Saturday, April 23, 2022

Y&R Report (April 23, 2022): 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.

Hi fans,                   
There has been a week of a high drama on the Y&R, with a great deal of action and excitement.  Ashland Locke finally admitted his dirty deeds to Victoria.  She finally told him, in no uncertain terms, that she couldn't accept any more of his lies and deceptions.  Then she drove into that fateful foggy night in Genoa City, but not before smashing that portrait of herself.   I wonder if it will be repaired or if Victor's infamous portrait will return.  Maybe there will eventually be a painting of Adam hanging on that wall.
So, now we know how Rey (Jordi Vilasuso) exited the show.  He died in a three-car crash, also involving Victoria. and Ashland.  Ashland rescued Victoria and they survived with some minor injuries. I know we're talking about a soap, but I have a couple of questions to ask about the credibility of that storyline.  Wouldn't Rey have cancelled the trip to Chicago with Conner and Chelsea, given the fog and the dangerous driving conditions?   How likely would Victoria be able to find an unlocked cabin out of the blue?  
There will be many repercussions from Rey's death.  Sharon, of course, will be a grieving widow for a while.  However, it's obvious that she will eventually become romantically involved with Nicholas Newman again.  However,  I can foresee a triangle with those two and Chelsea.  Chelsea has been involved with Nick in the past and she will probably go after him again, especially since Adam and Rey are out of the picture.  Chelsea will need a storyline and it can't all be smooth sailing for Sharon and Nick.  
I think Nick may become chummy with young Conner Newman and help him get over the loss of Rey.  He may volunteer to take Conner to hockey games, especially since Adam is too busy with Newman business and cavorting with Sally Spectra.  Unlike Rey, Nick is not married to Sharon, so Chelsea will consider him fair game. You can see this dynamic already because the two women have had tensions over Chelsea's relationship with Rey.  They seem destined to become romantic rivals.  If something goes wrong between Adam and Sally, then Adan will probably turn to Sharon again, making the romantic entanglements even more complicated.  He's been so involved with Sally, that he hasn't paid much attention to Sharon.  That may change now that Sharon is unattached again.
The death of Rey will also affect Chance's storyline.  It will probably mean that Chance will be the major police officer on the show.  I would love to see Doug Davidson return as Paul Williams, but I can't see that happening.  After the way he was treated, Doug is most likely done with the show for good.  I would feel the same way if I were in his position.
I don't expect that Ashland Lock will be leaving town anytime soon.  It looks as if he'll be sticking around for a while.  Victoria obviously still has feelings for him and she was impressed by the way he saved her life..  However,, she won't easily forget his deceit and his lies about having cancer.  So, she will probably be conflicted and confused.  She may gravitate toward Billy Abbott again, which is definitely going to cause problems for Lily.  Lilly and Billy are too happy right now for a soap couple, so their relationship needs to be threatened.
It's also about time that Dr. Nate and Elena encountered some trouble in paradise.  The trouble will be caused by Amanda's sister, Imani.  According to an online spoiler, Imani will try to "work her charms" on Nate.  Imani has had her eye on the doctor since she met him.  This has been brewing for a long time now.  

CAST NEWS
Christel Khalil (Lily Winters) is engaged


Christel Khalil, who has portrayed Lily Winters on Y&R for several years now, is engaged.  Christel took to Instagram to announce her engagement to longtime boyfriend, Sam Restagno.  She shared photos of the couple, showing off her glittering engagement ring.  "A couple months ago, I said yes to the love of my life," she wrote.
Christel and Sam, a Canadian businessman, began dating in 2016.  Restagno is Managing Partner at Golden  Spruce Capital based in Toronto.

Sam Restagno

This will be the second marriage for Christel, 34, who was married to musician Stephen Hensley from 2008 until 2011.  Christel and Hensley have a son, Michael Coden Hensley, who was born in 2010.  Bryton James (Devon Hamilton on Y&R) is Michael's godfather.

