For those of a certain age, Pat Carroll will forever be synonymous with her voice role as the fabulous sea witch Ursula in Disney's animated "The Little Mermaid." However, for those of another certain age, their memories of Carroll will forever be entwined with her career as a mainstay of 20th-century television comedy thanks to her appearances on variety shows like "The Carol Burnett Show" and her stint as Shirley Feeney's ever-critical mother on "Laverne & Shirley."
Or maybe you're a weirdo who was reared on animated "Garfield" holiday specials and associate her with Jon Arbuckle's piano-pounding, chainsaw-swinging grandmother with the abs of steel. I wouldn't know anything about that.
As fate would have it, Carroll nearly voiced Jane Jetson on Hanna-Barbera's futuristic cartoon sitcom "The Jetsons," a role that would've existed at the nexus between her animated ventures and her run as a linchpin of live-action TV burlesque...
Or maybe you're a weirdo who was reared on animated "Garfield" holiday specials and associate her with Jon Arbuckle's piano-pounding, chainsaw-swinging grandmother with the abs of steel. I wouldn't know anything about that.
As fate would have it, Carroll nearly voiced Jane Jetson on Hanna-Barbera's futuristic cartoon sitcom "The Jetsons," a role that would've existed at the nexus between her animated ventures and her run as a linchpin of live-action TV burlesque...
- 1/18/2024
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
Tom Smothers, who with his younger brother Dick changed the face of comedy with their musical humor and The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, died Tuesday in Santa Rosa, California, following a cancer battle. The news was announced by the National Comedy Center, on behalf of Smothers’ family. He was 86.
Tom and Dick Smothers started out as folk musicians in the early ’60s, and soon discovered that, while they were not good enough to be professional musicians, the act worked if they mixed in comedy.
Dick Smothers said in a statement, “Tom was not only the loving older brother that everyone would want in their life, he was a one-of-a-kind creative partner. I am forever grateful to have spent a lifetime together with him, on and off stage, for over 60 years. Our relationship was like a good marriage – the longer we were together, the more we loved and respected one another.
Tom and Dick Smothers started out as folk musicians in the early ’60s, and soon discovered that, while they were not good enough to be professional musicians, the act worked if they mixed in comedy.
Dick Smothers said in a statement, “Tom was not only the loving older brother that everyone would want in their life, he was a one-of-a-kind creative partner. I am forever grateful to have spent a lifetime together with him, on and off stage, for over 60 years. Our relationship was like a good marriage – the longer we were together, the more we loved and respected one another.
- 12/27/2023
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
Judy Nugent, who portrayed one of the twins on the early TV sitcom The Ruggles and a girl who flies around the world in the arms of the Man of Steel on a heartwarming Adventures of Superman episode, has died. She was 83.
Nugent died on Oct. 26 “surrounded by family at her Montana ranch after a short battle with cancer,” according to a family statement shared by her daughter-in-law and Battlestar Galactica and Chicago Fire actress Anne Lockhart (the older daughter of Lassie and Lost in Space star June Lockhart).
The younger daughter of a prop man at MGM, Nugent also appeared in two films directed by Douglas Sirk: as a wise-cracking tomboy who tries to get a blinded widow (Jane Wyman) to snap out of it in Magnificent Obsession (1954), and as one of the daughters of Fred MacMurray and Joan Bennett’s characters in There’s Always Tomorrow (1956).
Nugent also...
Nugent died on Oct. 26 “surrounded by family at her Montana ranch after a short battle with cancer,” according to a family statement shared by her daughter-in-law and Battlestar Galactica and Chicago Fire actress Anne Lockhart (the older daughter of Lassie and Lost in Space star June Lockhart).
The younger daughter of a prop man at MGM, Nugent also appeared in two films directed by Douglas Sirk: as a wise-cracking tomboy who tries to get a blinded widow (Jane Wyman) to snap out of it in Magnificent Obsession (1954), and as one of the daughters of Fred MacMurray and Joan Bennett’s characters in There’s Always Tomorrow (1956).
Nugent also...
- 10/31/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
If there had never been “The Tracey Ullman Show,” there likely would never have been “The Simpsons.” Too, without “Happy Days,” then “Laverne and Shirley” and “Mork and Mindy” would never have seen the light of primetime. Television series spinoffs have been a thing going back to some the earliest days of the medium itself, when “The Honeymooners” premiered in 1955 after beginning life as a series of sketches on “The Jackie Gleason Show” a few years earlier. Thus was born the concept of introducing a character or characters on a show that prove so popular it’s decided they deserve their own series.
SEEHappy 30th anniversary! 30 greatest ‘Frasier’ episodes, ranked worst to best [Photos]
Sometimes, the strategy hasn’t worked out so brilliantly, such as when “Cheers” gave birth to “The Tortellis,” “M*A*S*H” to “AfterMASH” and “The Brady Bunch” to “The Brady Brides” (we’ll save the rest...
SEEHappy 30th anniversary! 30 greatest ‘Frasier’ episodes, ranked worst to best [Photos]
Sometimes, the strategy hasn’t worked out so brilliantly, such as when “Cheers” gave birth to “The Tortellis,” “M*A*S*H” to “AfterMASH” and “The Brady Bunch” to “The Brady Brides” (we’ll save the rest...
- 10/1/2023
- by Ray Richmond and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
If there had never been “The Tracey Ullman Show,” there likely would never have been “The Simpsons.” Too, without “Happy Days,” then “Laverne and Shirley” and “Mork and Mindy” would never have seen the light of primetime. Television series spinoffs have been a thing going back to some the earliest days of the medium itself, when “The Honeymooners” premiered in 1955 after beginning life as a series of sketches on “The Jackie Gleason Show” a few years earlier. Thus was born the concept of introducing a character or characters on a show that prove so popular it’s decided they deserve their own series.
SEEHappy 30th anniversary! 30 greatest ‘Frasier’ episodes, ranked worst to best [Photos]
Sometimes, the strategy hasn’t worked out so brilliantly, such as when “Cheers” gave birth to “The Tortellis,” “M*A*S*H” to “AfterMASH” and “The Brady Bunch” to “The Brady Brides” (we’ll save the rest...
SEEHappy 30th anniversary! 30 greatest ‘Frasier’ episodes, ranked worst to best [Photos]
Sometimes, the strategy hasn’t worked out so brilliantly, such as when “Cheers” gave birth to “The Tortellis,” “M*A*S*H” to “AfterMASH” and “The Brady Bunch” to “The Brady Brides” (we’ll save the rest...
- 9/30/2023
- by Ray Richmond, Chris Beachum and Misty Holland
- Gold Derby
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel became an Emmys stalwart soon after its story, of the aspiring comedian Midge Maisel’s quest for glory, first aired on Prime Video. Back in the ’50s, another comedy about a stand-up comic received top Television Academy honors: Make Room for Daddy, which took home best new program in 1954 and best comedy series in 1955.
The ABC series “built on the trials of an entertainer whose hectic professional life leaves him but scant time for his family,” as THR described it in 1953, starred real-life comedian Danny Thomas, Jean Hagen as his wife, and Sherry Jackson and Rusty Hamer as their children. In scenarios that Midge could probably relate to, Danny contends with coming home from a three-month gig and his dog not recognizing him, imploring a journalist friend to write an article about him to drum up some good publicity, and losing out on a studio contract...
The ABC series “built on the trials of an entertainer whose hectic professional life leaves him but scant time for his family,” as THR described it in 1953, starred real-life comedian Danny Thomas, Jean Hagen as his wife, and Sherry Jackson and Rusty Hamer as their children. In scenarios that Midge could probably relate to, Danny contends with coming home from a three-month gig and his dog not recognizing him, imploring a journalist friend to write an article about him to drum up some good publicity, and losing out on a studio contract...
- 8/13/2023
- by Hilton Dresden
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
To understand just how long the TV Academy has struggled to define “comedy series,” look no further than the first decade or so of the category’s life: Between 1952, when Red Skelton’s titular variety show claimed Emmy’s first-ever comedy prize, and 1964, when The Dick Van Dyke Show scored its second win, the category had no fewer than six name changes, ranging from the terse “best comedy show” to the rather unwieldy “outstanding program achievement in the field of comedy.”
