This Week in Television History: November 2015 PART II

Listen to me on TV CONFIDENTIAL:

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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.

November 12, 1990

Actress Eve Arden, best known for playing the title role in the radio and TV series Our Miss Brooks, dies at age 78. 

Arden was born in Mill Valley, California, and began acting as a teenager. By age 22, she was appearing in the Ziegfeld Follies. She made two films under her birth name-Eunice Quedens-before her first picture as Eve Arden (Oh, Doctor! in 1937). She frequently played the kind-but-sarcastic girlfriend of the lead female role. Her films included No, No, Nanette (1940), Mildred Pierce (1945), and Anatomy of a Murder (1959). Her last film was Grease II (1982). She published an autobiography, The Three Phases of Eve, in 1985.

To quote the Bicentennial Minute, "And that's the way it was".

 
 

Stay Tuned

Tony Figueroa

Your Mental Sorbet: Best of George Barris

Here is another "Mental Sorbet" a little spark of madness that we could use to momentarily forget about those things that leave a bad taste in our mouths.

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Tony Figueroa

George Barris

I went to school to learn cars. But every school I went to, they had me drawing flowers for design. I don’t want to draw flowers. For metal shop they had me making drainpipes and I don’t want to make drainpipes. So I went over to Jones Brothers in Sacramento, alongside the railroad tracks, and I said, “I want to shape metal.”  The guy threw out some fenders and showed me how to light the acetylene torch. I was self-taught. And it proved to be successful 

-George Barris

George Barris
November 20, 1925 – November 5, 2015

Barris was a designer and builder of many famous Hollywood custom cars, most notably the Munster Koach and 1966 Batmobile.He died today in his sleep at his home in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 89.

In the 1960s, the Barris firm became heavily involved in vehicle design for television production. At the beginning of the decade, Barris, who loved extravagant design, had purchased the Lincoln Futura, a concept car of the mid-1950s which had been built by Ghia of Italy. It remained in his collection for several years, until he was rather unexpectedly asked by ABC Television to create a signature vehicle for their Batman television series.

Time was very short, as filming would begin in a few weeks, leaving insufficient time for a new design from scratch. Instead, Barris decided the Futura was a perfect base on which to create the Batmobile. Barris hired custom builder Gene Cushenberry to modify the car, which was ready in three weeks. The show was a hit, and the car gained notoriety for Barris. He retained ownership of the Batmobile until an auction on January 19, 2013, when Barris sold it for $4,620,000.

Other television cars built by Barris Kustom Industries include the Munster Koach and casket turned dragster (the "Drag-U-La") for The Munsters, an Oldsmobile Toronado turned into a roadster used in the first season of Mannix, a 1921 Oldsmobile touring car turned into a truck for The Beverly Hillbillies, the fictional "1928 Porter" for the NBC comedy My Mother the Car, Updated KITTs for later seasons of Knight Rider^[7] and replicas of 1914 Stutz Bearcats for Bearcats!.

George Barris was responsible for the frame of the original Batmobile and other famous customized automobiles he created for various celebrities. Barris created a customized gold Rolls Royce for actress Zsa Zsa Gabor. The golden Rolls Royce displayed the detailed work of Barris and included hand-etched window glass by Robb Rich showing butterflies, roses, and hummingbirds.

Barris has built many novelty vehicles for other celebrities; these include golf carts for Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Ann-Margret, Glen Campbell, and Elton John; and 25 modified Mini Mokes for a record company contest involving the Beach Boys. He would also modify cars for Hollywood stars and others. Some examples include a Cadillac limousine for Elvis Presley; custom Pontiac station wagons for John Wayne, and a pair of "his and hers" 1966 Ford Mustang convertibles for Sonny and Cher. With the cooperation of American Motors, in 1969 he modified an AMX coupe into the AMX-400 show car which was later used in a 1972 episode of the TV mystery seriesBanacek, and a Cadillac Eldorado turned into a station wagon for Dean Martin.

