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"Petticoat Junction" was the unofficial second part of the Paul Henning Hooterville trilogy, a trio of 1960s sitcoms about the clash between city slickers and country bumpkins. In 1962, Henning created "The Beverly Hillbillies," a series about hillbillies who, when they strike oil, move to Beverly Hills. In 1965, he inverted the formula with "Green Acres," a show about millionaires who move to a farm to learn about country living. Sandwiched in between the two was "Petticoat Junction," which debuted on September 24, 1963. "Junction" took place at the Shady Rest Hotel, overseen by the lovable widowed hayseed Kate Bradley (Bea Benederet). She and her uncle Joe (Edgar Buchanan) would run the hotel and oversee the shenanigans of her three daughters Betty Jo, Billie Jo, and Bobbie Jo. 

"Petticoat Junction" takes place in the same universe as "Green Acres," as both shows make constant references to common fictional cities that the characters visit. There were a few supporting crossovers,...

Will Hanna and Joe Barbera might be credited for popularizing a form of animation that allowed it to be produced at a tremendously rapid clip. Looking at the producing pair's early works like "The Huckleberry Hound Show" and "The Quick Draw McGraw Show," one can see "limited animation" at work. That is: characters were designed in such a way that only parts of them would need to be animated to complete a scene. Faces were conceived at three-quarters, letting characters look to the side or full front depending only on their eyes. Necks were covered by ascots or ties, allowing heads to be animated while bodies remained static. 

Because of this design, Hanna-Barbera could produce multiple animated series on a notoriously fast TV production schedule. Hanna-Barbera exploded in the late 1950s, and dominated Saturday morning through the early 1980s. 

The crown jewel in their output was, of course, "The Flintstones,...

Back when TV viewers were limited to three channel options, a silly show called The Beverly Hillbillies started at the top of the Nielsen ratings and stayed there for nine years. Panned by critics, the quirky comedy entertained audiences and made several actors famous. So, are any Beverly Hillbillies cast members still alive?

‘The Beverly Hillbillies’: A story about a man named Jed ‘The Beverly Hillbillies’ cast | CBS via Getty Images

In 1962, the first episode of The Beverly Hillbillies introduced America to Jed, Granny, and Elly May Clampett, along with their cousin Pearl and her grown son, Jethro Bodine. After the Clampetts strike it rich, Bodine drives them to California, where they meet banker Milburn Drysdale and his unpretentious secretary, Miss Jane Hathaway.

Each Beverly Hillbillies episode opened and closed with a portion of “The Ballad of Jed Clampett.” Composed by show creator Paul Henning, the banjo-driven ditty was...

Take a look at the opening and closing of the 1951 "Bugs Bunny" cartoon short "Hare We Go", directed by Robert McKimson, starring Mel Blanc and Bea Benaderet:

"...in 1492, 'Bugs Bunny' sails the ocean blue...

"...as the mascot for 'Christopher Columbus'...

"And if its the 'Captain's Mess', let him clean it up..."

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Hare We Go"... ...

Linda Carlson, who played the no-nonsense Vermont TV station manager Bev Dutton on Newhart and a judge on Steven Bochco’s Murder One, has died. She was 76.

Carlson died Oct. 26 in Gaylordsville, Connecticut, after a battle with Als, her family announced.

On the big screen, Carlson portrayed a noisy neighbor in Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (1992) and was Aunt Pearl (a variation of Bea Benaderet’s character from the TV show) on The Beverly Hillbillies (1993).

Carlson joined CBS’ Newhart in 1985 for its third season as Dutton, who works at Channel 8, home of the interview program Vermont Today, hosted by local ...

Linda Carlson, who played the no-nonsense Vermont TV station manager Bev Dutton on Newhart and a judge on Steven Bochco’s Murder One, has died. She was 76.

Carlson died Oct. 26 in Gaylordsville, Connecticut, after a battle with Als, her family announced.

On the big screen, Carlson portrayed a nosey neighbor in Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (1992) and was Aunt Pearl (a variation of Bea Benaderet’s character from the TV show) on The Beverly Hillbillies (1993).

Carlson joined CBS’ Newhart in 1985 for its third season as Dutton, who works at Channel 8, home of the interview program Vermont Today, hosted by local ...

On this "Columbus Day", Sneak Peek part of the 1951 "Bugs Bunny" cartoon short "Hare We Go", directed by Robert McKimson, starring Mel Blanc and Bea Benaderet:

"...in 1492, 'Bugs Bunny' sails the ocean blue...

"...as the mascot for 'Christopher Columbus'...

"And if its the 'Captain's Mess', let him clean it up..."

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Hare We Go"... ...

In celebration of "Columbus Day", Sneak Peek the 1951 "Bugs Bunny" cartoon short "Hare We Go", directed by Robert McKimson, starring Mel Blanc and Bea Benaderet:

"...in 1492, 'Bugs Bunny' sails the ocean blue...

"...as the mascot for 'Christopher Columbus'...

"And if its the 'Captain's Mess', let him clean it up..."

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Hare We Go"...

