Saturday, March 28, 2020

Y&R Report (March 28, 2020): The Latest on The Young and the Restless

  

Hey Y&R fans, every second Saturday TV Banter discusses the latest happenings and provides commentary on your favourite daytime drama. Note to U.S. readers - SPOILER ALERT: Here in Canada, I watch the show on Global TV which is one episode ahead of CBS.  I will inevitably refer to incidents you haven't seen yet. Read at your own risk.  If you are the curious type, though, you may prefer to discover some things in advance. 

Due to the outbreak of  the COVID-19 virus, production has shut down on Y&R, The Bold and the Beautiful (CBS) General Hospital (ABC) and Days of Our Lives (NBC).  According to Deadline, the shutdown for the two CBS soaps took effect on March 17, 2019.  The current plan is to cease production of Y&R and B&B for two weeks.  That could be extended if necessary.  The shutdown is not currently expected to affect what viewers see on-screen.  Both soaps have already filmed about four to six weeks of episodes.  General Hospital has halted production through mid-April and Days of Our Lives has suspended production indefinitely.

I have to mention that scene in which Mariah walked on stage at Tessa's concert and begged Tessa to forgive her.  That was a very unrealistic scene.  It would never have happened.  It just wasn't believable.  I can't see anyone being allowed to interrupt a public concert in that manner.

It's good to see Faith (Alyvia Alyn Lind) back in Genoa City.  It appears that she is going to stay, at least for a while, because she has returned from boarding school.  She is a good young actress and I am sure she will receive many offers to do movies and other television series on network TV or streaming companies such as Netflix.  For now, Faith is in Genoa City and very concerned about her cancer-stricken mother, Sharon.  She has also shown the first signs of teenage rebellion by skipping classes at school.  The way she's been brought up, with both parents continually changing partners, it's a wonder she hasn't done anything worse.

According to an online spoiler, Summer will end her relationship with Kyle until he finds closure with Lola.  That's really not surprising.  There's a reason why Kyle has not filed for divorce yet.  As I've mentioned in previous postings on this website, there is good chance that Hunter King will be leaving Y&R to star in a prime time show called Prospect.  Kyle is the heartbreak kid and this time his own heart may be broken.  He may eventually have to battle Theo to get Lola back.

Sleazebag Theo Vanderway is showing his true colours.  He's trying to get dirt on Kyle so that he can manipulate his way into Jabot's CEO chair.  I think Theo will also take advantage of Dina's will and the fact that he is her grandson to do it.  Is he really trying to romance Lola because he cares about her or is she just another means to an end?  Is he using Kyle's estranged wife so that Kyle will be upset and he can achieve his goals?

Adam Newman is also showing his true colours.  He has not stopped trying to seek revenge on Victor and the rest of his family.  He still has darkness in his heart and Chelsea has been enabling him to be ruthless.  She brings out the worst in him, probably because she was raised by a con woman mother, Anita.

VIEWER FORUM

If you have any comments on Y&R, please email them to me with "Viewer Forum" in the subject line. I will be happy to publish your comments and reply to them  You do not have to use your real name. 
My email address:  jmadden16@yahoo.ca

Regular contributor CC in Etobicoke, Ontario sent me the following email:

Hi Joanne,

Hope you are keeping well during this difficult time. I am not finding any of the present stoylines particularly interesting.  The Victor/Adam conflict is so old.  Throw Acting CEO Nicholas Newman into the mix and it really feels tired.  I really was't missing Lily's character at all.  Has her contract changed from recurring?

Overall too many of the storylines are focused on negative themes.  As well, there are too many clandestine-type shenanigans going on at the same time.  They move along slowly as if the writers are unsure about which ones they will go on with.  Changes are definitely needed.


Yes, CC, the show needs a shot in the arm, some energizing.  I'm willing to give the Victor/Adam conflict a chance.  It seems that Adam is going to blackmail Victor into letting him have the CEO position at Newman.  He will give the job to Adam without providing a reasonable explanation.  His princess, Victoria, will be devastated.

Actually, CC, I'm pleased that Lily (Christel Khalil) is back and that Billy is acting in a more reasonable manner.  It's refreshing to see him working with Lily, rather than agonizing over Delia, seeking revenge on Adam, standing on ledges and gambling.  So far, I've been unable to confirm whether Christel is back on contract.  It appears that she is.  Otherwise, why would she be so involved in a brand new storyline with Billy Abbott (Jason Thompson).

Yes, too many of the storylines are focused on negative themes.  Right now, there are three major downbeat themes: Sharon's breast cancer, Dina's Alzheimer's and Victoria's depression.  However, to cut the writers some slack, all of those storylines were planned and developed well before the global outbreak of the COVID-19 virus.  For example. it was former head writer Mal Young who created the Alzheimer storyline because his mother died of the disease.  When things get back to normal and the new episodes are filmed, Y&R should feature a lighter storyline.

I spoke with longtime Y&R viewer, Fifi in Collingwood, Ontario.  She had a suggestion about what the show should do as the virus crisis continues and it faces the possibility of being without new episodes.  She thinks The Young and the Restless should rerun old episodes beginning with the first one in 1973.  I think that's a great idea and it would be fun to see how the show has changed.  It would be interesting to see the old characters and storylines at a time when there were no cell phones and laptop computers or tablets.


CAST NEWS
Tracey E. Bregman (Lauren Fenmore) is making lifestyle changes


Tracey Bregman (Lauren) is making changes in her life that could affect her status at The Young and the Restless.  The actress took to Instagram to share the news that she will be dividing her time between Los Angeles  and Nashville, Tennessee.  Tracey lost her home in the disastrous 2018 California wildfires and she now has a home and property on her ranch in Tennessee.  It is called Black Horse Ranch and was named after her 19-year-old horse.

Tracey and her TV husband, Christian LeBlanc (Michael Baldwin), haven't had much screen time lately and they are not involved in any major storylines.  Will this part-time move to Nashville mean that Tracey's appearances on Y&R will be even less frequent?


Greg Rikaart (Kevin Fisher) has tested positive for COVID-19 virus



Greg Rikkart, who plays Kevin Fisher on Y&R, has tested positive for COVID-19 virus.   He disclosed his illness on social media.  "I just tested positive for coronavirus," he wrote.  "I am a pretty healthy 43-year-old who doesn't smoke, doesn't drink much, eats well and exercises regularly and this has been the hardest experience of my life"     

Greg revealed that everyone in his house had a bit of a cough and that his son came home from school with a high fever.  Everyone recovered except Greg.  He isolated himself from his family on Saturday, March 14th.  He had a fever, for 11 days, difficulty breathing and was diagnosed with pneumonia.  He added that he believes he has "turned the proverbial corner" and was fever free for the first time since he became ill.




Elizabeth Hendrickson (Chloe Mitchell) gives birth to baby girl

Elizabeth Hendrickson (Chloe Mitchell) and her husband, Rob Meder, welcomed their first child on Friday, March 27, 2020.  Elizabetth, 40, gave birth to a healthy daughter named Josephine James Meder.  According to People,, "the baby weighed in at 6 lbs, 11 oz. (about 3 kilograms).