Between 2002 and 2006, Barris also designed two custom Cadillac hearses for episodes of the cable television series Monster Garage. Barris' company often builds replicas of non-Barris designed vehicles from other TV series, including The Monkees (Monkeemobile),Starsky and Hutch (Ford Torino), Power Rangers (Rad-Bug, Turbo Vehicles, and SPD Cars), and Knight Rider (KITT). Also designed and built from a 1979 Ford Country Squire wagon, the Wagon Queen Family Truckster for the 1980 movie National Lampoon's Vacation with Chevy Chase.

This was created in 1969 as part of the popular Pink Panther Show.

Good Night Mr Barris

I wish you Blue Sky, Green Lights and Peace


Stay Tuned


Tony Figueroa 

James McEachin and The Purple Heart: Next on TVC

We’ll commemorate Veterans Day with encore presentations of our conversations with actor James McEachin and author Dwayne Epstein on the next edition of TV CONFIDENTIAL, airing Nov. 4-9 at the following times and venues:

WROM Radio
Detroit, MI
Wednesday 11/4
8pm ET, 5pm PT
2am ET, 11pm PT
Sunday 11/8
8pm ET, 5pm PT
2am ET, 11pm PT
Click on the Listen Live button at WROMRadio.net

KHDN AM-1230
KBSR AM-1490
KYLW AM-1450
Billings, MT
part of GLN Radio Network
Friday 11/6
3pm ET, Noon PT
Saturday 11/7
6pm ET, 3pm PT
Monday 11/9
3pm ET, Noon PT

Share-a-Vision Radio
San Francisco Bay Area
Friday 11/6
7pm ET, 4pm PT
10pm ET, 7pm PT
Click on the Listen Live button at KSAV.org
Use the TuneIn app on your smartphone and type in KSAV
or hear us on the KSAV channel on CX Radio Brazil

Indiana Talks
Marion, IN
Saturday 11/7
8pm ET, 5pm PT
Sunday 11/8
6pm ET, 3pm PT
Click on the player at IndianaTalks.com
or use the TuneIn app on your smartphone and type in Indiana Talks

KSCO-AM 1080
San Jose, Santa Cruz and Salinas, CA
KOMY-AM 1340
La Selva Beach and Watsonville, CA
Sunday 11/8
9am ET, 6am PT
Also streaming at KSCO.com

KHMB AM-1710
KHMV-LP 100.9 FM
Half Moon Bay, CA
Sunday 11/8
9pm PT
Monday 11/2
Midnight ET
Click on the Listen Live button at KHMBRadio.com

RadioSlot.com
San Francisco, CA
Monday 11/9
10pm ET, 7pm PT
with replays Tuesday thru Friday at 10pm ET, 7pm PT
Click on the Talk Slot button at RadioSlot.com

PWRNetwork
Ann Arbor, MI
Various times throughout the week
on the Entertainment Channel at PWRNetwork.com


With Veterans Day soon upon us, the second hour of this week’s show will include a replay of our November 2014 conversation with actor James McEachin. Known for his many film and television roles, including Lt. Brock on The Perry Mason Mysteries and the starring role in the NBC private-eye series Tenafly, James is also an accomplished novelist (The Heroin Factor, Farewell to the Mockingbirds, Tell Me a Tale), playwright (Beyond the Call, Above the Duty), and a decorated U.S. Army veteran with seven medals of valor.

James’ latest project, The Purple Heart, is based on the true story of the discovery of a lost Purple Heart medal that belonged to Lt. Henry Schenk, James’ patrol leader in the Korean War — and the role James played in helping restore that medal to Schenk’s family. The film also discusses the history of the Purple Heart itself, plus issues such as survivors guilt, the right and wrongs of war, and post-traumatic stress disorder. We’ll ask James about The Purple Heart, as well as his work with the likes of Sidney Poitier, John Wayne and Raymond Burr, when he joins us in our second hour.





The Purple Heart is in pre-production. To keep track of the latest developments, or to learn how you or someone you know can become involved in helping to fund the film, go to ThePurple HeartMovie.us.


Speaking of actors who have also served our country, this week’s show will also include a replay of our July 2014 conversation about the life and career of Lee Marvin, the Academy Award-winning film actor who became a household name partly as a result of television (and particularly the nourish 1950s crime drama M Squad), but who remained very much an enigma until the day he died.