Snowflake returns: The role of Summer has been recast

Allison Lamier

It's official.  A new Summer Newman will arrive in Genoa City.  Allison Lanier will take over the role from Hunter King, who played Summer from 2012 to 2021 and received two Daytime Emmy nominations.  Hunter left Y&R due to a contract dispute.   
Allison Lanier was born in North Carolina and she played Anabelle in the Amazon series Red Oaks.  She also appeared as Bella in the 2018 film Fish Bones and as Anna in the 2019 thriller Mia.  Allison is scheduled to make her first appearance on Y&R sometime  in May.

CAST NOTE
Peter Bergman
Peter Bergman (Jack Abbott) and Susan Walters (Diane Jenkins) were guests on the Monday, April 18th episode of The Talk.  I must say that they both seem very excited about their storyline, especially Peter..  The return of Diane is probably the best thing to happen to Jack's storyline in years and it has so much potential  Peter is also quite pleased about the return of his TV son, Kyle Abbott, played by Michael Mealor.  He had nothing but praise for Mealor.

Y&R REPORT READER'S POLL

Everyone in Genoa City loved Rey Rosales.  He was an all-round good guy.  Jordi Vilasuso, who played Rey, was suddenly let go and written out of the show.  To be honest, I was surprised because he seemed to have a new storyline involving Chelsea.  Rey was the last of three Rosales siblings still in Genoa City.  We won't see him again - unless the writers decide to bring him back from the dead some day.  Fans, how do you feel about the departure of Rey?  Will you miss him.?  Reply to the poll below and let me know.

Will you miss Jordi Vilasuso (Rey Rosales)?
 
pollcode.com free polls

NOTE TO READERS

I need your feedback.  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.  I really need your input.  I really need to hear your opinion.  I want to know if you agree or disagree with me. 

My email address:  jmadden16@yahoo.ca

That's all for now.  Don't forget that the next edition of Y&R Report will appear in this space on Saturday, May 7, 2022,

Take care,

Joanne

Saturday, April 9, 2022

Y&R Report (April 9, 2022); 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.

Hi fans,

So, Diane Jenkins is back and she's really starting to shake things up, but I definitely have to take the writers to task.  I wanted to shout in frustration at Jack's initial response to seeing Diane.  When he first set eyes on her, he was taken aback, as anyone would be after coming face to face with someone whom they believed to be dead.  That didn't last very long.  For a man who thought he'd seen a ghost, Jack suddenly became mor angry than astonished.  He quickly accepted that Diane was alive and proceeded to reprimand her for all her wrongdoings and for how terrible a mother she had been to Kyle.  I felt like scratching my head.  How could Jack so blithely accept that Diane was alive without asking more questions?  Why didn't he find out exactly how she survived or faked her death?  How could anyone just let that go?  

It wasn't until later that Jack got a few scant details from Diane, some story about how she faked her own death and how Deacon Sharpe (Remember him?  He's on The Bold and the Beautiful now) helped her).  Jack seemed much more concerned about telling Diane what a horrible  person she's been, although she insisted that she's changed.  Having said all that, I'm pleased that Diane's back.  She's really going to spice things up.  I must say, I am enjoying all those old flashbacks of her with Jack and Phyllis.  Jack and Phyllis have taken a hard line with Diane,  However, Allie is more sympathetic.  She believes that Diane really loves her son, Kyle.  Whether Diane intends to or not, she will cause trouble.  Otherwise there would be no conflict.  

As I mentioned in the last edition of Y&R Report, Michael Mealor has signed a new contract with the show and is returning as Kyle Abbott on a long term basis.  Jack and Phyllis have agreed that Kyle should be the one to decide whether he wants to reunite with Diane or not.  It's obvious, though, that he will see Diane whether he wants to or not.  There's absolutely no way she's going to stay away from him.  As for Kyle, once he's gotten of the initial shock that Diane is still alive, he will be tempted to see his mother, no matter how angry and disillusioned he is with her.