The child, of course, was born in the midst of a global pandemic.  As reported, Greg Rickkart, who plays Chloe's Y&R spouse, Kevin Fisher, has tested positive for the COVID-19.  The two actors work closely with each other on screen and that certainly must have concerned Elizabeth.  In a statement to People, she said, "When dreaming about your first child words like 'social distancing' and 'shelter in place' never seem to enter into the picture.  Yet, here we are."


SOAP NOTE:  NO DAYTIME EMMYS IN JUNE

The 2020 Daytime Emmys ceremony has been put on hold indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  The ceremony was to have taken place over three nights in June and a streaming service had been rolled out to make the awards easier for fans to watch.  Alas, there will no Daytime Emmys later this spring.

Voting for all categories will continue and nominations will be announced in mid-May.  It remains to be seen if there will be a live ceremony this year.


Y&R REPORT READERS' POLL

Joshua Morrow (Nick)
Michelle Stafford
Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford) and Nick Newman (Joshua Morrow) have broken up and gotten back together many times.  They are back together again even though their own daughter, Summer, isn't thrilled about their reunion and doesn't think it will work. Nick's mother, Nikki won't be happy either.  What do you think, fans?  Do you give them a chance of lasting, at least for a while.  Respond to the poll below and let me know.


Do Phyllis and Nick have a chance of lasting for a while?

No. Definitely not. Phyllis will do something that Nick can't accept. It will be sooner rather than later. Phyllis is Phyllis. She can't help herself.
Yes. They are a fun couple and they will probably last for a while. Phyllis makes Nick happy.
I don't know.
Other
Please Specify:
Created with PollMaker
That's all for now.  Don't forget that the next edition of Y&R Report will appear in this space on Saturday, April 11, 2020.  Take care everyone and stay well.


- Joanne

Friday, March 27, 2020

The Murder of Bob Crane of "Hogan's Heroes"


Robert Edward "Bob" Crane was born on July 13, 1928 in Waterbury, Connecticut, the son of Alfred Thomas Crane and Rose Mary Crane.  He had an older brother, Alfred John Crane (1926 - 1994).  Bob spent his childhood in Stamford, Connecticut, where he learned to play the drums at an early age (He was inspired to play by Gene Krupa at the 1939 World's Fair in New York City).  After graduating from Stamford High School in 1946, Bob became a drummer with The Connecticut Symphony Orchestra for about a year.  In 1948, he enlisted in the Connecticut Army National Guard.  He served for two years and was honourably discharged in 1950.

Below is Bob's yearbook photo from the Seniors Class of 1946 at Stamford High School.  The caption next to his picture reads ROBERT EDWARD CRANE: "Bob" - Loud ties . . . drumming . . . musician of note.  Home room Vice President. Popular Music Assembles.  Band.  Orchestra.  Member of Requiem Orchestra.  Future - Staff musician in Studio Orchestra.



In 1949, Bob Crane married his high school sweetheart, Anne Terzian.  The couple had three children: Robert David, Deborah Anne and Karen Leslie.  In 1950, Bob got his start in radio with WLEA in New York, after which he went to WBIS in Bristol, Connecticut and WLIZ/WICC in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

In 1956, Bob and his family moved to Los Angeles, where he hosted the popular CBS radio morning show on KNX, the network's Los Angeles flagship station.  Bob's show had the highest ratings among listeners in the L.A. area and he interviewed stars such as Marilyn Monroe, Bob Hope and Charlton Heston, Jack Lemmon, Jayne Mansfield, Jerry Lewis and Jonathan Winters.  He remained at KNX until August, 1965, when he left to focus on Hogan's Heroes.

In the early 1960s, Bob Crane launched a television career.  He guest-hosted for Johnny Carson on the daytime game show Who Do You Trust?.  He also made an uncredited appearance as a disc jockey on The Twilight Zone (1961) and guest-starred on General Electric Theater (1961), Channing (1963) and Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1963).  When Carl Reiner, appeared on Bob's radio show, Crane persuaded Reiner to give him a role on an episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show (Reiner was the creator of the show).

Bob appeared in a 1962 episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show entitled "Somebody has to Play Cleopatra" (Season 2, Episode 14, Air Date: December 26, 1962.  In the episode, Rob Petrie (Dick Van Dyke) is assigned the task of casting the lead roles in the annual variety show sponsored by his neighbours.  As he tries to cast the perfect "Cleopatra" to go along with "Mark Antony" he is forced to deal with spousal jealousy.  Crane played a philanderer Harry Rogers, a seemingly amorous Mark Antony.

Below is a photo of Bob Crane and Mary Tyler Moore on the Dick Van Dyke Show in 1962.


After Bob's performance on The Dick Van Dyke Show, he was cast in a regular role on The Donna Reed Show as Dr. David Kelsey, a dentist and next-door-neighbour of Donna's television family, the Stones.  Donna had been a guest on Bob's KNX-CBS radio show and was impressed with him.  She invited him to appear on an episode on her show.

In "The Two Doctors" Bob first episode on The Donna Reed Show, he portrayed Dr. Dave Blevins,  a medical friend and colleague of Donna's TV husband, Dr. Alex Stone (Carl Betz).  Bob's appearance in "The Two Doctors" (Season 5, Episode 26, Air Date: March 14, 1963) made such a favourable impression on Donna and her producer/husband Tony Owen that he was offered the regular role of Dr. Kelsey, opposite Ann McCrea who played his wife. Midge.  The Kelseys are introduced in the episode ""Friends and Neighbous," which aired on April 4, 1963.

From 1963 to 1965, Bob appeared in 63 episodes of The Donna Reed show.  Below is a 1963 photo of Bob Crane with Donna and Carl Betz.


In 1965, Bob Crane was offered the leading role in s new TV comedy called Hogan's Heroes and  he quickly became a popular television star.  Hogan's Heroes was a resounding success and it ran on  CBS for six seasons (168 episodes), from September 17, 1965 until April 4, 1971.  The series, starring Crane as Colonel Robert E. Hogan,  was an unlikely situation comedy.  After all, it was set in a German Prisoner of War (POW} camp during World War II.  Nevertheless, Hogan's Heroes resonated with audiences.  Viewers seemed to enjoy watching the Americans, led by the wise-cracking Hogan, outwit the bumbling Nazis, led by Colonel Wilhelm Klink (Werner Klemperer), the pompous, self-serving Kommandant of Stalag 13.  Hogan's Heroes ran on CBS for six seasons (168 episodes), from September 17, 1965 until April 4, 1971.

Below is photo of Bob Crane as Colonel Hogan, circa 1969.




Hogan and Klink on Hogan's Heroes
In 1969, Bob Crane and his wife, Anne, separated after 20 years of marriage.  Their divorce was finalized in 1970.  Soon after, Crane married for the second time, to Patricia Annette Olson, an actress whose stage name was Sigrid Valdis.  Valdis played "Hilda," Colonel Klink's secretary on the Hogan's Heroes.  Hilda and the womanizing Colonel Hogan flirted on screen and they also began an affair in real life.