Fox touted Black Widow as the first murder mystery in CinemaScope. Ace writer / tyro director Nunnally Johnson tries an ‘All About Eve’ dissection of Broadway swells but in a mystery context, with beaucoup flashbacks. The result is something akin to Rope, with scenes all taking place in apartments with views of Central Park. Nobody complained about the big marquee names Ginger Rogers, Van Heflin, Gene Tierney and George Raft, but I re-watch to marvel over the dreamy, interesting Virginia Leith. Raymond Durgnat encouraged us to indulge our screen fantasies!

Black Widow

Blu-ray

Twilight Time

1954 / Color / 2:55 widescreen / 95 min. / Street Date October 16, 2018 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 29.95

Starring Ginger Rogers, Van Heflin, Gene Tierney, George Raft, Peggy Ann Garner, Reginald Gardiner, Virginia Leith, Otto Kruger, Cathleen Nesbitt, Skip Homeier

Cinematography Charles G. Clarke

Art Direction Maurice Ransford, Lyle R. Wheeler

Film Editor Dorothy Spencer

Original Music Leigh Harline

Written...

In celebration of "Columbus Day", Sneak Peek the 1951 "Bugs Bunny" cartoon short "Hare We Go", directed by Robert McKimson, starring Mel Blanc and Bea Benaderet:

"...in 1492, 'Bugs Bunny' sails the ocean blue...

"...as the mascot for 'Christopher Columbus'...

"And if its the 'Captain's Mess', let him clean it up..."

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Hare We Go"...

Jack Bannon, who portrayed the amiable assistant city editor Art Donovan on the acclaimed CBS drama Lou Grant, has died. He was 77.

Bannon died Wednesday in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, according to a report in The Spokesman-Review. He had lived in the town with his wife, actress Ellen Travolta — the older sister of John Travolta — since 1995.

Bannon's parents were actors. His mother, Bea Benaderet, received two Emmy nominations for her work on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, portrayed Kate Bradley on Petticoat Junction and Green Acres and was the voice of Betty Rubble...

Pat Woodell, who played one of the three original Bradley sisters on the 1960s CBS sitcom Petticoat Junction, died Sept. 29 at her home in Fallbrook, Calif., after a two-decade battle with cancer, the Los Angeles Times reported. She was 71. Woodell portrayed the clever brunette Bobbie Jo opposite Linda Kaye Henning (redhead tomboy Betty Jo) and Jeannine Riley (blond boy-crazy gal Billie Jo), all daughters of Kate Bradley (Bea Benaderet), the owner of the Shady Rest Hotel near the town of Hooterville.    Petticoat Junction, which was created by Henning's parents Paul and Ruth Henning, debuted in September

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Throughout the month of December, TV Editor Kate Kulzick and Film Editor Ricky D will review classic Christmas adaptions, posting a total of 13 each, one a day, until the 25th of December.

The catch: They will swap roles as Rick will take on reviews of classic television Christmas specials and Kate will take on Christmas movies. Today is day 23.

A Flintstones Christmas Carol (1994)

Directed by Joanna Romersa

Teleplay by Glenn Leopold

What’s it about?

Fred gets into character after he wins the role of Scrooge in the Bedrock Community Theatre’s adaptation of A Christmas Carol, and becomes so obsessed with rehearsing his lines, he literally takes method acting to a whole new level. Becoming just as greedy, unfriendly, arrogant and selfish as his character, Fred himself is visited by the ghosts of Christmas Past.

Review:

The popular animated comedy of the 60′s was a staple of after-school reruns for generations.

It's hard to believe that the very first primetime animated sitcom premiered 50 years ago today.

The FlintstonesThe Flintstones debuted on September 30, 1960 on ABC. A knock-off of the classic Honeymooners sketches, the show revolves around Fred and Wilma Flintstone and their best friends, Barney and Betty Rubble. The animated series stars the voices of Alan Reed, Mel Blanc, Jean Vander Pyl, Bea Benaderet, Gerry Johnson, Don Messick, and John Stephenson. It inspired many spin-off shows over the years and was the longest-running primetime animated sitcom until 1992 when The Simpsons surpassed it.

In celebration of the anniversary, the Boomerang cable channel is rerunning the very first episode tonight at 8:30pm, the same day and time as the original debut. That'll be followed by a few more Flintstones episodes and the 1966 feature film, The Man Called Flintstone. On Saturday, Boomerang will...

DVD Playhouse—July 2009

By

Allen Gardner

Do The Right Thing: 20th Anniversary Edition (Universal) Spike Lee’s groundbreaking fable about race relations in an ethnically mixed Brooklyn neighborhood during a sweltering New York summer remains as potent, timely and prescient as it was in 1989. Lee is among the cast, which also includes John Turturro, Danny Aiello, Samuel L. Jackson, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, and Rosie Perez (to name a few), that provide the tableaux-like framework for this stunning work. Criminally ignored by Oscar (it wasn't even nominated for Best Picture, but did garner nods for Supporting Actor Danny Aiello and Lee’s screenplay), it endures as a timeless classic. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Commentary by Lee, Ernest Dickerson, Wynn Thomas, Joie Lee; Documentary; Deleted and extended scenes; Featurettes. Widescreen. Dolby and DTS 5.1 surround.

Coraline (Universal) A young girl moves into an old Victorian house with her parents...