Kyle's coming to Genoa City with Harrison, but Summer is remaining in Milan.  Maybe Y&R hasn't chosen a new actress to play the role of Snowflake yet, or could the show be negotiating a new contract with Hunter King, too?  Just wondering . . . It would be more fun to have Summer back in town to meet Diane and to discover that her nemesis, Sally Spectra, is COO of Newman Media and in a relationship with Adam Newman.

I'm looking forward to Allie's first meeting with the Abbott family.  I think Ashley and Traci will like her.  She'll eventually be offered a job at Jabot, given her background in chemistry. I'm also looking forward to her first meeting with Noah Newman.

So Princess Victoria and Ashland have cancelled their plans to go to their palazzo in Tuscany, much to Adam's disappointment.  It's a great setting for a murder mystery, but I stillI think Ashland Locke is going to be a murder victim.. Besides, the show must have spent a fortune designing that Tuscany set.  It would be a shame if they only used it once, for the wedding of Victoria and Ashland.

The dynamic between Victoria and Ashland is strange right now.  When he professed his love for her and assured her that he'd never harm her, it seemed as if she almost believed him.  Nevertheless, she insists she has a plan for dealing with him.  Is that why she is trying to convince him that Adam is the one who has been setting him up?  Does Ashland really believe that she's not playing him?  I don't think he's that naive, especially after all the evidence against him that Victoria's  own  family has shown her.  

I'm glad that Michael Baldwin has returned from Peru and that he's safe and sound.  However, I don't understand why he wants to continue working for Victor Newman.  Isn't he tired of being Victor Newman's lackey?  Why does he want to endanger his life for Victor's sake?  Lauren is absolutely right.


CAST NEWS

Tragedy hits Mishael Morgan's family


Y&R star, Mishael Morgan, who plays lawyer Amanda Sinclair, has suffered a devastating loss.  Mishael shared the terrible news on Twitter that her husband's  (Navid Ali) only brother died with his wife and three children in a tragic house fire.  She wrote the following: "I am still in absolute disbelief.  I literally have no words right now.  My sister-in-law has set up a GoFundMe,  Please pray for my family and donate if possible."

Mishael grew up in Canada, where her family lives.  The early morning fire, which took the lives of a family of five, occurred in Brampton, Ontario on Monday, March 28.  The home was apparently undergoing renovations and, according to the children's grandfather, had no working smoke alarms.  The Ontario fire marshal's office investigated the cause of the fire and determined that the house actually had active smoke alarms. 

Sadly, a sixth victim of the fire has passed away.  The grandmother of the family, who was transported to hospital in critical condition, has died of her injuries.


Jordi Vilasuso (Rey Rosales) to exit Y&R


The last of the Rosales family will be leaving Genoa City.  Jordi Vilasuso, who joined the cast as Rey Rosales in 2018, was dismissed from the show.  The decision to leave was not his.  Back in October, he resigned with the series for three years.  However, there are intervals where the show can decide not to sign you for the next six months.  That's what happened to Jordi. "Maybe I should have seen the writing on the wall.  The scripts that I was given were very minimal," he said.

It does seem a strange time for the writers to get rid of Rey.  There's no lack of storyline for him.  He's just getting involved with Chelsea (Melissa Claire Egan) because he's jealous of Sharon's close relationship with Nick.  So, if Rey returns to Miami, where does that leave Chelsea?  She won't have much of a storyline.  Since Rey's a  police  detective, another possibility is that Rey could be killed in the line of duty.  If that happens, he can always come back from the dead someday, the way Diane did, right?  As for Sharon, with Rey out of the picture, and Adam with Sally Spectra, she'll most likely end up with Nick again.  They've been gravitating towards each other for a while.

Also, Y&R needs a cop in the cast.  Who's going to make arrests?  I guess, now that Chance is getting ready to rejoin Genoa City's finest, he'll be given that role.  Too bad Paul isn't shown anymore, but after the way Doug Davidson has been treated, I doubt we'll ever see him on the show again.