And it only grew more complicated from there. Unlike in the drama series category, whose contenders have been consistently hourlong and usually serialized, comedy competitors also started to assume widely different formats: multicam sitcom (All in the Family, Friends); single-camera, half-hour dramedy (The Wonder Years, Sex and the City); single-camera mockumentary (The Office, Modern Family); and hourlong ensemble dramedy (Orange Is the New Black, Shameless), to name a few.
And it only grew more complicated from there. Unlike in the drama series category, whose contenders have been consistently hourlong and usually serialized, comedy competitors also started to assume widely different formats: multicam sitcom (All in the Family, Friends); single-camera, half-hour dramedy (The Wonder Years, Sex and the City); single-camera mockumentary (The Office, Modern Family); and hourlong ensemble dramedy (Orange Is the New Black, Shameless), to name a few.
- 8/9/2023
- by Stacey Wilson Hunt
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Tony Bennett accepted the boundaries of his universe.
In the last few decades of his life, the period of his greatest success, he never tried to do a Rick Rubin/Johnny Cash-style album of recent pop and rock hits tweaked to suit his voice. Instead, he transported the contemporary artists he worked with — Lady Gaga especially — to his preferred musical arena: the Great American Songbook classics of Johnny Mercer, Irving Berlin, Rodgers and Hart, the Gershwins, Harold Arlen, and so many more. Without seeing the cover, you’d never even know his “MTV Unplugged” album was an “MTV Unplugged” album just by listening to it. His last studio album, “The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern,” speaks to his appreciation of the craft of songwriting embodied by the entire Great American Songbook era, and how a singer can work in dialogue with that songwriter even decades after their death to create meaning.
In the last few decades of his life, the period of his greatest success, he never tried to do a Rick Rubin/Johnny Cash-style album of recent pop and rock hits tweaked to suit his voice. Instead, he transported the contemporary artists he worked with — Lady Gaga especially — to his preferred musical arena: the Great American Songbook classics of Johnny Mercer, Irving Berlin, Rodgers and Hart, the Gershwins, Harold Arlen, and so many more. Without seeing the cover, you’d never even know his “MTV Unplugged” album was an “MTV Unplugged” album just by listening to it. His last studio album, “The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern,” speaks to his appreciation of the craft of songwriting embodied by the entire Great American Songbook era, and how a singer can work in dialogue with that songwriter even decades after their death to create meaning.
- 7/23/2023
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
Tony Bennett's first record, "Because of You" was released in 1952 and it instantly codified the entertainer as one of the music world's great crooners. In 1962, his 15th record, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" was certified platinum by the RIAA, but that was after he had already established himself with Count Basie and his Orchestra and as a great fan of songwriter Harold Arlen. All told, he released 61 records in his decades-long career, not including his eight albums of collaborations and duets. He sang with Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Ray Charles, Carrie Underwood, Stevie Wonder, Natalie Cole, Mariah Carey, Bono, Sting, Paul McCartney, Diana Krall, and many others. Most recently, he released two collaborations with Lady Gaga in 2018 and 2021. Bennett passed away on July 21, 2023 at the age of 96. He will be deeply missed.
Naturally, a talent of Bennett's stature couldn't be ignored by Hollywood, and he would appear...
Naturally, a talent of Bennett's stature couldn't be ignored by Hollywood, and he would appear...
- 7/21/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Legendary performer Tony Bennett, a 20-time Grammy Award winner who sold more than 50 million albums worldwide, died Friday at the age of 96.
His publicist, Sylvia Weiner, confirmed his death to the New York Times.
More from TVLine<i>One Last Time</i> on CBS: Tony Bennett’s Last Concert With Lady Gaga — Which Performances Were Your Favorite?Lady Gaga Gets Jazzy at 2022 Grammys — Watch Touching Tony Bennett TributeAnother World's Nancy Frangione Dead at 70
Bennett was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016. His family first went public with his diagnosis in February 2021. He retired from touring shortly thereafter, and his final performance...
His publicist, Sylvia Weiner, confirmed his death to the New York Times.
More from TVLine<i>One Last Time</i> on CBS: Tony Bennett’s Last Concert With Lady Gaga — Which Performances Were Your Favorite?Lady Gaga Gets Jazzy at 2022 Grammys — Watch Touching Tony Bennett TributeAnother World's Nancy Frangione Dead at 70
Bennett was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016. His family first went public with his diagnosis in February 2021. He retired from touring shortly thereafter, and his final performance...
- 7/21/2023
- by Ryan Schwartz
- TVLine.com
In 1960, the crumbling infrastructure of the Hollywood studio system was shaken by a one-two strike launched by two essential branches of its workforce — the writers and the actors. Since neither job was yet considered on the cusp of obsolescence, management was forced to negotiate with labor and reach an accommodation. Both sides had incentives to make a deal that shared the wealth and kept the shop floor running. In the end — and this might be the sad difference between 1960 and 2023 — they saw each other as collaborators rather than mortal enemies.
The reason for the “double strike” by the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild was, of course, television, the technological menace that had transformed the business but not the fine print in the employment contracts. Both sets of artists wanted a bigger cut of the post-1948 feature films that had been sold to TV and a solid...
The reason for the “double strike” by the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild was, of course, television, the technological menace that had transformed the business but not the fine print in the employment contracts. Both sets of artists wanted a bigger cut of the post-1948 feature films that had been sold to TV and a solid...
- 7/18/2023
- by Thomas Doherty
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Having sitcoms crossover is a long-time staple of network synergy. Sometimes it works organically, but often it feels forced, like an obvious and cynical marketing ploy. Syndication usually exacerbates the issue, as many times, a successful show will do a crossover with a fledging program to build an audience that didn't last more than a season or two and was immediately forgotten. Still, there has been much success and enjoyment from sitcom crossover episodes, and the concept hit its zenith in the 1990s.
The first known sitcom crossover came from the original gold standard of the genre, I Love Lucy when George Reeves as Superman from Adventures of Superman comes to save the day. They struck again the following year when I Love Lucy hosted the cast of The Danny Thomas Show in 1958 and then returned the favor when Lucy and Desi guest-starred as their characters in an episode of...
The first known sitcom crossover came from the original gold standard of the genre, I Love Lucy when George Reeves as Superman from Adventures of Superman comes to save the day. They struck again the following year when I Love Lucy hosted the cast of The Danny Thomas Show in 1958 and then returned the favor when Lucy and Desi guest-starred as their characters in an episode of...
- 6/6/2023
- by Dan Mandel
- Comic Book Resources
Andy Griffith and Don Knotts worked together as Andy Taylor and Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show. As their chemistry suggested, the two were the best of friends in real life. But who was older between the two famous comedic actors?
Andy Griffith and Don Knotts | Ron Galella via Getty Images Don Knotts was two years older than Andy Griffth
Knotts was born on July 21, 1924 in Morgantown, West Virginia. He had a trying childhood, born to William Jesse Knotts and Elsie L. Moore-Knotts. Knotts’ mother had him when she was 40. His father had schizophrenia and alcoholism, and was reportedly violent towards his son. The actor’s older brother, William, also suffered from alcoholism and tormented Knotts. The actor thought of show business as his way out of a hard life. Though even after he got famous, Knotts struggled with his mental health. He was depressed and went to therapy for years.
Andy Griffith and Don Knotts | Ron Galella via Getty Images Don Knotts was two years older than Andy Griffth
Knotts was born on July 21, 1924 in Morgantown, West Virginia. He had a trying childhood, born to William Jesse Knotts and Elsie L. Moore-Knotts. Knotts’ mother had him when she was 40. His father had schizophrenia and alcoholism, and was reportedly violent towards his son. The actor’s older brother, William, also suffered from alcoholism and tormented Knotts. The actor thought of show business as his way out of a hard life. Though even after he got famous, Knotts struggled with his mental health. He was depressed and went to therapy for years.
- 5/1/2023
- by Kelsey Goeres
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Andy Griffith and Don Knotts made ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ what it was—hilarious and beloved by many. The actors were best friends while filming, playing pranks and never failing to make the other laugh. But did they keep in touch once the show was over?
Don Knotts and Andy Griffith | CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images Don Knotts and Andy Griffith were friends for life
Griffith and Knotts had undeniable chemistry on The Andy Griffith Show. And there’s a reason for that — the two were extremely close in real life.
