting with Russian dignitaries "ranked eleventh among single comedy programs most watched in television between 1960 to [1984], with an audience of thirty-three and a half million."
The color episodes of the show in its later years are markedly different from the black and white episodes of the first five seasons, and are generally far less popular with fans of the show. New writers took over the scriptwriting for the post-Knotts color seasons, and they generally abandoned the character-based sitcom format in favor of dry humor revolving around rather mundane aspects of life in a small town. Finally, it has also been observed that Griffith's character underwent another metamorphosis when the show went to color. While the original "country bumpkin" Sheriff Taylor had already been replaced during the black and white years by a somewhat less country-acting character, the Sheriff Taylor of the color episodes is a sophisticated, almost urbane man, to the point that he often seems, contrary to the Sheriff Taylor of the black and white episodes, to be discontent, irritated and fed up with life in Mayberry (as Andy Griffith was in fact trying to figure out a way to leave the series). Many of the color episodes revolve around Andy's being agitated about something by one of the other characters (quite often Goober or Warren, but sometimes Howard, Aunt Bee or Opie).
The show was filmed at Desilu Studios, with exteriors filmed at Forty Acres in Culver City, CA. Woodsy locales were filmed north of Beverly Hills at Franklin Canyon. The show's theme music, "The Fishin' Hole", was composed by Earle Hagen and Herbert Spencer, with lyrics written by Everett Sloane. Whistling in the opening sequence, as well as the closing credits sequence, was performed by Earle Hagen. One of the show's tunes, "The Mayberry March", was reworked a number of times in different tempi, styles and orchestrations as background music.
The show's sole sponsor was General Foods, with promotional consideration paid for (in the form of cars) by Ford Motor Company (mentioned in the credits).
At the end of the show's fourth season (May 1964), the backdoor pilot Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. aired, and, the following September, the spinoff series Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. debuted with Jim Nabors in his Gomer role and Frank Sutton as drill instructor Sergeant Vince Carter.
In the last episodes of The Andy Griffith Show, the character Sam Jones, played by Ken Berry, was introduced and a sequel series, Mayberry R.F.D., was fashioned around him for the fall of 1968 (in essence replacing Andy Griffith — the '68 season would be his last).
Several performers reprised their original roles in the sequel, with Bavier becoming Sam's housekeeper. To create a smooth transition from the original series to Mayberry, Andy and Helen were married in the first episode, remained for a few additional episodes, and then left the show, with a move to Raleigh being the explanation given the audience. After the sequel series' cancellation in 1971, George Lindsey played a Goober-like character over several years on the popular variety show Hee Haw.
In 1986, the reunion telemovie Return to Mayberry was broadcast with several cast members reprising their original roles. Absent, however, was Frances Bavier. She was living in Siler City, North Carolina in ill health, and declined to participate. In the telemovie, Aunt Bee is portrayed as deceased, with Andy visiting her grave.
The show was filmed at Desilu Studios, with exteriors filmed at Forty Acres in Culver City, CA. Woodsy locales were filmed north of Beverly Hills at Franklin Canyon. The show's theme music, "The Fishin' Hole", was composed by Earle Hagen and Herbert Spencer, with lyrics written by Everett Sloane. Whistling in the opening sequence, as well as the closing credits sequence, was performed by Earle Hagen. One of the show's tunes, "The Mayberry March", was reworked a number of times in different tempi, styles and orchestrations as background music.
The show's sole sponsor was General Foods, with promotional consideration paid for (in the form of cars) by Ford Motor Company (mentioned in the credits).
At the end of the show's fourth season (May 1964), the backdoor pilot Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. aired, and, the following September, the spinoff series Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. debuted with Jim Nabors in his Gomer role and Frank Sutton as drill instructor Sergeant Vince Carter.
In the last episodes of The Andy Griffith Show, the character Sam Jones, played by Ken Berry, was introduced and a sequel series, Mayberry R.F.D., was fashioned around him for the fall of 1968 (in essence replacing Andy Griffith — the '68 season would be his last).
Several performers reprised their original roles in the sequel, with Bavier becoming Sam's housekeeper. To create a smooth transition from the original series to Mayberry, Andy and Helen were married in the first episode, remained for a few additional episodes, and then left the show, with a move to Raleigh being the explanation given the audience. After the sequel series' cancellation in 1971, George Lindsey played a Goober-like character over several years on the popular variety show Hee Haw.