Y&R REPORT READERS' POLL 

Susan Walters

Dianne Jenkins is back from the dead and Susan Walters is portraying her again.  Fans, how do you feel about her return to Y&R after all these years?  Are you happy about it?  Respond to the poll below and let me know.

Are you pleased that Diane is back?
 
pollcode.com free polls


NOTE TO READERS

I need your feedback.  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.  I really need your input.  I really need to hear your opinion.  I want to know if you agree or disagree with me. 

My email address:  jmadden16@yahoo.ca

That's all for now.  Don't forget that the next edition of Y&R Report will appear in this space on Saturday, April 23, 2022.

To all who celebrate, have a Happy Easter.  To those of the Jewish faith, Happy Passover.  



Take care,

Joanne

Thursday, April 7, 2022

The Life and Times of James Garner

"Television is a close-up, intimate medium: The audience falls in love with Jim (Garner) as a friend."

-  Brandon Stoddard, former senior vice president of ABC. Esquire magazine, 1979

If James Garner were alive today, he would be celebrating his 93rd birthday.  Jim was a tall, rugged leading man and he was perfectly suited to playing cowboys in westerns.  However, he was much more than just a cowboy actor and his movie and television characters were quite varied through the years.  Jim is best known for his roles as Bret Maverick on Maverick and Jim Rockford on The Rockford Files.  Washington Post TV critic, Tom Shales, once wrote that as both Maverick and Rockford, Garner "embodied the crusty, sardonic and self-effacing strain of American masculinity."

James Garner was born James Scott Bumgarner in Denver, Oklahoma  (now part of Norman, Oklahoma) on April 7, 1928, the son of German Americans.  Jim's father, Weldon Warren Bumgarner, ran a country store..  His mother, Mildred Scott (Meek), died when he was about four years old.  Upon her death, Jim and his two older brothers, Jack and Charlie Bumgarner, were sent to live with different relatives.

Jim's father remarried several times, and one of Jim' stepmothers, Wilma, was abusive to him and his brothers.  According to Jim, she regularly beat them "with anything she could get hold of."

In 1944, 16-year-old Jim dropped out of Norman High School and joined the Merchant Marines, but soon left due to sea sickness.  The teenager then moved to Los Angeles, where his father resided.  He briefly attended Hollywood High School, where his football coach recommended him for a job modelling swimsuits for magazine advertisements   Jim worked at a variety of other jobs before he took up acting.  He was a telephone installer, an old field roughneck in Oklahoma and Texas, a dishwasher, a janitor, a lifeguard, a grocery clerk, a salesman and a Los Angeles gas station attendant.  

Jim became an actor quite by chance.  It was during his time as a gas station attendant that he became acquainted with a man named Paul Gregory, who was then working as a soda jerk.  Years later, it would be Gregory who helped draw him into an acting career.  

In 1950, James Garner was drafted into  the U.S. Army and saw combat in the Korean War.  He was wounded twice, for which he was awarded two Purple Hearts, according to his obituaries.. After his discharge from the army, Jim attended the University of Oklahoma for a short time.  He then returned to California and worked with his father as a carpet layer.  

In 1954, Jim's old friend, Paul Gregory, offered him a non-speaking role in a Broadway-bound play.  Gregory, who had become a producer and agent, took Jim on as a client and cast him in Herman Wouk's The Caine Mutiny Court Martial, a play he was producing.  The Caine Mutiny Court Martial opened in Santa Barbara, California and arrived on Broadway in January of 1954.  It had a stellar cast, including Henry Fonda and Lloyd Nolan.

One of Jim's duties was to read the lines to the lead actors.  In this way, he became schooled in the art of acting and was especially influenced by Henry Fonda.  Performing in The Caine Mutiny Court Martial sparked Jim's career.  It led to minor television roles and TV commercials and the young actor was eventually signed as a contract player with Warner Brothers.