Author Daniel de Visé wrote in his book Andy and Don, The Making of a Friendship and a Classic American TV Show, that the actors were “drawn to each other instantly.” They had similar backgrounds and childhoods. And they made each other laugh, easily and heartily.
That chemistry stayed with them their whole lives.
“Though their Mayberry partnership lasted...
Don Knotts and Andy Griffith | CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images Don Knotts and Andy Griffith were friends for life
Griffith and Knotts had undeniable chemistry on The Andy Griffith Show. And there’s a reason for that — the two were extremely close in real life.
Author Daniel de Visé wrote in his book Andy and Don, The Making of a Friendship and a Classic American TV Show, that the actors were “drawn to each other instantly.” They had similar backgrounds and childhoods. And they made each other laugh, easily and heartily.
That chemistry stayed with them their whole lives.
“Though their Mayberry partnership lasted...
- 4/28/2023
- by Kelsey Goeres
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Leading up to the 2022 Emmy Awards, many Experts, Editors and Users — myself included — predicted that “Abbott Elementary” would win the award for Best Comedy Series. After all, it had critical acclaim, ratings success and nominations in several top categories. As the ceremony progressed, “Abbott” picked up a couple of big wins: Best Comedy Writing for series star and creator Quinta Brunson, and Best Comedy Supporting Actress for Sheryl Lee Ralph. But when Best Comedy was announced, the winner was …”Ted Lasso,” in its second consecutive victory.
Although “Abbott” fans were understandably disappointed, the loss might just be a blessing in disguise. If you look back at the history of winners in this category, a number of shows that are now considered classics won their first — and in some cases their only — series Emmy for their second seasons. So if “Abbott” captures the win for its second season, it would join...
Although “Abbott” fans were understandably disappointed, the loss might just be a blessing in disguise. If you look back at the history of winners in this category, a number of shows that are now considered classics won their first — and in some cases their only — series Emmy for their second seasons. So if “Abbott” captures the win for its second season, it would join...
- 3/29/2023
- by Tony Ruiz
- Gold Derby
For eight seasons of The Andy Griffith Show, fans watched Andy Taylor rear his son, Opie Taylor while keeping the town of Mayberry in order. During the show’s lengthy run, Andy Taylor was a single parent, but little was said about Opie’s mother. As it turned out, her absence was explained during the show’s backdoor pilot.
‘The Andy Griffith Show’ was launched with a backdoor pilot episode on ‘The Danny Thomas Show’
The Andy Griffith Show officially premiered in October 1960, with an episode titled “The New Housekeeper.” The show’s first season was a long one. It contained more than 30 episodes. While “The New Housekeeper” is technically the show’s premiere episode, it wasn’t the first time Andy Taylor was introduced to television audiences.
Andy and Opie | CBS via Getty Images
Eight months earlier, Andy Taylor appeared in The Danny Thomas Show. The episode “Danny Meets...
‘The Andy Griffith Show’ was launched with a backdoor pilot episode on ‘The Danny Thomas Show’
The Andy Griffith Show officially premiered in October 1960, with an episode titled “The New Housekeeper.” The show’s first season was a long one. It contained more than 30 episodes. While “The New Housekeeper” is technically the show’s premiere episode, it wasn’t the first time Andy Taylor was introduced to television audiences.
Andy and Opie | CBS via Getty Images
Eight months earlier, Andy Taylor appeared in The Danny Thomas Show. The episode “Danny Meets...
- 2/28/2023
- by Andrea Francese
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Kevin O’Neal, the younger brother of actor Ryan O’Neal who for a time built a steady, if less widely known, performing career of his own died in his sleep of natural causes in Thousand Oaks, California, on Saturday, Jan. 28. He was 77.
His death was announced by his nephew Patrick O’Neal, Ryan O’Neal’s son.
“Kevin had a wicked sense of humor, just like his older brother, and we have his stories to keep him in our hearts forever,” Patrick O’Neal wrote on Instagram, adding, “When Kevin walked into a room you heard him before you saw him. That energy and personality is an old O’Neal trademark. Heaven better be ready for him!”
Kevin O’Neal began his television career in the early 1960s, making guest appearances on such series as The Danny Thomas Show, The Donna Reed Show, The Twilight Zone, My Tree Son and Wagon Train.
His death was announced by his nephew Patrick O’Neal, Ryan O’Neal’s son.
“Kevin had a wicked sense of humor, just like his older brother, and we have his stories to keep him in our hearts forever,” Patrick O’Neal wrote on Instagram, adding, “When Kevin walked into a room you heard him before you saw him. That energy and personality is an old O’Neal trademark. Heaven better be ready for him!”
Kevin O’Neal began his television career in the early 1960s, making guest appearances on such series as The Danny Thomas Show, The Donna Reed Show, The Twilight Zone, My Tree Son and Wagon Train.
- 1/31/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Kevin O’Neal, the younger brother of Oscar-nominated actor Ryan O’Neal and a regular on the 1960s ABC comedy No Time for Sergeants, has died. He was 77.
O’Neal died Saturday in his sleep of natural causes in Thousand Oaks, a family spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter.
O’Neal also appeared as the character Yale in one of Elvis Presley’s final films, The Trouble with Girls (1969).
O’Neal portrayed Private Ben Whitledge on No Time for Sergeants, which lasted one season. The 1964-65 comedy was produced by George Burns’ production company and Warner Bros.
Based on a novel by Mac Hyman, No Time for Sergeants premiered on Broadway in 1954 and was adapted a year later for an ABC U.S. Steel Hour production and then for a 1958 feature. All three starred Andy Griffith.
Geoffrey Garrett O’Neal was born in Los Angeles on March 26, 1945. His parents were novelist-screenwriter Charles “Blackie” O...
O’Neal died Saturday in his sleep of natural causes in Thousand Oaks, a family spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter.
O’Neal also appeared as the character Yale in one of Elvis Presley’s final films, The Trouble with Girls (1969).
O’Neal portrayed Private Ben Whitledge on No Time for Sergeants, which lasted one season. The 1964-65 comedy was produced by George Burns’ production company and Warner Bros.
Based on a novel by Mac Hyman, No Time for Sergeants premiered on Broadway in 1954 and was adapted a year later for an ABC U.S. Steel Hour production and then for a 1958 feature. All three starred Andy Griffith.
Geoffrey Garrett O’Neal was born in Los Angeles on March 26, 1945. His parents were novelist-screenwriter Charles “Blackie” O...
- 1/31/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In 1953, Danny Thomas began his TV career as the star of ABC’s “Make Room for Daddy,” which eventually migrated to CBS and became known as “The Danny Thomas Show.” Thomas played family man Danny Williams for a total of 11 seasons, ultimately electing to end the show while its ratings were still high. Afterward, he earned an Emmy bid for producing “The Mod Squad,” guest starred on such programs as “Happy Days” and “Here’s Lucy,” and reprised his most well-known role on the single-season sequel series “Make Room for Granddaddy.”
Thomas’s final role was on an episode of the NBC sitcom “Empty Nest,” which aired just four days before his death in 1991 at age 79. His portrayal of the mentor of lead character Dr. Harry Weston (Richard Mulligan) resulted in an Emmy nomination – his first since earning four for his eponymous show over three decades earlier. He was originally the...
Thomas’s final role was on an episode of the NBC sitcom “Empty Nest,” which aired just four days before his death in 1991 at age 79. His portrayal of the mentor of lead character Dr. Harry Weston (Richard Mulligan) resulted in an Emmy nomination – his first since earning four for his eponymous show over three decades earlier. He was originally the...
- 8/28/2022
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
In 1953, Danny Thomas began his TV career as the star of ABC’s “Make Room for Daddy,” which eventually migrated to CBS and became known as “The Danny Thomas Show.” Thomas played family man Danny Williams for a total of 11 seasons, ultimately electing to end the show while its ratings were still high. Afterward, he earned an Emmy bid for producing “The Mod Squad,” guest starred on such programs as “Happy Days” and “Here’s Lucy,” and reprised his most well-known role on the single-season sequel series “Make Room for Granddaddy.”