On October 16, 1970, Bob and Patricia wed on the set of Hogan's Heroes..  The late Richard Dawson, who portrayed Corporal Peter Newkirk on the show, served as best man. (After Hogan's Heroes, Dawson went on to host Family Feud).  Bob and Patricia had a son, Scotty, who was born in 1971.  They also adopted a daughter, Ana Marie.

Below is a photo (circa 1969) of Bob Crane and Sigrid Valdis as Colonel Hogan and Fräulein Hilda on Hogan's Heroes.



In 1971, CBS abruptly cancelled Hogan's Heroes.  After its cancellation, acting parts began to dry up for Bob Crane.  He was only able to secure guest spots on TV series such as The Doris Day Show (1971), Night Gallery (1971), Love, American Style (1971), The Delphi Bureau (1972) and Police Woman (1974).  The parts were few and far between.

In 1975, however, Crane returned to television in the NBC series The Bob Crane Show.  He portrayed Bob Wilcox, a 40-something man who quits his job as an insurance salesman to return to medical school.  Patricia Harty played his wife, Ellie Wilcox.  The show, however, was short-lived.   After 14 episodes, it was cancelled due to poor ratings.

In the mid-1970s, after the cancellation of The Bob Crane Show, Bob made more guest appearances on The Magical World of Disney (1976), Ellery Queen (1976) and  Gibbsville (1976).

During the run of Hogan's Heroes, Richard Dawson introduced Bob Crane to John Henry Carpenter, a video equipment salesman from Sony.  Carpenter (born June 24, 1928) was of Native American and Spanish heritage.  He and Bob became friends and began frequenting bars together.  With the assistance of Carpenter and his technical knowledge, Bob descended into a dark world of video pornography and sex addiction.  He used his celebrity status to attract women and introduced Carpenter as his manager.  When Carpenter later became national sales manager for Akai, a Japanese consumer electronics brand, he arranged his business trips to align with Bob's dinner theatre performance schedule.

John Henry Carpenter
By the late 1970s, Bob Crane's career was on a downhill slide and his second marriage was in trouble.  He and Patricia had separated and she resented the influence that Carpenter had on him..  Bob was forced to rely on the dinner theatre circuit for work and he could only win guest spots on shows like Quincy, M.E. (1977), The Hardy Boys/ Nancy Drew Mysteries (1977) and The Love Boat (1978).  The Love Boat (Season 1, Episode 13, Air Date: January 7, 1978) was his final screen acting credit.

In June of 1978, Bob was starring in a play called Beginner's Luck at the Windmill Theatre in Scottsdale, Arizona, an affluent suburb of Phoenix.  He had purchased the rights to the romantic comedy and during the run of the play, he was staying at the Winfield Place Apartments in Scottsdale. 

On the afternoon of June 29, 1978, Victoria Ann Berry, Bob's co-star in Beginner's Luck, entered his apartment when he failed to show up for a lunch appointment.  She discovered Bob's body and local police immediately summoned to Apartment 132A.  When they entered the apartment, they came across a grisly scene.  They found the battered and bludgeoned body of 49-year-old Bob Crane.  He was sprawled on the bed and there was an electrical cord knotted around his neck.

Suspicion fell on John Carpenter but DNA testing was unavailable in 1978.  Still, there was no sign of a forced entry to Crane's apartment, which suggested that the murder victim was familiar with his assailant.  Robbery was not a motive since nothing of value had been taken from the apartment.  Police found blood in Carpenter's rental car, a Chrysler Cordoba.  It was Bob's blood type and nobody who had handled that vehicle had the same blood type as Crane.  Without a murder weapon, however, the evidence police found in Carpenter's car was not considered enough to issue a warrant for Carpenter's arrest.

It wasn't until 1990 that Scottsdale Police Detective Barry Vassall and Maricopa County Attorney's Office investigator Jim Raines, re-examined the 1978 evidence and persuaded the county attorney to reopen the case.  Raines had discovered a crime scene photo that showed a speck of brain tissue in Carpenter's car.  The sample no longer existed, but the image was considered admissible by a judge.

In June of 1992, John Carpenter was arrested and charged with the murder of Bob Crane.  He went on trial in 1994, but the prosecution found it difficult to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.  DNA testing of the blood proved inconclusive.  Witnesses testified that Crane and Carpenter had had a friendly dinner the night before the murder.

At the trial, however, Bob's son, Robert Crane, told a different story about his father's relationship with John Henry Carpenter.  He stated that Carpenter had become "a hanger-on"  and "a nuisance to the point of being obnoxious."   Robert also testified that his father had contacted Carpenter the night before the murder and put an end to their friendship.

Carpenter's attorney dismissed speculation that a missing camera tripod could have been the murder weapon and pointed out that there was no proof of its existence.  The defence suggested that an angry husband or boyfriend of one of the women Bob had been involved with could have been the killer,

Detective Barry Vassall still believes that Carpenter was Bob Crane's killer.  He told Entertainment Weekly that he is doubtful that infidelity was a motive for the crime.  Vassall stated that "Bob was a non-confrontational guy, and those women liked him.  I don't think I ever interviewed one that disliked him."

Ultimately, there was not enough evidence to convict the accused and he was acquitted.  Carpenter maintained his innocence until his death in 1998, four years later.  Officially, the murder remains unsolved.  Detectove Vassall stated, "We did the best we could.  We went through all the evidence . . . A lot times when you have an old case like that, it's very difficult to get a conviction.  It would have been a slam dunk with the DNA testing."

In 2016, the Maricopa County Crown Attorney's Office allowed Phoenix television reporter John Hook to submit the DNA blood samples from Carpenter's car for more advanced DNA testing.  The samples were sent to the same firm that assisted with the high profile JonBenét and O.J. Simpson cases.  The testing only confirmed the presence of a previously unidentified male.  The rest of the results were inconclusive.  No further tests are possible because this testing consumed all the remained DNA from Carpenter's vehicle.


END NOTES

* Bob Crane's second wife, Patricia "Patti" (some sources spell it "Patty") Olson died of lung cancer on October 14, 2007.  She was 72 at the time of her passing.  After Crane's murder, she left the Los Angeles area.  In 1980, she moved to Seattle and later joined the cast of her son Scott's syndicated radio show, Shaken, Not Stirred.  In 2004, she returned to her childhood hometown of Westwood, Los Angeles, California..  She died at the home of her daughter, Ana Sarrmiento. in Anaheim, California.

Patricia's stepson, Robert Crane, tried to point a finger at her, speculating that she might have had a role in instigating her estranged husband's murder for financial gain.  Police have never taken his accusations seriously.

* Werner Klemperer (Colonel Klink) died of cancer on December 6, 2000.  He was 80 years old.

* On July 5, 1978, Bob Crane was given a funeral at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Westwood, California.  About 150 to 200 people attended, including celebrities such as Patty Duke, John Astin and Carroll O'Connor.