After appearing in several feature films, including Sayonara (1957) with Marlon Brando, Jim was cast as roving riverboat gambler Bret Maverick in the TV western Maverick.  Jack Kelly co-starred as Brett Maverick's brother, Bart, in the highly successful ABC series which ran for five seasons from 1957 to 1962.  Within two weeks of its debut, i, Maverick surpassed CBS's The Ed Sullivan Show and NBC's Steve Allen in the Sunday night ratings.  Competing with such strong rivals was no easy task.

In 1960, Jim left his role on Maverick due to a salary dispute.  He had been dissatisfied with Warner Brothers over his relatively low pay and the studio's control over his career.  During a writer's strike, he was suspended without pay and he successfully sued to be released from his contract.

Garner as Bret Maverick (1959)

Below is a photo of James Garner and Jack Kelly as Bret and Bart Maverik from a 1957 episode of Maverik entitled "Hostage" {Season 1, Episode 8, Air Date: November 10, 1057).  The episode was Kelly's introduction to the series


After leaving Maverick, James Garner established his own company, Cherokee Productions and  focused on movies.  From 1961 until 1971, he appeared in 21 feature films, including The Children's Hour (1961), with Shirley MacLaine and Audrey Hepburn and The Great Escape (1963), with Steve McQueen.  In 1971, Jim returned to television in Nichols, a short-lived NBC western set in Arizona in 1914.  He played an ex-soldier who becomes sheriff of the town.  Only 26 episodes of Nichols, co-starring Margot Kidder, were produced.  The series ended its run in 1972.

Below is a 1971 photo of James Garner and Margot Kidder in Nichols.

Jim's next venture proved far more successful.  From 1974 to 1980, he starred in The Rockford Files, portraying Los Angeles-based private investigator Jim Rockford on the NBC series.  The Rockford Files did not have the usual private eye stereotypes.  Instead of a secretary, Rockford had an answering machine.  He worked from his home, a dilapidated trailer in a parking lot on a beach in Malibu, California. 


In 2005, James Garner told Daily Variety that there was not that much difference between Rockford and Maverick.  "They're anti-heroes, both of them," he said, "and for an actor, that's probably the most fun kind of leading man to play."

The Rockford Files was created by Roy Huggins and Stephen J. Cannell.  Huggins, who also created Maverick, found the same winning formula in a modern day detective setting.   Noah Beey Jr. played Jim Rockford's father, Joseph "Rocky" Rockford, a retired truck driver.  Gretchen Corbett portrayed attorney Elizbeth "Beth" Davenport. 

Beery, Jr. as Rocky


Davenport as Beth 1975

During the filming of The Rockford Files, Jim suffered from chronic knee problems.  The show ended abruptly in 1980 because Garner was under doctors' orders to take time off. due to a bleeding ulcer.  Jim had other health issues, too.  In 2000, he underwent underwent knee replacement surgery for both knees.  On April 22, 1998, Jim had quintuple heart bypass surgery.  He made a quick recovery but was advised to stop smoking.  He didn't quit until 17 years later.  In May of 2008, Jim suffered a severe stroke.  Two days later he underwent surgery and his prognosis was considered to be 'very positive.

In 1978, Jim Garner reunited with Jack Kelly in a made-for-television film entitled The New Maverick, also starring Susan Sullivan.  Bret's brother, Bart., played by Kelly, makes an appearance near the end of the movie.

In the 1980s, Jim played dramatic roles in several made-for-television films such as Heartsounds (1984), opposite Mary Tyler Moore, in which he played a doctor who is deprived of oxygen during surgery and wakes up brain damaged,  He also portrayed the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous. in My Name is Bill W, a 1989 CBS Hallmark Hall of Fame TV movie. 

From 1981 to 1982, James Garner returned to his Maverick role in a revival of the series entitled Bret Maverick.  NBC cancelled the series after one season, despite decent ratings.