Thomas’s final role was on an episode of the NBC sitcom “Empty Nest,” which aired just four days before his death in 1991 at age 79. His portrayal of the mentor of lead character Dr. Harry Weston (Richard Mulligan) resulted in an Emmy nomination – his first since earning four for his eponymous show over three decades earlier. He was originally the...
Thomas’s final role was on an episode of the NBC sitcom “Empty Nest,” which aired just four days before his death in 1991 at age 79. His portrayal of the mentor of lead character Dr. Harry Weston (Richard Mulligan) resulted in an Emmy nomination – his first since earning four for his eponymous show over three decades earlier. He was originally the...
- 8/28/2022
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Here are a few bits of trivia about the beloved family sitcom “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.” It ran 14 seasons from 1952-66, a record until Fxx’s “It Always Sunny in Philadelphia” kicked off its 15th season last year. But “Philadelphia” has only aired 162 episodes compared to a whopping 435 for “Ozzie and Harriet.”
Despite the fact it aired 14 years, the series only cracked the top 30 in its 11th season where it came in 29th place. The exterior shots were actually of the Nelsons’ real home at 1822 Camino Palmero Street in L.A. (it recently sold for 5.9 million) and the interiors were recreations of their own home. Though the TV Ozzie didn’t seem to have a job, the real-life Ozzie starred, produced, co-wrote and directed “Ozzie and Harriet.”
Topics were far from controversial. There was a whole episode revolving around the fact that a local store delivered new chairs that they hadn’t ordered.
Despite the fact it aired 14 years, the series only cracked the top 30 in its 11th season where it came in 29th place. The exterior shots were actually of the Nelsons’ real home at 1822 Camino Palmero Street in L.A. (it recently sold for 5.9 million) and the interiors were recreations of their own home. Though the TV Ozzie didn’t seem to have a job, the real-life Ozzie starred, produced, co-wrote and directed “Ozzie and Harriet.”
Topics were far from controversial. There was a whole episode revolving around the fact that a local store delivered new chairs that they hadn’t ordered.
- 8/1/2022
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Emmy-winning comedienne Pat Carroll, a prolific stage and television actress known for shows such as The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Laverne & Shirley, has died. She was 95. Carroll passed away at her home in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, on Saturday, July 30, while recovering from pneumonia, her daughter Kerry Karsian told The Hollywood Reporter. Born on May 5, 1927, in Shreveport, Louisiana, Carroll would begin her acting career in 1947, landing a role in the film Hometown Girl. From there, she went on to star in numerous television shows, including the sitcom Make Room for Daddy, Studio 57, The Steve Allen Show, and Caesar’s Hour, for which she received an Emmy Award. Throughout the 1960s and 70s, Carroll would appear in various sketch/variety shows, including The Danny Thomas Show, The Red Skelton Show, and The Carol Burnett Show. Then, in 1976, she joined the popular sitcom Laverne & Shirley. Over the next three decades,...
- 8/1/2022
- TV Insider
Pat Carroll, a veteran actress known for her voice role as Ursula in Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” and whose career as an entertainer spanned seven decades, died Saturday in Cape Cod, Mass. while recovering from pneumonia. She was 95 years old.
Carroll’s death was confirmed by her representative, Derek Maki. Maki stated that Carroll died with her best friend by her side.
Born on May 5, 1927 in Shreveport, La., Patricia Ann Carroll’s family relocated to Los Angeles when she was five years old. There she began acting in local productions at a young age, before attending Catholic University of America and later enlisting in the U.S. Army during World War II.
Carroll’s first role came in 1947 in the film “Hometown Girl.” She became a regular presence on variety shows over the next three decades. Carroll earned an Emmy Award in 1956 for her work on “Sid Caesar’s House.
Carroll’s death was confirmed by her representative, Derek Maki. Maki stated that Carroll died with her best friend by her side.
Born on May 5, 1927 in Shreveport, La., Patricia Ann Carroll’s family relocated to Los Angeles when she was five years old. There she began acting in local productions at a young age, before attending Catholic University of America and later enlisting in the U.S. Army during World War II.
Carroll’s first role came in 1947 in the film “Hometown Girl.” She became a regular presence on variety shows over the next three decades. Carroll earned an Emmy Award in 1956 for her work on “Sid Caesar’s House.
- 7/31/2022
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety Film + TV
Actress and Emmy winner Pat Carroll, the voice of The Little Mermaid‘s Ursula, has died, our sister site Deadline reports. She was 95.
Carroll, who was also a Grammy winner, died at her home in Cape Cod, Mass. Saturday while recovering from pneumonia.
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Best known by modern audiences for voicing the popular Disney villain, Carroll was a frequent film and TV actress who...
Carroll, who was also a Grammy winner, died at her home in Cape Cod, Mass. Saturday while recovering from pneumonia.
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Best known by modern audiences for voicing the popular Disney villain, Carroll was a frequent film and TV actress who...
- 7/31/2022
- by Nick Caruso
- TVLine.com
Pat Carroll, an Emmy-winning actress who appeared on “Laverne & Shirley” and was the voice of Ursula in Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” has died at the age of 95 from pneumonia, her daughter Tara Karsian announced on her Facebook page.
“It is with a heavy heart that I write that my mother, Pat Carroll, has passed away at the grand old age of 95,” Karsian announced. “We ask that you honor her by having a raucous laugh at absolutely anything today (and everyday forward) because besides her brilliant talent and love, she leaves my sister Kerry and I with the greatest gift of all, imbuing us with humor and the ability to laugh… even in the saddest of times.”
Carroll made her onscreen debut in the 1948 film “Hometown Girl,” and subsequently made a mark in television. She won an Emmy in 1956 for her work on “Caesar’s Hour” and starred as a...
“It is with a heavy heart that I write that my mother, Pat Carroll, has passed away at the grand old age of 95,” Karsian announced. “We ask that you honor her by having a raucous laugh at absolutely anything today (and everyday forward) because besides her brilliant talent and love, she leaves my sister Kerry and I with the greatest gift of all, imbuing us with humor and the ability to laugh… even in the saddest of times.”
Carroll made her onscreen debut in the 1948 film “Hometown Girl,” and subsequently made a mark in television. She won an Emmy in 1956 for her work on “Caesar’s Hour” and starred as a...
- 7/31/2022
- by Adam Chitwood
- The Wrap
Click here to read the full article.
Pat Carroll, the gregarious Emmy-winning comedienne who was a television mainstay for decades before segueing to a voiceover career that included portraying the villainous sea witch Ursula in The Little Mermaid, has died. She was 95.
Carroll died Saturday of pneumonia at her home in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, her daughter Kerry Karsian told The Hollywood Reporter.
Carroll’s perky personality, screwball wit and impeccable timing made her a great second banana, and Red Buttons, Jimmy Durante, Mickey Rooney, Steve Allen and Charley Weaver were among those who called upon her to make their programs funnier. Her antics on Caesar’s Hour earned her an Emmy in 1957, and she was nominated for her work on the classic variety show the following year.
In a 2013 interview with Kliph Nesteroff, Carroll compared Howard Morris, Carl Reiner and Sid Caesar on Caesar’s Hour to the Chicago Cubs’ legendary double-play...
Pat Carroll, the gregarious Emmy-winning comedienne who was a television mainstay for decades before segueing to a voiceover career that included portraying the villainous sea witch Ursula in The Little Mermaid, has died. She was 95.
Carroll died Saturday of pneumonia at her home in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, her daughter Kerry Karsian told The Hollywood Reporter.
Carroll’s perky personality, screwball wit and impeccable timing made her a great second banana, and Red Buttons, Jimmy Durante, Mickey Rooney, Steve Allen and Charley Weaver were among those who called upon her to make their programs funnier. Her antics on Caesar’s Hour earned her an Emmy in 1957, and she was nominated for her work on the classic variety show the following year.
In a 2013 interview with Kliph Nesteroff, Carroll compared Howard Morris, Carl Reiner and Sid Caesar on Caesar’s Hour to the Chicago Cubs’ legendary double-play...
- 7/31/2022
- by Chris Koseluk
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Comedian and actress Pat Carroll, a television pioneer and an Emmy, Drama Desk and Grammy winner, died at her home on Cape Cod, Massachusetts on July 30, while recovering from pnuemonia.