* There is a 2002 feature film about Bob Crane called Auto Focus.  It stars Greg Kinnear as Crane, Willem Dafoe as Carpenter and Maria Bellow as Patricia.Olson.  Scott Crane, Bob's son with Olson, challenged the accuracy of the film.

SOURCES:  Entertainment Weekly, "The Tragic, unsolved murder of Hogan's Heroes star Bob Crane," by Lynette Rice, August 26, 2019.  Biography.com, "10 Quick Facts About 'Hogan's Heroes' Star Bob Crane," by Carol M. Ford, March 19, 2016; Wikipedia; Internet Movie Datbase (IMDB.com.)


- Joanne

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Whatever happened to Marc Copage (Corey Baker on "Julia")?

Marc Copage
Julia was a groundbreaking sitcom for women, especially black women.  The show ran on NBC for three seasons, from 1968 until 1971.  It featured actress/singer Diahann Carroll as a widowed nurse named Julia Baker.  Julia's husband, an Army pilot, had been shot down and killed in Vietnam.  She was left to raise their young son, Corey, played by Marc Copage.  Marc was just five years old when he was cast in Julia, which debuted on September 17, 1968, only five months after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  It was a turbulent time in America with Vietnam War protests and race riots.

Julia was the first weekly series to depict an African-American woman in a professional, non-stereotypical role (The first sitcom to star an African- American actress was Beulah. which aired on ABC from 1950 to 1953, and variously starred Ethel Waters, Hattie McDaniel, and Louise Beavers as a comical maid).  Julia Baker was a nurse, not a servant.  She was also one of the first independent women in an American TV series.  Before Julia, there was That Girl (1966-1971), starring Marlo Thomas as Ann Marie, a single, aspiring actress with her own apartment in New York City.  Ann-Marie supported herself, but she had a boyfriend and parents to lean on if necessary.  Julia was completely on her own, a working mother with a son to look after.

Below is a photo of Julia cast members Diahann Carroll as Julia Baker, Lloyd Nolan as Dr. Morton Chegley and Marc Copage as Corey Baker.



MARC COPAGE

Marc Diego Copage was born in Los Angeles, California on June 21, 1962.  He was the second son of actor and real estate broker John Copage and actress/dancer Alibe Copage.  Marc's parents separated when he was a very young child.  His mother left the family to pursue an acting career in Europe, and Marc and his older brother, Eric, were raised by their father.  John became Marc's personal manager, acting coach, musical supervisor and publicist.

It was John who took Marc to audition for Julia and it was he who encouraged him to do the show.  Marc enjoyed having Diahann Carroll as his TV mom so much that he often asked to go home with her after work.  In 2008, Diahann participated in a "Salute to TV Moms" event at the Television Academy in Los Angeles.  Marc was reunited with her at the event and he told her that he was "very lucky to have the opportunity to play your son for three years. He added, "Having grown up without a real mother, you filled that void."

John Copage
After Diahann's death, Marc wrote the following in The New York Times: "Ms Carroll taught me to always be punctual and a person of my word, as she was.  She came to the set on time for each show, completely prepared.  She was polite to everyone and always careful about her diet.  She would let me know if I started to get a little too pudgy.  The producers would give me Bazooka bubble gum, but she would give me carob snacks that she thought were much healthier."

During his years on Julia, Marc also pursued a singing career.  He signed his first of three recording contracts with Metromedia Records.  His second contract included a single, "Will It Be Me," with Avco Embassy and his third was with Sussex Records.  It was an educational album called Phonics Rocks.  He later recorded music with a teenage vocal group called The Merging Traffic, in which his brother Eric played electric bass.

After Julia, Marc Copage's acting career never really took off.  It stagnated.  He never had another major role on a television series.  The parts dried up and some considered him a has-been at the age of nine.   All he was offered were guest spots, afternoon specials and a couple of pilots.  He guest-starred in  episodes of such shows as Young Dr. Kildare (1972), Sanford and Son (1975) and Diff'rent Strokes (1985).  In 1981, he appeared on CBS Afternoon Playhouse and on an ABC Afterschool Special.  He also portrayed a band leader in a 1981 TV movie entitled Best of Times.

"When you're a black child actor," Marc told L.A. Focus newspaper in 2019, "you're even going to have less opportunities.  Not to play a racial card, but that's kind of a reality.  There's going to be less roles, especially at that time."

In 1990, Marc portrayed a singing cop on an episode of Cop Rock.  He later played Lawyer Jim in the 2000 feature film The Kid, a comedy starring Bruce Willis, and an interrogator in the 2018 science fiction/horror move The Meg.

In a 2014 interview with Jet, Marc was asked what he'd been up to.  He replied that he'd returned to school to study jazz improvisation and to become a jazz musician.  He said that he'd been playing piano in a jazz combo, and singing.

Marc Copage has certainly had his ups and downs.  His Facebook biography states the following: "He's been given the keys to cities by Mayors, and was even invited to the White House to meet the President of the United States.  He's also mopped floors, cleaned toilets for a living, and been nearly homeless."  Marc's Facebook biography also says that he now works as a cater-waiter and is attending Pasadena College to obtain a degree in music.

"Not that there's anything wrong with being a cater-waiter," Marc wrote in his New York Times op/ed.  "It's an honest profession.  There are upsides.  I've stood just feet away as Stevie Wonder, Sing, John Legend, Lady Gaga, Lenny Kravitz, Elton John and Katy Perry performed.  I've tasted the finest foods prepared by famous chefs from around the world.  Whenever I come across an entitled celebrity at one of these events, I remember how I was once once of them.  I'm in the National Museum of African-American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian, part of our national archives.  How many people can say that?"

More recent photo of Marc Copage

END NOTES

* Marc's older brother, Eric Vance Copage (born December 14, 1954) , is a professional actor, musician and author.  He is a former reporter for The New York Times and has been an editor for The New York Times Magazine as well a music columnist for Essence.  Eric appeared as "Cliff" in a 1968 episode of Julia entitled "Farewell, My Friends" (Season 1, Episode 11, Air Date: December 3, 1968).

* Diahann Carroll died of breast cancer in Los Angeles on October 4, 2019.  She was 84 years old.  Upon her passing, Marc sent a poignant letter to The New York Times entitled "Diahann Carroll Was the Only Mother I Knew."  She was a surrogate mother to him and he detailed the admiration and respect he had for her in his letter.

Diahann Carroll as Julia

Diahann as Julia and Marc as Corey

* Lloyd Nolan, the veteran movie and TV actor who played Dr. Morton Chegley, the physician for whom Julia worked.  Lloyd died of lung cancer on September 27, 1985 at the age of 83.

LLoyd Nolan


* Michael Link, born June 12 1962,in Provo, Utah, played Earl J. Waggedorn, Cory Baker's best friend.  The two boys lived in the same apartment building.