In 1986, the reunion telemovie Return to Mayberry was broadcast with several cast members reprising their original roles. Absent, however, was Frances Bavier. She was living in Siler City, North Carolina in ill health, and declined to participate. In the telemovie, Aunt Bee is portrayed as deceased, with Andy visiting her grave.
I think there is a lot of Barney in all of us. We may strive to be like Andy Taylor, act like Andy Taylor and may even fool ourselves into thinking that we are Andy Taylor. But we are really are Barney Fife full of good intentions but with a bullet in our pocket.To quote the Andy Taylor, "When a man carries a gun all the time, the respect he thinks he's getting might really be fear. So I don't carry a gun because I don't want the people of Mayberry to fear a gun. I'd rather they respect me".
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Saturday, October 02, 2010
Stephen J. Cannell
Stephen J. Cannell died on September 30, 2010, due to complications associated with melanoma. He struggled with dyslexia in school, but did graduate from the University of Oregon in 1964 with a Bachelor of Science in journalism. It Takes a Thief in 1968. He was quickly hired by the television production branch of Universal Studios and was soon freelance writing for such other crime shows as Ironside and Columbo. Not long after he received his first full-time gig as the story editor of Jack Webb's police series Adam-12, then in its fourth season (1971–1972). Cannell has created or co-created nearly 40 television series, mostly crime dramas, including The Rockford Files, The Greatest American Hero, The A-Team, Wiseguy, 21 Jump Street, Silk Stalkings, and The Commish. In the process he had, by his own count, scripted more than 450 episodes, and produced or executive produced over 1,500 episodes. For many years, Cannell's office was at Paramount Studios in Hollywood, though his shows (with the exception of Hunter and The Greatest American Hero) were almost always distributed by Universal Studios.The closing logo of his production company features him typing, before throwing the sheet from his typewriter whereupon it animates to become his company logo against a black screen (the one sheet of paper lands on a stack of paper forming a letter C) It was updated often, the main differences being Cannell's clothes, sometimes new awards were in the background and (rarely) a new office for the live-action part. Early examples are also notable for Cannell smoking a pipe as he types (Cannell continued to write on a typewriter (an IBM Selectric) and only used a computer for research purposes). The logo has become part of American pop culture and has been parodied on both The Simpsons and Family Guy. Cannell has also acted occasionally, including a regular supporting role as "Dutch" Dixon on his series Renegade. He also took a turn in an episode of Silk Stalkings, in which the script called for one character to tell him, "You look just like that writer on TV," to which Cannell's character responds, "I get that all the time." Cannell appeared as himself in the pilot of the ABC show Castle and again in season 2. Along with James Patterson and Michael Connelly, he is one of Castle's poker buddies. In an effort to lower production costs, Cannell opened a studio facility in Vancouver, British Columbia toward the end of the 1980s. One of the first series shot there was 21 Jump Street. Scene of the Crime, a mystery anthology series for CBS's late-night schedule, was also filmed in Vancouver and hosted by Cannell. New World Communications acquired his production company in 1995. Cannell then founded the Cannell Studios. One of the first shows produced by the newly-established Cannell Studios was the short-lived but critically-acclaimed corporate drama Profit. In the 2000s, Cannell has turned his attention to novels. As of 2008, he has written 14, half of which have featured the character of detective Shane Scully of the Los Angeles Police Department. The documentary Dislecksia: The Movie features an interview with Cannell, in which he discusses his struggles with dyslexia and how he manages to be such a successful writer despite his difficulties reading. During the interview, he mentions how he used to hire typists to overcome his "spelling problem", as he refers to his dyslexia, but also describes how he feels his condition has enriched his life. Cannell's hit TV series The A-Team was remade into a 2010 feature length film. Cannell served as a Producer and Creative Consultant for the project.
To quote Stephen J. Cannell, "Whenever something unfortunate happens in my business dealings I never sit there and observe it as a problem... The first thing I do when something goes wrong is say: 'hey, I can use this!...'"
Good Night Mr. Cannell
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Tony Figueroa
Friday, October 01, 2010
Your Mental Sorbet: Stoney Curtis
Here is another "Mental Sorbet" that we could use to momentarily forget about those things that leave a bad taste in our mouths.Hollyrock movie star Stoney Curtis must be a slave for a day in order to shoot the movie Slave Boy. Wilma and Betty win the contest, and Fred is eager to prove that Stoney is just another Hollyrock phony by exaggerating the chores around the house. Wilma is tired of this and asked Stoney to ask Fred if he wants to be an actor.
Good Night Mr. Curtis.
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Tony Figueroa
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