A frequent film actress and television guest star and series regular starting in the late 1940s, her work was seen on the Jimmy Durante Show, The Danny Thomas Show, Laverne & Shirley, ER and many other shows. She voiced Ursula in The Little Mermaid, and voiced several cartoon series.
Patricia Ann Carroll was born May 5, 1927 in Shreveport, Louisiana. Her family moved to Los Angeles when she was five years old, and she soon began acting in local productions. She graduated from Immaculate Heart High Schol and then attended Catholic University of America after enlisting in the US Army.
Carroll’s acting career started in 1947 with the film Hometown Girl. In 1956, Carroll won an Emmy Award for her work on Sid Caesar’s House,...
A frequent film actress and television guest star and series regular starting in the late 1940s, her work was seen on the Jimmy Durante Show, The Danny Thomas Show, Laverne & Shirley, ER and many other shows. She voiced Ursula in The Little Mermaid, and voiced several cartoon series.
Patricia Ann Carroll was born May 5, 1927 in Shreveport, Louisiana. Her family moved to Los Angeles when she was five years old, and she soon began acting in local productions. She graduated from Immaculate Heart High Schol and then attended Catholic University of America after enlisting in the US Army.
Carroll’s acting career started in 1947 with the film Hometown Girl. In 1956, Carroll won an Emmy Award for her work on Sid Caesar’s House,...
- 7/31/2022
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
After “The Andy Griffith Show” got its start in the form of a backdoor pilot on “The Danny Thomas Show,” Griffith’s Sheriff Andy Taylor and his son, Opie (Ron Howard), were the only two characters who moved on to the actual series. Frances Bavier became Taylor’s Aunt Bee after initially playing a townsperson, and Don Knotts signed on as bumbling deputy Barney Fife. With just five previous TV roles under his belt, Knotts quickly became a fan favorite and his Fife was firmly established as straight man Taylor’s main comic foil.
At the end of its first season, “The Andy Griffith Show” ranked fourth in the Nielsen ratings and would go on to place no lower than seventh throughout its eight-year run. At 36, Knotts took home the Best Comedy Supporting Actor Emmy for his work during that first year and became the third youngest man to nab the award.
At the end of its first season, “The Andy Griffith Show” ranked fourth in the Nielsen ratings and would go on to place no lower than seventh throughout its eight-year run. At 36, Knotts took home the Best Comedy Supporting Actor Emmy for his work during that first year and became the third youngest man to nab the award.
- 7/27/2022
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Rarely one finds a friend on the Criterion Channel—discounting the parasitic relationship we form with filmmakers, I mean—but it’s great seeing their March lineup give light to Sophy Romvari, the <bias>exceptionally talented</bias> filmmaker and curator whose work has perhaps earned comparisons to Agnès Varda and Chantal Akerman but charts its own path of history and reflection. It’s a good way to lead into an exceptionally strong month, featuring as it does numerous films by Pier Paolo Pasolini, the great Japanese documentarian Kazuo Hara, newfound cult classic Arrebato, and a number of Criterion editions.
On the last front we have The Age of Innocence, Bull Durham, A Raisin in the Sun, The Celebration, Merrily We Go to Hell, and Design for Living. There’s always something lingering on the watchlist, but it might have to wait a second longer—March is an opened floodgate.
See the full...
On the last front we have The Age of Innocence, Bull Durham, A Raisin in the Sun, The Celebration, Merrily We Go to Hell, and Design for Living. There’s always something lingering on the watchlist, but it might have to wait a second longer—March is an opened floodgate.
See the full...
- 2/21/2022
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Betty White had a mischievous side, and she loved to have fun and crack jokes on the set of “The Golden Girls.” But there were times when she was all business.
Those times were often on Monday mornings. In the early years of the NBC comedy, White, the legendary performer who died this week at the age of 99, would often sit with “Golden Girls” executive producer Tony Thomas and dig into the overnight ratings for the hit sitcom that aired in Saturday time slots for the entirety of its 1985-1992 run.
“When I think of Betty, I think of fun,” Thomas told Variety. “She liked to have a good time at work. We laughed a lot. She was just the best.”
Thomas and White had a bond from their mutual experience of having grown up alongside with the medium of television. Thomas is the son of legendary entertainer Danny Thomas,...
Those times were often on Monday mornings. In the early years of the NBC comedy, White, the legendary performer who died this week at the age of 99, would often sit with “Golden Girls” executive producer Tony Thomas and dig into the overnight ratings for the hit sitcom that aired in Saturday time slots for the entirety of its 1985-1992 run.
“When I think of Betty, I think of fun,” Thomas told Variety. “She liked to have a good time at work. We laughed a lot. She was just the best.”
Thomas and White had a bond from their mutual experience of having grown up alongside with the medium of television. Thomas is the son of legendary entertainer Danny Thomas,...
- 1/1/2022
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
After the 2020 death of Olivia DeHavilland at age 104, Walter Mirisch became the oldest living winner of an Academy Award. Today this legendary producer turns 100 years old and is still going strong.
If for some crazy reason you don’t know the name, let me tell you the Mirisch Corporation, which he founded with brothers Harold and Marvin, was sort of the Marvel of its time except it was about much more than comic book superheroes, a true independent in the studio system, that turned out hit after hit, many winning Oscars, that provided a safe haven for some of the great filmmakers of the time including Billy Wilder, John Sturges, Robert Wise, Norman Jewison, Blake Edwards, Hal Ashby, George Roy Hill, not to mention films directed by greats of Hollywood’s golden era including John Ford, William Wyler, Michael Curtiz and on and on.
So again, if you don’t know the name Walter Mirisch,...
If for some crazy reason you don’t know the name, let me tell you the Mirisch Corporation, which he founded with brothers Harold and Marvin, was sort of the Marvel of its time except it was about much more than comic book superheroes, a true independent in the studio system, that turned out hit after hit, many winning Oscars, that provided a safe haven for some of the great filmmakers of the time including Billy Wilder, John Sturges, Robert Wise, Norman Jewison, Blake Edwards, Hal Ashby, George Roy Hill, not to mention films directed by greats of Hollywood’s golden era including John Ford, William Wyler, Michael Curtiz and on and on.
So again, if you don’t know the name Walter Mirisch,...
- 11/8/2021
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
Like everyone else, we love Lucy and celebrate the anniversary of Lucille Ball‘s landmark laffer “I Love Lucy,” which debuted on CBS exactly 70 years ago today on Oct. 15, 1951. The show won the Emmy for Best Situation Comedy twice and Ball claimed two trophies as well.
Ball went on to win two more Emmys for the last two seasons of her second series, “The Lucy Show”. In 1967, she edged out “Bewitched” stars Elizabeth Montgomery and Agnes Moorehead and “That Girl’s” Marlo Thomas. By the way, Montgomery never won an Emmy, despite nine nods, including five for her work as that witch with a twitch. The following year, in what was to be her final Emmy race, Ball prevailed yet again. Her competition: Montgomery and Thomas, as well as Barbara Feldon (“Get Smart”) and Paula Prentiss (“He and She”).
Watch that moment from the 1967 Emmycast when Ball wins. As her...
Ball went on to win two more Emmys for the last two seasons of her second series, “The Lucy Show”. In 1967, she edged out “Bewitched” stars Elizabeth Montgomery and Agnes Moorehead and “That Girl’s” Marlo Thomas. By the way, Montgomery never won an Emmy, despite nine nods, including five for her work as that witch with a twitch. The following year, in what was to be her final Emmy race, Ball prevailed yet again. Her competition: Montgomery and Thomas, as well as Barbara Feldon (“Get Smart”) and Paula Prentiss (“He and She”).
Watch that moment from the 1967 Emmycast when Ball wins. As her...
- 10/15/2021
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
Exclusive: Lillian Hellman’s 1934 play The Children’s Hour, set in an all-girls boarding school, is getting a shot at the small screen with Anonymous Content and Bess Wohl adapting.
The play was adapted as a feature film in 1961. starring Audrey Hepburn, Shirley MacLaine, James Garner and Fay Bainter.
Set in the 1930s, The Children’s Hour tells the story of two women who run an all-girls school in a fictional New England town and are falsely accused of having an “unnatural” lesbian relationship by one of their students. The allegation upends the women’s lives, destroys their careers and forces them to reckon with the true nature of their friendship.