Michel Link appeared in 81 of the show's 86 episodes.  After Julia, his career never blossomed.  He guest-spots in episodes of The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1972), The Sandy Duncan Show (1972), ABC Afterschool Specials (1973, 1974, 1975),  Three for the Road (1975), Police Story (1977) and Martin (1994).  He starred as Eli "E.J." Mackermutt Jr. in  Stowaway to the Moon, a 1975 TV film about a preteen boy (Link) who stows away on an Apollo moon mission.

* Betty Bearid played Marie Waggedorn, Earl J. Waggedorn's mother and Julia's friend and neighbour.  Betty was was on March 11, 1935 in El Paso, Texas.  After Julia, her acting credits are few and far between.  She had a minor role in the 1974 film I Love You . . . Goodbye, starring Hope Lange.  She also played a woman executive in 1981's The Incredible Shrinking Woman.  She appeared in two episodes  the TV series Boomer (1980, 1981), which chronicled the adventures of a stray dog, and in four ABC Afterschool Specials from 1975 to 1982.  She portrayed Eleanor Tuttle in the 1981 TV adventure move The Time Cystral, directed by Ron Howard.  She also had a small role in a 1993 episode of the sitcom Martin, starring Martin Lawrence. (She has no acting roles listed on  after 1993).

Betty Bearid and Michael Link

* According to IMDb.com, Marc Copage is "most widely known to be a private man."  As  far as I can determine, he hasn't spoken publicly about any romantic relationships.

SOURCES: Ebony, "The Double Life of Marc Copage: Demands of public life keep young star on the go", December 1969, Jet, "What ever happened to Marc Copage?" by Deanna Martin-Osuagwu; September 18, 2014; L.A. Focus, Whatever happened to Marc Copage, ?" by L.A Focus, December 2, 2019; Internet Movie Database IMDb.com); Wikipedia


- Joanne

Saturday, March 14, 2020

Y&R Report (March 14, 2020): The Latest on The Young and the Restless

  

Hey Y&R fans, every second Saturday TV Banter discusses the latest happenings and provides commentary on your favourite daytime drama. Note to U.S. readers - SPOILER ALERT: Here in Canada, I watch the show on Global TV which is one episode ahead of CBS.  I will inevitably refer to incidents you haven't seen yet. Read at your own risk.  If you are the curious type, though, you may prefer to discover some things in advance. 

It was a dark and stormy night in Genoa City and it took about three or four episodes to get through that one night.  The ice storm was devised story was devised by the witers to get various characters stranded with each other, but it dragged on too long.  I've heard complaints that the pace of Y&R is too slow and the it is too repetitious.  Speed it up a bit, Josh Griffith and Co.!  Just because the February sweeps are over, doesn't mean you have to tone down the excitement so much.

Here we go with another round of Nick and Phyllis.  Nick Newman has fallen under the spell of the manipulative redhead yet again.  I have to say that Nick is not the sharpest knife in the drawer because he took Phyllis' advice.  She persuaded him to take the CEO post at Newman Enterprises while his sister, Victoria, is recuperating from a stabbing attack.  It is obvious that Nick's heart isn't in it.  That decision was a monumental mistake and will cause enormous heartache because Adam is going to seek revenge.  Chelsea has been urging him on.  She told him she is willing to support him in his efforts.  That means more fighting and chaos within the Newman clan, as usual. 

Nick always claims he doesn't want anything to do with Newman Enterprises, but he usually gets sucked in.  He's made it clear that he's going to be CEO on a temporary basis during a family emergency.  He intends to step down when Victoria is ready to return.  He doesn't trust Adam and he feared that Adam would not relinquish the powerful CEO post upon Victoria's recovery.  Nick's intentions are good, but it's not that easy to push Adam aside.  Not only that, but Adam is a much more experienced businessman than Nick and would do an infinitely better job as CEO.

The real problem is Victor.  He really didn't have to choose between his two sons.  That was a recipe for disaster.  It was pointed out to him that there are qualified executives at Newman who would perform competently as interim CEO.  However, "The Moustache" would have none of that.  Oh no!  The CEO of Newman Enterprises (even on a temporary basis) must have the royal Newman blood.  Nothing else is acceptable.  As Victor told his grandson, Connor, you have to be tough when you're a Newman.

The relationship between Sharon and her former mother-in-law,Nikki has improved considerably.  Nikki has been very understanding and sympathetic to the cancer-stricken Sharon.  They actually embraced. Nikki even wants Sharon to help Victoria get through her depression and trauma.  What a change from the days when Nikki regarded her as a gold digger.  She had a sour face at Nick and Sharon's wedding because she didn't think Sharon was good enough for her son.  I wonder if Nikki would approve now if Sharon reconciled with Nicholas.  She won't be very happy that Nick's with Phyllis again.  I think she'd prefer Sharon over Phyllis, although she probably thinks nobody id good enough for her sonny boy.

So, Lily's back in town and it looks as if she's going to stay in Genoa City this time.  Jill has partnered her with her wayward son, Billy, and they are going to run Chancellor Industries' new media division.  Will this lead to a storyline in which there is a triangle between Billy, Lily and Amanda?  Not only do Lily and Billy have names that rhyme, but they have a past.  They were once involved in a love "quadrangle" along with Chloe and Cane.  If you recall, Chloe led Cane to believe his was the father of her daughter (Delia) when it was actually Billy.

As for Amanda, we have finally learned some more about her past.  She now know that she was a foster child.  That could explain why she is a dead ringer for Hilary.  Maybe she and Hilary were twins, separated at birth.  Haven't we gone down that road before with Cassie and Mariah?


VIEWER FORUM

If you have any comments on Y&R, please email them to me with "Viewer Forum" in the subject line. I will be happy to publish your comments and reply to them  You do not have to use your real name. 
My email address:  jmadden16@yahoo.ca

Here is an e-mail I received from longtime Y&R viewer Carly in Barrhaven, Ontario.

I am fast forwarding a lot on Y&R  The Sharon storyline is depressing.  The Kyle/Summer/Lola/Theo storyline is so stupid.  I honestly think that they are looking for fillers as the show has been quite boring.  And then there's Phyllis and Nick again and again and again.

Yes, Carly, I think the show has been dragging.  The writing could be much better and the writers need to pick up the pace.  I can also see how a lot of people would find Sharon's cancer storyline depressing, especially with all the cancer illnesses in the world and the horrible caronavirus pandemic.  We're also going to see some grieving and sadness when Dina dies.  The show could use a little more humour and lightness.

I think the Kyle/Lola/Summer/Theo storyline could be improved, but I don't dislike it as much as you do.  As for Nick and Phyllis, I don't think it will last.  Phyllis is guaranteed to mess things up and Nick will have to clean up her mess.  The best match for Nick is Sharon and he'll probably go back to her someday, just as Visctor went back to Nikki.


I spoke to another longtime Y&R viewer, Fifi in Collingwood, Ontario.  Fifi is not please about the lack of storyline for Michael Baldwin (Christian LeBlanc) and Lauren Fenmmore (Tracey Bregman)..  As she pointed out to me, there has not been a good storyline for the couple in a long while.  I really think that they should have more screen time and I believe their talents are being wasted.