In 1991, Jim starred in Man of the People, alongside Kate Mulgrew, about a con man who fills in for his ex-wife on city council.  The series had fair ratings but was cancelled after only ten episodes.  In his biography, The Garner Files, Jim described the show as "short lived and rightly so."  

In 1993, Jim played the lead in Barbarians at the Gates, the true story of F. Ross Johnson, the president and CEO of RJR Nabisco.  The HBO movie earned nine Emmy nominations.  From 1994 to 1998, he reprised his role as Jim Rockford in a series of eight Rockford Files made-for-TV movies.  In 1995, he starred as Woodrow Call, a former lawman, in the TV miniseries, Streets of Laredo, a sequel to Lonesome Dove.

Jim portrayed  Hubert "Hue" Miller in four episodes of the medical drama Chicago Hope in the year 2000.  In 2002, he appeared as Chief Justice Thomas Brankin in all thirteen episodes of the Supreme Court drama First Monday. He also played the recurring role of Jim Egan in five 2005 episodes of the comedy/drama 8 Simple Rules.  Jim did some voice work, too.  In 2000, he provided the voice of God in all 13 episodes of the animated series God, the Devil and Bob.  In 2001, he provided the voice of Commander Rourke in the animated science fiction feature, Atlantis: The Lost Empire.


On August 17, 1956, James Garner  married Lois Josephine Fleischman Clarke at the Beverly Hills court house.  Their wedding took place about two weeks after Jim spotted the aspiring actress at a political rally for Adlai Stevenson, the 1956 Democratic candidate for president.  They had met a few days earlier at a friend's barbecue. Jim's family opposed the marriage, contending that his background was too different from Lois'.  Jim, on the other hand, thought they complimented each other.

Lois, who was Jewish, had a 7-year-old daughter, Kimberly, from a previous marriage.  Jim adopted Kim, who had been recovering from polio and the couple later had a daughter together named Greta "Gigi" Garner, born January 4, 1958.  

In 1970, Jim and Lois lived separately for three months.  In late 1979, about the time The Rockford Files stopped filming, they separated again, dividing time between living in Canada and "a rented house near the Valley."  They resumed living together in September of 1981   According to Jim, the separations occurred not because of marital difficulties but because he needed some time alone to deal with the stress of acting.  In 2002, he told television host Charlie Rose, that marriage is like the army. "Everyone complains," he said, "but you'd be surprised at the large number of people who re-enlist."' 

James Garner and family in 1961

Jim and Lois remained married until Jim's death.  James Garner died on July 19, 2014 a month shy of their 58th wedding anniversary. Police and rescue personnel were called to his Brentwood, California home.  They found him dead of a heart attack at the age of 86.  During the course of his more than 50-year career, Jim racked up more than 80 film and TV movie credits.

James Garner in later years

END NOTES

* James Garner's wife, Lois, born July 6, 1923 and she passed away at her home on October 21, 2021.  She was 98 years old at the time of her death. The daughter of Samuel Hillis Fleischman and Sarah Doltz. Lois was raised in Los Angeles and she was an avid art collector.

* Jim's brother, Jack Bumgarner, died in 2011.  His other brother, Charlie, passed away in 1985.

* Jim's Maverick co-star, Jack Kelly, appeared with Jim in two 1977 episodes of The Rockford Files: "The Becker Connection" (Season 3, Episode 16, Air Date: February 11, 1977) and "Beamer's Last Case" (Season 4, Episode 1, Air Date: September 16, 1977)..  Jack died on November 7, 1992 in Huntington Beach, California.  He was 65 years old at the time of his death.  

* Jim became fascinated with car racing after appearing with Eva Marie Saint in the 1996 film Grand Prix 

* James Garner and Mariette Hartley appeared in a string of TV commercials for Polaroid cameras from the late 1970s into the 1980s.  The ads were hugely successful, mostly due to the chemistry between Jim and the droll Mariette Hartley.  Their banter was snappy and snarky and the two worked so well together that many viewers mistakenly assumed that Mariette Harley was Jim's real wife.  