Wohl, who made her Broadway debut in 2019 with her play Grand Horizons and is writing an episode of Scott Z. Burns’ climate-change anthology series Extrapolations for Apple, is adapting the play as a limited series.
Two-time Pulitzer finalist Jon Robin Baitz,...
The play was adapted as a feature film in 1961. starring Audrey Hepburn, Shirley MacLaine, James Garner and Fay Bainter.
Set in the 1930s, The Children’s Hour tells the story of two women who run an all-girls school in a fictional New England town and are falsely accused of having an “unnatural” lesbian relationship by one of their students. The allegation upends the women’s lives, destroys their careers and forces them to reckon with the true nature of their friendship.
Wohl, who made her Broadway debut in 2019 with her play Grand Horizons and is writing an episode of Scott Z. Burns’ climate-change anthology series Extrapolations for Apple, is adapting the play as a limited series.
Two-time Pulitzer finalist Jon Robin Baitz,...
- 10/12/2021
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
The first James Bond film, ‘Dr. No,” starring Sean Connery, Ursula Andress, Jack Lord and Joseph Wiseman, opened in England on Oct. 2, 1962. But the 007 classic didn’t open in New York and Los Angeles until May 29, 1963. Let’s travel back almost six decades to look at the top events, movie, TV series, books and other cultural events of that year in James Bond history, which was punctuated by the tragic assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas on Nov. 22.
35th Annual Academy Awards
Best Picture: “Lawrence of Arabia”
Best Director: David Lean, “Lawrence of Arabia”
Best Actor: Gregory Peck, “To Kill a Mockingbird
Best Actress: Anne Bancroft, “The Miracle Worker”
Best Supporting Actor: Ed Begley, “Sweet Bird of Youth”
Best Supporting Actress: Patty Duke, “The Miracle Worker”
Top 10 highest grossing films
“Cleopatra”
“How the West Was Won”
“It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World”
“Tom Jones”
“Irma La Douce...
35th Annual Academy Awards
Best Picture: “Lawrence of Arabia”
Best Director: David Lean, “Lawrence of Arabia”
Best Actor: Gregory Peck, “To Kill a Mockingbird
Best Actress: Anne Bancroft, “The Miracle Worker”
Best Supporting Actor: Ed Begley, “Sweet Bird of Youth”
Best Supporting Actress: Patty Duke, “The Miracle Worker”
Top 10 highest grossing films
“Cleopatra”
“How the West Was Won”
“It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World”
“Tom Jones”
“Irma La Douce...
- 10/8/2021
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Jay Sandrich, the prolific Emmy-winning TV director who was an instrumental player in such series as “The Cosby Show” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” died Sept. 22 in Los Angeles, CAA confirmed. He was 89.
Sandrich was beloved in the creative community and was considered a mentor to a generation of TV directors, notably James Burrows. Sandrich had a major influence on TV comedy as the director of pilots for “Soap,” “The Golden Girls,” “The Bob Newhart Show,” “Empty Nest,” “Night Court” and “A Different World.” His career began on the set of “I Love Lucy” and stretched through “Two and a Half a Men.”
His father, Mark Sandrich, was a famed movie director of musicals such as “Holiday Inn” and “Top Hat.”
Jay Sandrich earned five Emmys for directing throughout his career, including two for “The Cosby Show” in 1985 and 1986, plus two for “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” in 1971 and...
Sandrich was beloved in the creative community and was considered a mentor to a generation of TV directors, notably James Burrows. Sandrich had a major influence on TV comedy as the director of pilots for “Soap,” “The Golden Girls,” “The Bob Newhart Show,” “Empty Nest,” “Night Court” and “A Different World.” His career began on the set of “I Love Lucy” and stretched through “Two and a Half a Men.”
His father, Mark Sandrich, was a famed movie director of musicals such as “Holiday Inn” and “Top Hat.”
Jay Sandrich earned five Emmys for directing throughout his career, including two for “The Cosby Show” in 1985 and 1986, plus two for “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” in 1971 and...
- 9/23/2021
- by Jordan Moreau and Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
Jay Sandrich, the Emmy-winning TV director who was behind such iconic comedies as The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Cosby Show, The Golden Girls, Wkrp in Cincinnati and Soap among others, has died. He was 89.
Showbiz & Media Figures We’ve Lost In 2021 – Photo Gallery
The news was confirmed Thursday by his former agency CAA.
Sandrich directed two thirds of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, the groundbreaking series that ran on CBS from 1970-1977. He won two Emmys for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy for the series, in 1971 and 1973. He won two more for directing the equally groundbreaking The Cosby Show back to back in 1985 and 1986.
In all, Sandrich was nominated for 11 Emmys, winning a Daytime one in 1984 in Outstanding Individual Achievement in Religious Programming – Direction for Insight.
He also won three DGA Awards during his career. He was named to the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 2020.
On the movie side,...
Showbiz & Media Figures We’ve Lost In 2021 – Photo Gallery
The news was confirmed Thursday by his former agency CAA.
Sandrich directed two thirds of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, the groundbreaking series that ran on CBS from 1970-1977. He won two Emmys for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy for the series, in 1971 and 1973. He won two more for directing the equally groundbreaking The Cosby Show back to back in 1985 and 1986.
In all, Sandrich was nominated for 11 Emmys, winning a Daytime one in 1984 in Outstanding Individual Achievement in Religious Programming – Direction for Insight.
He also won three DGA Awards during his career. He was named to the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 2020.
On the movie side,...
- 9/23/2021
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Jay Sandrich, the top-notch sitcom director who was a regular on The Mary Tyler Moore, The Cosby Show and Soap and on the scene for some of the biggest moments in the history of television comedy, has died. He was 89.
Sandrich died Wednesday in Los Angeles, CAA announced.
A 10-time Emmy nominee and five-time winner, Sandrich landed his first job in Hollywood as a second assistant director on I Love Lucy. He later worked on Make Room for Daddy and The Dick Van Dyke Show; directed the pilot episodes of The Bob Newhart Show, Wkrp in Cincinnati and Benson; and produced for The Andy Griffith Show and Get Smart.
His father was Mark Sandrich, the director of five Fred Astaire-Ginger ...
Sandrich died Wednesday in Los Angeles, CAA announced.
A 10-time Emmy nominee and five-time winner, Sandrich landed his first job in Hollywood as a second assistant director on I Love Lucy. He later worked on Make Room for Daddy and The Dick Van Dyke Show; directed the pilot episodes of The Bob Newhart Show, Wkrp in Cincinnati and Benson; and produced for The Andy Griffith Show and Get Smart.
His father was Mark Sandrich, the director of five Fred Astaire-Ginger ...
- 9/23/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
After “The Andy Griffith Show” got its start in the form of a backdoor pilot on “The Danny Thomas Show,” Griffith’s Sheriff Andy Taylor and his son, Opie (Ron Howard), were the only two characters who moved on to the actual series. Frances Bavier became Taylor’s Aunt Bee after initially playing a townsperson, and Don Knotts signed on as bumbling deputy Barney Fife. With just five previous TV roles under his belt, Knotts quickly became a fan favorite and his Fife was firmly established as straight man Taylor’s main comic foil.
At the end of its first season, “The Andy Griffith Show” ranked fourth in the Nielsen ratings and would go on to place no lower than seventh throughout its eight-year run. At 36, Knotts took home the Best Comedy Supporting Actor Emmy for his work during that first year and became the third youngest man to nab the award.
At the end of its first season, “The Andy Griffith Show” ranked fourth in the Nielsen ratings and would go on to place no lower than seventh throughout its eight-year run. At 36, Knotts took home the Best Comedy Supporting Actor Emmy for his work during that first year and became the third youngest man to nab the award.
- 8/28/2021
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Johnny Crawford, who found early fame in the 1950s as an original Mouseketeer on The Mickey Mouse Club and even more success as the son of Chuck Connors’ title character in the 1959-63 Western series The Rifleman, died Thursday two years after an Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis and a recent battle with Covid-19 . He was 75.
Crawford’s death was announced on his website.
According to the Johnny Crawford Legacy website maintained by his family and friends, the “passed away peacefully” last night with wife Charlotte by his side. “Sadly, Johnny was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, and he was living in a memory care residence before contracting Covid-19, then pneumonia,” the site states. “After a temporary placement at a skilled nursing facility, he was recently moved to an excellent smaller care home close to his wife.”