CAST NEWS

Terrible Tom (Roscoe Born) dead at 69




On March 3, 2020, veteran soap actor Roscoe Born died at the age of 69.  From 2005 to 2009, he played the role of Kevin's father and tormentor, "Terrible" Tom Fisher, on The Young and the Restless.  He's the one who terrified poor Kevin (Greg Rikaart) as a child and locked him up in closets.  Roscoe is also known for playing another villain, Mitch Laurence, on One Life to Live, from 1985 to 2012, and for his roles as Joe Novak on Ryan's Hope (1980-1988), and Robert Barr and Quinn Armitage on Santa Barbara from 1989 to 1991.

Roscoe was born in Topeka Kansas on November 24, 1950.  He was a talented singer/songwriter and theatre actor.  He also appeared in episodes of such television shows as Murder, She Wrote, The Incredible Hulk and The Rockford Files.  He had three marriages.  From 1994 to 2004, he was married to Roberta Weiss, his castmate on Santa Barbara (She played Flame Beaufort)  The couple had a daughter, Alberta May.  Roscoes previous wives were Randall Edwards (Ryan's Hope, Delia Ryan) from 1985 to 19990 and Adrienne Hampton from 1976 to 1982.


Doug Davidson (Paul Williams) seems to be off the show again


Doug Davidson has not appeared on Y&R since the February 21st episode in which Victoria Newman was stabbed.  When a fan asked him if he was off the show again, Doug responded, "I have no shows left to air and no dates scheduled.  I guess I'll let you draw your own conclusions."  He added, "It's a choice.  I think they have chosen to go in new directions."

Doug has portrayed Paul Williams since 1978.  He has been let go from Y&R once before, but returned after some fan protest.  However, his appearances have been minimal since then.  With Rey and Chance on the show, the writing is on the wall..

I think Y&R has treated Doug shabbily.  I'd like to know why they brought him back if they didn't intend to give him screen time.  He has devoted so much of his life to the show.  He deserves better than that.


Y&R REPORT READERS POLL






Abby Newman and Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford) are having an all out feud.  It's the red head versus the blonde.  I'm not a big fan of either character, but I really think Phyllis needs to be taken down a notch.  She's too manipulative and she's been interfering too much in other people's lives.  Abby is certainly no angel, of course, but Phyllis has become downright annoying.  What do you think, fans?  Respond to the poll below and let me know.

In the feud between Abby and Phyllis, which woman do you support?

I support Phyllis. She is tough and feisty and doesn't let herself get pushed around.
I support Abby. Phyllis is annoying and her behaviour is ridiculous. She deserves to be taken down.
Both women have been behaving poorly. I don't support either of them.
I don't know.
Created with PollMaker


That's all for now.  Please remember that the next edition of Y&R Report will appear in this space on Saturday, March 28, 2020.



- Joanne

Sunday, March 8, 2020

Paul Michael Glaser, David Soul and the cast of Starsky & Hutch



Starsky and Hutch was one of the light, youth-oriented police-action shows that populated TV in the 1970s.  The two young plainclothes cops were both swinging bachelors, and their personalities mashed perfectly - they almost seemed to operate as one.  Starsky was was the streetwise member of the team, and Hutch the better-educated.

- The Complete Directory To Prime Time Network TV Shows 1946 - Present

The 1970s was an era of "cool cops" on American television.  Thee was The Mod Squad and there was Starsky & Hutch..  Starsky & Hutch, starring Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul, ran on the ABC network for four seasons and 92 episodes, from April 1975 to May 1979.  The show chronicled the adventures of two hip police detectives as they took on cases in the roughest and seediest neighbourhoods of the city (presumably Los Angeles, California).

Paul Michael Glaser portrayed Detective Dave Starsky, the dark-haired detective, while David Soul played Detective Ken Hutchinson "Hutch," the blond detective.  Together they tackled muggers, drug pushers, pimps, hoodlums and various other criminals.  Although the duo sometimes went undercover, they were often highly visible, driving around town in their trademark hot-rod, Starsky's bright red Ford Torino with large white stripe on both sides.  Paul Michael Glaser was quoted in USA Today (March 3, 2004) as saying, "We had a groundbreaking show with unique characters.  But all people remember is that car."




THE CAST OF STARSKY & HUTCH

PAUL MICHAEL GLASER (Detective Dave Starsky)



Paul Michael Glaser was born Paul Manfred Glaser on March 25th, 1943, to a Jewish family in Cambridge Massachusetts.  His father, Samuel Glaser, was a Boston architect.  In 1966, Paul graduated from Tulane University in New Orleans, majoring in theatre and English and minoring in architecture.  In 1967, he received a Master's Degree in Fine Arts (acting and directing) from Boston University School for the Arts.

In the late 1960s, Paul Michael Glaser performed in several Broadway productions and he began appearing on television. From 1967 to 1968, he played Noel on the medical drama The Doctors and from 1969 to 1970, he played Dr. Peter Chernak on the daytime soap Love Is a Many Splendored Thing.  He then portrayed Perchik in his first feature film, the 1971 classic Fiddler on the Roof.

In the early 1970s, Glaser guest-starred in episodes of such TV series as Cannon (1972), The Streets of San Francisco (1972), The Waltons (1973), Kojak (1974) and The Rockford Files (1974).  In 1975, he rose to fame as Detective Dave Starsky in the hit series Starsky & Hutch.  After Starsky & Hutch ended, Glaser continued to act on television and in films.  He appeared in several TV movies, including Wait Till YourMother Gets Home! (1983), Jealousy (1984), Attack on Fear (1984), Single Bars, Single Women (1984), And Never Let Her Go (2001), Ladies Night (2005) and Faceless (2006).

From 2004 to 2005, Glaser portrayed Captain Jack Sleeper on the NBC series Third Watch, a crime drama set in New York City that revolved around police, firefighters and paramedics.  In 2008, he guest-starred in an episode of Criminal Minds.  In 2009, he appeared in two episodes of The Mentalist.  From 2013 to 2019, he portrayed Alan in four episodes of the crime drama Ray Donovan.

In 2019,  Paul Michael Glaser appeared as Leo in two episodes of the Netflix comedy Grace and Frankie, starring Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda.  In a 2018 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he described his character, Leo, as a "failed guru" that Frankie (Lily Tomlin), knew before.  "That's fun,," he said, adding that "Jane and Lily are really lovely."

Paul Michaael Glaser married Elizabeth Meyer in 1980.  In August 1981, Elizabeth contacted HIV after receiving an HIV-contaminated blood transfusion while giving birth.  Tragically, she inadvertently passed the virus to her infant daughter, Ariel, through breastfeeding.  Ariel Glaser died in 1988.  The Glasers' son, Jake (born 1984), also contracted HIV through Elizabeth in utero, but he survived to adulthood.

Elizabeth became an AIDS activist and child advocate.  After the loss of her daughter, she was determined to save her remaining child, Jake, and other HIV children.  In 1988, she co-founded the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Foundation to raise public awareness about the HIV infection and to raise funding for the development of pediatric AIDS drugs.  Elizabeth passed away on December 3, 1994 at the age of 47.