Dwayne Epstein is the author of Lee Marvin: Point Blank, an excellent biography that not only covers Marvin’s career in film and television, but explores his family history, his tempestuous formative years, his combat experiences in World War II, and his struggles with alcoholism, dyslexia and posttraumatic stress disorder to reveal a sensitive soul behind behind the tough guy persona. Dwayne Epstein will join us in our first hour.

Also this week: We’ll pay tribute to Al Molinaro, the iconic character actor known as Murray the Cop on The Odd Couple and Big Al on Happy Days. It’s a full program as always… we certainly hope you’ll join us.

TV CONFIDENTIAL: A radio talk show about television
Wed and Sun 8pm ET, 5pm PT on WROM Radio
Fri and Mon 3pm ET, Noon PT and Sat 6pm ET, 3pm PT on GLN Radio Network
Fri 7pm ET and PT on Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org and CX Radio Brazil
Sat 8pm ET, 5pm PT and Sun 6pm ET, 3pm PT on Indiana Talks
Sun 9am ET, 6am PT KSCO-AM 1080 (San Jose, Santa Cruz and Salinas, CA)
Sun 9am ET, 6am PT KOMY-AM 1340 (La Selva Beach and Watsonville, CA)
Sun 9pm PT, Mon Mid ET on KHMB-AM and FM (Half Moon Bay, CA)
Mon 10pm ET, 7pm PT on The Radio Slot Network
Replays various times throughout the week on the Entertainment Channel at PWRNetwork
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TV CONFIDENTIAL Archives: Show No. 295 and 296

In addition, select programs from the past two years are available for purchase for a nominal fee. Click here for more information.

Show No. 295 with guest Fredd Wayne
Original Airdate: Week of Oct. 14-19, 2015First hour: Tony Figueroa and Donna Allen remember the 60^th anniversary of the premiere of Captain Kangaroo and its impact on children’s television. Second hour: Ed welcomes Fredd Wayne, the longtime stage, film and television actor whose many credits include such shows as The Twilight Zone, Maverick, 77 Sunset Strip, The Rockford Files, The Untouchables, Quincy, Perry Mason, Ironside, Frasier, Hogan’s Heroes and My Three Sons. Known for his appearance as Benjamin Franklin in a famous two-part episode of Bewitched, Fredd has also played Franklin on thousands of other occasions over the past fifty years, including his own one-man play, Benjamin Franklin: Citizen. (NOTE. The conversation with Fredd actually begins near the end of the first hour, and continues throughout the second hour, for a total length of 75 minutes.)

Show No. 296 with guests Charlotte Rae and Deborah Norville
Original Airdate: Week of Oct. 28-Nov. 2, 2015First hour: Ed welcomes Deborah Norville, Emmy Award-winning host of Inside Edition, and the co-author of Chicken Soup for the Soul: Think Possible, an inspiring collection of stories written by people who achieved success, overcame disabilities and loss, or otherwise transformed their lives through positive thinking and force of will. Also in this hour: Tony Figueroa and Donna Allen remember the 60^th anniversary of the premiere of The Phil Silvers Show and the 55^th anniversary of the premiere of My Three Sons. Second hour: Ed welcomes actress Charlotte Rae (The Facts of Life, Diff’rent Strokes, Car 54, Where Are You?, Sesame Street). Charlotte’s new book, The Facts of My Life, not only includes great stories about her work and friendships with such legends as Meryl Streep, Jean Stapleton, Larry Hagman, Eartha Kitt, Paul Lynde and Charles Nelson Reilly, but discusses how she faced and overcame alcoholism, a bout with cancer, and the uncertainty of raising a son with autism at a time when very few medical experts knew much about it. Charlotte Rae will be signing copies of The Facts of My Life at Sardi’s Restaurant in New York City on Tuesday, Nov. 3, and at the Barnes and Noble at the Grove in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Nov. 11. Also in this hour: We remember comedian Marty Ingels by playing highlights of our previous conversations with actress Shirley Jones and I’m Dickens, He’s Fenster DVD producer Jim Benson.