Born John Ernest Crawford in Los Angeles into a theatrical and musical family – his...
Crawford’s death was announced on his website.
According to the Johnny Crawford Legacy website maintained by his family and friends, the “passed away peacefully” last night with wife Charlotte by his side. “Sadly, Johnny was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, and he was living in a memory care residence before contracting Covid-19, then pneumonia,” the site states. “After a temporary placement at a skilled nursing facility, he was recently moved to an excellent smaller care home close to his wife.”
Born John Ernest Crawford in Los Angeles into a theatrical and musical family – his...
- 4/30/2021
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Lee Aaker, best known as the 1950s child star of The Adventures of Rin-Tin-Tin, has died at 77. The news comes via a social media post by former child actor and activist Paul Petersen. Petersen said Aaker “passed away in Arizona on April 1st, alone & unclaimed, listed as an ‘indigent decedent.'”
Aaker was 11 when The Adventures of Rin-Tin-Tin first appeared on ABC. The western’s original run on Friday evenings lasted from October 1954 to May 1959. Aaker played Rusty, a boy orphaned in an Indian raid being raised at Fort Apache. He starred opposite James E. Brown’s Lieutenant Ripley “Rip” Masters and, of course, a number of German shepherds who portrayed the titular canine.
Aaker’s career began propitiously. Even before Rin Tin Tin, at the age of 8 he had uncredited appearances in films such as The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) and High Noon (1952). Aaker then appeared opposite Barbara Stanwyck...
Aaker was 11 when The Adventures of Rin-Tin-Tin first appeared on ABC. The western’s original run on Friday evenings lasted from October 1954 to May 1959. Aaker played Rusty, a boy orphaned in an Indian raid being raised at Fort Apache. He starred opposite James E. Brown’s Lieutenant Ripley “Rip” Masters and, of course, a number of German shepherds who portrayed the titular canine.
Aaker’s career began propitiously. Even before Rin Tin Tin, at the age of 8 he had uncredited appearances in films such as The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) and High Noon (1952). Aaker then appeared opposite Barbara Stanwyck...
- 4/14/2021
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
6 random things that happened on this day, December 19th, in showbiz history...
1915 Edith Giovanna Gassion born in Paris and immediately abandoned by her mother. She would be raised by prostitutes and would become the famous songbird Edith Piaf, her last name slang for "sparrow", and eventually an international icon. Her life was dramatized (in excruciatingly non-linear fashion as was the fad in the mid Aughts) in 2007's La Vie En Rose which won Marion Cotillard the Best Actress Oscar. Like her contemporary Judy Garland she would struggle with addiction and die at age 47 years in the 1960s.
1961 The now infamous drama The Children's Hour opens in theaters on its way to 5 Oscar nominations...
1915 Edith Giovanna Gassion born in Paris and immediately abandoned by her mother. She would be raised by prostitutes and would become the famous songbird Edith Piaf, her last name slang for "sparrow", and eventually an international icon. Her life was dramatized (in excruciatingly non-linear fashion as was the fad in the mid Aughts) in 2007's La Vie En Rose which won Marion Cotillard the Best Actress Oscar. Like her contemporary Judy Garland she would struggle with addiction and die at age 47 years in the 1960s.
1961 The now infamous drama The Children's Hour opens in theaters on its way to 5 Oscar nominations...
- 12/19/2020
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
[Editor’s Note: The following article contains spoilers for “The Haunting of Bly Manor,” including the ending.]
In the final episode of “The Haunting of Bly Manor,” a stylish serialized riff on Henry James’ horror novella “The Turn of the Screw,” the show’s central philosophy is revealed during an exchange between two women. “You said it was a ghost story,” the bride from the opening scene tells her mysterious silver-haired guest, the benevolent narrator (Carla Gugino) who’s been regaling the wedding party with the story of Bly Manor. “It isn’t. It’s a love story.” To which the narrator replies, her eyes loaded with meaning: “Same thing, really.”
Taken at face value, this comment implies that “The Haunting of Bly Manor” is a love story, which tracks with the grief-stricken backstories of the various characters. It’s a poignant view of ghost stories; transforming the idea of the haunting ghoul into a lingering spirit watching over loved ones.
In the final episode of “The Haunting of Bly Manor,” a stylish serialized riff on Henry James’ horror novella “The Turn of the Screw,” the show’s central philosophy is revealed during an exchange between two women. “You said it was a ghost story,” the bride from the opening scene tells her mysterious silver-haired guest, the benevolent narrator (Carla Gugino) who’s been regaling the wedding party with the story of Bly Manor. “It isn’t. It’s a love story.” To which the narrator replies, her eyes loaded with meaning: “Same thing, really.”
Taken at face value, this comment implies that “The Haunting of Bly Manor” is a love story, which tracks with the grief-stricken backstories of the various characters. It’s a poignant view of ghost stories; transforming the idea of the haunting ghoul into a lingering spirit watching over loved ones.
- 10/28/2020
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Like everyone else, we love Lucy and celebrate the anniversary of Lucille Ball‘s landmark laffer “I Love Lucy,” which debuted on CBS exactly 69 years ago today on Oct. 15, 1951. The show won the Emmy for Best Situation Comedy twice and Ball claimed two trophies as well.
Ball went on to win two more Emmys for the last two seasons of her second series, “The Lucy Show”. In 1967, she edged out “Bewitched” stars Elizabeth Montgomery and Agnes Moorehead and “That Girl’s” Marlo Thomas. By the way, Montgomery never won an Emmy, despite nine nods, including five for her work as that witch with a twitch. The following year, in what was to be her final Emmy race, Ball prevailed yet again. Her competition: Montgomery and Thomas, as well as Barbara Feldon (“Get Smart”) and Paula Prentiss (“He and She”).
Watch that moment from the 1967 Emmycast when Ball wins. As her...
Ball went on to win two more Emmys for the last two seasons of her second series, “The Lucy Show”. In 1967, she edged out “Bewitched” stars Elizabeth Montgomery and Agnes Moorehead and “That Girl’s” Marlo Thomas. By the way, Montgomery never won an Emmy, despite nine nods, including five for her work as that witch with a twitch. The following year, in what was to be her final Emmy race, Ball prevailed yet again. Her competition: Montgomery and Thomas, as well as Barbara Feldon (“Get Smart”) and Paula Prentiss (“He and She”).
Watch that moment from the 1967 Emmycast when Ball wins. As her...
- 10/15/2020
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
Celebrating its 60th anniversary on October 3, “The Andy Griffith Show” is one of the most charming comedies in the history of American television. The CBS program was never outside of the top seven in TV ratings throughout its eight-year run and continues a strong six-decade domination in syndication.
Starting with the 1960 debut as a spinoff from “The Danny Thomas Show,” the series starred comedian Andy Griffith as Andy Taylor, sheriff of small-town Mayberry in North Carolina. One of the keys to the popularity was casting Don Knotts as bumbling but well-meaning deputy Barney Fife. Audiences got to know the young Ron Howard as Andy’s son Opie, long before his successful time on “Happy Days” and decades before his Oscar-winning career as a film director and producer.
SEERon Howard movies: 15 greatest films ranked from worst to best
While Griffith never received an Emmy nomination for his work on the program,...
Starting with the 1960 debut as a spinoff from “The Danny Thomas Show,” the series starred comedian Andy Griffith as Andy Taylor, sheriff of small-town Mayberry in North Carolina. One of the keys to the popularity was casting Don Knotts as bumbling but well-meaning deputy Barney Fife. Audiences got to know the young Ron Howard as Andy’s son Opie, long before his successful time on “Happy Days” and decades before his Oscar-winning career as a film director and producer.
SEERon Howard movies: 15 greatest films ranked from worst to best
While Griffith never received an Emmy nomination for his work on the program,...
- 10/3/2020
- by Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Celebrating its 60th anniversary on October 3, “The Andy Griffith Show” is one of the most charming comedies in the history of American television. The CBS program was never outside of the top seven in TV ratings throughout its eight-year run and continues a strong six-decade domination in syndication.