Elizabeth Glaser

In 1996, Paul Michael Glaser married Tracy Barone.  They had a daughter, Zoe Glaser (born October 7, 1997), but they divorced in 2007.

Paul Michael Glaser is an avid photographer and artist.  On April 24, 2018, he unveiled his first U.S. solo art exhibition at Cosmo Lofts in Hollywood, California.  The show featured paintings and digitally-produced pieces.  When asked how he spends his time these days, Glaser told The Hollywood Reporter the following: "I paint and I write and I pursue golf - very unsuccessfully - but I enjoy the challenge and being outdoors."  When asked about his children, he stated that Jake is "doing great" and that he helps him with a lot of his paintings.  He described Jake as "very sociable - tenacious too, just like his mother."  He said that his son "works as a consultant to various organizations."  At he time of the interview, his daughter Zoe was attending New York University (NYU) in New York.


DAVID SOUL (Detective Ken "Hutch" Hutchinson)


David Soul was born David Richard Solberg in Chicago, Illinois, USA on August 28, 1943.  He is of Norwegian descent.  His mother, June Johanne (Nelson) was a teacher.  His father, Dr. Richard W. Solberg, was a Lutheran minister and a Professor of History and Political Science for the Lutheran Church in America.  David spent the first twelve years of his life between South Dakota and post-World War II Berlin.  His father moved the family to Germany where he served as Religious Advisor to the U.S. High Commission and later as Senior Representative for the Lutheran World Federation, a refugee relief organization.  They returned to the U.S. when David was 13.

David was a good baseball player and was offered a professional contract with the Chicago White Sox organization.  However, he turned down the offer, opting instead to move to Mexico with his family.  He withdrew from his second year at Augustana College, a Lutheran university in Sioux Falls, South Dakota (where his father taught) and studied for a year at the University of the Americas in Mexico City.

David got into the entertainment business by happenstance.  While he was in Mexico, a group of students gave him a guitar and taught him Indigenous songs.  When he returned to the U.S. midwest, he found employment singing folk songs at University of Minnesota coffee house.  He eventually sent an audition tape and a photo of himself to the William Morris Agency in New York and was signed by them.  He also shortened his last name to "Soul."

In 1965, David travelled by bus to New York City.  In 1966 and 1967, he attracted attention as the "Covered Man" on The Merv Griffin Show.  He sang while wearing a mask and declared, "My name is David Soul and I want to be known for my music." After removing the mask, he continued his semi-regular appearances on the Griffin show.

David studied acting in New York.  In 1967, a talent executive at Columbia/Screen Gems noticed him on The Merv Griffin Show and he was signed to a $250-per-week contract with Screen Gems.  It was then on to Los Angeles for the up-and-coming actor.  He was cast in his first television role, as Dennis Blake in a 1967 episode of Flipper entitled "The Firing Line: Part One (Season 3, Episode 23, Air Date: March 11, 1967.

In 1967, David also appeared as an orderly in an episode of I Dream of Jeannie entitled "My Master, the Weakling" and as Makora in an episode of Star Trek entitled "The Apple."  In 1968, he won the role of the middle brother, Joshua, on the hit series Here Come the Brides.  The series starred Robert Brown and Bobby Sherman and ran for two years and 52 episodes. During this time, David became strongly opposed to the Vietnam War and deeply involved in the anti-war movement.  In 1971, he appeared in the anti-war movie, Dalton Trumbo's Johnny's Got His Gun.  In 1972, he had a recurring role in 13 episodes of the legal television drama Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law.

Over the years, David has appeared in numerous episodes of TV series such as Dan August (1971), Ironside (1971), All in the Family (1971),  The F.B.I. (1972), The Streets of San Francisco (1972), Medical Center (1974), Cannon (1973) (1974), The Rookies (1974) and MacMillan and Wife.(1974).  Of course, he is best known for his role as "Hutch" on Starsky & Hutch from 1974 to 1979.  The "Hutch" role came about because David caught the eye of producer Aaron Spelling with his performance in Clint Eastwood's 1973 film Magnum Force.  In Magnum Force, he played the role of a corrupt motorcycle cop.

In 1988, David received glowing reviews for his portrayal of a cold-blooded police killer Michael Lee Platt in In the Line of Duty: The F.B.I. Murders.  The TV movie was considered controversial because of its high level of violence.

In 1995, David Soul was invited to Britain to perform in the play Catch Me if You Can.  He immigrated to the United Kingdom and moved to London with his girlfriend, American actress Alexa Hamilton.(the couple broke up in 2004).  He has since toured England and Scotland and has spent years in London working in theatre, television and film.  In 2002 and 2003, David portrayed Professor Alan Fletcher in the British medical drama Holby City.  In July of 2004, David took over the role of Jerry Springer in a West End production of Jerry Spring: The Opera at the Cambridge Theatre, which the BBC televised in 2005.

David Soul has been married five times  His first wife was actress Miriam "Mim" Solberg (née Russeth)., whom he wed on December 7, 1963.  They had a child together, Kristofer, but the marriage only lasted only about a year, and they divorced in 1965.  In 1968, David married actress Karen Carlson, whom he met on the set of Here Come The Brides. (She played Mary Ellen on the show).  David and Karen had a child together, Jon, but divorced in 1977.  

On October 12, 1980, David married for the third time, to Patti Carnel, ex-wife of Bobby Sherman, his fellow castmate on Here Come the Brides.  David was stepfather to Tyler and Christopher, Patti's two children by Bobby Sherman.  He and Patti had a son together, Brendan Soul, and divorced in 1986.  In October of 1982, when Brendan was just nine months old, David was arrested for assaulting Patti.  When the story broke, there were ugly headlines and Soul was ordered by the court to undergo psychotherapy sessions and alcoholism counselling.

At the time, David was filming the 1983 NBC miniseries, Casablanca, in which he had the Humphrey Bogart part.  His career was going downhill and he desperately needed a hit.  He feared that the miniseries would be a $5 million miss.  Both he and Patti were on edge and David was drinking to ease the tension.

In 2003, David talked to the BBC about the violence he had inflicted on Patti as part of a campaign launched by BBC1 to raise awareness of the issue.  Appearing on the program Dangerous Love, he stated, "There is no excuse.  The hardest part is to look at oneself and to those you love and that you have hurt.  We live with the guilt and shame."

David wed his fourth wife, Singaporean-born American actress Julia Nickon, in 1987.  The marriage lasted until 1993 and the couple had a daughter, China Alexandra Soul (born May 5, 1988). China is a singer/songwriter.

China Soul 

In June of 2010, David  married his fifth wife, Helen Snell.  They met while David was performing in the British stage production of Deathtrap.