Below is a photo of Jim and Mariette Hartley in Polaroid commercial.


* In 1983, Jim sued Universal Studios for 16.5 million U.S. in a breach of contract dispute in connection with The Rockford Files.

* Jim earned an Academy Award nomination in the Best Leading Actor category for his performance as a widowed pharmacist in the film Murphy's Romance (1985), co-starring Sally Field.  

* In February of 2005, James Garner received the Screen Actors Guild's Lifetime Achievement Award.  Jim was nominated for 15 Emmy Awards during his television career.  In 1977, he won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a a Drama Series for The Rockford Files.  In 1987, he received another Emmy as executive producer of Promise, a 1986 made-for-television drama, in which he starred as Bob Beuhler, a man who returns to his hometown after his mother's death and has to take responsibility for the care of his mentally ill younger brother, D.J., played by James Woods.

* After the death of actor James Coburn in 2002, Garner took Coburn's place as TV commercial voiceover for Chevrolet's "Like a Rock" advertising campaign.

* In the 2004 film The Notebook, Jim portrayed the older version of the Ryan Gosling character.  The Screen Actors Guild nominated him as best actor for best actor for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role.

In  2011, Simon & Shuster published James Garner's autobiography, The Garner Files: A Memoir.  The memoir was co-written with nonfiction author Jon Winokur.  It includes a heartfelt introduction by Julie Andrews.  Jim and Julie became friends while working on two feature films together: The Americanization of Emily (1964) and Victor/Victoria (1982),   They also co-starred in One Special Night, a 1999 television movie in which they played two lonely people stranded overnight in a blizzard at Christmastime.

SOURCES:  Los Angeles Times, "James Garner dies at 86,  TV anti-hero of 'Maverick,' 'Rockford Files,'" Dennis McLellan, July 20, 2014; Yahoo TV, "How a Random Moment on La Cienga Launched James Garner's Acting Career," by Elizabeth Durand Streisand,, July 21, 2014; Country Living, "James Garner and Lois Clarke Dated for 14 Days Before Getting Married," by Maria Carter, August 18, 2017; Los Angeles Times, Obituary: Lois Josephine Garner, November 6, 2021; Wikipedia Internet Movie Database (IMDb)


- Joanne

Monday, April 4, 2022

Jeopardy! Update

Well, Jeopardy! fans, it's starting to look more and more like Ken Jennings will be given the official title of Jeopardy! host, joining Mayim Bialik, who presides over the special Jeopardy! tournaments.  

On March 15, ABC revealed its upcoming reality show lineup.  The network announced that Ken was leaving The Chase after two seasons.  The Chase is an American version of a British game show which debuted in January of 2021 with Jennings and fellow Jeopardy! legends James Holzhauer and Brad Rutter on board.  The Chase is scheduled to return in May, but without Ken.  

Ken's fans hope this means that he is leaving himself open to become permanent Jeopardy! host.  There is a good chance it may happen, but a word of caution.  Nothing is official yet.  The situation could change.  Still, I sense that the majority of Jeopardy! watchers, including myself, are very satisfied with the setup as it is now and would very much like to see the status quo made permanent.  I'm sure Alex Trebek himself would be pleased to see Ken take his place.  

The powers-that-be at Jeopardy! are certainly taking their time before designating a  new permanent host.  Who can blame them after the Mike Richards fiasco?  However, they are going to have to make a choice sooner of later.  Who better than Ken Jennings?  He's the greatest Jeopardy! champ.  He knows the game inside out and he been a consultant to the show for a while.

Ken Jennings is very genial and easy-going.  Ken relates well to the contestants and is able to engage them in good-natured banter.  He seems comfortable hosting the show.  He's not too full of himself and he's not oily and smooth-talking.  If he indeed wants the job, I hope he gets it. 

Ken Jennings

- Joanne