Starting with the 1960 debut as a spinoff from “The Danny Thomas Show,” the series starred comedian Andy Griffith as Andy Taylor, sheriff of small-town Mayberry in North Carolina. One of the keys to the popularity was casting Don Knotts as bumbling but well-meaning deputy Barney Fife. Audiences got to know the young Ron Howard as Andy’s son Opie, long before his successful time on “Happy Days” and decades before his Oscar-winning career as a film director and producer.
While Griffith never received an Emmy nomination for his work on the program, Knotts won five times as Best Comedy Supporting Actor. In fact,...
Starting with the 1960 debut as a spinoff from “The Danny Thomas Show,” the series starred comedian Andy Griffith as Andy Taylor, sheriff of small-town Mayberry in North Carolina. One of the keys to the popularity was casting Don Knotts as bumbling but well-meaning deputy Barney Fife. Audiences got to know the young Ron Howard as Andy’s son Opie, long before his successful time on “Happy Days” and decades before his Oscar-winning career as a film director and producer.
While Griffith never received an Emmy nomination for his work on the program, Knotts won five times as Best Comedy Supporting Actor. In fact,...
- 9/30/2020
- by Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Family comedies have gone to Schitt. “Schitt’s Creek” that is. The little Canadian comedy series that airs on Pop and streams on Netflix has hit Emmy paydirt in its sixth and final season, earning 15 Emmy nominations including best comedy series, actor for Eugene Levy, actress for Catherine O’Hara, supporting actor, writer and director for Dan Levy and supporting actress for Annie Murphy.
Sort of a reverse “The Beverly Hillbillies,” the series follows a seriously vapid, dysfunctional family, John and Moira Rose and their adult children David and Alexis, who lose their family fortune and end up living in a rundown motel in Schitt’s Creek, a tiny rural town which is the only asset they still own. And “Schitt’s Creek” is a family affair with Eugene Levy creating the series with his son Dan, who plays his eldest on the show. And the comedy legend’s daughter Emily also is...
Sort of a reverse “The Beverly Hillbillies,” the series follows a seriously vapid, dysfunctional family, John and Moira Rose and their adult children David and Alexis, who lose their family fortune and end up living in a rundown motel in Schitt’s Creek, a tiny rural town which is the only asset they still own. And “Schitt’s Creek” is a family affair with Eugene Levy creating the series with his son Dan, who plays his eldest on the show. And the comedy legend’s daughter Emily also is...
- 8/20/2020
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Lucille Desiree Ball
Born: Aug. 6, 1911 in Celeron, N.Y.
Died: April 26, 1989 in Los Angeles
Best known for: CBS comedy series “I Love Lucy” (1951-1957), “The Lucy Show” (1962-68), “Here’s Lucy” (1968-74). As Variety‘s Tom Gilbert observed after her death, “Ball’s elastic facial expressions and precise comic timing catapulted her into an American institution.”
Autobiography: “Love, Lucy,” published posthumously in 1996, from a memoir Ball wrote in the mid-1960s.
Awards: Emmy wins for lead comedy actress in 1953, 1956, 1967 and 1968. Hollywood Foreign Press Assn.‘s Cecil B. DeMille Award, 1979. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ Governors Award, 1989
Behind the scenes impact: With her husband and “I Love Lucy” co-star Desi Arnaz, Ball was a TV pioneer who etched an enduring template for TV sitcoms shot on film, which ignited the syndication marketplace for TV. Known for her signature flame-red hair color, Ball was also the first woman to head a major TV studio,...
Born: Aug. 6, 1911 in Celeron, N.Y.
Died: April 26, 1989 in Los Angeles
Best known for: CBS comedy series “I Love Lucy” (1951-1957), “The Lucy Show” (1962-68), “Here’s Lucy” (1968-74). As Variety‘s Tom Gilbert observed after her death, “Ball’s elastic facial expressions and precise comic timing catapulted her into an American institution.”
Autobiography: “Love, Lucy,” published posthumously in 1996, from a memoir Ball wrote in the mid-1960s.
Awards: Emmy wins for lead comedy actress in 1953, 1956, 1967 and 1968. Hollywood Foreign Press Assn.‘s Cecil B. DeMille Award, 1979. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ Governors Award, 1989
Behind the scenes impact: With her husband and “I Love Lucy” co-star Desi Arnaz, Ball was a TV pioneer who etched an enduring template for TV sitcoms shot on film, which ignited the syndication marketplace for TV. Known for her signature flame-red hair color, Ball was also the first woman to head a major TV studio,...
- 8/6/2020
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
LGBTQ films have evolved from indie fare to major studio productions in the past 60 years. While few gay movies were made before the Stonewall standoff in 1969, they are now a mainstay. Indeed, movies with LGBTQ themes often feature in the race for Oscars. Take a look at our photo gallery that showcases the 100 best gay movies of all time, arranged from lowest to highest score from IMDb.
Many of these gay movies have won Academy Awards, including “Moonlight.” That film (eventually) was named Best Picture of 2017. It is the first winner of the top award at the Oscars to feature a LGBT character as the main protagonist of the picture. Other gay movies that include Oscar-winning performances include “Bohemian Rhapsody” with 2018 Best Actor champ Rami Malek and 2002’s “The Hours,” which was a showcase for Best Actress Nicole Kidman.
See 2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Picture
The oldest entries are two movies...
Many of these gay movies have won Academy Awards, including “Moonlight.” That film (eventually) was named Best Picture of 2017. It is the first winner of the top award at the Oscars to feature a LGBT character as the main protagonist of the picture. Other gay movies that include Oscar-winning performances include “Bohemian Rhapsody” with 2018 Best Actor champ Rami Malek and 2002’s “The Hours,” which was a showcase for Best Actress Nicole Kidman.
See 2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Picture
The oldest entries are two movies...
- 6/29/2020
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
It’s now widely accepted that despite being a beloved classic, “Gone With the Wind” needs an explanation of its context when it’s screened on TV or in theaters. HBO Max says it will eventually restore the Oscar-winning film to the service, but with “context and framing.” It’s a start, but Hollywood’s vaults are filled with movies that could benefit from an explainer or disclaimer about outdated depictions of race, sexuality, disabilities and more.
The films most often cited as racist, of course, are “Birth of a Nation” and “Song of the South.” But the range of problematic films is wide, including “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” (Mickey Rooney’s stereotyped role as a Japanese man is appalling), “West Side Story” (Puerto Ricans are shown almost only as gang members) and 1975’s slave-owner drama “Mandingo” (jaw-dropping and apparently aimed at the KKK demographic).
All films should be viewed with a critical eye,...
The films most often cited as racist, of course, are “Birth of a Nation” and “Song of the South.” But the range of problematic films is wide, including “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” (Mickey Rooney’s stereotyped role as a Japanese man is appalling), “West Side Story” (Puerto Ricans are shown almost only as gang members) and 1975’s slave-owner drama “Mandingo” (jaw-dropping and apparently aimed at the KKK demographic).
All films should be viewed with a critical eye,...
- 6/17/2020
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
“I Love Lucy” is the subject of a heartfelt tribute from “Will & Grace” on April 9. In “We Love Lucy,” Grace (Debra Messing), Jack (Sean Hayes) and Karen (Megan Mullally) each imagine themselves as Lucy Ricardo opposite Will (Eric McCormack) as her hubby Ricky. Part of the fun is seeing this trio of talent also play Fred and Ethel in various combinations.
“Will & Grace” and “I Love Lucy” both won Best Comedy Series at the Emmys. The former did it in 2000; Hayes and Mullally won that year as well. McCormack prevailed in 2001 and Messing in 2003. “Will and Grace” is only the third TV series in Emmy history in which all four of the main cast won awards, following “All in the Family” and “The Golden Girls.”
Of the quartet of talent on “I Love Lucy,” it was only the women — Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance — who won over the TV academy voters.
“Will & Grace” and “I Love Lucy” both won Best Comedy Series at the Emmys. The former did it in 2000; Hayes and Mullally won that year as well. McCormack prevailed in 2001 and Messing in 2003. “Will and Grace” is only the third TV series in Emmy history in which all four of the main cast won awards, following “All in the Family” and “The Golden Girls.”
Of the quartet of talent on “I Love Lucy,” it was only the women — Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance — who won over the TV academy voters.
- 4/9/2020
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
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