THE REST OF THE CAST OF STARSKY & HUTCH

BERNIE HAMILTON (Captain Harold Dolby) 1928 - 2008



Bernard "Bernie" Hamilton played the hot-tempered but compassionate Captain Harold Dolby on Starsky and Hutch.  Bernie was born in East Los Angeles on June 12, 1928.  He attended Oakland Technical High School in Oakland, California, where he played football and became interested in acting.

In the 1950s and early 1960s, Bernie appeared in bit parts in feature films, many of them uncredited.  He film debut was as baseball player Ernie in The Jackie Robinson Story (1950).  He also played a reporter in Carmen Jones (1954), Goodbye George in Let No Man Write My Epitaph (1960) and Charlie in The Devil at 4 O'Clock (1961).  He won acclaim for his performance as Frank Richards in One Potato, Two Potato (1964), in which he played the black husband of a white woman, portrayed by Barbara Barrie.

Prior to Starsky & Hutch, Bernie made guest appearances in episodes of a number of TV series including Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1960), The Twilight Zone 1961), Ben Casey (1963), The Dick Van Dyke Show (1963), Ironside (1967), All in the Family (1973), Sanford and Son (1973) and The Six Million Dollar Man (1975).

From 1975 to 1979, he played the no no-nonsense Captain Dolby in 91 of the 92 Starsky & Hutch episodes.  Originally, a white actor was cast to play the police caption on the show..  However, executive produces Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg remembered Bernie because he had portrayed a police captain in an earlier Spelling-Goldberg television series.  They thought he'd be right for the part.

After Starsky & Hutch finished its run in 1979, Bernie Hamilton phased himself out of acting.  He limited himself to a appearances in episodes of only three TV series: The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo (1980), Galactica (1980) and The Love Boat (1985).  For 20 years, Bernie focused on being a producer of R&B and Gospel recordings for Chocolate Snowman, a record label he founded.  He produced and sang on an album called "Capt. Dolby Sings the Blues."

Bernie after Starsky & Hutch
Bernie Hamilton married Maxine King in 1950 and they divorced in 1968.  He was the father of two children, daughter Candy and son Raoul.  He died of cardiac arrest in Los Angeles on December 30, 2008, at the age of 80.


ANTONIO FARGAS (Huggy Bear)



Antonio Fargas played the streetwise police informer Huggy Bear on Starsky & Hutch.  The lanky actor with the mischievous eyes has been appearing on stage and screen for decades.  Born
Antonio Juan Fargas in New York City on August 14, 1946, he was one of he 11 children of Mildred ((née Bailey) and Manuel Fargas.  Manuel, Antonio''s Puerto Rican father, worked for the City of New York, sanitation worker and his mother, Mildred, was from Trinidad and Tobago.  He  grew up in Spanish Harlem.

Anotonio is a veteran actor and has performed on stage and screen for about 60 years.  In a 2013 Popdose Interview, Antonio explained how he first got into acting, which he attributed to his mother.  "When I was 14 years old," he said, " there was an ad in the newspaper where they were looking for young African-American men to play in a film about gangs, likening it to West Side Story, except the story was set in Harlem.  My mother encouraged me to try out for it, even though I had no experience at all . . . So I found myself getting a small role in that film, and that was the beginning of my career."

Antonio appeared in many "blaxploitaion" films of the early 1970s, such as Shaft (1971).  "I don't care if it's the junkie or the piimp, it's still empowering to the black community," he told the Los Vegas Review-Journal of his "blaxsploitation" days.  You feel proud to be a part of the picture."

Prior to Starsky and Hutch, Antonio appeared in episodes of such series as The Bill Cosby Show (1971), Ironside (1973), Sanford and Son (1974), Police Woman, and Kojak (1974).  From 1975 to 1979, Antonio played Starsky and Hutch's  primary informant, the flamboyant, jive-talking Huggy Bear, in all 92 episodes of the series.

During his Starsky & Hutch years, Antonio made guest appearances on episodes of The Love Boat (1978) and Vegas$ (1978).  After Starsky & Hutch, Antonio's career continued to thrive.  He guest-starred in episodes of CHiPs, Charlie's Angels (1980), Nurse (1981) and Hardcastle and McCormick (1983).  In 1983 and 1984, Antonio played the role of Les Baxter on the daytime soap All My Children.  In 1988, he appeared in an episode of Miami Vice.

In the 1990s, Antonio guest-starred on MacGyver (1991), The Fresh Prince of Bel Air (1994), The Steve Harvey Show (1999) and L.A. Heat (1999).  From 2005 to 2009, Antonio Fargas had a regular role in 27 episodes of Everybody Hates Chris, the Chris Rock comedy about a black teenager in an all-white school during the 1980s.  Antonio portrayed Doc Harris, the local grocery store owner.

Fargas as Doc Harris
Fargas appeared in a 2006 episode of TV series Heroes and in the 2008 British boxing film Sucker Punch.  In 2018, he played Huggy Bear in an episode of the crime series Captain Sharif.  He also played a character named Harold in a 2018 episode of Code Black.


END NOTES

* While studying at Tulane University, Paul Michael Glaser was roommates with television and film director Bruce Paltrow who passed away in 2002.

Paul Michael Glaser directed the 1987 film, The Running Man, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger

* In 1977, David Soul he had a hit song with "Don't Give Up on Us," which topped the charts in the United States and in the UK.

*  In 2004, David became a British citizen, while retaining his U.S. citizenship.  His daughter, China, also moved to Britain and became a British citizen.

* David is a fan of the English football (soccer) club Arsenal FC.

* David Soul recently released a 3-D compilation called Gold.  It features 44 tracks spanning his music career.

Starting in the late 1960s, Bernie Hamilton operated a a nightclub/art gallery on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles.

* Bernie's older brother was jazz drummer Chico Hamilton.  Chico Hamilton died on November 25, 2013.at the age of 92.

* Antonio Fargas' son, Justin Alejandro Fargas (born January 25, 1980), is a former American football running back.  Justin played college football at the University of Southern California.  He was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the first round of the 2003 NFL draft and played for the Raiders from 2003 to 2009.

* Antonio appeared on the BBC drama Holby City, as did David Soul.

* David Soul and Paul Michael Glaser made cameo appearances in the 2004 feature film adaption of Starsky & Hutch, starring Ben Stiller as Starsky and Own Wilson as Hutch.  Rapper Snoopy Dog played Huggy Bear.

Glaser and Soul in more recent photo

SOURCESThe Complete Directory To Prime Time Network TV Shows 1946 - Present; The Hollywood Reporter, "'Starstky and Hutch' Star Paul Michael Glaser Charts 'Third Act' With Solo Art Exhibition," by Chris Gardner, April 24, 2018; The Official Website of David SoulPeople Magazine, "The Souls; Dark Night," by Brad Darrach and Gioia Diliberto, April 18, 1983; The Telegraph, "David Soul talks of guilt after beating his wife, by Sarah Womack, January 18, 2010;  Las Vegas Review Journal"Playing It Cool," August 12, 2007; The Popdose Interview, "The Popdose Interview: Antonio Fargas," by Will Harris, November 29, 2013; Wikipedia; Internet Movie Database (IMDb.com)


- Joanne